[Talk to Lord Woodbark]
Well, hm.
Ryden Grimthorn is probably related to Ryler Grimthorn.
So that means if 'Lord Woodbark' isn't th… moree man himself, his son is it. Probably not though, I don't think this takes place like a decade before the main story.
Hm. Thalina Darkmoor probably was Greysor's sister. Not good.
So it seems they all lived near and knew each other, Wolfius, Lupin, Ryler. Now I wonder if Lupin has something to do with that dire wolf...it could make sense, but it couldn't at the same time.
Jeez Lupin has got some issues.
Well, this was an interesting choice. I can safely reveal that there will be good and bad consequences, for both of these options. It is one of the choices I am looking forward for to tell you more about at the end of the chapter, because it will majorly influence one particular PoV aside from Maya. I also feel like this will lead to the more interesting consequences, though you can decide for yourself if this is good or bad. It was a very important choice for sure.
The next part will be out today, hopefully very soon. I have written more than half of it and have finished its first PoV, which is Arthur's. There will also be a second PoV, from Sadie. As you know, Arthur was last seen at the end of last chapter, where he decided to follow his father's orders and to remain behind while the other guardsmen fought, so that he could help evacuating the smallfolk. Meanwhile, Sadie decided to ally herself with the sellsword Leo Hill, who expressed sympathy for her cause and promised help in finding her sister once the danger of attacking Ironborn would be stopped. To this, Sadie was offered the choice of joining one of Leo's subleaders, who each had their own tasks during the coming fight. She decided to join Blane, who as you may remember has previously tried to befriend her. On top of that, her companion Dan decided to help as well. We'll see where that is leading to.
Now, as far as I know, there will be something else for you to read, hopefully before I finish the next part. @Bounden has written a part set in the backstory of his character, Commander Hackor Nathamer. In case this part will be out only after I finished the next part, or shortly before, I still hope you all read and enjoy it as well
Team Targaryen succeeds again! Really excited to see how this plays out and if Maya will hold up her end of the bargain. Can't wait to see what Arthur is up to, and Sadie's part is surely going to be interesting too. My little part won't be as great as yours Liquid or the other short stories, but I hope y'all like it though.
The Voting is closed!
Maya is going to accept Orys' offer
Well, this was an interesting choice. I can safely reveal that there will be… more good and bad consequences, for both of these options. It is one of the choices I am looking forward for to tell you more about at the end of the chapter, because it will majorly influence one particular PoV aside from Maya. I also feel like this will lead to the more interesting consequences, though you can decide for yourself if this is good or bad. It was a very important choice for sure.
The next part will be out today, hopefully very soon. I have written more than half of it and have finished its first PoV, which is Arthur's. There will also be a second PoV, from Sadie. As you know, Arthur was last seen at the end of last chapter, where he decided to follow his father's orders and to remain behind while the other guardsmen fought, so that he could help evacuating the smallfolk. Meanwhile, Sadie de… [view original content]
The tavern was alive with an air of celebration. Farmers from the fields sat around several of the tables drinking in rejoice. The end of the farming season had come and this year’s harvest was the most bountiful of the summer. However, the loudest man in the room wasn’t a farmer at all. A giant of a man, he stood out amongst the rest of the farmers. He was built like a warrior, with the short stubble of a beard in the making dripping with ale. “Hackor! Get yer arse o’er here with the drinks, or do I have to walk o’er there and carry you myself!” the man shouted from across the room in a slurred voice.
Hackor snapped out of his daze as he made his way back to his table. Harris was beginning to get rowdy, and the night had only begun. Another man besides Harris, Darren Tallwood, placed his hand on Harris’ shoulder. Darren was the quieter of the two knights, and was trying to keep Harris calmed. He was the youngest of the group, but he was surely the most mature. Both were dressed in their knightly attire, while Hackor was only dressed in his city guard captain uniform. Harris had insisted on bringing Hackor out to celebrate Darren’s knighting. It took great deal of convincing to Commander Liotone, but Hackor was one of, if not the best guard he had. The Commander didn’t see any problem with letting Hackor end his shift early, but only if he made it up by working the next gate shift. Bobbing and weaving through the crowd, Hackor made his way to the table and passed the drinks around.
“Hope the ale is up to your knightly standards, ” jeered Hackor,”If not, feel free to pass it back to me. Probably doesn’t hold a candle to all that wine you must have up in the castle.” They all laughed as they took a swig of their ale. “As if we would ever be given access to the wine cellar,” joked Darren, “Robert is smart enough to know that we would drink it dry before sunrise.” Harris snorted on his ale at this. His face was flush as he pounded his hand on the table in laughter.
Harris wipe some ale off his chin with his tabard. His tabard had several stains and and cuts in it from the years of use. Darren’s tabard was looked very crisp, fresh off the shelfs. You could easily see the difference of experience between Harris and Darren by their outfits. Hackor was clad in handy down armor that was older than more than the men in the tavern. The two knights both had swords strapped to their sides, while Hackor was cumbered down by a large spear strapped to his back. Hackor had a much lower quality of weaponry than the other two.
“Hackor, we could use a good man like you up in the castle,” Darren managed to say between swigs of ale. “Aye, plus the benefits are much better as an castle guard than as a city guard,” Harris chimed in, “And the servant women don’t hurt. There is plenty of eye candy up there.” Hackor choked on his drink when he heard this. A blush began to crawl up his face at the mention of women. Hackor was currently in between women and after a particularly bad break up, he wasn’t in any rush to get back into the romance game.
A roar of cheers erupted a table over. Hackor noticed the Marigold sisters raising their glasses along with a group of other girls from town. Harris must’ve followed Hackor’s gaze, because a sly grin spread across his face. “Though the lasses down here aren’t that bad themselves. But a guy like you Hackor probably doesn’t have any trouble with the ladies.” said Harris with a wide grin, knowing full well about Hackor’s current slump.
Before Hackor could interject, a hand suddenly patted him on the back when another man sat down at the table. “If it isn’t the castle boys and the captain. Come down to celebrate the end of the harvest?” Roman, one of the farmers in the city, asked. He reached over for Darren’s drink and took a swig. Darren glared at him as Harris rolled his eyes. They never really liked Roman, but he had a tendency to sit down at their table whenever they were drinking. Hackor really didn’t mind the man, but he did know that people didn’t like Roman’s arrogance.
“We’re actually celebrating Darren’s new knighthood.” said Hackor. He made sure to speak before Harris could trigger some sort of argument with Roman. Once Roman got started, it would only end with all of them getting thrown out of the tavern, or worse being tossed in the drunk tank back at headquarters. Getting in trouble with Commander Liotone wasn’t something Hackor planned on.
“No shit! Ain’t you got to be some sort of hero? No wait, if they got Harris up on that high horse.” Roman snickered as he finished off the rest of Darren’s ale. Now Harris began stare daggers back at Roman, but before he could say anything a voice shouted out from the entrance. “Harris! Darren! Are you back there?” A man dressed in robes walked into the tavern, carrying a stack of books and scrolls in his hands. He was around middle age, with short brown hair. He had a very lively look about him as he looked around the tavern. “Oh, there you two are. And you are with the Nathamer boy, good.” He made his way to their table as he set the stack of books down. “I need your assistance carrying this back to the castle.” Darren jumped at the chance of leaving Roman as he stood up,”Sure thing Maester, this doesn’t look like too much to carry.”
“Oh that is just the start of it,” the maester chuckled. A look of glee began to spread across his face,” I just got back from the Archives, and I think I have finally found an ancient scroll that could be from the Age of Heroes. It is written in Asshai though, so I won’t know till I get translated. This could mean so many things. If there is one document, there are sure to be more back down deeper in the th-” “That’s interesting and all Maester Eaton,” Harris cutted him off before the maester could get even more distracted by his propositions,” Just show us the books and we will carry them back to the castle for you.” “Oh yes, you are right. Let us get started while we still have some daylight.”
Darren picked up the stack of books Maester Eaton placed on the table as Harris stood up. “Are you coming Hackor? We can show you around the castle while we are at it.” Harris asked. “I’m sure Lord Robert would be pleased to make your acquaintance as well Hackor. We have heard many good things from Commander Liotone.” Maester Eaton added.
“Wait, you aren’t just going to leave me like that?” Roman asked from the table. He looked up with a despondent look as he noticed everyone leaving. “ Aren’t you going to stay and celebrate with me an’ the boys Hackor? The Harking boy and Ol’ Man Recton are up for another round if you stay. We’ve been working all summer for this harvest, we’d love if you could celebrate with us.” Hackor glanced back to his companions. Harris shrugged his shoulders,”If you want to stay with the farmers, be your guess. But it isn’t every day you get to talk to the lord.” Roman obviously didn’t want him to leave, but did Hackor really want to spend his night drinking with the farmers? It would be an honor to visit the Lord Raylan with his friends, but could he really leave Roman all alone?
[Carry books to the castle with Harris and the others] [Drink some more with Roman and the farmers]
Of High and Low Men: Part I
The tavern was alive with an air of celebration. Farmers from the fields sat around several of the tables dri… morenking in rejoice. The end of the farming season had come and this year’s harvest was the most bountiful of the summer. However, the loudest man in the room wasn’t a farmer at all. A giant of a man, he stood out amongst the rest of the farmers. He was built like a warrior, with the short stubble of a beard in the making dripping with ale. “Hackor! Get yer arse o’er here with the drinks, or do I have to walk o’er there and carry you myself!” the man shouted from across the room in a slurred voice.
Hackor snapped out of his daze as he made his way back to his table. Harris was beginning to get rowdy, and the night had only begun. Another man besides Harris, Darren Tallwood, placed his hand on Harris’ shoulder. Darren was the quieter of the two knights, and was trying to keep Harris calmed. He was the youn… [view original content]
A Wolf in Lord’s Clothing Part 2
Lupin could remember Lord Gregory Wolfraven’s disappointment at discovering that the Frostborn twin that… more his eldest daughter was to marry was the short, skinny, quiet one instead of the tall, muscular, charming and handsome one that was Alphyn Frostborn. He could also remember the beating, the gore and the animalistic rage. Lupin grinned as flashes of that stuck-up firstborn’s final moments stained his mind. A rush of pain surged through his face. He grunted in pain and put his hands up to the blood-soaked bandages.
I need to see what that fuck did to me Lupin thought.
He dragged himself out of bed and stumbled towards the mirror. All he could see was darkness with these bandages on. He slowly tore them off, wincing at the pain as they pulled at his wounds. When they were off, he opened his working eye and gasped at himself in the mirror. He face was covered in deep, thick, crimson red cuts, swollen b… [view original content]
[Carry books to the castle with Harris and the others] Hah, screw Roman
That was awesome! I already like the idea of seeing a young Hackor, but this is taking things several steps further, with these glimpses of Harris, Darren and Roman in their youth and even Maester Eaton, as well as mentions of several other characters. That entertained me a lot, especially as you managed to write all of them in-character, which certainly couldn't have been easy given that you only had their appearances in the story as references. On top of that, I found your writing to be highly enjoyable and it was very good to read. I am super excited to see what else you have planned in future parts
Of High and Low Men: Part I
The tavern was alive with an air of celebration. Farmers from the fields sat around several of the tables dri… morenking in rejoice. The end of the farming season had come and this year’s harvest was the most bountiful of the summer. However, the loudest man in the room wasn’t a farmer at all. A giant of a man, he stood out amongst the rest of the farmers. He was built like a warrior, with the short stubble of a beard in the making dripping with ale. “Hackor! Get yer arse o’er here with the drinks, or do I have to walk o’er there and carry you myself!” the man shouted from across the room in a slurred voice.
Hackor snapped out of his daze as he made his way back to his table. Harris was beginning to get rowdy, and the night had only begun. Another man besides Harris, Darren Tallwood, placed his hand on Harris’ shoulder. Darren was the quieter of the two knights, and was trying to keep Harris calmed. He was the youn… [view original content]
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur shook his head. “There's no room for your stuff at the castle”, he responded. “If everyone goes there, it's already going to be crowded. I don't want your stuff to take away room that might be needed”
“But... that's mine!”, the man growled and Arthur sighed. “If everyone takes a damn wheelbarrow with them, we won't even get half of the people in there”, he answered. “You will go to the castle, now!” The man crossed his arm, still unwilling to move. “Yeah, on whose orders, boy?”, he snarled. Now, Arthur became similarly confrontational. “On Commander Nathamer's”, he responded and he noticed how mentioning his father's name instantly changed the man's attitude.
“Oh... if... that is... I don't want any anger with the commander”, he mumbled, before a last glance of defiance appeared in his eyes. Quickly, he grabbed a fine cup from his wheelbarrow, tucking it in his shirt, before grabbing a chandelier and a silvered plate. “Fine, I'll go”, he muttered and finally started moving, joining the crowd that slowly made their way up to the castle. Many were already behind the walls, more would follow. But Arthur noticed that some decided to fight and he was glad about it. On their own, the city guard was without chance.
“Thank you”, Aldus said, as he looked after the man. “This one was particularly stubborn” Unnerved, Arthur shook his head. “He wasn't stubborn”, he answered. “Just worried for his belongings. You gotta learn how to talk to these people as well” Aldus sighed. “I don't know if I can”, he admitted. “It looks so easy with you, but... these people, they don't look at me the same way”
That wasn't hard, as Arthur had to admit. As harsh as it was, Aldus was anything but intimidating. Almost morbidly obese, he had close to three chins, with only a thin patchy beard growing on the third, as well as long, unkempt hair. But even worse was the way he looked, like a frightened child. And in many ways, he was exactly this. A grown man in appearance only, overwhelmed with even the most simple of tasks. And Arthur's only companion in this moment.
“It's something you have to get used to. Don't show them how afraid you are”, Arthur advised him. “You are a tall guy. If you want to, you can order them around” He sighed heavily. “And instead, it is the other way 'round” Aldus gulped. “I... I'm trying”, he claimed, but Arthur shook his head. “No, no you are not”, he answered sharply.
Before he could continue to scold the young guard, perhaps to let out at least some of the frustration that has been bottling up inside him, his attention was directed at a new situation, which was probably for the better. He saw a curious group of people coming up the path, likely seeking refuge in the castle.
“What the...?”, Aldus muttered after seeing them as well. They were roughly a dozen, a bit less perhaps and quite a colourful lot. Artists, as Arthur realized, directly from the fair. Of course they needed protection as well. They were led by a thin woman with brown hair, perhaps around forty years old, wearing a lavish, purple dress. Next to her walked a hulking giant of a man, ripped with muscles and with long, unkempt hair. Effortlessly, he was cradling a man in his arms whom Arthur recognized. Philip Loren had a grimace of pain on his face, though he seemed conscious.
“Greetings”, Arthur said as he approached them and the woman smiled at him. “Hello”, she greeted him in return. “My name is Taenora, leader of this little troupe” Arthur gave her a nod and glanced at Philip, who gave him a stressed smile. “Hey Arthur”, he said and a look of pain flashed across his face. “Argh, fucking leg... Don't let go, Ulaf”
The giant holding him rolled his eyes. “I am the strongest man in Westeros and beyond”, he said, with a broad accent. “I think I can hold you, little man” Philip sighed. “Wonderful”, he said, just as Arthur approached him. “Anything wrong with your leg?”, he asked and the man gave him a nod. “I fell down a damn ladder. It's probably not broken, but something's not right there”
“Alright”, Arthur said. “Lady Mathea can help you, probably. She's up at the castle” Philip raised an eyebrow as he looked at him. No, he looked past him. “You sure about that?”, he asked and as Arthur turned around, he saw none other than Mathea walking through the crowd, the only one that actually turned away from the castle. “What is she doing here...”, he muttered.
Then, she had reached them and Arthur saw the anxious, slightly irritated look on her face. “Hey”, she greeted them briefly, glancing from Arthur to Philip. “What... what are you doing here?”, Arthur asked in surprise and she raised an eyebrow. “I've decided that my help is needed down here in the city”, she answered briefly.
