Indeed, Torvin is going to face pretty heavy resistance on this route. Then again, it will give him more targets to potentially kill as well. His men will prove a formidable threat to the eastern gate in any way, especially as the defenders already have to face the Second Sons. But at least the eastern gate is better prepared than the southern gate, which really only has Leonard, who is at the very least confirmed to return to the castle to talk to Argella at one point in this chapter.
Well, I certainly hope the pay-off is a lot of fighting. It is going to interesting to have all those characters in one spot. Probably confusing too. It's a shame Richard didn't go after Alan, those two could have been useful at the eastern gate too.
A couple of guardsmen have been sent to each gate, but among them hasn't been an already introduced character. This new PoV will therefore not be a member of the city guard. He or she is also not going to appear until at least the halfway point of the chapter and I am not even sure if they will have more than one part in this chapter. They are mostly there to set up one of the main storylines of Book 2.
Well whoever they are, I'm excited. Maybe it's Irving, trying to do something to motivate himself. Regardless, I will pay the waiting game.
Both of these parts are indeed going to happen and neither of them is going to be determined by choice, as they are both the first parts of their respective storylines. This might seem a bit confusing right now, but it will make a lot more sense very soon. In this chapter, Leonard is at least confirmed to have a talk with Argella and to get into a confrontation with Clayton and both of these scenes will happen in the first parts of their respective storylines.
I hope so. Until then I am certainty going to be confused, but soon, soon all will be answered.
The only thing known about his current whereabouts is that he is still somewhere in the city. Other than that, he's probably trying to stay out of trouble because of his connections to the Stormlanders. Though I agree, if someone were to stumble upon him, he could be quite a big help and no matter his allegiance, the Ironborn are certainly his enemies as well.
Hint, hint, wink, wink (probably not, heh)?
Three scars, as if from a claw, spanned across his left eye, without damaging the eye itself.
I forgot to mention in the first post, but hm. This indicates one thing to me, and one thing only that has been hinted at before. It might be true, it might not. I'm smarting to think it really is.
I am on the fence on this choice. More people at the gate is probably a net good impact, but it's Darren and Harris. Also, with that gate no… moret working, maybe it would be best to have someone experienced there. I think this choice is very important and will decide some characters' fate.
This choice is very important, yes. I can't really say anything more about it right now, but both outcomes will lead to important additional choices, which in turn will further influence how the story continues. Compared to a couple of other choices, this is one where neither option is strictly good or bad and where thinking about it is a very wise idea.
So I get the feeling that Torvin going to the east gate might be the best choice for the people of Raylansfair (besides the Leonard factor) because now he's going to be dealing with John's crew, Orys and company (possibly), Jarow, Harris, Lucas, and Darren (possibly).
Indeed, Torvin is goin… [view original content]
Well I'm glad the Donnel won't die immediately. At least we can all learn something and enjoy it in the story.
I hope Donnel and the Selwyns make fun for everyone, especially his "favorite" knight, Ser Leonard Constantine (barring that he is alive by then). I mean, with great men-at-arms like Byn, Ging, Pynce, and Rudi, how could he not save the day? Don't even get me started on his daughters...
That's true and one of the reasons why I actually really look forward to feature this character the more I think about it! Trump in our soci… moreety is something I see as a disaster (though I see some of the people around him as even more dangerous for our future, like Pence, Carson or the Gingrinch), but Trump in Westeros is a completely different thing and actually rather intriguing. On top of that, while I heavily disagree with about 95% of his policies, I see the crappy, brutal and unfair society of Westeros as one of the few hypothetical places where most of his ideas actually make sense and where he would fit in perfectly. He can make Westeros great again, or maybe the Reach at least.
[Escape with Taenora and Philip] First of all, as other readers pointed out, I doubt Ilish can do much in this situation. Second, knowing Wolfius and his history, I doubt that going after him will result in anything positive.
[Take Darren with you] Erm....... in the end, I think we're gonna need all the help we can get; trust issues and other problems aside.
Ilish
“Everything is okay!”, Ilish yelled, after a short moment of consideration. She glanced up at the man on top of her and she saw app… moreroval in his eyes, though she still couldn't see the rest of his face. He even gave her a short nod, before he silently stood up and moved away from her. All this time, Ilish continued to stare at him, still feeling fear, even if he didn't seem threatening anymore.
“Alright, stay calm”, Torold yelled from below. “We're getting you down again. Just a sec...” He got cut off by the loud sound of horns, coming from the docks... no, coming from farther than that, from the sea. Ilish's eyes widened, as the dog let out a howl. Ryler himself tensed up at the unexpected noise and Ilish heard a loud curse from down below. She had never heard this sound before, but she still knew what it meant.
“Ironborn...”, she mumbled, before she jumped up, staring at Ryler, who glanced at her momentarily, before looking ou… [view original content]
Well I'm glad the Donnel won't die immediately. At least we can all learn something and enjoy it in the story.
I can assure you, I would never do that. He is a very enjoyable character, so it would be inexcusable to waste him. That would be so immature that it never even ocurred to me. On top of that, there's the good chance that by the time of Donnel's first appearance, I'll already have made a grudging peace with the idea of a President Trump, considering that he already seems to take back some of the views I disagreed with the strongest.
I hope Donnel and the Selwyns make fun for everyone, especially his "favorite" knight, Ser Leonard Constantine (barring that he is alive by then). I mean, with great men-at-arms like Byn, Ging, Pynce, and Rudi, how could he not save the day? Don't even get me started on his daughters...
My god... why have I not thought about this before? His loyal men-at-arms, his family, I can totally see it. Oh, the potential
Well I'm glad the Donnel won't die immediately. At least we can all learn something and enjoy it in the story.
I hope Donnel and the Selw… moreyns make fun for everyone, especially his "favorite" knight, Ser Leonard Constantine (barring that he is alive by then). I mean, with great men-at-arms like Byn, Ging, Pynce, and Rudi, how could he not save the day? Don't even get me started on his daughters...
It's a shame Richard didn't go after Alan, those two could have been useful at the eastern gate too.
I should probably clarify that Richard is going after Alan in either way, as Alan's escape route is one of the few Richard can take without being seen by the bandits. However, now he is slowed down by carrying Hal, which makes it unlikely that he is going to catch up and holds the additional danger of him getting caught.
I forgot to mention in the first post, but hm. This indicates one thing to me, and one thing only that has been hinted at before. It might be true, it might not. I'm smarting to think it really is.
Hm, I am curious what thing you are talking about? Would you be willing to share this thought? Although I will probably not comment on it in detail, to avoid any spoilers, in the case you are right.
Indeed, Torvin is going to face pretty heavy resistance on this route. Then again, it will give him more targets to potentially kill as well… more. His men will prove a formidable threat to the eastern gate in any way, especially as the defenders already have to face the Second Sons. But at least the eastern gate is better prepared than the southern gate, which really only has Leonard, who is at the very least confirmed to return to the castle to talk to Argella at one point in this chapter.
Well, I certainly hope the pay-off is a lot of fighting. It is going to interesting to have all those characters in one spot. Probably confusing too. It's a shame Richard didn't go after Alan, those two could have been useful at the eastern gate too.
A couple of guardsmen have been sent to each gate, but among them hasn't been an already introduced character. This new PoV will therefore not be a member of the city guard. He or she is also not goin… [view original content]
Hm, I am curious what thing you are talking about? Would you be willing to share this thought? Although I will probably not comment on it in detail, to avoid any spoilers, in the case you are right.
It makes me think more and more that Wolfius has some kind of connection to the beast. I mean, three scars, as if from a claw? I'm not sure what kind of melee weapon besides like a pitchfork or trident could do that, and Wolfius definitely did that.
It is very suspect. Ryler has a dog. Hm. Dogs are used for hunting...
It's a shame Richard didn't go after Alan, those two could have been useful at the eastern gate too.
I should probably clarify that … moreRichard is going after Alan in either way, as Alan's escape route is one of the few Richard can take without being seen by the bandits. However, now he is slowed down by carrying Hal, which makes it unlikely that he is going to catch up and holds the additional danger of him getting caught.
I forgot to mention in the first post, but hm. This indicates one thing to me, and one thing only that has been hinted at before. It might be true, it might not. I'm smarting to think it really is.
Hm, I am curious what thing you are talking about? Would you be willing to share this thought? Although I will probably not comment on it in detail, to avoid any spoilers, in the case you are right.
Well I'm glad the Donnel won't die immediately. At least we can all learn something and enjoy it in the story.
I can assure you, I w… moreould never do that. He is a very enjoyable character, so it would be inexcusable to waste him. That would be so immature that it never even ocurred to me. On top of that, there's the good chance that by the time of Donnel's first appearance, I'll already have made a grudging peace with the idea of a President Trump, considering that he already seems to take back some of the views I disagreed with the strongest.
I hope Donnel and the Selwyns make fun for everyone, especially his "favorite" knight, Ser Leonard Constantine (barring that he is alive by then). I mean, with great men-at-arms like Byn, Ging, Pynce, and Rudi, how could he not save the day? Don't even get me started on his daughters...
My god... why have I not thought about this before? His loyal men-at-arms, his family, I can totally see it. Oh, the potential
Hm, I am curious what thing you are talking about? Would you be willing to share this thought? Although I will probably not comment on it in… more detail, to avoid any spoilers, in the case you are right.
It makes me think more and more that Wolfius has some kind of connection to the beast. I mean, three scars, as if from a claw? I'm not sure what kind of melee weapon besides like a pitchfork or trident could do that, and Wolfius definitely did that.
It is very suspect. Ryler has a dog. Hm. Dogs are used for hunting...
I am really surprised by the first choice, as I never thought a majority would take the risk. Then again, it will probably be good for Ilish's storyline in general, even if it may not be the best for herself. Another negative point will be that I'm likely still not going to have a chance to introduce Taenora's friends, who are among the most colourful groups of characters, befitting of what is basically a group of circus performers. Ah, maybe there's still going to be time in the remaining two chapters for that, or maybe in Book 2 at latest. With Darren meanwhile, I was pretty sure you would take him along. This is going to influence a lot. And if a different choice would have been taken in another part earlier in this chapter, it would have had even bigger consequences.
Anyways, I will try my best to finish the part today. However, I will be rather busy the next few hours, which means I'm going to have, at most, about 4-5 hours in the evening to write, at least today, so if I don't manage to finish it by then, I reluctantly have to keep you waiting until tomorrow. That said, I don't wish to keep you waiting for much longer, especially for this part. It will be the start of Kersea's storyline in this chapter. She won't have the longest storyline, but probably one of the most action-packed and dramatic and the next part should already give you a glimpse of that. As you probably remember, the last time we have seen Kersea, Clayton effectively forced her to kill Lucas, which is a task she is currently going to prepare for. Yet, not everything is going to be that easy for her, as you're soon going to see.
I'll do that, thanks for the offer! I mean, it's still going to be some time until I can introduce Donnel, but when the time comes, I'll be sure to contact you!
My god... why have I not thought about this before? His loyal men-at-arms, his family, I can totally see it. Oh, the potential
Well if you ever want some more, shoot me a PM. I got a lot of clever names.
Hm, that is an interesting theory. I think I have even heard it before and well, it is certainly not an impossible thought. I can at least confirm that Ryler's scars are indeed the result of claws and not from a pitchfork or trident.
Hm, I am curious what thing you are talking about? Would you be willing to share this thought? Although I will probably not comment on it in… more detail, to avoid any spoilers, in the case you are right.
It makes me think more and more that Wolfius has some kind of connection to the beast. I mean, three scars, as if from a claw? I'm not sure what kind of melee weapon besides like a pitchfork or trident could do that, and Wolfius definitely did that.
It is very suspect. Ryler has a dog. Hm. Dogs are used for hunting...
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
“Turn around, Kersea”, she said again, softly. She lowered her bow, missing what might have been her best chance to kill the target. Then she turned towards the voice. Instantly, her heart started to beat faster, her breaths became shorter. The bow fell out of her hands.
Raenna stood in the middle of the empty room, a gentle, hopeful smile on her beautiful face. Her hood was down, revealing the silver of her hair. Her lilac eyes widened as she looked Kersea right in the eyes and the smile faded. “Gods, what happened to you...?”, she mumbled. She took a step towards her, just as Kersea raised from the ground she had been kneeling on.
They approached each other and Raenna spread her arms. Instantly, Kersea fell into them, as tears formed in her eyes. She rested her head on Raenna's shoulders, as her fingers almost clawed into her friends' back. Raenna wrapped her arms around her, holding her closely, as one of her hands went through her hair. “Shhh...”, she whispered. “I'm here now”
“You were dead”, Kersea mumbled and the clear, vivid memory of Raenna falling down that cliff flashed through her mind. Raenna tensed up for a moment. “I did not die”, Raenna revealed. “I just... I left” Her hands rested on Kersea's shoulders, as she looked her in the eyes. “But I'm back now. I will never leave your side again”, she promised, before her smile returned. “And I'm not alone”
The look in Kersea's eyes, though clearer than before, grew slightly confused. “What do you...”, she started to say, before soft footsteps cut her off. A child yawned and Kersea's eyes widened, as she saw who was coming around the corner. “Kersea?”, Briar asked.
Her little sister had a pure, innocent smile on her face. As soon as Briar spotted her, her smile got wider and she started to run towards her, on her short legs. With a gasp, Kersea rushed towards her, as helpless tears streamed down her face. She grabbed the young girl, pressing her close towards her as she fell to her knees. Sobbing, she just held her, as joy overwhelmed her.
“Briar”, she sobbed. “Oh gods, oh gods” Briar pressed her little cheek at Kersea's and just having her close was enough to start mending the wounds of the last years. The joy almost hurt, as a smile formed on Kersea's face, wide, genuine, almost child-like. She put her hands onto Briar's cheeks and gave her a kiss onto the forehead, just as Briar put her hands onto her shoulders...
Her hands! Kersea's heart skipped a beat as she got a better look at her sister. Briar seemed unharmed. In fact, she was more cheerful than ever. She was crying, but they were clearly tears of joy. And her hands were both still there. Kersea's smile faded, as she slowly realized what Clayton did.
She glanced over her shoulder at Raenna, who smiled sweetly. “How long have you been travelling with her?”, she just asked and Raenna narrowed her eyes. “A little over a week”, she answered. “Why are you asking?” Kersea sighed. “It's Clayton”, she said and with her sister close, she was surprised how easy it sounded to finally speak about it. The pain, the humiliation, the fear and the grief, all of this was still there and she was not sure if it would ever truly go away, but right now, it felt easier. For the first time in many years, her heart was filled with joy. At the same time, she couldn't shut out the concern.
“He did this, he did all of this”, she sighed. “He lied to me!” Still having Briar pressed towards her, she slowly let go of the girl, as Raenna raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”, she asked and Kersea gulped. “Clayton he... he forced me...”, she started to stutter, though stopped, as it became too hard to actually say, with Briar so close. “He is going to murder someone”, she revealed. “One of the knights here in the city. The man who defends the southern gate” A grim, angry look appeared in her eyes. “I have to stop him”
Now, concern appeared on Raenna's face. “Kersea, you...”, she started, though Kersea cut her off. “No”, she whispered, still gently holding Briar in her arms. “A part of this is my fault. I...” She softly covered Briar's ear for a moment. “I killed people”, she revealed. “I did it for her, but now that she's safe... perhaps there is a way to make amends”
Raenna hesitated for a second. Pain was clearly visible on her usually stoic face. “Oh Kersea...”, she sighed, before she gave her a nod. “Then we stop him together” A smile formed on Kersea's face. She saw clearer now and it felt good. All of this. Briar, Raenna, her family. She felt whole again, at last. And relieved that she was finally free to do what she should have done a long time ago. The right thing for once.
