Drent is a lowborn, he has no place here. Her father will always support her, and she needs him more than anyone else. If any of the other lords do anything else, they will deal with him. She must learn lessons on her own if she wishes to be queen.
Ah my man Maester Qoherys, the first of a series of intriguing and not the least bit untrustworthy apolitical servants of lords. Good to see him back from the interludes.
Drent
At the sight of the familiar banners in the distance, Drent sighed with relief. It had been a long journey, a curious one, filled w… moreith pain and loss. That much he expected when he left the castle, though it turned out to be much more than he had ever thought.
Storm's End was lying in the evening sun, Shipbreaker Bay unusually calm behind it. A more superstitious lot would say that the land itself welcomed its future queen back. The men in the castle did for certain, given how a raven was sent to them two days ago. And there it was, the ancient, sturdy building, one of the largest fortresses in Westeros and surely the strongest. Never had it fallen in all of its ten thousand years and never would it.
Drent glanced at the princess to his right. Together with Emphryus, he was flanking her, each outfitted with a fine horse. Argella herself was sitting on a white mare, herself clad in yellow, a black cloak covering her shoulders and… [view original content]
Drent is a lowborn, he has no place here. Her father will always support her, and she needs him more than anyone else. If any of the other lords do anything else, they will deal with him. She must learn lessons on her own if she wishes to be queen.
That is indeed the risk. As chummy as he got with Argella, it does not change the fact that he's as lowborn as can be and only there because Montclair trusted him, who in turn was only listened to because Emphryus trusted him. No matter how they react, he is overstepping his position with such an act and there is no telling what consequences this might or might not have. And well, you are right that Argilac is the one whose opinion matters mostly here and he'll have Argella's back. It's just mostly about some of the other lords, who currently respect Argella because they respect her father, but for little else, which is what Drent is quite irritated by.
Ah my man Maester Qoherys, the first of a series of intriguing and not the least bit untrustworthy apolitical servants of lords. Good to see him back from the interludes.
Aye, Qoherys will have a big role in the events to come and I plan to build him up a bit more over the course of the next chapters. He's also only the first of many Maesters to be introduced in Book 2. There will be, among others, the new maester of Raylansfair and a certain maester you know quite well
[Remain silent]
Drent is a lowborn, he has no place here. Her father will always support her, and she needs him more than anyone else. If… more any of the other lords do anything else, they will deal with him. She must learn lessons on her own if she wishes to be queen.
Ah my man Maester Qoherys, the first of a series of intriguing and not the least bit untrustworthy apolitical servants of lords. Good to see him back from the interludes.
[Speak in Argella's defense] They may not like Drent speaking out of turn but saying nothing just wouldn't sit right with me. Hopefully they'll be impressed by Drent's honesty and loyalty. My main reasoning is that Argella needs to hear this. She sells herself far too short. Plus you know... I ship it.
EDIT: I can't lie, seeing these suitors legitimately angers me!
Drent
At the sight of the familiar banners in the distance, Drent sighed with relief. It had been a long journey, a curious one, filled w… moreith pain and loss. That much he expected when he left the castle, though it turned out to be much more than he had ever thought.
Storm's End was lying in the evening sun, Shipbreaker Bay unusually calm behind it. A more superstitious lot would say that the land itself welcomed its future queen back. The men in the castle did for certain, given how a raven was sent to them two days ago. And there it was, the ancient, sturdy building, one of the largest fortresses in Westeros and surely the strongest. Never had it fallen in all of its ten thousand years and never would it.
Drent glanced at the princess to his right. Together with Emphryus, he was flanking her, each outfitted with a fine horse. Argella herself was sitting on a white mare, herself clad in yellow, a black cloak covering her shoulders and… [view original content]
They may not like Drent speaking out of turn but saying nothing just wouldn't sit right with me. Hopefully they'll be impressed by Drent's honesty and loyalty. My main reasoning is that Argella needs to hear this. She sells herself far too short. Plus you know... I ship it.
Aye, she is selling herself quite a bit short there. Sure, she hasn't done everything perfectly, but she did a lot of good as well, or at least tried her best. She was taught to be perfect though, quite vehemently by her teachers and even her own father, so this failure certainly stings. But yeah, if Drent speaks out (which seems quite likely, given the way the voting currently goes), he pretty much hopes for the same, that they will be so impressed by his loyalty (as well by the guts he'd show), that the king and his court let him get away with speaking out of turn. Also, he certainly ships it as well
EDIT: I can't lie, seeing these suitors legitimately angers me!
Hehe, I can exactly understand how you feel there. I mean, they do kinda stand in the way of the ship... I suppose one might call them the anchor. And at least Bernard is, so far, quite an arrogant guy, as well as the only one who clearly doesn't even mind trying to court the princess. The other two... well, all three are going to get some good spotlight in the next chapters, so we'll see how your opinion on them might develop
[Speak in Argella's defense] They may not like Drent speaking out of turn but saying nothing just wouldn't sit right with me. Hopefully they… more'll be impressed by Drent's honesty and loyalty. My main reasoning is that Argella needs to hear this. She sells herself far too short. Plus you know... I ship it.
EDIT: I can't lie, seeing these suitors legitimately angers me!
I can't help it! I'm a shipper. Though I'm a bit sad about it as another reader implied at one point that it's not possible given how Argella turns out in canon. I don't know what they meant but I have a hunch. Just to clarify I'd rather readers not mention what happens in Canon so I don't know how they turn out. But whatever as unlikely as it is to happen I shall never not ship it!
They may not like Drent speaking out of turn but saying nothing just wouldn't sit right with me. Hopefully they'll be impressed by Drent's h… moreonesty and loyalty. My main reasoning is that Argella needs to hear this. She sells herself far too short. Plus you know... I ship it.
Aye, she is selling herself quite a bit short there. Sure, she hasn't done everything perfectly, but she did a lot of good as well, or at least tried her best. She was taught to be perfect though, quite vehemently by her teachers and even her own father, so this failure certainly stings. But yeah, if Drent speaks out (which seems quite likely, given the way the voting currently goes), he pretty much hopes for the same, that they will be so impressed by his loyalty (as well by the guts he'd show), that the king and his court let him get away with speaking out of turn. Also, he certainly ships it as well
EDIT: I can't lie, seeing these suitors legitimately an… [view original content]
Aye, that is something I would very much prefer as well. Obviously, there are many who have a vast knowledge on the Ice and Fire canon, but I know there are some, you included, who prefer not to have this information and that is very fine as well. I myself try to be as vague as possible in some details, as long as they are not stuff that absolutely should be a foregone conclusion from watching the show, like where Aegon is going to end up at and stuff like that. The story tries to stick close to what the canon establishes about the War of Conquest. This includes characters that are actually not mine or yours, but canonical characters, such as Aegon, Harren, Mern, but also Argella. Some of these are very well-known, others are somewhat more obscure. For example, Jon Mooton, the new Lord of Maidenpool, is actually a canonical character as well, but a very minor one. But to remain on topic, I would very much prefer if those readers that do know more about the Conquest won't outright spell this out, to be considerate of those that prefer not to know what is ahead. Same concept as with book readers and show watchers in previous seasons of the show, really. Spoiling what is ahead is never a good thing and as your post has proven, not everyone knows every detail or wants to know it until it happens.On that topic though, ultimately I am writing the story and though I try to stick as close to the canon as possible, there will be some occasions where I will slightly bend it, or am willing to even go against it unless it is truly major details. Also, there are some characters, such as Aegon himself, who give me so much canon material that his involvement is really planned out for me already. Other characters, such as Argella actually, have only few canon events for me to work with and a lot of blanks that I can fill in to my own liking, in which no one can know what will happen. I hope that helps a bit with easing your concern here
he certainly ships it as well
I can't help it! I'm a shipper. Though I'm a bit sad about it as another reader implied at one point t… morehat it's not possible given how Argella turns out in canon. I don't know what they meant but I have a hunch. Just to clarify I'd rather readers not mention what happens in Canon so I don't know how they turn out. But whatever as unlikely as it is to happen I shall never not ship it!
Ah, I could have expected this. It was very much a choice between emotion and logic and you chose a more emotional route for Drent here. Surely, remaining quiet would have been the safer choice. He is now interrupting the heiress to the Stormlands, while also directly speaking to the king and the gathered courtiers, which is immensely inappropriate for a mere soldier. However, at the same time Argilac might also appreciate it, we'll see. This holds some risks for sure and I suppose it remains up in the air how beneficial this is going to be. All I can say is, I prefer the scene I can write now to the opposite, but solely from a writing perspective, as a silent Drent is definitely less fun to write.
And from the court of Argilac, we move to the court of Torrhen, with the next part, which is going to be Raenna's. It's been a while since we saw her in particular, though I hope you remember that she is currently heading there, after being saved by Brandon Snow. The man revealed himself to be none other than the Brandon Snow, Torrhen's bastard brother and de-facto spymaster. Taking her and Briar out of Raylansfair, he might actually spared both of them the terrible fate that would have befallen if Mullendore would have found them. He also made her a little job offer, working together with him for the good of the North, after being suitably impressed by her skills. You also remember that Torrhen himself is currently calling his banners to Winterfell, after receiving the letter from Aegon Targaryen. This next part will be set two months after we have last seen Raenna and roughly two weeks after Torrhen's interlude part. However, I am not sure if I will manage to give her a full part worth of content before coming to her first choice, so there might be room for a second PoV, which is going to give an update on Arthur.
On another note, I did notice a couple regulars missing this time. Potentially related to that, it was also brought to my attention that a number people seem to have severe log-in troubles recently, because Telltale is doing literally nothing to fix their own forums after breaking them without any necessity. However, it seems the most recent batch of troubles is tied to Google Chrome, so if you encounter such problems, ranging from not being able to log in properly to being unable to access your profile or post comments, try out another browser. It appears that many versions of Chrome are currently not running well with the forums and I wouldn't expect a fix before next year. I'm using Firefox and I encounter no problems beyond what is to be expected on this broken site. If any of you encounter such problems that currently prevent them from doing much here in the forums, I hope that'll help you out
Actually, this problem happened to me, but not in Google Chrome. Signing out and back in again helped me but it took a while to figure it out. I kinda feel bad that I missed a few votings, especially considering my beloved babies Reynes.
The Voting is closed!
Drent is going to speak in Argella's defence
Ah, I could have expected this. It was very much a choice between e… moremotion and logic and you chose a more emotional route for Drent here. Surely, remaining quiet would have been the safer choice. He is now interrupting the heiress to the Stormlands, while also directly speaking to the king and the gathered courtiers, which is immensely inappropriate for a mere soldier. However, at the same time Argilac might also appreciate it, we'll see. This holds some risks for sure and I suppose it remains up in the air how beneficial this is going to be. All I can say is, I prefer the scene I can write now to the opposite, but solely from a writing perspective, as a silent Drent is definitely less fun to write.
And from the court of Argilac, we move to the court of Torrhen, with the next part, which is going to be Raenna's. It's been a while since we saw her in particular, though … [view original content]
So it is not just an issue with Chrome? Man, they really messed up the site with the latest update. At this point, I really doubt they are planning to fix it anytime soon. They probably aren't even aware of it, damn. Though most of the people that contacted me or whom I have seen mentioning it in the forums have used Chrome and mentioned it's gone after switching browsers, so I guess some versions of that browser are particularly vulnerable to whatever is wrong with the forums at this point.
Anyways, I am very happy you managed to fix the problem in your case. Signing out and back in again is a simple solution, I actually had the same issue a few days ago, but on my phone. You have missed the last two parts, among them the start for Willfred's Book 2 storyline, but no worries, in the grand scale of things, you haven't missed much, even if you potentially could have changed the outcome of Willfred's latest vote. At least Drent's was very decisive though. So, I'm glad you're back now
Actually, this problem happened to me, but not in Google Chrome. Signing out and back in again helped me but it took a while to figure it out. I kinda feel bad that I missed a few votings, especially considering my beloved babies Reynes.
Yeah I have been having problems posting lately, but I use firefox so I shouldn't be having problems with chrome. Hopefully I'll be able to reply to the next part. Can't wait to see my boy Arthur dealing with the mess that's Raylainsfair! If I remember correctly, this will be the first part back in FoT Central, aka Raylainsfair. Hopefully they'll get rid of the darn captcha because it always thinks I'm a robot! Wh1ch 1 4m 0v10u5ly n0t!
The Voting is closed!
Drent is going to speak in Argella's defence
Ah, I could have expected this. It was very much a choice between e… moremotion and logic and you chose a more emotional route for Drent here. Surely, remaining quiet would have been the safer choice. He is now interrupting the heiress to the Stormlands, while also directly speaking to the king and the gathered courtiers, which is immensely inappropriate for a mere soldier. However, at the same time Argilac might also appreciate it, we'll see. This holds some risks for sure and I suppose it remains up in the air how beneficial this is going to be. All I can say is, I prefer the scene I can write now to the opposite, but solely from a writing perspective, as a silent Drent is definitely less fun to write.