“But... hasn't the commander ordered you to stay?”, Arthur asked and she shook her head. “Not explicitly”, she answered. “Besides, your fathers orders are secondary when there are people in danger” Now, she glanced at Philip. “What happened with your leg?”, she asked briefly, just as the man managed a smile. “Ah, nothing too bad”, he claimed, despite the pain he was obviously in. “It's probably not even broken”
Mathea gave him the hint of a smile. “Glad to hear it's nothing bad”, she answered. “Maybe I'll have a look at it if it gets worse” As he heard this, a pained look flashed across Philip's face. “Uh, it's getting much worse already”, he stated. “Yeah, I... I'm afraid I might lose my leg, mylady” Now, Mathea outright chuckled for a brief second, before she shook her head. “Be glad you have two then”, she answered.
Arthur rolled his eyes at the scene. “Alright then, come on”, he said. “There is much to do, so go ahead” It was only then that his eyes fell on the large wagons the troupe was leading with them. His eyes narrowed. “Wait a moment”, he said. “What is that right there?”
He walked around the wagon and jumped back as a black beast crashed against the bars on the backside, letting out a ferocious roar in the process. A second beast joined in, hissing aggressively and a third let out a threatening growl, although the bars prevented all three animals from leaving the wagon. After recovering from the initial shock, he recognize the large, prideful frames of three shadowcats.
“Ah, back!”, a deep voice shouted and a man with the dark amber skin of the Ghiscari rushed to the wagon. “Azalaea, back! Dago, Etoile!” He raised his whip and cracked it, which was enough for the three shadowcats to jump back to the far end of the wagon, hissing with displeasure.
“What... what is that?”, Arthur gasped. “Are you trying to bring wild beasts into the castle?” The Ghiscari shook his head. “These are tamed”, he claimed. “I know, because I did it myself” He gave Arthur a nod. “Irnas mo Akk, tamer of wild beasts” Arthur gulped. “Are you... trying to bring dangerous animals into the castle?”, he tried again, still baffled. Again, Irnas shook his head. “They are not dangerous in there”, he claimed.
Now, Arthur threw a pleading look towards Taenora, who approached him. Mathea followed, as did the large man that held Philip. “I see you met the animals”, Taenora said nonchalantly, though the final words were almost drowned under a cough that forced its way up her throat. Arthur gulped. “So, you fully intend on bringing them into the castle?”, he asked.
“Of course, dear”, Taenora answered. “Where else are we supposed to take them?” Arthur shrugged. “I don't know”, he admitted. “Can't you just leave them? I doubt anyone will go out of his way to attack them” Instantly, the Ghiscari growled sharply, not unlike one of his shadowcats. “Leaving them?”, he barked. “No way! Do you know how dangerous this will be for them?”
Taenora smiled politely. “Irnas is highly protective of his animals”, she said and her smile faded. “Listen, there is no other place we can take them. They won't endanger anyone in there. And letting them fight, that won't be possible. They're not all as fierce as the shadowcats. In the other cart, we've got a white lion that is probably older than I am” Arthur gulped, not being entirely convinced of this. “If it helps, I'm vowing for these people”, Philip said. “They helped me a great deal today”
This caused Mathea to look up. “Are you sure there is nothing you can do?”, she asked. “I mean, these animals would die if you don't allow them in” Arthur sighed under her intense stare. “Alright, alright”, he mumbled in defeat. “Fine, you can take them with you. The stables should be empty, as well as large enough for these carts” He raised a finger. “But I want you to personally look over them”, he ordered sharply.
Now, Taenora smiled in relief and the tamer, Irnas, gave him a pat on the back. “Ah, thank you, good man”, he said. “You will not regret it” He gave Taenora a nod and the woman moved to the front of her little group again. Ulaf followed, still holding Philip. The man gave Mathea a brave smirk. “Take care of yourself”, he told her, just as he was carried away.
Arthur sighed. “The wheelbarrow guy is going to kill me”, he complained. Mathea chuckled, though she quickly turned serious again as she looked down the city. “This is going to suck”, she mumbled with a sigh and Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Mylady, what are you doing here exactly?”, he asked and Mathea looked at him with a tired stare. “Doing what I was taught to do. There's people in danger. Others might be able and willing to stay back at the castle, but I can't do that”, she answered
“Lyria, Rosalie and Urid”, Arthur muttered, realizing what she was after. “You plan to save them!” Mathea gave him a nod. “Lyria and Rosalie might be able to make it to the castle on their own, but especially in Rosie's case it's going to be close to impossible. But Urid... it was already hard enough to just save his legs. They are broken, Arthur, shattered even. He won't be able to walk for a very long time, especially not such a distance”
Arthur looked down the city. “It is a pretty far distance”, he admitted and gave her a worried stare. “Are you sure you can do that?” She shook her head. “Honestly, no, I am not”, she admitted. She raised her sleeve a little bit, revealing the hilt of a knife she was clinging to. “A man once taught me a few tricks”, she revealed. “I'm not as good as him, far from it. I'm not a fighter and I know that this won't be enough to survive if anyone decides to kill me” She gulped. “On top of that, I've never liked it. Taking lives, I mean”
“Me neither”, Arthur admitted, knowing exactly how she felt. “So, you plan on going down there all on your own?” Mathea shook her head. “It's not exactly a plan”, she answered. “It's just that every guardsman is needed up in the castle. They are barely enough as it is, so I had to leave without them” Arthur clenched his teeth as he though about how dangerous this city was. Maybe he shouldn't let her leave just on her own. Surely, if his father would be around, he would order him to do the same. Right?
[Offer to accompany her][Let her leave on her own]
Sadie
“You know, you won't regret it”, Blane said and Sadie rolled her eyes. The young man had turned out to be quite the chatty on after she had decided to join him. Now she was standing to his right, with Dan closely behind her. With every second, new men came out of the building to join their ranks. Edward Lancaster and his men, two dozen, had left a few minutes ago, though Blane's group wasn't yet ready.
To make things worse, it was raining. This put her even less in the mood to deal with Blane's attempts at starting a conversation. It wasn't that she did not like him. She was rather neutral about him and he definitely wasn't unlikeable. It was just... now? Now was a pretty bad time to do whatever it was he tried to do. Flirting? She wasn't even sure if that was his intention.
“I mean, sure it's going to be dangerous, but I think you'll be pretty safe here”, he continued. “These are great people, they won't let anything happen to you, so you really don't need to be afraid” Sadie looked up and right at him. “Who said I'm afraid?”, she simply stated, catching him off guard. “Oh, oh you know”, he said and put a hand onto the back of his head, with a nervous smirk. “I just thought...”
Thankfully, Leo chose this moment to step out of the tavern, sparing her more of his talks and him further embarrassment. The worst part was that he probably honestly thought that she was afraid. She wasn't and he shouldn't. As she turned to Leo, she noticed that the man had put on his armour. Heavy steel, worthy of a knight, with the sigil of his company on top. In his hands, he was holding an absolutely massive battleaxe, which only further showed her that he was ready to kill.
A grin formed on his face as he saw his men. “Ah, you're a sight for sore eyes”, he chuckled, as he took a few steps towards him. “I've never lied to you and I won't start now. This is going to be a bad day for many of us. Your job, our job, will be to make sure that it will be even worse for the scum that's attacking us” He raised his axe, having gained everyone's attention by now. Sadie heard Dan gulping audibly behind her.
“I've fought many times by your side and it has always been an honour”, Leo continued. “But make no mistake. Take your enemies seriously. They are warriors, they are strong and you mustn't underestimate them. Remember that. But also remember that you are better than them! They fight for nothing but our death, but we fight for our lives and for all of these people! And that, my friends, trumps whatever they can bring. That is something worth fighting for!” He raised his axe far above his head. “And now, mates, you're gonna show them!”
Deafening cheers followed. Blane joined in and so did his men, though Sadie remained silent. She turned towards Dan and gave him a reassuring smile. He was sweating, barely able to keep eye contact in his fear. “You don't have to do that”, she voiced, her words barely audible through the chants. Dan shook his head. “I have to”, he answered. “I can't let you do that on your own”
Sadie raised an eyebrow and Dan sighed. “You are my friend”, he answered. “My best friend. I've lost too many people close to me. Friends. My own wife” Now, Sadie gave him a curious look. She knew he had been married before, but he never liked to speak about his wife. She respected that, just like he respected that she did not wish to speak about her parents. “Dan...”, she said softly.
“Her name was Minerva”, Dan answered. “The love of my life. She withered away and I was unable to help her. I tried to, but I had no choice but to watch her die. Everything I tried... no one was even able to tell me what it was she was dying from. Some... sickness” He closed his eyes and sighed. As he opened them again, there was deep determination in his gaze. “I never had the choice before. Now I have it and I will take it”, he declared. “I won't let you do this alone”
Moved, a smile appeared on Sadie's face and she put a hand on his shoulder. “I'm not sure how I deserve a friend like you”, she answered and Dan chuckled. “Well, you put up with my eating habits”, he stated and this caused Sadie to join in on the chuckling. “And your snorting”, she added.
When a shadow fell upon her, she looked to her side, to see Leo towering over her. He had a friendly look on his face, despite the disturbingly violent glare in his eyes, which served for a contrast that made her feel highly uneasy. “You two ready?”, he asked. “I mean, this is your first time with the Forgotten. If everything works out, I'd like if it won't be the last time”
“We'll see about that once this is over”, Sadie answered briefly. “Just make sure you stay alive. I need your help with Melanie, remember?” Leo gave her a nod. “I'm not going to die today, Sadie”, he promised. “Not to some raiding piece of shit” Sadie raised an eyebrow.” You just said they are warriors”, she reminded him and he smirked. “Aye, I did. I also said that we are better than them”, he answered, before he looked over to his men that had gathered behind him. “And now I'm going to show them”
Leo gave her a friendly pat onto the shoulder, almost as if she was an old comrade and once again, Sadie had to wonder what to think about him. He seemed affable and genuine whenever he spoke to her and the others. But at the same time, there was something murderous in his eyes. Especially the way he looked at the Lannister earlier...
“Sadie, let's go!”, Blane said loudly, as he started moving. His men followed. Dan followed. And Sadie had no choice but to follow as well, while Leo and his men moved to the centre of the city, to take the Ironborn head on. Her group and the other one would flank them from two sides, not a particularly bad tactic. In fact, Sadie had been on the receiving end of those tactics several times during her time in the Marches. It was sheer luck that she hadn't died or worse back then.
Maybros wasn't a large town, a better village at best. It didn't even have walls, which Sadie found recklessly irresponsible for a town so close to the Sunset Sea. They simply had to march down the main street for a couple hundred metres and they had left the buildings behind, entering the vast planes that surrounded it and rushing up a small hill.
In the north, Sadie saw the bay the Ironborn had landed at. Even from there, she was able to see their longships. Somewhere in the east, she saw the lights of the castle. Unlike the village, House Turnberry had made sure that it was well defended and the Ironborn likely wouldn't focus on it. No, the lord and his family were safe, while his people paid the price for it.
And the she saw something else and heard it as well. Between her position and the castle, there were men fighting. Through darkness and rain, it was hard to make out any details, but she could spot the lion of Lannister. Blane noticed it as well and he narrowed his eyes. “That is Bloodbane and his men”, he stated. “Seems like the Ironborn sent a host to intercept them”
“Well, what are we waiting for then?”, Dan asked. “If we rush to their help, we'll get a hundred additional men” Blane sighed and Sadie saw his reluctance. “I don't know...”, he mumbled. “I mean, Leo told us to flank the enemy at the city centre. He never mentioned anything from helping Bloodbane”
“They are going to die if we don't help them”, Dan insisted and Blane shook his head. “I doubt it. But I don't think Leo expected that. Perhaps... changing the mission perimeters would be a good idea. I mean, we could use the extra men. But Leo could need our help as quick as possible...” He looked at Sadie and this surprised her. “So... you've seen your fair share of battles, mylady. Give me a hand here, what would you do in my situation?”
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers][Advice him to focus on the mission]
[Offer to accompany her] Darnnit. I know Arthur is needed at the castle, but I can't let our only healer go unprotected as well. Plus Arthur wouldn't let Mathea go off on her own unprotected. Gah, hopefully the castle can make do without Arthur's reinforcements until we can get Lyria and Urid back.
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers] I like Baelor, cool guy and he is a warrior that we can use. I don't see much of a reason not to help him, Leo is a big boy and can survive a little longer at the expense of saving good ol' Baelor.
Arthur
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his… more belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur sh… [view original content]
[Carry books to the castle with Harris and the others]
Might as well I guess. No point in talking with those guys.
Ah, everyone seems so happy. Especially Harris and Darren. Oh how that friendship will break. Eaton! It's being years! Roman, a dead man, heh. I bet Richard would be with those farmers.
Maybe Ser Lagoon will appear! Man that was a long time ago.
I like the joyous atmosphere good times. Although maybe this mini-series will have a violent ending...
Of High and Low Men: Part I
The tavern was alive with an air of celebration. Farmers from the fields sat around several of the tables dri… morenking in rejoice. The end of the farming season had come and this year’s harvest was the most bountiful of the summer. However, the loudest man in the room wasn’t a farmer at all. A giant of a man, he stood out amongst the rest of the farmers. He was built like a warrior, with the short stubble of a beard in the making dripping with ale. “Hackor! Get yer arse o’er here with the drinks, or do I have to walk o’er there and carry you myself!” the man shouted from across the room in a slurred voice.
Hackor snapped out of his daze as he made his way back to his table. Harris was beginning to get rowdy, and the night had only begun. Another man besides Harris, Darren Tallwood, placed his hand on Harris’ shoulder. Darren was the quieter of the two knights, and was trying to keep Harris calmed. He was the youn… [view original content]
She has made this choice, she can die because of it.
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers]
No, no fake Leonard. We're going to help my man Bloodblane. Weird having both a Blane and a Bloodblane. I mean, I'm not actually really in favor of either choice, but I guess this would be better?
Irnas mo Akk my guy is back. I like Ulaf too, I pictured him saying the "I am the strongest man in Westeros and beyond" line in a Russian accent. It was very pleasing.
Another woman going out alone to get someone, with a choice to get another person to come with them. Hm. Familiar, heh?
Arthur
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his… more belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur sh… [view original content]
Of High and Low Men: Part I
The tavern was alive with an air of celebration. Farmers from the fields sat around several of the tables dri… morenking in rejoice. The end of the farming season had come and this year’s harvest was the most bountiful of the summer. However, the loudest man in the room wasn’t a farmer at all. A giant of a man, he stood out amongst the rest of the farmers. He was built like a warrior, with the short stubble of a beard in the making dripping with ale. “Hackor! Get yer arse o’er here with the drinks, or do I have to walk o’er there and carry you myself!” the man shouted from across the room in a slurred voice.
Hackor snapped out of his daze as he made his way back to his table. Harris was beginning to get rowdy, and the night had only begun. Another man besides Harris, Darren Tallwood, placed his hand on Harris’ shoulder. Darren was the quieter of the two knights, and was trying to keep Harris calmed. He was the youn… [view original content]
Arthur
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his… more belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur sh… [view original content]
Arthur
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his… more belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur sh… [view original content]
Arthur
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his… more belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur sh… [view original content]
[Let her leave on her own] It was made quite clear that Aldus can't be trusted with any task alone, so Arthur is needed in bringing the people to the castle. And I trust that Mathea can take care of herself for now.
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers] Hmm, I'm not really sure about this one, but I guess it can be wise to alter plans and improvise in battle, instead of blindly sticking to the original plan.
Arthur
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his… more belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur sh… [view original content]
We're going to help my man Bloodblane. Weird having both a Blane and a Bloodblane.
It's actually Bloodbane, not Bloodblane. This doesn't make the situation any better, because it means we have Baelor Bloodbane and Blane Banefort. Try to say that five times a row. Or actually, better don't try it, because whatever happens, I'm sure that can't be healthy.
I like Ulaf too, I pictured him saying the "I am the strongest man in Westeros and beyond" line in a Russian accent. It was very pleasing.
