Willfred
For a moment, he was willing, yes, perfectly ready to attack the maester. To strike him, to choke the life out of him... Then, h… moree blinked and not without horror at himself, he clenched his fists. His glare was enough for Eddard to realize the danger he was in. Slowly, he took a step back, placing the box on the table once more and Willfred sighed with relief as the anger faded quickly.
“I... meant no offence, Ser”, the maester said quickly, raising his gloved hands as if to defend himself from an attack that would not come. Willfred took a deep breath. “I know”, he said. “I just don't appreciate a stranger in my room, searching through my stuff”
Eddard shook his head. “I wasn't searching”, he claimed. “You cannot deny that this curious little trinket stands out quite notably. It just caught my attention” Willfred narrows his eyes. “It has the habit, yes”, he agreed, visibly confusing the maester. “But that still doesn't expl… [view original content]
Willfred
For a moment, he was willing, yes, perfectly ready to attack the maester. To strike him, to choke the life out of him... Then, h… moree blinked and not without horror at himself, he clenched his fists. His glare was enough for Eddard to realize the danger he was in. Slowly, he took a step back, placing the box on the table once more and Willfred sighed with relief as the anger faded quickly.
“I... meant no offence, Ser”, the maester said quickly, raising his gloved hands as if to defend himself from an attack that would not come. Willfred took a deep breath. “I know”, he said. “I just don't appreciate a stranger in my room, searching through my stuff”
Eddard shook his head. “I wasn't searching”, he claimed. “You cannot deny that this curious little trinket stands out quite notably. It just caught my attention” Willfred narrows his eyes. “It has the habit, yes”, he agreed, visibly confusing the maester. “But that still doesn't expl… [view original content]
Hello people! Since it seems like most people have given their vote for the latest part by now, I figured it'd be a good time for me to drop the new set of character drawings. Yes, the drawings are back after a bit of a break, and this time we focus on the cast of Qarth storyline:
I have a weird feeling that he knows what was discussed anyways, so lying would be a bad idea. Second of all, I think fueling the conflict between Petyr and Maron will be only good for everyone working against them.
Ah, new drawings, that is wonderful It has been a while, but the quality of the drawings has only gotten better, this is amazing! I'm really excited to have these. First of all, Irae. Of course, PoV drawings are always something special, but with Irae, I especially enjoy her rather unique looks. As it should be with a warlock, she stands out from the rest and you really captured this here, giving her this strange, eerie vibe I hope to go with her in her parts. Onwards from eerie to outright creepy, there is Moros and holy shit, that is a great drawing. He is exactly as I imagined him, this patronizing, unsettling and wholeheartedly creepy old guy, looking more like a corpse than anything else. That grin is a particularly nice touch, as are the fingernails. Both, him and Irae make for a strong contrast to Naela, who is looking so refreshingly normal when compared to the warlocks. With her, I especially love the dress. Admittedly, I got a weakness for fancy-looking clothes, but this is great. I also love the expression on her face, this somewhat haughty look. Onwards to Kareq, of course he does look a bit different at the time, with how sick he is, but this is him during his prime. Makes me really wish I get the chance to show him like this one day, because I enjoy the look, that is spot on as imagined. And finally, the Witch Khal. I mean, little has been shown about him so far, with him only appearing briefly in Irae's vision, but I hope he already left a bit of an impression as a presence to look out for in the future. And you really nailed his looks there, this powerful, mysterious vibe I want for him. And though he hasn't even had his first speaking appearance yet, I can already promise that I am extremely excited to finally give him a larger role in the story. All in all, a wonderful and highly welcome set of drawings, thank you very much for these!
Hello people! Since it seems like most people have given their vote for the latest part by now, I figured it'd be a good time for me to drop… more the new set of character drawings. Yes, the drawings are back after a bit of a break, and this time we focus on the cast of Qarth storyline:
Hope you like 'em!
Well, I can say that this was a huge choice for Willfred. He has, essentially, chosen not to support Maron any further, which is a pretty big step for him, but also undeniably dangerous. I mean, he is lying to a liar, a master at that. It remains to be seen if Maron believes him and how he is going to react. Willfred is going to have one more part in this chapter and it is going to be a big one, so I hope I get to write it very soon.
The next part shall be out today. All in all, we got about five additional parts left in this super long chapter, but it is nearing its end at last. This next part will finish the storylines for Jenna and Kersea and things will go smoothly after that. With a bit of luck, we'll finally reach Chapter 3, as I wanted to do in June. Eh, things get better for me, so I hope my pace can get faster again But yeah, last time we saw Jenna, she and Vali encountered two new guests in Raylansfair, Donnel Selwyn's eldest son Dustran and his master-at-arms (and member of the Order of the Green Hand) Dunaver Flowers, the latter of whom really isn't a fan of Vali. Wanting to win Dunaver over as an ally against Mullendore, Jenna requested to speak to him and Vali in private, without the presence of Dustran, who is, due to the uncertain loyalties of his father, not seen as all too reliable at this moment. Meanwhile, Kersea and Leonard had a tense encounter with the travellers Drake and Elias in the now abandoned Hammered Harp tavern on their way to Oldtown. After a while, a fight broke out, provoked by Drake, with Elias only reluctantly taking his side. While Leonard fought against Drake, Kersea defended herself against Elias, but with the man not seeming too willing to actually attack her, she made the decision to ignore him in favour of assisting Leonard with quickly taking down Drake. The next part will start right there and I hope it'll be an enjoyable one
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, leaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Drake quickly forced him back, his wild swings only surpassed by the savage look on his face.
As such, Kersea knew she had no time to waste. Charging towards him, she jumped onto the table between them at full speed, not slowing down as she tried to tackle him, moving the blade to his neck in the same movement. Drake wasted no time and before she had even reached him, he pushed his shield into her side, not with too much force, but enough to knock her aside.
Instead of falling, Kersea landed on her feet, quickly jumping back to get out of the reach of his blade. Now, Drake stood between her and Leonard, his expression showing the briefest hint of concern as he realized his situation. “Get back on your feet and help me!”, he barked towards Elias, who was still wheezing from Kersea's earlier punch. Perhaps he'd even suffocate, as she realized with grim satisfaction.
Leonard and Kersea shared a brief nod, before they attacked at once. Drake reacted calmly, parrying Leonard's sword with his own, the sound of clashing steel filling the air, as Kersea's dagger smashed against his shield. She wasted no time attacking again, this time higher than before and he frowned, as he used his shield to protect his face, having to parry Leonard's blow at the same time.
This time, he spun around, taking a swift strike at Kersea with his sword, while bashing the shield into Leonard's direction. She evaded the blow, though Leonard was taken by surprise, the heavy shield slamming into his ribs. He gasped, stumbling backwards, though Drake made the right decision in not pursuing him. Instead, he did not turn his back on Kersea, quickly showering her with a rapid succession of attacks.
Forced into the defence, Kersea had no choice but to jump back. Drake pursued her this time and the smile on his face was gone, replaced by a cold frown, the look in his eyes a desire to kill. He quickly attacked her again and as she jumped back, she bumped against the wall of the tap room. The tip of the blade missed her throat just barely and she felt the steel cutting through air inches away from her skin.
On the far end of the room, Elias slowly rose, still on shaky legs, one hand pressed onto his throat, the other clenched around his axe, as he staggered roughly into their direction. And behind Drake, Leonard charged. Their opponent saw him coming and he backed off, giving Kersea some much needed distance between them.
Moving to keep both of his opponents in front of him, Drake hurried into the centre of the room, pointing the sword at Kersea, while readying the shield for any attack Leonard could follow up with. He threw a brief glance at Elias, who was readying himself to attack as well, before he, with a smirk, made the first move.
His boldness surprised Kersea. It was against what she had learned, against what Terroma taught her about situations where she'd be outnumbered. And yet, Drake charged at the two. With his raised shield, he parried Leonard's attack, before taking a swing of his own against Kersea. She jumped back, just barely fast enough to avoid being hit.
With her out of reach, Drake moved in on Leonard. Slamming the shield against the knight's sword, he attacked with his sword at the same time. This time, however, Leonard had predicted the move. His free hand moved to grab Drake's forearm, holding the blade away from his side. It was there that Kersea had reached them again.
Drake's eyes widened as her dagger moved forwards. With his sword and shield both trapped, tried to break free, but only managed to twist in order to avoid getting his throat cut by her blade. Instead, the dagger hit the chainmail protecting his shoulder, unable to penetrate it. With a low growl, Drake broke free and in the same movement, he slammed the pommel of his sword against Kersea's jaw.
It was a hard blow and she instantly tasted the blood, her sight leaving her for a second as she staggered backwards, arms swinging to regain her balance. Dazed and momentarily confused, it took her a moment to realize what had happened, as she moved back in fear of having to avoid another strike. Her arms found a table behind her which she leant on for a second, as her sight cleared again, allowing her to see what had happened in this moment.
Drake was standing there, wide-eyed, his expression one of fear and pain. Blood poured from the cut on his neck, where Leonard's sword had left a small, but heavily bleeding mark. He stumbled backwards and it was there that Kersea noticed that in her blind swing, she had managed to embed the dagger in his upper leg, hindering his movement and probably stunning him enough for Leonard to land the blow.
To her side, Elias roared with anger. His axe raised, he charged at the knight, while the heavily injured Drake readied his shield to protect himself. In this moment, Kersea noticed movement behind him. Magnus Silverstone had left his position in the corner, where he and Bennett had kept away from the fighting. In his hand, he held a bottle he quickly smashed onto Elias' head. The man's charge got cut short, as he fell to the ground, groaning and dropping his axe. Swiftly, Bennett stood by his side, picking up the weapon and pointing it at the downed man.
“Oh, fuck...”, Drake managed to mumble, as Leonard attacked him. He parried the first strike with his shield, the second with his sword, before he was forced to take a step back. Kersea's dagger in his leg prevented this and with a scream of pain as he put pressure onto the injury, he went to the ground. Leonard's attack missed him, though it heavily slammed against the side of his sword, knocking it straight from his hand.
For a moment, Leonard stood over him, heavily breathing, before he raised his sword. “Any last words?”, he barked and Drake mumbled something. “Fuck you...”, he finally managed to say and Leonard said. “Can't say I didn't try”, he replied, before he brought his sword down on the injured man. The blade entered Drake's skull through the mouth, impaling him and probably killing him in an instant.
Breathing heavily, Leonard glanced over his shoulder at Kersea, who was slowly approaching him. Then, he gave her a nod. “You ok?”, he asked. “Was quite the blow you got there” In reply, Kersea spat onto the ground, noticing the mixture of saliva and blood. She managed a weak grin. “Had worse”, she admitted. “How about you?”
To her surprise, Leonard reciprocated the thin smile. “You really got my back there”, he complimented her. “So yeah, I'm alright” A groan to the side caused him to shift his attention to the remaining three people in the room. Elias had rolled onto his back, glancing up at Bennett and Magnus, before Leonard and Kersea approached him.
“Thanks for the help”, the knight spoke and Magnus nodded, a pleased smile on his face. “These two had kept us hostage, me and Bennett. No idea why they didn't kill us outright, but I think that one over there considered me funny”, he replied, glancing at the dead Drake. “I wonder if he'd laugh now” With this, he took a slight bow. “But you have my gratitude as well, stranger, mine and Bennett's”
“Where are you going now?”, Bennett asked, slowly lowering Elias' axe. The weapon was too big for him and he visibly struggled, though he clung onto it. Leonard and Kersea exchanged a look, before the knight answered. “Oldtown”, he spoke and a wide smile formed on Magnus' face. “Care for company on the road then, Ser?”, he asked. “Me and Bennett were on our way there as well before we stumbled upon these two miscreants”
“And what about him?”, Leonard asked, pointing his sword at Elias. Kersea put a hand onto his forearm and he paused. “You hesitated”, she spoke to the downed man. “Why?” Elias groaned, though he opened his eyes and looked at her. There was no malice in them, only fear. “Didn't want to kill you, m'lady”, he admitted. “It's why I've been acting that way before. A stranger acts rude and odd in a situation like this? Was hoping you'd get the hint and leave” He sighed. “This could have been avoided”
“It was all on your friend”, Leonard growled and reluctantly, Elias nodded. “Aye, it was”, he admitted. “I knew Drake wouldn't back off, but you didn't leave either, eh?” He bit down onto his lower lip, before he looked up. “If you are going to kill me, at least make it quick”
Leonard hesitated though. “Why did you follow Drake if you did not agree with him?”, he asked and Elias did not reply for a moment. “Don't get me wrong, he could be a real ass”, he finally spoke. “And he was a murderer, unashamedly so. But he saved my life before. I had a debt to him and I'm not the sort to abandon those I'm in debt to. If it means doing some bad stuff whenever he orders me? Never liked it, but I never complained either”
“He was different from Drake”, Bennett spoke up. “He treated us better” Leonard raised an eyebrow at that, before he lowered his sword, placing it back in his scabbard. Elias sighed with relief. “I'm not going to kill you”, the knight explained. “Do what you like, you're free to go” He gave Magnus a nod. “You two are free to accompany us”
“What... where am I supposed to go?”, Elias managed to ask and Leonard shrugged. “I don't care”, he spoke and Elias sighed. “Can... I come with you?”, he then asked. Leonard chuckled slightly, before he glanced at Kersea. “As I said, I don't fucking care. Maybe you're better than this Drake fellow, but don't expect me to ever trust you” He raised an eyebrow. “You want to take him?”
Instead of replying, Kersea glanced at Elias, narrowing her eyes. “You want to come with us?”, she asked. “Why?” Elias groaned, as he placed a hand on the bloody back of his head. “Don't know where else to go”, he admitted. “Drake gave the orders, I followed. It was a simple life. Left my home behind years ago. Figures following you would be as good as any other option I have”
“You could go to Raylansfair”, she spoke and he shrugged. “Heard they might have use for me”, he replied. “Raylansfair is an option for me. Oldtown's the other end of the road and there's always work to find. You go there and well, if you'll take me, maybe I'll find some way to help you out in return” He gave her a long, deep look. “You spared my life. Figure it's only fair if you get to decide how I continue”
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown][Tell him to go to Oldtown on his own][Tell him to go to Raylansfair]
Jenna
“So...”, Dunaver spoke the moment Dustran Selwyn had left the room. He had been visibly unhappy with this, even though Dustran had gone along with her request without any trouble. In fact, the man had acted remarkably polite at this and nothing implied he was displeased by her decision. Dunaver however, he clearly was, unlike Vali, who gave her a wide, friendly smile. “You care to tell me what this is all about now, girl?”
Vali opened his mouth to speak, but Dunaver cut him off at once. “I wasn't talking to you”, he growled. “The girl who requested Dustran to leave. What are you two up to that isn't meant for his ears?” He looked at Vali sharply, with a hawkish gaze and under his glare, the young man seemed to shrink. It was as if his confidence was stripped away by this harsh knight, in a way that reminded Jenna of her own experiences with Lady Halla. The look he gave Jenna was, admittedly, less severe. Still stern and unflinching, yet with a certain respect to it. “Go ahead, mylady. I suppose you can tell me and unlike Saltmouth here, I expect nothing but the truth from you”
She tensed up at his request. “It is because you are, well, both part of the Order”, she began and Dunaver raised an eyebrow. “The Order of the Green Hand”, he growled. “Has always been a knightly order, meant to protect the Reach and its citizens with the strength of our arms. It was a mistake to allow spies in our ranks. Liars and eavesdroppers. There is no honour in what Vali and his people are doing, as much as their occasional success seems to prove them right”
“Right”, Jenna was quick to say. “He has something to say though and I think you should hear him out if you want to protect the Reach” Dunaver gave her a toothy, joyless grin. “From what danger?”, he asked and she gulped. “Maron Mullendore”, she finally told him and she felt slight fear at even just the mere mention of the name. Fear and rage both, combined into a terrifying mix of emotions. Her hands began to shake and she noticed Dunaver's gaze hardening as he mustered her carefully.
“What did the man do to you?”, he asked, his voice showing a hint of compassion. Her shaking hands began to tremble and she clenched them as she met Dunaver's gaze with a hard glare. “He murdered my father”, she hissed, suppressing the urge to tear up, to which Dunaver tilted his head. “My condolences”, he spoke. “This should be brought up with the lord of this city though, shouldn't it?”
“She told him already”, Vali said and this time, Dunaver merely gave him a slight glare. “And she told you apparently”, he growled. “I hate to say it, but I know you, Saltmouth. You know better than to waste my time with something that isn't my duty to fix” He looked back at Jenna. “Considering I just believe your word, mylady, and it was murder instead of self defence or an accident, that hardly justifies Ser Dustran leaving the room. He is a man of honour and I can assure you, he would have taken your claim seriously”
“He murdered my father for sheltering two people he was looking for”, Jenna said, as she took a step towards Dunaver. “Ser, what I am going to tell you, it mustn't reach Mullendore's ears. If he learns about this, he will kill me next” Dunaver's stern gaze softened marginally. “I hate hiding the truth”, he admitted. “But if I deem it dangerous for anyone else to know, you have my word as a knight of the Order of the Green Hand that I shall remain silent”
“Thank you”, Jenna said in a low tone. “Then I can tell you what these people told me” She gulped. “One of them was a woman named Kersea, the other a knight like you, a man called Leonard Constantine” Vali sighed and slightly closed his eyes and she noticed at Dunaver's hardened glare that he was familiar with Leonard. Perhaps bringing him up hadn't been the wisest thing to do.
“Constantine”, he growled. “I know the man and frankly, I don't find it hard to believe that he's involved in something shady” He shook his head. “He had to leave Selwyn Tower after a bad disagreement with my lord and I can assure you, I was happy to kick him out”, he revealed, before he gave her a stern gaze. “What did he do this time?”
Jenna sighed. “Nothing”, she assured him. “He got framed for Mullendore's crimes, he and his friend, Lucas Flowers” She slightly shrunk under Dunaver's glare and she looked at Vali for help. The boy, however, seemed even more terrified of the knight than she was. “Saltmouth, Constantine, now Lucas Flowers”, he said, as he raised a finger. “Mylady, you must pick your acquaintances wisely. I suppose you know he has a terrible reputation, right?”
