Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
[Seek help from Mullendore] Oh shit, this is getting intense. I really do hope Farris and Ryder make it to the inn along with their men to the inn, if Mullendore accepts to offer them help. They have to be really fast though, which I'm not sure if they are going to make it in time.
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
[Seek help from Mullendore] I don't like this wouldn't the Burned man and Butterfly need to have someone working for Mullendore to know about the meeting? Unless Mullendore himself is allied with one of them but that seems unlikly.
Loved this chapter the Lucas parts are always great! I think Leonard might be my favourite character so far. Maybe I missed something but why does the Burned man/Butterfly care about Lucas and Leonard?
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
I don't like this wouldn't the Burned man and Butterfly need to have someone working for Mullendore to know about the meeting?
Yes, it's very likely that the Burned Man and Butterfly both have their way of getting information about Mullendore's plans. But Mullendore is reasonably certain that at least Ryder is not working for Butterfly. However, he also just ordered about twenty men to escort Lucas and Co. out of the city, so perhaps it was one of these men who spilled the beans. How exactly Butterfly found out about it will be revealed in the next Lucas part
Maybe I missed something but why does the Burned man/Butterfly care about Lucas and Leonard?
Butterfly is interested in Lord Raylan's last will and in Dairon, for reasons that are not yet revealed. The Burned Man isn't interested in them at all, but he wants them gone because he knows that Butterfly is interested in them. The warning he sent to Lucas and Leonard was courtesy, since he can be strangely generous at times, but he also hopes that Lucas and Leonard will manage to defeat Samuel Harrington and thus take one of Butterfly's most important men out of the game.
[Seek help from Mullendore] I don't like this wouldn't the Burned man and Butterfly need to have someone working for Mullendore to know abou… moret the meeting? Unless Mullendore himself is allied with one of them but that seems unlikly.
Loved this chapter the Lucas parts are always great! I think Leonard might be my favourite character so far. Maybe I missed something but why does the Burned man/Butterfly care about Lucas and Leonard?
These lines really show Leonard's characters. However, if he does kill Harris, he will be fulfilling Noelle's plans as you pointed out last time. I'm not sure that's a good thing.
Bringing the murderous castellan to justice would also bring him a bit closer to become lord of Raylansfair. However, if he truly goes through with his intentions is questionable. He is boiling with anger right now, since he absolutely trusted Harris and saw him as a good friend and some sort of mentor, so the revelation of this part weighs particularly heavy on him. But since Leonard is not a cold-blooded killer, it remains to be seen how far he is willing to go once he calmed down a bit.
[Seek help from Mullendore] Leonard wants this do that's what we're going to do.
“With sadness I have to inform your holiness that Ser… more Ilhan Lagoon, proud and loyal servant of House Raylan of Raylansfair, defender of the faith and true knight, no longer walks on our beautiful earth. The Stranger took him five days ago. His death wasn't an accident however, it was cold-blooded murder and the killer was none other than...”
Lucas stopped again as he breathed heavily. No, this could not be! Ser Ilhan was dead and his killer was... “Ser Harris Flowers, castellan and currently acting lord of Raylansfair”, he continued, seeing how Leonard's face dropped. The other knight grabbed the letter, ripping it away from Lucas' hand, before continuing to read himself in complete silence, looking thoroughly shocked and disturbed.
“Lady Halla and Jenna Harking witnessed it”, he mumbled. “Jenna confessed this to Septon Corbin and he writes th… [view original content]
Bringing the murderous castellan to justice would also bring him a bit closer to become lord of Raylansfair. However, if he truly goes through with his intentions is questionable. He is boiling with anger right now, since he absolutely trusted Harris and saw him as a good friend and some sort of mentor, so the revelation of this part weighs particularly heavy on him. But since Leonard is not a cold-blooded killer, it remains to be seen how far he is willing to go once he calmed down a bit.
Well, since he never did go hunting down Marcus and Celestial, I'm not sure he will go through with it. I want him to, but realizing this, it would be very out-of-character for him. It'll probably be some choice for like Lucas to stop him or something, I dunno.
These lines really show Leonard's characters. However, if he does kill Harris, he will be fulfilling Noelle's plans as you pointed out last … moretime. I'm not sure that's a good thing.
Bringing the murderous castellan to justice would also bring him a bit closer to become lord of Raylansfair. However, if he truly goes through with his intentions is questionable. He is boiling with anger right now, since he absolutely trusted Harris and saw him as a good friend and some sort of mentor, so the revelation of this part weighs particularly heavy on him. But since Leonard is not a cold-blooded killer, it remains to be seen how far he is willing to go once he calmed down a bit.
Also:
I have a feeling why. Is it like a rape thing?
It's going to be much, much worse.
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
After just returning home and reading up on the story, this chapter was by far one of my favorite. Marak seems to roll over easily to strong courageous women. It would be a sight if Marak was being commanded by two different women to do something. Which one would he follow, seeing he cannot think for himself. All in all this was quite the chapter.
Kersea
“How much more is necessary until you learn to be a good little girl?”, Clayton snarled as he raised his hand once more. Kersea al… moreready felt the pain before he even attempted to hit her. Felt it in her right cheek, slightly below the bone. That was where he always hit her. It was always the same. And that was his weakness.
As his closed fist moved towards her face, she jumped up, ramming her own fist right underneath his chin, to the spot where he would never expect it. Or at least she tried it. Faster than her, faster than almost anyone she had ever seen, he raised his left hand, catching her fist and grabbing her hand with his iron grip. At the same time, he lowered his right fist, so that it didn't hit her in the face, but rather in the stomach, pressing the air out of her lungs and causing her to groan, half in surprise, half in pain.
“You think it's going to be that easy, right?”, he mumbled with a sullen voice. “You thin… [view original content]
Willfred
“We're going in through the front. We have enough men to pull it off”, Willfred decided and Jaro let out a sigh. “Are you sure w… moreith that? You really know what you're doing?”, he asked. Before Willfred could answer, Tallian gave the man an annoyed nod. “Ser Willfred knows exactly what he is doing”, he snarled. “And you'd do better not to question him”
Jaro and I'Lian exchanged a glance and shrugged nearly simultaneously. “Well, we can't stop you by force. But make sure that Roger knows that we tried to stop you”, I'Lian explained. “If something goes wrong, it's your fault” Willfred gave him a nod. “We can deal with that”, he answered quickly.