Well, Ulaf originally came from the Mountain Clans in the Mountains of the Moon. And coincidentally, that is how I have always imagined these people to speak as well, despite the fact that they don't have russian accents in the show. I mean, they do have their own sub-language, they gotta have some sort of accent, right? On top of that, there is something that just feels right about strongmen with russian accents.
Another woman going out alone to get someone, with a choice to get another person to come with them. Hm. Familiar, heh?
Hm, that is true... I think I can see it. The similarities are unintentional though. Still, interesting find! Maybe there will actually be even more similarities in time, which I might not be able to avoid at this point in my plans.
[Let her leave on her own]
She has made this choice, she can die because of it.
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers]
No, no… more fake Leonard. We're going to help my man Bloodblane. Weird having both a Blane and a Bloodblane. I mean, I'm not actually really in favor of either choice, but I guess this would be better?
Irnas mo Akk my guy is back. I like Ulaf too, I pictured him saying the "I am the strongest man in Westeros and beyond" line in a Russian accent. It was very pleasing.
Another woman going out alone to get someone, with a choice to get another person to come with them. Hm. Familiar, heh?
This choice is hard, but I think Arthur is too much of gentleman to just let her go by herself. I believe she would find someone else to help her, but I don't know why, I like to see them both interact.
It was actually sweet as well to see Philip getting more or less abashed around her.
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers]
This choice is hard as well, especially because we simply risk the newly built relation with Leo.... but I will risk it, hoping that Sadie will only gain with good made decision which gather more capable fighters around.
Arthur
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his… more belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur sh… [view original content]
Arthur
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his… more belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur sh… [view original content]
Thought I'd start Fantasy Fights again, this time with teams.
Clint Volmark and Durren Stallhart vs Emphyrus Dresful and Jax Montclair.
(The Ironborn vs The Stormlands)
Darren Tallwood and Hackor Nathamer vs Leonard Hill and Baelor Bloodbane.
(The Reach vs The Rock)
Orys Baratheon and Daghan Oxus vs The Tom and The Moggy.
(Dragons vs Cats)
Vaasrand of Lys and Raenna Minsworth vs Bear and Rodrik Stone or Edward Anturion.
(The Serpent and The Silverhair vs A Bear and A Stone or A Bear and The Pirate)
Arthries the Fierce and Ser Edrick vs Maya Iresons and Aldrik Wolver.
(The North vs The Vale)
Wolfius Woodbark and Kreep vs Torvin and Garthon Breaker.
(Family vs Family)
Thought I'd start Fantasy Fights again, this time with teams.
Hehe, I love these
Clint Volmark and Durren Stallhart vs Emphyrus Dresful and Jax Montclair.
That is... actually a very evenly matched fight. Jax is probably the weakest here, as he is simply a soldier, without any exceptional skills save for being quite the badass when it comes to the amount of shit he can take. Emphryus meanwhile is one of the best knights in service of House Durrandon. Stallhart is probably his equal in terms of skill though, since a raider at his age has to be damn good at fighting. Cleaver meanwhile is mostly a brute, relying solely on his strength. If he lands a hit, he would certainly end his opponent no matter whom it is though.
Darren Tallwood and Hackor Nathamer vs Leonard Hill and Baelor Bloodbane.
Hm... probably this one would go to the Rock. Leonard and Darren should be evenly matched, maybe with a slight advantage in favour of Darren, but Baelor would wipe the floor with Hackor, as sad as it is. The man is no weakling, but way past his prime. Even Darren is nearing forty, while Leonard and Baelor are both in their mid-twenties and therefore physically far more capable.
Orys Baratheon and Daghan Oxus vs The Tom and The Moggy.
I'd say this one goes to the dragons. Orys and Daghan are basically the best Team Targaryen has to offer. The Tom is super skilled as well, but the Moggy only relies on his physical strength and not on any skill. That means, the Moggy is probably killed rather easily, leaving the Tom to defend himself against two trained knights. Even though he is highly dangerous, this would be a hopeless fight for him, so he would probably not even choose it in the first place
Vaasrand of Lys and Raenna Minsworth vs Bear and Rodrik Stone or Edward Anturion.
Hm... I'd say the most dangerous person here could actually be Raenna. She has been personally trained by Terroma and as chapters five and six showed, she basically wipes the floor with the common henchman. Rodrik would underestimate her and Anturion wouldn't stand a chance, since he is not primarily a fighter. Even Bear would probably underestimate her and try to toy with her. The only one out of this fight who would take her seriously is the one guy that is not her opponent. And Vaasrand could go toe to toe with Rodrik or Bear as well. So, they win, yeah.
Arthries the Fierce and Ser Edrick vs Maya Iresons and Aldrik Wolver.
Well... it depends. Will Aldrik have his direwolf? If so, then he and Maya could win. Otherwise, Arthries and Edrick would take them down. Maya is the problem here, as she is not a trained fighter, not in the way Edrick, Arthries and Aldrik are. Though direwolf support can't be underestimated.
Wolfius Woodbark and Kreep vs Torvin and Garthon Breaker.
That is a fight that could very well actually happen at one point, considering that they are all in the same location. By all means, Torvin and Garthon are the more skilled fighters. That said, it has been said many times, Wolfius always got a trick up his sleeve, so this would still be an evenly matched fight. Ah, that makes me want to write such a thing
Thought I'd start Fantasy Fights again, this time with teams.
Clint Volmark and Durren Stallhart vs Emphyrus Dresful and Jax Montclair.
… more(The Ironborn vs The Stormlands)
Darren Tallwood and Hackor Nathamer vs Leonard Hill and Baelor Bloodbane.
(The Reach vs The Rock)
Orys Baratheon and Daghan Oxus vs The Tom and The Moggy.
(Dragons vs Cats)
Vaasrand of Lys and Raenna Minsworth vs Bear and Rodrik Stone or Edward Anturion.
(The Serpent and The Silverhair vs A Bear and A Stone or A Bear and The Pirate)
Arthries the Fierce and Ser Edrick vs Maya Iresons and Aldrik Wolver.
(The North vs The Vale)
Wolfius Woodbark and Kreep vs Torvin and Garthon Breaker.
(Family vs Family)
Thought I'd start Fantasy Fights again, this time with teams.
Hehe, I love these
Clint Volmark and Durren Stallhart vs Emphyr… moreus Dresful and Jax Montclair.
That is... actually a very evenly matched fight. Jax is probably the weakest here, as he is simply a soldier, without any exceptional skills save for being quite the badass when it comes to the amount of shit he can take. Emphryus meanwhile is one of the best knights in service of House Durrandon. Stallhart is probably his equal in terms of skill though, since a raider at his age has to be damn good at fighting. Cleaver meanwhile is mostly a brute, relying solely on his strength. If he lands a hit, he would certainly end his opponent no matter whom it is though.
Darren Tallwood and Hackor Nathamer vs Leonard Hill and Baelor Bloodbane.
Hm... probably this one would go to the Rock. Leonard and Darren should be evenly matched, maybe with a slight advantage … [view original content]
Clint Volmark and Durren Stallhart vs Leonard Hill and Baelor Bloodbane
Hm, this is a very interesting one, especially since Durren is in the same location as Leonard and Baelor. I really can't go into too much detail because of that, but it would certainly be a very evenly matched fight. Both, Leonard and Baelor are a bit less skilled than Emphryus, but both are far better than Montclair. Hm, maybe that one could be a draw? I don't know, this is the one I am unsure about.
Orys Baratheon and Daghan Oxus vs Vaasrand of Lys and Raenna Minsworth
As much as I love Vaasrand and Raenna, this one would probably go to Orys and Daghan. They really are the best House Targaryen has to offer. Vaasrand is a very skilled fighter, but more against beasts, so he would have an advantage against more brutal, animalistic fighters like Bear or Rodrik, but not against calm, level-headed men like Orys and Daghan, who know how to use a shield, how to feint and parry. And Raenna is probably not as good as them either. Interestingly though, if the rumour about Orys being Aegon's half-brother is true (and let's be honest here, it is totally true), then this would make him and Raenna first cousins. It's a detail I have only realized when I recently created the wiki page for her.
Arthries the Fierce and Ser Edrick vs Torvin and Garthon Breaker
Hmmm, probably the Northerners. Edrick is a knight with plenty of experience and while we haven't seen much of Arthries for now, let's just say he earned his position as the captain of the Frostborn guard. Torvin is a skilled raider, but Garthon would be his weak spot. Garthon is a more skilled fighter than Wolfius or Kreep, but not even nearly as experienced as Arthries or Edrick, so he would drag Torvin down and in the attempt to protect them both, Torvin would probably fail.
I'm making this eliminations
Clint Volmark and Durren Stallhart vs Leonard Hill and Baelor Bloodbane
Orys Baratheon and Daghan Oxus vs Vaasrand of Lys and Raenna Minsworth
Arthries the Fierce and Ser Edrick vs Torvin and Garthon Breaker
Clint Volmark and Durren Stallhart vs Leonard Hill and Baelor Bloodbane
Hm, this is a very interesting one, especially since Durren … moreis in the same location as Leonard and Baelor. I really can't go into too much detail because of that, but it would certainly be a very evenly matched fight. Both, Leonard and Baelor are a bit less skilled than Emphryus, but both are far better than Montclair. Hm, maybe that one could be a draw? I don't know, this is the one I am unsure about.
Orys Baratheon and Daghan Oxus vs Vaasrand of Lys and Raenna Minsworth
As much as I love Vaasrand and Raenna, this one would probably go to Orys and Daghan. They really are the best House Targaryen has to offer. Vaasrand is a very skilled fighter, but more against beasts, so he would have an advantage against more brutal, animalistic fighters like Bear or Rodrik, but not against calm, level-headed men like Orys and Daghan, who know how to use a shield,… [view original content]
Arthur
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his… more belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur sh… [view original content]
Actually, the beast would have quite some chances here. Just like how Vaasrand is not specialized in fighting humans, Orys is not specialized in fighting dangerous animals, so this would be a very new situation for him. The beast is also extremely cunning and would probably somehow find a way to outwit Orys, who is really more capable when it comes to commanding a battle against a human opponent. That said, Orys is still a really capable swordsman, so this would be far from a one-sided fight.
Vaasrand vs A Dragon.
Depends on how tall the dragon is. Vaasrand certainly has a chance against a dragon as large as Drogon in the third episode of the game, but the larger Drogon from the end of Season 6 would annihilate him. And then there are dragons like Balerion, who could kill a thousand men like Vaasrand without breaking a sweat. Their main advantage is not only that they have extremely thick scales, but also that they can fly and breathe fire, which makes them virtually unstoppable. Vaasrand can't kill what he can't reach and these things only have to land a single hit on him to end the fight. That said, someone as smart as Vaasrand would probably try to kill the dragon while it is sleeping, in which case he gets exactly one try.
Sadie is going to advice Blane to help Baelor and his soldiers
These were two important choices. In your position, I would have probably decided similarly, even though I have seen some good arguments in favour of the other option as well. This certainly was the safer choice for Mathea, though it remains to be seen if it was the safer choice for Arthur as well, who is now going to give up on his relatively secure spot near the castle. It also means he is going to leave Aldus behind, who can hardly deal with anything problematic. That said, I am glad about it, as it will make for a more interesting storyline for Arthur, that much I can reveal. As for Sadie, this choice firstly means more men to fight the Ironborn. However, I can also reveal that it will lead to something unexpected at the end of her next part.
The next part is hopefully going to be out today. It will feature a PoV from Garthon and potentially a second PoV, which will mark the return of Lyria. However, currently it looks like Lyria is going to reappear in the part after the next one and that I will dedicate this part entirely to Garthon instead. It will be his second part in this chapter and it will feature a very important choice. The last time we saw him was at the very beginning of the chapter, where he and the other Ironborn started their raid. They crashed into the makeshift defences that had been built by the city guard and forced them to retreat. Instead of advancing in an orderly fashion, Several Ironborn split up. Anturion and his men went to the archive, while Clint Volmark commanded a substantial number of Ironborn to properly raid the city, without a real plan and with the full intention to leave as much chaos and destruction as possible. Garthon was sent to go after him, to convince him to join forces with Torvin again. However, before he was able to do that, he spotted Rell Vessels, lying on the ground with a gruesome leg wound. Rell begged him for help and though hesitant, Garthon ultimately decided to carry him back to the ship, therefore likely saving his life.
It should also be noted that it is possible that this will be the last part for this week. I will try to finish another part on Friday, but I can't promise it. The thing is, I won't be home over the weekend (which also means that I will only be able on my phone, if at all) and won't be back until Sunday in the evening. Maybe I can finish the part then, but I can't promise that either. So, at worst the part today will be the last part until Monday next week.
Orys Baratheon vs The Beast of Raylansfair
Actually, the beast would have quite some chances here. Just like how Vaasrand is not spe… morecialized in fighting humans, Orys is not specialized in fighting dangerous animals, so this would be a very new situation for him. The beast is also extremely cunning and would probably somehow find a way to outwit Orys, who is really more capable when it comes to commanding a battle against a human opponent. That said, Orys is still a really capable swordsman, so this would be far from a one-sided fight.
Vaasrand vs A Dragon.
Depends on how tall the dragon is. Vaasrand certainly has a chance against a dragon as large as Drogon in the third episode of the game, but the larger Drogon from the end of Season 6 would annihilate him. And then there are dragons like Balerion, who could kill a thousand men like Vaasrand without breaking a sweat. Their main advantage is not only that they have extre… [view original content]
Hm, I'd say Jaime wins this one. The Tom is good, very good and extremely dangerous, but Jaime is literally the best swordsman in Westeros during his time. It would be a hard fight though, but in the end, Jaime has certainly earned his reputation and I'd say he would take him down.
Jon Snow vs Raenna
Here it depends. Are we talking book-Jon or show-Jon? Because in the show, he is significantly more skilled, up to the point where Ramsay outright calls him the best swordsman in the North. Show-Jon would be more than a match for Raenna, though she would easily win against the teenager he is in the books. I'd say that show-Jon would win though.
Sandor Clegane vs Orys Baratheon
Hmmm... like Jaime, Sandor is one of the most dangerous fighters in Westeros during his time, but so is Orys during this time. However, I think the Hound is actually the slightly better fighter. Orys' strength is that he is not only a gifted fighter, but also a brilliant tactician, but someone like Sandor had far more time to focus entirely on fighting, which should make him the better one, if slightly.
Ser Bronn vs Vaasrand of Lys
Well... another hard one, but I would say that here, Vaasrand would win. Bronn is fast and skilled, but so is Vaasrand and I'd give him the advantage here. I mean, he is Geralt of fucking Rivia after all. There are enemies Bronn rightfully wouldn't try his luck against and Vaasrand would probably be among them.
Eddard Stark vs The Moggy
It depends again. Ned in his prime would probably be able to take down the Moggy. However, the older Ned from the time of the books and show is certainly past his prime and therefore slower. I'd say he would lose against the Moggy, though the younger Ned would probably win.
Robb Stark vs Willfred Reyne
Now I am not sure, how good of a fighter is Robb actually? In the books, he is 14 when he crowns himself, in the show he is slightly older, but neither actually show him in a fight if I'm not mistaken. He is always mentioned to be a great commander, but has his fighting skill ever been mentioned? Willfred meanwhile is a skilled, if somewhat arrogant fighter, so I think in a physical fight, he would win.
Gregor Clegane vs Bear and Rodrik
As much as I'd like to say Gregor here, he is fighting against two people who could both at least hold their own against him for a while. Speed has never been his strength, so defnding himself against two men at once could give him a problem, especially when he can't finish the fight in a single strike. Maybe he kills one of them, but the other would kill him the very same moment.
Ramsay Snow vs The Sphynx (Who is better at torture)
Oh, this one's a nasty one. Both, Ramsay and the Sphynx are wickedly evil people, both have a lot of fun at torturing others and both are equally sadistic. This one's a classic draw. The Sphynx is the better one at causing physical pain, he has a great deal of knowledge about the human body and knows where it hurts the most. Ramsay meanwhile is definitely better at psychological torture, since I'd say he has a better insight in how the human mind works.