And from the court of Argilac, we move to the court of Torrhen, with the next part, which is going to be Raenna's. It's been a while since we saw her in particular, though … [view original content]
Yeah I have been having problems posting lately, but I use firefox so I shouldn't be having problems with chrome. Hopefully I'll be able to … morereply to the next part. Can't wait to see my boy Arthur dealing with the mess that's Raylainsfair! If I remember correctly, this will be the first part back in FoT Central, aka Raylainsfair. Hopefully they'll get rid of the darn captcha because it always thinks I'm a robot! Wh1ch 1 4m 0v10u5ly n0t!
What? Chrome is... good now? But... who's the bad guy here then? Probably Old Man Telltale, who would have gotten away with it if not for us meddling users. Seriously, that is concerning though. After getting so many messages about problems with Chrome, I thought I had the issue singled down to one browser. Now it seems nobody is save. Hell, how long until I myself can't log in anymore?
Anyways, I fear I actually and surprisingly got enough material for a whole part from Raenna's perspective, meaning you need a little more patience to see Arthur back in action. But well, a Raenna part means a Winterfell part, means you'll see some of your creations as well It should be ready in a couple of minutes as well actually, I just need to reread it before posting!
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfell. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenna's and there was a look of joy in them. “And this all belongs to one family?”, she asked, to which Raenna chuckled. “The perks of being royalty”, she replied. “Though a lot more people live in there. Hundreds, I'd say”
“Thousands”, their escort replied. Myles Cerwyn, heir to Cerwyn, had joined them this morning, after they had stopped at his families castle the night before, insisting on personally leading them the rest of the way, to make for their safe arrival at Winterfell. He was a tall man, unusual for one who was half a Crannogman, though his mother's heritage showed in his lanky build and those pale green eyes. Sporting short, dark brown hair and a stubble beard, he was dressed for a comfortable ride and not for battle, though a short axe, meant to be thrown instead of wielded in close combat, was strapped to his saddle.
Though by all means a polite man, he hadn't left much of an impression on Raenna, who had barely talked to him so far. During her stay at Cerwyn castle for the past evening and night, she had the impression he was even outright trying to avoid talking to her. That being said, maybe this was a chance for a proper conversation.
“You've been here often, Ser?”, she asked and Myles gulped. Though he smiled politely, it took him a moment to answer and he rather looked at the castle itself than at Raenna. “Couple times each year”, he said. “I'm going to be Lord Cerwyn one day after all. Got to know my future king” He glanced at Brandon. “Though if you wish to know anything about the castle, you have his brother sitting right next to you”
Brandon raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you got any questions, go ahead”, he began and only then realized he had made a mistake, when Briar nearly jumped to the front, pushing herself between the two. “How is living in there?”, she started. “Do you get lost in there? Do you have dogs? Is it cold? It looks cold!” Raenna smiled, as she put an arm around the girl to keep her warm in the chilly northern autumn. The first snow hadn't fallen yet, but it was only a matter of time. And as much as she was comfortable around heat, she felt the cold probably more than any of these Northmen.
The bastard of Winterfell sighed. “I should have seen that coming”, he said with a grin, before he took a deep breath. “Let's begin... it's not cold. Actually, it is the warmest castle in the entire North. There's hot water running through these walls, pumped from the hot springs beneath. Even in deepest winter, it's comfy”
Briar had more questions of course and only half of them were answered as they had reached the winter town, the lively village in front of the castle. Brimming with activity during this time of the year and day, the cart actually had to slow down, despite the Cerwyn banners showing its importance, as the Northerners hurried aside only slowly. Still, it was the very same cart that made sure that they were seen from afar and the guards atop the walls quickly blew their horns.
Brandon, in the middle of explaining the ancient history of Winterfell to the young girl, stopped talking at once and in this moment, a relief of a kind Raenna had never seen in him before. Though a bastard like her, he was a wolf of Winterfell after all and now he was home.
The gates were already open, though Brandon brought the cart to a full stop in front of it regardless, to allow the soldiers to approach. “M'lord Cerwyn”, one of the men, a younger fellow, greeted Myles, who replied with a nod. “We have not expected you back so soon” He glanced at Brandon, then at Raenna, his gaze lingering slightly longer on her hair and she cursed herself for not pulling up her hood. Myles' father, Lord Clive, had actually given her a new cloak for that purpose, made of the beautiful white fur of a snow bear. “Who are your companions”
“Announce Brandon Snow”, Brandon spoke and the man's eyes widened. “Let my brother know we have returned” Instantly, the man saluted. “At once, mylord!”, he proclaimed, giving the other guards a nod. Two men hurried across the small outer courtyard, through the gate that led into the inner castle. The remaining guard, made a handwave, allowing them to pass. “If you wish, I can bring the cart to the stables”, he offered.
Brandon shook his head. “That won't be necessary”, he said politely. “Just do your duty, soldier” with this, they left the man behind, Brandon stirring the cart through the gate and shortly afterwards through the second gate that allowed them to enter the further parts of the castle. Raenna spotted more gates as well, leading to other areas inside the walls. Behind one, she even spotted a small forest, containing a huge, pale tree with leaves as red as blood.
Soon after passing through the second gate, Raenna noticed that unlike the handful of castles she had been to in her life, there was not one definite courtyard. Winterfell was large enough to house several smaller ones, some of them not more than somewhat open areas, others so large, they could have housed a respectable keep of their own. There were walls everywhere and stone buildings, smaller halls and homes.
And finally, they had found the royal stables of Winterfell. They were located on the far end of the largest of the courtyards, a huge open space that made Raenna feel almost tiny. She wondered if this was the same she would have felt in Dragonstone, if she would have ever dared to enter the dark fortress. Though Dragonstone was smaller. Most castles in the world had to be smaller. No matter how much she had seen in her young life, this was one of the moments where she kept a certain sense of wonder.
Another surprise waited in the stables itself. She already saw it from afar and at first, she mistook it for a horse. It was a bit shorter though and way more stocky with long, shaggy hair, though as it raised its head, she gasped, looking at the bony tusk on its forehead.
Brandon chuckled at her surprise. “A unicorn”, he proclaimed. “They roam on Skagos, though they have grown rare even there” He pointed at the animal. “They are wild by nature and ferocious. It takes a man with even more ferocity to tame one and even then, they never accept more than one rider in their lifetime”, he continued to explain. “That one's named Wildhorn. It belongs to my brother's ward”
As they came closer, Raenna spotted a man, sitting on a small chair next to the unicorn's box in the stables. Physically, he was not unlike the strange animal itself, shorter than most men, but with a stocky build, with wild, black hair. He was sharpening a knife, though looked up as they came closer, his cold, blue stare meeting Raenna's.
“Speaking of”, Brandon said, as he slid off his seat and onto the ground. Myles Cerwyn had gotten down from his horse as well, leading the animal with one hand, using the other to stir the horse spanned in front of the cart. “Raenna, this is Mace Crowl, son of Urron Crowl, the most powerful lord of Skagos”, Brandon introduced him.
Mace momentarily glared at Raenna, though his glare was more cold than outright hostile, before he gave Brandon a nod. “Snow”, he growled, his voice raspy. “Bringing home a new friend, I see” Brandon gave him a nod. “This is Raenna Minsworth. She's the one I mentioned in my letter”
“Snow hair”, Mace remarked. “Valyrian” Brandon smiled slyly at his remark. “Oh, she's a bit more than that”, he said and Raenna gave him an alarmed look. Though she had confided in him about her father's name, she was far from ready to have it proclaimed to the world. The Skagosi raised a bushy eyebrow. “I see”, he said and gave her a nod. “Welcome, mylady”
It was in this moment that Briar laid eyes on the unicorn. Her eyes widened and a smile appeared on her face, as something resembling a squeal came out of her throat. “Ooooh, can I pet it?”, she asked, rushing towards the box before Raenna was capable of holding her back. Wildhorn was standing in his box, silently, but glaring at the newcomers with cold fury.
Thankfully, Mace was quick to step between them. “That won't be a good idea”, he warned her, putting a hand onto her shoulder. Unlike the fascination she felt for the unicorn, Briar looked at the wild-haired Skagosi with something akin to fear, her smile fading in an instant. “Wildhorn doesn't like strangers”
“Or people in general”, Myles added, returning from a box he had placed his horse in. A brief grin flashed over his face, as he approached the group again. Mace removed his hand from Briar's shoulder and the girl took a quick step away from him, her hand reaching for Raenna's, who clutched it tightly.
“Myles Cerwyn”, Mace remarked and his mouth formed a brief grin. Myles extended a hand and the Skagosi shook it. “Glad to see you back so soon. Is your father already gathering his men?” Myles shook his head, while Raenna looked at them with curiosity. It was the first she heard about calling banners. “He figures it's still some time. If necessary, we'll be here in a week”
“Honed and ready, huh?”, Mace said and now, Raenna gave Brandon a questioning look. “Why does the king call for his banners?”, she asked. Mace raised an eyebrow, giving her something resembling a thin smirk. “She doesn't know?”, he asked and Brandon shook his head. “I myself have only learned about it yesterday at Castle Cerwyn, though I've seen the signs long before that”, he explained. “Lord Clive told it to me in private. I saw no reason to... bother you with it”
Raenna narrowed her eyes. “Bother me with what?”, she asked, a bit harshly as she had to admit. “Are you marching to war against the Ironborn?” Myles shook his head, while Mace chuckled slightly. “If only”, he growled dryly, before looking at Brandon. “But it ain't my place to speak about it. Snow is the one you should ask”
Brandon sighed. “Very helpful, Crowl”, he complained, before giving Raenna an apologetic look. “Maybe we should discuss this inside?”, he asked and reluctantly, she agreed. “Lead the way then”, she said. That being said, she already felt nervous. What enemy could be so dangerous that Brandon would hide this from her? She had travelled through the Neck, had seen the landscape. No army could ever cross it and why should they? What was the North in winter, but cold halls and even colder forests? A resilient breed of people, but war was fought not for them, but for riches, of which these frozen plains held little.
Together, she, Brandon, Briar and Myles left the stables though Mace Crowl remained. The Skagosi sat down on his chair again, continuing to sharpen his knife just as they had met him. “Go ahead, I'll join you later”, he spoke. “Wildhorn has something between his hooves and I gotta clean them”
Not sure how to reply, Raenna raised a hand to wave him goodbye, a bit awkwardly as she had to admit. And as quiet as he was around her, Myles probably found a better way, as he simply smiled at the Skagosi. “Alright”, he spoke. “Take care, friend”
“Now...”, Brandon began. “I want you to know, this will, in no way, influence the nature of our partnership and how I see you. Neither will it change how my brother will treat you, though you might want to... keep a few details hidden from his court”
Raenna glanced at Myles, who put a finger onto his lips. “Always quiet, mylady”, the heir to Cerwyn promised and so, Brandon continued. “It's not only us”, he spoke. “All of Westeros is at war. My brother received a letter not long ago” He took a deep breath and gave her a soft look. “The man who wrote it, the man who proclaimed himself King of All Westeros is Aegon Targaryen”
Instantly, Raenna stopped, giving the man a look of true shock. Her fists clenched and her breath beginning to become faster, she pressed her lips together. Targaryen... she had grown up in fear of that name. As a child, there was no one she had dreaded more than her uncle, Aegon's father. And as an adult, she fully understood that she hadn't been afraid enough.
Fear and envy, those had been her only thoughts when thinking about Aegon and his sisters, the trueborn ones, who were able to live in peace behind their high walls, while she had to hide in a tiny room for most of her life. She had grown out of the envy, but fear remained and it came back with a vengeance right now.
Staring at the ground she was walking on, she opened her mouth to speak, though her voice was thin, so unlike her usual one. “All of Westeros?”, she asked and Brandon gave her a nod. “It's concerning”, he admitted. To this, Myles raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”, he asked in return. “Father does not think much of this. Targaryen has three thousand men and he's on the other side of Westeros”
“You should take him seriously”, Raenna warning him, now glancing at him. Myles briefly met her gaze, before looking away. “Why?”, he asked and she clenched her fists so hard, she actually felt the pain. “Because I have grown up on Dragonstone”, she told him. “Because I have seen the Black Dread”
Still mostly focussing on her feet, Raenna almost missed that the gates to the Great Hall had opened. Two men walked out of it and she would have probably bumped into them if not for Brandon holding her back. One of them was roughly in her age. Tall, lean and pale, he was a handsome man, with long, slightly curly brown hair and a clean-shaven face. He had a friendly smile on his face.
The other man was not smiling. Taller than his companion, even taller than Myles, he was also as broad as she expected from a northern warrior. His beard was short and a bit wild, though his hair was clean and well-maintained. Wearing an elegant vest, he had his thick arms exposed, as he crossed them.
“Good day, Jorn”, Brandon greeted the handsome man, who shook the bastard's hand. “Brandon, good you're back”, he replied, following by shaking Myles' hand. “And you brought guests as well” He gave Raenna a charming smile, followed by a quick bow, before he crouched down to look Briar in the eyes. The girl was smiling at him, more confidently now, as he was notably less intimidating than Mace Crowl and his wild beast.
