What an amazing part, truly great! This part was everything I hoped for, actually it was even more in a lot of ways. Man I simply love Gregor, in his first appearence I already knew you were spot on with him, but this here took things to a whole other level. He was acting just like I imagined with everything he did and said, truly, it was a great joy to read. Man, that speech! Oh, that speech was glorious! Gregor has such an amazing way with words and he delivered it here. I was getting kinda anxious there though, he was doing such an amazing job that I "feared" he'd get some of the captains to go with him but I'm glad they didn't in the end. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely like all of them (especially Storm and Jadith, man, she's such a joy to be around ) but having multiple captains in the Targ side would be a bit overwhelming, whereas having only Gregor, especially knowing how he is, will give the Targs the perfect dosage of piracy.... it might actually be even more than they can handle in some ways XD. What was almost as great as his speech was the motive behind it. I don't think he even cared that much about having the other captains join him, what he wanted was probably only their ships, so he could arrive in Dragonstone with a whole fleet just to impress Rhaenys in a grandiose fashion and I love it! Still, he has his Nagga, so it will still be a grandiose arrival (just not as grandiose as he wanted). I gotta admit though, after such an amazing speech it would take all my willpower not to leave everything behind and go sailing with Gregor
Aha, I am glad you enjoyed Gregor's big part so much This speech was actually the very reason for me putting Gregor into the story before the original plan I mentioned to you. You can probably see that once I had the idea, I just couldn't resist putting it in. And ultimately, that truly was for the better, introducing Gregor and his motivations in this environment with semi-trusted allies around. Of course, unfortunately he didn't get any supporters for his plan, though him mentioning that he calls dibs on the main prize was probably the key mistake here. If not for that (and the fact that this really left a bad taste for Saan and Manderly), he probably would have gotten at least some support. Of course, as you have said yourself, this is not a bad thing, as it will give the Targaryen's a smaller dose of piracy, meaning comparably more screentime for Gregor. I also have the rest of the pirates free to appear in another storyline.
Gregor's personal interactions with some of the captains were so damn good too, especially when he and Manderly went at each other. Gregor's remarks towards Manderly were such golden and entertaining that I'm still laughing at them... that was just awesome. Gregor and Aidan seem to be in pretty good terms, its a shame that they probably won't meet each other for a long time, if ever again at all. And what to say about Gonzo? XD Their interaction was brief, but great nonetheless. I really like that with their interaction you showed a little bit of Gregor's dangerous side when Gonzo reached for his blade, after all, Gregor is still a pirate. You really shouldn't try to mess with him my dear Gonzo, especially when he's about to deliver a speech like that.
Hehe, that was the other reason for me introducing him here. Gregor's ego makes for some interactions, such as the one between him and Warmond Manderly and Aidan Storm I just wanted to write. Same for him, Edward and Gonzo, that was a scene meant to be written and with the vastly different directions these characters will take, I can confirm it was the first and last time we saw every single one of these characters in the same spot. Some might be reunited though, one way or the other, but this is something that will only be seen in the long haul. We're talking years here, given the length of the story ahead.
Now, I wasn't expecting Gregor to reveal his intentions towards Rhaenys here, but it was definitely amazing that he did. Manderly and Saan's reactions to this reveal were priceless, especially how Saan seemed to be in disbelief that Gregor would fight a war for Aegon in order to get close to Rhaenys Manderly on the other side wasn't giving Gregor much credit... that's never a good thing to do. Who knows? Gregor might just surprise everybody once we get to see him and Rhaenys together One thing I know is that their interactions will be great regardless.
Yeah, that was one thing I wanted him to reveal here, because as you can probably imagine, Gregor is not going to be all that brazen and in-your-face when it comes to his intentions towards Rhaenys when actually meeting her. The man can be charming if he wants to and he knows he has to bring out his best if he wants to have even the tiniest chance with her. So, to make this end goal of him perfectly clear to the readers, it had to be shown here. On top of that, I am not sure if he will ever admit to anyone aside from these captains and his own crew that courting Rhaenys is one of his biggest reasons for joining the war, albeit not the only one. So, necessity, but it made the whole scene all the more enjoyable to write. And I agree that Manderly wasn't giving Gregor enough credit. He's not some mindless brute after all, but that is precisely what Warmond thinks of him.
I think I've already went on way too long with this, so I'll just stop here Still, I gotta say again how amazing this part was for me to read. It leaves me with a bittersweet feeling though, since its going to be quite a while until we get to see Gregor again in his full entertaining glory, but just being able to get a glimpse of him this early was absolutely glorious. Man, I can't wait for the things to come!
Yes, I am afraid it will indeed be a bit of time until we see Gregor again. Chapter 3 will mark his reappearance, in the same scene I originally considered to be his introduction scene to the story in general. This here is a bit of an appetizer and I hope he left enough of an impression to carry through the undoubtedly lengthy Chapter 2. It should be worth the wait though, but I do share your pain here, I thoroughly enjoyed writing him and would like to delve into the storyline he appears next in right away, but well, his time will come again
What an amazing part, truly great! This part was everything I hoped for, actually it was even more in a lot of ways. Man I simply love Grego… morer, in his first appearence I already knew you were spot on with him, but this here took things to a whole other level. He was acting just like I imagined with everything he did and said, truly, it was a great joy to read. Man, that speech! Oh, that speech was glorious! Gregor has such an amazing way with words and he delivered it here. I was getting kinda anxious there though, he was doing such an amazing job that I "feared" he'd get some of the captains to go with him but I'm glad they didn't in the end. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely like all of them (especially Storm and Jadith, man, she's such a joy to be around ) but having multiple captains in the Targ side would be a bit overwhelming, whereas having only Gregor, especially knowing how he is, will give the Targs the perfect dosage of piracy.... it… [view original content]
The other choice is probably going to win, and frankly I don't really want to work against Anturion so I'd vote it, but when you think about it, Blacksails seems like the kind of person who respects brutal honesty. Of course, Alys has already lied, so that's not good. Regardless, I feel this choice may have positive outcomes for our girl.
You know, that much I can actually confirm. Aeron likes the brutally honest type, he's the same, so he would likely gain some respect for Alys. At the same time, this would piss Edward off and you have to decide if this will be an acceptable price for Aeron's respect. This is one of the major choices of this chapter, in terms of consequences.
The plot thickens. Hm. Hm. Who could she be now? Do we even know her? What part of the artifact could be there? Very interesting.
You probably don't know her. Given the living female characters mostly associated with Oldtown right now consist of Taria and... actually, it's just Taria, as well as formerly Harpy (preoccupied) and Keira (permanently preoccupied). There will be many more though, albeit I can confirm, you are probably going to recognize Sister Anturion once you see her. There is a reason why I have never mentioned her name though.
You know, I bet Blacksails secretly has General Grievous hidden somewhere. I just know it.
Ah, why, there is another planned twist I feel the need to reveal right now. Actually, Blacksails doesn't have Grievous hidden anywhere, he is Grievous, or more like, he will be Grievous. See, the thing with the smoking, as cool as it looks, already affects his voice, giving him the hoarsy Grievous voice and the cough. Yes, he is the version that coughs, I'm afraid. Just wait until he has a tragic smoking accident, reducing him to a sack of organs and forcing Nain Anturion and Noelle to team up in the attempt to build him some robot body. That'd essentially make him a magic robot pirate valyrian and now I feel low-key tempted to actually write this, because it'd be so delightfully absurd.
[Tell him how you truly think about Edward] The other choice is probably going to win, and frankly I don't really want to work against Antur… moreion so I'd vote it, but when you think about it, Blacksails seems like the kind of person who respects brutal honesty. Of course, Alys has already lied, so that's not good. Regardless, I feel this choice may have positive outcomes for our girl.
“Speaking of, how is the family? Any word from Nain? Your sister?” Edward shook his head. “She's still in Oldtown”, he replied. “Looking for part of the artifact. And Nain... well, who knows what Nain is up to these days? Ruling his kingdom, I suppose”
The plot thickens. Hm. Hm. Who could she be now? Do we even know her? What part of the artifact could be there? Very interesting.
You know, I bet Blacksails secretly has General Grievous hidden somewhere. I just know it.
Truth has never been a forte when the Anturion's concern themselves. Glad to see Alys is realizing how important it is to be nice to those that are nice.....isn't that nice. I'm very interested to see how creative she gets with her praises.
Actually, Alys can be very creative when describing Edward's niceness. If allowed to speak freely, she'd probably use words as colourful as "lunatic", "monster" and "backstabbing schemer" to describe Edward, putting really a lot of emphasis on just how nice he truly is Of course, since she's not a born liar, trying to improvise some praise for him won't be easy for her, so don't expect the model of eloquence.
Also glad to see this is a family venture. Things do normally work best when everyone is there to play their part, no?
With the Anturion family, yes, a family venture makes things certainly easy. Or easier. Edward, Nain and their wonderful sister embark on a magic adventure through Westeros and assorted parts of Essos, to find the pieces of some ominous artifact. It will be lots of fun... well, for them, probably not so much for others.
[Tell him how you truly think about Ed
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA.....no
[Urge him to give Edward another chance]
Truth has ne… morever been a forte when the Anturion's concern themselves. Glad to see Alys is realizing how important it is to be nice to those that are nice.....isn't that nice. I'm very interested to see how creative she gets with her praises.
Also glad to see this is a family venture. Things do normally work best when everyone is there to play their part, no?
Alys is going to urge Aeron to give Edward another chance
Hm... I was very curious what you would pick here and as it turns out, you decided to actually give Edward this chance. Pragmatism was very much the reasoning and will also play a factor for Alys in her next part. It was a major choice for her and will majorly affect her storyline, mostly in that she can still count on Edward's questionable assistance. Losing that without gaining safety in return could have possibly been very risky, though if you truly picked the better choice will be shown in the long haul.
The next part is hopefully going to be out today. I am currently writing a Drent part, though if I decide to include a second PoV, then it will possibly take me a little bit longer. Whom this second PoV will be, I don't know yet, though I am leaning towards Raenna or Willfred. But anyways, there will be Drent. Also, the chapter finale is close. So close, in fact, that I can say with certainty we're going to see the end of this chapter before the end of this year. And what an ending it will be, hehe. Anyway, last time we saw Drent, he made a risky move, intervening to clarify that Argella was anything but responsible for the situation in Raylansfair, as she was blaming herself. This surprised her and actually impressed Argilac, despite being gutsy and way out of line. Or, considering the kind of man Argilac is, he probably respected precisely these qualities. Not everyone was happy though, as Garen later pointed out, mentioning that Drent appeared arrogant to the common soldier by making this move. Drent decided against reacting to this provocation. Meanwhile, very quick, if we'll see Raenna or Willfred, their part will show either Raenna's evening with the Northerners, getting to know some of them a bit better, whereas Willfred will have a meeting with Lady Helenys Bellward, his ally in the dealings in Raylansfair. He is also the more likely candidate to receive this part, as Raenna might require a full-length part, with the sheer number of characters I plan to show.
And ah, Telltale, my Telltale. Today, I was actually inspired to write a few lines of a song, probably miiiinorly inspired by a certain 80's song many of you probably know. I call it... "Wouldn't It Be Good, Telltale?". Ahem, just imagine my lovely singing voice. Or, while you're already at it, imagine Mr. Freddie Mercury singing this, because we all know he sounds better.
Wouldn't it be good to have a main post, even if it was for just one day?
And wouldn't it be good if you could listen to what we say?
Wouldn't it be good to update this site?
The links are getting tedious over here!
Wouldn't it be good if you could treat this site with care?
See, a work of art! If that isn't inspiring enough for them to actually bring back a highly anticipated and popular feature instead of stubbornly refusing to do so, I don't know. It's not the same without, you know it, I know it, they know it, so it's their move. Ah, we'll see. Wouldn't it be a great christmas gift? Say nothing, you know it would. For now, links, tedious copy-pasted links:
If you are a new reader, allow me to welcome you! Check out the first post on Page 1 to learn more about this!
And for readers new and old, here is a collection of important links you might be interested in:
Finally caught up again! Sorry I haven't commented here for a while. Nothing serious happened. I just didn't feel like reading for a bit. Anyway I'm gonna leave some short thoughts about a few of the previous parts I missed the voting for.
So Garthon got... kind of lucky? I say kind of because the woman he knew (can't remember her name) seemed so hesitant to actually speak up and save them that it kind of annoyed me. I may be overthinking it but it really got on my nerves and I don't know why she seemed so hesitant to help.
It's weird but Kyra's parts leave me so uncomfortable. It might be intentional but it really gives me that "Don't want to be here" feeling. I suspect it's because of the Hoares and how much I loathe them, (plus she's screwing one of them which you obviously know I disapprove of) it might also be because I haven't been particularly happy with some of Kyra's decisions. I still like Kyra though, hopefully that doesn't change.
I really enjoyed Samantha's part though! Had a few of my favorites! Kyra, Jenna and my beloved Saerya! Is it just me or is Davith thirsty as fuck? No offense intended towards Davith but man was I like "Dude, cool it" when he was interacting with Saerya. I may have misread the situation. I was so relieved that no one objected to Saerya's presence.
I enjoyed Alys' part too. Though I don't have much to say apart from I wish she chose to speak honestly about Edward. Not just because I hate him, I promise. I feel that our pirate King here might've appreciated some honest words about Edward.
Finally caught up again! Sorry I haven't commented here for a while. Nothing serious happened. I just didn't feel like reading for a bit. Anyway I'm gonna leave some short thoughts about a few of the previous parts I missed the voting for.
Ah, welcome back! No worries, I totally understand. Glad you managed to catch up again and just in time for the next part to be released today
So Garthon got... kind of lucky? I say kind of because the woman he knew (can't remember her name) seemed so hesitant to actually speak up and save them that it kind of annoyed me. I may be overthinking it but it really got on my nerves and I don't know why she seemed so hesitant to help.
Hm, here that woman's backstory must be taken into account. Her name is Dacey and I am not entirely sure if her past was properly explained during her appearance in the first half of Book 1 (over 2 years ago), but basically, the stuff she's been through has left her borderline traumatized when it comes to Ironborn and for good reason. As such, she equal parts hates and fears them to a degree that far exceeds that of most Sons of the Trident (except maybe people such as Deywn). Sure, this is not exactly rational when it comes to Garthon, but try telling that to someone who has a severe emotional reaction to Ironborn in general. The important part here is that she ultimately chose to do the right thing even if she could have let him hang. She might have hesitated, but that is due to the general reaction she has towards Ironborn, so it's actually kind of a huge step for her to help Garthon out here despite his heritage and nothing she was able to decide in an instant.
It's weird but Kyra's parts leave me so uncomfortable. It might be intentional but it really gives me that "Don't want to be here" feeling. I suspect it's because of the Hoares and how much I loathe them, (plus she's screwing one of them which you obviously know I disapprove of) it might also be because I haven't been particularly happy with some of Kyra's decisions. I still like Kyra though, hopefully that doesn't change.
Well, she is around some very uncomfortable people and dealing with some very uncomfortable topics, such as Mallister marrying his child to freaking Harmund. I guess being uncomfortable is perfectly understandable. Kyra herself has such a feeling, because while she does like Harrick (probably not as much as he likes her though) and has some degree of respect for Harren, considering she receives the same respect in return, she shares your negative feelings towards Harmund, Harlan and Harndon. Her storyline will deal with these conflicting feelings towards her liege, his family, her family and the general situation in the Riverlands. While I could see you definitely not agreeing with all of her decisions to come, there should be moments in which I am rather sure she'll win back some sympathy and all in all, while I can never be sure how you all are going to react to some events, Kyra should remain a likable character for the most part, all things considered.
I really enjoyed Samantha's part though! Had a few of my favorites! Kyra, Jenna and my beloved Saerya! Is it just me or is Davith thirsty as fuck? No offense intended towards Davith but man was I like "Dude, cool it" when he was interacting with Saerya. I may have misread the situation. I was so relieved that no one objected to Saerya's presence.
Hehe, Davith definitely thinks of himself as a womanizer. In Book 1, he has been largely oblivious to the fact that his chances with Samantha are literally zero, but he's beginning to realize this. Saerya meanwhile, she's definitely someone he hasn't expected here, so he's trying to check out his chances. Highly inappropriate timing, but that's Davith And yeah, no one objected to Saerya's presence here. Jenna and Leonard trust her, Kersea doesn't really feel as if she's in any position to voice her distrust and Richard was convinced, whereas Samantha, Sasha and Davith where kinda surprised, but also have enough trust into Leonard to tolerate her here.
I enjoyed Alys' part too. Though I don't have much to say apart from I wish she chose to speak honestly about Edward. Not just because I hate him, I promise. I feel that our pirate King here might've appreciated some honest words about Edward.
Hehe, hate towards Edward would have actually been partially her motivation, because she is really bitter about his actions during the raid. But you are right, while this wouldn't have necessarily been on her mind when making the choice, Aeron is someone to appreciate such honesty, the question is just if the appreciation he shows is enough to outweigh the loss of Edward's still present support and protection.
Finally caught up again! Sorry I haven't commented here for a while. Nothing serious happened. I just didn't feel like reading for a bit. An… moreyway I'm gonna leave some short thoughts about a few of the previous parts I missed the voting for.
So Garthon got... kind of lucky? I say kind of because the woman he knew (can't remember her name) seemed so hesitant to actually speak up and save them that it kind of annoyed me. I may be overthinking it but it really got on my nerves and I don't know why she seemed so hesitant to help.
It's weird but Kyra's parts leave me so uncomfortable. It might be intentional but it really gives me that "Don't want to be here" feeling. I suspect it's because of the Hoares and how much I loathe them, (plus she's screwing one of them which you obviously know I disapprove of) it might also be because I haven't been particularly happy with some of Kyra's decisions. I still like Kyra though, hopefully that doesn't c… [view original content]
Wow, Liquid. The song worked for some good at least. Everything isn't white anylonger, my good god, things is finally easy to look at again. All we need now is the main post.
The Voting is closed!
Alys is going to urge Aeron to give Edward another chance
Hm... I was very curious what you would pick here and … moreas it turns out, you decided to actually give Edward this chance. Pragmatism was very much the reasoning and will also play a factor for Alys in her next part. It was a major choice for her and will majorly affect her storyline, mostly in that she can still count on Edward's questionable assistance. Losing that without gaining safety in return could have possibly been very risky, though if you truly picked the better choice will be shown in the long haul.
