Ah, this is one of the parts that I was particularly looking forward to ever since you told me about being able to show Godsgrace in the story and I can already tell you that I enjoyed it greatly. I know I said this a million times now, but I'll never tire of pointing out how great a job you did with every single member of House Allyrion and the relationships between them. The one shown here is definitely among one of my favorites in the entire family, and once again you were able to show it exactly as I pictured it when writing them. While it's clear to see that Belandra is a good-natured person, her accepting a bastard into her home in the way she accepted Ysilla is really huge, even for Dornish standards. There's good reason for that, two main ones to be precise, and you were able to point out in their conversation here. Of course Belandra being how she is was also a factor, but in the end it all comes down to the relationship between Theodan and Ysilla. See, ever since he was very young Theodan took it upon himself to make sure Ysilla was as much a member of the Allyrion family as he was. He never allowed anyone to treat her any different than he was treated, and whenever anyone insisted in treating Ysilla as a Sand, he would make sure she was treated as an Allyrion no matter what. Their relationship was so natural, and Theo was always so adamant in treating Ysilla as his flesh and blood, that everybody else simply ended up naturally following suit. In return, Ysilla was the "responsible" side that Theodan completely lacked as a youth, make no mistake, Theodan would've done a lot worse than he already did if Ysilla wasn't there by his side. They were always there for each other no matter what. You were able to show these aspects very well during their conversation, as well as their relationship with each other. Belandra being genuinely warm and caring towards Ysilla, and Ysilla in return being heavily conflicted about it. In one hand she's afraid of doing something wrong and ruining everything and in the other hand she wants to get closer to that motherly figure that Belandra is. While I'm really looking forward to the adventure ahead, I'm definitely going to miss this chapter, it'll be quite a while until we see all the Allyrions together again... if we see them together again at all.
Oh, so Theodan fought against Lord Gargalen during a tourney held at Yronwood, huh? That must've been a very interesting match up. Hopefully we get a chance to learn a bit more about that tourney in the future, I'm kinda curious about it.
[Promise her] Her eldest son came back home after such a long time away and on the very same day she discovers that he's already leaving, going head first into danger. It would break Belandra's heart if we don't promise this here, she's just looking for some reassurance that she'll see them again, even if deep down she probably knows the chance of them following through with it is almost zero. Yoreen Flowers, huh? I have a bad feeling about pretty much everything that has any connection to Mullendore, and if the rumors about Flowers have any truth to them he definitely takes after his father. We'll have to tread carefully moving forward, that's for sure.
Oh, now that we're talking about Mullendore it hit me that Kersea is also going to Oldtown, wonder if we'll actually run into her while there. Another thing that came to mind is Nym, we haven't seen her since she left Raylansfair and I feel like there's a good chance that she could've gone to Oldtown. After all, the best place for a sellsword to find work in Westeros is there, so I'm really hoping she indeed went to Oldtown and that she ends up stumbling upon our dornish friends somehow. And since she's dornish herself, wonder if there's any chance she met the Allyrion siblings before she decided to leave Dorne to become a sellsword.
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] When we learned about Warmond and Gonzo in this part, the first thing that came to my mind was Gregor's remarks towards Manderly during the council meeting. This here made his attacks even more on point than they already were and I can't help but wonder what his reaction would be if he was there to witness this
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]
Ah, this is one of the parts that I was particularly looking forward to ever since you told me about being able to show Godsgrace in the story and I can already tell you that I enjoyed it greatly. I know I said this a million times now, but I'll never tire of pointing out how great a job you did with every single member of House Allyrion and the relationships between them. The one shown here is definitely among one of my favorites in the entire family, and once again you were able to show it exactly as I pictured it when writing them. While it's clear to see that Belandra is a good-natured person, her accepting a bastard into her home in the way she accepted Ysilla is really huge, even for Dornish standards. There's good reason for that, two main ones to be precise, and you were able to point out in their conversation here. Of course Belandra being how she is was also a factor, but in the end it all comes down to the relationship between Theodan and Ysilla. See, ever since he was very young Theodan took it upon himself to make sure Ysilla was as much a member of the Allyrion family as he was. He never allowed anyone to treat her any different than he was treated, and whenever anyone insisted in treating Ysilla as a Sand, he would make sure she was treated as an Allyrion no matter what. Their relationship was so natural, and Theo was always so adamant in treating Ysilla as his flesh and blood, that everybody else simply ended up naturally following suit. In return, Ysilla was the "responsible" side that Theodan completely lacked as a youth, make no mistake, Theodan would've done a lot worse than he already did if Ysilla wasn't there by his side. They were always there for each other no matter what. You were able to show these aspects very well during their conversation, as well as their relationship with each other. Belandra being genuinely warm and caring towards Ysilla, and Ysilla in return being heavily conflicted about it. In one hand she's afraid of doing something wrong and ruining everything and in the other hand she wants to get closer to that motherly figure that Belandra is. While I'm really looking forward to the adventure ahead, I'm definitely going to miss this chapter, it'll be quite a while until we see all the Allyrions together again... if we see them together again at all.
I am glad you enjoyed the part! Not being able to show much of Ysilla and Belandra together has been honestly bothering me in this chapter, so I made it a point to focus on it in this part. And it is definitely a very complex relationship, so it wasn't the easiest for me. As much as I consider Theodan and Ysilla's relationship to be the beating heart of the Allyrion storyline, it is at its core notably easier to write. But you bring up a very important aspect here. Of course, Belandra is a good person, not the Catelyn Stark kind who would treat her husband's bastard with disdain. However, the more important reason why she ended up being so acceptive of Ysilla, to a degree that is notable even for Dornish standards, is definitely the way Theodan gets along with his sister. I think it got clear here, he is Belandra's favourite child, so I imagine his opinion on Ysilla had a huge part in shaping her willingness to accept this bastard among her own children. Over the time, she grew to genuinely like the girl, something I believe must have been hard for her in the very beginning and Theodan and, to a degree, Alester being so protective of the child definitely helped her with coming to terms with it. Yet, in the way I interpreted the nature of Ysilla's somewhat timid behaviour around Belandra, this is also part of the reason why she remains so fearful that this caring, warm-hearted woman could end up kicking her out of her home at any moment. She suspects, or at least hopes, that Belandra has grown to genuinely like her, but the fact that it started off as something coming from Theodan, something he essentially demanded from his family instead of something that originated with Belandra herself definitely worries her. What I mean is, while Ysilla might be doubting herself and Belandra a bit too much there, she has no way of being certain how much of their positive interactions come from genuine sympathy and how much of it is just Belandra's love for her firstborn. I hope I pointed this out here, whenever Ysilla is alone with Belandra she's really out of her comfort zone. There is a lot of doubt and her trying her best to avoid spending more time with Belandra out of the fear of overstaying her welcome is not making things any easier. But ah, I can tell you I already miss writing all of them together. Of course, the fact that I am super hyped for Ysilla's storyline in the next chapter might make up for it, but I enjoyed this chapter on a different level. And with Theodan and Ysilla gone for the time being, you are right, it will definitely be a long time until they see each other again even if things go well. I have plans for the Allyrion family while Theodan and Ysilla are away, but of course it won't be the same as having all of them together in one spot. However, I said it before, this chapter has set up the driving relationships for Ysilla's storyline, which will keep being important even when the family itself is divided.
Oh, so Theodan fought against Lord Gargalen during a tourney held at Yronwood, huh? That must've been a very interesting match up. Hopefully we get a chance to learn a bit more about that tourney in the future, I'm kinda curious about it.
Aye, he fought Goram Gargalen during the tourney several years ago. Back then, Goram hasn't been lord yet, but he has assumed the position shortly after Theodan's exile. He is also not much older than Theodan and the two do have a handful of similarities (with the biggest differences not mattering during the course of the tourney) that caused them to get along very well. I can say, Theodan did not win the tourney. While he didn't do bad, Goram thoroughly defeated him and the blow he received would have actually killed him if not for the armour. That being said, Theodan held no grudge against his opponent and ended up spending the rest of the night drinking with Goram and his bastard cousins Indra and Kisara. That was only a few months before his exile though, so what could have developed into a genuine friendship was kinda cut short and with several years having passed, they aren't particularly close nowadays. That being said, they still have a good opinion about each other and Goram is one of the dornish lords who did not take an issue with the scandal that led to Theodan's exile.
Yoreen Flowers, huh? I have a bad feeling about pretty much everything that has any connection to Mullendore, and if the rumors about Flowers have any truth to them he definitely takes after his father. We'll have to tread carefully moving forward, that's for sure.
A bad feeling as you rightfully should have! Maron is a poisonous person, the sort that brings out the worst in people and he was partially responsible for raising Yoreen. Considering the rumours (which have very strong credibility to them due to the fact that Saerya Yronwood is alive to testify), one can see how Yoreen is Maron's son. At the same time, there is the conflicting report that was delivered to the Storm King in Chapter 4, where Yoreen promised draconian punishments to any of his soldiers caught in the act of rape. Then again, the whole punishment stuff is a Maron trait, as is being incredibly hypocritical. What I can say is, do not expect Yoreen to be a good-natured nice guy, but expect a complex character I personally find very compelling.
Oh, now that we're talking about Mullendore it hit me that Kersea is also going to Oldtown, wonder if we'll actually run into her while there. Another thing that came to mind is Nym, we haven't seen her since she left Raylansfair and I feel like there's a good chance that she could've gone to Oldtown. After all, the best place for a sellsword to find work in Westeros is there, so I'm really hoping she indeed went to Oldtown and that she ends up stumbling upon our dornish friends somehow. And she's dornish herself, wonder if there's any chance she met the Allyrions before she decided to leave Dorne to become a sellsword.
Both very strong possibilities, aye. The man they are looking for, Laryl Callace, he is a scholar and scholard study at the Citadel. Coincidentally, Kersea and Leonard plan to meet up with Archmaester Quent at the very same place. A meeting between them wouldn't exactly feel forced should they both end up at the Citadel during the same time. Meanwhile, Nymeria is a fellow dornish and as a sellsword, Oldtown is a city of possibilities for her. I can say, Nymeria never met the Allyrions before leaving Dorne, mostly a result of her house being seen with general distrust by the rest of Dorne. They are vassals of House Wyl after all, themselves not a house with a great reputation. So, Alester never considered having close relations with them. He would have skipped having much of a connection to House Wyl either, but Theodan left him with little choice but to take any straw offered to him. What I find interesting though is that Nymeria is a trueborn Aspys who was nonetheless mistreated by her family, while Ysilla, the Allyrion bastard, grew up being treated remarkably well by those around her. There is a stark contrast that could be interesting to explore.
When we learned about Warmond and Gonzo in this part, the first thing that came to my mind was Gregor's remarks towards Manderly during the council meeting. This here made his attacks even more on point than they already were and I can't help but wonder what his reaction would be if he was there to witness this
Ah, you remember them! That was actually intentional by Gregor. See, Warmond isn't exactly making much of a secret about his attraction to men. He isn't particularly vocal either, but this is Merman's Rest, he sees no reason in hiding it. As such, Blacksails' council of captains is well aware of his sexual orientation and few even bother with raising an eyebrow. While there is a stigma towards homosexuality in most parts of Westeros, it mostly seems to come from the Faith of the Seven and safe to say, few pirates hold them in any sort of regard, so they are very willing or even outright happy to ignore and subvert the conventional opinions of Westerosi society. A large number of them isn't even Westerosi at all, such as Blacksails himself and Warmond definitely isn't used to being teased about it. So, Gregor's remarks were deliberately aimed at Warmond's sexuality to make him uncomfortable, an early hint I placed there. He mostly did so to throw Warmond off though and to avoid him intervening in his attempt to sway the captains to his side, not out of any genuine pleasure he takes out of teasing someone for their sexual orientation. So, he would probably be mostly indifferent to this scene, albeit the thought of two naked men overpowering a heavily armed thug would be quite amusing to him.
Ah, this is one of the parts that I was particularly looking forward to ever since you told me about being able to show Godsgrace in the sto… morery and I can already tell you that I enjoyed it greatly. I know I said this a million times now, but I'll never tire of pointing out how great a job you did with every single member of House Allyrion and the relationships between them. The one shown here is definitely among one of my favorites in the entire family, and once again you were able to show it exactly as I pictured it when writing them. While it's clear to see that Belandra is a good-natured person, her accepting a bastard into her home in the way she accepted Ysilla is really huge, even for Dornish standards. There's good reason for that, two main ones to be precise, and you were able to point out in their conversation here. Of course Belandra being how she is was also a factor, but in the end it all comes down to the relationship between Theo… [view original content]
Alys is going to tell Warmond about her true identity
The first choice wasn't exactly much of a big one. If Ysilla fails to bring Theodan back to Godsgrace, it implies that he'd die. In that case, she likely would prefer not to return home either, regardless of Belandra's opinion. It will give Belandra some peace of mind though and it will improve her opinion on Ysilla. Meanwhile, Alys' choice was far more important with far bigger consequences. Affable he might be, but Warmond remains a pirate and he definitely hopes for an advantage over Saan, whom he considers a potential enemy in the politics of Merman's Rest. It is telling that Carvin notably hesitated to reveal this snippet of information. At the same time, he is perhaps one of the best allies Alys could hope for now in Edward's absence and at best even a way of ridding herself of Anturion's influence for good.
The next part is hopefully going to be out today. You probably noticed I kept the voting open for longer and that has one big reason. This next part will be huge. It will hold three PoV's and tie up every storyline besides one. As the penultimate part of the chapter, it will feature PoV's for Sadie, Ellena and Jaron. Originally, I planned for just Sadie and Ellena for the next part, with Jaron as the penultimate, but I decided to combine them. Reason is, I once again won't be home for a few days at the end of the week. This time, I'll visit the Netherlands with my father, as he delivers a trailer to a camping ground and we'll stay there until Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll take phone and laptop with me, but I do not know if there's any wi-fi on the camping ground. Chances are that it won't be. I technically should have an internet connection on my phone as Germany and the Netherlands are both part of the EU, but the emphasis is on technically and I might not be available at all for a few days. As such, I definitely want to end the chapter before leaving. If I release the next part today or tomorrow at latest, I can release the chapter finale on Saturday or early on Sunday. And for that, I must tie up every storyline but Willfred's in this next part and the result should be longer than usual. It's been the reason why I pushed Alys' part into Ysilla's during the last part. So, for the recap, last time we saw Sadie, she witnessed the meeting between Leonard Hill and Mileena Reyne. Safe to say, these two did not get along well, due to Leonard's distrust towards highborn and Mileena listening to Leo's cousin Tythan, who in return has a very negative opinion on his bastard cousin. Seeing how Leo struggled with getting accepted inside the castle, Sadie decided to speak up in his favour. Meanwhile, Ellena delivered Rhaenys' message to Aegon, about the queen being unwilling to participate in the war council in favour of spending time with her son. Aegon was understanding towards this and sent Ellena and Hemys on their way again, this time accompanied by Orys Baratheon's squire Asher Velaryn, who was apparently sent to make sure they don't listen on the conversation. Unfortunately, Asher is exactly the kind to find a way to spy on it regardless. Sick of being treated like a child, he proposed that they'd sneak into Orys Baratheon's room, located just below Aegon's war council, to hopefully get some more details on the coming war. While Hemys heavily disagreed, Ellena eventually decided to accompany Asher. And meanwhile, in Lys, Jaron was last seen in John's final part for this chapter, where he arrived together with Samuel Harrington and Arryn Blackwell, having gained the latter for his cause. John was just done negotiating with the pirate captain Aidan Storm about their passage to Volantis. Aidan agreed, but in return he demanded for them to help him as well in his dealings with the Rogare bank. In younger years, he foolishly got into debt with them when he tried to steal from them and with his fierce hatred for slavers, he is not happy with this arrangement. Now, Lysara Rogare, a young and ambitious member of the main Rogare line, has asked to meet him and Aidan fears it might be a trap to eliminate him. At the same time, he hopes she will offer him a way to get out of his debt. Being ordered to come alone, he is aware that the faces of his crew are well known. However, the same does not apply to John and his companions, so Aidan effectively hired them to support him if things go south. Jaron's next part shall show this meeting and as said, I hope to get it done later today or early tomorrow
And here it is, the penultimate part for this chapter, I hope you enjoy it! The chapter finale will be out either on Saturday, or early on Sunday, so the voting will be open for a shorter duration than usual. However, it is as I said, I want this chapter to be done with before I leave for my trip to the Netherlands. Hope you all manage to get your votes in despite the longer part!
Sadie
For a moment, Sadie hesitated, hoping Leonard would say something, anything to help his case. She knew he wasn't like this, like how his cousin painted him to be. The man she remembered was better than that. But he said nothing, instead glaring at Tythan with barely hidden contempt in his gaze.
She sighed. “Do you want to know what sort of a man he is?”, she finally asked, placing both of her arms on the table. If Mileena was surprised by her injury, she did not show it. The girl next to her however gasped loudly, her eyes widening as she stared at her. Her attention made Sadie uncomfortable and she tried her best to ignore it as she focussed onto Mileena.
“I was wounded during the fighting in Maybros”, she spoke and with the words came anger. “A city under your protection, mylady” The last word was almost a curse, but she pulled herself together. Taking a deep breath, she bit down onto her lower lip. “All of this could have been prevented had your bannerman done his duty”
Mileena narrowed her eyes, but to Sadie's surprise, Tythan Lannister had to agree. He nodded hesitantly. “Lord Turnberry was hiding in his castle the entire time”, he admitted. “The king has taken too many of his warriors. Those that remained were untrained and badly equipped. Had they joined the fight, the result would have been a massacre”
“Would it now?”, Sadie asked. “Wouldn't it have been their duty to try regardless?” She raised the stump of her right arm. “I know it hasn't been my duty and yet I fought. Look what it brought me. I know it hasn't been Leo's duty and yet he fought, yet he led his men into battle when so few of Turnberry's soldiers would lift a finger to protect their city”
“Mylady, you have my condolences for your loss, but...”, Tythan began, only for Sadie to slam her fist onto the table. “And a massacre is what you got regardless!”, she spat. “Smallfolk slaughtered in the streets, women and children, the Ironborn savages burning the city to the ground! The only reason some of Maybros survived is the man sitting next to me!”
“I...”, Mileena began, but Sadie wasn't finished. With a glare, she cut her off. “I'm not done, mylady”, she growled. “You don't even know this man and yet you are willing to cast him aside? After what he did for your people? After he did what should have been your duty?” She shook her head, now furious. “After I was wounded, most would have left me to die. What good am I to him now?”
“I'd know a thing or two”, Two-Face interjected, earning himself an absolutely chilling glare from Mileena, one that shut him up at once. He stared to the ground and to Sadie's surprise, he gulped. “'Pologies, m'lady”, he mumbled, which she took as a sign to continue. “Leo did not leave me though. He paid for a healer, he kept me around and helped me with every step”, she revealed. “This is the sort of man he is. One who did everything for me and for your people. And you want to kick him out of your castle now that he did his job?”
Milenna was silent after this, as Sadie, now finished, simply glared at her. The girl to her right had grown pale, while the boy seemed angry with the way she had spoken to his mother, an expression shared with Tythan Lannister. Surprisingly, Two-Face raised the one eyebrow he had left, perhaps as a sign of respect.
Finally, the Lady of Castamere spoke up. “I am not used to people speaking to me like that”, she replied calmly and Sadie was not certain if she spotted displeasure in her voice. “But I suppose your anger is understandable” Momentarily, she avoided the icy glare that hit her. “Perhaps even justified”, she admitted.
“You don't know my cousin as I do”, Tythan warned her and she gave him a mild glare. “And it seems you don't know him as this young woman does”, she replied, before she promptly looked at Leo. It was only now that Sadie noticed how dumbfounded he seemed about her support. “Is it true what she said?”, the lady barked.
Leo, still tensed up, looked at Sadie for a long moment. Then, he nodded. “It is”, he replied and Mileena narrowed her eyes. “Why?”, she asked. “Why have you helped her then? Why the people of Maybros? It doesn't quite fit with the way your cousin described you”
“A lot of things aren't as my cousin claims”, he replied. “The people of Maybros needed help. This is what I do. Your lot never cared for the common folk, so someone has to” Milenna raised an eyebrow. “Not all of us dismiss their concerns”, she reminded him and Leo shrugged. “Most are worse, from my experience”, he told her without even hesitating.
“And the girl?”, Mileena asked, looking at Sadie, who met her gaze just for a moment before she broke contact again. Leonard raised an eyebrow. “What about her?”, he asked, as the lady smirked. “Why did you help her?” Sadie looked at the sellsword in this moment. It was something she asked herself over and over. From a pragmatic standpoint, leaving her to die after Maybros would have been easier. Perhaps it would have been kinder even. And yet, he had done it, pulled her through the past two months, but for what end?
“She fought for me”, Leo replied. “It's loyalty I have for mine. I do not abandon them just because they get injured in battle” He glanced at Sadie and she saw how his mouth tightened beneath his beard. “And what happened, it did because I sent her there” He shook his head. “I have principles, Lady Reyne”
Mileena said nothing for a moment, just studying the brutish sellsword. Perhaps she noticed only now what Sadie had spotted months ago, the cunning in his eyes. “So, there is a scenario Tythan painted for me”, she admitted and Sadie noticed that the Lannister knight next to her seemed alarmed by her revelation.
“Go on”, Leonard spoke and she smiled. “He told me, should the peasants of Maybros ever be mistreated while under my care here in Castamere, that you would send your men against my guard, that you would put me and my family to the sword without even bothering with the consequences”, she continued. “He made a compelling point, but I wonder how much of that would be true”
For a moment, Leo glared at Tythan, who met it with an expression of similar hatred. Not for the first time, Sadie had to wonder what happened between them, just what Leo had to suffer at the hands of his family in Lannisport and how they justified it. Then, the sellsword shook his head. “Is that what you think, cousin?”, he asked.
Tythan raised an eyebrow. “I expect the worst from you, Leonard”, he replied coldly. “Mylady letting this man rest inside our walls will be a mistake. He and his men cannot be trusted” Mileena did not react, her gaze fixed on Leo. Finally, the sellsword shook his head. “If the people of Maybros are save within your walls, you don't have to fear my men”, he promised.
“They will be”, Mileena promised. “And I am willing to grant your men refuge here as well, for the time being at least” Her raised finger interrupted Tythan's attempts to protest. “Under one condition!” Leo crossed his arms, before he gave her a calm nod. The Lady of Castamere smiled slyly. “If you ever feel that more could be done for the people of Maybros, for those under the protection of House Reyne, you don't just act”, she ordered him. “You tell me first and we talk about it”
Sadie noticed Leo's subtle surprise. “That is... a reasonable request, mylady”, he admitted, as he extended his hand. Mileena reached over the table to shake it. “I accept your terms. Me and my people will stay within your walls to assure the safety of Maybros' citizens. In return, we shall respect your authority over Castamere. Should I ever have an issue with the way you handle things, I'll approach you about it”
“Good”, Mileena spoke. “What happened in Maybros was a tragedy. Clearly, Lord Turnberry failed his duties and for that, I will have him summoned to Castamere at once. He will answer for his cowardice” She glanced at her children by her side, her expression for a moment softening with genuine affection. The boy was still glaring at Sadie, while the girl seemed outright shocked by the way she had been talking to the lady. “I know you don't like me, Hill”, Mileena finally continued. “But I am not like that. I don't want the smallfolk to suffer any more. That is the reason I allow you within my walls, because they need a champion, someone who does not hesitate to speak up”
“Lady Mileena...”, Tythan warned her, but she ignored him. Leo nodded. “That”, he spoke. “Will be my pleasure. May I ask, what made you change your mind?” Mileena glanced at Sadie, still smirking. For a moment, she found herself smirking back. “Your woman here did”, she told him. “Your second-in-command, I presume?”
“No”, Leo clarified, before he gave Sadie a look that seemed almost impressed. “But I believe we may have to talk about your position within the company” She nodded at him, as Mileena continued. “It is rare to have someone stick out for you like that”, she admitted. “Not what I expected from a man of your reputation. Perhaps I shouldn't rely too much on Tythan's opinion and rather take your deeds into account”
With this, she clapped her hands, just once, the loud sound echoing through the room. The door at the far end of the hall got opened and behind it, Sadie spotted a long hallway, stairs leading down into the mountain Castamere was built against. Servants entered, carrying plates and flagons. Sadie gulped, as her stomach began to growl in hunger. “With this”, Lady Mileena said, as the servants approached the table. “Allow me to welcome you in Castamere”
No Choices for this part
Ellena
Orys Baratheon's room was not at all how Ellena expected it to be. He was a knight, the king's champion, closest friend and second-in-command. Surely, she thought, his room would be filled to the brim with trophies of the battles he fought. Surely, she thought, it would be magnificent, worthy of Targaryen's general.
And yet, the knight surprised her. Instead of the lavish chambers she expected, Asher led her into a room notably smaller. The walls were naked stone, not adorned by the shields of defeated enemies as she would have thought. No carpet covered the cold floor and there was a distinct lack of finery. In fact, the room consisted of little more than a narrow bed, a plain table with a single chair and a large cupboard, made from common wood.
There was a second door, leading to a tiny balcony and through it, Ellena had an admittedly lovely view onto the waters of Blackwater Bay. In the distance, she saw the mainland of Westeros, a view that seemed almost longingly. The room itself was not ugly, just plain, the sort she had come to know from the roadside taverns she had spent some nights in during her travels with Noelle. If anything, it had a decisive lack of identity, revealing nothing about its owner. It made her feel more at ease, because in a way, this was not someone's home she just entered, merely a room for the knight to sleep.
“You seem disappointed?”, Asher asked as he closed the door behind her. She gave him a slight nod. “I expected a knightly room”, she admitted. “This doesn't look like anyone's living in it” Asher shrugged. “This is where he sleeps, so I suppose it's the closest thing he has to a room. But Ser Orys doesn't spend much time here”
“So, what is he doing all day long?”, Ellena asked, as they walked through the small room. Asher glanced through the open door that would lead to the balcony, before he put a hand on his mouth, beckoning her to follow. “Training for combat”, he spoke in a quiet tone. “Or planning the war. That is all, pretty much”
“Surely there must be more to do around here”, Ellena said, as she glanced at the small balcony. There was no table, but two additional chairs. Asher sat down on one, but she remained standing. As she raised her head, she could see the balcony leading to the king's war council about ten feet above her. Resting a hand on the solid black stone that formed the balcony, she glanced down, to the cliffs and the dark waters.
“There is”, Asher assured her. “But Ser Orys, to be honest, he never really fit in with things around here. Queen Rhaenys loves the live at court and the king participates for her sake. But Ser Orys? He's not the kind to relax after a day of hard work. Doesn't spend much time drinking with the men, barely interested in the ladies at court. Once, Queen Rhaenys had to almost force him to dance with her and trust me, he's not good at that”
“This room seems almost sad”, Ellena admitted. “It's as if this isn't his home at all” Asher was about to reply, when the voices from upstairs caught their attention. Loud and surprisingly clearly audible, they echoed through the opening above them. The young squire cut himself off, a smirk forming on his lips as the two of them listened carefully.
“The Stormlands will not yield so easily”, the calm voice of Regis Rosby sounded. “My neighbours and I, we don't have much of a history serving either king. I have no love for Harren nor Argilac and I know, men such as the lords Stokeworth, Hayford and Buckwell feel the same. It's why they were so quick to join your ranks”
“That and the display of force against the Mooton and Darklyn army”, Visenya added. “Given enough force, I am certain we can convince the rest of Argilac's kingdom to join us as well” Rosby cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the suggestion, but it was Orys who spoke up. “We don't have enough force for now”, he reminded her. “The king's order is clear. First, we have to focus on the most powerful of our enemies. Harren Hoare is our priority, Durrandon a distant second perhaps”
“You don't have to remind me”, Visenya hissed. “But we must plan ahead. Focussing on one goal at the time won't win us this war. While my husband marches against Harrenhal, measures must be taken to ensure our enemies to the south will be kept busy”
“As I said, they won't yield easily”, Rosby repeated. “Unlike the houses at Blackwater Bay, you will now face families with a history of serving Durrandon. Thousands of years of unbroken service leave a mark, as I have been told. There will be men who'd rather burn than bend the knee to another king”
“This is well within their rights”, a new voice admitted. “Not all of our enemies have to yield, nor will we be able to convince each and every last lord of Westeros” Ellena needed a moment to recognize it, before the face if Iwan Bar Emmon flashed through her mind. The heir to Sharp Point was a quiet man, one she had barely spoken to, but his input was as precise as it was cold.
“Yet I do not plan to leave Westeros a smouldering ruin once the kings have been dealt with”, Aegon himself spoke up. “Any man who bends the knee and lives, be it willingly or through force, is a man who will serve, a man who will build up the kingdom I seek to leave for my descendants. I told them I am willing to burn them if they reject me and the lords Mooton and Darklyn have proven it, but I gladly take another way if you know one, mylords”
“The old stag's bannermen are proud”, Rosby remarked. “Some would say they are as stubborn as Argilac himself and just as arrogant. And yet, his most powerful bannermen are to the south of his kingdom. Half a dozen marcher lords make up over a third of his army and between them and Storm's End, most of the military might in the region is split up between the houses Connington, Grandison and Estermont”
“So the northern Stormlands are weak”, Orys deduced and Ellena heard Rosby's polite chuckle. “Do not call them weak if you want to win their loyalty”, he warned him. “They are ferocious. Don't expect more than five thousand against you in the far north of his kingdom, but they will fight an army ten times their numbers if necessary”
“Estermont could be convinced to support us. It's no secret he hates the king”, Iwan Bar Emmon remarked. “He does”, Rosby agreed. “But have you ever met the man? Lucan Estermont is four times as old as you are, Ser. In the ninety years of his live, he has fathered three children and buried each of them. He has outlived his younger brother and every single one of his childhood friends by over a decade. Do you know why?” A pause followed. “No, mylord”, Iwan finally had to admit.
“By being cautious”, Rosby explained. “He is not loyal to King Argilac, make no mistake, but he is a cautious man. The turtle moves steadily, but don't expect him to react fast to this changing world. He'll remain on the sidelines, waiting for death to claim him as well and the most he can hope for in the short time that remains is to outlive the king he so loathes”
“A wish we shall grant him”, Visenya replied. “We don't have the men to force the northern Stormlands into the fold yet, so what do you suggest? Sending the dragons?” Once more, a pause followed. “No”, Aegon then spoke. “I will not be known as the king who unleashes his dragons at the first sign of resistance. They are our most powerful weapons, but this means we must be careful when to use them. If we force the lords of Westeros under our banner by the threat of dragons alone, we can never hope to hold the throne without them”
“Diplomacy then”, Orys said quietly and Ellena had the feeling that he sounded pleased. “While you march on Harrenhal, Quenton and Gordar shall win the Riverlords for you. Allow me to try the same with Argilac's bannermen” He sighed. “You might consider it futile, but isn't it worth a try?”
“It will keep them busy at least”, Visenya agreed. “I support Orys' plan” One by one, the other lords voiced their agreement as well, starting with Lord Rosby and ending with a mumble that could only belong to Grand Maester Wulvren. “It is settled then”, Aegon concluded. “Take a third of our forces with you. Ser Iwan and Quingar Qoherys will accompany you”
“If you may, your grace, there are matters of the fleet to discuss”, Daemon Velaryon spoke up once this had been settled. Ellena finally sat down on the chair now. She smiled, exchanging a quick look with Asher, who had his arms crossed behind his back. The squire raised his legs, placing them on the railing of the balcony. “Did I promise too much?”, he asked and she shook her head. “Amazingly, no”, she replied.
“We get to listen to the world being reshaped there”, Asher told her, an enthusiastic spark in his eyes. “Imagine how many would give it all to be a fly on the wall right now” He grinned and she reciprocated the expression. She even was to say something, as all of a sudden, a noise cut her off and she froze in panic. There was a knock on the door.
“Hello?”, a female voice sounded. “Anyone in there? Ser Orys?” Ellena did not recognize the voice, though it sounded fairly young and notably concerned. She gulped, looking at Asher who had quickly jumped up from his chair. He pointed below the bed. “Hide”, he whispered and she tensed up, as he took position in the centre of the room. It was clear, he meant to take the blame for this, the sole blame at least. And that did not sit right with her, leaving him like that after he gave her this opportunity. At the same time, there was the fear of what would await her should she be discovered here.
[Try to hide][Stay with Asher]
Jaron
“That plan is fucking stupid”, Samuel mumbled, as he leant against the wall. They had changed, now wearing clothes Aidan had given to them and in case of the sellsword it made a tremendous difference. Jaron had to admit, Samuel looked like a different man altogether. Perhaps it was the general lack of outstanding features about the man, but his ability to blend into any sort of attire and make it his own was remarkable.
Right now, the only thing giving him away as a Westerosi was the fact that he spoke the common tongue instead of the bastardized valyrian that was common in Lys. Jaron wasn't so sure he himself managed to pull off the same feat. By now, the effects of the alcohol had worn off, replaced by numb pain from the beating Arryn had given him. Sure, there was still pride about what he did, but it was intertwined with the fact that his head felt like a horse had stepped on it.
“Ah, don't be like that, Fang”, Arryn remarked. He hadn't changed at all, fitting perfectly into the scenery, as the three of them had gathered in the narrow alleyway. Slowly, he sat down, raising the bottle towards Samuel, who declined simply by shaking his head. “Jaron, you want some?”
Jaron frowned. Alcohol was the last thing he needed right now. In fact, he would be perfectly happy with never touching a drink again. Perhaps it was due to the fact that it was paired with one of the worst beatings he had ever received, but this was, without any doubt, the worst hangover of his life.