“This is Raenna Minsworth, the one I mentioned in my letter”, Brandon explained. “And the girl is Briar Catelins. She's our guest as well” Jorn gave him a nod, before smiling at Briar. “A pretty name”, he complimented her and she beamed with pride. “My mother came up with it”, she said, before she, having a sudden realization, looked at Raenna. “When... when will Kersea meet up with us?”
The mention of her dead friend's name, it still sent a sting through Raenna's chest and her smile became forced. “Soon”, she lied, hoping to avoid this conversation at least for a little longer. Eventually though, Briar had to come to terms with the harsh truth. Her sister, the person that loved her more than any other, who had sacrificed everything for her, was dead.
And Raenna's cousin was threatening all Westeros with fire and blood... It was a fact that crept back into her thoughts no matter how much she was trying to think of something else. Aegon... she never met him, but if he was any bit like his father, seven kingdoms had all reason to be every bit as afraid as she was. Being half a dragon was not enough to keep her safe in the days to come.
“So, that's her”, the bearded man said, in a deep, but very calm and pleasant voice. He narrowed his eyes, having noticed her being distraught. “If you trust her, that suffices for me. But it's my brother you have to convince” Brandon looked from him to Raenna, putting a hand onto her back. “She has just heard of the coming war”, he told him. “Please, don't hold it against her” He smiled at the man. “Although I believe we haven't been introduced”
“We've met before”, the man replied. “Though that has been twenty years ago. Your father was the king back then” He extended his hand. “Dag Umber” Brandon raised his eyebrow, as he shook the man's hand. “Dag!”, he said loudly. “I wouldn't have recognized you”
Dag Umber grinned. “It's the beard”, he said. “Whereas you're still looking like your brother” As he said this, the other man, Jorn, looked over his shoulder. “Speaking of...”, he said. “King Torrhen awaits us in the Great Hall. I believe he'll urgently want to hear what you have to say”
“Few pleasant things”, Brandon growled. “But go ahead. Suppose we should get it over with” Jorn bowed slightly, before glancing at Raenna. “Is everything alright, mylady?”, he asked and she forced herself to give him a nod. He replied with a smile, before he gulped. “Ah, where are my manners”, he said hastily, putting a hand onto his chest. “My name is Jorn Mormont”
“A pleasure to meet you”, Raenna said through her teeth, her fists still clenched, slightly shaking after what she had learned. And so, she said nothing else, as she was led into the hall. It was a large one, just as huge as everything else about this entire castle, albeit it was pleasantly and surprisingly warm.
Several people were sitting in the hall. Gathered under two banners which she faintly recognized, a giant breaking his chains on a field of red and a white sun on a field of black, were sitting two lords with their entourage. One was old, his hair already showing signs of the white on his banners. Next to him sat a young, beautiful woman with dark brown hair, clad in black and white.
The other lord was undoubtedly Dag Umber's brother, a man even larger than him and with a beard that looked almost like a thick patch of fur, long, wild and untamed. He was the most imposing sight in this hall, yet not the one she was mainly looking at. At the other end of the hall, on a throne, sat a man that she instantly recognized as Brandon's brother. Pale, dark of hair and grey of eye, he was wolfishly handsome, a cloak of white fur draped around his shoulders. Atop his head sat a crown only fitting for a king of the First Men, an archaic bronze circlet with nine pointy spikes.
Brandon gave her a small smile and Raenna felt Briar trembling with excitement next to her, as the young girl looked around the massive Great Hall. Then, the Bastard of Winterfell drew his sword, a gesture that would have looked out of place at any court Raenna had ever been to. Yet here, far up in the north, it felt like the sign of reverence it was intended to be. He pointed it right at the man at the other end of the hall, the Wolf King that looked so much like him. “May I introduce my brother!”, he proclaimed loudly. “The King of Winter, the King in the North!”
Now pointing the sword onto the ground, he knelt down and instantly, Myles Cerwyn did the same. Raenna gulped, as she looked into the quiet, haunting eyes of King Torrhen, though she also noticed the look Brandon gave her. It was clear what the bastard of Winterfell wanted, but did she want the same? He was not her king after all...
[Kneel] A little respect for this great man wouldn't hurt anyone! Though if this was Aegon we were expected to kneel to my comment would be far less positive!
I love that we're seeing the North! ahh, I love these people so much. Definitely worthy of respect. I love that intro to Torrhen. The line "The King in the North!" Always makes me smile.
Raenna
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfel… morel. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenn… [view original content]
[Kneel] It would be far easier to earn Torrhen's trust if she showed him respect, and while its true he's not her king, if she wants to work with Brandon, she has to earn the approval of his brother.
Umber, Karstark, Cerwyn, Mormont, all big names in the North, now we all need is House Manderly, Reed, Glover and Bolton and we're ready to go.
What sad irony, Briar and Raenna are in the center of the North, while Kersea, alive and recovering, is still at Raylansfair, which is almost as if they were in Vancouver and she's at San Diego.
For what we hear about Aerion Targaryen, he was certainly not a nice man, at least compared to his son.
Raenna
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfel… morel. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenn… [view original content]
A little respect for this great man wouldn't hurt anyone! Though if this was Aegon we were expected to kneel to my comment would be far less positive!
Hehe, using my spider senses, I spot a certain dislike for a certain Aegon Understandable, very understandable. Then again, would refusing to kneel to the man with the dragons not be a sure way of getting hurt? Though to be fair, he has created a precedence in that case by allowing Amerei Mooton to refuse to kneel or even show respect as long as he still got Maidenpool through her uncle, so I guess a far less positive comment won't necessarily be all that dangerous.
I love that we're seeing the North! ahh, I love these people so much. Definitely worthy of respect. I love that intro to Torrhen. The line "The King in the North!" Always makes me smile.
I am glad you enjoy the North so far! Loads of interesting characters, Raenna and one other PoV (though that one will likely appear later in Book 2) and of course Dakingindanorf, that's a recipe for a location that is always fun to write. Torrhen's Interlude has only scratched the surface with most of these characters, so I am very excited I get to show a bit more of them in the coming chapters, like I did with Mace Crowl in this part. You can expect Malina to take a rather notable presence in this chapter as well
[Kneel] A little respect for this great man wouldn't hurt anyone! Though if this was Aegon we were expected to kneel to my comment would be … morefar less positive!
I love that we're seeing the North! ahh, I love these people so much. Definitely worthy of respect. I love that intro to Torrhen. The line "The King in the North!" Always makes me smile.
Raenna
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfel… morel. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenn… [view original content]
Would refusing to kneel to the man with the dragons not be a sure way of getting hurt?
It probably wouldn't be wise but screw him!It's about principle. I'm sure you can tell I'm not a very big Targaryen fan. I don't care for his pretty speeches, all I can see in Aegon no matter his intentions/motive is a guy wreaking havoc and killing a lot of people so he can rule them all. While we're on the topic of Aegon, could you tell me what the general public's (Not counting those who serve him) view on Aegon and the Targaryen's are? Commoners, lords and kings alike?
You can expect Malina to take a rather noticeable presence in this chapter as well
A little respect for this great man wouldn't hurt anyone! Though if this was Aegon we were expected to kneel to my comment would be far less… more positive!
Hehe, using my spider senses, I spot a certain dislike for a certain Aegon Understandable, very understandable. Then again, would refusing to kneel to the man with the dragons not be a sure way of getting hurt? Though to be fair, he has created a precedence in that case by allowing Amerei Mooton to refuse to kneel or even show respect as long as he still got Maidenpool through her uncle, so I guess a far less positive comment won't necessarily be all that dangerous.
I love that we're seeing the North! ahh, I love these people so much. Definitely worthy of respect. I love that intro to Torrhen. The line "The King in the North!" Always makes me smile.
I am glad you enjoy the North so far! Loads of interesting characters, Raenna and one other PoV (though that one will likel… [view original content]
Umber, Karstark, Cerwyn, Mormont, all big names in the North, now we all need is House Manderly, Reed, Glover and Bolton and we're ready to go.
And all will appear in time. Torrhen has called for all of his banners, so all of his banners will come, even men as elusive as Lord Reed. However, he doesn't know when to expect them, as the lords all have their own pace in which they travel. Roffe Umber, Brogar Karstark and Harald Degore, always loyal (and in Roffe's and Harald's case with problems of their own), have made the journey almost immediately and have arrived quickly, whereas Lord Bolton, who has a way shorter journey than Roffe, has just started to leave his keep. Clive Cerwyn meanwhile still sits in his castle and will remain there for a while until more lords arrived, so yeah, it will definitely take a couple of chapters until we get to see the assembly of northern lords in all its glory.
What sad irony, Briar and Raenna are in the center of the North, while Kersea, alive and recovering, is still at Raylansfair, which is almost as if they were in Vancouver and she's at San Diego.
Indeed, that is pretty ironic and truly sad. What would make it worse is if Briar eventually learns that her sister is presumed dead, even though she's actually recovering. A lot of grief for nothing. That said, this whole situation is going to be developed a bit more in this chapter, so I can't say much more about it until we learn more about how much Kersea actually knows.
For what we hear about Aerion Targaryen, he was certainly not a nice man, at least compared to his son.
Aye, I'd say Aerion was objectively awful and Raenna had good reason to be afraid of him in her childhood. Thing is, he was obsessed with racial purity, maintaining the Valyrian blood in his family and therefore only marrying into his own house or House Velaryon, which he saw as similarly pure. He also had a brother who was very frequent with his visits to brothels and who fathered several dragonseeds as a result. Aerion therefore made it his personal duty to keep the bloodline clean by removing these dragonspawns, which is basically mass kinslaying. Some of them survived, mostly due to Aerion's early death, but still, he killed several nieces and nephews solely on account of them being half-blood bastards. I'd say, he otherwise wasn't a bad ruler and actually quite well-liked by his people, not a Maegor or a Mad King, but as it is known, the Targaryen's have always danced close to madness. Aegon himself has plenty of more positive traits and is definitely not a madman (albeit he has a ruthless ambition), though his father had a fair share of way less desirable aspects to his personality, an early glimpse of the traits that would eventually be strengthened by the many generations of inbreeding that followed after the Doom of Valyria.
[Kneel] It would be far easier to earn Torrhen's trust if she showed him respect, and while its true he's not her king, if she wants to work… more with Brandon, she has to earn the approval of his brother.
Umber, Karstark, Cerwyn, Mormont, all big names in the North, now we all need is House Manderly, Reed, Glover and Bolton and we're ready to go.
What sad irony, Briar and Raenna are in the center of the North, while Kersea, alive and recovering, is still at Raylansfair, which is almost as if they were in Vancouver and she's at San Diego.
For what we hear about Aerion Targaryen, he was certainly not a nice man, at least compared to his son.
Yay, it's nice to have Raenna back! She really is a fish out of water in the North, which I suppose gives us a nice outsider perspective to things. I really wonder what her storyline will be about though. I mean, it would make sense if her storyline eventually connects with the Targs somehow, considering how central they are to her character and backstory. That said, I doubt it'll happen in a while. If anything, I suspect that she (with Brandon) will get mixed up with some internal issues/conflicts of the North. Looking forward to that
[Kneel] Eh, doesn't hurt to kneel. Torrhen may not be Raenna's king, but she's in his kingdom and in his halls - better not be disrespectful.
Raenna
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfel… morel. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenn… [view original content]
It probably wouldn't be wise but screw him!It's about principle. I'm sure you can tell I'm not a very big Targaryen fan. I don't care for his pretty speeches, all I can see in Aegon no matter his intentions/motive is a guy wreaking havoc and killing a lot of people so he can rule them all. While we're on the topic of Aegon, could you tell me what the general public's (Not counting those who serve him) view on Aegon and the Targaryen's are? Commoners, lords and kings alike?
Haha, I was well-aware of that But yeah, Aegon is a divisive figure and I am glad I managed to have this sort of a reaction, with some liking him and some hating him. Now, the opinion others have on him is similarly divisive. I suppose it all depends on how happy the people are with the current system. Keep in mind, though some of the kings are fairly likable, the system in Westeros is anything but perfect, with the different kingdoms being at war and all that. One guy ruling over all of this is actually not that bad of an idea. The smallfolk though, they don't care. As long as they aren't forced to fight, few of them truly mind if their king is named Argilac or Aegon. The lords meanwhile, with them it depends on wether or not they like their current liege. We know, the houses Bar Emmon and Massey, nominally sworn to House Durrandon, despise Argilac and their lords have a positive opinion on Aegon, whereas loyal Stormlander houses are the complete opposite. The kings of course, they have a universally negative opinion on him, no exception. Some are wise enough to fear him, others, like Harren, are more amused by this all, at least for now. The sole exception in this whole situation is the Riverlands. The people there suffer under the Ironborn, the lords hate Harren and his entire family, with only few exceptions, the smallfolk yearns to be freed from their oppressors. For them, Aegon is a liberator and I'd say he currently has by far the highest approval in the occupied Riverlands. But to be fair, the Riverlanders have always done things that way, they hate the guy in charge and praise the one trying to overthrow him, until they actually got what they want, in which case the game begins anew. Though, I suppose it can be agreed upon that Aegon is an improvement when compared to Harren
Would refusing to kneel to the man with the dragons not be a sure way of getting hurt?
