Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Lucas is actually planned for the next part, together with either Marak, Willfred (finally) or Ellena. The chapter is roughly 2/3 done and every PoV will get at least one more part, in several cases even two.
[Do nothing]
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
Bruh where is a Lucas part? I'm dying for one.
Unless this chapter isn't gonna have any for more pov characters.
Lucas is actually planned for the next part, together with either Marak, Willfred (finally) or Ellena. The chapter is roughly 2/3 done and every PoV will get at least one more part, in several cases even two.
[Throw the knife]Torvin is a real man. Diplomacy is a woman's weapon, and Garthon's.
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family] Temari is probably going to pass out really soon, and it would be a good idea to have Gunel and Cass to look over him.
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
[Do nothing] I feel like trying to get him to convince to let him go will just end up pissing him off and killing him.
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
Also, not trying to sound pushy or anything, but do you know when the new character drawings will be posted? They're really good and I can't wait for more of them
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
[Do nothing] I feel like trying to get him to convince to let him go will just end up pissing him off and killing him.
[Let Samantha prot… moreect Aylard and his family]
Also, not trying to sound pushy or anything, but do you know when the new character drawings will be posted? They're really good and I can't wait for more of them
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
Torvin
Torvin looked at Gabin who gave him a barely visible nod and then back at Harlan, who had a bright, disturbingly cheerful smile on… more his face. No, he did not like this. This was not how he would do things. But this was how he had to do things. And he really didn't want to meet Harmund Hoare. “So, what shall it be, Breaker? A bit of fun now, or do you want to save it for later?”, Harlan chuckled. Torvin stared back, forcing himself to give the prince a sick smile. “Now sounds just perfect”, he answered and Harlan let out a deep laugh. “That's the spirit!”, he shouted, patting Torvin on the back, before looking back at Gabin. Torvin saw that his ally was slightly flinching as Harlan looked at him. “Gabin!”, he shouted. “What's it with you? You want to join the fun?”
Gabin did well in controlling his face. Torvin knew how afraid the man were in this moment. He was from the Riverlands and no matter how long he spent in the company of I… [view original content]
John will allow Samantha to protect Aylard and his family
The next part isn't as far written as I hoped, but I really didn't feel like writing for several hours yesterday, after receiving the news that my favourite writer and gem of a human being, Terry Pratchett, has sadly passed away at the age of 66. I basically grew up with his novels, they had a great deal in shaping my philosophy and Terry inspired my own writing like no one else, so naturally I didn't took these news very well. It was brutal and felt like an old friend dying. But I feel a lot better now and might be able to finish the whole part today. I'll try at least
On another note, this is also today's shout-out and I can't think of any shout-out I'd like to do more right now. If you have never heard of Terry Pratchett and his Discworld novels before: Buy them, read them, love them, read them again, love them even more, for a man is not dead while his name is still spoken. In my opinion, these novels are probably by far the most beautiful and deep things a human being ever wrote. They are also pretty damn funny, which is probably even more important. You can check them out here!
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
He gave her a cold look. “We're talking about this later”, he said and looked at the tower in the distance. Lunett gave him a sad look. “I'm sorry...”, she whispered again, causing Leonard to angrily shake his head. “It's a little too late for that. If the boy is dead, his blood is on your hands”, the knight hissed in anger, before looking at Lucas. “We should find some place to stay, some place where we can put her without risking any other distraction”, he said. Lunett shivered as she heard his words and Lucas felt compassion for her. Surely, she had made a mistake, but Leonard was hard with her, maybe even too hard. But he was definitely right with one thing. It was close to sunset and they had to find some place to stay the night. And regardless of the problems Lunett caused them, Lucas wanted to keep her safe. Cities like this inclined to change after sunset. And to be honest, Oldtown didn't seem like a city where he would leave a young girl alone, not even before sundown.
“Guess you're right, Len”, Lucas mumbled and Leonard gave him a joyless grin. “Of course I am”, he hissed and looked at Lunett. “Come, girl. Time to find you some room where you can stay the next days until we have found Dairon. And pray that he is not dead” This caused Lunett to start sobbing again and Lucas actually couldn't contain giving Leonard a short glare. The knight was too hard on her! Leonard caught the glare and let out a slightly annoyed sigh. “What? You think I have fun here? We could have been back on the road by now if it weren't for her”, he moaned, before shrugging. “But I don't want to deal with this here. Let's find some inn, get her a room and then we'll talk”
With these words, Leonard started to walk. The sobbing Lunett followed closely, with Lucas walking next to her. “Lucas...”, she mumbled and the knight gave her a short look. “I'm sorry. I never thought I could hurt anyone with this”
Leonard slightly turned his head around without facing her completely. “You never thought, that's your problem”, he hissed and Lunett was silent for a moment. Not for the first time, Lucas asked himself why Leonard reacted like this whenever people lied to him. He took it hard and personal. And he acted meaner than he usually did. Lucas knew, Leonard cared for Lunett, or at least he thought so. The harsh reaction surprised him. Sure, she made a mistake and Leonard had all the right to be angry... but blaming her for Dairon's possible death took it a step too far.