The next part is hopefully going to be out today. I am currently writing a Drent part, though if I decide to include a second PoV, then it will possibly take me a little bit longer. Whom this second PoV will be, I don't know yet, though I am leaning towards Raenna or Willfred. But anyways, there will be Drent. Also, the chapter finale is close. So clo… [view original content]
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Garen chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and the trick you just pulled in the Great Hall, that probably makes some people think you consider yourself better than the rest of us”
“I don't”, Drent replied, perhaps a bit too hastily, as the accusation worried and angered him alike. Torrence gave him a crooked smirk. “Yeah, you got kind of a weird way of showing that. Me, I would have rather pissed myself up there than say a word to the Storm King out of line. Only reason you still got lucky is because the princess likes you. Doesn't make you likeable, you know. Common folk, they don't like those that mingle with the ones above. That today hasn't brought you a lot of friends”
“Well, I thought it was brave”, Edonia replied and Torrence shook his head. “Yeah, but you're just as mad as he is”, he told her, to which Edonia narrowed her eyes. Her brother shrugged widely. “Hey, I'm just saying it as it is”, he spoke. “Common folk should stick to common folk. Guess that's what Garen meant, only he had to be an arse about it”
“Yeah, 'cause you're that much better”, Edonia mumbled and Torrence smiled sarcastically. “Thank you for seeing it at last, sister”, he chuckled, as they reached the barracks, a long building on the northern side of the castle courtyard, spanning alongside the entirety of the northern wall. Five stories, it was still dwarfed by the walls itself and definitely by the massive keep and yet, it was home to thousands of soldiers, Storm's End's very own garrison. Housing several smaller halls for hundreds of people to eat at once, the largest armoury in Westeros, not counting anything about Hoare's monstrosity of a castle, as well as rooms for the officers of Argilac's army.
Ser Emphryus was waiting for them to catch up at the nearest entrance to the lengthy building. “They just informed me, your rooms have been taken”, he told them. “They weren't sure if any of us would return” He grinned. “Fuckers, eh? Third floor, fifth hallway, I cleared a couple rooms for you. Pairs of two, you got off for tomorrow. New duties will come the day after and I expect you to be combat ready at all time”
Drent saluted, a gesture Edonia and Torrence repeated after him. “Will you take over the unit now, Ser?”, he asked and the memory of Montclair sent a sting through his chest. What would the sergeant's sons say? Someone had to take on the cruel task of informing them and he hoped Emphryus would at least do this, to spare him, or even worse, Argella.
The knight shook his head. “That remains to be seen”, he spoke. “For the time being, you're under my command, but I won't be your sergeant. There's many soldiers who need my guidance. I'll give you your orders, but that's it. Don't come running to me if you got issues with anything, keep it away from me and wait until there's a proper commanding officer for you”
He remained at the entrance, as Drent and the Bernile siblings entered. Edonia rolled her eyes. “Figures”, she mumbled, once they were safely out of earshot. “Would have been quite a surprise if they would have arranged for a replacement already” A streak of curiosity appeared on her face, as she glanced at Drent. “You got your eyes on the post?”, she asked.
Drent raised an eyebrow. “What?”, he asked, before he shook his head, as they walked up a set of stairs. “No! Absolutely not. How'd you get the idea?” Edonia shrugged. “Well, it would be easy for you now”, she replied. “You got the princess on your side. The king is impressed. I think even Emphryus likes you, but it's kinda hard to tell with him”
At this, Drent sighed, even if he could see where she was getting from. “I didn't do this because I want a promotion”, he replied. “It was the right thing to do” Edonia gave him a nod. “Well, you won't hear me objecting”, she spoke. “But that is precisely what Montclair would have said. What he would have done. Regardless of your motives, maybe you're the best for the post”
A chuckle came out of Torrence's throat, as they reached the floor Emphryus had assigned to them. Other members of their unit, men Drent had barely spoken to even, they were already there, claiming rooms to sleep in, empty beds to take for their own. “Given the competition, I won't disagree”, he said. “I mean, whom else do we have? You wanna do it?”
Edonia pressed her lips together, before shaking her head briefly. “Wouldn't dare”, she said. “I spoke to Montclair once. Must have been one hell of a duty for him. Whomever follows has a lot to fill and if Emphryus isn't up for it... let's just say, I'm happy the way things are for me”
“Guess who just jinxed herself”, Torrence added dryly and Edonia rolled her eyes. She glanced at an open room, before giving both men a nod. “I'll crash here, I guess”, she spoke. “We'll talk tomorrow” With that, she entered the room, while Drent and Torrence glanced at the open door a bit in front of them.
“As good as any, I guess”, Torrence said, as he entered the room, glancing over the barely present furniture. Drent nodded, putting his backpack onto one of the two narrow beds, sighing as he sat down on the hard mattress. At least it was a bed, he was glad for what he had. “Can it be that you two are getting along now?”, he asked towards the man he'd be sharing a room with. “You and Edonia, I mean”
Torrence hesitated for a moment. “I... wouldn't go that far”, he admitted. “But things are different now. I would have died during the raid if not for her shooting that archer” He paused again. “We all would have. So... she's got her uses, alright. And she's not nagging me all that much anymore, about her fucking archery”
He sat down as well, looking at Drent on the other end of the small room. “Why don't you just do it then?”, Drent asked. “You can be a good fighter and a good archer” Torrence rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right”, he mumbled. “Look, I'm not having any illusions there, I'm mediocre. I can hold my ground in a fight, but don't expect me to ever stick out, unless I really pour everything into my training. Same goes for archery, I'm not as good as Edonia claims. She meanwhile, oh, you saw her. A prodigy. When people see me, they only ever see Edonia's little brother. You think that'll change if I follow in her footsteps?”
Drent had to admit, Torrence had a point there, so he nodded. “I suppose that makes sense”, he agreed and Torrence shot him a grin. “Things will get back to how they were soon enough, I guess”, he brought up. “She won't remain silent about it forever. Controlling my life, that's what she wants” He shrugged. “But I suppose I can deal with that. But how are you going to deal with all this?”
To these words, Drent raised an eyebrow and Torrence smirked at him. “Things getting back to how they were, I mean”, he explained. “The last couple months, you were important. The princess trusted you, kept you close. The few around you looked up to you. That is no more. You're one out of thousands now”
Drent narrowed his eyes. “Don't you start about this as well”, he growled and quickly, Torrence raised his hands, his expression getting more friendly again. “Easy, I don't mean to attack you about this”, he said. “But you gave me advice, so accept mine in return. Just move on, do your duty and stay close to those around you. Don't try to mingle with royalty, that never works out for the likes of us”
As he lay down on the bed, Drent placed his hands behind the back of his head, letting out a sigh. “It wasn't like that”, he claimed weakly and Torrence raised an eyebrow. “You're telling me you did not enjoy it?”, he asked. “Just forget about it, Golton. What do you expect this to lead to? The princess is not your friend, she's your future queen. Your friends are the people around you, those you see eye to eye with”
As Drent frowned, Torrence continued, if briefly. “But it's not as if you have much of a choice in the whole thing. Save for that scene earlier today, you won't get much of a chance to change it”, he spoke, sounding honestly sympathetic. “Sooner you deal with it, the better, because we need you with your mind on the duty. Things are all back to the way they were before”
And Torrence should remain correct, at least for the most part of the next few days. Duty as usual, that's how Drent kept them in mind. It was as if he had never left. Ser Emphryus kept his distance, barking orders every morning and Drent would follow. A good soldier, as he had always been. Keeping watch on the walls, the gates, patrolling, maintaining his equipment, honing his skills.
There was the training. Edonia beat him in archery, she beat them all to be fair. Torrence proved to be a fierce opponent when it came to close combat and thankfully, Garen kept his distance. In fact, the sellsword was barely around these days, probably spending his time with Tariel somewhere in the keep itself. Drent ate in one of the smaller halls of the barracks, reserved for the soldiers and the one time he managed to secure a seat in the Great Hall, the Storm Princess had excused herself.
Instead, her suitors had been there, pridefully displaying themselves, in fine clothes, bright, strong and handsome. Lower noblemen, but still so much more than Drent could ever hope to be. Sitting at the far end of the hall, he could not hear what they were talking about, but Bernard Buckler's jest made even the grim Dickon Morrigen smile. Only the Fell, Warrick, wasn't smiling. Instead, he looked across the hall with something Drent considered to be almost aggravating boredom. How could he be bored? How could he be unwilling to be up there, when every man in this kingdom would do anything to swap places with him?
Yes, it was duty as usual for Drent and both, Torrence and Garen had been proven right in a way, much to his chagrin. This was something he had to get used to again, being one out of many, nothing but a grunt. Had he truly changed this much, that his old duties were almost dreadful to him?
And so, he carried on, not complaining ever, but he wasn't sure if he could fully hide how he felt. Perhaps Torrence had been right in the end, perhaps he should have never even tried to get close to the princess. After he glimpse had gotten of him truly mattering and doing things that truly mattered, it was hard to accept that it would never truly belong to him. And Argella, it was hard to admit, but there were some illusions he was only reluctant to break.
The real surprise didn't come until several days later though. It was after Drent and Torrence had finished their meal for the evening. Settling down in their room, Drent was lying on the bed, while Torrence knelt on the ground, pushing himself up from the ground and back down again.
“When do you think they'll name the new sergeant?”, he asked from the ground and Drent glanced at him. “Don't know”, he admitted half-heartedly. Torrence raised an eyebrow, pushing himself up again. “More like 'don't care'”, he realized. “Come on, Golton. What's the problem? It was an easy day. I think the even stew had meat in it”
Drent rolled his eyes. “Great”, he mumbled and Torrence chuckled. “Still not settled back in, huh?”, he asked. “You gotta give it more time, man. Won't be long until you'll know nothing else anymore” Just as he said this, there was a knock on the door. Torrence jumped up from the ground, exchanging a glance with Drent, before shrugging and moving to open it.
The one who had knocked was none other than the tall silver-haired Maester Qoherys. His beard neatly falling down on his chest, he was wearing his gambeson and held a thick quarterstaff in his hand, reinforced with silver on each end, almost as if he was expecting trouble. Clad in a thick cloak, he had the hood pulled down to reveal his face, but wouldn't actually attract much attention if pulling it up. Staring at the two men out of his purple eyes, he was perhaps the last person Drent had expected.
No, the last person he had expected was the one behind the maester. Argella stood there, wearing a wide cloak to hide most of her features. Instantly, Torrence fell down onto one knee and Drent hurried to get up from his bed to do the same. However, the princess raised a hand, a sign to stop. “Leave us for a moment, Torrence”, she ordered, her tone serious, as she looked at Drent.
The soldier slowly rose again, eyebrows raised in confusion. “Of... course, my princess”, he said, glancing at Drent and very subtly shaking his head. Argella and the maester made room for him, as he hurried out of the room. After he was gone, the two entered and Qoherys closed the door behind them.
Argella moved closer, stopping a few feet away from Drent, as she looked around the room. Drent himself gulped, cursing himself in silence for not cleaning more properly. He stared at the ground, colour rising in his cheeks. “My princess”, he said and Argella sighed. She wasn't smiling and yet, there was something in her eyes. “How may I be of service?”
She bit down onto her lower lip. “I never got the chance to thank you”, she stated. “It has been a busy week, but still... What you did in the Great Hall, I figured I should personally thank you instead of just sending you a token of something” Drent smiled at her. “It was my pleasure”, he said and for a moment, she reciprocated the smile. Now he saw the look in her eyes more closely. It was a stern look, the same she had since leaving Raylansfair, but with only a hint of sadness in it.
“You have been brave”, she complimented him and he chuckled. “Why did you do it?”, he asked in return and she raised an eyebrow, as Maester Qoherys narrowed his eyes. The man was just staring at Drent, blocking the door with his impressive frame. “You are questioning a princess?”, Argella asked. “As brazen as always” She sighed. “But you shall get your answer. I... in a way, I still feel like I have to. You may see things differently, but that's the difference between you and me. You saw me doing what I could, I saw me not doing enough”
“Nobody expects perfection”, Drent assured her and Argella shook her head. “I do”, she clarified. “I owe nothing less, to myself and my people” She walked close to him, passing him as Drent held his breath, before approaching the small window. “But I value what you did for me. I value your friendship”, she said in a thin voice. “If that means living through the guilt, feeling like I could make amends, then so be it. I won't betray your gesture”
She did not smile, even as Drent did. “You came to tell me?”, he asked and Argella shook her head again. “Not just”, she revealed, as she looked at Qoherys. Drent tilted his head. “Why... is he here?”, he asked and the princess rolled her dark blue eyes. “My chaperone”, she chirped, to which a very quick grin formed on Qoherys' face. “He opted to accompany me and frankly, I value his support”
The maester straightened his back. “The princess has a proposition for you”, he explained and Drent raised his eyebrows. “An order?”, he asked, to which Argella smiled. “No”, she clairifed. “A request, as your friend”
As she put a hand onto his shoulder, he tensed up, as the look in her eyes grew equal parts more stern and intense. “I am sure you have noticed these three... men my father tries to marry me off to”, she hissed and his grim expression was all she needed. “Yes, you know them. It might not surprise you, but I object to their intentions, heavily so” Looking at Qoherys, the hint of a smile flashed across her face. “And I am not alone with this”
Qoherys gave her a nod. “I spoke with each of them and found them all to be... unworthy”, he revealed. “Bernard Buckler is not a bad man, but he lacks respect for the very nature of our princess. Jonathan Errol is of lower birth, the second son of a lord far below the godly origins of House Durrandon. And Warrick Fell... what Buckler shows all too much, he has too little of. There is no passion in him, at least not for her and this title he seemingly aims to claim. He doesn't want to be here and frankly, fair Argella deserves more than a man that only remains with her out of duty”
“You silver charmer”, the princess said. “But it's true, I object to each of them. The last thing I want in this world is to be... bartered away, like some price to claim, like... cattle” As she said these words, anger flared up in her voice, the familiar fury of her line. Qoherys raised an eyebrow. “If you are not careful, it will happen, my princess”, he warned her. “There's not a man in this kingdom that wouldn't love to be with you, to rule these lands by your side”
“Aside from Warrick Fell, maybe”, Argella interjected and Drent looked at the maester. “And you are helping her?”, he asked, to which Qoherys nodded. “Why?” The maester put a hand behind his back. “Because I serve House Durrandon. Not only her father, but her as well. Because I like her and think she deserves better than these three”
Argella smiled thinly right at the maester. “Qoherys has proven to be a good advisor”, she explained. “He will do his part and today, I have come to ask for your help” Drent crossed his arms, the last week, dreadful as it was, still fresh in mind. “What do you have in mind, my princess?”, he asked.
“My father has called for a tourney”, she revealed and Drent's eyes widened. “A tourney!”, he exclaimed and she gave him a nod. “Here in Storm's End”, she continued. “Due to the war effort to the north and the south, he deemed it inappropriate to make it a big one, but preparations will nonetheless start soon. It should host an impressive number of lords and knights, among them my dearest suitors. He didn't say it, but I know what he intends, he wants them to win, to impress me, but that won't happen”
“They will not win”, Qoherys explained and Argella smiled grimly. “Ser Emphryus will joust for me and I have no doubt he will unhorse everyone that tries to win my favour”, she continued. “And I spoke to Edonia earlier, urged her to participate with the archers. I look forward to see their faces when they get beaten by a lowborn woman”
Drent began to understand. “And you need my help”, he said. Argella sighed. “Not 'need'”, she clarified. “But I want it, because I trust you the most. Because of what you said in the Great Hall” Her smile faded and for a moment, there was a hint of uncertainty that didn't seem to fit to the rest of her. “I... just want you to know that it is a request, not an order”
“It will be dangerous”, Qoherys explained. “You can hardly joust and archery doesn't seem to be your forte, so I suggested you for the melee, especially as I consider Emphryus' wounds from Raylansfair to be too severe for him to perform properly in two disciplines”
Drent sighed, trying to calm his heavily thumping heart. “The melee”, he mumbled and Argella's hand on his shoulder felt heavy. “With blunt weapons, preventing the worst injuries”, she said. “Frankly, I don't know if you can win. My father will fight. Ser Landry has voiced interest and as a matter of fact, so has Warrick Fell. What matters is that you knock him to the ground before going down yourself, to deny him the chance to win this”
“Isn't that...”, Drent began, but Qoherys cut him off. “It's a viable tactic”, he revealed. “You would be surprised how many noble ladies tried similar tricks to avoid unworthy suitors” Argella pressed her lips together. “I feel bad for suggesting it”, she said. “But this is serious. I cannot marry any of these men and whom can I count on if not you?” She sighed. “I cannot count on anyone else but those that have proven themselves in Raylansfair. You are my friend and as such, I... yes, I might actually need your help”
[Agree to fight in the melee][Decline her request]
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
[Agree to fight in the melee] While his chances aren't great, it could be a good way to measure Drent against the best warriors on the Stormlands, after all, the Last Storm won't happen for a long time.
Besides, we know even lowborn can gain prestige in tournaments, take Duncan the Tall for example (although he gained fame for beating the shit of a Prince who deserved it)
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
[Agree to fight in the melee] Admittedly I was a bit unsure about this, considering how much other characters have recently been warning Drent not do, well, stuff like this I mean I could see the melee ending up to be a massive failure and embarrassment on Drent's part. That said, I just prefer Drent standing out from the rest of the grunts, rather than keeping his head low So, failure or not, I'd say taking part in the melee is the more interesting choice here.
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
THE MAIN POST HAS RETURNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I thought and then realized i was wrong!) ..................................So this update is purely aesthetic then?
Finally caught up again! Sorry I haven't commented here for a while. Nothing serious happened. I just didn't feel like reading for a bit. An… moreyway I'm gonna leave some short thoughts about a few of the previous parts I missed the voting for.
Ah, welcome back! No worries, I totally understand. Glad you managed to catch up again and just in time for the next part to be released today
So Garthon got... kind of lucky? I say kind of because the woman he knew (can't remember her name) seemed so hesitant to actually speak up and save them that it kind of annoyed me. I may be overthinking it but it really got on my nerves and I don't know why she seemed so hesitant to help.
Hm, here that woman's backstory must be taken into account. Her name is Dacey and I am not entirely sure if her past was properly explained during her appearance in the first half of Book 1 (over 2 years ago), but basically, the stuff she's been through has le… [view original content]
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
[Agree to fight in the melee] You'll get no objections from me. Away with these suitors! As for Torrence's advice to stay under the radar... screw it. I get where he's coming from but no one ever got anywhere by doing the exact same thing as everyone else. Plus you know... the ship.
I'm interested by the idea that Drent could go for Sergant. Nothing wrong with a little ambition. See an opportunity? Then grab it.
I really hope this isn't just going to be a slow process of getting my hopes up and crushing them by having Drent fail miserably.
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
It's a Drent thing to do, he's heads over heels for the Princess. I can definitely see Drent getting himself in major trouble, perhaps even killed for Argella's sake, but oh well.
