Type of characters Liquid does need:
* Aliens.
* Women obsessed with Leonard Constantine.
* Librarians
* Wildlings
* Whitehills
* Sothryos People
* Targarygens
* Essosians
* Dragon riders
* Duke Nukem
Type of characters Liquid does need:
* Aliens.
* Women obsessed with Leonard Constantine.
* Librarians
* Wildlings
* Whitehills
* Sothryos People
* Targarygens
* Essosians
* Dragon riders
* Duke Nukem
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for the rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alright?”, she asked. Richard shook his head. “No, not really”, he admitted. “Wolfius is still out there, threatening my daughter and he won't stop until one of us is dead” He closed his eyes. “I won't let that happen. Today she is safe, but... I'm afraid, Nora. I'm afraid I can't be here forever to protect her”
Nora let out a sigh, which caused her to grimace and she had to put the tray down on a small windowsill. For a moment Richard felt guilty for telling her about his problems and forgetting the wound she received in her fight against Wolfius and that other woman. “Are you alright?”, he asked and she gave him a short and quick nod. “Of course”, she answered. “It's only a small contusion. Chainmail saved my life. But when that woman kicked me in the face... I'm going to return the favour next time I see her”
She looked him in the eyes for a moment, before looking at the door that lead to Lord Harris' chambers. “You say you are afraid?”, she asked. Richard did not answer, instead he focused his stare at the door that separated him and Jenna. “Good”, Nora said, causing him to look at her again. She paused for a moment. “I mean, it's not bad. I'm talking about being afraid. Fear shows you what's really important to you. It shows you what you need to protect”
Richard sighed and leant against the wall behind him to reduce the pressure on his wounded leg. “But how?”, he asked. “How can I protect her if I can't even walk straight?” This time, Nora slightly smiled. “Who said anything about you doing it alone?”, she asked. “You have friends right?” Richard shrugged and thought about it for a moment. Phillip and Urid were his friends, sure, but could he drag them into this?
“I haven't talked to them about this... hell, I haven't seen them since I was attacked”, he answered. Nora shook her head. “Doesn't matter. They are your friends, right? They will have your back. And you have your brother” This caused Richard to make a sad smirk. “Yes. I have a brother”, he muttered bleakly. “What happened to him anyway?” Nora didn't seem to notice the sadness in his eyes and gave him a happy smile. “He tried to hit on me... I guess”, she answered. “He is quite charming, your brother”
Richard sighed and gave her a stern look. “Nora, my brother might seem to be a charming man, kind and eloquent, but there is only one person Alan cares for and this person is Alan. You should keep your distance with him”, he warned her. Nora gave him a nod. “I know”, she answered. “I'm not a little farmer's daughter, feeling flattered by the first kind words someone says to me. I know his intentions and I threw him out of the castle” She grinned deviously. “He was annoying a guard at duty, so I had every right to remove him from the scenery. He'll wait at the Pony for you, probably drowning his sorrows, while trying to hit on the barmaid”
Richard's smile finally started to become a bit more genuine and he had a hard time not chuckling. “Trust me, he won't have much luck with this barmaid”, he said. The noise of the door getting opened caused him to look up. Jenna walked out of the door, a frown on her face, followed by Lord Harris, who in contrast gave Richard and Nora a pleased smile. “Jenna, we're talking later about how you can help me”, he said and politely bowed his head. “I'm leaving you two alone for now. Nora, there are a few things I need to talk to you about”
With these words, he gave Nora a handwave, commanding her to follow. The guard smiled at Richard before following Harris, leaving him and Jenna alone. He noticed that Jenna was shivering and before he could say anything, she ran towards him and rapturously hugged him, tears flowing down her face. “I've missed you...”, she sobbed. “I thought you were dead”
Richard softly patted her on the back, feeling a lump in his throat, ignoring the pain in his leg and the pain in his arm. The healer had tended to both of his wounds and he was even able to use the arm, but a sharp pain flashed through it as he gently patted his daughter on the back. “I almost was”, he answered. “But I'm alive. You are alive. We will make this, I promise” Jenna let out a loud sob. “The... man who did this. He got away, right?” Richard gave her a reluctant nod. “His name is Wolfius”, he explained and tried to smile at her. Her eyes, reddened from crying stopped his smile and as he looked at the scar next to her left eye his facial expression turned to a frown instead. “But you hurt him”, he tried to reassure her. “He will think twice about coming back” It was a weak lie, but it was all he could do to cheer her up again.
Jenna shook her head, as he expected. “He will come back and he will kill me”, she muttered and Richard closed his eyes. “Not if I kill him first”, he answered and for the first time since he saw her, he saw the look of doubt in her eyes vanishing. “Make him pay”, she answered.
Make him pay... Richard shivered as he heard those words coming out of her mouth. Vengeance... yes, he wanted vengeance, but Jenna? She was always the sweetest and most gentle of his children. Her brothers were hot-headed and full of anger, where she was calm and timid. He had to gulp as he thought about what happened to Jenna in the past week.
“Father...”, she said and her voice sounded more like herself again. “I will try to stop him” She shivered as she said that, but the look in her eyes was not the look he expected. For the first time in years, Richard saw determination in her eyes. And that worried him. Sure, Wolfius needed to be stopped. He had killed a young woman a week ago. And a few hours ago he had killed four people. He would continue and he wouldn't stop with Richard and Jenna. But Jenna... she was his daughter and he wouldn't allow her putting herself in danger. That was his responsibility. But he couldn't do that alone.
Before he could say something, she looked at the hallway where Harris and Nora had left. “Harris he...”, she said and stopped for a moment. “He is not a good man. He did something terrible, but he can help us... if I help him”
This caused Richard to narrow his eyes. He had never talked to Harris Flowers before today, but he had seen him as a polite and surprisingly humble man, a man who would be worthy of becoming Lord Raylan's permanent successor. “What do you have to do for him?”, he asked. Jenna shrugged. “I don't know yet. He said I should recover first. He would talk to me soon... I...”, she said and stopped as her voice sounded tearful. “I don't want to die”
Richard didn't know what to answer to that. A few days ago he would have told her that she would be safe and he would have believed himself. But now? So many things have changed. Now there was only one thing he was sure of. He would do all he could to protect her. As long as he had some life left in him, he wouldn't allow Wolfius to go near her.
The sound of heavy footsteps down the hallway caused him and Jenna to look up. Two men were walking down the hallway, slowly coming closer. One of them was a young guard, rather awkwardly holding a spear in his hand. The other one... Richard's face formed a big grin as he recognized the man.
“Philip!”, he called as he saw his friend coming closer. It had been almost a week since they saw each other and Philip had a wide grin on his face. “So the rumours are true”, he said and his smile turned into a smirk. “You're back from the dead after all” His smile vanished as he looked at Jenna. “And... Jenna. I'm... I'm sorry” Richard saw that Philip tried to avoid looking at her scar and without a doubt Jenna noticed it too.
“Have you killed the man who did this?”, he finally asked and Richard shook his head. “Almost”, he answered. “What are you doing here?” Philip's smirk returned, albeit it seemed to be forced. Richard couldn't blame him. “Your brother is at the Pony right now. Announcing your miraculous survival. Me and Urid, we couldn't believe it, so I decided to check on you”
Richard sighed audibly. Alan, of course. Soon the whole city would know about his survival. Everyone would talk about him. That was uncomfortable. But it was a chance. A chance to gain help against the beast who preyed upon them.
“So... I think this might be a bad time to ask, but... your friends are at the Pony. Maybe you should... well, not exactly celebrate your survival, but...”, Philip said and his gaze hardened. “But we should talk about what we're going to do about the man who did this to you. Planning our next steps. We can't live in peace as long as this madman runs around, killing our people, threatening our families. But, I guess you want to stay with your daughter for a while now, after what happened”
Richard looked at Jenna, who shook her head. “It's fine”, she answered. “I want to come with you. I want to help” The look in her eyes told Richard that she was serious, deadly serious and it broke his heart to see her like this. He knew, Philip could help him. Urid would be at the tavern, Alan too. He didn't want to drag his friends into this. But he knew how Philip was. He would try to stop Wolfius, on his own if needed. Richard had to help him. But was he ready for this? And Jenna... was she ready for this? Could he really drag her into this even more? Part of Richard wanted to go. But part of him wanted to stay, wanted to console his daughter, wanted to help her recover until this terrible look in her eyes, this look thirsting for revenge was gone. Could he really drag her into this deeper than she already was?
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius][Stay at the castle and try to console Jenna]
Lucas
Without looking at Leonard or the Historian, Lucas shook his head. “I'm sorry, Ser Maron. We are just as clueless as you are. We hoped to find him here, but had no luck”, he said and Mullendore sighed. “Well, that is unfortunate”, the knight answered. “He could have given me the edge in our conflict with Butterfly”
Mullendore looked from Lucas to Leonard, finally shaking his head. “But we still have a common goal. We both want to find Dairon and we both want to keep him safe from harm, even though our ultimate goal differs. If you find any trace of Dairon, I have to know it. Lives depend on it”
He looked at his guards and his face turned into a slight smile “There is one more thing. Something that might convince you about my intentions” He noticed the look in Lucas eyes and chuckled. “Don't look at me like that. I know how the fucking game is played. You don't trust me and being distrustful is usually a good thing in this city. But I know something that might change your opinion on a few things”
Lucas gave him a curious look. “What are you talking about, Ser Maron?”, he asked. Mullendore looked him in the eyes. “The Hightower, where my guards ravens are held is located near the Starry Sept. From time to time, a raven intended to fly to the Sept finds his way to my rooms. A raven with from Raylansfair found his way to my rooms two days ago. So far, only me and one of my most trusted men know about the contents of this letter” He stopped and looked at his guards and at Quent. “I would like you to accompany me back to the Hightower, where I will give you this letter and where we can discuss a way to find Dairon in this city and to keep him safe”
Lucas thought about this for a moment. Mullendore sounded honest. But he also knew that honest men were rare and hard to find. He would like to trust this man. But this was important, maybe too important to trust anyone. “This letter... can you tell us anything about it's contents?”, he asked and Mullendora gave him a nod. “Without saying too much... it involves events that happened a few days ago, involving your acting lord, Harris Flowers. Let's just say, he fucked something up and you might want to know about this when planning your moves”
Mullendore raised from his chair. “Since you know nothing about this Dairon, I have no more questions for now. But if you want, we can go back to the Hightower immediately. I can tell you, the stuff that is written in this letter is important”, he explained.