“One you don't believe in?”, Jenna deduced and after a brief moment of surprise, Dunaver gave her a nod. “Admittedly, I had my doubts”, he replied calmly. “The accusations against him always lacked a motive. With Constantine, I'd find it easier to believe, but from all I heard, Lucas Flowers always acted with honour”
“And they were both framed by Maron Mullendore”, she told him. “I don't know how deeply Lord Petyr is involved in this, but I cannot approach him about it. Mullendore has murdered people, he murdered my father and others” She narrowed her eyes. “He has sent killers to Raylansfair. They murdered Lord Raylan, they murdered the old housekeeper, the septon and I believe also Harris Flowers”
To this, Dunaver sighed. “Harris was a good man”, he admitted in a surprisingly soft tone. “Made it farther than most of us bastards ever do, not through luck but through sheer strength of will” He tilted his head. “I suppose you don't know why Mullendore would do such a thing?”
“I...”, Jenna began, before she paused. A motive... that was very much something she could not give him. He had sent his killers to Raylansfair, Kersea among them, to murder, to make it easier for Petyr Vyrwel to take over the city, but why? Why the murders in Oldtown? Why... why her father? That had been something even Leonard had been unable to tell her.
“Figured that much”, Dunaver spoke. “Just like how I am unwilling to believe in Lucas Flowers' guilt, I find myself hard to trust your accusations against Maron Mullendore with nothing but the word of some woman and Leonard Constantine” He narrowed his eyes. “Especially as they are not here to confirm their side of the story”
“They left Raylansfair”, Jenna admitted. “To where, I don't know” Dunaver raised an eyebrow. “Or you don't trust me enough to tell me”, he deduced. “But it matters not. What do you think I am supposed to do now?” This baffled Jenna and at a loss of words, she exchanged a glance with Vali. “Do you just dismiss what she said, Ser?”, Vali barked, earning himself a stern glare from the knight.
Before Dunaver was able to reply though, Vali cut him off. “Oh yes, I do talk back at you”, he spoke, giving him a wide grin that only thinly veiled his uneasiness around the man. “Fuck me, I guess. But I mean it. Do you just dismiss what she said? You know me and I can assure you, this man, Maron Mullendore, probably Lord Vyrwel as well, they are a threat. They took over Raylansfair through murder and deceit. Serry sent me here to investigate and I am not the only one who has uncovered strange events here in the city. Nor are our people the only one with an interest in these events”
“Whom else have you found, Saltmouth?”, Dunaver asked, pressing the words through his teeth and Vali smirked at the defeated tone in the knight's voice. “There is a Targaryen spy among the servants”, he revealed and Dunaver straightened his back. “That is important news”, he admitted. “And concering. If Targaryen sends one of his to this city, then it gives your claim at least some merit”
“So you believe us?”, Jenna asked and Dunaver shook his head. “I don't disregard what you say, mylady”, he told her. “But believing you? That is another thing entirely. How am I supposed to believe you when at the end of the day, all you have are accusations without even as much as a motive?”
“But...”, Jenna began, though this time, Dunaver cut her off. “You tell me he murdered people, aye. Destabilized the city for his ally to take over. Doesn't sound all that unlikely, to be honest, but I can't act as long as doubt remains”, he explained. “When I act, I bring the Order of the Green Hand down on this man. Before I do any of this, I want evidence. Hard, unquestionable evidence that Mullendore did any of this and at best, evidence of his motives behind. Then, and only then, I shall help you with delivering these to the king”
“I was hoping you could influence Lord Selwyn already”, Vali admitted and Dunaver chuckled coldly. “For you, Saltmouth? Never”, he spoke. “I owe Donnel a great deal and these talks are important to him. If you think I sabotage them without a good reason to, then whatever training Serry put you through must have done a number on your mind” He shrugged. “More than usual, that is”
“Evidence then”, Vali sighed, rolling his eyes. “Make it difficult then, Dunaver. We know that's because of me” Quickly, Dunaver shook his head. “If you wouldn't be with her, I'd be less inclined to even just believe a word she just said”, he admitted, before he gave Jenna brief, apologetic look. “Nothing personal, mylady. I don't like Vali, but I know he's here for a reason. He just tends to rush into things before thinking them through”
Jenna gave him a nod, as she narrowed her eyes. She opened her tightly clenched fists and noticed the pain flowing through them, as she frowned. “Evidence it is then”, she hissed. “If we get you what you want, will you support us?” Dunaver nodded without hesitating. “I'm willing to believe you and if you back up your claims with anything solid, you can bet I will support you”, he promised. “I'll discourage Donnel from dealing with Lord Vyrwel and I will help you bringing Mullendore to justice. Until then, I'll remain quiet about this”
“How do we do this then?”, Jenna asked, glancing at Vali. The young man was still glaring at Dunaver, though he pulled himself together. “We need evidence. Surely there's some around. Mullendore strikes me as the kind to hide his and fuck, I really don't want to be caught by him, but you are a servant. You can get a reason to enter Vyrwel's room”, he told her. “You can search it and maybe you'll find something useful”
“Maybe Saerya knows something...”, Jenna mumbled and she noticed Vali's gaze getting colder. “Not that woman”, he told her. “If she has evidence, I doubt she'll part with it freely. Let me assure you she is not on our side here and any help she'll offer will come to bit us in the back whenever she feels like it. You can do that, but I don't want anything to do with her”
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room][Suggest getting Saerya involved]
[Tell him to go to Raylansfair]
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room]
You know, when we made the choice to attack Drake in the last Kersea part, I was kinda afraid we accidently got Leonard killed. But when I saw the last Kersea part wasn't the chapter finally I relaxed because I feel Leonard is quite a big character and if you are going to kill him(which i really hope you don't but this is a game of thrones fic so you never know) his death would most likely happen in a chapter finale.
Kersea
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, le… moreaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Dra… [view original content]
Kersea
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, le… moreaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Dra… [view original content]
[Tell him to go to Oldtown on his own]
R.I.P. Drake, he has to be one of the fastest characters to be killed off. I wonder what would've happened if the other choice was chosen.
[Suggest getting Saerya involved]
Maybe Saerya can get herself killed doing this.
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] They could use the extra muscle, especially with the Fang out there. And there's Vanis looking for Magnus and Bennett, so yeah, another fighter is better right now.
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room] while not the best choice, involving Saerya will bring an unnecessary third party to an already complicated matter.
Kersea
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, le… moreaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Dra… [view original content]
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] Difficult choice I had to think about a bit. I don't exactly trust Elias, but with that feral Fang creep coming by I think it's a terrible idea to send him to Raylansfair, lest he run into Elias and then get information. A man wandering aimlessly is a bad thing. We give him a purpose, and maybe he becomes useful. Sure, this might cause tension between Leonard and Kersea, because let's face it, Leonard does care. Plus, can't let Kersea and Leonard get too close. Whatever, don't vote for Raylansfair.
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room] So this is a bad idea, but Jenna is dumb so she'll do it. Petyr definitely has blackmail on Mullendore as the tensions Wilfred encountered would suggest. I do think this is a bad idea, and if Jenna were caught by Petyr, well, I think it could down some paths she would not enjoy, but it could also serve to further inflame Petyr and Mullendore's relationship. But Saerya, man that girl is sketchy. Also, I feel that if we brought Dustran in, we may have gotten another option here. Or maybe not.
Kersea
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, le… moreaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Dra… [view original content]
Kersea
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, le… moreaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Dra… [view original content]
Kersea
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, le… moreaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Dra… [view original content]
You know, when we made the choice to attack Drake in the last Kersea part, I was kinda afraid we accidently got Leonard killed. But when I saw the last Kersea part wasn't the chapter finally I relaxed because I feel Leonard is quite a big character and if you are going to kill him(which i really hope you don't but this is a game of thrones fic so you never know) his death would most likely happen in a chapter finale.
Now with this part out of the way, I can confirm that Leonard's life was not in danger in this choice. Arguably, you even picked the better option for him. He would have eventually managed to defeat Drake on his own in the other option, but he would have received an injury in the process, which would have not only affected him physically, but also would have made him way less inclined to trust Kersea. Now, she essentially had his back and he is someone who can appreciate this, but in the other option, he would have been distrustful and somewhat angry at her not supporting him. I do agree with what you say though. I mean, big character deaths happen and at times, I feel they should also come at unpredictable moments, such as (hopefully) Lyria's death at the hands of Wolfius in the middle of Chapter 8, but it's a case-by-case decision and the right moment is crucial. Leonard, dying to a random highwayman in this part would have been unpredictable, surely shocking, but from a narrative standpoint, it would have wasted significantly more than it would have achieved. So, if he (or any major character, really) ever dies, it will be a death with great importance to the plot and at the right time in the story. I really want to avoid having the most major moments of the chapter always at the very end, but there are chapters where it cannot be avoided, though I agree, a chapter finale is usually the best point for such major events and when I look at my plans for the future of the story, I can say that some of my favourite upcoming moments in Book 2 will, in fact, be chapter finales.
[Tell him to go to Raylansfair]
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room]
You know, when we made the choice to attack Drake in the last Ker… moresea part, I was kinda afraid we accidently got Leonard killed. But when I saw the last Kersea part wasn't the chapter finally I relaxed because I feel Leonard is quite a big character and if you are going to kill him(which i really hope you don't but this is a game of thrones fic so you never know) his death would most likely happen in a chapter finale.
R.I.P. Drake, he has to be one of the fastest characters to be killed off. I wonder what would've happened if the other choice was chosen.
I think the one with the shortest lifetime in the story has been Herman Irons, though he had the benefit of getting some build-up in the previous chapter and some spotlight on his backstory with the Sons of the Trident. But yeah, Drake died pretty soon. While I try to avoid instantly-killed characters on the account that someone put work into them and I want to honour this, I occasionally receive characters I simply cannot do much with. In case of Drake, he actually had more to his character I haven't been able to reveal, but that is mostly because some elements of his backstory have been kinda weird and I decided to cut them. What remained was fairly standard, so he ultimately wasn't more than a one-shot character. Of course, occasionally characters who are not particularly large in their submission slip into the right roles and develop alongside the story, sometimes growing into major characters even, but with the sheer amount of characters I have received, I cannot always do that. The work I'd have to put into carving out a role for a character that simply isn't too detailed and would fit perfectly in a more minor role would have come at the cost of ignoring some of the amazing work you guys put into your characters, as more room for Drake means less room for characters with huge and intricate backstories. In this case, for example, Elias actually has some nice depth to his character and between them, I decided I'd rather focus on him, resulting in him being spared. As a result, this confrontation would have always ended with Drake dying and Elias surviving. However, in the other option, Leonard would have received an injury (wasn't too certain between his old leg wound reopening or Drake really crushing some of his ribs), affecting his effectiveness in combat and his trust for Kersea, while Elias would have also been badly wounded, leading to him not offering to accompany the two and having a harder time integrating into any other storyline he might become a part of (which would have still been determined by your choice)
[Tell him to go to Oldtown on his own]
R.I.P. Drake, he has to be one of the fastest characters to be killed off. I wonder what would've ha… moreppened if the other choice was chosen.
[Suggest getting Saerya involved]
Maybe Saerya can get herself killed doing this.
while not the best choice, involving Saerya will bring an unnecessary third party to an already complicated matter.
I actually did a little count in how many parties are involved in this already. There's Jenna, representing the citizens of Raylansfair, while the Order of the Green Hand has to see a bigger picture. The Order is further divided into the strictly military section represented by Dunaver and what is basically the Reach's secret service, represented by Vali and these two have vastly different methods in how to deal wtih a problem. Then there's Petyr and his uneasy alliance with Maron to take into account. Involving Saerya definitely would mean involving yet another party of interest in this matter and she definitely would pursue goals of her own in this, as she has to.
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] They could use the extra muscle, especially with the Fang out there. And there's Vanis looking for M… moreagnus and Bennett, so yeah, another fighter is better right now.
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room] while not the best choice, involving Saerya will bring an unnecessary third party to an already complicated matter.
Difficult choice I had to think about a bit. I don't exactly trust Elias, but with that feral Fang creep coming by I think it's a terrible idea to send him to Raylansfair, lest he run into Elias and then get information. A man wandering aimlessly is a bad thing. We give him a purpose, and maybe he becomes useful. Sure, this might cause tension between Leonard and Kersea, because let's face it, Leonard does care. Plus, can't let Kersea and Leonard get too close. Whatever, don't vote for Raylansfair.
Aye, there is the Fang hunting after them and he is likely going to take a major road. This means, him encountering Elias on his way to Raylansfair is in the realms of possible. Of course, to get information he'd also have to draw the connection and even then, Elias doesn't know much more than what Mullendore and the Fang already presume, that Leonard and Kersea are on their way to Oldtown. I can confirm, Leonard has a very specific opinion on what to do with Elias, but he leaves the decision to Kersea in this case, perhaps out of gratitude for her supporting him against Drake. He also did leave Elias alive to begin with, so he at least doesn't want him dead. If she picks the option he does not agree with, he'll likely accept it, but it won't help with improving his opinion on her.
So this is a bad idea, but Jenna is dumb so she'll do it. Petyr definitely has blackmail on Mullendore as the tensions Wilfred encountered would suggest. I do think this is a bad idea, and if Jenna were caught by Petyr, well, I think it could down some paths she would not enjoy, but it could also serve to further inflame Petyr and Mullendore's relationship. But Saerya, man that girl is sketchy. Also, I feel that if we brought Dustran in, we may have gotten another option here. Or maybe not.
It might not be the brightest idea, but at the same time, involving Saerya doesn't have to be better. You said it correctly, she can be sketchy and Vali at least seems to be convinced that she cannot be trusted. When it comes to Dustran being part of this discussion, I can confirm he would have given his input on the situation. Where Dunaver is level-headed enough to demand evidence before making his move, Dustran would have actually been more inclined to believe Jenna and the two would have gotten into a bit of an argument about how to advice Donnel in this matter, with Dunaver being strictly against doing anything without having hard evidence, out of the understandable fear to harm the very important negotiations between House Vyrwel and House Selwyn. Dustran would have ultimately agreed with Dunaver about the evidence thing, but he would have offered additional advice and could have made some introductions that could have helped Jenna down the line.
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] Difficult choice I had to think about a bit. I don't exactly trust Elias, but with that feral Fang c… morereep coming by I think it's a terrible idea to send him to Raylansfair, lest he run into Elias and then get information. A man wandering aimlessly is a bad thing. We give him a purpose, and maybe he becomes useful. Sure, this might cause tension between Leonard and Kersea, because let's face it, Leonard does care. Plus, can't let Kersea and Leonard get too close. Whatever, don't vote for Raylansfair.
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room] So this is a bad idea, but Jenna is dumb so she'll do it. Petyr definitely has blackmail on Mullendore as the tensions Wilfred encountered would suggest. I do think this is a bad idea, and if Jenna were caught by Petyr, well, I think it could down some paths she would not enjoy, but it could also serve to further inflame Petyr and Mullendore's relationship. But Saer… [view original content]
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] He doesn't seem like too bad of a guy, but clearly someone who might end up as a follower for questionable leaders, and we don't want to give any more men to the likes of Mullendore, do we? Elias clearly feels indebted to Kersea and considering he was loyal to even to someone like Drake for similar reasons, I feel like we could make a trustworthy and valuable ally out of him. Anyway, it's been nice to see Leonard and Kersea starting to bond a bit during this confrontation with these highwaymen, but I'm really eager to see them finally reach Oldtown Hopefully that's coming in next chapter
[Suggest getting Saerya involved] Just feels like the less risky choice in the moment, even if it might come with the cost of Vali's displeasure towards Jenna. And we haven't seen Saerya in a while, and I'm quite curious what she's been up to
Kersea
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, le… moreaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Dra… [view original content]
Kersea
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, le… moreaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Dra… [view original content]
Kersea
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, le… moreaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Dra… [view original content]
He doesn't seem like too bad of a guy, but clearly someone who might end up as a follower for questionable leaders, and we don't want to give any more men to the likes of Mullendore, do we? Elias clearly feels indebted to Kersea and considering he was loyal to even to someone like Drake for similar reasons, I feel like we could make a trustworthy and valuable ally out of him. Anyway, it's been nice to see Leonard and Kersea starting to bond a bit during this confrontation with these highwaymen, but I'm really eager to see them finally reach Oldtown Hopefully that's coming in next chapter
Yeah, that is definitely something to be concerned of when it comes to Elias. He isn't much of a bad guy himself, he's just happy with following orders and when they come from a bad person, well, he hasn't shown much of a problem with supporting Drake to some degree. This choice here will shape where Elias will end up, which storyline he will appear in and potentially also his role in the story itself. And well, I can confirm that Leonard and Kersea will reach Oldtown in the next chapter! I am super excited for the storyline they will be thrown into there and I can't wait to get to it
Just feels like the less risky choice in the moment, even if it might come with the cost of Vali's displeasure towards Jenna. And we haven't seen Saerya in a while, and I'm quite curious what she's been up to
Well, I can confirm that displeasure is going to put it a bit mildly. While Vali considers Jenna an ally, he really doesn't want to work together with Saerya on pretty much anything, mostly because he has this huge distrust towards her and believes that in the end, she'll be an enemy not less serious than Mullendore. So, if Jenna contacts Saerya about this, she cannot expect Vali's support. He's kind of working on two fronts there, trying to stop Mullendore while also undermining Saerya and making sure that once their common enemy is dealt with, she won't be in a position where she can get what she wants at the cost of the Reach. Wether his distrust is actually justified remains questionable though.
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] He doesn't seem like too bad of a guy, but clearly someone who might end up as a follower for questi… moreonable leaders, and we don't want to give any more men to the likes of Mullendore, do we? Elias clearly feels indebted to Kersea and considering he was loyal to even to someone like Drake for similar reasons, I feel like we could make a trustworthy and valuable ally out of him. Anyway, it's been nice to see Leonard and Kersea starting to bond a bit during this confrontation with these highwaymen, but I'm really eager to see them finally reach Oldtown Hopefully that's coming in next chapter
[Suggest getting Saerya involved] Just feels like the less risky choice in the moment, even if it might come with the cost of Vali's displeasure towards Jenna. And we haven't seen Saerya in a while, and I'm quite curious what she's been up to
Kersea is going to tell Elias to go to Raylansfair
Jenna is going to get Saerya involved
The first choice was a pretty big one and due to later consequences potentially one of the more important choices in the whole chapter. Depending on the option, Elias could have ended up as a recurring character in one of three storylines, two of them in Oldtown, one in Raylansfair. Now, Raylansfair it shall be, though there will, of course, be further consequences about the path he is going to take and how he'll end up. Meanwhile, Jenna's will be of less consequence, but still a pretty important one due to her choosing in favour of Saerya again after having previously supported Vali. For the moment, she's keeping things balanced between her two potential allies, but it remains to be seen if she can keep this up and if both remain actual allies as the story progresses.
