Lucas 2/2
Leonard almost looked a bit guilty as he gave him a nod. “I didn't want to say it like that. Kinslaying is an ugly word”, he mu… morembled. “No offense, but I have to know it. During our travels, I got a good opinion about you. I don't think you're capable of such a thing. But Quent... he knew things about me, so...”
Lucas interrupted him. “It's okay, Len”, he said bleakly, even though he felt slightly angry that he would even imply such a thing. Kinslaying, one of the first crimes a mortal could commit. Yet, he knew someone who would be capable of such a thing. He couldn't exactly blame Leonard.
“You know I was born in Darkdell, as the bastard son of Lord Leo Vyrwel. My father and his wife, Lady Selyse of House Fossoway, already had four children, but he was insatiable in his lust. And so he seduced a courtier and fathered a bastard son”, he explained. Leonard gave him a nod. “So far it's nothing new for me”, he said. “I met Lor… [view original content]
Glad you like it! And no need to be sorry for me writing that much, after all I have tremendous fun writing this. The backstory had to be wr… moreitten either way and now was simply the best moment to get deeper into it. In the end, I have the feeling Lucas backstory was at least as long as Leonard's from the amount of words. And including both of their backstories allowed me to put the whole Lunett stuff into this part as well, instead of putting it at the start of the next part. Ultimately it will work far better with the pacing of their storyline in this chapter.
Originally I had planned to reveal Leonard's backstory at a later point because of the length-limit, but I realized that I wanted to reveal it in this chapter and now would be the best possible way for it, maybe even the last time it would be possible in this chapter. And his original reason for not sharing his backstory felt really cheap and lazy for me. The part was originally supp… [view original content]
No it's nothing wrong about his submission, I meant the reason I originally had him saying in the story for not sharing his past with Lucas after Lucas told him more about his past. It was obvious that I've written the paragraph in question at 3AM, out of ideas and in a desperate attempt to finish the part yesterday and in one post without surpassing the length-limit, so I've deleted it after resuming the writing today.
In this parts original ending, Leonard just basically told Lucas that he wasn't in the mood to share his story with him today and would do so another time, but I really wasn't happy with that since it just felt like lazy writing from me. And I think this would have also clashed with Leonard's mood displayed in this part, where he is pretty open about his past after all.
And his original reason for not sharing his backstory felt really cheap
Wait you mean in the story or in the character submission? XD
If it's the former, can you elaborate?
Lucas 2/2
Leonard almost looked a bit guilty as he gave him a nod. “I didn't want to say it like that. Kinslaying is an ugly word”, he mu… morembled. “No offense, but I have to know it. During our travels, I got a good opinion about you. I don't think you're capable of such a thing. But Quent... he knew things about me, so...”
Lucas interrupted him. “It's okay, Len”, he said bleakly, even though he felt slightly angry that he would even imply such a thing. Kinslaying, one of the first crimes a mortal could commit. Yet, he knew someone who would be capable of such a thing. He couldn't exactly blame Leonard.
“You know I was born in Darkdell, as the bastard son of Lord Leo Vyrwel. My father and his wife, Lady Selyse of House Fossoway, already had four children, but he was insatiable in his lust. And so he seduced a courtier and fathered a bastard son”, he explained. Leonard gave him a nod. “So far it's nothing new for me”, he said. “I met Lor… [view original content]
[Leave] Lucas should just stick with the kissing. If they last Oldtown, then I am hands down with helping him get the girl. Go all wildling on the inn, jumping through the window and taking her away. Hopefully Alard ends up at some sort of tower. Oh wait, I just realized. If Bear burned the inn down, and Lunett doesn't die, what's going to happen? Would Lucas just take her back to Raylansfair? That would be kinda cool.
Lucas 2/2
Leonard almost looked a bit guilty as he gave him a nod. “I didn't want to say it like that. Kinslaying is an ugly word”, he mu… morembled. “No offense, but I have to know it. During our travels, I got a good opinion about you. I don't think you're capable of such a thing. But Quent... he knew things about me, so...”
Lucas interrupted him. “It's okay, Len”, he said bleakly, even though he felt slightly angry that he would even imply such a thing. Kinslaying, one of the first crimes a mortal could commit. Yet, he knew someone who would be capable of such a thing. He couldn't exactly blame Leonard.
“You know I was born in Darkdell, as the bastard son of Lord Leo Vyrwel. My father and his wife, Lady Selyse of House Fossoway, already had four children, but he was insatiable in his lust. And so he seduced a courtier and fathered a bastard son”, he explained. Leonard gave him a nod. “So far it's nothing new for me”, he said. “I met Lor… [view original content]
While I haven't revealed it yet, it's not really a spoiler of any kind: Lunett's family accompanied Gutten to Raylansfair (more about them will be revealed in the next Gutten part). Samantha knows that and she is in Oldtown too after all, with her goal now completely aligning with Lucas' own goal as well. And it's safe to say that Bear will very likely burn the inn to the ground without any resistance to stop him, so yes, if all of them survive, taking Lunett to Raylansfair and back to her family would pretty much be the only option Lucas has after Oldtown, especially since Sammy won't give him any choice here. Not like he would complain about that ;P
[Leave] Lucas should just stick with the kissing. If they last Oldtown, then I am hands down with helping him get the girl. Go all wildling … moreon the inn, jumping through the window and taking her away. Hopefully Alard ends up at some sort of tower. Oh wait, I just realized. If Bear burned the inn down, and Lunett doesn't die, what's going to happen? Would Lucas just take her back to Raylansfair? That would be kinda cool.
Lucas 2/2
Leonard almost looked a bit guilty as he gave him a nod. “I didn't want to say it like that. Kinslaying is an ugly word”, he mu… morembled. “No offense, but I have to know it. During our travels, I got a good opinion about you. I don't think you're capable of such a thing. But Quent... he knew things about me, so...”
Lucas interrupted him. “It's okay, Len”, he said bleakly, even though he felt slightly angry that he would even imply such a thing. Kinslaying, one of the first crimes a mortal could commit. Yet, he knew someone who would be capable of such a thing. He couldn't exactly blame Leonard.
“You know I was born in Darkdell, as the bastard son of Lord Leo Vyrwel. My father and his wife, Lady Selyse of House Fossoway, already had four children, but he was insatiable in his lust. And so he seduced a courtier and fathered a bastard son”, he explained. Leonard gave him a nod. “So far it's nothing new for me”, he said. “I met Lor… [view original content]
Lucas 2/2
Leonard almost looked a bit guilty as he gave him a nod. “I didn't want to say it like that. Kinslaying is an ugly word”, he mu… morembled. “No offense, but I have to know it. During our travels, I got a good opinion about you. I don't think you're capable of such a thing. But Quent... he knew things about me, so...”