Leonard shook his head. “Why are you telling us about this?”, he asked with a distrustful look on his face. Mullendore shrugged and let out a sigh. “Perhaps I'm just tired of fighting this war without allies”, he said. “It would be nice to have someone at my side who is honest. My father used to teach me these values. Honesty. Straightforwardness. He called is his sword in this web of lies” He shook his head. “He was too trustful. His own men killed him in his sleep, after the crimelord Iron Ivar paid them to do it. I try to uphold his values, but I combine them with the realism over fifty years in this city taught me”
He crossed his arms, slightly leaning backwards as he did it. “I don't trust anyone here, not even my own men. But you are knights from the countryside. My own values mean something out there. I want you to accompany me to the Hightower. I will give you the letter. You will read it and afterwards you will decide if you want to work with me” He looked at Lucas again. “Do we have a deal?”, he asked. Lucas looked at Leonard who slightly shook his head. Obviously, Leonard wanted nothing to do with Mullendore or Hightower. But what the knight just said... perhaps Lucas could help him without favouring Lord Hightower. And this letter... if it involved Harris, he had to know about it! “We have a deal, Ser Maron”, he answered.
Leonard let out a sigh and Lucas saw Quent frowning. Mullendore on the other hand gave him a cheerful grin. “That is great!”, the knight answered and was about to add something, when Lucas cut him off. “But we have something to discuss with Archmaester Quent first. We will visit you after our dealings at the Citadel are over”, he said. Mullendore's smile vanished, but he gave him a stern nod. “I understand”, he said. “I can wait. The letter is waiting for you at my office” With these words he took a clumsy bow in front of the Archmaester. “I am sorry for breaking into this conversation”, he said with an apologizing tone, before looking at Lucas again. “I will leave now. But I suggest you should pay me a visit as soon as possible”
Lucas gave him a nod. “We will, Ser Maron. As soon as possible”, he answered. Mullendore gave his men a signal and they turned around, walking out of the small chamber. “I'm looking forward for our next meeting. It's been a while since I've met honest knights. Together we can achieve something here, keep that in mind”
With these words he turned around, leaving Lucas, Leonard and Quent behind. As soon as the doors of the chamber were closed and the sound of heavy footsteps was gone, Leonard gave Lucas a furious glare. “Have you lost your mind, Flowers?”, he hissed. “Working with Maron Fucking Mullendore? One of Hightower's men?”
Lucas shook his head. “I won't work with him”, he explained. “But I need to find out what he knows. This letter... if it tells us anything about Harris, we have to know” Leonard sighed and slightly raised his hand in anger. “It's a trick. Who knows if he even has this letter?”, he said and this time Lucas tried to stay calm. “Like I said, I need to find this out. The letter could be important”
Quent cleared his throat, causing Lucas and Leonard to look at him. “I agree”, he said to Lucas surprise. “This letter could indeed be important. I don't trust Maron Mullendore and neither should you, but I know that he is not a particularly smart man. All this stuff about honesty? He really believes in that. You should be careful around him, but using him to your advantage should be possible. Just, don't tell him anything about Dairon” With these words, the boy crawled from under the bed, getting back to his feet.
“I don't trust him...”, he mumbled. “And I would like to go back to Raylansfair...”, he stuttered. The Historian gave him a sharp glare. “Seven Hells, you need a backbone”, he growled. “I am afraid you can't go back that easily” Dairon's stare changed from intimidated to scared. “What... what are you saying?”, he stuttered.
Quent looked from him to Lucas and Leonard. “Besides this ominous letter, there is one useful thing this ox told us. Butterfly is after Dairon. I am pretty sure he is already watching your movements. Take him with you know and all three of you will be dead before you reach the city gates. We have to find a way to smuggle you out of this city without Butterfly noticing. For now I will hide Dairon with Archmaester Wulvren, where he will be safe as long as he won't do anything the Mage wants him to do. You two on the other hand...”
He gave both of them a stern look. “Now that Butterfly is involved, it will be dangerous for you. You will need allies. Maybe my help will suffice. But you should try to manipulate Mullendore to your own gain. Maybe he will agree to help you out of this city again”, he explained.
Before Lucas could answer, he looked at Leonard. The knight still seemed to be angry, but this time he stood up and slightly moved his head, signalizing Lucas to follow. “One moment, Archmaester”, the knight said. “Me and Flowers need to talk about something first”
With these words, he walked towards the door. Lucas looked at the Archmaester, who raised an eyebrow. “It seems Ser Leonard has a problem with trusting me. Trust issues seem to be quite common for him”, the old man hissed. “Go on boy, conspire with him, I don't mind”
Lucas gave him an apologizing look before walking after Leonard. He found the knight at the top of the stairs leading down to the ground floor of the tower. Leonard gave him a cold glare. “Listen, Flowers, I don't know what foolishness caused you to do any dealing with Mullendore, but I have one question for you now... do you trust the Historian with this?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not in the slightest”, he answered and Leonard's face softened up a bit. “Good. Because I don't trust him either. This bullshit about honesty from Mullendore? I don't think there is a single honest man in this city, him included. But that also means that Quent is a liar. He is the Historian after all. Perhaps he tries to manipulate us to his own ends, trying to get his hands on our archive. And now he wants us to find a way out of this city, while keeping Dairon in his reach... I don't like this, Flowers and I don't think we should leave him here. We should take him with us and protect him, from Mullendore, from Butterfly and from the Historian”
Lucas closed his eyes. It was true, he did not trust Quent at all. But Mullendore told him that Butterfly was after Dairon. Perhaps keeping him at the Citadel for now would be the safest thing for Dairon. Or perhaps it would be the most dangerous choice...
[Agree to take Dairon with you][Insist on keeping Dairon at the Citadel]
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
[Go with Phillip to the tavern to plan your move against wolfius] as much as I want to keep Jenna from going vengeful stopping Wolfius is more important they need to be ready. [Agree to take Dairon with you] trust no one but Leonard.
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
[Stay at the castle and try to console Jenna] I wanna see Richard to go all spy on Harris and learn what Harris is really thinking.
[Insist on keeping Dairon at the Citadel] I don't want Butterfly after us, but that is going to happen no matter what. However I don't want to have a handicap like Dairon. Hopefully Quent and Eaton's blood ties will cause him to protect us.
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
It's complicated between them. Right now, with the only other options being Clayton and Wolfius, Alysanne is probably the closest thing Kersea has to a friend. However, Alysanne has more than just a few psychopathic traits and finds it hard to emphasize with others, something Kersea is aware of and which prevents her from seeing her as a true friend. They share a few similarities and bond over them, but they are complete opposites in most things. Kersea pities her, envies her and is disgusted by her at the same time.
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
It's complicated between them. Right now, with the only other options being Clayton and Wolfius, Alysanne is probably the closest thing Kers… moreea has to a friend. However, Alysanne has more than just a few psychopathic traits and finds it hard to emphasize with others, something Kersea is aware of and which prevents her from seeing her as a true friend. They share a few similarities and bond over them, but they are complete opposites in most things. Kersea pities her, envies her and is disgusted by her at the same time.
While it hasn't been exactly stated so far, Alysanne seems to care for Kersea in her very limited way. She tries her best to imitate friendly behaviour around her, albeit her attempts to act like a friend are clumsy and somewhat twisted, as a result of her being unable to connect to Kersea on a deeper level. While Alysanne heavily disapproves of Kersea's attempts at preventing needless violence, she is strangely fascinated by such behaviour.
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Awesome this is one of the best francise based stories i have EVER read. Liquid you have captured the spirit of game of thrones. Thank you for this amazing story .
Marak
Gold. Yes Gold would be great. He lost his last money in this blasted tavern brawl. On the other hand, the chance to get a bit clos… moreer to this priestess would be priceless... And his curiosity finally got the better of him. “This truth... what would it be?“, he asked.
Noelle gave him an approving look. “The Lord of Light has given us many gifts, but the most valuable is fire, the essence of R'hllor. You will look into the fire and the fire will look into you. And if the Lord of Light deems you worthy, you will see something“, she explained.
Marak looked at her, quite confused. This was not a real explanation. “So my payment for being your bodyguard from here to Reach is that I get to look into a little campfire?“ That was not impressive, not at all. Maybe he should have just taken the gold, or even better, maybe he should have minded his own business and not gotten involved in any way with this priestess and her rollmop. But it … [view original content]
Awesome this is one of the best francise based stories i have EVER read. Liquid you have captured the spirit of game of thrones. Thank you for this amazing story .
Yes, they don't know about Ser Ilhan's death yet, since they left Raylansfair before it happened. The contents of this letter will be revealed soon, since Lucas is determined to find out more about what Mullendore knows, but there is a strong possibility that it is indeed the letter Septon Corbin sent to Oldtown.
I gotta question too.