Kersea smiled and looked back at her sister. “I missed you, Sweetbriar”, she said and hugged her closely once again. “I missed you too”, Briar whispered, tears of happiness in her voice. Kersea could remain this way forever, there was nothing she wanted more. But Clayton was her responsibility and she wouldn't allow him to destroy another life.
Then she noticed the men in the hallway. There were four of them. Two had the dark amber skin of the Ghiscari, with shorn heads and short beards, one of them being tall, but lean, while the other one was a hulking brute. The other two had pale skin, one of them with red hair and thick sideburns, the other one dark-haired, with wolfishly handsome features and piercing grey eyes. Behind them, she saw another girl, maybe two or three years older than Briar, with olive skin and dark brown hair. Her eyes were reddened from crying.
Before reacting, she threw a glance at Raenna, who smiled calmly. “Kersea, these are my companions”, she explained and gave the dark-haired man a nod. He bowed politely. “Greetings, mylady”, he said with more eloquence than she expected from his common attire. “My name is Brandon, this is Ando” He pointed at the Ghiscari. “These are Abbas and Bakr”
Kersea noted his accent, as she rose from the ground, a hand still on Briar's shoulder. “You're from the North?”, she asked and he nodded. “Indeed”, he answered, before he pointed at the other girl. “And this is Ellena Terys, from the Free City of Braavos”
“Hello...”, Ellena mumbled and Kersea recognized the look in her eyes. She had suffered a loss, not long ago. Before she could answer, Raenna interjected. “Davith?”, she asked and Brandon shook his head. “He left”, he explained. “Believes his friends are in the city, so he hurried to find them”
“Understandable”, Raenna said, before she and Kersea exchanged a look. “Kersea, are you sure about Clayton? You don't have to go” Kersea narrowed her eyes. “Then he is going to kill someone”, she stated. “I have to stop him” Now, Raenna shook her head. “You and Briar, you have been apart for so long”, she answered. “I want to stop him as well, I promised it. But I can do it on my own...”
Instantly, Kersea cut her off. “Out of question”, she hissed and looked at her little sister. It broke her heart, but she knew what she had to do. “We've been apart for so long. Just a few more hours and we'll remain together for the rest of our lives” Briar's face lit up and in her eyes, Kersea saw a sort of maturity that surprised, even scared her. She wondered how her sister had changed in the past years, though now was not the time to find it out. Reluctantly, she looked at the dark-haired man, Brandon, then back at Raenna. “Do you trust these men?”, she asked and Raenna nodded without hesitation.
“Good”, she continued and sent Brandon a stern glare. “You will watch over my sister until we return” The man gave her a nod. “I will protect her”, he swore and she believed him. Then, Kersea turned to Briar once again. Tears welled up in her eyes as the girl smiled at her. “You stay with Brandon and the others. They will protect you. I will return soon”, she promised.
Briar's smile turned into a grin. “Okay!”, she said. “I like them. Ando is nice” Then she stumbled forwards and hugged Kersea. “Please stay safe”, she whispered and Kersea felt a lump in her throat. “I will”, she promised. It cost her a lot of willpower to separate from her little sister again, after just being reunited with her. But she had to do this.
As she turned to Raenna, she saw that the woman had reached for her knife. Kersea recognized the weapon. “I would have died if not for you”, Raenna said, as she held it towards her, hilt first. “I never got a chance to give it back” Kersea smiled, as she reached for the hilt. Then, she put both of her hands around Raenna's. “It has always been a part of me”, she said and a sweet smile formed on Raenna's face. “Come on then. Let's save a life for once”
When they left the house, Kersea felt terrible. Briar remained, in the presence of strangers. Raenna trusted them and that was enough, but it didn't make this any easier. “You know the way?”, the silver-haired woman asked an Kersea nodded. Silently, they started to move, though just as they had crossed the street, Kersea broke the silence again.
“You... saved her all on your own?”, she asked. “For me?” Raenna shook her head. “I did it for you”, she explained. “But not alone. The Old Man, he was with me, he...” She paused and just for a moment, Kersea saw the same pain she had seen on Ellena's face. “This was his idea. He did most of the work and he...” She paused and Kersea knew what this meant. Wordlessly, she hugged her friend and Raenna blinked away the tears. “He died, only hours ago. He saved Ellena and Briar”, she revealed, before she sighed. “There is so much I have to tell you. So much I want to know, but now...”
“Right”, Kersea said, as she let go of her again. “Now we're going to stop Clayton” They continued in silence, quickly making their way through the city, as Kersea tried to process everything that just happened. Briar was here again, she was safe and Kersea was finally free to do what she should have done so long ago. And the Old Man was dead...
It was a terrible mixture of emotions. Shock, joy, sorrow, but mostly, determination. She would laugh, she would cry, but only when this was all over. Then, they would leave this city. Return home. She and Briar and Raenna... and Alysanne. It sent a sting through Kersea's heart, as she thought how her friends would get along. Neither had been fond of the other, back when they still worked together. And Alysanne's reaction was what concerned Kersea the most. But this was a worry for a later time. Right now...
She grabbed Raenna's arm, pointing down the main street, as she pulled her friend into an alleyway, to make sure they would stay out of sight. “There”, she said. The knight was marching down the street, three men with him. He was younger than Kersea expected, perhaps only one or two years older than her, with reddish-brown hair and a stern face. “He's marching away from the gate. That's either very good, or very bad for us”, she stated. “And Clayton?”, Raenna asked.
It didn't take her long to spot him as well. She knew Clayton, knew how he operated and she knew, someone like Alysanne would have went for the kill already. Not Clayton though. He wanted a big entrance. He was crouching on top of a roof and at first, she thought he would just shoot the knight. But then she saw the light green vial in his hands. “Oh shit...”, she mumbled, as Clayton threw the vial of wildfire down, in front of Leonard and his companions.
It exploded as it hit the ground, sending the knight and the guardsmen flying. Green fire illuminated the street and the nightly sky, a deafening bang echoed through the city. Two men died immediately, as the fire consumed them. The shockwave was enough to force Leonard to the ground in his heavy armour and the light was blinding enough to stun him, while ghastly green flames blazed all around him. Having done this, Clayton quickly climbed down the building, almost jumping, as he pulled out his longsword.
The fire barely seemed to bother him, as he approached the downed knight. Leonard struggled to get back to his feet, but one of his men was faster, the last one that had actually survived the explosion. Without even hesitating, Clayton grabbed his arm, before embedding his sword in the man's side. Letting go of the dying body, he focussed on the knight again, with a satisfied smile on his face. “So then, Leonard Constantine”, he said politely. “How do you wish to die?”
“Wha...”, Leonard stuttered, pressing a hand onto his shoulder, his face a grimace of agony. Kersea did not wait for Clayton to attack. While he approached Leonard, she rushed at him. His own position was her advantage, as he had his back turned on her. “Well?”, Clayton asked, as he raised his blade.
Just in that moment, Kersea had reached him. He heard her coming too late to evade her strike, but fast enough to spin around and to deflect the strike of her knife. Instead of plunging it into his ribs, she only manage to give him a minor cut across the forearm, though it was still enough to make him stagger. Paired with the force she had built up while running, he stumbled to the ground, with her on top.
Kersea let out a growl of pure hatred, as she raised her dagger, to push it into his head. Reacting quickly, Clayton gave her a punch to the side, pushing her away from him as her dagger scratched across the ground. Then he pushed her upwards, as he rolled back and away from her. Shock and confusion was visible on his face. “Kersea?”, he asked. “What...?”
“You bastard!”, she spat, her voice almost distorted with hatred. “I know what you did! The lies you told me! Was she ever in danger?” She waited for a second, before she narrowed her eyes. “ANSWER ME!”, she screamed at him, as Clayton's heavy breathing slowly calmed down. “Took you long enough to figure it out”, he gasped, with a cold smirk on his face. “With this, my love, our time comes to an end”
His first strike came quickly, but she knew how he fought. She jumped back, out of reach, before she pushed forwards again as the blade passed her. His sword jolted back and he parried her knife, but not her closed fist, as she heavily punched him into the face. It was a strong, angry punch and caused him to groan. His next strike was not very precise and she easily evaded it.
Just in this moment, Raenna reached him. His eye widened as he noticed her presence. He spun around trying to deflect the blade, though she still managed to give him a nasty cut right across the chest. Clayton staggered back, as he recognized her. “You...”, he stuttered, before anger flared up in his single eye. “You should have been dead!”
He attacked, focussing on Raenna first, though Kersea's attack forces him to parry both in rapid succession. He blocked Kersea's blade, though once again she gave him a heavy punch against the jaw. He parried Raenna's strike, though she kicked him against the knee. And then, Leonard managed to rise from the ground.
Clayton only needed a moment to realize that the situation had turned against him. His cold smirk reappeared, as he reached into his pocket. Kersea instantly noticed what he was doing, as a familiar, green glow was visible in his hands. “Get down!”, she barked, as she jumped towards the knight, with the intention to push him to the ground.
The master assassin turned towards Leonard and threw the second vial of Wildfire, just as Kersea bumped into the man. It came as a surprise that he was too steadfast to be pushed down, perhaps out of stubbornness, perhaps because the weight of his armour alone exceeded hers. But he was quick to react. As he saw the green vial, he grabbed her upper arms, pushing her around and behind him, as he turned his back towards the explosion, effectively shielding her.
In his hurry, Clayton had thrown the vial too low and it exploded not directly in front of the knight, but a few metres away from him. This in turn saved both of their lives, though she shockwave was still enough to send Leonard too his knees and Kersea with him. Then, Clayton turned towards Raenna. He parried one of her strikes, before he gave her a quick, yet heavy strike with the pommel of his sword, right against her forehead, which caused her to stagger to the ground. Having sent the last of his opponents to the ground, he threw a quick glance at Kersea and Leonard, before he turned around and fled, into the direction of the lighthouse.
Instantly, Kersea jumped up and rushed towards Raenna, who was already stumbling back to her feet. “It's alright”, she gasped, putting two fingers onto the bleeding wound on her forehead. “I'm alright” Kersea sighed in relief, as she rested her hands on her friends' shoulder. Then, she looked at Leonard, who was just. “Are you okay as well?”
The knight mustered both women, as a small smirk formed on his face. “Well, now I am”, he said and Kersea narrowed her eyes. “Wha...”, she started, though Raenna cut her off, by giving her a nudge with the elbow. “Right...”
Leonard looked around, at the dead guardsmen and the green flames that still burned. “What exactly did just happen?”, he asked and Kersea pressed her lips together. “We saved your life”, she answered and he gave her a nod. “I saw that”, he stated. “But who was that man? And was that... wildfire?”
She looked towards the lighthouse in the distance, on the hill just outside of the city. “His name is Clayton. He is the one who murdered your lord and the maester”, she explained and Leonard frowned. “This bastard...”, he growled, as he turned to the direction Clayton ran off to. Before he was able to follow, Kersea held him back. “No!”, she said sternly. “This is my fight. You have your own”
Leonard sighed, as he gave her a nod. “Right”, he agreed. “I need to get to the castle, to gather more men. We need reinforcements here at the southern gate” He hesitated for a second. “You're going to deal with him?”, he asked.
“Yeah. He is my responsibility”, Kersea stated. Leonard gave her a short smile. “Well, anyways, you have my gratitude. For this, I mean”, he said, before he clenched his fists. “You know, I don't even know who you are”
“I am not your enemy”, Kersea answered and Leonard shook his head. “With all respect, that is a crappy name”, he said and extended his hand. “I'm Leonard” Kersea gulped and waited for a second, before she shook his hand. “Kersea”, she introduced herself.
“Thank you, Kersea”, Leonard said and let go of her. Kersea glanced up at the lighthouse. Clayton would go back there. Alysanne was there as well. And the wildfire. He was a threat, a big one. Perhaps she should tell the knight about it, so that he could prepare, so that he could make sure the wildfire would be safe even if she would fail. Then again, the last thing she wanted was anyone messing up what would follow. Perhaps keeping it a secret was the wiser idea.
Ah yes. Good, good. Excellent. Ser Leonard Constantine avoids death yet again.
Leonard would be pissed if she kept something like that from him. I'm sure he would be willing to let it slide considering what just occurred.
Another POV with Leonard. He has to have been in like 5 of these. He definitely has met more POV characters than that though. Not sure if any character has been in or met that many. Hail to the knight, baby.
An this makes a lot more sense being the first part with the 'Next time...'. I think I guessed Kersea being the POV for this part a while ago, if so, kudos for me for another stellar prediction. I wonder if we will see Leonard at the south gate. Not sure who would be the POV there though. I bet Lucas would have died or been seriously injured if we buried Terroma. Leonard would probably still live, not sure about Lucas though.
Well there's a character I hate less. Or perhaps, dare I say, I don't hate at all. I don't want to say that seeing as it has only been one part, but ah what the heck. Kersea may have graduated InGen's hate list. Raenna also has improved.
Noelle, who we mysterious did not see, had that prediction. Looks like we proved it wrong (for now).
I need to get to the castle, to gather more men. We need reinforcements here at the southern gate
So I think this is how the Leonard-Argella scene happens, Drent a POV character for that? Maybe.
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
[Tell him about the wildfire] We need to secure the wildfire and begin to burn down the Ironborn longboats, or use them against the gate attackers. Plus, it is about time the wildfire gets back into the hands of Raylainsfair.
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
Another POV with Leonard. He has to have been in like 5 of these. He definitely has met more POV characters than that though. Not sure if any character has been in or met that many. Hail to the knight, baby.
You know, I think that is actually true. He has been in PoV's from Lucas, Samantha, Willfred, Jenna, Kersea and he also encountered Raenna and John. There is also that other scene from the preview involving him, so yeah, it seems he has met the most PoV's.
An this makes a lot more sense being the first part with the 'Next time...'. I think I guessed Kersea being the POV for this part a while ago, if so, kudos for me for another stellar prediction. I wonder if we will see Leonard at the south gate. Not sure who would be the POV there though. I bet Lucas would have died or been seriously injured if we buried Terroma. Leonard would probably still live, not sure about Lucas though.
I think you guessed it indeed. And well, told you it would make more sense now. You are right though, if you would have buried Terroma, then Kersea would have shot Lucas in this part, although her shaking hands would have caused her to miss any vital spot. Instead, she would have only injured him. However, depending on a following choice, Darren Tallwood could have died when confronting her, so all in all, leaving Terroma was the more pragmatic choice for sure.
Well there's a character I hate less. Or perhaps, dare I say, I don't hate at all. I don't want to say that seeing as it has only been one part, but ah what the heck. Kersea may have graduated InGen's hate list. Raenna also has improved.
Oh, now that's pretty great. I mean, this entire chapter is basically Kersea's shot at redemption, after the stuff she has been forced to do in the previous chapters, so I was hoping that she would leave some hate lists, at least with those who still disliked her. After this part, she is at least trying her best to be one of the good guys for a change. That said, there is going to be one action in this chapter that might still be a bit controversial, depending on how you feel about one particular situation in her next part.
Noelle, who we mysterious did not see, had that prediction. Looks like we proved it wrong (for now).
That's true, Noelle's vision seems to have been proven false, since Kersea hasn't killed Lucas and since she is very unlikely to kill him now. Depending on your choice with Terroma, she could have ended up killing Darren though, therefore technically fulfilling Noelle's prophecy regardless. That said, this would have required that a majority of you would deliberatly vote for a choice that would hav pretty obviously ended with his death, so it was one of the lesser likely alternative choices either way.
