Well, if I'll stay at the PoVs then I'd say Arthur might be closest to me. Granted, we don't know that much of him yet, but he seems a little shy, humble, and someone who gets along with most people. He also seems a little proud whenever he does something right. And about that, I would have pretty much done the same things he has done. Like him, I would not have let Wolfius go. With Mathea I would have let her make her own decision though. Then there is one thing that perhaps the most separates him from me: I would not be so forgiving if my father was like that. Sure, I would neither be as hateful as his sister, but I also couldn't help but be a little bitter and angry about it. Also, for now Arthur has not shown to be at all temperamental whilst I am sometimes Much less now though than I did as a teenager, but it's still a trait I will always have - I get it from my father
[Accept Harren's offer] Being critical here, I suspect that Harren will kill the Breaker brothers regardless, but hopefully we may get the chance to twist his offer into an advantage. We get out of this shithole, maybe flay Lord Mallister and leave the Ironlands.
Arthur is cool. And i like him a lot. I do hate he's going to try to force poor Mathea to leave someone to die. No matter how crazy or evil, it just sounds wrong.
Well, if I'll stay at the PoVs then I'd say Arthur might be closest to me. Granted, we don't know that much of him yet, but he seems a littl… moree shy, humble, and someone who gets along with most people. He also seems a little proud whenever he does something right. And about that, I would have pretty much done the same things he has done. Like him, I would not have let Wolfius go. With Mathea I would have let her make her own decision though. Then there is one thing that perhaps the most separates him from me: I would not be so forgiving if my father was like that. Sure, I would neither be as hateful as his sister, but I also couldn't help but be a little bitter and angry about it. Also, for now Arthur has not shown to be at all temperamental whilst I am sometimes Much less now though than I did as a teenager, but it's still a trait I will always have - I get it from my father
Garthon
“Wakey Wakey, traitor!”, a rough voice sounded, forcibly waking Garthon from a long, dreamless sleep. Immediately afterwards, som… moreeone painfully kicked him in the ribs. Letting out a displeased grunt, he opened his eyes, trying to move away from the man that was standing above him. The sound of rattling chains and the realization that his movement was limited, that his hands and feet were bound and that he was lying on dirty, piss-stained stone, finally caused him to snap out of his dizzy, half-awake state.
Above him, illuminated by a painfully bright torch, stood a fat man in his early forties, wearing a tight leather armour that did not cover his flabby arms. He had an ugly, wart-filled and hare-lipped face with bushy eyebrows, a greasy neckbeard and a wide, cheerful grin. In his left hand, he held a simple whip and from the way his fingers twitched, he was obviously contemplating about using it.
“Good morning, Holt”, Gartho… [view original content]
Garthon
“Wakey Wakey, traitor!”, a rough voice sounded, forcibly waking Garthon from a long, dreamless sleep. Immediately afterwards, som… moreeone painfully kicked him in the ribs. Letting out a displeased grunt, he opened his eyes, trying to move away from the man that was standing above him. The sound of rattling chains and the realization that his movement was limited, that his hands and feet were bound and that he was lying on dirty, piss-stained stone, finally caused him to snap out of his dizzy, half-awake state.
Above him, illuminated by a painfully bright torch, stood a fat man in his early forties, wearing a tight leather armour that did not cover his flabby arms. He had an ugly, wart-filled and hare-lipped face with bushy eyebrows, a greasy neckbeard and a wide, cheerful grin. In his left hand, he held a simple whip and from the way his fingers twitched, he was obviously contemplating about using it.
“Good morning, Holt”, Gartho… [view original content]
Garthon
“Wakey Wakey, traitor!”, a rough voice sounded, forcibly waking Garthon from a long, dreamless sleep. Immediately afterwards, som… moreeone painfully kicked him in the ribs. Letting out a displeased grunt, he opened his eyes, trying to move away from the man that was standing above him. The sound of rattling chains and the realization that his movement was limited, that his hands and feet were bound and that he was lying on dirty, piss-stained stone, finally caused him to snap out of his dizzy, half-awake state.
Above him, illuminated by a painfully bright torch, stood a fat man in his early forties, wearing a tight leather armour that did not cover his flabby arms. He had an ugly, wart-filled and hare-lipped face with bushy eyebrows, a greasy neckbeard and a wide, cheerful grin. In his left hand, he held a simple whip and from the way his fingers twitched, he was obviously contemplating about using it.
“Good morning, Holt”, Gartho… [view original content]
Garthon
“Wakey Wakey, traitor!”, a rough voice sounded, forcibly waking Garthon from a long, dreamless sleep. Immediately afterwards, som… moreeone painfully kicked him in the ribs. Letting out a displeased grunt, he opened his eyes, trying to move away from the man that was standing above him. The sound of rattling chains and the realization that his movement was limited, that his hands and feet were bound and that he was lying on dirty, piss-stained stone, finally caused him to snap out of his dizzy, half-awake state.
Above him, illuminated by a painfully bright torch, stood a fat man in his early forties, wearing a tight leather armour that did not cover his flabby arms. He had an ugly, wart-filled and hare-lipped face with bushy eyebrows, a greasy neckbeard and a wide, cheerful grin. In his left hand, he held a simple whip and from the way his fingers twitched, he was obviously contemplating about using it.
“Good morning, Holt”, Gartho… [view original content]
I think in my case the obvious answer is my true spirit animal, the noble Ser Maron Mullendore
Jokes aside, this is a very interesting q… moreuestion, certainly one of the most interesting I ever had when it comes to this story. It seriously made me think about it and about the characters. While many characters have a few characteristics that are similar to mine, the one I found the most similarities with is Samantha. Like her, I usually try to do the right thing when the chips are down and try to help others and even though I sometimes act a bit cold and grumpy about it, I actually enjoy it. I also usually don't feel very comfortable with showing deep and genuine emotions in front of people I don't know well, but I have often heard that I am easy to get along with and I consider myself a good friend. Finally, while it is not easy to piss me off, I certainly know how to hold a grudge. I am not entirely unforgivable, but it takes a lot for me to… [view original content]
Garthon
“Wakey Wakey, traitor!”, a rough voice sounded, forcibly waking Garthon from a long, dreamless sleep. Immediately afterwards, som… moreeone painfully kicked him in the ribs. Letting out a displeased grunt, he opened his eyes, trying to move away from the man that was standing above him. The sound of rattling chains and the realization that his movement was limited, that his hands and feet were bound and that he was lying on dirty, piss-stained stone, finally caused him to snap out of his dizzy, half-awake state.
Above him, illuminated by a painfully bright torch, stood a fat man in his early forties, wearing a tight leather armour that did not cover his flabby arms. He had an ugly, wart-filled and hare-lipped face with bushy eyebrows, a greasy neckbeard and a wide, cheerful grin. In his left hand, he held a simple whip and from the way his fingers twitched, he was obviously contemplating about using it.
“Good morning, Holt”, Gartho… [view original content]
Garthon
“Wakey Wakey, traitor!”, a rough voice sounded, forcibly waking Garthon from a long, dreamless sleep. Immediately afterwards, som… moreeone painfully kicked him in the ribs. Letting out a displeased grunt, he opened his eyes, trying to move away from the man that was standing above him. The sound of rattling chains and the realization that his movement was limited, that his hands and feet were bound and that he was lying on dirty, piss-stained stone, finally caused him to snap out of his dizzy, half-awake state.
Above him, illuminated by a painfully bright torch, stood a fat man in his early forties, wearing a tight leather armour that did not cover his flabby arms. He had an ugly, wart-filled and hare-lipped face with bushy eyebrows, a greasy neckbeard and a wide, cheerful grin. In his left hand, he held a simple whip and from the way his fingers twitched, he was obviously contemplating about using it.
“Good morning, Holt”, Gartho… [view original content]
Hmm, I'm not sure if I should wait for the voting to be closed before I post this, but... nah, I'll post it now So people don't let this post make you miss the latest part, it's up there and the voting is still on (at least while I write this)^^
Anyway, I had some fun today drawing, so, new illustrations! I got the descriptions yesterday so it sure didn't take me long - as I said, I was having fun XD
First of all we got Harndon, and with him there will be illustration of every Hoare in this story - daddy Harren by foxbrg and the sons by me. Harndon is a little different to the rest of the Hoares since his madness can really be seen from afar. Still, it was nice to draw him (and there is a fun fact about his outfit on this pic, if someone figures it out ;D). Then there is Mathea, the best - and only - healer in Raylansfair. I hope my take on the character's looks pleases you @Mathea , I tried to take some features of that pic you made earlier And next is Urid Strad, with him I tried to get that common folk feeling, but with a little bit finer clothes than Richard, Philip etc. And then I draw Himani - one of the few child characters. He was surprisingly easy to draw and I enjoyed it a lot, though I almost forgot to make his ragged clothes dirty. And lastly there is Ser Daghan Oxus. I hope I managed to get some feel of threat and strength to him.