If Mullendore supposedly has the letter, which is from Septon Corbin, this means Len and Luc definitely don't know that Ser Ilhan is dead?
Yes, they don't know about Ser Ilhan's death yet, since they left Raylansfair before it happened. The contents of this letter will be reveal… moreed soon, since Lucas is determined to find out more about what Mullendore knows, but there is a strong possibility that it is indeed the letter Septon Corbin sent to Oldtown.
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for … morethe rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alri… [view original content]
Lucas will agree to take Dairon with them when they leave the Citadel
I'm not really surprised by this outcome. And while I am fairly neutral with the outcome of the second choice, I have to admit that I have anticipated the outcome of the first choice, since it will allow me to write stuff for a lot of Raylansfair characters who haven't been seen for a while.
Roughly 2/3 of the new part are written. It will feature a completely new PoV character who will, however, have some ties to one of the other storylines. I plan to finish this part later today.
The Voting is closed!
Richard will go with Philip to the tavern
Lucas will agree to take Dairon with them when they leave the Citadel
… more
I'm not really surprised by this outcome. And while I am fairly neutral with the outcome of the second choice, I have to admit that I have anticipated the outcome of the first choice, since it will allow me to write stuff for a lot of Raylansfair characters who haven't been seen for a while.
Roughly 2/3 of the new part are written. It will feature a completely new PoV character who will, however, have some ties to one of the other storylines. I plan to finish this part later today.
Just as Alys thought it couldn't get any worse, it started to rain. Great. Now she was alone, freezing and soaking wet. And it was dark. Wonderful. She slightly rolled with her eyes and stroke a strand of wet, light brown hair out of her face. Well, she never needed that anyway. Dry clothes. A full stomach. A warm and comfortable bed. She knew what she would give up when leaving her father's castle. She never needed it. There was only one thing of importance for her and that was something she couldn't find in the North. Freedom.
She jumped over a deep looking puddle of water, her fine leather boots landing in the mud. That was probably one of the things she missed when thinking about her home. No mud. It was frozen, just like almost everything up there. Mud. Water. Trees. The occasional vagrant who thought it was a good idea to sleep outside in a kingdome that was called 'The North'. But especially the mud.
Her father's lands were located far in the North, her father's castle located directly at the Grey Cliffs and frozen mud were probably the most exciting thing happening up there. House Boleyn of Burmstone Keep, sworn to Karstark. She tried her best not to yawn in excitement, thinking about the possibilities her old life had for her. Being a good little daughter, a good little lady, a good little wife. Her father had tried to wed her to Lord Frostborn's eldest son, a man twice her age with a bastard son as old as she was. When she declined he tried to wed her to some Karstark boy, called it a good catch, the best catch she would ever make. The night he told her about this, she ran away. And she hadn't looked back, not when she left Burmstone Keep, not when she left the Grey Cliffs, not when she passed Karhold or the Dreadfort or Moat Cailin. Her first goal had been the Twins. For two nights she had slept in a small inn near Frey's castle. The next goal had been Darry, where she spent a night sleeping behind a stable. And her current goal was Rosby. And then? Who knew? Perhaps she could be free in Dorne. Or in the appropriately named cities beyond the Narrow Sea. There was only one thing she knew. She would not go back, just so her father could sell her off to someone.
Her boots were stained with mud. Back home, her father would have scolded her for it, like usual. She could almost hear his stern voice, telling her that a proper lady would not jump over puddles and run through the mud. Or fight. When Burmstone Keep's master-at-arms taught her how to use a sword, her father had almost send him away for it. Told her that the sword was for men. As she thought about it, she slightly shook her head. It wouldn't matter in Dorne. Not looking at her surroundings, she stepped into a deep pool of water, immediately soaking her boots. Seven Hells! Not for the first time she looked to the gargantuan castle behind her and not for the first time she was stunned by it's strange beauty. Sure, it was built on blood as the saying went. But it's size had a certain allure. It was larger than Winterfell, Karhold and the Dreadfort combined. Five towers, each of them taller than the tallest building she had ever seen. Ten miles back and she would have a roof over her head for the night. Alys shook her head over that thought. She wasn't from the Riverlands, but she knew the stories. Harrenhal was no place for a girl.
The Riverlands in general were no place for a girl, at least not a girl who valued her freedom. Back home she had never encountered Ironborn, albeit the Glover's and Mormont's at the other end of the kingdom continually fought them. And even though Alys thought herself prepared from the stories her mother used to tell her when she was younger, she found herself not ready when faced with the cruel life the Riverlanders had. Just thinking about it made her angry. Back home there were animals who lived a better life than the majority of the Riverlanders. Nobody should live like that.
The distant sound of horns caused her attention and made her shiver. At least these kind of horns were familiar. Back home at the Grey Cliffs they served only one purpose. They were hunting horns, probably a few miles away. And for some reason, they filled her with a very uneasy feeling. Not quite fear, but it sent shivers down her spine regardless. Without even wanting it, Alys started to walk faster until she was almost running. Who would hunt during such a storm. And more importantly, what prey could be hunted now? She hated the answers to both of these questions. And she hated this fucked up kingdom!
Alys started to run now. She knew, she should have taken the road to Riverrun. Or even better, taken a ship in White Harbour. She could be in Braavos by now, or halfway to Sunspear. But she had taken the road in the attempt to see some adventures on the way. Well, from a certain viewpoint she had her adventure now.
She didn't even care to jump over a small puddle of water now, walking right through it this time, causing water to splash up to her knees. “Seven Hells”, she mumbled as she noticed that water got inside of her left boot, leaving her with wet socks. Again, the hunting horns roared. Weren't they closer than before? Seven Hells, they were definitely closer! She looked over her shoulder and to her horror she saw a rider advancing. The horse wasn't galloping but still faster than she was with her exhaustion. For a moment she wasn't paying attention to the road in front of her, stepping into a puddle of mud, causing her to trip over and fall face forwards into the dirt. Seven fucking Hells, she really preferred her mud frozen!
In her horror, she saw that the rider had advanced almost to her position. But then she took a closer look on him. It was one man, he looked old and he was unarmed. And he had no hunting horn with him. A friendly smile was embedded on his face, albeit his eyes looked at her carefully. “Are you okay, young lady?”, he asked with a worried tone in his voice. He seemed to catch Alys surprised look and opened his mouth to give her an almost toothless smile. “Come on, stand up”, he ordered her and she complied. “What are you doing out here in a night like this? Don't you know that Harmund the Hunter haunts the Riverlands tonight?”
Alys finally closed her mouth, wiping a bit of mud out of her face. “Harmund the Hunter?”, she asked. The old man's smile vanished and he gave her a grim nod. “Aye. Harmund Hoare, the kings firstborn son and heir, hunter of helpless young maidens”, he answered.
This caused her to narrow her eyes, reaching down to her boot and slightly revealing the fine knife strapped to it. The old man shook his head. “Not entirely helpless it seems. Still, you're no match for the Hunter and his hounds”
He reached down and Alys took a step backwards, eyeing him suspiciously. “What do you want?”, she hissed, far more distrustful than she wanted to sound. In the distance, the hunting horns sounded again and the old man looked over his shoulder. “Six miles perhaps. I hoped they wouldn't go in our direction again”, he mumbled before looking at her again. “You are obviously new to this area, or else you wouldn't walk around looking like this on a night like this. Our beloved king and his depraved sons like to celebrate special occasions by going for a hunt” He sighed. “They say man is the most dangerous game, but Harmund Hoare goes only for easy targets”
This caused Alys to narrow her eyes. “I am not an easy target”, she insisted and the old man shook his head. “You are overconfident. The Hunter is a predator, a carnivore. Everyone is an easy target for him, especially lonely little girls, walking around Harrenhal after sundown”, he answered.
“You make him sound like some sort of mythical monster”, Alys snorted and the old man softly bowed his head. “That's because he is just like one, only worse”, he said and his facial expression softened. “My name is Tomard, I'm a farmhand at Lincoln's farm a few miles south. Who are you, little lady?”
Alys let out a sigh and tried her best to give him a friendly smile. “Alys”, she answered, probably a bit too quickly. Tomard gave her a nod. “Alys. A lovely name for a lovely girl”, he chuckled. Alys distrustful expression returned. “You have an unusual vocabulary for a farmhand”, she said and Tomard let out a small laugh. “And you have an unusual vocabulary for a little girl I've just me at the roadside. And your coat... it might be wet but I recognize good craftsmanship. You ran away from home, little lady?”, he asked.
This caught her by surprise. “Lady? I am no lady!”, she insisted and Tomard gave her a friendly nod. “Of course not. Little ladies don't travel with knives in their boots. It doesn't matter who you are, soon you'll be dead if you continue travelling down that road. The Hunter will catch you. His hounds aren't on your trail yet, but they will soon”
Alys felt her heart beating faster. The way Tomard said that made it sound so... ordinary. As if this happened often in this part of the world. This was not right. This shouldn't happen, not to her and not to anyone else. “What are you suggesting?”, she asked. Tomard pointed down the road. “Lincoln's farm”, he answered. “I am working for a retired soldier, Woody Lincoln. He's a good man, albeit a bit silent from time to time. During nights like these he keeps young girls from around the area at his farm, hides them and protects them. Lincoln is a good man and he might be your chance at surviving” He pointed down the forest to her left. “Or you try your luck running through the forest. Horses can't manoeuvre that good down there, which is why Harmund and his pack sometimes avoid it. Your choice, little lady”
[Accept the offer and seek shelter at the farm][Try your luck in the forest]
Lyria
Lyria looked at the knife she just forged, weighed it in her hands and stroked over it's edge with her fingers. It was an ordinary kitchen knife, intended to be sold to the inn soon. Memories of the knife she forged for Wolfius came to mind. What was so special with this knife? Why did he wanted a knife with the sigil of Harren Hoare? Questions like these had kept her awake the last night. After her talk with Commander Nathamer, she had closed her forge for the night and even locked the door, something she never did before.