It probably wouldn't be wise but screw him!It… more's about principle. I'm sure you can tell I'm not a very big Targaryen fan. I don't care for his pretty speeches, all I can see in Aegon no matter his intentions/motive is a guy wreaking havoc and killing a lot of people so he can rule them all. While we're on the topic of Aegon, could you tell me what the general public's (Not counting those who serve him) view on Aegon and the Targaryen's are? Commoners, lords and kings alike?
You can expect Malina to take a rather noticeable presence in this chapter as well
Oh Liquid, you always know what to say to me.
Yay, it's nice to have Raenna back! She really is a fish out of water in the North, which I suppose gives us a nice outsider perspective to things. I really wonder what her storyline will be about though. I mean, it would make sense if her storyline eventually connects with the Targs somehow, considering how central they are to her character and backstory. That said, I doubt it'll happen in a while. If anything, I suspect that she (with Brandon) will get mixed up with some internal issues/conflicts of the North. Looking forward to that
I am also very excited to write stuff for Raenna again! She had the impressive number of two parts over the course of the last two chapters, with her last time as a truly recurring PoV having been in 2016, in Chapter 7, so I am very happy that she'll return to form once again. Her storyline, well, with her heritage and all, I'd love to connect her to the Targ's, but that remains to be seen if I get the chance for that. Her storyline, this I can say, will include a bit of everything. Northern internal conflicts, a certain conflict that is not so internal, some of the more mysterious aspects of the North, some action, a large cast of characters I hope to develop quite well, it's really going to be something and I'd say Raenna is among my personal Top 5 of Book 2 PoV's judging by the storyline I have planned alone.
Yay, it's nice to have Raenna back! She really is a fish out of water in the North, which I suppose gives us a nice outsider perspective to… more things. I really wonder what her storyline will be about though. I mean, it would make sense if her storyline eventually connects with the Targs somehow, considering how central they are to her character and backstory. That said, I doubt it'll happen in a while. If anything, I suspect that she (with Brandon) will get mixed up with some internal issues/conflicts of the North. Looking forward to that
[Kneel] Eh, doesn't hurt to kneel. Torrhen may not be Raenna's king, but she's in his kingdom and in his halls - better not be disrespectful.
Sure, you can argue that one ruler above all is a good idea and that what Aegon's doing will make Westeros better but he's slaughtering a lot of people to do it. I might seem unreasonable but what he's doing will always be wrong to me.
EDIT: Kinda annoys me that he's seen as some great liberator by some people.
It probably wouldn't be wise but screw him!It's about principle. I'm sure you can tell I'm not a very big Targaryen fan. I don't care for h… moreis pretty speeches, all I can see in Aegon no matter his intentions/motive is a guy wreaking havoc and killing a lot of people so he can rule them all. While we're on the topic of Aegon, could you tell me what the general public's (Not counting those who serve him) view on Aegon and the Targaryen's are? Commoners, lords and kings alike?
Haha, I was well-aware of that But yeah, Aegon is a divisive figure and I am glad I managed to have this sort of a reaction, with some liking him and some hating him. Now, the opinion others have on him is similarly divisive. I suppose it all depends on how happy the people are with the current system. Keep in mind, though some of the kings are fairly likable, the system in Westeros is anything but perfect, with the different kingdoms being at war and all that. On… [view original content]
EDIT: Kinda annoys me that he's seen as some great liberator but some people.
Ah, keep in mind, the only ones that see him as a liberator are the Riverlanders and they are the ones that have an actually good point there The men of the North, the Stormlanders or the Reachmen, they definitely won't see him as some benign liberator, but the Riverlanders, well, with them I believe it can definitely be understood why they feel that way. Considering that Harren is a bad ruler and a truly bad person, who has bled the entire kingdom dry, slaughtering more people in his forty years of rule than any conqueror ever could, selfishly using the resources of his land to build a gargantuan castle, casually ordering deaths, mass executions of entire houses, draconic taxes, there is literally not a single person in the entire Riverlands that is not affected by that man's rule. On top of that, the Riverlands are in the centre of Westeros, so the current system means that every war ever fought was fought on their ground or close by. No other region will profit as much from the stability Aegon brings than them and well, I'd say in their situation we all would see him as a liberator, because it can't get much worse than the current rule of Harren.
It must be said of course, to be fair, the Riverlanders, for all the suffering they had, are also massive hypocrites. The one ruling over them is always an undesirable tyrant, the one fighting against that person is always a hero and liberator. They had the same opinion on Arlan Durrandon, Argilac's ancestor, whom they called for aid to take down House Teague, who previously had tried to suppress the faith of the old gods. After House Teague got completely exterminated in one climactic battle though, they got cocky and Arlan, being a Durrandon, just wasn't having any of this, so he took the Riverlands instead of giving them their freedom. Later, quite a couple of Riverlords ironically (and briefly) saw Harwyn Hoare, Harren's grandfather, as a hero for fighting against House Durrandon and we all know how that one turned out Aegon is the one with whom they actually have a point, because well, he is liberating them from a rule so dysfunctional and cruel, it would have likely ended in a civil war worse than the entire Conquest under the even less stable rule of an eventual King Harmund.
Though that said, even in the other regions things will be more complex. Aegon is not a character who can clearly be seen as black or white and neither will most of them do it. Sure, some will hate him, others will idolize him, but most will actually have a fairly complex opinion on him, seeing the good and the bad he has brought. He is a liberator to some and they have a point, he is a butcher to others and they have a point. Fire and blood are bad, but peace, prosperity and justice, that's a good thing and one of these aspects doesn't invalidate the other.
But ah, there is a thing I have just gotten very curious about: You say, what Aegon does is wrong because it will claim a lot of lives. Does this mean you prefer an alternative in which he never would have done his Conquest? Keep in mind, the Conquest itself is actually surprisingly light on deaths for a continent-wide war, because of how most clear-thinking people immediately surrender when dragons are involved. The alternative would mean a King Harmund, who would brutally maintain his control over the Riverlands by killing more than the entire Conquest ever claimed. It would also mean a freely warmongering King Argilac, who would likely eventually try to start another war with the Reach, one that, due to a lack of dragons, won't be over all that quickly. A lot of lives are inevitably lost either way, so is the Conquest really all that bad compared to a version of Westeros that would never have it? I quite like your view on that topic, so I'm really curious what you think on that
Sure, you can argue that one ruler above all is a good idea and that what Aegon's doing will make Westeros better but he's slaughtering a lo… moret of people to do it. I might seem unreasonable but what he's doing will always be wrong to me.
EDIT: Kinda annoys me that he's seen as some great liberator by some people.
You ask me a very complicated question and I'm not entirely sure how to answer it. As you've probably noticed I'm a pretty moral person. I also don't have a very high opinion of invaders/conquerors. A lot of the time I firmly believe the ends do not justify the means. So I'm mostly judging Aegon by his actions, not the reasoning behind them. However people may justify his actions, people are dying as a direct result of his actions. I have similar views on Dany in the latest season of GOT, so spoilers incoming. She has a beautiful dream about breaking the wheel, making Westeros a better place, but that dream isn't worth the lives of the people she's killed. Taking down tyrants like Harmund, that I can understand as that can be seen in a more positive light. But whatever Aegon's dream is, a lot of people are dying for it, that don't deserve it.
So would I prefer if he never started the conquest? From a moral perspective I'm going to yes. From a story perspective, is another matter entirely. If you remember I actually wanted Lucas to kill Aylard at one point. Not because I disliked Aylard, but because it'd make an interesting story.
EDIT: Another thing I believe is that Aegon is (to a certain degree) taking away people's freedom. What I mean by that is him forcing all these Kings to bend the knee. They have now lost their right to choose. Choose for themselves what is right but they can't do that because once you bend the knee, what Aegon says goes. It's his choices that you have to make. You can argue that the Kings choose to bend the knee, but to serve or die is not a real choice.
EDIT: Kinda annoys me that he's seen as some great liberator but some people.
Ah, keep in mind, the only ones that see him as a libe… morerator are the Riverlanders and they are the ones that have an actually good point there The men of the North, the Stormlanders or the Reachmen, they definitely won't see him as some benign liberator, but the Riverlanders, well, with them I believe it can definitely be understood why they feel that way. Considering that Harren is a bad ruler and a truly bad person, who has bled the entire kingdom dry, slaughtering more people in his forty years of rule than any conqueror ever could, selfishly using the resources of his land to build a gargantuan castle, casually ordering deaths, mass executions of entire houses, draconic taxes, there is literally not a single person in the entire Riverlands that is not affected by that man's rule. On top of that, the Riverlands are in the centre of Westeros, so the curren… [view original content]
My excitement is present any time a new part rolls up! It doesn't hurt that we get to see a little glimpse of Dag here too. I'm sure Arthur will make his appearance sooner rather than later anyway.
What? Chrome is... good now? But... who's the bad guy here then? Probably Old Man Telltale, who would have gotten away with it if not for us… more meddling users. Seriously, that is concerning though. After getting so many messages about problems with Chrome, I thought I had the issue singled down to one browser. Now it seems nobody is save. Hell, how long until I myself can't log in anymore?
Anyways, I fear I actually and surprisingly got enough material for a whole part from Raenna's perspective, meaning you need a little more patience to see Arthur back in action. But well, a Raenna part means a Winterfell part, means you'll see some of your creations as well It should be ready in a couple of minutes as well actually, I just need to reread it before posting!
[Kneel] One does not simply walk into Winterfell without kneeling.
Oh boy! The North is awesome! Look at all these cool people! I can't wait to see all the fun things happening up North. You got me so darn excited! I really liked how Mace has his own damn Unicorn. Seriously. A freaking Unicorn was just chilling in the stables, and all Raenna could do was a measly gasp? THERE WAS A REAL LIFE UNICORN RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES! THAT IS DRAGON LEVEL SHIT RIGHT THERE! YOU DON'T SEE UNICORNS EVERY DAY YOU KNOW???? Jorn sounds like a pretty cool guy. I wonder what kind of role he may have in the future. My current guesses for the upcoming POV is either Mace, Jorn, or Malina. If it's Jorn, Mace is probably going to be the Ron and Malina the Hermione to his Harry. Whoever it is though, consider me hyped.
Raenna
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfel… morel. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenn… [view original content]
Raenna
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfel… morel. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenn… [view original content]
Raenna
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfel… morel. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenn… [view original content]
Raenna
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfel… morel. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenn… [view original content]
You ask me a very complicated question and I'm not entirely sure how to answer it. As you've probably noticed I'm a pretty moral person. I also don't have a very high opinion of invaders/conquerors. A lot of the time I firmly believe the ends do not justify the means. So I'm mostly judging Aegon by his actions, not the reasoning behind them. However people may justify his actions, people are dying as a direct result of his actions. I have similar views on Dany in the latest season of GOT, so spoilers incoming. She has a beautiful dream about breaking the wheel, making Westeros a better place, but that dream isn't worth the lives of the people she's killed. Taking down tyrants like Harmund, that I can understand as that can be seen in a more positive light. But whatever Aegon's dream is, a lot of people are dying for it, that don't deserve it.
That's what I do. I drink and I ask complicated questions But yes, this is very interesting, glad to get such a viewpoint on the whole affair. I think there is really but one fundamental difference in our respective philosophies, as I believe that sometimes, certainly not always, the end justifies the means. Sometimes, especially if not taking action results in the greater loss of life, violence is a step that is unfortunately necessary to achieve a desirable outcome. In these regards, while I have very mixed feelings on the Conquest on account of quite a number of sympathetic characters having to suffer in this war as well, I think it still is the lesser evil. Sure, people die, but after having put some thought into it, I think the alternative has a far higher death toll, as the Targaryen rule has ultimately brought several decades of peace, entire generations of people that never knew war, something that would be unthinkable with how things are at the moment. Of course, people are dying as a result of Aegon's actions, but the thing here is, if he does not take action, people would die as well, that is a fact. Is it truly better if they die as a result of his inaction than a result of his action? Does it make him a better person if he refuses to change anything? In a society as raw and violent as the one in Westeros, true, big changes cannot happen without some resistance and this resistance is almost always ending in bloodshed. If nobody would be willing to fight and even kill for such big goals, nothing could ever change, that's just how the Westerosi society is. I admire your approach, but it just does not work in the crude, archaic system Westeros is in at the time. It's an approach that is better suited for our modern, well-developed society.
EDIT: Another thing I believe is that Aegon is (to a certain degree) taking away people's freedom. What I mean by that is him forcing all these Kings to bend the knee. They have now lost their right to choose. Choose for themselves what is right but they can't do that because once you bend the knee, what Aegon says goes. It's his choices that you have to make. You can argue that the Kings choose to bend the knee, but to serve or die is not a real choice.