Daenerys Targaryen vs Argella Durrandon (Battle of intelligence)
Well, this is one I'd love to see. One is bratty, impulsive, wilful and arrogant, the other one... is the same with a different hair colour. Argella has probably gotten the better education, since she was raised to rule, though her temper can easily be more fierce than Dany's at her worst. It would probably all depend on who can keep her cool for longer, which shoul theoretically be Dany, even if Argella might be the one with the better education and the one that is more naturally suited to rule (see the mistakes Dany makes in Season 5 and ADWD)
Tyrion Lannister vs Maron Mullendore (Battle of intelligence)
Hm... a narrow victory for Tyrion, I'd say. Both mainly rely on their intelligence, but Mullendore uses it to pretend to be something he isn't (a polite, well-behaved and affable knight), while Tyrion uses it to deal with exactly what he is, therefore turning his own weakness into a strength. Being usually the one that gets underestimated, I also think that he wouldn't make Mullendore's key flaw, which is underestimating others. For Mullendore, his intelligence is part of his tactic, for Tyrion, it is an essential skill that ensures his survival, so Tyrion has an advantage.
For this round I'll do GoT vs FoT characters.
Jaime Lannister vs The Tom
Jon Snow vs Raenna
Sandor Clegane vs Orys Baratheon
Ser… more Bronn vs Vaasrand of Lys
Eddard Stark vs The Moggy
Robb Stark vs Willfred Reyne
Gregor Clegane vs Bear and Rodrik
Ramsay Snow vs The Sphynx (Who is better at torture)
Daenerys Targaryen vs Argella Durrandon (Battle of intelligence)
Tyrion Lannister vs Maron Mullendore (Battle of intelligence)
Rell groaned, as Garthon pulled him up, to the deck of the ship. “Oh, shut up with the whining...”, Garthon muttered under his breath, as he finally let go of the man. Rell sank onto the ground, immediately wrapping his hands around his wounded leg. It was still bleeding badly and to be honest, Garthon was not sure if he would survive even now. That said, neither did her particularly care.
“Are you managing from here?”, he asked and Rell sighed. After a second of waiting, he nodded weakly. “Yeah”, he answered, his face still a grimace of pain. “Yeah, I'll manage. I know where the stuff I need is located” As Garthon wanted to leave, Rell grabbed him by the ankle for a moment. “Breaker, wait...”, he sighed. “I... uh, I owe you” He bit his lip. “No one forced you to do this but you still helped me and I... well, I'll repay you”
He let go of Garthon, who gave him a nod. “I haven't done this to get a reward”, he reminded him and Rell looked slightly confused for a second. “You... you mean...”, he stuttered and Garthon sighed, as he looked down the city that became a battlefield. “For now, just try and stay alive”, he told him. “If we both survive this, then we'll talk”
Rell raised his eyebrows. “Alright...”, he mumbled. “But if we make it, I owe you. Harmund is my friend. Maybe I can arrange something...” Garthon threw a glance at him, before he began climbing down the ship again. The gratitude of Rell Vessels wasn't something he particularly wanted, but it might be an opportunity for the future. Right now however, there were more important things to do. Torvin needed his help. And he needed to find Cleaver Clint.
Quickly, he rushed down the docks, where the Ironborn had landed. Dozens had died here. The city guard had been without chance. But still, there was a reason this city never fell before. Garthon had a feeling that something was coming up. And he had the bad feeling that he and Torvin were used as mere pawns in a game played by Black Harren and his new pirate crony, this Anturion.
Running past the bodies of the dead and the dying, he turned to the street Cleaver Clint had vanished in, when the smell of smoke reached his nose. He grimaced, as he also caught the faint scent of burning flesh. Perhaps it did not matter if they would take this city. People like Clint would make sure that it would be ruined regardless.
Following the Lord of Volmark wasn't hard. He left a trail of destruction wherever he went. Soon, Garthon saw the flames of the buildings Cleaver had set alight. Even before that, he saw the corpses of the people that were unfortunate to get in his way. He had butchered them, sometimes beyond recognition. The sight was nauseating.
That said, not all of his men still followed him. Garthon's walk wasn't a lonely one. He passed a building, its doors kicked in and spotted one of the raiders, who cut a ring from the hand of a dead woman. Next to him, another man loaded silverware into a bag. He threw a glance at Garthon, recognized him as one of his allies and continued with his own business.
More Ironborn followed, some returning to the ship, others still in the act of whatever savagery they were doing. There was a reason why Garthon never liked raiding and he was once again reminded of it. The bloodshed, the violence, he never saw a reason for it. In the days of old, there might have been a time where raiding had been essential for his people to survive on the barren islands, but these days were long gone. Nowadays, with their own, lush kingdom, what was the point, aside from spreading fear and mayhem and hatred?
Not all of the Ironborn had survived this raid either. When facing certain death, some of the citizens of Raylansfair had apparently gone down fighting. Garthon passed two corpses, one of them an older man, his hand still wrapped around the knife he had plunged into the throat of a raider. A few feet away, a small group of armed citizens had made their final stand, taking down about half a dozen raiders with them.
Among the Ironborn on the ground was a familiar figure. Garthon recognized the blonde hair, now stained with blood and he gasped, as he knelt down next to the young man. Carefully, he put a hand onto Hjalgar's shoulder and turned him around. Just then, he noticed that the man was still breathing. A second later, Hjalgar slowly opened his eyes.
Immediately, he groaned, as he moved a hand towards his head, to check for the wound on it. “Ow...”, he mumbled, as he gave Garthon a dizzy look. “What... what happened?” Garthon looked around and sighed. “You got into a fight”, he stated and Hjalgar grimaced in pain as his fingers touched the wound on his forehead. It was a superficial one, though nonetheless clearly painful.
“There was this man”, he said, as his eyes started to wander around. They widened, as he found what he was looking for, pointing at one of the corpses “There, this one”, he mumbled. “I could have killed him... I... I could not” He paused for a second. “And he hit me with that cudgel...” Finally, his gaze cleared up a bit more. “Oh fuck...”, he muttered.
“What is it?”, Garthon asked, as he held Hjalgar down on the ground, when the young man tried to rise. “Whoa, take it easy! You're lucky to be still alive. Don't test your luck” Hjalgar shook his head. “Cleaver Clint”, he said. “Where is he?” Garthon glanced down the trail of destruction that spread down the entire street, up to an intersection in the distance. “I'm looking for him myself”, he answered. “Why is it important?”
Now, he stopped resisting Hjalgar's attempts at standing up. The young man seemed to have recovered enough to stand on his own again. “We have to find him!”, he gasped. “By the Drowned God, we have to stop him!” Now, Garthon looked surprised. “Stop him?”, he asked. “You want to stop Cleaver?”
“Of course!”, Hjalgar barked. “Just look around you! Look at what he did!” He spread his arms, still on shaky feet, as Garthon glanced over dead bodies, a ravaged streets and the distant flames that slowly crept closer. “I have heard stories, but Garthon... this man truly is a monster. The things he did, the things he still wants to do... We must stop him”
Garthon narrowed his eyes. “Torvin needs his help”, he said, as Hjalgar picked up his bow, which still lay on the ground. He moved his hands along the string, satisfied by the fact that it still worked. “Well, then you better hope you find him before I do”, he stated in a tone so chillingly cold that Garthon shivered, especially since Hjalgar was probably the last person he expected to talk like that.
“Wait!”, he said sharply, as Hjalgar started to walk down the street, following the trail of mayhem. He stopped patiently and looked at Garthon, who caught up. “You should return to the ship”, he offered. “It's safe there. Well, Vessels is there as well, but he won't be much of a problem in his current condition. You're wounded, you...”
“Doesn't matter”, Hjalgar responded. “Don't you see? This is something I have to do” He continued to walk, but much slower, so that Garthon could keep up with him. “Killing Volmark?”, he asked and Hjalgar gave him a nod. “It's hard to explain. I wasn't even sure if I can do this. But look around... this must be stopped. It's insane. He's insane”
Garthon sighed. “I want to stop this as well”, he promised. “But Torvin needs his help. If I convince him to assist the attack, then he would be unable to raid here as well” Hjalgar shook his head. “You won't be able to do that”, he answered. “He won't listen to you” Garthon gulped. “It's worth a try”, he answered. “If I manage to do that, would you be okay with it?”
Hjalgar shrugged. “Do I have a choice?”, he asked and Garthon did not answer. Finally, Hjalgar looked to the ground and sighed. “Fine”, he said. “We'll try it your way then. He must be stopped, one way or the other, but I guess we can try talking to him first” His gaze hardened. “But what are you going to do if he won't listen?”
Garthon had no good answer to this. “I guess we'll see”, he stated. “I'll decide that once it has come that far. I just hope he's going to listen” Hjalgar shook his head. “As I said, he won't”, he promised. “You haven't seen him. That look in his eyes... I think by now he'd even attack his own men if they stand in his way”
The two continued to walk, past the buildings that were now devoid of looters. Some doors were kicked in and one time, Garthon saw the corpse of a woman, who had tried to fight back and received a spear to the chest for her efforts, lying in a puddle of her own blood in front of a doorstep. The smell of fire got stronger, as did the smoke.
At last, they reached the crossroads at the end of the street. Two directions spread from there, one to the left and one to the right. The two men stopped and glanced down the street. Apparently, the Ironborn forced has split at this point, with both directions showing signs of battle. Corpses lay on the ground, one building to the left had caught fire, while noise from a building to the right indicated one of the raiders actively looting it at this moment. The distant sound of screams came from both directions equally, making for even more of a cacophony than it usually was.
“So... any idea on where to go first?”, Garthon asked and Hjalgar gave him a determined nod. By now, Garthon noticed that his usual humble shyness had been replaced by a grimly determined glare. Hjalgar was angry, which obviously set free some of the reserves Torvin had once claimed to have seen in him. “We split up”, he answered, no, decided.
Garthon raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn't it be better to stay together?”, he asked in return and Hjalgar decidedly shook his head. “That man must be stopped, Garthon, and we can't waste any time by going into the wrong direction”, he answered. “Which way do you want to take?”
Now, Garthon sighed, noticing that any argument with the young man was pointless right now. “If you find him first, what are you going to do?”, he asked. Hjalgar glanced at one of the corpses behind them, showing the unmistakeable wounds caused by Clint's signature weapon. “I don't know”, he admitted. “I never liked killing another human. I did so before, but only to save my own life. This time...” He looked up. “I am angry, Garthon”, he growled. “I have heard the stories about him, but actually seeing it... that man is less than a savage and worse than Black Harren and all of his spawns combined” He sighed. “And I still don't know if I can kill him. I want to, but... I think I want him to help Torvin even more”, he said. “Your brother has been a good friend. The least I can do is to repay that”
“Good”, Garthon answered, satisfied by what he heard here. “Then I will take the right way. If you find Cleaver, then remember what I told you. Talking to him might be worth a try” Hjalgar gulped. “I'm still not convinced, but we'll see about it”, he answered as he started to move. Garthon quickly did the same, though he walked in the opposite direction.
Quickly, Garthon got the opinion that he had taken the correct path. The destruction here seemed a bit wilder than before, more rampant. Of course, Cleaver Clint was leaving more and more of his followers behind, either because they died, or because they took off on their own. This meant that there were fewer men to hold him back.
And in fact, Garthon found the man himself shortly afterwards. He approached the sound of fighting, coming from a side street, when suddenly, one of the raiders stumbled out of it, backwards, just when a spear hit him at the centre of the chest. The guard that had thrown it followed quickly and behind him, Garthon could hear steel clashing against steel and the unmistakeable laughter of Cleaver Clint Volmark.
The guard turned around to the alleyway, while he tried to pull his spear out of the corpse of the man he just killed. His eyes were opened widely with terror, as screams of pain came out of the alleyway. Then, he pulled his sword, just as the screaming stopped. Heavily, Clint walked out of the street, holding his bloodstained cleaver.
The lord of Volmark let out a deep howl, as he charged at the guard. The man stood not even the tiniest chance, when the massive raider crashed into him, knocking him to the ground with his sheer weight and sending the sword flying. A loud came out of his throat, half growl, half laughter, as he raised the cleaver far above his head, before bringing it down onto the man's belly, over and over again, until the entire chest was nothing but a bloody pulp.
Heavily breathing and with a wide, blood-stained grin on his face, Clint turned around and his expression got even more malicious once he spotted Garthon, who suddenly had the wish to be far away from this man. “Oh, the traitor decides to join the fun at last”, Volmark growled. “Took you long enough”
Garthon straightened his back and took a deep breath, not looking at the man Clint had just butchered. He also registered that they were alone. Half a dozen men lay dead in the alleyway, half of them Ironborn. “Lord Volmark, Torvin sends me to...”, he started, though Cleaver cut him off. His grin got even darker, as he put a fat finger onto his lips, subtly pointing his head at the building to his right.
This time, Garthon barely needed to look into the direction. He saw the hollow face that quickly vanished into the darkness with a high gasp the moment the massive raider turned his body towards the closed door. “Oh, this is going to be good”, he chuckled. “Hello? Hello-o?” When no answer came, he raised his weapon again, smashing it against the old door and causing it to break in a single strike. “Ah, there we go”, he growled, as he entered the building. From inside, Garthon heard panicked screams and he decided to rush after him.
A family of three had tried to hide inside the room, as Garthon quickly noticed. Father, mother and daughter, the last of which was quite a pretty young thing, with golden blonde hair, likely barely a woman. She was hiding in her mother's arms, sobbing with fear. Cleaver Clint stood in front of them, as they cowered in the hindmost corner. “Oh, this is even better than expected”, Clint spat, as he approached him.
Instead of running, or trying to fight, the man who likely was the girl's father instead opted to approach the raider, his hands raised. “Please”, he begged. “Please, spare my family. I have... I have goods hidden. Gold and other finery. I'll show you if you just let us be” Garthon sighed, knowing how futile the man's attempts at begging were. Just as he opened his mouth again, Cleaver's massive hand, the one that was free, wrapped around his throat, squeezing tightly.
“Small man”, he growled and his voice was chillingly calm, as the man's eyes widened and he gasped for air. “I don't want your frippery. Right now, I only want you to look me in the eye. Look! At me!” Reluctantly, the man followed, his gasps for air even louder than his daughter's terrified sobs. “Yes, that's it”, Clint hissed. “I want you to look me in the eye. I want you to see the man that will slaughter your people. That will burn your city to the ground. That will fuck your precious little daughter to death” His grip tightened and tears streamed down the man's face, just as Clint's bloodthirsty grin widened. “And I want you to die”
With these words, he let go of the lifeless corpse, grabbing his cleaver with both hands again. He started to approach the two women. “Ladies”, he said, just as he glanced over his shoulder. “Traitor, come on! You can have the fat, old one, while I'm going to have my way with the pretty one over there”
This caused a look of anger and violent defiance to appear in the mother's eyes. Despite being old and heavy-weight, she jumped up, probably fuelled by her daughter's sobbing. “No, you can't have...!”, she started to scream angrily, as she tried to charge at Clint. The raider barely bothered with her, as he heavily slammed the hilt of his weapon right into her eye, heavily knocking her to the ground again and silencing her for now.
“Not so fast!”, he barked, as he grabbed the young woman, the daughter, by her hair, as she tried to crawl away. “Not so fast, pretty, not so fast” He began to pull her away from her barely conscious mother, even though she started to scream at the top of her lungs. “NO!”, she screamed in panic. “NO! MOTHER!”
“Lord Volmark!”, Garthon tried again, feeling sick just from watching this scenery. He had to do something, he had to put an end to this. By the gods, Hjalgar was right... “Lord Volmark, don't do this!” Clint threw a glare at him. “Why not?”, he snarled and Garthon shivered under his rage. “Torvin needs your help. Without you and your men, we can't take this city. He orders...”
This was a mistake, as he noted instantly. Clint narrowed his eyes, as he let go of the girl. She sank to the ground, almost paralysed with fear. Then, the raider approached him and before Garthon was able to react, he had grabbed him by the collar of his vest, lifting him up in the air with both hands. The sharp iron edge of his cleaver pressed dangerously close against Garthon's cheek.