Lucas interrupted him. “It's okay, Len”, he said bleakly, even though he felt slightly angry that he would even imply such a thing. Kinslaying, one of the first crimes a mortal could commit. Yet, he knew someone who would be capable of such a thing. He couldn't exactly blame Leonard.
“You know I was born in Darkdell, as the bastard son of Lord Leo Vyrwel. My father and his wife, Lady Selyse of House Fossoway, already had four children, but he was insatiable in his lust. And so he seduced a courtier and fathered a bastard son”, he explained. Leonard gave him a nod. “So far it's nothing new for me”, he said. “I met Lor… [view original content]
Lucas 2/2
Leonard almost looked a bit guilty as he gave him a nod. “I didn't want to say it like that. Kinslaying is an ugly word”, he mu… morembled. “No offense, but I have to know it. During our travels, I got a good opinion about you. I don't think you're capable of such a thing. But Quent... he knew things about me, so...”
Lucas interrupted him. “It's okay, Len”, he said bleakly, even though he felt slightly angry that he would even imply such a thing. Kinslaying, one of the first crimes a mortal could commit. Yet, he knew someone who would be capable of such a thing. He couldn't exactly blame Leonard.
“You know I was born in Darkdell, as the bastard son of Lord Leo Vyrwel. My father and his wife, Lady Selyse of House Fossoway, already had four children, but he was insatiable in his lust. And so he seduced a courtier and fathered a bastard son”, he explained. Leonard gave him a nod. “So far it's nothing new for me”, he said. “I met Lor… [view original content]
Lucas 2/2
Leonard almost looked a bit guilty as he gave him a nod. “I didn't want to say it like that. Kinslaying is an ugly word”, he mu… morembled. “No offense, but I have to know it. During our travels, I got a good opinion about you. I don't think you're capable of such a thing. But Quent... he knew things about me, so...”
Lucas interrupted him. “It's okay, Len”, he said bleakly, even though he felt slightly angry that he would even imply such a thing. Kinslaying, one of the first crimes a mortal could commit. Yet, he knew someone who would be capable of such a thing. He couldn't exactly blame Leonard.
“You know I was born in Darkdell, as the bastard son of Lord Leo Vyrwel. My father and his wife, Lady Selyse of House Fossoway, already had four children, but he was insatiable in his lust. And so he seduced a courtier and fathered a bastard son”, he explained. Leonard gave him a nod. “So far it's nothing new for me”, he said. “I met Lor… [view original content]
Lucas 2/2
Leonard almost looked a bit guilty as he gave him a nod. “I didn't want to say it like that. Kinslaying is an ugly word”, he mu… morembled. “No offense, but I have to know it. During our travels, I got a good opinion about you. I don't think you're capable of such a thing. But Quent... he knew things about me, so...”
Lucas interrupted him. “It's okay, Len”, he said bleakly, even though he felt slightly angry that he would even imply such a thing. Kinslaying, one of the first crimes a mortal could commit. Yet, he knew someone who would be capable of such a thing. He couldn't exactly blame Leonard.
“You know I was born in Darkdell, as the bastard son of Lord Leo Vyrwel. My father and his wife, Lady Selyse of House Fossoway, already had four children, but he was insatiable in his lust. And so he seduced a courtier and fathered a bastard son”, he explained. Leonard gave him a nod. “So far it's nothing new for me”, he said. “I met Lor… [view original content]
Lucas 2/2
Leonard almost looked a bit guilty as he gave him a nod. “I didn't want to say it like that. Kinslaying is an ugly word”, he mu… morembled. “No offense, but I have to know it. During our travels, I got a good opinion about you. I don't think you're capable of such a thing. But Quent... he knew things about me, so...”
Lucas interrupted him. “It's okay, Len”, he said bleakly, even though he felt slightly angry that he would even imply such a thing. Kinslaying, one of the first crimes a mortal could commit. Yet, he knew someone who would be capable of such a thing. He couldn't exactly blame Leonard.
“You know I was born in Darkdell, as the bastard son of Lord Leo Vyrwel. My father and his wife, Lady Selyse of House Fossoway, already had four children, but he was insatiable in his lust. And so he seduced a courtier and fathered a bastard son”, he explained. Leonard gave him a nod. “So far it's nothing new for me”, he said. “I met Lor… [view original content]
Lucas 2/2
Leonard almost looked a bit guilty as he gave him a nod. “I didn't want to say it like that. Kinslaying is an ugly word”, he mu… morembled. “No offense, but I have to know it. During our travels, I got a good opinion about you. I don't think you're capable of such a thing. But Quent... he knew things about me, so...”
Lucas interrupted him. “It's okay, Len”, he said bleakly, even though he felt slightly angry that he would even imply such a thing. Kinslaying, one of the first crimes a mortal could commit. Yet, he knew someone who would be capable of such a thing. He couldn't exactly blame Leonard.
“You know I was born in Darkdell, as the bastard son of Lord Leo Vyrwel. My father and his wife, Lady Selyse of House Fossoway, already had four children, but he was insatiable in his lust. And so he seduced a courtier and fathered a bastard son”, he explained. Leonard gave him a nod. “So far it's nothing new for me”, he said. “I met Lor… [view original content]
Seeing how this story gets a lot of love, I've taken the liberty upon myself with not informing Liquid to give you the Poll of the Part. Little straw poll on the part, here is number 1:
Seeing how this story gets a lot of love, I've taken the liberty upon myself with not informing Liquid to give you the Poll of the Part. Lit… moretle straw poll on the part, here is number 1:
http://strawpoll.me/4366857
Cause feedback is always great.
I'm back and the voting is closed!
Ellena will agree to bring Terroma a letter from the Burned Man
Geoor was right when he assumed tha… moret the internet cable failed me. I, Liquid of House ChicagoTed, sentenced it to die. I'm writing this on my phone, but I will buy a new cable right now. Before I will go home again to finally post the new part however, I will visit my family and won't be back until later today. But the new part will be up before I go to sleep. On another note, a second part is already almost written and will be out in two days, after a bit of voting.
And now I have a shout-out for a new and exciting story. As you know, I have a special thing for Hunger Games stories and I am not the only one, seeing how there are many well-written stories about this topic available here in the forum. The person who wrote the very first Hunger Games fanfiction here in this forum, #TeamSarah, @1594548, has started his new story, about a… [view original content]
Originally this choice involved the option [Go to sleep] instead of [Leave], but I realized in time that staying and sleeping aren't mutually exclusive activities. Albeit one of these options involves less sleep than the other.
The new part is about halfway written. I had a lot to do in the last few evenings, but now I have time and I am positive that I will finish the part in the next few hours. It will feature Ambadassador Maya and her merry companions.