The next part will be out today. First of all, I should announce that I'll take a small trip to visit my grandfather over the weekend, means I won't be home from tomorrow until Monday. Can't be too certain how much writing I'll get done during that time, but I hope I get to present another finished part when I return on Monday. For now, I want to finish the next part today. I am currently writing the finale for Ysilla's storyline in this chapter, though I am not entirely certain if it will remain the only PoV for this next part. I might have the room to finish Alys' storyline as well, so I will give you recaps for both. Last time during Ysilla's storyline, she had a very uncomfortable dinner with her family (and Jen and Allar), during which tensions got pretty high. Lord Alester revealed that he intends for Theodan to marry a suitable bride, though due to his earlier actions, few are willing to wed their daughters to someone who is proven to be irresponsible and likely to embarrass his future wife-to-be as much as he's expected to embarrass himself. The best match was found in northern Dorne, where Lord Wylis Wyl agreed to a meeting between Theodan and his daughter Wendy, who is actually already on her way while travelling to Sunspear. Theodan was not pleased, to say the least. He revealed his intentions to accompany Ysilla and that he will follow Princess Meria's wishes with that, which caused things to really blow up. Ashara called Theodan out on his irresponsible, self-centered behaviour, as his house and his family suffers from it, while she herself is held back by her status as the secondborn. Ultimately, Theodan couldn't take it anymore and he just left the dinner table, followed by his concerned mother. Ysilla contemplated staying, according to her father's wishes, but she ended up leaving as well to speak to Theodan, which is where we'll see her again. Meanwhile, Alys wandered through the streets of Merman's Rest, happy in the wake of Anturion's absence. That things weren't quite as happy as they seemed to be became clear pretty soon. Without Edward around to protect her, someone else apparently has taken an interest in her. While strolling through the marketplace of Merman's Rest, she realized she was being followed by a man and so, she tried to escape back to Blacksails' guest house, where Carvin was still resting in his room. Fearing it to be locked, she was faced with the decision to either risk wasting valuable time getting Carvin to open the door or to hide in her own room. She chose the former and her next part will start right there, with her mysterious assailant still chasing after her.
Apologies for the longer wait! I could have released Ysilla’s part yesterday, but I decided against it, because I really want to finish the chapter. So, I decided I want to give you two PoV’s here, in a longer part, at the cost of keeping you waiting for another day. Hope that is no problem, enjoy the part
Ysilla
“Ysilla!”, she heard her father calling out for her as she jumped up from her chair as well. The tone in his voice broke her heart and was almost enough to move her to stay by his side. But she couldn't. Theodan needed her support just as much and her father, he had Ashara, he had Yandry. What could she give if neither of them were enough?
Trembling from the scene she had just witnessed, Ysilla marched out of the room, her fists clenched, slightly biting down onto her lower lip to suppress the tears that were forming in her eyes. Yes, she had feared things to get bad, but this? It had happened faster and it had been worse than she could have imagined.
“Oh Theodan...”, she sighed, closing her eyes as she leant against one of the walls. It had been years since her family had been together like this, years in which she had missed it, having them all around, but today proved that things hadn't changed one bit between her father and her brother. If anything, the years apart had made it worse between them.
The muffled voices of Theodan and Belandra were barely audible as she entered the hallway that lead to his room. It was a long hallway, narrowly built and open to one side, allowing a view down onto the beautiful courtyard. The night was dark and cold, yet after the heat of the Great Hall, Ysilla welcomed it, even if the thin silken dress she wore did little to protect her against just how shockingly cold the dornish desert could get during the nightly hours.
Theodan hadn't been in his room for years and Ysilla knew, her father had left things exactly as they had been. All his worldly belongings, the ones he had to leave behind, they had remained in it, untouched for half a decade. She had been in there often, whenever she missed her brother. It was a small room, dusty from years of no one living in it. His clothes were there, the ones he hadn't taken with him to Essos. The first sword their father had given him, pitted and blunt from the many times her brother had used it against the training dummies in the courtyard. The armour he wore during the tourney at Yronwood, still dented where Goram Gargalen had broken a lance on it. The ornate praying book his mother had gifted him on his twelfth nameday. Last time she had been there, a layer of dust had covered all of it, signs of the time Theodan had been gone.
Ysilla paused for a moment, glancing down at her shaking fists. She wasn't even certain how she should feel. There was anger, about Theodan's behaviour, but also about how their father was still looking down at him. Anger at Ashara for, well, being Ashara and anger at her family in general. And it tore her apart to see them like this.
“... still doesn't get it!”, Theodan's voice sounded from behind the door, a bit louder now. “You don't get it!”, Belandra replied, her voice similarly getting louder, gaining strength and anger. “Your father loves you, Theodan! He wants the best for you!”
Theodan's chuckle was stilted. “Well, he surely has a weird way of showing it”, he replied and Ysilla could only understand his mumbling because she had taken a step closer towards the door. “Does he believe it's all good between us? Six years, mother. He sent me away for six years and he expects me to be grateful?”
Belandra sighed loudly. “Let's not forget you really did bad back then”, she reminded him. “Your father had no choice but to punish you” Ysilla frowned as she heard Theodan's angry groan. “I know what I did”, he spoke. “I know I'm a failure and a disappointment in his eyes”
“This is not true”, Belandra said, a slight sharpness in her voice. “Your father respects you. He calls you the finest warrior our house has produced in hundreds of years” Theodan chuckled again. “Faint praise”, he spoke. “What matters is that I never asked for any of this. I never wanted to have his duties. Why should I be forced into it, why should Ashara be forced out of it in return? Let her take over if she so desperately wants to. I bet Father would love this”
“He wouldn't”, Belandra assured him. “He wants nothing more than for you to take over once he is no more. To lead our house, to be the man he believes you to be” Ysilla tensed up as she heard Theodan's fist hitting wood, probably that of his nightstand. “What about the man I want to be?”, he asked. “I don't see myself in his life. Never have. His... punishment showed me a better way, if anything”
“And what would that be?”, Belandra asked, her voice showing a hint of suspicion. Theodan sighed. “Don't get me wrong, I want to change”, he claimed. “I don't want to live for no one but myself. Responsibilities and all that, I am ready. But I want to do what I'm good at. Leading a house, you know as good as me that this would be terrible”
“He wants you to...”, Belandra started, but Theodan cut her off. “He wants me to lead because I am the firstborn”, he spoke. “Not because I'm good at it, not because he trusts me to learn, not because I'd be happy with it, but because he wants his firstborn to follow after him. And he wants Ashara to stand back because she's the secondborn. No other reason. He's happy when I do exactly as he says, but the moment I want something different, it's wrong, it's irresponsible and childish”
Belandra sighed loudly. “He didn't say that...”, she claimed, but once more, Theodan cut her off. “Oh yeah? Well, he bloody well seemed like it”, he spoke and Ysilla tensed up. “I am taking responsibility, I have volunteered to help my sister and our nation, because I know she needs me, Dorne needs me and I'm better off doing this than wasting away here in Godsgrace”
“Do you truly consider it that bad here?”, Belandra asked and Ysilla took this moment to knock on the door. Theodan cut himself off and she realized he was hesitating. “Come in”, he finally said, in a sour tone. His expression softened, though his eyes widened with surprise as he recognized her. “Hey”, he said calmly. “Just thought...”
“That I'm someone else?”, Ysilla brought up, raising an eyebrow, though her smile faded as she gazed at Belandra. “Mylady, I am sorry. I do not want to intrude...” Belandra raised a finger, the same kind smile on her face she always had when speaking to Ysilla. And yet, it made her nervous. What would happen, she had to wonder, if Belandra would stop smiling one day? If she'd stop tolerating her? Westeros was full with such stories, bastards accepted by their fathers, but driven away by step-mothers. And kind she was, but Belandra had never been a mother.
“You're not intruding, child”, she replied. “Stay. Perhaps you can explain some things to your brother” She sighed, as she noticed Theodan's doubtful glare. “Tell him what your father has done after he sent him away” Ysilla clenched her fists, before she gave Theodan a nod. “It broke his heart”, she assured him. “You have seen him only now, but I lived by his side for six years. He missed you deeply”
“Well, he has a strange way of showing it”, Theodan replied. “I just don't get the man. Before he sent me away, he told me he wants me to accept my duties. To learn about responsibility. What does he think I'm going to do? Taking a nice little stroll across the lovely dornish countryside?”
Belandra sighed. “It might have sounded like this”, she spoke up. “He hoped you could remain here for longer than just a single night” She gently placed a hand on Theodan's shoulder. “He will get used to the man you are now. Just give him time” Even Ysilla was slightly taken by surprise when Theodan gave his mother a fierce glare. “What, another six years?”, he barked and Belandra took a step back.
As quick as his anger came, as quick it faded, replaced by a beaten, tired expression. Ysilla knew how nervous he had been. She did not say it, but in a way, the look in his eyes mirrored that of their father. “Sorry, it's just... in a way it's exactly as I feared”, he mumbled.
His mother approached him and placed her hands on his shoulders again. “He might need time”, she whispered. “But I will always be on your side” She pulled him into a hug and Ysilla noticed the tears that had gathered in Theodan's eyes. He looked at Ysilla, the thinnest of smiles on his face as he hugged his mother. The sight caused her to sigh. She had never asked about her mother. In a way, Theodan was all the family she ever needed. But still, seeing him with his mother, it was a painful reminder of what she never had.
As they separated, Theodan looked through the room that used to be his. He felt taller than he did before. Out of place even. Perhaps Ashara would never see it, but in Ysilla's eyes, Theodan was no longer the reckless boy he used to be. There was a man, a stubborn, wayward man perhaps, but no longer the immature boy their father had exiled. And yes, he was all the family a bastard girl needed.
“Father believes in you”, Ysilla told him and noticed the streak of sadness on her brother's face. He wasn't like this all too often, thank the gods. Usually, there was the goofy, light-hearted Theodan she knew and loved. But there were moments where she knew how much of a toll this took on him. Father's disapproval. Ashara's resentment. “He wouldn't have allowed you to return otherwise”
“And see what I make with that chance”, Theodan mumbled, flashing her a weak grin. “A single night and we leave, off to new adventures. He wants me to waste my life away in this castle instead of doing what I'm truly good at” Ysilla allowed herself to give him a cocky grin. “To be fair, I am certain you will find an overabundance of good wine and cheap whores even within the city”, she said, noticing the brief, almost disapproving glance from Belandra and the stifled chuckle from Theodan. “You know, to support your talents”
As quick as it came, Theodan's smile was gone again. “I bet Ashara said the same”, he said and this time, Ysilla shook her head. “Ashara barely spoke of you”, she told him truthfully. “But the times she did, it was clear she missed you just as much as we did” She shrugged. “Perhaps Ashara needs some time to remember it”, she added hesitantly. “Having to turn down the marriage offers from Starfall and Skyreach, it really hit her hard”
“I never wanted her to turn them down if she wants them so badly”, Theodan spoke softly. “I never wanted to hold her back. In a way, I feel I don't do it. She's holding herself back, because she wants to force me into a life that isn't mine” He sighed bitterly. “That has always been her. Think I changed more than she did in the past couple of years”
Ysilla's smile was gentle. “You did”, she confirmed, as she gave him a playful wink. “Don't get me wrong, you're still a dumb arse, but you've gotten better” Theodan chuckled briefly. “Yeah, very reassuring”, he stated, though he then looked at his mother. “Mother, I...” He paused and she placed a hand on his cheek, causing him to bite down on his lower lip. “I am sorry I have to leave again. If anything, today proved my point. I doubt I'll ever be like Father”
“But you will be your own man”, Belandra replied. “And that will be more than enough” A small sigh left Theodan's throat. “Don't know what I'd do without you. Both of you”, he said, before he looked at his mother. “We both know I will never be the man Father wants me to be. But I will try to make him proud, my way” He smiled at her, then at Ysilla, before his gaze wandered through the room. “If... if you don't mind, I would like a bit of time for myself. To think”
Belandra raised an eyebrow. “Sweet Seven, you have changed after all”, she said in a mildly teasing voice. “But it is okay. I wanted to have a talk to your sister after all” This seemed to surprise Ysilla and she threw a pleading glance at Theodan, who was in return staring at the old sword. It had long since been replaced with a finer blade, Faith, the Allyrion family sword, but there was a longing in his gaze as he looked at his first weapon.
With a sigh, she gave Belandra a nod. “Of course, mylady”, she mumbled, before she and Theodan exchanged a brief smile. “I'll talk to you later”, she said and her brother shrugged. “Don't forget to pack your stuff”, he told her. “I meant it when I said we won't stay here for long. One night, then we continue, no matter how little Father and Ashara like it”
Though this visibly upset Belandra, she walked outside and Ysilla followed, closing the door and leaving Theodan to contemplate about the day in the room he hadn't been in for so long. Her father's wife leant onto the railing, looking down into the courtyard and Ysilla walked up next to her. Briefly, the older woman glanced at her. “Aren't you cold, Ysilla?”, she asked.
Ysilla shook her head. “No, mylady”, she said in an almost sheepish tone and Belandra raised an eyebrow. Wordlessly, she placed a hand on the silk that covered Ysilla's shoulder, feeling the cold skin below. “Don't catch a cold, child”, she said and Ysilla sighed. “I won't, mylady”, she said, tight-lipped and tensed uo.
“Belandra”, Belandra reminded her and Ysilla forced a smile. It had been a repeated offer and at this point she felt almost rude for declining it over and over. This time, she did manage a faint smile. “Belandra”, she agreed, though she had no intention of keeping this up for longer. There was too much fear that the woman would end up feeling insulted at some point. No, a simple, formal 'mylady' to stay on the safe side.
“He needs you, you know that?”, Belandra spoke and Ysilla nodded. “He always did”, she spoke, confident about this topic at least. The woman chuckled. “That is what I like about you the most, child”, she spoke and Ysilla gulped. Belandra Allyrion had never treated her bad, no, but neither was she ever so open towards her. It was a relationship built on mutual acceptance, at least that's what Ysilla had always thought.
“Even when things were the worst, you stood by Theodan's side”, Belandra explained. “There wasn't a moment where you turned your back on him” She smiled and this time, Ysilla reciprocated it, genuinely so, as she took a deep breath of the cold nightly air. “Of course, myl... Belandra”, she replied. “He is my brother” She sighed, her smile growing smaller, but not entirely fading. “You know I never had a mother. A family in the way you had, or even in the way Theodan had”
Belandra's smile faded and Ysilla wasn't sure if she was correct in spotting a hint of sympathy on the woman's face. “And I am sorry that we can never give you that, child”, she said. “I know Alester would tell you if you truly want to know” Ysilla shook her head. “There’s a reason I never asked”, she replied. “Father has his secrets, that's alright. I don't need to know, because I never needed my mother. By the time I was old enough to even realize what made me different from my siblings, Theodan was my family”
“Which is why I wanted to talk to you”, Belandra replied and she placed a hand on the railing, on top of Ysilla's. “You and I, we don't share the same blood, but we share a home, we share a family” Ysilla felt a lump in her throat as she glanced at the other woman, managing a thin, hesitant smile, which Belandra replied to with a wide, kind one of her own. She realized, it was probably the longest they had talked to each other in years. Definitely was the closest talk they ever had. The thought made Ysilla nervous. One wrong word, just one, and she'd risk angering this woman. A bastard was tolerated at best, sent away when they became a nuisance. And Ysilla would never be this.
“Mylady, I am sorry...”, she sighed, averting her gaze and glancing at the courtyard, as she blinked slightly. Belandra tilted her head. “For being a bastard?”, she asked and Ysilla nodded slightly. She noticed Belandra's smile fading. “You are sorry for being born?”, she asked then and Ysilla tensed up, before she slowly shook her head. “You being a bastard is not your fault and I have made my peace with Alester's actions a very long time ago”
She removed the hand from Ysilla's and now, the girl missed the warmth. “I think the only one inside these halls who hasn't gotten over it is your father himself”, she added. “There's a reason he never told either of us about your mother” This caused Ysilla to raise an eyebrow. “You don't know?”, she asked, hiding the hint of curiosity in her voice. Belandra shook her head. “I never asked”, she told her. “Same as you, I suppose. It matters little. I love my husband and I have forgiven him. Forcing him to tell me wouldn’t change a thing, so I don’t mention the topic, for his sake” She glanced at Ysilla. “It’s scenes like the one I just saw that convince me over and over that I chose right when I accepted you in my home”
Ysilla gulped. “Thank you, mylady”, she mumbled and Belandra raised an eyebrow. “Belandra”, she corrected her and this time, Ysilla briefly. “Thank you, Belandra”, she stated. “I know we don’t see eye to eye very often, I mean...” She sighed. “I mean, we don’t talk very often and I don’t want to bother and all, but I... appreciate it. What I have, I owe you as much as I owe Father”
“And I appreciate you sticking out for Theodan”, Belandra replied. “I know he never had it easy here. Alester has been hard on him, holding him to the same standards he has been held to, perhaps even harsher. I fear this had a hand in the way my son grew up” She pressed her lips together, glancing at the courtyard. “Ashara is hard on him as well. I love my daughter, but when it comes to her brother, she is harsh, unfair even”
Ysilla nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like Ashara”, she mumbled and Belandra smirked. “You are different though. It’s why Alester sent you to fetch him. He could have sent a hundred men-at-arms, led by our greatest knights to bring the wayward son home, but he picked you over all of them” The way she said this gave Ysilla a warm feeling, one of pride and accomplishment.
