This was a wonderful part! I was really amazed at this meeting between Mathea and Terroma. Having two characters meet up who don't quite have a chance to meet in the actual story is something I greatly enjoy. And well, seeing Terroma once again was also nice Well done, I enjoyed this very much and I like how it gave us a first glimpse of Mathea's past. Thanks a lot!
History and Lore: Mathea
There were still a few good minutes before the sun melting down beyond the horizon. Briskly, Mathea was walking … moretowards her favorite, secluded place at the edge of the steep but not high cliff, decorated with monumental stone in the middle of it. She loved to sit there- whenever time allowed her - and watch the sunset. Before Damien’s death there was almost no possibility of catching a breath, since he and the others in need required all her attention. Now, since he was gone, Mathea decided to get more rest every day, especially that in a few months she was supposed to start her journey – to Raylansfair, on behalf of her dearest teacher, who passed away.
One of her hands was resting on a necklace pendant that she received on her 18th birthday, while the other one was brushing twigs away on the final section to her secret solitude spot.
When she finally arrived with her eyes focused on the horizon, she took on… [view original content]
This was a wonderful part! I was really amazed at this meeting between Mathea and Terroma. Having two characters meet up who don't quite hav… moree a chance to meet in the actual story is something I greatly enjoy. And well, seeing Terroma once again was also nice Well done, I enjoyed this very much and I like how it gave us a first glimpse of Mathea's past. Thanks a lot!
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound like a disease. “You're showing her mercy? She's a fanatic whore, she's filth, she's scum, she's a parasite!”
Raenna gave him a nod. “She's all of this and worse”, she confirmed and her hushed voice cracked. “But this is no mercy” She liked to imagine that her glare got as cold as her voice, but she knew, it still burned with the same passionate rage as before, as she slowly moved closer to the priestess, looked her in the one eye that was not swollen shut. “I want you to remember this night”, she snarled. “If there is anything human left in you, I want you to suffer in the knowledge of what you did, I want you to torment yourself in every moment you spent awake, until death will be a relief”
Noelle did not shiver. She simply gave her a nod. “I will”, she said and it was more than a promise. “But not because of what I did, but because of what I was too weak to do” Immediately after she said this, Raenna strongly suppressed the terrifying urge to kill her after all. “You almost killed a child”, she snarled.
“I did”, Noelle confirmed. “I did it because I was desperate. Because I have seen what will come” And indeed, as she spoke, a desperate look appeared in her eyes. “First, there will be a war. Hundreds of thousands will die, all so that this one girl could live”, she whispered. Raenna narrowed her eyes. Thankfully, Ando had reacted quickly and he had already wrapped Briar into his arms, so that she wouldn't listen. “You're telling me this girl will cause a war?”, she asked.
This time, Noelle weakly shook her head. “No”, she answered. “But she could have ended it before it even began. Her survival will lock out the only way I saw to prevent the war” She sighed and it was equal parts resigned and pained. “But that's not all”, she mumbled and she looked up again. “I have seen what will come, after the war. So many dead, so many who could have fought against what comes after” Raenna raised an eyebrow and Noelle gulped. “Death”, she answered. “A cold, unforgiving death, a long night until nothing is left but the cold”
“Valar Morghulis”, Raenna answered and Noelle shook her head again. “Not like this”, she said. “Not like this... a strong realm would have been needed to stop them. But now, the realm will be crippled, more and more...” She paused. “The one you're looking for, the wolf with the sad eyes is in Raylansfair, not far from here. She hides in a tower near the eastern gate, where no one sees her tears, waiting for her prey”, she answered.
Raenna stared daggers at her. “You mean Kersea?”, she asked and Noelle gave her a nod. “He tried to break her, tried to shape her. He knows so little of her strength, he doesn't understand her, can't comprehend and he will never know how different it could have been between them. Hatred was not the only option”, she said. “A long road comes to an end, a book will be closed. She will kill the knight, one way or the other”
“Why would you tell me where she is?”, Raenna asked and Noelle sighed. “After my failure to stop you, you will find her and the war can not be prevented. Many will die. But if you need too long to find her, even more will die. That would be the worst case”, she explained. “Maybe I can save at least one life tonight” She shook her head. “But there has to be another way”, she pleaded. “Don't take her to Raylansfair. Leave the kingdom, leave the continent with her, leave this life, forget about the sad-eyed wolf and be good to the cub. Maybe it is not too late, maybe there's still a chance, you have to listen, you have to...”
Again, a shiver went through her body and Raenna used this pause to turn around. “The ramblings of a madwoman”, she spat in disgust. “I have heard enough. May you never find the peace you wish for” Then, she started to walk away, before she would give in to the temptation to make the priestess pay. She was better than this, she had to be better than this.
“I have seen your future as well, Raenna Minsworth!”, Noelle revealed and the mention of her name caused Raenna to freeze, before she slowly glanced over her shoulder. Noelle tried to get back to her feet, though she immediately sank down again, on all fours. To Raenna's surprise, she started to whistle, a song which she remembered well.
“The Bear and the Maiden Fair?”, Raenna asked in surprise and Noelle smiled sadly. “I see it in the fire. I see you in the fire. The fairest of them all, aren't you?”, she answered, before she sighed bitterly. “You have chosen your path. Twice will you love and twice will you lose. I see dark shades with black claws tearing at you, taking from you. Your tears will freeze on your cheeks, for you will see a truth that should have never been forgotten. You will see what will come, not through fire, but ice”
For a second, the look on her face grew soft, almost compassionate. “And you will suffer, child, suffer because I have been too weak to do what had to be done”, she muttered. “And I pity you, so very much” Raenna tensed up under her soft voice. She couldn't bear another word from this murderous witch!
“I don't need your pity!”, she growled, as she, quickly and heavily, kicked Noelle right in the face. The priestess sank to the ground, unconscious and silent at last. Raenna remained standing over her, while tears poured down her cheeks. Perhaps she should have killed her...
“Raenna!” It was Davith who had screamed, as he rushed up from a small path that led down to the river. “It's Terroma, he...” He didn't need to continue, as Raenna started to run towards him in an instant. She glanced at Ellena and noticed that the girl had started to run as well.
“He's very weak”, Davith said. “I tried to stabilize him, but there's not much I can do for him. I'm sorry” When Raenna spotted him, she let out a barely suppressed scream of horror. Terroma was lying near the riverbed, at the foot of the cliff, on naked, blood-stained stone, in a twisted position that made it clear that his body was broken beyond hope. The red-haired sellsword was there too, lying face first in the river, his blood slowly giving the water a crimson colour.
But Terroma was still alive, the barely visible raising of his chest clued her in on this. His eyes flickered as she approached and his mouth fell open, though he didn't even manage to raise his head. Raenna knew what this meant and felt a numbing shock in her entire body. He said something, though only when she fell to her knees right next to him did she understand the words. “Sweet Raenna...”, he whispered. “My sweet Raenna...”
Then, his gaze fell onto Ellena, who had rushed right after Raenna. His eyes widened as he recognized her. “El...lena”, he mumbled. “You did not... she did not...” The girl fell to her knees right next to Raenna, helplessly sobbing by now. “Terroma”, she said. “Terroma, please don't die...”
“The priestess did not kill her”, Raenna said. “And I did not kill the priestess” Now, a weak smile formed on Terroma's face. “I'm so proud of you...”, he said, his words almost inaudible. Raenna reciprocated his smile, while she was helpless to stop the tears that forced their way down her cheeks, even though she still managed to remain in control. Ellena was reduced to a sobbing mess and she looked exactly how Raenna felt.
“Come on, we must get help”, Raenna said, even though she knew it was too late for that. Terroma's smile turned softer and warmer, as he looked from Raenna to Ellena and back. “Love you”, he whispered. “So... proud” Ellena's sobs grew louder, as Terroma's gaze finally broke, staring lifelessly into the morning sky.
Raenna still felt more numb than anything else, she was crying, though the sorrow she expected would probably not kick in for hours. Right now, she felt empty. She glanced at Ellena, who was bawling her eyes out and in a wave of heartfelt sympathy, she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Immediately, the girl turned towards her and buried her head in her shoulder, while Raenna gently moved a hand through her hair.
The sound of someone heavily cursing on Ghiscari caused her to look up. The rest of her group had followed and it was Bakr who had cursed. Abbas next to him was silent, but his anger was clear to see. Davith seemed to be almost embarrassed by witnessing such a personal scene, while Ando showed sadness. Brandon meanwhile was standing a bit behind them and his face was impossible to read, his grey eyes just staring at her.