“If you say so...”, I'Lian mumbled. “But don't say we didn't warn you. Roger has something planned and you might endanger him and yourself” Tallian gave him a glare and slightly shook his head as he looked back to Willfred. “We have a dozen men with us. I doubt anything inside of that ta… [view original content]
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
Lucas and Leonard will seek help from Maron Mullendore
No big surprise here. Mullendore is not exactly an unreasonable man after all, so seeking help from him will be the safer option for the knights. However, this also means that Lucas and Leonard will arrive at the inn slightly later, giving Butterfly's men more time to get to Dairon and Lunett, or if they already have them, to carry them to Butterfly or whatever they have planned for them. The next Lucas part is going to be intense, probably the most intense Lucas part ever and one of the most intense parts of the story in general. It's already completely planned out and will come soon. But for now I have a few parts left in this chapter. The next one will finish the storylines for Alys and Richard in this chapter and it will be out in the next few hours.
Lucas
“I'm afraid not, Ser Maron”, Lucas answered. “We have decided to leave the city regardless, at least for the moment” Mullendore gav… moree him a nod and took another sip from his glass. “May I ask why you want to leave without having found who you came for?”, he asked and slightly coughed, putting his wine back down and wiping his mouth.
“It's because of Lunett, Ser Maron. Lunett Kawl, a girl who is accompanying us. She and I, we grew close over our travels and I don't want to endanger her in this city”, Lucas answered, at least partially honest. Mullendore's eyes showed understanding and he even allowed himself a light smile. “I understand”, he answered. “Wise choice. No man should bring his loved ones into this city. Do you know what Butterfly would do to her, should he ever get his hands on her?”
Lucas shook his head. “Not sure if I even want to hear it”, he answered truthfully. Mullendore ignored this and continued to talk, much … [view original content]
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them now. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I interpret Alisa's comment correctly, you should be in the North right now, somewhere near Karhold, right?”
Alys gave him a nod. “'Should' being the right word here”, she remarked. “I should be married by now, to Dante Karstark to be precise” Yeah, Dante Karstark. She had never met him of course, but the way her father had hyped him immediately filled her with disgust. According to her father, Dante had a brilliant mind and a healthy sense of humour, which she knew meant that he likely had neither of it.
The mentioning of her cousin caused Alisa to smile in surprise. “Dante?”, she asked. “But last time I saw him he was a young...” Her face dropped as she realized what she wanted to say. “Oh... of course. Eleven years sure fly fast”, she mumbled.
“So you ran away from home?”, Edward deduced and Alys gave him a nod. “A month ago. Packed a few belongings, left in the middle of the night. I won't be sold off to some prick just because my father wants to secure his social standing”, she hissed. This caused Edward to give her a proud smile. “Admirable attitude. But where do you want to go?”, he asked.
“Anywhere but here”, Alys answered faithfully. “For me, the rain is still the best part about the riverlands. And I hate rain. I can't imagine a kingdom that is more fucked up than this one. It's filled with brutal psychopaths and oppressed smallfolk and I was hunted. Hunted!”, she answered and already felt a lot better now that she found someone to talk to.
Edward chuckled as he heard this. “But now you're safe, Lady Alys. No one will dare to hunt you while you are under my protection”, he answered. This caused Alys to do a calculating look from him, to Alisa and to the third man. What was his name? Carver? Carvin? Carvin, yes! Edward had a long and elegant sword. Rapier, they called it. It was more common in the Free Cities and was of little use against an armed knight. He wore no visible armour and no helmet. Alisa and Carvin at least wore a mixture of chainmail and leather and Carvin even wore a helmet. Alisa's short brown hair flew freely in the wind and rain, while Carvin's dark brown hair was barely visible under his open helmet. She was armed with two short swords that rested in leathery sheets, while he casually held a loaded crossbow in his hands.
“You can protect me?”, Alys chirped. “I don't mean to sound rude, but you aren't exactly well-equipped and there are only three of you” For a short moment, Edward's smile vanished, but it returned as quickly as it was gone. “Your concern is unnecessary, mylady. Not only are Carvin and Alisa trained mercenaries, I am also reasonably certain that no one will dare to attack me. I am an ambassador of some sorts, sent by Aeron Blacksails, King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea”
“A pirate!”, Alys exclaimed. “You are a pirate!” By the old gods and the new, she just gave her real name to a pirate! What if he would take her hostage, to press ransom money from her father? Oh gods no...
Edward let out a rough laughter. “An ugly word for such a sweet lady. I am merely someone who redistributes wealth, a freebooter, a lord of the waves”, he explained and gave her a slight smile. “And yes, pirate is the right term. However, I would describe myself simply as a very ambitious man”
“And what are you doing here?”, Alys asked with suspicion in her voice. She wanted to trust him, she really wanted it, but she was wary. A pirate, seven heavens, she had never met a pirate before! Before Edward could answer, Carvin cut him off. The voice of the mercenary was as gruff as his stare. “Cut the introductions short, Anturion. Someone is coming”, he growled. With these words he pointed his crossbow towards the forest Alys just left.
“Put down the crossbow, man”, a deep voice ordered him. “You're pointing it at a Prince of the Isles and Rivers” With these words, the person she wanted to see the least stepped out of the forest. It was the pack leader and his pack of vicious dogs followed close behind. And now she was able to see him more clearly. He was tall, muscular, but plain looking, with a repulsive smile on his face. The colour of his hair was black, but the colour of his eyes was blacker, as black as a nightmare. Behind him, two members of his pack stepped out of the forest. One of them was the huge man with the massive beard, the one who showed her mercy. The other one was the smallest of the pack, the one who looked the softest. One of them was missing...
“Good evening”, Edward said with a polite bow. “May I ask your name?” Packleader gave him a nod, while taking a step closer. He stopped as Carvin continued to point the crossbow at him. “Harlan Hoare, secondborn son of Harren Hoare”, he introduced himself. “The men behind me are Torvin Breaker and Gabin Strad” His polite smile vanished and a violent streak appeared in his eyes. “And if you continue to point that thing at me, I'm going to take all of your fingers”, he threatened Carvin.