“Well, I think I pestered him the most out of all of us”, she stated, to which Belandra nodded. “You might have a point there, child”, she agreed. “You brought him back safely and you stood by his side throughout the entire thing. You even came to check up on him after today and that shows how much you love him”
The two shared a brief smile. “He is my brother after all”, Ysilla stated. She noticed that Belandra’s smile faded first and she narrowed her eyes. “Belandra?”, she asked. The woman averted her gaze, staring down at the courtyard. “It is going to be dangerous, right?”, she asked. “What you mean to do”
“I don’t know”, Ysilla admitted honestly. “We don’t know if anyone else is searching for this man we’re supposed to bring back. Aside from that, we have to cross the Red Mountains” Belandra sighed. “The Reach has sent more troops to that region”, she revealed. “Their new commander is... infamous”
“You know him?”, Ysilla asked, as she noticed the hesitant tone in Belandra’s voice. “Yoreen Flowers”, she revealed. “Not his first time on our border. He has led the attack on Yronwood” Ysilla clenched her fists, as she remembered what she had been told about this incident. Three years ago and House Yronwood still suffered from what happened on that day. Then, her eyes widened. “I heard of the man”, she gasped. “He... he forced himself upon Saerya Yronwood”
Belandra nodded. “At least the poor girl survived, unlike many others on that day. Yoreen is a vile beast, ruthless and without restraint”, she confirmed. “And he leads the soldiers you have to get through to enter the Reach” She placed a hand on Ysilla’s shoulder. “Once you have passed Blackmont, none must know who you truly are”
“Then we better travel swiftly”, Ysilla deduced, to which Belandra sighed. “Child, I want to ask you one thing”, she suddenly said and Ysilla looked up. “What is it?” she asked and she did not like the tone in the woman’s voice. “You know what you’re up against”, she replied. “And I understand if you cannot promise me. I know it won’t be easy. I know it might be dangerous” She took a deep breath. “Child, can you promise me, if things ever get worse than you thought, more dangerous than you anticipated... can you promise me that you will send your brother back to Godsgrace?” She paused, before she shook her head. “No... can you promise me that you both return in that case?”
[Promise her][Tell her you cannot promise it]
Alys
Carvin... Carvin’s room, that was it. He would know what to do. He could help her. As she rushed through the door and into the dark house, she fastened her pace, despite her fear of running into the furniture of the barely lit room. Up the stairs, she would have almost fallen, but clinging onto the ledge, she remained standing despite heavily slamming her knee against the wooden steps. Suppressing a groan of pain, she nonetheless gasped as she heard the door being pushed open somewhere behind her. Her assailant was still on her trail.
Up the stairs, Alys spun around, down the first floor hallway and towards Carvin’s door. Below her, the man bumped into one of the tables, knocking it over and cursing loudly. “Carvin!”, she already yelled, as she ran towards his door. “Carvin, help me!” She just barely stopped herself from running into the door itself, placing her hand on the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, she pulled...
The door was locked. Tears welled up in her eyes, as she heard the heavy breathing of the man pursuing her, as he just rushed up the stairs. “Carvin!”, she yelled again, slamming her fists onto the wood. “Carvin!” Then, the man was behind her. She felt heavy hands on her waist, yanking her away from the door, as her fists flailed through the air.
“You come with me, Lady”, the man growled and her eyes widened as she felt his hot breath on her neck. He spoke in a deep tone, sporting a notable accent and there was something sinister in his voice. But Alys did not surrender. Instead of giving in to the terror that threatened to overwhelm her, she fought back. Her fists, at first trying to reach the door, to cling onto it, finally moved to strike the man, who had now lifted her up. Her legs began to kick aimlessly, but with him right behind her, she knew she hit his shins.
Indeed, he growled something, probably a curse in his native language, as she slammed her fists into his ribs, as her legs hit him painfully. Instead of letting go of her as she had hoped, he heavily slammed her against the wall to her left though. Her forehead hit the wood and instantly, any thought of resistance left her, replaced only by a numb feeling of pain. Her vision blurred, the room spinning, her hearing muffled. She opened her mouth to say something and while she knew, she was likely doing just that, she had no idea what it was.
Once more, her head hit something hard and she groaned, as she almost lost consciousness. However, she remained awake, just barely enough to realize that the man hadn’t slammed her against the wall again, but had actually let go of her. She was now lying on the ground, placing a hand on her thumping forehead.
The man shouted something, as her hearing slowly returned. Blinking, she glanced up, noticing the man who was approaching her. It was Carvin, coming out of his room, armed with a dagger... and naked as his name day. She blinked again, rolling onto the back, as Carvin, not even bothering with covering himself, jumped above her and against the man. A deep groan of pain followed, some shouting and the sounds of a struggle.
Alys just barely managed to avoid being hit by the man who just tried to attack her, as Carvin threw him into the direction of his room. The man was injured, red blood pouring from a deep cut near his shoulder. There was anger on his face and Carvin, while looking no less vicious, was just one man, completely naked as well. With a low growl, the unknown man had reached for his sword and Alys gasped as the steel left the scabbard.
In this moment, something unexpected happened. A face appeared behind him, belonging to the man who had just left the room. Clean shaven, young and handsome, she recognized him by his turquoise eyes and the braid that fell over his shoulder. “Drop it”, Warmond Manderly growled in a low tone, pressing his knife against the man’s throat.
The man’s eyes widened, though as the steel drew blood, he squealed slightly, notably tensing up and indeed dropping the weapon. “Alys”, Carvin said gently, as he leant down, offering a hand towards her. She gulped, as she grabbed it and he pulled her up.
“Now...”, Warmond growled again, eyeing Alys, as he moved his lips close to the man’s ear. “What did you want to do with the girl?” The man clenched his teeth together. “I can’t tell you”, he stated in his strong accent. “He will kill me” Warmond raised an eyebrow. “Already a step in the right direction, mate”, he whispered. “Who is he?”
When the man did not reply quick enough, Warmond pushed the tip of his knife into his neck. Gasping, the man was about to try and break free, but the captain held him in an iron grip. “He might kill you, but I can assure you, I will do it right now if you don’t tell me what I want to know”, he continued in a dangerous tone. “Tell me and I will let you leave. If you’re smart, you’ll join the crew of the next ship to leave the harbour and you’ll never return”
The man hesitated still, but Alys could see how he was thinking. Briefly, he closed his eyes. “Saan told me to get the girl”, he admitted and a brief grin formed on Warmond’s face. He raised an eyebrow. “Saan, huh?”, he said. “Yeah, that is his style. I suppose he hasn’t told you why?”
This time, the man shook his head, as slightly as he dared with the blade pressed to his throat. Warmond sighed. “Figures”, he mumbled, before he shrugged. “Then I don’t need you anymore” Giving Alys a wink, he drew the blade across the man’s throat, just as he opened his mouth to protest. Instead of words, blood poured out, as he gasped and gurgled. Slowly going to his knees, then onto the ground, he trembled violently as his life left him.
In this moment, Alys noticed two things. First of all, Carvin was still naked. Second, so was Warmond. And neither of them was unpleasant to look at, quite the contrary... The pirate captain chuckled and she noticed that she was staring at him. Heat flushed through her cheeks, as she started at the ground, clenching her fists and biting down onto her lower lip.
“I...”, she began, as her eyes widened. “Oh... Oh!” She looked from Carvin to Warmond and the former shrugged. “She’s from the North”, he spoke to the pirate. “They handle things differently there” Warmond flashed both a wolfish grin. “I heard there are some things they don’t handle at all”, he corrected him.
“You... you two?”, Alys stuttered, still red with embarrassment. Carvin raised an eyebrow. “Us”, he confirmed. “I hope you’re not disappointed, little lady” She gulped, as she slowly shook her head, the movement getting faster, until she sighed. “No, No!”, she almost shouted. “Seven, could you please get dressed?”
Warmond chuckled, before he turned around. It slightly annoyed him that he didn’t look worse from behind. “That might be for the best”, he agreed. “Maybe then you can tell us why Sargasso Saan sends someone to abduct you” Briefly, he glanced over his shoulder, playing with the thick braid of hair. “Without being so distracted, that is”
“I’m not distraced, I’m...” Alys began, glancing at Carvin, momentarily unable to control her gaze wandering over his body. “Seven, you’re annoying!” She raised her head, demonstratively higher than necessary, as she followed Warmond into Carvin’s room. Thankfully, the pirate captain had already grabbed his robe, slipping into it and sitting down on the bed.
Carvin closed the door behind him, merely grabbing a coat to cover himself. “Warmond brings up a good point there”, he said. “How would Sargasso know...” He paused, as he notice what he had almost revealed to the other man. Warmond had his eyebrow still raised. “Excuse me, I think I have proven my worth”, he said. “And I don’t mean us, I mean me cutting the throat of some low-life sellsword and preventing a fight. That man could have killed both of you”
“I don’t die so easily”, Carvin disagreed, before he smiled slightly. “But thank you. That was... a close call” He glanced at Alys, who was still blushing vividly. “Are you okay, little lady? Really hit your head there” She sighed, as she placed a hand on her aching head. “I’ll be alright”, she claimed. “But I am concerned. Sargasso Saan is after me, have I understood that correctly?”
“Aye”, Warmond agreed. “And he’s quite a nasty one when he doesn’t get what he wants. You are in great danger, mylady” He narrowed his eyes. “And we should act swiftly to prevent this from happening ever again. Knowing Sargasso, he’ll be more thorough next time. We took this one by surprise, so just imagine how much worse it’d be if they ambush us next time”
“You want to help?”, Alys asked and Warmond gave her a nod. “Call it a personal grudge against Sargasso”, he claimed. “Truth be told, I never liked the man and he never liked me. If he works against you, then maybe I could help. With me by your side, we could get Blacksails involved”
Alys tilted her head. “Suppose you only want to know why he’s after me?”, she askedand Warmond smirked. “That’d be a start. Of course, I get only benefits from making a move against Sargasso, especially if we remove him from Blacksails’ favour. But if you truly want me to help, I must understand” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to tell me what’s so special about you that Saan would send a thug to abduct you?”
Looking for help, she glanced at Carvin, who merely shrugged. “I might not be all that objective there, little lady”, he admitted. “This one’s a decision you have to make for yourself. Do you trust Warmond enough to get him involved? Then by all means, tell him the full truth. If not, we’ll find a way without him, I promise”
[Tell Warmond about your true identity][Keep it a secret]
[Promise her]
[Tell Warmond about your true identity]
Well look at that, the first mention of Yoreen Flowers. Maybe this will mean he will finally be removed from the waiting to be introduced list as it seems he has been there the longest.
Also I might be remembering this wrong but didn't you say he was not only the bastard son of Maron Mullendore but he was the only bastard he ever acknowledged.
If he is, considerding Yoreen reputation as the new commander of the Red Mountains and what he has apparatly done, I guess it makes sense why Maron would like him so much.
Apologies for the longer wait! I could have released Ysilla’s part yesterday, but I decided against it, because I really want to finish the … morechapter. So, I decided I want to give you two PoV’s here, in a longer part, at the cost of keeping you waiting for another day. Hope that is no problem, enjoy the part
Ysilla
“Ysilla!”, she heard her father calling out for her as she jumped up from her chair as well. The tone in his voice broke her heart and was almost enough to move her to stay by his side. But she couldn't. Theodan needed her support just as much and her father, he had Ashara, he had Yandry. What could she give if neither of them were enough?
Trembling from the scene she had just witnessed, Ysilla marched out of the room, her fists clenched, slightly biting down onto her lower lip to suppress the tears that were forming in her eyes. Yes, she had feared things to get bad, but this? It had happened faster and it had been worse… [view original content]
[Promise her] It will be hard, but she needs some assurance. Entering the Marches will be dangerous, but something tells me Flowers will suffer for what he did to House Yronwood, one way or the other. "What is our heart's desire? Justice, vengeance, fire and blood." [Tell Warmond about your true identity] While is too soon to say about their relationship, he can be an ally if Saan's not done.
Apologies for the longer wait! I could have released Ysilla’s part yesterday, but I decided against it, because I really want to finish the … morechapter. So, I decided I want to give you two PoV’s here, in a longer part, at the cost of keeping you waiting for another day. Hope that is no problem, enjoy the part
Ysilla
“Ysilla!”, she heard her father calling out for her as she jumped up from her chair as well. The tone in his voice broke her heart and was almost enough to move her to stay by his side. But she couldn't. Theodan needed her support just as much and her father, he had Ashara, he had Yandry. What could she give if neither of them were enough?
Trembling from the scene she had just witnessed, Ysilla marched out of the room, her fists clenched, slightly biting down onto her lower lip to suppress the tears that were forming in her eyes. Yes, she had feared things to get bad, but this? It had happened faster and it had been worse… [view original content]
[Promise her] Man she's going to hate us so much if he doesn't come back.
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] Ah what the heck, let's do it. Seems like a nice guy, although I am always skeptical. Sargasso is not okay-o.
Carvin being naked has to be the funniest mental image this story has brought me in a while.
Also, the dreaded Yoreen Flowers. First mentioned many, many chapters ago, our dear friend Mullendore's only acknowledged bastard son, who does not seem like a nice person from this little snippet we have gotten. I imagine that he plays some part in the greater schemes of his father, but I am unsure exactly what that part is at this time. Lucky Dairon didn't turn out this way...
Apologies for the longer wait! I could have released Ysilla’s part yesterday, but I decided against it, because I really want to finish the … morechapter. So, I decided I want to give you two PoV’s here, in a longer part, at the cost of keeping you waiting for another day. Hope that is no problem, enjoy the part
Ysilla
“Ysilla!”, she heard her father calling out for her as she jumped up from her chair as well. The tone in his voice broke her heart and was almost enough to move her to stay by his side. But she couldn't. Theodan needed her support just as much and her father, he had Ashara, he had Yandry. What could she give if neither of them were enough?
Trembling from the scene she had just witnessed, Ysilla marched out of the room, her fists clenched, slightly biting down onto her lower lip to suppress the tears that were forming in her eyes. Yes, she had feared things to get bad, but this? It had happened faster and it had been worse… [view original content]
Apologies for the longer wait! I could have released Ysilla’s part yesterday, but I decided against it, because I really want to finish the … morechapter. So, I decided I want to give you two PoV’s here, in a longer part, at the cost of keeping you waiting for another day. Hope that is no problem, enjoy the part
Ysilla
“Ysilla!”, she heard her father calling out for her as she jumped up from her chair as well. The tone in his voice broke her heart and was almost enough to move her to stay by his side. But she couldn't. Theodan needed her support just as much and her father, he had Ashara, he had Yandry. What could she give if neither of them were enough?
Trembling from the scene she had just witnessed, Ysilla marched out of the room, her fists clenched, slightly biting down onto her lower lip to suppress the tears that were forming in her eyes. Yes, she had feared things to get bad, but this? It had happened faster and it had been worse… [view original content]
It was indeed the first mention of Yoreen in a very long time. Actually, using my special search skills, I just realized it was the first mention of him in-story since 2016. Kinda crazy, come to think of it, given how long he has been in the waiting list.
You are also right, he is the only of several bastards Maron ever acknowledged. He has more bastards, some he knows about and some he doesn't, but Yoreen is the only one he ever bothered with. Of course, that doesn't have to mean that Maron outright likes him. You know what sort of a man he is, so a proper father-son bond is definitely not between them. Neither can you expect Yoreen to be a great guy, he is Maron Mullendore's son after all and he spent part of his life being raised by him. At the same time, Yoreen's reputation is actually a bit conflicting. He has a terrible reputation in Dorne, being infamous for his brutality and hatred towards the dornish. His raid against Yronwood ended with huge damage to the castle and House Yronwood in general and as you have learned, he is personally to blame for raping Saerya Yronwood. At the same time, his first mention in the story happened back in Chapter 4 of Book 1 and it painted him in a different light. Namely, the first thing that became known of him in the story proper was him informing the Stormlanders that he had forbidden his own men from raping dornish women they encounter, a rule he apparently enforces harshly. This stands in pretty sharp contrast to his actions at Yronwood three years ago. So, the impression you received of him so far have been conflicting. I can confirm, Yoreen will eventually appear over the course of Book 2 and it remains to be seen what sort of a man he truly is. All I can confirm is that you should not expect a knight in shining armour, but given his upbringing, that should have been pretty clear already.
[Promise her]
[Tell Warmond about your true identity]
Well look at that, the first mention of Yoreen Flowers. Maybe this will mean he will… more finally be removed from the waiting to be introduced list as it seems he has been there the longest.
Also I might be remembering this wrong but didn't you say he was not only the bastard son of Maron Mullendore but he was the only bastard he ever acknowledged.
If he is, considerding Yoreen reputation as the new commander of the Red Mountains and what he has apparatly done, I guess it makes sense why Maron would like him so much.
I want both Theodan and Ysilla to stay alive, if they can safely get back to Godsgrace, they should be able to survive the whole story, right?
Well, it'd at least be better than one or both of them not returning safely to Godsgrace. I'd say it would increase their chances. Godsgrace is in central Dorne and therefore pretty safe, but at the same time, even in central Dorne, there's dangers to look out for, most of them all the Sandstorm.
Warmond and Carvin are the first confirmed gay characters in the story (I think?) , I wonder how many more will follow.
I could be wrong there, but I think you are right. I know they are not the first gay characters to be introduced though, even if Carvin has been in the story for a long time. I mean, I really only use the submitted characters, but while there is a straight majority, there's still plenty diversity to be found in them, there's homosexual characters, bisexual characters, asexual characters, really the whole spectrum. The one thing I want to do though is, I want to include such diversity when it fits the story, when it develops the character or at least supports a scene, I don't want it to feel forced or insincere. I don't want Carvin to be perceived as simply the token gay character, I instead want him to be a well-received and complex character with an important role in the narrative who also happens to be homosexual. There won't be a character who runs around, telling random strangers about their sexual orientation, because that'd be the wrong kind of diversity and it would not be faithful to the characters. And in fact, there is a strong stigma against homosexuality in most parts of Westeros, so there are some characters who are so deep in the closet that I doubt I'll ever have much of a way of revealing their orientation in a way that won't seem forced. People in Dorne and Essos are generally more open-minded towards this of course, see Ysilla being rather openly bisexual or Warmond really not getting why Alys is a bit embarrassed by realizing why he and Carvin were both naked, which makes it easier for me to establish their sexual orientation in a way that makes sense. The majority of homosexual characters in Westeros will be closer to Book-Loras or Jon Connington though, where there are mere hints of their orientation, hints and rumours without much in terms of explicit confirmation. I think that is the best I can do in many cases while staying true to the characters and the society they live in. But yeah, Carvin and Warmond are the first confirmed gay characters in the story, but they are neither the first in general nor the last.
[Promise her]
I want both Theodan and Ysilla to stay alive, if they can safely get back to Godsgrace, they should be able to survive the … morewhole story, right?
[Tell Warmond about your true identity]
Warmond and Carvin are the first confirmed gay characters in the story (I think?) , I wonder how many more will follow.