“Never thought the old man would go out like that”, Abbas said and he sounded almost sad. Raenna looked at Ellena, before she separated from the girl, putting her hands on her shoulders. “We have to leave”, she said. “My friend is in danger. If the priestess said the truth, then... then we have to hurry”
Tears were still running down her cheeks, as Ellena's eyes widened. “Leave?”, she said. “But... but what about Terroma? We can't leave him like that!” Raenna sighed, as she looked at the corpse of the man who was like a father to her. “Oh, I don't know”, Abbas said nonchalantly. “It is a rather nice spot. I'm sure he wouldn't mind”
He was silent when Raenna sent a cold glare towards him. No words were needed. She remembered what Noelle said. But at the same time, she was not sure if she could do this to Ellena, to Terroma. To herself...
[Bury Terroma][Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately]
Lucas
“Listen, Len...”, Lucas said and paused, looking for the right words. “I did what I had to do. What's best for Raylansfair” Leonard narrowed his eyes. “Tell me, how is this the best for Raylansfair?”, he asked, his voice still agitated. “How can this possibly be the best for Raylansfair?”
“Someone has to rule over this city, isn't that right?”, Lucas responded. “Why not her? Why not her father? Who are the alternatives?” By now, he was getting more confident, as he noticed that Leonard's confidence started to waver. “We know that Mullendore has plans for Raylansfair. We can't wait forever, hoping to find some suitable candidate, we have to work with what we got. Maybe not everyone will like it, but in this situation, we had no alternatives”, he argued. “I had to make a choice that would grant Raylansfair protection from Mullendore. Listen, I made a hard choice”
Leonard shook his head. “When you looked at her, it wasn't the choice that was hard”, he growled. Now, Lucas felt a growing anger as well. “That's what you think?”, he barked. “Well, you're wrong. After Lunett...!” He paused, while Leonard's expression grew softer as well. “This is not why I made this choice. You haven't been there. She said she'd keep this city safe from Mullendore and I trust her. You said it yourself, we have to focus on taking him down!” He sighed. “Yes, I made this choice for myself as well, but can you fucking blame me? I...”
To his surprise, Leonard gave him a nod, though he still looked sour. “I understand”, he growled. “And I see your point. I'm not saying I agree, but I understand” He raised his finger. “But if this backfires, I'm holding you responsible”, he added. “I will also not kneel to your princess, nor your new king. I am a Reachman and I will never betray my kingdom, especially not to Argilac Durrandon!”
“Listen, this is not a betrayal...”, Lucas started to argue, though he was glad that Leonard at least seemed to understand his position. This was good. They could work from there. Before he was able to continue, the loud sounds of horns cut him off, coming from the sea and roaring across the city. A confused look appeared on his face, though noticed the immediate shock in Leonard' face.
“What?”, he asked and Leonard looked at him, pale as death. “Ironborn”, he simply said and Lucas understood. “Gods have mercy”, he mumbled, as hell broke lose around him. One of the first to notice what was happening was Nora Recton, who was still on duty since she had taken Harris into custody. Lucas had gotten the impression that she was a confident woman, but right now, she looked similarly shocked. She slowly walked closer towards them.
“Sers...”, she greeted them. “This... shit, what are we supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? Your... your orders?” While Lucas felt a growing anxiety as well, he realized that Leonard looked absolutely mortified. “Gather your men, captain”, he ordered quickly. Nora was about to give him a nod, when her glance fell upon his yellow tabard. A frown formed on her face and she quickly looked at Leonard.
“He is right. Gather your men”, Leonard repeated. “We must contact Commander Hackor, to organize our defence. The smallfolk has to be brought to the courtyard and the Great Hall” Nora gave him a nod, having pulled herself back together. “Right”, she said. “Anything else, Ser?”
Leonard shook his head, though he stopped and glanced at the keep. “Send word to Princess Argella and Ser Willfred. We will need their help in this”, he answered. “And curse Hobert. He couldn't wait for another day, could he?” He glanced towards the Great Hall. “At least no one has to inform Tyrell”
Indeed, as Lucas followed his glance, he saw Harlen Tyrell and his nephew Elias rapidly approaching them. The castellan of Highgarden was visibly horrified, as the sound of war horns was heard again. By now, the Ironborn ships were sailing past the cliffs below the castle and Lucas could hear their battlecries. There had to be hundreds of them and Lucas felt anxiety rising. Could they really stop such a force?
“Sers!” Harlen yelled, his voice little more than a high-pitched shriek. Elias was a lot calmer, though he constantly had a hand on the hilt of his sword, as Lucas noticed. “Sers, what is going on?” He glanced at Lucas and his eyes widened. “And what are you wearing?”
Before Lucas was able to answer, Leonard raised his hands. “This is currently not of importance, mylord”, he said, trying to calm him down. “What matters are the Ironborn at our doorstep” He frowned. “I... it appears you are the highest-ranking person in this city. Castellan of Highgarden, envoy of his majesty. What are your orders?”
Elias reciprocated the frown, while Tyrell's eyes widened even more, giving him the appearance of an overweight bug. “My... my orders?”, he asked hastily. “I... I don't know... I am not a warrior, not a commander! Ser, I am a diplomat. I've never been sent here to fight. I... no one told me there would be Ironborn!”
Before Leonard could answer, a loud call caught his attention. “Ser Leonard!”, a man yelled and Lucas saw that he was wearing the uniform of the city guard. “Ser Leonard Constantine!” Leonard turned towards him and gave him a nod. “That would be me”, he said, as the man stopped in front of him, completely out of breath. “I bring... a message from... Commander Hackor”, he gasped, while taking deep breaths. Leonard's frown grew even stronger. “There are men approaching the gates. South and east, dozens of them, armed”
“This day really starts to piss me off...”, Leonard muttered. “Let me guess, the commander needs more men” The guard gave him a nod. “He needs your help, Ser”, he answered. “He requested your presence at the southern gate, to lead the defences down there”
Leonard's frown grew subtly weaker, replaced by look of true, genuine concern. “South you say?”, he mumbled, before a determined look appeared on his face. “Lead the way then”, he said, while Lucas raised his eyebrows. “Wait, what?”, he exclaimed. “Len, we need your help here”
Now, Leonard shook his head. “No”, he said sternly. “No, this is something I have to do. I wouldn't stay in the castle either way, but now I have a clear goal. The south side... that's mostly poor folk. I got friends there, they've always been good to me”
“But we need a commander!”, Lucas protested. For a second, Leonard seemed almost amused, even if it held no real joy. “And what makes you believe I'd be suited for that role?”, he asked. “I've never led an army before. I've been a messenger, a personal guard. Maybe I can do it, but so could you” He paused and his grim frown returned. “Actually, you're not suited either. You're wearing too much yellow to lead these men”
“Then you got to stay”, Lucas tried to convince him. “We have no one else!” Leonard quickly shook his head. “The south of this city is its lifeline. Most of the people live there. If the southern gate falls, hundred will die”, he explained. “I trust others with leading the entire city. I know I'm best at leading a small force, defending a small target, like the southern gate. That's where I trust no one but me”
“But...”, Lucas protested, though Leonard immediately cut him off. “But as a matter of fact, you have a commander here, one of the best I know. I'd say no one in this city has as much experience against the Ironborn as he has”, he answered. “I do not like this in the slightest, but I'd say he is our best bet for a commander”
“Harris?”, Lucas asked and Leonard gave him a nod. “As I said, I really hate this”, he mumbled. “But what happens here is more important than punishing Harris. This can wait for after the Ironborn are dealt with”
“Ser!”, the guardsman yelled. He had already started walking and stopped halfway back to the gate of the castle. Leonard sighed. “Listen, just try to convince Tyrell. If you need a commander, Harris is your best choice”, he answered, before he turned to the guard. With a sigh, he looked back at Lucas. “And... if you die on me, I'm going to kill you”
A grin flashed across Lucas' face, for a brief second, before his serious look returned. “Today is not the day I die”, he said confidently. “Better watch out down there, Lenny” Leonard frowned, before he shook his head. “Call me Lenny one more time and once this is over, I'm going to kick your ass”, he said in a serious tone, before he extended his hand. “See you later” Lucas put his hand onto Leonard's forearm and his friend did the same. “Later it is”, he confirmed.
Then, Leonard started moving, towards the guardsman. Lucas did not look after him, he immediately turned back towards Harlen Tyrell, who looked even more nervous than before. A third time, the Ironborn warhorns echoed across the city, resounding against the walls of the castle.
“Ser... Ser Lucas!”, Tyrell said. “I do not know why you're wearing a Durrandon tabard, but are you not a knight of Raylansfair?” Lucas gave him a nod. “I am”, he confirmed wholeheartedly and this seemed to please Tyrell. “Good. Very good. Then tell me, what am I supposed to do now? Do you have any advice?”, he asked, barely able to keep even a fragment of his calm. “Any advice at all? Anything?” Lucas sighed as he thought back to Leonard's words. A commander, yes, Harris would probably be happy to do the job. But was that really what Lucas wanted? Giving Harris a shot at a redemption he barely deserved?