“I'm sorry...”, Lunett mumbled again and this time Lucas had to give her a short and worried look. She had been so excited to be in Oldtown, but now she barely stopped sobbing. “I know”, Lucas answered, before staying silent again.
Leonard knew the city not too well, but certainly knew where he was taking them. Lucas on the other hand was lost pretty soon. Oldtown had been built differently than the Free Cities. While Pentos and Volantis had been built with a plan, adding an easily understandable street system to their pleasant appearance, Oldtown had grown far beyond it's Valyrian foundations. The city sprawled into each direction, almost like weeds. And Lucas was quite happy with their decision to look for a tavern. The sun was already down and he saw more and more people on the streets he would never expect in a city of Reach. Shady looking people that would be more befitting of the dark streets of Qohor. Desperate looking men and women, more befitting to the crowded streets of Volantis. He wouldn't have been too surprised if a group of Bravos would cross their paths, looking for a fight. In his months after his return from Essos, Lucas had often asked himself where the dregs of Reach's population would reside and sadly, he finally got his answer. He didn't need to stay here for long to understand that this city was rotten to the core and without Leonard as a guide, Lucas would have been lost. The knight guided them well and soon stopped in front of a three-story building. A tinged metal shield informed Lucas that this building was called 'Blind Helmsman' and judging from the noise and smell that was coming from the inside, it was quite probably an inn.
Leonard looked almost proud as he presented the inn. “It might not look like much, but it's patrons are mainly soldiers and guardsmen. Mostly honest folks, by Oldtown standards at least. A bit on the rough side, but I have never seen a Butterfly in there”, he grinned and entered the building. Lucas gave Lunett a short look. The girl was still shaken, but had been quiet for their trip through the city, safe for a few sobs. He gave her a consoling smile, which she did not reciprocated.
The interior of the inn looked exactly as Lucas expected. One thing that always amazed him was that there was little difference between a shady inn in Pentos and a shady inn in Oldtown. The people looked different, but similar. Instead of a strangely spiced hot wine, they were drinking watery ale. But the looks they gave the newcomers were the same, they were the same in every inn from Oldtown to Norvos. They were only tolerated here But these men looked at least marginally better than the ones Lucas saw outside. An older man limped forwards, scrutinizing them, looking with a hard face at Lucas and Leonard. To his relief, Lucas noticed that the man gave Lunett a look slightly softer than expected and not even half as lecherous as feared.
“What do you want?”, he asked with a high and husky voice. Leonard stepped forwards, putting his best smile on. “Three rooms for the night, a bowl of your soup and two jugs of your best ale”, he said, which put a sleazy smile onto the face of the old man. “There is only one ale and it tastes like the piss it is brewed from. Can you pay?”
Leonard opened his purse pulling out two silver coins. “These should be enough for as long as we intend to stay”, he said and the old man gave him a nod, accompanied by a greedy grin. “This should be enough, aye”, he answered, snatching the coins out of Leonards hand. For this amount of money he even managed to give Lunett a polite smile. “M'lady, M'lords, let me show you your rooms”, he said, making a short handwave. Leonard shook his head. “I'll stay downstairs and secure us a table”, he explained to Lucas and looked at the old man. “The bowl is for the girl. Bring it to her room”, he demanded. Lunett gave him a surprised look, but said nothing.
The rooms the old man showed them weren't exactly in good condition, but they were warm and Lucas didn't saw any rats. This was a major improvement over the Tapping Pony in Raylansfair. Lunett's room was even better and the girl's face finally brightened up a bit. She turned around to Lucas after looking through her room. “I know I did a mistake”, she said. “But you were kind to me and I won't forget it” She gave him a smile, before suddenly hugging him. “Thank you. For everything” Lucas was too surprised to answer at first, but couldn't contain a short smile. Maybe it wasn't too bad that they brought Lunett along. Yes, she lied to them, but if they would find Dairon, it wouldn't be too bad. Lucas had done mistakes too, he couldn't hold it against her. And he knew how being fed up with a place felt, how strong the desire to see distant lands could get.
As Lucas walked downstairs to the taproom, he saw that Leonard managed to get a small table next to a stained window. Two jugs of ale were standing in front of him and he gave him a short smile, to which Lucas only raised an eyebrow. He never thought that Leonard would be a man who would actually enjoy a tavern like this. “Come on Flowers, we need to talk”, the knight said and grabbed his jug of ale. After taking a deep sip he made a disgusted face. “Tastes like piss. I never thought I would ever miss Raylansfair's shitty beer”, he moaned.