Carvin gave Anturion a short look, but kept his crossbow raised, much to Harlan's visible displeasure. “Prince Harlan, it is an honour. My name is Edward Anturion. I have a meeting with your father”, Edward introduced himself, but stopped as Harlan yawned. “I don't care who you are, Cunturion. You have something that belongs to me” With these words he looked at Alys and his terrifying smile returned.
To her relief, Edward shook his head. “You can't own a person, my prince, at least not in Westeros. Besides, this isn't just any person, this is Alys of House Boleyn, a noble lady who deserves to be treated with respect. She is part of my group and under my protection”
“Who of House Whatthefuck?”, Harlan remarked and spat on the ground. “Listen, I really don't care what you say. It's been a long fucking day and I'm not in a good mood. I'm wet to the bone and horny like a herd of goats. I got an archer with me, like you. I can see your archer, you can't see mine. You are at a disadvantage, so I'm giving you one last fucking chance to put that crossbow down and hand me the girl. For what I care, you can suck my fathers cock afterwards”
“To your left, ten feet into the forest. He has a clear shot on Alisa and me, but he can't aim at Anturion”, Carvin mumbled calmly and Harlan shifted his attention at him. “What? The fuck are you talking about?”, he asked and Carvin gave him a slightly triumphant glare. “Your archer. Not as invisible as you think, princeling”, he answered, aiming his crossbow at the point where he just spotted the fourth man in Harlan's pack.
The prince's smile vanished as he and Edward exchanged a short look. “So...?”, he asked. “What are you...?” He was interrupted by one of his men, the one he introduced as Gabin, who grabbed him at the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Harlan's eyes widened. “He?”, he mumbled. “Here? Now? But... I...” He stopped and looked at Edward, slightly lowering his head like a dog who just accepted defeat.
“I see clearer now, Ser Edward. Forgive me, a lack of sleep has clouded my judgement”, he said, looking over his shoulder. “Hjalgar! You can come out now”, he shouted and not long afterwards a tall, but somewhat lanky and surprisingly young man stepped out. He held a bow in his hands, but looked more like a hunter than a soldier.
“This is Hjalgar Holgarson, one of the best archers I've ever seen”, Harlan complimented him and the young man's face lit up. “Eh, no need to get all dorky about it, Hjalgar. Stay with the frown, suits you better”, Harlan added and chuckled as the man's gin indeed vanished.
He took a step closer and this time, Carvin did not stop him. To Alys' horror, Harlan walked right in front of her, mustering her from head to toe. “You got lucky, Lady Alys. Anturion is a powerful protector and you do well to stay close to him. Harrenhal is full of dark places and we don't want something to happen, right?”
“Harrenhal?”, Alys exclaimed, looking back at Edward. “My goal was to reach Dorne. Or one of the Free Cities perhaps. I never wanted to go to Harrenhal”, she protested. Edward gave her an apologizing smile. “I'm afraid you are under my protection now, mylady. You will reach Dorne, sooner or later, I promise you that. But for now it's safer if you stay with me”
Alys took a look into Harlan Hoare's eyes and shivered, even though she started to get warm under Edward's cloak. She didn't even need to think about it. It was not a choice. This was about survival for her. She gave Edward a nod. “Lead the way then”, she answered and Harlan seemed to be immensely pleased by this. “To Harrenhal, mylords”, he exclaimed and looked past Alys into the distance and as she followed his stare, she saw the faint silhouette of the hulking castle in the distance, its five towers pointing at the sky like claws. “I can't wait to introduce you to my family”, Harlan chuckled and his black eyes pierced through Alys. “I'm sure they are going to love you”
No choices for this part
Richard
“So... Jarow...”, Philip said slowly and his facial expression gave away how displeased he was that the self-proclaimed Lord of the Bridges had decided to sit down right next to him. Of course, he had agreed to help. Jarow wasn't a man who would refuse an honest plea for help. Still, the presence of the shabby, reeking man wasn't exactly a pleasant experience and Richard did not envy Philip for his position on the table.
“It's Lord Jarow for you, peasant”, Jarow said in a cheerful tone and Philip gave him a reluctant nod. “Lord Jarow, of course. I... I beg your forgiveness... m'lord”, he said as deadpan as possible and with a dry tone that caused Rosalie to grin. For a short moment, Richard even saw something in Jenna's eyes that made him hope that she would flash a smile. “Forgiveness granted, peasant. I am always glad to help the smallfolk of Raylansfair”, Jarow proclaimed. “Especially when we're up against the men who attacked good Richard here”
His attention shifted towards Richard, whose wounded leg started to thump uncomfortably. “You asked for help, here I am”, Jarow said with a grin. Alan raised his mug of ale and managed to focuse his drunken stare on Jarow long enough. “Yippee”, he said sarcastically and took a deep gulp from his mug... no, Richard's mug. Under Richard's angry stare, Alan put the mug down again, giving him an apologizing smile.
“What is it, Rosie?”, Lyria asked concerned and Richard noticed that Rosalie's grin had vanished. Instead she looked towards a remote corner of the inn with a frown on her face. “Some creep is watching me”, she hissed and Richard followed her stare. In the corner sat a man, small and lean, wearing a hugely oversized hat that was completely obscuring his facial features in the shadow. “Are you sure? I can't even see his eyes”, Lyria asked and Rosalie shrugged. “Don't know... but I got the feeling” She looked away from the corner with disgust. “Eh, whatever. But if that creep tries a move on me, I'll slap him” Lyria gave her daughter a slight smile, before shifting her attention back to the group.
“So, do we have a plan?”, she asked impatiently and Alan gave her a leering grin. “Don't look at me, my dear. I'm just here to drink after a long and hard day which I miraculously survived, not to make plans about capturing serial killers and trained murderers with godsdamn crossbows”, he answered, but was silenced as Richard put a hand on his shoulder, putting him into a strong grip. “You got anything useful to say, Alan?”, he asked and his brother gave him a nod. “One thing”, he said. “You're all crazy to go up against these people” He pointed from Richard, to Urid, to Philip. “You. And you. And you” He pointed at Jarow and paused for a moment. “And you in particular!” He already slurred his speech and it was visibly hard for him to focus.