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately] Terroma would've wanted this. He wouldn't want us to waste time burying him when we still need to save Kersea, and by extension Leonard, and by extension Raylansfair. But I'm pretty sure by doing this we are letting Marak die, because I doubt he is dead. However I rather save Leonard than Marak, and it would take too long to get there if they lugged Marak along. Plus, I am not sure how Abbas and Bakr would like helping the guy who partially led to Terroma's death, and them together is like one whole Marak.
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] REDEMPTION!!!! I can't wait to see Harris' look of joy when we open the cell to give him a third chance. It was pretty weird hearing Lucas call Leonard Len and Lenny. Is that a thing that has been happening for awhile, or is that new because it doesn't sound as right as Leonard. As for the city defense, it think it wouldn't be a good idea to send everyone out of the castle. It would probably be a good idea to leave the Rock men to defend the castle, and have the Reach and Stormlanders defend the city. Because if the Ironborn take the castle, then the smallfolk will have nowhere to hide. So when Talian and Rodger argue over what to do, we should probably decide as Willifred to stay behind and defend the castle. Hopefully we can convince Argella to help, but that shouldn't be too hard because she is too kindhearted to let all these people die. Hopefully we let Harris out though because if we didn't that would be a horrible decision.
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
Oh no, no way are we going to screw over Leonard. Terroma is dead, very dead. He does not matter anymore. Well, I'm pretty sure "the
knight" actually refers to Lucas, but you know, maybe it's not. I guess it's probably best? I know it's morning in Raenna's POV but Is it like evening in the parts that are taking place in Raylansfair now? I'll get to the other stuff in this part soon.
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight]
I'm not sure what kind of negatives there could be to this decision, if Harris really is the most capable. I mean, if we don't have a commander, then, there's no good there? Well, actually, I guess Darren might be pissed or something. Still, I'm not really sure. I'm not sure if this will "save" Harris, but it might help, I guess. I didn't realize that this part took place so soon before the ironborn attack, I thought more time had passed.
“The one you're looking for, the wolf with the sad eyes is in Raylansfair, not far from here. She hides in a tower near the eastern gate, where no one sees her tears, waiting for her prey”,
Hm. Wolf with sad eyes. Interesting description...Kersea is where at the eastern gate, where the Seconds Sons were. Probably don't want to send Lucas there.
“And curse Hobert. He couldn't wait for another day, could he?” He glanced towards the Great Hall. “At least no one has to inform Tyrell”
Hey, I noticed that fact when it happened. Yeah boy.
“The Bear and the Maiden Fair?”, Raenna asked in surprise and Noelle smiled sadly. “I see it in the fire. I see you in the fire. The fairest of them all, aren't you?”, she answered, before she sighed bitterly. “You have chosen your path. Twice will you love and twice will you lose. I see dark shades with black claws tearing at you, taking from you. Your tears will freeze on your cheeks, for you will see a truth that should have never been forgotten. You will see what will come, not through fire, but ice”
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
History and Lore: Mathea
There were still a few good minutes before the sun melting down beyond the horizon. Briskly, Mathea was walking … moretowards her favorite, secluded place at the edge of the steep but not high cliff, decorated with monumental stone in the middle of it. She loved to sit there- whenever time allowed her - and watch the sunset. Before Damien’s death there was almost no possibility of catching a breath, since he and the others in need required all her attention. Now, since he was gone, Mathea decided to get more rest every day, especially that in a few months she was supposed to start her journey – to Raylansfair, on behalf of her dearest teacher, who passed away.
One of her hands was resting on a necklace pendant that she received on her 18th birthday, while the other one was brushing twigs away on the final section to her secret solitude spot.
When she finally arrived with her eyes focused on the horizon, she took on… [view original content]
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
[Bury Terroma] I know I'm more or less alone with this, but I just have too much respect for the Old Man to choose the other option. Oh, and I'm not really sure how seriously I should take the ramblings of Noelle... She definitely has grandiose image of herself, since she thinks she could've saved the whole realm with one sacrifice. Gods, I hate Rollmop followers XD
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] No question about it, this is the logical choice. I think Harris has several times said that his motive has always been to protect Raylansfair. Well, this is a good chance for him to prove it.
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
But I'm pretty sure by doing this we are letting Marak die, because I doubt he is dead. However I rather save Leonard than Marak, and it would take too long to get there if they lugged Marak along. Plus, I am not sure how Abbas and Bakr would like helping the guy who partially led to Terroma's death, and them together is like one whole Marak.
Well, that was one thing I tried to show in this part, Marak is confirmed dead. I mean, he's lying face first in the water, bleeding from a very deep cut in the neck after a fall that has been shown to be crippling. If it is any consolation, his death happened really fast. While Terroma managed to land somewhat well and "only" broke his spine, Marak landed face first on the rock, which means he was dead the moment he touched the ground. Probably not quite the way he wanted to go out, but there are certainly worse ways of dying.
It was pretty weird hearing Lucas call Leonard Len and Lenny. Is that a thing that has been happening for awhile, or is that new because it doesn't sound as right as Leonard.
It's actually a thing for a while now. Just like how Leonard constantly calls Lucas by his last name, Lucas calls him Len. He mostly did so before Mullendore happened, but he's slowly getting back to it. Lenny meanwhile, well, he did call him by that name once in Chapter 1 and immediately noticed that Leonard heavily dislikes this nickname. In this scene, he decided to say it as a means to tease Leonard a bit, to lighten the mood and to overplay his own nervousness.
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately] Terroma would've wanted this. He wouldn't want us to waste time burying him when we still … moreneed to save Kersea, and by extension Leonard, and by extension Raylansfair. But I'm pretty sure by doing this we are letting Marak die, because I doubt he is dead. However I rather save Leonard than Marak, and it would take too long to get there if they lugged Marak along. Plus, I am not sure how Abbas and Bakr would like helping the guy who partially led to Terroma's death, and them together is like one whole Marak.
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] REDEMPTION!!!! I can't wait to see Harris' look of joy when we open the cell to give him a third chance. It was pretty weird hearing Lucas call Leonard Len and Lenny. Is that a thing that has been happening for awhile, or is that new because it doesn't sound as right as Leonard. As for the city defense, it think it wouldn't be a good idea to send everyo… [view original content]
I know it's morning in Raenna's POV but Is it like evening in the parts that are taking place in Raylansfair now?
Indeed, Raenna's PoV is set a few hours before the Ironborn attack, during the morning of the same day. She has a few hours of travelling left until she reaches Raylansfair, so she'll be there when the attack starts. Her next appearance will be in the same timeline as the other PoV's, during the attack on Raylansfair.
Hm. Wolf with sad eyes. Interesting description...Kersea is where at the eastern gate, where the Seconds Sons were. Probably don't want to send Lucas there.
Indeed, Kersea is at the same gate where the Second Sons are. Although it must be said, she has a mission and this means she is actively searching for Lucas and will go where he will go. She has her reasons to go to the eastern gate, so if Noelle saw her there, it likely means that this will be where Lucas is heading too. Right in the moment where Noelle spoke these words, Kersea's Chapter 7 storyline was actually still taking place, meaning in that moment, she was on her way to the lighthouse, together with Clayton, Alysanne and Rayden's crew.
Hey, I noticed that fact when it happened. Yeah boy.
Oh yes, things would look a lot better if Hobert's men would still be there. Although it is questionable if he would have agreed to help. He's the kind of guy who would barricade himself in the Great Hall to save his hide.
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately]
Oh no, no way are we going to screw over Leonard. Terroma is dead, very dead. He does n… moreot matter anymore. Well, I'm pretty sure "the
knight" actually refers to Lucas, but you know, maybe it's not. I guess it's probably best? I know it's morning in Raenna's POV but Is it like evening in the parts that are taking place in Raylansfair now? I'll get to the other stuff in this part soon.
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight]
I'm not sure what kind of negatives there could be to this decision, if Harris really is the most capable. I mean, if we don't have a commander, then, there's no good there? Well, actually, I guess Darren might be pissed or something. Still, I'm not really sure. I'm not sure if this will "save" Harris, but it might help, I guess. I didn't realize that this part took place so soon before the ironborn attack, I thought more time had passed.
“The one you're looking … [view original content]
Oh, and I'm not really sure how seriously I should take the ramblings of Noelle... She definitely has grandiose image of herself, since she thinks she could've saved the whole realm with one sacrifice. Gods, I hate Rollmop followers XD
Well, let's just say that she is convinced that this is what she truly saw and she definitely saw something that would allow such an interpretation. Her problem is that a divine being sends her these visions, while she only has a human mind, so she's not capable of fully comprehending them. On top of that, she has an incredibly heightened opinion on herself. It's basically the same problem Melisandre faced, she is so convinced that she interprets these visions correctly that she doesn't even consider any other posibility.