Lucas gave him a short chuckle, before tasting the ale himself. Seven Hells, this was bad! “So, Flowers. What shall we do about Lunett?”, Leonard asked. Lucas put down his jug and thought about it for a moment. Lunett had a kind heart. She did a mistake, but he was strangely fond of her. “I think you were too hard on her”, Lucas answered and to his surprise Leonard gave him a nod. “You might be right...”, he sighed. “But I have been lied to far too often. I really thought I could trust her and in this moment... I don't know. I just got angry at her” He paused for a short moment and looked out of the window. It was dark outside, but Lucas saw a large number of people walking across the street. “I paid the innkeeper double to keep an eye on her, to keep her safe while we're not looking. We can't take her with us to the Citadel tomorrow, that's for sure. After we found Dairon we will bring her back to her father and hope that he doesn't bash our heads in”, Leonard decided and Lucas could only agree with him.
“One more thing, Flowers... Given that we actually find Dairon and Lord Raylan's last will, what do you intend to do with them?”, Leonard asked and the question caught Lucas not entirely off guard. He had thought about this, ever since he found Lord Raylan's last will in Harris' chambers. “Lord Raylan wanted to give Raylansfair to Manfred Hightower”, Lucas started to say, but Leonard cut him off. “I know. But do you think this is for the best? Hightower isn't exactly a friend of Raylansfair. Maybe we should consider destroying the will and bringing the boy back to Harris. He has his flaws, but you can't deny that he will always do what is best for Raylansfair”, the knight explained and Lucas wanted to protest. But then he thought... He was loyal to Lord Raylan, yes, but he was also loyal to Raylansfair. Hightower would take away the archive, maybe he would even put horrendous taxes on the smallfolk, just to prove his point. The lord of Oldtown never liked Raylansfair. Harris on the other hand was born there and lived there for all his life. “Maybe we could bring both to Highgarden. Show the last will to King Gardener”, he said and Leonard shrugged. “Mern Gardener? I doubt he would even listen to us. Besides, what will you do if he decides in favour of Hightower here?”, he spoke.
Lucas avoided looking Leonard in the eyes. Manfred Hightower wouldn't be good for Raylansfair, that was sure. But he was the man Lord Raylan wanted as his successor. Lucas had to decide where his loyalty truly lay. Lord Raylan, or Raylansfair? And what about Leonard? The knight clearly favoured Harris here and Lucas slightly agreed with him. Harris would be in a position where he could influence the choice of a successor. He was a lowborn bastard without any chance of becoming lord himself, but he could prevent Hightower from taking the Fair. But what would he do to Dairon? Harris was a just man, but he needed to present a murderer. Maybe he wasn't above using Dairon as a pawn here. The boy would be safe with Hightower and the king, that was certain. “I'm following your lead here, Lucas. But I'd like to clarify what we're going to do with Dairon and the will once we have him”, Leonard said, expecting an answer.
[Bring Dairon and the will to Lord Hightower][Bring Dairon and the will to the king][Bring Dairon and the will back to Harris][Destroy the will and bring Dairon back to Harris][Let Dairon go and bring the will back to Harris]
Marak
Okay... he had to make a good first impression. Marak knew, the undeniable charisma he had when dealing with women didn't apply to men. Maybe they were envious of him, he had never found out. But it was worth a try. After all he only wanted to befriend this knight, not fuck him!
Marak gave the man his most charming smile. “Ser Darren Tallwood”, he exclaimed. “I somehow heard that name before. Where are you from?”, he asked. Ser Darren narrowed his eyes. “Raylansfair”, he hissed. “And I doubt you've ever heard about me before. You're too young for that. What do you want?” Ah, he asked a question! In countless conversations, Marak had found out that this was usually a good sign. “I didn't expect a knight here. I respect fellow warriors and was interested in what a knight might be doing here”, he explained. Ser Darren gave him a glare. “Liar...”, he said softly and for a moment Marak looked genuinely surprised. How could he...? Marak always thought that he was a good liar. Sure, he was born to fight, not to deceive, but nonetheless he always thought that he had talent for that. What gave him away?
Ser Darren noticed his face and sighed. “I saw you with the Lady in Red. Have you seriously thought you wouldn't draw attention with a companion like this? Who is she?”, he asked and Marak's smile returned. “Ah, you are interested in the noble Noelle of Braavos, the exotic flower of the east, right? Maybe I can make an introduction”, he explained, noticing that the man's face got considerably colder. “I'm not interested in a whore”, he spat. “Besides, you haven't told me the truth”
Again? Seriously? Marak could only give him a surprised glance and this time Ser Darren's mouth formed a slight smile. “Your face gives you away. Even a child could catch you lying. It's really not that hard when you know where to look”, he said before the smile was gone again. “Last chance. What do you want?”, he asked.