This is the only part where I must outright disagree though. In 99% of all cases, those that bend the knee to Aegon won't experience any change in their lives, certainly not a loss of freedom. The lords that bend the knee still have a king above them and don't lose any of their territories. The smallfolk living on these territories won't have any changes either, aside from the king that rules over them. The only ones actually losing something are the kings, but even they actually don't lose as much as you might think. The thing is, Aegon's kingdom of Westeros is not governed as the smaller kingdoms are, with one king responsible for every lord in his kingdom and all lords below him technically on the same level. The kings that kneel keep all of their territories and are granted large amounts of freedom in how to govern their lands as long as they swear fealty to the Iron Throne. They are not lords, they are Lord Paramounts, which means they still have the same power over their former kingdom as before the Conquest. Regions such as the North or even the Iron Islands are also allowed to keep their cultural identity intact for the most part (though obviously, the Ironborn lose part of their freedom to raid and terrorize the mainland, which ain't a bad thing though). The only freedom the submitting kings actually lose is their freedom to wear a crown, call themselves king and to pride themselves in belonging to the handful of people in Westeros that have nobody above them. Of course, they also have to follow their kings orders, but in these regards their experiences are not much different than what their own lords already experience on a daily basis and even then, the Lord Paramounts have truly a lot more freedom on how to govern their lands than the lords under their command. They are technically still kings in all but name, sub-leaders of the Seven Kingdoms. The only ones whom I'd say are truly fighting for their freedom, due to them having the most legit fear of losing their cultural identity, are the Dornish.
You ask me a very complicated question and I'm not entirely sure how to answer it. As you've probably noticed I'm a pretty moral person. I a… morelso don't have a very high opinion of invaders/conquerors. A lot of the time I firmly believe the ends do not justify the means. So I'm mostly judging Aegon by his actions, not the reasoning behind them. However people may justify his actions, people are dying as a direct result of his actions. I have similar views on Dany in the latest season of GOT, so spoilers incoming. She has a beautiful dream about breaking the wheel, making Westeros a better place, but that dream isn't worth the lives of the people she's killed. Taking down tyrants like Harmund, that I can understand as that can be seen in a more positive light. But whatever Aegon's dream is, a lot of people are dying for it, that don't deserve it.
So would I prefer if he never started the conquest? From a moral perspective I'm going to yes. Fro… [view original content]
I really liked how Mace has his own damn Unicorn. Seriously. A freaking Unicorn was just chilling in the stables, and all Raenna could do was a measly gasp? THERE WAS A REAL LIFE UNICORN RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES! THAT IS DRAGON LEVEL SHIT RIGHT THERE! YOU DON'T SEE UNICORNS EVERY DAY YOU KNOW????
Hehe, if Mace wants a unicorn, Mace gets a unicorn. They are actually native to Skagos and in ancient times, the Skagosi rode to battle with dozens of them. Now, only important people, rich lords and their family, have access to them and during the time of the books and show, they are on the brink of extinction. However, Raenna actually doesn't even know much about them, so she is more surprised to see a horse with a horn. They are also less pretty fairytale creatures and more hairy mixtures between a horse and a goat, not the kind anyone would marvel over, more the kind one would be instinctively wary about, because well, it's a beast with a nasty temper and a long murder horn on its forehead. It says a lot about Mace that he actually managed to tame this one.
Jorn sounds like a pretty cool guy. I wonder what kind of role he may have in the future. My current guesses for the upcoming POV is either Mace, Jorn, or Malina. If it's Jorn, Mace is probably going to be the Ron and Malina the Hermione to his Harry. Whoever it is though, consider me hyped.
Hm, those are interesting ideas, surely. Mace is not going to make for a good Ron though, this I can say. He'd probably be more like Hagrid, if I have to compare him to a specific character. I can also reveal, we have been introduced to this future PoV by now, it won't be a new character that is not shown yet. I can also reveal, this second storyline will start later and won't overlap with Raenna's.
[Kneel] One does not simply walk into Winterfell without kneeling.
Oh boy! The North is awesome! Look at all these cool people! I can't w… moreait to see all the fun things happening up North. You got me so darn excited! I really liked how Mace has his own damn Unicorn. Seriously. A freaking Unicorn was just chilling in the stables, and all Raenna could do was a measly gasp? THERE WAS A REAL LIFE UNICORN RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES! THAT IS DRAGON LEVEL SHIT RIGHT THERE! YOU DON'T SEE UNICORNS EVERY DAY YOU KNOW???? Jorn sounds like a pretty cool guy. I wonder what kind of role he may have in the future. My current guesses for the upcoming POV is either Mace, Jorn, or Malina. If it's Jorn, Mace is probably going to be the Ron and Malina the Hermione to his Harry. Whoever it is though, consider me hyped.
[Remain standing] What if our knee gave out? Can't risk that.
You know, I'd never thought I'd see a unicorn in here. Quite interesting. Mace Crowl, hello again.
Oh Kersea, hehe, you're never gonna see your sister again. Unless she goes up North to see the King Who Knelt, well, kneel. Kneeling man. Wounded Knee. Knee, knee, knee. Tea.
Raenna
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfel… morel. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenn… [view original content]
I don't know why I had to think of that scene from 300 right now, where Leonidas refuses to kneel to Xerxes, but that just gave me flashbacks to a movie I haven't seen in half a decade. Certainly... interesting, but yeah, always a realistic danger you bring up there. She can't afford to hurt her knee her, certainly.
You know, I'd never thought I'd see a unicorn in here. Quite interesting. Mace Crowl, hello again.
I must admit, before Mace got submitted, I haven't thought of ever featuring a unicorn either, or a Skagosi, or to mention Skagos much at all. Now, I take the opportunity to write the biggest deconstruction of classical unicorn tropes possible.
Oh Kersea, hehe, you're never gonna see your sister again. Unless she goes up North to see the King Who Knelt, well, kneel. Kneeling man. Wounded Knee. Knee, knee, knee. Tea.
Well, as of the current information, it won't be all that likely. That being sai, all I can say is, there has been a certain development as well for Kersea during the timeskip and one of the coming Richard parts will reveal more about this
Umber, Crowl, Cerwyn, Battlestar Galactica.
Battlestar Galactica, yes. Yes, I am really not sure how it relates to the other three, but Lord Battlestar of House Galactica has probably received a raven as well by now. Y'know, I just find it amazing that I legitimately had to think of the Northern army marching to war, with the Galactica flying overhead. Surely, that'd give even Aegon a good fight.
[Remain standing] What if our knee gave out? Can't risk that.
You know, I'd never thought I'd see a unicorn in here. Quite interesting. M… moreace Crowl, hello again.
Oh Kersea, hehe, you're never gonna see your sister again. Unless she goes up North to see the King Who Knelt, well, kneel. Kneeling man. Wounded Knee. Knee, knee, knee. Tea.
Umber, Crowl, Cerwyn, Battlestar Galactica.
I'm actually not even sure if they are canon to the show, but they do exist in the books indeed, but as an extremely minor footnote, of the same importance as lizard-lions and ice spiders. It's mentioned that they live on Skagos and they are also rumoured to exist on the island of Ibben, off the northern coast of central Essos. In one sort of dream sequence (not sure how else to describe it without giving minor book spoilers) a unicorn is actually briefly shown, though they are not encountered outside of these visions yet. Without spoiling anything, I fully expect them to appear in one certain characters storyline in the upcoming sixth book though, as that person is supposed to travel to Skagos. Unfortunately, they are mentioned to be very close to actually dying out. I suppose just like direwolves, they are still a bit more common at the time of FoT, so much that the Skagosi lords still ride to battle on them, but they already have grown rare.
The unintroduced character list has gotten noticeably smaller. I'm impressed by how many characters have been thrown into the introduced list this chapter. I suspect another big chunk will be taken out by the time Chapter 1 of Book 2 is over.
Hm, I actually fear that for every character I introduced, I received at least one new character and it hasn't gotten all that much smaller. However, the Interlude helped a lot, introducing more characters than I am able of introducing in an entire chapter normally. I still have plans on introducing several other characters in this chapter, such as Aeron Blacksails and his pirate lords, but there will also be a lot of new characters introduced in Chapter 2, when new storylines in the Vale of Arryn will start. I am particularly looking forward for one part, which I believe might give me the chance to introduce over a dozen characters in a single part if all works out. But really though, it has grown and grown for the longest time. By now, I absolutely have to get to the point where I can slowly make it smaller. Sure, more characters will be introduced, but I would be very happy if I can finally get to the point where I can introduce two characters for every new one I receive, as that actually means I might be able to work with every submitted character in some capacity. It's the least they deserve.
The unintroduced character list has gotten noticeably smaller. I'm impressed by how many characters have been thrown into the introduced list this chapter. I suspect another big chunk will be taken out by the time Chapter 1 of Book 2 is over.
Comments
[Remain silent]
Drent is a lowborn, he has no place here. Her father will always support her, and she needs him more than anyone else. If any of the other lords do anything else, they will deal with him. She must learn lessons on her own if she wishes to be queen.
Ah my man Maester Qoherys, the first of a series of intriguing and not the least bit untrustworthy apolitical servants of lords. Good to see him back from the interludes.
That is indeed the risk. As chummy as he got with Argella, it does not change the fact that he's as lowborn as can be and only there because Montclair trusted him, who in turn was only listened to because Emphryus trusted him. No matter how they react, he is overstepping his position with such an act and there is no telling what consequences this might or might not have. And well, you are right that Argilac is the one whose opinion matters mostly here and he'll have Argella's back. It's just mostly about some of the other lords, who currently respect Argella because they respect her father, but for little else, which is what Drent is quite irritated by.
Aye, Qoherys will have a big role in the events to come and I plan to build him up a bit more over the course of the next chapters. He's also only the first of many Maesters to be introduced in Book 2. There will be, among others, the new maester of Raylansfair and a certain maester you know quite well
[Speak in Argella's defense] They may not like Drent speaking out of turn but saying nothing just wouldn't sit right with me. Hopefully they'll be impressed by Drent's honesty and loyalty. My main reasoning is that Argella needs to hear this. She sells herself far too short. Plus you know... I ship it.
EDIT: I can't lie, seeing these suitors legitimately angers me!
Aye, she is selling herself quite a bit short there. Sure, she hasn't done everything perfectly, but she did a lot of good as well, or at least tried her best. She was taught to be perfect though, quite vehemently by her teachers and even her own father, so this failure certainly stings. But yeah, if Drent speaks out (which seems quite likely, given the way the voting currently goes), he pretty much hopes for the same, that they will be so impressed by his loyalty (as well by the guts he'd show), that the king and his court let him get away with speaking out of turn. Also, he certainly ships it as well
Hehe, I can exactly understand how you feel there. I mean, they do kinda stand in the way of the ship... I suppose one might call them the anchor. And at least Bernard is, so far, quite an arrogant guy, as well as the only one who clearly doesn't even mind trying to court the princess. The other two... well, all three are going to get some good spotlight in the next chapters, so we'll see how your opinion on them might develop
I can't help it! I'm a shipper. Though I'm a bit sad about it as another reader implied at one point that it's not possible given how Argella turns out in canon. I don't know what they meant but I have a hunch. Just to clarify I'd rather readers not mention what happens in Canon so I don't know how they turn out. But whatever as unlikely as it is to happen I shall never not ship it!
Aye, that is something I would very much prefer as well. Obviously, there are many who have a vast knowledge on the Ice and Fire canon, but I know there are some, you included, who prefer not to have this information and that is very fine as well. I myself try to be as vague as possible in some details, as long as they are not stuff that absolutely should be a foregone conclusion from watching the show, like where Aegon is going to end up at and stuff like that. The story tries to stick close to what the canon establishes about the War of Conquest. This includes characters that are actually not mine or yours, but canonical characters, such as Aegon, Harren, Mern, but also Argella. Some of these are very well-known, others are somewhat more obscure. For example, Jon Mooton, the new Lord of Maidenpool, is actually a canonical character as well, but a very minor one. But to remain on topic, I would very much prefer if those readers that do know more about the Conquest won't outright spell this out, to be considerate of those that prefer not to know what is ahead. Same concept as with book readers and show watchers in previous seasons of the show, really. Spoiling what is ahead is never a good thing and as your post has proven, not everyone knows every detail or wants to know it until it happens.On that topic though, ultimately I am writing the story and though I try to stick as close to the canon as possible, there will be some occasions where I will slightly bend it, or am willing to even go against it unless it is truly major details. Also, there are some characters, such as Aegon himself, who give me so much canon material that his involvement is really planned out for me already. Other characters, such as Argella actually, have only few canon events for me to work with and a lot of blanks that I can fill in to my own liking, in which no one can know what will happen. I hope that helps a bit with easing your concern here
The Voting is closed!
Drent is going to speak in Argella's defence
Ah, I could have expected this. It was very much a choice between emotion and logic and you chose a more emotional route for Drent here. Surely, remaining quiet would have been the safer choice. He is now interrupting the heiress to the Stormlands, while also directly speaking to the king and the gathered courtiers, which is immensely inappropriate for a mere soldier. However, at the same time Argilac might also appreciate it, we'll see. This holds some risks for sure and I suppose it remains up in the air how beneficial this is going to be. All I can say is, I prefer the scene I can write now to the opposite, but solely from a writing perspective, as a silent Drent is definitely less fun to write.