“It's better to remain sober during the task”, Samuel growled and Arryn shrugged. “Not if we're supposed to play drunks”, he reminded him, as he took a deep swig from the bottle. “Besides, there's nothing better than some booze to get ready. Not too much, don't intend to black out, but just the right amount and any man can fight like a frenzied wildling. Takes away the fear, takes away the pain”
“And makes you sloppy”, Samuel replied coldly. Arryn flashed him a grin. “Well, since you're obviously not into this and Jaron here got enough problems keeping his breakfast in, I suppose I gotta be cheery for the three of us”, he spoke up. “Remember, we're happy drunks just casually sitting here. No need for Rogare to be any concerned about us”
With this and noticing Samuel's unwillingness and Jaron's hesitation, he took a deep gulp from the bottle himself. “We're doing nothing but waiting either way”, he spoke. “Guess the other guys have the better task” And indeed, Jaron was inclined to agree on this. The trio was essentially standing guard near the backyard in which Aidan Storm and Lysara Rogare were supposed to meet. The pirate captain had gotten there some time ago and while Jaron wasn't sure how much had passed since then, he expected at least the same amount still to go before Rogare was supposed to arrive.
Meanwhile, John and Temari were at least getting some exercise. While the trio was supposed to stand guard in the alleyway, they were patrolling the area, keeping an eye out for Lysara and her guards. Indeed, it was just in this moment that they walked by. Briefly, John glanced at Jaron, giving him a nod before they were gone again.
“She's coming”, Jaron revealed and he noticed how Samuel tensed up. The man was ready for a fight and indeed the only one of them who had insisted on bringing a visible weapon, a short sword in his case. Arryn was armed merely with a knife he had hidden in his clothes and while Jaron would have preferred his sword, he had to admit that a cudgel was notably more fitting for their disguise as common Lysene street thugs.
Arryn remained calm, merely sporting a grin as he glanced at the main street. A moment later, four heavily armed guards walked by. Clad in steel despite the heat that was ravaging through Lys at this time of the day, it was clear they meant business. They were armed with long spears and metal shields, proudly displaying a golden dragon on a field of black.
Among them walked a young woman. She was the sort of immortalized beauty that Jaron had come to know from the statues all over the city, as flawless as marble and probably just as cold. Tall and buxom, her lean body clad in a mixture of form-fitting dark leather and chainmail, she was as stunning as she seemed intimidating. Her silver blonde hair was tied into a complicated bun, held together by a sharp, golden hairpin. On top of that, her hand was casually resting on the hilt of the long blade on her belt, a fine bastard sword.
“They didn't lie when they said she's beautiful”, Arryn whispered, taking another sip from the bottle. Surprisingly, Samuel nodded. “She's something, admittedly”, he remarked,sounding almost sheepish for a moment, as he averted his gaze. There was something in the man's eyes, perhaps regret, so intense that Jaron did not dare to mention it. He did, however, notice his clenched fists. It wasn't much, but with Samuel, the only times Jaron was able to spot emotion at all was with all things considering Ryder.
At least their disguise worked. Either that or they were so far below Lysara Rogare's attention that she paid them no mind. Carefully watching the end of the alleyway, Jaron absent-mindedly grabbed the bottle Arryn handed him, but noticed his error before he could take a swig from it. He frowned, before he pushed it back towards Arryn. “Not today”, he mumbled.
“What exactly are we going to wait for now?”, Arryn asked, taking back the bottle he had offered and emptying it. He let go of it and it fell to the ground, shattering next to the one he had emptied before. For that, his speech was remarkably precise and his movements were indeed as attentive as he claimed. Though he smiled, the look in his eyes was the same hunger Jaron had noticed during their fight the day before.
“For Aidan to finish his negotiation”, Jaron spoke. “Or for John to give the sign. They'll patrol the street in front of the building. If anything goes wrong in there, we intervene” Arryn nodded. “Not quite sure what I should hope for”, he admitted. “You need that Storm guy alive and well, so it'd be better if he survives. At the same time, that woman needs business and that gives me an itching. Have you seen that sword?”
“Truth”, Samuel spoke up and it took Jaron a moment to realize he did not just throw a random word into the discussion. “The Valyrian Steel sword of House Rogare. Once belonging to House Targaryen, it was granted to his faithful servant Rhaegon Rogare when he and his family settled here in Lys, following the Doom of Valyria”
He noticed Jaron's surprised expression and shrugged. “I had little free time during my time in Oldtown”, he revealed. “But what I had, I spent at the Citadel. You never know when knowledge might safe your life” Arryn chuckled at that statement. “Yeah, let me know when random snippets of knowledge block a blade for you, Fang”, he replied dryly. “But it's Valyrian Steel? Scratch that, now I don't want to fight that woman, I just want her sword”
They waited for a bit longer, while Arryn crouched, Samuel brooded silently and Jaron tried to lean against the wall in a remotely comfortable way. The thumping in his head hadn't gotten much better, but he managed for now, as he focussed onto the noise from the main street. It wasn't particularly crowded at this time of the day, as most of the citizens of Lys preferred to stay inside for the hot hours around noon.
Suddenly, he heard the familiar sound of armour, people marching across the street. It seems Lysara has gotten what she wanted from Aidan, because those were clearly her guards. Yet it was early, too early for them to have had a proper talk... Jaron just managed to clutch his cudgel, readying himself for an attack, as the armed men walked around the corner.
“There they are!”, one of the men shouted and Samuel muttered a curse as he pointed his sword at them. Behind him, Arryn chuckled loudly, drawing his knife while Jaron took a step back to gain some distance between him and the spears that were pointed at them. In no time, the four guards had formed ranks, shields in front with spears sticking out.
Seeing this, even Samuel quickly lowered his sword. “Back off, slowly”, he whispered. “Once they charge, run. We can't win against a formation in this alley” Jaron nodded, getting ready to do just that, as the leader of the guards shouted something in Low Valyrian. The hedge knight narrowed his eyes, looking at his companions to translate.
Instead of doing that, Samuel outright answered. His Low Valyrian sounded different from the one the Lysene used and though he understood not a word of it, Jaron noticed the broad northern accent woven into it. The guard replied something and then, Samuel sighed. “Rogare expected a trap”, he revealed. “She's got Aidan with a sword to his neck. John and Temari have joined him already, but under force, the pirate told her about our location as well” He rolled his eyes. “She wants to meet us”
“So we're just going with them?”, Jaron asked and this time, Samuel and Arryn both nodded. “Hey, I'm all for fighting, but I won't charge against that formation. And pissing off the Rogare girl when she knows where we are? I'm already in debt to them, so that'd be suicide”, Blackwell replied calmly. And to Jaron's surprise, he was the first to lower his knife, although he gave the guards an audacious smile.
Reluctantly, Jaron followed his example and finally, Samuel, who seemed even more unwilling to comply with Rogare's demands. Eventually, he did and the guards broke up their formation. Stepping aside, they opened a path for the three men to step into the main street. “Come”, their leader said, even this single word mixed with a strange and heavy accent.
As they walked past the guards, the three approached the small building Aidan wanted to meet Lysara in. The door stood open and glancing over his shoulder, Jaron noticed the guard leader nodding. As such, he entered, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light inside.
Aidan was sitting on a chair, giving him an apologizing smile. Or perhaps he was looking at Samuel, or Arryn, or even the guards. It was hard to say with his odd eyes. John and Temari stood in the corner of the room, arms crossed, their swords lying on the table in front of them. The pirate shrugged. “Sorry, mates”, he spoke. “But it was either telling her about you or losing an eyeball and I've been told they give me a certain edge”
“Not that I needed his information”, a feminine voice came from behind a corner, as Lysara Rogare walked around. She held her sword in her hands now, casually inspecting the dark blade. Her movements were graceful, reminding Jaron of a dancer, as she walked around Aidan, briefly resting a hand on his shoulder. The pirate frowned at the physical contact. “You spoke a bit too freely, so I came to the conclusion that you were planted by Aidan here, to give him back-up in case things go bad” Though there was a soft hint of an accent in her voice, she spoke the Common Tongue flawlessly, her refined way of speaking reminding Jaron of the way the highborn in his home were talking.
“Eh, apologies, mylady”, Aidan spoke. “But to be fair, in my position, would you trust the intentions of the Rogare bank?” Lysara mustered him out of her dark blue eyes. “Oh, not at all”, she confirmed. “Which is why I'm not even mad at you. Had I truly believed you'd follow my instructions, I wouldn't have brought my guards” She smiled at him and it was a warm expression. “But rest assured, Captain Storm, I don't have any intentions of harming you. The only thing I am slightly insulted by is that you believe the Rogare bank just kills those who are in debt to them. You, of all people, should know better”
Aidan nodded slightly. “Aye, probably should have”, he admitted. “But seem to know me better than I know you, so you should be aware of what I expect of your kind” Lysara raised an eyebrow. “Do you mean Lysene or slavers?”, she asked, followed by a chuckle. “Though today, I think you are in luck. The Rogare bank is willing to forget about your debt”
“In exchange for what?”, Aidan growled. His lazy smile had faded the moment the woman had admitted to being a slaver, even if it wasn't much of a surprise given her status. Now, his milky eyes were fixed on her in a cold glare. Lysara took a deep breath. “When you leave Lys, my dear, you will take a passenger with you, heading to Volantis”, she revealed, placing a hand on her chest. “That would be me. I won't give you details about what you will do for me in Lys until we have left this city behind, but it shouldn't be too difficult for you and your new friends”
Aidan clenched his teeth. “Getting awfully crowded on my ship, mylady”, he replied and Lysara shrugged. “Throw one of your sailors overboard”, she stated calmly. “Because those are my terms and they are the best you will get. Break them and my father will renegotiate. He's not as approachable as I am” With this less than subtle threat, she glanced at the three newcomers. Her gaze rested only briefly on the unassuming Samuel Harrington and she frowned slightly as she noticed Arryn's stare. As such, she turned to Jaron, the only one of the three able to keep eye contact.
After a moment, the knight tensed up. “I don't think I have anything to add, mylady”, he admitted. “Captain Storm decides” She nodded at that. “Yes, of course, but that is not what I want to know of you”, she replied, before she came closer. There was indeed something breathtaking about her, her features showing the unearthly beauty of the Dragonlords. There was warmth in her eyes and she stopped only a few inches in front of him. And yet, it was easy for him to resist her allure, even as she stood so closely. There was no room for her in his heart, after all.
Noticing that his expression did not change, Lysara seemed almost disappointed at his lack of reaction towards her standing so close to him. “I already asked your friend over there, the one with the eyepatch”, she revealed. “Told me you're sellswords, hired to protect Aidan during his talk with me. But honestly, I got a hunch that there's more he didn't want me to know” She smirked. “What is your name?”
“Jaron”, Jaron replied, leaving out his full title this time. She didn't have to know about his knightly vows. “Excellent”, she replied. “Five Westerosi sellswords, dumb enough to be hired by a pirate captain down on his luck to protect him against the most dangerous foe you could make here in Essos” She rolled her eyes. “Guess neither of you is the brains here”
She took a step back and Jaron bit down onto his lower lip as she gave him a wink. “Tell me, Jaron, is that the truth?”, she asked. “Are you truly just some sellswords he hired, or is there a deeper reason for your alliance with Aidan? You see, he hates quite a number of our trusted business partners, murdered some of them even, so I like to know just about everything when it comes to his friends”
Her smile was innocent, but her demeanour was anything but. Jaron was not certain if Lysara had any truly bad intentions for them, but she was clearly a dangerous woman. And yet, she was a Rogare. She even mentioned them, her business partners. Slavers from all over Essos, getting their loans from Rogare, due to the Iron Bank's refusal to deal with their trade. Perhaps she knew Abbas, perhaps she had even seen him during his stay here in Lys. If she would agree to help them, to share her knowledge on the man, maybe that'd be worth blowing their cover. Or perhaps it would make things only harder, if she'd rather support the slaver.
I'm glad Mileena was so reasonable and willing to let the refugees stay in Castamere for the time being.
[Stay with Asher] Maybe it's one of the handmaidens, so possibly they won't be too upset if they find her with Asher. Although it would be very bad if that person tells Visenya. Yes, the Stormlands have a history of being belligerent towards outsiders and each other, but taking the northern houses won't be easy.
[Tell her the true reason] Not sure if it's the best idea, but she's a woman who you shouldn't lie to.
And here it is, the penultimate part for this chapter, I hope you enjoy it! The chapter finale will be out either on Saturday, or early on S… moreunday, so the voting will be open for a shorter duration than usual. However, it is as I said, I want this chapter to be done with before I leave for my trip to the Netherlands. Hope you all manage to get your votes in despite the longer part!
Sadie
For a moment, Sadie hesitated, hoping Leonard would say something, anything to help his case. She knew he wasn't like this, like how his cousin painted him to be. The man she remembered was better than that. But he said nothing, instead glaring at Tythan with barely hidden contempt in his gaze.
She sighed. “Do you want to know what sort of a man he is?”, she finally asked, placing both of her arms on the table. If Mileena was surprised by her injury, she did not show it. The girl next to her however gasped loudly, her eyes widening as she stared at … [view original content]
And here it is, the penultimate part for this chapter, I hope you enjoy it! The chapter finale will be out either on Saturday, or early on S… moreunday, so the voting will be open for a shorter duration than usual. However, it is as I said, I want this chapter to be done with before I leave for my trip to the Netherlands. Hope you all manage to get your votes in despite the longer part!
Sadie
For a moment, Sadie hesitated, hoping Leonard would say something, anything to help his case. She knew he wasn't like this, like how his cousin painted him to be. The man she remembered was better than that. But he said nothing, instead glaring at Tythan with barely hidden contempt in his gaze.
She sighed. “Do you want to know what sort of a man he is?”, she finally asked, placing both of her arms on the table. If Mileena was surprised by her injury, she did not show it. The girl next to her however gasped loudly, her eyes widening as she stared at … [view original content]
Oh Asher, you Noble youngster you! I would say he knows what he's doing here and wants her to hide so he can talk his way out of the situation. And if he does get caught it would be something Orys would expect. Whereas Ellena would surely be questioned!
[Tell her the true reason]
I think in this instance the truth is the best option!
[Try to hide]
[Tell her the true reason]
Well next time is the chapter finale and its going to be from Wilfred's POV. Honestly whenever Maron is involved in a chapter finale I'm afraid someone is going to die but I feel Wilfred might be fine. While Maron was able to easily spin the story so his killing of Richard was mostly looked over I feel if even if he figures out Wilfred is lying about what Petyr said,if he kills Wilfred, the heir to House Reynen he will be in so much shit it just wouldn't be worth it. I might be wrong but even though Maron is crazy I don't think he will do something so stupid so I feel this may will the first chapter finale in a while that won't kill a POV. Well I hope so anyway honestly you never know with Maron.
And here it is, the penultimate part for this chapter, I hope you enjoy it! The chapter finale will be out either on Saturday, or early on S… moreunday, so the voting will be open for a shorter duration than usual. However, it is as I said, I want this chapter to be done with before I leave for my trip to the Netherlands. Hope you all manage to get your votes in despite the longer part!
Sadie
For a moment, Sadie hesitated, hoping Leonard would say something, anything to help his case. She knew he wasn't like this, like how his cousin painted him to be. The man she remembered was better than that. But he said nothing, instead glaring at Tythan with barely hidden contempt in his gaze.
She sighed. “Do you want to know what sort of a man he is?”, she finally asked, placing both of her arms on the table. If Mileena was surprised by her injury, she did not show it. The girl next to her however gasped loudly, her eyes widening as she stared at … [view original content]
I'm glad Mileena was so reasonable and willing to let the refugees stay in Castamere for the time being.
Aye, Mileena is definitely a reasonable woman. She's not the sort of person to turn her back on those in need, so she knew from the very beginning that she'd take them in. However, she was way less sure about having Leo and his sellswords with them as well, due to Tythan's warning. Ultimately, she decided in favour of allowing him within the walls for the same reason, because he is clearly dedicated to protect the smallfolk. She feels they need a voice and even if that voice is as uncomfortable as Leonard Hill, she'll take it if it means keeping the people save.
Yes, the Stormlands have a history of being belligerent towards outsiders and each other, but taking the northern houses won't be easy.
Oh yes, it will be seriously hard. I mean, most of the Stormlander army is indeed located south of Storm's End, with the Marcher Lords and houses Connington and Estermont being confirmed to be in that region, so I figure the northern houses aren't as strong in terms of manpower, but there is a reason why they have never been conquered. Given a sufficiently large army, they can be beaten of course, but at this point and with his focus being on the Riverlands, Aegon doesn't have enough men to pull it off.
Also a small mistake: it's Hayford, not Hayfort.
Ah, thanks for telling me, it is fixed now. With just how many houses there are, I'd be surprised if this is the last time I'll make such an error
I'm glad Mileena was so reasonable and willing to let the refugees stay in Castamere for the time being.
[Stay with Asher] Maybe it's one… more of the handmaidens, so possibly they won't be too upset if they find her with Asher. Although it would be very bad if that person tells Visenya. Yes, the Stormlands have a history of being belligerent towards outsiders and each other, but taking the northern houses won't be easy.
[Tell her the true reason] Not sure if it's the best idea, but she's a woman who you shouldn't lie to.
Also a small mistake: it's Hayford, not Hayfort.
Oh Asher, you Noble youngster you! I would say he knows what he's doing here and wants her to hide so he can talk his way out of the situation. And if he does get caught it would be something Orys would expect. Whereas Ellena would surely be questioned!
Here I can confirm, this is not the first time Asher does such a thing and he definitely wants Ellena to hide. That being said, this doesn't mean he wouldn't get into serious trouble for this, so Ellena pretty much has to decide if she wants him to take the blame all by himself or if she wants to admit to her role in this and share the blame. Of course, it is also pretty possible that Asher has a plan to talk himself out of this situation without any repercussions at all. The next chapter will not show the immediate aftermath of this choice, but it will become clear what happened in Ellena's first part regardless.
[Try and Hide]
Oh Asher, you Noble youngster you! I would say he knows what he's doing here and wants her to hide so he can talk his way … moreout of the situation. And if he does get caught it would be something Orys would expect. Whereas Ellena would surely be questioned!
[Tell her the true reason]
I think in this instance the truth is the best option!
Hm, I noticed that indeed, the last four chapter finals ended with a PoV death, from Marak, to Torvin, Lucas and Richard. Now, Willfred gets the chapter finale for the first time during his stay in the story and I can confirm, it will be worthy of a chapter finale. While I try not to make things too repetitive, I can say that there will be chapter finals in Book 2 where PoV characters are going to die. At the same time, there will also be PoV deaths outside of a chapter finale at some point in Book 2 to make things less predictable
But yeah, you bring up a good point that killing the heir to House Reyne would be absolute madness, something that would create so much chaos and put Maron into a seriously bad position. At the same time, it would strain the relations between the Reach and the Rock and that is effectively Maron could only want. Provoking a war between the two kingdoms, that is essentially what he tried with the Reach and the Stormlands in Book 1. You might remember, he was perfectly ready to murder Argella in Chapter 9 and outright sent Sherryl to kill her in Chapter 8. So, not even the heiress to the Stormlands was safe from his plans. Status won't save Willfred should Maron actually decide to kill him. But well, I hope to keep things unpredictable, especially when it comes to Maron, so you gotta wait and see just how far he is willing to go.
[Try to hide]
[Tell her the true reason]
Well next time is the chapter finale and its going to be from Wilfred's POV. Honestly whenever Ma… moreron is involved in a chapter finale I'm afraid someone is going to die but I feel Wilfred might be fine. While Maron was able to easily spin the story so his killing of Richard was mostly looked over I feel if even if he figures out Wilfred is lying about what Petyr said,if he kills Wilfred, the heir to House Reynen he will be in so much shit it just wouldn't be worth it. I might be wrong but even though Maron is crazy I don't think he will do something so stupid so I feel this may will the first chapter finale in a while that won't kill a POV. Well I hope so anyway honestly you never know with Maron.
Well, given the extreme distance between them, going strong might stretch it a bit, but Samuel is not someone to just forget about those he has been fond of and his behaviour in this part was meant as confirmation for this. The fact that he only shows interest in women at all if they have Valyrian features is kinda proof that he is still thinking about Raenna. More precisely, he does regret how open things ended between them, how he put his thirst for vengeance above the chance to maybe get more out of his life. At this point, he has no hopes to ever see her again though and it really remains questionable if there will be another meeting between them. After all, Raenna's journey will lead her further to the north, whereas Samuel is constantly travelling further to the east.
Alright, it seems Sadie got a pretty good ending for this chapter, gaining the respect of pretty much everyone in the room, save for maybe Tythan Lannister and Tinnet Reyne. Looks like becoming Leo's adviser/second-in-command is actually viable opportunity for Sadie now, it'll be interesting to see where she goes from here.
[Try to hide] Although the word "try" kind of concerns me here, I think this is the smarter choice. As others have already brought up, Asher doing something like this would be almost expected and Orys will probably let it slide. However, Ellena is new to Dragonstone and getting caught spying the council meeting isn't going to give a very good first impression That said, I am still glad we chose to do this because hearing the Targaryens planning the conquest is always a treat
[Confirm John's lie] I see this choice isn't likely to win, but the risk of Abbas being connected to the Rogare family is too big for me to vote otherwise. And if they see him as a valuable partner then of course they will try to screw this whole rescue mission over. Of course lying to her isn't ideal either, but it's the risk I'd personally prefer.
[Try to hide] I imagine this girl is that other handmaiden? or maybe just a different handmaiden we haven't met. Either way, I don't think she'll come inside if we hide, unless she herself as ulterior motives...
[Confirm John's lie] Yeah, I don't trust this pretty lady.
Sadie was pretty darn vocal. How exciting.
“They didn't lie when they said she's beautiful”, Arryn whispered, taking another sip from the bottle. Surprisingly, Samuel nodded. “She's something, admittedly”, he remarked, sounding almost sheepish for a moment, as he averted his gaze. There was something in the man's eyes, perhaps regret, so intense that Jaron did not dare to mention it. He did, however, notice his clenched fists. It wasn't much, but with Samuel, the only times Jaron was able to spot emotion at all was with all things considering Ryder.
...strange. Very strange....poor Samuel, she's never coming back.
And here it is, the penultimate part for this chapter, I hope you enjoy it! The chapter finale will be out either on Saturday, or early on S… moreunday, so the voting will be open for a shorter duration than usual. However, it is as I said, I want this chapter to be done with before I leave for my trip to the Netherlands. Hope you all manage to get your votes in despite the longer part!
Sadie
For a moment, Sadie hesitated, hoping Leonard would say something, anything to help his case. She knew he wasn't like this, like how his cousin painted him to be. The man she remembered was better than that. But he said nothing, instead glaring at Tythan with barely hidden contempt in his gaze.
She sighed. “Do you want to know what sort of a man he is?”, she finally asked, placing both of her arms on the table. If Mileena was surprised by her injury, she did not show it. The girl next to her however gasped loudly, her eyes widening as she stared at … [view original content]
Alright, it seems Sadie got a pretty good ending for this chapter, gaining the respect of pretty much everyone in the room, save for maybe Tythan Lannister and Tinnet Reyne. Looks like becoming Leo's adviser/second-in-command is actually viable opportunity for Sadie now, it'll be interesting to see where she goes from here.
Aye, Sadie's ending for this chapter has been the most positive in ages. Standing up for Leo here has been one of the few choices in the story with overwhelmingly good consequences, as Leo and Mileena, the two most important people in Castamere right now, are both impressed by her now. And while Leo has a number of officers under his command already, most notably Rhogarn Snow and Edward Lancaster, there is certainly room for Sadie to advance through the ranks. It should be noted that she is, so far, merely an unofficial member of the sellsword group, as she obviously has to spend some serious time recovering, but proving her worth to Leo cannot be a bad thing.
Although the word "try" kind of concerns me here, I think this is the smarter choice. As others have already brought up, Asher doing something like this would be almost expected and Orys will probably let it slide. However, Ellena is new to Dragonstone and getting caught spying the council meeting isn't going to give a very good first impression That said, I am still glad we chose to do this because hearing the Targaryens planning the conquest is always a treat
It's indeed going to be an attempt and if it succeeds remains to be seen. As I described here, Orys' room is not exactly much of a home and therefore rather spartan in terms of interior design. This means it might be hard to hide. If she is caught, well, the consequences could be bad. You're right that this will leave a very bad impression, especially with those at court who already don't like her. But ah, I am glad you enjoyed the council meeting It is as Asher said, the reshaping of Westeros, the planning for the single most major war the continent has ever seen. Plans have been set in motion and the coming chapters will show them being executed.
Alright, it seems Sadie got a pretty good ending for this chapter, gaining the respect of pretty much everyone in the room, save for maybe T… moreythan Lannister and Tinnet Reyne. Looks like becoming Leo's adviser/second-in-command is actually viable opportunity for Sadie now, it'll be interesting to see where she goes from here.
[Try to hide] Although the word "try" kind of concerns me here, I think this is the smarter choice. As others have already brought up, Asher doing something like this would be almost expected and Orys will probably let it slide. However, Ellena is new to Dragonstone and getting caught spying the council meeting isn't going to give a very good first impression That said, I am still glad we chose to do this because hearing the Targaryens planning the conquest is always a treat
[Confirm John's lie] I see this choice isn't likely to win, but the risk of Abbas being connected to the Rogare family is too big for me to vo… [view original content]
[Try to hide] Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Getting caught is really not a great way to start out.
[Confirm John's lie] W… morehat can I say, I'm a rebel.
I'm happy to say that I am officially all caught up. Took a little longer than expected, but it's been a fun read. Keep it up!
I imagine this girl is that other handmaiden? or maybe just a different handmaiden we haven't met. Either way, I don't think she'll come inside if we hide, unless she herself as ulterior motives...
I can confirm, it is neither Cassandra nor Hemys, as Ellena would have probably recognized their voices. She does not know the woman there, though I can say it is a submitted character and more of her will be revealed in the next chapter. Of course, Visenya has handmaidens as well (and since she has little use for them, it's actually the most comfortable position at court) and the families of Targaryen servants have female members too. The girl outside is one of them.
Sadie was pretty darn vocal. How exciting.
Aye, at this point she's pretty much done with all of this. She can get downright angry when calling people out, so this was likely not the last time she got so vocal about a matter she is involved with.
...strange. Very strange....poor Samuel, she's never coming back.
At least if things go Raenna's way for once, she indeed won't come back. It's nothing against Samuel in the slightest, but she has no plans of ever returning to the sort of life she used to have, the sort of life Samuel is still having. And he knows that this is one big factor why they are apart to begin with, why things didn't get serious between them before they parted ways.
[Try to hide] I imagine this girl is that other handmaiden? or maybe just a different handmaiden we haven't met. Either way, I don't think s… morehe'll come inside if we hide, unless she herself as ulterior motives...
[Confirm John's lie] Yeah, I don't trust this pretty lady.
Sadie was pretty darn vocal. How exciting.
“They didn't lie when they said she's beautiful”, Arryn whispered, taking another sip from the bottle. Surprisingly, Samuel nodded. “She's something, admittedly”, he remarked, sounding almost sheepish for a moment, as he averted his gaze. There was something in the man's eyes, perhaps regret, so intense that Jaron did not dare to mention it. He did, however, notice his clenched fists. It wasn't much, but with Samuel, the only times Jaron was able to spot emotion at all was with all things considering Ryder.
...strange. Very strange....poor Samuel, she's never coming back.
It is as I said, I have to close the voting earlier this time. Usually I'd leave it open until tomorrow, but with me being gone until Wednesday and really not being sure I get a proper internet connection (or any at all, the area is rather remote), that is unfortunately not an option. So, the voting has to be closed now. I know some haven't gotten a chance to get their votes in, my apologies, but I am sure you understand. These were important choices as well, with Jaron's in particular being a risk, as he is now trusting a rather shady Lysene businesswoman. Yet at the same time, Abbas might be a slaver, but he's still not as successful that he lets others do the business of actually catching the slaves. The Rogare bank is huge and while some of their clients are slavers, the important ones are obviously those who sit in Slaver's Bay, sending their hunters all over Essos. So, Abbas might just be unimportant enough for Lysara to make an exception. That makes both a risk, either gaining a new enemy, or a new ally.
The next part is basically written, though I'll do some quick reread before I post it to make sure it is acceptable. It is the chapter finale, this time from Willfred's perspective. Not as long as usual chapter finales, it is slightly shorter than usual, for which I blame the fact that I essentially only had yesterday for the writing and there's really only so much I can do in a single day. I hope you will nonetheless enjoy it! This next part will show Willfred's conversation with Maron Mullendore. Since it is a chapter finale, I am sure it will all go well and nothing more is going to happen As said, it is pretty much written and I will post it after reading over once more, in a couple minutes.
Willfred froze, just for a second, yet perhaps a moment to long, as he gave the one-eyed knight a stilted smile. “There's plenty we've talked about”, he began to speak, as he sat down next to Maron. Wordlessly and with a curious smile on his lips, the man poured both of them a glass of wine, as he gave him a nod.
“Mostly about the old Lord Raylan's promise to our kingdom”, he continued, as he reached for the cup. Still, he waited until Maron took a small sip from his before he drank. The wine was dark and strong, more bitter than sweet and Willfred certainly didn't enjoy it. “It seems Lord Petyr is under the impression that he sort of inherited this debts”
“Which was to be expected”, Maron admitted. “Did he give you a better offer than what me and Devrin proposed?” To this, Willfred shook his head. “Just told me he'd send the men”, he replied and Maron raised an eyebrow. “His men or mine?”, he asked and Willfred gulped. “Is there a difference?”, he asked, his voice slightly shaky. There was something intense in Maron's single eye, something dark and intimidating.
“So, he did not mention it”, the knight mumbled. “And there was nothing else he wanted you to do in return for his support?” Willfred leant back, trying to smile casually. It did not work out quite as well and he knew it. Then, he shook his head. “Just a bit of patience”, he lied. “Things are rought around here right now, but Petyr seems to rely on you”
Maron nodded. “Aye, he's right with that”, he admitted. “Though did he say anything else about me? You know I don't trust him, so I'd like to know if the feeling's mutual” This time, Willfred found himself unable to maintain eye contact. He cleared his throat, staring at the table while trying to avoid Maron's inquisitive glare, to no avail. Then, he shook his head. “Lord Petyr seems to trust you”, he lied through his teeth.
“It that so?”, Maron asked calmly, his eyebrow still raised. He smirked coldly, as he put the glass down on the table. Then he rose from his seat. Willfred tensed up as the knight approached him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Maron leant down to him. “Boy, are you trying to deceive a deceiver right there?”
The tone in his voice was cold and sharp. Instantly, Willfred was on guard. There was no need to be afraid of this old cripple, he knew that, but he did not like the way he spoke. “And if I do?”, he asked flatly, glancing behind him and narrowing his eyes. The hand on his shoulder tensed up. “Then you're already telling me all I must know”, Maron spoke, as he sighed. “It means Petyr is suspecting something. Worse, it means he's going behind my back” The hand moved away from his shoulder, as Maron crossed both of his arms behind his back. “And that is unacceptable”
“Well, what are you going to do about it?”, Willfred asked, as he smirked. “You made me an offer, aye, but to be honest, I don't think you're as powerful as you claim to be. Petyr's the one calling the shots in your partnership, isn't he?” Maron rolled his single eye. “Boy, did no one ever tell you that I'm not someone you should provoke?”, he simply asked.
Back off!
Willfred flinched as the voice echoed through his head. It was a hollow, haunting whisper, originating somewhere in the back of his head. Unlike anything he had ever heard before, her could not even determine if it was a male of female voice, just that a strange accent rang with it, an inhuman song that stuck with him even after the words themselves had been spoken. And then he realized, it had been a warning.
Without wasting any more time, he jumped forward, away from Maron. Knocking the table over in the process, he heard movement behind him. Then, a sharp pain in his side, waves of agony flashing through his ribs. He opened his mouth to scream as he fell over, heavily onto his back, one hand pressed against the deep gash below his ribs. Above him stood Maron Mullendore, a blood-stained dagger in his hand. A look of surprise formed on the man's face.
“The fuck did you...?”, he growled, as Willfred crawled away from him. Wide-eyed, he leant against the table, in momentary shock over the injury. It was a deep, painful cut, but what horrified him even more was that it had been intended to be lethal. And worst of it all was the echo of the inhuman voice, the sole reason he was still alive at all.
“What... what...”, he gasped, as Maron shook his head. “Nothing personal, boy”, he spoke, now sporting an ugly grin. “Albeit, that's not quite true. You lied to me and trust me, there's nothing I hate more. Folk in Oldtown can probably sing a song or two about that” He glanced down at his dagger, before he pointed it at Willfred. “You could have told me the truth, boy. We could have been allies, but I cannot trust you any longer. Petyr mustn't gain your support and so... I'll prevent him from getting an ally behind my back”
Now having gotten a few feet between them, Willfred tried to get up. He screamed loudly as he had to apply pressure onto the injury and Maron sighed. “I'll make it quick. Least I can do”, the knight offered, as he limped towards Willfred, who had managed to get back onto his feet. And yet, Maron stood between him and the only door.
In this moment, the very same door got pushed open. A man rushed in, two more behind him and at first, Willfred sighed as he recognized Devrin Oakheart. The Lord of Old Oak needed only a second to realize what was happening. “Maron, what are you doing?”, he hissed and the knight shot him a glare. “The boy's working with Petyr”, he barked. “Lied to me. Kept secrets. We cannot trust him anymore”
“Fuck!”, the voice behind Devrin growled and despite the pain, Willfred managed a wide smile as he recognized Vashord Tallian. The general charged into the room, Prins by his side. Both were armed, but neither had drawn their sword yet. Devrin was armed as well and the moment he spotted them, his look of concern got replaced by a cold, determined glare. Placing a hand on the hilt of his weapon, he was about to draw it. In this moment, Prins' fist crashed into his face, sending him staggering backwards.
Not missing a beat, Prins tackled the lord to the ground, as Tallian drew his sword. “Back off, cripple!”, he barked, pointing the blade right at Maron, who stood still. And then, Willfred's smirk faded as he noticed the look on the false knight's face, that utter confidence.