Marak gulped. He never met a man before who could see through his lies and lived long enough to annoy him with that. But Noelle had been clear with he wishes. He should befriend this knight. Maybe Ser Darren liked the truth. “Well... this lady is Noelle Mield, a priestess of the Rollmop of Light”, he started to explain and Ser Darren gave him a curious look. “I met her in Blackhaven in the Stormlands and she hired me to escort her to the city of Raylansfair”
“Raylansfair?”, Ser Darren exclaimed. “What does a priestess want there?”, he asked. Marak shrugged. “Something with your archive”, he answered. Well, that was at least half of the truth. “Something with some chosen one. I really don't listen to her too much, it's not good for my mental health” This time he was completely honest. Ser Darren seemed pleased with this. “I am a knight in Lord Robert Raylan's service. He knighted me after the battle of the Grassy Vale, where we crushed the forces of the Storm King. I served him for a decade as a bodyguard and was quite happy with this. No attempt on the lord's life could ever have any chance of success with me guarding him”, he started to explain, finally offering Marak the chair in front of him. The mercenary sat down, absolutely satisfied. He had done it again!
“I was married to a local woman. We had two beautiful daughters”, Ser Darren said and his face got sullen. Marak felt the need to say something, maybe something consoling. By the Drowned God, he was bad at consoling people! Luckily, Ser Darren continued before he could say something. “They were murdered, a year ago. I caught the killer, just as he was finished murdering my youngest daughter”, he explained and Marak noticed a tear in the knights eyes. This caused him to loose every ounce of respect he had for the man. Sure, it sounded horrible. But true men never cried! Marak hadn't cried in all his life
“I fought against the killer, but he was better than me. I never found out who he was, but it was clear that it was a message. So I chased the killer down. I chased him through the Reach, to Oldtown, where I lost his trail for a few weeks. I chased him through the Stormlands, to Blackwater Bay”, he explained and Marak was slightly impressed. There was a lot of determination needed for a man to chase someone else across two kingdoms. “Something happened there, some sort of fight and I was too late to intervene. And I found out that the killer had friends. I saw them. A one-eyed man with long brown hair, accompanied by two women with black hair. One of the women had burn scars over her arm, I think she was heavily wounded. And I think one of them was the killer, likely the man. I thought about ambushing them, but I lost track of them in the rough landscape of Blackwater Bay”, Ser Darren continued and looked genuinely sorrowful “And that was where I understood. I was never the intended target of the killer. He only meant to lure me away from Lord Raylan”, the knight said. “As fast as I could I travelled back to Raylansfair. Somewhere near Storm's End, I lost my horse and continued the way on foot. It took me weeks to even get here. And just as I came here, I found out that Lord Raylan is dead”
This time it was clear that the man was sad. Marak raised his hand in an attempt to pat the knight's back, as Ser Darren raised his head. “Don't. Even. Think. Of it.”, he hissed and Marak slowly lowered his hand again. The knight sighed. “I don't even know why I'm telling all of that to you. Maybe I'm tired of being silent”, he said. Marak didn't knew it either. The knight surely didn't seem to talkative to him, but still told him his story. Must have been the result of his charme! Marak suppressed a happy grin. This was not the right time to do that!
“Listen, Marak, I want to meet with this Lady Noelle. You're going to bring me to her, now”, he ordered and something in his voice reminded Marak of the way Noelle gave him orders. Without hesitating, Marak stood up. “It will be my pleasure, Ser Darren”, he said and the knight stood up too. Together, the two made their way through the taproom, evading drunken people and disgusting scum from the Reach, before going upstairs, where Noelle had her room.
Marak felt Ser Darren's hand on his shoulder. “I have one question, Marak. Do you have any loyalty to this woman besides the fact that she pays you?”, he asked. Marak was a bit surprised by this question, but shook his head. No, he had no loyalty to her. She was a crazy witch and he was... well, not afraid of her, of course not, but he was wary around her. There was nothing weak with being wary around a crazy witch! “Good...”, Ser Darren sighed. “I don't know why the priestess is interested in Raylansfair, but I want to find it out”, he said before giving Marak a hard glare. “But I will be careful around her. And you will tell me something. Is she dangerous?”, he asked. Marak raised an eyebrow. Is she dangerous? Who asked a question like this, especially towards a mercenary? But... was she dangerous? That was indeed an interesting question. She saw things in the fire, she was always warm, she was from Asshai, she openly talked about spells and other things honest people shouldn't even think about! She was definitely crazy, but was she dangerous? And should he warn Ser Darren about her?
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is a dangerous witch][Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless][Tell Ser Darren that there is nothing to worry about Noelle]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you… more don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
… [view original content]
Comments
Throw the Knife
Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family
Lucas is actually planned for the next part, together with either Marak, Willfred (finally) or Ellena. The chapter is roughly 2/3 done and every PoV will get at least one more part, in several cases even two.
Readying forum stories help motivate me to start my own
Praise the Lord!
cool story.
I'm glad to hear that. When you start one, please send me a link
Thank you
[Throw the knife]Torvin is a real man. Diplomacy is a woman's weapon, and Garthon's.
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family] Temari is probably going to pass out really soon, and it would be a good idea to have Gunel and Cass to look over him.
[Do nothing] I feel like trying to get him to convince to let him go will just end up pissing him off and killing him.
