[Kill Cleaver Clint] If this ends up as a fatal mistake for Garthon then... well, it will really suck because he is one of my favorite PoVs, but I just can't pass this opportunity to kill this asshole.
Anyway, a great part, really showing the grim reality of the Ironborn raiding. I'm also liking Hjalgar more and more
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]
Jaime Lannister vs The Tom
Hm, I'd say Jaime wins this one. The Tom is good, very good and extremely dangerous, but Jaime is literal… morely 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 i… [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]
[Kill Cleaver Clint] This is probably a trick choice. I think by doing this Garthon is going to get pretty injured or killed, which might get rid of the choice to convince Torvin to possibly give up on the raid. But by possibly doing this, they might leave Garthon behind and Raylainsfair or even better Team Targ take him prisoner. But I don't really know what is actually going to happen, but this is probably a choice where the seemingly worse option is the better one.
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]
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]
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]
Wow, it's Rhaeygar, a name I have hoped to see never again. I applaud your creativity, as well as your stubborn insitence to behave like a douche. Let's talk, dude. First of all, you are compensating for something, aren't you? Second, haven't you been banned two or three times for that stuff already? I honestly hope the next one will be permanent for you and for your main account (which I'm sure you have), because let's be honest here, you're never going to learn your lesson, or even just how to behave like a decent human being. I'm surprised you're even still allowed to stay around here after pulling that shit for the third or fourth time, seeing how all you seem to use the forums for is to insult other people and their work. Is your life really that boring?
Wow, it's Rhaeygar, a name I have hoped to see never again. I applaud your creativity, as well as your stubborn insitence to behave like a d… moreouche. Let's talk, dude. First of all, you are compensating for something, aren't you? Second, haven't you been banned two or three times for that stuff already? I honestly hope the next one will be permanent for you and for your main account (which I'm sure you have), because let's be honest here, you're never going to learn your lesson, or even just how to behave like a decent human being. I'm surprised you're even still allowed to stay around here after pulling that shit for the third or fourth time, seeing how all you seem to use the forums for is to insult other people and their work. Is your life really that boring?
I can't believe I'm actually talking to a rather pathetic troll. I don't know if I should be fascinated or disgusted by this rare opportunity. But well, I'm in the need of some amusement and who knows, there might just be some of it coming out of your desperate cries for attention, at least until someone bans you again, hopefully for the last time. Since I'm such a damn nice person, I'm going to give you that stage you seem to crave for. Congratulations for sticking to your act for so long though, I'm sure many others would have given up after the first two times! First of all, thank you for confirming my suspicions. I know that you have been banned before, so please, if you insist on spilling your poison, at least don't lie to me. Second, even if I don't think a troll like you needs a reason, would you care to explain what you're hoping to achieve by constantly coming back to write some shitty one-liner every couple of months inbetween your bans? I think it has been made clear that absolutely no person in this forum wants you to be here. Third, and I'm asking this out of honest curiosity, how do you know how bigfoots dick smells?
I'll answer your questions numerically:
* Nope.
* Nope, just muted, it doesn't matter. This story still sucks. Even if they do ban m… moree. It's objectively awful.
* My life may be boring, it may not be, either way, this story stinks like bigfoot's dick.
Who's your favourite/least favourite character? It seems you follow the story, since you are giving such detailed opinion about it. Because if you aren't following, you can stick this comments of yours in your troll ass. :-)
Well, perhaps I should point out that there is no non-lethal path here. While, with certain arguments, the killing of Clint, who is technically an ally and not expecting such a thing, could be seen as murder, leaving him to do whatever to the girl and her mother would be murder by inaction. For someone who tries to prevent as much death as possible, this is basically the worst choice, as there is no option to prevent death at all.
Well, I can confirm that Cleaver Clint is an incredibly dangerous and durable guy, so if Garthon doesn't kill him immediately, things are going to get really dangerous. Perhaps that is what you mean?
[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?
Ah, glad to hear you enjoyed it! I wasn't too sure if I would get the level of detail correctly, because on the one hand, I wanted to show the darkest sides of this raid, while on the other hand, I didn't want to make it too graphic, like outright showing a rape scene or other stuff in that direction. But judging from your comment, it seems I succeeded with what I intended to bring across there!
[Kill Cleaver Clint] If this ends up as a fatal mistake for Garthon then... well, it will really suck because he is one of my favorite PoVs,… more but I just can't pass this opportunity to kill this asshole.
Anyway, a great part, really showing the grim reality of the Ironborn raiding. I'm also liking Hjalgar more and more
How you can just let this monster walk around, killing and raping little girls?
That is how I myself actually think about the situation as well. However, Garthon honestly considers to just leave, mainly because no matter how horrible he is, Clint is technically his ally. He is a pretty shitty ally and outright refused to help in this part, but Garthon still hesitates to directly turn on him, even if he is abhorred by his actions.
[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?
This is some very interesting speculation you have there! I can see where you're coming from and I can confirm that turning on Cleaver Clint is a huge risk. That man is an experienced raider and he can take a lot of shit until he goes down. The danger of getting wounded or outright killed is there. Then again, it is also possible that this is going to be the most straightforward choice so far. Only time (and maybe the alternative choices) will tell.
[Kill Cleaver Clint] This is probably a trick choice. I think by doing this Garthon is going to get pretty injured or killed, which might ge… moret rid of the choice to convince Torvin to possibly give up on the raid. But by possibly doing this, they might leave Garthon behind and Raylainsfair or even better Team Targ take him prisoner. But I don't really know what is actually going to happen, but this is probably a choice where the seemingly worse option is the better one.
With this, I'd say Oberyn wins. He relies on speed, as does Raenna, but his weapon of choice is by far the faster one, with the longer reach. His cockiness might be a problem, but in terms of skills, he should be able to outmatch her. However, this only applies of he does not decide to taunt her. What worked rather well for a while against a wall of meat like Gregor would easily cause his undoing against an agile fighter like Raenna.
Samuel Harrington vs Ser Bronn
This time, I'd again say that Samuel wins. Bronn is a good fighter, but part of what I always saw as his main advantage is that he has an honourless, opportunistic fighting style that comes as a huge shock for the knights of Westeros. Against Samuel, this advantage would mean nothing, because while Samuel himself is not without honour, his fighting style absolutely is. Without the surprise, it would really just be skill against skill and in that, I'd say that Samuel is the better one.
Daghan Oxus vs Barristan Selmy
Here, I have to say that Barry the Bold would win. Daghan is an extremely skilled knight, able to outmatch most men, but at his prime, Barristan has been the best swordsman in Westeros, something Daghan can't claim. It would be one of these legendary fights though, like the ones Barristan became famous for.
The Tom vs Khal Drogo
I would say Drogo wins, for similar reasons why Samuel would win against Bronn. Part of what makes the Tom so insanely dangerous to the average Westerosi is that his fighting style is based on dodging and evading the blows as opposed to parrying and just plain taking them with thick armour, which seems to be a preferred style of the knights. Drogo's style, as seen in the show, is highly similar to that and I'd say, he is even better than that. On top of that, a Drogo in his prime would arguably even include a horse, which would make him even more dangerous to basically everyone on this list.
Alysanne vs Robert Baratheon
Robert in his prime... oh, Robert in his prime was a beast, by all accords. Of course, Alysanne is a beast in combat as well, but she is not as good as him. Of course, she is fast, but that won't bring her much, if anything at all, if she can't get through his armour. And Robert used to be fast as well, if the reports about him during his rebellion can be believed.
Clayton vs Syrio Forel
Well... Clayton is good, but Syrio is Syrio Forel. That man is the first sword of Braavos and the definition of badassery. Clayton is not even nearly as dangerous. I'd say Syrio would be a good match for Terroma in his prime, of whom I can confirm that he would have been a worthy opponent for Clayton even in his advanced age.
Sherryl vs Petyr Baelish (Cunning battle)
Book Petyr wins by a landslide. This is hardly a battle. On the one side, we have a needlessly antagonistic and scheming woman who drove away all of her allies even before her plan fully succeeded and who manages to lose importantl evidence to a common servicemaid without noticeable skills. On the other side, we have a cunning master manipulator, who instigated a war, managed to become one of the most powerful men in Westeros and managed to play two or three sides at once, with almost no one even suspecting him, all under the ruse of being a genuinely affable and friendly man (which Book-Littlefinger pretends to be). Sherryl is more like a poor man's version of Littlefinger, a wannabe compared to him.
Saerya vs Varys (Cunning battle)
Once again, Varys wins. He is the one guy that is even better than Littlefinger, that has build his plots up for decades, whose true motives in the books still are unknown to anyone but him and who even managed to fool Littlefinger. Saerya is more cunning than Sherryl, but that does not mean that she is a match for Varys, who would annihilate her, even if his scheme might take a couple of years.