“Kill them”, he merely said and Tallian had just enough time to turn around, knocking away the knife that was thrown at him from the doorframe. The man with the white cat mask entered, one hand holding his curved sword, the other casually drawing a new knife from the belt strapped over his chest. Wordlessly and without missing a beat, the Tom went into the offence.
Pretending to charge at Tallian, he instead took a swing at Prins. The soldier ducked below it and the moment the blade had passed him, he jumped up, away from the downed figure of Devrin Oakheart. The lord was moving slightly, bleeding from where Prins' fists had hit him. Then, the Tom charged forward, striking at the soldier with his knife and forcing Tallian to parry the sword.
With a low growl, Maron made another attack, but by now, Willfred had readied himself for it. Grabbing the knight's hand at the wrist, he held the knife away from him. At the same time, he gave him a heavy punch into the face. A loud scream left Maron's throat, as his weak leg gave in beneath him. He stumbled and fell, taking the knife with him, but allowing Willfred to stagger towards his companions. “Ser, what is happening?”, Tallian barked, as the Tom attacked again.
Duck!
The voice had just echoed its warning as Willfred sank down onto his knees. The Tom's knife missed him barely, thrown from the wrist only a second after the masked man had used it to attack Prins. A displeased hiss left their opponent's throat, as Tallian attacked him. “We have to get out of here!”, Willfred yelled, realizing that Maron was staggering back to his feet behind him.
Tallian said nothing. The look in his eyes changed, as he merely nodded, fully focussed onto his opponent. He was not a born warrior, but in this moment, the craven Roger had so often accused him to be was far gone. And just as he had parried the Tom's sword, he moved forwards, grabbing the man by the collar of his vest. Before the Tom was able to react, Tallian had pushed him to the side, creating an opening.
“Then let's go!”, the general roared and Willfred was the first to run out of the room. He hated this fact, but unarmed and injured, he'd only be in the way. Prins was by his side, though just then, the Tom jumped forward again. Tallian parried the attack meant for the young soldier, though failed to notice the knife in his other hand.
“Tallian!”, Willfred yelled as a warning, but it was too late. Heavily, the Tom rammed the knife into the man's side, almost to the hilt. The general's eyes widened, as he staggered towards Willfred, still blocking the Tom from following. Coughing in pain, he turned around, to weakly parry another attack. “Go...”, he gasped. “I will hold him off...”
With wide eyes, Willfred hesitated. “But...”, he began, as Prins grabbed him by the shoulder. “We must go!”, he yelled and Tallian groaned, as the next attack nearly knocked the blade from his hands. The eyes beneath the mask were narrowed, as the Tom reached for another knife. “It has been an honour...”, Tallian managed to say, before he charged at his opponent.
Frowning and not just from the pain, Willfred turned away. The echo of clashing steel rang through the hallway and he was certain, the rest of the guards were noticing it as well. He had to get out of here. It wasn't so much something he decided upon, but something he simply knew. Mullendore wanted him dead. Petyr Vyrwel was untrustworthy at the very best. And so, all that remained was to flee.
They ran down the hallway, as Maron's voice roared behind them. “Stop them!”, he barked. “They tried to kill me! The men from the Rock must not leave!” Then, a scream, Tallian's scream. Willfred closed his eyes, darting around a corner, with Prins by his side. The soldier was supporting him now and he was thankful for it. On his own, he wasn't so certain if he would still be able to struggle forwards, not with his injuries. He was faintly aware of the numb pain in his side, the wet spot on his vest.
“Ser, what is happening?”, the voice of Jack came from the side. Willfred glanced at his other soldier, clenching his teeth as he moved his body. “Mullendore is an enemy to the Rock”, he growled. “We are no longer safe here. Tallian is dead and we will join him if we do not hurry. Where is my uncle?”
As the trio rushed down the hallway, towards the exit to the courtyard, Jack shrugged. “I'll go and look for him”, he offered, as he put a hand onto his sword. Drawing it, he hesitated for a moment, before he offered it to Willfred, hilt first. “You'll need this!”, the knight protested, but the one-eyed soldier smirked. “It'll just slow me down”, he replied. “We'll meet you at the eastern gates, go!”
Willfred just managed to give him a nod, as Prins and Jack exchanged a quick handshake. Then, the soldier left, up a set of stairs. By now, Willfred heard the footsteps far behind them. Fastening his pace, he ran towards the door at the end of the hallway. Thankfully, it wasn't locked and the two stumbled out onto the courtyard. Bright sunlight momentarily blinded him, but Willfred carried on, with Prins by his side.
As his eyes adjusted, he noticed that they weren't alone. People were there on the courtyard, servants and guards. Some stopped to look as soon as they got aware of Willfred's injury. And then, to his terror, several guards began to approach them. “Hurry”, he hissed, as the two began to run.
“Halt!”, one of the men yelled, but Willfred did not slow down. Dragging himself forward through sheer force of will, he mobilized a strength he had never felt before. He should, by all means, drop down by now. Exhaustion, pain, the loss of blood. He was aware of how bad things looked. But he did not give up. “Close the gate!”, another voice yelled, but it was too late.
As the portcullis above them creaked, Willfred and Prins had reached it. The soldier flashed him a brief grin and Willfred replied with a nod, though both knew, they hadn't won anything yet. As such, they continued to hurry down the path that would lead to the city. Not daring to pause, the only time Willfred slowed down was to glance over his shoulder. The sight he saw there caused a shiver to run down his spine. Masked men, led by the Tom, swarmed out of the castle. Behind him walked a true giant, easily towering those around him.
The first houses were near, yet Willfred knew, it did not mean safety yet. “Ser, what are we going to do?”, Prins asked and Willfred groaned in pain. “You need rest. Someone has to take a look at the wound” However, Willfred just shook his head, as the dirty path below them changed to a cobbled street. “We are not safe here”, he whispered. He knew it, he knew it just like he had known how to avoid Mullendore's attack.
“But your injury!”, Prins protested. “Please, let me help you” Once more, Willfred shook his head, dragging Prins away from the main street and into a set of alleyways. “I said we are not safe here”, he growled, now with more anger in his voice. “I must get out of here, reunite with the others!” He blinked and Prins raised an eyebrow. “The others?”, he asked. “You mean Jack and your uncle?”
Absent-mindedly, Willfred nodded. “Yes...”, he mumbled. “Yes, them too...” They had slowed down at last, the effort of running for so long with the deep wound finally taking its toll, but not just on Willfred. Prins was exhausted, sweat running down his forehead, yet he gave Willfred a stubborn glare. “Ser, I know I failed you before, but...”
“You did not fail me, Prins”, Willfred then said and it was something he truly meant. He placed a hand on the soldier's shoulder, as they leant againt the wall of a house. A few feet in front of them, there was another main street, a busy one this time. He knew, Prins had a point. But he also knew that if they'd stay, someone would find them sooner or later.
Sooner...
He tensed up as the voice sounded again, this time a hollow warning with a hint of grief in it. “We must reunite”, he spoke and it wasn't just his voice. Prins' eyes widened, as he took a step away from Willfred. “Ser, what is wrong with you?”, he asked, glancing at the injury. “You are losing a lot of blood. Come on, I will bring you...”
“You won't do a thing, soldier”, a deep voice purred from the other end of the alleyway, the one they had used to enter the street. Willfred sighed, as he recognized the Tom. The man stepped out of the shadows, his sword stained with blood. Tallian's blood, maybe Jack's and Roger's as well. Behind him, the dreaded giant shadow was visible.
“Gave me a good chase”, the Tom admitted. “And your man earlier, he gave me a good fight. But this is over now” He shrugged, as he and his companion approached them. “Ser, you should have known better than to mess with Maron Mullendore”, he spoke. “When he asks you a question, you tell the truth, the full truth right away. Don't fuck with him, because you will always regret it” Though he couldn't see his face, Willfred could swear he noticed amusement in the Tom's eyes. “Just some advice for your next life”
“Ser, I will hold them off”, Prins offered, as he pointed his sword at the two. The Tom did not react, but his companion let out a deep, terrifying growl. “Yes, Moggy, you can kill them”, the Tom offered and the giant began to howl in anticipation. “Run!”, Prins yelled, as Willfred remained standing by his side. “Gods damn it!” But he would not run. He would not leave his loyal soldier behind. He was Willfred Reyne, knight of the Rock and he...
Prins just barely managed to push him to the side, dodging the Moggy's heavy attack, a strike that would have taken both of their heads clean off. Gasping in sheer pain, Willfred staggered against the wall, as Prins shot him a glare. “I will not fail you again!”, he barked, before he tried to parry the Moggy's next attack. Though he managed to deflect the blow, the sheer force was enough to knock the blade from his hands and him to the ground.
Dizzy, confused and in utter pain, Willfred weakly pointed his sword at the giant. The Moggy chuckled beneath his mask, as he raised his sword, this huge man-sized greatsword. Then, Prins was between them again, shoving his dagger into the Moggy's upper leg. What started as a growl of anger went straight to pain, as the Moggy grabbed Prins and lifted him up.
“Run, Willfred!”, the soldier managed to yell and it was the last thing he'd ever say. Then, the Moggy slammed the hilt of his sword into Prins' face, again and again, roaring as he beat the soldier to a bloody pulp. Prins' body went limp after the first strike, but the Moggy attacked once more, then another time, each accompanied by a loud crack.
Then, Willfred had regained enough of his footing to make an attack of his own. Everything inside him, including the strange voice, screamed at him to run, but anger and exhaustion had gotten the better of him. His weak attack didn't even hit. With a speed that was just wrong for a man of his size, the Moggy let go of Prins' body, countering Willfred's attack with one of his own. As their blades clashed, Willfred was lifted up and thrown through the air. He landed heavily on the back, close to the end of the alleyway.
The noise that came from the Moggy's throat was half a chuckle and half a howling laughter, Grabbing his sword with both hands, he pointed it at Willfred. Then, he began to charge. Willfred could do nothing but close his eyes. “Alanna, I am sorry...”, he mumbled, as he sent a brief prayer to the Seven.
And yet, instead of the expected strike, Willfred heard the laughter change into a grunt of pain, intertwined with the sound of hooves on the cobblestone. As he opened his eyes, he saw the Moggy staggering backwards. An arrow was deeply embedded in his shoulder and as Willfred glanced around, his heartbeat began to fasten. There, on the near end of the alleyway, each sitting on a horse, were Jack and Roger, the latter of which having shot the arrow.
Without missing a beat, Jack jumped down the horse, to grab Willfred by the shoulders. “It's no time to die yet, Ser!”, he barked, as Roger went for his next arrow. Just as the Moggy had recovered from the strike, the next one hit him, in the chest this time. The giant howled, but he stumbled. A third arrow hit the other shoulder and finally, the man fell, wailing in pain as he hit the ground. Behind him stood only the Tom, a small knife in his left hand and hatred in his eyes.
By now, Jack had managed to help Willfred onto the horse. Still dazed, but with high spirits, Willfred clung to the animal's mane. “We must hurry, my boy!”, Roger told him, though there was concern on his face. He reached for the next arrow, as Jack climbed up on the horse, sitting behind Willfred and grabbing the reins. “Go!”, he yelled and they began to ride, Jack and Willfred first.
Behind him, Roger gasped and something hit the cobblestone. Willfred tried to look around but he did not manage. Pain, so much pain and utter exhaustion... he leant forwards, as the animal beneath him rushed through the streets. He barely noticed the shocked expression of the smallfolk they rode past, some of them hurrying out of the way.
“Stay with me, Ser”, Jack whispered. “Stay... Roger!” This surprised expression caused Willfred to snap out of his dazed state of mind. He looked up, seeing the gates in the distance. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed his uncle and immediately, horror overwhelmed him. Blood was running out of Roger's mouth. He had dropped his bow, his hand resting on the knife that had embedded itself between his shoulder and his neck. A final parting gift from the Tom.
Nobody tried to stop them as they rushed through the gates, the few soldiers too shocked to stand in the way of two horses. Jack slowed down, allowing the grievously injured Roger to catch up to them. Despite the pain he was in, Willfred's uncle managed to sport a weak smile. “Did we... make it?”, he asked
Feeling tears forming in the corner of his eyes, Willfred gave him a tired nod. “We made it”, he said. “You, me and Jack” To this, Roger shook his head. The gesture caused him visible pain and he frowned. “I don't think I did...”, he admitted. “I... I can taste blood” He sighed. “This isn't looking good, is it?”
Willfred was unable to lie. The events of today had shown that much, he was terrible at it. As such, he merely nodded. “Uncle Roger...”, he spoke. “I...” Roger cut him off. “I am sorry, my boy”, he spoke. “For not being there all these years. I thought I'd have years ahead of me, decades even... I...” He paused, as he placed a hand on the knife so close to his neck. “I am glad I got a chance to know you better”
“Don't talk like that”, Willfred urged him. “It is not too late. We have to find you a healer, we...” Roger clenched his teeth and Willfred saw how weak he was. Barely clinging to the saddle, his smile returned. “We did not see eye to eye all that much”, he mumbled. “But you stood for what you believed in. This is all I ever hoped for from my nephew”
Now, the tears began to run freely down Willfred's cheeks. Tallian, Prins, now Roger. His uncle had been in his life for merely half a year and yet, he was family. He was part of the pride. “You are so much like your father”, Roger said. “When he was younger. When we still got along... Tell him... tell him he...” He paused, his eyes widened, as the grip around the reins grew weaker.
“Uncle!”, Willfred yelled, though he reacted quickly. Grabbing the man by the collar of his tabard, he held on to him, preventing him from sinking down. Roger gave him a weak smile. “Tell your father I am sorry”, he whispered. “I shouldn't have left. Perhaps... perhaps he was right” He sighed, as Jack had to slow down the horse for them to continue their conversation. “Ser, we have to hurry”, he remarked and as Willfred glanced to the gate in the distance, he saw that men had gathered there. It wouldn't be long until they'd get horses to pick up the chase. “Return to the Rock”, Roger advised him. “Tell your father what happened here. Tell... the king” He gasped in pain as he reached for the knife in his shoulder. His smile got less genuine, even weaker, as he forced himself to place his hand on his nephew's upper arm. “Farewell, Willfred”
Willfred had never been one to cry easily. Right now though, tears of pain, exhaustion and grief poured down his cheeks freely. He gave Roger a nod. “Farewell, uncle”, he mumbled, as he let go of him. With a brief nod, Roger in return let go of the reins. He quickly sank out of the saddle and down the horse. Heavily, he slammed onto the ground on the dirty road just outside Raylansfair, but this time, Jack made no attempt to slow down. Instead, he heavily kicked the horse in the sides and the animal began to charge down the road. Willfred could only glance over his shoulder, at the downed figure of his uncle. Wide-eyed, Roger stared at the sky, as the life left him.
“Come, Ser”, Jack mumbled with a heavy voice. “Someone must learn of what happened today” An image flashed through the murky depths of Willfred's tired mind. The butterfly, orange and black, leaving a stain of blood behind. It had been a warning... He mustered a weak nod and as he took a deep breath, the pain in his side became nearly unbearable. “Someone must pay”, he replied grimly.
End of Chapter 2: Thorns
Your Choices:
Truth:Alys decided to trust Warmond Manderly with her true identity
Principle:Irae decided to do things her own way instead of following the warlock's route
Thorn:Keat decided to help Rose
Justice:Kyra decided to execute Herman Irons on the spot
Deception:Willfred decided to lie to Maron Mullendore
“... a breach of trust!”, Petyr's voice echoed through the hallway. Jenna tensed up, noticing two things. First, Petyr was viciously angry. Second, he didn't even care that people were listening to the two of them. They knew she was there, they had to know, yes? And there she stood, seeing Petyr Vyrwel and Maron Mullendore marching side by side. “How can I still trust you after this?”, Petyr barked. “Answer me, Maron!”
The beast shot him a smile and Jenna clenched her fists, as a wave of anger threatened to overwhelm her. She imagined he had the same smile on his face as he was... as he was beating her father to death. Something dangerous lurked in his eye. “The question, my friend, if some treacherous Rock bastard is what you want this alliance to end over”, he growled. “Think of how far we have come. You really think either of us can turn around now?”
Abbas rolled his eyes as they saw the bridge in the distance. “Oh, I so hate that girl”, he mumbled. Janae spotted the banners flying above the buildings on each side of it. “That's how you see that this part of Essos has gone to hell since Valyria fell. This is no man's land. No ruler to contest that insolent bitch”
Janae raised an eyebrow. “You seem afraid of a girl, Abbas”, she said and it earned her another vicious glare. She would have chuckled, but after today, she did not dare to provoke him. Not for her own sake, but Behara had been through too much already. To her surprise, he then nodded. “I wouldn't call it fear, but trust me, the sooner we get over with this, the better, for all of us”
“How are you feeling, Snow Hair?”, Mace growled, though behind his gruff voice, he hid a smile at her astonishment. Raenna only briefly managed to remove her gaze from the gargantuan wall of ice.”I don't think I have ever been that cold in my life”, she admitted. “How do you deal with it?”
“More fur”, Mace replied. “And you get used to it” Next to him, Erik moved his horse up. He was smiling as well, his usual expression, yet she knew how forced it was by now, how nervous the man was about meeting his former brothers. “Ah, that's nothing”, he said. “Just wait until we get past that stinky wall. Bet you're going to love the real North, Valyrian”
Still on all fours, Edrick moved forwards, the others behind him. Normund crouched through the underbrush, glancing around, his gaze wandering through the darkness. But there was light in the distance, where the water was and as Edrick got past a particularly thick branch, he could see a small boat, just large enough to have a single, illuminated cabin. Normund sighed, as he rose from the ground. “Well then, my friends”, he said. “I think it is time for you to meet the Riverborn”
“Are you sure you want to do this, girl?”, Moros asked, as he inspected the set of vials in front of him. The tone did not even hint at his intentions, but the fact that he was not smiling clued Irae in on the fact how little he liked her approach. She gave him a respectful nod. “Have I ever failed you, Master Moros?”, she asked in return. Now the old man chuckled briefly, dryly and without smiling. “There's always a first, young warlock”, he hissed. “Albeit few fail me more than once” He reached for one of the vials. “This is the one you want to use”, he told her. “The one that will heal the brat's father”
The bastard had changed little since Drent had seen him last. Tall and handsome, his tabard sporting the same black as his hair. Though his sword was not drawn, there was something dangerous about him and Drent remembered how ferocious the man had been back in Raylansfair. Back when he had saved Stormlander lives... looking at him and the huge Valyrian knight by his side, he hoped they indeed weren't out to take some today.
For a moment, they stood in front of each other. Baratheon and his companions, his small vanguard behind. On the other side, Emphryus and Bernard, flanking Lord Buckler. And Drent just behind them, side by side with his comrades. Benedict Buckler finally managed to nod at his unexpected guests. “Ser Orys”, he hissed coldly.
There it was again. Ysilla frowned at the noise outside her tent. Cold air came through the small gap, but there was a welcome warmth to her side and the heat was still just barely bearable. Just as her frown turned into a small smile, she heard the noise again and this time, she understood what it was.
“Ysilla!”, Theodan hissed in a low tone and she rolled her eyes. “For fucks sake, can't you just leave me alone for one night?”, she asked, as she spotted her brother's face through the gap. “And don't look, that's rude” Her brother shook his head. “Something's not right”, he warned her. "I got a bad feeling about this"
Forum of Thrones; Book 2, Act I, Chapter III: Ours if the Fury; Coming Soon!
Phew, it is done, at last. This was, without any doubt, the longest chapter so far, probably not in terms of parts, but in terms of my writing being slower than ever. Trust me, I am not happy with this, although I am overall happy with the developments that took place in this chapter. The situations that have led me to slow down haven't gotten much better yet, I am afraid, although I have learned to deal with it better. As such, I hope the pace can pick up again in the next chapter. I am super excited at least, I genuinely cannot wait to delve into the things to come. I hope you are excited as well, it'll be a wild ride. And while the next chapter won't be a short one, I am confident I will get it done soon. Until then, I will leave you with the usual questions. Take your time with answering them, I know some of you haven't even gotten to read the penultimate part yet, so with me being gone for the next few days, I definitely want to give you the time you need for this. Hope you enjoyed this chapter finale, I will post an overview of the alternate choices once I return from my brief vacation
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2?
What has been your favourite part and your favourite moment in Chapter 2?
Is there anything you disliked?
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3?
And here I was saying Maron wouldn't do something like that. I really should have know better about the crazy bastard.
Well at least Wilfred didn't die, just most of his supporting cast(although I think maybe Tallain might have just been taking hostage or something since I don't think we saw his body but again that's just giving Maron the benefit of the doubt to be mercyful which I really shouldn't do)
Anyway now the only POV's in Raylansfair are Arthur and Jenna which again seems weird since nearly every Pov was there in Book 1 Chapter 8. Lets hope neither of them leave or die soon.
Also I know this part will make everyone think Maron is the undisputed main threat but I would like to remind everyone that Wolfus is still MIA which is in my opinion the most scary thing.
Anyway not going to answer the questions honestly as I don't have much of an opinion on them but I'm glad to have made it to my first live chapter finale and I can't wait for more.
Phew, it is done, at last. This was, without any doubt, the longest chapter so far, probably not in terms of parts, but in terms of my writi… moreng being slower than ever. Trust me, I am not happy with this, although I am overall happy with the developments that took place in this chapter. The situations that have led me to slow down haven't gotten much better yet, I am afraid, although I have learned to deal with it better. As such, I hope the pace can pick up again in the next chapter. I am super excited at least, I genuinely cannot wait to delve into the things to come. I hope you are excited as well, it'll be a wild ride. And while the next chapter won't be a short one, I am confident I will get it done soon. Until then, I will leave you with the usual questions. Take your time with answering them, I know some of you haven't even gotten to read the penultimate part yet, so with me being gone for the next few days, I definitely want to give you… [view original content]
Seriously though, I expected we'd get like an ominous warning from Maron hinting that he saw through Willfred's lie, and then in the next chapter he would've tried to either eliminate him or threaten him into submission. BUT THE MAD BASTARD JUST STRAIGHT UP TRIED TO SHANK HIM! Good thing the artifact's magic seems to be protecting Willfred (or that's how I interpreted it at least) or he'd be a goner. Willfred's storyline has often been kind of a slow burner and overshadowed by many of the other PoVs, but the recent developments with the artifact and especially this finale has got me more engaged with the character than I've been at any point before. Also, RIP Prins, Tallian and Roger, three more victims of Maron's madness. And speaking of that, I see from the sneak peek that tensions will continue to rise between him and Petyr in the next chapter... Can't believe I've got no choice but to root for that a-hole Petyr
Anyway, to the questions...
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Hmm, instead of going through all my favorite characters (there are a lot), I'll just pick a few that I think shined in this chapter especially: Firstly, Ysilla and Theodan. They are both relatively new characters, but you've done fantastic job in making me care about them and root for them in such a short time. My initial interest for the storyline was sparked by the fact that they are looking for the Red Skull (a character I submitted long ago), but it has grown way beyond that during the parts in Godsgrace. Of course I also have to mention Jaron, though there wasn't necessary any massively significant character development for him in this chapter it has still been nice to see him dive into the mysterious world of Essos and doing all he can to find and rescue Harpy. I also quite enjoyed Kyra's dynamic with his brother Damon in this chapter, eager to see where that goes. I'm sure I'm forgetting something but let's move on to next question anyway...
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2?
I think there can be only one answer here: Maron Mullendore. And not in like a "I'm not enjoying this character" way, but in a "I love to hate this bastard" way Seriously though, after all this time you're still managing to write him in a way that surprises but is still very true to his character, bravo!
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Like I already mentioned, Willfred as a PoV has become so much more interesting recently. And I already talked about Ysilla as well, but I'll add that she is perhaps the PoV I'm most looking forward to in the next chapter. Keat has given a nice new perspective for us in Oldtown, and it was neat to finally meet Hishi as well. Both Kyra's and Garthon's perspectives to the situation in Riverlands has been very enjoyable. Irae's storyline in Qarth has felt very different and isolated from anything else but still surprisingly engaging. Seeing Dragonstone and the Targs through Ellena's eyes has been pretty neat as well, and Raenna's storyline seems to be bringing in the one thing this story was missing: wildlings!
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
I don't think there were any that I disliked, but I will say that Kersea's parts dealing with the highwaymen felt a bit like a side quest, so to say I did still enjoy seeing her and Leonard starting to bond though, and my excitement for their storyline going forward has only increased
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2?
I think the finale takes the cake this time. There was a lot of good development and build up for future in this chapter, but I don't think any other individual part was quite as impactful as this last one.
And there's nothing I really disliked, and I've already brought up what I'm most looking forward to. As for advice, just keep doing what you're doing with the pace that feels comfortable to you, it's been a great ride so far!
Willfred
Willfred froze, just for a second, yet perhaps a moment to long, as he gave the one-eyed knight a stilted smile. “There's plenty… more we've talked about”, he began to speak, as he sat down next to Maron. Wordlessly and with a curious smile on his lips, the man poured both of them a glass of wine, as he gave him a nod.
“Mostly about the old Lord Raylan's promise to our kingdom”, he continued, as he reached for the cup. Still, he waited until Maron took a small sip from his before he drank. The wine was dark and strong, more bitter than sweet and Willfred certainly didn't enjoy it. “It seems Lord Petyr is under the impression that he sort of inherited this debts”
“Which was to be expected”, Maron admitted. “Did he give you a better offer than what me and Devrin proposed?” To this, Willfred shook his head. “Just told me he'd send the men”, he replied and Maron raised an eyebrow. “His men or mine?”, he asked and Willfred gulped. “Is … [view original content]
Damn, Mullendore keeps on making more enemies. The more people he antagonizes or tries to kill, the more likely he will become a liability for everyone else. House Reyne and Westerling will certainly demand blood, even if Mern Gardener isn't in a position to demand it.
Who were your favorite characters in Chapter 2?
I really liked the three companies and I wish to know a bit more about them.
Who were your least favorite characters in Chapter 2?
I think those were Redmond Royce and Quingar Qoherys, probably because of the bad impressions they gave.
Who were your favorite PoV's in Chapter 2?
I guess those were Raenna and Ysilla, and their story lines are getting pretty interesting.
Who were your least favorite PoV's in Chapter 2?
I suppose those were Kersea's. Her confrontation at the inn with Ironshield and Elias felt a bit too side-quest-y.
What has been your favorite part in Chapter 2?
I think it was the melee tournament and how Drent managed to hold on even when facing against experienced knights.
What has been your favorite part and your favorite moment in Chapter 2?
Not sure exactly, maybe it was Aegon's council room and how they plan to make their moves.
Is there anything you disliked?
Nothing in particular, keep the good writing.
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3?
Getting to know better both the Three Companies and the newly introduced Vale cast. Maybe the meeting with the Riverlords as they prepare to rebel against Harren Hoare.
Phew, it is done, at last. This was, without any doubt, the longest chapter so far, probably not in terms of parts, but in terms of my writi… moreng being slower than ever. Trust me, I am not happy with this, although I am overall happy with the developments that took place in this chapter. The situations that have led me to slow down haven't gotten much better yet, I am afraid, although I have learned to deal with it better. As such, I hope the pace can pick up again in the next chapter. I am super excited at least, I genuinely cannot wait to delve into the things to come. I hope you are excited as well, it'll be a wild ride. And while the next chapter won't be a short one, I am confident I will get it done soon. Until then, I will leave you with the usual questions. Take your time with answering them, I know some of you haven't even gotten to read the penultimate part yet, so with me being gone for the next few days, I definitely want to give you… [view original content]
Congrats Liquid!!! I can't believe were this far into the story. Now we have yet another successful chapter completed. I always find these questions a bit hard to answer, but I will try my best.
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2? I mean its always hard to play favorites, since most of the characters get there to some extent. But, really I don't know what to say for this chapter. All the characters did something I can at least call memorable.
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2? Now this normally is very easy, but for me it's like a double edged sword too. If I say I didn't like a character I always feel a little bad. That is unless a character is MEANT to be hated or just plainly evil, but I tend to love those characters. I case anyone didn't know that, what with the Anturions being a thing. So again i'm blanking here.
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2? I really like parts that take us out of the usual spots, I really makes this feel like this is a huge living world. So the Esso's part for example I really loved. I always feel a bit bad when I say I loved Alys's pov in the chapter. I mean i'm pretty much expected to love them since Edwards there, so I always feel like I'm taken as a bit disingenuous. Like the creator of Alys and of course you, Liquid who brought her to life always have this nagging feeling in the back of their head that i'm only in it for the monthly dose of Anturion, which isn't really true. I admit that as soon as I see him pop up my eyes shine a bit and a single reference can make my day, but I also grew to love Alys as a character and Carvin and Alisa too. And merman's rest is amazing!!!, i'm a big fan of pirates in case you couldn't tell.
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2? I hesitate to say, again I really like most of them and I doesn't feel like other chapters where a character in one or two of the pov's would just do squat for most of it (something I remember you regretted a lot). I also am ashamed to admit I missed a few parts during my forum hiatus, so I don't think i'm ready to make that call.
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2? Between merman's rest and Essos. Both were great.
What has been your favourite part and your favourite moment in Chapter 2? Ditto the former answer.
Is there anything you disliked? Not really, this was pretty great.
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3? I have a few anticipations, but we have talked about them before so you probably know. As for advice? Continue improving and don't be afraid to take risks, they normally work out for you .
Phew, it is done, at last. This was, without any doubt, the longest chapter so far, probably not in terms of parts, but in terms of my writi… moreng being slower than ever. Trust me, I am not happy with this, although I am overall happy with the developments that took place in this chapter. The situations that have led me to slow down haven't gotten much better yet, I am afraid, although I have learned to deal with it better. As such, I hope the pace can pick up again in the next chapter. I am super excited at least, I genuinely cannot wait to delve into the things to come. I hope you are excited as well, it'll be a wild ride. And while the next chapter won't be a short one, I am confident I will get it done soon. Until then, I will leave you with the usual questions. Take your time with answering them, I know some of you haven't even gotten to read the penultimate part yet, so with me being gone for the next few days, I definitely want to give you… [view original content]
Let's start with my thoughts on the chapter finale:
Just when you though dear Maron couldn't get any worse, well, he gets worse. TWENTY-EIGHT STAB WOUNDS worse. To be honest, we should have seen this coming. This guy has raped and murdered for less. Off the top of my head, he raped and then stabbed a young woman, framed two knights for her murder, beat a man to death with a cane, has had several people tortured to death, orchestrated the raid and pillage of a city for his own gain, costing hundreds of lives, indirectly/directly led to a knight being forced to do a trial by combat for something he did not do, causing his death, uh, being a crime lord, hiring psycho assassins like Wolfius, Rayden, Clayton, Alysanne and Kersea to murder many people. And the Chapter 6 finale, don't get me started on that. And I know I've missed some stuff!
Frankly, and my fellow long-time readers may notice, I'm a bit of a troll at times when I'm voting with certain characters, as I was when I voted with the "Lie". While I didn't think he'd outright try to kill us right then and there, I must say I didn't think we'd get away with it for long. I am curious to hear about the alternate choices, because this certainly must have changed stuff. Refusing might have gone along with something similar, but maybe not.
Poor Tallian, and Roger, and Prins. Prins especially, we hardly knew ya, like a certain Fedonico Snail. But Tallian and Roger, my gosh, they've been in the story for years! I don't think we're grapping with how major of a loss that is. 6 months, Roger says, much longer to us. I expect this major loss of blood by Willfred to induce some hallucinations/delusions combined with that freaky Tesseract box. Clearly, it helped him out quite a bit this time, but there will still be scars. RIP his pals though. Can Maron smell what the Rock is cooking? War probably. Makes their future alliance...interesting...
Probably not my favorite chapter finale, but tense nonetheless. I kind of liked that it just focused on one character.
Now, allow me to examine the "Next time on..."
“... a breach of trust!”, Petyr's voice echoed through the hallway. Jenna tensed up, noticing two things. First, Petyr was viciously angry. Second, he didn't even care that people were listening to the two of them. They knew she was there, they had to know, yes? And there she stood, seeing Petyr Vyrwel and Maron Mullendore marching side by side. “How can I still trust you after this?”, Petyr barked. “Answer me, Maron!”
The beast shot him a smile and Jenna clenched her fists, as a wave of anger threatened to overwhelm her. She imagined he had the same smile on his face as he was... as he was beating her father to death. Something dangerous lurked in his eye. “The question, my friend, if some treacherous Rock bastard is what you want this alliance to end over”, he growled. “Think of how far we have come. You really think either of us can turn around now?”
Jenna should not be listening to this conversation. Also, there's no way Maron is that..."calm"? I don't know the exact word, but I have no doubt that the last line there really is not sincere. There's no way he's not going to screw over that bastard Petyr.
Abbas rolled his eyes as they saw the bridge in the distance. “Oh, I so hate that girl”, he mumbled. Janae spotted the banners flying above the buildings on each side of it. “That's how you see that this part of Essos has gone to hell since Valyria fell. This is no man's land. No ruler to contest that insolent bitch”
Janae raised an eyebrow. “You seem afraid of a girl, Abbas”, she said and it earned her another vicious glare. She would have chuckled, but after today, she did not dare to provoke him. Not for her own sake, but Behara had been through too much already. To her surprise, he then nodded. “I wouldn't call it fear, but trust me, the sooner we get over with this, the better, for all of us”
Volantis, with the bridge, I'd assume (but it's not, isn't it?). More Abbas sexism, wonderful. Now, "that insolent bitch" comment, sexism aside, is quite interesting. I wonder if a certain attractive female Draco Malfoy is to whom he refers.
“How are you feeling, Snow Hair?”, Mace growled, though behind his gruff voice, he hid a smile at her astonishment. Raenna only briefly managed to remove her gaze from the gargantuan wall of ice.”I don't think I have ever been that cold in my life”, she admitted. “How do you deal with it?”