So I think this is how the Leonard-Argella scene happens, Drent a POV character for that? Maybe.
This is highly likely, yes. The PoV in that scene was at least familiar with both, Argella and Tariel, so currently, Drent and Willfred are the most likely options.
[Tell him about the wildfire]
Ah yes. Good, good. Excellent. Ser Leonard Constantine avoids death yet again.
Leonard would be pissed i… moref she kept something like that from him. I'm sure he would be willing to let it slide considering what just occurred.
Another POV with Leonard. He has to have been in like 5 of these. He definitely has met more POV characters than that though. Not sure if any character has been in or met that many. Hail to the knight, baby.
An this makes a lot more sense being the first part with the 'Next time...'. I think I guessed Kersea being the POV for this part a while ago, if so, kudos for me for another stellar prediction. I wonder if we will see Leonard at the south gate. Not sure who would be the POV there though. I bet Lucas would have died or been seriously injured if we buried Terroma. Leonard would probably still live, not sure about Lucas though.
Well there's a character I hate less. Or perhaps, d… [view original content]
OH MY GOSH! I thought Leonard literally died when he shielded Kersea. Thankfully he still lives.
Haha, it was a close call for him, this is true. If Clayton would have thrown the wildfire differently, it is possible that Leonard would have died. Now however, his armour shielded him from the worst part of the explosion. It wasn't a strong explosion either, though Kersea, without her armour, would have risked heavy wounds or death. So, Leonard did think quickly here and saved her life, although it was her quick reaction that saved his live in return.
I swear I fear for Alysanne's live more every time Kersea gets a new part, especially now that she's turned on Clayton.
That is understandable. Alysanne is always the more reckless of the two. However, there is no love between her and Clayton and she has made it clear that she would stand on Kersea's side in such a confrontation. The problem is just that Alysanne and Raenna really did not get along. Alysanne had always been envious of Raenna and was genuinely happy about her apparent death, so Kersea is highly nervous how she is going to take the news of her survival. Even though she is changing for the better, she is still highly clingy and possessive, so Kersea expects some sort of friction between her friends.
About this choice, is it endangering Alysanne in any way? I'm not asking for spoilers I'm just confused by the "He was a threat" comment.
Hm, the comment about the threat is solely referring to Clayton, who has a large amount of wildfire and is steadily losing control over himself. Alysanne meanwhile is always a wildcard and considering that she is not the most stable person, Kersea can't say for sure how she would react to the situation in its entirety. If things get out of hand, Alysanne is unlikely to make it easier. As for the choice, it is likely that it will affect the characters from Kersea's storyline in some capacity. She can't really be sure how Leonard would react to the news about the wildfire. It is also possible that one outcome of this choice is going to endanger Alysanne, or other characters from that storyline. That's all I really can say about this choice. I'm sorry, I would love to reveal more, but I am too afraid I would accidentally reveal something major.
OH MY GOSH! I thought Leonard literally died when he shielded Kersea. Thankfully he still lives.
I swear I fear for Alysanne's live more … moreevery time Kersea gets a new part, especially now that she's turned on Clayton.
About this choice, is it endangering Alysanne in any way? I'm not asking for spoilers I'm just confused by the "He was a threat" comment.
[Tell him about the wildfire]
His worst day ever? I'm actually not even sure if this is his worst day so far The day where Lunett and Dairon got killed, Lucas got abducted and tortured and he got brutally stabbed through the leg by Jaylon hasn't been that great either. That said, I failed to think of a character for whom this day doesn't suck and considering all the bad days in his life, this one is undoubtedly among the Top 3 for Leonard.
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
His worst day ever? I'm actually not even sure if this is his worst day so far The day where Lunett and Dairon got killed, Lucas got abduct… moreed and tortured and he got brutally stabbed through the leg by Jaylon hasn't been that great either. That said, I failed to think of a character for whom this day doesn't suck and considering all the bad days in his life, this one is undoubtedly among the Top 3 for Leonard.
OH MY GOSH! I thought Leonard literally died when he shielded Kersea. Thankfully he still lives.
Haha, it was a close call for him, … morethis is true. If Clayton would have thrown the wildfire differently, it is possible that Leonard would have died. Now however, his armour shielded him from the worst part of the explosion. It wasn't a strong explosion either, though Kersea, without her armour, would have risked heavy wounds or death. So, Leonard did think quickly here and saved her life, although it was her quick reaction that saved his live in return.
I swear I fear for Alysanne's live more every time Kersea gets a new part, especially now that she's turned on Clayton.
That is understandable. Alysanne is always the more reckless of the two. However, there is no love between her and Clayton and she has made it clear that she would stand on Kersea's side in such a confrontation. The problem is just that Alysanne and Raenna re… [view original content]
Indeed, this is Leonard's personal Top 3 of bad days. Although the Red Lake incident from his backstory is currently only taking the third place, because at least back then, none of his friends died or got into mortal danger. Though you are right, Harris is having the worst day right now, although it has gotten slightly better now that Lucas gave him a chance to fight for Raylansfair.
As for good days... well, in the proper story there happened remarkably few genuinely good days for Leonard, come to think of it. Then again, the same goes for most PoV's, aside from Jaron, arguably, who got his fair share of pretty crappy days as well. Perhaps it is time for something honestly good to happen to someone. Unfortunately, it won't be in this chapter, which could easily be titled "Everyone's worst day ever", aside from Cleaver Clint of course, who is having the time of his life right now...
He also had his bad experience at the Red Lake.
Probably that, the one you mentioned, and the current day are his top 3. I do think Harris has having the worst day currently.
Now his best day ever? I can't think of one.
Entertaining part loved the battle between all of the characters. Glad Leonard is alright as well as Raenna, things didn't seem too good for a moment. Also, fuck Clayton always. I'm glad Kersea stood up to that asshole.
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
You know, I think that is actually true. He has been in PoV's from Lucas, Samantha, Willfred, Jenna, Kersea and he also encountered Raenna and John. There is also that other scene from the preview involving him, so yeah, it seems he has met the most PoV's.
It's interesting to note it, isn't it? I think you could make a pretty compelling case that of the main non-POV characters for Book 1, he is definitely a contender for number 1, at least in the top five. It's hard for me to think of other characters that are that present/important. The ones that come to mind are Wolfius, Harris, Harpy, Noelle, Terroma, Mullendore, and maybe even Argella or King Harren. Additionally, if we count POV characters he knew, he definitely knew Maester Eaton and I think he indicated he knew Richard. So there's even more. Yay?
On a similar point, thinking about it, Leonard has appeared a lot in this chapter. I know it's begun only fairly recently though. Maybe it is just the ways the parts are being set up currently, the POV's aligning, maybe it's because before it would be weeks or even months before we saw some characters and seeing one in several different POVs throws me off, or maybe it is nothing.
I think you guessed it indeed. And well, told you it would make more sense now. You are right though, if you would have buried Terroma, then Kersea would have shot Lucas in this part, although her shaking hands would have caused her to miss any vital spot. Instead, she would have only injured him. However, depending on a following choice, Darren Tallwood could have died when confronting her, so all in all, leaving Terroma was the more pragmatic choice for sure.
Well, glad we didn't vote that. Darren confronting her depending on a later choice? I suppose that means that he would have to find her after the Leonard debacle, interesting. I wonder if we killed Noelle if we would have inevitably went down this path, with Lucas' injury and Darren's death. Wait, don't tell me! I'll wait it out to the alternate choices and what ifs.
Oh, now that's pretty great. I mean, this entire chapter is basically Kersea's shot at redemption, after the stuff she has been forced to do in the previous chapters, so I was hoping that she would leave some hate lists, at least with those who still disliked her. After this part, she is at least trying her best to be one of the good guys for a change. That said, there is going to be one action in this chapter that might still be a bit controversial, depending on how you feel about one particular situation in her next part.
Hm. I am curious to find out what that will be. I do know that if there is any Kersea/Leonard romance I will hate her again. Otherwise unless she does something that really irritates me she should be fine...for now.
This is highly likely, yes. The PoV in that scene was at least familiar with both, Argella and Tariel, so currently, Drent and Willfred are the most likely options.
I do hope it's Drent personally, although that might be a little difficult considering what he was going through earlier. Again tying into Leonard being in so many different POV parts is that it helps show him in different lights, and I like that, it leads to more full character development. I think different opinions and insights into a character makes them seem a little more lifelike. Wilfred is fine I guess. I wouldn't mind seeing him and Leonard or Drent and Leonard or all three of them battling the attackers. I'm not sure if Drent would able to influence something like what is being discussed there as much as Wilfred would. Hm. We'll find out in probably the next 5 parts who it was.
Another POV with Leonard. He has to have been in like 5 of these. He definitely has met more POV characters than that though. Not sure if an… morey character has been in or met that many. Hail to the knight, baby.
You know, I think that is actually true. He has been in PoV's from Lucas, Samantha, Willfred, Jenna, Kersea and he also encountered Raenna and John. There is also that other scene from the preview involving him, so yeah, it seems he has met the most PoV's.
An this makes a lot more sense being the first part with the 'Next time...'. I think I guessed Kersea being the POV for this part a while ago, if so, kudos for me for another stellar prediction. I wonder if we will see Leonard at the south gate. Not sure who would be the POV there though. I bet Lucas would have died or been seriously injured if we buried Terroma. Leonard would probably still live, not sure about Lucas though.
I think you guessed it indeed. And well… [view original content]
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face… more were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
… [view original content]
It's interesting to note it, isn't it? I think you could make a pretty compelling case that of the main non-POV characters for Book 1, he is definitely a contender for number 1, at least in the top five. It's hard for me to think of other characters that are that present/important. The ones that come to mind are Wolfius, Harris, Harpy, Noelle, Terroma, Mullendore, and maybe even Argella or King Harren. Additionally, if we count POV characters he knew, he definitely knew Maester Eaton and I think he indicated he knew Richard. So there's even more. Yay?
Yes, undoubtedly, I would consider Leonard one of the most important non-PoV characters in Book 1. I have actually finished an article in the wiki recently, in which I give an overview of the major characters and in how many chapters they appear and out of the Non-PoV characters, there's only Leonard, Harris and Wolfius (whom I can confirm is going to appear in this chapter) who appeared in every chapter including the current one. And you are right, he certainly knew Eaton and he also mentioned that he is familiar with Richard, even if he hasn't shared a scene with either in the actual story.
On a similar point, thinking about it, Leonard has appeared a lot in this chapter. I know it's begun only fairly recently though. Maybe it is just the ways the parts are being set up currently, the POV's aligning, maybe it's because before it would be weeks or even months before we saw some characters and seeing one in several different POVs throws me off, or maybe it is nothing.
It's true, Leonard has appeared in quite a number of PoV's in this chapter. That said, he is probably going to be a bit less involved in the second half of the chapter, but he was crucial to set up several important events. Still, it shouldn't be weeks or months until you see him again, as he is still majorly involved in this second half as well, just in less storylines.
Well, glad we didn't vote that. Darren confronting her depending on a later choice? I suppose that means that he would have to find her after the Leonard debacle, interesting. I wonder if we killed Noelle if we would have inevitably went down this path, with Lucas' injury and Darren's death. Wait, don't tell me! I'll wait it out to the alternate choices and what ifs.
You know, I really should have read this one more carefully. Here I was, having written down half an answer, before realizing you wish to wait for the alternative choices and what ifs XD But alright, I'll remain silent about this until then. It shouldn't take me too long to get to the end of the chapter, hopefully.
Hm. I am curious to find out what that will be. I do know that if there is any Kersea/Leonard romance I will hate her again. Otherwise unless she does something that really irritates me she should be fine...for now.
Romance you say? Hehehe, don't give me ideas I can assure you though, I actually haven't thought about anything like that before. That said, I think Kersea would actually very much be Leonard's type, in terms of looks and personality. A brunette, pretty in a "girl-next-door" kind of way, quiet, thoughtful and loyal, basically the polar opposite of the slutty type Leonard has been outright stated to hate. Of course, she's not a rich noblewoman, but then again, the only eligible bachelorette in a marriageable age in all of Raylansfair with a sufficient title would be Argella and she would probably feel insulted by the mere suggestion. After all he's been through, it is more likely that Leonard won't be that choosy. The problem here would be that he is probably not Kersea's type. After spending years around that abusive shitbag Clayton, she likely won't have much patience for his sarcasm or more jerkish qualities. That said, this action that might irritate you is not related to any romance. I actually think this action can't really be blamed at her, but your mileage may vary. One thing I can say is, it will happen in her very next part, which is going to be one of the key parts of the chapter.
I do hope it's Drent personally, although that might be a little difficult considering what he was going through earlier. Again tying into Leonard being in so many different POV parts is that it helps show him in different lights, and I like that, it leads to more full character development. I think different opinions and insights into a character makes them seem a little more lifelike. Wilfred is fine I guess. I wouldn't mind seeing him and Leonard or Drent and Leonard or all three of them battling the attackers. I'm not sure if Drent would able to influence something like what is being discussed there as much as Wilfred would. Hm. We'll find out in probably the next 5 parts who it was.
It's true, that is one thing why I consider Leonard to be such a developed character, since I get the chance to show many different sides of him. With Lucas, he is more friendly and familiar, so some sides of his personality can only be brought out in the presence of other PoV's. When it comes to Drent's influence, Argella considers him a friend by now, so she would certainly at least listen to whatever he has to say on a situation. But you will see in one of the next parts indeed
You know, I think that is actually true. He has been in PoV's from Lucas, Samantha, Willfred, Jenna, Kersea and he also encountered Raenna a… morend John. There is also that other scene from the preview involving him, so yeah, it seems he has met the most PoV's.
It's interesting to note it, isn't it? I think you could make a pretty compelling case that of the main non-POV characters for Book 1, he is definitely a contender for number 1, at least in the top five. It's hard for me to think of other characters that are that present/important. The ones that come to mind are Wolfius, Harris, Harpy, Noelle, Terroma, Mullendore, and maybe even Argella or King Harren. Additionally, if we count POV characters he knew, he definitely knew Maester Eaton and I think he indicated he knew Richard. So there's even more. Yay?
On a similar point, thinking about it, Leonard has appeared a lot in this chapter. I know it's begun only fairly recently though. … [view original content]
This has indeed been mentioned before I even think it has been outright stated in some of Kersea's earlier parts, not just hinted at. Clayton was the assassin in the prologue, the man who poisoned Lord Raylan and then murdered Maester Eaton. Septon Corbin assisted him during this, by allowing him to get close to the lord for a long time, to steadily poison him. Although that information wasn't exactly the most major so far, only mentioned in a couple of secondary sentences, so you probably just overlooked it.
[Tell him about the wildfire]
His name is Clayton. He is the one who murdered your lord and the maester
WAIT A SEC was it mentioned earlier in the story? If it was then I'm the dumbest person ever.
Kersea is going to tell Leonard about the Wildfire
You almost unanimously decided on this choice, which I almost expected. That said, this was an incredibly important choice with consequences you can't possibly foresee. The only reason this is not the most major choice in Kersea's storyline in this chapter will be because her next one is going to be even more crucial. I probably failed to bring up good arguments to keep it a secret, but basically, Kersea is afraid that anyone, Leonard for example, could mess up the already very dangerous situation at the lighthouse. Her next part will reveal if her worries are founded. And well, her next part is one of the most important parts of the entire chapter. Possibly, though your mileage may vary, even one of the most important parts in Book 1.