Today I have a shout-out for the newest edition of my favourite interactive teenage murder simulator, the Hunger Games! The writer of this new Hunger Game is mr.quality, @1632699, who is one of my favourite writers here in this forum. If you haven't yet checked out his other stories, you absolutely should, because they are awesome. However, this shout-out is mainly for his new story, the 20th Hunger Games. Since I enjoy his other stories and since I enjoy the Hunger Games scenario, I have no doubt that this is going to be amazing and I'm very excited for it! However, to start the story, 24 characters are needed. Currently, there are many free spots left and I can only recommend you to join, since it's going to be absolutely amazing. If you are interested, click on this link
I'm afraid I will probably use a cut before it gets NSFW. My problem is that especially when it comes to sex there is a very fine line between a well-written and a cringeworthy scene. I don't trust myself and my english with writing it not cringeworthy and not too NSFW, so I'll probably leave most of it to your imagination.
Sooo...I'm expecting a truly GoTish scene with all the needed description if it comes down to that ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
But really doe, gotta love a lil bit of romance
Thanks a lot for the poll! I like these a lot, but sadly I haven't that many ideas what I could ask when attempting to do one myself. But the feedback out of these is certainly helpful. In this poll I see that the readers enjoyed Lucas' and Leonard's backstories similarly, which reassures me that I did well in this part. Whenever you or any other reader have any ideas for something to ask via straw poll, feel free to create one, it's greatly appreciated!
Seeing how this story gets a lot of love, I've taken the liberty upon myself with not informing Liquid to give you the Poll of the Part. Lit… moretle straw poll on the part, here is number 1:
http://strawpoll.me/4366857
Cause feedback is always great.
I'm afraid I will probably use a cut before it gets NSFW. My problem is that especially when it comes to sex there is a very fine line betwe… moreen a well-written and a cringeworthy scene. I don't trust myself and my english with writing it not cringeworthy and not too NSFW, so I'll probably leave most of it to your imagination.
The Voting is closed!
Lucas will stay
Originally this choice involved the option [Go to sleep] instead of [Leave], but I realized in t… moreime that staying and sleeping aren't mutually exclusive activities. Albeit one of these options involves less sleep than the other.
The new part is about halfway written. I had a lot to do in the last few evenings, but now I have time and I am positive that I will finish the part in the next few hours. It will feature Ambadassador Maya and her merry companions.
Today I have a shout-out for the newest edition of my favourite interactive teenage murder simulator, the Hunger Games! The writer of this new Hunger Game is mr.quality, @1632699, who is one of my favourite writers here in this forum. If you haven't yet checked out his other stories, you absolutely should, because they are awesome. However, this shout-out is mainly for his new story, the 20th Hunger Games. Since I enjoy his other stories an… [view original content]
She thought about it for a short moment. On the one hand, she was pretty sure that Irving was a mediocre archer at best. On the other hand, she wasn't that good herself, especially at night. And if she would forbid him taking the bow, he would complain about it for hours. Of course, he would find something to complain either way. But she had to take her chances here.
“Okay, you take the bow”, she ordered Irving. His face dropped for a moment. “Really?”, he said in a baffled tone “I mean, I'm not complaining, but have you just agreed with me?” Maya let out an annoyed sigh. “You're even complaining when I agree with you, aren't you?”, she sighed. Irving quickly shook his head. “I'm not complaining”, he repeated himself, even though it was a clear lie. “Do you even listen to me?”
This time, Maya forced herself to smile at him. “I dearly regret it”, she answered. Irving only narrowed his eyes as he heard this and shook his head, but stayed silent. He carefully picked up Gregar's bow and gave the sleeping man a worried look. “If he wakes up and notices that I took his bow...”, he mumbled. “Do you think he might be more dangerous to me than Ser Aldrik's beast?”
Maya started to smirk as she thought about this. “Irving, I think everything is more dangerous to you than Ser Aldrik's wolf”, she grinned. “After all, it would have to touch you with it's mouth to be dangerous to you. I think it's too intelligent for that”
Irving just looked at her for one moment, before shaking his head and grabbing a quiver full of arrows. “You really like making fun of me, do you?”, he moaned. Maya shrugged. “You gotta have some uses after all”, she smiled.
“Eh, whatever”, Irving growled. “Let's just go inside of that dark forest at night, what could possibly go wrong? I can't wait getting murdered” Maya suppressed a bright laughter, so that she wouldn't wake Gregar and Ser Aldrik up. Sometimes she suspected that Irving was like this on purpose. “Irving, the only things that will murder you inside of this forest are Grumkins ans Snarks”, she grinned. “Besides, if you're afraid, why are you even coming with me?”
Irving took a suspicious look at Gregar. “Because I really don't want to get eaten”, he hissed. “Isn't that clear? This beast might be too clever to eat me, but what about Gregar?” Maya rolled with her eyes. “Yeah, I think Gregar can't wait to make soup out of you”, she mumbled. Irving looked at her as if she had lost her mind, but this time she caught him smirking “I don't think Gregar knows what soup is”, he said. “He'd probably eat me raw, like the mice his goddamn bird prefers”
This thought finally caused Maya to laugh out loudly, while Irving simply smirked. She immediately stopped laughing though, as Gregar groaned in his sleep and slightly moved. Not wanting to wake him up, she tried her best to suppress her laughter. “Irving, enough!”, she grinned. “Let's just check this light out and then we can go back to sleep” The thought of the monstrous Orson Royce in her dream flashed through her mind and her face dropped. “Well... you can, at least”, she added. “I'll stay guard. Can't risk having you sleep through your shift again”
“Now that was the most intelligent thing I've heard you saying in a while, Ambassador”, Irving said with a grin. “Told you it wasn't my fault that I've fallen asleep” Maya let out a sigh and decided to remain quiet. She walked towards the forest, Irving followed her closely. “Just... don't get me killed, okay”, he whispered. “You won't get killed, Irving”, Maya said and rolled her eyes. “Promise it!”, he urged, prompting Maya to turn around, fast enough for him to nearly walk into her. “I promise”, she hissed, not even trying to hide her annoyance “I promise that I will kill you myself if I hear even the hint of a word coming from you until we reach the forest” The rest of the way, Irving stayed silent. Maya was glad that she walked in front of him, so that he couldn't see her smiling.
“See anything?”, she asked as they arrived at the forest. Despite the darkness, she saw Irving narrowing his eyes. “It's hard to tell... maybe we should have brought a... oh right, I forgot, someone let the fire die by picking the wrong guard for the night”, he moaned. “Anyway, I think it's that way” He started to lead, while Maya followed, actively resisting the urge to strangle him.