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
Also, not trying to sound pushy or anything, but do you know when the new character drawings will be posted? They're really good and I can't wait for more of them
Sadly, I don't know it. I know, Fox is very busy with university, so it might take some while. I'll try my best to contact him.
Ah, I understand. You don't have to contact him, school always comes first.
[Do nothing]
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
[Throw the knife]
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
[Throw the knife]
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
[throw the knife]
[let samantha protect aylard and his family]
[Throw the knife] [let samantha protect aylard and his family]
[do nothing]
[let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
great chapter!!
[Throw the knife]
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
And there's also fanart you can make
[Throw the knife]
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
[Throw the knife]
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
[Throw the knife]
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
[Throw knife]
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
[Do nothing]
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
Awesome Chapter!!!
{Throw the knife}
{Let Samantha do it}
[Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family]
** [Throw the knife]**
The guy knows he won't get out of there alive so he really got nothing to lose
(Convince the prisoner to let harlan go)
(Let Samantha protect Aylard and his family)
Great parts, Hoares are such psychos that it's amazing to have them in the story
[Throw the knife] I guess it's a risk... But if it works out it might have very positive effect considering his mission.
[Let Samantha protect...] I really don't know which one to choose so I took her cuz she asked first XD
[Throw the Knife]
[Let Sam protect Aylard and Family]
The Voting is closed!
Torvin will throw his knife at the prisoner
John will allow Samantha to protect Aylard and his family
The next part isn't as far written as I hoped, but I really didn't feel like writing for several hours yesterday, after receiving the news that my favourite writer and gem of a human being, Terry Pratchett, has sadly passed away at the age of 66. I basically grew up with his novels, they had a great deal in shaping my philosophy and Terry inspired my own writing like no one else, so naturally I didn't took these news very well. It was brutal and felt like an old friend dying. But I feel a lot better now and might be able to finish the whole part today. I'll try at least
On another note, this is also today's shout-out and I can't think of any shout-out I'd like to do more right now. If you have never heard of Terry Pratchett and his Discworld novels before: Buy them, read them, love them, read them again, love them even more, for a man is not dead while his name is still spoken. In my opinion, these novels are probably by far the most beautiful and deep things a human being ever wrote. They are also pretty damn funny, which is probably even more important. You can check them out here!
Made some straw polls concerning your story Liquid, do what you please with them:
http://www.strawpoll.me/3864356
http://www.strawpoll.me/3864396
I like it, thank you! I might start using straw polls like these occasionally.
They can be real useful and fun to use. Hope they help!
My apologies for not finishing the part yesterday. I found it hard to write the complete part in one day, so I needed a bit longer. Hope you don't mind!
Lucas
Leonard was angry, it was clear to see. Lunett on the other hand seemed genuinely sorry. Tears were flowing down her face and she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I'm sorry”, she whispered. “I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I just wanted get away from this inn for once” She didn't even look him in the eye and Lucas felt a sting of pity for her. But he could also understand Leonard's anger. Lunett had been a welcome travelling companion, but she wasn't used to long travels and slowed them down considerably. Without her, they would have arrived in Oldtown at least two days ago. Two days in which they could have already found Dairon. Two days in which Dairon could have been killed by someone in these streets. As much as he'd like to, Lucas just couldn't comfort her right now.
He gave her a cold look. “We're talking about this later”, he said and looked at the tower in the distance. Lunett gave him a sad look. “I'm sorry...”, she whispered again, causing Leonard to angrily shake his head. “It's a little too late for that. If the boy is dead, his blood is on your hands”, the knight hissed in anger, before looking at Lucas. “We should find some place to stay, some place where we can put her without risking any other distraction”, he said. Lunett shivered as she heard his words and Lucas felt compassion for her. Surely, she had made a mistake, but Leonard was hard with her, maybe even too hard. But he was definitely right with one thing. It was close to sunset and they had to find some place to stay the night. And regardless of the problems Lunett caused them, Lucas wanted to keep her safe. Cities like this inclined to change after sunset. And to be honest, Oldtown didn't seem like a city where he would leave a young girl alone, not even before sundown.
“Guess you're right, Len”, Lucas mumbled and Leonard gave him a joyless grin. “Of course I am”, he hissed and looked at Lunett. “Come, girl. Time to find you some room where you can stay the next days until we have found Dairon. And pray that he is not dead” This caused Lunett to start sobbing again and Lucas actually couldn't contain giving Leonard a short glare. The knight was too hard on her! Leonard caught the glare and let out a slightly annoyed sigh. “What? You think I have fun here? We could have been back on the road by now if it weren't for her”, he moaned, before shrugging. “But I don't want to deal with this here. Let's find some inn, get her a room and then we'll talk”
With these words, Leonard started to walk. The sobbing Lunett followed closely, with Lucas walking next to her. “Lucas...”, she mumbled and the knight gave her a short look. “I'm sorry. I never thought I could hurt anyone with this”
Leonard slightly turned his head around without facing her completely. “You never thought, that's your problem”, he hissed and Lunett was silent for a moment. Not for the first time, Lucas asked himself why Leonard reacted like this whenever people lied to him. He took it hard and personal. And he acted meaner than he usually did. Lucas knew, Leonard cared for Lunett, or at least he thought so. The harsh reaction surprised him. Sure, she made a mistake and Leonard had all the right to be angry... but blaming her for Dairon's possible death took it a step too far.