The next part is going to be out today, most likely at least. I'll still have some other stuff to do, but I am excited to write and won't have to go to university tomorrow, so I'll probably have the time to finish it as well. Emphasis on probably. This next part will mark the beginning of Drent's storyline in this chapter, which is one of the storylines I'm really looking forward for. I originally have thought about writing a part for Maya and Alys, but I ultimately decided to give them the part after this next one instead. Meanwhile, Willfred, Lyria and Samantha are probably entirely pushed to the second half of the chapter, although their storylines will still be very important.
However, before this next part is going to be out, there's a special part coming up again. @Arrodor has written the third part of his Vaasrand series and I hope you all enjoy it
Backwards, Vaasrand had to go back, who knows what that was, he dashed back fast through the bushes, faster than before, the trees were nothing for him, then the scream sounded again, Vaasrand picked up his pace, and finally he emerged, the sun burning bright against his face.
It was his zorse, shredded in half, a gruesome sight, the entrails dragged across the ground, the zorse was not dead, it crawled towards Vaasrand, on two front legs, crying in pain, shaking uncontrollably, its yelps were indistinguishable. Vaasrand felt horrible, his sword was already unsheathed, and with it he mercy killed his zorse, the head came clean of, the zorse could finally rest.
Through all that he had not noticed the little girl standing to his far right, she looked terrified, it was her scream that called him, why was she here, for a second he forgot about his zorse, and called out to her. “Hey, what are you doing here?” he said in a stern voice, the girl didn’t respond, he sheathed his sword before approaching, as if he didn’t already frighten her, this was a mistake, since he was focused on the girl he forgot about his dead zorse, and what attacked it. A loud growl could be heard in the bushes, this grabbed Vaasrand’s attention.
The beast let out another loud growl before it charged him.
Vaasrand turned quickly, and started unshea-
But he wasn’t quick enough, the Basilisk pounded on him knocking Vaasrand to the ground, this stunned Vaasrand and he lost his sword as they struggled to the ground.
Vaasrand’s head smashed into the dirt, his vision blurred, but that did not stop him, the basilisk was on top of him now, it’s jaws viciously snapping at him, he held it tight into a bear hug, the basilisk was strong and almost managed to break the hug, but before that Vaasrand let three quick knees into the Basilisks gut, this damaged it, but it got more aggressive than before.
The Basilisks claws dug deep into Vaasrand, after a while it damaged him enough to loosen his grip, Vaasrand quickly released the Basilisks head, and lifted it by the stomach, slamming it into the ground, dodging a bite as he does this.
He proceeded to beat down the Basilisks already weakened gut with his right fist, holding down the Basilisk with his left, this managed to heavily wound the beast, but also enraged it.
Vaasrand pulled out the dagger from his boot ready to kill the basilisk, as he was pulling it out, the basilisk jumped at him, he didn’t even move as the basilisk jumped right into the blade, it stared deep into his yellow eyes right before he pulled out the dagger.
The Basilisk fell to the ground lifeless, its blood blending into the dirt, Vaasrand shook the dirt out of his silver hair, and proceeded to grab his sword, before he noticed another basilisk, and the girls screams, louder than before, the basilisk was charging at her, she started running backwards, Vaasrand had to do something, so he did.
Vaasrand threw his dagger with frightening speed and pierced one of the basilisk’s legs deeply, the basilisk grunted in pain, and turned to Vaasrand.
It charged at him with gnawing jaws, Vaasrand had already grabbed his sword at this point.
Vaasrand too began charging, they would’ve met halfway, had the basilisk not jumped so much, it attacked first, Vaasrand effortlessly dodged, and stabbed it in the back of the head, twisting as he did this, it’s blood pouring out of this killing wound, it died.
He cleaned his blade putting the basilisks blood into a vial, and wrapped the vial around his waist alongside many others, his suspicions were confirmed, someone was tampering with the bodies, he sheathed his sword, expecting no more trouble, he turned his attention to the girl, she was still there looking more terrified than before, he approached her benevolently, she was still visibly frightened of him, understandable, she was small, very small, only reaching Vaasrand’s waist, with olive skin, and beautiful amber eyes, she had brown long hair and an oval shaped face, a very pretty little girl, well fed, and clean to, odd since they were out in the forest, he spoke first.
“Are you alright?” He asked in a calm tone, she didn’t respond, she rather stared into his eyes, growing less frightened by the minute it seemed.
“Where is your Father? Mother?” He asked again in a calm tone, she shrugged, “Tiqui is nearby, how about I take you there?” she shrugged again, she was shy, or still frightened, either way she followed, but she grabbed his hand to hold it, Vaasrand pulled away, he didn’t expect that, he seemed to frighten her as he pulled away, so he held out his hand for her to grab onto it, she did, she had small hands really only grabbing his ring and little finger, but he let her, since she was visibly more comfortable this way.
They started heading north to Tiqui, Vaasrand spotted the fire again, it was more smoke now, he couldn’t go to look with the girl by his side, maybe he’d come back, they continued north, together, on foot, which was dangerous if they were attacked, the trees blocked a lot of view, so they couldn’t see much, but Vaasrand had his senses, not much was going on right now, so he focused his attention on the girl.
“You haven’t said your name?” he asked in an attempted sweet voice, she looked at him, “Eliora” she said in a soft voice, “And yours?” he looked down at her and responded with a soft voice, “Vaasrand of Lys.”
“So you’re from Lys, I’ve never been there, I’m from Braavos myself.” She said looking a lot more comfortable than before, her eloquence surprised Vaasrand, and so did her being out here, it was very suspicious, “Yes, I’m from Lys. Why are you out here? Where are your parents?” she looked away, and didn’t respond, Vaasrand didn’t relent, “When I ask a question you answer, Alright.” He told her sternly, a look of disobedience was on her face, Vaasrand stopped as she was only a child, so they continued silently, with only the birds around them making noise, not much happened on their way north so Vaasrand had time to think.
He planned to take this girl to Tiqui, maybe find her parents there or at least find someone to care for her, then he would talk to the acting prince, Mayran Sorris, a big tub of lard that man, but well-informed about the contract, out of all the people in Tiqui he knew the most about the basilisks, and he was by far the most intelligent in the region, a great advisor who could seriously help Vaasrand with this contract, he didn’t have much else to do there, they did have a fight club, maybe he’d stop there, he was always good with his fists, and he liked free coin, he thought about Marion, and what she could be doing at this time, and if she was the alchemist, he didn’t want to think about her like this, but he had been betrayed before and was prepared to be again.
“I’m sorry” the girl said “My parents aren’t here anymore, only my brother is” she looked very sad while saying this “I’m sorry, if I hurt your feelings.” She finished while looking at the ground, “It’s fine” said Vaasrand in a somewhat comforting voice. “Do you know where your brother is, by any chance?” the girl looked up at Vaasrand, “Yea, he’s here, somewhere.”
“Well, I am sure we will find him.” Vaasrand said with a forced smile, they kept moving but the walk was still long so they had plenty time to talk, “What is it you do? Why are you out here?” the girl asked inquisitively, Vaasrand didn’t respond immediately, since he wasn’t sure how to explain this to a little girl, “I, help people.” Vaasrand said, nodding, the girl had an intrigued look on her face, “Like you did back there, you helped me by stopping those things?” she raised an eyebrow, “Well, yes, if you look at it that way, yes I did help you.” Vaasrand said in a soft tone, he couldn’t help himself, he had to ask, “How did you get out here?” he asked her, she looked at him before answering, her amber eyes meeting his yellow ones, it felt strange to get such a deep look from a child, “I got lost, thankfully you found me, those things would have surely gotten me otherwise.”
Vaasrand was still intrigued how she got here in the first place, “Yes. Who was with you, surely you weren’t alone, was it your brother?” he asked her, she seemed annoyed by all these questions Vaasrand was asking her, “You ask a lot of questions, but you will see soon, probably.” She finished, focusing on the path to Tiqui, she spoke incredibly well for a child, and what did she mean by that, see soon, an odd answer, they continued silently.
By now they had reached a bypass, a cave could be spotted nearby, which frightened Eliora, she tightened her grip on Vaasrand’s hand, and pulled him to the left side of the bypass away from the cave, Vaasrand smiled at this, they kept moving but soon reached an impasse, trees covered their path so they had to turn back, and then Vaasrand heard it, footsteps, very soft ones, but something was creeping up on them.
“Get behind me girl, somethings found us.” He whispered to Eliora, Eliora followed his command, as soon as she was behind him Vaasrand unsheathed his sword, and turned to spot three men, covered head to toe in black robes, with hoods covering their heads, and black masks covering their cheeks and noses, only their eyes were visible, the leader (presumably) was up a tree sitting on one of the branches, staring at Vaasrand with secretive emerald green eyes, as if he were accessing Vaasrand, he wore the same as the other two but he had armour mixed with his robes, chainmail, pauldrons, vambraces and a chest guard, this would be a tough fight, but it seemed he had to fight the two on foot first.
They had shortswords, but no armour, similar to Vaasrand, they only had their robes, which meant they should be able to match Vaasrand’s speed, if only they could. Eliora was still behind him but they seemed to focus on Vaasrand, which was good.
Two against one, Vaasrand didn’t excel at killing humans, but he was trained to fight them, they struck first simultaneously, from left and right, with Eliora behind him this proved hard to dodge, so he parried both swords, and jumped in between them, as if Vaasrand and the two had switched positions, now he had more space to fight, although they were right in front of Eliora, and could have attacked her had they wanted, they didn’t and proceeded on Vaasrand, this time only the man on the right attacked, this was a mistake, as Vaasrand used this against them, while the shortsword swung at Vaasrand he parried and forced it to hit the man on the left, it cut his arm deeply, the man screamed loudly, then growled.
whilst they were distracted Vaasrand swung his bastard sword back and sliced the right man’s throat, the cut went deep nearly cutting his head off, the man fell, breathless.
Now all that remained was the man with the damaged arm, he was nervous, and exhausted, clearly unfit to be an assassin, the man charged and Vaasrand dodged, while simultaneously cutting the man’s sword-wielding hand right off, his hand was gone, he had no sword since it fell with his hand, the man fell to the ground in pain, shaking uncontrollably, having some sort of fit, Vaasrand finished him quickly, putting his blade through the man’s heart, looking away as he does this.
The two were dead so Vaasrand removed their masks, and saw they were only boys, fourteen at most, this disturbed Vaasrand, making them fight so young is cruel, but assassins are rarely merciful.
Vaasrand checked on Eliora, “You’re not hurt, are you?” she shook her head, and pointed behind Vaasrand. It was the leader, standing there stoically, he was tall, only a little shorter than Vaasrand but still about to kill Vaasrand, or try to. His emerald gaze pierced deep into Vaasrand’s soul, his sword was already unsheathed, as was Vaasrand’s, Vaasrand returned the gaze, their stare down didn’t last long before the assassin spoke.
“Vaasrand of Lys. The legendary Silver Serpent, hunter of beasts, and, as it seems, killer of men.” The assassins face didn’t move as he spoke, he just said the words, and continued his stare, “I’m not here for the girl, if that’s what you were wondering, just you.” He pointed his sword at Vaasrand, with poison dripping down the blade, was this the alchemist, that had tampered with the basilisks?
“Why are you here, who put a bounty on my head?” Vaasrand asked sternly, the man in black took a moment to respond, “You’ll be dead soon, so that doesn’t matter” the man removed his hood, but kept the mask, now his hair was visible, it was raven black, and just touched his neck, it went well with his eyes, surprising to see an assassin so well groomed.
“Very well, I’ll kill you if I must, and for these boys, that you made attack me.” Vaasrand said sternly, Vaasrand raised his sword, with two hands he pointed it at the man in black, ready for a fight, the man in black didn’t move, he just looked at Vaasrand with a blank stare, Vaasrand knew what the man was doing, acting unamused as if to trick Vaasrand to attack to soon, it didn’t work, Vaasrand approached with his blade raised in a defensive position, the man in black soon realized that Vaasrand wasn’t attacking, so he decided to, with his sword he attacked Vaasrand’s sword directly, perhaps trying to tire him before the kill, the blade slid of Vaasrand’s, the force slightly pushed Vaasrand back, the man in black used this to his advantage hitting Vaasrand in the gut with the pommel of his sword, Vaasrand staggered backwards, and the man in black didn’t relent, he jumped at Vaasrand with a speed rivalling even Vaasrand’s, aiming to thrust his sword in Vaasrand’s throat.
Vaasrand only just managed to parry in time, he swung his bastard sword around parrying the blade into the ground, the man in black’s jaw then smashed into Vaasrand’s shoulder knocking him to the ground, Vaasrand took the time to recompose himself, and was ready for round two.
The man in black grunted, picked up his sword, and backed away, as did Vaasrand, standing a few feet away from each other, they raised their blades, and charged, both men attacked simultaneously, a dance of thrusts, feints, and parries followed with lightning speed almost impossible to follow. The man in black had little trouble matching Vaasrand. This went on for what felt like hours.
“You’re good, who trained you?” said Vaasrand parrying another strike as he spoke, the man in black didn’t like to speak it seemed, “That is none of your concern” The man in black said emotionlessly, he slammed his blade down on Vaasrand. Vaasrand decided to dodge this attack, and side stepped letting the man’s blade hit the rough dirt, he followed with a pommel to the man’s face.
It hit, the man in black stumbled to the ground, rolling to his knees almost instantly as he fell, his mask was dripping with blood, so the man removed his mask before he spoke, “It seems I underestimated you” He said in a serious tone, with the mask of, his face was revealed, he was a good looking man, odd for an assassin, but with a chiselled jaw, defined chin, most females would probably flock for his attention, maybe, if he wasn’t a cunt. The man continued speaking, “However, that doesn’t mean you’ve won this battle, ready your blade, hunter.” The man in black then approached his blade, but Vaasrand was faster, with his bastard sword he raised it to the man’s throat.
“There is poison on that blade, if this fight is to continue, it will be fair.” Vaasrand said sternly, “Or, I can kill you now, your choice?” Vaasrand’s sword was still at the man’s throat awaiting an answer. The man’s face didn’t move even in front of death, he remained stoic, “You expect me to fight you unarmed, whilst you wield a sword?” asked the man in black.
“No, we will both fight unarmed, it is only fair.” Vaasrand stated, sheathing his sword whilst kicking the poisoned blade out of the way, both men prepared to fight, raising their fists, this was probably the fourth-round now were this a contest, but it was not, Vaasrand could have killed him but he was merciful, and he wanted to see how well this man stood in a fist fight.
Both men were tired after fighting for almost an hour, lasting that long was an achievement on its own. Luckily the man in black was just as tired as Vaasrand at this point, but still the fight commenced, Vaasrand accessed his opponent, he is well trained, and has armour, his weak spot would be the same as everyone else, it’s just a shame it was covered with armour, his neck was the only other spot worth hitting, aside from the face.
Vaasrand struck first, with the man in black throwing Vaasrand’s fist to the side, and smashing his fist, into Vaasrand’s face, Vaasrand staggered backwards, that was a hard hit, luckily it hit his cheekbone, but that didn’t make it hurt less, the man in black then charged Vaasrand, he missed as Vaasrand jumped out the way, but taking the hit would have been a better idea.
The man in black missed the tackle on Vaasrand, although he had something far better in front of him, his poisoned blade, but Eliora was holding it, the man in black didn’t care, and proceeded to snatch the blade from the girl, Vaasrand didn’t notice this and thought he was attacking Eliora.
