John
**Kirk Pinewood
The Day After the Wedding, Castle Grunewald**

In the brighter morning light, Kirk noticed another letter in the mouth of the Hog God statue that had been placed in his room. He read it and chuckled. "Classic Cooch," Kirk said before tossing the paper aside.

**. . .**

**Verina Crowe and King Dennon Bigsby
The Ibethiel Queensguard encampment at the edge of Vallen, Taemar**

Dennon and Verina stood in the dewy field, watching Kirk finally arrive and climb into the carriage with Anna and Lucrezia for the journey back to Ibethiel. The two walked to join them, realizing this last leg stretch was coming to an end. "It feels strange to be going home, doesn't it?" Verina commented as she neared the carriage.

Dennon paused and turned around to look upon Vallen one last time. "I'm not going home. Not really."

"Are you joking?"

"Yeah. Fuck this city and the entire kingdom. If I ever return to Taemar, it will be too soon," He said quickly, hurrying Verina onto the carriage ahead of him.

**. . .**

The caravan had only just started to move when Dennon heard rapid footsteps approaching that belonged to a bright-eyed man and a woman with a tasteful tooth gap. "It looks like the House of Maus decided to show for the return trip!"

"If you'd still like a guide through the bog lands, your majesty," Said Oscar, keeping pace with the moving carriage.

"Hop in the wagon with Kirk and Anna's wedding gifts," Dennon told them.

"Kirk got married?" Oscar asked.

Ansel Maus reached the wagon first. She climbed aboard, trying to keep the mice in her pocket from escaping. "I'll draw a portrait of the lovely bride," She said, taking out her visual journal and making the first few strokes depicting the back of Anna Barrmount's head, which was visible through the carriage window.

**. . .**

The group reached the Maus siblings' hut in the bog lands of Southern Taemar in the late afternoon and decided to spend the night again like they had for their first trip through. It would give the horses a chance to rest before traversing the Ibethiel mountain roads the following day.

The next day was a foggy bog morning, and Dennon was glad that they had reunited with their guides. They surely would have been lost once again without them. When they finally reached the Southern edge of the Melsoh, they stopped to take a short break.

"Thank you for all the help, Oscar," Dennon said gratefully. "Meeting you was probably the best part of this trip.

"Well, if you ever have any *Ventures* That you would like help on, just send a letter to our hut on the bog."

"I definitely will."

"Oh, and Kirk," Oscar beckoned the man over. "Ansel and I have a wedding gift that we wanted to send with you. It may not compare to the fancy gifts you may have received but..." He opened a small sack full of green sillyweed.

Kirk and Dennon's eyes widened. "Thank you." Kirk said, getting choked up. "This is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me." They both shook Oscar's hand before he and Ansel departed back for their home in the bog.

Dennon eyed the sack. "Greatest gift... I helped get you a wife. Do you think that's enough to share some of...-"

"I'd give you the whole thing if you could get me a divorce." Kirk said bitterly, shoving the sack into his pocket."

**. . .**

**IBETHIEL**
Kenneth
Kiervan Czerich, Schweingott Moore

"We will be going wherever the wind carries us." Czerich replied to Giallo with a discreet smirk. "Listen to the stories kid, they may not tell us the truth, but they tell us where the truth is hiding."

A wedding in castle Grunewald, advisors needed in Ibethiel, a storm brewing in the southern isles, succession troubles in Terrasol ... So many places to choose from.
He peeked over his shoulder. Both Linas and Sir Bryan were engaged in a hearty conversation.

"If you were give the chance to go anywhere, Giallo Strizzare, where would you go?"
Eleanor
Giallo Strizzare
Schweingott Moore

"I don't know sir, I hardly know anything about the world outside of Irongate."

Giallo's answer was blunt and boring. What he abruptly said to a nearby serving wench wasn't.

"Hey sugar buns, bring me another hot chocolate and move that ass while you do it."

He punctuated this statement by slapping her hindquarters, and she promptly struck Giallo such a slap that he flipped out of his seat and was laid out on the floor.
Elizabeth
"Ohh, Thats very brave of you. I heard the rumors about the bogs being a very dangerous place. I'm sure it takes a knight like you to be able to fend off the creatures that might live there." Lei looked over at all the food on the table and began to dig into his own meal. He intentionally steered away from any alcohol since he was a relatively weak drinker.

"I'm very thankful that you were able to find Czerich where he was. I can thank you enough."