"That’s... that’s 2,475 Silver for the final cart. With the first two... oh, my math is failing me, my heart is failing me, my pockets are failing me! You’ve brought me over 3,100 Silver in death and beauty, Resven! I’ll have to open the deep vaults! I’ll have to call in favors from the coast and beg the counting-houses for mercy!" Although he said so, Resven could see the man’s smile grow ever larger as he spoke.

’Quite the complainer...’ Resven chuckled upon seeing the sight, ’but he does give excellent coin.’

"You’re either the luckiest man alive, or you’re someone I should be bowing to... and I suspect I know which one it is, aye, I do! Shall we go inside? I think I need that brandy now—and you lot need a chest of silver large enough to use as a dinner table! Step in, step in—don’t mind the dust, it’s just the smell of profit!"

Jumping from the cart, he hurriedly ushered Resvin into the shop. Mestin stood guard over the carts while, at some point, Balkas seemed to have put Telarin and Keren to work. They were busy loading all the goodies and materials into the shop and into a specific area.

They were finally finishing up on this deal. Once they were done, they would visit the Iron Hoof stables one last time. After that, they planned to stop at the builders’ guild for supplies and commissions. The next morning, they would depart, heading home.

***

That night, after the group finished their errands—buying horses, selling goods, and commissioning more carts and wagons—they set off for home. On the way, Mornell told them about the healer called Elspeth.

Bramm had told the group that Mornell would contact the healer, and if she so chose, Bramm would like her to join the house as their healer. Mornell had told them he had contacted the healer, who was willing to hear what they had to say.

Resven tasked Telarin and Mestin with guarding the wagons and carts whilst he and Keren went to meet the healer. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

They were headed to the lower docks, and before a small and inconspicuous building at the end of the docks, the two were standing in waiting.

"This the place, then? Looks more like a shed for dyin’ than a house for livin’. I hope the healer’s touch is softer than the woodwork, or we’re all in trouble!" Keren commented as his gaze wandered to the buildings surrounding them.

"It’s the lower docks for a reason, even with House Morvayn being the righteous and upright nobles, poverty will still remain even in the most prosperous cities." Resven responded with a sharp glint in his eye.

"Keep your guard up." He said before knocking on the door.

Silence reigned except for the whistling of the wind for a moment before the door creaked open. A tall and lean man with charcoal black hair and flint grey eyes appeared; he stood vigilantly behind the half-open door.

"We requested a meeting through Mornell of the builders guild..." Resven began, seeing as the man had no intention of opening the door further.

"Come now, Torin, let’s welcome the gentleman," a sweet, soft voice rang out from behind the man called Torin.

Torin let out a grunt and opened the door fully, revealing the dark interior, only lit by a few candles on the floor and table.

Resven stepped inside and glanced at Torin, his eyes wandering to the two swords hanging on both sides of him, a symbol with a white oak surrounded by flora and a seed within the oak. ’Order of Glen Marrow... why would someone like that be in such a building, furthermore... in secret it seems.’

"Don’t mind Torin, he gets a bit riled up now and then. Come please sit..." the voice carried over, and for the first time, Resven saw the owner of said voice.

She was slender with soft, rounded facial features and a youthful expression. He had to squint his eyes a bit, but he could see her copper-red hair bound together in a braid.

Both Keren and Resven sat opposite the woman and waited. "Some little birds told me you wanted to meet with me. Now, here we are. Why don’t you tell me why you wanted to meet me?" Her soft, melodic voice moved like wind, but with an added tint of warning to it.

Keren, who had been silent the whole time, had his eyes locked on the man called Torin, who had come to stand behind the woman. "Resven... look at him. Orange, " he leaned over and whispered.

Sure enough, when Resven glanced over, the soft orange hue appeared slightly on the man. He was issuing a warning to the two of them.

"Our Lord, Mormaer Osric, has been looking for a healer for a while. Someone to tend to the wounded of his house and may even come to serve him. The Lord and Mornell know each other from another life... so he asked Mornell for help in searching for a healer... which led us to you..."

"A healer," she echoed, her voice a soft melody that seemed to catch on the jagged edges of the room. " The Lord of House Osric must be a desperate man to send his own sergeants into the shadows for a ghost story".

Resven didn’t blink. "He is a man who values his men. The beasts are spooked and they encroach on our territory by the day. We fight the beasts on a daily basis, getting injured is part of the job, but without a healer or supplies we won’t be able to do what our Lord has commanded us to do".

He leaned forward just enough to bridge the distance, though Keren remained a statue beside him, eyes never leaving Torin behind her. "Our Lord doesn’t want a servant. He wants someone who can take care of the injured, nothing more. Our Lord does not wish for anyone in his house that is not there of their own choosing."