“I'm sorry...”, Lunett mumbled again and this time Lucas had to give her a short and worried look. She had been so excited to be in Oldtown, but now she barely stopped sobbing. “I know”, Lucas answered, before staying silent again.
Leonard knew the city not too well, but certainly knew where he was taking them. Lucas on the other hand was lost pretty soon. Oldtown had been built differently than the Free Cities. While Pentos and Volantis had been built with a plan, adding an easily understandable street system to their pleasant appearance, Oldtown had grown far beyond it's Valyrian foundations. The city sprawled into each direction, almost like weeds. And Lucas was quite happy with their decision to look for a tavern. The sun was already down and he saw more and more people on the streets he would never expect in a city of Reach. Shady looking people that would be more befitting of the dark streets of Qohor. Desperate looking men and women, more befitting to the crowded streets of Volantis. He wouldn't have been too surprised if a group of Bravos would cross their paths, looking for a fight. In his months after his return from Essos, Lucas had often asked himself where the dregs of Reach's population would reside and sadly, he finally got his answer. He didn't need to stay here for long to understand that this city was rotten to the core and without Leonard as a guide, Lucas would have been lost. The knight guided them well and soon stopped in front of a three-story building. A tinged metal shield informed Lucas that this building was called 'Blind Helmsman' and judging from the noise and smell that was coming from the inside, it was quite probably an inn.
Leonard looked almost proud as he presented the inn. “It might not look like much, but it's patrons are mainly soldiers and guardsmen. Mostly honest folks, by Oldtown standards at least. A bit on the rough side, but I have never seen a Butterfly in there”, he grinned and entered the building. Lucas gave Lunett a short look. The girl was still shaken, but had been quiet for their trip through the city, safe for a few sobs. He gave her a consoling smile, which she did not reciprocated.
The interior of the inn looked exactly as Lucas expected. One thing that always amazed him was that there was little difference between a shady inn in Pentos and a shady inn in Oldtown. The people looked different, but similar. Instead of a strangely spiced hot wine, they were drinking watery ale. But the looks they gave the newcomers were the same, they were the same in every inn from Oldtown to Norvos. They were only tolerated here But these men looked at least marginally better than the ones Lucas saw outside. An older man limped forwards, scrutinizing them, looking with a hard face at Lucas and Leonard. To his relief, Lucas noticed that the man gave Lunett a look slightly softer than expected and not even half as lecherous as feared.
“What do you want?”, he asked with a high and husky voice. Leonard stepped forwards, putting his best smile on. “Three rooms for the night, a bowl of your soup and two jugs of your best ale”, he said, which put a sleazy smile onto the face of the old man. “There is only one ale and it tastes like the piss it is brewed from. Can you pay?”
Leonard opened his purse pulling out two silver coins. “These should be enough for as long as we intend to stay”, he said and the old man gave him a nod, accompanied by a greedy grin. “This should be enough, aye”, he answered, snatching the coins out of Leonards hand. For this amount of money he even managed to give Lunett a polite smile. “M'lady, M'lords, let me show you your rooms”, he said, making a short handwave. Leonard shook his head. “I'll stay downstairs and secure us a table”, he explained to Lucas and looked at the old man. “The bowl is for the girl. Bring it to her room”, he demanded. Lunett gave him a surprised look, but said nothing.
The rooms the old man showed them weren't exactly in good condition, but they were warm and Lucas didn't saw any rats. This was a major improvement over the Tapping Pony in Raylansfair. Lunett's room was even better and the girl's face finally brightened up a bit. She turned around to Lucas after looking through her room. “I know I did a mistake”, she said. “But you were kind to me and I won't forget it” She gave him a smile, before suddenly hugging him. “Thank you. For everything” Lucas was too surprised to answer at first, but couldn't contain a short smile. Maybe it wasn't too bad that they brought Lunett along. Yes, she lied to them, but if they would find Dairon, it wouldn't be too bad. Lucas had done mistakes too, he couldn't hold it against her. And he knew how being fed up with a place felt, how strong the desire to see distant lands could get.
As Lucas walked downstairs to the taproom, he saw that Leonard managed to get a small table next to a stained window. Two jugs of ale were standing in front of him and he gave him a short smile, to which Lucas only raised an eyebrow. He never thought that Leonard would be a man who would actually enjoy a tavern like this. “Come on Flowers, we need to talk”, the knight said and grabbed his jug of ale. After taking a deep sip he made a disgusted face. “Tastes like piss. I never thought I would ever miss Raylansfair's shitty beer”, he moaned.
