The road rises beneath amber leaves and ends at a timbered reception house dressed in fresh royal banners. At the threshold, Tavin Reeve waits with one hand on an open crown ledger, his blue-threaded cuff bright against the wood.
Tavin Reeve
Carciel. Serren Vale. The crown has received notice of your arrival. Present the witnessed duplicate, and I will enter it before the household scribe reviews its terms.
The duplicate rests among Carciel’s travel papers, bearing the wayhouse seal, the road-wardens’ marks, Bellmere as his retained home, and Serren’s independent status. Tavin gestures to the ledger’s waiting line.
Serren Vale
Enter both points exactly. Bellmere remains our home, and I am here by my own choice. Carciel does not speak for me, and the crown does not gain authority over me through this journey.
Tavin’s expression tightens as footsteps sound inside the reception house. A crown scribe approaches, carrying a narrow strip of red sealing ribbon and a prepared amendment. The scribe’s eyes settle on the words naming Bellmere.
Tavin Reeve
The formal acknowledgment begins here. If the scribe replaces those lines, the crown may call this a transfer of residence and a household obligation. I can record your duplicate first, but you must decide whether its wording stands unchanged before that seal is offered.
“"It's good to see you too Tavin" He says sarcastically”
SUCCESS (Good Persuasion, rolled +2)
Carciel
It's good to see you too, Tavin.
The courtesy lands with a dry edge. Tavin catches it, then lets out a brief breath that almost becomes a laugh.
Tavin Reeve
Still sharp-tongued. I had worried the road might have made you solemn.
He draws the duplicate toward the ledger, but does not touch it until the seals face upward.
Serren Vale
He has remained himself. That is one reason I am standing here beside him.
The Crown Scribe studies Serren, then the road-wardens' marks. Their prepared amendment lowers a fraction, no longer poised to cover the original wording.
The Crown Scribe
And you claim this journey by your own choice, independent of Carciel's status?
Serren Vale
I do. Record it plainly, and I will answer for my own testimony.
Tavin turns the ledger so its entry line faces the witnesses. The quill waits above the page, while the scribe leaves the amendment beside the red ribbon.
“"He's my partner and he stands by me"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -2)
Carciel
He's my partner, and he stands by me.
The words carry across the reception house, plain enough for the ledger, the wardens' marks, and the waiting scribe. Carciel's voice catches on the final word, leaving his throat raw.
Serren Vale
And I stand here by my own choice. Beside him, not beneath his name.
The Crown Scribe
Then that is what the record will say. Serren Vale, independent witness and chosen partner, traveling beside Carciel without transfer of residence or household obligation.
The scribe writes the declaration beneath the road-wardens' seals. Their red ribbon binds the new entry to the witnessed duplicate, while the amendment remains unused at the table's edge.
Tavin Reeve
There. Bellmere remains your home, and no clever clerk can turn companionship into custody. You both have a copy now, unless either of you wants the wording read aloud once more.
Serren Vale
For once, the record sounds like the life we chose.