Ralan hadn't slept in such a comfortable bed since he lived in his parents house in the Upper Triangle. Trendel took him to an inn that overlooked the large square, which Ralan learned was called Founders Square and had once been a center of old Ness, before the populace crossed the river to relocate to its current location.

As the Guildmaster Thief, Ralan was treated like royalty. Is this what Larsen feels like, Ralan thought, smiling at the ongoing irony. Larsen had intended to punish him in the most humiliating way possible, and yet here he was, the de facto ruler over an entire half of the walled city.

There was a knock at the door, and Ralan quickly pulled on his clothes, which were dusty and dirty but all he had. "Come in." It was Trendel, who entered carrying a package of some sort. Ralan stood up and asked, "What word on Alard and Raef?" He had been nervous for news since Trendel and a few others had escorted him to the inn, but no one had said anything, and Ralan had given up asking about them the night before.

"Good news, Guildmaster. They await you downstairs."

Ralan leapt to his feet. "Downstairs?" Ralan went to grab his shoes. "I knew that they would get away!"

Trendel held out the package in his arms. "No need for those shoes, Guildmaster. I brought you new clothes."

Pausing, Ralan reached out and took the package. "Of course. I shall change and be right down."

The garments were clean and the deep black of the Thieves Guild. Ralan pulled them on and looked at himself in a mirror. They were nice and respectable but hardly the quality of the Guildmaster robes that Alard had brought him when he was first named Guildmaster. Still, as he slid into the black it felt natural and right. The clothes fit, but, more importantly, they fit—his new life, his new friends, and his new position.

He walked down the steps, and as he reached the bottom step to see a room full of people, a blur of black ran up to him and gave him a big hug.

"You rescued me!" Raef said, slapping Ralan on the back.

Laughing, Ralan replied, "No. You saved me and the whole city by creating the distraction that delayed the Guildmaster banquet." Ralan squeezed Raef's shoulder. "I don't know what you did, but it was amazing."

The smile on Raef's face lit up the room. "Who knew that your goading me into trouble would pay off some day."

The smile never left Ralan's face as he looked around the room. "Alard! You are a welcome sight." Ralan strode over and shook his deputy's hand.

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"An honor, sir."

"Nonsense, and what is this 'sir' stuff? You can call me Ralan." Alard frowned and shook his head slightly. Ralan understood the message and replied, "Make that Guildmaster Ralan." Alard showed a hint of a smile.

"Thank you for freeing me, sir."

Ralan looked around. The room was full of people all wearing black. He saw Trendel to the side, and there were a few faces that he recognized from his escape over the Great Bridge, but they were pretty much all strangers. They were also all his guild members. Ralan stood up straight. "We never leave our own behind. Never." A murmur of approval accompanied nodding heads.

"I don't know. You left us behind riding a horse home, while I was breaking out Alard and Raef." There were some gasps and angry mumbles as Maela walked over, a huge smile on her face. Ralan wasn't quite sure how to respond when Maela added, "Good thing that was all part of the plan, and you didn't ruin it."

"Captain. Respect." Alard's deep voice filled the room.

"No, Alard. It's fine." Ralan looked at Maela and couldn't help but smile. She was covered in dirt and looked exhausted, but the rare smile on her face transcended everything. She looked beautiful. "It was a truly great plan. Using the populace to overwhelm the knights and guards? Genius. Thank you, Maela."

"I had to make it so simple that even you couldn't screw it up."

Ralan rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress a smile, even as Alard growled. "That's enough, Maela."

She held up her hands. "I'm glad you're safe, Guildmaster." She then caught Ralan's eyes and bowed her head slightly. It was a small thing, but it was so sincere and unexpected that Ralan didn't quite know how to respond.

"We need rest and a change of clothes," Alard said. "Ralan, let us meet in the back room in a few hours to discuss next steps. We won a very small battle in getting you to safety, but I fear that there are many more challenges that await us. But first, we all need a hot bath and rest."

"Of course, Alard." Ralan slapped Raef on the back as he passed by and started up the staircase. After they passed out of sight at the top of the stairs, Ralan turned back to the room full of people. "Thank you all. You saved my life."

There was an almost awkward silence, and Ralan didn't know what else to say when an old man at the front walked up, whispered "Guildmaster," and patted Ralan on the shoulder. As he turned to leave a woman came up and shook his hand. She bowed her head slightly and said, "Guildmaster."

And to Ralan's shock, the crowd pressed forward. Men and women in black approach him, shook his hand, or patted him on the back. They all smiled and said one word—"Guildmaster." The affection and respect was overwhelming. As the last person came up and shook his hand, Ralan took a deep breath. All these people are counting on me. The enormity of it made him grab the back of a chair for balance.

Sitting down, Ralan wondered if he would be able to handle the responsibility and the challenges. He had never had anyone count on him, let alone men, women, and children. Heck, his entire life was marked by him letting others down—his parents, his brother, his friends. Even Raef, his best friend, was more likely to face a beating than be protected from one thanks to Ralan.

Ralan closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

I am the Guildmaster Thief. I am not the boy I was. I am the leader they need me to be.

Ralan almost believed it.

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