The bounty from calling out Sir Erlen and Sir Kellan has amassed to forty coins between Zoe and I, leaving us with eighty coins as a result. Additionally, as my party prepares to travel once more, as the morning arrived, I made my way to the clearing, as per the summoning from a messenger.

It would be her last day in this small village, and in some ways, there was something bittersweet as she found the Valjar. The man arched an eyebrow as she appeared. Emerys would have given a polite gesture or greeting, but at this point, she didn’t know if it would be necessary. At least, not in this culture.

“Thank you for the compensation,” Emerys said.

“The investigations have come back showing us that they have been alluding us for quite a while. At least three testimonies, upon further hearing, have reported that some travelers found themselves grounded within this city after the brothers took everything from them,” he said. “They will stand trial formally later on, but it will likely involve them paying restitution to those they have robbed. Furthermore, as they also hid that money from the king, they will likely face another trial directly in front of the king for their crimes.”

Emerys nodded, not sure of what else to say. A few months ago, she was one of those thieves, using her job as a way to declare personal gain. And now, she had helped to take several scammers down. In another world, she would have told her family about such a thing. But then she could imagine what they would say. You’re such a hypocrite, considering everything you stole in your old world.

She hadn’t even had time to tell them about her divorce before she left. And now, a part of her fought the idea that Helja and Jarl had shown more familial approval toward her than her own parents ever could have.

Turning away from those thoughts, Emerys voiced her approval toward the Valjar. “That’s good. Hopefully, you will continue to hear about shady people within your kingdom.”

When Emerys found Zoe again, she embraced the woman in a tight hug. Zoe was an inch or two smaller than Emerys, but there was something satisfying about the situation as they left the embrace.

“I suppose this is where we part ways?” Emerys said.

“I will think of you fondly,” Zoe said.

“Tell you what,” Emerys said. “Provided you and I are both here then, let’s plan to meet in my village for the next summer solstice.”

“I can try,” Zoe said. “If I know where you live, I will send you letters when I can. Can’t always say I will be home, but I will promise to visit you.”

Gudrun waited outside of the hotel. When she saw Emerys, she nodded. “I suppose that’s everything?”

“It should be,” Emerys rubbed her arm, keeping her eyes on the ground. “I completed packing my bag last night, because I knew I might end up seeing the Valjar before I left.”

“Now,” Gudrun said. “Jarl has been in the local tavern to try and confirm such things. Not that we don’t believe you, but the fact of the matter is that you fell for that last scam way too easily, and as a result, the two of us will be more careful with watching your every move. Because if you fall for another scam, there will be hell to pay from the two of us. We are not here to watch you fall to scam after scam, especially when such things could only make things harder for any potential citizenship tests. We’re here to support you, yes. But don’t disappoint us.”

“I promise,” Emerys said. “If I ever fall victim to another scam, I will tell you straight away.”

 “Now, with that out of the way, the fact that you were able to prove those two thugs is great,” Gudrun said. “Many others have tried and failed, and it was all for the lack of evidence.”

When Jarl returned, he gave a long sigh. “Have you signed us out of the inn yet?”

“Took more money than we were expecting,” Gudrun said. “Which, that’s another thing. If we are going to be spending multiple nights in an inn, I expect you to help us out with the funding, whatever that means for you. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” Emerys said. Gudrun’s words left her with a melancholy feeling. Of course, Gudrun was right about everything she said. But Emerys wasn’t ready to admit that yet, nor was she ready to discuss her remorse with them. “I promise to try and find other things I can do to make money on the road. And no scams. I will stick to cooking gigs only.”

“Good,” Gudrun said.

“Listen,” Jarl said. “You were right about the bandits, but there are a few problems. Not only does this take us the long way to see the king, but it also takes us through a neighboring country we’re not on the best terms with, and it also takes us through complicated mountains.”

“You will need to learn the neighboring language,” Gudrun said. “From my merchant days, I can get you started. It’s not the furthest from the language here, but if we are going to be traveling in the neighboring kingdoms, we will need a good cover story.”

“The two of you might look like you belong there,” Emerys said. “It’s going to be hard to convince them that I am not an outsider.”

“Regardless, it’s probably best we start on our journey out of this village, no?” Jarl said. He gave an antsy look to where they had come from, then he gave a long sigh. “I think I have a good path to where we might go. We’re going to make our way to the outskirts of one of the southern cities. But I hope you’re ready, because we’re going to be traveling through the Idifell Mountains. And as we head into the eighth month, chances of snow will increase.”

“Oh, I’ve seen snow before,” Emerys said. “Three years ago, one winter holiday, the whole place was covered with a thin layer of snow.”

Gudrun gave a sympathetic gaze. “You’re not prepared for what you’re about to see, then. Where I am from, we didn’t experience quite the snow we do up north. Although the southern cities see more rain than they do snow.”

Emerys, despite herself, felt excited at the prospect. As they left the small village, there was some semblance of relief. She had completed her deeds here. But amid the relief to be moving again, there was a curiosity still lingering. She had found herself in a new world, and now, she would be seeing a world which was vastly different from the city she had known.

So today, I have learned that the mountains can receive snow in the eighth month, which is only three days away. In talking to both Gudrun and Jarl, it seems that if I go on this journey, I will likely need snowshoes.