Elowye and Sylvan

“Hello there. Where are you traveling to?”

“I’m going to Thorindall for guild registration.”

“That’s where I’m heading as well. It’s that time when everyone our age needs to register with a guild and determine the path to our destinies. Mind if I walk with you?”

“Sure, my name is Elowye. Which guild do you intend to seek an apprenticeship in?”

“I’m Sylvan. I’ve been working at the inn developing my skills as a bard, but possibly looking to train as a hunter as well. How about you?”

I grew up learning the farming trade with my father, but I want to pursue the warrior’s guild. My mother was in the Royal Army and was killed in action. I hope to follow in her legacy.”

“That often turns out to be a large undertaking. Have you been developing any fighting skills?”

“I’ve developed some fencing skills. There’s not much call for fighting on a farm, unless you count fighting off rabbits from eating the crops or taming a stubborn horse for riding.”

“You’ve worked at training horses?”

“Yes. As part of the farming guild, it’s not just about growing crops for the front line, there’s breeding livestock for butchering and training and taming horses for the soldiers. We have also worked with physicians and apothecaries in growing varieties of herbs and roots to harvest the strongest reagents to heal the wounded. My father is a registered trainer so while growing up, there have been many students who have come to our farm to learn from him. That’s how my parents met. She came to our farm and was looking for a high-quality steed and wanted to tame one herself in order to develop a strong bond with the animal. As a warrior, having a strong bond with your animal can be essential, especially in a battle. It can mean the difference between coming back alive and not coming back at all. My father showed her how to develop that bond and apparently a bond also developed between the two of them. Even though they loved each other, they were from different worlds. She had to pursue her ambitions and he had to stay and care for the farm, but she still managed to find time and return to see him depending on the seasons. How about you? What was your life at the inn like?”

“Well, I was orphaned there. The innkeeper just found me on her doorstep and took me in. There wasn’t any identification as to who I was or where I was from. She didn’t have any children of her own so she cared for me as if I was. She taught me all of her skills of cooking, so I have some recipes for those animals you raised for meat. I helped her run her inn and there was always a supply of customers. She was beginning to teach me her skills in brewing different ales. As I grew older, I also taught myself music by playing the lute. I have also been developing my skills with writing stories and poetry. Preparing meals and providing entertainment are key skills for a bard and help keep up the morale of the troops.   Maybe when you become a great warrior, I’ll write an epic poem about all of your conquests. What about your mother? Was she a great fighter in battle?”

“I don’t have many details about her triumphs and defeats. I guess my father wanted to shield me from that part of her life. One day a soldier came to the farm and brought us her sword and shield. He couldn’t tell us the details of the events. My guess is that she was on some type of classified mission. Every since that day, my father stayed close to the farm and concentrated on teaching his proteges. He was probably hoping that when this day came that I would choose to stay at home with him. But when destiny calls, you go where the answer leads you. I would take her sword and go off in the fields and try to practice my skills. At times, some of my father’s students would work with me, but most of them where there to learn farming or some other related skill. Hopefully by joining the warrior guild, I may learn some of the history surrounding her profession.”   

“Well, if you do discover something, maybe I can create an epic poem about mother and daughter that will be told for generations. Say, if your father is a trainer, then he must know how guild registration works.”

Yes, when we arrive, we will be able to meet with representatives of different guilds. They’ll interview us and assess and skills that we already have and make recommendations as to where we would be the best fit for us. We can always choose on our own, but most people our age really don’t have much of an idea as to what they want to be. We can also change apprenticeships mid-stream if something doesn’t feel right or we discover another calling. I know my mother became a warrior because of her father. He was a captain in the Navy and wanted to be sure to please him. You had said that along with being a bard, you mentioned being a hunter. How did you choose that?”

“I guess being an orphan, I’ve always been a loner. Sure, the woman you raised me loved me, but I’m not truly her daughter. I would always take time to go out in the woods alone in an attempt to find myself. In doing so, I began to develop a bond with nature. Being able to read different signs of tracking animals and listening to the different sounds of the wind and the water. Some people would go out in the woods and be instantly lost, but I would always be able to know where I was as if I always belonged there. I may have lived at the inn, but the forest always felt like home to me.”

“Well, it is getting late. We should reach the city tomorrow. Since we are out here and you say that out here is your ‘home’, I’ll let you decide where we camp for tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a big day that could determine the rest of our lives.”