Bren and Alexandra leave the gate behind, the road narrowing into dusk. The wind has eased, and their footsteps sound plain on the packed earth.
Alexandra
You walk like a man used to listening more than speaking. Is that the chapel teaching, or only you?
Bren Riverglade
She keeps her pace steady, waiting for the answer.
They pass a ditch lined with pale reeds. Alexandra glances sidelong at Bren, her curiosity now gentle instead of sharp.
Alexandra
Father Hallowell trusts you. The mayor listened to you. That is not common in Northmere. What sort of trouble do you usually find?
Bren has room to answer if he wishes, while the village lights begin to glow behind them like dim embers.
Alexandra
Come a little farther with me. I would hear what you think of Northmere now, when no one is pressing you.
✓ Quest Accepted
Share what trouble Bren usually finds
“"The master of the seminary taught that you must listen first before speaking. But I learned it the more difficult way. I spoke ill of one friend to another. And lost a friend because of it."”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +3)
Bren Riverglade
The seminary master taught me to listen first, before I speak. I learned it the hard way. I spoke ill of one friend to another, and I lost a friend for it.
Bren keeps his pace even as the road bends through the dusk. Alexandra looks at him more carefully now, her easy curiosity tightening into something more thoughtful.
Bren Riverglade
It was a small thing at the start, only words. But once spoken, they did their damage.
Alexandra
That is a costly lesson. People in Northmere do love a quick tongue, then pretend surprise when it cuts.
She gives him a brief, knowing glance, and the line of the road opens ahead of them, empty and quiet.
Bren Riverglade
Father Hallowell's warning about mercy comes back to him, plain as a lesson repeated.
Alexandra
You tell the truth without dressing it up. That is rarer than a mayor's pardon. Keep walking with me, Bren Riverglade, I think there is more to hear.
Quest Complete
Share what trouble Bren usually finds
“"Perhaps there is more. But what of the Lord Mayor's daughter, who asks such questions of a wandering seminarian? What does Northmere mean to you?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Theology, rolled -1)
Bren lets the question settle between them as the path narrows beside the hedge. Alexandra does not answer at once, only turns her head and studies him with a fresh, candid seriousness.
Alexandra
Northmere is home, when it is kind enough to be one. It is duty, gossip, old loyalties, and the sort of pride people call tradition when they mean habit.
She gives a small, wry breath and keeps walking, her steps measured beside his. The village lights behind them fall farther away, and the road grows softer under the dim sky.
Alexandra
As for me, I am the Lord Mayor's daughter, yes, but that is only the first thing people notice. I have lived under his roof long enough to know what Northmere hides when it smiles.
Alexandra
He asks plainly. That is rare. If I answer plainly, perhaps he will too.
Her gaze shifts to the satchel at Bren's side, then back to his face. The curiosity in her expression deepens, no longer playful.
Alexandra
You have the look of a man carrying more than bread and books. If you mean to keep walking with me, Bren Riverglade, I would hear what burden brought you to our gate.
“"Father Hallowell showed me the beginning of the burden of my calling. He asked me what I fear most about being a healer. And I told him that I feared choosing who to save. And he did not try to reassure me."”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +3)
Bren Riverglade
Father Hallowell showed me the beginning of what my calling may cost. He asked what I fear most as a healer, and I told him I fear having to choose who to save.
The words leave Bren plain and unornamented, like a cloth laid on a table. Alexandra slows beside him, taking in the confession without interrupting it.
Alexandra
That is not a small fear. It is a sharp one, and honest. Most men dress that sort of thing in fine phrases.
She glances toward the darkening road ahead, then back to him, her mouth set with thought rather than wit.
Alexandra
If he can say that aloud, he is not pretending at piety.
Bren Riverglade
He did not soothe me out of it. He only let it stand.
Alexandra
Then he trusted you with the harder kindness. That tells me something of him, and something of you.