And from the court of Argilac, we move to the court of Torrhen, with the next part, which is going to be Raenna's. It's been a while since we saw her in particular, though I hope you remember that she is currently heading there, after being saved by Brandon Snow. The man revealed himself to be none other than the Brandon Snow, Torrhen's bastard brother and de-facto spymaster. Taking her and Briar out of Raylansfair, he might actually spared both of them the terrible fate that would have befallen if Mullendore would have found them. He also made her a little job offer, working together with him for the good of the North, after being suitably impressed by her skills. You also remember that Torrhen himself is currently calling his banners to Winterfell, after receiving the letter from Aegon Targaryen. This next part will be set two months after we have last seen Raenna and roughly two weeks after Torrhen's interlude part. However, I am not sure if I will manage to give her a full part worth of content before coming to her first choice, so there might be room for a second PoV, which is going to give an update on Arthur.
On another note, I did notice a couple regulars missing this time. Potentially related to that, it was also brought to my attention that a number people seem to have severe log-in troubles recently, because Telltale is doing literally nothing to fix their own forums after breaking them without any necessity. However, it seems the most recent batch of troubles is tied to Google Chrome, so if you encounter such problems, ranging from not being able to log in properly to being unable to access your profile or post comments, try out another browser. It appears that many versions of Chrome are currently not running well with the forums and I wouldn't expect a fix before next year. I'm using Firefox and I encounter no problems beyond what is to be expected on this broken site. If any of you encounter such problems that currently prevent them from doing much here in the forums, I hope that'll help you out
Actually, this problem happened to me, but not in Google Chrome. Signing out and back in again helped me but it took a while to figure it out. I kinda feel bad that I missed a few votings, especially considering my beloved babies Reynes.
So it is not just an issue with Chrome? Man, they really messed up the site with the latest update. At this point, I really doubt they are planning to fix it anytime soon. They probably aren't even aware of it, damn. Though most of the people that contacted me or whom I have seen mentioning it in the forums have used Chrome and mentioned it's gone after switching browsers, so I guess some versions of that browser are particularly vulnerable to whatever is wrong with the forums at this point.
Anyways, I am very happy you managed to fix the problem in your case. Signing out and back in again is a simple solution, I actually had the same issue a few days ago, but on my phone. You have missed the last two parts, among them the start for Willfred's Book 2 storyline, but no worries, in the grand scale of things, you haven't missed much, even if you potentially could have changed the outcome of Willfred's latest vote. At least Drent's was very decisive though. So, I'm glad you're back now
Yeah I have been having problems posting lately, but I use firefox so I shouldn't be having problems with chrome. Hopefully I'll be able to reply to the next part. Can't wait to see my boy Arthur dealing with the mess that's Raylainsfair! If I remember correctly, this will be the first part back in FoT Central, aka Raylainsfair. Hopefully they'll get rid of the darn captcha because it always thinks I'm a robot! Wh1ch 1 4m 0v10u5ly n0t!
Oh shoot! That actually posted! It appears when I try to do it on Chrome I can actually post! Chrome our lord and savior!
What? Chrome is... good now? But... who's the bad guy here then? Probably Old Man Telltale, who would have gotten away with it if not for us meddling users. Seriously, that is concerning though. After getting so many messages about problems with Chrome, I thought I had the issue singled down to one browser. Now it seems nobody is save. Hell, how long until I myself can't log in anymore?
Anyways, I fear I actually and surprisingly got enough material for a whole part from Raenna's perspective, meaning you need a little more patience to see Arthur back in action. But well, a Raenna part means a Winterfell part, means you'll see some of your creations as well
It should be ready in a couple of minutes as well actually, I just need to reread it before posting!
Raenna
Sitting next to Brandon on the coachman's seat, Raenna looked over the vast plains that surrounded the ancient castle of Winterfell. Now, in late autumn, the grass was short and of a brownish-green colour, yet the view itself was still breathtaking.
Winterfell was the largest castle she had ever seen, dwarfing even Dragonstone, in whose shadow she had grown up. Protected by two large walls, it span across several acres of land, sporting a dozen towers on each wall at the least. Not a great beauty, it was more intimidating, awe-inspiring, the seat of power for the Kings of Winter.
Relieved that the long journey had come to an end, she gave Brandon a smile, which the Northerner replied to with a thin one of his own. She then glanced over her shoulder, spotting Briar, who was wrapped in a fresh fur blanket. The young girl was awake and looking out of the cart, towards the castle, a look of awe on her face. Her wide eyes met Raenna's and there was a look of joy in them. “And this all belongs to one family?”, she asked, to which Raenna chuckled. “The perks of being royalty”, she replied. “Though a lot more people live in there. Hundreds, I'd say”
“Thousands”, their escort replied. Myles Cerwyn, heir to Cerwyn, had joined them this morning, after they had stopped at his families castle the night before, insisting on personally leading them the rest of the way, to make for their safe arrival at Winterfell. He was a tall man, unusual for one who was half a Crannogman, though his mother's heritage showed in his lanky build and those pale green eyes. Sporting short, dark brown hair and a stubble beard, he was dressed for a comfortable ride and not for battle, though a short axe, meant to be thrown instead of wielded in close combat, was strapped to his saddle.
Though by all means a polite man, he hadn't left much of an impression on Raenna, who had barely talked to him so far. During her stay at Cerwyn castle for the past evening and night, she had the impression he was even outright trying to avoid talking to her. That being said, maybe this was a chance for a proper conversation.
“You've been here often, Ser?”, she asked and Myles gulped. Though he smiled politely, it took him a moment to answer and he rather looked at the castle itself than at Raenna. “Couple times each year”, he said. “I'm going to be Lord Cerwyn one day after all. Got to know my future king” He glanced at Brandon. “Though if you wish to know anything about the castle, you have his brother sitting right next to you”
Brandon raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you got any questions, go ahead”, he began and only then realized he had made a mistake, when Briar nearly jumped to the front, pushing herself between the two. “How is living in there?”, she started. “Do you get lost in there? Do you have dogs? Is it cold? It looks cold!” Raenna smiled, as she put an arm around the girl to keep her warm in the chilly northern autumn. The first snow hadn't fallen yet, but it was only a matter of time. And as much as she was comfortable around heat, she felt the cold probably more than any of these Northmen.
The bastard of Winterfell sighed. “I should have seen that coming”, he said with a grin, before he took a deep breath. “Let's begin... it's not cold. Actually, it is the warmest castle in the entire North. There's hot water running through these walls, pumped from the hot springs beneath. Even in deepest winter, it's comfy”
Briar had more questions of course and only half of them were answered as they had reached the winter town, the lively village in front of the castle. Brimming with activity during this time of the year and day, the cart actually had to slow down, despite the Cerwyn banners showing its importance, as the Northerners hurried aside only slowly. Still, it was the very same cart that made sure that they were seen from afar and the guards atop the walls quickly blew their horns.
Brandon, in the middle of explaining the ancient history of Winterfell to the young girl, stopped talking at once and in this moment, a relief of a kind Raenna had never seen in him before. Though a bastard like her, he was a wolf of Winterfell after all and now he was home.
The gates were already open, though Brandon brought the cart to a full stop in front of it regardless, to allow the soldiers to approach. “M'lord Cerwyn”, one of the men, a younger fellow, greeted Myles, who replied with a nod. “We have not expected you back so soon” He glanced at Brandon, then at Raenna, his gaze lingering slightly longer on her hair and she cursed herself for not pulling up her hood. Myles' father, Lord Clive, had actually given her a new cloak for that purpose, made of the beautiful white fur of a snow bear. “Who are your companions”
“Announce Brandon Snow”, Brandon spoke and the man's eyes widened. “Let my brother know we have returned” Instantly, the man saluted. “At once, mylord!”, he proclaimed, giving the other guards a nod. Two men hurried across the small outer courtyard, through the gate that led into the inner castle. The remaining guard, made a handwave, allowing them to pass. “If you wish, I can bring the cart to the stables”, he offered.
Brandon shook his head. “That won't be necessary”, he said politely. “Just do your duty, soldier” with this, they left the man behind, Brandon stirring the cart through the gate and shortly afterwards through the second gate that allowed them to enter the further parts of the castle. Raenna spotted more gates as well, leading to other areas inside the walls. Behind one, she even spotted a small forest, containing a huge, pale tree with leaves as red as blood.
Soon after passing through the second gate, Raenna noticed that unlike the handful of castles she had been to in her life, there was not one definite courtyard. Winterfell was large enough to house several smaller ones, some of them not more than somewhat open areas, others so large, they could have housed a respectable keep of their own. There were walls everywhere and stone buildings, smaller halls and homes.
And finally, they had found the royal stables of Winterfell. They were located on the far end of the largest of the courtyards, a huge open space that made Raenna feel almost tiny. She wondered if this was the same she would have felt in Dragonstone, if she would have ever dared to enter the dark fortress. Though Dragonstone was smaller. Most castles in the world had to be smaller. No matter how much she had seen in her young life, this was one of the moments where she kept a certain sense of wonder.
Another surprise waited in the stables itself. She already saw it from afar and at first, she mistook it for a horse. It was a bit shorter though and way more stocky with long, shaggy hair, though as it raised its head, she gasped, looking at the bony tusk on its forehead.
Brandon chuckled at her surprise. “A unicorn”, he proclaimed. “They roam on Skagos, though they have grown rare even there” He pointed at the animal. “They are wild by nature and ferocious. It takes a man with even more ferocity to tame one and even then, they never accept more than one rider in their lifetime”, he continued to explain. “That one's named Wildhorn. It belongs to my brother's ward”
As they came closer, Raenna spotted a man, sitting on a small chair next to the unicorn's box in the stables. Physically, he was not unlike the strange animal itself, shorter than most men, but with a stocky build, with wild, black hair. He was sharpening a knife, though looked up as they came closer, his cold, blue stare meeting Raenna's.
“Speaking of”, Brandon said, as he slid off his seat and onto the ground. Myles Cerwyn had gotten down from his horse as well, leading the animal with one hand, using the other to stir the horse spanned in front of the cart. “Raenna, this is Mace Crowl, son of Urron Crowl, the most powerful lord of Skagos”, Brandon introduced him.
Mace momentarily glared at Raenna, though his glare was more cold than outright hostile, before he gave Brandon a nod. “Snow”, he growled, his voice raspy. “Bringing home a new friend, I see” Brandon gave him a nod. “This is Raenna Minsworth. She's the one I mentioned in my letter”
“Snow hair”, Mace remarked. “Valyrian” Brandon smiled slyly at his remark. “Oh, she's a bit more than that”, he said and Raenna gave him an alarmed look. Though she had confided in him about her father's name, she was far from ready to have it proclaimed to the world. The Skagosi raised a bushy eyebrow. “I see”, he said and gave her a nod. “Welcome, mylady”
It was in this moment that Briar laid eyes on the unicorn. Her eyes widened and a smile appeared on her face, as something resembling a squeal came out of her throat. “Ooooh, can I pet it?”, she asked, rushing towards the box before Raenna was capable of holding her back. Wildhorn was standing in his box, silently, but glaring at the newcomers with cold fury.
Thankfully, Mace was quick to step between them. “That won't be a good idea”, he warned her, putting a hand onto her shoulder. Unlike the fascination she felt for the unicorn, Briar looked at the wild-haired Skagosi with something akin to fear, her smile fading in an instant. “Wildhorn doesn't like strangers”
“Or people in general”, Myles added, returning from a box he had placed his horse in. A brief grin flashed over his face, as he approached the group again. Mace removed his hand from Briar's shoulder and the girl took a quick step away from him, her hand reaching for Raenna's, who clutched it tightly.
“Myles Cerwyn”, Mace remarked and his mouth formed a brief grin. Myles extended a hand and the Skagosi shook it. “Glad to see you back so soon. Is your father already gathering his men?” Myles shook his head, while Raenna looked at them with curiosity. It was the first she heard about calling banners. “He figures it's still some time. If necessary, we'll be here in a week”
“Honed and ready, huh?”, Mace said and now, Raenna gave Brandon a questioning look. “Why does the king call for his banners?”, she asked. Mace raised an eyebrow, giving her something resembling a thin smirk. “She doesn't know?”, he asked and Brandon shook his head. “I myself have only learned about it yesterday at Castle Cerwyn, though I've seen the signs long before that”, he explained. “Lord Clive told it to me in private. I saw no reason to... bother you with it”
Raenna narrowed her eyes. “Bother me with what?”, she asked, a bit harshly as she had to admit. “Are you marching to war against the Ironborn?” Myles shook his head, while Mace chuckled slightly. “If only”, he growled dryly, before looking at Brandon. “But it ain't my place to speak about it. Snow is the one you should ask”
Brandon sighed. “Very helpful, Crowl”, he complained, before giving Raenna an apologetic look. “Maybe we should discuss this inside?”, he asked and reluctantly, she agreed. “Lead the way then”, she said. That being said, she already felt nervous. What enemy could be so dangerous that Brandon would hide this from her? She had travelled through the Neck, had seen the landscape. No army could ever cross it and why should they? What was the North in winter, but cold halls and even colder forests? A resilient breed of people, but war was fought not for them, but for riches, of which these frozen plains held little.