Orys Baratheon vs Randyll Tarly (Who's the better commander)
This one goes to Orys though. Randyll is known to be a great commander, but Orys has been made high general of the Targaryen forces for a reason. He is, at this point, possibly the best commander in Westeros, whereas Randyll would have several other contenders for that title at his time, including Stannis, among others. I mean, Randyll is not a bad commander in any way, but Orys is the better one. He is the kind of commander a young Randyll would have read about and aspired to be.
Vaasrand of Lys vs Daemon I Blackfyre or Ser Arthur Dayne (Vaasrand gets a few days to prepare)
Oh, I think even with months to prepare, Vaasrand would still lose. Daemon and Arthur are the best fighters in all of Westeros at their respective time, period. Vaasrand specializes on beasts and he could probably defeat a wyvern with more ease than either men could ever hope to have, but in single combat, these two men are legends. I don't think Vaasrand can win against either.
And a bonus, Cleaver Clint vs Vaasrand of Lys
This however would be a fight Vaasrand would win. Cleaver wouldn't make things too easy for him, but Vaasrand is a lot faster and on top of that strong enough to hold him off. So, any advantage Cleaver might have would be negated by Vaasrand, who is faster, not much weaker and a lot smarter, with considerably more skill.
More!
Raenna vs Oberyn Martell
Samuel Harrington vs Ser Bronn
Daghan Oxus vs Barristan Selmy
The Tom vs Khal Drogo
Alysanne v… mores Robert Baratheon
Clayton vs Syrio Forel
Sherryl vs Petyr Baelish (Cunning battle)
Saerya vs Varys (Cunning battle)
Orys Baratheon vs Randyll Tarly (Who's the better commander)
Vaasrand of Lys vs Daemon I Blackfyre or Ser Arthur Dayne (Vaasrand gets a few days to prepare)
And a bonus, Cleaver Clint vs Vaasrand of Lys
All book versions and in prime.
Hey guys, I know sometimes people come in and agitate you, but please refrain from insulting them, even if it really does seem like they deserve it. Try and be the better person in such instances. Just flag it and we'll take care of it. Thanks.
Great part! I'm glad we ended up saving Rell because it seems like it may come back to help us in the long run.
[Kill Cleaver Clint] Fuck this guy. This does seem like it may have some potentially major repercussions but I don't want to let him live any longer. He's done enough damage and this is probably the safer choice, I hope.
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]
Hey guys, I know sometimes people come in and agitate you, but please refrain from insulting them, even if it really does seem like they deserve it. Try and be the better person in such instances. Just flag it and we'll take care of it. Thanks.
Yes, you are absolutely right of course. I usually try not to respond in such occasions, but yesterday has been kind of the final straw for me, considering that it happened far from the first time with this particular person. I did try to hold back though, since outright insulting this user was not exactly my intention, although I probably still came off as too harsh. My apologies if that was the case. I also think I forgot to flag the comment in question, since I've been in a bit of a hurry when writing my response.
That said, thank you very much for taking care of it! I totally understand where you're coming from with this and I'll try to just flag and ignore it next time, if there is a next time. It's a good thing these incidents happen only very rarely.
Hey guys, I know sometimes people come in and agitate you, but please refrain from insulting them, even if it really does seem like they deserve it. Try and be the better person in such instances. Just flag it and we'll take care of it. Thanks.
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]
Raenna vs Oberyn Martell
With this, I'd say Oberyn wins. He relies on speed, as does Raenna, but his weapon of choice is by far the … morefaster one, with the longer reach. His cockiness might be a problem, but in terms of skills, he should be able to outmatch her. However, this only applies of he does not decide to taunt her. What worked rather well for a while against a wall of meat like Gregor would easily cause his undoing against an agile fighter like Raenna.
Samuel Harrington vs Ser Bronn
This time, I'd again say that Samuel wins. Bronn is a good fighter, but part of what I always saw as his main advantage is that he has an honourless, opportunistic fighting style that comes as a huge shock for the knights of Westeros. Against Samuel, this advantage would mean nothing, because while Samuel himself is not without honour, his fighting style absolutely is. Without the surprise, it would really just be skill against skill an… [view original content]
Hm, do we speak about the characters in their prime, or in their current condition? Because out of all the characters here, the best fighter is, in my opinion, Argilac Durrandon in his prime. This man is so badass that even at a man of over sixty years, he is rightfully feared and famous for his skill. If we go by their current condition, he obviously loses to several of the younger fighters. And in that case, this is a question that is hard to answer. For example, Emphryus is a better fighter than his king at this moment and you'll actually get to see him in action in this chapter. He's like an unnerving mixture between Barristan Selmy and the Smiling Knight. Durren Stallhart would be a bit closer to the latter than the former, but that only makes him more dangerous. Orys Baratheon is obviously a very good fighter as well, although I wouldn't call him the best. The unintroduced characters meanwhile... well, these names will probably mean nothing to you and since they could include spoilers, I obviously won't name them outright. There are a couple of characters that have been submitted with a special emphasis on their skill. Actually, just today, a new character got submitted who could very well be the best knight in the Reach at the very least.
Well, perhaps I should point out that there is no non-lethal path here. While, with certain arguments, the killing of Clint, who is technica… morelly an ally and not expecting such a thing, could be seen as murder, leaving him to do whatever to the girl and her mother would be murder by inaction. For someone who tries to prevent as much death as possible, this is basically the worst choice, as there is no option to prevent death at all.
Hm, do we speak about the characters in their prime, or in their current condition? Because out of all the characters here, the best fighter… more is, in my opinion, Argilac Durrandon in his prime. This man is so badass that even at a man of over sixty years, he is rightfully feared and famous for his skill. If we go by their current condition, he obviously loses to several of the younger fighters. And in that case, this is a question that is hard to answer. For example, Emphryus is a better fighter than his king at this moment and you'll actually get to see him in action in this chapter. He's like an unnerving mixture between Barristan Selmy and the Smiling Knight. Durren Stallhart would be a bit closer to the latter than the former, but that only makes him more dangerous. Orys Baratheon is obviously a very good fighter as well, although I wouldn't call him the best. The unintroduced characters meanwhile... well, these names will probably mean not… [view original content]
Um, since it looks like there aren't votes coming anymore and Liquid apparently isn't coming back until late tomorrow, I thought this would be a good moment for me to drop my newest set of drawings. I hope you are okay with this, Liquid
These characters have in common the fact that they've all recently been part of Raenna's storyline. Oh, and I also made a portrait of Raenna herself
Um, since it looks like there aren't votes coming anymore and Liquid apparently isn't coming back until late tomorrow, I thought this would … morebe a good moment for me to drop my newest set of drawings. I hope you are okay with this, Liquid
These characters have in common the fact that they've all recently been part of Raenna's storyline. Oh, and I also made a portrait of Raenna herself
Um, since it looks like there aren't votes coming anymore and Liquid apparently isn't coming back until late tomorrow, I thought this would … morebe a good moment for me to drop my newest set of drawings. I hope you are okay with this, Liquid
These characters have in common the fact that they've all recently been part of Raenna's storyline. Oh, and I also made a portrait of Raenna herself
From A and W to the E
S-O-M then repeat three
something amazing's all I see
Again and again, how can it be?
Drawings so astounding they make history
Ill be sure to keep them in memory
And say thank you to thee
Um, since it looks like there aren't votes coming anymore and Liquid apparently isn't coming back until late tomorrow, I thought this would … morebe a good moment for me to drop my newest set of drawings. I hope you are okay with this, Liquid
These characters have in common the fact that they've all recently been part of Raenna's storyline. Oh, and I also made a portrait of Raenna herself
It's great that you posted these already! When you informed me that you have them ready, I wanted to send you a message that I likely won't manage to finish the part until Sunday, so that you won't have to wait for me to close the voting first. Since I had to leave far earlier on Friday than expected, I had no time to do that (or much of anything else), so I was happy to see that you still posted them
Now to the drawings, they are awesome! I mean, that was to be expected, but I also agree with Mathea, they keep getting better and better and I am seriously blown away every time I see a new set of drawings. First of all, I especially love the Raenna portrait. Ever since I created her page in the wiki, I was thinking how awesome such a portrait would be, so I am overjoyed to see this. I love all of your portraits, in FoT and NW, though this one has to be one of my special favourites. As for the rest of the drawings, I do like them as well. First of all there is Ellena, one of the few PoV's you hadn't drawn before. As such, I was very excited about your take on her and she is definitely among my favourites from this set. I especially like the differences between her and Briar, which are very evident in personality and which certainly show in this set. With Briar meanwhile, there is also this strong visual similarity to Kersea, which I believe you showed really well, even if they are nothing alike in terms of personality either. Then again, very few characters are like Briar in this story. Ando is really cool, just as I've thought. I love those sideburns, it really gives him something unique when compared to the other characters, even if his visuals are otherwise rather common. And finally, my dear slavers. I think both are among the most visually distinctive characters in the story and therefore it is a joy to see your drawings of them. Out of these two and the entire set, the drawing of Bakr is my favourite. I believe him to be the more interestingly-looking guy in general and his drawing is amazing. That does not mean that I don't like Abbas' drawing, because you certainly captured him perfectly. It's just that he is supposed to be the more unassuming of the two, the brains of the duo, which I think his expression shows really well. As always, thank you very much for this set and for the portrait!