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
[Agree to fight in the melee]
It's a Drent thing to do, he's heads over heels for the Princess. I can definitely see Drent getting himself in major trouble, perhaps even killed for Argella's sake, but oh well.
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
While his chances aren't great, it could be a good way to measure Drent against the best warriors on the Stormlands, after all, the Last Storm won't happen for a long time.
Yeah, it's true, his chances to win, especially against men such as Argilac himself, or Landry, or Emphryus, they aren't particularly high. However, the melee puts less value on individual skill than the other disciplines and contains a certain element of luck. Given that Argella's main request is not for him to win, but for him to take Warrick Fell out, I'd say there is a chance he can at least succeed with that. After all, an opponent that really aims to take down one particular fighter, who in turn does not expect this, has quite some advantage.
Besides, we know even lowborn can gain prestige in tournaments, take Duncan the Tall for example (although he gained fame for beating the shit of a Prince who deserved it)
Indeed, lowborn can gain such prestige, even those who aren't knights like Duncan. Keep Anguy the archer in mind. I guess the joust is pretty much the only discipline reserved for knights, but it's not as if non-knights or non-highborn have any chance of ever gaining any skill with that weapon to begin with.
[Agree to fight in the melee] While his chances aren't great, it could be a good way to measure Drent against the best warriors on the Storm… morelands, after all, the Last Storm won't happen for a long time.
Besides, we know even lowborn can gain prestige in tournaments, take Duncan the Tall for example (although he gained fame for beating the shit of a Prince who deserved it)
Admittedly I was a bit unsure about this, considering how much other characters have recently been warning Drent not do, well, stuff like this I mean I could see the melee ending up to be a massive failure and embarrassment on Drent's part.
Hehe, I actually put these in to perhaps give a bit of an argument against helping Argella out, as otherwise, the whole choice itself wouldn't have made any sense. I mean, without these warnings, there would be no reason for Drent to in-character refuse to help her. Now, if Drent would refuse to help her, these warnings would be the reason for it. It's not exactly sure how much Garen has Drent's best interests at heart, but Torrence and Edonia definitely are concerned.
That said, I just prefer Drent standing out from the rest of the grunts, rather than keeping his head low So, failure or not, I'd say taking part in the melee is the more interesting choice here.
Yeah, if you wish for Drent to stand out, this is the choice to pick for sure. Victory or not, he will stand out by virtue of being one of the few commoners participating in the melee. Argilac already thinks he has guts and actually fighting against him won't exactly harm this opinion.
[Agree to fight in the melee] Admittedly I was a bit unsure about this, considering how much other characters have recently been warning Dre… morent not do, well, stuff like this I mean I could see the melee ending up to be a massive failure and embarrassment on Drent's part. That said, I just prefer Drent standing out from the rest of the grunts, rather than keeping his head low So, failure or not, I'd say taking part in the melee is the more interesting choice here.
No, I am afraid the main post hasn't returned yet. Blind Sniper has said it might return, which is at least a positive prognosis, but it should be kept in mind, he is not part of the web team and can only reveal and interpret what they tell him. It appears he sees the chance for it, based on what they said, which is an improvement to one of his previous comments about him not considering this likely. So, maybe they actually listened to the reasons in favour of the main post, I guess time will tell.
For the future, here's a useful piece of advice: If the main post actually returns, you can easily see this by checking if there's a main post at the top of the page. If there is, there's a good chance the main post has actually returned
THE MAIN POST HAS RETURNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I thought and then realized i was wrong!) ..................................So this update is purely aesthetic then?
You'll get no objections from me. Away with these suitors! As for Torrence's advice to stay under the radar... screw it. I get where he's coming from but no one ever got anywhere by doing the exact same thing as everyone else. Plus you know... the ship.
Yeah, Torrence's argument is not without reason, but it's definitely not perfect either. Especially as he himself wants glory, he just chooses a different approach than Drent, whom he fears could grow too detached from those that actually will have his back, while highborn, in his opinion even Argella, will never see eye to eyewith him. But yeah, the ship, the ship is a reason I can not argue against.
I'm interested by the idea that Drent could go for Sergant. Nothing wrong with a little ambition. See an opportunity? Then grab it.
Yeah, Drent starts to be intrigued by this as well. The problem is, Montclair has been pretty much the perfect sergeant, so Drent is also a bit intimidated to follow after that man. But someone has to. Edonia is a bit limited due to her gender, Torrence is simply not good enough, the post is way below Emphryus, so Drent might actually have chances.
I really hope this isn't just going to be a slow process of getting my hopes up and crushing them by having Drent fail miserably.
Hehe... hehehe. Why would you ever believe such a thing? It's not as if that ever happened in the story before
Also, from your post above (so that I don't have to make this two replies)
Is he right?
I'd say he is not wrong. Davith can be quite popular with the ladies, he just has the issue of falling for the wrong one. He's good looking and can be charming, as well as genuinely brave and selfless, always attractive traits. However, Samantha is not into men and Saerya, well, she's not a particularly lustful person in general, she is more attracted by those that have a use for her.
[Agree to fight in the melee] You'll get no objections from me. Away with these suitors! As for Torrence's advice to stay under the radar...… more screw it. I get where he's coming from but no one ever got anywhere by doing the exact same thing as everyone else. Plus you know... the ship.
I'm interested by the idea that Drent could go for Sergant. Nothing wrong with a little ambition. See an opportunity? Then grab it.
I really hope this isn't just going to be a slow process of getting my hopes up and crushing them by having Drent fail miserably.
Hm, this is something Argella might object against. She knows the melee is dangerous and there have been reports of people dying in this discipline before, but she hopes that Drent will at worst get out of this with only some bruises. Him clearly being quite smitten by her is not exactly making things easier for him though, as he's more likely to be a bit reckless. Given, she is definitely more than just a bit reckless herself, but unlike him, she can afford it on account of having guards around her almost all day.
[Agree to fight in the melee]
It's a Drent thing to do, he's heads over heels for the Princess. I can definitely see Drent getting himself in major trouble, perhaps even killed for Argella's sake, but oh well.
[Agree to fight in the melee] Why not?It is the choice that will lead to a much interesting way to see the tourney storyline and it is the choice that Drent will probably do in character
RT:
1)During this Drent part time flies!
2)It was time that the fellow soldiers makes Drent remember his place in society
3)I'm curious to read who will be the new sergeant (RIP Montclair)...Drent?One of the Bernile?A new character?Harren Hoare?
4)It is good see that Argella remember the time spent with Drent and to make a visit with the "totally not a secret targaryen supporter" maester
5)I'm curious to read more of the suitors since we really know little about them
6)Garen has finally decide to leave Drent alone for a while (he probably decide to continue his secret meetings with Tariel)
7)Speaking of Tariel I suppose that she has lost much (or maybe even all) of her influence inside Durrandon court
8)A tourney!I must say that I don't expect this development during the Stormland storyline but I'm really excited to read how you will develop it! (And I suppose it will be the main focus of chapter 3)
9)I don't know if there is or not some to be characters for the task but I hope that aside some knights (obviously) you will introduce in the future Drent parts some member of the Houses more close to the Durrandon family!And even some new soldier (since it seems that Drent really need to talk to some people of his own line of work that is not only the Bernile duo!)
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
And yes that's probably a good way to tell. Hilariously enough that was exactly the method i used. It turns out i had accidentally clicked on the first page instead of the latest one .
No, I am afraid the main post hasn't returned yet. Blind Sniper has said it might return, which is at least a positive prognosis, but it sho… moreuld be kept in mind, he is not part of the web team and can only reveal and interpret what they tell him. It appears he sees the chance for it, based on what they said, which is an improvement to one of his previous comments about him not considering this likely. So, maybe they actually listened to the reasons in favour of the main post, I guess time will tell.
For the future, here's a useful piece of advice: If the main post actually returns, you can easily see this by checking if there's a main post at the top of the page. If there is, there's a good chance the main post has actually returned
[Agree to fight in the melee] I have my reservations, but hey, it's only death if Drent screws up severely. That's on him. We can beat the heck out of people now with no consequences.
She did not smile, even as Drent did. “You came to tell me?”, he asked and Argella shook her head again. “Not just”, she revealed, as she looked at Qoherys. Drent tilted his head. “Why... is he here?”, he asked and the princess rolled her dark blue eyes. “My chaperone”, she chirped, to which a very quick grin formed on Qoherys' face. “He opted to accompany me and frankly, I value his support”
As she put a hand onto his shoulder, he tensed up, as the look in her eyes grew equal parts more stern and intense. “I am sure you have noticed these three... men my father tries to marry me off to”, she hissed and his grim expression was all she needed. “Yes, you know them. It might not surprise you, but I object to their intentions, heavily so” Looking at Qoherys, the hint of a smile flashed across her face. “And I am not alone with this”
Qoherys is far too shady. What a creep. Don't trust 'em.
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
That is something I am really not very skilled at, but I hope it was nonetheless readable, having a bit of a time skip in the part itself. I usually prefer to have them happen between chapters, or between parts at most, but this is the first time, I think, that I skipped over an entire week in the part itself. Reason is that I realized while writing that my plan for the second half of this part made zero sense without a small time skip. There is simply no way Argella could have talked to her father, gotten over her initial tantrum, spend some time with her suitors and realize that yes, she really doesn't want to marry them, learned of the tourney, developed a plan to avoid having them win glory during it and gained an ally in Qoherys all in the amount of time it took Drent to move to his room and unpack his belongings. Neither did I want to spend too much time with this week I skipped over, because nothing of particular interest happened there to move the story of the characters forward. We would have learned nothing new. Edonia would have still been the most capable of them, Torrence would have been mediocre (yet slowly improving, also on a personal level), Garen would have still been a jerk (albeit not without reason for once) and Drent would have simply been bored by the whole situation and his duties, something I think I still managed to point out. In the end, I guess writing these moments out in more detail would have been just that, boring, so I took the liberty to directly get to the meaty part, something I do rarely enough
2)It was time that the fellow soldiers makes Drent remember his place in society
Yeah, no doubt Drent has gotten a bit more disconnected to his actual companions during the journey to Raylansfair. Being pretty much Argella's favourite soldier has its benefits, but as Torrence rightfully pointed out, it comes at the effect of everyone else, even people he should be able to rely on, suddenly being more envious than anything else and him being quickly isolated if he further follows that path.
3)I'm curious to read who will be the new sergeant (RIP Montclair)...Drent?One of the Bernile?A new character?Harren Hoare?
Totally Harren Hoare. The man is used to ordering others around, he has a military background, can make people follow his orders, is not afraid of disciplining those that step out of line, he is pretty much the perfect candidate. It can only be hoped he will seriously consider this offer, because I believe it could hold some severe career benefits for him. In all seriousness though, a new sergeant for the unit is needed and eventually, it is up to Emphryus to appoint a new one.
4)It is good see that Argella remember the time spent with Drent and to make a visit with the "totally not a secret targaryen supporter" maester
She definitely will not forget this, I can promise that much. Her growing friendship with Drent has been a source of character development for her during Book 1 and she definitely isn't one to forget about such things, even if she is back to her home turf now and therefore influenced by other elements again. Qoherys meanwhile is one of the newer influences at court and well, while I obviously cannot comment on any possible Targaryen connection, I can say that he as well has his secrets and personal goals in all this.
5)I'm curious to read more of the suitors since we really know little about them
I believe they should get some time to shine in the next chapter for sure. There really is little we know about them yet other than some basic character traits, but I have scenes planned for all of them in the next chapter and by the end of it, you should have a better idea of whom these three actually are as people.
6)Garen has finally decide to leave Drent alone for a while (he probably decide to continue his secret meetings with Tariel)
Yeah, he is still livid at Drent for the stuff that happened in Book 1, but is keeping his distance for now. Not being forced to see him every day probably helps. I can also confirm, he is indeed still seeing Tariel, though he'd never go as far as to consider them in a relationship.
7)Speaking of Tariel I suppose that she has lost much (or maybe even all) of her influence inside Durrandon court
She has taken a serious blow, you are right. Here's the thing, Argella herself realized in the last chapter that Tariel by herself is not responsible for this trickery. She has similarly been manipulated by Sherryl and Argella considers it unlikely that her father truly had no idea about this. He either supported her goal of faking a claim and taking over Raylansfair for political reasons or he at least accepted it due to considering himself to benefit from this. The fact that she is still around shows that Argella wasn't entirely wrong, but neither has she made Tariel's true involvement in all this public. However, her comfortable position is gone and she has to try and find some other way to prove her worth.
8)A tourney!I must say that I don't expect this development during the Stormland storyline but I'm really excited to read how you will develop it! (And I suppose it will be the main focus of chapter 3)
Make it chapter to, actually. I don't plan on waiting too long until the tourney starts and as a matter of fact, so does Argilac, who wants to get on with this before the coming war will prevent him from hosting another tourney for a long time. It will serve to gather his lords, it will give the suitors a way to hopefully impress Argella and all in all, it will be something I am super excited to write
9)I don't know if there is or not some to be characters for the task but I hope that aside some knights (obviously) you will introduce in the future Drent parts some member of the Houses more close to the Durrandon family!And even some new soldier (since it seems that Drent really need to talk to some people of his own line of work that is not only the Bernile duo!)
Hm, the tourney will probably more focus on knights and nobles, because they are the ones to usually shine during such an event. I have plans for Drent to interact with several more soldiers, but that is unlikely to happen during the tourney itself, where he will mostly interact with those already introduced, as well as new highborn characters from the houses sworn to Durrandon. Those that know the canonical Stormland houses will spot a couple familiar names among the participants. However, there will also be new lowborn Stormlanders, soldiers to be precise, to be featured in the future, be assured of that.
[Agree to fight in the melee] Why not?It is the choice that will lead to a much interesting way to see the tourney storyline and it is the c… morehoice that Drent will probably do in character
RT:
1)During this Drent part time flies!
2)It was time that the fellow soldiers makes Drent remember his place in society
3)I'm curious to read who will be the new sergeant (RIP Montclair)...Drent?One of the Bernile?A new character?Harren Hoare?
4)It is good see that Argella remember the time spent with Drent and to make a visit with the "totally not a secret targaryen supporter" maester
5)I'm curious to read more of the suitors since we really know little about them
6)Garen has finally decide to leave Drent alone for a while (he probably decide to continue his secret meetings with Tariel)
7)Speaking of Tariel I suppose that she has lost much (or maybe even all) of her influence inside Durrandon court
8)A tourney!I must say that I don't expect this… [view original content]
Alright, alright then! Important announcement for all of you!
It might not look like it right now, but my friends, I can tell you something amazing, I bring news, I bring with me a blessing of the noble web team. It seems the power of my song has moved them and they decided to bless us all. At least that is what I am going to claim forevermore. Also, for those of you who don't know how to do it, I bring an explanation on how to activate this boon, so listen closely.
First of all, the main post has returned. Yes, I can confirm, the main post has returned and I am looking at it right now, in all its main-postey glory. It's beautiful and I am excited. However, those of you that haven't spotted it already in the update thread in the general discussion (which I suggest you check out for further news down the line) will probably not see it. Thing is, this is something each and every one of you has to activate for themselves, which I believe is a very nice compromise. Instead of me deciding that this thread needs a main post, you can all decide for yourselves, but I believe a majority of you would very much prefer the main post at the top of every page as it used to be in the ancient days up until the fateful day known forever as the 18th of October.
So, I decided to help you out there and made two screenshots to explain it:
First of all, you go to your profile page and click onto that symbol next to your profile picture, opening a new option named "preferences", as seen here: https://i.imgur.com/3GZRlx0.png
After clicking on it and being brought to https://telltale.com/community/profile/preferences/, you activate the option highlighted in this screenshot (as well as any other you might like. I'm not sure which of these are activated by default, but I fare very comfortably with the ones I have activaed): https://i.imgur.com/Imvc5hG.png
And voila, we got us a main post
So, I hope that will help those of you who still struggle with the update, especially as it means each of the discussions you visit will now have a main post, not just FoT. I for one am actually satisfied. Still not a fan of the linear style, but I think I'm getting used to it and the stuff I wouldn't have gotten used to, such as the absence of the main post, have been dealt with at last. For that, I believe I owe Telltale my gratitude.
[Agree to fight in the melee] Gosh dang, I missed out on the last part, but this part sure did get me going again! Drent is back home baby, doing normal soldier stuff. I like the idea of him doing this tourney, because if he does something of note, he may eventually get a promotion to Sergeant, maybe even a knighthood if he beats up some knight real good. The Torrence room mate bits were particularly funny I thought. Hopefully we'll see more dorm room action, where Drent has to complain to his neighbor about staying up too late, his lute way too loud. Or how Torrence keeps on snoring in the middle of the night and Drent can't stand it. And Edonia and the other girl soldiers are down the hall and giggle at something, and Drent and Torrence spend a whole Book trying to figure out what they were talking about.
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Ga… moreren chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and th… [view original content]
Alright, alright then! Important announcement for all of you!
It might not look like it right now, but my friends, I can tell you somethi… moreng amazing, I bring news, I bring with me a blessing of the noble web team. It seems the power of my song has moved them and they decided to bless us all. At least that is what I am going to claim forevermore. Also, for those of you who don't know how to do it, I bring an explanation on how to activate this boon, so listen closely.
First of all, the main post has returned. Yes, I can confirm, the main post has returned and I am looking at it right now, in all its main-postey glory. It's beautiful and I am excited. However, those of you that haven't spotted it already in the update thread in the general discussion (which I suggest you check out for further news down the line) will probably not see it. Thing is, this is something each and every one of you has to activate for themselves, which I believe i… [view original content]
Gosh dang, I missed out on the last part, but this part sure did get me going again! Drent is back home baby, doing normal soldier stuff. I like the idea of him doing this tourney, because if he does something of note, he may eventually get a promotion to Sergeant, maybe even a knighthood if he beats up some knight real good.
Ah, Bounden, welcome back Glad you enjoy the tourney idea, this is certainly something I am very excited to write as well. Beating up a knight, that is definitely going to be a bit of work though. We're talking about people who received the best of training, start with the best of equipment and ultimately live for the glory they can gain in such tourneys. And while not all will be present, some of the best knights in the Stormlands will participate in the melee, such as Emphryus Dresfel or Landry Swann and they won't make it easy. Then again, it is a melee and participating in it alone will give him a certain reputation that could help with any possible ambition he has.
The Torrence room mate bits were particularly funny I thought. Hopefully we'll see more dorm room action, where Drent has to complain to his neighbor about staying up too late, his lute way too loud. Or how Torrence keeps on snoring in the middle of the night and Drent can't stand it. And Edonia and the other girl soldiers are down the hall and giggle at something, and Drent and Torrence spend a whole Book trying to figure out what they were talking about.