“More fur”, Mace replied. “And you get used to it” Next to him, Erik moved his horse up. He was smiling as well, his usual expression, yet she knew how forced it was by now, how nervous the man was about meeting his former brothers. “Ah, that's nothing”, he said. “Just wait until we get past that stinky wall. Bet you're going to love the real North, Valyrian”
Fur is murder! Also, cold, Where I am at right now, it's quite hot. I'd like some cold.
Still on all fours, Edrick moved forwards, the others behind him. Normund crouched through the underbrush, glancing around, his gaze wandering through the darkness. But there was light in the distance, where the water was and as Edrick got past a particularly thick branch, he could see a small boat, just large enough to have a single, illuminated cabin. Normund sighed, as he rose from the ground. “Well then, my friends”, he said. “I think it is time for you to meet the Riverborn”
Commando Edrick. Also, Viveka, where are thou? Catch us again, and well...
“Are you sure you want to do this, girl?”, Moros asked, as he inspected the set of vials in front of him. The tone did not even hint at his intentions, but the fact that he was not smiling clued Irae in on the fact how little he liked her approach. She gave him a respectful nod. “Have I ever failed you, Master Moros?”, she asked in return. Now the old man chuckled briefly, dryly and without smiling. “There's always a first, young warlock”, he hissed. “Albeit few fail me more than once” He reached for one of the vials. “This is the one you want to use”, he told her. “The one that will heal the brat's father”
Hmmm. I have a bad feeling about this.
The bastard had changed little since Drent had seen him last. Tall and handsome, his tabard sporting the same black as his hair. Though his sword was not drawn, there was something dangerous about him and Drent remembered how ferocious the man had been back in Raylansfair. Back when he had saved Stormlander lives... looking at him and the huge Valyrian knight by his side, he hoped they indeed weren't out to take some today.
For a moment, they stood in front of each other. Baratheon and his companions, his small vanguard behind. On the other side, Emphryus and Bernard, flanking Lord Buckler. And Drent just behind them, side by side with his comrades. Benedict Buckler finally managed to nod at his unexpected guests. “Ser Orys”, he hissed coldly.
Confrontation, oh yes! Violence! Anger!
There it was again. Ysilla frowned at the noise outside her tent. Cold air came through the small gap, but there was a welcome warmth to her side and the heat was still just barely bearable. Just as her frown turned into a small smile, she heard the noise again and this time, she understood what it was.
“Ysilla!”, Theodan hissed in a low tone and she rolled her eyes. “For fucks sake, can't you just leave me alone for one night?”, she asked, as she spotted her brother's face through the gap. “And don't look, that's rude” Her brother shook his head. “Something's not right”, he warned her. "I got a bad feeling about this"
"Welcome warmth". Hm. Is that a person? Also, cold air, so it's probably night. Also, I also again have a bad feeling about this. Maybe a sandstorm! Like, an actual sandstorm. That'd be a cool part.
I have noted that Kersea, Ilish, Arthur among others did not get one of these. Also, Samantha is supposed to come back to the story in Chapter 3! Yay!!! It's been like, my gosh, months?
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2? Ah, yes. Favorites. Leonard, I mean come on. Some less obvious choices: Kyra, Maurice Mad-Eye, Gravven Drumm, Durren Stallhart!!! Kasyn Luck, he's alright. Vaasrand if he appeared in this chapter, I can't remember exactly. I like Prins and Jack now, Willfred always been nice, and I don't think I ever appreciated Roger and Tallian until now. Wildor Goodbrook I kinda like, compared, but I might like Lawsen? Saerya, Arthur, Ilish is growing on me as of late, Magnus and Bennet were fine, Elias is intriguing. The nice Hoare. The Hawk is cool. I'm a Keat kind of guy. Argella and her father remain nice. Edirck and Leo and Darreth and Jorid and Normund + Reymond and a pack of hyenas are good company. Sylvi is a nice woman. Viveka is someone I'd be attracted to in real life. I like Malina, and Garthon, Aegon, and Visenya, with Orys, Daghan, that weirdo Wulvren and Ellena. Hjalgar is chill. Sadie and fake Leonard are alright. Malcom Mertyns and Drent, and Emphryus are A-Okay. Mace Crowl is awesome. Raenna is sweet. Ysilla and Theodan are nice, but Belandra has stolen my heart. Edward Anturion, no matter how evil, is cool. Blacksails and the Merman's Rest gang are aright. Irae is too, as are our buds Jaron, John, Harrington?, Arryn and Aidan, Lysara, seems, okay? Behara, Janae, and Harpy are not in a good spot. I like Dunaver and Dustran, but unsure of the Donnel himself.
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2? Maron Mullendore. Such a funny first name. The Tom! The Moggy! The Sphynx is not redeemable! Connor Frostborn that creep. Petyr Vyrwel is not a good guy, and neither is Lord Oakheart. Vali Flowers is man, salty. Lucia Grimthorn straight up sucks. Lord Arrec Mallister is a terrible person, as is his son-in-law. Thorrin Bannister, the worst, Hishi weirds me out. Dante should get his face punched and again Gawayne "Sneeze" Schaffrot is not a friendly folk. Not in Chapter 2, but that Roach guy, man he sucked. Yoreen Flowers, for being a dick when mentioned and also be the current longest-waited character waiting to be introduced on the list at this time. Kory Umber kind of sucked, glad he's dead. Love the Drake? Hate the Drake! The Drake belongs in a bath tub as a rubber toy, but I suppose he'll never get his wish. Don't really like Khal Rhavarro or the Blood Witch either, don't seem too friendly. The Fang, what the hell is that guy's deal. Maester Lucifer, I mean, look at the guy's name. Note that Kersea and Jenna are not in the hate, Rosalie still is. Noelle is still here. Two-Face, I liked him back in Book 1, but not so much anymore. Sargasso Saan, eh. Abbas and Bakr, why must you be bad? Ryder is a mixed bag.
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2? I enjoyed Willfred's and Ilish's, along with Jaron's and John's, Kyra's and Sadie's were good. I think Drent’s has the best action scene.
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2? This is a real shocker: the one where Leonard was featured the most. While I do enjoy some adventure unrelated to lots of stuff, personally it just was kind of there to remind us the characters were there. Which is nice, but story-wise, I think it probably my least favorite, even though there were some nice bits.
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2? This chapter finale was pretty good, but strangely I really like Kyra enjoying a good ol' family wedding with the Hoares.
What has been your favourite part and your favourite moment in Chapter 2?
Already did favorite part, so my favorite moment...Hm. Okay, literally anything with Donnel Selwyn, or more specifically when he's first introduced and Mullendore and Petyr are just flabbergasted or when he mentions Leonard and goes to a dark place. He's hilarious.
Is there anything you disliked? Well, I already said about the Kersea storyline, but maybe the fact that the chapter was so long that I have forgotten most of the early stuff. Maybe. Also, wish Samantha was here! Love her. While I enjoyed their awesome names (fun fact I love awesome names, the Children of Thanos in Infinity War especially), all the characters with the Hawk in the Vale, man, so damn many. But I admire that you tried to introduce so many, and I imagine the important ones will/have become apparent.
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3?
Hobert. He's got to come back some time. Dimitri the Wise. I'd like to see a character's storyline basically revolve around a single conversation. I know it's strange, but you could have a campfire/whatever place conversation between two interesting characters, where the choices are purely dialogue. Maybe they can both by POVs and we can steer it. Also, Selwyn, get hype. And Samantha's storyline. Also, I think Batman needs to be Chapter 3. Good stuff!
Phew, it is done, at last. This was, without any doubt, the longest chapter so far, probably not in terms of parts, but in terms of my writi… moreng being slower than ever. Trust me, I am not happy with this, although I am overall happy with the developments that took place in this chapter. The situations that have led me to slow down haven't gotten much better yet, I am afraid, although I have learned to deal with it better. As such, I hope the pace can pick up again in the next chapter. I am super excited at least, I genuinely cannot wait to delve into the things to come. I hope you are excited as well, it'll be a wild ride. And while the next chapter won't be a short one, I am confident I will get it done soon. Until then, I will leave you with the usual questions. Take your time with answering them, I know some of you haven't even gotten to read the penultimate part yet, so with me being gone for the next few days, I definitely want to give you… [view original content]
Willfred
Willfred froze, just for a second, yet perhaps a moment to long, as he gave the one-eyed knight a stilted smile. “There's plenty… more we've talked about”, he began to speak, as he sat down next to Maron. Wordlessly and with a curious smile on his lips, the man poured both of them a glass of wine, as he gave him a nod.
“Mostly about the old Lord Raylan's promise to our kingdom”, he continued, as he reached for the cup. Still, he waited until Maron took a small sip from his before he drank. The wine was dark and strong, more bitter than sweet and Willfred certainly didn't enjoy it. “It seems Lord Petyr is under the impression that he sort of inherited this debts”
“Which was to be expected”, Maron admitted. “Did he give you a better offer than what me and Devrin proposed?” To this, Willfred shook his head. “Just told me he'd send the men”, he replied and Maron raised an eyebrow. “His men or mine?”, he asked and Willfred gulped. “Is … [view original content]
There were a lot of characters I thoroughly enjoyed in Chapter 2, so I'll just mention some newly gained favorites. Samuel Harrington has been growing on me through the course of the story, and is definitely my favorite character in Jaron's storyline for the moment. The Rogare lady we just met is someone I really like as well, she just exudes charisma, and I hope she'll have a big part to play in the parts to come. Abbas is another character I've really grown to like, he seems to be more complex than Bakr, and I'm rooting for him despite him being a villain. The Ironborns I always enjoy, and most Ironborn characters are on my favorites list with the exception of Damon Greyjoy, and a couple Hoares. And after the last part, I would like to add Prins to my long list of favorites. He was a bit character, but I liked him more than Jack. XD it was a shame he had to die.
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Fake Leonard Leo Hill, he's such a self-righteous bastard (literally and figuratively). And Sadie by association because she defended him, and was needlessly harsh on lady Reyne. And obviously, everyone's least favorite Maron fucking Mullendore, his lapdog Oakheart, Donnel Selwyn (not his kids tho), and all the other annoying villains that have been around since book 1 (Wolfius and Kreep, the elusive Frostborn brothers).
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
I enjoyed every storyline in Essos, especially Janae's and Irae's. Jaron's at the end started to pick up after the obligatory recruitment arc is over. Back in Westeros, standouts for me are Kyra's and Ysilla's, mainly because the locations for both are so distinct. But both Keat and Kersea's storylines were solid for me as well.
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Sadie, but I think a lot of it is because I just don't like her. Ellena and Jenna's were a little slow for me as well, and it felt like their story arcs kind of overlapped in this chapter. They were both servants in court, meeting unfamiliar lords.
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2?
The last Willfred part was pretty fucking great, but I think my favorite part is probably when Kersea and Leonard first arrived at the inn. The standoff and the tension in that part was just marvelous.
What has been your favourite part and your favourite moment in Chapter 2?
Again, as I've mentioned. The inn moment, I love reading the moments leading up to a fight.
Is there anything you disliked?
Not anything in particular, I do notice a small spelling mistake, or an odd word choice here and there, but nothing that I can't easily overlook.
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3?
Abbas is another character I've really grown to like, he seems to be more complex than Bakr, and I'm rooting for him despite him being a villain.
I am very shocked but interested that Abbas still have fans. Man I used to be a huge fan, but even then I knew they were slavers, and now that character trait has come to the forefront.
Fake Leonard Leo Hill, he's such a self-righteous bastard (literally and figuratively). And Sadie by association because she defended him, and was needlessly harsh on lady Reyne.
Nothing brings more joy to my heart than other people calling Leo Hill fake Leonard. Makes me so proud.
And obviously, everyone's least favorite Maron fucking Mullendore, his lapdog Oakheart, Donnel Selwyn (not his kids tho), and all the other annoying villains that have been around since book 1 (Wolfius and Kreep, the elusive Frostborn brothers).
In my personal character creator opinion, Donnel Selwyn is not the worst in his family/house. We've haven't met/gotten to know everyone well yet, but man, there's two (3? if Liquid chooses to go a certain way), that are just, definitely going to be unpopular the longer we get to know them. Fun fact: I had no idea Oakheart was evil when I made his sister wife of Donnel. Oops.
Also, I do wonder where ol' Wolfius and Kreep, and Clayton are too. I have a feeling Liquid has sworn off villainous assassin characters for a few chapters. I don't know where they'll reappear, but they got too. But if they do, I think they'd either have to die or kill the POV because unless we get a new POV, I can't see any of the current ones wanting to be around/likely to be around them. They'd all want revenge though, so, yeah.
Man, if only we went down that choice path is early book 1 where Richard could have murdered Wolfius in prison. Much would be different.
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2?
There were a lot of characters I thoroughly enjoyed in Chapter 2, so I'll just mention s… moreome newly gained favorites. Samuel Harrington has been growing on me through the course of the story, and is definitely my favorite character in Jaron's storyline for the moment. The Rogare lady we just met is someone I really like as well, she just exudes charisma, and I hope she'll have a big part to play in the parts to come. Abbas is another character I've really grown to like, he seems to be more complex than Bakr, and I'm rooting for him despite him being a villain. The Ironborns I always enjoy, and most Ironborn characters are on my favorites list with the exception of Damon Greyjoy, and a couple Hoares. And after the last part, I would like to add Prins to my long list of favorites. He was a bit character, but I liked him more than Jack. XD it was a shame he had to die.
Who were your least favo… [view original content]
Fun fact: I had no idea Oakheart was evil when I made his sister wife of Donnel. Oops.
Huh, that's a funny coincidence. I wonder who submitted Oakheart, and whether he was always meant to be evil, as opposed to a more gray area character.
Abbas is another character I've really grown to like, he seems to be more complex than Bakr, and I'm rooting for him despite him being a vil… morelain.
I am very shocked but interested that Abbas still have fans. Man I used to be a huge fan, but even then I knew they were slavers, and now that character trait has come to the forefront.
Fake Leonard Leo Hill, he's such a self-righteous bastard (literally and figuratively). And Sadie by association because she defended him, and was needlessly harsh on lady Reyne.
Nothing brings more joy to my heart than other people calling Leo Hill fake Leonard. Makes me so proud.
And obviously, everyone's least favorite Maron fucking Mullendore, his lapdog Oakheart, Donnel Selwyn (not his kids tho), and all the other annoying villains that have been around since book 1 (Wolfius and Kreep, the elusive Frostborn brothers).
In my personal character creator opinion, Donnel Selwyn is … [view original content]
And here I was saying Maron wouldn't do something like that. I really should have know better about the crazy bastard.
Hehe, perhaps you should have indeed. With Maron, there's relatively few boundaries he is not willing to cross if it helps him with his goal. In this case, his goal was all about preventing Petyr from getting an important ally in their power struggle, keeping things in the sort of stalemate between them. The problem is, Maron knows that Petyr is the more powerful of the two, so he is taking somewhat desperate measures to ensure that there's going to be a relative balance between them.
Well at least Wilfred didn't die, just most of his supporting cast(although I think maybe Tallain might have just been taking hostage or something since I don't think we saw his body but again that's just giving Maron the benefit of the doubt to be mercyful which I really shouldn't do)
Aye and trust me, I did not like killing them off. Especially Tallian is a character I have grown really fond of, so killing him first has not been easy for me. Sure, you did not see the body, but he took quite a serious injury from the Tom, so his survival, especially after how willing Maron was to kill them all, is quite unlikely.
Anyway now the only POV's in Raylansfair are Arthur and Jenna which again seems weird since nearly every Pov was there in Book 1 Chapter 8. Lets hope neither of them leave or die soon.
It is true. I knew, you earlier mentioned that so many PoV's are leaving Raylansfair and it has always been clear that Willfred will leave soon as well (though this could have been postponed until Chapter 3 given the right choices), leaving Jenna and Arthur as the only two remaining PoV's in Raylansfair. Of course, others might be able to return, as Samantha, Kersea and Ilish still have strong ties to the city. For the time being, there's only the two of them though.
Also I know this part will make everyone think Maron is the undisputed main threat but I would like to remind everyone that Wolfus is still MIA which is in my opinion the most scary thing.
Oh yes, you bring up something good there. Maron might be whom I'd consider the main antagonist on account of just how many storylines he affects, but Wolfius is out there, Wolfius is a major threat, he is still unaccounted for and in terms of the sheer danger he poses as a single person, he is far and above the largest threat, perhaps not counting the Blood Witch, who is literally not a human being. And what can I say, while Book 2 will see Wolfius in a slightly reduced role, it will see him in a far more crucial involvement than Book 1, where he has been more of a sidelines villain. I am pretty confident that his storyline in Book 2 will fundamentally change the way Wolfius works as a character and the way you will see him.
Anyway not going to answer the questions honestly as I don't have much of an opinion on them but I'm glad to have made it to my first live chapter finale and I can't wait for more.
Ah, that is alright of course! The questions are mostly for feedback and this post here is pretty nice feedback already, so that'll do. I'm glad you've made it this far, I hope the next chapter won't disappoint
And here I was saying Maron wouldn't do something like that. I really should have know better about the crazy bastard.
Well at least Wilfr… moreed didn't die, just most of his supporting cast(although I think maybe Tallain might have just been taking hostage or something since I don't think we saw his body but again that's just giving Maron the benefit of the doubt to be mercyful which I really shouldn't do)
Anyway now the only POV's in Raylansfair are Arthur and Jenna which again seems weird since nearly every Pov was there in Book 1 Chapter 8. Lets hope neither of them leave or die soon.
Also I know this part will make everyone think Maron is the undisputed main threat but I would like to remind everyone that Wolfus is still MIA which is in my opinion the most scary thing.
Anyway not going to answer the questions honestly as I don't have much of an opinion on them but I'm glad to have made it to my first live chapter finale and I can't wait for more.
Seriously though, I expected we'd get like an ominous warning from Maron hinting that he saw through Willfred's lie, and then in the next chapter he would've tried to either eliminate him or threaten him into submission. BUT THE MAD BASTARD JUST STRAIGHT UP TRIED TO SHANK HIM! Good thing the artifact's magic seems to be protecting Willfred (or that's how I interpreted it at least) or he'd be a goner. Willfred's storyline has often been kind of a slow burner and overshadowed by many of the other PoVs, but the recent developments with the artifact and especially this finale has got me more engaged with the character than I've been at any point before. Also, RIP Prins, Tallian and Roger, three more victims of Maron's madness. And speaking of that, I see from the sneak peek that tensions will continue to rise between him and Petyr in the next chapter... Can't believe I've got no choice but to root for that a-hole Petyr
Well, Maron is completely done being subtle. He's in a bad position and what he's doing there is snapping at any threat like a caged animal. His rash execution of Richard was part of it already. The problem is, he and Petyr are both equally deeply involved in this whole conspiracy. However, Maron has always been the more ruthless of the two, so over the time, he has done plenty bad and some of it can be traced back to him. Meanwhile, Petyr has kept his hands clean, for the most part, occasionally outright using Maron as the one to do the dirty work. So, Maron now knows, if he wants to have any chance at increasing his situation, he must act swiftly and without any mercy or restraint. That means, the very moment he realized that Willfred won't help him, but is rather swayed by Petyr's (admittely reasonable) arguments already, he took the necessary measures to prevent an alliance at least, perhaps even to start a huge diplomatic incident between the Reach and the Rock, further helping his ultimate goal of seein Harren Hoare conquering both kingdoms. A big step, probably borderline insane, but Maron saw no alternative. This will lead to trouble between him and Petyr though and he can only hope that he'll get through this. You interpret it right though, the artifact ended up seriously saving Willfred here, else he wouldn't have survived Maron's initial attempt on his life. Of course, he still had to save himself, but the artifact kinda warned him of the incoming threats. This was a huge part for him and I am glad these recent developments made you interested in his storyline! Book 2 will see Willfred in a much more crucial role than Book 1 and while I know he has been overshadowed quite a bit at times in the past, I hope this will change with the recent events.
Hmm, instead of going through all my favorite characters (there are a lot), I'll just pick a few that I think shined in this chapter especially: Firstly, Ysilla and Theodan. They are both relatively new characters, but you've done fantastic job in making me care about them and root for them in such a short time. My initial interest for the storyline was sparked by the fact that they are looking for the Red Skull (a character I submitted long ago), but it has grown way beyond that during the parts in Godsgrace. Of course I also have to mention Jaron, though there wasn't necessary any massively significant character development for him in this chapter it has still been nice to see him dive into the mysterious world of Essos and doing all he can to find and rescue Harpy. I also quite enjoyed Kyra's dynamic with his brother Damon in this chapter, eager to see where that goes. I'm sure I'm forgetting something but let's move on to next question anyway...
Ah, I am really glad that Theodan and Ysilla have grown on you so quickly! It is the same for me, I don't think I've ever grown to love two characters this quickly. The Godsgrace parts were always a treat for me, so it is especially nice to hear that they were so well-received in general. It was the groundwork I saw as necessary to properly develop the two characters, as now their quest to find the Red Skull will take more spotlight. I don't want to spoil too much, but I would like to say, you in particular can expect a very particular surprise along the way And well, while you are right that this wasn't the most massive chapter for Jaron in terms of development, it was a very important step for his journey still. Essos is going to offer me some very interesting ways to develop him, with him being confronted with this wholly different culture, their strange morals and beliefs. Kind of the logical extreme from the way I meant to challenge his knightly beliefs in Book 1.
I think there can be only one answer here: Maron Mullendore. And not in like a "I'm not enjoying this character" way, but in a "I love to hate this bastard" way Seriously though, after all this time you're still managing to write him in a way that surprises but is still very true to his character, bravo!
Ah, this is something I am really glad to hear. Maron is one of the few characters whom I absolutely expect to be hated by everyone, so you loving to hate him is exactly what I hope to achieve. I think I said it before, he is the best antagonist I could have hoped for, so the reaction is always a delight.
Like I already mentioned, Willfred as a PoV has become so much more interesting recently. And I already talked about Ysilla as well, but I'll add that she is perhaps the PoV I'm most looking forward to in the next chapter. Keat has given a nice new perspective for us in Oldtown, and it was neat to finally meet Hishi as well. Both Kyra's and Garthon's perspectives to the situation in Riverlands has been very enjoyable. Irae's storyline in Qarth has felt very different and isolated from anything else but still surprisingly engaging. Seeing Dragonstone and the Targs through Ellena's eyes has been pretty neat as well, and Raenna's storyline seems to be bringing in the one thing this story was missing: wildlings!
I am particularly glad to see characters such as Keat and Irae here, given that they are so new (with Irae just being introduced in this chapter) as PoV's, so the positive reaction is really uplifting! And ah, I can confirm, Raenna's storyline in Book 2 will be heavily wildling-centric! I know we haven't gotten much in these terms, but last chapter gave us the first glimpse. There will be a lot more in store for her and I believe the wildlings should get the screentime they deserve over the course of the chapters to come
I don't think there were any that I disliked, but I will say that Kersea's parts dealing with the highwaymen felt a bit like a side quest, so to say I did still enjoy seeing her and Leonard starting to bond though, and my excitement for their storyline going forward has only increased
It is the truth, I can see how it did feel more like a side quest. I believe it was a necessary step, as it set up the tense relationship between Leonard and Kersea a bit better, for the first time through her eyes, showing how they have to work together and are actually rather effective at it without their issues being sorted out, while it also introduced Elias and reintroduced Magnus and Bennett, so while definitely not the most impactful chapter for them, I think it was a very necessary one and skipping right to Oldtown would have felt odd.
Seriously though, I expected we'd get like an ominous warning from Maron hinting that he saw through Willfred's lie, and then in the next ch… moreapter he would've tried to either eliminate him or threaten him into submission. BUT THE MAD BASTARD JUST STRAIGHT UP TRIED TO SHANK HIM! Good thing the artifact's magic seems to be protecting Willfred (or that's how I interpreted it at least) or he'd be a goner. Willfred's storyline has often been kind of a slow burner and overshadowed by many of the other PoVs, but the recent developments with the artifact and especially this finale has got me more engaged with the character than I've been at any point before. Also, RIP Prins, Tallian and Roger, three more victims of Maron's madness. And speaking of that, I see from the sneak peek that tensions will continue to rise between him and Petyr in the next chapter... Can't believe I've got no choice but to root for that a-hole Petyr
Anyway, to the questio… [view original content]
Damn, Mullendore keeps on making more enemies. The more people he antagonizes or tries to kill, the more likely he will become a liability for everyone else. House Reyne and Westerling will certainly demand blood, even if Mern Gardener isn't in a position to demand it.
Aye, Mullendore is having tons of powerful enemies now. His support is running thin, has been for a long time now and we see the desperate measures he takes in order to put himself into a position where he can no longer get his comeuppance. With this part, he can firmly add House Reyne and House Westerling to his enemies. Ironically, the one thing that is currently buying him time is none other than Aegon Targaryen, albeit unwittingly. After the way Maron antagonized Orys at the end of Book 1, they definitely cannot be seen as allies, but the kings of Westeros have more dire threats to focus on than an upstart knight. For the time being, Mern doesn't know about it and even should he learn, he'd rather have Petyr deal with this, especially as he has no idea that guy is in on the conspiracy as well.
I really liked the three companies and I wish to know a bit more about them.
Your wish will come true! I suppose the Three Companies have been the strangest new concept for Chapter 2 and it merely set them up, but I think you will get a much better insight on the inner workings of them in the next chapter.
I think those were Redmond Royce and Quingar Qoherys, probably because of the bad impressions they gave.
Justified bad impressions even. Redmond and Quingar are definitely not pleasant people and Quingar in particular will get a good role in the next chapter. Redmond will have a lesser impact for the time being, due to Lachlan having chosen the route to Gull Tower, but I can promise that you will see a lot more of him as the story progresses.
Damn, Mullendore keeps on making more enemies. The more people he antagonizes or tries to kill, the more likely he will become a liability f… moreor everyone else. House Reyne and Westerling will certainly demand blood, even if Mern Gardener isn't in a position to demand it.
Who were your favorite characters in Chapter 2?
I really liked the three companies and I wish to know a bit more about them.
Who were your least favorite characters in Chapter 2?
I think those were Redmond Royce and Quingar Qoherys, probably because of the bad impressions they gave.
Who were your favorite PoV's in Chapter 2?
I guess those were Raenna and Ysilla, and their story lines are getting pretty interesting.
Who were your least favorite PoV's in Chapter 2?
I suppose those were Kersea's. Her confrontation at the inn with Ironshield and Elias felt a bit too side-quest-y.
What has been your favorite part in Chapter 2?
I think it was the melee tournament … [view original content]
Congrats Liquid!!! I can't believe were this far into the story. Now we have yet another successful chapter completed. I always find these questions a bit hard to answer, but I will try my best.
You know, whenever I think how incredible it is how far we've gotten so far, I realize the story is not even halfway done yet. I think the halfway point in terms of parts will be reached during Chapter 6 and oh boy, I just know it will be the most fitting halfway point I could have ever thought of
I really like parts that take us out of the usual spots, I really makes this feel like this is a huge living world. So the Esso's part for example I really loved. I always feel a bit bad when I say I loved Alys's pov in the chapter. I mean i'm pretty much expected to love them since Edwards there, so I always feel like I'm taken as a bit disingenuous. Like the creator of Alys and of course you, Liquid who brought her to life always have this nagging feeling in the back of their head that i'm only in it for the monthly dose of Anturion, which isn't really true. I admit that as soon as I see him pop up my eyes shine a bit and a single reference can make my day, but I also grew to love Alys as a character and Carvin and Alisa too. And merman's rest is amazing!!!, i'm a big fan of pirates in case you couldn't tell.
Hehe, I know that you're not just here for Anturion, no worries! Always glad to hear your input and I am especially glad you enjoyed Alys' storyline here. This time, her storyline had a bit less Edward than usual and I do want to give her development outside of him, but be assured, his story will take a rather unexpected turn in the next chapter. The same will hold true for Alys, but hopefully also for Carvin and Alisa.
I hesitate to say, again I really like most of them and I doesn't feel like other chapters where a character in one or two of the pov's would just do squat for most of it (something I remember you regretted a lot). I also am ashamed to admit I missed a few parts during my forum hiatus, so I don't think i'm ready to make that call.
It is something I really hope to change, where some PoV characters were just not doing anything for a whole chapter. I think I once had a full chapter of Willfred sitting in a tavern and one where Ilish walked from point A to point B, simply to give them something to do in a chapter. Now, I'd rather cut them out of a chapter if it means giving them a more exciting storyline for later. Samantha is a case of this, Maya another. While this chapter has been very long, I hope in the end every storyline at least added something meaningful to the whole picture.
Congrats Liquid!!! I can't believe were this far into the story. Now we have yet another successful chapter completed. I always find these q… moreuestions a bit hard to answer, but I will try my best.
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2? I mean its always hard to play favorites, since most of the characters get there to some extent. But, really I don't know what to say for this chapter. All the characters did something I can at least call memorable.
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2? Now this normally is very easy, but for me it's like a double edged sword too. If I say I didn't like a character I always feel a little bad. That is unless a character is MEANT to be hated or just plainly evil, but I tend to love those characters. I case anyone didn't know that, what with the Anturions being a thing. So again i'm blanking here.
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2? I really like parts that take us out of … [view original content]
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Ellena, as I'm a Targ fanboy through and through so being able to see Dragonstone and interact with some of the bigwigs was quite enjoyable to me! Ysilla, as her story is shaping up to be great and we're starting to see some of the big names of Dorne with the Allyrions and hearing about others. Willfred, who has always been one of favorite characters and has only gotten better. And then Drent because he's awesome and was Jax's soldier. =p Tallian is great and was one of my favorites. (RIP potentially) And then Asher Velaryon because he's a fireball and i'm Biased.
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Devrin, Maron, Donnel, and THE TOM. Screw em all lol.
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Ysilla, Ellena, Drent, Willfred.
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Wasn't a huge fan of Alys but I think that's just me not being connected to her storyline fully.
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2?
I loved the scene in the abandoned tavern with Leonard, but getting to see Dragonstone and having Ellena interact with people from the Targteam was my overall favorite.
What has been your favourite part and your favourite moment in Chapter 2? Is there anything you disliked?
Looved Dragonstone, and actually really liked seeing some more of Dorne. Nothing I can say I particularly disliked other than the Essos storyline seemed slower but it might be because of the slower chapter which is not a problem really, just felt slower!
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3?
My advice would be not to burn out and not worry about the time things take if you're dealing with stuff. Need to take time for yourself and to enjoy the story you're creating for us!
As for what I'm anticipating, I'm hoping for more clashing in Raylansfair and getting the Gardener King's 'spy' into some of these discussions and to potentially start forming a plan! Also really looking forward to the tension with Orys and the Stormlands. Finally, I'm looking forward to the Dorne storyline to see where Ysilla goes next and what Houses will be seen!
Just when you though dear Maron couldn't get any worse, well, he gets worse. TWENTY-EIGHT STAB WOUNDS worse. To be honest, we should have seen this coming. This guy has raped and murdered for less. Off the top of my head, he raped and then stabbed a young woman, framed two knights for her murder, beat a man to death with a cane, has had several people tortured to death, orchestrated the raid and pillage of a city for his own gain, costing hundreds of lives, indirectly/directly led to a knight being forced to do a trial by combat for something he did not do, causing his death, uh, being a crime lord, hiring psycho assassins like Wolfius, Rayden, Clayton, Alysanne and Kersea to murder many people. And the Chapter 6 finale, don't get me started on that. And I know I've missed some stuff!
You do bring up Maron's most major crimes here and I think if you missed anything it can be combined under "being a crime lord". To be honest, right now I do not know if you missed anything, that seems pretty complete to me. Especially his time as Butterfly led to the absolute worst stuff he has ever done and it shows how far he is willing to go if it furthers his goals. On top of that, he sometimes does stuff like that without it actually furthering his goals. Him framing Lucas and Leonard for Lunett's murder? Sure, that actually helps taking two potential threats out of the picture. Him raping Lunett and giving her a super painful death? He claims it was to send a message, but it should be clear it was because he enjoys giving in to his darker urges. Trying to kill Willfred to prevent an alliance with Petyr before it even starts is nothing compared to what he has done already. Sure it is dangerous, but he likes the feeling of dancing with danger. I mean, now that you know it, could he, the Mullendore knight, picked a more obvious name for his crimelord persona than Butterfly? They are all over his sigil and he somehow got away with it because nobody believed things to be that obvious. So, he has no restraints and actively welcomes dangerously close calls, both traits that led to him acting so quickly here.
Frankly, and my fellow long-time readers may notice, I'm a bit of a troll at times when I'm voting with certain characters, as I was when I voted with the "Lie". While I didn't think he'd outright try to kill us right then and there, I must say I didn't think we'd get away with it for long. I am curious to hear about the alternate choices, because this certainly must have changed stuff. Refusing might have gone along with something similar, but maybe not.
I must say, I don't even think lying would have been the worst choice. Sure, it led to the same outcome, but there was an option to outright refuse to answer. That would have been the same, just without even trying to get a better outcome. So, lying makes sense and I can say, there are many characters who could have pulled this one off, they just need to be better than the man who fooled an entire city for years. Saerya and Vali could have done this, Petyr quite probably as well. Even Jenna would have had a shot, mostly due to Maron having the habit of underestimating people like her. But Willfred was raised to be honest and outright sworn to this when giving his knightly vows. He has many fine traits, but he is about as deceptive as a brick. So, the choice itself wasn't even the problem, just the character making it. I can say though, telling him what you learned would have dramatically changed the chapter finale and I will tell you more about it in the alternative choices, which I hope to finish tomorrow. I unfortunately got nothing done while I was away, but I'll try my best to deliver soon
Poor Tallian, and Roger, and Prins. Prins especially, we hardly knew ya, like a certain Fedonico Snail. But Tallian and Roger, my gosh, they've been in the story for years! I don't think we're grapping with how major of a loss that is. 6 months, Roger says, much longer to us. I expect this major loss of blood by Willfred to induce some hallucinations/delusions combined with that freaky Tesseract box. Clearly, it helped him out quite a bit this time, but there will still be scars. RIP his pals though. Can Maron smell what the Rock is cooking? War probably. Makes their future alliance...interesting...