Still, Lyria was proud that she hadn't even thought about not opening her forge today. She needed the money, despite the more than generous payment from Wolfius. She hadn't told Nathamer about the money, in fear that he would confiscate it. It was blood money, that was almost certain, but she needed it. She wasn't proud of it, but she did what she had to do. Winter was coming and it would be a hard one. No matter how many lives Wolfius would take, he might have helped her and Rosalie unintentionally.
She put the knife down as she heard the sound of the doorbell. The first customer for today! “Rosie!”, Lyria called her daughter. “Take care of the customer” Rosalie wasn't a particularly talented blacksmith, but her outgoing personality helped a lot when dealing with customers, something Lyria never really liked. She heard a short groan from Rosalie as her daughter moved to the forge's main room and looked down at the knife again.
Lyria wasn't a weaponsmith, or at least not a particularly good one. The Hoare dagger had been her masterpiece and even there she never really touched the blade itself. A sting of regret flashed through her as she thought about what Wolfius would do with this knife. He had murdered a young girl already, Nathamer had confirmed this. And the way he looked at Rosalie... Lyria was wary. With a bit of luck the city guard would find him soon, but she had no hopes there. Raylansfair's city guard was better than most city guards. About half of it's members had combat experience from fighting against the Ironborn. But they had no experience when it came to finding a killer. Maybe they would find Wolfius by a lucky chance. But until then, she would be wary. She would lock her door at night and she would carry a knife with her. Ans she wouldn't allow Rosalie to go outside alone, especially after sundown.
Her daughters bright laughter caused Lyria to look up again. Seven Hells, the girl wasn't supposed to banter with the customers! Lyria put up a stern face, something that always came easy for her, and stepped into the forges main room. Rosalie was leaning over the counter and gave the customer an unquestionably good view of her cleavage. At least the customer seemed to enjoy it. She recognized his short blonde hair, the stubble covering his jaw and upper lip and the infuriating smile he always seemed to have on his face. The blue of his left eye strongly contrasted with the green of his right one.
“Philip”, she said and gave him a brief nod. She knew Philip briefly, most of what she knew came from Rosalie who apparently took a liking to him. Currently helping in the archive, yet without any steady occupation, occasionally working as a farmhand, one of Richard's best friends. One of the countless men she did not want to have around her daughter.
Philip had at least enough decency to look slightly guilty, which didn't stop him from giving her a cocky smile. “Hello Lyria”, he greeted her and Rosalie turned around, on her face a smile quite similar to Philip's. “Mother!”, she exclaimed in surprise. “Philip just told me something amazing!”
This caused Lyria to raise an eyebrow. “Something amazing?”, she repeated with suspicion in her voice. Philip turned to her, but not before giving Rosalie a wink. “You've heard that people thought that Richard was dead, huh?”, he asked and Lyria gave him a nod. “Well, people can be quite stupid. Or at least wrong. He's been better, but he's alive”
Lyria exchanged a glance with Rosalie, who was grinning brightly. “Alive?”, she asked surprised. “You tell me he has been missing for a whole week only to turn out alive?” Philip's smile got a little bit wider and Lyria closed her eyes for a moment. It wasn't that she hated Philip in particular, but people like him got on her nerves in general. He had this mixture of sarcasm and a cold attitude that usually lead to descriptions like 'jerk'. But somehow he managed to be a popular man. Rosalie wasn't the only girl in Raylansfair smitten with him.
“Well, like I said, he has been better. Some fucker damaged his leg pretty badly. His daughter got it even worse. Richard prevented that guy from cutting up her whole face, but her wound will leave a nasty scar”, Philip explained. “And even worse was the look in that girls eyes. She's out for blood and Richard seems to encourage it” He sighed. “But I'm not here to judge his parenting skills. Just wanted to tell you, thought it might make you happy”
This surprised her. “Happy? Me? I mean, sure I'm glad he's alive, but why do you think it makes me particularly happy?”, she asked. Philip shrugged as an answer. “Well... I don't know... people are talking, you know”, he said and stopped for a moment. “Seven Hells your frown could make a dornishman cry”
His remark caused Rosalie to clap her hands and laugh cheerfully. “It's true, mother. You should smile more often”, she said until a stern look from Lyria caused her to be silent again. She didn't like the direction this conversation was heading and furiously shook her head. “So... how's it going in the archive, Philip?”, Lyria asked, looking at the man in front of her, trying to change the topic. “Have they found a true heir already?”
Philip let out a small chuckle. “Is that your try at changing the topic, Lyria?”, he asked and raised an eyebrow. “I mean... you can't just ask me something completely unrelated, you know?” Lyria shook her head. “I can and I will. How is it going in the archive?”, she answered.
Philip sighed and looked at her sternly and a bit softer at Rosalie. “I've overheard them talking. And yes, they have found an heir. Two, actually. One of them is a petty lord from the eastern Reach. Not that bad from what I've heard... but the other heir... well, he's a big problem, not only for us, but for Reach”, he explained, his usual smile gone, replaced by a worried frown.
Lyria and Rosalie exchanged worried looks and Rosalie asked the question before Lyria could open her mouth. “Who are the heirs?”, she asked. Philip let out a sigh. “Lord Hobert of Mander's Mouth, lord of a small piece of land in eastern Reach. I have never heard of him before, but according to the archivists he is slightly more powerful in terms of soldiers as a result of him guarding a small part of the border to the Stormlands”, he explained and Lyria noticed that his voice slightly shook as he said that last word. Was he afraid?
“Hobert has a very weak claim to Raylansfair, but a claim regardless. His father was married to a very distant relative of Lord Robert. The other possible heir has a similarly weak claim, but considerably more men under his command”, Philip said and stopped again, looking Lyria in the eye. “What I'm going to tell you now mustn't leave this room. If the people learn about this, we might have a panic” Lyria and Rosalie gave him determined nods and at least in Lyria's case it was an honest nod.
Philip looked over his shoulder, as if he wanted to make sure that no one else was in the room. He leant forwards, giving Lyria and Rosalie a handwave to come closer. “Argilac Durrandon”, he whispered and Lyria needed a moment to process this information. But as she understood what Philip just said she had to clutch to the counter. “Argilac Fucking Durrandon...”, she stuttered. “The goddamn Storm King!”
Philip raised his hands. “Keep it down!”, he urged her. “From what I know his claim might even be a bit stronger than Hobert's. But a foreign lord... even worse a foreign king as the lord of Raylansfair... Gardener will never allow this. And Durrandon will never allow anyone else to claim this title” Lyria gulped as she heard this. “So we're going to have war again. The Kingdom of the Storm against the Reach. Fuck...”, she muttered. The last war against the Storm King claimed a hundred thousand lives and barely ended with a stalemate. To think that there could be war again... the thought caused Lyria to shiver.
“But that's not the thing I came here for”, Philip interrupted her thoughts. “The Storm King is a problem for tomorrow. But today we have a far more urgent problem. There's a beast among us, who preys on our loved ones, more animal than man as Richard put it. The man who attacked him. Wolfius Woodbark”
The mention of Wolfius name dispelled all thoughts about the impending storm. Wolfius was the one who attacked Richard! A sting of guilt flashed through Lyria. Perhaps he used her dagger to cut Jenna Harking's face... “I know it's not the first time you've heard that name. We met him, you know? Richard, Urid and me, the night he attacked Richard. He almost killed him. And what he did to Jenna...” Philip said, before he paused and looked at Rosalie. “Who says he'll stop with Richard? Maybe you are the next target. Maybe it's Rosie... Listen, I know you don't like going out, but Richard, Jenna, Urid and maybe a few more are at the Pony right now. We want to plan our next steps and it would be nice to have you with us”, he explained.
Lyria was about to decline out of reflex as Rosalie grabbed her arm. “I know you don't like this, mother. But I want to go. Please, please, let me go with him. If you don't want to go, let me at least go to that meeting. Maybe we can help”, she urged her.
[Go with Philip and Rosalie to the tavern][Don't go to the tavern, but allow Rosalie to go][Don't go to the tavern and don't allow Rosalie to go]
Alys
Just as Alys thought it couldn't get any worse, it started to rain. Great. Now she was alone, freezing and soaking wet. And it was d… moreark. Wonderful. She slightly rolled with her eyes and stroke a strand of wet, light brown hair out of her face. Well, she never needed that anyway. Dry clothes. A full stomach. A warm and comfortable bed. She knew what she would give up when leaving her father's castle. She never needed it. There was only one thing of importance for her and that was something she couldn't find in the North. Freedom.
She jumped over a deep looking puddle of water, her fine leather boots landing in the mud. That was probably one of the things she missed when thinking about her home. No mud. It was frozen, just like almost everything up there. Mud. Water. Trees. The occasional vagrant who thought it was a good idea to sleep outside in a kingdome that was called 'The North'. But especially the mud.
Her father's lands we… [view original content]
[Try your luck in the forest] In the wise words of InGen Kenny, Kobe
[Go with Philip and Rosalie to the tavern] The entire town is going to gather there and Wolfius is going to emerge and slaughter them while they are all drunk. But Richard, the only sober one there, will save the day. Remember when he ran after Wolfius and we all thought it was going to turn out okay? I think that is going to happen again lol.