“I will not follow your orders, traitor, and I will certainly never come running when your traitor brother calls for me”, he snarled with a vicious, deep voice. “Go and tell him that Clint fucking Volmark is not his bitch. I will do this my way and anyone trying to stop me will die. Go and tell him that” Clint lowered his arms and Garthon was able to feel solid ground under his feet again. Just then, the lord of Volmark quickly moved his massive knee upwards, heavily slamming it right into Garthon's crotch.
Pain exploded between his legs, as Garthon instantly sank to the ground. Through a veil of pained tears, he saw Clint grinning, heard his disgusting chuckling. “Yeah, that'll teach you”, he growled. “Now crawl back to your brother!” Still chuckling, he turned around. The girl used the same moment to slice a knife right across his face.
Perhaps it was fear, perhaps it was inexperience that prevented her from using her one opportunity at killing the man that had murdered her father. Instead of ending it right here, she failed to fully hit him and instead, the blade merely opened his cheek. A scream, half pain, half pure rage, came out of Clint's throat and just as she tried to attack again, he had grabbed her by the wrist and he heavily slammed her hand onto the wooden table next to her.
“Drop it!”, he barked angrily, while blood flew down his cheek. “Drop it, or I'll kill your mother like I killed your pathetic father!” It was not an empty threat and even she noticed it, even though Garthon desperately tried to shake his head. She followed the order and let go of the knife, which caused Clint to chuckle again.
“Oh, you little bitch”, he spat and outright giggled with excitement. “Not going to lie, this is really going to suck for you” The girl's eyes widened and she desperately tried to free her hand from his iron grip, as Clint raised his cleaver. He slammed it down onto the table, severing the very tip of her fingers and causing her to scream shrilly.
“As I said”, Clint said in a jolly tone. “This is really going to suck” He slammed the cleaver down again, only marginally higher this time, causing her to scream even louder, as she frantically tried to free herself from his grip. It was then, when Garthon had staggered back to his feet. His glance fell upon his sword and he felt cold anger rising up inside him. He glared at Clint, who had turned his back at him and who raised his cleaver once again, without paying attention to anyone but the screaming girl. Perhaps there was one thing Garthon could do...
...I don't really know why I'm voting this. It probably won't win, but there's something in me that is bothering me, and I don't know what. Something doesn't feel right. What is it?
Garthon
Rell groaned, as Garthon pulled him up, to the deck of the ship. “Oh, shut up with the whining...”, Garthon muttered under his br… moreeath, as he finally let go of the man. Rell sank onto the ground, immediately wrapping his hands around his wounded leg. It was still bleeding badly and to be honest, Garthon was not sure if he would survive even now. That said, neither did her particularly care.
“Are you managing from here?”, he asked and Rell sighed. After a second of waiting, he nodded weakly. “Yeah”, he answered, his face still a grimace of pain. “Yeah, I'll manage. I know where the stuff I need is located” As Garthon wanted to leave, Rell grabbed him by the ankle for a moment. “Breaker, wait...”, he sighed. “I... uh, I owe you” He bit his lip. “No one forced you to do this but you still helped me and I... well, I'll repay you”
He let go of Garthon, who gave him a nod. “I haven't done this to get a reward”, he reminded him and R… [view original content]
Garthon
Rell groaned, as Garthon pulled him up, to the deck of the ship. “Oh, shut up with the whining...”, Garthon muttered under his br… moreeath, as he finally let go of the man. Rell sank onto the ground, immediately wrapping his hands around his wounded leg. It was still bleeding badly and to be honest, Garthon was not sure if he would survive even now. That said, neither did her particularly care.
“Are you managing from here?”, he asked and Rell sighed. After a second of waiting, he nodded weakly. “Yeah”, he answered, his face still a grimace of pain. “Yeah, I'll manage. I know where the stuff I need is located” As Garthon wanted to leave, Rell grabbed him by the ankle for a moment. “Breaker, wait...”, he sighed. “I... uh, I owe you” He bit his lip. “No one forced you to do this but you still helped me and I... well, I'll repay you”
He let go of Garthon, who gave him a nod. “I haven't done this to get a reward”, he reminded him and R… [view original content]
Garthon
Rell groaned, as Garthon pulled him up, to the deck of the ship. “Oh, shut up with the whining...”, Garthon muttered under his br… moreeath, as he finally let go of the man. Rell sank onto the ground, immediately wrapping his hands around his wounded leg. It was still bleeding badly and to be honest, Garthon was not sure if he would survive even now. That said, neither did her particularly care.
“Are you managing from here?”, he asked and Rell sighed. After a second of waiting, he nodded weakly. “Yeah”, he answered, his face still a grimace of pain. “Yeah, I'll manage. I know where the stuff I need is located” As Garthon wanted to leave, Rell grabbed him by the ankle for a moment. “Breaker, wait...”, he sighed. “I... uh, I owe you” He bit his lip. “No one forced you to do this but you still helped me and I... well, I'll repay you”
He let go of Garthon, who gave him a nod. “I haven't done this to get a reward”, he reminded him and R… [view original content]
Garthon
Rell groaned, as Garthon pulled him up, to the deck of the ship. “Oh, shut up with the whining...”, Garthon muttered under his br… moreeath, as he finally let go of the man. Rell sank onto the ground, immediately wrapping his hands around his wounded leg. It was still bleeding badly and to be honest, Garthon was not sure if he would survive even now. That said, neither did her particularly care.
“Are you managing from here?”, he asked and Rell sighed. After a second of waiting, he nodded weakly. “Yeah”, he answered, his face still a grimace of pain. “Yeah, I'll manage. I know where the stuff I need is located” As Garthon wanted to leave, Rell grabbed him by the ankle for a moment. “Breaker, wait...”, he sighed. “I... uh, I owe you” He bit his lip. “No one forced you to do this but you still helped me and I... well, I'll repay you”
He let go of Garthon, who gave him a nod. “I haven't done this to get a reward”, he reminded him and R… [view original content]
Garthon
Rell groaned, as Garthon pulled him up, to the deck of the ship. “Oh, shut up with the whining...”, Garthon muttered under his br… moreeath, as he finally let go of the man. Rell sank onto the ground, immediately wrapping his hands around his wounded leg. It was still bleeding badly and to be honest, Garthon was not sure if he would survive even now. That said, neither did her particularly care.
“Are you managing from here?”, he asked and Rell sighed. After a second of waiting, he nodded weakly. “Yeah”, he answered, his face still a grimace of pain. “Yeah, I'll manage. I know where the stuff I need is located” As Garthon wanted to leave, Rell grabbed him by the ankle for a moment. “Breaker, wait...”, he sighed. “I... uh, I owe you” He bit his lip. “No one forced you to do this but you still helped me and I... well, I'll repay you”
He let go of Garthon, who gave him a nod. “I haven't done this to get a reward”, he reminded him and R… [view original content]
Comments
Yep.
This actually takes place 14 years before the main story, although the full mini-series will span over multiple years.
The Voting is closed!
Maya is going to accept Orys' offer
Well, this was an interesting choice. I can safely reveal that there will be good and bad consequences, for both of these options. It is one of the choices I am looking forward for to tell you more about at the end of the chapter, because it will majorly influence one particular PoV aside from Maya. I also feel like this will lead to the more interesting consequences, though you can decide for yourself if this is good or bad. It was a very important choice for sure.
The next part will be out today, hopefully very soon. I have written more than half of it and have finished its first PoV, which is Arthur's. There will also be a second PoV, from Sadie. As you know, Arthur was last seen at the end of last chapter, where he decided to follow his father's orders and to remain behind while the other guardsmen fought, so that he could help evacuating the smallfolk. Meanwhile, Sadie decided to ally herself with the sellsword Leo Hill, who expressed sympathy for her cause and promised help in finding her sister once the danger of attacking Ironborn would be stopped. To this, Sadie was offered the choice of joining one of Leo's subleaders, who each had their own tasks during the coming fight. She decided to join Blane, who as you may remember has previously tried to befriend her. On top of that, her companion Dan decided to help as well. We'll see where that is leading to.
Now, as far as I know, there will be something else for you to read, hopefully before I finish the next part. @Bounden has written a part set in the backstory of his character, Commander Hackor Nathamer. In case this part will be out only after I finished the next part, or shortly before, I still hope you all read and enjoy it as well
Team Targaryen succeeds again! Really excited to see how this plays out and if Maya will hold up her end of the bargain. Can't wait to see what Arthur is up to, and Sadie's part is surely going to be interesting too. My little part won't be as great as yours Liquid or the other short stories, but I hope y'all like it though.
Of High and Low Men: Part I
The tavern was alive with an air of celebration. Farmers from the fields sat around several of the tables drinking in rejoice. The end of the farming season had come and this year’s harvest was the most bountiful of the summer. However, the loudest man in the room wasn’t a farmer at all. A giant of a man, he stood out amongst the rest of the farmers. He was built like a warrior, with the short stubble of a beard in the making dripping with ale. “Hackor! Get yer arse o’er here with the drinks, or do I have to walk o’er there and carry you myself!” the man shouted from across the room in a slurred voice.
Hackor snapped out of his daze as he made his way back to his table. Harris was beginning to get rowdy, and the night had only begun. Another man besides Harris, Darren Tallwood, placed his hand on Harris’ shoulder. Darren was the quieter of the two knights, and was trying to keep Harris calmed. He was the youngest of the group, but he was surely the most mature. Both were dressed in their knightly attire, while Hackor was only dressed in his city guard captain uniform. Harris had insisted on bringing Hackor out to celebrate Darren’s knighting. It took great deal of convincing to Commander Liotone, but Hackor was one of, if not the best guard he had. The Commander didn’t see any problem with letting Hackor end his shift early, but only if he made it up by working the next gate shift. Bobbing and weaving through the crowd, Hackor made his way to the table and passed the drinks around.
“Hope the ale is up to your knightly standards, ” jeered Hackor,”If not, feel free to pass it back to me. Probably doesn’t hold a candle to all that wine you must have up in the castle.” They all laughed as they took a swig of their ale. “As if we would ever be given access to the wine cellar,” joked Darren, “Robert is smart enough to know that we would drink it dry before sunrise.” Harris snorted on his ale at this. His face was flush as he pounded his hand on the table in laughter.
Harris wipe some ale off his chin with his tabard. His tabard had several stains and and cuts in it from the years of use. Darren’s tabard was looked very crisp, fresh off the shelfs. You could easily see the difference of experience between Harris and Darren by their outfits. Hackor was clad in handy down armor that was older than more than the men in the tavern. The two knights both had swords strapped to their sides, while Hackor was cumbered down by a large spear strapped to his back. Hackor had a much lower quality of weaponry than the other two.
“Hackor, we could use a good man like you up in the castle,” Darren managed to say between swigs of ale. “Aye, plus the benefits are much better as an castle guard than as a city guard,” Harris chimed in, “And the servant women don’t hurt. There is plenty of eye candy up there.” Hackor choked on his drink when he heard this. A blush began to crawl up his face at the mention of women. Hackor was currently in between women and after a particularly bad break up, he wasn’t in any rush to get back into the romance game.
A roar of cheers erupted a table over. Hackor noticed the Marigold sisters raising their glasses along with a group of other girls from town. Harris must’ve followed Hackor’s gaze, because a sly grin spread across his face. “Though the lasses down here aren’t that bad themselves. But a guy like you Hackor probably doesn’t have any trouble with the ladies.” said Harris with a wide grin, knowing full well about Hackor’s current slump.
Before Hackor could interject, a hand suddenly patted him on the back when another man sat down at the table. “If it isn’t the castle boys and the captain. Come down to celebrate the end of the harvest?” Roman, one of the farmers in the city, asked. He reached over for Darren’s drink and took a swig. Darren glared at him as Harris rolled his eyes. They never really liked Roman, but he had a tendency to sit down at their table whenever they were drinking. Hackor really didn’t mind the man, but he did know that people didn’t like Roman’s arrogance.
“We’re actually celebrating Darren’s new knighthood.” said Hackor. He made sure to speak before Harris could trigger some sort of argument with Roman. Once Roman got started, it would only end with all of them getting thrown out of the tavern, or worse being tossed in the drunk tank back at headquarters. Getting in trouble with Commander Liotone wasn’t something Hackor planned on.
“No shit! Ain’t you got to be some sort of hero? No wait, if they got Harris up on that high horse.” Roman snickered as he finished off the rest of Darren’s ale. Now Harris began stare daggers back at Roman, but before he could say anything a voice shouted out from the entrance. “Harris! Darren! Are you back there?” A man dressed in robes walked into the tavern, carrying a stack of books and scrolls in his hands. He was around middle age, with short brown hair. He had a very lively look about him as he looked around the tavern. “Oh, there you two are. And you are with the Nathamer boy, good.” He made his way to their table as he set the stack of books down. “I need your assistance carrying this back to the castle.” Darren jumped at the chance of leaving Roman as he stood up,”Sure thing Maester, this doesn’t look like too much to carry.”
“Oh that is just the start of it,” the maester chuckled. A look of glee began to spread across his face,” I just got back from the Archives, and I think I have finally found an ancient scroll that could be from the Age of Heroes. It is written in Asshai though, so I won’t know till I get translated. This could mean so many things. If there is one document, there are sure to be more back down deeper in the th-” “That’s interesting and all Maester Eaton,” Harris cutted him off before the maester could get even more distracted by his propositions,” Just show us the books and we will carry them back to the castle for you.” “Oh yes, you are right. Let us get started while we still have some daylight.”
Darren picked up the stack of books Maester Eaton placed on the table as Harris stood up. “Are you coming Hackor? We can show you around the castle while we are at it.” Harris asked. “I’m sure Lord Robert would be pleased to make your acquaintance as well Hackor. We have heard many good things from Commander Liotone.” Maester Eaton added.
“Wait, you aren’t just going to leave me like that?” Roman asked from the table. He looked up with a despondent look as he noticed everyone leaving. “ Aren’t you going to stay and celebrate with me an’ the boys Hackor? The Harking boy and Ol’ Man Recton are up for another round if you stay. We’ve been working all summer for this harvest, we’d love if you could celebrate with us.” Hackor glanced back to his companions. Harris shrugged his shoulders,”If you want to stay with the farmers, be your guess. But it isn’t every day you get to talk to the lord.” Roman obviously didn’t want him to leave, but did Hackor really want to spend his night drinking with the farmers? It would be an honor to visit the Lord Raylan with his friends, but could he really leave Roman all alone?
[Carry books to the castle with Harris and the others] [Drink some more with Roman and the farmers]
[Carry books to the castle with Harris and the others]
Voting closed. Greysor will [Talk to Lord Woodbark]
[Carry books to the castle with Harris and the others] Hah, screw Roman
That was awesome! I already like the idea of seeing a young Hackor, but this is taking things several steps further, with these glimpses of Harris, Darren and Roman in their youth and even Maester Eaton, as well as mentions of several other characters. That entertained me a lot, especially as you managed to write all of them in-character, which certainly couldn't have been easy given that you only had their appearances in the story as references. On top of that, I found your writing to be highly enjoyable and it was very good to read. I am super excited to see what else you have planned in future parts
Arthur
“This way, please”, Aldus stuttered, as he pointed towards the castle. The man did not listen, as he instead continued to loot his belongings into a wheelbarrow. “P... please, you have to go to the castle” Arthur sighed as he noticed how overwhelmed Aldus was even with this relatively easy task. His comrades were dying just about a mile to the west, for crying out loud!
With a sigh, he approached the two men. Aldus glanced over his shoulder and threw a pleading look at him. “Hey!”, Arthur barked impatiently. He was frustrated. Yes, he followed his father's orders, his commander's orders, but he should have fought together with his comrades. Even worse was what they would think of him now. A coward, hiding behind his father's unnecessary worry, where that was far from the truth.