Yeah, I suppose that's the direction for Drent's storyline from now on, sort of a college dorm/army barracks crossover In all seriousness, I plan for more such smaller slice of life interactions between the big stuff, as long as it does not distract from the direction of the story in general. The next chapter should hold some opportunity. Torrence and Edonia will remain Drent's closest associates there, at least among the soldiers, but he'll also encounter new people and some of them might actually be well-intentioned towards him.
[Agree to fight in the melee] Gosh dang, I missed out on the last part, but this part sure did get me going again! Drent is back home baby,… more doing normal soldier stuff. I like the idea of him doing this tourney, because if he does something of note, he may eventually get a promotion to Sergeant, maybe even a knighthood if he beats up some knight real good. The Torrence room mate bits were particularly funny I thought. Hopefully we'll see more dorm room action, where Drent has to complain to his neighbor about staying up too late, his lute way too loud. Or how Torrence keeps on snoring in the middle of the night and Drent can't stand it. And Edonia and the other girl soldiers are down the hall and giggle at something, and Drent and Torrence spend a whole Book trying to figure out what they were talking about.
Praise the web team! Seriously, here I was dearly hoping it would be some point before the end of the year, but not actually thinking it would be that soon, but it turns out they actually not only listened, but understood the importance. I have never shied being open about what I don't like about the site, but at the same time I think I should be at least equally vocal about the things I like, because the web team just did something I have to give them serious praise for. Seeing it back taught me just how badly I missed the main post before.
That was a surprisingly unanimous choice. I mean, I expected this option to win, but definitely did not think it would get every single vote, in a pretty active voting on top of that. I'll learn from this for future choices, trying to make them a little harder perhaps, if possible. We'll see how that'll work out. Anyways, this will definitely lead to an interesting storyline for Drent in Chapter 2. I can't reveal too much about it yet, but he will have some interactions with a couple characters which I am really looking forward to write.
The next part should be out today. I was busy yesterday, so no writing has been done there, but I nonetheless reach the halfway point of it and expect this part to be done later today. After all, I fully aim to finish the chapter before the end of this month. I only have one tiny problem, which I am sure is going to be dealt with in time. See, I am writing a Willfred part, but there is room for a second PoV. The ones who would be in order to receive another part, Jaron, Raenna and Ellena, are all very likely requiring a full-length part, so I won't even try to include them in the part I am writing right now. Instead, I am currently deciding between Sadie, Keat and Ysilla, albeit the latter might require a full-length part as well to wrap up her Chapter 1 storyline. I am leaning towards Sadie, though will decide when I start writing the part itself. So, here's a recap for Willfred first: Plagued by disturbing dreams, apparently caused by whatever artifact he took from Edward during their fight at the end of Book 1, Willfred also has issues with the new leadership of Raylansfair, because so far, he hasn't made any progress on his mission to receive troops for the Rock in their war against the Ironborn. Knowing of the true allegiance of Petyr and Maron, this will obviously be a risky task in general. His only ally is the equally shady Helenys Bellward, a merchant originally travelling to Raylansfair on Harris' request, but with ambitions to establish herself as a power player in her own right after the former castellan's death. Hurrying to a meeting with her, he encountered the Gardener knight Kasyn Luck, himself stationed in Raylansfair on King Mern's personal order, to keep an eye on the new lord. Apparently harbouring some suspicions, he asked for a moment of Willfred's time, but already running late for his appointment with Helenys, Willfred instead decided to keep him waiting. Meanwhile, Sadie made an important step in her recovery last time we saw her, agreeing to a sparring match with Edward Lancaster. Of course, just starting her training to fight with her left, she stood no chance against him, but it's the thought that counts. Afterwards, she had a meeting with Leo Hill, who told her that he wants to travel to the nearby Castamere, to have a talk with Mileena Reyne, Lady of Castamere and acting ruler during the absence of her husband and firstborn son. She decided to accompany them, together with two of his officers, Rhogarn Snow and Aklen Pentas. Meanwhile Keat returned to Oldtown after a while, now a rich man thanks to Maya properly paying him. He plans to use his coin to pay off the people he is in debt with, which was the original reason for him to leave the city behind. Unfortunately, he was first found by the one creditors he wanted to meet last, a man named Thorrin Bannister, who found Keat thanks to his trained hounds picking up the thief's scent. Not happy at all with Keat running from Oldtown, he gave him an offer: Either Keat could give him his backpack now, containing all of the coin and probably meaning the loss of a chance to pay off the other creditors (among them some of the most powerful remaining people in Oldtown, such as Hishi and Robert Tavner), or to continue being in debt to Thorrin and to repay him later. Keat decided to accept this suspiciously tempting offer and therefore refused to hand over his backpack.
And well, it feels lovely not having to copy/paste those links anymore. They have always been inadequate compared to the real deal. With the main post back, things feel back to normal already. Still missing threaded conversations, but I heavily doubt they will return anytime soon, so yeah, I don't expect much on that front and instead enjoy what we have. Such as the main post, which has been deeply missed. If you haven't yet seen how to get it back, I posted an explanation five posts above this one, so check it out
“A cup of tea?”, Aren asked, as Willfred leant back in his chair, putting a hand onto his thumping forehead. Helenys was already holding hers in one hand, the other softly moving over the back of her terrifying pet, the manticore. The creature seemed almost docile as it allowed the merchant to tough it, yet the small, black eyes on its unnerving near-human face were still and fixed on Willfred.
“Yes, please”, Willfred said, gulping as he forced himself to look away from the manticore. It was clear why Helenys had let her monstrosity out of its box. This was a negotiation of sorts and she was trying to intimidate him. And while Willfred feared no man and would match any thug she'd hire to seem imposing, he was unnerved by this tiny insect, the malicious intelligence that seemed to be in its eyes, the sharp hissing sound it emitted seemingly at random.
Willfred shot the servant a slight smile as Helenys took a small sip from her cup, her piercing, brown eyes as fixed on Willfred as her pet. “Ser Willfred”, she greeted him at last. “What a pleasure you could make it in time for our appointment” Willfred gave her a nod. “Couldn't let you wait, right?”, he replied, before politely bowing his head. “Lady Helenys”
“Good”, the older woman said. “I believe we have a lot to discuss today and I don't want to be late for my dinner with Lord Vyrwel” She put down the cup of tea, giving Aren a nod. Her servant walked around her, gulping as he reached for a box on the small table next to her. He opened it and placed it next to the manticore.
“Taros”, Helenys said softly and the creature let out a displeased hissing. Not afraid of how easily it could kill her, she gently pushed it with its finger, the tail brushing over her hand, as the creature gave in, to hurry back into its box. Helenys smiled at it like a mother would smile at her child, a notion Willfred considered to be almost more disturbing than the manticore itself.
Turning back to him, her stern face formed a smile, which put more emphasis on the remarkably few wrinkled that crossed her face. “Now, dear”, she spoke. “Have you gotten any news since our last meeting?” To this, Willfred shook his head, relieved at Taros' absence. “Not with the lord”, he admitted. “He is keeping me waiting. I... was hoping you could pull your weight with him, urge him to discuss things with me”
Helenys gave him a very brief nod. “I could”, she admitted. “However, I cannot guarantee that he follows my advice” Willfred raised an eyebrow and the merchant sighed. “See, over the past few weeks, I have gotten closer to Lord Petyr. He values my advice in matters of trade and makes cunning investments with my help. It won't take too long to get this city back on track”
“But?”, Willfred asked, clenching his fists, as he stared at the tea. Helenys' expression was stony. “Our enemy stands in the way”, she stated firmly. “I aim to become Lord Petyr's second, the most important of his advisers. He is young and though bright, he remains inexperienced, compared to me or to many of the lords he deals with on a daily basis. I have reason to believe he is played by half of the men he has received since taking office, including Oakheart and, of course, Maron Mullendore”
“You believe he will stand in my way?”, Willfred asked, to which Helenys nodded without even the hint of hesitation. “He is a dangerous man”, she spoke. “A man of his convictions. A man who believes himself to be in the right so firmly that it gives him power, that he draws confidence out of the utter knowledge that his way is the right one” She gulped and for a moment, Willfred saw something more terrifying than the way Helenys treated her manticore. This woman he placed his trust in, she was wholeheartedly afraid.
“Yes, I do believe he will stand in your way, and in mine”, she explained. “Because our goals do not align with his and he is one to crush even the slightest opposition” She took a sip from her tea, though her hands were clenched around the cup and she was pale. “I believe we are in great danger if we don't stop him”
“Ser Kasyn seems to be suspicious of him”, Willfred stated and Helenys raised an eyebrow, lowering the cup again. “Kasyn Luck?”, she asked. “Never knew what to think of him. He seems to be a man of honour and if anything, I find these tedious... albeit he might be useful” She mustered him carefully. “What have you told him?”
“Nothing yet”, Willfred admitted. “He approached me today, but I informed him of our meeting. I'll talk to him next time” The merchant smiled thinly and it did not reach her eyes. “Good”, she complimented him. “We must use him with care. Any bit of information he receives must be neatly checked to serve our goal”
“What would our goal be in this case, mylady?”, Willfred asked, half out of genuine curiosity, half because he remained wary about this woman. Helenys was on his side for now, but he had no illusions that by the end of the day, he was merely useful to her, in the same way she aimed to use Ser Kasyn. That was the reason for him being so careful around her, so that he might achieve his goal before her. He had no doubt that she would drop him the moment she got what she wanted and if she had been honest with him earlier, she was aiming to take nothing less but Maron Mullendore's place by Lord Petyr's side, be it out of revenge for Taros' injury at the hands of the man's agent, or out of a sheer desire for power.
“To get rid of Ser Maron”, she explained frankly. “The man is dangerous, ambitious and no one I want to have around when I build up a legacy in this city. He wants a legacy of his own and no one else has room in it” Willfred bit down onto his lower lip. “Is yours any different?”, he asked, perhaps emboldened by the absence of her manticore.
For a moment, Helenys just stared at him, before she chuckled, almost cackled. “My, what a brazen question”, she spoke. “Of course mine is. For example, I aim to better the lives of these people. This is my legacy. Kindness can be remembered as much as greatness, yet it can be achieved so much easier. I will leave my mark upon this city and the one thing I won't allow is someone standing in my way with his own delusions of power”
“How do you wish to deal with him then?”, Willfred asked, glancing at the box. Helenys followed his gaze, before she shook her head. “Taros is not capable of doing that yet”, she revealed. “Sherryl has wounded him terribly and he must rest a great deal. Neither do I think that using him to kill Ser Maron will be a good idea. Thing about it, the man dies in his sleep, the blood in his veins black with poison, as Petyr's new maester is undoubtedly going to find out quickly. Whom will they look at first?”
“But murdering him is not off the table?”, Willfred brought up, to which Helenys smiled thinly. “My dear boy, if you believe I will ever rule out such an option, you are mistaken”, she explained. “Yet if this is the way we deal with him, it must be done subtly. No murder is perfect, aside from maybe the work of the Faceless Men” She raised a finger. “And unless you bring the whole wealth of your families mines with you, I doubt we can even just think about paying them”
“We can think of something”, Willfred said, even if the thought of murdering Mullendore like a coward did not sit rightly with him. But truth be told, he was running out of time and if this man was the only one staying between Helenys and her place right at Petyr Vyrwel's ear, then perhaps he had to be dealt with in whatever way possible. He thought of his family back home. His father, who would be disappointed if he'd return a failure. His mother, who would love him nonetheless. Alanna and Tinnet, who would not understand. And Loren Lannister, the man he wanted to be his father-in-law. Failing the king would be the worst of it.
“That we can”, Helenys agreed. “There is no perfect murder, but we can make it near perfect. Just be assured, this is a dangerous thing to do. If Lord Petyr ever finds out, we will join Maron in the hells. Even Ser Kasyn would be an opponent then, because try to explain to him that we, the murderers, are in the right. Try to explain to him that the victim has actually been a danger to his kingdom”
“Do you know a better way?”, Willfred asked and the merchant shrugged. “Maybe”, she admitted. “A different one at least. If you want to try the more direct way, I will try to support you, but make no mistake, I will take the steps necessary to protect myself throughout all this, just like how I urge you to do the same”
She glanced at the tea in her hand. “If possible, we can pit them against each other. Mullendore doesn't have to die as long as he loses Petyr's trust”, she continued. “This option will require even more finesse. My everything and yours must go into dividing them, to break the bonds of trust they have forged. Petyr is the more powerful of the two by far. If he stops trusting Maron, perhaps even suspecting him of working against their common goal, he can remove him from power”
“But he will remain alive”, Willfred mentioned and Helenys nodded grimly. “I will take my revenge on him one way or the other”, she hissed. “But stripping him of all he worked for, that might be more satisfying than seeing his lifeless body. It will mean he lives to make a move of his own though and while our hands will remain clean, there is a certain danger in letting him make his move. Backed against a wall, he might act... irrationally”
“So, both approaches hold a risk”, Willfred stated and Helenys gave him a nod. “Do you have an idea which you want to pursue?” To this, the merchant hesitated, before slightly shaking her head. “I am not sure”, she admitted. “This requires further thought. However, your opinion will factor into my decision. Tell me, knight, what approach would you give a chance?”
[Plan to murder Maron Mullendore][Plan to divide Petyr and Maron]
Sadie
“I'm with you”, Sadie agreed and a wide grin formed on Leo's face. “Splendid!”, he roared. “Glad you're getting out of this camp for once. We'll likely stay a night at Castamere before coming back, so pack a few things. Lightly though, don't want to give Lady Mileena the wrong impression”
Sadie raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean with that?”, she asked and Leo sighed. “I know how to deal with these people. Nobles, I mean. Arrogant, especially when dealing with the lower folk. We don't want her to think we plan on staying by our own, that'll make it more likely she'll offer it. And the people of Maybros, they need it”
“Your cousin will already be there, right?”, Edward asked and Leo frowned. “I am afraid he will”, he replied with a grim tone. “But in this situation, we actually work for the same goal. We want Mileena Reyne to take in the refugees from Maybros. For that I can work with him, but he can still go and fuck himself once this is over”
Leo sighed and took a step back, putting his massive hands onto the shoulders of Rhogarn and Aklen. “You two, you heard the order. Pack lightly, but pack” Rhogarn saluted firmly, though Aklen instead grinned in a slightly sarcastic way. “Aye, boss”, he spoke and glanced at Sadie, who tried not to be bothered by him. “You sure the cripple can pack her stuff though?”
Sadie gulped, while Leo's hand onto Aklen's shoulder tensed up. “Pack your stuff”, he growled sternly, to which Aklen rolled his eyes. Without saying another word, he walked past them, though the look he gave Sadie made her tense up.
As soon as he was gone, Rhogarn raised an eyebrow. “Shall I arrange disciplinary measures for him?”, he asked and Leo shook his head. “I hope he'll learn his lesson”, he replied. “He's a piece of shit, but good interrogators are hard to come by. As long as he's just talking, I'll give him a pass, if he keeps following my orders”
He walked around the table, putting his hand onto Sadie's shoulder. “But if he ever does more than just talking shit, you tell me and I will deal with him”, he assured her. Wordlessly, she gave him a nod, brief and weak. “When will we leave?”, she asked, shocked by how thin her voice sounded. Leo's hand rested on her shoulder a second longer, before he removed it. “In an hour”, he spoke. “Meet me here by then”
With this, all was said. Sadie turned around and walked out of the tent, shivering at the cold air outside. It made her feel dizzy, or perhaps it was Edward's lesson, or Aklen's mockery. She often felt dizzy these days, but even she couldn't blame herself for it, given how close she had been to death, according to Wylie.
Glancing around, she couldn't see the old man anywhere and that was a shame. He was the only one she considered a true friend these days, the last person she trusted, when even her own sister had changed. Of course, she did not exactly distrust Leo either, albeit his kindness, as she was sure, would come at a price, one she wasn't sure she could pay in her current state. But the rest?
As she arrived at her tent, she spotted Melanie, sitting on her bed and stitching a mantle. She looked up as Sadie entered the tent, the look on her face oddly relaxed. “Is everything alright?”, she asked and Sadie gulped, slightly narrowing her eyes. “I could ask you the same thing”, she replied.
To this, Melanie smirked, a genuine, almost good-natured smile. She raised her hands, both of them. “Well, you're kinda not one to ask”, she spoke and Sadie rolled her eyes at the taunt. “You're in a good mood”, she realized and as she walked past her, Melanie gave her a nod. “Whereas you're anything but”, she answered.
“Well, can you blame me?”, Sadie replied, as she reached for her backpack. Her voice was stern, though some level of relief, if also accompanied by confusion, flashed through her as she noticed Melanie's apparent cheerfulness. “Not really”, her sister replied. “Hey, Sades, um... you need help with that?”
Sadie had begun to pick up some clean clothes, clumsily cramming them into the backpack, though she glanced over her shoulder, slightly narrowing her eyes. “You want to help me?”, she asked and Melanie gave her a nod. “I guess”, she replied. “For, you know, looking for me. I know I can be hard to deal with, but I still love you”
“I love you as well”, Sadie replied with a slight smile, even if the notable change in Melanie's behaviour did fill her with mistrust. Perhaps that was what Dan had always told her, that she was too mistrustful in general. And then she had to think about Dan and the night he died again and it caused any trace of a relaxed mood she allowed herself to feel to fade in an instant.
Noting her faded smile, Melanie frowned, though Sadie's curiosity was still there. “Why the sudden change of mind?”, she asked. Melanie's frown faded, as she sat down next to her sister. “You want my help with that or not?”, she asked in return and Sadie rolled her eyes. “Sure”, she said. “It's just, you haven't cared so far”
“So now I'm not allowed to care?”, Melanie asked. “Sadie, you... you have been looking for me and you lost everything. I just want to make sure you'll at least get... you know, used to the situation. Surely that's hard enough without me being an ass”
Sadie sighed, as even something as trivial as packing her stuff into a backpack turned into a task she appreciated the help for. “You... can be a bit of an ass at times”, she admitted, as Melanie smiled, putting an arm around her. “Where are you going either way?”, she asked.
“Castamere”, Sadie replied. “Leo wants us all there as soon as possible, but first he wants to negotiate with the Reyne lady. I'll be gone for a day, maybe two” Melanie raised an eyebrow. “That Leo...”, she chirped. “Kinda handsome, despite the scars. Or, maybe because of them. Do you know he's not much older than you? The beard adds at least a decade to that face, but I bet he's chiseled as a Lannister below”
Again, Sadie rolled her eyes. “That's not the reason he's so nice to me”, she clarified and Melanie chuckled. “So, you're not together?”, she asked. “That's... that's good to know. Interesting, I mean. Sure he has a thing for you though” Sadie shook her head. “I doubt anyone's got a thing for me these days”, she replied firmly.