“So, my brother has nothing important to say”, Richard summarized. “But that does not mean that Lyria didn't made a good point. We need a plan, a good one, if we want to have any chance of defeating Wolfius”
“Perhaps I got one”, Urid said, slightly smirking as the others put their attention towards him. “We have an experienced fighter with us now”, he said and Jarow gave him a pleased nod. “In single combat he would slay Wolfius and quite likely all of the other guys who attacked you”
“True”, Jarow confirmed. “No wolf can defeat the lord of the bridges” Philip rolled his eyes, but stayed silent, while Urid continued to talk. “We attack them head on, with help from the city guard. We know where they are, we have an advantage in numbers. And then we kill them all”, he explained. Philip let out a small chuckle and Urid shot him a glare. “You got a problem with my plan, Philip?”, he hissed.
“Well, aside from the fact that it's suicidal, yeah, I got a problem with it”, Philip answered. “If we attack them head on, what stops them from slipping away through some back door? Who guarantees us that they don't have a plan when it comes to that? You know, like, setting the whole warehouse on fire and trapping us while they slip away. I know I'd do that in their situation”
“Do you have a better plan?”, Urid snarled and Philip gave him a nod. “I do”, he answered. “The main problem is Wolfius. The others, well, they are of no concern to us as long as they don't target us. Leave them for the city watch. But Wolfius is the one who preys on our families and loved ones and from what you told me, he's the one who kills for fun. We need to kill him directly and we have to make sure that he won't get away”
“And how do you want to do that?”, Lyria asked sceptically. “ Do you want to ask him politely to leave his group and meet us somewhere, so we can settle our differences?” Philip gave her a sly grin. “Something like that”, he answered and Lyria gave him a frown. “I have a feeling I won't like this”, the blacksmith mumbled.
“We lure him out, by placing a bait in the city, a bait he can't resist”, he said and for a short moment his gaze fell on Rosalie. Lyria narrowed her eyes and nearly jumped over the table. “No!”, she spat, loud enough to cause several guests in the tavern to look at them. “We won't do that”
Rosalie quickly seemed to realize what Philip just implied and gave her mother an angry glare. “Don't I get a saying in this, mother?”, she asked. “No!”, Lyria clarified. “We won't use you as a bait”
For a moment, Philip looked genuinely shocked. “Wait, using Rosalie?”, he asked. “Gods damn it, Lyria I would never do that and you know it” He seemed to be genuinely insulted that Lyria would even imply such a thing and Richard knew, he was indeed upset about it.
“I never meant to imply it. But Wolfius seems to be fixated on her and we can use this obsession. We make it appear as if Rosalie would walk somewhere at night, all alone”, Philip explained. “Of course she will never be there. She will be safe and sound at your home, the doors locked and with you guarding her”, he quickly added as Lyria's glare hit him like a hammer. “But we will make it appear as if she would be there. I have a few ideas how we pull that off. Once Wolfius took the bait, we will swarm him from all sides, leaving him with no escape route. Jarow will attack him and try to slay him in single combat”
The lord of bridges gave him a pleased nod. “There won't be a try, Ser Philip”, he proclaimed. “As soon as I get my hands on him, I'll tear him to pieces. But good plan. Picking out the most dangerous target first and eliminating it”
“Except that there is no guarantee that he will fall for your trick, Philip”, Urid interjected. “Besides, it sounds far more risky to attack him on our own than getting the help of the guards” Before Philip could answer, Richard silenced him by raising his hands. “Okay friends”, he proclaimed. “Before this gets out of hand, we should vote for the best course of action. We have two plans and both of them have their advantages and disadvantages. Lyria, which plan do you support?”
“Urid's”, she answered without hesitating. “If Philip's plan fails, Rosie will become even more of a target for him. I don't want her to end up like your girl!” Jenna shivered as she heard this and looked down on the table again and a regretful expression flashed over Lyria's face. “Sorry”, she mumbled. “Didn't mean to... you know what I meant”
“I know”, Richard answered and put an arm around Jenna. She tensed up under his touch, but quickly relaxed again, albeit the sullen look on her face remained. In this moment, Richard hoped that he could be the one to deliver the killing blow on Wolfius, he wished it more than ever. “Rosalie, which plan do you support?”, he asked. Lyria gave him an agitated look. “She doesn't support any plan, Richard”, she insisted and Rosalie shook her head. “No, mother, you're wrong”, she said defiantly. “I support Philip's plan. This Wolfius is a danger for all of us and I won't sit around doing nothing while others risk their lives. That's not what father would have done, that's not what he would want from me and that's not how I am. I won't disappoint him by cowering in fear while others die for me”
Richard gave her an impressed nod. He hadn't expected that much compassion from Rosalie, but knowing both of her parents it didn't came as a huge surprise. He looked at Jenna, who avoided his stare. “I'd rather not vote, father”, she mumbled. “I can't help you with Wolfius. I'm not strong or smart or good with a sword” For a moment, Richard expected tears from her, but the fierce look in her eyes surprised him. “But I can do my part. I will get Lord Harris to help us. He wants my help with something and I will bring him to help us in return”
Richard smiled proudly at his daughter and for a short moment she reciprocated the smile. “That's settled then. Alan?”, he asked. His brother grinned at him. “Urid”, he answered. “I know you're going to drag me into this either way and Urid's plan sounds like less work for me. Let the city guard handle all the nutjobs with their crossbows, I'll stay safe behind their lines and watching the spectacle”
“Good...”, Richard growled, not reacting any further to his brother. He looked at Philip and Urid. “I guess your opinion on the matter is clear. Which leaves us with Jarow”, he said and the older man slammed his fist on the table. “Indeed!”, he exclaimed. “I will support Ser Philip's plan. Slaying the dreaded murderer in single combat is a feat worthy for the Lord of the Bridges”
Philip forced himself to smile as he heard this. “Great, Lord Jarow. Wonderful”, he said and there was no doubt that Jarow didn't notice the mockery. “Your support means a lot. But that also means we have a tie. Lyria and Alan for Urid's plan, Rosalie and Jarow for mine” He looked at Richard. “Which leaves you to decide, my friend. Whom are you going to support here?”