“Hey!”, he said again, as he grabbed the man by the shoulder. “Go, now!” The man narrowed his eyes. “I gotta save my stuff”, he protested and Arthur shook his head. “There's no room for your stuff at the castle”, he responded. “If everyone goes there, it's already going to be crowded. I don't want your stuff to take away room that might be needed”
“But... that's mine!”, the man growled and Arthur sighed. “If everyone takes a damn wheelbarrow with them, we won't even get half of the people in there”, he answered. “You will go to the castle, now!” The man crossed his arm, still unwilling to move. “Yeah, on whose orders, boy?”, he snarled. Now, Arthur became similarly confrontational. “On Commander Nathamer's”, he responded and he noticed how mentioning his father's name instantly changed the man's attitude.
“Oh... if... that is... I don't want any anger with the commander”, he mumbled, before a last glance of defiance appeared in his eyes. Quickly, he grabbed a fine cup from his wheelbarrow, tucking it in his shirt, before grabbing a chandelier and a silvered plate. “Fine, I'll go”, he muttered and finally started moving, joining the crowd that slowly made their way up to the castle. Many were already behind the walls, more would follow. But Arthur noticed that some decided to fight and he was glad about it. On their own, the city guard was without chance.
“Thank you”, Aldus said, as he looked after the man. “This one was particularly stubborn” Unnerved, Arthur shook his head. “He wasn't stubborn”, he answered. “Just worried for his belongings. You gotta learn how to talk to these people as well” Aldus sighed. “I don't know if I can”, he admitted. “It looks so easy with you, but... these people, they don't look at me the same way”
That wasn't hard, as Arthur had to admit. As harsh as it was, Aldus was anything but intimidating. Almost morbidly obese, he had close to three chins, with only a thin patchy beard growing on the third, as well as long, unkempt hair. But even worse was the way he looked, like a frightened child. And in many ways, he was exactly this. A grown man in appearance only, overwhelmed with even the most simple of tasks. And Arthur's only companion in this moment.
“It's something you have to get used to. Don't show them how afraid you are”, Arthur advised him. “You are a tall guy. If you want to, you can order them around” He sighed heavily. “And instead, it is the other way 'round” Aldus gulped. “I... I'm trying”, he claimed, but Arthur shook his head. “No, no you are not”, he answered sharply.
Before he could continue to scold the young guard, perhaps to let out at least some of the frustration that has been bottling up inside him, his attention was directed at a new situation, which was probably for the better. He saw a curious group of people coming up the path, likely seeking refuge in the castle.
“What the...?”, Aldus muttered after seeing them as well. They were roughly a dozen, a bit less perhaps and quite a colourful lot. Artists, as Arthur realized, directly from the fair. Of course they needed protection as well. They were led by a thin woman with brown hair, perhaps around forty years old, wearing a lavish, purple dress. Next to her walked a hulking giant of a man, ripped with muscles and with long, unkempt hair. Effortlessly, he was cradling a man in his arms whom Arthur recognized. Philip Loren had a grimace of pain on his face, though he seemed conscious.
“Greetings”, Arthur said as he approached them and the woman smiled at him. “Hello”, she greeted him in return. “My name is Taenora, leader of this little troupe” Arthur gave her a nod and glanced at Philip, who gave him a stressed smile. “Hey Arthur”, he said and a look of pain flashed across his face. “Argh, fucking leg... Don't let go, Ulaf”
The giant holding him rolled his eyes. “I am the strongest man in Westeros and beyond”, he said, with a broad accent. “I think I can hold you, little man” Philip sighed. “Wonderful”, he said, just as Arthur approached him. “Anything wrong with your leg?”, he asked and the man gave him a nod. “I fell down a damn ladder. It's probably not broken, but something's not right there”
“Alright”, Arthur said. “Lady Mathea can help you, probably. She's up at the castle” Philip raised an eyebrow as he looked at him. No, he looked past him. “You sure about that?”, he asked and as Arthur turned around, he saw none other than Mathea walking through the crowd, the only one that actually turned away from the castle. “What is she doing here...”, he muttered.
Then, she had reached them and Arthur saw the anxious, slightly irritated look on her face. “Hey”, she greeted them briefly, glancing from Arthur to Philip. “What... what are you doing here?”, Arthur asked in surprise and she raised an eyebrow. “I've decided that my help is needed down here in the city”, she answered briefly.
“But... hasn't the commander ordered you to stay?”, Arthur asked and she shook her head. “Not explicitly”, she answered. “Besides, your fathers orders are secondary when there are people in danger” Now, she glanced at Philip. “What happened with your leg?”, she asked briefly, just as the man managed a smile. “Ah, nothing too bad”, he claimed, despite the pain he was obviously in. “It's probably not even broken”
Mathea gave him the hint of a smile. “Glad to hear it's nothing bad”, she answered. “Maybe I'll have a look at it if it gets worse” As he heard this, a pained look flashed across Philip's face. “Uh, it's getting much worse already”, he stated. “Yeah, I... I'm afraid I might lose my leg, mylady” Now, Mathea outright chuckled for a brief second, before she shook her head. “Be glad you have two then”, she answered.
Arthur rolled his eyes at the scene. “Alright then, come on”, he said. “There is much to do, so go ahead” It was only then that his eyes fell on the large wagons the troupe was leading with them. His eyes narrowed. “Wait a moment”, he said. “What is that right there?”
He walked around the wagon and jumped back as a black beast crashed against the bars on the backside, letting out a ferocious roar in the process. A second beast joined in, hissing aggressively and a third let out a threatening growl, although the bars prevented all three animals from leaving the wagon. After recovering from the initial shock, he recognize the large, prideful frames of three shadowcats.
“Ah, back!”, a deep voice shouted and a man with the dark amber skin of the Ghiscari rushed to the wagon. “Azalaea, back! Dago, Etoile!” He raised his whip and cracked it, which was enough for the three shadowcats to jump back to the far end of the wagon, hissing with displeasure.
“What... what is that?”, Arthur gasped. “Are you trying to bring wild beasts into the castle?” The Ghiscari shook his head. “These are tamed”, he claimed. “I know, because I did it myself” He gave Arthur a nod. “Irnas mo Akk, tamer of wild beasts” Arthur gulped. “Are you... trying to bring dangerous animals into the castle?”, he tried again, still baffled. Again, Irnas shook his head. “They are not dangerous in there”, he claimed.
Now, Arthur threw a pleading look towards Taenora, who approached him. Mathea followed, as did the large man that held Philip. “I see you met the animals”, Taenora said nonchalantly, though the final words were almost drowned under a cough that forced its way up her throat. Arthur gulped. “So, you fully intend on bringing them into the castle?”, he asked.
“Of course, dear”, Taenora answered. “Where else are we supposed to take them?” Arthur shrugged. “I don't know”, he admitted. “Can't you just leave them? I doubt anyone will go out of his way to attack them” Instantly, the Ghiscari growled sharply, not unlike one of his shadowcats. “Leaving them?”, he barked. “No way! Do you know how dangerous this will be for them?”
Taenora smiled politely. “Irnas is highly protective of his animals”, she said and her smile faded. “Listen, there is no other place we can take them. They won't endanger anyone in there. And letting them fight, that won't be possible. They're not all as fierce as the shadowcats. In the other cart, we've got a white lion that is probably older than I am” Arthur gulped, not being entirely convinced of this. “If it helps, I'm vowing for these people”, Philip said. “They helped me a great deal today”
This caused Mathea to look up. “Are you sure there is nothing you can do?”, she asked. “I mean, these animals would die if you don't allow them in” Arthur sighed under her intense stare. “Alright, alright”, he mumbled in defeat. “Fine, you can take them with you. The stables should be empty, as well as large enough for these carts” He raised a finger. “But I want you to personally look over them”, he ordered sharply.
Now, Taenora smiled in relief and the tamer, Irnas, gave him a pat on the back. “Ah, thank you, good man”, he said. “You will not regret it” He gave Taenora a nod and the woman moved to the front of her little group again. Ulaf followed, still holding Philip. The man gave Mathea a brave smirk. “Take care of yourself”, he told her, just as he was carried away.
Arthur sighed. “The wheelbarrow guy is going to kill me”, he complained. Mathea chuckled, though she quickly turned serious again as she looked down the city. “This is going to suck”, she mumbled with a sigh and Arthur raised an eyebrow. “Mylady, what are you doing here exactly?”, he asked and Mathea looked at him with a tired stare. “Doing what I was taught to do. There's people in danger. Others might be able and willing to stay back at the castle, but I can't do that”, she answered
“Lyria, Rosalie and Urid”, Arthur muttered, realizing what she was after. “You plan to save them!” Mathea gave him a nod. “Lyria and Rosalie might be able to make it to the castle on their own, but especially in Rosie's case it's going to be close to impossible. But Urid... it was already hard enough to just save his legs. They are broken, Arthur, shattered even. He won't be able to walk for a very long time, especially not such a distance”
Arthur looked down the city. “It is a pretty far distance”, he admitted and gave her a worried stare. “Are you sure you can do that?” She shook her head. “Honestly, no, I am not”, she admitted. She raised her sleeve a little bit, revealing the hilt of a knife she was clinging to. “A man once taught me a few tricks”, she revealed. “I'm not as good as him, far from it. I'm not a fighter and I know that this won't be enough to survive if anyone decides to kill me” She gulped. “On top of that, I've never liked it. Taking lives, I mean”
“Me neither”, Arthur admitted, knowing exactly how she felt. “So, you plan on going down there all on your own?” Mathea shook her head. “It's not exactly a plan”, she answered. “It's just that every guardsman is needed up in the castle. They are barely enough as it is, so I had to leave without them” Arthur clenched his teeth as he though about how dangerous this city was. Maybe he shouldn't let her leave just on her own. Surely, if his father would be around, he would order him to do the same. Right?
[Offer to accompany her] [Let her leave on her own]
Sadie
“You know, you won't regret it”, Blane said and Sadie rolled her eyes. The young man had turned out to be quite the chatty on after she had decided to join him. Now she was standing to his right, with Dan closely behind her. With every second, new men came out of the building to join their ranks. Edward Lancaster and his men, two dozen, had left a few minutes ago, though Blane's group wasn't yet ready.
To make things worse, it was raining. This put her even less in the mood to deal with Blane's attempts at starting a conversation. It wasn't that she did not like him. She was rather neutral about him and he definitely wasn't unlikeable. It was just... now? Now was a pretty bad time to do whatever it was he tried to do. Flirting? She wasn't even sure if that was his intention.
“I mean, sure it's going to be dangerous, but I think you'll be pretty safe here”, he continued. “These are great people, they won't let anything happen to you, so you really don't need to be afraid” Sadie looked up and right at him. “Who said I'm afraid?”, she simply stated, catching him off guard. “Oh, oh you know”, he said and put a hand onto the back of his head, with a nervous smirk. “I just thought...”
Thankfully, Leo chose this moment to step out of the tavern, sparing her more of his talks and him further embarrassment. The worst part was that he probably honestly thought that she was afraid. She wasn't and he shouldn't. As she turned to Leo, she noticed that the man had put on his armour. Heavy steel, worthy of a knight, with the sigil of his company on top. In his hands, he was holding an absolutely massive battleaxe, which only further showed her that he was ready to kill.
A grin formed on his face as he saw his men. “Ah, you're a sight for sore eyes”, he chuckled, as he took a few steps towards him. “I've never lied to you and I won't start now. This is going to be a bad day for many of us. Your job, our job, will be to make sure that it will be even worse for the scum that's attacking us” He raised his axe, having gained everyone's attention by now. Sadie heard Dan gulping audibly behind her.
“I've fought many times by your side and it has always been an honour”, Leo continued. “But make no mistake. Take your enemies seriously. They are warriors, they are strong and you mustn't underestimate them. Remember that. But also remember that you are better than them! They fight for nothing but our death, but we fight for our lives and for all of these people! And that, my friends, trumps whatever they can bring. That is something worth fighting for!” He raised his axe far above his head. “And now, mates, you're gonna show them!”
Deafening cheers followed. Blane joined in and so did his men, though Sadie remained silent. She turned towards Dan and gave him a reassuring smile. He was sweating, barely able to keep eye contact in his fear. “You don't have to do that”, she voiced, her words barely audible through the chants. Dan shook his head. “I have to”, he answered. “I can't let you do that on your own”
Sadie raised an eyebrow and Dan sighed. “You are my friend”, he answered. “My best friend. I've lost too many people close to me. Friends. My own wife” Now, Sadie gave him a curious look. She knew he had been married before, but he never liked to speak about his wife. She respected that, just like he respected that she did not wish to speak about her parents. “Dan...”, she said softly.
“Her name was Minerva”, Dan answered. “The love of my life. She withered away and I was unable to help her. I tried to, but I had no choice but to watch her die. Everything I tried... no one was even able to tell me what it was she was dying from. Some... sickness” He closed his eyes and sighed. As he opened them again, there was deep determination in his gaze. “I never had the choice before. Now I have it and I will take it”, he declared. “I won't let you do this alone”
Moved, a smile appeared on Sadie's face and she put a hand on his shoulder. “I'm not sure how I deserve a friend like you”, she answered and Dan chuckled. “Well, you put up with my eating habits”, he stated and this caused Sadie to join in on the chuckling. “And your snorting”, she added.
When a shadow fell upon her, she looked to her side, to see Leo towering over her. He had a friendly look on his face, despite the disturbingly violent glare in his eyes, which served for a contrast that made her feel highly uneasy. “You two ready?”, he asked. “I mean, this is your first time with the Forgotten. If everything works out, I'd like if it won't be the last time”
“We'll see about that once this is over”, Sadie answered briefly. “Just make sure you stay alive. I need your help with Melanie, remember?” Leo gave her a nod. “I'm not going to die today, Sadie”, he promised. “Not to some raiding piece of shit” Sadie raised an eyebrow.” You just said they are warriors”, she reminded him and he smirked. “Aye, I did. I also said that we are better than them”, he answered, before he looked over to his men that had gathered behind him. “And now I'm going to show them”
Leo gave her a friendly pat onto the shoulder, almost as if she was an old comrade and once again, Sadie had to wonder what to think about him. He seemed affable and genuine whenever he spoke to her and the others. But at the same time, there was something murderous in his eyes. Especially the way he looked at the Lannister earlier...
“Sadie, let's go!”, Blane said loudly, as he started moving. His men followed. Dan followed. And Sadie had no choice but to follow as well, while Leo and his men moved to the centre of the city, to take the Ironborn head on. Her group and the other one would flank them from two sides, not a particularly bad tactic. In fact, Sadie had been on the receiving end of those tactics several times during her time in the Marches. It was sheer luck that she hadn't died or worse back then.
Maybros wasn't a large town, a better village at best. It didn't even have walls, which Sadie found recklessly irresponsible for a town so close to the Sunset Sea. They simply had to march down the main street for a couple hundred metres and they had left the buildings behind, entering the vast planes that surrounded it and rushing up a small hill.
In the north, Sadie saw the bay the Ironborn had landed at. Even from there, she was able to see their longships. Somewhere in the east, she saw the lights of the castle. Unlike the village, House Turnberry had made sure that it was well defended and the Ironborn likely wouldn't focus on it. No, the lord and his family were safe, while his people paid the price for it.
And the she saw something else and heard it as well. Between her position and the castle, there were men fighting. Through darkness and rain, it was hard to make out any details, but she could spot the lion of Lannister. Blane noticed it as well and he narrowed his eyes. “That is Bloodbane and his men”, he stated. “Seems like the Ironborn sent a host to intercept them”
“Well, what are we waiting for then?”, Dan asked. “If we rush to their help, we'll get a hundred additional men” Blane sighed and Sadie saw his reluctance. “I don't know...”, he mumbled. “I mean, Leo told us to flank the enemy at the city centre. He never mentioned anything from helping Bloodbane”
“They are going to die if we don't help them”, Dan insisted and Blane shook his head. “I doubt it. But I don't think Leo expected that. Perhaps... changing the mission perimeters would be a good idea. I mean, we could use the extra men. But Leo could need our help as quick as possible...” He looked at Sadie and this surprised her. “So... you've seen your fair share of battles, mylady. Give me a hand here, what would you do in my situation?”