Together, she, Brandon, Briar and Myles left the stables though Mace Crowl remained. The Skagosi sat down on his chair again, continuing to sharpen his knife just as they had met him. “Go ahead, I'll join you later”, he spoke. “Wildhorn has something between his hooves and I gotta clean them”
Not sure how to reply, Raenna raised a hand to wave him goodbye, a bit awkwardly as she had to admit. And as quiet as he was around her, Myles probably found a better way, as he simply smiled at the Skagosi. “Alright”, he spoke. “Take care, friend”
“Now...”, Brandon began. “I want you to know, this will, in no way, influence the nature of our partnership and how I see you. Neither will it change how my brother will treat you, though you might want to... keep a few details hidden from his court”
Raenna glanced at Myles, who put a finger onto his lips. “Always quiet, mylady”, the heir to Cerwyn promised and so, Brandon continued. “It's not only us”, he spoke. “All of Westeros is at war. My brother received a letter not long ago” He took a deep breath and gave her a soft look. “The man who wrote it, the man who proclaimed himself King of All Westeros is Aegon Targaryen”
Instantly, Raenna stopped, giving the man a look of true shock. Her fists clenched and her breath beginning to become faster, she pressed her lips together. Targaryen... she had grown up in fear of that name. As a child, there was no one she had dreaded more than her uncle, Aegon's father. And as an adult, she fully understood that she hadn't been afraid enough.
Fear and envy, those had been her only thoughts when thinking about Aegon and his sisters, the trueborn ones, who were able to live in peace behind their high walls, while she had to hide in a tiny room for most of her life. She had grown out of the envy, but fear remained and it came back with a vengeance right now.
Staring at the ground she was walking on, she opened her mouth to speak, though her voice was thin, so unlike her usual one. “All of Westeros?”, she asked and Brandon gave her a nod. “It's concerning”, he admitted. To this, Myles raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”, he asked in return. “Father does not think much of this. Targaryen has three thousand men and he's on the other side of Westeros”
“You should take him seriously”, Raenna warning him, now glancing at him. Myles briefly met her gaze, before looking away. “Why?”, he asked and she clenched her fists so hard, she actually felt the pain. “Because I have grown up on Dragonstone”, she told him. “Because I have seen the Black Dread”
Still mostly focussing on her feet, Raenna almost missed that the gates to the Great Hall had opened. Two men walked out of it and she would have probably bumped into them if not for Brandon holding her back. One of them was roughly in her age. Tall, lean and pale, he was a handsome man, with long, slightly curly brown hair and a clean-shaven face. He had a friendly smile on his face.
The other man was not smiling. Taller than his companion, even taller than Myles, he was also as broad as she expected from a northern warrior. His beard was short and a bit wild, though his hair was clean and well-maintained. Wearing an elegant vest, he had his thick arms exposed, as he crossed them.
“Good day, Jorn”, Brandon greeted the handsome man, who shook the bastard's hand. “Brandon, good you're back”, he replied, following by shaking Myles' hand. “And you brought guests as well” He gave Raenna a charming smile, followed by a quick bow, before he crouched down to look Briar in the eyes. The girl was smiling at him, more confidently now, as he was notably less intimidating than Mace Crowl and his wild beast.
“This is Raenna Minsworth, the one I mentioned in my letter”, Brandon explained. “And the girl is Briar Catelins. She's our guest as well” Jorn gave him a nod, before smiling at Briar. “A pretty name”, he complimented her and she beamed with pride. “My mother came up with it”, she said, before she, having a sudden realization, looked at Raenna. “When... when will Kersea meet up with us?”
The mention of her dead friend's name, it still sent a sting through Raenna's chest and her smile became forced. “Soon”, she lied, hoping to avoid this conversation at least for a little longer. Eventually though, Briar had to come to terms with the harsh truth. Her sister, the person that loved her more than any other, who had sacrificed everything for her, was dead.
And Raenna's cousin was threatening all Westeros with fire and blood... It was a fact that crept back into her thoughts no matter how much she was trying to think of something else. Aegon... she never met him, but if he was any bit like his father, seven kingdoms had all reason to be every bit as afraid as she was. Being half a dragon was not enough to keep her safe in the days to come.
“So, that's her”, the bearded man said, in a deep, but very calm and pleasant voice. He narrowed his eyes, having noticed her being distraught. “If you trust her, that suffices for me. But it's my brother you have to convince” Brandon looked from him to Raenna, putting a hand onto her back. “She has just heard of the coming war”, he told him. “Please, don't hold it against her” He smiled at the man. “Although I believe we haven't been introduced”
“We've met before”, the man replied. “Though that has been twenty years ago. Your father was the king back then” He extended his hand. “Dag Umber” Brandon raised his eyebrow, as he shook the man's hand. “Dag!”, he said loudly. “I wouldn't have recognized you”
Dag Umber grinned. “It's the beard”, he said. “Whereas you're still looking like your brother” As he said this, the other man, Jorn, looked over his shoulder. “Speaking of...”, he said. “King Torrhen awaits us in the Great Hall. I believe he'll urgently want to hear what you have to say”
“Few pleasant things”, Brandon growled. “But go ahead. Suppose we should get it over with” Jorn bowed slightly, before glancing at Raenna. “Is everything alright, mylady?”, he asked and she forced herself to give him a nod. He replied with a smile, before he gulped. “Ah, where are my manners”, he said hastily, putting a hand onto his chest. “My name is Jorn Mormont”
“A pleasure to meet you”, Raenna said through her teeth, her fists still clenched, slightly shaking after what she had learned. And so, she said nothing else, as she was led into the hall. It was a large one, just as huge as everything else about this entire castle, albeit it was pleasantly and surprisingly warm.
Several people were sitting in the hall. Gathered under two banners which she faintly recognized, a giant breaking his chains on a field of red and a white sun on a field of black, were sitting two lords with their entourage. One was old, his hair already showing signs of the white on his banners. Next to him sat a young, beautiful woman with dark brown hair, clad in black and white.
The other lord was undoubtedly Dag Umber's brother, a man even larger than him and with a beard that looked almost like a thick patch of fur, long, wild and untamed. He was the most imposing sight in this hall, yet not the one she was mainly looking at. At the other end of the hall, on a throne, sat a man that she instantly recognized as Brandon's brother. Pale, dark of hair and grey of eye, he was wolfishly handsome, a cloak of white fur draped around his shoulders. Atop his head sat a crown only fitting for a king of the First Men, an archaic bronze circlet with nine pointy spikes.
Brandon gave her a small smile and Raenna felt Briar trembling with excitement next to her, as the young girl looked around the massive Great Hall. Then, the Bastard of Winterfell drew his sword, a gesture that would have looked out of place at any court Raenna had ever been to. Yet here, far up in the north, it felt like the sign of reverence it was intended to be. He pointed it right at the man at the other end of the hall, the Wolf King that looked so much like him. “May I introduce my brother!”, he proclaimed loudly. “The King of Winter, the King in the North!”
Now pointing the sword onto the ground, he knelt down and instantly, Myles Cerwyn did the same. Raenna gulped, as she looked into the quiet, haunting eyes of King Torrhen, though she also noticed the look Brandon gave her. It was clear what the bastard of Winterfell wanted, but did she want the same? He was not her king after all...
[Kneel] [Remain standing]
[Kneel] A little respect for this great man wouldn't hurt anyone! Though if this was Aegon we were expected to kneel to my comment would be far less positive!
I love that we're seeing the North! ahh, I love these people so much. Definitely worthy of respect. I love that intro to Torrhen. The line "The King in the North!" Always makes me smile.
[Kneel] It would be far easier to earn Torrhen's trust if she showed him respect, and while its true he's not her king, if she wants to work with Brandon, she has to earn the approval of his brother.
Umber, Karstark, Cerwyn, Mormont, all big names in the North, now we all need is House Manderly, Reed, Glover and Bolton and we're ready to go.
What sad irony, Briar and Raenna are in the center of the North, while Kersea, alive and recovering, is still at Raylansfair, which is almost as if they were in Vancouver and she's at San Diego.
For what we hear about Aerion Targaryen, he was certainly not a nice man, at least compared to his son.
Hehe, using my spider senses, I spot a certain dislike for a certain Aegon
Understandable, very understandable. Then again, would refusing to kneel to the man with the dragons not be a sure way of getting hurt? Though to be fair, he has created a precedence in that case by allowing Amerei Mooton to refuse to kneel or even show respect as long as he still got Maidenpool through her uncle, so I guess a far less positive comment won't necessarily be all that dangerous.
I am glad you enjoy the North so far! Loads of interesting characters, Raenna and one other PoV (though that one will likely appear later in Book 2) and of course Dakingindanorf, that's a recipe for a location that is always fun to write. Torrhen's Interlude has only scratched the surface with most of these characters, so I am very excited I get to show a bit more of them in the coming chapters, like I did with Mace Crowl in this part. You can expect Malina to take a rather notable presence in this chapter as well
[Kneel]
It probably wouldn't be wise but screw him!It's about principle. I'm sure you can tell I'm not a very big Targaryen fan.
I don't care for his pretty speeches, all I can see in Aegon no matter his intentions/motive is a guy wreaking havoc and killing a lot of people so he can rule them all. While we're on the topic of Aegon, could you tell me what the general public's (Not counting those who serve him) view on Aegon and the Targaryen's are? Commoners, lords and kings alike?
Oh Liquid, you always know what to say to me.
And all will appear in time. Torrhen has called for all of his banners, so all of his banners will come, even men as elusive as Lord Reed. However, he doesn't know when to expect them, as the lords all have their own pace in which they travel. Roffe Umber, Brogar Karstark and Harald Degore, always loyal (and in Roffe's and Harald's case with problems of their own), have made the journey almost immediately and have arrived quickly, whereas Lord Bolton, who has a way shorter journey than Roffe, has just started to leave his keep. Clive Cerwyn meanwhile still sits in his castle and will remain there for a while until more lords arrived, so yeah, it will definitely take a couple of chapters until we get to see the assembly of northern lords in all its glory.
Indeed, that is pretty ironic and truly sad. What would make it worse is if Briar eventually learns that her sister is presumed dead, even though she's actually recovering. A lot of grief for nothing. That said, this whole situation is going to be developed a bit more in this chapter, so I can't say much more about it until we learn more about how much Kersea actually knows.
Aye, I'd say Aerion was objectively awful and Raenna had good reason to be afraid of him in her childhood. Thing is, he was obsessed with racial purity, maintaining the Valyrian blood in his family and therefore only marrying into his own house or House Velaryon, which he saw as similarly pure. He also had a brother who was very frequent with his visits to brothels and who fathered several dragonseeds as a result. Aerion therefore made it his personal duty to keep the bloodline clean by removing these dragonspawns, which is basically mass kinslaying. Some of them survived, mostly due to Aerion's early death, but still, he killed several nieces and nephews solely on account of them being half-blood bastards. I'd say, he otherwise wasn't a bad ruler and actually quite well-liked by his people, not a Maegor or a Mad King, but as it is known, the Targaryen's have always danced close to madness. Aegon himself has plenty of more positive traits and is definitely not a madman (albeit he has a ruthless ambition), though his father had a fair share of way less desirable aspects to his personality, an early glimpse of the traits that would eventually be strengthened by the many generations of inbreeding that followed after the Doom of Valyria.
Yay, it's nice to have Raenna back!
She really is a fish out of water in the North, which I suppose gives us a nice outsider perspective to things. I really wonder what her storyline will be about though. I mean, it would make sense if her storyline eventually connects with the Targs somehow, considering how central they are to her character and backstory. That said, I doubt it'll happen in a while. If anything, I suspect that she (with Brandon) will get mixed up with some internal issues/conflicts of the North. Looking forward to that 
[Kneel] Eh, doesn't hurt to kneel. Torrhen may not be Raenna's king, but she's in his kingdom and in his halls - better not be disrespectful.
Haha, I was well-aware of that
But yeah, Aegon is a divisive figure and I am glad I managed to have this sort of a reaction, with some liking him and some hating him. Now, the opinion others have on him is similarly divisive. I suppose it all depends on how happy the people are with the current system. Keep in mind, though some of the kings are fairly likable, the system in Westeros is anything but perfect, with the different kingdoms being at war and all that. One guy ruling over all of this is actually not that bad of an idea. The smallfolk though, they don't care. As long as they aren't forced to fight, few of them truly mind if their king is named Argilac or Aegon. The lords meanwhile, with them it depends on wether or not they like their current liege. We know, the houses Bar Emmon and Massey, nominally sworn to House Durrandon, despise Argilac and their lords have a positive opinion on Aegon, whereas loyal Stormlander houses are the complete opposite. The kings of course, they have a universally negative opinion on him, no exception. Some are wise enough to fear him, others, like Harren, are more amused by this all, at least for now. The sole exception in this whole situation is the Riverlands. The people there suffer under the Ironborn, the lords hate Harren and his entire family, with only few exceptions, the smallfolk yearns to be freed from their oppressors. For them, Aegon is a liberator and I'd say he currently has by far the highest approval in the occupied Riverlands. But to be fair, the Riverlanders have always done things that way, they hate the guy in charge and praise the one trying to overthrow him, until they actually got what they want, in which case the game begins anew. Though, I suppose it can be agreed upon that Aegon is an improvement when compared to Harren 
I am also very excited to write stuff for Raenna again! She had the impressive number of two parts over the course of the last two chapters, with her last time as a truly recurring PoV having been in 2016, in Chapter 7, so I am very happy that she'll return to form once again. Her storyline, well, with her heritage and all, I'd love to connect her to the Targ's, but that remains to be seen if I get the chance for that. Her storyline, this I can say, will include a bit of everything. Northern internal conflicts, a certain conflict that is not so internal, some of the more mysterious aspects of the North, some action, a large cast of characters I hope to develop quite well, it's really going to be something and I'd say Raenna is among my personal Top 5 of Book 2 PoV's judging by the storyline I have planned alone.