I can now safely confirm, if she would have burned Briar, this would have changed nothing. She saw one possible outcome, where burning Briar led to a chain of events that ended up with a peaceful victory for Aegon Targaryen and a strong, undamaged realm against the White Walkers, but this is in fact only one possible outcome of her actions. Since it is so unlikely that burning a single girl would prevent the War of Conquest, there are hundreds of other outcomes in which the war still happens. What Noelle still fails to consider is that her actions wouldn't cause specific reactions, they would cause choices, decisions for others to make, who in turn influence even others. If every person affected by her burning of Briar (the number would go into the thousands) would react exactly like she saw in her vision, then the war would have been prevented. However, it is a lot more likely that someone on the way decides to act differently from what she saw. She does not see it that way and only sees two possible outcomes there, killing Briar and preventing the war, or sparing Briar and not preventing the war. On top of that, Noelle chose the single most complicated path to achieve her goal, which is a result of her arrogance. I hope that makes at least a little bit of sense
[Bury Terroma] I know I'm more or less alone with this, but I just have too much respect for the Old Man to choose the other option. Oh, and… more I'm not really sure how seriously I should take the ramblings of Noelle... She definitely has grandiose image of herself, since she thinks she could've saved the whole realm with one sacrifice. Gods, I hate Rollmop followers XD
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] No question about it, this is the logical choice. I think Harris has several times said that his motive has always been to protect Raylansfair. Well, this is a good chance for him to prove it.
It is unlikely that Raenna would waste time to bury the man who killed Terroma. That said, Noelle is still alive and she would probably make sure that Marak receives a proper burial (which means that she's going to burn his body)
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
Oh yeah, it definitely makes sense. At first when Noelle was introduced I sort of saw her as a more grounded and humble version of Melisandre, but tbh as the story progressed she proved herself to be just as bad as Mel when it comes to being arrogant and overconfident with her abilities. Seeing that she is still so sure that she interpreted this vision of hers correctly makes me wonder if we made a huge mistake by letting her live.
Oh, and I'm not really sure how seriously I should take the ramblings of Noelle... She definitely has grandiose image of herself, since she … morethinks she could've saved the whole realm with one sacrifice. Gods, I hate Rollmop followers XD
Well, let's just say that she is convinced that this is what she truly saw and she definitely saw something that would allow such an interpretation. Her problem is that a divine being sends her these visions, while she only has a human mind, so she's not capable of fully comprehending them. On top of that, she has an incredibly heightened opinion on herself. It's basically the same problem Melisandre faced, she is so convinced that she interprets these visions correctly that she doesn't even consider any other posibility.
I can now safely confirm, if she would have burned Briar, this would have changed nothing. She saw one possible outcome, where burning Briar led to a chain of events that ended up wi… [view original content]
History and Lore: Mathea
There were still a few good minutes before the sun melting down beyond the horizon. Briskly, Mathea was walking … moretowards her favorite, secluded place at the edge of the steep but not high cliff, decorated with monumental stone in the middle of it. She loved to sit there- whenever time allowed her - and watch the sunset. Before Damien’s death there was almost no possibility of catching a breath, since he and the others in need required all her attention. Now, since he was gone, Mathea decided to get more rest every day, especially that in a few months she was supposed to start her journey – to Raylansfair, on behalf of her dearest teacher, who passed away.
One of her hands was resting on a necklace pendant that she received on her 18th birthday, while the other one was brushing twigs away on the final section to her secret solitude spot.
When she finally arrived with her eyes focused on the horizon, she took on… [view original content]
Kersea is almost ready to give Lucas aka the human target a friendly hug
I like the conversation between Lucas and Leonard,let's hope that will be..their last one
If I remember correctly the last time we see Jenna and Fede-something they were near Lucas and Leonard during their conversation,I'm curious to read the next Jenna Pov
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately] This is what the Old Man probably want us to do now,run as the wind to rescue Kersea and stop Clayton
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] Finally Harris will have a chance for redemption (and I'm sure this choice could led to a very interesting outcome,the conversation between Harris and Lucas will be very awesome to read)
PS:
The red-haired sellsword was there too, lying face first in the river, his blood slowly giving the water a crimson colour.
And with this words we give our last goodbye to Marak. Not only he was one of the original five PoV's of this story but,if we don't consider Eaton, even the first PoV who died inside this story.
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
You are right, Noelle said something about Kersea killing a knight. That said, her designated target is Lucas, so unless she somehow ends up at the southern gate to steal Clayton's kill, she's not that much of a danger to Leonard in particular. There is also still the hope that Noelle is wrong, as she doesn't exactly have the most impressive track record. That said, there will be a couple of deaths you won't be able to prevent in this chapter.
Well, at the moment he is still locked in his room. Everything beyond that is something I can't fully reveal right now. Maybe he won't defend a gate at all, but will leave this task to another trusted knight. All I can say is that Lucas' next PoV will happen very soon (as it will be necessary to build up other storylines) and that it will give you an answer to your question
Wonderful, isn't it? Here it can only be hoped that Noelle was wrong. Who knows, maybe she's even going to die before any of these bad things are going to happen. But yeah, in all seriousness, Noelle did foresee rather grim things in Raenna's future. She also was saying what she considered the truth here, so at least in her opinion, these things will happen.
Kersea is almost ready to give Lucas aka the human target a friendly hug
Now that would be sweet, wouldn't it? I think I've said it before, Kersea could really need a hug. And Lucas, after all he has been through, could also benefit from a friendly hug... Wait, why do I have the feeling that was not what you meant?
I like the conversation between Lucas and Leonard,let's hope that will be..their last one
Be careful what you wish for. Such a wish could easily come true with the current state of the city. But yeah, I'm glad you liked the conversation between them. Lucas and Leonard together are always fun to write
If I remember correctly the last time we see Jenna and Fede-something they were near Lucas and Leonard during their conversation,I'm curious to read the next Jenna Pov
Indeed, Jenna and Frederick have been near Lucas and Leonard, somewhere by the stables. The same applies to Saerya. Actually, Jenna will be one PoV of the next part (though I'm rather sure I'll have room for a second one as well) and I can confirm that Lucas and Leonard will appear in it. I originally have planned for her to even appear in this part, though I decided to move this scene into her own PoV, to give her a bit more to do (even if she's already going to have a pretty big storyline)
And with this words we give our last goodbye to Marak. Not only he was one of the original five PoV's of this story but,if we don't consider Eaton, even the first PoV who died inside this story.
May he rest in peace. It's odd to think that I'm never going to write a Marak PoV again. He has been with the story from the very first chapter and now he's the first PoV to die... ah, he won't remain alone for too long. I actually think he's going to get some good company in the semi-near future.
RT:
* RIP Terroma (and Marak)
* Raenna will have a glorious and happy future!XD
* Kersea is almost ready to give Lucas aka the human … moretarget a friendly hug
* I like the conversation between Lucas and Leonard,let's hope that will be..their last one
* If I remember correctly the last time we see Jenna and Fede-something they were near Lucas and Leonard during their conversation,I'm curious to read the next Jenna Pov
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately] This is what the Old Man probably want us to do now,run as the wind to rescue Kersea and stop Clayton
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] Finally Harris will have a chance for redemption (and I'm sure this choice could led to a very interesting outcome,the conversation between Harris and Lucas will be very awesome to read)
PS:
The red-haired sellsword was there too, lying face first in the river, his blood slowly giving the water a crimson colour.
An… [view original content]
That is sort of true. Noelle has heavy similarities to Melisandre. I'd say the key difference is that Noelle is, at heart, a better person than Melisandre. Where Melisandre was willing to commit an obvious act of evil for what she perceived as the greater good, Noelle ultimately found herself unable to do such evil in the name of good and I believe that says a lot about her. Of course, at least Melisandre had the decency to admit to her mistakes, but that was only when literally everything she had been working forward for was taken from her. Perhaps Noelle will eventually see the error of her ways as well, after getting some time to think about it. That said, at the same time there is a big chance that your choice will backfire and that Noelle will continue to be a problem for other PoV's. Abbas warned of her danger and he does have a point of some sorts. Keeping her alive is a gamble, while killing her would have been the safe option.
Oh yeah, it definitely makes sense. At first when Noelle was introduced I sort of saw her as a more grounded and humble version of Melisandr… moree, but tbh as the story progressed she proved herself to be just as bad as Mel when it comes to being arrogant and overconfident with her abilities. Seeing that she is still so sure that she interpreted this vision of hers correctly makes me wonder if we made a huge mistake by letting her live.
You are right, Noelle said something about Kersea killing a knight. That said, her designated target is Lucas, so unless she somehow ends up… more at the southern gate to steal Clayton's kill, she's not that much of a danger to Leonard in particular. There is also still the hope that Noelle is wrong, as she doesn't exactly have the most impressive track record. That said, there will be a couple of deaths you won't be able to prevent in this chapter.
Oh, my mistake. I got them mixed up, I thought she was going after Leonard. Well either Leonard or Lucas, I have a bad feeling one of them will die no matter what.