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers] [Advice him to focus on the mission]
[Offer to accompany her] Darnnit. I know Arthur is needed at the castle, but I can't let our only healer go unprotected as well. Plus Arthur wouldn't let Mathea go off on her own unprotected. Gah, hopefully the castle can make do without Arthur's reinforcements until we can get Lyria and Urid back.
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers] I like Baelor, cool guy and he is a warrior that we can use. I don't see much of a reason not to help him, Leo is a big boy and can survive a little longer at the expense of saving good ol' Baelor.
[Carry books to the castle with Harris and the others]
Might as well I guess. No point in talking with those guys.
Ah, everyone seems so happy. Especially Harris and Darren. Oh how that friendship will break. Eaton! It's being years! Roman, a dead man, heh. I bet Richard would be with those farmers.
Maybe Ser Lagoon will appear! Man that was a long time ago.
I like the joyous atmosphere good times. Although maybe this mini-series will have a violent ending...
[Let her leave on her own]
She has made this choice, she can die because of it.
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers]
No, no fake Leonard. We're going to help my man Bloodblane. Weird having both a Blane and a Bloodblane. I mean, I'm not actually really in favor of either choice, but I guess this would be better?
Irnas mo Akk my guy is back. I like Ulaf too, I pictured him saying the "I am the strongest man in Westeros and beyond" line in a Russian accent. It was very pleasing.
Another woman going out alone to get someone, with a choice to get another person to come with them. Hm. Familiar, heh?
[Carry books to the castle with Harris and the others]
[Offer to accompany her]
[Advice him to focus on the mission]
[Let her leave on her own]
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers]
[Offer to accompany her]
[Advice him to focus on the mission] They need to focus on the task at hand. Can't risk failure.
[Offer to accompany her]
[Advice him to focus on the mission]
[removed]
(Offer to accompany her)
(Advise him to focus on the mission)
[Let her leave on her own] It was made quite clear that Aldus can't be trusted with any task alone, so Arthur is needed in bringing the people to the castle. And I trust that Mathea can take care of herself for now.
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers] Hmm, I'm not really sure about this one, but I guess it can be wise to alter plans and improvise in battle, instead of blindly sticking to the original plan.
It's actually Bloodbane, not Bloodblane. This doesn't make the situation any better, because it means we have Baelor Bloodbane and Blane Banefort. Try to say that five times a row. Or actually, better don't try it, because whatever happens, I'm sure that can't be healthy.
Well, Ulaf originally came from the Mountain Clans in the Mountains of the Moon. And coincidentally, that is how I have always imagined these people to speak as well, despite the fact that they don't have russian accents in the show. I mean, they do have their own sub-language, they gotta have some sort of accent, right? On top of that, there is something that just feels right about strongmen with russian accents.
Hm, that is true... I think I can see it. The similarities are unintentional though. Still, interesting find! Maybe there will actually be even more similarities in time, which I might not be able to avoid at this point in my plans.
[Offer to accompany her]
This choice is hard, but I think Arthur is too much of gentleman to just let her go by herself. I believe she would find someone else to help her, but I don't know why, I like to see them both interact.
It was actually sweet as well to see Philip getting more or less abashed around her.
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers]
This choice is hard as well, especially because we simply risk the newly built relation with Leo.... but I will risk it, hoping that Sadie will only gain with good made decision which gather more capable fighters around.
[Offer to accompany her]
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers]
Thought I'd start Fantasy Fights again, this time with teams.
Clint Volmark and Durren Stallhart vs Emphyrus Dresful and Jax Montclair.
(The Ironborn vs The Stormlands)
Darren Tallwood and Hackor Nathamer vs Leonard Hill and Baelor Bloodbane.
(The Reach vs The Rock)
Orys Baratheon and Daghan Oxus vs The Tom and The Moggy.
(Dragons vs Cats)
Vaasrand of Lys and Raenna Minsworth vs Bear and Rodrik Stone or Edward Anturion.
(The Serpent and The Silverhair vs A Bear and A Stone or A Bear and The Pirate)
Arthries the Fierce and Ser Edrick vs Maya Iresons and Aldrik Wolver.
(The North vs The Vale)
Wolfius Woodbark and Kreep vs Torvin and Garthon Breaker.
(Family vs Family)
[Offer to accompany her]
[Advice him to help Baelor and the soldiers]
Hehe, I love these
That is... actually a very evenly matched fight. Jax is probably the weakest here, as he is simply a soldier, without any exceptional skills save for being quite the badass when it comes to the amount of shit he can take. Emphryus meanwhile is one of the best knights in service of House Durrandon. Stallhart is probably his equal in terms of skill though, since a raider at his age has to be damn good at fighting. Cleaver meanwhile is mostly a brute, relying solely on his strength. If he lands a hit, he would certainly end his opponent no matter whom it is though.
Hm... probably this one would go to the Rock. Leonard and Darren should be evenly matched, maybe with a slight advantage in favour of Darren, but Baelor would wipe the floor with Hackor, as sad as it is. The man is no weakling, but way past his prime. Even Darren is nearing forty, while Leonard and Baelor are both in their mid-twenties and therefore physically far more capable.
I'd say this one goes to the dragons. Orys and Daghan are basically the best Team Targaryen has to offer. The Tom is super skilled as well, but the Moggy only relies on his physical strength and not on any skill. That means, the Moggy is probably killed rather easily, leaving the Tom to defend himself against two trained knights. Even though he is highly dangerous, this would be a hopeless fight for him, so he would probably not even choose it in the first place
Hm... I'd say the most dangerous person here could actually be Raenna. She has been personally trained by Terroma and as chapters five and six showed, she basically wipes the floor with the common henchman. Rodrik would underestimate her and Anturion wouldn't stand a chance, since he is not primarily a fighter. Even Bear would probably underestimate her and try to toy with her. The only one out of this fight who would take her seriously is the one guy that is not her opponent. And Vaasrand could go toe to toe with Rodrik or Bear as well. So, they win, yeah.
Well... it depends. Will Aldrik have his direwolf? If so, then he and Maya could win. Otherwise, Arthries and Edrick would take them down. Maya is the problem here, as she is not a trained fighter, not in the way Edrick, Arthries and Aldrik are. Though direwolf support can't be underestimated.
That is a fight that could very well actually happen at one point, considering that they are all in the same location. By all means, Torvin and Garthon are the more skilled fighters. That said, it has been said many times, Wolfius always got a trick up his sleeve, so this would still be an evenly matched fight. Ah, that makes me want to write such a thing
I'm making this eliminations
Clint Volmark and Durren Stallhart vs Leonard Hill and Baelor Bloodbane
Orys Baratheon and Daghan Oxus vs Vaasrand of Lys and Raenna Minsworth
Arthries the Fierce and Ser Edrick vs Torvin and Garthon Breaker
Hm, this is a very interesting one, especially since Durren is in the same location as Leonard and Baelor. I really can't go into too much detail because of that, but it would certainly be a very evenly matched fight. Both, Leonard and Baelor are a bit less skilled than Emphryus, but both are far better than Montclair. Hm, maybe that one could be a draw? I don't know, this is the one I am unsure about.
As much as I love Vaasrand and Raenna, this one would probably go to Orys and Daghan. They really are the best House Targaryen has to offer. Vaasrand is a very skilled fighter, but more against beasts, so he would have an advantage against more brutal, animalistic fighters like Bear or Rodrik, but not against calm, level-headed men like Orys and Daghan, who know how to use a shield, how to feint and parry. And Raenna is probably not as good as them either. Interestingly though, if the rumour about Orys being Aegon's half-brother is true (and let's be honest here, it is totally true), then this would make him and Raenna first cousins. It's a detail I have only realized when I recently created the wiki page for her.
Hmmm, probably the Northerners. Edrick is a knight with plenty of experience and while we haven't seen much of Arthries for now, let's just say he earned his position as the captain of the Frostborn guard. Torvin is a skilled raider, but Garthon would be his weak spot. Garthon is a more skilled fighter than Wolfius or Kreep, but not even nearly as experienced as Arthries or Edrick, so he would drag Torvin down and in the attempt to protect them both, Torvin would probably fail.
Since I know team Targ stomps, I have something special for this one.
Orys Baratheon vs The Beast of Raylansfair
Vaasrand vs A Dragon.
[Offer to accompany her]
[Advice him to focus on the mission]
Actually, the beast would have quite some chances here. Just like how Vaasrand is not specialized in fighting humans, Orys is not specialized in fighting dangerous animals, so this would be a very new situation for him. The beast is also extremely cunning and would probably somehow find a way to outwit Orys, who is really more capable when it comes to commanding a battle against a human opponent. That said, Orys is still a really capable swordsman, so this would be far from a one-sided fight.
Depends on how tall the dragon is. Vaasrand certainly has a chance against a dragon as large as Drogon in the third episode of the game, but the larger Drogon from the end of Season 6 would annihilate him. And then there are dragons like Balerion, who could kill a thousand men like Vaasrand without breaking a sweat. Their main advantage is not only that they have extremely thick scales, but also that they can fly and breathe fire, which makes them virtually unstoppable. Vaasrand can't kill what he can't reach and these things only have to land a single hit on him to end the fight. That said, someone as smart as Vaasrand would probably try to kill the dragon while it is sleeping, in which case he gets exactly one try.
The Voting is closed!
Arthur is going to offer to accompany Mathea
Sadie is going to advice Blane to help Baelor and his soldiers
These were two important choices. In your position, I would have probably decided similarly, even though I have seen some good arguments in favour of the other option as well. This certainly was the safer choice for Mathea, though it remains to be seen if it was the safer choice for Arthur as well, who is now going to give up on his relatively secure spot near the castle. It also means he is going to leave Aldus behind, who can hardly deal with anything problematic. That said, I am glad about it, as it will make for a more interesting storyline for Arthur, that much I can reveal. As for Sadie, this choice firstly means more men to fight the Ironborn. However, I can also reveal that it will lead to something unexpected at the end of her next part.
The next part is hopefully going to be out today. It will feature a PoV from Garthon and potentially a second PoV, which will mark the return of Lyria. However, currently it looks like Lyria is going to reappear in the part after the next one and that I will dedicate this part entirely to Garthon instead. It will be his second part in this chapter and it will feature a very important choice. The last time we saw him was at the very beginning of the chapter, where he and the other Ironborn started their raid. They crashed into the makeshift defences that had been built by the city guard and forced them to retreat. Instead of advancing in an orderly fashion, Several Ironborn split up. Anturion and his men went to the archive, while Clint Volmark commanded a substantial number of Ironborn to properly raid the city, without a real plan and with the full intention to leave as much chaos and destruction as possible. Garthon was sent to go after him, to convince him to join forces with Torvin again. However, before he was able to do that, he spotted Rell Vessels, lying on the ground with a gruesome leg wound. Rell begged him for help and though hesitant, Garthon ultimately decided to carry him back to the ship, therefore likely saving his life.
It should also be noted that it is possible that this will be the last part for this week. I will try to finish another part on Friday, but I can't promise it. The thing is, I won't be home over the weekend (which also means that I will only be able on my phone, if at all) and won't be back until Sunday in the evening. Maybe I can finish the part then, but I can't promise that either. So, at worst the part today will be the last part until Monday next week.
For this round I'll do GoT vs FoT characters.
Jaime Lannister vs The Tom
Jon Snow vs Raenna
Sandor Clegane vs Orys Baratheon
Ser Bronn vs Vaasrand of Lys
Eddard Stark vs The Moggy
Robb Stark vs Willfred Reyne
Gregor Clegane vs Bear and Rodrik
Ramsay Snow vs The Sphynx (Who is better at torture)
Daenerys Targaryen vs Argella Durrandon (Battle of intelligence)
Tyrion Lannister vs Maron Mullendore (Battle of intelligence)
Hm, I'd say Jaime wins this one. The Tom is good, very good and extremely dangerous, but Jaime is literally the best swordsman in Westeros during his time. It would be a hard fight though, but in the end, Jaime has certainly earned his reputation and I'd say he would take him down.
Here it depends. Are we talking book-Jon or show-Jon? Because in the show, he is significantly more skilled, up to the point where Ramsay outright calls him the best swordsman in the North. Show-Jon would be more than a match for Raenna, though she would easily win against the teenager he is in the books. I'd say that show-Jon would win though.
Hmmm... like Jaime, Sandor is one of the most dangerous fighters in Westeros during his time, but so is Orys during this time. However, I think the Hound is actually the slightly better fighter. Orys' strength is that he is not only a gifted fighter, but also a brilliant tactician, but someone like Sandor had far more time to focus entirely on fighting, which should make him the better one, if slightly.
Well... another hard one, but I would say that here, Vaasrand would win. Bronn is fast and skilled, but so is Vaasrand and I'd give him the advantage here. I mean, he is Geralt of fucking Rivia after all. There are enemies Bronn rightfully wouldn't try his luck against and Vaasrand would probably be among them.
It depends again. Ned in his prime would probably be able to take down the Moggy. However, the older Ned from the time of the books and show is certainly past his prime and therefore slower. I'd say he would lose against the Moggy, though the younger Ned would probably win.
Now I am not sure, how good of a fighter is Robb actually? In the books, he is 14 when he crowns himself, in the show he is slightly older, but neither actually show him in a fight if I'm not mistaken. He is always mentioned to be a great commander, but has his fighting skill ever been mentioned? Willfred meanwhile is a skilled, if somewhat arrogant fighter, so I think in a physical fight, he would win.
As much as I'd like to say Gregor here, he is fighting against two people who could both at least hold their own against him for a while. Speed has never been his strength, so defnding himself against two men at once could give him a problem, especially when he can't finish the fight in a single strike. Maybe he kills one of them, but the other would kill him the very same moment.
Oh, this one's a nasty one. Both, Ramsay and the Sphynx are wickedly evil people, both have a lot of fun at torturing others and both are equally sadistic. This one's a classic draw. The Sphynx is the better one at causing physical pain, he has a great deal of knowledge about the human body and knows where it hurts the most. Ramsay meanwhile is definitely better at psychological torture, since I'd say he has a better insight in how the human mind works.
Well, this is one I'd love to see. One is bratty, impulsive, wilful and arrogant, the other one... is the same with a different hair colour. Argella has probably gotten the better education, since she was raised to rule, though her temper can easily be more fierce than Dany's at her worst. It would probably all depend on who can keep her cool for longer, which shoul theoretically be Dany, even if Argella might be the one with the better education and the one that is more naturally suited to rule (see the mistakes Dany makes in Season 5 and ADWD)
Hm... a narrow victory for Tyrion, I'd say. Both mainly rely on their intelligence, but Mullendore uses it to pretend to be something he isn't (a polite, well-behaved and affable knight), while Tyrion uses it to deal with exactly what he is, therefore turning his own weakness into a strength. Being usually the one that gets underestimated, I also think that he wouldn't make Mullendore's key flaw, which is underestimating others. For Mullendore, his intelligence is part of his tactic, for Tyrion, it is an essential skill that ensures his survival, so Tyrion has an advantage.
Garthon
Rell groaned, as Garthon pulled him up, to the deck of the ship. “Oh, shut up with the whining...”, Garthon muttered under his breath, as he finally let go of the man. Rell sank onto the ground, immediately wrapping his hands around his wounded leg. It was still bleeding badly and to be honest, Garthon was not sure if he would survive even now. That said, neither did her particularly care.
“Are you managing from here?”, he asked and Rell sighed. After a second of waiting, he nodded weakly. “Yeah”, he answered, his face still a grimace of pain. “Yeah, I'll manage. I know where the stuff I need is located” As Garthon wanted to leave, Rell grabbed him by the ankle for a moment. “Breaker, wait...”, he sighed. “I... uh, I owe you” He bit his lip. “No one forced you to do this but you still helped me and I... well, I'll repay you”
He let go of Garthon, who gave him a nod. “I haven't done this to get a reward”, he reminded him and Rell looked slightly confused for a second. “You... you mean...”, he stuttered and Garthon sighed, as he looked down the city that became a battlefield. “For now, just try and stay alive”, he told him. “If we both survive this, then we'll talk”
Rell raised his eyebrows. “Alright...”, he mumbled. “But if we make it, I owe you. Harmund is my friend. Maybe I can arrange something...” Garthon threw a glance at him, before he began climbing down the ship again. The gratitude of Rell Vessels wasn't something he particularly wanted, but it might be an opportunity for the future. Right now however, there were more important things to do. Torvin needed his help. And he needed to find Cleaver Clint.