Wow, when I saw new comments here, I absolutely did not expect new drawings. That was a great surprise And these drawings are awesome! As always, I love the detail you put into them. My favourite drawing this time... it's hard to decide, as all of them are amazing, but I think I settle with Himani here. The facial expression is spot on, with this shrewd grin. Makes me glad that this chapter will feature him more prominently than ever before. Urid certainly is a nice contrast to the more plainly clothed smallfolk. The benefits of being a tailor, I guess Your drawings of Mathea and Daghan are really awesome and I hope their creators, Mathea and Xemnes, agree on this. And finally, we got another amazing Hoare. Hoare drawings are always my favourites, because they give me the creeps. Harndon in particular, while having only appeared in a single part so far, was always the Hoare I found the most unsettling, maybe aside from Harren himself, and it certainly shows in this picture. His facial expression is plain scary. I have been trying to find that fun fact about his outfit you've hinted at, but so far I haven't found it, even though I feel like I probably should. It is nicely detailed though and I hope I figure it out in time. Anyways, as always, thank you for this amazing work
Hmm, I'm not sure if I should wait for the voting to be closed before I post this, but... nah, I'll post it now So people don't let this po… morest make you miss the latest part, it's up there and the voting is still on (at least while I write this)^^
Anyway, I had some fun today drawing, so, new illustrations! I got the descriptions yesterday so it sure didn't take me long - as I said, I was having fun XD
First of all we got Harndon, and with him there will be illustration of every Hoare in this story - daddy Harren by foxbrg and the sons by me. Harndon is a little different to the rest of the Hoares since his madness can really be seen from afar. Still, it was nice to draw him (and there is a fun fact about his outfit on this pic, if someone figures it out ;D). Then there is Mathea, the best - and only - healer in Raylansfair. I hope my take on the character's looks pleases you @Mathea , I tried to take some features of that pic you made … [view original content]
Ok since im bored ANOTHER batch of questions. (Im really bored).
Odd question but Which character do you find the most beutiful?
Who is the ugliest character?
Is there any character you would like to know more about?
Wow, when I saw new comments here, I absolutely did not expect new drawings. That was a great surprise And these drawings are awesome! As a… morelways, I love the detail you put into them. My favourite drawing this time... it's hard to decide, as all of them are amazing, but I think I settle with Himani here. The facial expression is spot on, with this shrewd grin. Makes me glad that this chapter will feature him more prominently than ever before. Urid certainly is a nice contrast to the more plainly clothed smallfolk. The benefits of being a tailor, I guess Your drawings of Mathea and Daghan are really awesome and I hope their creators, Mathea and Xemnes, agree on this. And finally, we got another amazing Hoare. Hoare drawings are always my favourites, because they give me the creeps. Harndon in particular, while having only appeared in a single part so far, was always the Hoare I found the most unsettling, maybe aside from Harren himself, and i… [view original content]
Garthon
“Wakey Wakey, traitor!”, a rough voice sounded, forcibly waking Garthon from a long, dreamless sleep. Immediately afterwards, som… moreeone painfully kicked him in the ribs. Letting out a displeased grunt, he opened his eyes, trying to move away from the man that was standing above him. The sound of rattling chains and the realization that his movement was limited, that his hands and feet were bound and that he was lying on dirty, piss-stained stone, finally caused him to snap out of his dizzy, half-awake state.
Above him, illuminated by a painfully bright torch, stood a fat man in his early forties, wearing a tight leather armour that did not cover his flabby arms. He had an ugly, wart-filled and hare-lipped face with bushy eyebrows, a greasy neckbeard and a wide, cheerful grin. In his left hand, he held a simple whip and from the way his fingers twitched, he was obviously contemplating about using it.
“Good morning, Holt”, Gartho… [view original content]
Hey, this is really great, thank you for drawing her, looks really awesome with this stern face expression. :-D My fiancee told that it's looking a bit like me even, haha... :-D
Hmm, I'm not sure if I should wait for the voting to be closed before I post this, but... nah, I'll post it now So people don't let this po… morest make you miss the latest part, it's up there and the voting is still on (at least while I write this)^^
Anyway, I had some fun today drawing, so, new illustrations! I got the descriptions yesterday so it sure didn't take me long - as I said, I was having fun XD
First of all we got Harndon, and with him there will be illustration of every Hoare in this story - daddy Harren by foxbrg and the sons by me. Harndon is a little different to the rest of the Hoares since his madness can really be seen from afar. Still, it was nice to draw him (and there is a fun fact about his outfit on this pic, if someone figures it out ;D). Then there is Mathea, the best - and only - healer in Raylansfair. I hope my take on the character's looks pleases you @Mathea , I tried to take some features of that pic you made … [view original content]
Well... this was maybe worth a try, right? The offer itself almost sounds too good to be true, considering Harren's reputation. He clearly has not forgotten anything and he certainly hasn't forgiven either. I can tease, it is going to be an interesting choice for sure and will make for a hopefully exciting storyline for Garthon in this chapter.
The next part is going to be out a bit later today. It is going to be a part with a Raenna PoV and a second PoV which I haven't entirely decided upon yet, either Marak or Jenna. While writing the Raenna part, I have realized that she will most likely have the longest storyline in terms of parts in this chapter. These parts won't necessarily be the longest, but there will be many choices for her that in turn will cause a large number of parts in general.
Finally, there is the strong possibility that the next part is going to be the final part of this year. From the 26th to the 30th, I will go on a short vacation and won't be able to write. I will try my best to put out another part on the 25th, but that depends on several factors, most importantly, how much time I will actually have to write, but also on how many of you actually manage to read the next part until the 25th. Considering that it is Christmas, I guess most of you will be busy. Naturally, I will be busy too, so we'll see how it goes. Anyway, the next part will be out later today for sure!
Just barely suppressing a cry of pain, Raenna stumbled backwards as the blade hit her shoulder. If the sword would have been sharp, if this would have been a real fight, she would have been dead by now, for the third time to be honest. Thankfully, it was only a sparring match with dulled swords. Dulled swords... the thought of how unnecessary she had found this safety measure just five minutes ago caused a smile to form on her face, despite the pain in her shoulder.
“You're reckless”, Terroma scolded her sternly as he swung the dulled blade through the air. “You're fast and strong, but reckless at the same time. You're skilled, but that does not make you invincible” His expression softened considerably as he realized the pain she was in after his heavy blow and he started to walk towards her. “But on the positive side, you managed to do something my previous sparring partners never did. You came damn close to actually land a hit on me”, he complimented her as he reached down to help her up. “You're pretty good”
Raenna's smile faded, replaced by a short chuckle. “Not good enough apparently”, she remarked and shook her head. “I can't thank you enough for insisting on dulled swords” Terroma gave her a nod as he moved his finger across the edge of the blade. “Wouldn't take the risk of killing my favourite student, would I?”, he asked with a smirk.
“Yeah, I'm going to feel that blow for days”, Raenna answered. “But it was a good fight, Old Man” Terroma quickly grabbed her sword as well, holding both blades for a moment. “Easy to say for someone who lost, little Raenna”, he countered.
“I'm not little anymore”, she protested and gave him a playful jab against the upper arm. He in turn gave her a short nod. “Indeed you aren't”, he agreed and let out a sigh. “Raenna, I want you to be careful today. A common thug stands no chance against you, but what happens if you come across an enemy who is as good as me?”
“There's no one as good as you”, Raenna answered slowly, even though she knew that he had a point. She was good and she knew it, but at times, in the heat of the moment, she tended to forget that others could be good as well. Butterfly's men back at the tavern, they had been nothing against her. However, who knew what kind of horrors would await them in his dungeon. At the same time, having Terroma close to her gave her a sense of safety. Years of retirement had been surprisingly kind to him and he just proved to her without a doubt that he had lost nothing of his skill. Yes, she was good, but compared to him, she would always remain the student.