The forest was dark, darker than the forests back home. While the kingdom of the Mountain and Vale wasn't as forested as the Reach was, it wasn't even nearly as bleak as travellers usually depicted it. But it was a rocky, uneven terrain, full of mountains and ravines, leaving barely any place for dense forests. Maya barely managed to see Irving in front of her and even he seemed to have problems with finding the way. One time, she nearly fell over a root, almost stooping to grabbing Irving's shoulders to keep her balance. But after a few minutes of silent walking, she saw what Irving had seen as they first entered the forest: a small glade, roughly in the middle of the forest. Dim moonlight scarcely illuminated a lush meadow and a slightly hunched figure standing in the middle.
Maya gave Irving a stern look, signalizing him to stay without making any noise. Walking in silence for the past minutes had probably stressed him enough, she didn't want to test her luck by trusting him with not making any noise while approaching a potentially dangerous man. Luckily, Irving understood immediately and simply pulled an arrow out of his quiver, giving Maya a determined nod in the process. It would have been reassuring to have an archer on her side, if this archer wouldn't look like Irving Todd, with his ridiculous moustache and his big belly. As she pulled out one of her daggers, she regretted the decision to go without Gregar, or even worse, without Knightfang. The direwolf would have been enough to keep her safe from half a dozen men. But all she had was Irving...
As Maya stepped onto the meadow, she felt terribly vulnerable for a moment. All around her was forest, forest in which archers could hide, better archers than Irving. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to quit thinking like that. Who would ambush her in this forest? Nobody would expect her. As she sneaked closer towards the figure, she realized it was an older man with a bald head. He was looking in the other direction, not noticing her, standing still, almost motionless, holding something in his hands. She couldn't see his face, but she saw that he was wearing a white, shapeless piece of clothing, similar to the long robes people from the Free Cities sometimes wore. What was an he doing in the forest? Something was not right here, something was not...
A loud crack behind her, caused her and the old man to turn around. Irving had stepped onto the meadow and promptly fell over a root, landing face forward in the mud. She gave him an angry glare as he looked up, in her direction, making a surprised noise as he saw the old man.
“What in the names of the gods of the forest are you doing here?”, the old man asked with a stern voice. Maya saw that he had a long, white beard and was thin, almost gaunt. And in his hand, he was holding a fat, agitatedly cooing pigeon. Before Maya could give him an answer, the old man leant forward, kissing the pigeon on the back. “Shhh, it's okay Hildemara, it's okay. Don't get nervous, these are just two lost souls, asking for the advice of Dimitri the Wise”, he said, gently stroking the pigeon's back, while looking at Maya. “Isn't that right, pretty child?”
“Ah... I... I...”, Maya stuttered, noticing that her jaw dropped. She was following a madman into a forest? That was the mysterious light she had seen? “I... I...” She tried to say something, looking from the old man to the cooing pigeon in his hands. She barely noticed that Irving finally rose from the ground, picking up Gregar's bow in the process. “Who the hells are you?”, he growled towards the man, who finally gave him a kind smile.
“Ah, another lost soul has decided to participate our stimulating conversation”, he said enthusiastically with a surprisingly articulate voice. “My name is Dimitri the Wise, the revered philosopher” With these words he gave them a kind smile and opened his hands, letting the pigeon fly away from him. “And this is Hildemara, my pigeon companion, the love of my life”
Maya looked from Irving to the old man, noticing that her jaw slightly dropped. “What?”, she finally asked. “You are what?” The old man raised an eyebrow, before taking an elegant bow. “My name is Dimitri the Wise, the revered philosopher!”, he proclaimed again. “Known in Westeros from the North to Dorne”
Again, Maya could only stare at this strangely dressed, bald-headed man who had just kissed a pigeon. “You are what?”, she asked again, looking to Irving for help. “A philosopher”, her companion explained. “I've met one in Gulltown a few years ago. They are basically unemployed vagrants who tell other people what to think” Maya shook her head, finally snapping out of the confusion that befell her as she laid eyes on this bizarre man. “I know what a philosopher is”, she hissed. “And I know what a crazy hermit is” She shook her head in disbelief. “We just chased after a crazy, old hermit for at least half an hour!”
This caused the old man to let out an indignant groan. “You are quite rude, young woman, for invading my forest, insulting my intelligence and scaring my pigeon!” Maya opened her mouth to answer, even though she wanted nothing more than to return to her camp and to her warm blanket. She had dealt with crazy people before and rarely found them worth of any interaction. However, as she was about to give him a rude answer, she noticed something odd about the situation. Well, something odd she hasn't noticed before. Irving had seen a light. She had seen the hint of a light. The light was the only reason they went into this forest. But this old man had no light with him. No torch, no lantern...
“We have followed a light into this forest. We wanted to check if it might be potentially dangerous for our group...”, she explained and Dimitri's stern look softened. “I see...”, he mumbled. “Then you are not here to learn from me?” His voice sounded disappointed and almost caused Maya to feel an ounce of pity for him. Almost. “No”, she said with a determined voice.
For a moment Dimitri looked disappointed, but he quickly regained his composure. “I see”, he said. “That is disappointing, but those who claim that they don't seek the light, just don't know what they are seeking for” Irving shook his head. “Well, but we are seeking for the light”, he insisted, heavily annoyed. For a moment, Maya was satisfied by this conversation, if only because it meant that Irving learned how annoying he could be sometimes.
Dimitri gave him a nod. “I understand your intentions, lonely travellers. You thought I was the man with the lantern, right?”, he deduced. Maya nodded in annoyance. “Well, young woman, I am simply a wandering philosopher, trying to gain spiritual enlightenment by getting closer to the gods of the forest in this wonderful night. If someone seeks my counsel, I will try my best to help him with existential problems” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “What is the meaning of life? What is the way to the Seven Heavens? Why are we here?”, he said, apparently to himself.
Maya stopped listening to him as Irving tugged at her cloak. “Maya”, he whispered. “Why are we here, Maya? Why are we here? Why do the Seven punish us, Maya?” He tried his best to imitate Dimitri's voice and finally caused Maya to burst in laughter due to the absurdity of her situation.
Dimitri stopped his monologue, looking at Maya in a mixture of confusion and insultation. “Excuse me, why are you laughin?”, he asked. Before Maya could answer, Irving stepped forward. “Well, we have a question, old man”, he said. “You said something about a man with a lantern... well, we are looking for the man with the lantern. Where is he?”
Dimitri seemed to relax. “A question you have asked I shall answer you, impatient young man”, he intoned. “The man with the lantern went in that direction” He pointed east. “He is meeting with several other men, nasty individuals. Hildemara is afraid of them and shuns their presence and so do I. Upright travellers, such as you, shouldn't seek their proximity”
Irving shrugged. “Whatever you say, old man”, he sneered. “Come on, Maya. We know the way. No need to waste time with this crazy old hermit” He began to walk away and Maya managed to give Dimitri an apologizing nod. “Sorry for him”, she said. “You say these men are dangerous?”