At least with Prins, I feel like I couldn't have done much with him. Federico had a really rich backstory and his problem was mostly that his creator never sent me a second character absolutely vital for many aspects of it, so I, way less experienced back then, put him into a different role that eventually culminated in his death. Prins is not a bad character, but I wouldn't call him very detailed either. But ah, you are right, Tallian and Roger have been in the story for over three years! I even think at the time of his death, Tallian has been among the twenty longest living characters, or he has been close to them at least. At times I feel I could have done more with them, but the reactions to their passing means I must have done something right with turning them into memorable characters. You are right though, there will be scars for Willfred. He has lost a lot of blood, he lost his uncle and though the box helped him out big time here, he is really in no position to properly resist it, is he? It is powerful, it has a mind of its own and very specific goals, which you will learn more about soon.
Jenna should not be listening to this conversation. Also, there's no way Maron is that..."calm"? I don't know the exact word, but I have no doubt that the last line there really is not sincere. There's no way he's not going to screw over that bastard Petyr.
Oh yeah, she should not. Even if Petyr does not mind, you have just seen how unpredictable Maron can be. He seems calm here, but this snippet takes place only hours after he stabbed a man in cold blood. Petyr knows this and he knows, it's all a matter of using each other until they both get what they want from each other, then it's all about screwing the other one over before they themselves end up screwed. There is no fondness between them, so both have reason to screw each other over.
Volantis, with the bridge, I'd assume (but it's not, isn't it?). More Abbas sexism, wonderful. Now, "that insolent bitch" comment, sexism aside, is quite interesting. I wonder if a certain attractive female Draco Malfoy is to whom he refers.
It is not indeed. Avoiding Volantis is a big part of Abbas' strategy to throw off those who pursue him. No, this bridge belongs to a new character whom we will meet in the next chapter, who is the "insolent bitch" he mentions here. I can say that Abbas does not like her and he even has good reason not to like her. At the same time, I can't say being disliked by Abbas is a bad trait.
Commando Edrick. Also, Viveka, where are thou? Catch us again, and well...
In that case, all hell breaks loose. Viveka is reasonable, especially for an Ironborn, but Edrick has effectively broken their agreement. If she catches them again, things will change.
Hmmm. I have a bad feeling about this.
What? A bad feeling about something involving the warlocks and Moros Qo Palpatine? Now, I think that's just ridiculous, I am certain everything's going to be just fine
Confrontation, oh yes! Violence! Anger!
Confrontation indeed! Anger can be confirmed as well. Violence though? Well, that is really what remains to be seen. We know Orys hopes to avoid this, but this is not just about Orys and what he wants.
"Welcome warmth". Hm. Is that a person? Also, cold air, so it's probably night. Also, I also again have a bad feeling about this. Maybe a sandstorm! Like, an actual sandstorm. That'd be a cool part.
It might just be. I mean, a person. I can confirm, this scene takes place during the night and dornish nights must be particularly cold, just like how real deserts cool off once the sun sets. A sandstorm would indeed be pretty cool. Hm, let me see what I can make with that idea...
I have noted that Kersea, Ilish, Arthur among others did not get one of these. Also, Samantha is supposed to come back to the story in Chapter 3! Yay!!! It's been like, my gosh, months?
Indeed, many haven't gotten one of these. That does not mean they won't be important though, I just can't write snippets for each of them. It's just way too many at this point. I can say, Samantha will be back next chapter after eight months of absence and though the break was necessary, I finally know what to do with her storyline! Perhaps even bigger, Maya will return after a full year. Ilish however might skip this one, I am not entirely certain what storyline of value I can give her in the next chapter. Since Kersea and Leonard will just arrive in Oldtown next time we see them and they started earlier than Ilish, I can't just have her teleport to her destination either. I gotta wait and plan, but it is questionable if she appears this time.
Ah, yes. Favorites. Leonard, I mean come on. Some less obvious choices: Kyra, Maurice Mad-Eye, Gravven Drumm, Durren Stallhart!!! Kasyn Luck, he's alright. Vaasrand if he appeared in this chapter, I can't remember exactly. I like Prins and Jack now, Willfred always been nice, and I don't think I ever appreciated Roger and Tallian until now. Wildor Goodbrook I kinda like, compared, but I might like Lawsen? Saerya, Arthur, Ilish is growing on me as of late, Magnus and Bennet were fine, Elias is intriguing. The nice Hoare. The Hawk is cool. I'm a Keat kind of guy. Argella and her father remain nice. Edirck and Leo and Darreth and Jorid and Normund + Reymond and a pack of hyenas are good company. Sylvi is a nice woman. Viveka is someone I'd be attracted to in real life. I like Malina, and Garthon, Aegon, and Visenya, with Orys, Daghan, that weirdo Wulvren and Ellena. Hjalgar is chill. Sadie and fake Leonard are alright. Malcom Mertyns and Drent, and Emphryus are A-Okay. Mace Crowl is awesome. Raenna is sweet. Ysilla and Theodan are nice, but Belandra has stolen my heart. Edward Anturion, no matter how evil, is cool. Blacksails and the Merman's Rest gang are aright. Irae is too, as are our buds Jaron, John, Harrington?, Arryn and Aidan, Lysara, seems, okay? Behara, Janae, and Harpy are not in a good spot. I like Dunaver and Dustran, but unsure of the Donnel himself.
Haha, those are a seriously large amount of names. As always, one thing I especially enjoy is seeing so many minor names here. I can confirm, Vaasrand did not appear in this chapter, neither did Mace Crowl, but the latter will reappear in the next chapter, as the Next Time segment has revealed. I do believe all of these characters will appear next chapter, with quite a number of names here getting some much needed spotlight. Of course I can't say which of these, but I hope that each will leave a good impression. Another thing I am really happy about is to see that your opinion on some characters has increased. I remember there was a time where at least Raenna, Samuel Harrington and Harpy were among your least favourites, so seeing them here makes me glad that their newer development is received more positively.
Maron Mullendore. Such a funny first name. The Tom! The Moggy! The Sphynx is not redeemable! Connor Frostborn that creep. Petyr Vyrwel is not a good guy, and neither is Lord Oakheart. Vali Flowers is man, salty. Lucia Grimthorn straight up sucks. Lord Arrec Mallister is a terrible person, as is his son-in-law. Thorrin Bannister, the worst, Hishi weirds me out. Dante should get his face punched and again Gawayne "Sneeze" Schaffrot is not a friendly folk. Not in Chapter 2, but that Roach guy, man he sucked. Yoreen Flowers, for being a dick when mentioned and also be the current longest-waited character waiting to be introduced on the list at this time. Kory Umber kind of sucked, glad he's dead. Love the Drake? Hate the Drake! The Drake belongs in a bath tub as a rubber toy, but I suppose he'll never get his wish. Don't really like Khal Rhavarro or the Blood Witch either, don't seem too friendly. The Fang, what the hell is that guy's deal. Maester Lucifer, I mean, look at the guy's name. Note that Kersea and Jenna are not in the hate, Rosalie still is. Noelle is still here. Two-Face, I liked him back in Book 1, but not so much anymore. Sargasso Saan, eh. Abbas and Bakr, why must you be bad? Ryder is a mixed bag.
So many names as well, I love it! While I obviously can't react to each of these, let me pick some that stand out for me. First, the Sphynx. I can say, redemption might indeed not be on the table, at least no outright redemption. He did so much bad stuff that the best he can hope for is to be turned into a more grey character. This is exactly what I'm trying to do right now, giving him humanizing features, literally showing the man behind the mask, to establish that there's more to him than just some torturer, perhaps traits that are actually positive. He's the necessary evil at this point and it remains to be seen (perhaps to everyone's interpretation), how he will develop. With Kory Umber, I should mention he didn't actually appear in this chapter. The man you seem to dislike is Markus Treearms, the wildling who posed as Kory and he is not actually dead. Markus escaped alongside the wildling spearwive Myrla, leaving the fate of the real Kory unknown for now. He is in the "Deceased or Unknown" list because he has previously left the "Waiting to be introduced" list back when you were led to believe that the guy posing as him is indeed Kory. So, you have never actually met Kory yet and his fate won't be revealed all that quickly. And ah, I do notice Kersea and Jenna are not in the hate list. Must say, that is surprising, but given that especially the former was always a character you disliked, I must admit I am happy with this. We'll see if they manage to stay out of that list, but I am pretty sure your opinion on them will at least continue develop, one way or the other.
This is a real shocker: the one where Leonard was featured the most. While I do enjoy some adventure unrelated to lots of stuff, personally it just was kind of there to remind us the characters were there. Which is nice, but story-wise, I think it probably my least favorite, even though there were some nice bits.
Shocker indeed, but not one I could disagree with. It established some important aspects that I feel would have felt out of place in other situations or were necessary to set up the next chapter, but I can only agree, it featured way less important events than the other storylines. Ah, I know what is in store for that storyline, so I have utmost confidence that things should get more interesting soon
Already did favorite part, so my favorite moment...Hm. Okay, literally anything with Donnel Selwyn, or more specifically when he's first introduced and Mullendore and Petyr are just flabbergasted or when he mentions Leonard and goes to a dark place. He's hilarious.
Haha, this I am glad to hear. I know Donnel is a bit of a hit-or-miss character and I might need some time to develop him to a point where I am confident with him, but I am glad that you enjoyed this aspect of him. I don't think he can work as a character without having hilarious moments (I wouldn't call it light-hearted though, because he was definitely anything but when ranting about Leonard), but at the same time, his overall role in the story is meant to have quite serious moments going forward. The right mixture between them is what I hope will turn Donnel into a character who is generally well-received. In fact, I think he is one of the few characters who can easily do both, comic relief and serious scenes, the former are just easier to fill in.
Well, I already said about the Kersea storyline, but maybe the fact that the chapter was so long that I have forgotten most of the early stuff. Maybe. Also, wish Samantha was here! Love her. While I enjoyed their awesome names (fun fact I love awesome names, the Children of Thanos in Infinity War especially), all the characters with the Hawk in the Vale, man, so damn many. But I admire that you tried to introduce so many, and I imagine the important ones will/have become apparent.
That is stuff I dislike as well, greatly so. This chapter has been long and I don't even think it was the longest in terms of parts, but it was paired with me having to slow down a bit. As such, I cannot blame anyone for having forgotten about some of the earlier stuff. It has grown so bad that I myself have occasionally forgotten about certain aspects. The fact that I messed up several times with which choice actually won should be proof of that. This turned Samantha's absence way longer than I planned it to be. And well, then there's the fact that I had to introduce so many characters. You mentioned it with the Hawk, but there is one thing I feel I should mention in general in a new paragraph (and I'll probably talk more about this in the future):
I still receive tons of new characters and I have grown to a point where I'll handle it differently than I thought at first. Anyone can send me any character they wish for (to a somewhat reasonable amount, of course), I'll try my best to put them in, but with hundreds of characters in the waiting list, I'd have to introduce close to a hundred new characters each chapter. So, it is perfectly possible that at the end of the story, there will be many unintroduced names still left, characters we'll never meet. I won't force it, that's what I mean and if anyone is concerned their characters won't be able to fit into the story, they can always send me a message and we can talk about it. With most characters I can probably be able to ease the concerns, because I'll be able to fit a serious amount of them in. I just don't think it can be expected that in the 17-18 remaining chapters I will be able to introduce and develop every character in the waiting list, including those to be submitted in the future, as well as having it happen in a way that won't harm the existing characters or the story itself. So, I'll pick those who fit in when they fit in, but I won't bend the narrative to ridiculous degrees or force them in when they don't even work. At the same time, the huge amount of characters will directly lead to some of the most amazing events in the whole story, I can promise you that
Hobert. He's got to come back some time. Dimitri the Wise. I'd like to see a character's storyline basically revolve around a single conversation. I know it's strange, but you could have a campfire/whatever place conversation between two interesting characters, where the choices are purely dialogue. Maybe they can both by POVs and we can steer it. Also, Selwyn, get hype. And Samantha's storyline. Also, I think Batman needs to be Chapter 3. Good stuff!
Well, both Hobert and Dimitri will return eventually, this I can confirm. There will be more Selwyn, including screentime for those we haven't seen much of yet. Samantha is confirmed as well. Batman? Well, quite probably. I mean, I have a billion characters to choose from, surely one of them will be Westeros' equivalent of Batman, right? Jokes aside though, I love this suggestion you make there! One big and important conversation between two characters. While I am not sure when I can fit that one in, the idea is just too tempting to miss out on. I have several PoV meetings planned in the future, on top of the John/Jaron duo that exists already. But even if it doesn't involve two PoV's, one and a sufficiently interesting non-PoV should be good enough for that. It would be something new, but I am rapidly warming up to the idea!
This is a massive comment - sorry.
Ah, don't be sorry! It was a massive comment and actually what convinced me to not even try to reply to anything during my vacation (because just imagine me writing this long reply over my phone ), but honestly, this made my day when I read it
Oh dear! So much to comment on. How exciting...
Let's start with my thoughts on the chapter finale:
Just when you though dear Maron co… moreuldn't get any worse, well, he gets worse. TWENTY-EIGHT STAB WOUNDS worse. To be honest, we should have seen this coming. This guy has raped and murdered for less. Off the top of my head, he raped and then stabbed a young woman, framed two knights for her murder, beat a man to death with a cane, has had several people tortured to death, orchestrated the raid and pillage of a city for his own gain, costing hundreds of lives, indirectly/directly led to a knight being forced to do a trial by combat for something he did not do, causing his death, uh, being a crime lord, hiring psycho assassins like Wolfius, Rayden, Clayton, Alysanne and Kersea to murder many people. And the Chapter 6 finale, don't get me started on that. And I know I've missed some stuff!
Frankly, and my fellow long-time readers may notice… [view original content]
Ah, I am glad you enjoyed the finale! I was not too sure about it, compared to the last four chapter finales which each featured something as massive as a PoV death, but I am really happy I managed to pull off an epic finale without having to go that far
There were a lot of characters I thoroughly enjoyed in Chapter 2, so I'll just mention some newly gained favorites. Samuel Harrington has been growing on me through the course of the story, and is definitely my favorite character in Jaron's storyline for the moment. The Rogare lady we just met is someone I really like as well, she just exudes charisma, and I hope she'll have a big part to play in the parts to come. Abbas is another character I've really grown to like, he seems to be more complex than Bakr, and I'm rooting for him despite him being a villain. The Ironborns I always enjoy, and most Ironborn characters are on my favorites list with the exception of Damon Greyjoy, and a couple Hoares. And after the last part, I would like to add Prins to my long list of favorites. He was a bit character, but I liked him more than Jack. XD it was a shame he had to die.
Oh, I am really surprised to see Abbas here! Surprised, but not displeased. I always love it when there's an unexpected favourite and he is probably one of the most unexpected. I agree, he is more complex than Bakr (who is honestly rather simple, to be fair) and I am glad I gave him some aspects to root for even if he is definitely a villain. Lysara I am also glad to see there, because she is such a new character, but it seems she left an impact with her first scene. I'd say she will play a notable part in the things to come, so your wish will probably come true. And Prins, that one's a surprise! Of course, he wasn't much of an important character over his short lifetime, but it is always nice to hear I got such a minor character right.
Fake Leonard Leo Hill, he's such a self-righteous bastard (literally and figuratively). And Sadie by association because she defended him, and was needlessly harsh on lady Reyne. And obviously, everyone's least favorite Maron fucking Mullendore, his lapdog Oakheart, Donnel Selwyn (not his kids tho), and all the other annoying villains that have been around since book 1 (Wolfius and Kreep, the elusive Frostborn brothers).
Hehe, Leo can definitely be very confident about what he believes in. I would actually even agree, he can be outright self righteous. It is an easy trap to fall in when someone believes themselves to be in the absolute right with their opinion. Sadie's views on the topic are way more complex. She defended Leo because he is her only support right now. I mean, she has no particular skill beyond fighting and she's of little use for that anymore. Leo keeps her around regardless, so she feels indebted to him. Defending him, harshly even, that is something she feels she has to do, not just because she sees Leo as a good man who stood by her side when everyone else would have abandoned her. She also fears that he would just kick her out should he have no use for her anymore.
I enjoyed every storyline in Essos, especially Janae's and Irae's. Jaron's at the end started to pick up after the obligatory recruitment arc is over. Back in Westeros, standouts for me are Kyra's and Ysilla's, mainly because the locations for both are so distinct. But both Keat and Kersea's storylines were solid for me as well.
Oh, I am glad you enjoyed Kersea's storyline! I can't deny the others brought up solid points why it is their least favourite, but as always, I am super happy when someone has a different opinion on a topic. This is especially true for least favourites, seeing one reader's least favourite storylines as another one's favourite is quite a nice feeling, odd as it sounds
Sadie, but I think a lot of it is because I just don't like her. Ellena and Jenna's were a little slow for me as well, and it felt like their story arcs kind of overlapped in this chapter. They were both servants in court, meeting unfamiliar lords.
That is kind of true, their storylines did overlap a bit. It is a direct result of having so many PoV's, sometimes their storylines will feel a bit similar. In case of Ellena and Jenna here, this is especially true. However, I believe that should change in the future, as each of them gets her own role.
The last Willfred part was pretty fucking great, but I think my favorite part is probably when Kersea and Leonard first arrived at the inn. The standoff and the tension in that part was just marvelous.
This I must admit is a part I had a surprisingly huge amount of fun with! In retrospect, one thing I regret is not having even more characters there who would increase the complexity of the scene, enhancing the storyline as a whole. I wonder if that would have improved the opinion the others have on it. But given how much fun I had, this might be something I would like to return to in the future, in a different situation of course, but having such a tense standoff between several characters, with neither trusting the other and things being ready to escalate at any given moment.
Not anything in particular, I do notice a small spelling mistake, or an odd word choice here and there, but nothing that I can't easily overlook.
Yeah, the spelling mistakes always irk me and I try to minimize them. I think it has been way worse in the early parts, where I didn't even use an english spellchecker, instead using the default german one from my version of Open Office, which amounted to me having none at all. The odd words meanwhile, that'll be harder to change. It's one issue I still face after all these years. A word that might be perfectly common in German might be really unusual when translated into English and vice versa. As such, I often relate on an online dictionary when I encounter a word I really don't know how to translate. And that one is definitely not the best out there, occasionally offering really weird (but technically correct) translations. If you encounter a word choice that is particularly glaring, I would actually really appreciate if you could point it out so that I'll find a better translation for the next time. I can assure you, I wouldn't consider this nitpicky, as it is something I genuinely hope to improve on
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2?
There were a lot of characters I thoroughly enjoyed in Chapter 2, so I'll just mention s… moreome newly gained favorites. Samuel Harrington has been growing on me through the course of the story, and is definitely my favorite character in Jaron's storyline for the moment. The Rogare lady we just met is someone I really like as well, she just exudes charisma, and I hope she'll have a big part to play in the parts to come. Abbas is another character I've really grown to like, he seems to be more complex than Bakr, and I'm rooting for him despite him being a villain. The Ironborns I always enjoy, and most Ironborn characters are on my favorites list with the exception of Damon Greyjoy, and a couple Hoares. And after the last part, I would like to add Prins to my long list of favorites. He was a bit character, but I liked him more than Jack. XD it was a shame he had to die.
Who were your least favo… [view original content]
Comments
Ah, this is one of the parts that I was particularly looking forward to ever since you told me about being able to show Godsgrace in the story and I can already tell you that I enjoyed it greatly. I know I said this a million times now, but I'll never tire of pointing out how great a job you did with every single member of House Allyrion and the relationships between them. The one shown here is definitely among one of my favorites in the entire family, and once again you were able to show it exactly as I pictured it when writing them. While it's clear to see that Belandra is a good-natured person, her accepting a bastard into her home in the way she accepted Ysilla is really huge, even for Dornish standards. There's good reason for that, two main ones to be precise, and you were able to point out in their conversation here. Of course Belandra being how she is was also a factor, but in the end it all comes down to the relationship between Theodan and Ysilla. See, ever since he was very young Theodan took it upon himself to make sure Ysilla was as much a member of the Allyrion family as he was. He never allowed anyone to treat her any different than he was treated, and whenever anyone insisted in treating Ysilla as a Sand, he would make sure she was treated as an Allyrion no matter what. Their relationship was so natural, and Theo was always so adamant in treating Ysilla as his flesh and blood, that everybody else simply ended up naturally following suit. In return, Ysilla was the "responsible" side that Theodan completely lacked as a youth, make no mistake, Theodan would've done a lot worse than he already did if Ysilla wasn't there by his side. They were always there for each other no matter what. You were able to show these aspects very well during their conversation, as well as their relationship with each other. Belandra being genuinely warm and caring towards Ysilla, and Ysilla in return being heavily conflicted about it. In one hand she's afraid of doing something wrong and ruining everything and in the other hand she wants to get closer to that motherly figure that Belandra is. While I'm really looking forward to the adventure ahead, I'm definitely going to miss this chapter, it'll be quite a while until we see all the Allyrions together again... if we see them together again at all.
Oh, so Theodan fought against Lord Gargalen during a tourney held at Yronwood, huh? That must've been a very interesting match up. Hopefully we get a chance to learn a bit more about that tourney in the future, I'm kinda curious about it.
[Promise her] Her eldest son came back home after such a long time away and on the very same day she discovers that he's already leaving, going head first into danger. It would break Belandra's heart if we don't promise this here, she's just looking for some reassurance that she'll see them again, even if deep down she probably knows the chance of them following through with it is almost zero. Yoreen Flowers, huh? I have a bad feeling about pretty much everything that has any connection to Mullendore, and if the rumors about Flowers have any truth to them he definitely takes after his father. We'll have to tread carefully moving forward, that's for sure.
Oh, now that we're talking about Mullendore it hit me that Kersea is also going to Oldtown, wonder if we'll actually run into her while there. Another thing that came to mind is Nym, we haven't seen her since she left Raylansfair and I feel like there's a good chance that she could've gone to Oldtown. After all, the best place for a sellsword to find work in Westeros is there, so I'm really hoping she indeed went to Oldtown and that she ends up stumbling upon our dornish friends somehow. And since she's dornish herself, wonder if there's any chance she met the Allyrion siblings before she decided to leave Dorne to become a sellsword.
[Tell Warmond about your true identity] When we learned about Warmond and Gonzo in this part, the first thing that came to my mind was Gregor's remarks towards Manderly during the council meeting. This here made his attacks even more on point than they already were and I can't help but wonder what his reaction would be if he was there to witness this
I am glad you enjoyed the part! Not being able to show much of Ysilla and Belandra together has been honestly bothering me in this chapter, so I made it a point to focus on it in this part. And it is definitely a very complex relationship, so it wasn't the easiest for me. As much as I consider Theodan and Ysilla's relationship to be the beating heart of the Allyrion storyline, it is at its core notably easier to write. But you bring up a very important aspect here. Of course, Belandra is a good person, not the Catelyn Stark kind who would treat her husband's bastard with disdain. However, the more important reason why she ended up being so acceptive of Ysilla, to a degree that is notable even for Dornish standards, is definitely the way Theodan gets along with his sister. I think it got clear here, he is Belandra's favourite child, so I imagine his opinion on Ysilla had a huge part in shaping her willingness to accept this bastard among her own children. Over the time, she grew to genuinely like the girl, something I believe must have been hard for her in the very beginning and Theodan and, to a degree, Alester being so protective of the child definitely helped her with coming to terms with it. Yet, in the way I interpreted the nature of Ysilla's somewhat timid behaviour around Belandra, this is also part of the reason why she remains so fearful that this caring, warm-hearted woman could end up kicking her out of her home at any moment. She suspects, or at least hopes, that Belandra has grown to genuinely like her, but the fact that it started off as something coming from Theodan, something he essentially demanded from his family instead of something that originated with Belandra herself definitely worries her. What I mean is, while Ysilla might be doubting herself and Belandra a bit too much there, she has no way of being certain how much of their positive interactions come from genuine sympathy and how much of it is just Belandra's love for her firstborn. I hope I pointed this out here, whenever Ysilla is alone with Belandra she's really out of her comfort zone. There is a lot of doubt and her trying her best to avoid spending more time with Belandra out of the fear of overstaying her welcome is not making things any easier. But ah, I can tell you I already miss writing all of them together. Of course, the fact that I am super hyped for Ysilla's storyline in the next chapter might make up for it, but I enjoyed this chapter on a different level. And with Theodan and Ysilla gone for the time being, you are right, it will definitely be a long time until they see each other again even if things go well. I have plans for the Allyrion family while Theodan and Ysilla are away, but of course it won't be the same as having all of them together in one spot. However, I said it before, this chapter has set up the driving relationships for Ysilla's storyline, which will keep being important even when the family itself is divided.
Aye, he fought Goram Gargalen during the tourney several years ago. Back then, Goram hasn't been lord yet, but he has assumed the position shortly after Theodan's exile. He is also not much older than Theodan and the two do have a handful of similarities (with the biggest differences not mattering during the course of the tourney) that caused them to get along very well. I can say, Theodan did not win the tourney. While he didn't do bad, Goram thoroughly defeated him and the blow he received would have actually killed him if not for the armour. That being said, Theodan held no grudge against his opponent and ended up spending the rest of the night drinking with Goram and his bastard cousins Indra and Kisara. That was only a few months before his exile though, so what could have developed into a genuine friendship was kinda cut short and with several years having passed, they aren't particularly close nowadays. That being said, they still have a good opinion about each other and Goram is one of the dornish lords who did not take an issue with the scandal that led to Theodan's exile.
A bad feeling as you rightfully should have! Maron is a poisonous person, the sort that brings out the worst in people and he was partially responsible for raising Yoreen. Considering the rumours (which have very strong credibility to them due to the fact that Saerya Yronwood is alive to testify), one can see how Yoreen is Maron's son. At the same time, there is the conflicting report that was delivered to the Storm King in Chapter 4, where Yoreen promised draconian punishments to any of his soldiers caught in the act of rape. Then again, the whole punishment stuff is a Maron trait, as is being incredibly hypocritical. What I can say is, do not expect Yoreen to be a good-natured nice guy, but expect a complex character I personally find very compelling.
Both very strong possibilities, aye. The man they are looking for, Laryl Callace, he is a scholar and scholard study at the Citadel. Coincidentally, Kersea and Leonard plan to meet up with Archmaester Quent at the very same place. A meeting between them wouldn't exactly feel forced should they both end up at the Citadel during the same time. Meanwhile, Nymeria is a fellow dornish and as a sellsword, Oldtown is a city of possibilities for her. I can say, Nymeria never met the Allyrions before leaving Dorne, mostly a result of her house being seen with general distrust by the rest of Dorne. They are vassals of House Wyl after all, themselves not a house with a great reputation. So, Alester never considered having close relations with them. He would have skipped having much of a connection to House Wyl either, but Theodan left him with little choice but to take any straw offered to him. What I find interesting though is that Nymeria is a trueborn Aspys who was nonetheless mistreated by her family, while Ysilla, the Allyrion bastard, grew up being treated remarkably well by those around her. There is a stark contrast that could be interesting to explore.
Ah, you remember them! That was actually intentional by Gregor. See, Warmond isn't exactly making much of a secret about his attraction to men. He isn't particularly vocal either, but this is Merman's Rest, he sees no reason in hiding it. As such, Blacksails' council of captains is well aware of his sexual orientation and few even bother with raising an eyebrow. While there is a stigma towards homosexuality in most parts of Westeros, it mostly seems to come from the Faith of the Seven and safe to say, few pirates hold them in any sort of regard, so they are very willing or even outright happy to ignore and subvert the conventional opinions of Westerosi society. A large number of them isn't even Westerosi at all, such as Blacksails himself and Warmond definitely isn't used to being teased about it. So, Gregor's remarks were deliberately aimed at Warmond's sexuality to make him uncomfortable, an early hint I placed there. He mostly did so to throw Warmond off though and to avoid him intervening in his attempt to sway the captains to his side, not out of any genuine pleasure he takes out of teasing someone for their sexual orientation. So, he would probably be mostly indifferent to this scene, albeit the thought of two naked men overpowering a heavily armed thug would be quite amusing to him.
The Voting is closed!
Ysilla is going to promise Belandra
Alys is going to tell Warmond about her true identity
The first choice wasn't exactly much of a big one. If Ysilla fails to bring Theodan back to Godsgrace, it implies that he'd die. In that case, she likely would prefer not to return home either, regardless of Belandra's opinion. It will give Belandra some peace of mind though and it will improve her opinion on Ysilla. Meanwhile, Alys' choice was far more important with far bigger consequences. Affable he might be, but Warmond remains a pirate and he definitely hopes for an advantage over Saan, whom he considers a potential enemy in the politics of Merman's Rest. It is telling that Carvin notably hesitated to reveal this snippet of information. At the same time, he is perhaps one of the best allies Alys could hope for now in Edward's absence and at best even a way of ridding herself of Anturion's influence for good.
The next part is hopefully going to be out today. You probably noticed I kept the voting open for longer and that has one big reason. This next part will be huge. It will hold three PoV's and tie up every storyline besides one. As the penultimate part of the chapter, it will feature PoV's for Sadie, Ellena and Jaron. Originally, I planned for just Sadie and Ellena for the next part, with Jaron as the penultimate, but I decided to combine them. Reason is, I once again won't be home for a few days at the end of the week. This time, I'll visit the Netherlands with my father, as he delivers a trailer to a camping ground and we'll stay there until Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll take phone and laptop with me, but I do not know if there's any wi-fi on the camping ground. Chances are that it won't be. I technically should have an internet connection on my phone as Germany and the Netherlands are both part of the EU, but the emphasis is on technically and I might not be available at all for a few days. As such, I definitely want to end the chapter before leaving. If I release the next part today or tomorrow at latest, I can release the chapter finale on Saturday or early on Sunday. And for that, I must tie up every storyline but Willfred's in this next part and the result should be longer than usual. It's been the reason why I pushed Alys' part into Ysilla's during the last part. So, for the recap, last time we saw Sadie, she witnessed the meeting between Leonard Hill and Mileena Reyne. Safe to say, these two did not get along well, due to Leonard's distrust towards highborn and Mileena listening to Leo's cousin Tythan, who in return has a very negative opinion on his bastard cousin. Seeing how Leo struggled with getting accepted inside the castle, Sadie decided to speak up in his favour. Meanwhile, Ellena delivered Rhaenys' message to Aegon, about the queen being unwilling to participate in the war council in favour of spending time with her son. Aegon was understanding towards this and sent Ellena and Hemys on their way again, this time accompanied by Orys Baratheon's squire Asher Velaryn, who was apparently sent to make sure they don't listen on the conversation. Unfortunately, Asher is exactly the kind to find a way to spy on it regardless. Sick of being treated like a child, he proposed that they'd sneak into Orys Baratheon's room, located just below Aegon's war council, to hopefully get some more details on the coming war. While Hemys heavily disagreed, Ellena eventually decided to accompany Asher. And meanwhile, in Lys, Jaron was last seen in John's final part for this chapter, where he arrived together with Samuel Harrington and Arryn Blackwell, having gained the latter for his cause. John was just done negotiating with the pirate captain Aidan Storm about their passage to Volantis. Aidan agreed, but in return he demanded for them to help him as well in his dealings with the Rogare bank. In younger years, he foolishly got into debt with them when he tried to steal from them and with his fierce hatred for slavers, he is not happy with this arrangement. Now, Lysara Rogare, a young and ambitious member of the main Rogare line, has asked to meet him and Aidan fears it might be a trap to eliminate him. At the same time, he hopes she will offer him a way to get out of his debt. Being ordered to come alone, he is aware that the faces of his crew are well known. However, the same does not apply to John and his companions, so Aidan effectively hired them to support him if things go south. Jaron's next part shall show this meeting and as said, I hope to get it done later today or early tomorrow
And here it is, the penultimate part for this chapter, I hope you enjoy it! The chapter finale will be out either on Saturday, or early on Sunday, so the voting will be open for a shorter duration than usual. However, it is as I said, I want this chapter to be done with before I leave for my trip to the Netherlands. Hope you all manage to get your votes in despite the longer part!
Sadie
For a moment, Sadie hesitated, hoping Leonard would say something, anything to help his case. She knew he wasn't like this, like how his cousin painted him to be. The man she remembered was better than that. But he said nothing, instead glaring at Tythan with barely hidden contempt in his gaze.
She sighed. “Do you want to know what sort of a man he is?”, she finally asked, placing both of her arms on the table. If Mileena was surprised by her injury, she did not show it. The girl next to her however gasped loudly, her eyes widening as she stared at her. Her attention made Sadie uncomfortable and she tried her best to ignore it as she focussed onto Mileena.
“I was wounded during the fighting in Maybros”, she spoke and with the words came anger. “A city under your protection, mylady” The last word was almost a curse, but she pulled herself together. Taking a deep breath, she bit down onto her lower lip. “All of this could have been prevented had your bannerman done his duty”
Mileena narrowed her eyes, but to Sadie's surprise, Tythan Lannister had to agree. He nodded hesitantly. “Lord Turnberry was hiding in his castle the entire time”, he admitted. “The king has taken too many of his warriors. Those that remained were untrained and badly equipped. Had they joined the fight, the result would have been a massacre”
“Would it now?”, Sadie asked. “Wouldn't it have been their duty to try regardless?” She raised the stump of her right arm. “I know it hasn't been my duty and yet I fought. Look what it brought me. I know it hasn't been Leo's duty and yet he fought, yet he led his men into battle when so few of Turnberry's soldiers would lift a finger to protect their city”
“Mylady, you have my condolences for your loss, but...”, Tythan began, only for Sadie to slam her fist onto the table. “And a massacre is what you got regardless!”, she spat. “Smallfolk slaughtered in the streets, women and children, the Ironborn savages burning the city to the ground! The only reason some of Maybros survived is the man sitting next to me!”