Um, since it looks like there aren't votes coming anymore and Liquid apparently isn't coming back until late tomorrow, I thought this would … morebe a good moment for me to drop my newest set of drawings. I hope you are okay with this, Liquid
These characters have in common the fact that they've all recently been part of Raenna's storyline. Oh, and I also made a portrait of Raenna herself
At last, the voting is closed! I apologize for my short absence. As announced before, I was gone for the weekend and I spent the last two days with the other freshmen from my new university. It was nice, really nice, even if it left me with no time to write on Friday and Saturday. Luckily, I returned a few hours earlier than originally expected and this means, I am rather hopeful I will manage to finish the next part today. As for this voting, you chose the option I was honestly expecting. I should have named it differently though. Garthon is not necessarily going to kill Cleaver Clint, he is going to try it. With a guy who has two decades worth of experienc and a hundred pounds more, there is no guarantee that such a move would actually succeed, even if Garthon has a good chance to do so. In either way, this will lead to interesting consequences in Garthon's next part, which will happen later in this chapter.
First of all, there will be a new part with two PoV's. The first one is Richard, who already had one part in this chapter. Back then, he and the remaining farmers brought the wounded, Vaasrand and Hal, to safety. While Axell and Ed decided to bring Vaasrand to the city, Richard carried the wounded Hal to his house, to give him some rudimentary treatment, during which he also caught up with his brother Alan again. However, that's when Bear's men arrived on the horizon. Though the three farmers tried to remain silent, two bandits decided to approach them and to check the house out. After a tense talk, a fight broke out, during which it was none other than Alan who dispatched of both bandits. However, seeing more bandits approaching in the distance, he fled through the back door right after this feat of bravery. Richard was left with the choice to flee on his own, or to carry the wounded Hal and he decided for the latter. Meanwhile, Lyria hasn't been seen in a long time, since Chapter 6 to be precise. The last time we saw her, she was still recovering at Mathea's house, together with Rosalie and Urid, who both had received even more serious wounds. This is where all three of them still are at this point.
However, as far as I know, @Arrodor wanted to post the next part of his Vaasrand mini-series as well. Arrodor, you can post it now if you're ready
“Hold on”, Richard growled, as he stumbled through the night, with the barely conscious Hal in his arms. It was equal parts meant to encourage Hal just to stay awake, but also to encourage himself to keep going. The pain in his damaged leg sent tears to his eyes, as he forced himself to take one step after the other, carefully and in near silence.
Obviously, Hal was in even greater pain than he was. He hadn't been ready to move, but Richard had no choice but to drag him along and on top of that, he had no time to be soft with him. As much as he could, he even had to run, praying silently to each of the Seven that the men behind him wouldn't catch up.
And he had no illusions that they were catching up slowly. He had managed to get an advantage by taking the path through the edges of the woods. It was dark, the lights of his house had long since been left behind and the typical noise every lively forest made almost drowned out the occasional groans of pain Richard had to let out, or Hal's gasps, whenever he moved his wounded leg. He knew this area, they didn't. It wasn't much, but the only advantage he had.
From the few glimpses he got of the men who pursued him, they were three, maybe four. They had found the corpses and it wasn't too hard to initially follow the trail of blood Hal left, through his soaked bandages. However, this method was largely impossible once they had reached the trees. Unfortunately, this route held yet another danger,
Richard wasn't sure if he was just paranoid, or if he should be concerned. Wolves. He could hear them in the shadows, growling, barking, pursuing him and slowly cornering him. He could hear them... couldn't he? At this point, Richard had to admit that he was not sure what to trust anymore. Surely not his overly stressed senses.
Loudly, the dry leaves cracked beneath his feet and he clenched his teeth, as he heard the bandits howling in the distances. Like wolves, almost. And now they had his scent. Growling with suppressed pain, Richard forced himself to run. At first, he simply ran down the trail through the woods, but then he spotted something in the distance, between the trees, that might give him a momentary advantage at least. About a hundred feet away was the bridge, Jarow's bridge.
It would require of him to run across the open field of course, but Richard knew that they would catch up regardless if he would continue down this path. His only chance would be to reach the bridge before they would reach the edge of the forest, so that he could hide beneath. He took a deep breath. Then he started to run.
Noise was of no importance now. They knew where he was, he couldn't hide. Not in the forest at least. They would expect that. The bridge was his only chance and it was Hal's only chance. So he ran, the grass rustling below his feet, as the men, somewhere behind him, heard him.
And suddenly, pain flared up in his leg as he took a wrong step, putting too much weight on his barely healed wound. It was a sharp, burning pain, the kind that immediately took over his thought process. His eyes widened, as the world turned and the ground came closer. Even then, he had enough common sense to push Hal away from him, to prevent himself falling on top of the wounded man.
Hitting the ground was nearly enough to make him lose consciousness. Though his arms took away some of the force and prevented him from breaking his nose, it was his wounded leg that took a majority of the pain and involuntarily, Richard had to scream out loud, as he landed on the grass, a good twenty feet away from the bridge.
Interestingly, Hal's reaction was a different one entirely. Though obviously in pain from hitting his leg during the fall, he was widely awake all of a sudden, from a mixture of pain and adrenaline. Whereas Richard struggled to even get back on his knees, Hal's eyes widened as he looked towards the forest. “Oh fuck...”, he mumbled. “Richard, come on!”
The men came closer, though Richard heard that they weren't even running anymore. Why should they? There was no escape from them anymore. Heavy boots came to a stop right behind him, as Richard just managed to stagger back to his knees anymore. The pain was so severe that tears ran down his face. Hal meanwhile tried to run away, but Richard knew, he would only make his wound worse.
“Look at this”, a deep voice growled. “So, you tell me two crippled peasant cunts just killed two of our men, huh?” He grabbed Richard by the hair and pulled him up, forcing him to put weight onto his damaged leg. A loud scream of pain came out of the farmer's throat and through a veil of tears, he saw four men standing around him. They were wearing light armour at best, two of them armed with swords, one inspecting a spear and the final one holding a short axe. Together with the man that had grabbed Richard, this made five.
The pain got stronger, as the man purposefully applied pressure to the leg wound, though he stopped before Richard was able to sink into merciful unconsciousness. “Not so fast”, the man hissed. “Just look at you. Barely able to walk. You two are as good as dead already. No way you have been able to kill two of us”
He spun Richard around, pushing him to the ground, as he pulled his sword. Finally, Richard got a good look at him. He was a bit old for a bandit, his hair already showing signs of grey. A scruffy beard covered the lower side of his otherwise smooth, tanned face. “There's gotta be more of you, little farmer”, he growled. “Two of us are dead and you're telling us who did this. And maybe I'm going to kill you and your friend here before Bear arrives”
Richard clenched his teeth. Alan was gone, that much was for sure. Being faster, he had probably crossed the bridge minutes ago. There was no doubt that he would survive again, as always. There would have been enough reasons to rat him out, but that was not the way Richard did things. His brother was scum, but he was still better than these men.
Sensing that he wouldn't receive an answer, the man rolled his eyes. “Fine then”, he chuckled. “Let's start by cutting up your other leg” He moved the tip of the steel towards the inner side of Richard's pants, as a wicked smile formed on his face. “You'll bleed out, little farmer. Not a pretty way to go”, he urged him. “You sure that's how you want to go? Bleeding out like a pig?”
“He won't!”, a new voice sounded, gravelly, hoarsy and tired, yet with a faint anger and a strong determination. The smile on the man's face faded as Richard dragged himself around, to see who spoke. There on his bridge, the faint green pain on his shield clearly visible, stood Jarow, pointing his longsword at the men.