Dimitri looked from Irving to her, nodding in agreement. “Probably. Or at the very least, they are bad men. I would advice against approaching them”, he explained. Maya looked after Irving, who already approached the forest again and shook her head. “They won't see us. We'll just find out if they are dangerous for our group and then we will continue our journey” She forced herself to give this madman a friendly smile. “Thank you for your help, Dimitri. Will you be alright?”, she asked.
Dimitri grinned, stretched his hand above his head and Maya saw the pigeon landing on it. “As long as Hildemara is with me, nothing bad shall happen to me”, he explained. “Which, in other words, means that I know a few tricks to stay hidden. But thank you for your concern, young woman”
“Maya, you coming? Or do you want to become a forest-dwelling pigeon breeder?”, Irving called from across the meadow. Maya gave Dimitri a nod and started to walk towards Irving. The old man seemed to look after her for a short moment, but as she looked over her shoulder, she saw that he had turned around again, gently stroking the feathers of his pigeon.
“Well, that was bizarre”, she remarked as she had reached Irving. Her companion nodded in agreement as they started to walk deeper into the forest. “You can say that. Why don't we have any philosophers in the Vale?”, he answered. Maya thought about this for a moment. “Shadowcats ate them”, she mumbled.
Irving let out a moan. “Oh, yes, I forgot the fucking shadowcats. Another reason why I hate the bloody Vale. It's filled with Mountain Men and shadowcats and ambassadors...”, he moaned, but Maya interrupted him. “And whiny, useless watchguards, and bronze bastards”, she hissed. Irving gave her a nod. “Aye, I forgot the bronze bastards”, he mumbled, but all of a sudden he grabbed Maya's cloak. “Silence!”, he urged her, pointing at something in the distance. Maya had to narrow her eyes, but she finally saw a small light in the distance.
“Is that our man?”, she whispered. Irving shook his head. “Men”, he answered. “I see at least half a dozen shadows around a small fire. You really want to check that out?”, he asked with a sheepish voice.
“I'll be careful. Stay behind, I want you to cover me”, Maya answered. Irving gave her a determined nod. “You can count on me”, he said and Maya wished she could believe him. As silent as possible, she started to approach the light. Soon, she saw that it was bigger than she thought at first, a small campfire. She saw a few figures sitting around it, but couldn't get a clear view on it. But what she saw was a second light, slowly approaching the camp. Maya started to sneak up to a few bushes, attempting to hide inside of them. It wasn't comfortable, but it was good enough for her and she was almost certain that the people around the campfire couldn't see her. She finally got a good view on them. Dirty, raggedy men, clad in leathery clothes, armed with daggers and short swords. Their number was hard to count as a result of the bad lighting, but they were at least half a dozen.
Finally, she saw the man who was nearing the campfire, carrying a small lantern with him. The men around the fire jumped up, immediately pulling out their swords. The new visitor, a tall man with a muscular body, a shorn head and a brown beard raised his hands. Maya saw the sword dangling at his side and was immediately struck by it's beauty. It was a longsword, resting in an elegant leathery sheet, the hilt consisting of blackened steel, a heart-shaped ruby embedded in it's pommel. She had heard about a heart-shaped ruby somewhere before...
“Easy, men”, a loud voice growled, shifting Maya's attention to something she had thought of as a particularly dark rock when first observing the scenery. The rock turned out to be a man, the tallest man she had ever seen, clad in a blackened armour. He wasn't wearing a helmet and Maya saw that he was younger than she thought he would be, with shoulder-length dark hair, dark brown skin and a fresh scar running across his chin and mouth. His voice was dark, violent and thirsting for blood. "I believe he's our fucking guest"
The visitor gave him an ugly smile, his light blue eyes shining in anticipation. “Are you Bear?”, he asked. The huge man, Bear, gave him a nod. “And you're fucking Anturion”, he growled. The man shook his head. “Ser Rodrik Stone”, he answered and Maya froze in terror. She knew this man. Everyone who had some dealing with the lords of the Vale knew this man. Ser Rodrik Stone the Kinslayer, Lord Corbray's bastard, Lord Corbray's murderer. And she knew the sword. Lady Forlorn, the ancient sword belonging to House Corbray. He had stolen it the day he slew his father. Just a few metres away from her stood the most wanted man in the Vale of Arryn.
“Anturion is busy. He's searching for a new ally, a strong ally. You're negotiating with me now”, Rodrik said with a cold glare and looked over the men. “Are these all of yours? You promised us fifty men for our cause” Bear took a step closer towards Rodrik. Even though the kinslayer was one of the tallest men Maya had ever seen, Bear was at least a head taller. “I alone am worth fifty fucking men”, he growled. “The rest of my men is scattered over Raylan's lands. Sitting in his forest, sitting in his taverns, walking through his villages. Ready to strike on your command. Do you have the money for that?” Ser Rodrik gave him a nod and Maya listened in anticipation. They were talking about Raylan, about Raylansfair! What kind of conspiracy was she stumbling upon right now?
A noise behind her made her turn around, as well as causing Rodrik to raise his head. “Is someone there?”, he growled and Bear let out a howling laugh. “One of my men is out there. Patrolling the area, to make sure that we won't be fucking disturbed”
Maya noticed movement nearing her position from behind. A young scout with short blonde hair was walking around, slowly nearing her position. He was wielding a short sword and looked around, but apparently he hadn't spotted her so far. But she knew, in her current position it would only be a matter of time. She was practically invisible from the positions of Bear and Rodrik, but from the other side,
she was highly visible. Her only cover was the darkness, unless she would somehow manage to crawl deeper into the bush. Closer towards Bear and Rodrik. She didn't knew anything about Bear, but Rodrik alone would be bad enough. And then she saw something else behind the scout. Irving was standing there, his bow drawn, an arrow pointing at the man. With his eyesight, he had obviously seen her and was waiting for something, a signal, an order, to shoot this man in the head. She was about to raise her hand, as she remembered who exactly the man was she had to trust here. Was she really willing to try her luck with Irving Todd? What if he missed the scout? What if he failed to kill him immediately?
[Try to hide by crawling deeper into the bush][Give Irving a signal to shoot the man]
Maya
She thought about it for a short moment. On the one hand, she was pretty sure that Irving was a mediocre archer at best. On the othe… morer hand, she wasn't that good herself, especially at night. And if she would forbid him taking the bow, he would complain about it for hours. Of course, he would find something to complain either way. But she had to take her chances here.