You are right, Noelle said something about Kersea killing a knight. That said, her designated target is Lucas, so unless she somehow ends up… more at the southern gate to steal Clayton's kill, she's not that much of a danger to Leonard in particular. There is also still the hope that Noelle is wrong, as she doesn't exactly have the most impressive track record. That said, there will be a couple of deaths you won't be able to prevent in this chapter.
Wait, are you trying to say that getting slashed in the throat, tumbling off a cliff, having your head is smashed in by a rock can actually kill you? Who would've thunk it.You ser sure did have me fooled. I'm going to miss the lovable pal, but I'll rest well knowing he did some good in the world, like killing Otis. I will miss his drunken adventures, so hopefully we will get a POV soon who is more inclined to dispose himself to the alcohols.
But I'm pretty sure by doing this we are letting Marak die, because I doubt he is dead. However I rather save Leonard than Marak, and it wou… moreld take too long to get there if they lugged Marak along. Plus, I am not sure how Abbas and Bakr would like helping the guy who partially led to Terroma's death, and them together is like one whole Marak.
Well, that was one thing I tried to show in this part, Marak is confirmed dead. I mean, he's lying face first in the water, bleeding from a very deep cut in the neck after a fall that has been shown to be crippling. If it is any consolation, his death happened really fast. While Terroma managed to land somewhat well and "only" broke his spine, Marak landed face first on the rock, which means he was dead the moment he touched the ground. Probably not quite the way he wanted to go out, but there are certainly worse ways of dying.
It was pretty weird hearing Lucas call Leonard Len and Lenny. I… [view original content]
Thank you for reading, I am happy that you enjoyed it.
Edit:
Thank you Mathea for the short story about Mathea!
Haha, I know that sounds funny but this nickname of my is used for years already and I am very attached to it.
Whatever games I am playing or such, Mathea's name is being used, since its quite sentimental for me.
Therefore I decided then to name this way my 1st character for Liquid story simply because of that reasoning - I wanted Mathea to be a part in this great journey.
I really like this short story since it gives more information about Mathea and the interaction between her and Terroma was enjoyable to read.
Thank you Mathea for the short story about Mathea!
Yeah, I couldn't see Mel breaking down the way Noelle did in the finale, that's true. But sadly Noelle still shares many of Mel's bad qualities, even if she's a bit more human.
That is sort of true. Noelle has heavy similarities to Melisandre. I'd say the key difference is that Noelle is, at heart, a better person t… morehan Melisandre. Where Melisandre was willing to commit an obvious act of evil for what she perceived as the greater good, Noelle ultimately found herself unable to do such evil in the name of good and I believe that says a lot about her. Of course, at least Melisandre had the decency to admit to her mistakes, but that was only when literally everything she had been working forward for was taken from her. Perhaps Noelle will eventually see the error of her ways as well, after getting some time to think about it. That said, at the same time there is a big chance that your choice will backfire and that Noelle will continue to be a problem for other PoV's. Abbas warned of her danger and he does have a point of some sorts. Keeping her alive is a gamble, while killing her would have been the safe option.
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising… more behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound li… [view original content]
Raenna is going to leave Terroma behind, to travel to Raylansfair immediately
Lucas is going to urge Lord Tyrell to allow Harris to fight
I have greatly expected the second choice and as expected, a majority of your votes went to this one. I wasn't too sure which one you would pick for the first choice, but was slightly leaning towards the one that won. Of course, leaving Terroma behind will affect Raenna greatly, she's going to feel guilty as hell for this. However, at the same time it is clear that she needs to hurry to Raylansfair, so this might have been a very smart choice regardless. I can tell you that this will have changed something, as you'll see in the alternative choices. When it comes to Lucas, I can also reveal that his next part will be out relatively soon, as it will establish some things that will play a role in two other storylines, which are among my favourites in this chapter.
The next part should be ready today. I still have some writing left to do, including the entire second PoV and the end of the first. This first PoV will be Jenna, set only seconds after the end of Lucas' part, while the other one will start Sadie's storyline in this chapter and will therefore be a switch in scenery, but not in tone, as she has to deal with Ironborn as well. Both should be ready very late today (more like, very early tomorrow for my European readers). God, I love being able to write for the whole night
However, before this part is out, there will be, as far as I'm informed, two specials for you! @WildlingKing has prepared a new set of drawings, which I am really looking forward for. At the same time, @Arrodor has finished the second part of his Vaasrand mini-series. A novelty for these parts, it will include a choice that will determine the third part of the mini-series, so make sure you vote for that as well
Comments
Iknowright?
This was a wonderful part! I was really amazed at this meeting between Mathea and Terroma. Having two characters meet up who don't quite have a chance to meet in the actual story is something I greatly enjoy. And well, seeing Terroma once again was also nice
Well done, I enjoyed this very much and I like how it gave us a first glimpse of Mathea's past. Thanks a lot!
You're welcome, I am glad that someone at least enjoyed reading it. :-)
Raenna
Raenna trembled, with rage, with grief and the glare she sent towards the priestess was as fiery as the sun that was slowly rising behind her. Noelle did not flinch, she looked at her and in her gaze, she saw a woman that was ready to accept her judgement. Raenna's hands twitched towards the arakh Abbas was still offering her, her fingers wrapped around the cold hilt.
Her gaze fell upon Briar, who stared at her, wide-eyed and fearful. And now, her hand started to shiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terroma was dead. Killed because of this woman right in front of her. Murdered, for nothing! Raenna hated her. Raenna despised her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do it in front of Briar.
Still shaking, she handed the arakh back to Abbas. The hilt touched his chest for a few seconds, as he just stared at her, his mouth slightly open. Raising an eyebrow, he grabbed the weapon. “Mercy?”, he growled and he made the word sound like a disease. “You're showing her mercy? She's a fanatic whore, she's filth, she's scum, she's a parasite!”
Raenna gave him a nod. “She's all of this and worse”, she confirmed and her hushed voice cracked. “But this is no mercy” She liked to imagine that her glare got as cold as her voice, but she knew, it still burned with the same passionate rage as before, as she slowly moved closer to the priestess, looked her in the one eye that was not swollen shut. “I want you to remember this night”, she snarled. “If there is anything human left in you, I want you to suffer in the knowledge of what you did, I want you to torment yourself in every moment you spent awake, until death will be a relief”
Noelle did not shiver. She simply gave her a nod. “I will”, she said and it was more than a promise. “But not because of what I did, but because of what I was too weak to do” Immediately after she said this, Raenna strongly suppressed the terrifying urge to kill her after all. “You almost killed a child”, she snarled.
“I did”, Noelle confirmed. “I did it because I was desperate. Because I have seen what will come” And indeed, as she spoke, a desperate look appeared in her eyes. “First, there will be a war. Hundreds of thousands will die, all so that this one girl could live”, she whispered. Raenna narrowed her eyes. Thankfully, Ando had reacted quickly and he had already wrapped Briar into his arms, so that she wouldn't listen. “You're telling me this girl will cause a war?”, she asked.
This time, Noelle weakly shook her head. “No”, she answered. “But she could have ended it before it even began. Her survival will lock out the only way I saw to prevent the war” She sighed and it was equal parts resigned and pained. “But that's not all”, she mumbled and she looked up again. “I have seen what will come, after the war. So many dead, so many who could have fought against what comes after” Raenna raised an eyebrow and Noelle gulped. “Death”, she answered. “A cold, unforgiving death, a long night until nothing is left but the cold”
“Valar Morghulis”, Raenna answered and Noelle shook her head again. “Not like this”, she said. “Not like this... a strong realm would have been needed to stop them. But now, the realm will be crippled, more and more...” She paused. “The one you're looking for, the wolf with the sad eyes is in Raylansfair, not far from here. She hides in a tower near the eastern gate, where no one sees her tears, waiting for her prey”, she answered.
Raenna stared daggers at her. “You mean Kersea?”, she asked and Noelle gave her a nod. “He tried to break her, tried to shape her. He knows so little of her strength, he doesn't understand her, can't comprehend and he will never know how different it could have been between them. Hatred was not the only option”, she said. “A long road comes to an end, a book will be closed. She will kill the knight, one way or the other”
“Why would you tell me where she is?”, Raenna asked and Noelle sighed. “After my failure to stop you, you will find her and the war can not be prevented. Many will die. But if you need too long to find her, even more will die. That would be the worst case”, she explained. “Maybe I can save at least one life tonight” She shook her head. “But there has to be another way”, she pleaded. “Don't take her to Raylansfair. Leave the kingdom, leave the continent with her, leave this life, forget about the sad-eyed wolf and be good to the cub. Maybe it is not too late, maybe there's still a chance, you have to listen, you have to...”
Again, a shiver went through her body and Raenna used this pause to turn around. “The ramblings of a madwoman”, she spat in disgust. “I have heard enough. May you never find the peace you wish for” Then, she started to walk away, before she would give in to the temptation to make the priestess pay. She was better than this, she had to be better than this.