Vaasrand charged at the man in black, to save Eliora from his attack, Vaasrand was just about to pummel him, when suddenly the man in black turned, and slashed a bit above Vaasrand’s left eyebrow, a cut that went deep, the poison kicked in almost instantaneously, Vaasrand howled in pain. Dragon’s Dream was the poison, causing excruciating pain for days on end, not only that but delusions kick in after a couple minutes, showing whatever you fear, or think.
Again, Vaasrand screamed in pain, the poison kills after three days, but the pain doesn’t stop until then, and the delusions get worse with the hour, luckily for Vaasrand the delusions had not started, yet.
Soon Eliora started screaming, as Vaasrand’s screams scared her, however the man in black was still there, watching Vaasrand crawl on his knees, screaming for help that would not come, the man smiled, and stared, his emerald green eyes haunting Vaasrand, “It’s time for the Serpent to sleep.” He said in an almost mocking tone, before long the man in black was of, like a dark shade zooming out of the impasse, then he vanished, like nothing.
“El…Eliora…I …ne-Argh!” the pain was almost insurmountable, but Vaasrand had to push on, for the girl, he wouldn’t leave her alone on his watch, Eliora immediately rushed over to Vaasrand, she tried to lift him up, but failed, he was far too heavy for her, after a few minutes Vaasrand found the strength to stand up, barely with his arm held by Eliora, they pushed on back to the bypass, still no sight of the assassin, they went past the cave and further down the path to Tiqui, from this point on Tiqui was about a half hour walk, hopefully Vaasrand could make it in time.
They kept going and after a while, Vaasrand spotted creatures dwelling in the forest, dark beings, otherworldly, wielding swords made of shadow, Vaasrand immediately unsheathed his sword in an act of desperation, he could not let them reach Eliora, they emerged out of the forest, pointing their dark swords right at Eliora and Vaasrand, they moved closer now and Vaasrand swung with one arm at the creatures, he tripped and fell. Eliora tumbling on top of him.
“What are you doing?” Eliora asked in a scared tone, “We…mu...must get out of here….they…have found us!” Vaasrand expressed in a tone of disbelief, Eliora got of Vaasrand and attempted to pull him up, she couldn’t so he just got up, “Who’s they, there’s no one here but us?” Eliora asked.
“The creatures….in the forest…we…must keep moving.” They kept walking now, getting closer to Tiqui, the creatures of darkness followed closely behind them, Vaasrand pushed Eliora faster, they were about three quarters there when the field changed, darkness, the dirt changed to darkness, the sky turned to black, and creatures of evil marched upon their location, from all sides, they were surrounded, even Vaasrand was terrified, he tried fighting them of but it was hopeless, they killed Eliora first, a black arrow through her temple, they marched in for Vaasrand with their black swords, slashing at his throat, he only marginally dodged a few of their blades, before they caved in on him, and butchered his body.
Then, a Dragon, out of nowhere, flew down from the sky coloured silver, mixed with gold, it saved them burning the army of evil, with its golden breath of fire, with the army went the sky and the ground, the sun could be seen again, and the dragon flew towards it, somehow, the dragon managed to save Eliora, she was up and ready again, they only had a few more steps until they reached Tiqui, Vaasrand opened the door.
Hah, now this part even reached the length limit, I see And well, it is not only the longest Vaasrand part, but also my favourite so far. You got a thing for great fighting scenes, from the one between Vaasrand and the basilisk, to him fighting against the assassins, that was really well-written. I especially enjoyed the second fight against that assassin, that was mightily fine. And well, it seems Vaasrand found his very own Ciri here I liked this dynamic between him and Eliora and I am glad that this final few paragraphs have (probably) only been a poison-induced hallucination. Well done, thank you very much for writing this!
“The creatures….in the forest…we…must keep moving.” They kept walking now, getting closer to Tiqui, the creatures of darkness followed close… morely behind them, Vaasrand pushed Eliora faster, they were about three quarters there when the field changed, darkness, the dirt changed to darkness, the sky turned to black, and creatures of evil marched upon their location, from all sides, they were surrounded, even Vaasrand was terrified, he tried fighting them of but it was hopeless, they killed Eliora first, a black arrow through her temple, they marched in for Vaasrand with their black swords, slashing at his throat, he only marginally dodged a few of their blades, before they caved in on him, and butchered his body.
Then, a Dragon, out of nowhere, flew down from the sky coloured silver, mixed with gold, it saved them burning the army of evil, with its golden breath of fire, with the army went the sky and the ground, the sun could be seen again, an… [view original content]
“The creatures….in the forest…we…must keep moving.” They kept walking now, getting closer to Tiqui, the creatures of darkness followed close… morely behind them, Vaasrand pushed Eliora faster, they were about three quarters there when the field changed, darkness, the dirt changed to darkness, the sky turned to black, and creatures of evil marched upon their location, from all sides, they were surrounded, even Vaasrand was terrified, he tried fighting them of but it was hopeless, they killed Eliora first, a black arrow through her temple, they marched in for Vaasrand with their black swords, slashing at his throat, he only marginally dodged a few of their blades, before they caved in on him, and butchered his body.
Then, a Dragon, out of nowhere, flew down from the sky coloured silver, mixed with gold, it saved them burning the army of evil, with its golden breath of fire, with the army went the sky and the ground, the sun could be seen again, an… [view original content]
You know, I really should have read this one more carefully. Here I was, having written down half an answer, before realizing you wish to wait for the alternative choices and what ifs XD But alright, I'll remain silent about this until then. It shouldn't take me too long to get to the end of the chapter, hopefully.
I mean if you really wanted too, heh. Sorry about that. The end of the chapter not taking too long? That's good! And bad? But good!
Romance you say? Hehehe, don't give me ideas I can assure you though, I actually haven't thought about anything like that before. That said, I think Kersea would actually very much be Leonard's type, in terms of looks and personality. A brunette, pretty in a "girl-next-door" kind of way, quiet, thoughtful and loyal, basically the polar opposite of the slutty type Leonard has been outright stated to hate. Of course, she's not a rich noblewoman, but then again, the only eligible bachelorette in a marriageable age in all of Raylansfair with a sufficient title would be Argella and she would probably feel insulted by the mere suggestion. After all he's been through, it is more likely that Leonard won't be that choosy. The problem here would be that he is probably not Kersea's type. After spending years around that abusive shitbag Clayton, she likely won't have much patience for his sarcasm or more jerkish qualities. That said, this action that might irritate you is not related to any romance. I actually think this action can't really be blamed at her, but your mileage may vary. One thing I can say is, it will happen in her very next part, which is going to be one of the key parts of the chapter.
Well, if you haven't thought of it, good. That means it probably won't happen, but yet again, that trial by combat will be happening because of reader suggestion (mine, shameless self-promotion) and you didn't think of that either. Sometimes us readers can influence events through means other than choices. I hope I didn't do so here. I hope there's no Jenna/Leonard, no Kersea/Leonard, no Raenna/Leonard, and no Rosalie/Leonard.
The "girl-next-door" description makes me think of Walking Dead comic Andrea, who is absolutely awesome. I'm not sure if you have ever read them, but if you did you probably know what I'm getting at, maybe even get some inspiration. It makes me want to like Kersea more, I refuse. Whatever action she plans on taking, maybe has to kill someone "good" to do something, I'm sure it'll irritate me.
It's interesting to note it, isn't it? I think you could make a pretty compelling case that of the main non-POV characters for Book 1, he is… more definitely a contender for number 1, at least in the top five. It's hard for me to think of other characters that are that present/important. The ones that come to mind are Wolfius, Harris, Harpy, Noelle, Terroma, Mullendore, and maybe even Argella or King Harren. Additionally, if we count POV characters he knew, he definitely knew Maester Eaton and I think he indicated he knew Richard. So there's even more. Yay?
Yes, undoubtedly, I would consider Leonard one of the most important non-PoV characters in Book 1. I have actually finished an article in the wiki recently, in which I give an overview of the major characters and in how many chapters they appear and out of the Non-PoV characters, there's only Leonard, Harris and Wolfius (whom I can confirm is going to appear in this chapter) who appeared… [view original content]
Hm. I wonder if telling Leonard about the wildfire will effect what Argella does with her soldiers...Drent especially...wildfire is probably something she would be concerned about...
The Voting is closed!
Kersea is going to tell Leonard about the Wildfire
You almost unanimously decided on this choice, which I almost… more expected. That said, this was an incredibly important choice with consequences you can't possibly foresee. The only reason this is not the most major choice in Kersea's storyline in this chapter will be because her next one is going to be even more crucial. I probably failed to bring up good arguments to keep it a secret, but basically, Kersea is afraid that anyone, Leonard for example, could mess up the already very dangerous situation at the lighthouse. Her next part will reveal if her worries are founded. And well, her next part is one of the most important parts of the entire chapter. Possibly, though your mileage may vary, even one of the most important parts in Book 1.
The next part is going to be out today, most likely at least. I'll still have some other stuff to do, but I am excited to write … [view original content]
Comments
Well, I certainly hope the pay-off is a lot of fighting. It is going to interesting to have all those characters in one spot. Probably confusing too. It's a shame Richard didn't go after Alan, those two could have been useful at the eastern gate too.
Well whoever they are, I'm excited. Maybe it's Irving, trying to do something to motivate himself. Regardless, I will pay the waiting game.
I hope so. Until then I am certainty going to be confused, but soon, soon all will be answered.
Hint, hint, wink, wink (probably not, heh)?
I forgot to mention in the first post, but hm. This indicates one thing to me, and one thing only that has been hinted at before. It might be true, it might not. I'm smarting to think it really is.
Well I'm glad the Donnel won't die immediately. At least we can all learn something and enjoy it in the story.
I hope Donnel and the Selwyns make fun for everyone, especially his "favorite" knight, Ser Leonard Constantine (barring that he is alive by then). I mean, with great men-at-arms like Byn, Ging, Pynce, and Rudi, how could he not save the day? Don't even get me started on his daughters...
[Escape with Taenora and Philip] First of all, as other readers pointed out, I doubt Ilish can do much in this situation. Second, knowing Wolfius and his history, I doubt that going after him will result in anything positive.
[Take Darren with you] Erm....... in the end, I think we're gonna need all the help we can get; trust issues and other problems aside.
I can assure you, I would never do that. He is a very enjoyable character, so it would be inexcusable to waste him. That would be so immature that it never even ocurred to me. On top of that, there's the good chance that by the time of Donnel's first appearance, I'll already have made a grudging peace with the idea of a President Trump, considering that he already seems to take back some of the views I disagreed with the strongest.
My god... why have I not thought about this before? His loyal men-at-arms, his family, I can totally see it. Oh, the potential
I should probably clarify that Richard is going after Alan in either way, as Alan's escape route is one of the few Richard can take without being seen by the bandits. However, now he is slowed down by carrying Hal, which makes it unlikely that he is going to catch up and holds the additional danger of him getting caught.
Hm, I am curious what thing you are talking about? Would you be willing to share this thought? Although I will probably not comment on it in detail, to avoid any spoilers, in the case you are right.
It makes me think more and more that Wolfius has some kind of connection to the beast. I mean, three scars, as if from a claw? I'm not sure what kind of melee weapon besides like a pitchfork or trident could do that, and Wolfius definitely did that.
It is very suspect. Ryler has a dog. Hm. Dogs are used for hunting...
Well if you ever want some more, shoot me a PM. I got a lot of clever names.
Ryler's dog is also the Westerosi equivalent of a wolfhound, which were used to hunt wolves.
The Voting is closed!
Ilish is going to go with Ryler and after Wolfius
Lucas is going to take Darren with him
I am really surprised by the first choice, as I never thought a majority would take the risk. Then again, it will probably be good for Ilish's storyline in general, even if it may not be the best for herself. Another negative point will be that I'm likely still not going to have a chance to introduce Taenora's friends, who are among the most colourful groups of characters, befitting of what is basically a group of circus performers. Ah, maybe there's still going to be time in the remaining two chapters for that, or maybe in Book 2 at latest. With Darren meanwhile, I was pretty sure you would take him along. This is going to influence a lot. And if a different choice would have been taken in another part earlier in this chapter, it would have had even bigger consequences.
Anyways, I will try my best to finish the part today. However, I will be rather busy the next few hours, which means I'm going to have, at most, about 4-5 hours in the evening to write, at least today, so if I don't manage to finish it by then, I reluctantly have to keep you waiting until tomorrow. That said, I don't wish to keep you waiting for much longer, especially for this part. It will be the start of Kersea's storyline in this chapter. She won't have the longest storyline, but probably one of the most action-packed and dramatic and the next part should already give you a glimpse of that. As you probably remember, the last time we have seen Kersea, Clayton effectively forced her to kill Lucas, which is a task she is currently going to prepare for. Yet, not everything is going to be that easy for her, as you're soon going to see.
I'll do that, thanks for the offer! I mean, it's still going to be some time until I can introduce Donnel, but when the time comes, I'll be sure to contact you!
Hm, that is an interesting theory. I think I have even heard it before and well, it is certainly not an impossible thought. I can at least confirm that Ryler's scars are indeed the result of claws and not from a pitchfork or trident.
Kersea
Lucas Flowers had companions with him, two knights and he rode inbetween them. He was thin, pale, the wounds that scarred his face were fresh. He had been through a lot. Perhaps more than her. And he deserved better. Kersea raised her bow. The arrow was shaking, her hand was shaking. She did not want to do this. She had to do this. For Briar... Just a little bit closer. They were on horseback, but riding slowly. From her position, leaning out of the window of a high house, she had a good view of the main street. A good view of her target. The only thing that made it hard was the shaking. Kersea took a deep breath.
“Kersea?”, a voice said behind her. She hadn't heard the footsteps. Hadn't heard the door. As such the voice startled her and it was only through sheer force of will that she did not fire the arrow. Her eyes widened, as she still focussed on her target. This was... she did not know what this was, but it couldn't be!
“Turn around, Kersea”, she said again, softly. She lowered her bow, missing what might have been her best chance to kill the target. Then she turned towards the voice. Instantly, her heart started to beat faster, her breaths became shorter. The bow fell out of her hands.
Raenna stood in the middle of the empty room, a gentle, hopeful smile on her beautiful face. Her hood was down, revealing the silver of her hair. Her lilac eyes widened as she looked Kersea right in the eyes and the smile faded. “Gods, what happened to you...?”, she mumbled. She took a step towards her, just as Kersea raised from the ground she had been kneeling on.
They approached each other and Raenna spread her arms. Instantly, Kersea fell into them, as tears formed in her eyes. She rested her head on Raenna's shoulders, as her fingers almost clawed into her friends' back. Raenna wrapped her arms around her, holding her closely, as one of her hands went through her hair. “Shhh...”, she whispered. “I'm here now”
“You were dead”, Kersea mumbled and the clear, vivid memory of Raenna falling down that cliff flashed through her mind. Raenna tensed up for a moment. “I did not die”, Raenna revealed. “I just... I left” Her hands rested on Kersea's shoulders, as she looked her in the eyes. “But I'm back now. I will never leave your side again”, she promised, before her smile returned. “And I'm not alone”
The look in Kersea's eyes, though clearer than before, grew slightly confused. “What do you...”, she started to say, before soft footsteps cut her off. A child yawned and Kersea's eyes widened, as she saw who was coming around the corner. “Kersea?”, Briar asked.
Her little sister had a pure, innocent smile on her face. As soon as Briar spotted her, her smile got wider and she started to run towards her, on her short legs. With a gasp, Kersea rushed towards her, as helpless tears streamed down her face. She grabbed the young girl, pressing her close towards her as she fell to her knees. Sobbing, she just held her, as joy overwhelmed her.
