A Hero may stay at any guildhall while recovering from injuries sustained in the course of their duty but must pay for any and all services received while there.

Hero’s Guild Book of Rules

Rule # 12

The road was rough and uneven, just as it had always been every other time Feral had traveled along it. The only real difference this time was that he was riding a horse rather than walking. He normally avoided the beasts, the cost along of caring for one was prohibitive, but under the current circumstances he was happy for the ride. His leg would take a good deal longer to heal fully, not to mention his other injuries, and until then he wasn’t going to be going on any long walks. King Yarin had insisted on sending them along with some horses to ride and Skemm had brought some of her new soldiers to help manage the cattle. With all of this added help, Feral was relieved that they were nearing the village much sooner than he had initially thought.

He looked back over his shoulder and was surprised to see Riven still holding and examining the King’s token. Will was beside her and kept glancing sideways at her and the token as well. Riven had never been the romantic type, as far as Feral had ever seen. At least, neither had ever expressed much romantic interest in one another.

“What will you do?” Skemm asked, obviously following Feral’s gaze and guessing at his thoughts.

“If Riven decides to go with King Yarin?” Feral replied, “I suppose I’ll just go back to living the way I did before we met up.”

“Pretty tough way of living,” Skemm observed.

Feral shrugged. “You get use to it.”

“What about the King’s offer?” Skemm asked.

Feral eyed her. “Can you honestly imagine me as the King’s guard?”

“Why not?” Skemm demanded. “You’re by far the greatest fighter any of us have ever seen! You’re smart, a good teacher–

“Sarcastic, don’t take orders well,” Feral interrupted her, “and would probably make a nuisance of myself by interrupting his meetings when I hear someone make a stupid suggestion. Probably get myself executed for insulting someone important.”

“Or maybe he’d listen to you, make you one of his advisors.”

Feral shrugged again. “I don’t like the idea of being locked down to one place. I need to be able to come and go as I please.”

“From what you’ve told me,” Skemm said, “You were pretty locked down to Will’s village. Coming and checking on him as often as you did.”

“That was different,” Feral retorted. “I could pick and choose when I did that. If I become the King’s guard, that’s it. Wherever he goes, I go, and I don’t get any say in the matter.”

“True,” Skemm conceded, “But you’d also still get to see Riven.”

“And that wouldn’t cause any rumors in the royal court, would it,” Feral said with heavy sarcasm. “The King’s guard spending quality time with the King’s new love, both of whom are wild and uncultured wanderers that the King picked up while he was off chasing the armies of the Western Realm. Sure, that would go over really well.”

“Alright, fine,” Skemm said and threw her good arm up in the air in defeat. However, rather than falling silent she added, “What about serving under me?”

“What?” He was completely taken off guard by this offer.

“As a Lady of the Northern Realm,” Skemm explained, “I’m going to need a number of aids, officers, and soldiers. You could serve quite well in any of those positions.”

“You can’t be serious,” Feral told her. “We barely managed not to kill one another while tracking down the Western Realm. What makes you think we’ll get along any better long term?”

“We aren’t the same people we were when we started out, Feral,” Skemm assured him. “Otherwise I would agree with you. But I think the last couple of weeks have really effected us all, and I really would value your aid and advice. Rebuilding the lands that Lord Fesser had neglected for so long isn’t going to be easy.” Skemm spoke those last remarks as though a heavy weight had descended onto her.

Skemm was right about that, though Feral wasn’t sure Skemm really knew the full depths of Fesser’s treachery.

“Fesser was the one who was hiring bandits to hunt Heroes,” Feral told her casually.

“He what?”

“Yeah,” Feral said. “Shortly after we crossed into the Northern Realm his messengers found us and mistook Riven and me for a pair of bandits coming over from the Western Realm. They told us Lord Fesser was offering to pay handsomely for each Hero medallion we brought in. That led us to finding the armies, and then to you, and, well, you know the rest.”

“See?” Skemm told him, “this is why I need you. You can find things I’d never be able to on my own.”

Feral still wasn’t convinced. He hated the attention that such positions of power and authority brought with them. For now, at least, Skemm seemed willing to let it go and they rode on a bit further in silence. At last, as the sun was just dipping below the tree tops, they spotted the village. Will gave out a loud whoop and ran up the Feral and Skemm who rode at the front of their procession.

“I’ll run ahead and announce you!” Will cried and dashed off.

“He’s taking to his new duties rather well,” Feral observed.

“He’s a good learner,” Skemm agreed.

“Skemm,” Feral began and his voice was suddenly serious. “Before we get there and become too busy with all the celebrating and such, I have to ask you something.”

“Sure, Feral, what is it?”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Enjoy what?” Skemm asked.

“All the attention, the praise and notoriety, not to mention the titles. It just seems, I don’t know, bothersome.”

Skemm shook her head. “It’s just part of the job,” Skemm said, “And I’m sorry that the King and everyone has kept focusing on me. People want to express their gratitude and my being the Hero made it difficult give you and Riven your proper credit.”