“Well, you did leave poor Blane heartbroken”, Melanie grinned. “And think about it, why would he take you with him? Surely it's not because you're so useful to his cause. You can't fight, you've always been terrible at keeping a household and you've never been at Castamere, right?”
Sadie sighed at her sisters words. “Why do you care all of a sudden?”, she asked, sounding a bit more snappy than she intended to. Melanie instantly frowned again. “Hey, am I not allowed to care?”, she asked. “You're my sister, I'm just curious...” She cut herself off, as the same apathetic expression she sported for weeks returned to her face. “You know what, fine, be that way”, she growled, as she rose from the ground. “Come visit me when you're not a paranoid wreck anymore”
With these words, as harsh as they were true, Melanie Wade hurried out of the tent. Sadie remained, leaning against her bed, her hand instantly clenched around her shivering right forearm, as she tried to breathe more easily. It wasn't only Melanie's words that hit her. It was more... something about her behaviour wasn't right. Well, it never was, not since Gyles put his mixture into her, but today, she was particularly strange. That mood swing, it wasn't normal, not even for her.
“Melanie, wait...”, she sighed weakly, knowing her sister was already out of earshot. She wanted to hold her, wanted to be there for her, tell her that everything will be alright. She wanted to support her during these times, when she herself was the one that needed support. Maybe she just wanted to have her close, wanted to rely on someone for once. And yet, she was still lying to her, every moment, every day. Perhaps her own pain was the only thing that still kept her capable of looking Melanie into the eye, that distracted her enough from the guilt she felt throughout all this.
“Trouble?”, another voice asked, soft and female. As Sadie glanced to the entrance of the tent, she spotted a woman that seemed distantly familiar. Short and willowy, though nowadays she hid her body beneath a thick cloak instead of flaunting it on Gyles' orders. Her blonde hair had gotten a bit longer and she wasn't smiling anymore, the latter of which took away from her beauty a bit.
“Your name is Nilanne”, Sadie remembered and the woman gave her a nod. “Sorry for disturbing you, I just...”, the former whore said. “We haven't talked, not after the attack, I mean, but I saw Melly storming off just there” She glanced into the tent. “May I come in?”
Feeling more dizzy than before, Sadie gave her a tired nod. “Sure”, she allowed and Nilanne came closer. “I never thanked you, you know”, she spoke and Sadie raised an eyebrow. “What for?”, she asked in return and the young woman uncomfortably moved her hands to her own wrists. “Gyles has lost his power over most of us”, she revealed. “Leo enforced this. Only those that want to still work for him”
“You don't?”, Sadie asked and Nilanne shook her head. “I know what he did to the other girls”, he said. “Me, he wanted to work in the taproom. Never gave me his mixture, to keep my head clean. I don't know if that was a blessing or not, for he had... other means to keep me in line” She looked up, now a very slight smile forming on her face. “But that is over now, thanks to you and Leo”
“You're welcome”, Sadie mumbled and Nilanne sighed, as she looked at the backpack. “You're leaving the camp?”, she asked and Sadie gave her a nod. “Leo wants me to go with him to Castamere. We'll be back soon. I think Edward is in charge until then”
“Edward is a good one”, Nilanne assured her. “He treated the girls gently” She gulped. “I'm sorry, I couldn't help but to hear your argument with Melly. She's going through more than most of the other girls and... well, she's never been the strongest”
“I know”, Sadie replied, as she looked at the other woman again. “What do you want then?” It was perhaps a bit rude towards a woman that came to express her gratitude, but truth be told, Sadie did not know Nilanne. Last time she had seen her, she had still been Gyles' whore. Gomblinger kept his head down, but who could say what he was planning in this very moment?
Nilanne sighed. “I don't mean any offence”, she said. “But I wanted to offer my help. You will be gone for days and Melanie, she'll be all alone. Edward can look out for her, but if he's in charge, he can hardly do so the whole day. But she knows me. She trusts me. If you allow it, I will keep an eye on her while you are gone” Her smile was small, which made it all the more genuine, but Sadie was nonetheless reluctant. Gyles' whore. Gyles' former whore, perhaps. Could she trust her with Melanie? Could she afford not to trust her?
[Trust Nilanne with looking after Melanie][Tell her to stay away from Melanie]
Willfred
“A cup of tea?”, Aren asked, as Willfred leant back in his chair, putting a hand onto his thumping forehead. Helenys was already… more holding hers in one hand, the other softly moving over the back of her terrifying pet, the manticore. The creature seemed almost docile as it allowed the merchant to tough it, yet the small, black eyes on its unnerving near-human face were still and fixed on Willfred.
“Yes, please”, Willfred said, gulping as he forced himself to look away from the manticore. It was clear why Helenys had let her monstrosity out of its box. This was a negotiation of sorts and she was trying to intimidate him. And while Willfred feared no man and would match any thug she'd hire to seem imposing, he was unnerved by this tiny insect, the malicious intelligence that seemed to be in its eyes, the sharp hissing sound it emitted seemingly at random.
Willfred shot the servant a slight smile as Helenys took a small sip from h… [view original content]
[Plan to divide Petyr and Maron] We already have several people planning on killing Mullendore, so separating him from his best ally is a good way to leave him vulnerable. I also believe that, while both are scum, Mullendore has crossed far more lines than Vyrwel.
[Trust Nilanne with looking after Melanie] As far as I can tell, she's being sincere, and while Gyles remains a threat, I doubt she's working for him right now.
Wonder if other noblemen besides the Reynes are currently at Castamere.
[Plan to divide Petyr and Maron]
The other plan won't work (and we have already enough people that has it) and most important it is 100% for sure a plan that even if it work won't make Petyr decide to help Helenys/Willfred (because of the alliance). I even add that try to make a break between Petyr and Mullendore is a much more fun and less boring choice (enough PoV's have already a murder in mind)
[Trust Nilanne with looking after Melanie] Eh....I don't know since each choices can lead to Melanie comeback to Gyles/do something stupid so I will decide to "trust" for now just to make that character (Nilanne) do something
RT:
1)Tea party at this Willfred part!
2)After see again the manticore and how Helenys love her animal make me think of how fun will be of all the dogs/cats spots that you can see in the TV got replaced with spots about manticores
3)Poor Lady Helenys want to fly high and believe to be so smart when the truth is that she know nothing! Believe that Petyr can be easily manipulated and don't know of his alliance are the proofs of that!
4)Wait a sec,when Helenys discover that Sherryl was the person that take the manticore?
5)Meanwhile in the last Sadie part of this chapter the one arm girl has a strangely nice talk with her sister,maybe I'm paranoid but it feel weird that from nowhere Melanie decide to be sympathetic to her sister
6)Melanie is right,it seems strange that Leo decide to spend so much time and money for Sadie without ask anything from her
7)Ah ah!A new character after many parts!Welcome to the story Nil...wait a sec..you are not a new character!(jokes aside it was a really long time from the last appearance of her)
8)Wow if I were Gyles I would have break my partnership with the Forgotten since they clearly are not a good investment (I mean,that "poor" guy lose at least half his workforce!)
Willfred
“A cup of tea?”, Aren asked, as Willfred leant back in his chair, putting a hand onto his thumping forehead. Helenys was already… more holding hers in one hand, the other softly moving over the back of her terrifying pet, the manticore. The creature seemed almost docile as it allowed the merchant to tough it, yet the small, black eyes on its unnerving near-human face were still and fixed on Willfred.
“Yes, please”, Willfred said, gulping as he forced himself to look away from the manticore. It was clear why Helenys had let her monstrosity out of its box. This was a negotiation of sorts and she was trying to intimidate him. And while Willfred feared no man and would match any thug she'd hire to seem imposing, he was unnerved by this tiny insect, the malicious intelligence that seemed to be in its eyes, the sharp hissing sound it emitted seemingly at random.
Willfred shot the servant a slight smile as Helenys took a small sip from h… [view original content]
Willfred
“A cup of tea?”, Aren asked, as Willfred leant back in his chair, putting a hand onto his thumping forehead. Helenys was already… more holding hers in one hand, the other softly moving over the back of her terrifying pet, the manticore. The creature seemed almost docile as it allowed the merchant to tough it, yet the small, black eyes on its unnerving near-human face were still and fixed on Willfred.
“Yes, please”, Willfred said, gulping as he forced himself to look away from the manticore. It was clear why Helenys had let her monstrosity out of its box. This was a negotiation of sorts and she was trying to intimidate him. And while Willfred feared no man and would match any thug she'd hire to seem imposing, he was unnerved by this tiny insect, the malicious intelligence that seemed to be in its eyes, the sharp hissing sound it emitted seemingly at random.
Willfred shot the servant a slight smile as Helenys took a small sip from h… [view original content]
Comments
Aha, I am glad you enjoyed Gregor's big part so much
This speech was actually the very reason for me putting Gregor into the story before the original plan I mentioned to you. You can probably see that once I had the idea, I just couldn't resist putting it in. And ultimately, that truly was for the better, introducing Gregor and his motivations in this environment with semi-trusted allies around. Of course, unfortunately he didn't get any supporters for his plan, though him mentioning that he calls dibs on the main prize was probably the key mistake here. If not for that (and the fact that this really left a bad taste for Saan and Manderly), he probably would have gotten at least some support. Of course, as you have said yourself, this is not a bad thing, as it will give the Targaryen's a smaller dose of piracy, meaning comparably more screentime for Gregor. I also have the rest of the pirates free to appear in another storyline.
Hehe, that was the other reason for me introducing him here. Gregor's ego makes for some interactions, such as the one between him and Warmond Manderly and Aidan Storm I just wanted to write. Same for him, Edward and Gonzo, that was a scene meant to be written and with the vastly different directions these characters will take, I can confirm it was the first and last time we saw every single one of these characters in the same spot. Some might be reunited though, one way or the other, but this is something that will only be seen in the long haul. We're talking years here, given the length of the story ahead.
Yeah, that was one thing I wanted him to reveal here, because as you can probably imagine, Gregor is not going to be all that brazen and in-your-face when it comes to his intentions towards Rhaenys when actually meeting her. The man can be charming if he wants to and he knows he has to bring out his best if he wants to have even the tiniest chance with her. So, to make this end goal of him perfectly clear to the readers, it had to be shown here. On top of that, I am not sure if he will ever admit to anyone aside from these captains and his own crew that courting Rhaenys is one of his biggest reasons for joining the war, albeit not the only one. So, necessity, but it made the whole scene all the more enjoyable to write. And I agree that Manderly wasn't giving Gregor enough credit. He's not some mindless brute after all, but that is precisely what Warmond thinks of him.
Yes, I am afraid it will indeed be a bit of time until we see Gregor again. Chapter 3 will mark his reappearance, in the same scene I originally considered to be his introduction scene to the story in general. This here is a bit of an appetizer and I hope he left enough of an impression to carry through the undoubtedly lengthy Chapter 2. It should be worth the wait though, but I do share your pain here, I thoroughly enjoyed writing him and would like to delve into the storyline he appears next in right away, but well, his time will come again
You know, that much I can actually confirm. Aeron likes the brutally honest type, he's the same, so he would likely gain some respect for Alys. At the same time, this would piss Edward off and you have to decide if this will be an acceptable price for Aeron's respect. This is one of the major choices of this chapter, in terms of consequences.
You probably don't know her. Given the living female characters mostly associated with Oldtown right now consist of Taria and... actually, it's just Taria, as well as formerly Harpy (preoccupied) and Keira (permanently preoccupied). There will be many more though, albeit I can confirm, you are probably going to recognize Sister Anturion once you see her. There is a reason why I have never mentioned her name though.
Ah, why, there is another planned twist I feel the need to reveal right now. Actually, Blacksails doesn't have Grievous hidden anywhere, he is Grievous, or more like, he will be Grievous. See, the thing with the smoking, as cool as it looks, already affects his voice, giving him the hoarsy Grievous voice and the cough. Yes, he is the version that coughs, I'm afraid. Just wait until he has a tragic smoking accident, reducing him to a sack of organs and forcing Nain Anturion and Noelle to team up in the attempt to build him some robot body. That'd essentially make him a magic robot pirate valyrian and now I feel low-key tempted to actually write this, because it'd be so delightfully absurd.
Actually, Alys can be very creative when describing Edward's niceness. If allowed to speak freely, she'd probably use words as colourful as "lunatic", "monster" and "backstabbing schemer" to describe Edward, putting really a lot of emphasis on just how nice he truly is
Of course, since she's not a born liar, trying to improvise some praise for him won't be easy for her, so don't expect the model of eloquence.
With the Anturion family, yes, a family venture makes things certainly easy. Or easier. Edward, Nain and their wonderful sister embark on a magic adventure through Westeros and assorted parts of Essos, to find the pieces of some ominous artifact. It will be lots of fun... well, for them, probably not so much for others.
The Voting is closed!
Alys is going to urge Aeron to give Edward another chance
Hm... I was very curious what you would pick here and as it turns out, you decided to actually give Edward this chance. Pragmatism was very much the reasoning and will also play a factor for Alys in her next part. It was a major choice for her and will majorly affect her storyline, mostly in that she can still count on Edward's questionable assistance. Losing that without gaining safety in return could have possibly been very risky, though if you truly picked the better choice will be shown in the long haul.
The next part is hopefully going to be out today. I am currently writing a Drent part, though if I decide to include a second PoV, then it will possibly take me a little bit longer. Whom this second PoV will be, I don't know yet, though I am leaning towards Raenna or Willfred. But anyways, there will be Drent. Also, the chapter finale is close. So close, in fact, that I can say with certainty we're going to see the end of this chapter before the end of this year. And what an ending it will be, hehe. Anyway, last time we saw Drent, he made a risky move, intervening to clarify that Argella was anything but responsible for the situation in Raylansfair, as she was blaming herself. This surprised her and actually impressed Argilac, despite being gutsy and way out of line. Or, considering the kind of man Argilac is, he probably respected precisely these qualities. Not everyone was happy though, as Garen later pointed out, mentioning that Drent appeared arrogant to the common soldier by making this move. Drent decided against reacting to this provocation. Meanwhile, very quick, if we'll see Raenna or Willfred, their part will show either Raenna's evening with the Northerners, getting to know some of them a bit better, whereas Willfred will have a meeting with Lady Helenys Bellward, his ally in the dealings in Raylansfair. He is also the more likely candidate to receive this part, as Raenna might require a full-length part, with the sheer number of characters I plan to show.
And ah, Telltale, my Telltale. Today, I was actually inspired to write a few lines of a song, probably miiiinorly inspired by a certain 80's song many of you probably know. I call it... "Wouldn't It Be Good, Telltale?". Ahem, just imagine my lovely singing voice. Or, while you're already at it, imagine Mr. Freddie Mercury singing this, because we all know he sounds better.
Wouldn't it be good to have a main post, even if it was for just one day?
And wouldn't it be good if you could listen to what we say?
Wouldn't it be good to update this site?
The links are getting tedious over here!
Wouldn't it be good if you could treat this site with care?
See, a work of art! If that isn't inspiring enough for them to actually bring back a highly anticipated and popular feature instead of stubbornly refusing to do so, I don't know. It's not the same without, you know it, I know it, they know it, so it's their move. Ah, we'll see. Wouldn't it be a great christmas gift? Say nothing, you know it would. For now, links, tedious copy-pasted links:
If you are a new reader, allow me to welcome you! Check out the first post on Page 1 to learn more about this!
And for readers new and old, here is a collection of important links you might be interested in:
Finally caught up again! Sorry I haven't commented here for a while. Nothing serious happened. I just didn't feel like reading for a bit. Anyway I'm gonna leave some short thoughts about a few of the previous parts I missed the voting for.
So Garthon got... kind of lucky? I say kind of because the woman he knew (can't remember her name) seemed so hesitant to actually speak up and save them that it kind of annoyed me. I may be overthinking it but it really got on my nerves and I don't know why she seemed so hesitant to help.
It's weird but Kyra's parts leave me so uncomfortable. It might be intentional but it really gives me that "Don't want to be here" feeling. I suspect it's because of the Hoares and how much I loathe them, (plus she's screwing one of them which you obviously know I disapprove of) it might also be because I haven't been particularly happy with some of Kyra's decisions. I still like Kyra though, hopefully that doesn't change.
I really enjoyed Samantha's part though! Had a few of my favorites! Kyra, Jenna and my beloved Saerya!
Is it just me or is Davith thirsty as fuck? 
No offense intended towards Davith but man was I like "Dude, cool it" when he was interacting with Saerya. I may have misread the situation. I was so relieved that no one objected to Saerya's presence.
I enjoyed Alys' part too. Though I don't have much to say apart from I wish she chose to speak honestly about Edward. Not just because I hate him, I promise.
I feel that our pirate King here might've appreciated some honest words about Edward.
Ah, welcome back! No worries, I totally understand. Glad you managed to catch up again and just in time for the next part to be released today
Hm, here that woman's backstory must be taken into account. Her name is Dacey and I am not entirely sure if her past was properly explained during her appearance in the first half of Book 1 (over 2 years ago), but basically, the stuff she's been through has left her borderline traumatized when it comes to Ironborn and for good reason. As such, she equal parts hates and fears them to a degree that far exceeds that of most Sons of the Trident (except maybe people such as Deywn). Sure, this is not exactly rational when it comes to Garthon, but try telling that to someone who has a severe emotional reaction to Ironborn in general. The important part here is that she ultimately chose to do the right thing even if she could have let him hang. She might have hesitated, but that is due to the general reaction she has towards Ironborn, so it's actually kind of a huge step for her to help Garthon out here despite his heritage and nothing she was able to decide in an instant.
Well, she is around some very uncomfortable people and dealing with some very uncomfortable topics, such as Mallister marrying his child to freaking Harmund. I guess being uncomfortable is perfectly understandable. Kyra herself has such a feeling, because while she does like Harrick (probably not as much as he likes her though) and has some degree of respect for Harren, considering she receives the same respect in return, she shares your negative feelings towards Harmund, Harlan and Harndon. Her storyline will deal with these conflicting feelings towards her liege, his family, her family and the general situation in the Riverlands. While I could see you definitely not agreeing with all of her decisions to come, there should be moments in which I am rather sure she'll win back some sympathy and all in all, while I can never be sure how you all are going to react to some events, Kyra should remain a likable character for the most part, all things considered.