“Briar”, she sobbed. “Oh gods, oh gods” Briar pressed her little cheek at Kersea's and just having her close was enough to start mending the wounds of the last years. The joy almost hurt, as a smile formed on Kersea's face, wide, genuine, almost child-like. She put her hands onto Briar's cheeks and gave her a kiss onto the forehead, just as Briar put her hands onto her shoulders...
Her hands! Kersea's heart skipped a beat as she got a better look at her sister. Briar seemed unharmed. In fact, she was more cheerful than ever. She was crying, but they were clearly tears of joy. And her hands were both still there. Kersea's smile faded, as she slowly realized what Clayton did.
She glanced over her shoulder at Raenna, who smiled sweetly. “How long have you been travelling with her?”, she just asked and Raenna narrowed her eyes. “A little over a week”, she answered. “Why are you asking?” Kersea sighed. “It's Clayton”, she said and with her sister close, she was surprised how easy it sounded to finally speak about it. The pain, the humiliation, the fear and the grief, all of this was still there and she was not sure if it would ever truly go away, but right now, it felt easier. For the first time in many years, her heart was filled with joy. At the same time, she couldn't shut out the concern.
“He did this, he did all of this”, she sighed. “He lied to me!” Still having Briar pressed towards her, she slowly let go of the girl, as Raenna raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”, she asked and Kersea gulped. “Clayton he... he forced me...”, she started to stutter, though stopped, as it became too hard to actually say, with Briar so close. “He is going to murder someone”, she revealed. “One of the knights here in the city. The man who defends the southern gate” A grim, angry look appeared in her eyes. “I have to stop him”
Now, concern appeared on Raenna's face. “Kersea, you...”, she started, though Kersea cut her off. “No”, she whispered, still gently holding Briar in her arms. “A part of this is my fault. I...” She softly covered Briar's ear for a moment. “I killed people”, she revealed. “I did it for her, but now that she's safe... perhaps there is a way to make amends”
Raenna hesitated for a second. Pain was clearly visible on her usually stoic face. “Oh Kersea...”, she sighed, before she gave her a nod. “Then we stop him together” A smile formed on Kersea's face. She saw clearer now and it felt good. All of this. Briar, Raenna, her family. She felt whole again, at last. And relieved that she was finally free to do what she should have done a long time ago. The right thing for once.
Kersea smiled and looked back at her sister. “I missed you, Sweetbriar”, she said and hugged her closely once again. “I missed you too”, Briar whispered, tears of happiness in her voice. Kersea could remain this way forever, there was nothing she wanted more. But Clayton was her responsibility and she wouldn't allow him to destroy another life.
Then she noticed the men in the hallway. There were four of them. Two had the dark amber skin of the Ghiscari, with shorn heads and short beards, one of them being tall, but lean, while the other one was a hulking brute. The other two had pale skin, one of them with red hair and thick sideburns, the other one dark-haired, with wolfishly handsome features and piercing grey eyes. Behind them, she saw another girl, maybe two or three years older than Briar, with olive skin and dark brown hair. Her eyes were reddened from crying.
Before reacting, she threw a glance at Raenna, who smiled calmly. “Kersea, these are my companions”, she explained and gave the dark-haired man a nod. He bowed politely. “Greetings, mylady”, he said with more eloquence than she expected from his common attire. “My name is Brandon, this is Ando” He pointed at the Ghiscari. “These are Abbas and Bakr”
Kersea noted his accent, as she rose from the ground, a hand still on Briar's shoulder. “You're from the North?”, she asked and he nodded. “Indeed”, he answered, before he pointed at the other girl. “And this is Ellena Terys, from the Free City of Braavos”
“Hello...”, Ellena mumbled and Kersea recognized the look in her eyes. She had suffered a loss, not long ago. Before she could answer, Raenna interjected. “Davith?”, she asked and Brandon shook his head. “He left”, he explained. “Believes his friends are in the city, so he hurried to find them”
“Understandable”, Raenna said, before she and Kersea exchanged a look. “Kersea, are you sure about Clayton? You don't have to go” Kersea narrowed her eyes. “Then he is going to kill someone”, she stated. “I have to stop him” Now, Raenna shook her head. “You and Briar, you have been apart for so long”, she answered. “I want to stop him as well, I promised it. But I can do it on my own...”
Instantly, Kersea cut her off. “Out of question”, she hissed and looked at her little sister. It broke her heart, but she knew what she had to do. “We've been apart for so long. Just a few more hours and we'll remain together for the rest of our lives” Briar's face lit up and in her eyes, Kersea saw a sort of maturity that surprised, even scared her. She wondered how her sister had changed in the past years, though now was not the time to find it out. Reluctantly, she looked at the dark-haired man, Brandon, then back at Raenna. “Do you trust these men?”, she asked and Raenna nodded without hesitation.
“Good”, she continued and sent Brandon a stern glare. “You will watch over my sister until we return” The man gave her a nod. “I will protect her”, he swore and she believed him. Then, Kersea turned to Briar once again. Tears welled up in her eyes as the girl smiled at her. “You stay with Brandon and the others. They will protect you. I will return soon”, she promised.
Briar's smile turned into a grin. “Okay!”, she said. “I like them. Ando is nice” Then she stumbled forwards and hugged Kersea. “Please stay safe”, she whispered and Kersea felt a lump in her throat. “I will”, she promised. It cost her a lot of willpower to separate from her little sister again, after just being reunited with her. But she had to do this.
As she turned to Raenna, she saw that the woman had reached for her knife. Kersea recognized the weapon. “I would have died if not for you”, Raenna said, as she held it towards her, hilt first. “I never got a chance to give it back” Kersea smiled, as she reached for the hilt. Then, she put both of her hands around Raenna's. “It has always been a part of me”, she said and a sweet smile formed on Raenna's face. “Come on then. Let's save a life for once”
When they left the house, Kersea felt terrible. Briar remained, in the presence of strangers. Raenna trusted them and that was enough, but it didn't make this any easier. “You know the way?”, the silver-haired woman asked an Kersea nodded. Silently, they started to move, though just as they had crossed the street, Kersea broke the silence again.
“You... saved her all on your own?”, she asked. “For me?” Raenna shook her head. “I did it for you”, she explained. “But not alone. The Old Man, he was with me, he...” She paused and just for a moment, Kersea saw the same pain she had seen on Ellena's face. “This was his idea. He did most of the work and he...” She paused and Kersea knew what this meant. Wordlessly, she hugged her friend and Raenna blinked away the tears. “He died, only hours ago. He saved Ellena and Briar”, she revealed, before she sighed. “There is so much I have to tell you. So much I want to know, but now...”
“Right”, Kersea said, as she let go of her again. “Now we're going to stop Clayton” They continued in silence, quickly making their way through the city, as Kersea tried to process everything that just happened. Briar was here again, she was safe and Kersea was finally free to do what she should have done so long ago. And the Old Man was dead...
It was a terrible mixture of emotions. Shock, joy, sorrow, but mostly, determination. She would laugh, she would cry, but only when this was all over. Then, they would leave this city. Return home. She and Briar and Raenna... and Alysanne. It sent a sting through Kersea's heart, as she thought how her friends would get along. Neither had been fond of the other, back when they still worked together. And Alysanne's reaction was what concerned Kersea the most. But this was a worry for a later time. Right now...
She grabbed Raenna's arm, pointing down the main street, as she pulled her friend into an alleyway, to make sure they would stay out of sight. “There”, she said. The knight was marching down the street, three men with him. He was younger than Kersea expected, perhaps only one or two years older than her, with reddish-brown hair and a stern face. “He's marching away from the gate. That's either very good, or very bad for us”, she stated. “And Clayton?”, Raenna asked.
It didn't take her long to spot him as well. She knew Clayton, knew how he operated and she knew, someone like Alysanne would have went for the kill already. Not Clayton though. He wanted a big entrance. He was crouching on top of a roof and at first, she thought he would just shoot the knight. But then she saw the light green vial in his hands. “Oh shit...”, she mumbled, as Clayton threw the vial of wildfire down, in front of Leonard and his companions.
It exploded as it hit the ground, sending the knight and the guardsmen flying. Green fire illuminated the street and the nightly sky, a deafening bang echoed through the city. Two men died immediately, as the fire consumed them. The shockwave was enough to force Leonard to the ground in his heavy armour and the light was blinding enough to stun him, while ghastly green flames blazed all around him. Having done this, Clayton quickly climbed down the building, almost jumping, as he pulled out his longsword.
The fire barely seemed to bother him, as he approached the downed knight. Leonard struggled to get back to his feet, but one of his men was faster, the last one that had actually survived the explosion. Without even hesitating, Clayton grabbed his arm, before embedding his sword in the man's side. Letting go of the dying body, he focussed on the knight again, with a satisfied smile on his face. “So then, Leonard Constantine”, he said politely. “How do you wish to die?”
“Wha...”, Leonard stuttered, pressing a hand onto his shoulder, his face a grimace of agony. Kersea did not wait for Clayton to attack. While he approached Leonard, she rushed at him. His own position was her advantage, as he had his back turned on her. “Well?”, Clayton asked, as he raised his blade.
Just in that moment, Kersea had reached him. He heard her coming too late to evade her strike, but fast enough to spin around and to deflect the strike of her knife. Instead of plunging it into his ribs, she only manage to give him a minor cut across the forearm, though it was still enough to make him stagger. Paired with the force she had built up while running, he stumbled to the ground, with her on top.
Kersea let out a growl of pure hatred, as she raised her dagger, to push it into his head. Reacting quickly, Clayton gave her a punch to the side, pushing her away from him as her dagger scratched across the ground. Then he pushed her upwards, as he rolled back and away from her. Shock and confusion was visible on his face. “Kersea?”, he asked. “What...?”
“You bastard!”, she spat, her voice almost distorted with hatred. “I know what you did! The lies you told me! Was she ever in danger?” She waited for a second, before she narrowed her eyes. “ANSWER ME!”, she screamed at him, as Clayton's heavy breathing slowly calmed down. “Took you long enough to figure it out”, he gasped, with a cold smirk on his face. “With this, my love, our time comes to an end”
His first strike came quickly, but she knew how he fought. She jumped back, out of reach, before she pushed forwards again as the blade passed her. His sword jolted back and he parried her knife, but not her closed fist, as she heavily punched him into the face. It was a strong, angry punch and caused him to groan. His next strike was not very precise and she easily evaded it.
Just in this moment, Raenna reached him. His eye widened as he noticed her presence. He spun around trying to deflect the blade, though she still managed to give him a nasty cut right across the chest. Clayton staggered back, as he recognized her. “You...”, he stuttered, before anger flared up in his single eye. “You should have been dead!”
He attacked, focussing on Raenna first, though Kersea's attack forces him to parry both in rapid succession. He blocked Kersea's blade, though once again she gave him a heavy punch against the jaw. He parried Raenna's strike, though she kicked him against the knee. And then, Leonard managed to rise from the ground.
Clayton only needed a moment to realize that the situation had turned against him. His cold smirk reappeared, as he reached into his pocket. Kersea instantly noticed what he was doing, as a familiar, green glow was visible in his hands. “Get down!”, she barked, as she jumped towards the knight, with the intention to push him to the ground.
The master assassin turned towards Leonard and threw the second vial of Wildfire, just as Kersea bumped into the man. It came as a surprise that he was too steadfast to be pushed down, perhaps out of stubbornness, perhaps because the weight of his armour alone exceeded hers. But he was quick to react. As he saw the green vial, he grabbed her upper arms, pushing her around and behind him, as he turned his back towards the explosion, effectively shielding her.
In his hurry, Clayton had thrown the vial too low and it exploded not directly in front of the knight, but a few metres away from him. This in turn saved both of their lives, though she shockwave was still enough to send Leonard too his knees and Kersea with him. Then, Clayton turned towards Raenna. He parried one of her strikes, before he gave her a quick, yet heavy strike with the pommel of his sword, right against her forehead, which caused her to stagger to the ground. Having sent the last of his opponents to the ground, he threw a quick glance at Kersea and Leonard, before he turned around and fled, into the direction of the lighthouse.
Instantly, Kersea jumped up and rushed towards Raenna, who was already stumbling back to her feet. “It's alright”, she gasped, putting two fingers onto the bleeding wound on her forehead. “I'm alright” Kersea sighed in relief, as she rested her hands on her friends' shoulder. Then, she looked at Leonard, who was just. “Are you okay as well?”
The knight mustered both women, as a small smirk formed on his face. “Well, now I am”, he said and Kersea narrowed her eyes. “Wha...”, she started, though Raenna cut her off, by giving her a nudge with the elbow. “Right...”
Leonard looked around, at the dead guardsmen and the green flames that still burned. “What exactly did just happen?”, he asked and Kersea pressed her lips together. “We saved your life”, she answered and he gave her a nod. “I saw that”, he stated. “But who was that man? And was that... wildfire?”
She looked towards the lighthouse in the distance, on the hill just outside of the city. “His name is Clayton. He is the one who murdered your lord and the maester”, she explained and Leonard frowned. “This bastard...”, he growled, as he turned to the direction Clayton ran off to. Before he was able to follow, Kersea held him back. “No!”, she said sternly. “This is my fight. You have your own”
Leonard sighed, as he gave her a nod. “Right”, he agreed. “I need to get to the castle, to gather more men. We need reinforcements here at the southern gate” He hesitated for a second. “You're going to deal with him?”, he asked.
“Yeah. He is my responsibility”, Kersea stated. Leonard gave her a short smile. “Well, anyways, you have my gratitude. For this, I mean”, he said, before he clenched his fists. “You know, I don't even know who you are”
“I am not your enemy”, Kersea answered and Leonard shook his head. “With all respect, that is a crappy name”, he said and extended his hand. “I'm Leonard” Kersea gulped and waited for a second, before she shook his hand. “Kersea”, she introduced herself.
“Thank you, Kersea”, Leonard said and let go of her. Kersea glanced up at the lighthouse. Clayton would go back there. Alysanne was there as well. And the wildfire. He was a threat, a big one. Perhaps she should tell the knight about it, so that he could prepare, so that he could make sure the wildfire would be safe even if she would fail. Then again, the last thing she wanted was anyone messing up what would follow. Perhaps keeping it a secret was the wiser idea.
[Tell him about the wildfire] [Keep it a secret]
[Tell him about the wildfire]
Ah yes. Good, good. Excellent. Ser Leonard Constantine avoids death yet again.
Leonard would be pissed if she kept something like that from him. I'm sure he would be willing to let it slide considering what just occurred.
Another POV with Leonard. He has to have been in like 5 of these. He definitely has met more POV characters than that though. Not sure if any character has been in or met that many. Hail to the knight, baby.
An this makes a lot more sense being the first part with the 'Next time...'. I think I guessed Kersea being the POV for this part a while ago, if so, kudos for me for another stellar prediction. I wonder if we will see Leonard at the south gate. Not sure who would be the POV there though. I bet Lucas would have died or been seriously injured if we buried Terroma. Leonard would probably still live, not sure about Lucas though.
Well there's a character I hate less. Or perhaps, dare I say, I don't hate at all. I don't want to say that seeing as it has only been one part, but ah what the heck. Kersea may have graduated InGen's hate list. Raenna also has improved.
Noelle, who we mysterious did not see, had that prediction. Looks like we proved it wrong (for now).
So I think this is how the Leonard-Argella scene happens, Drent a POV character for that? Maybe.
