Beginning Anew (Open)

[Rickon]

After days of traveling, a few of which had been spent wallowing in taverns, Rickon had finally made it to Arcadia. While he found the city impressive, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at how gaudy the place looked. The dragons certainly loved showing off their wealth, that was sure. Despite his opinions on the city, however, it was necessary for him to travel here. He was a changed man. He had a goal in mind and this was the best place to accomplish it. After all, nearly all of guilds in Elibe, especially the successful ones, were based in Arcadia and there seemed to be no better place to start. It had taken just about all of the gold he had, but he had attained a license to form a guild and purchased a small, but respectable, building in which to house his guild, which he had named the Golden Hearts. Rickon had then created a number of flyers advertising the guild, their mission, and a place for any interested mercenaries to meet him, and placed them on message boards throughout Arcadia. All he had to do know was wait for both for potential recruits and clients.

Several days later, he found himself in a tavern in one of Arcadia's poorer districts, drinking what passed for a house brew around here, and waiting for anyone to come and seek him out. So far, no one looking to join had showed up, and he had only met with one client, whom he had assured was not offering him any work that he would be interested in. Still, he wasn't going to give up yet. It was only a little past midday and the tavern had just started to get active. Someone was bound to show up, right?

[Ebinne]

Hooves clip-clopped down the cobble-lined street. The gray mare walked with an easy gait, head low and relaxed as she ignored the calls of the streetfolk and the beggars. The woman astride the pony kept her eyes straight ahead, looking only at the names of the hanging and posted signs. She only looked down once to glance at a folded up flyer, a posted notice that had caught her eye, and then back up her gaze went. "Whoa now, Lyre, this is the place." She pulled back lightly on the reins and then dismounted in a quick, smooth motion. She winced at the grime between many of cobbles, but did not dwell long on it. None of her clothing was like to hang about and drag through the filth there.

She tied up the mare and checked for any valuables she may fear leaving behind. Finding none, she looked once more at the flyer to commit the name to memory. It looked like an important name to her and such names could mean good money. Ebinne strode into the establishment to find the individual, this certain Ser Rickon, and inquire after employment with the man.

Taverns were always questionable places to Ebinne. She had never heard much good of them growing up and came to learn that most upheld that reputation. Taverns in poor districts were either full of rubbish or just plain poor. Looking around the place she found it more like the latter, simply poor, but it was also still early and the gathered folks there already may be the more well-behaved citizens who would find their beds at appropriate hours to wake early for work the next day. In truth, she stuck out like a sore thumb with her sparkling and rich attire, but none would bother her as she walked with stave in hand. Most had respect for a cleric such as herself for which she was quite grateful. Though the same might be said of the Ser Rickon she sought for he too did not look like the general rabble.

"Ser Rickon, I presume?" Ebinne coughed softly to announce her presence some before addressing him. She held up the advertisement she had brought with her, "You are the leader of this new guild, the Golden Hearts, yes? And I am correct in saying that you are in need of recruits as well, yes?"

[Brutus]

Ugh, Arcadia disgusted him. On a basic level, and on a 'this is really gaudy' one. It was the absolute most picturesque example of... blah not the time for such thoughts. It would do to avoid getting worked up in a place like this, after all while it is a center for a distressingly large amount of dragons it is also the home to countless humans, of which he could really use their help. Or money. Mostly money, he was broke. He scratched the back of his head with a nervous chuckle as he walked down the gilded streets, wondering if he could just like break off a piece of the walls then maybe... No good, huh? Also that guard was totally giving him the stink eye, so it probably wasn't an avenue he should continue to pursue. Ugh. His stomach growled. He wondered... did gold taste any good?

His tongue poked out of his mouth, inches away from the golden barricade before his eye saw something. "Hunn?" A message board? Yes! That was just the answer! So he had his hands full with balls of paper that he was going to eat before actually reading what they said on them. 'Goen hes'? Oh, the paper was still a little crumbled, just a minute... ah, there we go. "Golden Hearts" wow what a silly name. Still any name with gold in it was probably affluent and well to do for sure, or just dragons being gaudy in their naming schemes. Which is totally something they'd probably do.

He crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought, hmm... Tarasque was a bit aways in a 'wyvern stable' since it was apparently 'not allowed' for wyverns to be in the street. Which was bullshit because dragons flew around everywhere and no one cared a lick. It made him mad, but you know, didn't matter in the end. That wasn't what he was supposed to be thinking about, instead he needed to think about how he could do some mercenary things to get some of that sweet sweet gold. Also adventure. Adventure too. "Hrm..." Now he was doing his humming aloud, which as anyone knows is a sign of deep complicated thought.

Do mission, get gold. Get gold, buy food. Buy food, don't starve. It was genius!

So he found his self in front of the building, some how. Then again he did have a wicked sharp sense of direction, being a wyvern rider. As all those times he gets loss are on purpose and what have you. It was a small and slightly on the dinky side, but you know, money is money. Near the entrance to the place was a horse just standing around unattended. "Well now, wasn't that perfect? Horses could roam around wild and free but nooooo no wyverns." He even did the little hand wiggle to emphasize the nooo, to his self mostly since there was absolutely no one nearby.

He entered and oh hey! It was a tavern, that was neat. He thought it was gonna be a mercenary building... Wait did he get lost again? Oh hell. He didn't have any money to get a drink either, nor did he have the desire because getting drunk is dumb. Also he wasn't sure if he was old enough or not. He was 20, which was old enough some places and not in others it was confusing. Also the look of this place made it likely that their alcohol was probably just dirt in a cup. Y'know, cuz it was a dirty bar. Brutus 1, bar 0.

He looked around, squinting his eyes. There was basically a big sign around this one guy with flashing letters that shouted "TALK TO HIM, HE'S IMPORTANT" but there was someone already talking to him and as according to adventurer's protocol you needed to wait for one person to finish before you start. Of course Brutus was never particularly adherent to the rules, so he decided to worm his way in some way. "Yeah, like she said. New recruits and whatever she might have talked about before hand. I'm here for that too." He slunk his way besides her, only catching the tail end of what she said, but, you know, she looked fancy so she probably said cool stuff.

[Rickon]

As it turned out, someone WAS bound to show up, though neither of the people currently addressing him were quite what he had been expecting. The first, a woman, wore clothes that seemed rather out of place for someone inquiring to become a mercenary, and the staff she held in her hand marked her clearly as a healer of some sort. It was rare to see any sort of magical healer working in a mercenary guild and the only one Rickon had ever encountered had been a man, a very poor, uneducated man, at that. Still, a cleric would be incredibly convenient for any budding guild and he would be an idiot if he turned her down. The other person, a young looking man, had really peeked the knight's interest. From his first glance at the mans armor, Rickon's eyes had widened a bit. To the casual observer, he would have appeared as just another man in armor, but the aging knight has worked with several merc groups in his day and he recognized the armor of a wyvern rider when he saw it. While a knight's armor was designed solely to protect its wearer from harm, a wyvern rider's armor had the added purpose of keeping the rider from slowing his wvyern down. It was odd to see one looking to join an upstart guild. They were usually only found in guilds that had been for a while and guaranteed larger wages. Perhaps this one thought the gold in the name meant that this guild was particularly wealthy. Or maybe he wasn't a very good wyvern rider. Either way, it mattered not. They were an extremely valuable asset, and Rickon wasn't about to turn one down.

"Aye, I'm Ser Rickon," he started, pausing to take a swig of his ale. "And you would be correct in assuming I am in need of recruits. You see, at the moment, it's just me. But the day is still young, and the two of you seem rather capable. Please, take a seat." Rickon gestured to the seats in front of him, and as he waited for them to sit, he continued speaking. "So, you know my name, but I have yet to hear yours. I'd also like to hear what you could add to this guild."

[Ebinne]

"Yeah, like she said. New recruits and whatever she might have talked about before hand. I'm here for that too."

She looked at the man who had come up beside her, raising her chin as if she were clearly his better. Ebinne wasn't expecting another taker so quickly to follow after her, let alone to come right up alongside her. The nerve! Well, if this were a better establishment, maybe the situation would be more professional, but so many of her previous contracts started in this fashion. She looked back to the man that they had both come to see then, expecting that with two interested parties, it would double the swiftness of his answering them.