Alys
Just as Alys thought it couldn't get any worse, it started to rain. Great. Now she was alone, freezing and soaking wet. And it was d… moreark. Wonderful. She slightly rolled with her eyes and stroke a strand of wet, light brown hair out of her face. Well, she never needed that anyway. Dry clothes. A full stomach. A warm and comfortable bed. She knew what she would give up when leaving her father's castle. She never needed it. There was only one thing of importance for her and that was something she couldn't find in the North. Freedom.
She jumped over a deep looking puddle of water, her fine leather boots landing in the mud. That was probably one of the things she missed when thinking about her home. No mud. It was frozen, just like almost everything up there. Mud. Water. Trees. The occasional vagrant who thought it was a good idea to sleep outside in a kingdome that was called 'The North'. But especially the mud.
Her father's lands we… [view original content]
Comments
And more Gryff Whitehill reincarnations if I may add.
Some of it but never in order
Essosians are needed! My Norvos axe warrior and Bear Trainer need friends!
Richard
As he left the chamber he closed his eyes for a moment. He was alive. Jenna was alive. But her wounds... she would keep them for the rest of her life. It wasn't just her face. Jenna would be okay with that, he knew she had never seen what she just lost. But he had seen the fear in her eyes as they were in the room, despite only him, her and Lord Harris being present. Jenna had always been sensitive, quick to be afraid. The early and horrible death of her mother had only made it worse. Richard could only guess what this attack did to her. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Wolfius was out there and had already proclaimed that he would come back. But this time, Richard would be prepared. This time, he would kill the beast.
He turned to his right as he heard someone approaching. Nora was coming closer, holding a wooden tray in her hands, laden with three small cups. She gave him a nod and looked a the door. “Everything alright?”, she asked. Richard shook his head. “No, not really”, he admitted. “Wolfius is still out there, threatening my daughter and he won't stop until one of us is dead” He closed his eyes. “I won't let that happen. Today she is safe, but... I'm afraid, Nora. I'm afraid I can't be here forever to protect her”
Nora let out a sigh, which caused her to grimace and she had to put the tray down on a small windowsill. For a moment Richard felt guilty for telling her about his problems and forgetting the wound she received in her fight against Wolfius and that other woman. “Are you alright?”, he asked and she gave him a short and quick nod. “Of course”, she answered. “It's only a small contusion. Chainmail saved my life. But when that woman kicked me in the face... I'm going to return the favour next time I see her”
She looked him in the eyes for a moment, before looking at the door that lead to Lord Harris' chambers. “You say you are afraid?”, she asked. Richard did not answer, instead he focused his stare at the door that separated him and Jenna. “Good”, Nora said, causing him to look at her again. She paused for a moment. “I mean, it's not bad. I'm talking about being afraid. Fear shows you what's really important to you. It shows you what you need to protect”
Richard sighed and leant against the wall behind him to reduce the pressure on his wounded leg. “But how?”, he asked. “How can I protect her if I can't even walk straight?” This time, Nora slightly smiled. “Who said anything about you doing it alone?”, she asked. “You have friends right?” Richard shrugged and thought about it for a moment. Phillip and Urid were his friends, sure, but could he drag them into this?
“I haven't talked to them about this... hell, I haven't seen them since I was attacked”, he answered. Nora shook her head. “Doesn't matter. They are your friends, right? They will have your back. And you have your brother” This caused Richard to make a sad smirk. “Yes. I have a brother”, he muttered bleakly. “What happened to him anyway?” Nora didn't seem to notice the sadness in his eyes and gave him a happy smile. “He tried to hit on me... I guess”, she answered. “He is quite charming, your brother”
Richard sighed and gave her a stern look. “Nora, my brother might seem to be a charming man, kind and eloquent, but there is only one person Alan cares for and this person is Alan. You should keep your distance with him”, he warned her. Nora gave him a nod. “I know”, she answered. “I'm not a little farmer's daughter, feeling flattered by the first kind words someone says to me. I know his intentions and I threw him out of the castle” She grinned deviously. “He was annoying a guard at duty, so I had every right to remove him from the scenery. He'll wait at the Pony for you, probably drowning his sorrows, while trying to hit on the barmaid”
Richard's smile finally started to become a bit more genuine and he had a hard time not chuckling. “Trust me, he won't have much luck with this barmaid”, he said. The noise of the door getting opened caused him to look up. Jenna walked out of the door, a frown on her face, followed by Lord Harris, who in contrast gave Richard and Nora a pleased smile. “Jenna, we're talking later about how you can help me”, he said and politely bowed his head. “I'm leaving you two alone for now. Nora, there are a few things I need to talk to you about”
With these words, he gave Nora a handwave, commanding her to follow. The guard smiled at Richard before following Harris, leaving him and Jenna alone. He noticed that Jenna was shivering and before he could say anything, she ran towards him and rapturously hugged him, tears flowing down her face. “I've missed you...”, she sobbed. “I thought you were dead”
Richard softly patted her on the back, feeling a lump in his throat, ignoring the pain in his leg and the pain in his arm. The healer had tended to both of his wounds and he was even able to use the arm, but a sharp pain flashed through it as he gently patted his daughter on the back. “I almost was”, he answered. “But I'm alive. You are alive. We will make this, I promise” Jenna let out a loud sob. “The... man who did this. He got away, right?” Richard gave her a reluctant nod. “His name is Wolfius”, he explained and tried to smile at her. Her eyes, reddened from crying stopped his smile and as he looked at the scar next to her left eye his facial expression turned to a frown instead. “But you hurt him”, he tried to reassure her. “He will think twice about coming back” It was a weak lie, but it was all he could do to cheer her up again.
Jenna shook her head, as he expected. “He will come back and he will kill me”, she muttered and Richard closed his eyes. “Not if I kill him first”, he answered and for the first time since he saw her, he saw the look of doubt in her eyes vanishing. “Make him pay”, she answered.
Make him pay... Richard shivered as he heard those words coming out of her mouth. Vengeance... yes, he wanted vengeance, but Jenna? She was always the sweetest and most gentle of his children. Her brothers were hot-headed and full of anger, where she was calm and timid. He had to gulp as he thought about what happened to Jenna in the past week.
“Father...”, she said and her voice sounded more like herself again. “I will try to stop him” She shivered as she said that, but the look in her eyes was not the look he expected. For the first time in years, Richard saw determination in her eyes. And that worried him. Sure, Wolfius needed to be stopped. He had killed a young woman a week ago. And a few hours ago he had killed four people. He would continue and he wouldn't stop with Richard and Jenna. But Jenna... she was his daughter and he wouldn't allow her putting herself in danger. That was his responsibility. But he couldn't do that alone.
Before he could say something, she looked at the hallway where Harris and Nora had left. “Harris he...”, she said and stopped for a moment. “He is not a good man. He did something terrible, but he can help us... if I help him”
This caused Richard to narrow his eyes. He had never talked to Harris Flowers before today, but he had seen him as a polite and surprisingly humble man, a man who would be worthy of becoming Lord Raylan's permanent successor. “What do you have to do for him?”, he asked. Jenna shrugged. “I don't know yet. He said I should recover first. He would talk to me soon... I...”, she said and stopped as her voice sounded tearful. “I don't want to die”
Richard didn't know what to answer to that. A few days ago he would have told her that she would be safe and he would have believed himself. But now? So many things have changed. Now there was only one thing he was sure of. He would do all he could to protect her. As long as he had some life left in him, he wouldn't allow Wolfius to go near her.
The sound of heavy footsteps down the hallway caused him and Jenna to look up. Two men were walking down the hallway, slowly coming closer. One of them was a young guard, rather awkwardly holding a spear in his hand. The other one... Richard's face formed a big grin as he recognized the man.
“Philip!”, he called as he saw his friend coming closer. It had been almost a week since they saw each other and Philip had a wide grin on his face. “So the rumours are true”, he said and his smile turned into a smirk. “You're back from the dead after all” His smile vanished as he looked at Jenna. “And... Jenna. I'm... I'm sorry” Richard saw that Philip tried to avoid looking at her scar and without a doubt Jenna noticed it too.
“Have you killed the man who did this?”, he finally asked and Richard shook his head. “Almost”, he answered. “What are you doing here?” Philip's smirk returned, albeit it seemed to be forced. Richard couldn't blame him. “Your brother is at the Pony right now. Announcing your miraculous survival. Me and Urid, we couldn't believe it, so I decided to check on you”
Richard sighed audibly. Alan, of course. Soon the whole city would know about his survival. Everyone would talk about him. That was uncomfortable. But it was a chance. A chance to gain help against the beast who preyed upon them.
“So... I think this might be a bad time to ask, but... your friends are at the Pony. Maybe you should... well, not exactly celebrate your survival, but...”, Philip said and his gaze hardened. “But we should talk about what we're going to do about the man who did this to you. Planning our next steps. We can't live in peace as long as this madman runs around, killing our people, threatening our families. But, I guess you want to stay with your daughter for a while now, after what happened”
Richard looked at Jenna, who shook her head. “It's fine”, she answered. “I want to come with you. I want to help” The look in her eyes told Richard that she was serious, deadly serious and it broke his heart to see her like this. He knew, Philip could help him. Urid would be at the tavern, Alan too. He didn't want to drag his friends into this. But he knew how Philip was. He would try to stop Wolfius, on his own if needed. Richard had to help him. But was he ready for this? And Jenna... was she ready for this? Could he really drag her into this even more? Part of Richard wanted to go. But part of him wanted to stay, wanted to console his daughter, wanted to help her recover until this terrible look in her eyes, this look thirsting for revenge was gone. Could he really drag her into this deeper than she already was?