“Okay, you take the bow”, she ordered Irving. His face dropped for a moment. “Really?”, he said in a baffled tone “I mean, I'm not complaining, but have you just agreed with me?” Maya let out an annoyed sigh. “You're even complaining when I agree with you, aren't you?”, she sighed. Irving quickly shook his head. “I'm not complaining”, he repeated himself, even though it was a clear lie. “Do you even listen to me?”
This time, Maya forced herself to smile at him. “I dearly regret it”, she answered. Irving only narrowed his eyes as he heard this and shook his head, but… [view original content]
Glad you liked it. Dimitri is definitely the weirdest non-joke character submitted so far and it was a small challenge to write him into a part that featured him and Irving as the resident comic reliefs, but that also featured Bear (who I personally find funny in a very dark and obscene way) and Rodrik who are both obviously bad news. I hope the part turned out fine, without suffering from a too severe mood swing.
Maya
She thought about it for a short moment. On the one hand, she was pretty sure that Irving was a mediocre archer at best. On the othe… morer hand, she wasn't that good herself, especially at night. And if she would forbid him taking the bow, he would complain about it for hours. Of course, he would find something to complain either way. But she had to take her chances here.
“Okay, you take the bow”, she ordered Irving. His face dropped for a moment. “Really?”, he said in a baffled tone “I mean, I'm not complaining, but have you just agreed with me?” Maya let out an annoyed sigh. “You're even complaining when I agree with you, aren't you?”, she sighed. Irving quickly shook his head. “I'm not complaining”, he repeated himself, even though it was a clear lie. “Do you even listen to me?”
This time, Maya forced herself to smile at him. “I dearly regret it”, she answered. Irving only narrowed his eyes as he heard this and shook his head, but… [view original content]
[Give Irving a signal to shoot the man] Well crawling further isn't going to work and Irving shooting him 'might' work... Emphasis on 'might'.
Irving shall save Maya's life and she will fall in love with him XD
Another great chapter, I absolutely love the interaction between Maya and Irving.
Maya
She thought about it for a short moment. On the one hand, she was pretty sure that Irving was a mediocre archer at best. On the othe… morer hand, she wasn't that good herself, especially at night. And if she would forbid him taking the bow, he would complain about it for hours. Of course, he would find something to complain either way. But she had to take her chances here.
“Okay, you take the bow”, she ordered Irving. His face dropped for a moment. “Really?”, he said in a baffled tone “I mean, I'm not complaining, but have you just agreed with me?” Maya let out an annoyed sigh. “You're even complaining when I agree with you, aren't you?”, she sighed. Irving quickly shook his head. “I'm not complaining”, he repeated himself, even though it was a clear lie. “Do you even listen to me?”
This time, Maya forced herself to smile at him. “I dearly regret it”, she answered. Irving only narrowed his eyes as he heard this and shook his head, but… [view original content]
Comments
[Leave]
Wait you mean in the story or in the character submission? XD
If it's the former, can you elaborate?
No it's nothing wrong about his submission, I meant the reason I originally had him saying in the story for not sharing his past with Lucas after Lucas told him more about his past. It was obvious that I've written the paragraph in question at 3AM, out of ideas and in a desperate attempt to finish the part yesterday and in one post without surpassing the length-limit, so I've deleted it after resuming the writing today.
In this parts original ending, Leonard just basically told Lucas that he wasn't in the mood to share his story with him today and would do so another time, but I really wasn't happy with that since it just felt like lazy writing from me. And I think this would have also clashed with Leonard's mood displayed in this part, where he is pretty open about his past after all.
What!? No descriptions of manhoods and nipples?!?
Anyway, very good chapter! [Stay]
[Leave] Lucas should just stick with the kissing. If they last Oldtown, then I am hands down with helping him get the girl. Go all wildling on the inn, jumping through the window and taking her away. Hopefully Alard ends up at some sort of tower. Oh wait, I just realized. If Bear burned the inn down, and Lunett doesn't die, what's going to happen? Would Lucas just take her back to Raylansfair? That would be kinda cool.
While I haven't revealed it yet, it's not really a spoiler of any kind: Lunett's family accompanied Gutten to Raylansfair (more about them will be revealed in the next Gutten part). Samantha knows that and she is in Oldtown too after all, with her goal now completely aligning with Lucas' own goal as well. And it's safe to say that Bear will very likely burn the inn to the ground without any resistance to stop him, so yes, if all of them survive, taking Lunett to Raylansfair and back to her family would pretty much be the only option Lucas has after Oldtown, especially since Sammy won't give him any choice here. Not like he would complain about that ;P
[Stay]
Stuck at 37.
[Stay]
Awesome chapter!
[Leave] Don't do it Lucas! She'll hate you when you have to leave it'll be John and Cass all over again.
Gotta love a bit of romance, I cracked up at the line "Do it Flowers" XD I love Leonard's character.
{Stay}
[stay]
[Leave]
Eh, [stay] sure. Sounds about right.
Holy crap, well that's a long wall
Time to start another amazing reading
Mine is stuck at 49, halp ;-;
[Stay]
Man that's a hard one(pun intended)
[Leave] cause I guess that's what Lucas would probably do
[Leave]
[Stay]
( Leave)
I really enjoyed this part . It was a lot of fun to read .
[Stay]
Finally read it. Let's get funky
Sooo...I'm expecting a truly GoTish scene with all the needed description if it comes down to that ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
But really doe, gotta love a lil bit of romance
Seeing how this story gets a lot of love, I've taken the liberty upon myself with not informing Liquid to give you the Poll of the Part. Little straw poll on the part, here is number 1:
http://strawpoll.me/4366857
Cause feedback is always great.
Let me guess
''Poll number 2: Who's a better character in your opinion?
a) Leonard
b) Leonard
c) Leonard
d) Lucas''
XDDDD
Oh my gosh i just say this. Thanks so much!
The Voting is closed!
Lucas will stay
Originally this choice involved the option [Go to sleep] instead of [Leave], but I realized in time that staying and sleeping aren't mutually exclusive activities. Albeit one of these options involves less sleep than the other.
The new part is about halfway written. I had a lot to do in the last few evenings, but now I have time and I am positive that I will finish the part in the next few hours. It will feature Ambadassador Maya and her merry companions.
Today I have a shout-out for the newest edition of my favourite interactive teenage murder simulator, the Hunger Games! The writer of this new Hunger Game is mr.quality, @1632699, who is one of my favourite writers here in this forum. If you haven't yet checked out his other stories, you absolutely should, because they are awesome. However, this shout-out is mainly for his new story, the 20th Hunger Games. Since I enjoy his other stories and since I enjoy the Hunger Games scenario, I have no doubt that this is going to be amazing and I'm very excited for it! However, to start the story, 24 characters are needed. Currently, there are many free spots left and I can only recommend you to join, since it's going to be absolutely amazing. If you are interested, click on this link
I'm afraid I will probably use a cut before it gets NSFW. My problem is that especially when it comes to sex there is a very fine line between a well-written and a cringeworthy scene. I don't trust myself and my english with writing it not cringeworthy and not too NSFW, so I'll probably leave most of it to your imagination.