[Tell him about the wildfire]
[Tell him about the wildfire] We need to secure the wildfire and begin to burn down the Ironborn longboats, or use them against the gate attackers. Plus, it is about time the wildfire gets back into the hands of Raylainsfair.
[Keep it a secret]
[Tell him about the wildfire]
[Tell him about the wildfire]
OH MY GOSH! I thought Leonard literally died when he shielded Kersea. Thankfully he still lives.
I swear I fear for Alysanne's live more every time Kersea gets a new part, especially now that she's turned on Clayton.
About this choice, is it endangering Alysanne in any way? I'm not asking for spoilers I'm just confused by the "He was a threat" comment.
[Tell him about the wildfire]
[Tell him about the wildfire]
Man this chapter should be titled "Leonard's worst day ever"
[Tell him about the wildfire]
This was a great part! Good to see Kersea and Raenna working together, though I have a feeling that Kersea will bite it later during this chapter.
You know, I think that is actually true. He has been in PoV's from Lucas, Samantha, Willfred, Jenna, Kersea and he also encountered Raenna and John. There is also that other scene from the preview involving him, so yeah, it seems he has met the most PoV's.
I think you guessed it indeed. And well, told you it would make more sense now. You are right though, if you would have buried Terroma, then Kersea would have shot Lucas in this part, although her shaking hands would have caused her to miss any vital spot. Instead, she would have only injured him. However, depending on a following choice, Darren Tallwood could have died when confronting her, so all in all, leaving Terroma was the more pragmatic choice for sure.
Oh, now that's pretty great. I mean, this entire chapter is basically Kersea's shot at redemption, after the stuff she has been forced to do in the previous chapters, so I was hoping that she would leave some hate lists, at least with those who still disliked her. After this part, she is at least trying her best to be one of the good guys for a change. That said, there is going to be one action in this chapter that might still be a bit controversial, depending on how you feel about one particular situation in her next part.
That's true, Noelle's vision seems to have been proven false, since Kersea hasn't killed Lucas and since she is very unlikely to kill him now. Depending on your choice with Terroma, she could have ended up killing Darren though, therefore technically fulfilling Noelle's prophecy regardless. That said, this would have required that a majority of you would deliberatly vote for a choice that would hav pretty obviously ended with his death, so it was one of the lesser likely alternative choices either way.
This is highly likely, yes. The PoV in that scene was at least familiar with both, Argella and Tariel, so currently, Drent and Willfred are the most likely options.
Haha, it was a close call for him, this is true. If Clayton would have thrown the wildfire differently, it is possible that Leonard would have died. Now however, his armour shielded him from the worst part of the explosion. It wasn't a strong explosion either, though Kersea, without her armour, would have risked heavy wounds or death. So, Leonard did think quickly here and saved her life, although it was her quick reaction that saved his live in return.
That is understandable. Alysanne is always the more reckless of the two. However, there is no love between her and Clayton and she has made it clear that she would stand on Kersea's side in such a confrontation. The problem is just that Alysanne and Raenna really did not get along. Alysanne had always been envious of Raenna and was genuinely happy about her apparent death, so Kersea is highly nervous how she is going to take the news of her survival. Even though she is changing for the better, she is still highly clingy and possessive, so Kersea expects some sort of friction between her friends.
Hm, the comment about the threat is solely referring to Clayton, who has a large amount of wildfire and is steadily losing control over himself. Alysanne meanwhile is always a wildcard and considering that she is not the most stable person, Kersea can't say for sure how she would react to the situation in its entirety. If things get out of hand, Alysanne is unlikely to make it easier. As for the choice, it is likely that it will affect the characters from Kersea's storyline in some capacity. She can't really be sure how Leonard would react to the news about the wildfire. It is also possible that one outcome of this choice is going to endanger Alysanne, or other characters from that storyline. That's all I really can say about this choice. I'm sorry, I would love to reveal more, but I am too afraid I would accidentally reveal something major.
His worst day ever? I'm actually not even sure if this is his worst day so far
The day where Lunett and Dairon got killed, Lucas got abducted and tortured and he got brutally stabbed through the leg by Jaylon hasn't been that great either. That said, I failed to think of a character for whom this day doesn't suck and considering all the bad days in his life, this one is undoubtedly among the Top 3 for Leonard.
[Tell him about the wildfire]
Well.. what just- Clayton. It was.. My mind is not prepared at this point.
But regardless, I'd think it for the best that we tell him. Great part!
He also had his bad experience at the Red Lake.
Probably that, the one you mentioned, and the current day are his top 3. I do think Harris has having the worst day currently.
Now his best day ever? I can't think of one.
Edited in a choice.
Indeed, this is Leonard's personal Top 3 of bad days. Although the Red Lake incident from his backstory is currently only taking the third place, because at least back then, none of his friends died or got into mortal danger. Though you are right, Harris is having the worst day right now, although it has gotten slightly better now that Lucas gave him a chance to fight for Raylansfair.
As for good days... well, in the proper story there happened remarkably few genuinely good days for Leonard, come to think of it. Then again, the same goes for most PoV's, aside from Jaron, arguably, who got his fair share of pretty crappy days as well. Perhaps it is time for something honestly good to happen to someone. Unfortunately, it won't be in this chapter, which could easily be titled "Everyone's worst day ever", aside from Cleaver Clint of course, who is having the time of his life right now...
Entertaining part
loved the battle between all of the characters. Glad Leonard is alright as well as Raenna, things didn't seem too good for a moment. Also, fuck Clayton always. I'm glad Kersea stood up to that asshole.
[Tell him about the wildfire]
He should definitely know what it is.
It's interesting to note it, isn't it? I think you could make a pretty compelling case that of the main non-POV characters for Book 1, he is definitely a contender for number 1, at least in the top five. It's hard for me to think of other characters that are that present/important. The ones that come to mind are Wolfius, Harris, Harpy, Noelle, Terroma, Mullendore, and maybe even Argella or King Harren. Additionally, if we count POV characters he knew, he definitely knew Maester Eaton and I think he indicated he knew Richard. So there's even more. Yay?
On a similar point, thinking about it, Leonard has appeared a lot in this chapter. I know it's begun only fairly recently though. Maybe it is just the ways the parts are being set up currently, the POV's aligning, maybe it's because before it would be weeks or even months before we saw some characters and seeing one in several different POVs throws me off, or maybe it is nothing.
Well, glad we didn't vote that. Darren confronting her depending on a later choice? I suppose that means that he would have to find her after the Leonard debacle, interesting. I wonder if we killed Noelle if we would have inevitably went down this path, with Lucas' injury and Darren's death. Wait, don't tell me! I'll wait it out to the alternate choices and what ifs.
Hm. I am curious to find out what that will be. I do know that if there is any Kersea/Leonard romance I will hate her again. Otherwise unless she does something that really irritates me she should be fine...for now.
I do hope it's Drent personally, although that might be a little difficult considering what he was going through earlier. Again tying into Leonard being in so many different POV parts is that it helps show him in different lights, and I like that, it leads to more full character development. I think different opinions and insights into a character makes them seem a little more lifelike. Wilfred is fine I guess. I wouldn't mind seeing him and Leonard or Drent and Leonard or all three of them battling the attackers. I'm not sure if Drent would able to influence something like what is being discussed there as much as Wilfred would. Hm. We'll find out in probably the next 5 parts who it was.
[Tell him about the wildfire]
WAIT A SEC was it mentioned earlier in the story? If it was then I'm the dumbest person ever.
Yes, undoubtedly, I would consider Leonard one of the most important non-PoV characters in Book 1. I have actually finished an article in the wiki recently, in which I give an overview of the major characters and in how many chapters they appear and out of the Non-PoV characters, there's only Leonard, Harris and Wolfius (whom I can confirm is going to appear in this chapter) who appeared in every chapter including the current one. And you are right, he certainly knew Eaton and he also mentioned that he is familiar with Richard, even if he hasn't shared a scene with either in the actual story.
It's true, Leonard has appeared in quite a number of PoV's in this chapter. That said, he is probably going to be a bit less involved in the second half of the chapter, but he was crucial to set up several important events. Still, it shouldn't be weeks or months until you see him again, as he is still majorly involved in this second half as well, just in less storylines.
You know, I really should have read this one more carefully. Here I was, having written down half an answer, before realizing you wish to wait for the alternative choices and what ifs XD But alright, I'll remain silent about this until then. It shouldn't take me too long to get to the end of the chapter, hopefully.
Romance you say? Hehehe, don't give me ideas
I can assure you though, I actually haven't thought about anything like that before. That said, I think Kersea would actually very much be Leonard's type, in terms of looks and personality. A brunette, pretty in a "girl-next-door" kind of way, quiet, thoughtful and loyal, basically the polar opposite of the slutty type Leonard has been outright stated to hate. Of course, she's not a rich noblewoman, but then again, the only eligible bachelorette in a marriageable age in all of Raylansfair with a sufficient title would be Argella and she would probably feel insulted by the mere suggestion. After all he's been through, it is more likely that Leonard won't be that choosy. The problem here would be that he is probably not Kersea's type. After spending years around that abusive shitbag Clayton, she likely won't have much patience for his sarcasm or more jerkish qualities. That said, this action that might irritate you is not related to any romance. I actually think this action can't really be blamed at her, but your mileage may vary. One thing I can say is, it will happen in her very next part, which is going to be one of the key parts of the chapter.
It's true, that is one thing why I consider Leonard to be such a developed character, since I get the chance to show many different sides of him. With Lucas, he is more friendly and familiar, so some sides of his personality can only be brought out in the presence of other PoV's. When it comes to Drent's influence, Argella considers him a friend by now, so she would certainly at least listen to whatever he has to say on a situation. But you will see in one of the next parts indeed
This has indeed been mentioned before
I even think it has been outright stated in some of Kersea's earlier parts, not just hinted at. Clayton was the assassin in the prologue, the man who poisoned Lord Raylan and then murdered Maester Eaton. Septon Corbin assisted him during this, by allowing him to get close to the lord for a long time, to steadily poison him. Although that information wasn't exactly the most major so far, only mentioned in a couple of secondary sentences, so you probably just overlooked it.
The Voting is closed!
Kersea is going to tell Leonard about the Wildfire
You almost unanimously decided on this choice, which I almost expected. That said, this was an incredibly important choice with consequences you can't possibly foresee. The only reason this is not the most major choice in Kersea's storyline in this chapter will be because her next one is going to be even more crucial. I probably failed to bring up good arguments to keep it a secret, but basically, Kersea is afraid that anyone, Leonard for example, could mess up the already very dangerous situation at the lighthouse. Her next part will reveal if her worries are founded. And well, her next part is one of the most important parts of the entire chapter. Possibly, though your mileage may vary, even one of the most important parts in Book 1.
The next part is going to be out today, most likely at least. I'll still have some other stuff to do, but I am excited to write and won't have to go to university tomorrow, so I'll probably have the time to finish it as well. Emphasis on probably. This next part will mark the beginning of Drent's storyline in this chapter, which is one of the storylines I'm really looking forward for. I originally have thought about writing a part for Maya and Alys, but I ultimately decided to give them the part after this next one instead. Meanwhile, Willfred, Lyria and Samantha are probably entirely pushed to the second half of the chapter, although their storylines will still be very important.
However, before this next part is going to be out, there's a special part coming up again. @Arrodor has written the third part of his Vaasrand series and I hope you all enjoy it
The Serpent and The Slave: Part 3: The Shadow Men
Backwards, Vaasrand had to go back, who knows what that was, he dashed back fast through the bushes, faster than before, the trees were nothing for him, then the scream sounded again, Vaasrand picked up his pace, and finally he emerged, the sun burning bright against his face.
It was his zorse, shredded in half, a gruesome sight, the entrails dragged across the ground, the zorse was not dead, it crawled towards Vaasrand, on two front legs, crying in pain, shaking uncontrollably, its yelps were indistinguishable. Vaasrand felt horrible, his sword was already unsheathed, and with it he mercy killed his zorse, the head came clean of, the zorse could finally rest.
Through all that he had not noticed the little girl standing to his far right, she looked terrified, it was her scream that called him, why was she here, for a second he forgot about his zorse, and called out to her. “Hey, what are you doing here?” he said in a stern voice, the girl didn’t respond, he sheathed his sword before approaching, as if he didn’t already frighten her, this was a mistake, since he was focused on the girl he forgot about his dead zorse, and what attacked it. A loud growl could be heard in the bushes, this grabbed Vaasrand’s attention.
The beast let out another loud growl before it charged him.
Vaasrand turned quickly, and started unshea-
But he wasn’t quick enough, the Basilisk pounded on him knocking Vaasrand to the ground, this stunned Vaasrand and he lost his sword as they struggled to the ground.
Vaasrand’s head smashed into the dirt, his vision blurred, but that did not stop him, the basilisk was on top of him now, it’s jaws viciously snapping at him, he held it tight into a bear hug, the basilisk was strong and almost managed to break the hug, but before that Vaasrand let three quick knees into the Basilisks gut, this damaged it, but it got more aggressive than before.
The Basilisks claws dug deep into Vaasrand, after a while it damaged him enough to loosen his grip, Vaasrand quickly released the Basilisks head, and lifted it by the stomach, slamming it into the ground, dodging a bite as he does this.
He proceeded to beat down the Basilisks already weakened gut with his right fist, holding down the Basilisk with his left, this managed to heavily wound the beast, but also enraged it.
Vaasrand pulled out the dagger from his boot ready to kill the basilisk, as he was pulling it out, the basilisk jumped at him, he didn’t even move as the basilisk jumped right into the blade, it stared deep into his yellow eyes right before he pulled out the dagger.
The Basilisk fell to the ground lifeless, its blood blending into the dirt, Vaasrand shook the dirt out of his silver hair, and proceeded to grab his sword, before he noticed another basilisk, and the girls screams, louder than before, the basilisk was charging at her, she started running backwards, Vaasrand had to do something, so he did.
Vaasrand threw his dagger with frightening speed and pierced one of the basilisk’s legs deeply, the basilisk grunted in pain, and turned to Vaasrand.
It charged at him with gnawing jaws, Vaasrand had already grabbed his sword at this point.
Vaasrand too began charging, they would’ve met halfway, had the basilisk not jumped so much, it attacked first, Vaasrand effortlessly dodged, and stabbed it in the back of the head, twisting as he did this, it’s blood pouring out of this killing wound, it died.
He cleaned his blade putting the basilisks blood into a vial, and wrapped the vial around his waist alongside many others, his suspicions were confirmed, someone was tampering with the bodies, he sheathed his sword, expecting no more trouble, he turned his attention to the girl, she was still there looking more terrified than before, he approached her benevolently, she was still visibly frightened of him, understandable, she was small, very small, only reaching Vaasrand’s waist, with olive skin, and beautiful amber eyes, she had brown long hair and an oval shaped face, a very pretty little girl, well fed, and clean to, odd since they were out in the forest, he spoke first.
“Are you alright?” He asked in a calm tone, she didn’t respond, she rather stared into his eyes, growing less frightened by the minute it seemed.
“Where is your Father? Mother?” He asked again in a calm tone, she shrugged, “Tiqui is nearby, how about I take you there?” she shrugged again, she was shy, or still frightened, either way she followed, but she grabbed his hand to hold it, Vaasrand pulled away, he didn’t expect that, he seemed to frighten her as he pulled away, so he held out his hand for her to grab onto it, she did, she had small hands really only grabbing his ring and little finger, but he let her, since she was visibly more comfortable this way.