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius] [Stay at the castle and try to console Jenna]
Lucas
Without looking at Leonard or the Historian, Lucas shook his head. “I'm sorry, Ser Maron. We are just as clueless as you are. We hoped to find him here, but had no luck”, he said and Mullendore sighed. “Well, that is unfortunate”, the knight answered. “He could have given me the edge in our conflict with Butterfly”
Mullendore looked from Lucas to Leonard, finally shaking his head. “But we still have a common goal. We both want to find Dairon and we both want to keep him safe from harm, even though our ultimate goal differs. If you find any trace of Dairon, I have to know it. Lives depend on it”
He looked at his guards and his face turned into a slight smile “There is one more thing. Something that might convince you about my intentions” He noticed the look in Lucas eyes and chuckled. “Don't look at me like that. I know how the fucking game is played. You don't trust me and being distrustful is usually a good thing in this city. But I know something that might change your opinion on a few things”
Lucas gave him a curious look. “What are you talking about, Ser Maron?”, he asked. Mullendore looked him in the eyes. “The Hightower, where my guards ravens are held is located near the Starry Sept. From time to time, a raven intended to fly to the Sept finds his way to my rooms. A raven with from Raylansfair found his way to my rooms two days ago. So far, only me and one of my most trusted men know about the contents of this letter” He stopped and looked at his guards and at Quent. “I would like you to accompany me back to the Hightower, where I will give you this letter and where we can discuss a way to find Dairon in this city and to keep him safe”
Lucas thought about this for a moment. Mullendore sounded honest. But he also knew that honest men were rare and hard to find. He would like to trust this man. But this was important, maybe too important to trust anyone. “This letter... can you tell us anything about it's contents?”, he asked and Mullendora gave him a nod. “Without saying too much... it involves events that happened a few days ago, involving your acting lord, Harris Flowers. Let's just say, he fucked something up and you might want to know about this when planning your moves”
Mullendore raised from his chair. “Since you know nothing about this Dairon, I have no more questions for now. But if you want, we can go back to the Hightower immediately. I can tell you, the stuff that is written in this letter is important”, he explained.
Leonard shook his head. “Why are you telling us about this?”, he asked with a distrustful look on his face. Mullendore shrugged and let out a sigh. “Perhaps I'm just tired of fighting this war without allies”, he said. “It would be nice to have someone at my side who is honest. My father used to teach me these values. Honesty. Straightforwardness. He called is his sword in this web of lies” He shook his head. “He was too trustful. His own men killed him in his sleep, after the crimelord Iron Ivar paid them to do it. I try to uphold his values, but I combine them with the realism over fifty years in this city taught me”
He crossed his arms, slightly leaning backwards as he did it. “I don't trust anyone here, not even my own men. But you are knights from the countryside. My own values mean something out there. I want you to accompany me to the Hightower. I will give you the letter. You will read it and afterwards you will decide if you want to work with me” He looked at Lucas again. “Do we have a deal?”, he asked. Lucas looked at Leonard who slightly shook his head. Obviously, Leonard wanted nothing to do with Mullendore or Hightower. But what the knight just said... perhaps Lucas could help him without favouring Lord Hightower. And this letter... if it involved Harris, he had to know about it! “We have a deal, Ser Maron”, he answered.
Leonard let out a sigh and Lucas saw Quent frowning. Mullendore on the other hand gave him a cheerful grin. “That is great!”, the knight answered and was about to add something, when Lucas cut him off. “But we have something to discuss with Archmaester Quent first. We will visit you after our dealings at the Citadel are over”, he said. Mullendore's smile vanished, but he gave him a stern nod. “I understand”, he said. “I can wait. The letter is waiting for you at my office” With these words he took a clumsy bow in front of the Archmaester. “I am sorry for breaking into this conversation”, he said with an apologizing tone, before looking at Lucas again. “I will leave now. But I suggest you should pay me a visit as soon as possible”
Lucas gave him a nod. “We will, Ser Maron. As soon as possible”, he answered. Mullendore gave his men a signal and they turned around, walking out of the small chamber. “I'm looking forward for our next meeting. It's been a while since I've met honest knights. Together we can achieve something here, keep that in mind”
With these words he turned around, leaving Lucas, Leonard and Quent behind. As soon as the doors of the chamber were closed and the sound of heavy footsteps was gone, Leonard gave Lucas a furious glare. “Have you lost your mind, Flowers?”, he hissed. “Working with Maron Fucking Mullendore? One of Hightower's men?”
Lucas shook his head. “I won't work with him”, he explained. “But I need to find out what he knows. This letter... if it tells us anything about Harris, we have to know” Leonard sighed and slightly raised his hand in anger. “It's a trick. Who knows if he even has this letter?”, he said and this time Lucas tried to stay calm. “Like I said, I need to find this out. The letter could be important”
Quent cleared his throat, causing Lucas and Leonard to look at him. “I agree”, he said to Lucas surprise. “This letter could indeed be important. I don't trust Maron Mullendore and neither should you, but I know that he is not a particularly smart man. All this stuff about honesty? He really believes in that. You should be careful around him, but using him to your advantage should be possible. Just, don't tell him anything about Dairon” With these words, the boy crawled from under the bed, getting back to his feet.
“I don't trust him...”, he mumbled. “And I would like to go back to Raylansfair...”, he stuttered. The Historian gave him a sharp glare. “Seven Hells, you need a backbone”, he growled. “I am afraid you can't go back that easily” Dairon's stare changed from intimidated to scared. “What... what are you saying?”, he stuttered.
Quent looked from him to Lucas and Leonard. “Besides this ominous letter, there is one useful thing this ox told us. Butterfly is after Dairon. I am pretty sure he is already watching your movements. Take him with you know and all three of you will be dead before you reach the city gates. We have to find a way to smuggle you out of this city without Butterfly noticing. For now I will hide Dairon with Archmaester Wulvren, where he will be safe as long as he won't do anything the Mage wants him to do. You two on the other hand...”
He gave both of them a stern look. “Now that Butterfly is involved, it will be dangerous for you. You will need allies. Maybe my help will suffice. But you should try to manipulate Mullendore to your own gain. Maybe he will agree to help you out of this city again”, he explained.
Before Lucas could answer, he looked at Leonard. The knight still seemed to be angry, but this time he stood up and slightly moved his head, signalizing Lucas to follow. “One moment, Archmaester”, the knight said. “Me and Flowers need to talk about something first”
With these words, he walked towards the door. Lucas looked at the Archmaester, who raised an eyebrow. “It seems Ser Leonard has a problem with trusting me. Trust issues seem to be quite common for him”, the old man hissed. “Go on boy, conspire with him, I don't mind”
Lucas gave him an apologizing look before walking after Leonard. He found the knight at the top of the stairs leading down to the ground floor of the tower. Leonard gave him a cold glare. “Listen, Flowers, I don't know what foolishness caused you to do any dealing with Mullendore, but I have one question for you now... do you trust the Historian with this?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not in the slightest”, he answered and Leonard's face softened up a bit. “Good. Because I don't trust him either. This bullshit about honesty from Mullendore? I don't think there is a single honest man in this city, him included. But that also means that Quent is a liar. He is the Historian after all. Perhaps he tries to manipulate us to his own ends, trying to get his hands on our archive. And now he wants us to find a way out of this city, while keeping Dairon in his reach... I don't like this, Flowers and I don't think we should leave him here. We should take him with us and protect him, from Mullendore, from Butterfly and from the Historian”
Lucas closed his eyes. It was true, he did not trust Quent at all. But Mullendore told him that Butterfly was after Dairon. Perhaps keeping him at the Citadel for now would be the safest thing for Dairon. Or perhaps it would be the most dangerous choice...
[Agree to take Dairon with you] [Insist on keeping Dairon at the Citadel]
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius] No Jenna.
[Agree to take Dairon with you] Haven't they seen The Wolf Among Us Episode 3? Yeah, that's what should happen.
[Go with Phillip to the tavern to plan your move against wolfius] as much as I want to keep Jenna from going vengeful stopping Wolfius is more important they need to be ready.
[Agree to take Dairon with you] trust no one but Leonard.
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Agree to take Dairon with you]
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Agree to take Dairon's with you]
[Stay at the castle and try to console Jenna] I wanna see Richard to go all spy on Harris and learn what Harris is really thinking.
[Insist on keeping Dairon at the Citadel] I don't want Butterfly after us, but that is going to happen no matter what. However I don't want to have a handicap like Dairon. Hopefully Quent and Eaton's blood ties will cause him to protect us.
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Agree to take Dairon with you]
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Agree to take Dairon with you]
Awesome! More Philip!
[Stay at the castle and try to console Jenna] [Agree to take Dairon with you]
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Agree to take Dairon with you]
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius] [Agree to take Dairon with you]
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Agree to take Dairon with you]
I have a question about the character Kersea, are she and Alysanne friends?
It's complicated between them. Right now, with the only other options being Clayton and Wolfius, Alysanne is probably the closest thing Kersea has to a friend. However, Alysanne has more than just a few psychopathic traits and finds it hard to emphasize with others, something Kersea is aware of and which prevents her from seeing her as a true friend. They share a few similarities and bond over them, but they are complete opposites in most things. Kersea pities her, envies her and is disgusted by her at the same time.
[go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against wolfius]
[insist on keeping dairon at the castle]
And what's Alysanne's opinion of her? I think I like her character although she's a psychopath.
While it hasn't been exactly stated so far, Alysanne seems to care for Kersea in her very limited way. She tries her best to imitate friendly behaviour around her, albeit her attempts to act like a friend are clumsy and somewhat twisted, as a result of her being unable to connect to Kersea on a deeper level. While Alysanne heavily disapproves of Kersea's attempts at preventing needless violence, she is strangely fascinated by such behaviour.