“There are plenty as good as me”, Terroma disagreed. “Let us pray that we won't encounter any of them today” Raenna gave him a nod. “Let us pray that we never encounter them”, she corrected him. The thought of having a serious fight against someone like Terroma was genuinely scary to her. The sparring match they just had... at times she hadn't even seen his sword coming. She was good, but Terroma was something else entirely. It wasn't only the fact that he easily bested her, it was the fact that he was holding back while he did it that forced a cold chill to run down her spine. He hadn't mentioned it, but in his eyes, she saw restraint. Behind it, she saw a growing and incredibly disturbing urge to kill something.
“Oh, sooner or later I will find someone who is better than me”, Terroma said and the look in his eyes faded, replaced by a kind, wrinkly and absolutely genuine smile. “I just hope it won't be today” He looked up at her, glancing at her shoulder. “I hope I haven't hurt you too much”, he mumbled.
“Barely”, Raenna lied. It was a weak lie and he immediately spotted it, which caused both to smile as if she had told a great joke. Over the past week, Raenna had enjoyed his company, more than ever. The fondest memories of her childhood were of him and being close to him was almost like being a child again. At first, she tried to resist, tried to stay distanced, professional and cold. She even tried to fight it, telling herself over and over that she had left this part of her life behind. But her attitude towards him changed after the first couple of days. Now, it was almost as if they had never been separated. Deep down, she knew, being around him wasn't good for her. It made her depending on him more than she wanted to admit and certainly more than she wanted. But it did not matter to her, as long as he was just there for her, being almost like the father she never had.
The sound of the door getting opened downstairs sent both of them into an alarmed state, before Raenna recognized the footsteps. It was Samuel, who had returned from his scouting trip, from the final preparation before they would infiltrate the Hightower later tonight. Still, until she saw the familiar, bearded face of Samuel Puffer slowly walking up the stairs, she remained on guard, a hand on the hilt of her dagger.
“Samuel, I'm glad you're back”, Terroma greeted him and Raenna gave him a short nod. Samuel let out a sigh, walking through the room, glancing at the dulled swords and at Raenna's hand that was still resting on her aching shoulder.
“Nearly didn't make it”, he admitted. “I found the place, but it is full of Butterfly's men. Their presence surprised me, but I remained unseen. It is one of the empty houses in the lower city. Two entrances, though I went in through the first floor window” He sat down in a chair and leant forwards. “Terroma, that place contains a way into the Hightower. Heavily guarded of course, but nothing I couldn't manage on my own”
“How many?”, Terroma asked and a smirk formed on Samuel's face. “Counted about ten of them. Two on the outside, posing as beggars, eight inside. The entrance to the labyrinth is in the basement, permanently guarded by two”
“And you think you can take them on your own?”, Terroma asked and raised an eyebrow as Samuel gave him a nod. He let out a sigh and glanced towards Raenna. “Raenna here just had a harmless reminder of what overconfidence can lead to”, he explained. “You're not going to clean that building by yourself”
“Actually, I think you'd like to do something else”, Samuel countered. “Do you remember that talk we had, about the map?” Terroma gave him a nod, just as Raenna shook her head. “I never had that talk”, she remarked. “What kind of map are you looking for?”
“A map of the dungeons below the Hightower. The place is like a maze and it goes far below the city”, Terroma answered “The city guard has its prison there, but the lower levels are used by Butterfly and his men. Without a map, we are lost. Luckily, it seems like Samuel found one”
The other man slowly shook his head. “I found something better, most likely at least”, he explained. “I found us a guide, someone who knows these dungeons very well” He looked at Raenna and then at Terroma, before he sighed. “Oh, you're both going to hate this”, he remarked. “The name of the man I talked to is Samuel Harrington”
“Harrington...”, Raenna muttered in surprise. She had never met the man, but after spending a week in Oldtown, she had heard his name more than enough. She knew that he wasn't a man she wanted to provoke. She knew that he was one of Butterfly's men. And she knew that she had a very bad feeling about this.
Terroma on the other hand was calm, even though his eyes were narrowed. “I see...”, he growled. “Have you met him?” Samuel gave him a nod. “And has he told you what he wants in return? I doubt he betrays Butterfly on a whim”
“Indeed, he doesn't”, Samuel confirmed. “A mutual acquaintance, someone whom I usually trust, put me into contact with him. However, he hasn't told me his reasons and I've never been good at talking. Do you really think I could find out what he is hiding from me? That's why I assume you'd rather make sure that our guide is trustworthy”
“You're going to meet him?”, Raenna asked, slightly alarmed. Terroma did not answer, for a moment deeply lost in thoughts. Finally, he looked at her. “I will. I need to find out why he is willing to guide us through the dungeons”, he answered. “At the same time, I need Samuel to clear our way into the Hightower. We have to strike tonight”
“I don't like this...”, Raenna mumbled. “Splitting up, taking on two dangerous targets at once. This Harrington... is he better than you?” For a moment, Terroma hesitated to answer, before he shrugged. “I don't know”, he admitted “He has an impressive reputation. If he lives up to it, then yes, he might be better than me”
“And now I'm liking this idea even less”, Raenna remarked. “I should accompany you. A single man can't be better than both of us together” This time, Terroma gave her a nod. “That would be doubtful indeed”, he agreed, before his facial expression darkened. “However, I suppose Samuel needs your help more. No matter how good Harrington is, in the end he is just one man, but Samuel has ten against him”
“I'm really not someone to brag, but that would be a piece of cake”, Samuel answered calmly. “I have seen these men. They are no fighters, they are common thugs. Good enough to scare other thugs” Despite his stern face, a small smirk formed around his mouth. “Though, your help would be appreciated regardless”
Raenna let out a sigh. “Then I have to decide, huh? Securing our way into the dungeons or making sure that our guide won't try anything”, she muttered and looked at Terroma. “I have to decide, right?” Terroma gave her a quick nod. “Indeed. I am not in a position to give you an order, not anymore, little Raenna”, he answered.
[Accompany Terroma][Accompany Samuel]
Jenna
Even though it was just an hour after dawn, a long parade of showmen had gathered outside the castle, all the way down to the city itself, celebrating the arrival of Lord Tyrell and his entourage. Today was court day in Raylansfair and in the absence of Lord Raylan, it was up to the king to dispense justice. Mern Gardener in turn had sent his steward to speak in his name. On his orders and on Hobert Lawthor's calling, Harlen Tyrell came to Raylansfair, and with him and his knights came minstrels, fire-eaters, acrobats and cheap magicians.
On other days, Jenna would have enjoyed their presence and would have allowed them to dispel her dark thoughts. She would have spent some time with her father, strolling over the fair and right now, there was nothing she'd like to do more. However, there were more important things to do.
With a regretful sigh, she turned away from the lovely scenery, a long road filled with colourful tents, crowded with people, from Raylansfair and beyond. The walls of the castle, where she was standing, were close enough to allow her to hear the joy the people down there had and this made it even harder for her to approach the door that lead to the lord's tower.
Since no one was close to help her, it took her a considerable amount of strength to open the heavy, creaking door on her own. Few guards were on duty today. In order to celebrate, Harris gave most of them a day off, leaving only a dozen men on duty. The only one who was actually patrolling was Ser Darren Tallwood, who was walking across the courtyard below her with a stern, displeased expression on his face.
With a final, reluctant glance at the fair, Jenna entered the tower. As always, the air inside was stale, cold and dusty. But even more than the uncomfortable air, Jenna hated entering this tower, ever since Ilhan died... ever since Ilhan was murdered, by the man she was about to meet. She would have preferred to meet Harris in his office, as she did previously. He however had ordered her to his quarters instead.
Slowly climbing the stairs, she shuddered as the memory of Ilhan's bloody, broken corpse flashed through her mind. Not for the first time, she had to ask herself how long it would be until Harris would decide that her knowledge would make her too dangerous to let her live. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she moved her right arm towards the sleeve of the left, where she was hiding a small kitchen knife, hopefully invisible for the acting lord. If the past weeks taught her one thing above everything else, then that she had to keep a weapon close to her at all times, now more than ever.