When he confirmed his identity and his purpose, the seats were offered up. Ebinne again looked at the young man in his armor, the like she had not seen before. She was clearly staring at him and yet she had no shame at all in doing so. There was no crime to looking a man up and down carefully, after all, besides what if she needed to heal him? She'd need to know how to work around the armor! She pulled out a chair, wiped at it with a hand, and then sat down carefully. She was folding her hands together before her upon the table as she introduced herself, "I am Ebinne Nevarene, a mounted cleric." She glanced again at the stranger who had come at the same moment as herself and then turned back to Rickon, "Healing and some light magic, I am quick and I am efficient and I am worthy every penny." She didn't speak sweetly and she didn't add in any fluff. Oh no, she was right to the point and went directly to the heart of the matter. What she did, that she did it well, and that it would cost. Every mercenary cost something, but clerics should be worth more because not even all the mercenaries in the world could last forever before getting hurt or sick. A cleric kept them going and they could cast magic to dispel enemies. A cleric was a thing of beauty, like herself.

"I've not seen that armor before. What are you?" Ebinne asked brusquely of the man. At last she finally said what was on her mind and she was hardly kind about it either. It was almost judgmental in tone, as if his armor was not good enough for this line of work.

[Manis]

This is a bad idea, Manis thought. He was staring at a flyer for some new guild trying to decide what to do. His last few jobs had been strange and full of people, which brought him here. Arcadia, the city of gold. The last place on earth he'd ever want to be. After all that had happened he had decided to join a guild again. But not just any guild, a new and perhaps nameless one. It was a bother enough meeting a few new people and having to look out for them, and he certainly wasn't in the mood for doing so with lots of people. He had even considered creating a new guild or reinstating the old one but both were quickly shot down. This was a close as he was going to get; hopefully by the end of the day he'd get closer.

"Terrible idea," Manis muttered, looking across the room to see a woman walk up to the man seeking recruits. He sighed in relief. Now he had an excuse not to go over there. He looked back to the mug of the inn's "finest". He hadn't tasted it as per usual, but he was sure he didn't want to. He sighed and continued to debate with himself over the guild issue when a familiar face came wandering in. He almost took a swig right then. It was the boy from before, back when he had stopped by the house. He seemed to scan the room and then headed straight for the guild master.

No... Manis thought. He had to stop himself from snatching his sword from against the table and running. He ended up staring at the full mug again, trying to decide what to do. After a few moments he closed his eyes and sighed. From what he could tell Brutus had just walked up and now it was a group recruiting. He knew if he didn't go now he'd continue sitting until he found a way to justify getting out of it. With another sigh he threw his strap over his head and walked over.

"I wish to join as well," Manis said once the fancily dressed woman was done. He tried not to make eye contact with Brutus as he sat, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he had to say something. 

[Brutus]

Oh hey, he didn't seem too bad. Not all drunk and goofy like some people. He wasn't entirely sure who he was taking a jab at there, but he was sure someone somewhere would be offended. The girl from before seemed particularly interested in him, looking him up in down with a sort of look on her face that he could only describe as 'haughty'. While she did that, he dumbly stared back, actually waving at her when her eyes traced up near his face. She took a seat like a delicately flower or something, Brutus just took a seat next to her with little care for the conditions of the place he was sitting. If he wasn't in armor he'd probably had sit on his own leg or something reeking of poor posture like that, it was a bit hard to do wearing steel though. She spoke quickly and brusquely and while she was talking, he was shifting his seat trying to get comfortable. A cleric or something, that's cool, he liked those. Staves and everything were, like, really useful and junk. One on a horse was even better, that means they can keep up with him and Tarasque better, otherwise he'd need to wait a million years before they can heal him and he'd be dead three times over by then and that's not fun.

Then she asked the question that was clearly burning on her mind, directly asking him just what he was. He looked at her somewhat confused, one of his legs hiked up in front of him and hugging his knee as the other dangled below uselessly. He just stared at her for a moment, like he was caught doing something bad or wrong before the gears in his mind began to turn and churn out the thoughts he needed to respond. "What am I? Well I'm a man, first of all. I'm also a wyvern rider, you know those big scaly things that fly in the air and stuff, like little baby dragons, I ride them. My armor is designed to be protective in the most vulnerable areas while flying while remaining light enough to not slow the mount down. Kinda like a pegasus knight's only heavier because wyverns are stronger, and less miniskirts." He explained rather matter-of-factly.