“I have seen your future as well, Raenna Minsworth!”, Noelle revealed and the mention of her name caused Raenna to freeze, before she slowly glanced over her shoulder. Noelle tried to get back to her feet, though she immediately sank down again, on all fours. To Raenna's surprise, she started to whistle, a song which she remembered well.
“The Bear and the Maiden Fair?”, Raenna asked in surprise and Noelle smiled sadly. “I see it in the fire. I see you in the fire. The fairest of them all, aren't you?”, she answered, before she sighed bitterly. “You have chosen your path. Twice will you love and twice will you lose. I see dark shades with black claws tearing at you, taking from you. Your tears will freeze on your cheeks, for you will see a truth that should have never been forgotten. You will see what will come, not through fire, but ice”
For a second, the look on her face grew soft, almost compassionate. “And you will suffer, child, suffer because I have been too weak to do what had to be done”, she muttered. “And I pity you, so very much” Raenna tensed up under her soft voice. She couldn't bear another word from this murderous witch!
“I don't need your pity!”, she growled, as she, quickly and heavily, kicked Noelle right in the face. The priestess sank to the ground, unconscious and silent at last. Raenna remained standing over her, while tears poured down her cheeks. Perhaps she should have killed her...
“Raenna!” It was Davith who had screamed, as he rushed up from a small path that led down to the river. “It's Terroma, he...” He didn't need to continue, as Raenna started to run towards him in an instant. She glanced at Ellena and noticed that the girl had started to run as well.
“He's very weak”, Davith said. “I tried to stabilize him, but there's not much I can do for him. I'm sorry” When Raenna spotted him, she let out a barely suppressed scream of horror. Terroma was lying near the riverbed, at the foot of the cliff, on naked, blood-stained stone, in a twisted position that made it clear that his body was broken beyond hope. The red-haired sellsword was there too, lying face first in the river, his blood slowly giving the water a crimson colour.
But Terroma was still alive, the barely visible raising of his chest clued her in on this. His eyes flickered as she approached and his mouth fell open, though he didn't even manage to raise his head. Raenna knew what this meant and felt a numbing shock in her entire body. He said something, though only when she fell to her knees right next to him did she understand the words. “Sweet Raenna...”, he whispered. “My sweet Raenna...”
Then, his gaze fell onto Ellena, who had rushed right after Raenna. His eyes widened as he recognized her. “El...lena”, he mumbled. “You did not... she did not...” The girl fell to her knees right next to Raenna, helplessly sobbing by now. “Terroma”, she said. “Terroma, please don't die...”
“The priestess did not kill her”, Raenna said. “And I did not kill the priestess” Now, a weak smile formed on Terroma's face. “I'm so proud of you...”, he said, his words almost inaudible. Raenna reciprocated his smile, while she was helpless to stop the tears that forced their way down her cheeks, even though she still managed to remain in control. Ellena was reduced to a sobbing mess and she looked exactly how Raenna felt.
“Come on, we must get help”, Raenna said, even though she knew it was too late for that. Terroma's smile turned softer and warmer, as he looked from Raenna to Ellena and back. “Love you”, he whispered. “So... proud” Ellena's sobs grew louder, as Terroma's gaze finally broke, staring lifelessly into the morning sky.
Raenna still felt more numb than anything else, she was crying, though the sorrow she expected would probably not kick in for hours. Right now, she felt empty. She glanced at Ellena, who was bawling her eyes out and in a wave of heartfelt sympathy, she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Immediately, the girl turned towards her and buried her head in her shoulder, while Raenna gently moved a hand through her hair.
The sound of someone heavily cursing on Ghiscari caused her to look up. The rest of her group had followed and it was Bakr who had cursed. Abbas next to him was silent, but his anger was clear to see. Davith seemed to be almost embarrassed by witnessing such a personal scene, while Ando showed sadness. Brandon meanwhile was standing a bit behind them and his face was impossible to read, his grey eyes just staring at her.
“Never thought the old man would go out like that”, Abbas said and he sounded almost sad. Raenna looked at Ellena, before she separated from the girl, putting her hands on her shoulders. “We have to leave”, she said. “My friend is in danger. If the priestess said the truth, then... then we have to hurry”
Tears were still running down her cheeks, as Ellena's eyes widened. “Leave?”, she said. “But... but what about Terroma? We can't leave him like that!” Raenna sighed, as she looked at the corpse of the man who was like a father to her. “Oh, I don't know”, Abbas said nonchalantly. “It is a rather nice spot. I'm sure he wouldn't mind”
He was silent when Raenna sent a cold glare towards him. No words were needed. She remembered what Noelle said. But at the same time, she was not sure if she could do this to Ellena, to Terroma. To herself...
[Bury Terroma] [Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately]
Lucas
“Listen, Len...”, Lucas said and paused, looking for the right words. “I did what I had to do. What's best for Raylansfair” Leonard narrowed his eyes. “Tell me, how is this the best for Raylansfair?”, he asked, his voice still agitated. “How can this possibly be the best for Raylansfair?”
“Someone has to rule over this city, isn't that right?”, Lucas responded. “Why not her? Why not her father? Who are the alternatives?” By now, he was getting more confident, as he noticed that Leonard's confidence started to waver. “We know that Mullendore has plans for Raylansfair. We can't wait forever, hoping to find some suitable candidate, we have to work with what we got. Maybe not everyone will like it, but in this situation, we had no alternatives”, he argued. “I had to make a choice that would grant Raylansfair protection from Mullendore. Listen, I made a hard choice”
Leonard shook his head. “When you looked at her, it wasn't the choice that was hard”, he growled. Now, Lucas felt a growing anger as well. “That's what you think?”, he barked. “Well, you're wrong. After Lunett...!” He paused, while Leonard's expression grew softer as well. “This is not why I made this choice. You haven't been there. She said she'd keep this city safe from Mullendore and I trust her. You said it yourself, we have to focus on taking him down!” He sighed. “Yes, I made this choice for myself as well, but can you fucking blame me? I...”
To his surprise, Leonard gave him a nod, though he still looked sour. “I understand”, he growled. “And I see your point. I'm not saying I agree, but I understand” He raised his finger. “But if this backfires, I'm holding you responsible”, he added. “I will also not kneel to your princess, nor your new king. I am a Reachman and I will never betray my kingdom, especially not to Argilac Durrandon!”
“Listen, this is not a betrayal...”, Lucas started to argue, though he was glad that Leonard at least seemed to understand his position. This was good. They could work from there. Before he was able to continue, the loud sounds of horns cut him off, coming from the sea and roaring across the city. A confused look appeared on his face, though noticed the immediate shock in Leonard' face.
“What?”, he asked and Leonard looked at him, pale as death. “Ironborn”, he simply said and Lucas understood. “Gods have mercy”, he mumbled, as hell broke lose around him. One of the first to notice what was happening was Nora Recton, who was still on duty since she had taken Harris into custody. Lucas had gotten the impression that she was a confident woman, but right now, she looked similarly shocked. She slowly walked closer towards them.
“Sers...”, she greeted them. “This... shit, what are we supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? Your... your orders?” While Lucas felt a growing anxiety as well, he realized that Leonard looked absolutely mortified. “Gather your men, captain”, he ordered quickly. Nora was about to give him a nod, when her glance fell upon his yellow tabard. A frown formed on her face and she quickly looked at Leonard.
“He is right. Gather your men”, Leonard repeated. “We must contact Commander Hackor, to organize our defence. The smallfolk has to be brought to the courtyard and the Great Hall” Nora gave him a nod, having pulled herself back together. “Right”, she said. “Anything else, Ser?”
Leonard shook his head, though he stopped and glanced at the keep. “Send word to Princess Argella and Ser Willfred. We will need their help in this”, he answered. “And curse Hobert. He couldn't wait for another day, could he?” He glanced towards the Great Hall. “At least no one has to inform Tyrell”
Indeed, as Lucas followed his glance, he saw Harlen Tyrell and his nephew Elias rapidly approaching them. The castellan of Highgarden was visibly horrified, as the sound of war horns was heard again. By now, the Ironborn ships were sailing past the cliffs below the castle and Lucas could hear their battlecries. There had to be hundreds of them and Lucas felt anxiety rising. Could they really stop such a force?
“Sers!” Harlen yelled, his voice little more than a high-pitched shriek. Elias was a lot calmer, though he constantly had a hand on the hilt of his sword, as Lucas noticed. “Sers, what is going on?” He glanced at Lucas and his eyes widened. “And what are you wearing?”
Before Lucas was able to answer, Leonard raised his hands. “This is currently not of importance, mylord”, he said, trying to calm him down. “What matters are the Ironborn at our doorstep” He frowned. “I... it appears you are the highest-ranking person in this city. Castellan of Highgarden, envoy of his majesty. What are your orders?”
Elias reciprocated the frown, while Tyrell's eyes widened even more, giving him the appearance of an overweight bug. “My... my orders?”, he asked hastily. “I... I don't know... I am not a warrior, not a commander! Ser, I am a diplomat. I've never been sent here to fight. I... no one told me there would be Ironborn!”