It will be hard, but she needs some assurance. Entering the Marches will be dangerous, but something tells me Flowers will suffer for what he did to House Yronwood, one way or the other. "What is our heart's desire? Justice, vengeance, fire and blood."
Yeah, Yoreen is a wanted man in Dorne. While the dornish lack the military strength to take revenge on him all that easily, he remains a priority target. House Yronwood has put a bounty on his head and he has made plenty of enemies. Unlike his father though, he is open about whom he considers his enemies and his allies, which puts him in a better position, because unlike Maron, he is surrounded by a loyal army.
[Promise her] It will be hard, but she needs some assurance. Entering the Marches will be dangerous, but something tells me Flowers will suf… morefer for what he did to House Yronwood, one way or the other. "What is our heart's desire? Justice, vengeance, fire and blood."
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] While is too soon to say about their relationship, he can be an ally if Saan's not done.
Man she's going to hate us so much if he doesn't come back.
Aye, that is precisely the risk here. If anything happens to Theodan despite Ysilla's promise, well it is possible that this will ruin the good-will Belandra has for her husbands bastard daughter. This is the reason for the choice, Ysilla has to decide if she wants to risk giving a promise she might not be able to keep.
Also, the dreaded Yoreen Flowers. First mentioned many, many chapters ago, our dear friend Mullendore's only acknowledged bastard son, who does not seem like a nice person from this little snippet we have gotten. I imagine that he plays some part in the greater schemes of his father, but I am unsure exactly what that part is at this time. Lucky Dairon didn't turn out this way...
Oh yes, another mention of Yoreen, the literal bastard. He's quite something, a character you have gotten conflicting reports on but definitely not a nice person. I can say he is a complex character though, one I look forward to introduce. He is his father's son, raised by him after all, but at the same time, there are differences between them and they are both unique characters.
[Promise her] Man she's going to hate us so much if he doesn't come back.
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] Ah what the heck, let's… more do it. Seems like a nice guy, although I am always skeptical. Sargasso is not okay-o.
Carvin being naked has to be the funniest mental image this story has brought me in a while.
Also, the dreaded Yoreen Flowers. First mentioned many, many chapters ago, our dear friend Mullendore's only acknowledged bastard son, who does not seem like a nice person from this little snippet we have gotten. I imagine that he plays some part in the greater schemes of his father, but I am unsure exactly what that part is at this time. Lucky Dairon didn't turn out this way...
[Promise her] Eh, I doubt we're actually going to turn back even if it gets dangerous, but there is no reason not to humor Belandra here, she just wants to be reassured that she will see her son again. I have to say I loved the conversation between Ysilla and her stepmother, you've done a fantastic job in fleshing out the Allyrion family and the dynamics between them in just a couple parts! At this point it's among the storylines I'm the most invested in
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] Well, clearly we're in dire need of allies here, and Warmond seems like the best option available. Carvin rushing out of his room naked to help Alys was quite a hilarious moment
Apologies for the longer wait! I could have released Ysilla’s part yesterday, but I decided against it, because I really want to finish the … morechapter. So, I decided I want to give you two PoV’s here, in a longer part, at the cost of keeping you waiting for another day. Hope that is no problem, enjoy the part
Ysilla
“Ysilla!”, she heard her father calling out for her as she jumped up from her chair as well. The tone in his voice broke her heart and was almost enough to move her to stay by his side. But she couldn't. Theodan needed her support just as much and her father, he had Ashara, he had Yandry. What could she give if neither of them were enough?
Trembling from the scene she had just witnessed, Ysilla marched out of the room, her fists clenched, slightly biting down onto her lower lip to suppress the tears that were forming in her eyes. Yes, she had feared things to get bad, but this? It had happened faster and it had been worse… [view original content]
On a more serious note, I'm glad to inform you that I just finished translating Act I of Book I. Holy hell, that was such a long way. But at least I'm making progress! Perhaps I'll be able to finish Book I by the end of this school year.
I have to say I loved the conversation between Ysilla and her stepmother, you've done a fantastic job in fleshing out the Allyrion family and the dynamics between them in just a couple parts! At this point it's among the storylines I'm the most invested in
Ah, I am so glad to hear this! Of course, I had two chapters for the relationship between Ysilla and Theodan, arguably making it the most fleshed out of the Allyrion family dynamics, but I am so happy that you found the rest of them enjoyable as well. I am always a bit nervous when having to introduce such a large number of new characters and establish their connection to each other in such a short time, so I am relieved that I managed to make the Allyrion family reunion enjoyable and you invested in the family as a whole. While for the foreseeable future, Alester, Belandra, Ashara and Yandry won't appear in Ysilla's storyline, their relationships between them, her and Theodan still are a driving factor for her, so the stuff that was established in this chapter is definitely highly important as the story progresses.
[Promise her] Eh, I doubt we're actually going to turn back even if it gets dangerous, but there is no reason not to humor Belandra here, sh… moree just wants to be reassured that she will see her son again. I have to say I loved the conversation between Ysilla and her stepmother, you've done a fantastic job in fleshing out the Allyrion family and the dynamics between them in just a couple parts! At this point it's among the storylines I'm the most invested in
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] Well, clearly we're in dire need of allies here, and Warmond seems like the best option available. Carvin rushing out of his room naked to help Alys was quite a hilarious moment
On a more serious note, I'm glad to inform you that I just finished translating Act I of Book I. Holy hell, that was such a long way. But at least I'm making progress! Perhaps I'll be able to finish Book I by the end of this school year.
Ah, those are wonderful news! I am always amazed to hear about update on the translation, so I'm happy you reached that milestone. Still don't know enough Russian to help with the translation itself, but if there's anything else I can do, let me know. I can't thank you enough for the effort you put into this, but I genuinely appreciate it
[Promise her]
[Tell Warmond about your true identity]
Alys be like
On a more serious note, I'm glad to inform you that I just f… moreinished translating Act I of Book I. Holy hell, that was such a long way. But at least I'm making progress! Perhaps I'll be able to finish Book I by the end of this school year.
Apologies for the longer wait! I could have released Ysilla’s part yesterday, but I decided against it, because I really want to finish the … morechapter. So, I decided I want to give you two PoV’s here, in a longer part, at the cost of keeping you waiting for another day. Hope that is no problem, enjoy the part
Ysilla
“Ysilla!”, she heard her father calling out for her as she jumped up from her chair as well. The tone in his voice broke her heart and was almost enough to move her to stay by his side. But she couldn't. Theodan needed her support just as much and her father, he had Ashara, he had Yandry. What could she give if neither of them were enough?
Trembling from the scene she had just witnessed, Ysilla marched out of the room, her fists clenched, slightly biting down onto her lower lip to suppress the tears that were forming in her eyes. Yes, she had feared things to get bad, but this? It had happened faster and it had been worse… [view original content]
Comments
[Lie to him]
[Refuse to tell him]
Hello people! Since it seems like most people have given their vote for the latest part by now, I figured it'd be a good time for me to drop the new set of character drawings. Yes, the drawings are back after a bit of a break, and this time we focus on the cast of Qarth storyline:
Hope you like 'em!
[Tell him what you discussed with Petyr]
I have a weird feeling that he knows what was discussed anyways, so lying would be a bad idea. Second of all, I think fueling the conflict between Petyr and Maron will be only good for everyone working against them.
Ah, new drawings, that is wonderful
It has been a while, but the quality of the drawings has only gotten better, this is amazing! I'm really excited to have these. First of all, Irae. Of course, PoV drawings are always something special, but with Irae, I especially enjoy her rather unique looks. As it should be with a warlock, she stands out from the rest and you really captured this here, giving her this strange, eerie vibe I hope to go with her in her parts. Onwards from eerie to outright creepy, there is Moros and holy shit, that is a great drawing. He is exactly as I imagined him, this patronizing, unsettling and wholeheartedly creepy old guy, looking more like a corpse than anything else. That grin is a particularly nice touch, as are the fingernails. Both, him and Irae make for a strong contrast to Naela, who is looking so refreshingly normal when compared to the warlocks. With her, I especially love the dress. Admittedly, I got a weakness for fancy-looking clothes, but this is great. I also love the expression on her face, this somewhat haughty look. Onwards to Kareq, of course he does look a bit different at the time, with how sick he is, but this is him during his prime. Makes me really wish I get the chance to show him like this one day, because I enjoy the look, that is spot on as imagined. And finally, the Witch Khal. I mean, little has been shown about him so far, with him only appearing briefly in Irae's vision, but I hope he already left a bit of an impression as a presence to look out for in the future. And you really nailed his looks there, this powerful, mysterious vibe I want for him. And though he hasn't even had his first speaking appearance yet, I can already promise that I am extremely excited to finally give him a larger role in the story. All in all, a wonderful and highly welcome set of drawings, thank you very much for these!
The Voting is closed!
Willfred is going to lie to Maron
Well, I can say that this was a huge choice for Willfred. He has, essentially, chosen not to support Maron any further, which is a pretty big step for him, but also undeniably dangerous. I mean, he is lying to a liar, a master at that. It remains to be seen if Maron believes him and how he is going to react. Willfred is going to have one more part in this chapter and it is going to be a big one, so I hope I get to write it very soon.
The next part shall be out today. All in all, we got about five additional parts left in this super long chapter, but it is nearing its end at last. This next part will finish the storylines for Jenna and Kersea and things will go smoothly after that. With a bit of luck, we'll finally reach Chapter 3, as I wanted to do in June. Eh, things get better for me, so I hope my pace can get faster again
But yeah, last time we saw Jenna, she and Vali encountered two new guests in Raylansfair, Donnel Selwyn's eldest son Dustran and his master-at-arms (and member of the Order of the Green Hand) Dunaver Flowers, the latter of whom really isn't a fan of Vali. Wanting to win Dunaver over as an ally against Mullendore, Jenna requested to speak to him and Vali in private, without the presence of Dustran, who is, due to the uncertain loyalties of his father, not seen as all too reliable at this moment. Meanwhile, Kersea and Leonard had a tense encounter with the travellers Drake and Elias in the now abandoned Hammered Harp tavern on their way to Oldtown. After a while, a fight broke out, provoked by Drake, with Elias only reluctantly taking his side. While Leonard fought against Drake, Kersea defended herself against Elias, but with the man not seeming too willing to actually attack her, she made the decision to ignore him in favour of assisting Leonard with quickly taking down Drake. The next part will start right there and I hope it'll be an enjoyable one 
Kersea
Briefly, Kersea feinted her next move, tricking Elias into parrying a strike that never came. His axe hit nothing but thin air, leaving himself open for her unarmed left fist. Just like Terroma had taught her, she hit him right in the throat. Had she used a weapon, he'd be dead by now. As it was, Elias' eyes widened and he staggered backwards, gasping and wheezing for air.
She did not bother with finishing him off. For the moment, he was too busy trying to regain his breath, but she was certain, any further attack from her side would bind her into a heavy fight and she couldn't use one right now, not when Leonard had to face a notably more dangerous fighter all alone.
Unlike the more hesitant Elias, Drake struck with the intent to kill. His attacks were swift and precise, forcing the knight into the defence quite easily. With his opponent striking left and right, Leonard only barely managed to parry or deflect the attacks. Drake quickly forced him back, his wild swings only surpassed by the savage look on his face.
As such, Kersea knew she had no time to waste. Charging towards him, she jumped onto the table between them at full speed, not slowing down as she tried to tackle him, moving the blade to his neck in the same movement. Drake wasted no time and before she had even reached him, he pushed his shield into her side, not with too much force, but enough to knock her aside.
Instead of falling, Kersea landed on her feet, quickly jumping back to get out of the reach of his blade. Now, Drake stood between her and Leonard, his expression showing the briefest hint of concern as he realized his situation. “Get back on your feet and help me!”, he barked towards Elias, who was still wheezing from Kersea's earlier punch. Perhaps he'd even suffocate, as she realized with grim satisfaction.
Leonard and Kersea shared a brief nod, before they attacked at once. Drake reacted calmly, parrying Leonard's sword with his own, the sound of clashing steel filling the air, as Kersea's dagger smashed against his shield. She wasted no time attacking again, this time higher than before and he frowned, as he used his shield to protect his face, having to parry Leonard's blow at the same time.
This time, he spun around, taking a swift strike at Kersea with his sword, while bashing the shield into Leonard's direction. She evaded the blow, though Leonard was taken by surprise, the heavy shield slamming into his ribs. He gasped, stumbling backwards, though Drake made the right decision in not pursuing him. Instead, he did not turn his back on Kersea, quickly showering her with a rapid succession of attacks.
Forced into the defence, Kersea had no choice but to jump back. Drake pursued her this time and the smile on his face was gone, replaced by a cold frown, the look in his eyes a desire to kill. He quickly attacked her again and as she jumped back, she bumped against the wall of the tap room. The tip of the blade missed her throat just barely and she felt the steel cutting through air inches away from her skin.
On the far end of the room, Elias slowly rose, still on shaky legs, one hand pressed onto his throat, the other clenched around his axe, as he staggered roughly into their direction. And behind Drake, Leonard charged. Their opponent saw him coming and he backed off, giving Kersea some much needed distance between them.
Moving to keep both of his opponents in front of him, Drake hurried into the centre of the room, pointing the sword at Kersea, while readying the shield for any attack Leonard could follow up with. He threw a brief glance at Elias, who was readying himself to attack as well, before he, with a smirk, made the first move.
His boldness surprised Kersea. It was against what she had learned, against what Terroma taught her about situations where she'd be outnumbered. And yet, Drake charged at the two. With his raised shield, he parried Leonard's attack, before taking a swing of his own against Kersea. She jumped back, just barely fast enough to avoid being hit.
With her out of reach, Drake moved in on Leonard. Slamming the shield against the knight's sword, he attacked with his sword at the same time. This time, however, Leonard had predicted the move. His free hand moved to grab Drake's forearm, holding the blade away from his side. It was there that Kersea had reached them again.
Drake's eyes widened as her dagger moved forwards. With his sword and shield both trapped, tried to break free, but only managed to twist in order to avoid getting his throat cut by her blade. Instead, the dagger hit the chainmail protecting his shoulder, unable to penetrate it. With a low growl, Drake broke free and in the same movement, he slammed the pommel of his sword against Kersea's jaw.
It was a hard blow and she instantly tasted the blood, her sight leaving her for a second as she staggered backwards, arms swinging to regain her balance. Dazed and momentarily confused, it took her a moment to realize what had happened, as she moved back in fear of having to avoid another strike. Her arms found a table behind her which she leant on for a second, as her sight cleared again, allowing her to see what had happened in this moment.
Drake was standing there, wide-eyed, his expression one of fear and pain. Blood poured from the cut on his neck, where Leonard's sword had left a small, but heavily bleeding mark. He stumbled backwards and it was there that Kersea noticed that in her blind swing, she had managed to embed the dagger in his upper leg, hindering his movement and probably stunning him enough for Leonard to land the blow.
To her side, Elias roared with anger. His axe raised, he charged at the knight, while the heavily injured Drake readied his shield to protect himself. In this moment, Kersea noticed movement behind him. Magnus Silverstone had left his position in the corner, where he and Bennett had kept away from the fighting. In his hand, he held a bottle he quickly smashed onto Elias' head. The man's charge got cut short, as he fell to the ground, groaning and dropping his axe. Swiftly, Bennett stood by his side, picking up the weapon and pointing it at the downed man.
“Oh, fuck...”, Drake managed to mumble, as Leonard attacked him. He parried the first strike with his shield, the second with his sword, before he was forced to take a step back. Kersea's dagger in his leg prevented this and with a scream of pain as he put pressure onto the injury, he went to the ground. Leonard's attack missed him, though it heavily slammed against the side of his sword, knocking it straight from his hand.
For a moment, Leonard stood over him, heavily breathing, before he raised his sword. “Any last words?”, he barked and Drake mumbled something. “Fuck you...”, he finally managed to say and Leonard said. “Can't say I didn't try”, he replied, before he brought his sword down on the injured man. The blade entered Drake's skull through the mouth, impaling him and probably killing him in an instant.
Breathing heavily, Leonard glanced over his shoulder at Kersea, who was slowly approaching him. Then, he gave her a nod. “You ok?”, he asked. “Was quite the blow you got there” In reply, Kersea spat onto the ground, noticing the mixture of saliva and blood. She managed a weak grin. “Had worse”, she admitted. “How about you?”
To her surprise, Leonard reciprocated the thin smile. “You really got my back there”, he complimented her. “So yeah, I'm alright” A groan to the side caused him to shift his attention to the remaining three people in the room. Elias had rolled onto his back, glancing up at Bennett and Magnus, before Leonard and Kersea approached him.
“Thanks for the help”, the knight spoke and Magnus nodded, a pleased smile on his face. “These two had kept us hostage, me and Bennett. No idea why they didn't kill us outright, but I think that one over there considered me funny”, he replied, glancing at the dead Drake. “I wonder if he'd laugh now” With this, he took a slight bow. “But you have my gratitude as well, stranger, mine and Bennett's”
“Where are you going now?”, Bennett asked, slowly lowering Elias' axe. The weapon was too big for him and he visibly struggled, though he clung onto it. Leonard and Kersea exchanged a look, before the knight answered. “Oldtown”, he spoke and a wide smile formed on Magnus' face. “Care for company on the road then, Ser?”, he asked. “Me and Bennett were on our way there as well before we stumbled upon these two miscreants”
“And what about him?”, Leonard asked, pointing his sword at Elias. Kersea put a hand onto his forearm and he paused. “You hesitated”, she spoke to the downed man. “Why?” Elias groaned, though he opened his eyes and looked at her. There was no malice in them, only fear. “Didn't want to kill you, m'lady”, he admitted. “It's why I've been acting that way before. A stranger acts rude and odd in a situation like this? Was hoping you'd get the hint and leave” He sighed. “This could have been avoided”
“It was all on your friend”, Leonard growled and reluctantly, Elias nodded. “Aye, it was”, he admitted. “I knew Drake wouldn't back off, but you didn't leave either, eh?” He bit down onto his lower lip, before he looked up. “If you are going to kill me, at least make it quick”
Leonard hesitated though. “Why did you follow Drake if you did not agree with him?”, he asked and Elias did not reply for a moment. “Don't get me wrong, he could be a real ass”, he finally spoke. “And he was a murderer, unashamedly so. But he saved my life before. I had a debt to him and I'm not the sort to abandon those I'm in debt to. If it means doing some bad stuff whenever he orders me? Never liked it, but I never complained either”
“He was different from Drake”, Bennett spoke up. “He treated us better” Leonard raised an eyebrow at that, before he lowered his sword, placing it back in his scabbard. Elias sighed with relief. “I'm not going to kill you”, the knight explained. “Do what you like, you're free to go” He gave Magnus a nod. “You two are free to accompany us”
“What... where am I supposed to go?”, Elias managed to ask and Leonard shrugged. “I don't care”, he spoke and Elias sighed. “Can... I come with you?”, he then asked. Leonard chuckled slightly, before he glanced at Kersea. “As I said, I don't fucking care. Maybe you're better than this Drake fellow, but don't expect me to ever trust you” He raised an eyebrow. “You want to take him?”