( stay at the castle and try to console Jenna)
(Agree to take Dairon with you)
[Go with Phillip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Insist on keeping Dairon at the citadel]
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Agree to take Dairon's with you]
Awesome this is one of the best francise based stories i have EVER read. Liquid you have captured the spirit of game of thrones. Thank you for this amazing story
.
I gotta question too.
If Mullendore supposedly has the letter, which is from Septon Corbin, this means Len and Luc definitely don't know that Ser Ilhan is dead?
Thanks a lot! Hearing this makes me very happy and really means a lot. I'm glad you like this story!
Yes, they don't know about Ser Ilhan's death yet, since they left Raylansfair before it happened. The contents of this letter will be revealed soon, since Lucas is determined to find out more about what Mullendore knows, but there is a strong possibility that it is indeed the letter Septon Corbin sent to Oldtown.
I recall asking this earlier and you said something about a raven, which is why I asked again.
So I assume Luc and Len will indeed meet Mullendore again, and the letter will be read then.
Very interested to see their reaction.
Hey its the truth bro this is fantastic
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Agree to take Dairon with you]
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Agree to take Dairon's with you]
[Stay at the castle and try to console Jenna]
[Agree to take Dairon with you]
Huh, caught up again!
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius] [Insist on keeping Dairon at the Citadel]
[Go with Philip to the tavern to plan your move against Wolfius]
[Agree to take Dairon with you]
The Voting is closed!
Richard will go with Philip to the tavern
Lucas will agree to take Dairon with them when they leave the Citadel
I'm not really surprised by this outcome. And while I am fairly neutral with the outcome of the second choice, I have to admit that I have anticipated the outcome of the first choice, since it will allow me to write stuff for a lot of Raylansfair characters who haven't been seen for a while.
Roughly 2/3 of the new part are written. It will feature a completely new PoV character who will, however, have some ties to one of the other storylines. I plan to finish this part later today.
We find half the town drunk and Richard is the only sober one there.....
Alys
Just as Alys thought it couldn't get any worse, it started to rain. Great. Now she was alone, freezing and soaking wet. And it was dark. Wonderful. She slightly rolled with her eyes and stroke a strand of wet, light brown hair out of her face. Well, she never needed that anyway. Dry clothes. A full stomach. A warm and comfortable bed. She knew what she would give up when leaving her father's castle. She never needed it. There was only one thing of importance for her and that was something she couldn't find in the North. Freedom.
She jumped over a deep looking puddle of water, her fine leather boots landing in the mud. That was probably one of the things she missed when thinking about her home. No mud. It was frozen, just like almost everything up there. Mud. Water. Trees. The occasional vagrant who thought it was a good idea to sleep outside in a kingdome that was called 'The North'. But especially the mud.
Her father's lands were located far in the North, her father's castle located directly at the Grey Cliffs and frozen mud were probably the most exciting thing happening up there. House Boleyn of Burmstone Keep, sworn to Karstark. She tried her best not to yawn in excitement, thinking about the possibilities her old life had for her. Being a good little daughter, a good little lady, a good little wife. Her father had tried to wed her to Lord Frostborn's eldest son, a man twice her age with a bastard son as old as she was. When she declined he tried to wed her to some Karstark boy, called it a good catch, the best catch she would ever make. The night he told her about this, she ran away. And she hadn't looked back, not when she left Burmstone Keep, not when she left the Grey Cliffs, not when she passed Karhold or the Dreadfort or Moat Cailin. Her first goal had been the Twins. For two nights she had slept in a small inn near Frey's castle. The next goal had been Darry, where she spent a night sleeping behind a stable. And her current goal was Rosby. And then? Who knew? Perhaps she could be free in Dorne. Or in the appropriately named cities beyond the Narrow Sea. There was only one thing she knew. She would not go back, just so her father could sell her off to someone.
Her boots were stained with mud. Back home, her father would have scolded her for it, like usual. She could almost hear his stern voice, telling her that a proper lady would not jump over puddles and run through the mud. Or fight. When Burmstone Keep's master-at-arms taught her how to use a sword, her father had almost send him away for it. Told her that the sword was for men. As she thought about it, she slightly shook her head. It wouldn't matter in Dorne. Not looking at her surroundings, she stepped into a deep pool of water, immediately soaking her boots. Seven Hells! Not for the first time she looked to the gargantuan castle behind her and not for the first time she was stunned by it's strange beauty. Sure, it was built on blood as the saying went. But it's size had a certain allure. It was larger than Winterfell, Karhold and the Dreadfort combined. Five towers, each of them taller than the tallest building she had ever seen. Ten miles back and she would have a roof over her head for the night. Alys shook her head over that thought. She wasn't from the Riverlands, but she knew the stories. Harrenhal was no place for a girl.
The Riverlands in general were no place for a girl, at least not a girl who valued her freedom. Back home she had never encountered Ironborn, albeit the Glover's and Mormont's at the other end of the kingdom continually fought them. And even though Alys thought herself prepared from the stories her mother used to tell her when she was younger, she found herself not ready when faced with the cruel life the Riverlanders had. Just thinking about it made her angry. Back home there were animals who lived a better life than the majority of the Riverlanders. Nobody should live like that.
The distant sound of horns caused her attention and made her shiver. At least these kind of horns were familiar. Back home at the Grey Cliffs they served only one purpose. They were hunting horns, probably a few miles away. And for some reason, they filled her with a very uneasy feeling. Not quite fear, but it sent shivers down her spine regardless. Without even wanting it, Alys started to walk faster until she was almost running. Who would hunt during such a storm. And more importantly, what prey could be hunted now? She hated the answers to both of these questions. And she hated this fucked up kingdom!
Alys started to run now. She knew, she should have taken the road to Riverrun. Or even better, taken a ship in White Harbour. She could be in Braavos by now, or halfway to Sunspear. But she had taken the road in the attempt to see some adventures on the way. Well, from a certain viewpoint she had her adventure now.
She didn't even care to jump over a small puddle of water now, walking right through it this time, causing water to splash up to her knees. “Seven Hells”, she mumbled as she noticed that water got inside of her left boot, leaving her with wet socks. Again, the hunting horns roared. Weren't they closer than before? Seven Hells, they were definitely closer! She looked over her shoulder and to her horror she saw a rider advancing. The horse wasn't galloping but still faster than she was with her exhaustion. For a moment she wasn't paying attention to the road in front of her, stepping into a puddle of mud, causing her to trip over and fall face forwards into the dirt. Seven fucking Hells, she really preferred her mud frozen!
In her horror, she saw that the rider had advanced almost to her position. But then she took a closer look on him. It was one man, he looked old and he was unarmed. And he had no hunting horn with him. A friendly smile was embedded on his face, albeit his eyes looked at her carefully. “Are you okay, young lady?”, he asked with a worried tone in his voice. He seemed to catch Alys surprised look and opened his mouth to give her an almost toothless smile. “Come on, stand up”, he ordered her and she complied. “What are you doing out here in a night like this? Don't you know that Harmund the Hunter haunts the Riverlands tonight?”
Alys finally closed her mouth, wiping a bit of mud out of her face. “Harmund the Hunter?”, she asked. The old man's smile vanished and he gave her a grim nod. “Aye. Harmund Hoare, the kings firstborn son and heir, hunter of helpless young maidens”, he answered.
This caused her to narrow her eyes, reaching down to her boot and slightly revealing the fine knife strapped to it. The old man shook his head. “Not entirely helpless it seems. Still, you're no match for the Hunter and his hounds”
He reached down and Alys took a step backwards, eyeing him suspiciously. “What do you want?”, she hissed, far more distrustful than she wanted to sound. In the distance, the hunting horns sounded again and the old man looked over his shoulder. “Six miles perhaps. I hoped they wouldn't go in our direction again”, he mumbled before looking at her again. “You are obviously new to this area, or else you wouldn't walk around looking like this on a night like this. Our beloved king and his depraved sons like to celebrate special occasions by going for a hunt” He sighed. “They say man is the most dangerous game, but Harmund Hoare goes only for easy targets”
This caused Alys to narrow her eyes. “I am not an easy target”, she insisted and the old man shook his head. “You are overconfident. The Hunter is a predator, a carnivore. Everyone is an easy target for him, especially lonely little girls, walking around Harrenhal after sundown”, he answered.
“You make him sound like some sort of mythical monster”, Alys snorted and the old man softly bowed his head. “That's because he is just like one, only worse”, he said and his facial expression softened. “My name is Tomard, I'm a farmhand at Lincoln's farm a few miles south. Who are you, little lady?”
Alys let out a sigh and tried her best to give him a friendly smile. “Alys”, she answered, probably a bit too quickly. Tomard gave her a nod. “Alys. A lovely name for a lovely girl”, he chuckled. Alys distrustful expression returned. “You have an unusual vocabulary for a farmhand”, she said and Tomard let out a small laugh. “And you have an unusual vocabulary for a little girl I've just me at the roadside. And your coat... it might be wet but I recognize good craftsmanship. You ran away from home, little lady?”, he asked.