Her hand tightens once on her sleeve, as if weighing whether to let the matter rest or press deeper. The path stays quiet around them, and she finally speaks again, softer now.
Alexandra
Tell me this, Bren Riverglade. When the choice comes, do you think you will bear it alone?
✓ Quest Accepted
Share the burden of Bren's calling with Alexandra
“"What makes me fear it is that the decision will be mine alone, and mine the responsibility. Whether I will have a companion to confide in, that is another question."”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +2)
Bren Riverglade
What makes me fear it is that the choice may be mine alone, and the burden mine alone. Whether I have someone to confide in, that is another question.
The path narrows between the hedges, and Bren's words settle into the evening like dust. Alexandra stops walking.
Alexandra
That is the truer fear, then. Not the wound itself, but the silence around it.
She turns fully toward him, the last light catching the edge of her face. Her earlier sharpness gives way to something careful.
Alexandra
Who, then, keeps such things from becoming secret faults? A mentor. A fellow clerk. A friend who does not flinch.
Bren Riverglade
The question asks for more than a courtesy.
Alexandra
If you carry this road by yourself, it will change you. If you speak it aloud, it can still be shared.
She does not move closer, but she waits, openly, as if making room for an answer.
“"Some priests in our temple confide in close friends, some their fellow priests. A few take spouses. As for me, I don't know yet who will be there. I have kept mostly to my studies instead of visiting the taverns."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Theology, rolled -1)
Bren Riverglade
Some priests confide in a close friend, some in fellow priests. A few take spouses. I do not know yet who will be there for me, because I have kept mostly to my studies instead of the taverns.
The words leave him plainly, without ornament. The road stays quiet, and the gate rope does not stir.
Alexandra
That sounds less like distance and more like discipline.
Alexandra
Studies can be a shelter. They can also become a wall, if no one ever looks over it.
She folds her hands loosely at her waist, studying him with open patience instead of challenge.
Alexandra
So your burden is not only the work itself. It is that you have been carrying it with no habit of speaking it out loud.
“"I think that may be true, but this is the first time I've heard it in words."”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +1)
Bren Riverglade
I think that may be true, but this is the first time I have heard it spoken aloud.
The admission settles between them with no defense around it. Alexandra's attention sharpens, not to judge him, but to weigh the shape of what he has just named.
Alexandra
Then it is worth saying again, if you need to hear it twice. Quiet can look like strength from the outside.
She takes a few slow steps beside him, the gate now behind them, her voice gentler than before.
Alexandra
But a healer cannot spend every hard thing alone and still expect to stay open to people.
Her gaze drops to his satchel, then lifts back to his face, careful and direct.
Alexandra
So tell me plainly, what part have you been carrying by yourself?
“I smile briefly at Alexandra. "You are the first person outside of the temple masters to ask about my burdens. And yet I feel comfortable speaking this to you. I fear that I may hesitate in the moment I must choose, and fail to help anyone."”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +3)
Bren's brief smile softens the moment rather than hiding it. He names the thing plainly, and the road seems to wait with them as Alexandra listens without moving.
Bren Riverglade
You are the first beyond the temple masters to ask about my burdens. I feel easier speaking this to you, though I fear I may hesitate when the moment of choice comes and fail to help anyone.
Alexandra
That is a kinder fear than pride. It means you know the cost before you reach for the knife, the salve, or the word.
Her answer lands with careful weight. She reaches into her cloak and draws out a small folded scrap of parchment, pinched between two fingers.
Alexandra
I have heard the court talk of such choices as if they were simple. I would rather hear the truth from someone who expects to tremble.
She offers the parchment to Bren, then keeps her hand there until he takes it, as if making the exchange part of the promise.
Alexandra
Read that when you have a moment. It is a copy of the Lord Mayor's travel note to Northmere's reeve, and it names the road where he means to press folk hardest. If you walk into hard places, I would rather you do it with eyes open.
Quest Complete
Share the burden of Bren's calling with Alexandra
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Superb→Legendary