Before Leonard could answer, a loud call caught his attention. “Ser Leonard!”, a man yelled and Lucas saw that he was wearing the uniform of the city guard. “Ser Leonard Constantine!” Leonard turned towards him and gave him a nod. “That would be me”, he said, as the man stopped in front of him, completely out of breath. “I bring... a message from... Commander Hackor”, he gasped, while taking deep breaths. Leonard's frown grew even stronger. “There are men approaching the gates. South and east, dozens of them, armed”
“This day really starts to piss me off...”, Leonard muttered. “Let me guess, the commander needs more men” The guard gave him a nod. “He needs your help, Ser”, he answered. “He requested your presence at the southern gate, to lead the defences down there”
Leonard's frown grew subtly weaker, replaced by look of true, genuine concern. “South you say?”, he mumbled, before a determined look appeared on his face. “Lead the way then”, he said, while Lucas raised his eyebrows. “Wait, what?”, he exclaimed. “Len, we need your help here”
Now, Leonard shook his head. “No”, he said sternly. “No, this is something I have to do. I wouldn't stay in the castle either way, but now I have a clear goal. The south side... that's mostly poor folk. I got friends there, they've always been good to me”
“But we need a commander!”, Lucas protested. For a second, Leonard seemed almost amused, even if it held no real joy. “And what makes you believe I'd be suited for that role?”, he asked. “I've never led an army before. I've been a messenger, a personal guard. Maybe I can do it, but so could you” He paused and his grim frown returned. “Actually, you're not suited either. You're wearing too much yellow to lead these men”
“Then you got to stay”, Lucas tried to convince him. “We have no one else!” Leonard quickly shook his head. “The south of this city is its lifeline. Most of the people live there. If the southern gate falls, hundred will die”, he explained. “I trust others with leading the entire city. I know I'm best at leading a small force, defending a small target, like the southern gate. That's where I trust no one but me”
“But...”, Lucas protested, though Leonard immediately cut him off. “But as a matter of fact, you have a commander here, one of the best I know. I'd say no one in this city has as much experience against the Ironborn as he has”, he answered. “I do not like this in the slightest, but I'd say he is our best bet for a commander”
“Harris?”, Lucas asked and Leonard gave him a nod. “As I said, I really hate this”, he mumbled. “But what happens here is more important than punishing Harris. This can wait for after the Ironborn are dealt with”
“Ser!”, the guardsman yelled. He had already started walking and stopped halfway back to the gate of the castle. Leonard sighed. “Listen, just try to convince Tyrell. If you need a commander, Harris is your best choice”, he answered, before he turned to the guard. With a sigh, he looked back at Lucas. “And... if you die on me, I'm going to kill you”
A grin flashed across Lucas' face, for a brief second, before his serious look returned. “Today is not the day I die”, he said confidently. “Better watch out down there, Lenny” Leonard frowned, before he shook his head. “Call me Lenny one more time and once this is over, I'm going to kick your ass”, he said in a serious tone, before he extended his hand. “See you later” Lucas put his hand onto Leonard's forearm and his friend did the same. “Later it is”, he confirmed.
Then, Leonard started moving, towards the guardsman. Lucas did not look after him, he immediately turned back towards Harlen Tyrell, who looked even more nervous than before. A third time, the Ironborn warhorns echoed across the city, resounding against the walls of the castle.
“Ser... Ser Lucas!”, Tyrell said. “I do not know why you're wearing a Durrandon tabard, but are you not a knight of Raylansfair?” Lucas gave him a nod. “I am”, he confirmed wholeheartedly and this seemed to please Tyrell. “Good. Very good. Then tell me, what am I supposed to do now? Do you have any advice?”, he asked, barely able to keep even a fragment of his calm. “Any advice at all? Anything?” Lucas sighed as he thought back to Leonard's words. A commander, yes, Harris would probably be happy to do the job. But was that really what Lucas wanted? Giving Harris a shot at a redemption he barely deserved?
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] [Stay silent]
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately] Terroma would've wanted this. He wouldn't want us to waste time burying him when we still need to save Kersea, and by extension Leonard, and by extension Raylansfair. But I'm pretty sure by doing this we are letting Marak die, because I doubt he is dead. However I rather save Leonard than Marak, and it would take too long to get there if they lugged Marak along. Plus, I am not sure how Abbas and Bakr would like helping the guy who partially led to Terroma's death, and them together is like one whole Marak.
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] REDEMPTION!!!! I can't wait to see Harris' look of joy when we open the cell to give him a third chance. It was pretty weird hearing Lucas call Leonard Len and Lenny. Is that a thing that has been happening for awhile, or is that new because it doesn't sound as right as Leonard. As for the city defense, it think it wouldn't be a good idea to send everyone out of the castle. It would probably be a good idea to leave the Rock men to defend the castle, and have the Reach and Stormlanders defend the city. Because if the Ironborn take the castle, then the smallfolk will have nowhere to hide. So when Talian and Rodger argue over what to do, we should probably decide as Willifred to stay behind and defend the castle. Hopefully we can convince Argella to help, but that shouldn't be too hard because she is too kindhearted to let all these people die. Hopefully we let Harris out though because if we didn't that would be a horrible decision.
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately]
Oh no, no way are we going to screw over Leonard. Terroma is dead, very dead. He does not matter anymore. Well, I'm pretty sure "the
knight" actually refers to Lucas, but you know, maybe it's not. I guess it's probably best? I know it's morning in Raenna's POV but Is it like evening in the parts that are taking place in Raylansfair now? I'll get to the other stuff in this part soon.
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight]
I'm not sure what kind of negatives there could be to this decision, if Harris really is the most capable. I mean, if we don't have a commander, then, there's no good there? Well, actually, I guess Darren might be pissed or something. Still, I'm not really sure. I'm not sure if this will "save" Harris, but it might help, I guess. I didn't realize that this part took place so soon before the ironborn attack, I thought more time had passed.
Hm. Wolf with sad eyes. Interesting description...Kersea is where at the eastern gate, where the Seconds Sons were. Probably don't want to send Lucas there.
Hey, I noticed that fact when it happened. Yeah boy.
Hm. Hm, hm, hm. Black claws, black claws. Ice, ice. Hm. Frostborn. Hm, hm, hm, hm. Twice, twice. Hm. Davith. Hm. Harrington. Hm. Leonard. Hm. Bakr. Hm. Wolfius. Hm. Brandon. Hm. Ando. Hm.
AWESOME!!! THESE ARE ALWAYS SO GREAT.
Sorry got too happy there. Anyway, fantastic work. You my dear friend are very, very talented :-D
Thanks, tried my best to present both as they are.
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately] Im quite upset to leave him like this, but I think there is no other choice. :-(
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] I agree with the others.
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately]
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight]
[Bury Terroma]
Kersea's story is getting too interesting to be interrupted by Raenna and co.
[Stay silent]
I'm team Ironborn so...
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately]
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight]
[Bury Terroma] What about Marak's body?
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight]
[Bury Terroma] I know I'm more or less alone with this, but I just have too much respect for the Old Man to choose the other option. Oh, and I'm not really sure how seriously I should take the ramblings of Noelle... She definitely has grandiose image of herself, since she thinks she could've saved the whole realm with one sacrifice. Gods, I hate Rollmop followers XD
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] No question about it, this is the logical choice. I think Harris has several times said that his motive has always been to protect Raylansfair. Well, this is a good chance for him to prove it.
[Bury Terroma]
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight]
Well, that was one thing I tried to show in this part, Marak is confirmed dead. I mean, he's lying face first in the water, bleeding from a very deep cut in the neck after a fall that has been shown to be crippling. If it is any consolation, his death happened really fast. While Terroma managed to land somewhat well and "only" broke his spine, Marak landed face first on the rock, which means he was dead the moment he touched the ground. Probably not quite the way he wanted to go out, but there are certainly worse ways of dying.
It's actually a thing for a while now. Just like how Leonard constantly calls Lucas by his last name, Lucas calls him Len. He mostly did so before Mullendore happened, but he's slowly getting back to it. Lenny meanwhile, well, he did call him by that name once in Chapter 1 and immediately noticed that Leonard heavily dislikes this nickname. In this scene, he decided to say it as a means to tease Leonard a bit, to lighten the mood and to overplay his own nervousness.
Indeed, Raenna's PoV is set a few hours before the Ironborn attack, during the morning of the same day. She has a few hours of travelling left until she reaches Raylansfair, so she'll be there when the attack starts. Her next appearance will be in the same timeline as the other PoV's, during the attack on Raylansfair.