Quickly, he rushed down the docks, where the Ironborn had landed. Dozens had died here. The city guard had been without chance. But still, there was a reason this city never fell before. Garthon had a feeling that something was coming up. And he had the bad feeling that he and Torvin were used as mere pawns in a game played by Black Harren and his new pirate crony, this Anturion.
Running past the bodies of the dead and the dying, he turned to the street Cleaver Clint had vanished in, when the smell of smoke reached his nose. He grimaced, as he also caught the faint scent of burning flesh. Perhaps it did not matter if they would take this city. People like Clint would make sure that it would be ruined regardless.
Following the Lord of Volmark wasn't hard. He left a trail of destruction wherever he went. Soon, Garthon saw the flames of the buildings Cleaver had set alight. Even before that, he saw the corpses of the people that were unfortunate to get in his way. He had butchered them, sometimes beyond recognition. The sight was nauseating.
That said, not all of his men still followed him. Garthon's walk wasn't a lonely one. He passed a building, its doors kicked in and spotted one of the raiders, who cut a ring from the hand of a dead woman. Next to him, another man loaded silverware into a bag. He threw a glance at Garthon, recognized him as one of his allies and continued with his own business.
More Ironborn followed, some returning to the ship, others still in the act of whatever savagery they were doing. There was a reason why Garthon never liked raiding and he was once again reminded of it. The bloodshed, the violence, he never saw a reason for it. In the days of old, there might have been a time where raiding had been essential for his people to survive on the barren islands, but these days were long gone. Nowadays, with their own, lush kingdom, what was the point, aside from spreading fear and mayhem and hatred?
Not all of the Ironborn had survived this raid either. When facing certain death, some of the citizens of Raylansfair had apparently gone down fighting. Garthon passed two corpses, one of them an older man, his hand still wrapped around the knife he had plunged into the throat of a raider. A few feet away, a small group of armed citizens had made their final stand, taking down about half a dozen raiders with them.
Among the Ironborn on the ground was a familiar figure. Garthon recognized the blonde hair, now stained with blood and he gasped, as he knelt down next to the young man. Carefully, he put a hand onto Hjalgar's shoulder and turned him around. Just then, he noticed that the man was still breathing. A second later, Hjalgar slowly opened his eyes.
Immediately, he groaned, as he moved a hand towards his head, to check for the wound on it. “Ow...”, he mumbled, as he gave Garthon a dizzy look. “What... what happened?” Garthon looked around and sighed. “You got into a fight”, he stated and Hjalgar grimaced in pain as his fingers touched the wound on his forehead. It was a superficial one, though nonetheless clearly painful.
“There was this man”, he said, as his eyes started to wander around. They widened, as he found what he was looking for, pointing at one of the corpses “There, this one”, he mumbled. “I could have killed him... I... I could not” He paused for a second. “And he hit me with that cudgel...” Finally, his gaze cleared up a bit more. “Oh fuck...”, he muttered.
“What is it?”, Garthon asked, as he held Hjalgar down on the ground, when the young man tried to rise. “Whoa, take it easy! You're lucky to be still alive. Don't test your luck” Hjalgar shook his head. “Cleaver Clint”, he said. “Where is he?” Garthon glanced down the trail of destruction that spread down the entire street, up to an intersection in the distance. “I'm looking for him myself”, he answered. “Why is it important?”
Now, he stopped resisting Hjalgar's attempts at standing up. The young man seemed to have recovered enough to stand on his own again. “We have to find him!”, he gasped. “By the Drowned God, we have to stop him!” Now, Garthon looked surprised. “Stop him?”, he asked. “You want to stop Cleaver?”
“Of course!”, Hjalgar barked. “Just look around you! Look at what he did!” He spread his arms, still on shaky feet, as Garthon glanced over dead bodies, a ravaged streets and the distant flames that slowly crept closer. “I have heard stories, but Garthon... this man truly is a monster. The things he did, the things he still wants to do... We must stop him”
Garthon narrowed his eyes. “Torvin needs his help”, he said, as Hjalgar picked up his bow, which still lay on the ground. He moved his hands along the string, satisfied by the fact that it still worked. “Well, then you better hope you find him before I do”, he stated in a tone so chillingly cold that Garthon shivered, especially since Hjalgar was probably the last person he expected to talk like that.
“Wait!”, he said sharply, as Hjalgar started to walk down the street, following the trail of mayhem. He stopped patiently and looked at Garthon, who caught up. “You should return to the ship”, he offered. “It's safe there. Well, Vessels is there as well, but he won't be much of a problem in his current condition. You're wounded, you...”
“Doesn't matter”, Hjalgar responded. “Don't you see? This is something I have to do” He continued to walk, but much slower, so that Garthon could keep up with him. “Killing Volmark?”, he asked and Hjalgar gave him a nod. “It's hard to explain. I wasn't even sure if I can do this. But look around... this must be stopped. It's insane. He's insane”
Garthon sighed. “I want to stop this as well”, he promised. “But Torvin needs his help. If I convince him to assist the attack, then he would be unable to raid here as well” Hjalgar shook his head. “You won't be able to do that”, he answered. “He won't listen to you” Garthon gulped. “It's worth a try”, he answered. “If I manage to do that, would you be okay with it?”
Hjalgar shrugged. “Do I have a choice?”, he asked and Garthon did not answer. Finally, Hjalgar looked to the ground and sighed. “Fine”, he said. “We'll try it your way then. He must be stopped, one way or the other, but I guess we can try talking to him first” His gaze hardened. “But what are you going to do if he won't listen?”
Garthon had no good answer to this. “I guess we'll see”, he stated. “I'll decide that once it has come that far. I just hope he's going to listen” Hjalgar shook his head. “As I said, he won't”, he promised. “You haven't seen him. That look in his eyes... I think by now he'd even attack his own men if they stand in his way”
The two continued to walk, past the buildings that were now devoid of looters. Some doors were kicked in and one time, Garthon saw the corpse of a woman, who had tried to fight back and received a spear to the chest for her efforts, lying in a puddle of her own blood in front of a doorstep. The smell of fire got stronger, as did the smoke.
At last, they reached the crossroads at the end of the street. Two directions spread from there, one to the left and one to the right. The two men stopped and glanced down the street. Apparently, the Ironborn forced has split at this point, with both directions showing signs of battle. Corpses lay on the ground, one building to the left had caught fire, while noise from a building to the right indicated one of the raiders actively looting it at this moment. The distant sound of screams came from both directions equally, making for even more of a cacophony than it usually was.
“So... any idea on where to go first?”, Garthon asked and Hjalgar gave him a determined nod. By now, Garthon noticed that his usual humble shyness had been replaced by a grimly determined glare. Hjalgar was angry, which obviously set free some of the reserves Torvin had once claimed to have seen in him. “We split up”, he answered, no, decided.
Garthon raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn't it be better to stay together?”, he asked in return and Hjalgar decidedly shook his head. “That man must be stopped, Garthon, and we can't waste any time by going into the wrong direction”, he answered. “Which way do you want to take?”
Now, Garthon sighed, noticing that any argument with the young man was pointless right now. “If you find him first, what are you going to do?”, he asked. Hjalgar glanced at one of the corpses behind them, showing the unmistakeable wounds caused by Clint's signature weapon. “I don't know”, he admitted. “I never liked killing another human. I did so before, but only to save my own life. This time...” He looked up. “I am angry, Garthon”, he growled. “I have heard the stories about him, but actually seeing it... that man is less than a savage and worse than Black Harren and all of his spawns combined” He sighed. “And I still don't know if I can kill him. I want to, but... I think I want him to help Torvin even more”, he said. “Your brother has been a good friend. The least I can do is to repay that”
“Good”, Garthon answered, satisfied by what he heard here. “Then I will take the right way. If you find Cleaver, then remember what I told you. Talking to him might be worth a try” Hjalgar gulped. “I'm still not convinced, but we'll see about it”, he answered as he started to move. Garthon quickly did the same, though he walked in the opposite direction.
Quickly, Garthon got the opinion that he had taken the correct path. The destruction here seemed a bit wilder than before, more rampant. Of course, Cleaver Clint was leaving more and more of his followers behind, either because they died, or because they took off on their own. This meant that there were fewer men to hold him back.
And in fact, Garthon found the man himself shortly afterwards. He approached the sound of fighting, coming from a side street, when suddenly, one of the raiders stumbled out of it, backwards, just when a spear hit him at the centre of the chest. The guard that had thrown it followed quickly and behind him, Garthon could hear steel clashing against steel and the unmistakeable laughter of Cleaver Clint Volmark.
The guard turned around to the alleyway, while he tried to pull his spear out of the corpse of the man he just killed. His eyes were opened widely with terror, as screams of pain came out of the alleyway. Then, he pulled his sword, just as the screaming stopped. Heavily, Clint walked out of the street, holding his bloodstained cleaver.
The lord of Volmark let out a deep howl, as he charged at the guard. The man stood not even the tiniest chance, when the massive raider crashed into him, knocking him to the ground with his sheer weight and sending the sword flying. A loud came out of his throat, half growl, half laughter, as he raised the cleaver far above his head, before bringing it down onto the man's belly, over and over again, until the entire chest was nothing but a bloody pulp.
Heavily breathing and with a wide, blood-stained grin on his face, Clint turned around and his expression got even more malicious once he spotted Garthon, who suddenly had the wish to be far away from this man. “Oh, the traitor decides to join the fun at last”, Volmark growled. “Took you long enough”
Garthon straightened his back and took a deep breath, not looking at the man Clint had just butchered. He also registered that they were alone. Half a dozen men lay dead in the alleyway, half of them Ironborn. “Lord Volmark, Torvin sends me to...”, he started, though Cleaver cut him off. His grin got even darker, as he put a fat finger onto his lips, subtly pointing his head at the building to his right.
This time, Garthon barely needed to look into the direction. He saw the hollow face that quickly vanished into the darkness with a high gasp the moment the massive raider turned his body towards the closed door. “Oh, this is going to be good”, he chuckled. “Hello? Hello-o?” When no answer came, he raised his weapon again, smashing it against the old door and causing it to break in a single strike. “Ah, there we go”, he growled, as he entered the building. From inside, Garthon heard panicked screams and he decided to rush after him.
A family of three had tried to hide inside the room, as Garthon quickly noticed. Father, mother and daughter, the last of which was quite a pretty young thing, with golden blonde hair, likely barely a woman. She was hiding in her mother's arms, sobbing with fear. Cleaver Clint stood in front of them, as they cowered in the hindmost corner. “Oh, this is even better than expected”, Clint spat, as he approached him.
Instead of running, or trying to fight, the man who likely was the girl's father instead opted to approach the raider, his hands raised. “Please”, he begged. “Please, spare my family. I have... I have goods hidden. Gold and other finery. I'll show you if you just let us be” Garthon sighed, knowing how futile the man's attempts at begging were. Just as he opened his mouth again, Cleaver's massive hand, the one that was free, wrapped around his throat, squeezing tightly.
“Small man”, he growled and his voice was chillingly calm, as the man's eyes widened and he gasped for air. “I don't want your frippery. Right now, I only want you to look me in the eye. Look! At me!” Reluctantly, the man followed, his gasps for air even louder than his daughter's terrified sobs. “Yes, that's it”, Clint hissed. “I want you to look me in the eye. I want you to see the man that will slaughter your people. That will burn your city to the ground. That will fuck your precious little daughter to death” His grip tightened and tears streamed down the man's face, just as Clint's bloodthirsty grin widened. “And I want you to die”
With these words, he let go of the lifeless corpse, grabbing his cleaver with both hands again. He started to approach the two women. “Ladies”, he said, just as he glanced over his shoulder. “Traitor, come on! You can have the fat, old one, while I'm going to have my way with the pretty one over there”
This caused a look of anger and violent defiance to appear in the mother's eyes. Despite being old and heavy-weight, she jumped up, probably fuelled by her daughter's sobbing. “No, you can't have...!”, she started to scream angrily, as she tried to charge at Clint. The raider barely bothered with her, as he heavily slammed the hilt of his weapon right into her eye, heavily knocking her to the ground again and silencing her for now.
“Not so fast!”, he barked, as he grabbed the young woman, the daughter, by her hair, as she tried to crawl away. “Not so fast, pretty, not so fast” He began to pull her away from her barely conscious mother, even though she started to scream at the top of her lungs. “NO!”, she screamed in panic. “NO! MOTHER!”
“Lord Volmark!”, Garthon tried again, feeling sick just from watching this scenery. He had to do something, he had to put an end to this. By the gods, Hjalgar was right... “Lord Volmark, don't do this!” Clint threw a glare at him. “Why not?”, he snarled and Garthon shivered under his rage. “Torvin needs your help. Without you and your men, we can't take this city. He orders...”
This was a mistake, as he noted instantly. Clint narrowed his eyes, as he let go of the girl. She sank to the ground, almost paralysed with fear. Then, the raider approached him and before Garthon was able to react, he had grabbed him by the collar of his vest, lifting him up in the air with both hands. The sharp iron edge of his cleaver pressed dangerously close against Garthon's cheek.
“I will not follow your orders, traitor, and I will certainly never come running when your traitor brother calls for me”, he snarled with a vicious, deep voice. “Go and tell him that Clint fucking Volmark is not his bitch. I will do this my way and anyone trying to stop me will die. Go and tell him that” Clint lowered his arms and Garthon was able to feel solid ground under his feet again. Just then, the lord of Volmark quickly moved his massive knee upwards, heavily slamming it right into Garthon's crotch.
Pain exploded between his legs, as Garthon instantly sank to the ground. Through a veil of pained tears, he saw Clint grinning, heard his disgusting chuckling. “Yeah, that'll teach you”, he growled. “Now crawl back to your brother!” Still chuckling, he turned around. The girl used the same moment to slice a knife right across his face.
Perhaps it was fear, perhaps it was inexperience that prevented her from using her one opportunity at killing the man that had murdered her father. Instead of ending it right here, she failed to fully hit him and instead, the blade merely opened his cheek. A scream, half pain, half pure rage, came out of Clint's throat and just as she tried to attack again, he had grabbed her by the wrist and he heavily slammed her hand onto the wooden table next to her.
“Drop it!”, he barked angrily, while blood flew down his cheek. “Drop it, or I'll kill your mother like I killed your pathetic father!” It was not an empty threat and even she noticed it, even though Garthon desperately tried to shake his head. She followed the order and let go of the knife, which caused Clint to chuckle again.
“Oh, you little bitch”, he spat and outright giggled with excitement. “Not going to lie, this is really going to suck for you” The girl's eyes widened and she desperately tried to free her hand from his iron grip, as Clint raised his cleaver. He slammed it down onto the table, severing the very tip of her fingers and causing her to scream shrilly.
“As I said”, Clint said in a jolly tone. “This is really going to suck” He slammed the cleaver down again, only marginally higher this time, causing her to scream even louder, as she frantically tried to free herself from his grip. It was then, when Garthon had staggered back to his feet. His glance fell upon his sword and he felt cold anger rising up inside him. He glared at Clint, who had turned his back at him and who raised his cleaver once again, without paying attention to anyone but the screaming girl. Perhaps there was one thing Garthon could do...
[Kill Cleaver Clint] [Leave]
[Leave]
...I don't really know why I'm voting this. It probably won't win, but there's something in me that is bothering me, and I don't know what. Something doesn't feel right. What is it?
[Leave]
ALL HAIL THE NON-LETHAL OBSERVER PATH!!!!!!!!!!!
[Kill Cleaver Clint]
[Kill Cleaver Clint]
Bah, I am sick of this guy. Just kill him already, look what he is doing to smallfolks.
How you can just let this monster walk around, killing and raping little girls?
[Kill Cleaver Clint]