She stopped in front of the door that lead to Harris' quarters. It took her a considerable amount of courage to actually knock, but when she did, she was surprised by how strong and confident it sounded. And then she waited for a moment, until she heard Harris' deep voice. “The door is open. Come in”
As soon as she opened the door, she realized that Harris wasn't alone. As always since the past week, his new 'advisor' was near him. Sherryl Flowers... Jenna faintly remembered her from her own childhood. Back then, Sherryl had already been beautiful, with her dark blue eyes, shining brown hair and high cheekbones, but she grew up to be absolutely stunning. At the same time, there was something in her eyes that hadn't been there in Jenna's memories, a dark, cunning and manipulative streak.
Right now, she was sitting in a large chair near the fire, casually holding a fine glass between her fingers, filled with wine. Harris stood near the only window, holding a second glass that was filled to the rim. Jenna gulped as she realized that today of all days was not a good day to drink. In a few hours, Harris had a meeting with Tyrell and Hobert, about the future of Raylansfair. Without a doubt, Sherryl was responsible for the presence of the wine.
“Lord Harris, Lady Sherryl”, she greeted both of them politely. Harris gave her a kind nod, but she only received a cold glare from Sherryl. “Hello, Jenna”, the acting lord greeted her. “I am glad you found time for me”
“Harris, we have talked about this”, Sherryl hissed and Harris cut himself off. “Of course, my love”, he mumbled, pointing at a small chair next to the table. “Please, Jenna, sit down. There is something I need to discuss with you. Get yourself a cup of wine if you want to”
Jenna gave him a nod and followed his orders, but she hesitated to grab the bottle of wine that was standing on the table. It was the only one in the room. Murderer or not, today Raylansfair needed Harris. He shouldn't be drinking today!
“What is it you want to talk about, m'lord?”, she asked meekly. Harris let out a sigh. “To make it short, I need your help again. You did good with... with Corbin”, he complimented her. Septon Corbin... for the past week, he had been sitting in the dungeons of the castle. For an equally long time, Harris, feeling betrayed and hurt, simply refused to talk to his old friend.
“Actually, you surpassed my expectations”, Harris continued. “Because of this, I think you will be perfect to solve a new problem that came...” The sound of broken glass cut him off. Jenna, following his orders, had grabbed for the bottle of wine, knocking it down on the ground in the process, seemingly by accident. She knew, it was a risky move, but he really shouldn't be drinking today.
She jumped up from her chair, a shocked expression on her face. Jenna wasn't a good actress, but this one came natural for her. All she had to do was remembering the night Ser Ilhan died. “Oh gods!”, she exclaimed. “I am sorry, m'lord, m'lady, I am sorry, I am so sorry!” Under Sherryl's angry glare, she went down to her knees, observing the broken bottl, while tears appeared in her eyes.
Harris let out a sigh and grabbed her shoulder, slowly pulling her back up. “I am sorry, m'lord. I am just clumsy. Please, forgive me!”, she begged him. Judging from Sherryl's glare, the other woman did not believe a word she said. Judging from the look in Harris' eyes, the acting lord was believing everything she said. He glanced at the tears in her eyes, momentarily at the slowly healing scar on her face and then at his own, full glass of wine.
“Please, Jenna, don't cry”, he tried to calm her. She still sobbed for a moment, until Harris let out a deep sigh and emptied the content of his own glass onto the floor, next to the broken bottle, half upon Jenna's shoes, half upon his own. A warm smile appeared on his face. “I believe I have drunken enough either way. Don't bother with cleaning it, please. Let me take care of this. Just sit down again and listen what I have to say”
“Are you serious, Harris?”, Sherryl hissed. “This little... she just destroyed your property. She basically stole from the lord of Raylansfair” As Jenna sat down, she realized that Sherryl was right. Seven Hells, she really overdid it here! Thankfully, the short moment of fear was gone as quickly as it came, when Harris just shook his head. “I think now you're overly dramatic, my love”, he chuckled. “It was just wine, not even the good one. I know it was your gift for me, but truth be told, it tasted rather bland and was a bit too strong for me”
He finally shifted his attention back to Jenna, momentarily ignoring Sherryl in her anger. Jenna knew, however small her victory was right now, she had thwarted a tiny portion of whatever plan Sherryl was pursuing here and this caused a proud smile to appear on her face.
“See? You can smile again. Nothing bad happened, right?”, Harris comforted her. “Let's get back to our business, shall we?” She gave him a nod, sobbing one last time and sheepishly glancing at Sherryl. “I am sorry, m'lord. Why have you called for me?”, she asked.
“It is something that concerns me. Maybe it is nothing, but a few days ago, Sherryl witnessed something alarming”, Harris explained. “When she walked across the courtyard, she took a glance at the ravenry in the small tower. She swore, she saw a raven flying out of there, a raven carrying a letter”
“I know what I saw, Harris. Someone was up there”, Sherryl snarled. “And not just one day. The next day, a few hours after dawn, another raven left. In the evening, a raven came. The next day, the same. Ever since your Maester Eaton died, the ravenry is closed. The only one who has access is one guard, to feed the ravens. The boy that is on duty this week, he swore to me that he hasn't seen a thing. He is lying”
“Federico Snow”, Harris explained. “One of our newest guards. I gave him an apparently easy task for this week. Couldn't know the problems this would cause...” He sighed and looked at Jenna, who understood what he was trying to tell her. “So, you think someone is using our ravens to send messages to someone else? And you want me to find out who it is?”, she asked and Harris gave her a nod. “You did a great job with Corbin, as much as his betrayal pains me”, he explained. “I think you are good enough to do this”
“If it is so important, m'lord, why don't you do it yourself?”, Jenna asked, realizing that she may have sounded more snappy than she intended to. Sherryl gave her a cold glare. “Harris is the lord of Raylansfair, child. It is his privilege to delegate lesser tasks to his servants”, she growled.
Harris glanced from Sherryl to Jenna. “She is right”, he answered. “Besides, I have a more important task to do today. Lord Tyrell is waiting for me, together with this vulture Hobert. This task is up to you. Find out who, if anyone at all, is using our ravens. Find out to whom they are sending these messages” He paused for a moment. “If you need any leads, I suppose you can talk to Federico. I have seen him near the barracks earlier. He is supposed to be the only one who can enter the ravenry at the moment. If Sherryl is right, then he is hiding something. Alternatively, you can also enter the building on your own and lie in wait, to catch the culprit in the act, though you may have to wait for hours or longer. Either way, success is not guaranteed”, he explained. “It's your choice. I just want results”
Raenna
Just barely suppressing a cry of pain, Raenna stumbled backwards as the blade hit her shoulder. If the sword would have been sharp… more, if this would have been a real fight, she would have been dead by now, for the third time to be honest. Thankfully, it was only a sparring match with dulled swords. Dulled swords... the thought of how unnecessary she had found this safety measure just five minutes ago caused a smile to form on her face, despite the pain in her shoulder.
“You're reckless”, Terroma scolded her sternly as he swung the dulled blade through the air. “You're fast and strong, but reckless at the same time. You're skilled, but that does not make you invincible” His expression softened considerably as he realized the pain she was in after his heavy blow and he started to walk towards her. “But on the positive side, you managed to do something my previous sparring partners never did. You came damn close to actually land a hit … [view original content]
Raenna
Just barely suppressing a cry of pain, Raenna stumbled backwards as the blade hit her shoulder. If the sword would have been sharp… more, if this would have been a real fight, she would have been dead by now, for the third time to be honest. Thankfully, it was only a sparring match with dulled swords. Dulled swords... the thought of how unnecessary she had found this safety measure just five minutes ago caused a smile to form on her face, despite the pain in her shoulder.
“You're reckless”, Terroma scolded her sternly as he swung the dulled blade through the air. “You're fast and strong, but reckless at the same time. You're skilled, but that does not make you invincible” His expression softened considerably as he realized the pain she was in after his heavy blow and he started to walk towards her. “But on the positive side, you managed to do something my previous sparring partners never did. You came damn close to actually land a hit … [view original content]
Raenna
Just barely suppressing a cry of pain, Raenna stumbled backwards as the blade hit her shoulder. If the sword would have been sharp… more, if this would have been a real fight, she would have been dead by now, for the third time to be honest. Thankfully, it was only a sparring match with dulled swords. Dulled swords... the thought of how unnecessary she had found this safety measure just five minutes ago caused a smile to form on her face, despite the pain in her shoulder.