“My name is Jarow, Lord of the Bridges”, he introduced himself sternly and the bandit closest to Richard raised an eyebrow. “This is my bridge and I will hold it. These people are under my protection. Turn around and tell that to your master. Tell him that I will slaughter every last one of your stinking lot if any of you dare to set as much as a single foot onto my lands”
Now, a smile, half confusion, half disbelief, appeared on the face of the bandit. “What the fuck?”, he asked and tilted his head sideways. “Listen, old man. If you turn around and run back to where you came, maybe you get enough of a distance until we're done with these two” Jarow just shook his head and straightened his back. “And I will not run”, he hissed. “This is my bridge and I will hold it”
The bandit shrugged. “Five against one is hardly fair”, he said. “But you want it that way” Jarow narrowed his eyes. “It is unfair”, he agreed, as the five bandits came closer. The hint of a smirk formed on his face. “But not for me”, he added, just as they attacked.
Jarow's sword swung in a wide arch. The man was fast, way faster than a man his age should be, as he forced the man with the axe to jump back. His shield parried the strikes from two swords, while a step to the side prevented him from getting impaled by the spear. The final fighter, the man he had spoken to briefly, had no such luck, as Jarow's sword slashed across his belly, cutting him open and gutting him deeply.
Now, he parried the attack of the man wielding the axe, not only by blocking, but by outright pushing his shield in the way. The weapon hit the wood and got pushed into it deeply. In fact, as Richard noticed, the man's attack, combined with Jarow's counterattack, had caused the axe to get stuck in it. Having far more control over the shield than the bandit had over his axe, Jarow just ripped the weapon cleanly from his hands, before quickly parrying the strikes from the men with the swords.
His own sword hacked against the spear, causing the man that wielded it to tumble, before the Lord of the Bridges finished him off with a quick strike against the throat. He followed this by parrying the strike of one of the men with the swords, as he charged at the other one, blocking the man's strike with his shield, before pushing against him. As he did so, he moved his sword downwards, to momentarily embed it in the man's chest.
When he pulled the blade out again, blood splattered. He parried another strike from the final bandit with a sword, while the man he just disarmed pulled out a knife. Jarow jumped back, causing both of his opponents to miss their strikes, before he charged back at them. His sword slashed across the face of the bandit with the knife, just as he moved his shield to block the strike of the bandit with the sword.
The man's eyes widened as he realized that his companions were dead already. He didn't live much further than this realization, as Jarow's sword sliced across his abdomen, before getting pushed into his chest. The final of the bandits fell to the ground. Five men, dead in a minute. And one old soldier standing above their corpses, breathing heavily, but without any physical wounds.
“Get up, Harking!”, he ordered and something in his voice made Richard ignore the pain one last time. He even managed to pull Hal up, or perhaps the young man did it out of his own strength. “That was just in time...”, Richard gasped and Jarow gave him a slight smile. “You can count on me, friend”, he answered and Richard noticed that something seemed different about him than usual. His gaze was clear and firm, almost sane.
The two farmers dragged themselves to the bridge, where Richard gave Jarow a questioning look. “What now?”, he asked and Jarow pointed into the distance. As Richard followed his glance, down the direction which they came from, he saw them. Dozens of men, armed and dangerous. And he saw the largest of them, a huge greatsword in his hands. From the distance, the man's helmet was the most distinctive feature. Darkened steel, shaped like the head of a bear.
“I know what I'm going to do”, Jarow growled. “And I know that you and Recton here are not going to stay with me. I will not allow this” Richard's eyes widened. “You... you mean you're going to fight them? You can't win against dozens of men!”, he gasped and the Lord of Bridges smiled sadly. “This is not about winning. It is something I have to do”, he answered with a bleak tone and Richard realized what he was going to do. “I don't know what will happen afterwards, but if I see Lord Robert again... well, then I'll tell him that this old soldier did his duty to the end. I will hold this bridge for as long as I can. I will buy time, for you and for Raylansfair”
Richard sighed. “You will die”, he said again, in the weak attempt to stop him. He felt a strange distraught over the thought of losing the old man. He belonged to Raylansfair. A hero. A tragedy. But more importantly than all of this, a part of this city and a man that saved his life. A friend. Jarow shook his head. “I died a long time ago”, he answered and his expression softened. “Go, Richard. Find your daughter. And... cherish every moment”
Reluctantly, Richard turned around. He lacked the strength to do anything else, as he started to drag himself and Hal down the path, away from the bridge. Behind him, Jarow heavily banged his sword against his shield. “Yeah, how do you like that?”, he screamed. “I still got some fight left in me! This is my bridge and if you want to take it, then you'll have to pay for it!”
Once again, he slammed his sword against the shield, as he let out a mighty roar. “I am ready, you bastards! Come on!”, he screamed. Richard gulped as he felt a tear running down his cheek. But he couldn't turn around. He couldn't help, not Jarow. All he could do was to continue down the path. To Raylansfair. To safety.
No Choices for this part
Lyria
It surprised Lyria that in this moment, she was the one closest to losing her cool. Urid was calm, though perhaps that was the medicine Mathea had given him before she left this morning. Rosalie was calm as well, which was the real surprise here. Of course she was afraid, she was tensed up and shaking, but in her eyes lay a strength that reminded Lyria of her late husband.
Lyria herself meanwhile only barely controlled the growing panic. She knew what the noise was. Horns of war. The Ironborn had returned. The last time they came, they took the love of her life. Her husband, slewn in the attempt to save his family. Over the years, she had tried to become stronger in his memory, tried to prepare for this day, so that she could at least keep their daughter safe. On some days, it was the only thing that gave her the strength to carry on. And now she was sitting here, in a tiny hut, too wounded to help anyone. She felt weaker than ever.
Of course, she could get herself to safety, but Rosalie was unable to walk for long and she couldn't carry her. And then there was Urid, who was in even worse shape. She could see that he realized this and she knew what he was thinking as well. The man had family down in the city, somewhere.
“Mother, we have to do something”, Rosalie said and her voice was thin. Lyria gave her daughter a nod. “I know”, she replied. “But I don't know what. I won't leave you and you can't walk” Rosalie shook her head, as she raised from the bed. “I can”, she insisted. “I must” She took a few, weak steps towards her mother, before her feet gave in underneath her. Only barely did she managed to stagger to the table, before collapsing.
Tears welled up in Lyria's eyes, as she knelt down next to her daughter. Rosalie looked up, her face a mixture of anger and sorrow. “You can't stay here”, she said. “I know you can leave. You can walk. Get... I don't know, get to the castle”
Lyria sighed. “Rosie, I'm not going to leave you”, she said softly and Rosalie glared at her. “You can't help me”, she hissed bluntly. “If you stay, you will die. I will die for sur” As she said these words, her voice cracked. She paused, blinked and avoided to look her mother in the eye. “I will die, I know it. Maybe I should have died back when Wolfius cut me open. But you have a chance. Mother, I don't want you to die too. If I'm to die, let it be in the knowledge that you will live”
Lyria put a hand around Rosalie and pulled her into a hug. The girl sighed as she put her head onto her mother's shoulder. “You will not die. I will not allow it. Neither will I die here. We can make this, we have to”, she promised, even if she did not fully believe in it either. “Help must be on the way. I can't believe they all just forgot about us. Mathea...”
“Mathea is dead”, Rosalie spat. “She left hours ago. Maybe they got her while she tried to return. If she's lucky, she died quickly. But if she would still be alive, she would have returned already” The coldness in her voice was feigned, Lyria knew it. She knew how her daughter was feeling right now, because she felt the same. Powerless to save the ones she loved, once again.
“M...”, Urid mumbled and Lyria looked at him. “My...” Gently, she separated from her daughter, as she approached Urid. She reached for a cup of water and gently helped him drink it. “Thank you...”, he sighed with a hoarsy voice and as he looked at her, she saw distraught underneath the blur caused by the medicine. “My family...”, he finally finished his sentence. “Lyria, I must find them. They... they are in danger”
He tried to get on his feet, though Lyria gently pushed him back, knowing that he would hardly be able to walk two steps without collapsing. Rosalie, still crouching on the ground, looked up and bit her lower lip. “Mother...”, she whispered and Lyria forced herself to give her a weak smile, before she focussed back on Urid.
“You can not leave”, she said. “You won't get far. In here, you are safer than out on the streets. Carma is not helpless. She will get to the castle, with your children. They will wait there for you and you will see them again” It was a promise she did not fully believe in, though it was enough for Urid at this moment. Calmly, the wounded man gave her a nod. “Yes...”, he mumbled. “Yes, Carma is strong. She... she's been through so much” A smile formed on his face. “She is so much stronger than I am. I know she will survive this. But I want to be with her”
“Mother...”, Rosalie said again and this time, Lyria gave her a questioning look. The young woman stared at the door. “Someone's out there”, she warned them. “Be quiet and listen for a moment” Lyria narrowed her eyes as she carefully did what her daughter asked her to do. She tensed up, as she indeed heard footsteps down the street.