Lucas gave him a short chuckle, before tasting the ale himself. Seven Hells, this was bad! “So, Flowers. What shall we do about Lunett?”, Leonard asked. Lucas put down his jug and thought about it for a moment. Lunett had a kind heart. She did a mistake, but he was strangely fond of her. “I think you were too hard on her”, Lucas answered and to his surprise Leonard gave him a nod. “You might be right...”, he sighed. “But I have been lied to far too often. I really thought I could trust her and in this moment... I don't know. I just got angry at her” He paused for a short moment and looked out of the window. It was dark outside, but Lucas saw a large number of people walking across the street. “I paid the innkeeper double to keep an eye on her, to keep her safe while we're not looking. We can't take her with us to the Citadel tomorrow, that's for sure. After we found Dairon we will bring her back to her father and hope that he doesn't bash our heads in”, Leonard decided and Lucas could only agree with him.
“One more thing, Flowers... Given that we actually find Dairon and Lord Raylan's last will, what do you intend to do with them?”, Leonard asked and the question caught Lucas not entirely off guard. He had thought about this, ever since he found Lord Raylan's last will in Harris' chambers. “Lord Raylan wanted to give Raylansfair to Manfred Hightower”, Lucas started to say, but Leonard cut him off. “I know. But do you think this is for the best? Hightower isn't exactly a friend of Raylansfair. Maybe we should consider destroying the will and bringing the boy back to Harris. He has his flaws, but you can't deny that he will always do what is best for Raylansfair”, the knight explained and Lucas wanted to protest. But then he thought... He was loyal to Lord Raylan, yes, but he was also loyal to Raylansfair. Hightower would take away the archive, maybe he would even put horrendous taxes on the smallfolk, just to prove his point. The lord of Oldtown never liked Raylansfair. Harris on the other hand was born there and lived there for all his life. “Maybe we could bring both to Highgarden. Show the last will to King Gardener”, he said and Leonard shrugged. “Mern Gardener? I doubt he would even listen to us. Besides, what will you do if he decides in favour of Hightower here?”, he spoke.
Lucas avoided looking Leonard in the eyes. Manfred Hightower wouldn't be good for Raylansfair, that was sure. But he was the man Lord Raylan wanted as his successor. Lucas had to decide where his loyalty truly lay. Lord Raylan, or Raylansfair? And what about Leonard? The knight clearly favoured Harris here and Lucas slightly agreed with him. Harris would be in a position where he could influence the choice of a successor. He was a lowborn bastard without any chance of becoming lord himself, but he could prevent Hightower from taking the Fair. But what would he do to Dairon? Harris was a just man, but he needed to present a murderer. Maybe he wasn't above using Dairon as a pawn here. The boy would be safe with Hightower and the king, that was certain. “I'm following your lead here, Lucas. But I'd like to clarify what we're going to do with Dairon and the will once we have him”, Leonard said, expecting an answer.
[Bring Dairon and the will to Lord Hightower] [Bring Dairon and the will to the king] [Bring Dairon and the will back to Harris] [Destroy the will and bring Dairon back to Harris] [Let Dairon go and bring the will back to Harris]
Marak
Okay... he had to make a good first impression. Marak knew, the undeniable charisma he had when dealing with women didn't apply to men. Maybe they were envious of him, he had never found out. But it was worth a try. After all he only wanted to befriend this knight, not fuck him!
Marak gave the man his most charming smile. “Ser Darren Tallwood”, he exclaimed. “I somehow heard that name before. Where are you from?”, he asked. Ser Darren narrowed his eyes. “Raylansfair”, he hissed. “And I doubt you've ever heard about me before. You're too young for that. What do you want?” Ah, he asked a question! In countless conversations, Marak had found out that this was usually a good sign. “I didn't expect a knight here. I respect fellow warriors and was interested in what a knight might be doing here”, he explained. Ser Darren gave him a glare. “Liar...”, he said softly and for a moment Marak looked genuinely surprised. How could he...? Marak always thought that he was a good liar. Sure, he was born to fight, not to deceive, but nonetheless he always thought that he had talent for that. What gave him away?
Ser Darren noticed his face and sighed. “I saw you with the Lady in Red. Have you seriously thought you wouldn't draw attention with a companion like this? Who is she?”, he asked and Marak's smile returned. “Ah, you are interested in the noble Noelle of Braavos, the exotic flower of the east, right? Maybe I can make an introduction”, he explained, noticing that the man's face got considerably colder. “I'm not interested in a whore”, he spat. “Besides, you haven't told me the truth”
Again? Seriously? Marak could only give him a surprised glance and this time Ser Darren's mouth formed a slight smile. “Your face gives you away. Even a child could catch you lying. It's really not that hard when you know where to look”, he said before the smile was gone again. “Last chance. What do you want?”, he asked.