Indeed, Kersea is at the same gate where the Second Sons are. Although it must be said, she has a mission and this means she is actively searching for Lucas and will go where he will go. She has her reasons to go to the eastern gate, so if Noelle saw her there, it likely means that this will be where Lucas is heading too. Right in the moment where Noelle spoke these words, Kersea's Chapter 7 storyline was actually still taking place, meaning in that moment, she was on her way to the lighthouse, together with Clayton, Alysanne and Rayden's crew.
Oh yes, things would look a lot better if Hobert's men would still be there. Although it is questionable if he would have agreed to help. He's the kind of guy who would barricade himself in the Great Hall to save his hide.
Hm. Maybe. Parts of this might not become relevant for a long time, but it included a bit of very important information.
Well, let's just say that she is convinced that this is what she truly saw and she definitely saw something that would allow such an interpretation. Her problem is that a divine being sends her these visions, while she only has a human mind, so she's not capable of fully comprehending them. On top of that, she has an incredibly heightened opinion on herself. It's basically the same problem Melisandre faced, she is so convinced that she interprets these visions correctly that she doesn't even consider any other posibility.
I can now safely confirm, if she would have burned Briar, this would have changed nothing. She saw one possible outcome, where burning Briar led to a chain of events that ended up with a peaceful victory for Aegon Targaryen and a strong, undamaged realm against the White Walkers, but this is in fact only one possible outcome of her actions. Since it is so unlikely that burning a single girl would prevent the War of Conquest, there are hundreds of other outcomes in which the war still happens. What Noelle still fails to consider is that her actions wouldn't cause specific reactions, they would cause choices, decisions for others to make, who in turn influence even others. If every person affected by her burning of Briar (the number would go into the thousands) would react exactly like she saw in her vision, then the war would have been prevented. However, it is a lot more likely that someone on the way decides to act differently from what she saw. She does not see it that way and only sees two possible outcomes there, killing Briar and preventing the war, or sparing Briar and not preventing the war. On top of that, Noelle chose the single most complicated path to achieve her goal, which is a result of her arrogance. I hope that makes at least a little bit of sense
It is unlikely that Raenna would waste time to bury the man who killed Terroma. That said, Noelle is still alive and she would probably make sure that Marak receives a proper burial (which means that she's going to burn his body)
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately]
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] Which gate will Harris be defending?
Oh yeah, it definitely makes sense. At first when Noelle was introduced I sort of saw her as a more grounded and humble version of Melisandre, but tbh as the story progressed she proved herself to be just as bad as Mel when it comes to being arrogant and overconfident with her abilities. Seeing that she is still so sure that she interpreted this vision of hers correctly makes me wonder if we made a huge mistake by letting her live.
I really like this short story since it gives more information about Mathea and the interaction between her and Terroma was enjoyable to read.
Thank you Mathea for the short story about Mathea!
RT:
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately] This is what the Old Man probably want us to do now,run as the wind to rescue Kersea and stop Clayton
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] Finally Harris will have a chance for redemption (and I'm sure this choice could led to a very interesting outcome,the conversation between Harris and Lucas will be very awesome to read)
PS:
And with this words we give our last goodbye to Marak. Not only he was one of the original five PoV's of this story but,if we don't consider Eaton, even the first PoV who died inside this story.
After that comment fron Noelle, I've got a bad feeling that Leonard will die no matter we do
DON'T JINX IT!!!
I don't want to but she literally said "She will kill the knight, one way or another"
THIS IS STILL JINXING
You are right, Noelle said something about Kersea killing a knight. That said, her designated target is Lucas, so unless she somehow ends up at the southern gate to steal Clayton's kill, she's not that much of a danger to Leonard in particular. There is also still the hope that Noelle is wrong, as she doesn't exactly have the most impressive track record. That said, there will be a couple of deaths you won't be able to prevent in this chapter.
Has anyone said anything about... jinxing?
Well, at the moment he is still locked in his room. Everything beyond that is something I can't fully reveal right now. Maybe he won't defend a gate at all, but will leave this task to another trusted knight. All I can say is that Lucas' next PoV will happen very soon (as it will be necessary to build up other storylines) and that it will give you an answer to your question
Wonderful, isn't it? Here it can only be hoped that Noelle was wrong. Who knows, maybe she's even going to die before any of these bad things are going to happen. But yeah, in all seriousness, Noelle did foresee rather grim things in Raenna's future. She also was saying what she considered the truth here, so at least in her opinion, these things will happen.
Now that would be sweet, wouldn't it? I think I've said it before, Kersea could really need a hug. And Lucas, after all he has been through, could also benefit from a friendly hug... Wait, why do I have the feeling that was not what you meant?
Be careful what you wish for. Such a wish could easily come true with the current state of the city. But yeah, I'm glad you liked the conversation between them. Lucas and Leonard together are always fun to write
Indeed, Jenna and Frederick have been near Lucas and Leonard, somewhere by the stables. The same applies to Saerya. Actually, Jenna will be one PoV of the next part (though I'm rather sure I'll have room for a second one as well) and I can confirm that Lucas and Leonard will appear in it. I originally have planned for her to even appear in this part, though I decided to move this scene into her own PoV, to give her a bit more to do (even if she's already going to have a pretty big storyline)
May he rest in peace. It's odd to think that I'm never going to write a Marak PoV again. He has been with the story from the very first chapter and now he's the first PoV to die... ah, he won't remain alone for too long. I actually think he's going to get some good company in the semi-near future.
That is sort of true. Noelle has heavy similarities to Melisandre. I'd say the key difference is that Noelle is, at heart, a better person than Melisandre. Where Melisandre was willing to commit an obvious act of evil for what she perceived as the greater good, Noelle ultimately found herself unable to do such evil in the name of good and I believe that says a lot about her. Of course, at least Melisandre had the decency to admit to her mistakes, but that was only when literally everything she had been working forward for was taken from her. Perhaps Noelle will eventually see the error of her ways as well, after getting some time to think about it. That said, at the same time there is a big chance that your choice will backfire and that Noelle will continue to be a problem for other PoV's. Abbas warned of her danger and he does have a point of some sorts. Keeping her alive is a gamble, while killing her would have been the safe option.
RIP Lawsen
Oh, my mistake. I got them mixed up, I thought she was going after Leonard. Well either Leonard or Lucas, I have a bad feeling one of them will die no matter what.
Wait, are you trying to say that getting slashed in the throat, tumbling off a cliff, having your head is smashed in by a rock can actually kill you? Who would've thunk it.You ser sure did have me fooled. I'm going to miss the lovable pal, but I'll rest well knowing he did some good in the world, like killing Otis. I will miss his drunken adventures, so hopefully we will get a POV soon who is more inclined to dispose himself to the alcohols.
Thank you for reading, I am happy that you enjoyed it.
Edit:
Haha, I know that sounds funny but this nickname of my is used for years already and I am very attached to it.
Whatever games I am playing or such, Mathea's name is being used, since its quite sentimental for me.
Therefore I decided then to name this way my 1st character for Liquid story simply because of that reasoning - I wanted Mathea to be a part in this great journey.
Yeah, I couldn't see Mel breaking down the way Noelle did in the finale, that's true. But sadly Noelle still shares many of Mel's bad qualities, even if she's a bit more human.
And damn, we should've just killed her
[Leave him and travel to Raylansfair immediately]
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight]
Another great part. Noelle's dialogue was very weird and interesting... I wonder what's gonna happen in the future.
[Bury Terroma] He deserves it. I've always liked Terroma and respected him and I feel like he deserves a proper burial despite what else is going on.
[Urge him to allow Harris to fight] This was pretty obvious for me. Let him prove what he wants, and Tyrell is right, he is clearly the best choice.
The Voting is closed!
Raenna is going to leave Terroma behind, to travel to Raylansfair immediately
Lucas is going to urge Lord Tyrell to allow Harris to fight
I have greatly expected the second choice and as expected, a majority of your votes went to this one. I wasn't too sure which one you would pick for the first choice, but was slightly leaning towards the one that won. Of course, leaving Terroma behind will affect Raenna greatly, she's going to feel guilty as hell for this. However, at the same time it is clear that she needs to hurry to Raylansfair, so this might have been a very smart choice regardless. I can tell you that this will have changed something, as you'll see in the alternative choices. When it comes to Lucas, I can also reveal that his next part will be out relatively soon, as it will establish some things that will play a role in two other storylines, which are among my favourites in this chapter.
The next part should be ready today. I still have some writing left to do, including the entire second PoV and the end of the first. This first PoV will be Jenna, set only seconds after the end of Lucas' part, while the other one will start Sadie's storyline in this chapter and will therefore be a switch in scenery, but not in tone, as she has to deal with Ironborn as well. Both should be ready very late today (more like, very early tomorrow for my European readers). God, I love being able to write for the whole night
However, before this part is out, there will be, as far as I'm informed, two specials for you! @WildlingKing has prepared a new set of drawings, which I am really looking forward for. At the same time, @Arrodor has finished the second part of his Vaasrand mini-series. A novelty for these parts, it will include a choice that will determine the third part of the mini-series, so make sure you vote for that as well