“I...”, Mileena began, but Sadie wasn't finished. With a glare, she cut her off. “I'm not done, mylady”, she growled. “You don't even know this man and yet you are willing to cast him aside? After what he did for your people? After he did what should have been your duty?” She shook her head, now furious. “After I was wounded, most would have left me to die. What good am I to him now?”
“I'd know a thing or two”, Two-Face interjected, earning himself an absolutely chilling glare from Mileena, one that shut him up at once. He stared to the ground and to Sadie's surprise, he gulped. “'Pologies, m'lady”, he mumbled, which she took as a sign to continue. “Leo did not leave me though. He paid for a healer, he kept me around and helped me with every step”, she revealed. “This is the sort of man he is. One who did everything for me and for your people. And you want to kick him out of your castle now that he did his job?”
Milenna was silent after this, as Sadie, now finished, simply glared at her. The girl to her right had grown pale, while the boy seemed angry with the way she had spoken to his mother, an expression shared with Tythan Lannister. Surprisingly, Two-Face raised the one eyebrow he had left, perhaps as a sign of respect.
Finally, the Lady of Castamere spoke up. “I am not used to people speaking to me like that”, she replied calmly and Sadie was not certain if she spotted displeasure in her voice. “But I suppose your anger is understandable” Momentarily, she avoided the icy glare that hit her. “Perhaps even justified”, she admitted.
“You don't know my cousin as I do”, Tythan warned her and she gave him a mild glare. “And it seems you don't know him as this young woman does”, she replied, before she promptly looked at Leo. It was only now that Sadie noticed how dumbfounded he seemed about her support. “Is it true what she said?”, the lady barked.
Leo, still tensed up, looked at Sadie for a long moment. Then, he nodded. “It is”, he replied and Mileena narrowed her eyes. “Why?”, she asked. “Why have you helped her then? Why the people of Maybros? It doesn't quite fit with the way your cousin described you”
“A lot of things aren't as my cousin claims”, he replied. “The people of Maybros needed help. This is what I do. Your lot never cared for the common folk, so someone has to” Milenna raised an eyebrow. “Not all of us dismiss their concerns”, she reminded him and Leo shrugged. “Most are worse, from my experience”, he told her without even hesitating.
“And the girl?”, Mileena asked, looking at Sadie, who met her gaze just for a moment before she broke contact again. Leonard raised an eyebrow. “What about her?”, he asked, as the lady smirked. “Why did you help her?” Sadie looked at the sellsword in this moment. It was something she asked herself over and over. From a pragmatic standpoint, leaving her to die after Maybros would have been easier. Perhaps it would have been kinder even. And yet, he had done it, pulled her through the past two months, but for what end?
“She fought for me”, Leo replied. “It's loyalty I have for mine. I do not abandon them just because they get injured in battle” He glanced at Sadie and she saw how his mouth tightened beneath his beard. “And what happened, it did because I sent her there” He shook his head. “I have principles, Lady Reyne”
Mileena said nothing for a moment, just studying the brutish sellsword. Perhaps she noticed only now what Sadie had spotted months ago, the cunning in his eyes. “So, there is a scenario Tythan painted for me”, she admitted and Sadie noticed that the Lannister knight next to her seemed alarmed by her revelation.
“Go on”, Leonard spoke and she smiled. “He told me, should the peasants of Maybros ever be mistreated while under my care here in Castamere, that you would send your men against my guard, that you would put me and my family to the sword without even bothering with the consequences”, she continued. “He made a compelling point, but I wonder how much of that would be true”
For a moment, Leo glared at Tythan, who met it with an expression of similar hatred. Not for the first time, Sadie had to wonder what happened between them, just what Leo had to suffer at the hands of his family in Lannisport and how they justified it. Then, the sellsword shook his head. “Is that what you think, cousin?”, he asked.
Tythan raised an eyebrow. “I expect the worst from you, Leonard”, he replied coldly. “Mylady letting this man rest inside our walls will be a mistake. He and his men cannot be trusted” Mileena did not react, her gaze fixed on Leo. Finally, the sellsword shook his head. “If the people of Maybros are save within your walls, you don't have to fear my men”, he promised.
“They will be”, Mileena promised. “And I am willing to grant your men refuge here as well, for the time being at least” Her raised finger interrupted Tythan's attempts to protest. “Under one condition!” Leo crossed his arms, before he gave her a calm nod. The Lady of Castamere smiled slyly. “If you ever feel that more could be done for the people of Maybros, for those under the protection of House Reyne, you don't just act”, she ordered him. “You tell me first and we talk about it”
Sadie noticed Leo's subtle surprise. “That is... a reasonable request, mylady”, he admitted, as he extended his hand. Mileena reached over the table to shake it. “I accept your terms. Me and my people will stay within your walls to assure the safety of Maybros' citizens. In return, we shall respect your authority over Castamere. Should I ever have an issue with the way you handle things, I'll approach you about it”
“Good”, Mileena spoke. “What happened in Maybros was a tragedy. Clearly, Lord Turnberry failed his duties and for that, I will have him summoned to Castamere at once. He will answer for his cowardice” She glanced at her children by her side, her expression for a moment softening with genuine affection. The boy was still glaring at Sadie, while the girl seemed outright shocked by the way she had been talking to the lady. “I know you don't like me, Hill”, Mileena finally continued. “But I am not like that. I don't want the smallfolk to suffer any more. That is the reason I allow you within my walls, because they need a champion, someone who does not hesitate to speak up”
“Lady Mileena...”, Tythan warned her, but she ignored him. Leo nodded. “That”, he spoke. “Will be my pleasure. May I ask, what made you change your mind?” Mileena glanced at Sadie, still smirking. For a moment, she found herself smirking back. “Your woman here did”, she told him. “Your second-in-command, I presume?”
“No”, Leo clarified, before he gave Sadie a look that seemed almost impressed. “But I believe we may have to talk about your position within the company” She nodded at him, as Mileena continued. “It is rare to have someone stick out for you like that”, she admitted. “Not what I expected from a man of your reputation. Perhaps I shouldn't rely too much on Tythan's opinion and rather take your deeds into account”
With this, she clapped her hands, just once, the loud sound echoing through the room. The door at the far end of the hall got opened and behind it, Sadie spotted a long hallway, stairs leading down into the mountain Castamere was built against. Servants entered, carrying plates and flagons. Sadie gulped, as her stomach began to growl in hunger. “With this”, Lady Mileena said, as the servants approached the table. “Allow me to welcome you in Castamere”
No Choices for this part
Ellena
Orys Baratheon's room was not at all how Ellena expected it to be. He was a knight, the king's champion, closest friend and second-in-command. Surely, she thought, his room would be filled to the brim with trophies of the battles he fought. Surely, she thought, it would be magnificent, worthy of Targaryen's general.
And yet, the knight surprised her. Instead of the lavish chambers she expected, Asher led her into a room notably smaller. The walls were naked stone, not adorned by the shields of defeated enemies as she would have thought. No carpet covered the cold floor and there was a distinct lack of finery. In fact, the room consisted of little more than a narrow bed, a plain table with a single chair and a large cupboard, made from common wood.
There was a second door, leading to a tiny balcony and through it, Ellena had an admittedly lovely view onto the waters of Blackwater Bay. In the distance, she saw the mainland of Westeros, a view that seemed almost longingly. The room itself was not ugly, just plain, the sort she had come to know from the roadside taverns she had spent some nights in during her travels with Noelle. If anything, it had a decisive lack of identity, revealing nothing about its owner. It made her feel more at ease, because in a way, this was not someone's home she just entered, merely a room for the knight to sleep.
“You seem disappointed?”, Asher asked as he closed the door behind her. She gave him a slight nod. “I expected a knightly room”, she admitted. “This doesn't look like anyone's living in it” Asher shrugged. “This is where he sleeps, so I suppose it's the closest thing he has to a room. But Ser Orys doesn't spend much time here”
“So, what is he doing all day long?”, Ellena asked, as they walked through the small room. Asher glanced through the open door that would lead to the balcony, before he put a hand on his mouth, beckoning her to follow. “Training for combat”, he spoke in a quiet tone. “Or planning the war. That is all, pretty much”
“Surely there must be more to do around here”, Ellena said, as she glanced at the small balcony. There was no table, but two additional chairs. Asher sat down on one, but she remained standing. As she raised her head, she could see the balcony leading to the king's war council about ten feet above her. Resting a hand on the solid black stone that formed the balcony, she glanced down, to the cliffs and the dark waters.
“There is”, Asher assured her. “But Ser Orys, to be honest, he never really fit in with things around here. Queen Rhaenys loves the live at court and the king participates for her sake. But Ser Orys? He's not the kind to relax after a day of hard work. Doesn't spend much time drinking with the men, barely interested in the ladies at court. Once, Queen Rhaenys had to almost force him to dance with her and trust me, he's not good at that”
“This room seems almost sad”, Ellena admitted. “It's as if this isn't his home at all” Asher was about to reply, when the voices from upstairs caught their attention. Loud and surprisingly clearly audible, they echoed through the opening above them. The young squire cut himself off, a smirk forming on his lips as the two of them listened carefully.
“The Stormlands will not yield so easily”, the calm voice of Regis Rosby sounded. “My neighbours and I, we don't have much of a history serving either king. I have no love for Harren nor Argilac and I know, men such as the lords Stokeworth, Hayford and Buckwell feel the same. It's why they were so quick to join your ranks”
“That and the display of force against the Mooton and Darklyn army”, Visenya added. “Given enough force, I am certain we can convince the rest of Argilac's kingdom to join us as well” Rosby cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the suggestion, but it was Orys who spoke up. “We don't have enough force for now”, he reminded her. “The king's order is clear. First, we have to focus on the most powerful of our enemies. Harren Hoare is our priority, Durrandon a distant second perhaps”
“You don't have to remind me”, Visenya hissed. “But we must plan ahead. Focussing on one goal at the time won't win us this war. While my husband marches against Harrenhal, measures must be taken to ensure our enemies to the south will be kept busy”
“As I said, they won't yield easily”, Rosby repeated. “Unlike the houses at Blackwater Bay, you will now face families with a history of serving Durrandon. Thousands of years of unbroken service leave a mark, as I have been told. There will be men who'd rather burn than bend the knee to another king”
“This is well within their rights”, a new voice admitted. “Not all of our enemies have to yield, nor will we be able to convince each and every last lord of Westeros” Ellena needed a moment to recognize it, before the face if Iwan Bar Emmon flashed through her mind. The heir to Sharp Point was a quiet man, one she had barely spoken to, but his input was as precise as it was cold.
“Yet I do not plan to leave Westeros a smouldering ruin once the kings have been dealt with”, Aegon himself spoke up. “Any man who bends the knee and lives, be it willingly or through force, is a man who will serve, a man who will build up the kingdom I seek to leave for my descendants. I told them I am willing to burn them if they reject me and the lords Mooton and Darklyn have proven it, but I gladly take another way if you know one, mylords”
“The old stag's bannermen are proud”, Rosby remarked. “Some would say they are as stubborn as Argilac himself and just as arrogant. And yet, his most powerful bannermen are to the south of his kingdom. Half a dozen marcher lords make up over a third of his army and between them and Storm's End, most of the military might in the region is split up between the houses Connington, Grandison and Estermont”
“So the northern Stormlands are weak”, Orys deduced and Ellena heard Rosby's polite chuckle. “Do not call them weak if you want to win their loyalty”, he warned him. “They are ferocious. Don't expect more than five thousand against you in the far north of his kingdom, but they will fight an army ten times their numbers if necessary”
“Estermont could be convinced to support us. It's no secret he hates the king”, Iwan Bar Emmon remarked. “He does”, Rosby agreed. “But have you ever met the man? Lucan Estermont is four times as old as you are, Ser. In the ninety years of his live, he has fathered three children and buried each of them. He has outlived his younger brother and every single one of his childhood friends by over a decade. Do you know why?” A pause followed. “No, mylord”, Iwan finally had to admit.
“By being cautious”, Rosby explained. “He is not loyal to King Argilac, make no mistake, but he is a cautious man. The turtle moves steadily, but don't expect him to react fast to this changing world. He'll remain on the sidelines, waiting for death to claim him as well and the most he can hope for in the short time that remains is to outlive the king he so loathes”
“A wish we shall grant him”, Visenya replied. “We don't have the men to force the northern Stormlands into the fold yet, so what do you suggest? Sending the dragons?” Once more, a pause followed. “No”, Aegon then spoke. “I will not be known as the king who unleashes his dragons at the first sign of resistance. They are our most powerful weapons, but this means we must be careful when to use them. If we force the lords of Westeros under our banner by the threat of dragons alone, we can never hope to hold the throne without them”
“Diplomacy then”, Orys said quietly and Ellena had the feeling that he sounded pleased. “While you march on Harrenhal, Quenton and Gordar shall win the Riverlords for you. Allow me to try the same with Argilac's bannermen” He sighed. “You might consider it futile, but isn't it worth a try?”
“It will keep them busy at least”, Visenya agreed. “I support Orys' plan” One by one, the other lords voiced their agreement as well, starting with Lord Rosby and ending with a mumble that could only belong to Grand Maester Wulvren. “It is settled then”, Aegon concluded. “Take a third of our forces with you. Ser Iwan and Quingar Qoherys will accompany you”
“If you may, your grace, there are matters of the fleet to discuss”, Daemon Velaryon spoke up once this had been settled. Ellena finally sat down on the chair now. She smiled, exchanging a quick look with Asher, who had his arms crossed behind his back. The squire raised his legs, placing them on the railing of the balcony. “Did I promise too much?”, he asked and she shook her head. “Amazingly, no”, she replied.
“We get to listen to the world being reshaped there”, Asher told her, an enthusiastic spark in his eyes. “Imagine how many would give it all to be a fly on the wall right now” He grinned and she reciprocated the expression. She even was to say something, as all of a sudden, a noise cut her off and she froze in panic. There was a knock on the door.
“Hello?”, a female voice sounded. “Anyone in there? Ser Orys?” Ellena did not recognize the voice, though it sounded fairly young and notably concerned. She gulped, looking at Asher who had quickly jumped up from his chair. He pointed below the bed. “Hide”, he whispered and she tensed up, as he took position in the centre of the room. It was clear, he meant to take the blame for this, the sole blame at least. And that did not sit right with her, leaving him like that after he gave her this opportunity. At the same time, there was the fear of what would await her should she be discovered here.
[Try to hide] [Stay with Asher]
Jaron
“That plan is fucking stupid”, Samuel mumbled, as he leant against the wall. They had changed, now wearing clothes Aidan had given to them and in case of the sellsword it made a tremendous difference. Jaron had to admit, Samuel looked like a different man altogether. Perhaps it was the general lack of outstanding features about the man, but his ability to blend into any sort of attire and make it his own was remarkable.
Right now, the only thing giving him away as a Westerosi was the fact that he spoke the common tongue instead of the bastardized valyrian that was common in Lys. Jaron wasn't so sure he himself managed to pull off the same feat. By now, the effects of the alcohol had worn off, replaced by numb pain from the beating Arryn had given him. Sure, there was still pride about what he did, but it was intertwined with the fact that his head felt like a horse had stepped on it.
“Ah, don't be like that, Fang”, Arryn remarked. He hadn't changed at all, fitting perfectly into the scenery, as the three of them had gathered in the narrow alleyway. Slowly, he sat down, raising the bottle towards Samuel, who declined simply by shaking his head. “Jaron, you want some?”
Jaron frowned. Alcohol was the last thing he needed right now. In fact, he would be perfectly happy with never touching a drink again. Perhaps it was due to the fact that it was paired with one of the worst beatings he had ever received, but this was, without any doubt, the worst hangover of his life.
“It's better to remain sober during the task”, Samuel growled and Arryn shrugged. “Not if we're supposed to play drunks”, he reminded him, as he took a deep swig from the bottle. “Besides, there's nothing better than some booze to get ready. Not too much, don't intend to black out, but just the right amount and any man can fight like a frenzied wildling. Takes away the fear, takes away the pain”
“And makes you sloppy”, Samuel replied coldly. Arryn flashed him a grin. “Well, since you're obviously not into this and Jaron here got enough problems keeping his breakfast in, I suppose I gotta be cheery for the three of us”, he spoke up. “Remember, we're happy drunks just casually sitting here. No need for Rogare to be any concerned about us”
With this and noticing Samuel's unwillingness and Jaron's hesitation, he took a deep gulp from the bottle himself. “We're doing nothing but waiting either way”, he spoke. “Guess the other guys have the better task” And indeed, Jaron was inclined to agree on this. The trio was essentially standing guard near the backyard in which Aidan Storm and Lysara Rogare were supposed to meet. The pirate captain had gotten there some time ago and while Jaron wasn't sure how much had passed since then, he expected at least the same amount still to go before Rogare was supposed to arrive.
Meanwhile, John and Temari were at least getting some exercise. While the trio was supposed to stand guard in the alleyway, they were patrolling the area, keeping an eye out for Lysara and her guards. Indeed, it was just in this moment that they walked by. Briefly, John glanced at Jaron, giving him a nod before they were gone again.
“She's coming”, Jaron revealed and he noticed how Samuel tensed up. The man was ready for a fight and indeed the only one of them who had insisted on bringing a visible weapon, a short sword in his case. Arryn was armed merely with a knife he had hidden in his clothes and while Jaron would have preferred his sword, he had to admit that a cudgel was notably more fitting for their disguise as common Lysene street thugs.
Arryn remained calm, merely sporting a grin as he glanced at the main street. A moment later, four heavily armed guards walked by. Clad in steel despite the heat that was ravaging through Lys at this time of the day, it was clear they meant business. They were armed with long spears and metal shields, proudly displaying a golden dragon on a field of black.
Among them walked a young woman. She was the sort of immortalized beauty that Jaron had come to know from the statues all over the city, as flawless as marble and probably just as cold. Tall and buxom, her lean body clad in a mixture of form-fitting dark leather and chainmail, she was as stunning as she seemed intimidating. Her silver blonde hair was tied into a complicated bun, held together by a sharp, golden hairpin. On top of that, her hand was casually resting on the hilt of the long blade on her belt, a fine bastard sword.
“They didn't lie when they said she's beautiful”, Arryn whispered, taking another sip from the bottle. Surprisingly, Samuel nodded. “She's something, admittedly”, he remarked,sounding almost sheepish for a moment, as he averted his gaze. There was something in the man's eyes, perhaps regret, so intense that Jaron did not dare to mention it. He did, however, notice his clenched fists. It wasn't much, but with Samuel, the only times Jaron was able to spot emotion at all was with all things considering Ryder.
At least their disguise worked. Either that or they were so far below Lysara Rogare's attention that she paid them no mind. Carefully watching the end of the alleyway, Jaron absent-mindedly grabbed the bottle Arryn handed him, but noticed his error before he could take a swig from it. He frowned, before he pushed it back towards Arryn. “Not today”, he mumbled.
“What exactly are we going to wait for now?”, Arryn asked, taking back the bottle he had offered and emptying it. He let go of it and it fell to the ground, shattering next to the one he had emptied before. For that, his speech was remarkably precise and his movements were indeed as attentive as he claimed. Though he smiled, the look in his eyes was the same hunger Jaron had noticed during their fight the day before.
“For Aidan to finish his negotiation”, Jaron spoke. “Or for John to give the sign. They'll patrol the street in front of the building. If anything goes wrong in there, we intervene” Arryn nodded. “Not quite sure what I should hope for”, he admitted. “You need that Storm guy alive and well, so it'd be better if he survives. At the same time, that woman needs business and that gives me an itching. Have you seen that sword?”
“Truth”, Samuel spoke up and it took Jaron a moment to realize he did not just throw a random word into the discussion. “The Valyrian Steel sword of House Rogare. Once belonging to House Targaryen, it was granted to his faithful servant Rhaegon Rogare when he and his family settled here in Lys, following the Doom of Valyria”
He noticed Jaron's surprised expression and shrugged. “I had little free time during my time in Oldtown”, he revealed. “But what I had, I spent at the Citadel. You never know when knowledge might safe your life” Arryn chuckled at that statement. “Yeah, let me know when random snippets of knowledge block a blade for you, Fang”, he replied dryly. “But it's Valyrian Steel? Scratch that, now I don't want to fight that woman, I just want her sword”
They waited for a bit longer, while Arryn crouched, Samuel brooded silently and Jaron tried to lean against the wall in a remotely comfortable way. The thumping in his head hadn't gotten much better, but he managed for now, as he focussed onto the noise from the main street. It wasn't particularly crowded at this time of the day, as most of the citizens of Lys preferred to stay inside for the hot hours around noon.
Suddenly, he heard the familiar sound of armour, people marching across the street. It seems Lysara has gotten what she wanted from Aidan, because those were clearly her guards. Yet it was early, too early for them to have had a proper talk... Jaron just managed to clutch his cudgel, readying himself for an attack, as the armed men walked around the corner.
“There they are!”, one of the men shouted and Samuel muttered a curse as he pointed his sword at them. Behind him, Arryn chuckled loudly, drawing his knife while Jaron took a step back to gain some distance between him and the spears that were pointed at them. In no time, the four guards had formed ranks, shields in front with spears sticking out.
Seeing this, even Samuel quickly lowered his sword. “Back off, slowly”, he whispered. “Once they charge, run. We can't win against a formation in this alley” Jaron nodded, getting ready to do just that, as the leader of the guards shouted something in Low Valyrian. The hedge knight narrowed his eyes, looking at his companions to translate.
Instead of doing that, Samuel outright answered. His Low Valyrian sounded different from the one the Lysene used and though he understood not a word of it, Jaron noticed the broad northern accent woven into it. The guard replied something and then, Samuel sighed. “Rogare expected a trap”, he revealed. “She's got Aidan with a sword to his neck. John and Temari have joined him already, but under force, the pirate told her about our location as well” He rolled his eyes. “She wants to meet us”
“So we're just going with them?”, Jaron asked and this time, Samuel and Arryn both nodded. “Hey, I'm all for fighting, but I won't charge against that formation. And pissing off the Rogare girl when she knows where we are? I'm already in debt to them, so that'd be suicide”, Blackwell replied calmly. And to Jaron's surprise, he was the first to lower his knife, although he gave the guards an audacious smile.
Reluctantly, Jaron followed his example and finally, Samuel, who seemed even more unwilling to comply with Rogare's demands. Eventually, he did and the guards broke up their formation. Stepping aside, they opened a path for the three men to step into the main street. “Come”, their leader said, even this single word mixed with a strange and heavy accent.
As they walked past the guards, the three approached the small building Aidan wanted to meet Lysara in. The door stood open and glancing over his shoulder, Jaron noticed the guard leader nodding. As such, he entered, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light inside.
Aidan was sitting on a chair, giving him an apologizing smile. Or perhaps he was looking at Samuel, or Arryn, or even the guards. It was hard to say with his odd eyes. John and Temari stood in the corner of the room, arms crossed, their swords lying on the table in front of them. The pirate shrugged. “Sorry, mates”, he spoke. “But it was either telling her about you or losing an eyeball and I've been told they give me a certain edge”
“Not that I needed his information”, a feminine voice came from behind a corner, as Lysara Rogare walked around. She held her sword in her hands now, casually inspecting the dark blade. Her movements were graceful, reminding Jaron of a dancer, as she walked around Aidan, briefly resting a hand on his shoulder. The pirate frowned at the physical contact. “You spoke a bit too freely, so I came to the conclusion that you were planted by Aidan here, to give him back-up in case things go bad” Though there was a soft hint of an accent in her voice, she spoke the Common Tongue flawlessly, her refined way of speaking reminding Jaron of the way the highborn in his home were talking.
“Eh, apologies, mylady”, Aidan spoke. “But to be fair, in my position, would you trust the intentions of the Rogare bank?” Lysara mustered him out of her dark blue eyes. “Oh, not at all”, she confirmed. “Which is why I'm not even mad at you. Had I truly believed you'd follow my instructions, I wouldn't have brought my guards” She smiled at him and it was a warm expression. “But rest assured, Captain Storm, I don't have any intentions of harming you. The only thing I am slightly insulted by is that you believe the Rogare bank just kills those who are in debt to them. You, of all people, should know better”
Aidan nodded slightly. “Aye, probably should have”, he admitted. “But seem to know me better than I know you, so you should be aware of what I expect of your kind” Lysara raised an eyebrow. “Do you mean Lysene or slavers?”, she asked, followed by a chuckle. “Though today, I think you are in luck. The Rogare bank is willing to forget about your debt”
“In exchange for what?”, Aidan growled. His lazy smile had faded the moment the woman had admitted to being a slaver, even if it wasn't much of a surprise given her status. Now, his milky eyes were fixed on her in a cold glare. Lysara took a deep breath. “When you leave Lys, my dear, you will take a passenger with you, heading to Volantis”, she revealed, placing a hand on her chest. “That would be me. I won't give you details about what you will do for me in Lys until we have left this city behind, but it shouldn't be too difficult for you and your new friends”
Aidan clenched his teeth. “Getting awfully crowded on my ship, mylady”, he replied and Lysara shrugged. “Throw one of your sailors overboard”, she stated calmly. “Because those are my terms and they are the best you will get. Break them and my father will renegotiate. He's not as approachable as I am” With this less than subtle threat, she glanced at the three newcomers. Her gaze rested only briefly on the unassuming Samuel Harrington and she frowned slightly as she noticed Arryn's stare. As such, she turned to Jaron, the only one of the three able to keep eye contact.
After a moment, the knight tensed up. “I don't think I have anything to add, mylady”, he admitted. “Captain Storm decides” She nodded at that. “Yes, of course, but that is not what I want to know of you”, she replied, before she came closer. There was indeed something breathtaking about her, her features showing the unearthly beauty of the Dragonlords. There was warmth in her eyes and she stopped only a few inches in front of him. And yet, it was easy for him to resist her allure, even as she stood so closely. There was no room for her in his heart, after all.
Noticing that his expression did not change, Lysara seemed almost disappointed at his lack of reaction towards her standing so close to him. “I already asked your friend over there, the one with the eyepatch”, she revealed. “Told me you're sellswords, hired to protect Aidan during his talk with me. But honestly, I got a hunch that there's more he didn't want me to know” She smirked. “What is your name?”
“Jaron”, Jaron replied, leaving out his full title this time. She didn't have to know about his knightly vows. “Excellent”, she replied. “Five Westerosi sellswords, dumb enough to be hired by a pirate captain down on his luck to protect him against the most dangerous foe you could make here in Essos” She rolled her eyes. “Guess neither of you is the brains here”
She took a step back and Jaron bit down onto his lower lip as she gave him a wink. “Tell me, Jaron, is that the truth?”, she asked. “Are you truly just some sellswords he hired, or is there a deeper reason for your alliance with Aidan? You see, he hates quite a number of our trusted business partners, murdered some of them even, so I like to know just about everything when it comes to his friends”
Her smile was innocent, but her demeanour was anything but. Jaron was not certain if Lysara had any truly bad intentions for them, but she was clearly a dangerous woman. And yet, she was a Rogare. She even mentioned them, her business partners. Slavers from all over Essos, getting their loans from Rogare, due to the Iron Bank's refusal to deal with their trade. Perhaps she knew Abbas, perhaps she had even seen him during his stay here in Lys. If she would agree to help them, to share her knowledge on the man, maybe that'd be worth blowing their cover. Or perhaps it would make things only harder, if she'd rather support the slaver.
[Tell her the true reason] [Confirm John's lie]
I'm glad Mileena was so reasonable and willing to let the refugees stay in Castamere for the time being.
[Stay with Asher] Maybe it's one of the handmaidens, so possibly they won't be too upset if they find her with Asher. Although it would be very bad if that person tells Visenya. Yes, the Stormlands have a history of being belligerent towards outsiders and each other, but taking the northern houses won't be easy.
[Tell her the true reason] Not sure if it's the best idea, but she's a woman who you shouldn't lie to.
Also a small mistake: it's Hayford, not Hayfort.
[Try to hide]
[Tell her the true reason]
[Try and Hide]
Oh Asher, you Noble youngster you! I would say he knows what he's doing here and wants her to hide so he can talk his way out of the situation. And if he does get caught it would be something Orys would expect. Whereas Ellena would surely be questioned!
[Tell her the true reason]
I think in this instance the truth is the best option!
[Try to hide]
[Tell her the true reason]
Well next time is the chapter finale and its going to be from Wilfred's POV. Honestly whenever Maron is involved in a chapter finale I'm afraid someone is going to die but I feel Wilfred might be fine. While Maron was able to easily spin the story so his killing of Richard was mostly looked over I feel if even if he figures out Wilfred is lying about what Petyr said,if he kills Wilfred, the heir to House Reynen he will be in so much shit it just wouldn't be worth it. I might be wrong but even though Maron is crazy I don't think he will do something so stupid so I feel this may will the first chapter finale in a while that won't kill a POV. Well I hope so anyway honestly you never know with Maron.
[Stay with Asher]
[Tell her the true reason]
I see the Raenna x Samuel ship is still going strong, I wonder if they'll get to meet again.
Aye, Mileena is definitely a reasonable woman. She's not the sort of person to turn her back on those in need, so she knew from the very beginning that she'd take them in. However, she was way less sure about having Leo and his sellswords with them as well, due to Tythan's warning. Ultimately, she decided in favour of allowing him within the walls for the same reason, because he is clearly dedicated to protect the smallfolk. She feels they need a voice and even if that voice is as uncomfortable as Leonard Hill, she'll take it if it means keeping the people save.
Oh yes, it will be seriously hard. I mean, most of the Stormlander army is indeed located south of Storm's End, with the Marcher Lords and houses Connington and Estermont being confirmed to be in that region, so I figure the northern houses aren't as strong in terms of manpower, but there is a reason why they have never been conquered. Given a sufficiently large army, they can be beaten of course, but at this point and with his focus being on the Riverlands, Aegon doesn't have enough men to pull it off.
Ah, thanks for telling me, it is fixed now. With just how many houses there are, I'd be surprised if this is the last time I'll make such an error
Here I can confirm, this is not the first time Asher does such a thing and he definitely wants Ellena to hide. That being said, this doesn't mean he wouldn't get into serious trouble for this, so Ellena pretty much has to decide if she wants him to take the blame all by himself or if she wants to admit to her role in this and share the blame. Of course, it is also pretty possible that Asher has a plan to talk himself out of this situation without any repercussions at all. The next chapter will not show the immediate aftermath of this choice, but it will become clear what happened in Ellena's first part regardless.
Hm, I noticed that indeed, the last four chapter finals ended with a PoV death, from Marak, to Torvin, Lucas and Richard. Now, Willfred gets the chapter finale for the first time during his stay in the story and I can confirm, it will be worthy of a chapter finale. While I try not to make things too repetitive, I can say that there will be chapter finals in Book 2 where PoV characters are going to die. At the same time, there will also be PoV deaths outside of a chapter finale at some point in Book 2 to make things less predictable
But yeah, you bring up a good point that killing the heir to House Reyne would be absolute madness, something that would create so much chaos and put Maron into a seriously bad position. At the same time, it would strain the relations between the Reach and the Rock and that is effectively Maron could only want. Provoking a war between the two kingdoms, that is essentially what he tried with the Reach and the Stormlands in Book 1. You might remember, he was perfectly ready to murder Argella in Chapter 9 and outright sent Sherryl to kill her in Chapter 8. So, not even the heiress to the Stormlands was safe from his plans. Status won't save Willfred should Maron actually decide to kill him. But well, I hope to keep things unpredictable, especially when it comes to Maron, so you gotta wait and see just how far he is willing to go.
Well, given the extreme distance between them, going strong might stretch it a bit, but Samuel is not someone to just forget about those he has been fond of and his behaviour in this part was meant as confirmation for this. The fact that he only shows interest in women at all if they have Valyrian features is kinda proof that he is still thinking about Raenna. More precisely, he does regret how open things ended between them, how he put his thirst for vengeance above the chance to maybe get more out of his life. At this point, he has no hopes to ever see her again though and it really remains questionable if there will be another meeting between them. After all, Raenna's journey will lead her further to the north, whereas Samuel is constantly travelling further to the east.
Alright, it seems Sadie got a pretty good ending for this chapter, gaining the respect of pretty much everyone in the room, save for maybe Tythan Lannister and Tinnet Reyne. Looks like becoming Leo's adviser/second-in-command is actually viable opportunity for Sadie now, it'll be interesting to see where she goes from here.
[Try to hide] Although the word "try" kind of concerns me here, I think this is the smarter choice. As others have already brought up, Asher doing something like this would be almost expected and Orys will probably let it slide. However, Ellena is new to Dragonstone and getting caught spying the council meeting isn't going to give a very good first impression
That said, I am still glad we chose to do this because hearing the Targaryens planning the conquest is always a treat 
[Confirm John's lie] I see this choice isn't likely to win, but the risk of Abbas being connected to the Rogare family is too big for me to vote otherwise. And if they see him as a valuable partner then of course they will try to screw this whole rescue mission over. Of course lying to her isn't ideal either, but it's the risk I'd personally prefer.
[Try to hide] Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Getting caught is really not a great way to start out.
[Confirm John's lie] What can I say, I'm a rebel.
I'm happy to say that I am officially all caught up. Took a little longer than expected, but it's been a fun read. Keep it up!
[Try to hide] I imagine this girl is that other handmaiden? or maybe just a different handmaiden we haven't met. Either way, I don't think she'll come inside if we hide, unless she herself as ulterior motives...
[Confirm John's lie] Yeah, I don't trust this pretty lady.
Sadie was pretty darn vocal. How exciting.
...strange. Very strange....poor Samuel, she's never coming back.