Hehe, Davith definitely thinks of himself as a womanizer. In Book 1, he has been largely oblivious to the fact that his chances with Samantha are literally zero, but he's beginning to realize this. Saerya meanwhile, she's definitely someone he hasn't expected here, so he's trying to check out his chances. Highly inappropriate timing, but that's Davith
And yeah, no one objected to Saerya's presence here. Jenna and Leonard trust her, Kersea doesn't really feel as if she's in any position to voice her distrust and Richard was convinced, whereas Samantha, Sasha and Davith where kinda surprised, but also have enough trust into Leonard to tolerate her here.
Hehe, hate towards Edward would have actually been partially her motivation, because she is really bitter about his actions during the raid. But you are right, while this wouldn't have necessarily been on her mind when making the choice, Aeron is someone to appreciate such honesty, the question is just if the appreciation he shows is enough to outweigh the loss of Edward's still present support and protection.
Wow, Liquid. The song worked for some good at least. Everything isn't white anylonger, my good god, things is finally easy to look at again. All we need now is the main post.
Drent
Slightly shaking his head, Drent turned his back on Garen. “You're not worth it”, he growled and began to walk away. Behind him, Garen chuckled. “Really, Golton, get off your high horse”, he spoke. “You're nothing special. Just another grunt like the rest here, except you can fuck up as much as you like without owning up to it”
Drent clenched his fists, frowning at these words, though he once again remained silent, as much self-control as it cost him. He hurried, catching up to Edonia and Torrence, who had slowed down to wait for him in the distance. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. “What's with that jerk?”, she mumbled and Drent shrugged. “I gave up on that question long ago”, he replied.
“Eh, he's right with one thing”, Torrence replied, even despite Edonia's quick, sharp glare. “Don't get me wrong, that guy's a bastard, but you really should try not to appear too, you know, too high up there. Thing is, you're not and the trick you just pulled in the Great Hall, that probably makes some people think you consider yourself better than the rest of us”
“I don't”, Drent replied, perhaps a bit too hastily, as the accusation worried and angered him alike. Torrence gave him a crooked smirk. “Yeah, you got kind of a weird way of showing that. Me, I would have rather pissed myself up there than say a word to the Storm King out of line. Only reason you still got lucky is because the princess likes you. Doesn't make you likeable, you know. Common folk, they don't like those that mingle with the ones above. That today hasn't brought you a lot of friends”
“Well, I thought it was brave”, Edonia replied and Torrence shook his head. “Yeah, but you're just as mad as he is”, he told her, to which Edonia narrowed her eyes. Her brother shrugged widely. “Hey, I'm just saying it as it is”, he spoke. “Common folk should stick to common folk. Guess that's what Garen meant, only he had to be an arse about it”
“Yeah, 'cause you're that much better”, Edonia mumbled and Torrence smiled sarcastically. “Thank you for seeing it at last, sister”, he chuckled, as they reached the barracks, a long building on the northern side of the castle courtyard, spanning alongside the entirety of the northern wall. Five stories, it was still dwarfed by the walls itself and definitely by the massive keep and yet, it was home to thousands of soldiers, Storm's End's very own garrison. Housing several smaller halls for hundreds of people to eat at once, the largest armoury in Westeros, not counting anything about Hoare's monstrosity of a castle, as well as rooms for the officers of Argilac's army.
Ser Emphryus was waiting for them to catch up at the nearest entrance to the lengthy building. “They just informed me, your rooms have been taken”, he told them. “They weren't sure if any of us would return” He grinned. “Fuckers, eh? Third floor, fifth hallway, I cleared a couple rooms for you. Pairs of two, you got off for tomorrow. New duties will come the day after and I expect you to be combat ready at all time”
Drent saluted, a gesture Edonia and Torrence repeated after him. “Will you take over the unit now, Ser?”, he asked and the memory of Montclair sent a sting through his chest. What would the sergeant's sons say? Someone had to take on the cruel task of informing them and he hoped Emphryus would at least do this, to spare him, or even worse, Argella.
The knight shook his head. “That remains to be seen”, he spoke. “For the time being, you're under my command, but I won't be your sergeant. There's many soldiers who need my guidance. I'll give you your orders, but that's it. Don't come running to me if you got issues with anything, keep it away from me and wait until there's a proper commanding officer for you”
He remained at the entrance, as Drent and the Bernile siblings entered. Edonia rolled her eyes. “Figures”, she mumbled, once they were safely out of earshot. “Would have been quite a surprise if they would have arranged for a replacement already” A streak of curiosity appeared on her face, as she glanced at Drent. “You got your eyes on the post?”, she asked.
Drent raised an eyebrow. “What?”, he asked, before he shook his head, as they walked up a set of stairs. “No! Absolutely not. How'd you get the idea?” Edonia shrugged. “Well, it would be easy for you now”, she replied. “You got the princess on your side. The king is impressed. I think even Emphryus likes you, but it's kinda hard to tell with him”
At this, Drent sighed, even if he could see where she was getting from. “I didn't do this because I want a promotion”, he replied. “It was the right thing to do” Edonia gave him a nod. “Well, you won't hear me objecting”, she spoke. “But that is precisely what Montclair would have said. What he would have done. Regardless of your motives, maybe you're the best for the post”
A chuckle came out of Torrence's throat, as they reached the floor Emphryus had assigned to them. Other members of their unit, men Drent had barely spoken to even, they were already there, claiming rooms to sleep in, empty beds to take for their own. “Given the competition, I won't disagree”, he said. “I mean, whom else do we have? You wanna do it?”
Edonia pressed her lips together, before shaking her head briefly. “Wouldn't dare”, she said. “I spoke to Montclair once. Must have been one hell of a duty for him. Whomever follows has a lot to fill and if Emphryus isn't up for it... let's just say, I'm happy the way things are for me”
“Guess who just jinxed herself”, Torrence added dryly and Edonia rolled her eyes. She glanced at an open room, before giving both men a nod. “I'll crash here, I guess”, she spoke. “We'll talk tomorrow” With that, she entered the room, while Drent and Torrence glanced at the open door a bit in front of them.
“As good as any, I guess”, Torrence said, as he entered the room, glancing over the barely present furniture. Drent nodded, putting his backpack onto one of the two narrow beds, sighing as he sat down on the hard mattress. At least it was a bed, he was glad for what he had. “Can it be that you two are getting along now?”, he asked towards the man he'd be sharing a room with. “You and Edonia, I mean”
Torrence hesitated for a moment. “I... wouldn't go that far”, he admitted. “But things are different now. I would have died during the raid if not for her shooting that archer” He paused again. “We all would have. So... she's got her uses, alright. And she's not nagging me all that much anymore, about her fucking archery”
He sat down as well, looking at Drent on the other end of the small room. “Why don't you just do it then?”, Drent asked. “You can be a good fighter and a good archer” Torrence rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right”, he mumbled. “Look, I'm not having any illusions there, I'm mediocre. I can hold my ground in a fight, but don't expect me to ever stick out, unless I really pour everything into my training. Same goes for archery, I'm not as good as Edonia claims. She meanwhile, oh, you saw her. A prodigy. When people see me, they only ever see Edonia's little brother. You think that'll change if I follow in her footsteps?”
Drent had to admit, Torrence had a point there, so he nodded. “I suppose that makes sense”, he agreed and Torrence shot him a grin. “Things will get back to how they were soon enough, I guess”, he brought up. “She won't remain silent about it forever. Controlling my life, that's what she wants” He shrugged. “But I suppose I can deal with that. But how are you going to deal with all this?”
To these words, Drent raised an eyebrow and Torrence smirked at him. “Things getting back to how they were, I mean”, he explained. “The last couple months, you were important. The princess trusted you, kept you close. The few around you looked up to you. That is no more. You're one out of thousands now”
Drent narrowed his eyes. “Don't you start about this as well”, he growled and quickly, Torrence raised his hands, his expression getting more friendly again. “Easy, I don't mean to attack you about this”, he said. “But you gave me advice, so accept mine in return. Just move on, do your duty and stay close to those around you. Don't try to mingle with royalty, that never works out for the likes of us”
As he lay down on the bed, Drent placed his hands behind the back of his head, letting out a sigh. “It wasn't like that”, he claimed weakly and Torrence raised an eyebrow. “You're telling me you did not enjoy it?”, he asked. “Just forget about it, Golton. What do you expect this to lead to? The princess is not your friend, she's your future queen. Your friends are the people around you, those you see eye to eye with”
As Drent frowned, Torrence continued, if briefly. “But it's not as if you have much of a choice in the whole thing. Save for that scene earlier today, you won't get much of a chance to change it”, he spoke, sounding honestly sympathetic. “Sooner you deal with it, the better, because we need you with your mind on the duty. Things are all back to the way they were before”
And Torrence should remain correct, at least for the most part of the next few days. Duty as usual, that's how Drent kept them in mind. It was as if he had never left. Ser Emphryus kept his distance, barking orders every morning and Drent would follow. A good soldier, as he had always been. Keeping watch on the walls, the gates, patrolling, maintaining his equipment, honing his skills.
There was the training. Edonia beat him in archery, she beat them all to be fair. Torrence proved to be a fierce opponent when it came to close combat and thankfully, Garen kept his distance. In fact, the sellsword was barely around these days, probably spending his time with Tariel somewhere in the keep itself. Drent ate in one of the smaller halls of the barracks, reserved for the soldiers and the one time he managed to secure a seat in the Great Hall, the Storm Princess had excused herself.
Instead, her suitors had been there, pridefully displaying themselves, in fine clothes, bright, strong and handsome. Lower noblemen, but still so much more than Drent could ever hope to be. Sitting at the far end of the hall, he could not hear what they were talking about, but Bernard Buckler's jest made even the grim Dickon Morrigen smile. Only the Fell, Warrick, wasn't smiling. Instead, he looked across the hall with something Drent considered to be almost aggravating boredom. How could he be bored? How could he be unwilling to be up there, when every man in this kingdom would do anything to swap places with him?
Yes, it was duty as usual for Drent and both, Torrence and Garen had been proven right in a way, much to his chagrin. This was something he had to get used to again, being one out of many, nothing but a grunt. Had he truly changed this much, that his old duties were almost dreadful to him?
And so, he carried on, not complaining ever, but he wasn't sure if he could fully hide how he felt. Perhaps Torrence had been right in the end, perhaps he should have never even tried to get close to the princess. After he glimpse had gotten of him truly mattering and doing things that truly mattered, it was hard to accept that it would never truly belong to him. And Argella, it was hard to admit, but there were some illusions he was only reluctant to break.
The real surprise didn't come until several days later though. It was after Drent and Torrence had finished their meal for the evening. Settling down in their room, Drent was lying on the bed, while Torrence knelt on the ground, pushing himself up from the ground and back down again.
“When do you think they'll name the new sergeant?”, he asked from the ground and Drent glanced at him. “Don't know”, he admitted half-heartedly. Torrence raised an eyebrow, pushing himself up again. “More like 'don't care'”, he realized. “Come on, Golton. What's the problem? It was an easy day. I think the even stew had meat in it”
Drent rolled his eyes. “Great”, he mumbled and Torrence chuckled. “Still not settled back in, huh?”, he asked. “You gotta give it more time, man. Won't be long until you'll know nothing else anymore” Just as he said this, there was a knock on the door. Torrence jumped up from the ground, exchanging a glance with Drent, before shrugging and moving to open it.
The one who had knocked was none other than the tall silver-haired Maester Qoherys. His beard neatly falling down on his chest, he was wearing his gambeson and held a thick quarterstaff in his hand, reinforced with silver on each end, almost as if he was expecting trouble. Clad in a thick cloak, he had the hood pulled down to reveal his face, but wouldn't actually attract much attention if pulling it up. Staring at the two men out of his purple eyes, he was perhaps the last person Drent had expected.
No, the last person he had expected was the one behind the maester. Argella stood there, wearing a wide cloak to hide most of her features. Instantly, Torrence fell down onto one knee and Drent hurried to get up from his bed to do the same. However, the princess raised a hand, a sign to stop. “Leave us for a moment, Torrence”, she ordered, her tone serious, as she looked at Drent.
The soldier slowly rose again, eyebrows raised in confusion. “Of... course, my princess”, he said, glancing at Drent and very subtly shaking his head. Argella and the maester made room for him, as he hurried out of the room. After he was gone, the two entered and Qoherys closed the door behind them.
Argella moved closer, stopping a few feet away from Drent, as she looked around the room. Drent himself gulped, cursing himself in silence for not cleaning more properly. He stared at the ground, colour rising in his cheeks. “My princess”, he said and Argella sighed. She wasn't smiling and yet, there was something in her eyes. “How may I be of service?”
She bit down onto her lower lip. “I never got the chance to thank you”, she stated. “It has been a busy week, but still... What you did in the Great Hall, I figured I should personally thank you instead of just sending you a token of something” Drent smiled at her. “It was my pleasure”, he said and for a moment, she reciprocated the smile. Now he saw the look in her eyes more closely. It was a stern look, the same she had since leaving Raylansfair, but with only a hint of sadness in it.
“You have been brave”, she complimented him and he chuckled. “Why did you do it?”, he asked in return and she raised an eyebrow, as Maester Qoherys narrowed his eyes. The man was just staring at Drent, blocking the door with his impressive frame. “You are questioning a princess?”, Argella asked. “As brazen as always” She sighed. “But you shall get your answer. I... in a way, I still feel like I have to. You may see things differently, but that's the difference between you and me. You saw me doing what I could, I saw me not doing enough”
“Nobody expects perfection”, Drent assured her and Argella shook her head. “I do”, she clarified. “I owe nothing less, to myself and my people” She walked close to him, passing him as Drent held his breath, before approaching the small window. “But I value what you did for me. I value your friendship”, she said in a thin voice. “If that means living through the guilt, feeling like I could make amends, then so be it. I won't betray your gesture”
She did not smile, even as Drent did. “You came to tell me?”, he asked and Argella shook her head again. “Not just”, she revealed, as she looked at Qoherys. Drent tilted his head. “Why... is he here?”, he asked and the princess rolled her dark blue eyes. “My chaperone”, she chirped, to which a very quick grin formed on Qoherys' face. “He opted to accompany me and frankly, I value his support”
The maester straightened his back. “The princess has a proposition for you”, he explained and Drent raised his eyebrows. “An order?”, he asked, to which Argella smiled. “No”, she clairifed. “A request, as your friend”
As she put a hand onto his shoulder, he tensed up, as the look in her eyes grew equal parts more stern and intense. “I am sure you have noticed these three... men my father tries to marry me off to”, she hissed and his grim expression was all she needed. “Yes, you know them. It might not surprise you, but I object to their intentions, heavily so” Looking at Qoherys, the hint of a smile flashed across her face. “And I am not alone with this”
Qoherys gave her a nod. “I spoke with each of them and found them all to be... unworthy”, he revealed. “Bernard Buckler is not a bad man, but he lacks respect for the very nature of our princess. Jonathan Errol is of lower birth, the second son of a lord far below the godly origins of House Durrandon. And Warrick Fell... what Buckler shows all too much, he has too little of. There is no passion in him, at least not for her and this title he seemingly aims to claim. He doesn't want to be here and frankly, fair Argella deserves more than a man that only remains with her out of duty”
“You silver charmer”, the princess said. “But it's true, I object to each of them. The last thing I want in this world is to be... bartered away, like some price to claim, like... cattle” As she said these words, anger flared up in her voice, the familiar fury of her line. Qoherys raised an eyebrow. “If you are not careful, it will happen, my princess”, he warned her. “There's not a man in this kingdom that wouldn't love to be with you, to rule these lands by your side”
“Aside from Warrick Fell, maybe”, Argella interjected and Drent looked at the maester. “And you are helping her?”, he asked, to which Qoherys nodded. “Why?” The maester put a hand behind his back. “Because I serve House Durrandon. Not only her father, but her as well. Because I like her and think she deserves better than these three”
Argella smiled thinly right at the maester. “Qoherys has proven to be a good advisor”, she explained. “He will do his part and today, I have come to ask for your help” Drent crossed his arms, the last week, dreadful as it was, still fresh in mind. “What do you have in mind, my princess?”, he asked.
“My father has called for a tourney”, she revealed and Drent's eyes widened. “A tourney!”, he exclaimed and she gave him a nod. “Here in Storm's End”, she continued. “Due to the war effort to the north and the south, he deemed it inappropriate to make it a big one, but preparations will nonetheless start soon. It should host an impressive number of lords and knights, among them my dearest suitors. He didn't say it, but I know what he intends, he wants them to win, to impress me, but that won't happen”
“They will not win”, Qoherys explained and Argella smiled grimly. “Ser Emphryus will joust for me and I have no doubt he will unhorse everyone that tries to win my favour”, she continued. “And I spoke to Edonia earlier, urged her to participate with the archers. I look forward to see their faces when they get beaten by a lowborn woman”
Drent began to understand. “And you need my help”, he said. Argella sighed. “Not 'need'”, she clarified. “But I want it, because I trust you the most. Because of what you said in the Great Hall” Her smile faded and for a moment, there was a hint of uncertainty that didn't seem to fit to the rest of her. “I... just want you to know that it is a request, not an order”
“It will be dangerous”, Qoherys explained. “You can hardly joust and archery doesn't seem to be your forte, so I suggested you for the melee, especially as I consider Emphryus' wounds from Raylansfair to be too severe for him to perform properly in two disciplines”
Drent sighed, trying to calm his heavily thumping heart. “The melee”, he mumbled and Argella's hand on his shoulder felt heavy. “With blunt weapons, preventing the worst injuries”, she said. “Frankly, I don't know if you can win. My father will fight. Ser Landry has voiced interest and as a matter of fact, so has Warrick Fell. What matters is that you knock him to the ground before going down yourself, to deny him the chance to win this”
“Isn't that...”, Drent began, but Qoherys cut him off. “It's a viable tactic”, he revealed. “You would be surprised how many noble ladies tried similar tricks to avoid unworthy suitors” Argella pressed her lips together. “I feel bad for suggesting it”, she said. “But this is serious. I cannot marry any of these men and whom can I count on if not you?” She sighed. “I cannot count on anyone else but those that have proven themselves in Raylansfair. You are my friend and as such, I... yes, I might actually need your help”
[Agree to fight in the melee] [Decline her request]
I'm pretty salty that there was actually a part that drew me out of lurking.
[Agree to fight in the melee]
[Agree to fight in the melee] While his chances aren't great, it could be a good way to measure Drent against the best warriors on the Stormlands, after all, the Last Storm won't happen for a long time.
Besides, we know even lowborn can gain prestige in tournaments, take Duncan the Tall for example (although he gained fame for beating the shit of a Prince who deserved it)
[Agree to fight in the melee] Admittedly I was a bit unsure about this, considering how much other characters have recently been warning Drent not do, well, stuff like this
I mean I could see the melee ending up to be a massive failure and embarrassment on Drent's part. That said, I just prefer Drent standing out from the rest of the grunts, rather than keeping his head low 
So, failure or not, I'd say taking part in the melee is the more interesting choice here.