“You're reckless”, Terroma scolded her sternly as he swung the dulled blade through the air. “You're fast and strong, but reckless at the same time. You're skilled, but that does not make you invincible” His expression softened considerably as he realized the pain she was in after his heavy blow and he started to walk towards her. “But on the positive side, you managed to do something my previous sparring partners never did. You came damn close to actually land a hit … [view original content]
I don't really understand the first choice. Could someone explain it to me?
[Go to the ravenry and wait] Let's be subtle, if Jenna does see someone I'm hoping she'll remain hidden, identify the person, let them leave then Jenna can tell Harris.
Correct me if I'm wrong but Jenna seems to have an interesting opportunity. I'm not saying she would, but regardless of who she sees, she could say anyone to Harris and he'd believe her.
Raenna
Just barely suppressing a cry of pain, Raenna stumbled backwards as the blade hit her shoulder. If the sword would have been sharp… more, if this would have been a real fight, she would have been dead by now, for the third time to be honest. Thankfully, it was only a sparring match with dulled swords. Dulled swords... the thought of how unnecessary she had found this safety measure just five minutes ago caused a smile to form on her face, despite the pain in her shoulder.
“You're reckless”, Terroma scolded her sternly as he swung the dulled blade through the air. “You're fast and strong, but reckless at the same time. You're skilled, but that does not make you invincible” His expression softened considerably as he realized the pain she was in after his heavy blow and he started to walk towards her. “But on the positive side, you managed to do something my previous sparring partners never did. You came damn close to actually land a hit … [view original content]
Raenna
Just barely suppressing a cry of pain, Raenna stumbled backwards as the blade hit her shoulder. If the sword would have been sharp… more, if this would have been a real fight, she would have been dead by now, for the third time to be honest. Thankfully, it was only a sparring match with dulled swords. Dulled swords... the thought of how unnecessary she had found this safety measure just five minutes ago caused a smile to form on her face, despite the pain in her shoulder.
“You're reckless”, Terroma scolded her sternly as he swung the dulled blade through the air. “You're fast and strong, but reckless at the same time. You're skilled, but that does not make you invincible” His expression softened considerably as he realized the pain she was in after his heavy blow and he started to walk towards her. “But on the positive side, you managed to do something my previous sparring partners never did. You came damn close to actually land a hit … [view original content]
I don't really understand the first choice. Could someone explain it to me?
I was actually afraid it could be a bit confusing. Maybe I should have written an additional sentence to explain it. Basically, Terroma is going to meet with Samuel (Harrington), while Samuel (Puffer) is simultaneously going to clear a building that apparently contains an entrance to the dungeons below the Hightower. Because of the dangerous nature of their tasks, both could use Raenna's help here and she has the choice to accompany one of them on their respective tasks.
I don't really understand the first choice. Could someone explain it to me?
[Go to the ravenry and wait] Let's be subtle, if Jenna does s… moreee someone I'm hoping she'll remain hidden, identify the person, let them leave then Jenna can tell Harris.
Correct me if I'm wrong but Jenna seems to have an interesting opportunity. I'm not saying she would, but regardless of who she sees, she could say anyone to Harris and he'd believe her.
[Accompany Samuel] We know Harrington's motive so there shouldn't come problems with him. However, Puffer might be a little overconfident and 2 against 10 is better than 1 against 10.
[Talk to Federico] I know this option won't win but I'd prefer a moment with Federico. Plus, the whole thing about the ravenry could be made up by Sherryl - we know she isn't to be trusted.
Raenna
Just barely suppressing a cry of pain, Raenna stumbled backwards as the blade hit her shoulder. If the sword would have been sharp… more, if this would have been a real fight, she would have been dead by now, for the third time to be honest. Thankfully, it was only a sparring match with dulled swords. Dulled swords... the thought of how unnecessary she had found this safety measure just five minutes ago caused a smile to form on her face, despite the pain in her shoulder.
“You're reckless”, Terroma scolded her sternly as he swung the dulled blade through the air. “You're fast and strong, but reckless at the same time. You're skilled, but that does not make you invincible” His expression softened considerably as he realized the pain she was in after his heavy blow and he started to walk towards her. “But on the positive side, you managed to do something my previous sparring partners never did. You came damn close to actually land a hit … [view original content]
The first choice is basically does Raenna go with Terroma to meet Samuel Harrington or does she go with Samuel Puffer to secure their way to the labyrint under the Hightower (and the place is guarded by ten thugs.)
I don't really understand the first choice. Could someone explain it to me?
[Go to the ravenry and wait] Let's be subtle, if Jenna does s… moreee someone I'm hoping she'll remain hidden, identify the person, let them leave then Jenna can tell Harris.
Correct me if I'm wrong but Jenna seems to have an interesting opportunity. I'm not saying she would, but regardless of who she sees, she could say anyone to Harris and he'd believe her.
Ahh... I get it now, thanks. And to you as well @WildlingKing.
[Accompany Samuel] I'm sure Terroma can handle Harrington if he proves to be untrustworthy, and Puffer could use the help, especially since he appears to be a little overconfident.
I don't really understand the first choice. Could someone explain it to me?
I was actually afraid it could be a bit confusing. Maybe… more I should have written an additional sentence to explain it. Basically, Terroma is going to meet with Samuel (Harrington), while Samuel (Puffer) is simultaneously going to clear a building that apparently contains an entrance to the dungeons below the Hightower. Because of the dangerous nature of their tasks, both could use Raenna's help here and she has the choice to accompany one of them on their respective tasks.
Hmm, I'm not sure if I should wait for the voting to be closed before I post this, but... nah, I'll post it now So people don't let this po… morest make you miss the latest part, it's up there and the voting is still on (at least while I write this)^^
Anyway, I had some fun today drawing, so, new illustrations! I got the descriptions yesterday so it sure didn't take me long - as I said, I was having fun XD
First of all we got Harndon, and with him there will be illustration of every Hoare in this story - daddy Harren by foxbrg and the sons by me. Harndon is a little different to the rest of the Hoares since his madness can really be seen from afar. Still, it was nice to draw him (and there is a fun fact about his outfit on this pic, if someone figures it out ;D). Then there is Mathea, the best - and only - healer in Raylansfair. I hope my take on the character's looks pleases you @Mathea , I tried to take some features of that pic you made … [view original content]
Raenna
Just barely suppressing a cry of pain, Raenna stumbled backwards as the blade hit her shoulder. If the sword would have been sharp… more, if this would have been a real fight, she would have been dead by now, for the third time to be honest. Thankfully, it was only a sparring match with dulled swords. Dulled swords... the thought of how unnecessary she had found this safety measure just five minutes ago caused a smile to form on her face, despite the pain in her shoulder.
“You're reckless”, Terroma scolded her sternly as he swung the dulled blade through the air. “You're fast and strong, but reckless at the same time. You're skilled, but that does not make you invincible” His expression softened considerably as he realized the pain she was in after his heavy blow and he started to walk towards her. “But on the positive side, you managed to do something my previous sparring partners never did. You came damn close to actually land a hit … [view original content]
Raenna
Just barely suppressing a cry of pain, Raenna stumbled backwards as the blade hit her shoulder. If the sword would have been sharp… more, if this would have been a real fight, she would have been dead by now, for the third time to be honest. Thankfully, it was only a sparring match with dulled swords. Dulled swords... the thought of how unnecessary she had found this safety measure just five minutes ago caused a smile to form on her face, despite the pain in her shoulder.
“You're reckless”, Terroma scolded her sternly as he swung the dulled blade through the air. “You're fast and strong, but reckless at the same time. You're skilled, but that does not make you invincible” His expression softened considerably as he realized the pain she was in after his heavy blow and he started to walk towards her. “But on the positive side, you managed to do something my previous sparring partners never did. You came damn close to actually land a hit … [view original content]
It would probably be a bad idea to wait in the Ravenry as it is likely Sherlly made up the raven thing. So we can just make sure by persuading Frederico into explaining if anything has been happening in the Ravenry.
[Accompany Samuel] We know Harrington's motive so there shouldn't come problems with him. However, Puffer might be a little overconfident an… mored 2 against 10 is better than 1 against 10.
[Talk to Federico] I know this option won't win but I'd prefer a moment with Federico. Plus, the whole thing about the ravenry could be made up by Sherryl - we know she isn't to be trusted.
[Accompany Samuel] I kind of want Terroma to fail so despite the fat that I don't really like Puffer, might as well.
[Go to the ravenry and wait] I'm not sure talking with him is going to result anything so preparing the ambush might.