Sure, you can argue that one ruler above all is a good idea and that what Aegon's doing will make Westeros better but he's slaughtering a lot of people to do it. I might seem unreasonable but what he's doing will always be wrong to me.
EDIT: Kinda annoys me that he's seen as some great liberator by some people.
Ah, keep in mind, the only ones that see him as a liberator are the Riverlanders and they are the ones that have an actually good point there
The men of the North, the Stormlanders or the Reachmen, they definitely won't see him as some benign liberator, but the Riverlanders, well, with them I believe it can definitely be understood why they feel that way. Considering that Harren is a bad ruler and a truly bad person, who has bled the entire kingdom dry, slaughtering more people in his forty years of rule than any conqueror ever could, selfishly using the resources of his land to build a gargantuan castle, casually ordering deaths, mass executions of entire houses, draconic taxes, there is literally not a single person in the entire Riverlands that is not affected by that man's rule. On top of that, the Riverlands are in the centre of Westeros, so the current system means that every war ever fought was fought on their ground or close by. No other region will profit as much from the stability Aegon brings than them and well, I'd say in their situation we all would see him as a liberator, because it can't get much worse than the current rule of Harren.
It must be said of course, to be fair, the Riverlanders, for all the suffering they had, are also massive hypocrites. The one ruling over them is always an undesirable tyrant, the one fighting against that person is always a hero and liberator. They had the same opinion on Arlan Durrandon, Argilac's ancestor, whom they called for aid to take down House Teague, who previously had tried to suppress the faith of the old gods. After House Teague got completely exterminated in one climactic battle though, they got cocky and Arlan, being a Durrandon, just wasn't having any of this, so he took the Riverlands instead of giving them their freedom. Later, quite a couple of Riverlords ironically (and briefly) saw Harwyn Hoare, Harren's grandfather, as a hero for fighting against House Durrandon and we all know how that one turned out
Aegon is the one with whom they actually have a point, because well, he is liberating them from a rule so dysfunctional and cruel, it would have likely ended in a civil war worse than the entire Conquest under the even less stable rule of an eventual King Harmund.
Though that said, even in the other regions things will be more complex. Aegon is not a character who can clearly be seen as black or white and neither will most of them do it. Sure, some will hate him, others will idolize him, but most will actually have a fairly complex opinion on him, seeing the good and the bad he has brought. He is a liberator to some and they have a point, he is a butcher to others and they have a point. Fire and blood are bad, but peace, prosperity and justice, that's a good thing and one of these aspects doesn't invalidate the other.
But ah, there is a thing I have just gotten very curious about: You say, what Aegon does is wrong because it will claim a lot of lives. Does this mean you prefer an alternative in which he never would have done his Conquest? Keep in mind, the Conquest itself is actually surprisingly light on deaths for a continent-wide war, because of how most clear-thinking people immediately surrender when dragons are involved. The alternative would mean a King Harmund, who would brutally maintain his control over the Riverlands by killing more than the entire Conquest ever claimed. It would also mean a freely warmongering King Argilac, who would likely eventually try to start another war with the Reach, one that, due to a lack of dragons, won't be over all that quickly. A lot of lives are inevitably lost either way, so is the Conquest really all that bad compared to a version of Westeros that would never have it? I quite like your view on that topic, so I'm really curious what you think on that
You ask me a very complicated question and I'm not entirely sure how to answer it. As you've probably noticed I'm a pretty moral person. I also don't have a very high opinion of invaders/conquerors. A lot of the time I firmly believe the ends do not justify the means. So I'm mostly judging Aegon by his actions, not the reasoning behind them. However people may justify his actions, people are dying as a direct result of his actions. I have similar views on Dany in the latest season of GOT, so spoilers incoming. She has a beautiful dream about breaking the wheel, making Westeros a better place, but that dream isn't worth the lives of the people she's killed. Taking down tyrants like Harmund, that I can understand as that can be seen in a more positive light. But whatever Aegon's dream is, a lot of people are dying for it, that don't deserve it.
So would I prefer if he never started the conquest? From a moral perspective I'm going to yes. From a story perspective, is another matter entirely. If you remember I actually wanted Lucas to kill Aylard at one point.
Not because I disliked Aylard, but because it'd make an interesting story.
EDIT: Another thing I believe is that Aegon is (to a certain degree) taking away people's freedom. What I mean by that is him forcing all these Kings to bend the knee. They have now lost their right to choose. Choose for themselves what is right but they can't do that because once you bend the knee, what Aegon says goes. It's his choices that you have to make. You can argue that the Kings choose to bend the knee, but to serve or die is not a real choice.
My excitement is present any time a new part rolls up! It doesn't hurt that we get to see a little glimpse of Dag here too. I'm sure Arthur will make his appearance sooner rather than later anyway.
[Kneel] One does not simply walk into Winterfell without kneeling.
Oh boy! The North is awesome! Look at all these cool people! I can't wait to see all the fun things happening up North. You got me so darn excited! I really liked how Mace has his own damn Unicorn. Seriously. A freaking Unicorn was just chilling in the stables, and all Raenna could do was a measly gasp? THERE WAS A REAL LIFE UNICORN RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES! THAT IS DRAGON LEVEL SHIT RIGHT THERE! YOU DON'T SEE UNICORNS EVERY DAY YOU KNOW???? Jorn sounds like a pretty cool guy. I wonder what kind of role he may have in the future. My current guesses for the upcoming POV is either Mace, Jorn, or Malina. If it's Jorn, Mace is probably going to be the Ron and Malina the Hermione to his Harry. Whoever it is though, consider me hyped.
[Kneel]
[Kneel]
This is just a matter of respect, Torrhen Stark may not be her king, but that's no reason for her to be rude in his halls.
[Kneel]
[Kneel]
[Kneel]
That's what I do. I drink and I ask complicated questions
But yes, this is very interesting, glad to get such a viewpoint on the whole affair. I think there is really but one fundamental difference in our respective philosophies, as I believe that sometimes, certainly not always, the end justifies the means. Sometimes, especially if not taking action results in the greater loss of life, violence is a step that is unfortunately necessary to achieve a desirable outcome. In these regards, while I have very mixed feelings on the Conquest on account of quite a number of sympathetic characters having to suffer in this war as well, I think it still is the lesser evil. Sure, people die, but after having put some thought into it, I think the alternative has a far higher death toll, as the Targaryen rule has ultimately brought several decades of peace, entire generations of people that never knew war, something that would be unthinkable with how things are at the moment. Of course, people are dying as a result of Aegon's actions, but the thing here is, if he does not take action, people would die as well, that is a fact. Is it truly better if they die as a result of his inaction than a result of his action? Does it make him a better person if he refuses to change anything? In a society as raw and violent as the one in Westeros, true, big changes cannot happen without some resistance and this resistance is almost always ending in bloodshed. If nobody would be willing to fight and even kill for such big goals, nothing could ever change, that's just how the Westerosi society is. I admire your approach, but it just does not work in the crude, archaic system Westeros is in at the time. It's an approach that is better suited for our modern, well-developed society.
This is the only part where I must outright disagree though. In 99% of all cases, those that bend the knee to Aegon won't experience any change in their lives, certainly not a loss of freedom. The lords that bend the knee still have a king above them and don't lose any of their territories. The smallfolk living on these territories won't have any changes either, aside from the king that rules over them. The only ones actually losing something are the kings, but even they actually don't lose as much as you might think. The thing is, Aegon's kingdom of Westeros is not governed as the smaller kingdoms are, with one king responsible for every lord in his kingdom and all lords below him technically on the same level. The kings that kneel keep all of their territories and are granted large amounts of freedom in how to govern their lands as long as they swear fealty to the Iron Throne. They are not lords, they are Lord Paramounts, which means they still have the same power over their former kingdom as before the Conquest. Regions such as the North or even the Iron Islands are also allowed to keep their cultural identity intact for the most part (though obviously, the Ironborn lose part of their freedom to raid and terrorize the mainland, which ain't a bad thing though). The only freedom the submitting kings actually lose is their freedom to wear a crown, call themselves king and to pride themselves in belonging to the handful of people in Westeros that have nobody above them. Of course, they also have to follow their kings orders, but in these regards their experiences are not much different than what their own lords already experience on a daily basis and even then, the Lord Paramounts have truly a lot more freedom on how to govern their lands than the lords under their command. They are technically still kings in all but name, sub-leaders of the Seven Kingdoms. The only ones whom I'd say are truly fighting for their freedom, due to them having the most legit fear of losing their cultural identity, are the Dornish.
Hehe, if Mace wants a unicorn, Mace gets a unicorn. They are actually native to Skagos and in ancient times, the Skagosi rode to battle with dozens of them. Now, only important people, rich lords and their family, have access to them and during the time of the books and show, they are on the brink of extinction. However, Raenna actually doesn't even know much about them, so she is more surprised to see a horse with a horn. They are also less pretty fairytale creatures and more hairy mixtures between a horse and a goat, not the kind anyone would marvel over, more the kind one would be instinctively wary about, because well, it's a beast with a nasty temper and a long murder horn on its forehead. It says a lot about Mace that he actually managed to tame this one.
Hm, those are interesting ideas, surely. Mace is not going to make for a good Ron though, this I can say. He'd probably be more like Hagrid, if I have to compare him to a specific character. I can also reveal, we have been introduced to this future PoV by now, it won't be a new character that is not shown yet. I can also reveal, this second storyline will start later and won't overlap with Raenna's.
[Remain standing] What if our knee gave out? Can't risk that.
You know, I'd never thought I'd see a unicorn in here. Quite interesting. Mace Crowl, hello again.
Oh Kersea, hehe, you're never gonna see your sister again. Unless she goes up North to see the King Who Knelt, well, kneel. Kneeling man. Wounded Knee. Knee, knee, knee. Tea.
Umber, Crowl, Cerwyn, Battlestar Galactica.
I don't know why I had to think of that scene from 300 right now, where Leonidas refuses to kneel to Xerxes, but that just gave me flashbacks to a movie I haven't seen in half a decade. Certainly... interesting, but yeah, always a realistic danger you bring up there. She can't afford to hurt her knee her, certainly.
I must admit, before Mace got submitted, I haven't thought of ever featuring a unicorn either, or a Skagosi, or to mention Skagos much at all. Now, I take the opportunity to write the biggest deconstruction of classical unicorn tropes possible.
Well, as of the current information, it won't be all that likely. That being sai, all I can say is, there has been a certain development as well for Kersea during the timeskip and one of the coming Richard parts will reveal more about this
Battlestar Galactica, yes. Yes, I am really not sure how it relates to the other three, but Lord Battlestar of House Galactica has probably received a raven as well by now. Y'know, I just find it amazing that I legitimately had to think of the Northern army marching to war, with the Galactica flying overhead. Surely, that'd give even Aegon a good fight.
Before now I had no idea unicorns existed in this world!
I'm actually not even sure if they are canon to the show, but they do exist in the books indeed, but as an extremely minor footnote, of the same importance as lizard-lions and ice spiders. It's mentioned that they live on Skagos and they are also rumoured to exist on the island of Ibben, off the northern coast of central Essos. In one sort of dream sequence (not sure how else to describe it without giving minor book spoilers) a unicorn is actually briefly shown, though they are not encountered outside of these visions yet. Without spoiling anything, I fully expect them to appear in one certain characters storyline in the upcoming sixth book though, as that person is supposed to travel to Skagos. Unfortunately, they are mentioned to be very close to actually dying out. I suppose just like direwolves, they are still a bit more common at the time of FoT, so much that the Skagosi lords still ride to battle on them, but they already have grown rare.
The unintroduced character list has gotten noticeably smaller. I'm impressed by how many characters have been thrown into the introduced list this chapter. I suspect another big chunk will be taken out by the time Chapter 1 of Book 2 is over.
Hm, I actually fear that for every character I introduced, I received at least one new character and it hasn't gotten all that much smaller. However, the Interlude helped a lot, introducing more characters than I am able of introducing in an entire chapter normally. I still have plans on introducing several other characters in this chapter, such as Aeron Blacksails and his pirate lords, but there will also be a lot of new characters introduced in Chapter 2, when new storylines in the Vale of Arryn will start. I am particularly looking forward for one part, which I believe might give me the chance to introduce over a dozen characters in a single part if all works out. But really though, it has grown and grown for the longest time. By now, I absolutely have to get to the point where I can slowly make it smaller. Sure, more characters will be introduced, but I would be very happy if I can finally get to the point where I can introduce two characters for every new one I receive, as that actually means I might be able to work with every submitted character in some capacity. It's the least they deserve.