“Papa took me there one time,” Erin piped up.

“You remember that do you?” her father asked.

“Oh yes papa!” she exclaimed. Turning back to Chad she said. “It was so big and…” The rest of the meal was spent in talk ranging from Erin’s trip to Catha, the area and people of Quillim, and a dozen other topics.

This was going better than Chad had hoped it would. He liked Alicia, more than most of the others he had acquaintance with in Gilbeth. This evening had been a source of angst during the last week. But like his instructors back at the Guild had said, ‘Most of what you fear is of your own making.’

When the goose was gone, and Chad had all the bread and honey he could eat, Alicia’s father said, “Chad, I’d like your opinion on something.”

“Anything sir,” he replied. He glanced over to Alicia who only shrugged.

Her father turned to her mother and said, “Could you fetch the bottle that’s in the storeroom. The one I brought back on my last trip?”

“Yes dear,” she replied and went to get it.

Turning to Chad, her father said, “One of the traders I deal with in Kendruck gave me a bottle of what he said was a new wine that has just been made available for trade. He suggested that it might find a market in this area.”

When she returned, she held an amber colored wine bottle. Chad was quick to notice that the seal hadn’t yet been broken. “Saving it for a special occasion?” he commented.

The father shrugged as his wife gave him the bottle. “Not especially,” he replied. Grabbing a corkscrew from off of a nearby shelf, he was soon breaking the wax seal and removing the cork. “The trader gave me a taste of it before I left. I found it to have a fruity flavor, stronger than what you would normally find in this area.”

His wife produced two fine glasses, each worth more than some men make in a month. He poured a small amount in each then handed one to Chad. “Tell me what you think,” he said. “Would it find a market among others of your Guild do you think?”