Thanks a lot for the poll! I like these a lot, but sadly I haven't that many ideas what I could ask when attempting to do one myself. But the feedback out of these is certainly helpful. In this poll I see that the readers enjoyed Lucas' and Leonard's backstories similarly, which reassures me that I did well in this part. Whenever you or any other reader have any ideas for something to ask via straw poll, feel free to create one, it's greatly appreciated!
You're welcome, I hope it helped in attracting a few more readers!
Hahaha, cringeworthy :'D
You made ma laugh unintentionally
Thanks so much Liquid!!!
Maya
She thought about it for a short moment. On the one hand, she was pretty sure that Irving was a mediocre archer at best. On the other hand, she wasn't that good herself, especially at night. And if she would forbid him taking the bow, he would complain about it for hours. Of course, he would find something to complain either way. But she had to take her chances here.
“Okay, you take the bow”, she ordered Irving. His face dropped for a moment. “Really?”, he said in a baffled tone “I mean, I'm not complaining, but have you just agreed with me?” Maya let out an annoyed sigh. “You're even complaining when I agree with you, aren't you?”, she sighed. Irving quickly shook his head. “I'm not complaining”, he repeated himself, even though it was a clear lie. “Do you even listen to me?”
This time, Maya forced herself to smile at him. “I dearly regret it”, she answered. Irving only narrowed his eyes as he heard this and shook his head, but stayed silent. He carefully picked up Gregar's bow and gave the sleeping man a worried look. “If he wakes up and notices that I took his bow...”, he mumbled. “Do you think he might be more dangerous to me than Ser Aldrik's beast?”
Maya started to smirk as she thought about this. “Irving, I think everything is more dangerous to you than Ser Aldrik's wolf”, she grinned. “After all, it would have to touch you with it's mouth to be dangerous to you. I think it's too intelligent for that”
Irving just looked at her for one moment, before shaking his head and grabbing a quiver full of arrows. “You really like making fun of me, do you?”, he moaned. Maya shrugged. “You gotta have some uses after all”, she smiled.
“Eh, whatever”, Irving growled. “Let's just go inside of that dark forest at night, what could possibly go wrong? I can't wait getting murdered” Maya suppressed a bright laughter, so that she wouldn't wake Gregar and Ser Aldrik up. Sometimes she suspected that Irving was like this on purpose. “Irving, the only things that will murder you inside of this forest are Grumkins ans Snarks”, she grinned. “Besides, if you're afraid, why are you even coming with me?”
Irving took a suspicious look at Gregar. “Because I really don't want to get eaten”, he hissed. “Isn't that clear? This beast might be too clever to eat me, but what about Gregar?” Maya rolled with her eyes. “Yeah, I think Gregar can't wait to make soup out of you”, she mumbled. Irving looked at her as if she had lost her mind, but this time she caught him smirking “I don't think Gregar knows what soup is”, he said. “He'd probably eat me raw, like the mice his goddamn bird prefers”
This thought finally caused Maya to laugh out loudly, while Irving simply smirked. She immediately stopped laughing though, as Gregar groaned in his sleep and slightly moved. Not wanting to wake him up, she tried her best to suppress her laughter. “Irving, enough!”, she grinned. “Let's just check this light out and then we can go back to sleep” The thought of the monstrous Orson Royce in her dream flashed through her mind and her face dropped. “Well... you can, at least”, she added. “I'll stay guard. Can't risk having you sleep through your shift again”
“Now that was the most intelligent thing I've heard you saying in a while, Ambassador”, Irving said with a grin. “Told you it wasn't my fault that I've fallen asleep” Maya let out a sigh and decided to remain quiet. She walked towards the forest, Irving followed her closely. “Just... don't get me killed, okay”, he whispered. “You won't get killed, Irving”, Maya said and rolled her eyes. “Promise it!”, he urged, prompting Maya to turn around, fast enough for him to nearly walk into her. “I promise”, she hissed, not even trying to hide her annoyance “I promise that I will kill you myself if I hear even the hint of a word coming from you until we reach the forest” The rest of the way, Irving stayed silent. Maya was glad that she walked in front of him, so that he couldn't see her smiling.
“See anything?”, she asked as they arrived at the forest. Despite the darkness, she saw Irving narrowing his eyes. “It's hard to tell... maybe we should have brought a... oh right, I forgot, someone let the fire die by picking the wrong guard for the night”, he moaned. “Anyway, I think it's that way” He started to lead, while Maya followed, actively resisting the urge to strangle him.
The forest was dark, darker than the forests back home. While the kingdom of the Mountain and Vale wasn't as forested as the Reach was, it wasn't even nearly as bleak as travellers usually depicted it. But it was a rocky, uneven terrain, full of mountains and ravines, leaving barely any place for dense forests. Maya barely managed to see Irving in front of her and even he seemed to have problems with finding the way. One time, she nearly fell over a root, almost stooping to grabbing Irving's shoulders to keep her balance. But after a few minutes of silent walking, she saw what Irving had seen as they first entered the forest: a small glade, roughly in the middle of the forest. Dim moonlight scarcely illuminated a lush meadow and a slightly hunched figure standing in the middle.
Maya gave Irving a stern look, signalizing him to stay without making any noise. Walking in silence for the past minutes had probably stressed him enough, she didn't want to test her luck by trusting him with not making any noise while approaching a potentially dangerous man. Luckily, Irving understood immediately and simply pulled an arrow out of his quiver, giving Maya a determined nod in the process. It would have been reassuring to have an archer on her side, if this archer wouldn't look like Irving Todd, with his ridiculous moustache and his big belly. As she pulled out one of her daggers, she regretted the decision to go without Gregar, or even worse, without Knightfang. The direwolf would have been enough to keep her safe from half a dozen men. But all she had was Irving...
As Maya stepped onto the meadow, she felt terribly vulnerable for a moment. All around her was forest, forest in which archers could hide, better archers than Irving. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to quit thinking like that. Who would ambush her in this forest? Nobody would expect her. As she sneaked closer towards the figure, she realized it was an older man with a bald head. He was looking in the other direction, not noticing her, standing still, almost motionless, holding something in his hands. She couldn't see his face, but she saw that he was wearing a white, shapeless piece of clothing, similar to the long robes people from the Free Cities sometimes wore. What was an he doing in the forest? Something was not right here, something was not...
A loud crack behind her, caused her and the old man to turn around. Irving had stepped onto the meadow and promptly fell over a root, landing face forward in the mud. She gave him an angry glare as he looked up, in her direction, making a surprised noise as he saw the old man.