Moments later, she heard a loud knock on the door of the building next to them. “Anyone there?”, a deep voice growled. “We're here to help you” As the man spoke, Rosalie dragged herself up the table, putting two fingers onto the thin light of the candle. Instantly, it became dark in the room.
“No one there. Any luck on your side?”, the deep voice asked. “None”, a second voice answered. “Guess they already ran” He sighed. “Do we really have to do things that way?”, he asked. “I mean, can't we just look?” The deep voice chuckled. “What do you mean, kicking in the doors?”
“Well, yeah”, the second voice said and the footsteps became louder. “You do that once, dipshit, and they're all running, everyone that's still here. You want that?” He stopped in front of the door that led into Mathea's home and Lyria tensed up. “We can kick in the doors once we checked all of them. Maybe someone's hiding, but who knows, they might just come out if you ask politely”
“Politely my ass”, the second voice hissed. “As long as we find them, it's all good. Come on, let's do things my way” By now, the man with the deep voice stood so close to the door that Lyria could hear him sigh. “Just this last one, okay?”, he said. “Then I'll think about it”
He knocked against the door, the booming noise roaring through the small room. “Hello there? Is there anyone in here?”, he asked. “We're here to help. The Ironborn are advancing and you have to leave the house. Hiding is too dangerous, so please, if you're in there, open the door”
Even through the gloomy twilight in the room, Lyria was able to see her daughter's widely opened eyes, as Rosalie had crawled underneath the table. Frantically, the girl shook her head. “Don't do it”, she whispered, in a tone so low that Lyria barely heard her voice. “Stay quiet”
Lyria, still kneeling, remained in that position, as she glanced at the door. Could it be help? That would be too good to be true, wouldn't it? A part of her wanted to jump up, to open the door and to save her daughter and her own live. But there was another part of her, wary and distrustful. Help, right now, in such dire times... that would be almost too good to be true, wouldn't it? The only thing she knew for sure was that she had to make a decision quickly.
Comments
[Kill Cleaver Clint] If this ends up as a fatal mistake for Garthon then... well, it will really suck because he is one of my favorite PoVs, but I just can't pass this opportunity to kill this asshole.
Anyway, a great part, really showing the grim reality of the Ironborn raiding. I'm also liking Hjalgar more and more
[Leave]
More!
Raenna vs Oberyn Martell
Samuel Harrington vs Ser Bronn
Daghan Oxus vs Barristan Selmy
The Tom vs Khal Drogo
Alysanne vs Robert Baratheon
Clayton vs Syrio Forel
Sherryl vs Petyr Baelish (Cunning battle)
Saerya vs Varys (Cunning battle)
Orys Baratheon vs Randyll Tarly (Who's the better commander)
Vaasrand of Lys vs Daemon I Blackfyre or Ser Arthur Dayne (Vaasrand gets a few days to prepare)
And a bonus, Cleaver Clint vs Vaasrand of Lys
All book versions and in prime.
[Kill Cleaver Clint]
[Kill Cleaver Clint] This is probably a trick choice. I think by doing this Garthon is going to get pretty injured or killed, which might get rid of the choice to convince Torvin to possibly give up on the raid. But by possibly doing this, they might leave Garthon behind and Raylainsfair or even better Team Targ take him prisoner. But I don't really know what is actually going to happen, but this is probably a choice where the seemingly worse option is the better one.
[Carry books to the castle with Harris and the others]
EDIT: double post. :l
[Kill Cleaver Clint]
[removed]
Wow, it's Rhaeygar, a name I have hoped to see never again. I applaud your creativity, as well as your stubborn insitence to behave like a douche. Let's talk, dude. First of all, you are compensating for something, aren't you? Second, haven't you been banned two or three times for that stuff already? I honestly hope the next one will be permanent for you and for your main account (which I'm sure you have), because let's be honest here, you're never going to learn your lesson, or even just how to behave like a decent human being. I'm surprised you're even still allowed to stay around here after pulling that shit for the third or fourth time, seeing how all you seem to use the forums for is to insult other people and their work. Is your life really that boring?
I'll answer your questions numerically:
Nope.
Nope, just muted, it doesn't matter. This story still sucks. Even if they do ban me. It's objectively awful.
My life may be boring, it may not be, either way, this story stinks like bigfoot's dick.
I can't believe I'm actually talking to a rather pathetic troll. I don't know if I should be fascinated or disgusted by this rare opportunity. But well, I'm in the need of some amusement and who knows, there might just be some of it coming out of your desperate cries for attention, at least until someone bans you again, hopefully for the last time. Since I'm such a damn nice person, I'm going to give you that stage you seem to crave for. Congratulations for sticking to your act for so long though, I'm sure many others would have given up after the first two times! First of all, thank you for confirming my suspicions. I know that you have been banned before, so please, if you insist on spilling your poison, at least don't lie to me. Second, even if I don't think a troll like you needs a reason, would you care to explain what you're hoping to achieve by constantly coming back to write some shitty one-liner every couple of months inbetween your bans? I think it has been made clear that absolutely no person in this forum wants you to be here. Third, and I'm asking this out of honest curiosity, how do you know how bigfoots dick smells?
Oh, look! It's the village idiot of telltale forums
Who's your favourite/least favourite character? It seems you follow the story, since you are giving such detailed opinion about it. Because if you aren't following, you can stick this comments of yours in your troll ass. :-)
Well, perhaps I should point out that there is no non-lethal path here. While, with certain arguments, the killing of Clint, who is technically an ally and not expecting such a thing, could be seen as murder, leaving him to do whatever to the girl and her mother would be murder by inaction. For someone who tries to prevent as much death as possible, this is basically the worst choice, as there is no option to prevent death at all.
Well, I can confirm that Cleaver Clint is an incredibly dangerous and durable guy, so if Garthon doesn't kill him immediately, things are going to get really dangerous. Perhaps that is what you mean?
Ah, glad to hear you enjoyed it! I wasn't too sure if I would get the level of detail correctly, because on the one hand, I wanted to show the darkest sides of this raid, while on the other hand, I didn't want to make it too graphic, like outright showing a rape scene or other stuff in that direction. But judging from your comment, it seems I succeeded with what I intended to bring across there!
That is how I myself actually think about the situation as well. However, Garthon honestly considers to just leave, mainly because no matter how horrible he is, Clint is technically his ally. He is a pretty shitty ally and outright refused to help in this part, but Garthon still hesitates to directly turn on him, even if he is abhorred by his actions.
This is some very interesting speculation you have there! I can see where you're coming from and I can confirm that turning on Cleaver Clint is a huge risk. That man is an experienced raider and he can take a lot of shit until he goes down. The danger of getting wounded or outright killed is there. Then again, it is also possible that this is going to be the most straightforward choice so far. Only time (and maybe the alternative choices) will tell.
With this, I'd say Oberyn wins. He relies on speed, as does Raenna, but his weapon of choice is by far the faster one, with the longer reach. His cockiness might be a problem, but in terms of skills, he should be able to outmatch her. However, this only applies of he does not decide to taunt her. What worked rather well for a while against a wall of meat like Gregor would easily cause his undoing against an agile fighter like Raenna.
This time, I'd again say that Samuel wins. Bronn is a good fighter, but part of what I always saw as his main advantage is that he has an honourless, opportunistic fighting style that comes as a huge shock for the knights of Westeros. Against Samuel, this advantage would mean nothing, because while Samuel himself is not without honour, his fighting style absolutely is. Without the surprise, it would really just be skill against skill and in that, I'd say that Samuel is the better one.
Here, I have to say that Barry the Bold would win. Daghan is an extremely skilled knight, able to outmatch most men, but at his prime, Barristan has been the best swordsman in Westeros, something Daghan can't claim. It would be one of these legendary fights though, like the ones Barristan became famous for.
I would say Drogo wins, for similar reasons why Samuel would win against Bronn. Part of what makes the Tom so insanely dangerous to the average Westerosi is that his fighting style is based on dodging and evading the blows as opposed to parrying and just plain taking them with thick armour, which seems to be a preferred style of the knights. Drogo's style, as seen in the show, is highly similar to that and I'd say, he is even better than that. On top of that, a Drogo in his prime would arguably even include a horse, which would make him even more dangerous to basically everyone on this list.