This caught her by surprise. “Lady? I am no lady!”, she insisted and Tomard gave her a friendly nod. “Of course not. Little ladies don't travel with knives in their boots. It doesn't matter who you are, soon you'll be dead if you continue travelling down that road. The Hunter will catch you. His hounds aren't on your trail yet, but they will soon”
Alys felt her heart beating faster. The way Tomard said that made it sound so... ordinary. As if this happened often in this part of the world. This was not right. This shouldn't happen, not to her and not to anyone else. “What are you suggesting?”, she asked. Tomard pointed down the road. “Lincoln's farm”, he answered. “I am working for a retired soldier, Woody Lincoln. He's a good man, albeit a bit silent from time to time. During nights like these he keeps young girls from around the area at his farm, hides them and protects them. Lincoln is a good man and he might be your chance at surviving” He pointed down the forest to her left. “Or you try your luck running through the forest. Horses can't manoeuvre that good down there, which is why Harmund and his pack sometimes avoid it. Your choice, little lady”
[Accept the offer and seek shelter at the farm] [Try your luck in the forest]
Lyria
Lyria looked at the knife she just forged, weighed it in her hands and stroked over it's edge with her fingers. It was an ordinary kitchen knife, intended to be sold to the inn soon. Memories of the knife she forged for Wolfius came to mind. What was so special with this knife? Why did he wanted a knife with the sigil of Harren Hoare? Questions like these had kept her awake the last night. After her talk with Commander Nathamer, she had closed her forge for the night and even locked the door, something she never did before.
Still, Lyria was proud that she hadn't even thought about not opening her forge today. She needed the money, despite the more than generous payment from Wolfius. She hadn't told Nathamer about the money, in fear that he would confiscate it. It was blood money, that was almost certain, but she needed it. She wasn't proud of it, but she did what she had to do. Winter was coming and it would be a hard one. No matter how many lives Wolfius would take, he might have helped her and Rosalie unintentionally.
She put the knife down as she heard the sound of the doorbell. The first customer for today! “Rosie!”, Lyria called her daughter. “Take care of the customer” Rosalie wasn't a particularly talented blacksmith, but her outgoing personality helped a lot when dealing with customers, something Lyria never really liked. She heard a short groan from Rosalie as her daughter moved to the forge's main room and looked down at the knife again.
Lyria wasn't a weaponsmith, or at least not a particularly good one. The Hoare dagger had been her masterpiece and even there she never really touched the blade itself. A sting of regret flashed through her as she thought about what Wolfius would do with this knife. He had murdered a young girl already, Nathamer had confirmed this. And the way he looked at Rosalie... Lyria was wary. With a bit of luck the city guard would find him soon, but she had no hopes there. Raylansfair's city guard was better than most city guards. About half of it's members had combat experience from fighting against the Ironborn. But they had no experience when it came to finding a killer. Maybe they would find Wolfius by a lucky chance. But until then, she would be wary. She would lock her door at night and she would carry a knife with her. Ans she wouldn't allow Rosalie to go outside alone, especially after sundown.
Her daughters bright laughter caused Lyria to look up again. Seven Hells, the girl wasn't supposed to banter with the customers! Lyria put up a stern face, something that always came easy for her, and stepped into the forges main room. Rosalie was leaning over the counter and gave the customer an unquestionably good view of her cleavage. At least the customer seemed to enjoy it. She recognized his short blonde hair, the stubble covering his jaw and upper lip and the infuriating smile he always seemed to have on his face. The blue of his left eye strongly contrasted with the green of his right one.
“Philip”, she said and gave him a brief nod. She knew Philip briefly, most of what she knew came from Rosalie who apparently took a liking to him. Currently helping in the archive, yet without any steady occupation, occasionally working as a farmhand, one of Richard's best friends. One of the countless men she did not want to have around her daughter.
Philip had at least enough decency to look slightly guilty, which didn't stop him from giving her a cocky smile. “Hello Lyria”, he greeted her and Rosalie turned around, on her face a smile quite similar to Philip's. “Mother!”, she exclaimed in surprise. “Philip just told me something amazing!”
This caused Lyria to raise an eyebrow. “Something amazing?”, she repeated with suspicion in her voice. Philip turned to her, but not before giving Rosalie a wink. “You've heard that people thought that Richard was dead, huh?”, he asked and Lyria gave him a nod. “Well, people can be quite stupid. Or at least wrong. He's been better, but he's alive”
Lyria exchanged a glance with Rosalie, who was grinning brightly. “Alive?”, she asked surprised. “You tell me he has been missing for a whole week only to turn out alive?” Philip's smile got a little bit wider and Lyria closed her eyes for a moment. It wasn't that she hated Philip in particular, but people like him got on her nerves in general. He had this mixture of sarcasm and a cold attitude that usually lead to descriptions like 'jerk'. But somehow he managed to be a popular man. Rosalie wasn't the only girl in Raylansfair smitten with him.
“Well, like I said, he has been better. Some fucker damaged his leg pretty badly. His daughter got it even worse. Richard prevented that guy from cutting up her whole face, but her wound will leave a nasty scar”, Philip explained. “And even worse was the look in that girls eyes. She's out for blood and Richard seems to encourage it” He sighed. “But I'm not here to judge his parenting skills. Just wanted to tell you, thought it might make you happy”
This surprised her. “Happy? Me? I mean, sure I'm glad he's alive, but why do you think it makes me particularly happy?”, she asked. Philip shrugged as an answer. “Well... I don't know... people are talking, you know”, he said and stopped for a moment. “Seven Hells your frown could make a dornishman cry”
His remark caused Rosalie to clap her hands and laugh cheerfully. “It's true, mother. You should smile more often”, she said until a stern look from Lyria caused her to be silent again. She didn't like the direction this conversation was heading and furiously shook her head. “So... how's it going in the archive, Philip?”, Lyria asked, looking at the man in front of her, trying to change the topic. “Have they found a true heir already?”
Philip let out a small chuckle. “Is that your try at changing the topic, Lyria?”, he asked and raised an eyebrow. “I mean... you can't just ask me something completely unrelated, you know?” Lyria shook her head. “I can and I will. How is it going in the archive?”, she answered.
Philip sighed and looked at her sternly and a bit softer at Rosalie. “I've overheard them talking. And yes, they have found an heir. Two, actually. One of them is a petty lord from the eastern Reach. Not that bad from what I've heard... but the other heir... well, he's a big problem, not only for us, but for Reach”, he explained, his usual smile gone, replaced by a worried frown.
Lyria and Rosalie exchanged worried looks and Rosalie asked the question before Lyria could open her mouth. “Who are the heirs?”, she asked. Philip let out a sigh. “Lord Hobert of Mander's Mouth, lord of a small piece of land in eastern Reach. I have never heard of him before, but according to the archivists he is slightly more powerful in terms of soldiers as a result of him guarding a small part of the border to the Stormlands”, he explained and Lyria noticed that his voice slightly shook as he said that last word. Was he afraid?
“Hobert has a very weak claim to Raylansfair, but a claim regardless. His father was married to a very distant relative of Lord Robert. The other possible heir has a similarly weak claim, but considerably more men under his command”, Philip said and stopped again, looking Lyria in the eye. “What I'm going to tell you now mustn't leave this room. If the people learn about this, we might have a panic” Lyria and Rosalie gave him determined nods and at least in Lyria's case it was an honest nod.
Philip looked over his shoulder, as if he wanted to make sure that no one else was in the room. He leant forwards, giving Lyria and Rosalie a handwave to come closer. “Argilac Durrandon”, he whispered and Lyria needed a moment to process this information. But as she understood what Philip just said she had to clutch to the counter. “Argilac Fucking Durrandon...”, she stuttered. “The goddamn Storm King!”
Philip raised his hands. “Keep it down!”, he urged her. “From what I know his claim might even be a bit stronger than Hobert's. But a foreign lord... even worse a foreign king as the lord of Raylansfair... Gardener will never allow this. And Durrandon will never allow anyone else to claim this title” Lyria gulped as she heard this. “So we're going to have war again. The Kingdom of the Storm against the Reach. Fuck...”, she muttered. The last war against the Storm King claimed a hundred thousand lives and barely ended with a stalemate. To think that there could be war again... the thought caused Lyria to shiver.
“But that's not the thing I came here for”, Philip interrupted her thoughts. “The Storm King is a problem for tomorrow. But today we have a far more urgent problem. There's a beast among us, who preys on our loved ones, more animal than man as Richard put it. The man who attacked him. Wolfius Woodbark”
The mention of Wolfius name dispelled all thoughts about the impending storm. Wolfius was the one who attacked Richard! A sting of guilt flashed through Lyria. Perhaps he used her dagger to cut Jenna Harking's face... “I know it's not the first time you've heard that name. We met him, you know? Richard, Urid and me, the night he attacked Richard. He almost killed him. And what he did to Jenna...” Philip said, before he paused and looked at Rosalie. “Who says he'll stop with Richard? Maybe you are the next target. Maybe it's Rosie... Listen, I know you don't like going out, but Richard, Jenna, Urid and maybe a few more are at the Pony right now. We want to plan our next steps and it would be nice to have you with us”, he explained.
Lyria was about to decline out of reflex as Rosalie grabbed her arm. “I know you don't like this, mother. But I want to go. Please, please, let me go with him. If you don't want to go, let me at least go to that meeting. Maybe we can help”, she urged her.
[Go with Philip and Rosalie to the tavern] [Don't go to the tavern, but allow Rosalie to go] [Don't go to the tavern and don't allow Rosalie to go]
[Try your luck in the forest] Kobe.
[Don't go to the tavern and don't allow Rosalie to go]
Did I mention I hate Rosalie? Plus Richard is going to be there, so Wolfius can kill Jenna and Harris while they're distracted.
And she ain't talking with Philip. Bitch.
[Try your luck in the forest] In the wise words of InGen Kenny, Kobe
[Go with Philip and Rosalie to the tavern] The entire town is going to gather there and Wolfius is going to emerge and slaughter them while they are all drunk. But Richard, the only sober one there, will save the day. Remember when he ran after Wolfius and we all thought it was going to turn out okay? I think that is going to happen again lol.