Comments
I have a question above the Part. Just in case you missed it
Well, if I'll stay at the PoVs then I'd say Arthur might be closest to me. Granted, we don't know that much of him yet, but he seems a little shy, humble, and someone who gets along with most people. He also seems a little proud whenever he does something right. And about that, I would have pretty much done the same things he has done. Like him, I would not have let Wolfius go. With Mathea I would have let her make her own decision though. Then there is one thing that perhaps the most separates him from me: I would not be so forgiving if my father was like that. Sure, I would neither be as hateful as his sister, but I also couldn't help but be a little bitter and angry about it. Also, for now Arthur has not shown to be at all temperamental whilst I am sometimes
Much less now though than I did as a teenager, but it's still a trait I will always have - I get it from my father 
[Accept Harren's offer] Being critical here, I suspect that Harren will kill the Breaker brothers regardless, but hopefully we may get the chance to twist his offer into an advantage. We get out of this shithole, maybe flay Lord Mallister and leave the Ironlands.
Just answered
Thanks
Arthur is cool. And i like him a lot. I do hate he's going to try to force poor Mathea to leave someone to die. No matter how crazy or evil, it just sounds wrong.
[Accept Harren's offer]
[Accept Harren's offer] Well, I'd say they're screwed either way, really.
Great part!
[Accept] this reminds me on Mira. I will Accept his offer...but I do this only because to stay alive...I will probably betray Harren again ;D
[Accept Harren's offer]
I hope you got all of that. I really mean it
[Decline Harren's offer]
[decline]
Hmm, I'm not sure if I should wait for the voting to be closed before I post this, but... nah, I'll post it now
So people don't let this post make you miss the latest part, it's up there and the voting is still on (at least while I write this)^^
Anyway, I had some fun today drawing, so, new illustrations!
I got the descriptions yesterday so it sure didn't take me long - as I said, I was having fun XD
First of all we got Harndon, and with him there will be illustration of every Hoare in this story - daddy Harren by foxbrg and the sons by me. Harndon is a little different to the rest of the Hoares since his madness can really be seen from afar. Still, it was nice to draw him (and there is a fun fact about his outfit on this pic, if someone figures it out ;D). Then there is Mathea, the best - and only - healer in Raylansfair. I hope my take on the character's looks pleases you @Mathea , I tried to take some features of that pic you made earlier
And next is Urid Strad, with him I tried to get that common folk feeling, but with a little bit finer clothes than Richard, Philip etc. And then I draw Himani - one of the few child characters. He was surprisingly easy to draw and I enjoyed it a lot, though I almost forgot to make his ragged clothes dirty. And lastly there is Ser Daghan Oxus. I hope I managed to get some feel of threat and strength to him.
edit. small fix on Daghan
[Accept Harren's offer]
Yeah, I got it, just, to my shame, I forgot to answer. Anyway,thanks Lord, hearing this is great
So are you
Wow, when I saw new comments here, I absolutely did not expect new drawings. That was a great surprise
And these drawings are awesome! As always, I love the detail you put into them. My favourite drawing this time... it's hard to decide, as all of them are amazing, but I think I settle with Himani here. The facial expression is spot on, with this shrewd grin. Makes me glad that this chapter will feature him more prominently than ever before. Urid certainly is a nice contrast to the more plainly clothed smallfolk. The benefits of being a tailor, I guess 
Your drawings of Mathea and Daghan are really awesome and I hope their creators, Mathea and Xemnes, agree on this. And finally, we got another amazing Hoare. Hoare drawings are always my favourites, because they give me the creeps. Harndon in particular, while having only appeared in a single part so far, was always the Hoare I found the most unsettling, maybe aside from Harren himself, and it certainly shows in this picture. His facial expression is plain scary. I have been trying to find that fun fact about his outfit you've hinted at, but so far I haven't found it, even though I feel like I probably should. It is nicely detailed though and I hope I figure it out in time. Anyways, as always, thank you for this amazing work 
Leonard.
Lucas now and probably Wolfius.
Irving, aye.
Leonard is the epitome of a lot of me, so him mostly I guess.
Well the thing about Harndon's outfit is really its colors... I'll leave it at that
[Accept Harren's offer]
Limited access to internet, but finally found opportunity to read and vote. :-)
Hey, this is really great, thank you for drawing her, looks really awesome with this stern face expression. :-D My fiancee told that it's looking a bit like me even, haha... :-D
The Voting is closed!
Garthon will accept Harren Hoare's offer
Well... this was maybe worth a try, right? The offer itself almost sounds too good to be true, considering Harren's reputation. He clearly has not forgotten anything and he certainly hasn't forgiven either. I can tease, it is going to be an interesting choice for sure and will make for a hopefully exciting storyline for Garthon in this chapter.
The next part is going to be out a bit later today. It is going to be a part with a Raenna PoV and a second PoV which I haven't entirely decided upon yet, either Marak or Jenna. While writing the Raenna part, I have realized that she will most likely have the longest storyline in terms of parts in this chapter. These parts won't necessarily be the longest, but there will be many choices for her that in turn will cause a large number of parts in general.
Finally, there is the strong possibility that the next part is going to be the final part of this year. From the 26th to the 30th, I will go on a short vacation and won't be able to write. I will try my best to put out another part on the 25th, but that depends on several factors, most importantly, how much time I will actually have to write, but also on how many of you actually manage to read the next part until the 25th. Considering that it is Christmas, I guess most of you will be busy. Naturally, I will be busy too, so we'll see how it goes. Anyway, the next part will be out later today for sure!
[Accept Harren's offer]
Raenna
Just barely suppressing a cry of pain, Raenna stumbled backwards as the blade hit her shoulder. If the sword would have been sharp, if this would have been a real fight, she would have been dead by now, for the third time to be honest. Thankfully, it was only a sparring match with dulled swords. Dulled swords... the thought of how unnecessary she had found this safety measure just five minutes ago caused a smile to form on her face, despite the pain in her shoulder.
“You're reckless”, Terroma scolded her sternly as he swung the dulled blade through the air. “You're fast and strong, but reckless at the same time. You're skilled, but that does not make you invincible” His expression softened considerably as he realized the pain she was in after his heavy blow and he started to walk towards her. “But on the positive side, you managed to do something my previous sparring partners never did. You came damn close to actually land a hit on me”, he complimented her as he reached down to help her up. “You're pretty good”
Raenna's smile faded, replaced by a short chuckle. “Not good enough apparently”, she remarked and shook her head. “I can't thank you enough for insisting on dulled swords” Terroma gave her a nod as he moved his finger across the edge of the blade. “Wouldn't take the risk of killing my favourite student, would I?”, he asked with a smirk.
“Yeah, I'm going to feel that blow for days”, Raenna answered. “But it was a good fight, Old Man” Terroma quickly grabbed her sword as well, holding both blades for a moment. “Easy to say for someone who lost, little Raenna”, he countered.
“I'm not little anymore”, she protested and gave him a playful jab against the upper arm. He in turn gave her a short nod. “Indeed you aren't”, he agreed and let out a sigh. “Raenna, I want you to be careful today. A common thug stands no chance against you, but what happens if you come across an enemy who is as good as me?”
“There's no one as good as you”, Raenna answered slowly, even though she knew that he had a point. She was good and she knew it, but at times, in the heat of the moment, she tended to forget that others could be good as well. Butterfly's men back at the tavern, they had been nothing against her. However, who knew what kind of horrors would await them in his dungeon. At the same time, having Terroma close to her gave her a sense of safety. Years of retirement had been surprisingly kind to him and he just proved to her without a doubt that he had lost nothing of his skill. Yes, she was good, but compared to him, she would always remain the student.
“There are plenty as good as me”, Terroma disagreed. “Let us pray that we won't encounter any of them today” Raenna gave him a nod. “Let us pray that we never encounter them”, she corrected him. The thought of having a serious fight against someone like Terroma was genuinely scary to her. The sparring match they just had... at times she hadn't even seen his sword coming. She was good, but Terroma was something else entirely. It wasn't only the fact that he easily bested her, it was the fact that he was holding back while he did it that forced a cold chill to run down her spine. He hadn't mentioned it, but in his eyes, she saw restraint. Behind it, she saw a growing and incredibly disturbing urge to kill something.