“But did you enjoy it?” Feral pressed. “The banquets King Yarin held for you, the new title, lands, there are songs being written about you!”

A slight smile crossed her mouth but Skemm rolled her eyes.

“Look, it’s okay,” Feral told her, “but just between you and me, did you enjoy it?”

They were almost to the village and the people were beginning to hurry up the road t meet them. Skemm glanced up at the people and then back to Feral before giving him a slight nod.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it was at least a little nice,” she admitted under her breath.

Feral nodded understandingly and then shot her a wicked grin before turning to address the assembling crowd.

“MY PEOPLE!” Feral shouted out loudly, “I GIVE YOU YOUR HERO, NOW A LADY OF THE NORTHERN REALM, SKEMM!!”

As the people rushed forward and Skemm waved at them, a smile plastered onto her face, she muttered under her breath with as much sarcasm as she could muster, “Thanks, Feral.”

The crowd pressed in all around and Skemm was soon born away with them along with Will, the cattle, and Skemm’s soldiers, leaving Feral and Riven alone on the road with the lengthening shadows of evening.

Riven, also riding a horse given to her by the King, sat quietly beside Feral for a time, both of them watching as the townsfolk prepared their celebrations in honor of Lady Skemm and her triumphant return.

“I don’t think this is going at all how you envisioned,” Riven mused finally.

“No,” Feral chuckled, “it really hasn’t.” And then after a brief pause he added, “It’s gone much better.”

Silence fell again between them and, again, it was Riven who broke it.

“It’s not like you to be so quiet,” she observed. “Especially after such a spectacular victory.”

Feral shifted back and forth on his saddle, bobbing his head a little but otherwise giving no response.

“Really?” Riven said with a bit of surprise. “That’s it?”

“What more do you want?” Feral asked.

Riven turned and looked out over the village and its people as they hurried about. Some were still busy with the cattle whereas others were setting out large tables and setting them for the feast.

“We’ve done a lot of good,” Riven said softly, “We’ve saved people, fought bandits and armies, and what has it amounted to?”

Feral wasn’t sure where Riven was going with this. Did she suddenly regret what they’d done? Was she trying to make some point that he was missing? Whatever her aim was, Feral was at a loss as to what it could be.

“We’ve both seen the hypocrisy out there. Lord Fesser’s just one among dozens who’d turn on their own people if the price was right,” Feral reminded her, “We’ve always done everything we could, to help where ever we could. ”

“Exactly,” Riven replied and she met his gaze with a seriousness he’d rarely seen in her. “And we’ve each been given a chance now to potentially do some incredible good. Just think of all that you could do with the authority King Yarin offered you.”

“The King’s guard isn’t exactly—

“I know that isn’t the only position he offered you, Feral,” Riven cut him off.

Feral hesitated. Riven could be bluffing, hoping to catch him and trick him into telling her what the King had actually offered him. But then again, why keep it secret from Riven even if she was bluffing. Still, he wasn’t going to just let her have that win.

“I don’t titles fit me very well,” Feral hedged in his response.

Riven, though, obviously wasn’t up for playing these games as she said, “You could do an incredible amount of good as Duke of the Western Realm and Military Advisor to King Yarin.”

Feral blinked at her, stunned. Either of those titles would have been expected, given what all Feral had done, but King Yarin had made it clear that he wanted Feral to have both. He’d told Feral this in private, shortly before they left to return the cattle. His offer to be his personal guard was, King Yarin told him, just to appease those present for the time being and to give Feral time to think it over without so much outward pressure.

“King Yarin asked me what I thought,” Riven explained, “And whether or not I thought you’d accept.”

“But can you imagine me like that?”

“Like what, Feral?”

He cast around in his mind for the right words, trying and failing to find the right ones that would give shape to his thoughts.

“You said it yourself, we always did everything we could, to help whoever we could.”

“What about you?” Feral retorted, searching around for anything he could argue with. “How does courting the King help?”

Riven almost laughed and Feral knew his argument was a weak one. Riven could become the most influential of all of King Yarin’s advisors.

I’m sorry,” Feral admitted. “I’m just…

Riven nodded and then spurred her horse forward, causing it to begin walking up towards the village.

“King Yarin’s expecting us at his palace in two week’s time,” Riven called back over her shoulder. “You can give him your answer then. But just think,” she went on, and what she said next was not what Feral had been expecting her to say and it made him bark out a laugh, “if you accept, imagine the look on Skemm’s face when she finds out.”

Feral continued chuckling as he followed Riven up to the town and together they joined in the festivities, raising their cups to Skemm and Will who were being paraded around and fawned over by the villagers.

“It’s this that I’ll miss the most, I think,” Feral told Riven at last.

“Miss what?” she asked.

“The anonymity,” he replied. “I like being able to sit back and just watch and not be watched.”

Riven nodded in agreement and then raised her cup towards Feral. He, in turn, lifted his own cup to her.

“To anonymity,” Feral said.

“To unsung heroes,” Riven said.

And they each drained their cups.