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
Jenna won't be in more danger from either plan, as she is not involved in them. She will have her own part in the next chaper, involving Harris and the task he wants her to do, regardless of what choice Richard makes right now. She would have been involved in these plans if you would have chosen not to support Harris in her part at the beginning of this chapter. As for Richard... well, it's very unclear which plan is the more dangerous here. Urid involves getting more allies, but also having more enemies to take on, with the risk of walking into a trap, while Philip wants to lure only Wolfius into a trap, just with the small group present at the table, which means less enemies to take on, but the potential for Wolfius to fight one of them directly. Both of these plans are potentially very dangerous, but none of them really puts Richard into more obvious danger.
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
[Support Urid's plan] The city guard needs more face time. Let them do their jobs for once and all get trapped and killed in some trap that Clayton sets up. Afterwards Nora can be both the captain of the guard and city guard!
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
One of Harlan's few positive traits is that he is very nice and generous to his friends and after their hunt through the forest he probably starts to see Hjalgar as a friend. The one who was always pushing him around in the earlier parts was Harlan's older brother Harmund, who is definitely more nasty to people in general.
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
[Support Urid's plan] All the assassins must pay! And you may remember there's a bit of conflict in their group they might not be organised enough to have a good escape plan or better yet maybe they'll leave Wolfius behind.
Dante!!!! I literally blew up in excitement at the mere mention of his name!! oh and yeah this was a great chapter.
Ok thats good for Hjalgar but it still seems for me that his attitude changed towards Hjalgar motsly because Harlan said some thing like Hjalgar is the best Acher he has ever seen, something must have happened.
And since when is Harlan so nice to Hjalgar?
One of Harlan's few positive traits is that he is very nice and generous to his friends… more and after their hunt through the forest he probably starts to see Hjalgar as a friend. The one who was always pushing him around in the earlier parts was Harlan's older brother Harmund, who is definitely more nasty to people in general.
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them no… morew. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I inte… [view original content]
Comments
[Seek help from Mullendore]
[Run to the inn without additional help]
[Seek help from Mullendore]
[Run to the inn without additional help]
[Seek help from Mullendore] Oh shit, this is getting intense. I really do hope Farris and Ryder make it to the inn along with their men to the inn, if Mullendore accepts to offer them help. They have to be really fast though, which I'm not sure if they are going to make it in time.
[Seek help from Mullendore]
[Seek help from Mullendore]
[Seek help from Mullendore] I don't like this wouldn't the Burned man and Butterfly need to have someone working for Mullendore to know about the meeting? Unless Mullendore himself is allied with one of them but that seems unlikly.
Loved this chapter the Lucas parts are always great! I think Leonard might be my favourite character so far. Maybe I missed something but why does the Burned man/Butterfly care about Lucas and Leonard?
(run to the inn without additional help)
Yes, it's very likely that the Burned Man and Butterfly both have their way of getting information about Mullendore's plans. But Mullendore is reasonably certain that at least Ryder is not working for Butterfly. However, he also just ordered about twenty men to escort Lucas and Co. out of the city, so perhaps it was one of these men who spilled the beans. How exactly Butterfly found out about it will be revealed in the next Lucas part
Butterfly is interested in Lord Raylan's last will and in Dairon, for reasons that are not yet revealed. The Burned Man isn't interested in them at all, but he wants them gone because he knows that Butterfly is interested in them. The warning he sent to Lucas and Leonard was courtesy, since he can be strangely generous at times, but he also hopes that Lucas and Leonard will manage to defeat Samuel Harrington and thus take one of Butterfly's most important men out of the game.
Bringing the murderous castellan to justice would also bring him a bit closer to become lord of Raylansfair. However, if he truly goes through with his intentions is questionable. He is boiling with anger right now, since he absolutely trusted Harris and saw him as a good friend and some sort of mentor, so the revelation of this part weighs particularly heavy on him. But since Leonard is not a cold-blooded killer, it remains to be seen how far he is willing to go once he calmed down a bit.
Also:
It's going to be much, much worse.
Well, since he never did go hunting down Marcus and Celestial, I'm not sure he will go through with it. I want him to, but realizing this, it would be very out-of-character for him. It'll probably be some choice for like Lucas to stop him or something, I dunno.
[Seek help from Mullendore]
After just returning home and reading up on the story, this chapter was by far one of my favorite. Marak seems to roll over easily to strong courageous women. It would be a sight if Marak was being commanded by two different women to do something. Which one would he follow, seeing he cannot think for himself. All in all this was quite the chapter.
OH [“No”] My Uber late response.
[Allow Jon to deal with the situation] My late response here at last!
[Run to the inn without additional help] I don't like the idea of having to get even deeper in debt with these leaders of Oldtown.
Liquid can you notify users once their character is introduced?
Of course! As soon as the first of your characters got introduced (very early in the next chapter) you'll get a PM!
[Seek help from Mullendore]
[Seek help from Mullendore]
The Voting is closed!
Lucas and Leonard will seek help from Maron Mullendore
No big surprise here. Mullendore is not exactly an unreasonable man after all, so seeking help from him will be the safer option for the knights. However, this also means that Lucas and Leonard will arrive at the inn slightly later, giving Butterfly's men more time to get to Dairon and Lunett, or if they already have them, to carry them to Butterfly or whatever they have planned for them. The next Lucas part is going to be intense, probably the most intense Lucas part ever and one of the most intense parts of the story in general. It's already completely planned out and will come soon. But for now I have a few parts left in this chapter. The next one will finish the storylines for Alys and Richard in this chapter and it will be out in the next few hours.
[Run to the inn without additional help]
Alys
She somehow doubted that Edward ever heard of House Boleyn before. Alisa on the other hand... But Alys didn't want to lie to them now. They helped her, they likely saved her life and she owed them at least a bit of honesty. “It's Alys”, she introduced herself to a smiling Edward. “Alys Boleyn” The mention of her last name caused Alisa to frown and she took a step forwards, putting her right hand on Edward's shoulder.
“Edward”, she mumbled. “That girl is a noblewoman” Edward raised an eyebrow as he slightly looked over his shoulder and to Alisa. “What are you talking about?”, he snarled. “She is the daughter of Lord Barroth Boleyn, one of my father's bannermen”, Alisa answered
“Never heard of House Boleyn before”, Edward said and looked back at Alys. “Not that it changes anything” He softly put an arm around her and under his cloak Alys started to feel warm again. “Do you want to tell me what you are doing here, mylady? If I interpret Alisa's comment correctly, you should be in the North right now, somewhere near Karhold, right?”