He turned his head to the guildmaster fellow and began to say his piece. "I was wanting to join too, I'm a, er, wyvern rider. I just said this, you heard right?" Also it seemed someone else had joined them while he wasn't paying attention. "I'm not too expensive, I just really could use a nice place to sleep and some food. Arcadia's the city of gold, in more ways then one, and I'm broke so it kinda sucks for me here." He looked at the cleric again, but it wasn't her he was looking for, he began to lean back a bit to see if he could make out the person sitting on the other side of her, before leaning forward and doing the same thing. Oh hey! He knew that dude. "Hey Manis, funny meeting you here." He said with a wide and easy grin. "You joining too? That's cool"

[Julius Kailas]

Julius' trip up north in search of a guild was fruitless,either he couldn't find them or their reputation was much greater than what they really were. His chances of finding a guild to hone his skill with the blade would be much greater in Arcadia so he had returned to the great dragon city. Most of the guilds he checked out either weren't looking for recruits or rejected him, despite his small fame as a dragon slayer, so he decided it may be best for him to lower his standards as he came across a flyer for a guild named "The Golden Hearts". He wasn't exactly sure what type of guild it was, but all guild did need some muscle which he could provide. It took Julius some wondering the streets, and asking for directions, but he finally found the place the guild leader had designated as a meeting place. Walking in he looked around, they could be anyone in here so he asked the bar keep if he knew anything about the Golden Hearts' leader and he was pointed towards a man with 3 others at his table.

There was the guild leader, a woman, a man in armor, and another man that looked familiar. They seemed to be in the middle of a conversation but, this was business so he would have to cut in. By time Julius got to the table two seemed to be talking among themselves, he leaned over and set his shield next to the table propped up on the leg as he took a seat. "My name is Julius Kailas, I've worked as a free lance mercenary for years along side numerous guilds protecting caravans, slaying monsters, or even wiping out bandit keeps. I've also been known to take jobs most guilds may not regardless of how shady they were. Despite having the freedom of taking what jobs I wanted as a freelance mercenary I'm looking for a more stable gig, so I would like to request to join the Golden Hearts." Short, sweet, and straight to the point, exactly his style.

[Rickon]

Rickon nodded slowly as the two at the table introduced themselves. The woman who introduced herself as Ebinne took a very straightforward and blunt approach, which threw Rickon slightly off guard. When she had first approached the table, he had expected her to be of a softer disposition, like most of the clerics he had encountered. Most of those clerics hadn't been mercenaries, however, so perhaps that had something to do with it. The wyvern rider, Brutus, however, seemed the laid back sort, if not a bit goofy. Perhaps it supported his earlier judgment that he wasn't a good rider, but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions. Regardless of his opinions, they both seemed the capable sort and he would be remiss not to hire them. Of course, as he was about to explain to them the guild's purpose and how it would be structured, two more men appeared at the table. Both of the men had an air of experience about them and seemed to carry a weight upon them. Yet, despite this, the blond one seemed much less confident in his decision to join. He barely said more than a few words and seemed to be avoiding eye contact with anyone at the table. Truth be told it was a bit suspicious. The other man, Julius, was very straightforward with his intent. It was reassuring to have someone who wasn't afraid to tell what he was capable of and what he was willing to do.

"You two both seem to have plenty of experience," Rickon said to the newcomers, "I'm sure you'll be make great assets for the Golden Hearts." With that, Rickon decided there were enough people gathered at the table to give them a general overview of his vision. "I'm sure you've all seen the flyer I posted, but I feel I should explain to all of you the reason I created this guild. You see, I've worked as a mercenary for many years and during my time I've noticed a disturbing trend. Most guilds that I've worked for or have been apart of will take any job, no matter how distasteful or dishonorable. As long as it pays, a guild will do it. But not the Golden Hearts. I'm determined to create a guild that goes against the trend. It will be our constant endeavor to avoid jobs that bring direct harm to innocents. That is our main tenant and is the most important thing to consider before joining. If that is something any of you are not okay with, seek employment elsewhere."

[Ebinne]

"Obviously you are a man." Ebinne replied coolly when Brutus made so simple a response to her inquiry. She turned her nose up at him and looked at him expectantly for the proper answer. He did indeed give it to her and she had no reason to wait long for it as it swiftly followed the initial remark. "Wyvern, hmmm?" She mused for a moment to herself. She had never worked with any Wyvern Riders before. She had worked with Pegasus Riders, so perhaps they were not so different. Brutus did well in explaining his job to her, why he was wearing the kind of armor that he was. It made good sense and she almost smiled at the humor in his mention of 'less minishirts' only she did not intend to be too friendly with anyone. The easier to break ties with them should the time come. "Very well then."

