Arilyn, Danilo, and Bran lingered over sparkling wine at the House of Good Spirits, the night speeding by as they talked. The tavern emptied around them. Chairs went up on tables; barmaids slipped away to seek their beds. The innkeeper dozed behind the bar, his pockets weighted down by the gold Danilo had slipped him.
Despite their shared adventures and the various ties that bound them, they knew little of each other. The three were greedy to learn more of their companions’ histories, dreams, and plans. By sunrise, they had made a start at that.
Inevitably the talk turned to the events of the day before. “Now that your good name is restored, what do you plan to do?” Bran asked Arilyn.
A thoughtful expression crossed her face. “The Harper tribunal found me innocent, but that does not necessarily restore my name. I should be able to find work, but it could be years before I regain my reputation.”
“As an assassin?” Danilo said ingenuously.
Arilyn cast her eyes skyward and sighed. “Thank you for putting things back in perspective.”
“How about you?” Bran asked Danilo. “Do you still believe that Khelben and the Harpers were wrong in their manner of dealing with the elfgate?”
Danilo chose his words carefully before answering. “For a time I did. When I tried to think of a better way, however, I couldn’t come up with one. I might not approve of all that Khelben has done, but I was not the one who had to face his decisions.”
“What about the dangers inherent in secrecy?”
“They remain,” Danilo admitted, looking slightly troubled. “Again, I see no real alternative. Working for good and maintaining balance are often matters of small degrees. If you wish to shape a bush you must prune it gently, not take a scythe to it.”
Bran smiled. “We have need of insight and talent such as yours.” The Harper reached into an inside pocket of his cape and drew out a small box. Inside gleamed a Harper pin, the tiny crescent moon and harp rendered in fine silver. “This pin is a pale thing next to most of your finery,” the older man teased gently as he handed the box to Danilo, “but it is a sign of rare value. It is my pleasure to offer it to you, along with a place among the Harpers.”
When the young man hesitated, Bran urged, “Take it and wear it with pride. You deserve to be known for what you truly are.”
“I am honored by your trust, do not mistake that,” Danilo assured him. “In the role of village idiot, I’ve been fairly effective. I cannot continue my work if I am a known Harper.”
“You may have little choice in the matter,” Bran pointed out with a touch of humor. “Your own ballad will spread your fame.”
Arilyn laughed. “Your role has served you well, Danilo, but isn’t it time you outgrew it? You should get the respect that you deserve, and you are resourceful enough to develop new methods.”
“Uncle Khelben did suggest something like that,” Danilo reflected.
Bran smiled again and held out the emblem. “This is a pleasure indeed. Khelben will not like it that I have usurped his privilege, and it is rare that I am handed such an opportunity to irritate the good wizard.” The Harper joined in with Danilo’s laughter, then he put the box down in front of the young man and clasped him by both forearms: an adventurer’s salute to a fellow and an equal. “You are a good man, my son,” Bran concluded.
Deeply moved, Danilo accepted the pin. “Thank you. You have already given me a greater gift. Such acceptance I’ve never received, not even from my own family.”
“That’s got to end, too,” Arilyn decreed. “The Thann family will hear of everything that you have done, if I have to sit them down one at a time and make them listen at swordpoint.” Her face softened, and she laid a hand on Danilo’s shoulder. “I am glad for you. You deserve this honor.”
“Do not think that I have forgotten you,” Bran said to Arilyn. He removed his own weathered pin and offered it to her.
Arilyn drew back. “I can’t take that,” she protested.
“Why not? I’ve never met anyone more deserving.”
“But it is your own—”
“All the more reason why you should have it,” Bran said. “The gods know, I have given you little of myself.”
Arilyn looked at the Harper, surprised by the sadness in his voice. “I do not fault you. We all do what we must. You did no less.” Her voice took on a businesslike tone. “I accept. You know, however, what the giving of a Harper pin means?”
“Of course,” Bran responded with a puzzled smile.
“You will be expected to vouch for me, to supervise me until I am accepted as a Harper in my own right,” continued Arilyn as if she had not heard him. “Given my past and the notoriety this trial has afforded me, that will not be a pleasant task and it could take some time. Will you be around to do this or do you plan to again disappear to the far corners of the world?”
The Harper’s heart warmed to the appeal that lay behind Arilyn’s words. The prospect of getting to know his extraordinary daughter made his remaining years beckon to him with a lure that the road had ever held.
“I will remain,” he said. “There is more than enough work for rangers in the North. Perhaps in time I shall retire to Waterdeep.”
“Oh, good,” said Danilo with a grin. “Uncle Khelben will be so pleased.”
“Speaking of the archmage, we must consult him concerning the elfgate,” Bran said. “Safeguards must be arranged, and its new position must be secured.”
Arilyn made note of the young man’s smirk. “What is it, Danilo?”
“What? Oh, just agreeing with the good Harper.” He rose from the table reluctantly. “I must be going now. It will take me several hours to explain my extended absence to my family, not to mention the various new scandals I’ve brought upon the family name of late. Father will merely be quietly disappointed, but my mother’s reaction would do credit to a red dragon.”
Arilyn stood, too, her eyes blazing with battle light. “I’m coming with you.”
“Truly?” Danilo asked, looking vastly pleased. “I thought you were jesting.”
“I seldom do.”
Her tone was grim, and Danilo threw back his head and laughed. “By the gods, this should be worth watching.”
The trio left the tavern and retrieved their horses. Arilyn mounted and regarded the nobleman for a moment. His green velvet cape and extravagant jewels seemed a bit inappropriate for a newly made Harper. “Do you need time to change before we leave?”
“Whatever for, my dear?” Danilo drawled. With an indignant huff, he fussed with the floppy plumes on his latest hat. “I’ll have you know that this ensemble is considered the height of fashion in Waterdhavian society. At least,” he amended, “it will be once I’ve been seen wearing it.”
“Whatever you say,” she said, humoring his foolishness. “As long as I never have to hear that wretched ballad again, I’m content.”
Danilo smirked in Bran’s direction and swung himself into his saddle. “The lady has taste, it would appear. At least,” he amended as his gaze swept pointedly over her travel attire, “she has taste in matters of music.”
Arilyn looked down at her usual clothes: boots, trousers, a loose white shirt, and a dark cape. Her only ornamentation was a weathered Harper pin. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“I had hoped we could celebrate properly after we vanquish Lady Cassandra Thann. Forgive me, my dear, but that outfit simply will not do.”
“I like it.”
“Yes. Well. As it happens I managed to do a little shopping after the trial.” Danilo reached into his magic sack and drew out a cloud of diaphanous sapphire silk. He held it up, displaying a day gown of rare beauty.
Arilyn regarded him soberly. “I can see your hands through the fabric,” she commented.
His only response was a broad smile.
“Tell me, Danilo, how much of the dandy is real and how much is contrived?” she asked, his contagious smile catching her lips, too.