Alys gave him a nod. “'Should' being the right word here”, she remarked. “I should be married by now, to Dante Karstark to be precise” Yeah, Dante Karstark. She had never met him of course, but the way her father had hyped him immediately filled her with disgust. According to her father, Dante had a brilliant mind and a healthy sense of humour, which she knew meant that he likely had neither of it.
The mentioning of her cousin caused Alisa to smile in surprise. “Dante?”, she asked. “But last time I saw him he was a young...” Her face dropped as she realized what she wanted to say. “Oh... of course. Eleven years sure fly fast”, she mumbled.
“So you ran away from home?”, Edward deduced and Alys gave him a nod. “A month ago. Packed a few belongings, left in the middle of the night. I won't be sold off to some prick just because my father wants to secure his social standing”, she hissed. This caused Edward to give her a proud smile. “Admirable attitude. But where do you want to go?”, he asked.
“Anywhere but here”, Alys answered faithfully. “For me, the rain is still the best part about the riverlands. And I hate rain. I can't imagine a kingdom that is more fucked up than this one. It's filled with brutal psychopaths and oppressed smallfolk and I was hunted. Hunted!”, she answered and already felt a lot better now that she found someone to talk to.
Edward chuckled as he heard this. “But now you're safe, Lady Alys. No one will dare to hunt you while you are under my protection”, he answered. This caused Alys to do a calculating look from him, to Alisa and to the third man. What was his name? Carver? Carvin? Carvin, yes! Edward had a long and elegant sword. Rapier, they called it. It was more common in the Free Cities and was of little use against an armed knight. He wore no visible armour and no helmet. Alisa and Carvin at least wore a mixture of chainmail and leather and Carvin even wore a helmet. Alisa's short brown hair flew freely in the wind and rain, while Carvin's dark brown hair was barely visible under his open helmet. She was armed with two short swords that rested in leathery sheets, while he casually held a loaded crossbow in his hands.
“You can protect me?”, Alys chirped. “I don't mean to sound rude, but you aren't exactly well-equipped and there are only three of you” For a short moment, Edward's smile vanished, but it returned as quickly as it was gone. “Your concern is unnecessary, mylady. Not only are Carvin and Alisa trained mercenaries, I am also reasonably certain that no one will dare to attack me. I am an ambassador of some sorts, sent by Aeron Blacksails, King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea”
“A pirate!”, Alys exclaimed. “You are a pirate!” By the old gods and the new, she just gave her real name to a pirate! What if he would take her hostage, to press ransom money from her father? Oh gods no...
Edward let out a rough laughter. “An ugly word for such a sweet lady. I am merely someone who redistributes wealth, a freebooter, a lord of the waves”, he explained and gave her a slight smile. “And yes, pirate is the right term. However, I would describe myself simply as a very ambitious man”
“And what are you doing here?”, Alys asked with suspicion in her voice. She wanted to trust him, she really wanted it, but she was wary. A pirate, seven heavens, she had never met a pirate before! Before Edward could answer, Carvin cut him off. The voice of the mercenary was as gruff as his stare. “Cut the introductions short, Anturion. Someone is coming”, he growled. With these words he pointed his crossbow towards the forest Alys just left.
“Put down the crossbow, man”, a deep voice ordered him. “You're pointing it at a Prince of the Isles and Rivers” With these words, the person she wanted to see the least stepped out of the forest. It was the pack leader and his pack of vicious dogs followed close behind. And now she was able to see him more clearly. He was tall, muscular, but plain looking, with a repulsive smile on his face. The colour of his hair was black, but the colour of his eyes was blacker, as black as a nightmare. Behind him, two members of his pack stepped out of the forest. One of them was the huge man with the massive beard, the one who showed her mercy. The other one was the smallest of the pack, the one who looked the softest. One of them was missing...
“Good evening”, Edward said with a polite bow. “May I ask your name?” Packleader gave him a nod, while taking a step closer. He stopped as Carvin continued to point the crossbow at him. “Harlan Hoare, secondborn son of Harren Hoare”, he introduced himself. “The men behind me are Torvin Breaker and Gabin Strad” His polite smile vanished and a violent streak appeared in his eyes. “And if you continue to point that thing at me, I'm going to take all of your fingers”, he threatened Carvin.
Carvin gave Anturion a short look, but kept his crossbow raised, much to Harlan's visible displeasure. “Prince Harlan, it is an honour. My name is Edward Anturion. I have a meeting with your father”, Edward introduced himself, but stopped as Harlan yawned. “I don't care who you are, Cunturion. You have something that belongs to me” With these words he looked at Alys and his terrifying smile returned.
To her relief, Edward shook his head. “You can't own a person, my prince, at least not in Westeros. Besides, this isn't just any person, this is Alys of House Boleyn, a noble lady who deserves to be treated with respect. She is part of my group and under my protection”
“Who of House Whatthefuck?”, Harlan remarked and spat on the ground. “Listen, I really don't care what you say. It's been a long fucking day and I'm not in a good mood. I'm wet to the bone and horny like a herd of goats. I got an archer with me, like you. I can see your archer, you can't see mine. You are at a disadvantage, so I'm giving you one last fucking chance to put that crossbow down and hand me the girl. For what I care, you can suck my fathers cock afterwards”
“To your left, ten feet into the forest. He has a clear shot on Alisa and me, but he can't aim at Anturion”, Carvin mumbled calmly and Harlan shifted his attention at him. “What? The fuck are you talking about?”, he asked and Carvin gave him a slightly triumphant glare. “Your archer. Not as invisible as you think, princeling”, he answered, aiming his crossbow at the point where he just spotted the fourth man in Harlan's pack.
The prince's smile vanished as he and Edward exchanged a short look. “So...?”, he asked. “What are you...?” He was interrupted by one of his men, the one he introduced as Gabin, who grabbed him at the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Harlan's eyes widened. “He?”, he mumbled. “Here? Now? But... I...” He stopped and looked at Edward, slightly lowering his head like a dog who just accepted defeat.