THE MAIN POST HAS RETURNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I thought and then realized i was wrong!) ..................................So this update is purely aesthetic then?
Is he right?
[Agree to fight in melee]
[Agree to fight in the melee] You'll get no objections from me. Away with these suitors! As for Torrence's advice to stay under the radar... screw it. I get where he's coming from but no one ever got anywhere by doing the exact same thing as everyone else. Plus you know... the ship.
I'm interested by the idea that Drent could go for Sergant. Nothing wrong with a little ambition. See an opportunity? Then grab it.
I really hope this isn't just going to be a slow process of getting my hopes up and crushing them by having Drent fail miserably.
[Agree to fight in the melee]
[Agree to fight in the melee]
It's a Drent thing to do, he's heads over heels for the Princess. I can definitely see Drent getting himself in major trouble, perhaps even killed for Argella's sake, but oh well.
[Agree to fight in the melee]
Don't even suggest such things!
[Agree to fight in the melee]
Yeah, it's true, his chances to win, especially against men such as Argilac himself, or Landry, or Emphryus, they aren't particularly high. However, the melee puts less value on individual skill than the other disciplines and contains a certain element of luck. Given that Argella's main request is not for him to win, but for him to take Warrick Fell out, I'd say there is a chance he can at least succeed with that. After all, an opponent that really aims to take down one particular fighter, who in turn does not expect this, has quite some advantage.
Indeed, lowborn can gain such prestige, even those who aren't knights like Duncan. Keep Anguy the archer in mind. I guess the joust is pretty much the only discipline reserved for knights, but it's not as if non-knights or non-highborn have any chance of ever gaining any skill with that weapon to begin with.
Hehe, I actually put these in to perhaps give a bit of an argument against helping Argella out, as otherwise, the whole choice itself wouldn't have made any sense. I mean, without these warnings, there would be no reason for Drent to in-character refuse to help her. Now, if Drent would refuse to help her, these warnings would be the reason for it. It's not exactly sure how much Garen has Drent's best interests at heart, but Torrence and Edonia definitely are concerned.
Yeah, if you wish for Drent to stand out, this is the choice to pick for sure. Victory or not, he will stand out by virtue of being one of the few commoners participating in the melee. Argilac already thinks he has guts and actually fighting against him won't exactly harm this opinion.
No, I am afraid the main post hasn't returned yet. Blind Sniper has said it might return, which is at least a positive prognosis, but it should be kept in mind, he is not part of the web team and can only reveal and interpret what they tell him. It appears he sees the chance for it, based on what they said, which is an improvement to one of his previous comments about him not considering this likely. So, maybe they actually listened to the reasons in favour of the main post, I guess time will tell.
For the future, here's a useful piece of advice: If the main post actually returns, you can easily see this by checking if there's a main post at the top of the page. If there is, there's a good chance the main post has actually returned
Yeah, Torrence's argument is not without reason, but it's definitely not perfect either. Especially as he himself wants glory, he just chooses a different approach than Drent, whom he fears could grow too detached from those that actually will have his back, while highborn, in his opinion even Argella, will never see eye to eyewith him. But yeah, the ship, the ship is a reason I can not argue against.
Yeah, Drent starts to be intrigued by this as well. The problem is, Montclair has been pretty much the perfect sergeant, so Drent is also a bit intimidated to follow after that man. But someone has to. Edonia is a bit limited due to her gender, Torrence is simply not good enough, the post is way below Emphryus, so Drent might actually have chances.
Hehe... hehehe. Why would you ever believe such a thing? It's not as if that ever happened in the story before
Also, from your post above (so that I don't have to make this two replies)
I'd say he is not wrong. Davith can be quite popular with the ladies, he just has the issue of falling for the wrong one. He's good looking and can be charming, as well as genuinely brave and selfless, always attractive traits. However, Samantha is not into men and Saerya, well, she's not a particularly lustful person in general, she is more attracted by those that have a use for her.
Hm, this is something Argella might object against. She knows the melee is dangerous and there have been reports of people dying in this discipline before, but she hopes that Drent will at worst get out of this with only some bruises. Him clearly being quite smitten by her is not exactly making things easier for him though, as he's more likely to be a bit reckless. Given, she is definitely more than just a bit reckless herself, but unlike him, she can afford it on account of having guards around her almost all day.
[Agree to fight in the melee] Why not?It is the choice that will lead to a much interesting way to see the tourney storyline and it is the choice that Drent will probably do in character
RT:
1)During this Drent part time flies!
2)It was time that the fellow soldiers makes Drent remember his place in society
3)I'm curious to read who will be the new sergeant (RIP Montclair)...Drent?One of the Bernile?A new character?Harren Hoare?
4)It is good see that Argella remember the time spent with Drent and to make a visit with the "totally not a secret targaryen supporter" maester
5)I'm curious to read more of the suitors since we really know little about them
6)Garen has finally decide to leave Drent alone for a while (he probably decide to continue his secret meetings with Tariel)
7)Speaking of Tariel I suppose that she has lost much (or maybe even all) of her influence inside Durrandon court
8)A tourney!I must say that I don't expect this development during the Stormland storyline but I'm really excited to read how you will develop it! (And I suppose it will be the main focus of chapter 3)
9)I don't know if there is or not some to be characters for the task but I hope that aside some knights (obviously) you will introduce in the future Drent parts some member of the Houses more close to the Durrandon family!And even some new soldier (since it seems that Drent really need to talk to some people of his own line of work that is not only the Bernile duo!)
That's good news...well hopeful news at least.
And yes that's probably a good way to tell. Hilariously enough that was exactly the method i used. It turns out i had accidentally clicked on the first page instead of the latest one
.
[Agree to fight in the melee] I have my reservations, but hey, it's only death if Drent screws up severely. That's on him. We can beat the heck out of people now with no consequences.
Qoherys is far too shady. What a creep. Don't trust 'em.
That is something I am really not very skilled at, but I hope it was nonetheless readable, having a bit of a time skip in the part itself. I usually prefer to have them happen between chapters, or between parts at most, but this is the first time, I think, that I skipped over an entire week in the part itself. Reason is that I realized while writing that my plan for the second half of this part made zero sense without a small time skip. There is simply no way Argella could have talked to her father, gotten over her initial tantrum, spend some time with her suitors and realize that yes, she really doesn't want to marry them, learned of the tourney, developed a plan to avoid having them win glory during it and gained an ally in Qoherys all in the amount of time it took Drent to move to his room and unpack his belongings. Neither did I want to spend too much time with this week I skipped over, because nothing of particular interest happened there to move the story of the characters forward. We would have learned nothing new. Edonia would have still been the most capable of them, Torrence would have been mediocre (yet slowly improving, also on a personal level), Garen would have still been a jerk (albeit not without reason for once) and Drent would have simply been bored by the whole situation and his duties, something I think I still managed to point out. In the end, I guess writing these moments out in more detail would have been just that, boring, so I took the liberty to directly get to the meaty part, something I do rarely enough
Yeah, no doubt Drent has gotten a bit more disconnected to his actual companions during the journey to Raylansfair. Being pretty much Argella's favourite soldier has its benefits, but as Torrence rightfully pointed out, it comes at the effect of everyone else, even people he should be able to rely on, suddenly being more envious than anything else and him being quickly isolated if he further follows that path.
Totally Harren Hoare. The man is used to ordering others around, he has a military background, can make people follow his orders, is not afraid of disciplining those that step out of line, he is pretty much the perfect candidate. It can only be hoped he will seriously consider this offer, because I believe it could hold some severe career benefits for him. In all seriousness though, a new sergeant for the unit is needed and eventually, it is up to Emphryus to appoint a new one.
She definitely will not forget this, I can promise that much. Her growing friendship with Drent has been a source of character development for her during Book 1 and she definitely isn't one to forget about such things, even if she is back to her home turf now and therefore influenced by other elements again. Qoherys meanwhile is one of the newer influences at court and well, while I obviously cannot comment on any possible Targaryen connection, I can say that he as well has his secrets and personal goals in all this.
I believe they should get some time to shine in the next chapter for sure. There really is little we know about them yet other than some basic character traits, but I have scenes planned for all of them in the next chapter and by the end of it, you should have a better idea of whom these three actually are as people.
Yeah, he is still livid at Drent for the stuff that happened in Book 1, but is keeping his distance for now. Not being forced to see him every day probably helps. I can also confirm, he is indeed still seeing Tariel, though he'd never go as far as to consider them in a relationship.
She has taken a serious blow, you are right. Here's the thing, Argella herself realized in the last chapter that Tariel by herself is not responsible for this trickery. She has similarly been manipulated by Sherryl and Argella considers it unlikely that her father truly had no idea about this. He either supported her goal of faking a claim and taking over Raylansfair for political reasons or he at least accepted it due to considering himself to benefit from this. The fact that she is still around shows that Argella wasn't entirely wrong, but neither has she made Tariel's true involvement in all this public. However, her comfortable position is gone and she has to try and find some other way to prove her worth.
Make it chapter to, actually. I don't plan on waiting too long until the tourney starts and as a matter of fact, so does Argilac, who wants to get on with this before the coming war will prevent him from hosting another tourney for a long time. It will serve to gather his lords, it will give the suitors a way to hopefully impress Argella and all in all, it will be something I am super excited to write
Hm, the tourney will probably more focus on knights and nobles, because they are the ones to usually shine during such an event. I have plans for Drent to interact with several more soldiers, but that is unlikely to happen during the tourney itself, where he will mostly interact with those already introduced, as well as new highborn characters from the houses sworn to Durrandon. Those that know the canonical Stormland houses will spot a couple familiar names among the participants. However, there will also be new lowborn Stormlanders, soldiers to be precise, to be featured in the future, be assured of that.
Alright, alright then! Important announcement for all of you!
It might not look like it right now, but my friends, I can tell you something amazing, I bring news, I bring with me a blessing of the noble web team. It seems the power of my song has moved them and they decided to bless us all. At least that is what I am going to claim forevermore. Also, for those of you who don't know how to do it, I bring an explanation on how to activate this boon, so listen closely.
First of all, the main post has returned. Yes, I can confirm, the main post has returned and I am looking at it right now, in all its main-postey glory. It's beautiful and I am excited. However, those of you that haven't spotted it already in the update thread in the general discussion (which I suggest you check out for further news down the line) will probably not see it. Thing is, this is something each and every one of you has to activate for themselves, which I believe is a very nice compromise. Instead of me deciding that this thread needs a main post, you can all decide for yourselves, but I believe a majority of you would very much prefer the main post at the top of every page as it used to be in the ancient days up until the fateful day known forever as the 18th of October.
So, I decided to help you out there and made two screenshots to explain it:
First of all, you go to your profile page and click onto that symbol next to your profile picture, opening a new option named "preferences", as seen here: https://i.imgur.com/3GZRlx0.png
After clicking on it and being brought to https://telltale.com/community/profile/preferences/, you activate the option highlighted in this screenshot (as well as any other you might like. I'm not sure which of these are activated by default, but I fare very comfortably with the ones I have activaed): https://i.imgur.com/Imvc5hG.png
And voila, we got us a main post
So, I hope that will help those of you who still struggle with the update, especially as it means each of the discussions you visit will now have a main post, not just FoT. I for one am actually satisfied. Still not a fan of the linear style, but I think I'm getting used to it and the stuff I wouldn't have gotten used to, such as the absence of the main post, have been dealt with at last. For that, I believe I owe Telltale my gratitude.
[Agree to fight in the melee] Gosh dang, I missed out on the last part, but this part sure did get me going again! Drent is back home baby, doing normal soldier stuff. I like the idea of him doing this tourney, because if he does something of note, he may eventually get a promotion to Sergeant, maybe even a knighthood if he beats up some knight real good. The Torrence room mate bits were particularly funny I thought. Hopefully we'll see more dorm room action, where Drent has to complain to his neighbor about staying up too late, his lute way too loud. Or how Torrence keeps on snoring in the middle of the night and Drent can't stand it. And Edonia and the other girl soldiers are down the hall and giggle at something, and Drent and Torrence spend a whole Book trying to figure out what they were talking about.
cough Ahem............THE MAIN POST HAS RETURNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, Bounden, welcome back
Glad you enjoy the tourney idea, this is certainly something I am very excited to write as well. Beating up a knight, that is definitely going to be a bit of work though. We're talking about people who received the best of training, start with the best of equipment and ultimately live for the glory they can gain in such tourneys. And while not all will be present, some of the best knights in the Stormlands will participate in the melee, such as Emphryus Dresfel or Landry Swann and they won't make it easy. Then again, it is a melee and participating in it alone will give him a certain reputation that could help with any possible ambition he has.
Yeah, I suppose that's the direction for Drent's storyline from now on, sort of a college dorm/army barracks crossover
In all seriousness, I plan for more such smaller slice of life interactions between the big stuff, as long as it does not distract from the direction of the story in general. The next chapter should hold some opportunity. Torrence and Edonia will remain Drent's closest associates there, at least among the soldiers, but he'll also encounter new people and some of them might actually be well-intentioned towards him.
Praise the web team! Seriously, here I was dearly hoping it would be some point before the end of the year, but not actually thinking it would be that soon, but it turns out they actually not only listened, but understood the importance. I have never shied being open about what I don't like about the site, but at the same time I think I should be at least equally vocal about the things I like, because the web team just did something I have to give them serious praise for. Seeing it back taught me just how badly I missed the main post before.
The Voting is closed!
Drent is going to fight in the melee for Argella
That was a surprisingly unanimous choice. I mean, I expected this option to win, but definitely did not think it would get every single vote, in a pretty active voting on top of that. I'll learn from this for future choices, trying to make them a little harder perhaps, if possible. We'll see how that'll work out. Anyways, this will definitely lead to an interesting storyline for Drent in Chapter 2. I can't reveal too much about it yet, but he will have some interactions with a couple characters which I am really looking forward to write.
The next part should be out today. I was busy yesterday, so no writing has been done there, but I nonetheless reach the halfway point of it and expect this part to be done later today. After all, I fully aim to finish the chapter before the end of this month. I only have one tiny problem, which I am sure is going to be dealt with in time. See, I am writing a Willfred part, but there is room for a second PoV. The ones who would be in order to receive another part, Jaron, Raenna and Ellena, are all very likely requiring a full-length part, so I won't even try to include them in the part I am writing right now. Instead, I am currently deciding between Sadie, Keat and Ysilla, albeit the latter might require a full-length part as well to wrap up her Chapter 1 storyline. I am leaning towards Sadie, though will decide when I start writing the part itself. So, here's a recap for Willfred first: Plagued by disturbing dreams, apparently caused by whatever artifact he took from Edward during their fight at the end of Book 1, Willfred also has issues with the new leadership of Raylansfair, because so far, he hasn't made any progress on his mission to receive troops for the Rock in their war against the Ironborn. Knowing of the true allegiance of Petyr and Maron, this will obviously be a risky task in general. His only ally is the equally shady Helenys Bellward, a merchant originally travelling to Raylansfair on Harris' request, but with ambitions to establish herself as a power player in her own right after the former castellan's death. Hurrying to a meeting with her, he encountered the Gardener knight Kasyn Luck, himself stationed in Raylansfair on King Mern's personal order, to keep an eye on the new lord. Apparently harbouring some suspicions, he asked for a moment of Willfred's time, but already running late for his appointment with Helenys, Willfred instead decided to keep him waiting. Meanwhile, Sadie made an important step in her recovery last time we saw her, agreeing to a sparring match with Edward Lancaster. Of course, just starting her training to fight with her left, she stood no chance against him, but it's the thought that counts. Afterwards, she had a meeting with Leo Hill, who told her that he wants to travel to the nearby Castamere, to have a talk with Mileena Reyne, Lady of Castamere and acting ruler during the absence of her husband and firstborn son. She decided to accompany them, together with two of his officers, Rhogarn Snow and Aklen Pentas. Meanwhile Keat returned to Oldtown after a while, now a rich man thanks to Maya properly paying him. He plans to use his coin to pay off the people he is in debt with, which was the original reason for him to leave the city behind. Unfortunately, he was first found by the one creditors he wanted to meet last, a man named Thorrin Bannister, who found Keat thanks to his trained hounds picking up the thief's scent. Not happy at all with Keat running from Oldtown, he gave him an offer: Either Keat could give him his backpack now, containing all of the coin and probably meaning the loss of a chance to pay off the other creditors (among them some of the most powerful remaining people in Oldtown, such as Hishi and Robert Tavner), or to continue being in debt to Thorrin and to repay him later. Keat decided to accept this suspiciously tempting offer and therefore refused to hand over his backpack.
And well, it feels lovely not having to copy/paste those links anymore. They have always been inadequate compared to the real deal. With the main post back, things feel back to normal already. Still missing threaded conversations, but I heavily doubt they will return anytime soon, so yeah, I don't expect much on that front and instead enjoy what we have. Such as the main post, which has been deeply missed. If you haven't yet seen how to get it back, I posted an explanation five posts above this one, so check it out
Willfred
“A cup of tea?”, Aren asked, as Willfred leant back in his chair, putting a hand onto his thumping forehead. Helenys was already holding hers in one hand, the other softly moving over the back of her terrifying pet, the manticore. The creature seemed almost docile as it allowed the merchant to tough it, yet the small, black eyes on its unnerving near-human face were still and fixed on Willfred.
“Yes, please”, Willfred said, gulping as he forced himself to look away from the manticore. It was clear why Helenys had let her monstrosity out of its box. This was a negotiation of sorts and she was trying to intimidate him. And while Willfred feared no man and would match any thug she'd hire to seem imposing, he was unnerved by this tiny insect, the malicious intelligence that seemed to be in its eyes, the sharp hissing sound it emitted seemingly at random.
Willfred shot the servant a slight smile as Helenys took a small sip from her cup, her piercing, brown eyes as fixed on Willfred as her pet. “Ser Willfred”, she greeted him at last. “What a pleasure you could make it in time for our appointment” Willfred gave her a nod. “Couldn't let you wait, right?”, he replied, before politely bowing his head. “Lady Helenys”
“Good”, the older woman said. “I believe we have a lot to discuss today and I don't want to be late for my dinner with Lord Vyrwel” She put down the cup of tea, giving Aren a nod. Her servant walked around her, gulping as he reached for a box on the small table next to her. He opened it and placed it next to the manticore.
“Taros”, Helenys said softly and the creature let out a displeased hissing. Not afraid of how easily it could kill her, she gently pushed it with its finger, the tail brushing over her hand, as the creature gave in, to hurry back into its box. Helenys smiled at it like a mother would smile at her child, a notion Willfred considered to be almost more disturbing than the manticore itself.