Robert in his prime... oh, Robert in his prime was a beast, by all accords. Of course, Alysanne is a beast in combat as well, but she is not as good as him. Of course, she is fast, but that won't bring her much, if anything at all, if she can't get through his armour. And Robert used to be fast as well, if the reports about him during his rebellion can be believed.
Well... Clayton is good, but Syrio is Syrio Forel. That man is the first sword of Braavos and the definition of badassery. Clayton is not even nearly as dangerous. I'd say Syrio would be a good match for Terroma in his prime, of whom I can confirm that he would have been a worthy opponent for Clayton even in his advanced age.
Book Petyr wins by a landslide. This is hardly a battle. On the one side, we have a needlessly antagonistic and scheming woman who drove away all of her allies even before her plan fully succeeded and who manages to lose importantl evidence to a common servicemaid without noticeable skills. On the other side, we have a cunning master manipulator, who instigated a war, managed to become one of the most powerful men in Westeros and managed to play two or three sides at once, with almost no one even suspecting him, all under the ruse of being a genuinely affable and friendly man (which Book-Littlefinger pretends to be). Sherryl is more like a poor man's version of Littlefinger, a wannabe compared to him.
Once again, Varys wins. He is the one guy that is even better than Littlefinger, that has build his plots up for decades, whose true motives in the books still are unknown to anyone but him and who even managed to fool Littlefinger. Saerya is more cunning than Sherryl, but that does not mean that she is a match for Varys, who would annihilate her, even if his scheme might take a couple of years.
This one goes to Orys though. Randyll is known to be a great commander, but Orys has been made high general of the Targaryen forces for a reason. He is, at this point, possibly the best commander in Westeros, whereas Randyll would have several other contenders for that title at his time, including Stannis, among others. I mean, Randyll is not a bad commander in any way, but Orys is the better one. He is the kind of commander a young Randyll would have read about and aspired to be.
Oh, I think even with months to prepare, Vaasrand would still lose. Daemon and Arthur are the best fighters in all of Westeros at their respective time, period. Vaasrand specializes on beasts and he could probably defeat a wyvern with more ease than either men could ever hope to have, but in single combat, these two men are legends. I don't think Vaasrand can win against either.
This however would be a fight Vaasrand would win. Cleaver wouldn't make things too easy for him, but Vaasrand is a lot faster and on top of that strong enough to hold him off. So, any advantage Cleaver might have would be negated by Vaasrand, who is faster, not much weaker and a lot smarter, with considerably more skill.
Hey guys, I know sometimes people come in and agitate you, but please refrain from insulting them, even if it really does seem like they deserve it. Try and be the better person in such instances. Just flag it and we'll take care of it. Thanks.
Great part! I'm glad we ended up saving Rell because it seems like it may come back to help us in the long run.
[Kill Cleaver Clint] Fuck this guy. This does seem like it may have some potentially major repercussions but I don't want to let him live any longer. He's done enough damage and this is probably the safer choice, I hope.
Sorry, had a bad day yesterday and couldnt resist.
Yes, you are absolutely right of course. I usually try not to respond in such occasions, but yesterday has been kind of the final straw for me, considering that it happened far from the first time with this particular person. I did try to hold back though, since outright insulting this user was not exactly my intention, although I probably still came off as too harsh. My apologies if that was the case. I also think I forgot to flag the comment in question, since I've been in a bit of a hurry when writing my response.
That said, thank you very much for taking care of it! I totally understand where you're coming from with this and I'll try to just flag and ignore it next time, if there is a next time. It's a good thing these incidents happen only very rarely.
[Kill Cleaver Clint] I'm with Hjalgar on this one. This guy is out of control. No decent human being could in good concience let this happen.
Who do you think is the best fighter in this whole story, unintroduced characters included.
Hm, do we speak about the characters in their prime, or in their current condition? Because out of all the characters here, the best fighter is, in my opinion, Argilac Durrandon in his prime. This man is so badass that even at a man of over sixty years, he is rightfully feared and famous for his skill. If we go by their current condition, he obviously loses to several of the younger fighters. And in that case, this is a question that is hard to answer. For example, Emphryus is a better fighter than his king at this moment and you'll actually get to see him in action in this chapter. He's like an unnerving mixture between Barristan Selmy and the Smiling Knight. Durren Stallhart would be a bit closer to the latter than the former, but that only makes him more dangerous. Orys Baratheon is obviously a very good fighter as well, although I wouldn't call him the best. The unintroduced characters meanwhile... well, these names will probably mean nothing to you and since they could include spoilers, I obviously won't name them outright. There are a couple of characters that have been submitted with a special emphasis on their skill. Actually, just today, a new character got submitted who could very well be the best knight in the Reach at the very least.
Sorry for answering late, my account has been broken the past 2 days
You know what F- IT, I abstain. He will die by a vote, but not mine.
Final round for now.
Daghan Oxus vs Aemon the Dragonknight
Emphyrus Dresful vs Jaime Lannister
Ulaf vs The Moggy
Syrio Forel vs Terroma
Daario Naharis vs Lucas Flowers
Jorah Mormont vs Malkolm Sternhelm
[Kill Cleaver Clint]
Um, since it looks like there aren't votes coming anymore and Liquid apparently isn't coming back until late tomorrow, I thought this would be a good moment for me to drop my newest set of drawings. I hope you are okay with this, Liquid
These characters have in common the fact that they've all recently been part of Raenna's storyline. Oh, and I also made a portrait of Raenna herself
I love these! Abbas and Bakr look the best.
From A and W to the E
S-O-M then repeat three
something amazing's all I see
Again and again, how can it be?
Drawings so astounding they make history
Ill be sure to keep them in memory
And say thank you to thee
Thanks
Yeah, Abbas and Bakr are probably my own favorites as well, though I gotta love Ando's sideburns XD
Haha, thanks for the compliments!
I really like Raenna portrait. Good job! They are better and better.
It's great that you posted these already! When you informed me that you have them ready, I wanted to send you a message that I likely won't manage to finish the part until Sunday, so that you won't have to wait for me to close the voting first. Since I had to leave far earlier on Friday than expected, I had no time to do that (or much of anything else), so I was happy to see that you still posted them
Now to the drawings, they are awesome! I mean, that was to be expected, but I also agree with Mathea, they keep getting better and better and I am seriously blown away every time I see a new set of drawings. First of all, I especially love the Raenna portrait. Ever since I created her page in the wiki, I was thinking how awesome such a portrait would be, so I am overjoyed to see this. I love all of your portraits, in FoT and NW, though this one has to be one of my special favourites. As for the rest of the drawings, I do like them as well. First of all there is Ellena, one of the few PoV's you hadn't drawn before. As such, I was very excited about your take on her and she is definitely among my favourites from this set. I especially like the differences between her and Briar, which are very evident in personality and which certainly show in this set. With Briar meanwhile, there is also this strong visual similarity to Kersea, which I believe you showed really well, even if they are nothing alike in terms of personality either. Then again, very few characters are like Briar in this story. Ando is really cool, just as I've thought. I love those sideburns, it really gives him something unique when compared to the other characters, even if his visuals are otherwise rather common. And finally, my dear slavers. I think both are among the most visually distinctive characters in the story and therefore it is a joy to see your drawings of them. Out of these two and the entire set, the drawing of Bakr is my favourite. I believe him to be the more interestingly-looking guy in general and his drawing is amazing. That does not mean that I don't like Abbas' drawing, because you certainly captured him perfectly. It's just that he is supposed to be the more unassuming of the two, the brains of the duo, which I think his expression shows really well. As always, thank you very much for this set and for the portrait!
The Voting is closed!
Garthon is going to kill Cleaver Clint
At last, the voting is closed! I apologize for my short absence. As announced before, I was gone for the weekend and I spent the last two days with the other freshmen from my new university. It was nice, really nice, even if it left me with no time to write on Friday and Saturday. Luckily, I returned a few hours earlier than originally expected and this means, I am rather hopeful I will manage to finish the next part today. As for this voting, you chose the option I was honestly expecting. I should have named it differently though. Garthon is not necessarily going to kill Cleaver Clint, he is going to try it. With a guy who has two decades worth of experienc and a hundred pounds more, there is no guarantee that such a move would actually succeed, even if Garthon has a good chance to do so. In either way, this will lead to interesting consequences in Garthon's next part, which will happen later in this chapter.