“I see clearer now, Ser Edward. Forgive me, a lack of sleep has clouded my judgement”, he said, looking over his shoulder. “Hjalgar! You can come out now”, he shouted and not long afterwards a tall, but somewhat lanky and surprisingly young man stepped out. He held a bow in his hands, but looked more like a hunter than a soldier.
“This is Hjalgar Holgarson, one of the best archers I've ever seen”, Harlan complimented him and the young man's face lit up. “Eh, no need to get all dorky about it, Hjalgar. Stay with the frown, suits you better”, Harlan added and chuckled as the man's gin indeed vanished.
He took a step closer and this time, Carvin did not stop him. To Alys' horror, Harlan walked right in front of her, mustering her from head to toe. “You got lucky, Lady Alys. Anturion is a powerful protector and you do well to stay close to him. Harrenhal is full of dark places and we don't want something to happen, right?”
“Harrenhal?”, Alys exclaimed, looking back at Edward. “My goal was to reach Dorne. Or one of the Free Cities perhaps. I never wanted to go to Harrenhal”, she protested. Edward gave her an apologizing smile. “I'm afraid you are under my protection now, mylady. You will reach Dorne, sooner or later, I promise you that. But for now it's safer if you stay with me”
Alys took a look into Harlan Hoare's eyes and shivered, even though she started to get warm under Edward's cloak. She didn't even need to think about it. It was not a choice. This was about survival for her. She gave Edward a nod. “Lead the way then”, she answered and Harlan seemed to be immensely pleased by this. “To Harrenhal, mylords”, he exclaimed and looked past Alys into the distance and as she followed his stare, she saw the faint silhouette of the hulking castle in the distance, its five towers pointing at the sky like claws. “I can't wait to introduce you to my family”, Harlan chuckled and his black eyes pierced through Alys. “I'm sure they are going to love you”
No choices for this part
Richard
“So... Jarow...”, Philip said slowly and his facial expression gave away how displeased he was that the self-proclaimed Lord of the Bridges had decided to sit down right next to him. Of course, he had agreed to help. Jarow wasn't a man who would refuse an honest plea for help. Still, the presence of the shabby, reeking man wasn't exactly a pleasant experience and Richard did not envy Philip for his position on the table.
“It's Lord Jarow for you, peasant”, Jarow said in a cheerful tone and Philip gave him a reluctant nod. “Lord Jarow, of course. I... I beg your forgiveness... m'lord”, he said as deadpan as possible and with a dry tone that caused Rosalie to grin. For a short moment, Richard even saw something in Jenna's eyes that made him hope that she would flash a smile. “Forgiveness granted, peasant. I am always glad to help the smallfolk of Raylansfair”, Jarow proclaimed. “Especially when we're up against the men who attacked good Richard here”
His attention shifted towards Richard, whose wounded leg started to thump uncomfortably. “You asked for help, here I am”, Jarow said with a grin. Alan raised his mug of ale and managed to focuse his drunken stare on Jarow long enough. “Yippee”, he said sarcastically and took a deep gulp from his mug... no, Richard's mug. Under Richard's angry stare, Alan put the mug down again, giving him an apologizing smile.
“What is it, Rosie?”, Lyria asked concerned and Richard noticed that Rosalie's grin had vanished. Instead she looked towards a remote corner of the inn with a frown on her face. “Some creep is watching me”, she hissed and Richard followed her stare. In the corner sat a man, small and lean, wearing a hugely oversized hat that was completely obscuring his facial features in the shadow. “Are you sure? I can't even see his eyes”, Lyria asked and Rosalie shrugged. “Don't know... but I got the feeling” She looked away from the corner with disgust. “Eh, whatever. But if that creep tries a move on me, I'll slap him” Lyria gave her daughter a slight smile, before shifting her attention back to the group.
“So, do we have a plan?”, she asked impatiently and Alan gave her a leering grin. “Don't look at me, my dear. I'm just here to drink after a long and hard day which I miraculously survived, not to make plans about capturing serial killers and trained murderers with godsdamn crossbows”, he answered, but was silenced as Richard put a hand on his shoulder, putting him into a strong grip. “You got anything useful to say, Alan?”, he asked and his brother gave him a nod. “One thing”, he said. “You're all crazy to go up against these people” He pointed from Richard, to Urid, to Philip. “You. And you. And you” He pointed at Jarow and paused for a moment. “And you in particular!” He already slurred his speech and it was visibly hard for him to focus.
“So, my brother has nothing important to say”, Richard summarized. “But that does not mean that Lyria didn't made a good point. We need a plan, a good one, if we want to have any chance of defeating Wolfius”
“Perhaps I got one”, Urid said, slightly smirking as the others put their attention towards him. “We have an experienced fighter with us now”, he said and Jarow gave him a pleased nod. “In single combat he would slay Wolfius and quite likely all of the other guys who attacked you”
“True”, Jarow confirmed. “No wolf can defeat the lord of the bridges” Philip rolled his eyes, but stayed silent, while Urid continued to talk. “We attack them head on, with help from the city guard. We know where they are, we have an advantage in numbers. And then we kill them all”, he explained. Philip let out a small chuckle and Urid shot him a glare. “You got a problem with my plan, Philip?”, he hissed.
“Well, aside from the fact that it's suicidal, yeah, I got a problem with it”, Philip answered. “If we attack them head on, what stops them from slipping away through some back door? Who guarantees us that they don't have a plan when it comes to that? You know, like, setting the whole warehouse on fire and trapping us while they slip away. I know I'd do that in their situation”
“Do you have a better plan?”, Urid snarled and Philip gave him a nod. “I do”, he answered. “The main problem is Wolfius. The others, well, they are of no concern to us as long as they don't target us. Leave them for the city watch. But Wolfius is the one who preys on our families and loved ones and from what you told me, he's the one who kills for fun. We need to kill him directly and we have to make sure that he won't get away”
“And how do you want to do that?”, Lyria asked sceptically. “ Do you want to ask him politely to leave his group and meet us somewhere, so we can settle our differences?” Philip gave her a sly grin. “Something like that”, he answered and Lyria gave him a frown. “I have a feeling I won't like this”, the blacksmith mumbled.