Turning back to him, her stern face formed a smile, which put more emphasis on the remarkably few wrinkled that crossed her face. “Now, dear”, she spoke. “Have you gotten any news since our last meeting?” To this, Willfred shook his head, relieved at Taros' absence. “Not with the lord”, he admitted. “He is keeping me waiting. I... was hoping you could pull your weight with him, urge him to discuss things with me”
Helenys gave him a very brief nod. “I could”, she admitted. “However, I cannot guarantee that he follows my advice” Willfred raised an eyebrow and the merchant sighed. “See, over the past few weeks, I have gotten closer to Lord Petyr. He values my advice in matters of trade and makes cunning investments with my help. It won't take too long to get this city back on track”
“But?”, Willfred asked, clenching his fists, as he stared at the tea. Helenys' expression was stony. “Our enemy stands in the way”, she stated firmly. “I aim to become Lord Petyr's second, the most important of his advisers. He is young and though bright, he remains inexperienced, compared to me or to many of the lords he deals with on a daily basis. I have reason to believe he is played by half of the men he has received since taking office, including Oakheart and, of course, Maron Mullendore”
“You believe he will stand in my way?”, Willfred asked, to which Helenys nodded without even the hint of hesitation. “He is a dangerous man”, she spoke. “A man of his convictions. A man who believes himself to be in the right so firmly that it gives him power, that he draws confidence out of the utter knowledge that his way is the right one” She gulped and for a moment, Willfred saw something more terrifying than the way Helenys treated her manticore. This woman he placed his trust in, she was wholeheartedly afraid.
“Yes, I do believe he will stand in your way, and in mine”, she explained. “Because our goals do not align with his and he is one to crush even the slightest opposition” She took a sip from her tea, though her hands were clenched around the cup and she was pale. “I believe we are in great danger if we don't stop him”
“Ser Kasyn seems to be suspicious of him”, Willfred stated and Helenys raised an eyebrow, lowering the cup again. “Kasyn Luck?”, she asked. “Never knew what to think of him. He seems to be a man of honour and if anything, I find these tedious... albeit he might be useful” She mustered him carefully. “What have you told him?”
“Nothing yet”, Willfred admitted. “He approached me today, but I informed him of our meeting. I'll talk to him next time” The merchant smiled thinly and it did not reach her eyes. “Good”, she complimented him. “We must use him with care. Any bit of information he receives must be neatly checked to serve our goal”
“What would our goal be in this case, mylady?”, Willfred asked, half out of genuine curiosity, half because he remained wary about this woman. Helenys was on his side for now, but he had no illusions that by the end of the day, he was merely useful to her, in the same way she aimed to use Ser Kasyn. That was the reason for him being so careful around her, so that he might achieve his goal before her. He had no doubt that she would drop him the moment she got what she wanted and if she had been honest with him earlier, she was aiming to take nothing less but Maron Mullendore's place by Lord Petyr's side, be it out of revenge for Taros' injury at the hands of the man's agent, or out of a sheer desire for power.
“To get rid of Ser Maron”, she explained frankly. “The man is dangerous, ambitious and no one I want to have around when I build up a legacy in this city. He wants a legacy of his own and no one else has room in it” Willfred bit down onto his lower lip. “Is yours any different?”, he asked, perhaps emboldened by the absence of her manticore.
For a moment, Helenys just stared at him, before she chuckled, almost cackled. “My, what a brazen question”, she spoke. “Of course mine is. For example, I aim to better the lives of these people. This is my legacy. Kindness can be remembered as much as greatness, yet it can be achieved so much easier. I will leave my mark upon this city and the one thing I won't allow is someone standing in my way with his own delusions of power”
“How do you wish to deal with him then?”, Willfred asked, glancing at the box. Helenys followed his gaze, before she shook her head. “Taros is not capable of doing that yet”, she revealed. “Sherryl has wounded him terribly and he must rest a great deal. Neither do I think that using him to kill Ser Maron will be a good idea. Thing about it, the man dies in his sleep, the blood in his veins black with poison, as Petyr's new maester is undoubtedly going to find out quickly. Whom will they look at first?”
“But murdering him is not off the table?”, Willfred brought up, to which Helenys smiled thinly. “My dear boy, if you believe I will ever rule out such an option, you are mistaken”, she explained. “Yet if this is the way we deal with him, it must be done subtly. No murder is perfect, aside from maybe the work of the Faceless Men” She raised a finger. “And unless you bring the whole wealth of your families mines with you, I doubt we can even just think about paying them”
“We can think of something”, Willfred said, even if the thought of murdering Mullendore like a coward did not sit rightly with him. But truth be told, he was running out of time and if this man was the only one staying between Helenys and her place right at Petyr Vyrwel's ear, then perhaps he had to be dealt with in whatever way possible. He thought of his family back home. His father, who would be disappointed if he'd return a failure. His mother, who would love him nonetheless. Alanna and Tinnet, who would not understand. And Loren Lannister, the man he wanted to be his father-in-law. Failing the king would be the worst of it.
“That we can”, Helenys agreed. “There is no perfect murder, but we can make it near perfect. Just be assured, this is a dangerous thing to do. If Lord Petyr ever finds out, we will join Maron in the hells. Even Ser Kasyn would be an opponent then, because try to explain to him that we, the murderers, are in the right. Try to explain to him that the victim has actually been a danger to his kingdom”
“Do you know a better way?”, Willfred asked and the merchant shrugged. “Maybe”, she admitted. “A different one at least. If you want to try the more direct way, I will try to support you, but make no mistake, I will take the steps necessary to protect myself throughout all this, just like how I urge you to do the same”
She glanced at the tea in her hand. “If possible, we can pit them against each other. Mullendore doesn't have to die as long as he loses Petyr's trust”, she continued. “This option will require even more finesse. My everything and yours must go into dividing them, to break the bonds of trust they have forged. Petyr is the more powerful of the two by far. If he stops trusting Maron, perhaps even suspecting him of working against their common goal, he can remove him from power”
“But he will remain alive”, Willfred mentioned and Helenys nodded grimly. “I will take my revenge on him one way or the other”, she hissed. “But stripping him of all he worked for, that might be more satisfying than seeing his lifeless body. It will mean he lives to make a move of his own though and while our hands will remain clean, there is a certain danger in letting him make his move. Backed against a wall, he might act... irrationally”
“So, both approaches hold a risk”, Willfred stated and Helenys gave him a nod. “Do you have an idea which you want to pursue?” To this, the merchant hesitated, before slightly shaking her head. “I am not sure”, she admitted. “This requires further thought. However, your opinion will factor into my decision. Tell me, knight, what approach would you give a chance?”
[Plan to murder Maron Mullendore] [Plan to divide Petyr and Maron]
Sadie
“I'm with you”, Sadie agreed and a wide grin formed on Leo's face. “Splendid!”, he roared. “Glad you're getting out of this camp for once. We'll likely stay a night at Castamere before coming back, so pack a few things. Lightly though, don't want to give Lady Mileena the wrong impression”
Sadie raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean with that?”, she asked and Leo sighed. “I know how to deal with these people. Nobles, I mean. Arrogant, especially when dealing with the lower folk. We don't want her to think we plan on staying by our own, that'll make it more likely she'll offer it. And the people of Maybros, they need it”
“Your cousin will already be there, right?”, Edward asked and Leo frowned. “I am afraid he will”, he replied with a grim tone. “But in this situation, we actually work for the same goal. We want Mileena Reyne to take in the refugees from Maybros. For that I can work with him, but he can still go and fuck himself once this is over”
Leo sighed and took a step back, putting his massive hands onto the shoulders of Rhogarn and Aklen. “You two, you heard the order. Pack lightly, but pack” Rhogarn saluted firmly, though Aklen instead grinned in a slightly sarcastic way. “Aye, boss”, he spoke and glanced at Sadie, who tried not to be bothered by him. “You sure the cripple can pack her stuff though?”
Sadie gulped, while Leo's hand onto Aklen's shoulder tensed up. “Pack your stuff”, he growled sternly, to which Aklen rolled his eyes. Without saying another word, he walked past them, though the look he gave Sadie made her tense up.
As soon as he was gone, Rhogarn raised an eyebrow. “Shall I arrange disciplinary measures for him?”, he asked and Leo shook his head. “I hope he'll learn his lesson”, he replied. “He's a piece of shit, but good interrogators are hard to come by. As long as he's just talking, I'll give him a pass, if he keeps following my orders”
He walked around the table, putting his hand onto Sadie's shoulder. “But if he ever does more than just talking shit, you tell me and I will deal with him”, he assured her. Wordlessly, she gave him a nod, brief and weak. “When will we leave?”, she asked, shocked by how thin her voice sounded. Leo's hand rested on her shoulder a second longer, before he removed it. “In an hour”, he spoke. “Meet me here by then”
With this, all was said. Sadie turned around and walked out of the tent, shivering at the cold air outside. It made her feel dizzy, or perhaps it was Edward's lesson, or Aklen's mockery. She often felt dizzy these days, but even she couldn't blame herself for it, given how close she had been to death, according to Wylie.
Glancing around, she couldn't see the old man anywhere and that was a shame. He was the only one she considered a true friend these days, the last person she trusted, when even her own sister had changed. Of course, she did not exactly distrust Leo either, albeit his kindness, as she was sure, would come at a price, one she wasn't sure she could pay in her current state. But the rest?
As she arrived at her tent, she spotted Melanie, sitting on her bed and stitching a mantle. She looked up as Sadie entered the tent, the look on her face oddly relaxed. “Is everything alright?”, she asked and Sadie gulped, slightly narrowing her eyes. “I could ask you the same thing”, she replied.
To this, Melanie smirked, a genuine, almost good-natured smile. She raised her hands, both of them. “Well, you're kinda not one to ask”, she spoke and Sadie rolled her eyes at the taunt. “You're in a good mood”, she realized and as she walked past her, Melanie gave her a nod. “Whereas you're anything but”, she answered.
“Well, can you blame me?”, Sadie replied, as she reached for her backpack. Her voice was stern, though some level of relief, if also accompanied by confusion, flashed through her as she noticed Melanie's apparent cheerfulness. “Not really”, her sister replied. “Hey, Sades, um... you need help with that?”
Sadie had begun to pick up some clean clothes, clumsily cramming them into the backpack, though she glanced over her shoulder, slightly narrowing her eyes. “You want to help me?”, she asked and Melanie gave her a nod. “I guess”, she replied. “For, you know, looking for me. I know I can be hard to deal with, but I still love you”
“I love you as well”, Sadie replied with a slight smile, even if the notable change in Melanie's behaviour did fill her with mistrust. Perhaps that was what Dan had always told her, that she was too mistrustful in general. And then she had to think about Dan and the night he died again and it caused any trace of a relaxed mood she allowed herself to feel to fade in an instant.
Noting her faded smile, Melanie frowned, though Sadie's curiosity was still there. “Why the sudden change of mind?”, she asked. Melanie's frown faded, as she sat down next to her sister. “You want my help with that or not?”, she asked in return and Sadie rolled her eyes. “Sure”, she said. “It's just, you haven't cared so far”
“So now I'm not allowed to care?”, Melanie asked. “Sadie, you... you have been looking for me and you lost everything. I just want to make sure you'll at least get... you know, used to the situation. Surely that's hard enough without me being an ass”
Sadie sighed, as even something as trivial as packing her stuff into a backpack turned into a task she appreciated the help for. “You... can be a bit of an ass at times”, she admitted, as Melanie smiled, putting an arm around her. “Where are you going either way?”, she asked.
“Castamere”, Sadie replied. “Leo wants us all there as soon as possible, but first he wants to negotiate with the Reyne lady. I'll be gone for a day, maybe two” Melanie raised an eyebrow. “That Leo...”, she chirped. “Kinda handsome, despite the scars. Or, maybe because of them. Do you know he's not much older than you? The beard adds at least a decade to that face, but I bet he's chiseled as a Lannister below”
Again, Sadie rolled her eyes. “That's not the reason he's so nice to me”, she clarified and Melanie chuckled. “So, you're not together?”, she asked. “That's... that's good to know. Interesting, I mean. Sure he has a thing for you though” Sadie shook her head. “I doubt anyone's got a thing for me these days”, she replied firmly.
“Well, you did leave poor Blane heartbroken”, Melanie grinned. “And think about it, why would he take you with him? Surely it's not because you're so useful to his cause. You can't fight, you've always been terrible at keeping a household and you've never been at Castamere, right?”
Sadie sighed at her sisters words. “Why do you care all of a sudden?”, she asked, sounding a bit more snappy than she intended to. Melanie instantly frowned again. “Hey, am I not allowed to care?”, she asked. “You're my sister, I'm just curious...” She cut herself off, as the same apathetic expression she sported for weeks returned to her face. “You know what, fine, be that way”, she growled, as she rose from the ground. “Come visit me when you're not a paranoid wreck anymore”
With these words, as harsh as they were true, Melanie Wade hurried out of the tent. Sadie remained, leaning against her bed, her hand instantly clenched around her shivering right forearm, as she tried to breathe more easily. It wasn't only Melanie's words that hit her. It was more... something about her behaviour wasn't right. Well, it never was, not since Gyles put his mixture into her, but today, she was particularly strange. That mood swing, it wasn't normal, not even for her.
“Melanie, wait...”, she sighed weakly, knowing her sister was already out of earshot. She wanted to hold her, wanted to be there for her, tell her that everything will be alright. She wanted to support her during these times, when she herself was the one that needed support. Maybe she just wanted to have her close, wanted to rely on someone for once. And yet, she was still lying to her, every moment, every day. Perhaps her own pain was the only thing that still kept her capable of looking Melanie into the eye, that distracted her enough from the guilt she felt throughout all this.
“Trouble?”, another voice asked, soft and female. As Sadie glanced to the entrance of the tent, she spotted a woman that seemed distantly familiar. Short and willowy, though nowadays she hid her body beneath a thick cloak instead of flaunting it on Gyles' orders. Her blonde hair had gotten a bit longer and she wasn't smiling anymore, the latter of which took away from her beauty a bit.
“Your name is Nilanne”, Sadie remembered and the woman gave her a nod. “Sorry for disturbing you, I just...”, the former whore said. “We haven't talked, not after the attack, I mean, but I saw Melly storming off just there” She glanced into the tent. “May I come in?”
Feeling more dizzy than before, Sadie gave her a tired nod. “Sure”, she allowed and Nilanne came closer. “I never thanked you, you know”, she spoke and Sadie raised an eyebrow. “What for?”, she asked in return and the young woman uncomfortably moved her hands to her own wrists. “Gyles has lost his power over most of us”, she revealed. “Leo enforced this. Only those that want to still work for him”
“You don't?”, Sadie asked and Nilanne shook her head. “I know what he did to the other girls”, he said. “Me, he wanted to work in the taproom. Never gave me his mixture, to keep my head clean. I don't know if that was a blessing or not, for he had... other means to keep me in line” She looked up, now a very slight smile forming on her face. “But that is over now, thanks to you and Leo”
“You're welcome”, Sadie mumbled and Nilanne sighed, as she looked at the backpack. “You're leaving the camp?”, she asked and Sadie gave her a nod. “Leo wants me to go with him to Castamere. We'll be back soon. I think Edward is in charge until then”
“Edward is a good one”, Nilanne assured her. “He treated the girls gently” She gulped. “I'm sorry, I couldn't help but to hear your argument with Melly. She's going through more than most of the other girls and... well, she's never been the strongest”
“I know”, Sadie replied, as she looked at the other woman again. “What do you want then?” It was perhaps a bit rude towards a woman that came to express her gratitude, but truth be told, Sadie did not know Nilanne. Last time she had seen her, she had still been Gyles' whore. Gomblinger kept his head down, but who could say what he was planning in this very moment?
Nilanne sighed. “I don't mean any offence”, she said. “But I wanted to offer my help. You will be gone for days and Melanie, she'll be all alone. Edward can look out for her, but if he's in charge, he can hardly do so the whole day. But she knows me. She trusts me. If you allow it, I will keep an eye on her while you are gone” Her smile was small, which made it all the more genuine, but Sadie was nonetheless reluctant. Gyles' whore. Gyles' former whore, perhaps. Could she trust her with Melanie? Could she afford not to trust her?
[Trust Nilanne with looking after Melanie] [Tell her to stay away from Melanie]
[Plan to murder Maron Mullendore] Eh, what the heck. Easy peasy lemon squeezy? I have a bad feeling about this.
[Tell her to stay away from Melanie] Also have a bad feeling about this. People genuinely caring about other people? What a load of crap.
[Plan to divide Petyr and Maron] We already have several people planning on killing Mullendore, so separating him from his best ally is a good way to leave him vulnerable. I also believe that, while both are scum, Mullendore has crossed far more lines than Vyrwel.
[Trust Nilanne with looking after Melanie] As far as I can tell, she's being sincere, and while Gyles remains a threat, I doubt she's working for him right now.
Wonder if other noblemen besides the Reynes are currently at Castamere.
[Plan to divide Petyr and Maron]
The other plan won't work (and we have already enough people that has it) and most important it is 100% for sure a plan that even if it work won't make Petyr decide to help Helenys/Willfred (because of the alliance). I even add that try to make a break between Petyr and Mullendore is a much more fun and less boring choice (enough PoV's have already a murder in mind)
[Trust Nilanne with looking after Melanie] Eh....I don't know since each choices can lead to Melanie comeback to Gyles/do something stupid so I will decide to "trust" for now just to make that character (Nilanne) do something
RT:
1)Tea party at this Willfred part!
2)After see again the manticore and how Helenys love her animal make me think of how fun will be of all the dogs/cats spots that you can see in the TV got replaced with spots about manticores
3)Poor Lady Helenys want to fly high and believe to be so smart when the truth is that she know nothing! Believe that Petyr can be easily manipulated and don't know of his alliance are the proofs of that!
4)Wait a sec,when Helenys discover that Sherryl was the person that take the manticore?
5)Meanwhile in the last Sadie part of this chapter the one arm girl has a strangely nice talk with her sister,maybe I'm paranoid but it feel weird that from nowhere Melanie decide to be sympathetic to her sister
6)Melanie is right,it seems strange that Leo decide to spend so much time and money for Sadie without ask anything from her
7)Ah ah!A new character after many parts!Welcome to the story Nil...wait a sec..you are not a new character!(jokes aside it was a really long time from the last appearance of her)
8)Wow if I were Gyles I would have break my partnership with the Forgotten since they clearly are not a good investment (I mean,that "poor" guy lose at least half his workforce!)
[Plan to divide Petyr and Maron]
[Tell her to stay away from Melanie]