Jorm Turide walked along the rows of goods in the warehouse, making sure the staff had kept everything in the right place while he was out. He nodded to himself, as he saw noting was out of place.

Perfect, he thought and smiled. Everything was exactly as it should be. At the end of the row, he saw his daughter placing a box on a stack. She checked it was square with the others and began adjusting the ones near it which were slightly out of order.

He remembered the first time she wanted to help. An apron that she was nearly tripping over, and a box he had to completely empty so she could carry it. It took him more than twice as long with her help. But the serious look on her face as she worked was just too adorable. It was the first time since her mother passed that he had felt real joy.

She noticed him and waved, bringing him back from his reminiscing. He waved back a grin on his face. Covering the rest of the distance in a few quick strides, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up spinning her. “It is good to be home.”

She hugged him back and patted his shoulder so he would let her go. “I am a bit too old for you to be doing that papa,” she chided him, laughing.

“Nonsense, you will never be too old for a hug,” he argued, as he set her down. But a part of him knew she was right. She was tall enough that when he lifted, her toes barely left the floor. She is a young woman now, no matter how much I want her to still be a small child.

She shook her head and seemed about to say something when she suddenly stopped. Reaching into her leather apron she pulled out a letter and offered it to him. “A letter came from the guild this morning. They said it could wait until you got back, but I should get it too you as soon as you came in.”

He broke the seal and unfolded the letter. Skimming the paper, his smile disappeared. What kind of mess did the little thief get me into now?

…

Jorm left Lissa in charge of the shop and headed for the guild. The letter did not give any details, instead it only said he needed to come to the guild ‘at his earliest convenience.’ Not an emergency, but not something he could ignore. He sighed as he walked through the door. He had wracked his brain from the moment he got the letter for what the issue could be, but drew a blank. The only thing he felt confident of was the fact Clay had to be involved.

He was not a bad kid, but he had a habit of getting into mischief. The odd frog to scare his daughter, or sticky fingers which he was sure had made a few small sweets disappear. Annoying if mostly harmless pranks, or at least they were until he brought over a high noble without introducing him. He shook his head. I hope he did not get that kid into trouble. He seemed like a good sort.

He thought about the confused look on the boy’s face when Clay introduced him. The count’s son had looked more ready to laugh at his comment than take offense. Yes, if something happened, it had to be Clay’s doing…

He reached the counter and handed the senior clerk the letter. “Good day Aerric. The guild master wants to see me.”

The clerk looked over the letter and pointed to the end of the counter. “I will tell the master you are here. He has been waiting for you. You can come around the end.”

Master’s been waiting… Jorm shook his head, not ominous at all….

The clerk held open the door for Jorm, who walked in. The guild master was waiting inside standing behind his desk.

“Come in Master Turide,” he gestured to the empty chair in front of the desk.

Master Turide, not Jorm. This is definitely serious, he thought as he heard the door close behind him. Trying to keep his expression neutral he took the seat the older man gestured to.

“Would you like something to drink?” The large man asked pouring himself a cup of tea.

“Alright Carth, Aerric has left. You can drop the formalities. What is going on?” he asked looked at his old teacher. “And yes, I would like a cup. I just got back to town. But you know that.”

The guild master smiled as he poured a second cup. Sliding it to Jorm, he returned to his seat. “I wanted to talk to you about one of the young men you recommended to us. He broke several rules. It is impressive really; it was nearly the same day he was introduced to the guild.”

Jorm felt his insides twist. A count’s son was in trouble with the guild. Clay when I see you I am going to ring your neck.

Despite his internal frustration with the older boy, he did his best to keep a neutral tone, “That is surprising. He came recommended to me, and you of course know that introducing a nobleman’s son to the guild is just a matter of course.”

“Yes, yes,” the guild master waved away the words. “Such introductions are effectively a mater of course. It is interesting that he thought another young man threatened you into making the introduction, but that is irrelevant.”

He intentionally ignored the comment about the threat and focused on the issue that mattered to him. “Could you please explain what rules he broke? I have goods to unload. I would hope that you are not asking me to mediate between the guild and an angry noble house. I must note I do not have any connections with his house at this time.”

“No, the boy and the guild left here on good terms. In fact, he accepted the year suspension and a fine with more grace than any other I have ever seen.” the guild master said calmly, and sipped his tea. “I called you because I want to know more about this young man you sent to us.”

Sighing he set his cup down. “I have very little for you, unfortunately. He came in with another academy student, who is the son of a skilled mason. The young nobleman sold a set of blades he claimed to have won in a duel. Unless you are here to tell me he acquired them through some other means, I assume he is decent with a blade. He also negotiated better than I would have expected for someone his age, or rank. I initially thought he was one of the first generation knights like the student who brought him.”

“I would hardly call Clay, just a mason's son,” the guild master leaned back in his chair. “It is a harsh way to describe your best friend’s son. Almost as bad, as it is to describe one of Lissa’s closest friends.”

The older man rolled his eyes. “Glare at someone else Jorn. Your opinion may sound less hypocritical to them.”

“But back to the boy. How did he do on the transaction? I am not asking for details of course, just curious of your impressions of him. Did he appear to need more money?”

Jorm snorted, “Not unless he is hiding a ridiculous debt for someone his age. What he sold was a good set of blades and he got a fair price for it. Only other thing I can say is that he is he negotiated fairly. He never threw the weight of his family name around. If anything he seemed to be very respectful even when he did not need to be.”

Orren’s eyes narrowed, “How so?”

Jorm scratched at the back of his neck. “So I may have made an offhanded remark, that might have been considered rude. The kid looked more inclined to laugh than to say anything negative about it. The young,” he cleared his throat. “Clay, who came with him, tried to blackmail me into getting the count’s son an introduction. Thought you already knew that.”

“Yes, I know of it.” Carth said with a chuckle.

Jorm stared at his old mentor. “Now would you care to tell me what happened?”

“Of course…”

…

Walking out of the guild Jorm made the walk home slowly. He had laughed at the guild master’s story of the polite young man hunting monsters. Then Carth showed him the ear. He repressed a shiver at the memory. The idea the boy was capable of hunting monsters was, frankly, scary. No, not just any monsters. A GOBLIN QUEEN for the love of the Goddesses! The boy should have a sign around his neck saying “Approach at your own risk!”

Worse yet, Jorm was now tied up in the guild master’s plans for the boy. He expected to get the boy a letter through Lissa. The way the old man said it, implied he wants to have one of girls Lissa knows to flirt with him while doing it. He could not have been any more heavy handed about wanting it to happen at the solstice event. How am I going to explain this to Lissa?