Sara took a deep breath, her voice steady as she wrapped up her explanation. "So, as you heard me, that's what happened till now."
She continued, "Lord Valtor was here on personal business with me, and he decided to help the village by pushing for a guild branch. Lady Elowen was just along for the visit, nothing more."
The group in the yard fell quiet for a moment, processing her words. Chief scratched his beard, humming thoughtfully. "Hmm... makes sense, I suppose." One of the women, the one with the basket, nodded but added, "Even still, you could've let us know at least. We would've rolled out a nice welcome. I'm sure he wouldn't have disliked it, don't you think?"
Father John crossed his arms, his robes rustling. "Aye, a heads-up would've been proper, Sara. But... I also get it, too, why you didn't. High nobles like that probably don't want a fuss in a village like ours. You must've thought about that."
The others murmured agreements, but no one pushed harder. Lys could see the shift in their eyes, the way they glanced at Sara with a new caution. She wasn't the same pushover village council member to them anymore; landing a connection with a high-ranking noble like Lord Valtor meant she had real pull now. Offending her could mean trouble down the line.
Sara picked up on it too, her lips curving into a subtle, inward smile. If it were like before, they would have made a big issue out of it somehow. But now they were mostly silent, which made a smile form on her lips. But, she didn't let her gloating show on her face, just let it hang in the air.
"Anyway," she said, steering the conversation forward, "that's how Lord Valtor told us to be prepared for the guild's people coming soon. We have to make sure the village is ready so they don't have a hard time adjusting here."
She glanced at Lys as she said the last part, her eyes meeting his with a knowing look, answering the question he'd started to ask earlier.
Lys nodded, understanding clicking into place. "Got it. Makes sense now."
Father John caught the exchange, his sharp eyes narrowing politely. He tilted his head, studying Lys like a puzzle. "And who might this young man be, Sara? He seems awfully familiar to me. As if I've seen him recently... but where?"
Sara smiled, gesturing to Lys. "This is Lys. You might know him because of his mother, Miss Elara."
Lys stepped in smoothly, extending a hand toward John with a friendly nod. "You might remember me from our encounter four days ago, Father John. When my mother brought me to your chapel, and you checked my condition."
John's eyes widened, his mouth dropping open in a gasp. He took a step back, blinking rapidly. "What? Impossible! How can it be?"
He leaned in closer, peering at Lys like he was a ghost. "I remember you clearly, sickly, pale, on the brink of death. The fever had you in its grip for sure; I thought you wouldn't get to walk for a month on your own. But how... how did you recover like this in just four days? That's not possible!"
Lys smiled easily, shrugging it off. He remembered how this man reacted to them when his mother brought him to his chapel. He just gave a smile, making John shiver a little, "Don't you remember what Mother said? Maybe the gods really chose to spare me."
John flinched at that, his face paling a bit. He opened his mouth to argue, but then closed it, glancing skyward as if expecting divine intervention. "Well... I suppose miracles do happen," he muttered, not pressing further. The others exchanged curious looks, but no one questioned it. Commenting on a conversation about gods was not wise; everyone knew that here.
The big guy, village chief, cleared his throat and turned back to Sara. "So, what now? Should we start preparing? Now that we're finally getting a guild in this village, we need to get things in order, clear some land, maybe stock up on supplies, right?"
Sara held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence. Her tone was firm but polite. "Before that, don't you think you're forgetting something, sir? It was because of Lys that we're getting this guild built here. Shouldn't you handle that first?"
The chief paused, then let out a booming laugh, slapping his knee like it was the funniest thing for him that he had forgotten about Lys.
"Oh, right! I forgot, sorry, sorry." He dug into his pocket, pulling out two shiny gold coins. With a casual flick, he handed them to Lys, like he was tossing scraps to a beggar. "Here, kid. Take it home. Good job on handling all of that."
Lys stared at the coins in his palm, the weight feeling light and insulting. 'Huh, what the hell is this guy even barking about? Two gold? For pulling strings with a lord that could change the whole village?'
He blinked, not sure how to react, his fingers closing around them slowly.
When he looked up at Sara, he saw that her face had already transformed before him. Her cheeks flushed red, eyes narrowing into slits of fury he'd never seen on her before. She stood rigid, fists clenched at her sides, glaring daggers at the chief.
The air in the yard thickened with tension, and Lys sensed the storm that was about to break.