Instead of replying, Kersea glanced at Elias, narrowing her eyes. “You want to come with us?”, she asked. “Why?” Elias groaned, as he placed a hand on the bloody back of his head. “Don't know where else to go”, he admitted. “Drake gave the orders, I followed. It was a simple life. Left my home behind years ago. Figures following you would be as good as any other option I have”
“You could go to Raylansfair”, she spoke and he shrugged. “Heard they might have use for me”, he replied. “Raylansfair is an option for me. Oldtown's the other end of the road and there's always work to find. You go there and well, if you'll take me, maybe I'll find some way to help you out in return” He gave her a long, deep look. “You spared my life. Figure it's only fair if you get to decide how I continue”
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] [Tell him to go to Oldtown on his own] [Tell him to go to Raylansfair]
Jenna
“So...”, Dunaver spoke the moment Dustran Selwyn had left the room. He had been visibly unhappy with this, even though Dustran had gone along with her request without any trouble. In fact, the man had acted remarkably polite at this and nothing implied he was displeased by her decision. Dunaver however, he clearly was, unlike Vali, who gave her a wide, friendly smile. “You care to tell me what this is all about now, girl?”
Vali opened his mouth to speak, but Dunaver cut him off at once. “I wasn't talking to you”, he growled. “The girl who requested Dustran to leave. What are you two up to that isn't meant for his ears?” He looked at Vali sharply, with a hawkish gaze and under his glare, the young man seemed to shrink. It was as if his confidence was stripped away by this harsh knight, in a way that reminded Jenna of her own experiences with Lady Halla. The look he gave Jenna was, admittedly, less severe. Still stern and unflinching, yet with a certain respect to it. “Go ahead, mylady. I suppose you can tell me and unlike Saltmouth here, I expect nothing but the truth from you”
She tensed up at his request. “It is because you are, well, both part of the Order”, she began and Dunaver raised an eyebrow. “The Order of the Green Hand”, he growled. “Has always been a knightly order, meant to protect the Reach and its citizens with the strength of our arms. It was a mistake to allow spies in our ranks. Liars and eavesdroppers. There is no honour in what Vali and his people are doing, as much as their occasional success seems to prove them right”
“Right”, Jenna was quick to say. “He has something to say though and I think you should hear him out if you want to protect the Reach” Dunaver gave her a toothy, joyless grin. “From what danger?”, he asked and she gulped. “Maron Mullendore”, she finally told him and she felt slight fear at even just the mere mention of the name. Fear and rage both, combined into a terrifying mix of emotions. Her hands began to shake and she noticed Dunaver's gaze hardening as he mustered her carefully.
“What did the man do to you?”, he asked, his voice showing a hint of compassion. Her shaking hands began to tremble and she clenched them as she met Dunaver's gaze with a hard glare. “He murdered my father”, she hissed, suppressing the urge to tear up, to which Dunaver tilted his head. “My condolences”, he spoke. “This should be brought up with the lord of this city though, shouldn't it?”
“She told him already”, Vali said and this time, Dunaver merely gave him a slight glare. “And she told you apparently”, he growled. “I hate to say it, but I know you, Saltmouth. You know better than to waste my time with something that isn't my duty to fix” He looked back at Jenna. “Considering I just believe your word, mylady, and it was murder instead of self defence or an accident, that hardly justifies Ser Dustran leaving the room. He is a man of honour and I can assure you, he would have taken your claim seriously”
“He murdered my father for sheltering two people he was looking for”, Jenna said, as she took a step towards Dunaver. “Ser, what I am going to tell you, it mustn't reach Mullendore's ears. If he learns about this, he will kill me next” Dunaver's stern gaze softened marginally. “I hate hiding the truth”, he admitted. “But if I deem it dangerous for anyone else to know, you have my word as a knight of the Order of the Green Hand that I shall remain silent”
“Thank you”, Jenna said in a low tone. “Then I can tell you what these people told me” She gulped. “One of them was a woman named Kersea, the other a knight like you, a man called Leonard Constantine” Vali sighed and slightly closed his eyes and she noticed at Dunaver's hardened glare that he was familiar with Leonard. Perhaps bringing him up hadn't been the wisest thing to do.
“Constantine”, he growled. “I know the man and frankly, I don't find it hard to believe that he's involved in something shady” He shook his head. “He had to leave Selwyn Tower after a bad disagreement with my lord and I can assure you, I was happy to kick him out”, he revealed, before he gave her a stern gaze. “What did he do this time?”
Jenna sighed. “Nothing”, she assured him. “He got framed for Mullendore's crimes, he and his friend, Lucas Flowers” She slightly shrunk under Dunaver's glare and she looked at Vali for help. The boy, however, seemed even more terrified of the knight than she was. “Saltmouth, Constantine, now Lucas Flowers”, he said, as he raised a finger. “Mylady, you must pick your acquaintances wisely. I suppose you know he has a terrible reputation, right?”
“One you don't believe in?”, Jenna deduced and after a brief moment of surprise, Dunaver gave her a nod. “Admittedly, I had my doubts”, he replied calmly. “The accusations against him always lacked a motive. With Constantine, I'd find it easier to believe, but from all I heard, Lucas Flowers always acted with honour”
“And they were both framed by Maron Mullendore”, she told him. “I don't know how deeply Lord Petyr is involved in this, but I cannot approach him about it. Mullendore has murdered people, he murdered my father and others” She narrowed her eyes. “He has sent killers to Raylansfair. They murdered Lord Raylan, they murdered the old housekeeper, the septon and I believe also Harris Flowers”
To this, Dunaver sighed. “Harris was a good man”, he admitted in a surprisingly soft tone. “Made it farther than most of us bastards ever do, not through luck but through sheer strength of will” He tilted his head. “I suppose you don't know why Mullendore would do such a thing?”
“I...”, Jenna began, before she paused. A motive... that was very much something she could not give him. He had sent his killers to Raylansfair, Kersea among them, to murder, to make it easier for Petyr Vyrwel to take over the city, but why? Why the murders in Oldtown? Why... why her father? That had been something even Leonard had been unable to tell her.
“Figured that much”, Dunaver spoke. “Just like how I am unwilling to believe in Lucas Flowers' guilt, I find myself hard to trust your accusations against Maron Mullendore with nothing but the word of some woman and Leonard Constantine” He narrowed his eyes. “Especially as they are not here to confirm their side of the story”
“They left Raylansfair”, Jenna admitted. “To where, I don't know” Dunaver raised an eyebrow. “Or you don't trust me enough to tell me”, he deduced. “But it matters not. What do you think I am supposed to do now?” This baffled Jenna and at a loss of words, she exchanged a glance with Vali. “Do you just dismiss what she said, Ser?”, Vali barked, earning himself a stern glare from the knight.
Before Dunaver was able to reply though, Vali cut him off. “Oh yes, I do talk back at you”, he spoke, giving him a wide grin that only thinly veiled his uneasiness around the man. “Fuck me, I guess. But I mean it. Do you just dismiss what she said? You know me and I can assure you, this man, Maron Mullendore, probably Lord Vyrwel as well, they are a threat. They took over Raylansfair through murder and deceit. Serry sent me here to investigate and I am not the only one who has uncovered strange events here in the city. Nor are our people the only one with an interest in these events”
“Whom else have you found, Saltmouth?”, Dunaver asked, pressing the words through his teeth and Vali smirked at the defeated tone in the knight's voice. “There is a Targaryen spy among the servants”, he revealed and Dunaver straightened his back. “That is important news”, he admitted. “And concering. If Targaryen sends one of his to this city, then it gives your claim at least some merit”
“So you believe us?”, Jenna asked and Dunaver shook his head. “I don't disregard what you say, mylady”, he told her. “But believing you? That is another thing entirely. How am I supposed to believe you when at the end of the day, all you have are accusations without even as much as a motive?”
“But...”, Jenna began, though this time, Dunaver cut her off. “You tell me he murdered people, aye. Destabilized the city for his ally to take over. Doesn't sound all that unlikely, to be honest, but I can't act as long as doubt remains”, he explained. “When I act, I bring the Order of the Green Hand down on this man. Before I do any of this, I want evidence. Hard, unquestionable evidence that Mullendore did any of this and at best, evidence of his motives behind. Then, and only then, I shall help you with delivering these to the king”
“I was hoping you could influence Lord Selwyn already”, Vali admitted and Dunaver chuckled coldly. “For you, Saltmouth? Never”, he spoke. “I owe Donnel a great deal and these talks are important to him. If you think I sabotage them without a good reason to, then whatever training Serry put you through must have done a number on your mind” He shrugged. “More than usual, that is”
“Evidence then”, Vali sighed, rolling his eyes. “Make it difficult then, Dunaver. We know that's because of me” Quickly, Dunaver shook his head. “If you wouldn't be with her, I'd be less inclined to even just believe a word she just said”, he admitted, before he gave Jenna brief, apologetic look. “Nothing personal, mylady. I don't like Vali, but I know he's here for a reason. He just tends to rush into things before thinking them through”
Jenna gave him a nod, as she narrowed her eyes. She opened her tightly clenched fists and noticed the pain flowing through them, as she frowned. “Evidence it is then”, she hissed. “If we get you what you want, will you support us?” Dunaver nodded without hesitating. “I'm willing to believe you and if you back up your claims with anything solid, you can bet I will support you”, he promised. “I'll discourage Donnel from dealing with Lord Vyrwel and I will help you bringing Mullendore to justice. Until then, I'll remain quiet about this”
“How do we do this then?”, Jenna asked, glancing at Vali. The young man was still glaring at Dunaver, though he pulled himself together. “We need evidence. Surely there's some around. Mullendore strikes me as the kind to hide his and fuck, I really don't want to be caught by him, but you are a servant. You can get a reason to enter Vyrwel's room”, he told her. “You can search it and maybe you'll find something useful”
“Maybe Saerya knows something...”, Jenna mumbled and she noticed Vali's gaze getting colder. “Not that woman”, he told her. “If she has evidence, I doubt she'll part with it freely. Let me assure you she is not on our side here and any help she'll offer will come to bit us in the back whenever she feels like it. You can do that, but I don't want anything to do with her”
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room] [Suggest getting Saerya involved]
[Tell him to go to Raylansfair]
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room]
You know, when we made the choice to attack Drake in the last Kersea part, I was kinda afraid we accidently got Leonard killed. But when I saw the last Kersea part wasn't the chapter finally I relaxed because I feel Leonard is quite a big character and if you are going to kill him(which i really hope you don't but this is a game of thrones fic so you never know) his death would most likely happen in a chapter finale.
[Tell him to go to Raylansfair]
[Suggest getting Saerya involved]
[Tell him to go to Oldtown on his own]
R.I.P. Drake, he has to be one of the fastest characters to be killed off. I wonder what would've happened if the other choice was chosen.
[Suggest getting Saerya involved]
Maybe Saerya can get herself killed doing this.
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] They could use the extra muscle, especially with the Fang out there. And there's Vanis looking for Magnus and Bennett, so yeah, another fighter is better right now.
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room] while not the best choice, involving Saerya will bring an unnecessary third party to an already complicated matter.
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] Difficult choice I had to think about a bit. I don't exactly trust Elias, but with that feral Fang creep coming by I think it's a terrible idea to send him to Raylansfair, lest he run into Elias and then get information. A man wandering aimlessly is a bad thing. We give him a purpose, and maybe he becomes useful. Sure, this might cause tension between Leonard and Kersea, because let's face it, Leonard does care. Plus, can't let Kersea and Leonard get too close. Whatever, don't vote for Raylansfair.
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room] So this is a bad idea, but Jenna is dumb so she'll do it. Petyr definitely has blackmail on Mullendore as the tensions Wilfred encountered would suggest. I do think this is a bad idea, and if Jenna were caught by Petyr, well, I think it could down some paths she would not enjoy, but it could also serve to further inflame Petyr and Mullendore's relationship. But Saerya, man that girl is sketchy. Also, I feel that if we brought Dustran in, we may have gotten another option here. Or maybe not.
And in honor of that dick Drake:
[Tell him to go to Raylansfair]
[Suggest searching through Petyr's room]
[Tell him to go to Raylansfair]
[Suggest getting Saerya involved]
Now with this part out of the way, I can confirm that Leonard's life was not in danger in this choice. Arguably, you even picked the better option for him. He would have eventually managed to defeat Drake on his own in the other option, but he would have received an injury in the process, which would have not only affected him physically, but also would have made him way less inclined to trust Kersea. Now, she essentially had his back and he is someone who can appreciate this, but in the other option, he would have been distrustful and somewhat angry at her not supporting him. I do agree with what you say though. I mean, big character deaths happen and at times, I feel they should also come at unpredictable moments, such as (hopefully) Lyria's death at the hands of Wolfius in the middle of Chapter 8, but it's a case-by-case decision and the right moment is crucial. Leonard, dying to a random highwayman in this part would have been unpredictable, surely shocking, but from a narrative standpoint, it would have wasted significantly more than it would have achieved. So, if he (or any major character, really) ever dies, it will be a death with great importance to the plot and at the right time in the story. I really want to avoid having the most major moments of the chapter always at the very end, but there are chapters where it cannot be avoided, though I agree, a chapter finale is usually the best point for such major events and when I look at my plans for the future of the story, I can say that some of my favourite upcoming moments in Book 2 will, in fact, be chapter finales.
I think the one with the shortest lifetime in the story has been Herman Irons, though he had the benefit of getting some build-up in the previous chapter and some spotlight on his backstory with the Sons of the Trident. But yeah, Drake died pretty soon. While I try to avoid instantly-killed characters on the account that someone put work into them and I want to honour this, I occasionally receive characters I simply cannot do much with. In case of Drake, he actually had more to his character I haven't been able to reveal, but that is mostly because some elements of his backstory have been kinda weird and I decided to cut them. What remained was fairly standard, so he ultimately wasn't more than a one-shot character. Of course, occasionally characters who are not particularly large in their submission slip into the right roles and develop alongside the story, sometimes growing into major characters even, but with the sheer amount of characters I have received, I cannot always do that. The work I'd have to put into carving out a role for a character that simply isn't too detailed and would fit perfectly in a more minor role would have come at the cost of ignoring some of the amazing work you guys put into your characters, as more room for Drake means less room for characters with huge and intricate backstories. In this case, for example, Elias actually has some nice depth to his character and between them, I decided I'd rather focus on him, resulting in him being spared. As a result, this confrontation would have always ended with Drake dying and Elias surviving. However, in the other option, Leonard would have received an injury (wasn't too certain between his old leg wound reopening or Drake really crushing some of his ribs), affecting his effectiveness in combat and his trust for Kersea, while Elias would have also been badly wounded, leading to him not offering to accompany the two and having a harder time integrating into any other storyline he might become a part of (which would have still been determined by your choice)
I actually did a little count in how many parties are involved in this already. There's Jenna, representing the citizens of Raylansfair, while the Order of the Green Hand has to see a bigger picture. The Order is further divided into the strictly military section represented by Dunaver and what is basically the Reach's secret service, represented by Vali and these two have vastly different methods in how to deal wtih a problem. Then there's Petyr and his uneasy alliance with Maron to take into account. Involving Saerya definitely would mean involving yet another party of interest in this matter and she definitely would pursue goals of her own in this, as she has to.
Aye, there is the Fang hunting after them and he is likely going to take a major road. This means, him encountering Elias on his way to Raylansfair is in the realms of possible. Of course, to get information he'd also have to draw the connection and even then, Elias doesn't know much more than what Mullendore and the Fang already presume, that Leonard and Kersea are on their way to Oldtown. I can confirm, Leonard has a very specific opinion on what to do with Elias, but he leaves the decision to Kersea in this case, perhaps out of gratitude for her supporting him against Drake. He also did leave Elias alive to begin with, so he at least doesn't want him dead. If she picks the option he does not agree with, he'll likely accept it, but it won't help with improving his opinion on her.
It might not be the brightest idea, but at the same time, involving Saerya doesn't have to be better. You said it correctly, she can be sketchy and Vali at least seems to be convinced that she cannot be trusted. When it comes to Dustran being part of this discussion, I can confirm he would have given his input on the situation. Where Dunaver is level-headed enough to demand evidence before making his move, Dustran would have actually been more inclined to believe Jenna and the two would have gotten into a bit of an argument about how to advice Donnel in this matter, with Dunaver being strictly against doing anything without having hard evidence, out of the understandable fear to harm the very important negotiations between House Vyrwel and House Selwyn. Dustran would have ultimately agreed with Dunaver about the evidence thing, but he would have offered additional advice and could have made some introductions that could have helped Jenna down the line.
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown] He doesn't seem like too bad of a guy, but clearly someone who might end up as a follower for questionable leaders, and we don't want to give any more men to the likes of Mullendore, do we? Elias clearly feels indebted to Kersea and considering he was loyal to even to someone like Drake for similar reasons, I feel like we could make a trustworthy and valuable ally out of him. Anyway, it's been nice to see Leonard and Kersea starting to bond a bit during this confrontation with these highwaymen, but I'm really eager to see them finally reach Oldtown
Hopefully that's coming in next chapter 
[Suggest getting Saerya involved] Just feels like the less risky choice in the moment, even if it might come with the cost of Vali's displeasure towards Jenna. And we haven't seen Saerya in a while, and I'm quite curious what she's been up to
[Allow him to accompany you to Oldtown]
[Suggest getting Saerya involved]
[Tell him to go to Raylansfair]
[Suggest getting Saerya involved]
[Tell him to go to Raylansfair]
[Suggest getting Saerya involved]
Yeah, that is definitely something to be concerned of when it comes to Elias. He isn't much of a bad guy himself, he's just happy with following orders and when they come from a bad person, well, he hasn't shown much of a problem with supporting Drake to some degree. This choice here will shape where Elias will end up, which storyline he will appear in and potentially also his role in the story itself. And well, I can confirm that Leonard and Kersea will reach Oldtown in the next chapter! I am super excited for the storyline they will be thrown into there and I can't wait to get to it
Well, I can confirm that displeasure is going to put it a bit mildly. While Vali considers Jenna an ally, he really doesn't want to work together with Saerya on pretty much anything, mostly because he has this huge distrust towards her and believes that in the end, she'll be an enemy not less serious than Mullendore. So, if Jenna contacts Saerya about this, she cannot expect Vali's support. He's kind of working on two fronts there, trying to stop Mullendore while also undermining Saerya and making sure that once their common enemy is dealt with, she won't be in a position where she can get what she wants at the cost of the Reach. Wether his distrust is actually justified remains questionable though.