Marak gulped. He never met a man before who could see through his lies and lived long enough to annoy him with that. But Noelle had been clear with he wishes. He should befriend this knight. Maybe Ser Darren liked the truth. “Well... this lady is Noelle Mield, a priestess of the Rollmop of Light”, he started to explain and Ser Darren gave him a curious look. “I met her in Blackhaven in the Stormlands and she hired me to escort her to the city of Raylansfair”
“Raylansfair?”, Ser Darren exclaimed. “What does a priestess want there?”, he asked. Marak shrugged. “Something with your archive”, he answered. Well, that was at least half of the truth. “Something with some chosen one. I really don't listen to her too much, it's not good for my mental health” This time he was completely honest. Ser Darren seemed pleased with this. “I am a knight in Lord Robert Raylan's service. He knighted me after the battle of the Grassy Vale, where we crushed the forces of the Storm King. I served him for a decade as a bodyguard and was quite happy with this. No attempt on the lord's life could ever have any chance of success with me guarding him”, he started to explain, finally offering Marak the chair in front of him. The mercenary sat down, absolutely satisfied. He had done it again!
“I was married to a local woman. We had two beautiful daughters”, Ser Darren said and his face got sullen. Marak felt the need to say something, maybe something consoling. By the Drowned God, he was bad at consoling people! Luckily, Ser Darren continued before he could say something. “They were murdered, a year ago. I caught the killer, just as he was finished murdering my youngest daughter”, he explained and Marak noticed a tear in the knights eyes. This caused him to loose every ounce of respect he had for the man. Sure, it sounded horrible. But true men never cried! Marak hadn't cried in all his life
“I fought against the killer, but he was better than me. I never found out who he was, but it was clear that it was a message. So I chased the killer down. I chased him through the Reach, to Oldtown, where I lost his trail for a few weeks. I chased him through the Stormlands, to Blackwater Bay”, he explained and Marak was slightly impressed. There was a lot of determination needed for a man to chase someone else across two kingdoms. “Something happened there, some sort of fight and I was too late to intervene. And I found out that the killer had friends. I saw them. A one-eyed man with long brown hair, accompanied by two women with black hair. One of the women had burn scars over her arm, I think she was heavily wounded. And I think one of them was the killer, likely the man. I thought about ambushing them, but I lost track of them in the rough landscape of Blackwater Bay”, Ser Darren continued and looked genuinely sorrowful “And that was where I understood. I was never the intended target of the killer. He only meant to lure me away from Lord Raylan”, the knight said. “As fast as I could I travelled back to Raylansfair. Somewhere near Storm's End, I lost my horse and continued the way on foot. It took me weeks to even get here. And just as I came here, I found out that Lord Raylan is dead”
This time it was clear that the man was sad. Marak raised his hand in an attempt to pat the knight's back, as Ser Darren raised his head. “Don't. Even. Think. Of it.”, he hissed and Marak slowly lowered his hand again. The knight sighed. “I don't even know why I'm telling all of that to you. Maybe I'm tired of being silent”, he said. Marak didn't knew it either. The knight surely didn't seem to talkative to him, but still told him his story. Must have been the result of his charme! Marak suppressed a happy grin. This was not the right time to do that!
“Listen, Marak, I want to meet with this Lady Noelle. You're going to bring me to her, now”, he ordered and something in his voice reminded Marak of the way Noelle gave him orders. Without hesitating, Marak stood up. “It will be my pleasure, Ser Darren”, he said and the knight stood up too. Together, the two made their way through the taproom, evading drunken people and disgusting scum from the Reach, before going upstairs, where Noelle had her room.
Marak felt Ser Darren's hand on his shoulder. “I have one question, Marak. Do you have any loyalty to this woman besides the fact that she pays you?”, he asked. Marak was a bit surprised by this question, but shook his head. No, he had no loyalty to her. She was a crazy witch and he was... well, not afraid of her, of course not, but he was wary around her. There was nothing weak with being wary around a crazy witch! “Good...”, Ser Darren sighed. “I don't know why the priestess is interested in Raylansfair, but I want to find it out”, he said before giving Marak a hard glare. “But I will be careful around her. And you will tell me something. Is she dangerous?”, he asked. Marak raised an eyebrow. Is she dangerous? Who asked a question like this, especially towards a mercenary? But... was she dangerous? That was indeed an interesting question. She saw things in the fire, she was always warm, she was from Asshai, she openly talked about spells and other things honest people shouldn't even think about! She was definitely crazy, but was she dangerous? And should he warn Ser Darren about her?
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is a dangerous witch] [Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless] [Tell Ser Darren that there is nothing to worry about Noelle]
so Many options... More than Telltale
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless]
Awesome Chapter!!!
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless]
[bring Dairon and the will to the king]
[tell Ser Darren that Noelle is crazy, but harmless]
great part
[Bring Dairon and the will back to Harris] Leonard the Stately approves.
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is a dangerous witch]
[Tell Ser Darren that Noelle is a dangerous witch]
[Bring Dairon and the will to the king]