First of all, there will be a new part with two PoV's. The first one is Richard, who already had one part in this chapter. Back then, he and the remaining farmers brought the wounded, Vaasrand and Hal, to safety. While Axell and Ed decided to bring Vaasrand to the city, Richard carried the wounded Hal to his house, to give him some rudimentary treatment, during which he also caught up with his brother Alan again. However, that's when Bear's men arrived on the horizon. Though the three farmers tried to remain silent, two bandits decided to approach them and to check the house out. After a tense talk, a fight broke out, during which it was none other than Alan who dispatched of both bandits. However, seeing more bandits approaching in the distance, he fled through the back door right after this feat of bravery. Richard was left with the choice to flee on his own, or to carry the wounded Hal and he decided for the latter. Meanwhile, Lyria hasn't been seen in a long time, since Chapter 6 to be precise. The last time we saw her, she was still recovering at Mathea's house, together with Rosalie and Urid, who both had received even more serious wounds. This is where all three of them still are at this point.
However, as far as I know, @Arrodor wanted to post the next part of his Vaasrand mini-series as well. Arrodor, you can post it now if you're ready
No problem. Thanks for the beautiful artwork.
Richard
“Hold on”, Richard growled, as he stumbled through the night, with the barely conscious Hal in his arms. It was equal parts meant to encourage Hal just to stay awake, but also to encourage himself to keep going. The pain in his damaged leg sent tears to his eyes, as he forced himself to take one step after the other, carefully and in near silence.
Obviously, Hal was in even greater pain than he was. He hadn't been ready to move, but Richard had no choice but to drag him along and on top of that, he had no time to be soft with him. As much as he could, he even had to run, praying silently to each of the Seven that the men behind him wouldn't catch up.
And he had no illusions that they were catching up slowly. He had managed to get an advantage by taking the path through the edges of the woods. It was dark, the lights of his house had long since been left behind and the typical noise every lively forest made almost drowned out the occasional groans of pain Richard had to let out, or Hal's gasps, whenever he moved his wounded leg. He knew this area, they didn't. It wasn't much, but the only advantage he had.
From the few glimpses he got of the men who pursued him, they were three, maybe four. They had found the corpses and it wasn't too hard to initially follow the trail of blood Hal left, through his soaked bandages. However, this method was largely impossible once they had reached the trees. Unfortunately, this route held yet another danger,
Richard wasn't sure if he was just paranoid, or if he should be concerned. Wolves. He could hear them in the shadows, growling, barking, pursuing him and slowly cornering him. He could hear them... couldn't he? At this point, Richard had to admit that he was not sure what to trust anymore. Surely not his overly stressed senses.
Loudly, the dry leaves cracked beneath his feet and he clenched his teeth, as he heard the bandits howling in the distances. Like wolves, almost. And now they had his scent. Growling with suppressed pain, Richard forced himself to run. At first, he simply ran down the trail through the woods, but then he spotted something in the distance, between the trees, that might give him a momentary advantage at least. About a hundred feet away was the bridge, Jarow's bridge.
It would require of him to run across the open field of course, but Richard knew that they would catch up regardless if he would continue down this path. His only chance would be to reach the bridge before they would reach the edge of the forest, so that he could hide beneath. He took a deep breath. Then he started to run.
Noise was of no importance now. They knew where he was, he couldn't hide. Not in the forest at least. They would expect that. The bridge was his only chance and it was Hal's only chance. So he ran, the grass rustling below his feet, as the men, somewhere behind him, heard him.
And suddenly, pain flared up in his leg as he took a wrong step, putting too much weight on his barely healed wound. It was a sharp, burning pain, the kind that immediately took over his thought process. His eyes widened, as the world turned and the ground came closer. Even then, he had enough common sense to push Hal away from him, to prevent himself falling on top of the wounded man.
Hitting the ground was nearly enough to make him lose consciousness. Though his arms took away some of the force and prevented him from breaking his nose, it was his wounded leg that took a majority of the pain and involuntarily, Richard had to scream out loud, as he landed on the grass, a good twenty feet away from the bridge.
Interestingly, Hal's reaction was a different one entirely. Though obviously in pain from hitting his leg during the fall, he was widely awake all of a sudden, from a mixture of pain and adrenaline. Whereas Richard struggled to even get back on his knees, Hal's eyes widened as he looked towards the forest. “Oh fuck...”, he mumbled. “Richard, come on!”
The men came closer, though Richard heard that they weren't even running anymore. Why should they? There was no escape from them anymore. Heavy boots came to a stop right behind him, as Richard just managed to stagger back to his knees anymore. The pain was so severe that tears ran down his face. Hal meanwhile tried to run away, but Richard knew, he would only make his wound worse.
“Look at this”, a deep voice growled. “So, you tell me two crippled peasant cunts just killed two of our men, huh?” He grabbed Richard by the hair and pulled him up, forcing him to put weight onto his damaged leg. A loud scream of pain came out of the farmer's throat and through a veil of tears, he saw four men standing around him. They were wearing light armour at best, two of them armed with swords, one inspecting a spear and the final one holding a short axe. Together with the man that had grabbed Richard, this made five.
The pain got stronger, as the man purposefully applied pressure to the leg wound, though he stopped before Richard was able to sink into merciful unconsciousness. “Not so fast”, the man hissed. “Just look at you. Barely able to walk. You two are as good as dead already. No way you have been able to kill two of us”
He spun Richard around, pushing him to the ground, as he pulled his sword. Finally, Richard got a good look at him. He was a bit old for a bandit, his hair already showing signs of grey. A scruffy beard covered the lower side of his otherwise smooth, tanned face. “There's gotta be more of you, little farmer”, he growled. “Two of us are dead and you're telling us who did this. And maybe I'm going to kill you and your friend here before Bear arrives”
Richard clenched his teeth. Alan was gone, that much was for sure. Being faster, he had probably crossed the bridge minutes ago. There was no doubt that he would survive again, as always. There would have been enough reasons to rat him out, but that was not the way Richard did things. His brother was scum, but he was still better than these men.
Sensing that he wouldn't receive an answer, the man rolled his eyes. “Fine then”, he chuckled. “Let's start by cutting up your other leg” He moved the tip of the steel towards the inner side of Richard's pants, as a wicked smile formed on his face. “You'll bleed out, little farmer. Not a pretty way to go”, he urged him. “You sure that's how you want to go? Bleeding out like a pig?”
“He won't!”, a new voice sounded, gravelly, hoarsy and tired, yet with a faint anger and a strong determination. The smile on the man's face faded as Richard dragged himself around, to see who spoke. There on his bridge, the faint green pain on his shield clearly visible, stood Jarow, pointing his longsword at the men.
“My name is Jarow, Lord of the Bridges”, he introduced himself sternly and the bandit closest to Richard raised an eyebrow. “This is my bridge and I will hold it. These people are under my protection. Turn around and tell that to your master. Tell him that I will slaughter every last one of your stinking lot if any of you dare to set as much as a single foot onto my lands”
Now, a smile, half confusion, half disbelief, appeared on the face of the bandit. “What the fuck?”, he asked and tilted his head sideways. “Listen, old man. If you turn around and run back to where you came, maybe you get enough of a distance until we're done with these two” Jarow just shook his head and straightened his back. “And I will not run”, he hissed. “This is my bridge and I will hold it”
The bandit shrugged. “Five against one is hardly fair”, he said. “But you want it that way” Jarow narrowed his eyes. “It is unfair”, he agreed, as the five bandits came closer. The hint of a smirk formed on his face. “But not for me”, he added, just as they attacked.
Jarow's sword swung in a wide arch. The man was fast, way faster than a man his age should be, as he forced the man with the axe to jump back. His shield parried the strikes from two swords, while a step to the side prevented him from getting impaled by the spear. The final fighter, the man he had spoken to briefly, had no such luck, as Jarow's sword slashed across his belly, cutting him open and gutting him deeply.
Now, he parried the attack of the man wielding the axe, not only by blocking, but by outright pushing his shield in the way. The weapon hit the wood and got pushed into it deeply. In fact, as Richard noticed, the man's attack, combined with Jarow's counterattack, had caused the axe to get stuck in it. Having far more control over the shield than the bandit had over his axe, Jarow just ripped the weapon cleanly from his hands, before quickly parrying the strikes from the men with the swords.
His own sword hacked against the spear, causing the man that wielded it to tumble, before the Lord of the Bridges finished him off with a quick strike against the throat. He followed this by parrying the strike of one of the men with the swords, as he charged at the other one, blocking the man's strike with his shield, before pushing against him. As he did so, he moved his sword downwards, to momentarily embed it in the man's chest.
When he pulled the blade out again, blood splattered. He parried another strike from the final bandit with a sword, while the man he just disarmed pulled out a knife. Jarow jumped back, causing both of his opponents to miss their strikes, before he charged back at them. His sword slashed across the face of the bandit with the knife, just as he moved his shield to block the strike of the bandit with the sword.