Manis and Julius, the names of the two older men who came to join their table, looked to be true fighters. They were the type she had worked with the most in the past. She knew what kind of injuries they were prone to and how best to heal them quickly and efficiently. It was good to know that they were so experienced already, too, though she felt she was well experienced for her duties. She'd been doing mercenary Cleric work since she was sixteen, she just never found a group that she might linger for more than a job or two for. The risk of growing attachments often led her to leave, that or the lack of money. On that note, Rickon began to explain the purpose of his guild.

"So long as I am paid, I will heal whomever and whatever you wish." Ebinne replied curtly. She glanced at the men all around her. It was not uncommon for her to be the only woman in a guild or group or whatever they wished to label themselves. It was a boon to her often enough since it was a natural habit of most men to be protective of women, so she didn't have to fret over being asked to rush into the fray of battle. Almost with a complete lack of any empathy in her voice she added, "I am merely looking for regular employment and as the innocent are often in harm's way, I gather we will be frequently employed."

[Manis]

Manis stayed with eyes on the table for several moments before looking up. It had taken a moment, but he had felt the relief wash over him. After having trapped himself at the table, There was no way he talk himself into walking off now, especially since he had sat down and sort of introduced himself. And since he wasn't going anywhere, he might as well be somewhat civil. 

"Glad to see you're still kicking," Manis said to Brutus, attempting to smile. His voice was dull as usual, making it sound like he didn't care. He paused a moment before turing to introduce himself, but found someone familiar plopping down beside him. But familiar was all he was, and he listened as the man introduced himself as Julius and went through his spheal. The cleric seemed to be bickering about something Brutus had said so Manis took his chance to take in the others. The joker. The money-grubber. The merc. The quiet guy. The leader. His eyes ran past each person before resting on the man he was soon to follow. His face was worn like Manis', and he definitely knew fighting. But what kind of man was he? Manis found out that moment.

Rickton began talking, and Manis nodded when he addressed him and Julius. And then he began to speak of the guilds purpose. It wasn't much of a speech but it was enough for Manis. He slipped his sword off his shoulder as the cleric made her acceptance speech and set it against the table. He wasn't going anywhere. The longer he sat there the more it felt like he had been there before.

"I was once part of a guild with similar interests," Manis said once Ebbinne was done blabbering about money. "As Brutus said, I am Manis. All I ask is a place to sleep and enough money for food. Stick to your creed and you will have my sword."

[Delphi]

Arcadia sure was pretty for all it represented. Delphi ran down the street, ignored completely by the other beggars; the taguel looked about as poor as they did, and the bandanna covering her ears didn't help her cause either. There wasn't any point to wearing it besides looking cool because after all, her tail was totally visible so it wasn't like she was hiding anything. The reason why the girl had come in the first place was to seek out a guild to explore with. She was running late because of how long it took her to fluently read the piece of paper she ripped off the side of a building. There was even a little doodle of the tavern they were meeting at scribbled on the paper that looked to her as much of a masterpiece as any others' paintings. Before she had time to send her thoughts off on another tangent again, she had arrived at the destination on the paper. She pushed her way through the door-- and it fell straight off its hinges. Oops. Delphi dared to glance around on the inside to see it was completely abandoned, and there wasn't a bar or a pole to be found. Delphi uncrumpled the parchment and took a better look at the building in front of her, compared to the sketch. Whoever made this paper clearly got the wrong building!

If she had bothered to look closer at the drawing, it would've been obvious it was a set of houses, not just one long cabin. And fortunately, the tavern door did not fall off when she turned the knob. A horse whinnied a greeting at her from outside, but she just gave a soft wave of her hand in return. The cat girl had much more important matters than "feeding a poor horse scraps". Mister Serickon was sitting not too far away. At least, Delphi was pretty sure that was Serickon, it mentioned a knight with dark skin and green armor but she still had the feeling that she butchered the name. She could tell it was someone related to the paper at least not because because they had met before; rather his scent was still strong on the paper--what kind of knight smelled like flowers?

So she casually walked up behind the one who strongly smelled like the horse outside, like she was greeting an old friend. Unfortunately Serickon had just finished his speech that she had just caught the last sentences of.
"Hey, could you repeat that?" she questioned with a tilt of her head.