Aye, Sadie's ending for this chapter has been the most positive in ages. Standing up for Leo here has been one of the few choices in the story with overwhelmingly good consequences, as Leo and Mileena, the two most important people in Castamere right now, are both impressed by her now. And while Leo has a number of officers under his command already, most notably Rhogarn Snow and Edward Lancaster, there is certainly room for Sadie to advance through the ranks. It should be noted that she is, so far, merely an unofficial member of the sellsword group, as she obviously has to spend some serious time recovering, but proving her worth to Leo cannot be a bad thing.
It's indeed going to be an attempt and if it succeeds remains to be seen. As I described here, Orys' room is not exactly much of a home and therefore rather spartan in terms of interior design. This means it might be hard to hide. If she is caught, well, the consequences could be bad. You're right that this will leave a very bad impression, especially with those at court who already don't like her. But ah, I am glad you enjoyed the council meeting
It is as Asher said, the reshaping of Westeros, the planning for the single most major war the continent has ever seen. Plans have been set in motion and the coming chapters will show them being executed.
Ah, those are great news! Once again, welcome. I'm glad to hear you managed to catch up and enjoyed the read so far
I can confirm, it is neither Cassandra nor Hemys, as Ellena would have probably recognized their voices. She does not know the woman there, though I can say it is a submitted character and more of her will be revealed in the next chapter. Of course, Visenya has handmaidens as well (and since she has little use for them, it's actually the most comfortable position at court) and the families of Targaryen servants have female members too. The girl outside is one of them.
Aye, at this point she's pretty much done with all of this. She can get downright angry when calling people out, so this was likely not the last time she got so vocal about a matter she is involved with.
At least if things go Raenna's way for once, she indeed won't come back. It's nothing against Samuel in the slightest, but she has no plans of ever returning to the sort of life she used to have, the sort of life Samuel is still having. And he knows that this is one big factor why they are apart to begin with, why things didn't get serious between them before they parted ways.
The Voting is closed!
Ellena is going to try and hide
Jaron is going to tell Lysara the true reason
It is as I said, I have to close the voting earlier this time. Usually I'd leave it open until tomorrow, but with me being gone until Wednesday and really not being sure I get a proper internet connection (or any at all, the area is rather remote), that is unfortunately not an option. So, the voting has to be closed now. I know some haven't gotten a chance to get their votes in, my apologies, but I am sure you understand. These were important choices as well, with Jaron's in particular being a risk, as he is now trusting a rather shady Lysene businesswoman. Yet at the same time, Abbas might be a slaver, but he's still not as successful that he lets others do the business of actually catching the slaves. The Rogare bank is huge and while some of their clients are slavers, the important ones are obviously those who sit in Slaver's Bay, sending their hunters all over Essos. So, Abbas might just be unimportant enough for Lysara to make an exception. That makes both a risk, either gaining a new enemy, or a new ally.
The next part is basically written, though I'll do some quick reread before I post it to make sure it is acceptable. It is the chapter finale, this time from Willfred's perspective. Not as long as usual chapter finales, it is slightly shorter than usual, for which I blame the fact that I essentially only had yesterday for the writing and there's really only so much I can do in a single day. I hope you will nonetheless enjoy it! This next part will show Willfred's conversation with Maron Mullendore. Since it is a chapter finale, I am sure it will all go well and nothing more is going to happen
As said, it is pretty much written and I will post it after reading over once more, in a couple minutes.
Willfred
Willfred froze, just for a second, yet perhaps a moment to long, as he gave the one-eyed knight a stilted smile. “There's plenty we've talked about”, he began to speak, as he sat down next to Maron. Wordlessly and with a curious smile on his lips, the man poured both of them a glass of wine, as he gave him a nod.
“Mostly about the old Lord Raylan's promise to our kingdom”, he continued, as he reached for the cup. Still, he waited until Maron took a small sip from his before he drank. The wine was dark and strong, more bitter than sweet and Willfred certainly didn't enjoy it. “It seems Lord Petyr is under the impression that he sort of inherited this debts”
“Which was to be expected”, Maron admitted. “Did he give you a better offer than what me and Devrin proposed?” To this, Willfred shook his head. “Just told me he'd send the men”, he replied and Maron raised an eyebrow. “His men or mine?”, he asked and Willfred gulped. “Is there a difference?”, he asked, his voice slightly shaky. There was something intense in Maron's single eye, something dark and intimidating.
“So, he did not mention it”, the knight mumbled. “And there was nothing else he wanted you to do in return for his support?” Willfred leant back, trying to smile casually. It did not work out quite as well and he knew it. Then, he shook his head. “Just a bit of patience”, he lied. “Things are rought around here right now, but Petyr seems to rely on you”
Maron nodded. “Aye, he's right with that”, he admitted. “Though did he say anything else about me? You know I don't trust him, so I'd like to know if the feeling's mutual” This time, Willfred found himself unable to maintain eye contact. He cleared his throat, staring at the table while trying to avoid Maron's inquisitive glare, to no avail. Then, he shook his head. “Lord Petyr seems to trust you”, he lied through his teeth.
“It that so?”, Maron asked calmly, his eyebrow still raised. He smirked coldly, as he put the glass down on the table. Then he rose from his seat. Willfred tensed up as the knight approached him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Maron leant down to him. “Boy, are you trying to deceive a deceiver right there?”
The tone in his voice was cold and sharp. Instantly, Willfred was on guard. There was no need to be afraid of this old cripple, he knew that, but he did not like the way he spoke. “And if I do?”, he asked flatly, glancing behind him and narrowing his eyes. The hand on his shoulder tensed up. “Then you're already telling me all I must know”, Maron spoke, as he sighed. “It means Petyr is suspecting something. Worse, it means he's going behind my back” The hand moved away from his shoulder, as Maron crossed both of his arms behind his back. “And that is unacceptable”
“Well, what are you going to do about it?”, Willfred asked, as he smirked. “You made me an offer, aye, but to be honest, I don't think you're as powerful as you claim to be. Petyr's the one calling the shots in your partnership, isn't he?” Maron rolled his single eye. “Boy, did no one ever tell you that I'm not someone you should provoke?”, he simply asked.
Back off!
Willfred flinched as the voice echoed through his head. It was a hollow, haunting whisper, originating somewhere in the back of his head. Unlike anything he had ever heard before, her could not even determine if it was a male of female voice, just that a strange accent rang with it, an inhuman song that stuck with him even after the words themselves had been spoken. And then he realized, it had been a warning.
Without wasting any more time, he jumped forward, away from Maron. Knocking the table over in the process, he heard movement behind him. Then, a sharp pain in his side, waves of agony flashing through his ribs. He opened his mouth to scream as he fell over, heavily onto his back, one hand pressed against the deep gash below his ribs. Above him stood Maron Mullendore, a blood-stained dagger in his hand. A look of surprise formed on the man's face.
“The fuck did you...?”, he growled, as Willfred crawled away from him. Wide-eyed, he leant against the table, in momentary shock over the injury. It was a deep, painful cut, but what horrified him even more was that it had been intended to be lethal. And worst of it all was the echo of the inhuman voice, the sole reason he was still alive at all.
“What... what...”, he gasped, as Maron shook his head. “Nothing personal, boy”, he spoke, now sporting an ugly grin. “Albeit, that's not quite true. You lied to me and trust me, there's nothing I hate more. Folk in Oldtown can probably sing a song or two about that” He glanced down at his dagger, before he pointed it at Willfred. “You could have told me the truth, boy. We could have been allies, but I cannot trust you any longer. Petyr mustn't gain your support and so... I'll prevent him from getting an ally behind my back”
Now having gotten a few feet between them, Willfred tried to get up. He screamed loudly as he had to apply pressure onto the injury and Maron sighed. “I'll make it quick. Least I can do”, the knight offered, as he limped towards Willfred, who had managed to get back onto his feet. And yet, Maron stood between him and the only door.
In this moment, the very same door got pushed open. A man rushed in, two more behind him and at first, Willfred sighed as he recognized Devrin Oakheart. The Lord of Old Oak needed only a second to realize what was happening. “Maron, what are you doing?”, he hissed and the knight shot him a glare. “The boy's working with Petyr”, he barked. “Lied to me. Kept secrets. We cannot trust him anymore”
“Fuck!”, the voice behind Devrin growled and despite the pain, Willfred managed a wide smile as he recognized Vashord Tallian. The general charged into the room, Prins by his side. Both were armed, but neither had drawn their sword yet. Devrin was armed as well and the moment he spotted them, his look of concern got replaced by a cold, determined glare. Placing a hand on the hilt of his weapon, he was about to draw it. In this moment, Prins' fist crashed into his face, sending him staggering backwards.
Not missing a beat, Prins tackled the lord to the ground, as Tallian drew his sword. “Back off, cripple!”, he barked, pointing the blade right at Maron, who stood still. And then, Willfred's smirk faded as he noticed the look on the false knight's face, that utter confidence.
“Kill them”, he merely said and Tallian had just enough time to turn around, knocking away the knife that was thrown at him from the doorframe. The man with the white cat mask entered, one hand holding his curved sword, the other casually drawing a new knife from the belt strapped over his chest. Wordlessly and without missing a beat, the Tom went into the offence.
Pretending to charge at Tallian, he instead took a swing at Prins. The soldier ducked below it and the moment the blade had passed him, he jumped up, away from the downed figure of Devrin Oakheart. The lord was moving slightly, bleeding from where Prins' fists had hit him. Then, the Tom charged forward, striking at the soldier with his knife and forcing Tallian to parry the sword.
With a low growl, Maron made another attack, but by now, Willfred had readied himself for it. Grabbing the knight's hand at the wrist, he held the knife away from him. At the same time, he gave him a heavy punch into the face. A loud scream left Maron's throat, as his weak leg gave in beneath him. He stumbled and fell, taking the knife with him, but allowing Willfred to stagger towards his companions. “Ser, what is happening?”, Tallian barked, as the Tom attacked again.
Duck!
The voice had just echoed its warning as Willfred sank down onto his knees. The Tom's knife missed him barely, thrown from the wrist only a second after the masked man had used it to attack Prins. A displeased hiss left their opponent's throat, as Tallian attacked him. “We have to get out of here!”, Willfred yelled, realizing that Maron was staggering back to his feet behind him.
Tallian said nothing. The look in his eyes changed, as he merely nodded, fully focussed onto his opponent. He was not a born warrior, but in this moment, the craven Roger had so often accused him to be was far gone. And just as he had parried the Tom's sword, he moved forwards, grabbing the man by the collar of his vest. Before the Tom was able to react, Tallian had pushed him to the side, creating an opening.
“Then let's go!”, the general roared and Willfred was the first to run out of the room. He hated this fact, but unarmed and injured, he'd only be in the way. Prins was by his side, though just then, the Tom jumped forward again. Tallian parried the attack meant for the young soldier, though failed to notice the knife in his other hand.
“Tallian!”, Willfred yelled as a warning, but it was too late. Heavily, the Tom rammed the knife into the man's side, almost to the hilt. The general's eyes widened, as he staggered towards Willfred, still blocking the Tom from following. Coughing in pain, he turned around, to weakly parry another attack. “Go...”, he gasped. “I will hold him off...”
With wide eyes, Willfred hesitated. “But...”, he began, as Prins grabbed him by the shoulder. “We must go!”, he yelled and Tallian groaned, as the next attack nearly knocked the blade from his hands. The eyes beneath the mask were narrowed, as the Tom reached for another knife. “It has been an honour...”, Tallian managed to say, before he charged at his opponent.
Frowning and not just from the pain, Willfred turned away. The echo of clashing steel rang through the hallway and he was certain, the rest of the guards were noticing it as well. He had to get out of here. It wasn't so much something he decided upon, but something he simply knew. Mullendore wanted him dead. Petyr Vyrwel was untrustworthy at the very best. And so, all that remained was to flee.
They ran down the hallway, as Maron's voice roared behind them. “Stop them!”, he barked. “They tried to kill me! The men from the Rock must not leave!” Then, a scream, Tallian's scream. Willfred closed his eyes, darting around a corner, with Prins by his side. The soldier was supporting him now and he was thankful for it. On his own, he wasn't so certain if he would still be able to struggle forwards, not with his injuries. He was faintly aware of the numb pain in his side, the wet spot on his vest.
“Ser, what is happening?”, the voice of Jack came from the side. Willfred glanced at his other soldier, clenching his teeth as he moved his body. “Mullendore is an enemy to the Rock”, he growled. “We are no longer safe here. Tallian is dead and we will join him if we do not hurry. Where is my uncle?”
As the trio rushed down the hallway, towards the exit to the courtyard, Jack shrugged. “I'll go and look for him”, he offered, as he put a hand onto his sword. Drawing it, he hesitated for a moment, before he offered it to Willfred, hilt first. “You'll need this!”, the knight protested, but the one-eyed soldier smirked. “It'll just slow me down”, he replied. “We'll meet you at the eastern gates, go!”
Willfred just managed to give him a nod, as Prins and Jack exchanged a quick handshake. Then, the soldier left, up a set of stairs. By now, Willfred heard the footsteps far behind them. Fastening his pace, he ran towards the door at the end of the hallway. Thankfully, it wasn't locked and the two stumbled out onto the courtyard. Bright sunlight momentarily blinded him, but Willfred carried on, with Prins by his side.
As his eyes adjusted, he noticed that they weren't alone. People were there on the courtyard, servants and guards. Some stopped to look as soon as they got aware of Willfred's injury. And then, to his terror, several guards began to approach them. “Hurry”, he hissed, as the two began to run.
“Halt!”, one of the men yelled, but Willfred did not slow down. Dragging himself forward through sheer force of will, he mobilized a strength he had never felt before. He should, by all means, drop down by now. Exhaustion, pain, the loss of blood. He was aware of how bad things looked. But he did not give up. “Close the gate!”, another voice yelled, but it was too late.
As the portcullis above them creaked, Willfred and Prins had reached it. The soldier flashed him a brief grin and Willfred replied with a nod, though both knew, they hadn't won anything yet. As such, they continued to hurry down the path that would lead to the city. Not daring to pause, the only time Willfred slowed down was to glance over his shoulder. The sight he saw there caused a shiver to run down his spine. Masked men, led by the Tom, swarmed out of the castle. Behind him walked a true giant, easily towering those around him.
The first houses were near, yet Willfred knew, it did not mean safety yet. “Ser, what are we going to do?”, Prins asked and Willfred groaned in pain. “You need rest. Someone has to take a look at the wound” However, Willfred just shook his head, as the dirty path below them changed to a cobbled street. “We are not safe here”, he whispered. He knew it, he knew it just like he had known how to avoid Mullendore's attack.
“But your injury!”, Prins protested. “Please, let me help you” Once more, Willfred shook his head, dragging Prins away from the main street and into a set of alleyways. “I said we are not safe here”, he growled, now with more anger in his voice. “I must get out of here, reunite with the others!” He blinked and Prins raised an eyebrow. “The others?”, he asked. “You mean Jack and your uncle?”
Absent-mindedly, Willfred nodded. “Yes...”, he mumbled. “Yes, them too...” They had slowed down at last, the effort of running for so long with the deep wound finally taking its toll, but not just on Willfred. Prins was exhausted, sweat running down his forehead, yet he gave Willfred a stubborn glare. “Ser, I know I failed you before, but...”
“You did not fail me, Prins”, Willfred then said and it was something he truly meant. He placed a hand on the soldier's shoulder, as they leant againt the wall of a house. A few feet in front of them, there was another main street, a busy one this time. He knew, Prins had a point. But he also knew that if they'd stay, someone would find them sooner or later.
Sooner...
He tensed up as the voice sounded again, this time a hollow warning with a hint of grief in it. “We must reunite”, he spoke and it wasn't just his voice. Prins' eyes widened, as he took a step away from Willfred. “Ser, what is wrong with you?”, he asked, glancing at the injury. “You are losing a lot of blood. Come on, I will bring you...”
“You won't do a thing, soldier”, a deep voice purred from the other end of the alleyway, the one they had used to enter the street. Willfred sighed, as he recognized the Tom. The man stepped out of the shadows, his sword stained with blood. Tallian's blood, maybe Jack's and Roger's as well. Behind him, the dreaded giant shadow was visible.
“Gave me a good chase”, the Tom admitted. “And your man earlier, he gave me a good fight. But this is over now” He shrugged, as he and his companion approached them. “Ser, you should have known better than to mess with Maron Mullendore”, he spoke. “When he asks you a question, you tell the truth, the full truth right away. Don't fuck with him, because you will always regret it” Though he couldn't see his face, Willfred could swear he noticed amusement in the Tom's eyes. “Just some advice for your next life”
“Ser, I will hold them off”, Prins offered, as he pointed his sword at the two. The Tom did not react, but his companion let out a deep, terrifying growl. “Yes, Moggy, you can kill them”, the Tom offered and the giant began to howl in anticipation. “Run!”, Prins yelled, as Willfred remained standing by his side. “Gods damn it!” But he would not run. He would not leave his loyal soldier behind. He was Willfred Reyne, knight of the Rock and he...
Prins just barely managed to push him to the side, dodging the Moggy's heavy attack, a strike that would have taken both of their heads clean off. Gasping in sheer pain, Willfred staggered against the wall, as Prins shot him a glare. “I will not fail you again!”, he barked, before he tried to parry the Moggy's next attack. Though he managed to deflect the blow, the sheer force was enough to knock the blade from his hands and him to the ground.
Dizzy, confused and in utter pain, Willfred weakly pointed his sword at the giant. The Moggy chuckled beneath his mask, as he raised his sword, this huge man-sized greatsword. Then, Prins was between them again, shoving his dagger into the Moggy's upper leg. What started as a growl of anger went straight to pain, as the Moggy grabbed Prins and lifted him up.
“Run, Willfred!”, the soldier managed to yell and it was the last thing he'd ever say. Then, the Moggy slammed the hilt of his sword into Prins' face, again and again, roaring as he beat the soldier to a bloody pulp. Prins' body went limp after the first strike, but the Moggy attacked once more, then another time, each accompanied by a loud crack.
Then, Willfred had regained enough of his footing to make an attack of his own. Everything inside him, including the strange voice, screamed at him to run, but anger and exhaustion had gotten the better of him. His weak attack didn't even hit. With a speed that was just wrong for a man of his size, the Moggy let go of Prins' body, countering Willfred's attack with one of his own. As their blades clashed, Willfred was lifted up and thrown through the air. He landed heavily on the back, close to the end of the alleyway.
The noise that came from the Moggy's throat was half a chuckle and half a howling laughter, Grabbing his sword with both hands, he pointed it at Willfred. Then, he began to charge. Willfred could do nothing but close his eyes. “Alanna, I am sorry...”, he mumbled, as he sent a brief prayer to the Seven.
And yet, instead of the expected strike, Willfred heard the laughter change into a grunt of pain, intertwined with the sound of hooves on the cobblestone. As he opened his eyes, he saw the Moggy staggering backwards. An arrow was deeply embedded in his shoulder and as Willfred glanced around, his heartbeat began to fasten. There, on the near end of the alleyway, each sitting on a horse, were Jack and Roger, the latter of which having shot the arrow.
Without missing a beat, Jack jumped down the horse, to grab Willfred by the shoulders. “It's no time to die yet, Ser!”, he barked, as Roger went for his next arrow. Just as the Moggy had recovered from the strike, the next one hit him, in the chest this time. The giant howled, but he stumbled. A third arrow hit the other shoulder and finally, the man fell, wailing in pain as he hit the ground. Behind him stood only the Tom, a small knife in his left hand and hatred in his eyes.
By now, Jack had managed to help Willfred onto the horse. Still dazed, but with high spirits, Willfred clung to the animal's mane. “We must hurry, my boy!”, Roger told him, though there was concern on his face. He reached for the next arrow, as Jack climbed up on the horse, sitting behind Willfred and grabbing the reins. “Go!”, he yelled and they began to ride, Jack and Willfred first.
Behind him, Roger gasped and something hit the cobblestone. Willfred tried to look around but he did not manage. Pain, so much pain and utter exhaustion... he leant forwards, as the animal beneath him rushed through the streets. He barely noticed the shocked expression of the smallfolk they rode past, some of them hurrying out of the way.
“Stay with me, Ser”, Jack whispered. “Stay... Roger!” This surprised expression caused Willfred to snap out of his dazed state of mind. He looked up, seeing the gates in the distance. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed his uncle and immediately, horror overwhelmed him. Blood was running out of Roger's mouth. He had dropped his bow, his hand resting on the knife that had embedded itself between his shoulder and his neck. A final parting gift from the Tom.
Nobody tried to stop them as they rushed through the gates, the few soldiers too shocked to stand in the way of two horses. Jack slowed down, allowing the grievously injured Roger to catch up to them. Despite the pain he was in, Willfred's uncle managed to sport a weak smile. “Did we... make it?”, he asked
Feeling tears forming in the corner of his eyes, Willfred gave him a tired nod. “We made it”, he said. “You, me and Jack” To this, Roger shook his head. The gesture caused him visible pain and he frowned. “I don't think I did...”, he admitted. “I... I can taste blood” He sighed. “This isn't looking good, is it?”
Willfred was unable to lie. The events of today had shown that much, he was terrible at it. As such, he merely nodded. “Uncle Roger...”, he spoke. “I...” Roger cut him off. “I am sorry, my boy”, he spoke. “For not being there all these years. I thought I'd have years ahead of me, decades even... I...” He paused, as he placed a hand on the knife so close to his neck. “I am glad I got a chance to know you better”
“Don't talk like that”, Willfred urged him. “It is not too late. We have to find you a healer, we...” Roger clenched his teeth and Willfred saw how weak he was. Barely clinging to the saddle, his smile returned. “We did not see eye to eye all that much”, he mumbled. “But you stood for what you believed in. This is all I ever hoped for from my nephew”
Now, the tears began to run freely down Willfred's cheeks. Tallian, Prins, now Roger. His uncle had been in his life for merely half a year and yet, he was family. He was part of the pride. “You are so much like your father”, Roger said. “When he was younger. When we still got along... Tell him... tell him he...” He paused, his eyes widened, as the grip around the reins grew weaker.
“Uncle!”, Willfred yelled, though he reacted quickly. Grabbing the man by the collar of his tabard, he held on to him, preventing him from sinking down. Roger gave him a weak smile. “Tell your father I am sorry”, he whispered. “I shouldn't have left. Perhaps... perhaps he was right” He sighed, as Jack had to slow down the horse for them to continue their conversation. “Ser, we have to hurry”, he remarked and as Willfred glanced to the gate in the distance, he saw that men had gathered there. It wouldn't be long until they'd get horses to pick up the chase. “Return to the Rock”, Roger advised him. “Tell your father what happened here. Tell... the king” He gasped in pain as he reached for the knife in his shoulder. His smile got less genuine, even weaker, as he forced himself to place his hand on his nephew's upper arm. “Farewell, Willfred”
Willfred had never been one to cry easily. Right now though, tears of pain, exhaustion and grief poured down his cheeks freely. He gave Roger a nod. “Farewell, uncle”, he mumbled, as he let go of him. With a brief nod, Roger in return let go of the reins. He quickly sank out of the saddle and down the horse. Heavily, he slammed onto the ground on the dirty road just outside Raylansfair, but this time, Jack made no attempt to slow down. Instead, he heavily kicked the horse in the sides and the animal began to charge down the road. Willfred could only glance over his shoulder, at the downed figure of his uncle. Wide-eyed, Roger stared at the sky, as the life left him.
“Come, Ser”, Jack mumbled with a heavy voice. “Someone must learn of what happened today” An image flashed through the murky depths of Willfred's tired mind. The butterfly, orange and black, leaving a stain of blood behind. It had been a warning... He mustered a weak nod and as he took a deep breath, the pain in his side became nearly unbearable. “Someone must pay”, he replied grimly.
End of Chapter 2: Thorns
Your Choices:
Truth: Alys decided to trust Warmond Manderly with her true identity
Principle: Irae decided to do things her own way instead of following the warlock's route
Thorn: Keat decided to help Rose
Justice: Kyra decided to execute Herman Irons on the spot
Deception: Willfred decided to lie to Maron Mullendore
Next time on Forum of Thrones
“... a breach of trust!”, Petyr's voice echoed through the hallway. Jenna tensed up, noticing two things. First, Petyr was viciously angry. Second, he didn't even care that people were listening to the two of them. They knew she was there, they had to know, yes? And there she stood, seeing Petyr Vyrwel and Maron Mullendore marching side by side. “How can I still trust you after this?”, Petyr barked. “Answer me, Maron!”
The beast shot him a smile and Jenna clenched her fists, as a wave of anger threatened to overwhelm her. She imagined he had the same smile on his face as he was... as he was beating her father to death. Something dangerous lurked in his eye. “The question, my friend, if some treacherous Rock bastard is what you want this alliance to end over”, he growled. “Think of how far we have come. You really think either of us can turn around now?”
Abbas rolled his eyes as they saw the bridge in the distance. “Oh, I so hate that girl”, he mumbled. Janae spotted the banners flying above the buildings on each side of it. “That's how you see that this part of Essos has gone to hell since Valyria fell. This is no man's land. No ruler to contest that insolent bitch”
Janae raised an eyebrow. “You seem afraid of a girl, Abbas”, she said and it earned her another vicious glare. She would have chuckled, but after today, she did not dare to provoke him. Not for her own sake, but Behara had been through too much already. To her surprise, he then nodded. “I wouldn't call it fear, but trust me, the sooner we get over with this, the better, for all of us”
“How are you feeling, Snow Hair?”, Mace growled, though behind his gruff voice, he hid a smile at her astonishment. Raenna only briefly managed to remove her gaze from the gargantuan wall of ice.”I don't think I have ever been that cold in my life”, she admitted. “How do you deal with it?”
“More fur”, Mace replied. “And you get used to it” Next to him, Erik moved his horse up. He was smiling as well, his usual expression, yet she knew how forced it was by now, how nervous the man was about meeting his former brothers. “Ah, that's nothing”, he said. “Just wait until we get past that stinky wall. Bet you're going to love the real North, Valyrian”
Still on all fours, Edrick moved forwards, the others behind him. Normund crouched through the underbrush, glancing around, his gaze wandering through the darkness. But there was light in the distance, where the water was and as Edrick got past a particularly thick branch, he could see a small boat, just large enough to have a single, illuminated cabin. Normund sighed, as he rose from the ground. “Well then, my friends”, he said. “I think it is time for you to meet the Riverborn”
“Are you sure you want to do this, girl?”, Moros asked, as he inspected the set of vials in front of him. The tone did not even hint at his intentions, but the fact that he was not smiling clued Irae in on the fact how little he liked her approach. She gave him a respectful nod. “Have I ever failed you, Master Moros?”, she asked in return. Now the old man chuckled briefly, dryly and without smiling. “There's always a first, young warlock”, he hissed. “Albeit few fail me more than once” He reached for one of the vials. “This is the one you want to use”, he told her. “The one that will heal the brat's father”
The bastard had changed little since Drent had seen him last. Tall and handsome, his tabard sporting the same black as his hair. Though his sword was not drawn, there was something dangerous about him and Drent remembered how ferocious the man had been back in Raylansfair. Back when he had saved Stormlander lives... looking at him and the huge Valyrian knight by his side, he hoped they indeed weren't out to take some today.
For a moment, they stood in front of each other. Baratheon and his companions, his small vanguard behind. On the other side, Emphryus and Bernard, flanking Lord Buckler. And Drent just behind them, side by side with his comrades. Benedict Buckler finally managed to nod at his unexpected guests. “Ser Orys”, he hissed coldly.
There it was again. Ysilla frowned at the noise outside her tent. Cold air came through the small gap, but there was a welcome warmth to her side and the heat was still just barely bearable. Just as her frown turned into a small smile, she heard the noise again and this time, she understood what it was.
“Ysilla!”, Theodan hissed in a low tone and she rolled her eyes. “For fucks sake, can't you just leave me alone for one night?”, she asked, as she spotted her brother's face through the gap. “And don't look, that's rude” Her brother shook his head. “Something's not right”, he warned her. "I got a bad feeling about this"
Forum of Thrones; Book 2, Act I, Chapter III: Ours if the Fury; Coming Soon!
Phew, it is done, at last. This was, without any doubt, the longest chapter so far, probably not in terms of parts, but in terms of my writing being slower than ever. Trust me, I am not happy with this, although I am overall happy with the developments that took place in this chapter. The situations that have led me to slow down haven't gotten much better yet, I am afraid, although I have learned to deal with it better. As such, I hope the pace can pick up again in the next chapter. I am super excited at least, I genuinely cannot wait to delve into the things to come. I hope you are excited as well, it'll be a wild ride. And while the next chapter won't be a short one, I am confident I will get it done soon. Until then, I will leave you with the usual questions. Take your time with answering them, I know some of you haven't even gotten to read the penultimate part yet, so with me being gone for the next few days, I definitely want to give you the time you need for this. Hope you enjoyed this chapter finale, I will post an overview of the alternate choices once I return from my brief vacation
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2?
What has been your favourite part and your favourite moment in Chapter 2?
Is there anything you disliked?
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3?
And here I was saying Maron wouldn't do something like that. I really should have know better about the crazy bastard.
Well at least Wilfred didn't die, just most of his supporting cast(although I think maybe Tallain might have just been taking hostage or something since I don't think we saw his body but again that's just giving Maron the benefit of the doubt to be mercyful which I really shouldn't do)
Anyway now the only POV's in Raylansfair are Arthur and Jenna which again seems weird since nearly every Pov was there in Book 1 Chapter 8. Lets hope neither of them leave or die soon.
Also I know this part will make everyone think Maron is the undisputed main threat but I would like to remind everyone that Wolfus is still MIA which is in my opinion the most scary thing.
Anyway not going to answer the questions honestly as I don't have much of an opinion on them but I'm glad to have made it to my first live chapter finale and I can't wait for more.
Seriously though, I expected we'd get like an ominous warning from Maron hinting that he saw through Willfred's lie, and then in the next chapter he would've tried to either eliminate him or threaten him into submission. BUT THE MAD BASTARD JUST STRAIGHT UP TRIED TO SHANK HIM!
Good thing the artifact's magic seems to be protecting Willfred (or that's how I interpreted it at least) or he'd be a goner. Willfred's storyline has often been kind of a slow burner and overshadowed by many of the other PoVs, but the recent developments with the artifact and especially this finale has got me more engaged with the character than I've been at any point before. Also, RIP Prins, Tallian and Roger, three more victims of Maron's madness. And speaking of that, I see from the sneak peek that tensions will continue to rise between him and Petyr in the next chapter... Can't believe I've got no choice but to root for that a-hole Petyr 
Anyway, to the questions...
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Hmm, instead of going through all my favorite characters (there are a lot), I'll just pick a few that I think shined in this chapter especially: Firstly, Ysilla and Theodan. They are both relatively new characters, but you've done fantastic job in making me care about them and root for them in such a short time. My initial interest for the storyline was sparked by the fact that they are looking for the Red Skull (a character I submitted long ago), but it has grown way beyond that during the parts in Godsgrace. Of course I also have to mention Jaron, though there wasn't necessary any massively significant character development for him in this chapter it has still been nice to see him dive into the mysterious world of Essos and doing all he can to find and rescue Harpy. I also quite enjoyed Kyra's dynamic with his brother Damon in this chapter, eager to see where that goes. I'm sure I'm forgetting something but let's move on to next question anyway...
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2?
I think there can be only one answer here: Maron Mullendore. And not in like a "I'm not enjoying this character" way, but in a "I love to hate this bastard" way
Seriously though, after all this time you're still managing to write him in a way that surprises but is still very true to his character, bravo! 
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Like I already mentioned, Willfred as a PoV has become so much more interesting recently. And I already talked about Ysilla as well, but I'll add that she is perhaps the PoV I'm most looking forward to in the next chapter. Keat has given a nice new perspective for us in Oldtown, and it was neat to finally meet Hishi as well. Both Kyra's and Garthon's perspectives to the situation in Riverlands has been very enjoyable. Irae's storyline in Qarth has felt very different and isolated from anything else but still surprisingly engaging. Seeing Dragonstone and the Targs through Ellena's eyes has been pretty neat as well, and Raenna's storyline seems to be bringing in the one thing this story was missing: wildlings!
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
I don't think there were any that I disliked, but I will say that Kersea's parts dealing with the highwaymen felt a bit like a side quest, so to say
I did still enjoy seeing her and Leonard starting to bond though, and my excitement for their storyline going forward has only increased 
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2?
I think the finale takes the cake this time. There was a lot of good development and build up for future in this chapter, but I don't think any other individual part was quite as impactful as this last one.
And there's nothing I really disliked, and I've already brought up what I'm most looking forward to. As for advice, just keep doing what you're doing with the pace that feels comfortable to you, it's been a great ride so far!
Damn, Mullendore keeps on making more enemies. The more people he antagonizes or tries to kill, the more likely he will become a liability for everyone else. House Reyne and Westerling will certainly demand blood, even if Mern Gardener isn't in a position to demand it.
Who were your favorite characters in Chapter 2?
I really liked the three companies and I wish to know a bit more about them.
Who were your least favorite characters in Chapter 2?
I think those were Redmond Royce and Quingar Qoherys, probably because of the bad impressions they gave.
Who were your favorite PoV's in Chapter 2?
I guess those were Raenna and Ysilla, and their story lines are getting pretty interesting.
Who were your least favorite PoV's in Chapter 2?
I suppose those were Kersea's. Her confrontation at the inn with Ironshield and Elias felt a bit too side-quest-y.
What has been your favorite part in Chapter 2?
I think it was the melee tournament and how Drent managed to hold on even when facing against experienced knights.
What has been your favorite part and your favorite moment in Chapter 2?
Not sure exactly, maybe it was Aegon's council room and how they plan to make their moves.
Is there anything you disliked?
Nothing in particular, keep the good writing.
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3?
Getting to know better both the Three Companies and the newly introduced Vale cast. Maybe the meeting with the Riverlords as they prepare to rebel against Harren Hoare.