They started heading north to Tiqui, Vaasrand spotted the fire again, it was more smoke now, he couldn’t go to look with the girl by his side, maybe he’d come back, they continued north, together, on foot, which was dangerous if they were attacked, the trees blocked a lot of view, so they couldn’t see much, but Vaasrand had his senses, not much was going on right now, so he focused his attention on the girl.
“You haven’t said your name?” he asked in an attempted sweet voice, she looked at him, “Eliora” she said in a soft voice, “And yours?” he looked down at her and responded with a soft voice, “Vaasrand of Lys.”
“So you’re from Lys, I’ve never been there, I’m from Braavos myself.” She said looking a lot more comfortable than before, her eloquence surprised Vaasrand, and so did her being out here, it was very suspicious, “Yes, I’m from Lys. Why are you out here? Where are your parents?” she looked away, and didn’t respond, Vaasrand didn’t relent, “When I ask a question you answer, Alright.” He told her sternly, a look of disobedience was on her face, Vaasrand stopped as she was only a child, so they continued silently, with only the birds around them making noise, not much happened on their way north so Vaasrand had time to think.
He planned to take this girl to Tiqui, maybe find her parents there or at least find someone to care for her, then he would talk to the acting prince, Mayran Sorris, a big tub of lard that man, but well-informed about the contract, out of all the people in Tiqui he knew the most about the basilisks, and he was by far the most intelligent in the region, a great advisor who could seriously help Vaasrand with this contract, he didn’t have much else to do there, they did have a fight club, maybe he’d stop there, he was always good with his fists, and he liked free coin, he thought about Marion, and what she could be doing at this time, and if she was the alchemist, he didn’t want to think about her like this, but he had been betrayed before and was prepared to be again.
“I’m sorry” the girl said “My parents aren’t here anymore, only my brother is” she looked very sad while saying this “I’m sorry, if I hurt your feelings.” She finished while looking at the ground, “It’s fine” said Vaasrand in a somewhat comforting voice. “Do you know where your brother is, by any chance?” the girl looked up at Vaasrand, “Yea, he’s here, somewhere.”
“Well, I am sure we will find him.” Vaasrand said with a forced smile, they kept moving but the walk was still long so they had plenty time to talk, “What is it you do? Why are you out here?” the girl asked inquisitively, Vaasrand didn’t respond immediately, since he wasn’t sure how to explain this to a little girl, “I, help people.” Vaasrand said, nodding, the girl had an intrigued look on her face, “Like you did back there, you helped me by stopping those things?” she raised an eyebrow, “Well, yes, if you look at it that way, yes I did help you.” Vaasrand said in a soft tone, he couldn’t help himself, he had to ask, “How did you get out here?” he asked her, she looked at him before answering, her amber eyes meeting his yellow ones, it felt strange to get such a deep look from a child, “I got lost, thankfully you found me, those things would have surely gotten me otherwise.”
Vaasrand was still intrigued how she got here in the first place, “Yes. Who was with you, surely you weren’t alone, was it your brother?” he asked her, she seemed annoyed by all these questions Vaasrand was asking her, “You ask a lot of questions, but you will see soon, probably.” She finished, focusing on the path to Tiqui, she spoke incredibly well for a child, and what did she mean by that, see soon, an odd answer, they continued silently.
By now they had reached a bypass, a cave could be spotted nearby, which frightened Eliora, she tightened her grip on Vaasrand’s hand, and pulled him to the left side of the bypass away from the cave, Vaasrand smiled at this, they kept moving but soon reached an impasse, trees covered their path so they had to turn back, and then Vaasrand heard it, footsteps, very soft ones, but something was creeping up on them.
“Get behind me girl, somethings found us.” He whispered to Eliora, Eliora followed his command, as soon as she was behind him Vaasrand unsheathed his sword, and turned to spot three men, covered head to toe in black robes, with hoods covering their heads, and black masks covering their cheeks and noses, only their eyes were visible, the leader (presumably) was up a tree sitting on one of the branches, staring at Vaasrand with secretive emerald green eyes, as if he were accessing Vaasrand, he wore the same as the other two but he had armour mixed with his robes, chainmail, pauldrons, vambraces and a chest guard, this would be a tough fight, but it seemed he had to fight the two on foot first.
They had shortswords, but no armour, similar to Vaasrand, they only had their robes, which meant they should be able to match Vaasrand’s speed, if only they could. Eliora was still behind him but they seemed to focus on Vaasrand, which was good.
Two against one, Vaasrand didn’t excel at killing humans, but he was trained to fight them, they struck first simultaneously, from left and right, with Eliora behind him this proved hard to dodge, so he parried both swords, and jumped in between them, as if Vaasrand and the two had switched positions, now he had more space to fight, although they were right in front of Eliora, and could have attacked her had they wanted, they didn’t and proceeded on Vaasrand, this time only the man on the right attacked, this was a mistake, as Vaasrand used this against them, while the shortsword swung at Vaasrand he parried and forced it to hit the man on the left, it cut his arm deeply, the man screamed loudly, then growled.
whilst they were distracted Vaasrand swung his bastard sword back and sliced the right man’s throat, the cut went deep nearly cutting his head off, the man fell, breathless.
Now all that remained was the man with the damaged arm, he was nervous, and exhausted, clearly unfit to be an assassin, the man charged and Vaasrand dodged, while simultaneously cutting the man’s sword-wielding hand right off, his hand was gone, he had no sword since it fell with his hand, the man fell to the ground in pain, shaking uncontrollably, having some sort of fit, Vaasrand finished him quickly, putting his blade through the man’s heart, looking away as he does this.
The two were dead so Vaasrand removed their masks, and saw they were only boys, fourteen at most, this disturbed Vaasrand, making them fight so young is cruel, but assassins are rarely merciful.
Vaasrand checked on Eliora, “You’re not hurt, are you?” she shook her head, and pointed behind Vaasrand. It was the leader, standing there stoically, he was tall, only a little shorter than Vaasrand but still about to kill Vaasrand, or try to. His emerald gaze pierced deep into Vaasrand’s soul, his sword was already unsheathed, as was Vaasrand’s, Vaasrand returned the gaze, their stare down didn’t last long before the assassin spoke.
“Vaasrand of Lys. The legendary Silver Serpent, hunter of beasts, and, as it seems, killer of men.” The assassins face didn’t move as he spoke, he just said the words, and continued his stare, “I’m not here for the girl, if that’s what you were wondering, just you.” He pointed his sword at Vaasrand, with poison dripping down the blade, was this the alchemist, that had tampered with the basilisks?
“Why are you here, who put a bounty on my head?” Vaasrand asked sternly, the man in black took a moment to respond, “You’ll be dead soon, so that doesn’t matter” the man removed his hood, but kept the mask, now his hair was visible, it was raven black, and just touched his neck, it went well with his eyes, surprising to see an assassin so well groomed.
“Very well, I’ll kill you if I must, and for these boys, that you made attack me.” Vaasrand said sternly, Vaasrand raised his sword, with two hands he pointed it at the man in black, ready for a fight, the man in black didn’t move, he just looked at Vaasrand with a blank stare, Vaasrand knew what the man was doing, acting unamused as if to trick Vaasrand to attack to soon, it didn’t work, Vaasrand approached with his blade raised in a defensive position, the man in black soon realized that Vaasrand wasn’t attacking, so he decided to, with his sword he attacked Vaasrand’s sword directly, perhaps trying to tire him before the kill, the blade slid of Vaasrand’s, the force slightly pushed Vaasrand back, the man in black used this to his advantage hitting Vaasrand in the gut with the pommel of his sword, Vaasrand staggered backwards, and the man in black didn’t relent, he jumped at Vaasrand with a speed rivalling even Vaasrand’s, aiming to thrust his sword in Vaasrand’s throat.
Vaasrand only just managed to parry in time, he swung his bastard sword around parrying the blade into the ground, the man in black’s jaw then smashed into Vaasrand’s shoulder knocking him to the ground, Vaasrand took the time to recompose himself, and was ready for round two.
The man in black grunted, picked up his sword, and backed away, as did Vaasrand, standing a few feet away from each other, they raised their blades, and charged, both men attacked simultaneously, a dance of thrusts, feints, and parries followed with lightning speed almost impossible to follow. The man in black had little trouble matching Vaasrand. This went on for what felt like hours.
“You’re good, who trained you?” said Vaasrand parrying another strike as he spoke, the man in black didn’t like to speak it seemed, “That is none of your concern” The man in black said emotionlessly, he slammed his blade down on Vaasrand. Vaasrand decided to dodge this attack, and side stepped letting the man’s blade hit the rough dirt, he followed with a pommel to the man’s face.
It hit, the man in black stumbled to the ground, rolling to his knees almost instantly as he fell, his mask was dripping with blood, so the man removed his mask before he spoke, “It seems I underestimated you” He said in a serious tone, with the mask of, his face was revealed, he was a good looking man, odd for an assassin, but with a chiselled jaw, defined chin, most females would probably flock for his attention, maybe, if he wasn’t a cunt. The man continued speaking, “However, that doesn’t mean you’ve won this battle, ready your blade, hunter.” The man in black then approached his blade, but Vaasrand was faster, with his bastard sword he raised it to the man’s throat.
“There is poison on that blade, if this fight is to continue, it will be fair.” Vaasrand said sternly, “Or, I can kill you now, your choice?” Vaasrand’s sword was still at the man’s throat awaiting an answer. The man’s face didn’t move even in front of death, he remained stoic, “You expect me to fight you unarmed, whilst you wield a sword?” asked the man in black.
“No, we will both fight unarmed, it is only fair.” Vaasrand stated, sheathing his sword whilst kicking the poisoned blade out of the way, both men prepared to fight, raising their fists, this was probably the fourth-round now were this a contest, but it was not, Vaasrand could have killed him but he was merciful, and he wanted to see how well this man stood in a fist fight.
Both men were tired after fighting for almost an hour, lasting that long was an achievement on its own. Luckily the man in black was just as tired as Vaasrand at this point, but still the fight commenced, Vaasrand accessed his opponent, he is well trained, and has armour, his weak spot would be the same as everyone else, it’s just a shame it was covered with armour, his neck was the only other spot worth hitting, aside from the face.
Vaasrand struck first, with the man in black throwing Vaasrand’s fist to the side, and smashing his fist, into Vaasrand’s face, Vaasrand staggered backwards, that was a hard hit, luckily it hit his cheekbone, but that didn’t make it hurt less, the man in black then charged Vaasrand, he missed as Vaasrand jumped out the way, but taking the hit would have been a better idea.
The man in black missed the tackle on Vaasrand, although he had something far better in front of him, his poisoned blade, but Eliora was holding it, the man in black didn’t care, and proceeded to snatch the blade from the girl, Vaasrand didn’t notice this and thought he was attacking Eliora.
Vaasrand charged at the man in black, to save Eliora from his attack, Vaasrand was just about to pummel him, when suddenly the man in black turned, and slashed a bit above Vaasrand’s left eyebrow, a cut that went deep, the poison kicked in almost instantaneously, Vaasrand howled in pain. Dragon’s Dream was the poison, causing excruciating pain for days on end, not only that but delusions kick in after a couple minutes, showing whatever you fear, or think.
Again, Vaasrand screamed in pain, the poison kills after three days, but the pain doesn’t stop until then, and the delusions get worse with the hour, luckily for Vaasrand the delusions had not started, yet.
Soon Eliora started screaming, as Vaasrand’s screams scared her, however the man in black was still there, watching Vaasrand crawl on his knees, screaming for help that would not come, the man smiled, and stared, his emerald green eyes haunting Vaasrand, “It’s time for the Serpent to sleep.” He said in an almost mocking tone, before long the man in black was of, like a dark shade zooming out of the impasse, then he vanished, like nothing.
“El…Eliora…I …ne-Argh!” the pain was almost insurmountable, but Vaasrand had to push on, for the girl, he wouldn’t leave her alone on his watch, Eliora immediately rushed over to Vaasrand, she tried to lift him up, but failed, he was far too heavy for her, after a few minutes Vaasrand found the strength to stand up, barely with his arm held by Eliora, they pushed on back to the bypass, still no sight of the assassin, they went past the cave and further down the path to Tiqui, from this point on Tiqui was about a half hour walk, hopefully Vaasrand could make it in time.
They kept going and after a while, Vaasrand spotted creatures dwelling in the forest, dark beings, otherworldly, wielding swords made of shadow, Vaasrand immediately unsheathed his sword in an act of desperation, he could not let them reach Eliora, they emerged out of the forest, pointing their dark swords right at Eliora and Vaasrand, they moved closer now and Vaasrand swung with one arm at the creatures, he tripped and fell. Eliora tumbling on top of him.
“What are you doing?” Eliora asked in a scared tone, “We…mu...must get out of here….they…have found us!” Vaasrand expressed in a tone of disbelief, Eliora got of Vaasrand and attempted to pull him up, she couldn’t so he just got up, “Who’s they, there’s no one here but us?” Eliora asked.
“The creatures….in the forest…we…must keep moving.” They kept walking now, getting closer to Tiqui, the creatures of darkness followed closely behind them, Vaasrand pushed Eliora faster, they were about three quarters there when the field changed, darkness, the dirt changed to darkness, the sky turned to black, and creatures of evil marched upon their location, from all sides, they were surrounded, even Vaasrand was terrified, he tried fighting them of but it was hopeless, they killed Eliora first, a black arrow through her temple, they marched in for Vaasrand with their black swords, slashing at his throat, he only marginally dodged a few of their blades, before they caved in on him, and butchered his body.
Then, a Dragon, out of nowhere, flew down from the sky coloured silver, mixed with gold, it saved them burning the army of evil, with its golden breath of fire, with the army went the sky and the ground, the sun could be seen again, and the dragon flew towards it, somehow, the dragon managed to save Eliora, she was up and ready again, they only had a few more steps until they reached Tiqui, Vaasrand opened the door.
And he awoke.
End of Part 3
Hah, now this part even reached the length limit, I see
And well, it is not only the longest Vaasrand part, but also my favourite so far. You got a thing for great fighting scenes, from the one between Vaasrand and the basilisk, to him fighting against the assassins, that was really well-written. I especially enjoyed the second fight against that assassin, that was mightily fine. And well, it seems Vaasrand found his very own Ciri here 
I liked this dynamic between him and Eliora and I am glad that this final few paragraphs have (probably) only been a poison-induced hallucination. Well done, thank you very much for writing this!
Don't do drugs kids.
Very exciting!
I mean if you really wanted too, heh. Sorry about that. The end of the chapter not taking too long? That's good! And bad? But good!
Well, if you haven't thought of it, good. That means it probably won't happen, but yet again, that trial by combat will be happening because of reader suggestion (mine, shameless self-promotion) and you didn't think of that either. Sometimes us readers can influence events through means other than choices. I hope I didn't do so here. I hope there's no Jenna/Leonard, no Kersea/Leonard, no Raenna/Leonard, and no Rosalie/Leonard.
The "girl-next-door" description makes me think of Walking Dead comic Andrea, who is absolutely awesome. I'm not sure if you have ever read them, but if you did you probably know what I'm getting at, maybe even get some inspiration. It makes me want to like Kersea more, I refuse. Whatever action she plans on taking, maybe has to kill someone "good" to do something, I'm sure it'll irritate me.
Hm. I wonder if telling Leonard about the wildfire will effect what Argella does with her soldiers...Drent especially...wildfire is probably something she would be concerned about...
Less soldiers at castle = bad things?
Damnit I should have thought of this earlier...
Why Hobert why did you abandon us?
Also 8000th comment. Yay. To 8000 more!