[Kemti]

Kemti hop-skipped through town, looking for a job. She had followed Delphi into the giant city but had quickly lost her in the crowd. She had yet to see any part of the city made of gold, but she was too busy looking for a guild to care. But, so far most of the guilds were to busy or didn't need her help. That and she often got side tracked by the many entertainers lining the streets. Some she knew, others she knew of, and then the rest she introduced herself to; occasionally joining in for a few minutes and earning a couple of coins. But now she was on a mission.

"I wonder how humans find jobs so easily," Kemti thought allowed. She caught sight of a bulletin board on a street corner and skipped up to it.She stared at it a few moments until one of them caught her eye. It was the only one with a rough map on it and a heart. "Oooooh, I wonder where this one goes?" She snatched it off and began wandering around town. Eventually she asked a random juggler what it said and he pointed her in the right direction. And so after many other distractions, she found herself outside a tavern munching on an apple coated in brown stuff. 

"This looks terrible," Kemti said between bites. And then she caught sight of her friend. "Delphi!" She squeaked, running up and hugging her friend. "What are you doing here? Ooooohh, are these the Goldeen Hear-ts?" She looked at the table of people. "Hiya, I'm Kemti. I wanna kill a Bael."

[Gabriel]

Gabriel and Natasha entered the tavern, one of several dingy run down ale houses on this busy Arcadian street. It was fairly unremarkable and almost discernible from its competitors, even by its regulars. There was a bear head and a moose head trophy on the wall behind the barkeep, and there were several unnerving paintings on the walls of strange looking people in funny clothing. There was a fair mix of people, some of the expected local tough guys swapping hunting stories over a pint and a few bar flies flashing their eyelashes at would-be suitors. But by far the most interesting group was a fairly large party gathered around a comparatively small wooden table. There was a raven haired wyvern-rider, or at least that's what Gabriel suspected judging from the man's armor, a stocky warrior, and a tall serious looking blond-haired swordsman. Also standing by the table were two women who looked vaguely feline, and another tall woman with jet black hair and fancy robes. All of the people were gathered around and listening to a weathered and tired looking older man with greying hair and a kind face, who was clad in jade-colored armor and a brown cloak and he appeared to be addressing the entire group.

"That's him," Natasha said meekly, pointing to the knight and the group surrounding him, "That's Ser Rickon." Gabriel nodded and grabbed her lightly by the elbow and led her through the crowded tavern hall towards the knight. Ser Rickon was still speaking when they got to the table, and Gabriel waited until he was finished before clearing his throat and speaking.

"Excuse me sir, but are you the one they call Ser Rickon the Wanderer? My client here would like to have a word with you."

[Rickon]

Rickon cocked an eyebrow as two more newcomers approached the table, one who seemed to be interested in joining, the other drawn by her friend. He immediately identified them as Taguel, the former by her feline ears, the latter by her seemingly boundless energy and her eagerness to fight monsters. While the feline seemed quite capable, even in her human form, her companion did not seem the type to associate with mercenaries. Still, the aging knight had seen many Taguel in his time and often times their human forms did not match up to the ferocity they showed as animals. They would be a valuable asset to the team, both for their fighting skills and their incredible animal senses. Rickon took a another sip from his mug and cringed at the acrid brew's taste. Clearing his throat, he eyed the newcomers directly and replied, "Certainly, though I suppose I'll give you the short version. Essentially, there are too many guilds willing to take any job that pays, not matter how foul. Not the Golden Hearts, however. I have made it our endeavor to avoid the harming of innocents at all costs. We will never be kidnappers, robbers, or raiders. If any member is caught breaking this rule, they will be not be payed for that job and immediately removed from the guild without compensation. Otherwise, we function much like any other guild. Do the jobs and you'll get payed for them. Simple enough?"

As Rickon had been reiterating his previous explanation, another set of newcomers had approached the already crowded table. The man seemed the mercenary type, but the woman who was with him hardly seemed capable. As it turned out, she had hired the man to bring her to Rickon himself, a fact that surprised him seeing as he and the woman had never met before. Yet, there had to be some reason she knew his name and had sought him out personally. "Well, you certainly seem to know me, lass, but I can't recall ever meeting you. What can an aging hedge knight do for you?"