“Oh, sooner or later I will find someone who is better than me”, Terroma said and the look in his eyes faded, replaced by a kind, wrinkly and absolutely genuine smile. “I just hope it won't be today” He looked up at her, glancing at her shoulder. “I hope I haven't hurt you too much”, he mumbled.
“Barely”, Raenna lied. It was a weak lie and he immediately spotted it, which caused both to smile as if she had told a great joke. Over the past week, Raenna had enjoyed his company, more than ever. The fondest memories of her childhood were of him and being close to him was almost like being a child again. At first, she tried to resist, tried to stay distanced, professional and cold. She even tried to fight it, telling herself over and over that she had left this part of her life behind. But her attitude towards him changed after the first couple of days. Now, it was almost as if they had never been separated. Deep down, she knew, being around him wasn't good for her. It made her depending on him more than she wanted to admit and certainly more than she wanted. But it did not matter to her, as long as he was just there for her, being almost like the father she never had.
The sound of the door getting opened downstairs sent both of them into an alarmed state, before Raenna recognized the footsteps. It was Samuel, who had returned from his scouting trip, from the final preparation before they would infiltrate the Hightower later tonight. Still, until she saw the familiar, bearded face of Samuel Puffer slowly walking up the stairs, she remained on guard, a hand on the hilt of her dagger.
“Samuel, I'm glad you're back”, Terroma greeted him and Raenna gave him a short nod. Samuel let out a sigh, walking through the room, glancing at the dulled swords and at Raenna's hand that was still resting on her aching shoulder.
“Nearly didn't make it”, he admitted. “I found the place, but it is full of Butterfly's men. Their presence surprised me, but I remained unseen. It is one of the empty houses in the lower city. Two entrances, though I went in through the first floor window” He sat down in a chair and leant forwards. “Terroma, that place contains a way into the Hightower. Heavily guarded of course, but nothing I couldn't manage on my own”
“How many?”, Terroma asked and a smirk formed on Samuel's face. “Counted about ten of them. Two on the outside, posing as beggars, eight inside. The entrance to the labyrinth is in the basement, permanently guarded by two”
“And you think you can take them on your own?”, Terroma asked and raised an eyebrow as Samuel gave him a nod. He let out a sigh and glanced towards Raenna. “Raenna here just had a harmless reminder of what overconfidence can lead to”, he explained. “You're not going to clean that building by yourself”
“Actually, I think you'd like to do something else”, Samuel countered. “Do you remember that talk we had, about the map?” Terroma gave him a nod, just as Raenna shook her head. “I never had that talk”, she remarked. “What kind of map are you looking for?”
“A map of the dungeons below the Hightower. The place is like a maze and it goes far below the city”, Terroma answered “The city guard has its prison there, but the lower levels are used by Butterfly and his men. Without a map, we are lost. Luckily, it seems like Samuel found one”
The other man slowly shook his head. “I found something better, most likely at least”, he explained. “I found us a guide, someone who knows these dungeons very well” He looked at Raenna and then at Terroma, before he sighed. “Oh, you're both going to hate this”, he remarked. “The name of the man I talked to is Samuel Harrington”
“Harrington...”, Raenna muttered in surprise. She had never met the man, but after spending a week in Oldtown, she had heard his name more than enough. She knew that he wasn't a man she wanted to provoke. She knew that he was one of Butterfly's men. And she knew that she had a very bad feeling about this.
Terroma on the other hand was calm, even though his eyes were narrowed. “I see...”, he growled. “Have you met him?” Samuel gave him a nod. “And has he told you what he wants in return? I doubt he betrays Butterfly on a whim”
“Indeed, he doesn't”, Samuel confirmed. “A mutual acquaintance, someone whom I usually trust, put me into contact with him. However, he hasn't told me his reasons and I've never been good at talking. Do you really think I could find out what he is hiding from me? That's why I assume you'd rather make sure that our guide is trustworthy”
“You're going to meet him?”, Raenna asked, slightly alarmed. Terroma did not answer, for a moment deeply lost in thoughts. Finally, he looked at her. “I will. I need to find out why he is willing to guide us through the dungeons”, he answered. “At the same time, I need Samuel to clear our way into the Hightower. We have to strike tonight”
“I don't like this...”, Raenna mumbled. “Splitting up, taking on two dangerous targets at once. This Harrington... is he better than you?” For a moment, Terroma hesitated to answer, before he shrugged. “I don't know”, he admitted “He has an impressive reputation. If he lives up to it, then yes, he might be better than me”
“And now I'm liking this idea even less”, Raenna remarked. “I should accompany you. A single man can't be better than both of us together” This time, Terroma gave her a nod. “That would be doubtful indeed”, he agreed, before his facial expression darkened. “However, I suppose Samuel needs your help more. No matter how good Harrington is, in the end he is just one man, but Samuel has ten against him”
“I'm really not someone to brag, but that would be a piece of cake”, Samuel answered calmly. “I have seen these men. They are no fighters, they are common thugs. Good enough to scare other thugs” Despite his stern face, a small smirk formed around his mouth. “Though, your help would be appreciated regardless”
Raenna let out a sigh. “Then I have to decide, huh? Securing our way into the dungeons or making sure that our guide won't try anything”, she muttered and looked at Terroma. “I have to decide, right?” Terroma gave her a quick nod. “Indeed. I am not in a position to give you an order, not anymore, little Raenna”, he answered.
[Accompany Terroma] [Accompany Samuel]
Jenna
Even though it was just an hour after dawn, a long parade of showmen had gathered outside the castle, all the way down to the city itself, celebrating the arrival of Lord Tyrell and his entourage. Today was court day in Raylansfair and in the absence of Lord Raylan, it was up to the king to dispense justice. Mern Gardener in turn had sent his steward to speak in his name. On his orders and on Hobert Lawthor's calling, Harlen Tyrell came to Raylansfair, and with him and his knights came minstrels, fire-eaters, acrobats and cheap magicians.
On other days, Jenna would have enjoyed their presence and would have allowed them to dispel her dark thoughts. She would have spent some time with her father, strolling over the fair and right now, there was nothing she'd like to do more. However, there were more important things to do.
With a regretful sigh, she turned away from the lovely scenery, a long road filled with colourful tents, crowded with people, from Raylansfair and beyond. The walls of the castle, where she was standing, were close enough to allow her to hear the joy the people down there had and this made it even harder for her to approach the door that lead to the lord's tower.
Since no one was close to help her, it took her a considerable amount of strength to open the heavy, creaking door on her own. Few guards were on duty today. In order to celebrate, Harris gave most of them a day off, leaving only a dozen men on duty. The only one who was actually patrolling was Ser Darren Tallwood, who was walking across the courtyard below her with a stern, displeased expression on his face.
With a final, reluctant glance at the fair, Jenna entered the tower. As always, the air inside was stale, cold and dusty. But even more than the uncomfortable air, Jenna hated entering this tower, ever since Ilhan died... ever since Ilhan was murdered, by the man she was about to meet. She would have preferred to meet Harris in his office, as she did previously. He however had ordered her to his quarters instead.
Slowly climbing the stairs, she shuddered as the memory of Ilhan's bloody, broken corpse flashed through her mind. Not for the first time, she had to ask herself how long it would be until Harris would decide that her knowledge would make her too dangerous to let her live. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she moved her right arm towards the sleeve of the left, where she was hiding a small kitchen knife, hopefully invisible for the acting lord. If the past weeks taught her one thing above everything else, then that she had to keep a weapon close to her at all times, now more than ever.
She stopped in front of the door that lead to Harris' quarters. It took her a considerable amount of courage to actually knock, but when she did, she was surprised by how strong and confident it sounded. And then she waited for a moment, until she heard Harris' deep voice. “The door is open. Come in”
As soon as she opened the door, she realized that Harris wasn't alone. As always since the past week, his new 'advisor' was near him. Sherryl Flowers... Jenna faintly remembered her from her own childhood. Back then, Sherryl had already been beautiful, with her dark blue eyes, shining brown hair and high cheekbones, but she grew up to be absolutely stunning. At the same time, there was something in her eyes that hadn't been there in Jenna's memories, a dark, cunning and manipulative streak.
Right now, she was sitting in a large chair near the fire, casually holding a fine glass between her fingers, filled with wine. Harris stood near the only window, holding a second glass that was filled to the rim. Jenna gulped as she realized that today of all days was not a good day to drink. In a few hours, Harris had a meeting with Tyrell and Hobert, about the future of Raylansfair. Without a doubt, Sherryl was responsible for the presence of the wine.