The man's eyes widened as he realized that his companions were dead already. He didn't live much further than this realization, as Jarow's sword sliced across his abdomen, before getting pushed into his chest. The final of the bandits fell to the ground. Five men, dead in a minute. And one old soldier standing above their corpses, breathing heavily, but without any physical wounds.
“Get up, Harking!”, he ordered and something in his voice made Richard ignore the pain one last time. He even managed to pull Hal up, or perhaps the young man did it out of his own strength. “That was just in time...”, Richard gasped and Jarow gave him a slight smile. “You can count on me, friend”, he answered and Richard noticed that something seemed different about him than usual. His gaze was clear and firm, almost sane.
The two farmers dragged themselves to the bridge, where Richard gave Jarow a questioning look. “What now?”, he asked and Jarow pointed into the distance. As Richard followed his glance, down the direction which they came from, he saw them. Dozens of men, armed and dangerous. And he saw the largest of them, a huge greatsword in his hands. From the distance, the man's helmet was the most distinctive feature. Darkened steel, shaped like the head of a bear.
“I know what I'm going to do”, Jarow growled. “And I know that you and Recton here are not going to stay with me. I will not allow this” Richard's eyes widened. “You... you mean you're going to fight them? You can't win against dozens of men!”, he gasped and the Lord of Bridges smiled sadly. “This is not about winning. It is something I have to do”, he answered with a bleak tone and Richard realized what he was going to do. “I don't know what will happen afterwards, but if I see Lord Robert again... well, then I'll tell him that this old soldier did his duty to the end. I will hold this bridge for as long as I can. I will buy time, for you and for Raylansfair”
Richard sighed. “You will die”, he said again, in the weak attempt to stop him. He felt a strange distraught over the thought of losing the old man. He belonged to Raylansfair. A hero. A tragedy. But more importantly than all of this, a part of this city and a man that saved his life. A friend. Jarow shook his head. “I died a long time ago”, he answered and his expression softened. “Go, Richard. Find your daughter. And... cherish every moment”
Reluctantly, Richard turned around. He lacked the strength to do anything else, as he started to drag himself and Hal down the path, away from the bridge. Behind him, Jarow heavily banged his sword against his shield. “Yeah, how do you like that?”, he screamed. “I still got some fight left in me! This is my bridge and if you want to take it, then you'll have to pay for it!”
Once again, he slammed his sword against the shield, as he let out a mighty roar. “I am ready, you bastards! Come on!”, he screamed. Richard gulped as he felt a tear running down his cheek. But he couldn't turn around. He couldn't help, not Jarow. All he could do was to continue down the path. To Raylansfair. To safety.
No Choices for this part
Lyria
It surprised Lyria that in this moment, she was the one closest to losing her cool. Urid was calm, though perhaps that was the medicine Mathea had given him before she left this morning. Rosalie was calm as well, which was the real surprise here. Of course she was afraid, she was tensed up and shaking, but in her eyes lay a strength that reminded Lyria of her late husband.
Lyria herself meanwhile only barely controlled the growing panic. She knew what the noise was. Horns of war. The Ironborn had returned. The last time they came, they took the love of her life. Her husband, slewn in the attempt to save his family. Over the years, she had tried to become stronger in his memory, tried to prepare for this day, so that she could at least keep their daughter safe. On some days, it was the only thing that gave her the strength to carry on. And now she was sitting here, in a tiny hut, too wounded to help anyone. She felt weaker than ever.
Of course, she could get herself to safety, but Rosalie was unable to walk for long and she couldn't carry her. And then there was Urid, who was in even worse shape. She could see that he realized this and she knew what he was thinking as well. The man had family down in the city, somewhere.
“Mother, we have to do something”, Rosalie said and her voice was thin. Lyria gave her daughter a nod. “I know”, she replied. “But I don't know what. I won't leave you and you can't walk” Rosalie shook her head, as she raised from the bed. “I can”, she insisted. “I must” She took a few, weak steps towards her mother, before her feet gave in underneath her. Only barely did she managed to stagger to the table, before collapsing.
Tears welled up in Lyria's eyes, as she knelt down next to her daughter. Rosalie looked up, her face a mixture of anger and sorrow. “You can't stay here”, she said. “I know you can leave. You can walk. Get... I don't know, get to the castle”
Lyria sighed. “Rosie, I'm not going to leave you”, she said softly and Rosalie glared at her. “You can't help me”, she hissed bluntly. “If you stay, you will die. I will die for sur” As she said these words, her voice cracked. She paused, blinked and avoided to look her mother in the eye. “I will die, I know it. Maybe I should have died back when Wolfius cut me open. But you have a chance. Mother, I don't want you to die too. If I'm to die, let it be in the knowledge that you will live”
Lyria put a hand around Rosalie and pulled her into a hug. The girl sighed as she put her head onto her mother's shoulder. “You will not die. I will not allow it. Neither will I die here. We can make this, we have to”, she promised, even if she did not fully believe in it either. “Help must be on the way. I can't believe they all just forgot about us. Mathea...”
“Mathea is dead”, Rosalie spat. “She left hours ago. Maybe they got her while she tried to return. If she's lucky, she died quickly. But if she would still be alive, she would have returned already” The coldness in her voice was feigned, Lyria knew it. She knew how her daughter was feeling right now, because she felt the same. Powerless to save the ones she loved, once again.
“M...”, Urid mumbled and Lyria looked at him. “My...” Gently, she separated from her daughter, as she approached Urid. She reached for a cup of water and gently helped him drink it. “Thank you...”, he sighed with a hoarsy voice and as he looked at her, she saw distraught underneath the blur caused by the medicine. “My family...”, he finally finished his sentence. “Lyria, I must find them. They... they are in danger”
He tried to get on his feet, though Lyria gently pushed him back, knowing that he would hardly be able to walk two steps without collapsing. Rosalie, still crouching on the ground, looked up and bit her lower lip. “Mother...”, she whispered and Lyria forced herself to give her a weak smile, before she focussed back on Urid.
“You can not leave”, she said. “You won't get far. In here, you are safer than out on the streets. Carma is not helpless. She will get to the castle, with your children. They will wait there for you and you will see them again” It was a promise she did not fully believe in, though it was enough for Urid at this moment. Calmly, the wounded man gave her a nod. “Yes...”, he mumbled. “Yes, Carma is strong. She... she's been through so much” A smile formed on his face. “She is so much stronger than I am. I know she will survive this. But I want to be with her”
“Mother...”, Rosalie said again and this time, Lyria gave her a questioning look. The young woman stared at the door. “Someone's out there”, she warned them. “Be quiet and listen for a moment” Lyria narrowed her eyes as she carefully did what her daughter asked her to do. She tensed up, as she indeed heard footsteps down the street.
Moments later, she heard a loud knock on the door of the building next to them. “Anyone there?”, a deep voice growled. “We're here to help you” As the man spoke, Rosalie dragged herself up the table, putting two fingers onto the thin light of the candle. Instantly, it became dark in the room.
“No one there. Any luck on your side?”, the deep voice asked. “None”, a second voice answered. “Guess they already ran” He sighed. “Do we really have to do things that way?”, he asked. “I mean, can't we just look?” The deep voice chuckled. “What do you mean, kicking in the doors?”
“Well, yeah”, the second voice said and the footsteps became louder. “You do that once, dipshit, and they're all running, everyone that's still here. You want that?” He stopped in front of the door that led into Mathea's home and Lyria tensed up. “We can kick in the doors once we checked all of them. Maybe someone's hiding, but who knows, they might just come out if you ask politely”
“Politely my ass”, the second voice hissed. “As long as we find them, it's all good. Come on, let's do things my way” By now, the man with the deep voice stood so close to the door that Lyria could hear him sigh. “Just this last one, okay?”, he said. “Then I'll think about it”
He knocked against the door, the booming noise roaring through the small room. “Hello there? Is there anyone in here?”, he asked. “We're here to help. The Ironborn are advancing and you have to leave the house. Hiding is too dangerous, so please, if you're in there, open the door”
Even through the gloomy twilight in the room, Lyria was able to see her daughter's widely opened eyes, as Rosalie had crawled underneath the table. Frantically, the girl shook her head. “Don't do it”, she whispered, in a tone so low that Lyria barely heard her voice. “Stay quiet”
Lyria, still kneeling, remained in that position, as she glanced at the door. Could it be help? That would be too good to be true, wouldn't it? A part of her wanted to jump up, to open the door and to save her daughter and her own live. But there was another part of her, wary and distrustful. Help, right now, in such dire times... that would be almost too good to be true, wouldn't it? The only thing she knew for sure was that she had to make a decision quickly.
[Open the door] [Stay quiet]