Congrats Liquid!!! I can't believe were this far into the story. Now we have yet another successful chapter completed. I always find these questions a bit hard to answer, but I will try my best.
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2? I mean its always hard to play favorites, since most of the characters get there to some extent. But, really I don't know what to say for this chapter. All the characters did something I can at least call memorable.
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2? Now this normally is very easy, but for me it's like a double edged sword too. If I say I didn't like a character I always feel a little bad. That is unless a character is MEANT to be hated or just plainly evil, but I tend to love those characters. I case anyone didn't know that, what with the Anturions being a thing. So again i'm blanking here.
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2? I really like parts that take us out of the usual spots, I really makes this feel like this is a huge living world. So the Esso's part for example I really loved. I always feel a bit bad when I say I loved Alys's pov in the chapter. I mean i'm pretty much expected to love them since Edwards there, so I always feel like I'm taken as a bit disingenuous. Like the creator of Alys and of course you, Liquid who brought her to life always have this nagging feeling in the back of their head that i'm only in it for the monthly dose of Anturion, which isn't really true. I admit that as soon as I see him pop up my eyes shine a bit and a single reference can make my day, but I also grew to love Alys as a character and Carvin and Alisa too. And merman's rest is amazing!!!, i'm a big fan of pirates in case you couldn't tell.
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2? I hesitate to say, again I really like most of them and I doesn't feel like other chapters where a character in one or two of the pov's would just do squat for most of it (something I remember you regretted a lot). I also am ashamed to admit I missed a few parts during my forum hiatus, so I don't think i'm ready to make that call.
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2? Between merman's rest and Essos. Both were great.
What has been your favourite part and your favourite moment in Chapter 2? Ditto the former answer.
Is there anything you disliked? Not really, this was pretty great.
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3? I have a few anticipations, but we have talked about them before so you probably know. As for advice? Continue improving and don't be afraid to take risks, they normally work out for you
.
Oh dear! So much to comment on. How exciting...
Let's start with my thoughts on the chapter finale:
Just when you though dear Maron couldn't get any worse, well, he gets worse. TWENTY-EIGHT STAB WOUNDS worse. To be honest, we should have seen this coming. This guy has raped and murdered for less. Off the top of my head, he raped and then stabbed a young woman, framed two knights for her murder, beat a man to death with a cane, has had several people tortured to death, orchestrated the raid and pillage of a city for his own gain, costing hundreds of lives, indirectly/directly led to a knight being forced to do a trial by combat for something he did not do, causing his death, uh, being a crime lord, hiring psycho assassins like Wolfius, Rayden, Clayton, Alysanne and Kersea to murder many people. And the Chapter 6 finale, don't get me started on that. And I know I've missed some stuff!
Frankly, and my fellow long-time readers may notice, I'm a bit of a troll at times when I'm voting with certain characters, as I was when I voted with the "Lie". While I didn't think he'd outright try to kill us right then and there, I must say I didn't think we'd get away with it for long. I am curious to hear about the alternate choices, because this certainly must have changed stuff. Refusing might have gone along with something similar, but maybe not.
Poor Tallian, and Roger, and Prins. Prins especially, we hardly knew ya, like a certain Fedonico Snail. But Tallian and Roger, my gosh, they've been in the story for years! I don't think we're grapping with how major of a loss that is. 6 months, Roger says, much longer to us. I expect this major loss of blood by Willfred to induce some hallucinations/delusions combined with that freaky Tesseract box. Clearly, it helped him out quite a bit this time, but there will still be scars. RIP his pals though. Can Maron smell what the Rock is cooking? War probably. Makes their future alliance...interesting...
Probably not my favorite chapter finale, but tense nonetheless. I kind of liked that it just focused on one character.
Now, allow me to examine the "Next time on..."
Jenna should not be listening to this conversation. Also, there's no way Maron is that..."calm"? I don't know the exact word, but I have no doubt that the last line there really is not sincere. There's no way he's not going to screw over that bastard Petyr.
Volantis, with the bridge, I'd assume (but it's not, isn't it?). More Abbas sexism, wonderful. Now, "that insolent bitch" comment, sexism aside, is quite interesting. I wonder if a certain attractive female Draco Malfoy is to whom he refers.
Fur is murder! Also, cold, Where I am at right now, it's quite hot. I'd like some cold.
Commando Edrick. Also, Viveka, where are thou? Catch us again, and well...
Hmmm. I have a bad feeling about this.
Confrontation, oh yes! Violence! Anger!
"Welcome warmth". Hm. Is that a person? Also, cold air, so it's probably night. Also, I also again have a bad feeling about this. Maybe a sandstorm! Like, an actual sandstorm. That'd be a cool part.
I have noted that Kersea, Ilish, Arthur among others did not get one of these. Also, Samantha is supposed to come back to the story in Chapter 3! Yay!!! It's been like, my gosh, months?
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2? Ah, yes. Favorites. Leonard, I mean come on. Some less obvious choices: Kyra, Maurice Mad-Eye, Gravven Drumm, Durren Stallhart!!! Kasyn Luck, he's alright. Vaasrand if he appeared in this chapter, I can't remember exactly. I like Prins and Jack now, Willfred always been nice, and I don't think I ever appreciated Roger and Tallian until now. Wildor Goodbrook I kinda like, compared, but I might like Lawsen? Saerya, Arthur, Ilish is growing on me as of late, Magnus and Bennet were fine, Elias is intriguing. The nice Hoare. The Hawk is cool. I'm a Keat kind of guy. Argella and her father remain nice. Edirck and Leo and Darreth and Jorid and Normund + Reymond and a pack of hyenas are good company. Sylvi is a nice woman. Viveka is someone I'd be attracted to in real life. I like Malina, and Garthon, Aegon, and Visenya, with Orys, Daghan, that weirdo Wulvren and Ellena. Hjalgar is chill. Sadie and fake Leonard are alright. Malcom Mertyns and Drent, and Emphryus are A-Okay. Mace Crowl is awesome. Raenna is sweet. Ysilla and Theodan are nice, but Belandra has stolen my heart. Edward Anturion, no matter how evil, is cool. Blacksails and the Merman's Rest gang are aright. Irae is too, as are our buds Jaron, John, Harrington?, Arryn and Aidan, Lysara, seems, okay? Behara, Janae, and Harpy are not in a good spot. I like Dunaver and Dustran, but unsure of the Donnel himself.
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2? Maron Mullendore. Such a funny first name. The Tom! The Moggy! The Sphynx is not redeemable! Connor Frostborn that creep. Petyr Vyrwel is not a good guy, and neither is Lord Oakheart. Vali Flowers is man, salty. Lucia Grimthorn straight up sucks. Lord Arrec Mallister is a terrible person, as is his son-in-law. Thorrin Bannister, the worst, Hishi weirds me out. Dante should get his face punched and again Gawayne "Sneeze" Schaffrot is not a friendly folk. Not in Chapter 2, but that Roach guy, man he sucked. Yoreen Flowers, for being a dick when mentioned and also be the current longest-waited character waiting to be introduced on the list at this time. Kory Umber kind of sucked, glad he's dead. Love the Drake? Hate the Drake! The Drake belongs in a bath tub as a rubber toy, but I suppose he'll never get his wish. Don't really like Khal Rhavarro or the Blood Witch either, don't seem too friendly. The Fang, what the hell is that guy's deal. Maester Lucifer, I mean, look at the guy's name. Note that Kersea and Jenna are not in the hate, Rosalie still is. Noelle is still here. Two-Face, I liked him back in Book 1, but not so much anymore. Sargasso Saan, eh. Abbas and Bakr, why must you be bad? Ryder is a mixed bag.
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2? I enjoyed Willfred's and Ilish's, along with Jaron's and John's, Kyra's and Sadie's were good. I think Drent’s has the best action scene.
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2? This is a real shocker: the one where Leonard was featured the most. While I do enjoy some adventure unrelated to lots of stuff, personally it just was kind of there to remind us the characters were there. Which is nice, but story-wise, I think it probably my least favorite, even though there were some nice bits.
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2? This chapter finale was pretty good, but strangely I really like Kyra enjoying a good ol' family wedding with the Hoares.
What has been your favourite part and your favourite moment in Chapter 2?
Already did favorite part, so my favorite moment...Hm. Okay, literally anything with Donnel Selwyn, or more specifically when he's first introduced and Mullendore and Petyr are just flabbergasted or when he mentions Leonard and goes to a dark place. He's hilarious.
Is there anything you disliked? Well, I already said about the Kersea storyline, but maybe the fact that the chapter was so long that I have forgotten most of the early stuff. Maybe. Also, wish Samantha was here! Love her. While I enjoyed their awesome names (fun fact I love awesome names, the Children of Thanos in Infinity War especially), all the characters with the Hawk in the Vale, man, so damn many. But I admire that you tried to introduce so many, and I imagine the important ones will/have become apparent.
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3?
Hobert. He's got to come back some time. Dimitri the Wise. I'd like to see a character's storyline basically revolve around a single conversation. I know it's strange, but you could have a campfire/whatever place conversation between two interesting characters, where the choices are purely dialogue. Maybe they can both by POVs and we can steer it. Also, Selwyn, get hype. And Samantha's storyline. Also, I think Batman needs to be Chapter 3. Good stuff!
This is a massive comment - sorry.
Man.It was just epic.JUST EPIC!!!Poor Prins,Tallain and Uncle Roger.I just hate Maron
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2?
There were a lot of characters I thoroughly enjoyed in Chapter 2, so I'll just mention some newly gained favorites. Samuel Harrington has been growing on me through the course of the story, and is definitely my favorite character in Jaron's storyline for the moment. The Rogare lady we just met is someone I really like as well, she just exudes charisma, and I hope she'll have a big part to play in the parts to come. Abbas is another character I've really grown to like, he seems to be more complex than Bakr, and I'm rooting for him despite him being a villain. The Ironborns I always enjoy, and most Ironborn characters are on my favorites list with the exception of Damon Greyjoy, and a couple Hoares. And after the last part, I would like to add Prins to my long list of favorites. He was a bit character, but I liked him more than Jack. XD it was a shame he had to die.
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Fake Leonard Leo Hill, he's such a self-righteous bastard (literally and figuratively). And Sadie by association because she defended him, and was needlessly harsh on lady Reyne. And obviously, everyone's least favorite Maron fucking Mullendore, his lapdog Oakheart, Donnel Selwyn (not his kids tho), and all the other annoying villains that have been around since book 1 (Wolfius and Kreep, the elusive Frostborn brothers).
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
I enjoyed every storyline in Essos, especially Janae's and Irae's. Jaron's at the end started to pick up after the obligatory recruitment arc is over. Back in Westeros, standouts for me are Kyra's and Ysilla's, mainly because the locations for both are so distinct. But both Keat and Kersea's storylines were solid for me as well.
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Sadie, but I think a lot of it is because I just don't like her. Ellena and Jenna's were a little slow for me as well, and it felt like their story arcs kind of overlapped in this chapter. They were both servants in court, meeting unfamiliar lords.
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2?
The last Willfred part was pretty fucking great, but I think my favorite part is probably when Kersea and Leonard first arrived at the inn. The standoff and the tension in that part was just marvelous.
What has been your favourite part and your favourite moment in Chapter 2?
Again, as I've mentioned. The inn moment, I love reading the moments leading up to a fight.
Is there anything you disliked?
Not anything in particular, I do notice a small spelling mistake, or an odd word choice here and there, but nothing that I can't easily overlook.
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3?
Just keep the parts coming, and all will be well.
I am very shocked but interested that Abbas still have fans. Man I used to be a huge fan, but even then I knew they were slavers, and now that character trait has come to the forefront.
Nothing brings more joy to my heart than other people calling Leo Hill fake Leonard. Makes me so proud.
In my personal character creator opinion, Donnel Selwyn is not the worst in his family/house. We've haven't met/gotten to know everyone well yet, but man, there's two (3? if Liquid chooses to go a certain way), that are just, definitely going to be unpopular the longer we get to know them. Fun fact: I had no idea Oakheart was evil when I made his sister wife of Donnel. Oops.
Also, I do wonder where ol' Wolfius and Kreep, and Clayton are too. I have a feeling Liquid has sworn off villainous assassin characters for a few chapters. I don't know where they'll reappear, but they got too. But if they do, I think they'd either have to die or kill the POV because unless we get a new POV, I can't see any of the current ones wanting to be around/likely to be around them. They'd all want revenge though, so, yeah.
Man, if only we went down that choice path is early book 1 where Richard could have murdered Wolfius in prison. Much would be different.
Huh, that's a funny coincidence. I wonder who submitted Oakheart, and whether he was always meant to be evil, as opposed to a more gray area character.
Hehe, perhaps you should have indeed. With Maron, there's relatively few boundaries he is not willing to cross if it helps him with his goal. In this case, his goal was all about preventing Petyr from getting an important ally in their power struggle, keeping things in the sort of stalemate between them. The problem is, Maron knows that Petyr is the more powerful of the two, so he is taking somewhat desperate measures to ensure that there's going to be a relative balance between them.
Aye and trust me, I did not like killing them off. Especially Tallian is a character I have grown really fond of, so killing him first has not been easy for me. Sure, you did not see the body, but he took quite a serious injury from the Tom, so his survival, especially after how willing Maron was to kill them all, is quite unlikely.
It is true. I knew, you earlier mentioned that so many PoV's are leaving Raylansfair and it has always been clear that Willfred will leave soon as well (though this could have been postponed until Chapter 3 given the right choices), leaving Jenna and Arthur as the only two remaining PoV's in Raylansfair. Of course, others might be able to return, as Samantha, Kersea and Ilish still have strong ties to the city. For the time being, there's only the two of them though.
Oh yes, you bring up something good there. Maron might be whom I'd consider the main antagonist on account of just how many storylines he affects, but Wolfius is out there, Wolfius is a major threat, he is still unaccounted for and in terms of the sheer danger he poses as a single person, he is far and above the largest threat, perhaps not counting the Blood Witch, who is literally not a human being. And what can I say, while Book 2 will see Wolfius in a slightly reduced role, it will see him in a far more crucial involvement than Book 1, where he has been more of a sidelines villain. I am pretty confident that his storyline in Book 2 will fundamentally change the way Wolfius works as a character and the way you will see him.
Ah, that is alright of course! The questions are mostly for feedback and this post here is pretty nice feedback already, so that'll do. I'm glad you've made it this far, I hope the next chapter won't disappoint
Well, Maron is completely done being subtle. He's in a bad position and what he's doing there is snapping at any threat like a caged animal. His rash execution of Richard was part of it already. The problem is, he and Petyr are both equally deeply involved in this whole conspiracy. However, Maron has always been the more ruthless of the two, so over the time, he has done plenty bad and some of it can be traced back to him. Meanwhile, Petyr has kept his hands clean, for the most part, occasionally outright using Maron as the one to do the dirty work. So, Maron now knows, if he wants to have any chance at increasing his situation, he must act swiftly and without any mercy or restraint. That means, the very moment he realized that Willfred won't help him, but is rather swayed by Petyr's (admittely reasonable) arguments already, he took the necessary measures to prevent an alliance at least, perhaps even to start a huge diplomatic incident between the Reach and the Rock, further helping his ultimate goal of seein Harren Hoare conquering both kingdoms. A big step, probably borderline insane, but Maron saw no alternative. This will lead to trouble between him and Petyr though and he can only hope that he'll get through this. You interpret it right though, the artifact ended up seriously saving Willfred here, else he wouldn't have survived Maron's initial attempt on his life. Of course, he still had to save himself, but the artifact kinda warned him of the incoming threats. This was a huge part for him and I am glad these recent developments made you interested in his storyline! Book 2 will see Willfred in a much more crucial role than Book 1 and while I know he has been overshadowed quite a bit at times in the past, I hope this will change with the recent events.
Ah, I am really glad that Theodan and Ysilla have grown on you so quickly! It is the same for me, I don't think I've ever grown to love two characters this quickly. The Godsgrace parts were always a treat for me, so it is especially nice to hear that they were so well-received in general. It was the groundwork I saw as necessary to properly develop the two characters, as now their quest to find the Red Skull will take more spotlight. I don't want to spoil too much, but I would like to say, you in particular can expect a very particular surprise along the way
And well, while you are right that this wasn't the most massive chapter for Jaron in terms of development, it was a very important step for his journey still. Essos is going to offer me some very interesting ways to develop him, with him being confronted with this wholly different culture, their strange morals and beliefs. Kind of the logical extreme from the way I meant to challenge his knightly beliefs in Book 1.
Ah, this is something I am really glad to hear. Maron is one of the few characters whom I absolutely expect to be hated by everyone, so you loving to hate him is exactly what I hope to achieve. I think I said it before, he is the best antagonist I could have hoped for, so the reaction is always a delight.
I am particularly glad to see characters such as Keat and Irae here, given that they are so new (with Irae just being introduced in this chapter) as PoV's, so the positive reaction is really uplifting! And ah, I can confirm, Raenna's storyline in Book 2 will be heavily wildling-centric! I know we haven't gotten much in these terms, but last chapter gave us the first glimpse. There will be a lot more in store for her and I believe the wildlings should get the screentime they deserve over the course of the chapters to come
It is the truth, I can see how it did feel more like a side quest. I believe it was a necessary step, as it set up the tense relationship between Leonard and Kersea a bit better, for the first time through her eyes, showing how they have to work together and are actually rather effective at it without their issues being sorted out, while it also introduced Elias and reintroduced Magnus and Bennett, so while definitely not the most impactful chapter for them, I think it was a very necessary one and skipping right to Oldtown would have felt odd.
Aye, Mullendore is having tons of powerful enemies now. His support is running thin, has been for a long time now and we see the desperate measures he takes in order to put himself into a position where he can no longer get his comeuppance. With this part, he can firmly add House Reyne and House Westerling to his enemies. Ironically, the one thing that is currently buying him time is none other than Aegon Targaryen, albeit unwittingly. After the way Maron antagonized Orys at the end of Book 1, they definitely cannot be seen as allies, but the kings of Westeros have more dire threats to focus on than an upstart knight. For the time being, Mern doesn't know about it and even should he learn, he'd rather have Petyr deal with this, especially as he has no idea that guy is in on the conspiracy as well.
Your wish will come true! I suppose the Three Companies have been the strangest new concept for Chapter 2 and it merely set them up, but I think you will get a much better insight on the inner workings of them in the next chapter.
Justified bad impressions even. Redmond and Quingar are definitely not pleasant people and Quingar in particular will get a good role in the next chapter. Redmond will have a lesser impact for the time being, due to Lachlan having chosen the route to Gull Tower, but I can promise that you will see a lot more of him as the story progresses.
You know, whenever I think how incredible it is how far we've gotten so far, I realize the story is not even halfway done yet. I think the halfway point in terms of parts will be reached during Chapter 6 and oh boy, I just know it will be the most fitting halfway point I could have ever thought of
Hehe, I know that you're not just here for Anturion, no worries! Always glad to hear your input and I am especially glad you enjoyed Alys' storyline here. This time, her storyline had a bit less Edward than usual and I do want to give her development outside of him, but be assured, his story will take a rather unexpected turn in the next chapter. The same will hold true for Alys, but hopefully also for Carvin and Alisa.
It is something I really hope to change, where some PoV characters were just not doing anything for a whole chapter. I think I once had a full chapter of Willfred sitting in a tavern and one where Ilish walked from point A to point B, simply to give them something to do in a chapter. Now, I'd rather cut them out of a chapter if it means giving them a more exciting storyline for later. Samantha is a case of this, Maya another. While this chapter has been very long, I hope in the end every storyline at least added something meaningful to the whole picture.
Who were your favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Ellena, as I'm a Targ fanboy through and through so being able to see Dragonstone and interact with some of the bigwigs was quite enjoyable to me! Ysilla, as her story is shaping up to be great and we're starting to see some of the big names of Dorne with the Allyrions and hearing about others. Willfred, who has always been one of favorite characters and has only gotten better. And then Drent because he's awesome and was Jax's soldier. =p Tallian is great and was one of my favorites. (RIP potentially) And then Asher Velaryon because he's a fireball and i'm Biased.
Who were your least favourite characters in Chapter 2?
Devrin, Maron, Donnel, and THE TOM. Screw em all lol.
Who were your favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Ysilla, Ellena, Drent, Willfred.
Who were your least favourite PoV's in Chapter 2?
Wasn't a huge fan of Alys but I think that's just me not being connected to her storyline fully.
What has been your favourite part in Chapter 2?
I loved the scene in the abandoned tavern with Leonard, but getting to see Dragonstone and having Ellena interact with people from the Targteam was my overall favorite.
What has been your favourite part and your favourite moment in Chapter 2?
Is there anything you disliked?
Looved Dragonstone, and actually really liked seeing some more of Dorne. Nothing I can say I particularly disliked other than the Essos storyline seemed slower but it might be because of the slower chapter which is not a problem really, just felt slower!
Do you have further advice, anything you'd like to see more, anything you're anticipating in Chapter 3?
My advice would be not to burn out and not worry about the time things take if you're dealing with stuff. Need to take time for yourself and to enjoy the story you're creating for us!
As for what I'm anticipating, I'm hoping for more clashing in Raylansfair and getting the Gardener King's 'spy' into some of these discussions and to potentially start forming a plan! Also really looking forward to the tension with Orys and the Stormlands. Finally, I'm looking forward to the Dorne storyline to see where Ysilla goes next and what Houses will be seen!
Keep up the great work Liquid!
You do bring up Maron's most major crimes here and I think if you missed anything it can be combined under "being a crime lord". To be honest, right now I do not know if you missed anything, that seems pretty complete to me. Especially his time as Butterfly led to the absolute worst stuff he has ever done and it shows how far he is willing to go if it furthers his goals. On top of that, he sometimes does stuff like that without it actually furthering his goals. Him framing Lucas and Leonard for Lunett's murder? Sure, that actually helps taking two potential threats out of the picture. Him raping Lunett and giving her a super painful death? He claims it was to send a message, but it should be clear it was because he enjoys giving in to his darker urges. Trying to kill Willfred to prevent an alliance with Petyr before it even starts is nothing compared to what he has done already. Sure it is dangerous, but he likes the feeling of dancing with danger. I mean, now that you know it, could he, the Mullendore knight, picked a more obvious name for his crimelord persona than Butterfly? They are all over his sigil and he somehow got away with it because nobody believed things to be that obvious. So, he has no restraints and actively welcomes dangerously close calls, both traits that led to him acting so quickly here.
I must say, I don't even think lying would have been the worst choice. Sure, it led to the same outcome, but there was an option to outright refuse to answer. That would have been the same, just without even trying to get a better outcome. So, lying makes sense and I can say, there are many characters who could have pulled this one off, they just need to be better than the man who fooled an entire city for years. Saerya and Vali could have done this, Petyr quite probably as well. Even Jenna would have had a shot, mostly due to Maron having the habit of underestimating people like her. But Willfred was raised to be honest and outright sworn to this when giving his knightly vows. He has many fine traits, but he is about as deceptive as a brick. So, the choice itself wasn't even the problem, just the character making it. I can say though, telling him what you learned would have dramatically changed the chapter finale and I will tell you more about it in the alternative choices, which I hope to finish tomorrow. I unfortunately got nothing done while I was away, but I'll try my best to deliver soon
At least with Prins, I feel like I couldn't have done much with him. Federico had a really rich backstory and his problem was mostly that his creator never sent me a second character absolutely vital for many aspects of it, so I, way less experienced back then, put him into a different role that eventually culminated in his death. Prins is not a bad character, but I wouldn't call him very detailed either. But ah, you are right, Tallian and Roger have been in the story for over three years! I even think at the time of his death, Tallian has been among the twenty longest living characters, or he has been close to them at least. At times I feel I could have done more with them, but the reactions to their passing means I must have done something right with turning them into memorable characters. You are right though, there will be scars for Willfred. He has lost a lot of blood, he lost his uncle and though the box helped him out big time here, he is really in no position to properly resist it, is he? It is powerful, it has a mind of its own and very specific goals, which you will learn more about soon.
Oh yeah, she should not. Even if Petyr does not mind, you have just seen how unpredictable Maron can be. He seems calm here, but this snippet takes place only hours after he stabbed a man in cold blood. Petyr knows this and he knows, it's all a matter of using each other until they both get what they want from each other, then it's all about screwing the other one over before they themselves end up screwed. There is no fondness between them, so both have reason to screw each other over.
It is not indeed. Avoiding Volantis is a big part of Abbas' strategy to throw off those who pursue him. No, this bridge belongs to a new character whom we will meet in the next chapter, who is the "insolent bitch" he mentions here. I can say that Abbas does not like her and he even has good reason not to like her. At the same time, I can't say being disliked by Abbas is a bad trait.
In that case, all hell breaks loose. Viveka is reasonable, especially for an Ironborn, but Edrick has effectively broken their agreement. If she catches them again, things will change.
What? A bad feeling about something involving the warlocks and Moros Qo Palpatine? Now, I think that's just ridiculous, I am certain everything's going to be just fine
Confrontation indeed! Anger can be confirmed as well. Violence though? Well, that is really what remains to be seen. We know Orys hopes to avoid this, but this is not just about Orys and what he wants.
It might just be. I mean, a person. I can confirm, this scene takes place during the night and dornish nights must be particularly cold, just like how real deserts cool off once the sun sets. A sandstorm would indeed be pretty cool. Hm, let me see what I can make with that idea...
Indeed, many haven't gotten one of these. That does not mean they won't be important though, I just can't write snippets for each of them. It's just way too many at this point. I can say, Samantha will be back next chapter after eight months of absence and though the break was necessary, I finally know what to do with her storyline! Perhaps even bigger, Maya will return after a full year. Ilish however might skip this one, I am not entirely certain what storyline of value I can give her in the next chapter. Since Kersea and Leonard will just arrive in Oldtown next time we see them and they started earlier than Ilish, I can't just have her teleport to her destination either. I gotta wait and plan, but it is questionable if she appears this time.
Haha, those are a seriously large amount of names. As always, one thing I especially enjoy is seeing so many minor names here. I can confirm, Vaasrand did not appear in this chapter, neither did Mace Crowl, but the latter will reappear in the next chapter, as the Next Time segment has revealed. I do believe all of these characters will appear next chapter, with quite a number of names here getting some much needed spotlight. Of course I can't say which of these, but I hope that each will leave a good impression. Another thing I am really happy about is to see that your opinion on some characters has increased. I remember there was a time where at least Raenna, Samuel Harrington and Harpy were among your least favourites, so seeing them here makes me glad that their newer development is received more positively.
So many names as well, I love it! While I obviously can't react to each of these, let me pick some that stand out for me. First, the Sphynx. I can say, redemption might indeed not be on the table, at least no outright redemption. He did so much bad stuff that the best he can hope for is to be turned into a more grey character. This is exactly what I'm trying to do right now, giving him humanizing features, literally showing the man behind the mask, to establish that there's more to him than just some torturer, perhaps traits that are actually positive. He's the necessary evil at this point and it remains to be seen (perhaps to everyone's interpretation), how he will develop. With Kory Umber, I should mention he didn't actually appear in this chapter. The man you seem to dislike is Markus Treearms, the wildling who posed as Kory and he is not actually dead. Markus escaped alongside the wildling spearwive Myrla, leaving the fate of the real Kory unknown for now. He is in the "Deceased or Unknown" list because he has previously left the "Waiting to be introduced" list back when you were led to believe that the guy posing as him is indeed Kory. So, you have never actually met Kory yet and his fate won't be revealed all that quickly. And ah, I do notice Kersea and Jenna are not in the hate list. Must say, that is surprising, but given that especially the former was always a character you disliked, I must admit I am happy with this. We'll see if they manage to stay out of that list, but I am pretty sure your opinion on them will at least continue develop, one way or the other.
Shocker indeed, but not one I could disagree with. It established some important aspects that I feel would have felt out of place in other situations or were necessary to set up the next chapter, but I can only agree, it featured way less important events than the other storylines. Ah, I know what is in store for that storyline, so I have utmost confidence that things should get more interesting soon
Haha, this I am glad to hear. I know Donnel is a bit of a hit-or-miss character and I might need some time to develop him to a point where I am confident with him, but I am glad that you enjoyed this aspect of him. I don't think he can work as a character without having hilarious moments (I wouldn't call it light-hearted though, because he was definitely anything but when ranting about Leonard), but at the same time, his overall role in the story is meant to have quite serious moments going forward. The right mixture between them is what I hope will turn Donnel into a character who is generally well-received. In fact, I think he is one of the few characters who can easily do both, comic relief and serious scenes, the former are just easier to fill in.
That is stuff I dislike as well, greatly so. This chapter has been long and I don't even think it was the longest in terms of parts, but it was paired with me having to slow down a bit. As such, I cannot blame anyone for having forgotten about some of the earlier stuff. It has grown so bad that I myself have occasionally forgotten about certain aspects. The fact that I messed up several times with which choice actually won should be proof of that. This turned Samantha's absence way longer than I planned it to be. And well, then there's the fact that I had to introduce so many characters. You mentioned it with the Hawk, but there is one thing I feel I should mention in general in a new paragraph (and I'll probably talk more about this in the future):
I still receive tons of new characters and I have grown to a point where I'll handle it differently than I thought at first. Anyone can send me any character they wish for (to a somewhat reasonable amount, of course), I'll try my best to put them in, but with hundreds of characters in the waiting list, I'd have to introduce close to a hundred new characters each chapter. So, it is perfectly possible that at the end of the story, there will be many unintroduced names still left, characters we'll never meet. I won't force it, that's what I mean and if anyone is concerned their characters won't be able to fit into the story, they can always send me a message and we can talk about it. With most characters I can probably be able to ease the concerns, because I'll be able to fit a serious amount of them in. I just don't think it can be expected that in the 17-18 remaining chapters I will be able to introduce and develop every character in the waiting list, including those to be submitted in the future, as well as having it happen in a way that won't harm the existing characters or the story itself. So, I'll pick those who fit in when they fit in, but I won't bend the narrative to ridiculous degrees or force them in when they don't even work. At the same time, the huge amount of characters will directly lead to some of the most amazing events in the whole story, I can promise you that
Well, both Hobert and Dimitri will return eventually, this I can confirm. There will be more Selwyn, including screentime for those we haven't seen much of yet. Samantha is confirmed as well. Batman? Well, quite probably. I mean, I have a billion characters to choose from, surely one of them will be Westeros' equivalent of Batman, right? Jokes aside though, I love this suggestion you make there! One big and important conversation between two characters. While I am not sure when I can fit that one in, the idea is just too tempting to miss out on. I have several PoV meetings planned in the future, on top of the John/Jaron duo that exists already. But even if it doesn't involve two PoV's, one and a sufficiently interesting non-PoV should be good enough for that. It would be something new, but I am rapidly warming up to the idea!
Ah, don't be sorry! It was a massive comment and actually what convinced me to not even try to reply to anything during my vacation (because just imagine me writing this long reply over my phone
), but honestly, this made my day when I read it 
Ah, I am glad you enjoyed the finale! I was not too sure about it, compared to the last four chapter finales which each featured something as massive as a PoV death, but I am really happy I managed to pull off an epic finale without having to go that far
Oh, I am really surprised to see Abbas here! Surprised, but not displeased. I always love it when there's an unexpected favourite and he is probably one of the most unexpected. I agree, he is more complex than Bakr (who is honestly rather simple, to be fair) and I am glad I gave him some aspects to root for even if he is definitely a villain. Lysara I am also glad to see there, because she is such a new character, but it seems she left an impact with her first scene. I'd say she will play a notable part in the things to come, so your wish will probably come true. And Prins, that one's a surprise! Of course, he wasn't much of an important character over his short lifetime, but it is always nice to hear I got such a minor character right.
Hehe, Leo can definitely be very confident about what he believes in. I would actually even agree, he can be outright self righteous. It is an easy trap to fall in when someone believes themselves to be in the absolute right with their opinion. Sadie's views on the topic are way more complex. She defended Leo because he is her only support right now. I mean, she has no particular skill beyond fighting and she's of little use for that anymore. Leo keeps her around regardless, so she feels indebted to him. Defending him, harshly even, that is something she feels she has to do, not just because she sees Leo as a good man who stood by her side when everyone else would have abandoned her. She also fears that he would just kick her out should he have no use for her anymore.
Oh, I am glad you enjoyed Kersea's storyline! I can't deny the others brought up solid points why it is their least favourite, but as always, I am super happy when someone has a different opinion on a topic. This is especially true for least favourites, seeing one reader's least favourite storylines as another one's favourite is quite a nice feeling, odd as it sounds
That is kind of true, their storylines did overlap a bit. It is a direct result of having so many PoV's, sometimes their storylines will feel a bit similar. In case of Ellena and Jenna here, this is especially true. However, I believe that should change in the future, as each of them gets her own role.
This I must admit is a part I had a surprisingly huge amount of fun with! In retrospect, one thing I regret is not having even more characters there who would increase the complexity of the scene, enhancing the storyline as a whole. I wonder if that would have improved the opinion the others have on it. But given how much fun I had, this might be something I would like to return to in the future, in a different situation of course, but having such a tense standoff between several characters, with neither trusting the other and things being ready to escalate at any given moment.
Yeah, the spelling mistakes always irk me and I try to minimize them. I think it has been way worse in the early parts, where I didn't even use an english spellchecker, instead using the default german one from my version of Open Office, which amounted to me having none at all. The odd words meanwhile, that'll be harder to change. It's one issue I still face after all these years. A word that might be perfectly common in German might be really unusual when translated into English and vice versa. As such, I often relate on an online dictionary when I encounter a word I really don't know how to translate. And that one is definitely not the best out there, occasionally offering really weird (but technically correct) translations. If you encounter a word choice that is particularly glaring, I would actually really appreciate if you could point it out so that I'll find a better translation for the next time. I can assure you, I wouldn't consider this nitpicky, as it is something I genuinely hope to improve on