Chapter 114 — Goodbyes

Chapter 114: Chapter 114 — Goodbyes

Reya found him first, the following morning, catching him near the guild hall’s entrance before he’d even properly begun the day’s rounds of farewell.

"Don’t you dare try to slip out quietly," she said, arms crossed, though the warmth beneath her sharp tone was unmistakable. "You’re getting a proper send-off, whether you want the fuss or not."

"Wasn’t planning on slipping out quietly," Arlen said, managing a genuine smile despite the day’s accumulating weight. "Wouldn’t dream of denying you the chance to properly lecture me one final time."

"Good. I’ve got several lectures prepared." Reya’s sharp humor softened, something more vulnerable showing through. "I mean it, though. Write, once you’re settled somewhere. Doesn’t have to be often. Just enough that I know you’re still out there, being ridiculous and careful in equal measure."

"I will," Arlen said. "I promise."

She pulled him into a brief, fierce hug, considerably more restrained than their reunion after the boundary crisis but no less genuine for its brevity. "Go be remarkable somewhere else, then. This region’s proud of you. Don’t forget that, wherever you end up."

Dorn found him shortly after, offering a hearty handshake and a characteristically loud, warm farewell that drew amused glances from nearby guild staff, and even Fennis, standing quietly at the group’s edge, allowed herself a rare, genuine smile as Dorn’s enthusiasm filled the space between them.

"Take care of yourself out there," Dorn said. "And if you ever run into anything half as dangerous as what we handled together, remember what I taught you about not panicking."

"You taught me that by panicking loudly enough that I had to stay calm just to compensate," Arlen said, and Dorn’s booming laugh confirmed he took the observation exactly as intended.

Fennis waited until the others had drifted toward other farewells before approaching him properly, her quiet directness carrying the same steady warmth it always had.

"I don’t have anything clever to say," she admitted. "Just wanted to see you off properly."

"I’m glad you did," Arlen said.

"I still mean what I told you, back on that trail," Fennis said, holding his gaze with the same open honesty she’d shown him that whole week. "I want to see who you become. Whatever that turns out to look like."

"I’ll try to become someone worth the wait," Arlen said, and found the words carrying genuine, uncomplicated warmth rather than any lingering awkwardness.

"You already are," Fennis said simply, and offered a brief, warm embrace before stepping back to let him continue on. "Safe travels, Arlen."

Halvard found him near midday, the quiet, steady warrior offering the same economical, genuine farewell that had characterized their entire working relationship.

"Good working alongside you," Halvard said. "Timber camp, Ironpeak, the boundary crisis. Consistent, reliable, exactly the kind of partner a person actually wants beside them when things go badly."

"Same to you," Arlen said. "I don’t think I’d have survived half of it without your steady head keeping mine in check."

"Mutual, then." Halvard’s rare smile carried genuine warmth. "Whatever branch you settle at, I suspect they’ll be lucky to have you."

Mina offered her own brisk, practical farewell at the registration counter, processing his final departure paperwork with the same efficient care she’d shown across his entire time in Greyhaven.

"Strange, seeing your file finally close out," she said, studying the completed documentation. "Feels like only yesterday you walked through those doors, nervous and half-starved, asking about registration fees."

"Feels that way to me too, some days," Arlen admitted.

"You did well here, Arlen. Genuinely well." Mina extended a hand across the counter. "Safe travels."

He found Brakka near his usual trading post, the old dwarf offering a firm, characteristically blunt farewell alongside a small, carefully wrapped parcel.

"Emberroot, dried properly for travel," Brakka said. "And a few other odds and ends that might prove useful, wherever you end up. Consider it payment for years of fair dealing."

"Thank you," Arlen said, genuinely touched. "For everything, honestly. You were one of the first people in this guild who treated me like I actually mattered."

"You did matter," Brakka said gruffly. "Still do. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise, wherever you’re headed next."

Garrett saved his own farewell for last, meeting Arlen at the training yard’s edge as evening began settling over Greyhaven, the same quiet, unhurried patience he’d brought to every session across their entire relationship.

"No lecture today," Garrett said, before Arlen could even properly greet him. "Figured you’ve had enough of those to last a lifetime, given everyone else’s send-offs today."

"I wouldn’t have minded one more," Arlen admitted.

"Then here’s the short version." Garrett studied him a long moment, something quietly proud settling into his weathered expression. "You came to me a talented rookie with good instincts and no proper foundation. You’re leaving a genuinely capable adventurer who’s earned every piece of what he carries. I don’t say that lightly, and I don’t say it to many people."

"I couldn’t have built any of it without you."

"Foundation, maybe. The rest was always yours." Garrett extended a hand, which Arlen shook with genuine, considerable emotion. "Go show the world what proper, patient discipline actually looks like. I suspect it’ll be considerably impressed."

"Thank you, Garrett. For everything."

"Go on, then," Garrett said, his gruff voice carrying more warmth than the words alone conveyed. "Before I embarrass us both getting sentimental about it."

Arlen made his way back through Greyhaven’s familiar streets as evening properly settled over the city, the accumulated weight of the day’s farewells settling into him with a complicated, bittersweet clarity — genuine grief at everything he was leaving behind, tangled together with genuine, settled excitement for everything still waiting ahead.

He found himself, passing the guild hall’s tavern one final time, pausing to watch the evening’s ordinary business through the window — Cobb and Sil sharing their usual table, a handful of other familiar faces trading easy conversation over modest meals, the whole comfortable, warm rhythm of a life he’d built so carefully across a year and more of deliberate, patient work.

This place gave me everything, he thought, watching the familiar scene a moment longer before finally turning away. A home, when I had nothing. Friends, when I’d never properly had any. A foundation strong enough to carry me toward everything still waiting beyond these walls.

He continued on toward his own quarters, the last of the evening light fading toward proper dark. This was the last of his goodbyes. Tonight was his final night in Greyhaven, and departure would come with tomorrow’s dawn.