“Lord Harris, Lady Sherryl”, she greeted both of them politely. Harris gave her a kind nod, but she only received a cold glare from Sherryl. “Hello, Jenna”, the acting lord greeted her. “I am glad you found time for me”
“Harris, we have talked about this”, Sherryl hissed and Harris cut himself off. “Of course, my love”, he mumbled, pointing at a small chair next to the table. “Please, Jenna, sit down. There is something I need to discuss with you. Get yourself a cup of wine if you want to”
Jenna gave him a nod and followed his orders, but she hesitated to grab the bottle of wine that was standing on the table. It was the only one in the room. Murderer or not, today Raylansfair needed Harris. He shouldn't be drinking today!
“What is it you want to talk about, m'lord?”, she asked meekly. Harris let out a sigh. “To make it short, I need your help again. You did good with... with Corbin”, he complimented her. Septon Corbin... for the past week, he had been sitting in the dungeons of the castle. For an equally long time, Harris, feeling betrayed and hurt, simply refused to talk to his old friend.
“Actually, you surpassed my expectations”, Harris continued. “Because of this, I think you will be perfect to solve a new problem that came...” The sound of broken glass cut him off. Jenna, following his orders, had grabbed for the bottle of wine, knocking it down on the ground in the process, seemingly by accident. She knew, it was a risky move, but he really shouldn't be drinking today.
She jumped up from her chair, a shocked expression on her face. Jenna wasn't a good actress, but this one came natural for her. All she had to do was remembering the night Ser Ilhan died. “Oh gods!”, she exclaimed. “I am sorry, m'lord, m'lady, I am sorry, I am so sorry!” Under Sherryl's angry glare, she went down to her knees, observing the broken bottl, while tears appeared in her eyes.
Harris let out a sigh and grabbed her shoulder, slowly pulling her back up. “I am sorry, m'lord. I am just clumsy. Please, forgive me!”, she begged him. Judging from Sherryl's glare, the other woman did not believe a word she said. Judging from the look in Harris' eyes, the acting lord was believing everything she said. He glanced at the tears in her eyes, momentarily at the slowly healing scar on her face and then at his own, full glass of wine.
“Please, Jenna, don't cry”, he tried to calm her. She still sobbed for a moment, until Harris let out a deep sigh and emptied the content of his own glass onto the floor, next to the broken bottle, half upon Jenna's shoes, half upon his own. A warm smile appeared on his face. “I believe I have drunken enough either way. Don't bother with cleaning it, please. Let me take care of this. Just sit down again and listen what I have to say”
“Are you serious, Harris?”, Sherryl hissed. “This little... she just destroyed your property. She basically stole from the lord of Raylansfair” As Jenna sat down, she realized that Sherryl was right. Seven Hells, she really overdid it here! Thankfully, the short moment of fear was gone as quickly as it came, when Harris just shook his head. “I think now you're overly dramatic, my love”, he chuckled. “It was just wine, not even the good one. I know it was your gift for me, but truth be told, it tasted rather bland and was a bit too strong for me”
He finally shifted his attention back to Jenna, momentarily ignoring Sherryl in her anger. Jenna knew, however small her victory was right now, she had thwarted a tiny portion of whatever plan Sherryl was pursuing here and this caused a proud smile to appear on her face.
“See? You can smile again. Nothing bad happened, right?”, Harris comforted her. “Let's get back to our business, shall we?” She gave him a nod, sobbing one last time and sheepishly glancing at Sherryl. “I am sorry, m'lord. Why have you called for me?”, she asked.
“It is something that concerns me. Maybe it is nothing, but a few days ago, Sherryl witnessed something alarming”, Harris explained. “When she walked across the courtyard, she took a glance at the ravenry in the small tower. She swore, she saw a raven flying out of there, a raven carrying a letter”
“I know what I saw, Harris. Someone was up there”, Sherryl snarled. “And not just one day. The next day, a few hours after dawn, another raven left. In the evening, a raven came. The next day, the same. Ever since your Maester Eaton died, the ravenry is closed. The only one who has access is one guard, to feed the ravens. The boy that is on duty this week, he swore to me that he hasn't seen a thing. He is lying”
“Federico Snow”, Harris explained. “One of our newest guards. I gave him an apparently easy task for this week. Couldn't know the problems this would cause...” He sighed and looked at Jenna, who understood what he was trying to tell her. “So, you think someone is using our ravens to send messages to someone else? And you want me to find out who it is?”, she asked and Harris gave her a nod. “You did a great job with Corbin, as much as his betrayal pains me”, he explained. “I think you are good enough to do this”
“If it is so important, m'lord, why don't you do it yourself?”, Jenna asked, realizing that she may have sounded more snappy than she intended to. Sherryl gave her a cold glare. “Harris is the lord of Raylansfair, child. It is his privilege to delegate lesser tasks to his servants”, she growled.
Harris glanced from Sherryl to Jenna. “She is right”, he answered. “Besides, I have a more important task to do today. Lord Tyrell is waiting for me, together with this vulture Hobert. This task is up to you. Find out who, if anyone at all, is using our ravens. Find out to whom they are sending these messages” He paused for a moment. “If you need any leads, I suppose you can talk to Federico. I have seen him near the barracks earlier. He is supposed to be the only one who can enter the ravenry at the moment. If Sherryl is right, then he is hiding something. Alternatively, you can also enter the building on your own and lie in wait, to catch the culprit in the act, though you may have to wait for hours or longer. Either way, success is not guaranteed”, he explained. “It's your choice. I just want results”
[Talk to Federico] [Go to the ravenry and wait]
[Go to the ravenry and wait]
Only way to be sure. Great part Liquid
.
[Accompany Samuel] I kind of want Terroma to fail so despite the fat that I don't really like Puffer, might as well.
[Go to the ravenry and wait] I'm not sure talking with him is going to result anything so preparing the ambush might.
[Accompany Terroma]
[Go to the ravenry and wait]
I don't really understand the first choice. Could someone explain it to me?
[Go to the ravenry and wait] Let's be subtle, if Jenna does see someone I'm hoping she'll remain hidden, identify the person, let them leave then Jenna can tell Harris.
Correct me if I'm wrong but Jenna seems to have an interesting opportunity. I'm not saying she would, but regardless of who she sees, she could say anyone to Harris and he'd believe her.
[Go to the ravenry and wait] Better to be a bit sneaky in here instead of just going and asking the boy directly.
[Accompany Terroma] I'm curious of meeting between Samuel, Terroma and Raenna, so why not this choice..
I was actually afraid it could be a bit confusing. Maybe I should have written an additional sentence to explain it. Basically, Terroma is going to meet with Samuel (Harrington), while Samuel (Puffer) is simultaneously going to clear a building that apparently contains an entrance to the dungeons below the Hightower. Because of the dangerous nature of their tasks, both could use Raenna's help here and she has the choice to accompany one of them on their respective tasks.
[Accompany Samuel] We know Harrington's motive so there shouldn't come problems with him. However, Puffer might be a little overconfident and 2 against 10 is better than 1 against 10.
[Talk to Federico] I know this option won't win but I'd prefer a moment with Federico. Plus, the whole thing about the ravenry could be made up by Sherryl - we know she isn't to be trusted.
The first choice is basically does Raenna go with Terroma to meet Samuel Harrington or does she go with Samuel Puffer to secure their way to the labyrint under the Hightower (and the place is guarded by ten thugs.)
Ahh... I get it now, thanks. And to you as well @WildlingKing.
[Accompany Samuel] I'm sure Terroma can handle Harrington if he proves to be untrustworthy, and Puffer could use the help, especially since he appears to be a little overconfident.
OMG! It's awesome man! It's exactly like I imagine Daghan
He looks sooo cool ><
Thank you, you made me a wonderful christmas present!!!
[Go to the ravenry and wait] Man, I hope that Sherryl dies. She's such a bitch.
[Accompany Terroma]
[Accompany Terroma] Just want to see how this will end
[Go to the ravenry and wait]
[Accompany Samuel]
[Go to the ravenry and wait]
It would probably be a bad idea to wait in the Ravenry as it is likely Sherlly made up the raven thing. So we can just make sure by persuading Frederico into explaining if anything has been happening in the Ravenry.
Or we could just be wasting our time by waiting while Sherrly does her mischievous deeds. Maybe we can catch her in the act of we wrap this up early.