“We lure him out, by placing a bait in the city, a bait he can't resist”, he said and for a short moment his gaze fell on Rosalie. Lyria narrowed her eyes and nearly jumped over the table. “No!”, she spat, loud enough to cause several guests in the tavern to look at them. “We won't do that”
Rosalie quickly seemed to realize what Philip just implied and gave her mother an angry glare. “Don't I get a saying in this, mother?”, she asked. “No!”, Lyria clarified. “We won't use you as a bait”
For a moment, Philip looked genuinely shocked. “Wait, using Rosalie?”, he asked. “Gods damn it, Lyria I would never do that and you know it” He seemed to be genuinely insulted that Lyria would even imply such a thing and Richard knew, he was indeed upset about it.
“I never meant to imply it. But Wolfius seems to be fixated on her and we can use this obsession. We make it appear as if Rosalie would walk somewhere at night, all alone”, Philip explained. “Of course she will never be there. She will be safe and sound at your home, the doors locked and with you guarding her”, he quickly added as Lyria's glare hit him like a hammer. “But we will make it appear as if she would be there. I have a few ideas how we pull that off. Once Wolfius took the bait, we will swarm him from all sides, leaving him with no escape route. Jarow will attack him and try to slay him in single combat”
The lord of bridges gave him a pleased nod. “There won't be a try, Ser Philip”, he proclaimed. “As soon as I get my hands on him, I'll tear him to pieces. But good plan. Picking out the most dangerous target first and eliminating it”
“Except that there is no guarantee that he will fall for your trick, Philip”, Urid interjected. “Besides, it sounds far more risky to attack him on our own than getting the help of the guards” Before Philip could answer, Richard silenced him by raising his hands. “Okay friends”, he proclaimed. “Before this gets out of hand, we should vote for the best course of action. We have two plans and both of them have their advantages and disadvantages. Lyria, which plan do you support?”
“Urid's”, she answered without hesitating. “If Philip's plan fails, Rosie will become even more of a target for him. I don't want her to end up like your girl!” Jenna shivered as she heard this and looked down on the table again and a regretful expression flashed over Lyria's face. “Sorry”, she mumbled. “Didn't mean to... you know what I meant”
“I know”, Richard answered and put an arm around Jenna. She tensed up under his touch, but quickly relaxed again, albeit the sullen look on her face remained. In this moment, Richard hoped that he could be the one to deliver the killing blow on Wolfius, he wished it more than ever. “Rosalie, which plan do you support?”, he asked. Lyria gave him an agitated look. “She doesn't support any plan, Richard”, she insisted and Rosalie shook her head. “No, mother, you're wrong”, she said defiantly. “I support Philip's plan. This Wolfius is a danger for all of us and I won't sit around doing nothing while others risk their lives. That's not what father would have done, that's not what he would want from me and that's not how I am. I won't disappoint him by cowering in fear while others die for me”
Richard gave her an impressed nod. He hadn't expected that much compassion from Rosalie, but knowing both of her parents it didn't came as a huge surprise. He looked at Jenna, who avoided his stare. “I'd rather not vote, father”, she mumbled. “I can't help you with Wolfius. I'm not strong or smart or good with a sword” For a moment, Richard expected tears from her, but the fierce look in her eyes surprised him. “But I can do my part. I will get Lord Harris to help us. He wants my help with something and I will bring him to help us in return”
Richard smiled proudly at his daughter and for a short moment she reciprocated the smile. “That's settled then. Alan?”, he asked. His brother grinned at him. “Urid”, he answered. “I know you're going to drag me into this either way and Urid's plan sounds like less work for me. Let the city guard handle all the nutjobs with their crossbows, I'll stay safe behind their lines and watching the spectacle”
“Good...”, Richard growled, not reacting any further to his brother. He looked at Philip and Urid. “I guess your opinion on the matter is clear. Which leaves us with Jarow”, he said and the older man slammed his fist on the table. “Indeed!”, he exclaimed. “I will support Ser Philip's plan. Slaying the dreaded murderer in single combat is a feat worthy for the Lord of the Bridges”
Philip forced himself to smile as he heard this. “Great, Lord Jarow. Wonderful”, he said and there was no doubt that Jarow didn't notice the mockery. “Your support means a lot. But that also means we have a tie. Lyria and Alan for Urid's plan, Rosalie and Jarow for mine” He looked at Richard. “Which leaves you to decide, my friend. Whom are you going to support here?”
[Support Philip's plan] [Support Urid's plan]
[Support Urid's plan] Urid´s bae. Agree with him or die.
Awesome chapter!
[Support Urid's plan]
This puts Jenna/Richard in more danger, correct? If so, I want it.
Jenna won't be in more danger from either plan, as she is not involved in them. She will have her own part in the next chaper, involving Harris and the task he wants her to do, regardless of what choice Richard makes right now. She would have been involved in these plans if you would have chosen not to support Harris in her part at the beginning of this chapter. As for Richard... well, it's very unclear which plan is the more dangerous here. Urid involves getting more allies, but also having more enemies to take on, with the risk of walking into a trap, while Philip wants to lure only Wolfius into a trap, just with the small group present at the table, which means less enemies to take on, but the potential for Wolfius to fight one of them directly. Both of these plans are potentially very dangerous, but none of them really puts Richard into more obvious danger.
“Who of House Whatthefuck?” Freaking Hilarious !
And since when is Harlan so nice to Hjalgar?
Also [Support Urid's plan]
[Support Philip's plan]
[Support Urid's plan] The city guard needs more face time. Let them do their jobs for once and all get trapped and killed in some trap that Clayton sets up. Afterwards Nora can be both the captain of the guard and city guard!
One of Harlan's few positive traits is that he is very nice and generous to his friends and after their hunt through the forest he probably starts to see Hjalgar as a friend. The one who was always pushing him around in the earlier parts was Harlan's older brother Harmund, who is definitely more nasty to people in general.
(Support Phiillips plan)
[Support Phillip's plan]
[Support Urid's plan]
[Support Urid's plan] All the assassins must pay! And you may remember there's a bit of conflict in their group they might not be organised enough to have a good escape plan or better yet maybe they'll leave Wolfius behind.
Dante!!!! I literally blew up in excitement at the mere mention of his name!! oh and yeah this was a great chapter.
Ok thats good for Hjalgar but it still seems for me that his attitude changed towards Hjalgar motsly because Harlan said some thing like Hjalgar is the best Acher he has ever seen, something must have happened.
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