The Voting is closed!
Kersea is going to tell Elias to go to Raylansfair
Jenna is going to get Saerya involved
The first choice was a pretty big one and due to later consequences potentially one of the more important choices in the whole chapter. Depending on the option, Elias could have ended up as a recurring character in one of three storylines, two of them in Oldtown, one in Raylansfair. Now, Raylansfair it shall be, though there will, of course, be further consequences about the path he is going to take and how he'll end up. Meanwhile, Jenna's will be of less consequence, but still a pretty important one due to her choosing in favour of Saerya again after having previously supported Vali. For the moment, she's keeping things balanced between her two potential allies, but it remains to be seen if she can keep this up and if both remain actual allies as the story progresses.
The next part will be out today. First of all, I should announce that I'll take a small trip to visit my grandfather over the weekend, means I won't be home from tomorrow until Monday. Can't be too certain how much writing I'll get done during that time, but I hope I get to present another finished part when I return on Monday. For now, I want to finish the next part today. I am currently writing the finale for Ysilla's storyline in this chapter, though I am not entirely certain if it will remain the only PoV for this next part. I might have the room to finish Alys' storyline as well, so I will give you recaps for both. Last time during Ysilla's storyline, she had a very uncomfortable dinner with her family (and Jen and Allar), during which tensions got pretty high. Lord Alester revealed that he intends for Theodan to marry a suitable bride, though due to his earlier actions, few are willing to wed their daughters to someone who is proven to be irresponsible and likely to embarrass his future wife-to-be as much as he's expected to embarrass himself. The best match was found in northern Dorne, where Lord Wylis Wyl agreed to a meeting between Theodan and his daughter Wendy, who is actually already on her way while travelling to Sunspear. Theodan was not pleased, to say the least. He revealed his intentions to accompany Ysilla and that he will follow Princess Meria's wishes with that, which caused things to really blow up. Ashara called Theodan out on his irresponsible, self-centered behaviour, as his house and his family suffers from it, while she herself is held back by her status as the secondborn. Ultimately, Theodan couldn't take it anymore and he just left the dinner table, followed by his concerned mother. Ysilla contemplated staying, according to her father's wishes, but she ended up leaving as well to speak to Theodan, which is where we'll see her again. Meanwhile, Alys wandered through the streets of Merman's Rest, happy in the wake of Anturion's absence. That things weren't quite as happy as they seemed to be became clear pretty soon. Without Edward around to protect her, someone else apparently has taken an interest in her. While strolling through the marketplace of Merman's Rest, she realized she was being followed by a man and so, she tried to escape back to Blacksails' guest house, where Carvin was still resting in his room. Fearing it to be locked, she was faced with the decision to either risk wasting valuable time getting Carvin to open the door or to hide in her own room. She chose the former and her next part will start right there, with her mysterious assailant still chasing after her.
Enjoy your trip!
Apologies for the longer wait! I could have released Ysilla’s part yesterday, but I decided against it, because I really want to finish the chapter. So, I decided I want to give you two PoV’s here, in a longer part, at the cost of keeping you waiting for another day. Hope that is no problem, enjoy the part
Ysilla
“Ysilla!”, she heard her father calling out for her as she jumped up from her chair as well. The tone in his voice broke her heart and was almost enough to move her to stay by his side. But she couldn't. Theodan needed her support just as much and her father, he had Ashara, he had Yandry. What could she give if neither of them were enough?
Trembling from the scene she had just witnessed, Ysilla marched out of the room, her fists clenched, slightly biting down onto her lower lip to suppress the tears that were forming in her eyes. Yes, she had feared things to get bad, but this? It had happened faster and it had been worse than she could have imagined.
“Oh Theodan...”, she sighed, closing her eyes as she leant against one of the walls. It had been years since her family had been together like this, years in which she had missed it, having them all around, but today proved that things hadn't changed one bit between her father and her brother. If anything, the years apart had made it worse between them.
The muffled voices of Theodan and Belandra were barely audible as she entered the hallway that lead to his room. It was a long hallway, narrowly built and open to one side, allowing a view down onto the beautiful courtyard. The night was dark and cold, yet after the heat of the Great Hall, Ysilla welcomed it, even if the thin silken dress she wore did little to protect her against just how shockingly cold the dornish desert could get during the nightly hours.
Theodan hadn't been in his room for years and Ysilla knew, her father had left things exactly as they had been. All his worldly belongings, the ones he had to leave behind, they had remained in it, untouched for half a decade. She had been in there often, whenever she missed her brother. It was a small room, dusty from years of no one living in it. His clothes were there, the ones he hadn't taken with him to Essos. The first sword their father had given him, pitted and blunt from the many times her brother had used it against the training dummies in the courtyard. The armour he wore during the tourney at Yronwood, still dented where Goram Gargalen had broken a lance on it. The ornate praying book his mother had gifted him on his twelfth nameday. Last time she had been there, a layer of dust had covered all of it, signs of the time Theodan had been gone.
Ysilla paused for a moment, glancing down at her shaking fists. She wasn't even certain how she should feel. There was anger, about Theodan's behaviour, but also about how their father was still looking down at him. Anger at Ashara for, well, being Ashara and anger at her family in general. And it tore her apart to see them like this.
“... still doesn't get it!”, Theodan's voice sounded from behind the door, a bit louder now. “You don't get it!”, Belandra replied, her voice similarly getting louder, gaining strength and anger. “Your father loves you, Theodan! He wants the best for you!”
Theodan's chuckle was stilted. “Well, he surely has a weird way of showing it”, he replied and Ysilla could only understand his mumbling because she had taken a step closer towards the door. “Does he believe it's all good between us? Six years, mother. He sent me away for six years and he expects me to be grateful?”
Belandra sighed loudly. “Let's not forget you really did bad back then”, she reminded him. “Your father had no choice but to punish you” Ysilla frowned as she heard Theodan's angry groan. “I know what I did”, he spoke. “I know I'm a failure and a disappointment in his eyes”
“This is not true”, Belandra said, a slight sharpness in her voice. “Your father respects you. He calls you the finest warrior our house has produced in hundreds of years” Theodan chuckled again. “Faint praise”, he spoke. “What matters is that I never asked for any of this. I never wanted to have his duties. Why should I be forced into it, why should Ashara be forced out of it in return? Let her take over if she so desperately wants to. I bet Father would love this”
“He wouldn't”, Belandra assured him. “He wants nothing more than for you to take over once he is no more. To lead our house, to be the man he believes you to be” Ysilla tensed up as she heard Theodan's fist hitting wood, probably that of his nightstand. “What about the man I want to be?”, he asked. “I don't see myself in his life. Never have. His... punishment showed me a better way, if anything”
“And what would that be?”, Belandra asked, her voice showing a hint of suspicion. Theodan sighed. “Don't get me wrong, I want to change”, he claimed. “I don't want to live for no one but myself. Responsibilities and all that, I am ready. But I want to do what I'm good at. Leading a house, you know as good as me that this would be terrible”
“He wants you to...”, Belandra started, but Theodan cut her off. “He wants me to lead because I am the firstborn”, he spoke. “Not because I'm good at it, not because he trusts me to learn, not because I'd be happy with it, but because he wants his firstborn to follow after him. And he wants Ashara to stand back because she's the secondborn. No other reason. He's happy when I do exactly as he says, but the moment I want something different, it's wrong, it's irresponsible and childish”
Belandra sighed loudly. “He didn't say that...”, she claimed, but once more, Theodan cut her off. “Oh yeah? Well, he bloody well seemed like it”, he spoke and Ysilla tensed up. “I am taking responsibility, I have volunteered to help my sister and our nation, because I know she needs me, Dorne needs me and I'm better off doing this than wasting away here in Godsgrace”
“Do you truly consider it that bad here?”, Belandra asked and Ysilla took this moment to knock on the door. Theodan cut himself off and she realized he was hesitating. “Come in”, he finally said, in a sour tone. His expression softened, though his eyes widened with surprise as he recognized her. “Hey”, he said calmly. “Just thought...”
“That I'm someone else?”, Ysilla brought up, raising an eyebrow, though her smile faded as she gazed at Belandra. “Mylady, I am sorry. I do not want to intrude...” Belandra raised a finger, the same kind smile on her face she always had when speaking to Ysilla. And yet, it made her nervous. What would happen, she had to wonder, if Belandra would stop smiling one day? If she'd stop tolerating her? Westeros was full with such stories, bastards accepted by their fathers, but driven away by step-mothers. And kind she was, but Belandra had never been a mother.
“You're not intruding, child”, she replied. “Stay. Perhaps you can explain some things to your brother” She sighed, as she noticed Theodan's doubtful glare. “Tell him what your father has done after he sent him away” Ysilla clenched her fists, before she gave Theodan a nod. “It broke his heart”, she assured him. “You have seen him only now, but I lived by his side for six years. He missed you deeply”
“Well, he has a strange way of showing it”, Theodan replied. “I just don't get the man. Before he sent me away, he told me he wants me to accept my duties. To learn about responsibility. What does he think I'm going to do? Taking a nice little stroll across the lovely dornish countryside?”
Belandra sighed. “It might have sounded like this”, she spoke up. “He hoped you could remain here for longer than just a single night” She gently placed a hand on Theodan's shoulder. “He will get used to the man you are now. Just give him time” Even Ysilla was slightly taken by surprise when Theodan gave his mother a fierce glare. “What, another six years?”, he barked and Belandra took a step back.
As quick as his anger came, as quick it faded, replaced by a beaten, tired expression. Ysilla knew how nervous he had been. She did not say it, but in a way, the look in his eyes mirrored that of their father. “Sorry, it's just... in a way it's exactly as I feared”, he mumbled.
His mother approached him and placed her hands on his shoulders again. “He might need time”, she whispered. “But I will always be on your side” She pulled him into a hug and Ysilla noticed the tears that had gathered in Theodan's eyes. He looked at Ysilla, the thinnest of smiles on his face as he hugged his mother. The sight caused her to sigh. She had never asked about her mother. In a way, Theodan was all the family she ever needed. But still, seeing him with his mother, it was a painful reminder of what she never had.
As they separated, Theodan looked through the room that used to be his. He felt taller than he did before. Out of place even. Perhaps Ashara would never see it, but in Ysilla's eyes, Theodan was no longer the reckless boy he used to be. There was a man, a stubborn, wayward man perhaps, but no longer the immature boy their father had exiled. And yes, he was all the family a bastard girl needed.
“Father believes in you”, Ysilla told him and noticed the streak of sadness on her brother's face. He wasn't like this all too often, thank the gods. Usually, there was the goofy, light-hearted Theodan she knew and loved. But there were moments where she knew how much of a toll this took on him. Father's disapproval. Ashara's resentment. “He wouldn't have allowed you to return otherwise”
“And see what I make with that chance”, Theodan mumbled, flashing her a weak grin. “A single night and we leave, off to new adventures. He wants me to waste my life away in this castle instead of doing what I'm truly good at” Ysilla allowed herself to give him a cocky grin. “To be fair, I am certain you will find an overabundance of good wine and cheap whores even within the city”, she said, noticing the brief, almost disapproving glance from Belandra and the stifled chuckle from Theodan. “You know, to support your talents”
As quick as it came, Theodan's smile was gone again. “I bet Ashara said the same”, he said and this time, Ysilla shook her head. “Ashara barely spoke of you”, she told him truthfully. “But the times she did, it was clear she missed you just as much as we did” She shrugged. “Perhaps Ashara needs some time to remember it”, she added hesitantly. “Having to turn down the marriage offers from Starfall and Skyreach, it really hit her hard”
“I never wanted her to turn them down if she wants them so badly”, Theodan spoke softly. “I never wanted to hold her back. In a way, I feel I don't do it. She's holding herself back, because she wants to force me into a life that isn't mine” He sighed bitterly. “That has always been her. Think I changed more than she did in the past couple of years”
Ysilla's smile was gentle. “You did”, she confirmed, as she gave him a playful wink. “Don't get me wrong, you're still a dumb arse, but you've gotten better” Theodan chuckled briefly. “Yeah, very reassuring”, he stated, though he then looked at his mother. “Mother, I...” He paused and she placed a hand on his cheek, causing him to bite down on his lower lip. “I am sorry I have to leave again. If anything, today proved my point. I doubt I'll ever be like Father”
“But you will be your own man”, Belandra replied. “And that will be more than enough” A small sigh left Theodan's throat. “Don't know what I'd do without you. Both of you”, he said, before he looked at his mother. “We both know I will never be the man Father wants me to be. But I will try to make him proud, my way” He smiled at her, then at Ysilla, before his gaze wandered through the room. “If... if you don't mind, I would like a bit of time for myself. To think”
Belandra raised an eyebrow. “Sweet Seven, you have changed after all”, she said in a mildly teasing voice. “But it is okay. I wanted to have a talk to your sister after all” This seemed to surprise Ysilla and she threw a pleading glance at Theodan, who was in return staring at the old sword. It had long since been replaced with a finer blade, Faith, the Allyrion family sword, but there was a longing in his gaze as he looked at his first weapon.
With a sigh, she gave Belandra a nod. “Of course, mylady”, she mumbled, before she and Theodan exchanged a brief smile. “I'll talk to you later”, she said and her brother shrugged. “Don't forget to pack your stuff”, he told her. “I meant it when I said we won't stay here for long. One night, then we continue, no matter how little Father and Ashara like it”
Though this visibly upset Belandra, she walked outside and Ysilla followed, closing the door and leaving Theodan to contemplate about the day in the room he hadn't been in for so long. Her father's wife leant onto the railing, looking down into the courtyard and Ysilla walked up next to her. Briefly, the older woman glanced at her. “Aren't you cold, Ysilla?”, she asked.
Ysilla shook her head. “No, mylady”, she said in an almost sheepish tone and Belandra raised an eyebrow. Wordlessly, she placed a hand on the silk that covered Ysilla's shoulder, feeling the cold skin below. “Don't catch a cold, child”, she said and Ysilla sighed. “I won't, mylady”, she said, tight-lipped and tensed uo.
“Belandra”, Belandra reminded her and Ysilla forced a smile. It had been a repeated offer and at this point she felt almost rude for declining it over and over. This time, she did manage a faint smile. “Belandra”, she agreed, though she had no intention of keeping this up for longer. There was too much fear that the woman would end up feeling insulted at some point. No, a simple, formal 'mylady' to stay on the safe side.
“He needs you, you know that?”, Belandra spoke and Ysilla nodded. “He always did”, she spoke, confident about this topic at least. The woman chuckled. “That is what I like about you the most, child”, she spoke and Ysilla gulped. Belandra Allyrion had never treated her bad, no, but neither was she ever so open towards her. It was a relationship built on mutual acceptance, at least that's what Ysilla had always thought.
“Even when things were the worst, you stood by Theodan's side”, Belandra explained. “There wasn't a moment where you turned your back on him” She smiled and this time, Ysilla reciprocated it, genuinely so, as she took a deep breath of the cold nightly air. “Of course, myl... Belandra”, she replied. “He is my brother” She sighed, her smile growing smaller, but not entirely fading. “You know I never had a mother. A family in the way you had, or even in the way Theodan had”
Belandra's smile faded and Ysilla wasn't sure if she was correct in spotting a hint of sympathy on the woman's face. “And I am sorry that we can never give you that, child”, she said. “I know Alester would tell you if you truly want to know” Ysilla shook her head. “There’s a reason I never asked”, she replied. “Father has his secrets, that's alright. I don't need to know, because I never needed my mother. By the time I was old enough to even realize what made me different from my siblings, Theodan was my family”
“Which is why I wanted to talk to you”, Belandra replied and she placed a hand on the railing, on top of Ysilla's. “You and I, we don't share the same blood, but we share a home, we share a family” Ysilla felt a lump in her throat as she glanced at the other woman, managing a thin, hesitant smile, which Belandra replied to with a wide, kind one of her own. She realized, it was probably the longest they had talked to each other in years. Definitely was the closest talk they ever had. The thought made Ysilla nervous. One wrong word, just one, and she'd risk angering this woman. A bastard was tolerated at best, sent away when they became a nuisance. And Ysilla would never be this.
“Mylady, I am sorry...”, she sighed, averting her gaze and glancing at the courtyard, as she blinked slightly. Belandra tilted her head. “For being a bastard?”, she asked and Ysilla nodded slightly. She noticed Belandra's smile fading. “You are sorry for being born?”, she asked then and Ysilla tensed up, before she slowly shook her head. “You being a bastard is not your fault and I have made my peace with Alester's actions a very long time ago”
She removed the hand from Ysilla's and now, the girl missed the warmth. “I think the only one inside these halls who hasn't gotten over it is your father himself”, she added. “There's a reason he never told either of us about your mother” This caused Ysilla to raise an eyebrow. “You don't know?”, she asked, hiding the hint of curiosity in her voice. Belandra shook her head. “I never asked”, she told her. “Same as you, I suppose. It matters little. I love my husband and I have forgiven him. Forcing him to tell me wouldn’t change a thing, so I don’t mention the topic, for his sake” She glanced at Ysilla. “It’s scenes like the one I just saw that convince me over and over that I chose right when I accepted you in my home”
Ysilla gulped. “Thank you, mylady”, she mumbled and Belandra raised an eyebrow. “Belandra”, she corrected her and this time, Ysilla briefly. “Thank you, Belandra”, she stated. “I know we don’t see eye to eye very often, I mean...” She sighed. “I mean, we don’t talk very often and I don’t want to bother and all, but I... appreciate it. What I have, I owe you as much as I owe Father”
“And I appreciate you sticking out for Theodan”, Belandra replied. “I know he never had it easy here. Alester has been hard on him, holding him to the same standards he has been held to, perhaps even harsher. I fear this had a hand in the way my son grew up” She pressed her lips together, glancing at the courtyard. “Ashara is hard on him as well. I love my daughter, but when it comes to her brother, she is harsh, unfair even”
Ysilla nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like Ashara”, she mumbled and Belandra smirked. “You are different though. It’s why Alester sent you to fetch him. He could have sent a hundred men-at-arms, led by our greatest knights to bring the wayward son home, but he picked you over all of them” The way she said this gave Ysilla a warm feeling, one of pride and accomplishment.
“Well, I think I pestered him the most out of all of us”, she stated, to which Belandra nodded. “You might have a point there, child”, she agreed. “You brought him back safely and you stood by his side throughout the entire thing. You even came to check up on him after today and that shows how much you love him”
The two shared a brief smile. “He is my brother after all”, Ysilla stated. She noticed that Belandra’s smile faded first and she narrowed her eyes. “Belandra?”, she asked. The woman averted her gaze, staring down at the courtyard. “It is going to be dangerous, right?”, she asked. “What you mean to do”
“I don’t know”, Ysilla admitted honestly. “We don’t know if anyone else is searching for this man we’re supposed to bring back. Aside from that, we have to cross the Red Mountains” Belandra sighed. “The Reach has sent more troops to that region”, she revealed. “Their new commander is... infamous”
“You know him?”, Ysilla asked, as she noticed the hesitant tone in Belandra’s voice. “Yoreen Flowers”, she revealed. “Not his first time on our border. He has led the attack on Yronwood” Ysilla clenched her fists, as she remembered what she had been told about this incident. Three years ago and House Yronwood still suffered from what happened on that day. Then, her eyes widened. “I heard of the man”, she gasped. “He... he forced himself upon Saerya Yronwood”
Belandra nodded. “At least the poor girl survived, unlike many others on that day. Yoreen is a vile beast, ruthless and without restraint”, she confirmed. “And he leads the soldiers you have to get through to enter the Reach” She placed a hand on Ysilla’s shoulder. “Once you have passed Blackmont, none must know who you truly are”
“Then we better travel swiftly”, Ysilla deduced, to which Belandra sighed. “Child, I want to ask you one thing”, she suddenly said and Ysilla looked up. “What is it?” she asked and she did not like the tone in the woman’s voice. “You know what you’re up against”, she replied. “And I understand if you cannot promise me. I know it won’t be easy. I know it might be dangerous” She took a deep breath. “Child, can you promise me, if things ever get worse than you thought, more dangerous than you anticipated... can you promise me that you will send your brother back to Godsgrace?” She paused, before she shook her head. “No... can you promise me that you both return in that case?”
[Promise her] [Tell her you cannot promise it]
Alys
Carvin... Carvin’s room, that was it. He would know what to do. He could help her. As she rushed through the door and into the dark house, she fastened her pace, despite her fear of running into the furniture of the barely lit room. Up the stairs, she would have almost fallen, but clinging onto the ledge, she remained standing despite heavily slamming her knee against the wooden steps. Suppressing a groan of pain, she nonetheless gasped as she heard the door being pushed open somewhere behind her. Her assailant was still on her trail.
Up the stairs, Alys spun around, down the first floor hallway and towards Carvin’s door. Below her, the man bumped into one of the tables, knocking it over and cursing loudly. “Carvin!”, she already yelled, as she ran towards his door. “Carvin, help me!” She just barely stopped herself from running into the door itself, placing her hand on the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, she pulled...
The door was locked. Tears welled up in her eyes, as she heard the heavy breathing of the man pursuing her, as he just rushed up the stairs. “Carvin!”, she yelled again, slamming her fists onto the wood. “Carvin!” Then, the man was behind her. She felt heavy hands on her waist, yanking her away from the door, as her fists flailed through the air.
“You come with me, Lady”, the man growled and her eyes widened as she felt his hot breath on her neck. He spoke in a deep tone, sporting a notable accent and there was something sinister in his voice. But Alys did not surrender. Instead of giving in to the terror that threatened to overwhelm her, she fought back. Her fists, at first trying to reach the door, to cling onto it, finally moved to strike the man, who had now lifted her up. Her legs began to kick aimlessly, but with him right behind her, she knew she hit his shins.
Indeed, he growled something, probably a curse in his native language, as she slammed her fists into his ribs, as her legs hit him painfully. Instead of letting go of her as she had hoped, he heavily slammed her against the wall to her left though. Her forehead hit the wood and instantly, any thought of resistance left her, replaced only by a numb feeling of pain. Her vision blurred, the room spinning, her hearing muffled. She opened her mouth to say something and while she knew, she was likely doing just that, she had no idea what it was.
Once more, her head hit something hard and she groaned, as she almost lost consciousness. However, she remained awake, just barely enough to realize that the man hadn’t slammed her against the wall again, but had actually let go of her. She was now lying on the ground, placing a hand on her thumping forehead.
The man shouted something, as her hearing slowly returned. Blinking, she glanced up, noticing the man who was approaching her. It was Carvin, coming out of his room, armed with a dagger... and naked as his name day. She blinked again, rolling onto the back, as Carvin, not even bothering with covering himself, jumped above her and against the man. A deep groan of pain followed, some shouting and the sounds of a struggle.
Alys just barely managed to avoid being hit by the man who just tried to attack her, as Carvin threw him into the direction of his room. The man was injured, red blood pouring from a deep cut near his shoulder. There was anger on his face and Carvin, while looking no less vicious, was just one man, completely naked as well. With a low growl, the unknown man had reached for his sword and Alys gasped as the steel left the scabbard.
In this moment, something unexpected happened. A face appeared behind him, belonging to the man who had just left the room. Clean shaven, young and handsome, she recognized him by his turquoise eyes and the braid that fell over his shoulder. “Drop it”, Warmond Manderly growled in a low tone, pressing his knife against the man’s throat.
The man’s eyes widened, though as the steel drew blood, he squealed slightly, notably tensing up and indeed dropping the weapon. “Alys”, Carvin said gently, as he leant down, offering a hand towards her. She gulped, as she grabbed it and he pulled her up.
“Now...”, Warmond growled again, eyeing Alys, as he moved his lips close to the man’s ear. “What did you want to do with the girl?” The man clenched his teeth together. “I can’t tell you”, he stated in his strong accent. “He will kill me” Warmond raised an eyebrow. “Already a step in the right direction, mate”, he whispered. “Who is he?”
When the man did not reply quick enough, Warmond pushed the tip of his knife into his neck. Gasping, the man was about to try and break free, but the captain held him in an iron grip. “He might kill you, but I can assure you, I will do it right now if you don’t tell me what I want to know”, he continued in a dangerous tone. “Tell me and I will let you leave. If you’re smart, you’ll join the crew of the next ship to leave the harbour and you’ll never return”
The man hesitated still, but Alys could see how he was thinking. Briefly, he closed his eyes. “Saan told me to get the girl”, he admitted and a brief grin formed on Warmond’s face. He raised an eyebrow. “Saan, huh?”, he said. “Yeah, that is his style. I suppose he hasn’t told you why?”
This time, the man shook his head, as slightly as he dared with the blade pressed to his throat. Warmond sighed. “Figures”, he mumbled, before he shrugged. “Then I don’t need you anymore” Giving Alys a wink, he drew the blade across the man’s throat, just as he opened his mouth to protest. Instead of words, blood poured out, as he gasped and gurgled. Slowly going to his knees, then onto the ground, he trembled violently as his life left him.
In this moment, Alys noticed two things. First of all, Carvin was still naked. Second, so was Warmond. And neither of them was unpleasant to look at, quite the contrary... The pirate captain chuckled and she noticed that she was staring at him. Heat flushed through her cheeks, as she started at the ground, clenching her fists and biting down onto her lower lip.
“I...”, she began, as her eyes widened. “Oh... Oh!” She looked from Carvin to Warmond and the former shrugged. “She’s from the North”, he spoke to the pirate. “They handle things differently there” Warmond flashed both a wolfish grin. “I heard there are some things they don’t handle at all”, he corrected him.
“You... you two?”, Alys stuttered, still red with embarrassment. Carvin raised an eyebrow. “Us”, he confirmed. “I hope you’re not disappointed, little lady” She gulped, as she slowly shook her head, the movement getting faster, until she sighed. “No, No!”, she almost shouted. “Seven, could you please get dressed?”
Warmond chuckled, before he turned around. It slightly annoyed him that he didn’t look worse from behind. “That might be for the best”, he agreed. “Maybe then you can tell us why Sargasso Saan sends someone to abduct you” Briefly, he glanced over his shoulder, playing with the thick braid of hair. “Without being so distracted, that is”
“I’m not distraced, I’m...” Alys began, glancing at Carvin, momentarily unable to control her gaze wandering over his body. “Seven, you’re annoying!” She raised her head, demonstratively higher than necessary, as she followed Warmond into Carvin’s room. Thankfully, the pirate captain had already grabbed his robe, slipping into it and sitting down on the bed.
Carvin closed the door behind him, merely grabbing a coat to cover himself. “Warmond brings up a good point there”, he said. “How would Sargasso know...” He paused, as he notice what he had almost revealed to the other man. Warmond had his eyebrow still raised. “Excuse me, I think I have proven my worth”, he said. “And I don’t mean us, I mean me cutting the throat of some low-life sellsword and preventing a fight. That man could have killed both of you”
“I don’t die so easily”, Carvin disagreed, before he smiled slightly. “But thank you. That was... a close call” He glanced at Alys, who was still blushing vividly. “Are you okay, little lady? Really hit your head there” She sighed, as she placed a hand on her aching head. “I’ll be alright”, she claimed. “But I am concerned. Sargasso Saan is after me, have I understood that correctly?”
“Aye”, Warmond agreed. “And he’s quite a nasty one when he doesn’t get what he wants. You are in great danger, mylady” He narrowed his eyes. “And we should act swiftly to prevent this from happening ever again. Knowing Sargasso, he’ll be more thorough next time. We took this one by surprise, so just imagine how much worse it’d be if they ambush us next time”
“You want to help?”, Alys asked and Warmond gave her a nod. “Call it a personal grudge against Sargasso”, he claimed. “Truth be told, I never liked the man and he never liked me. If he works against you, then maybe I could help. With me by your side, we could get Blacksails involved”
Alys tilted her head. “Suppose you only want to know why he’s after me?”, she askedand Warmond smirked. “That’d be a start. Of course, I get only benefits from making a move against Sargasso, especially if we remove him from Blacksails’ favour. But if you truly want me to help, I must understand” He raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to tell me what’s so special about you that Saan would send a thug to abduct you?”
Looking for help, she glanced at Carvin, who merely shrugged. “I might not be all that objective there, little lady”, he admitted. “This one’s a decision you have to make for yourself. Do you trust Warmond enough to get him involved? Then by all means, tell him the full truth. If not, we’ll find a way without him, I promise”
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] [Keep it a secret]
[Promise her]
[Tell Warmond about your true identity]
Well look at that, the first mention of Yoreen Flowers. Maybe this will mean he will finally be removed from the waiting to be introduced list as it seems he has been there the longest.
Also I might be remembering this wrong but didn't you say he was not only the bastard son of Maron Mullendore but he was the only bastard he ever acknowledged.
If he is, considerding Yoreen reputation as the new commander of the Red Mountains and what he has apparatly done, I guess it makes sense why Maron would like him so much.
[Promise her]
I want both Theodan and Ysilla to stay alive, if they can safely get back to Godsgrace, they should be able to survive the whole story, right?
[Tell Warmond about your true identity]
Warmond and Carvin are the first confirmed gay characters in the story (I think?) , I wonder how many more will follow.
[Promise her] It will be hard, but she needs some assurance. Entering the Marches will be dangerous, but something tells me Flowers will suffer for what he did to House Yronwood, one way or the other. "What is our heart's desire? Justice, vengeance, fire and blood."
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] While is too soon to say about their relationship, he can be an ally if Saan's not done.
[Promise her] Man she's going to hate us so much if he doesn't come back.
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] Ah what the heck, let's do it. Seems like a nice guy, although I am always skeptical. Sargasso is not okay-o.
Carvin being naked has to be the funniest mental image this story has brought me in a while.
Also, the dreaded Yoreen Flowers. First mentioned many, many chapters ago, our dear friend Mullendore's only acknowledged bastard son, who does not seem like a nice person from this little snippet we have gotten. I imagine that he plays some part in the greater schemes of his father, but I am unsure exactly what that part is at this time. Lucky Dairon didn't turn out this way...
[Promise her] **
**[Tell Warmond about your true idenyity]
It was indeed the first mention of Yoreen in a very long time. Actually, using my special search skills, I just realized it was the first mention of him in-story since 2016. Kinda crazy, come to think of it, given how long he has been in the waiting list.
You are also right, he is the only of several bastards Maron ever acknowledged. He has more bastards, some he knows about and some he doesn't, but Yoreen is the only one he ever bothered with. Of course, that doesn't have to mean that Maron outright likes him. You know what sort of a man he is, so a proper father-son bond is definitely not between them. Neither can you expect Yoreen to be a great guy, he is Maron Mullendore's son after all and he spent part of his life being raised by him. At the same time, Yoreen's reputation is actually a bit conflicting. He has a terrible reputation in Dorne, being infamous for his brutality and hatred towards the dornish. His raid against Yronwood ended with huge damage to the castle and House Yronwood in general and as you have learned, he is personally to blame for raping Saerya Yronwood. At the same time, his first mention in the story happened back in Chapter 4 of Book 1 and it painted him in a different light. Namely, the first thing that became known of him in the story proper was him informing the Stormlanders that he had forbidden his own men from raping dornish women they encounter, a rule he apparently enforces harshly. This stands in pretty sharp contrast to his actions at Yronwood three years ago. So, the impression you received of him so far have been conflicting. I can confirm, Yoreen will eventually appear over the course of Book 2 and it remains to be seen what sort of a man he truly is. All I can confirm is that you should not expect a knight in shining armour, but given his upbringing, that should have been pretty clear already.
Well, it'd at least be better than one or both of them not returning safely to Godsgrace. I'd say it would increase their chances. Godsgrace is in central Dorne and therefore pretty safe, but at the same time, even in central Dorne, there's dangers to look out for, most of them all the Sandstorm.
I could be wrong there, but I think you are right. I know they are not the first gay characters to be introduced though, even if Carvin has been in the story for a long time. I mean, I really only use the submitted characters, but while there is a straight majority, there's still plenty diversity to be found in them, there's homosexual characters, bisexual characters, asexual characters, really the whole spectrum. The one thing I want to do though is, I want to include such diversity when it fits the story, when it develops the character or at least supports a scene, I don't want it to feel forced or insincere. I don't want Carvin to be perceived as simply the token gay character, I instead want him to be a well-received and complex character with an important role in the narrative who also happens to be homosexual. There won't be a character who runs around, telling random strangers about their sexual orientation, because that'd be the wrong kind of diversity and it would not be faithful to the characters. And in fact, there is a strong stigma against homosexuality in most parts of Westeros, so there are some characters who are so deep in the closet that I doubt I'll ever have much of a way of revealing their orientation in a way that won't seem forced. People in Dorne and Essos are generally more open-minded towards this of course, see Ysilla being rather openly bisexual or Warmond really not getting why Alys is a bit embarrassed by realizing why he and Carvin were both naked, which makes it easier for me to establish their sexual orientation in a way that makes sense. The majority of homosexual characters in Westeros will be closer to Book-Loras or Jon Connington though, where there are mere hints of their orientation, hints and rumours without much in terms of explicit confirmation. I think that is the best I can do in many cases while staying true to the characters and the society they live in. But yeah, Carvin and Warmond are the first confirmed gay characters in the story, but they are neither the first in general nor the last.
Yeah, Yoreen is a wanted man in Dorne. While the dornish lack the military strength to take revenge on him all that easily, he remains a priority target. House Yronwood has put a bounty on his head and he has made plenty of enemies. Unlike his father though, he is open about whom he considers his enemies and his allies, which puts him in a better position, because unlike Maron, he is surrounded by a loyal army.
Aye, that is precisely the risk here. If anything happens to Theodan despite Ysilla's promise, well it is possible that this will ruin the good-will Belandra has for her husbands bastard daughter. This is the reason for the choice, Ysilla has to decide if she wants to risk giving a promise she might not be able to keep.
Oh yes, another mention of Yoreen, the literal bastard. He's quite something, a character you have gotten conflicting reports on but definitely not a nice person. I can say he is a complex character though, one I look forward to introduce. He is his father's son, raised by him after all, but at the same time, there are differences between them and they are both unique characters.
[Promise her] Eh, I doubt we're actually going to turn back even if it gets dangerous, but there is no reason not to humor Belandra here, she just wants to be reassured that she will see her son again. I have to say I loved the conversation between Ysilla and her stepmother, you've done a fantastic job in fleshing out the Allyrion family and the dynamics between them in just a couple parts! At this point it's among the storylines I'm the most invested in
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] Well, clearly we're in dire need of allies here, and Warmond seems like the best option available. Carvin rushing out of his room naked to help Alys was quite a hilarious moment
[Promise her]
[Tell Warmond about your true identity]
Alys be like
On a more serious note, I'm glad to inform you that I just finished translating Act I of Book I. Holy hell, that was such a long way. But at least I'm making progress! Perhaps I'll be able to finish Book I by the end of this school year.
Ah, I am so glad to hear this! Of course, I had two chapters for the relationship between Ysilla and Theodan, arguably making it the most fleshed out of the Allyrion family dynamics, but I am so happy that you found the rest of them enjoyable as well. I am always a bit nervous when having to introduce such a large number of new characters and establish their connection to each other in such a short time, so I am relieved that I managed to make the Allyrion family reunion enjoyable and you invested in the family as a whole. While for the foreseeable future, Alester, Belandra, Ashara and Yandry won't appear in Ysilla's storyline, their relationships between them, her and Theodan still are a driving factor for her, so the stuff that was established in this chapter is definitely highly important as the story progresses.
Ah, those are wonderful news! I am always amazed to hear about update on the translation, so I'm happy you reached that milestone. Still don't know enough Russian to help with the translation itself, but if there's anything else I can do, let me know. I can't thank you enough for the effort you put into this, but I genuinely appreciate it
[Promise her]
[Tell Warmond about your true identity]