“What in the names of the gods of the forest are you doing here?”, the old man asked with a stern voice. Maya saw that he had a long, white beard and was thin, almost gaunt. And in his hand, he was holding a fat, agitatedly cooing pigeon. Before Maya could give him an answer, the old man leant forward, kissing the pigeon on the back. “Shhh, it's okay Hildemara, it's okay. Don't get nervous, these are just two lost souls, asking for the advice of Dimitri the Wise”, he said, gently stroking the pigeon's back, while looking at Maya. “Isn't that right, pretty child?”
“Ah... I... I...”, Maya stuttered, noticing that her jaw dropped. She was following a madman into a forest? That was the mysterious light she had seen? “I... I...” She tried to say something, looking from the old man to the cooing pigeon in his hands. She barely noticed that Irving finally rose from the ground, picking up Gregar's bow in the process. “Who the hells are you?”, he growled towards the man, who finally gave him a kind smile.
“Ah, another lost soul has decided to participate our stimulating conversation”, he said enthusiastically with a surprisingly articulate voice. “My name is Dimitri the Wise, the revered philosopher” With these words he gave them a kind smile and opened his hands, letting the pigeon fly away from him. “And this is Hildemara, my pigeon companion, the love of my life”
Maya looked from Irving to the old man, noticing that her jaw slightly dropped. “What?”, she finally asked. “You are what?” The old man raised an eyebrow, before taking an elegant bow. “My name is Dimitri the Wise, the revered philosopher!”, he proclaimed again. “Known in Westeros from the North to Dorne”
Again, Maya could only stare at this strangely dressed, bald-headed man who had just kissed a pigeon. “You are what?”, she asked again, looking to Irving for help. “A philosopher”, her companion explained. “I've met one in Gulltown a few years ago. They are basically unemployed vagrants who tell other people what to think” Maya shook her head, finally snapping out of the confusion that befell her as she laid eyes on this bizarre man. “I know what a philosopher is”, she hissed. “And I know what a crazy hermit is” She shook her head in disbelief. “We just chased after a crazy, old hermit for at least half an hour!”
This caused the old man to let out an indignant groan. “You are quite rude, young woman, for invading my forest, insulting my intelligence and scaring my pigeon!” Maya opened her mouth to answer, even though she wanted nothing more than to return to her camp and to her warm blanket. She had dealt with crazy people before and rarely found them worth of any interaction. However, as she was about to give him a rude answer, she noticed something odd about the situation. Well, something odd she hasn't noticed before. Irving had seen a light. She had seen the hint of a light. The light was the only reason they went into this forest. But this old man had no light with him. No torch, no lantern...
“We have followed a light into this forest. We wanted to check if it might be potentially dangerous for our group...”, she explained and Dimitri's stern look softened. “I see...”, he mumbled. “Then you are not here to learn from me?” His voice sounded disappointed and almost caused Maya to feel an ounce of pity for him. Almost. “No”, she said with a determined voice.
For a moment Dimitri looked disappointed, but he quickly regained his composure. “I see”, he said. “That is disappointing, but those who claim that they don't seek the light, just don't know what they are seeking for” Irving shook his head. “Well, but we are seeking for the light”, he insisted, heavily annoyed. For a moment, Maya was satisfied by this conversation, if only because it meant that Irving learned how annoying he could be sometimes.
Dimitri gave him a nod. “I understand your intentions, lonely travellers. You thought I was the man with the lantern, right?”, he deduced. Maya nodded in annoyance. “Well, young woman, I am simply a wandering philosopher, trying to gain spiritual enlightenment by getting closer to the gods of the forest in this wonderful night. If someone seeks my counsel, I will try my best to help him with existential problems” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “What is the meaning of life? What is the way to the Seven Heavens? Why are we here?”, he said, apparently to himself.
Maya stopped listening to him as Irving tugged at her cloak. “Maya”, he whispered. “Why are we here, Maya? Why are we here? Why do the Seven punish us, Maya?” He tried his best to imitate Dimitri's voice and finally caused Maya to burst in laughter due to the absurdity of her situation.
Dimitri stopped his monologue, looking at Maya in a mixture of confusion and insultation. “Excuse me, why are you laughin?”, he asked. Before Maya could answer, Irving stepped forward. “Well, we have a question, old man”, he said. “You said something about a man with a lantern... well, we are looking for the man with the lantern. Where is he?”
Dimitri seemed to relax. “A question you have asked I shall answer you, impatient young man”, he intoned. “The man with the lantern went in that direction” He pointed east. “He is meeting with several other men, nasty individuals. Hildemara is afraid of them and shuns their presence and so do I. Upright travellers, such as you, shouldn't seek their proximity”
Irving shrugged. “Whatever you say, old man”, he sneered. “Come on, Maya. We know the way. No need to waste time with this crazy old hermit” He began to walk away and Maya managed to give Dimitri an apologizing nod. “Sorry for him”, she said. “You say these men are dangerous?”
Dimitri looked from Irving to her, nodding in agreement. “Probably. Or at the very least, they are bad men. I would advice against approaching them”, he explained. Maya looked after Irving, who already approached the forest again and shook her head. “They won't see us. We'll just find out if they are dangerous for our group and then we will continue our journey” She forced herself to give this madman a friendly smile. “Thank you for your help, Dimitri. Will you be alright?”, she asked.
Dimitri grinned, stretched his hand above his head and Maya saw the pigeon landing on it. “As long as Hildemara is with me, nothing bad shall happen to me”, he explained. “Which, in other words, means that I know a few tricks to stay hidden. But thank you for your concern, young woman”
“Maya, you coming? Or do you want to become a forest-dwelling pigeon breeder?”, Irving called from across the meadow. Maya gave Dimitri a nod and started to walk towards Irving. The old man seemed to look after her for a short moment, but as she looked over her shoulder, she saw that he had turned around again, gently stroking the feathers of his pigeon.
“Well, that was bizarre”, she remarked as she had reached Irving. Her companion nodded in agreement as they started to walk deeper into the forest. “You can say that. Why don't we have any philosophers in the Vale?”, he answered. Maya thought about this for a moment. “Shadowcats ate them”, she mumbled.
Irving let out a moan. “Oh, yes, I forgot the fucking shadowcats. Another reason why I hate the bloody Vale. It's filled with Mountain Men and shadowcats and ambassadors...”, he moaned, but Maya interrupted him. “And whiny, useless watchguards, and bronze bastards”, she hissed. Irving gave her a nod. “Aye, I forgot the bronze bastards”, he mumbled, but all of a sudden he grabbed Maya's cloak. “Silence!”, he urged her, pointing at something in the distance. Maya had to narrow her eyes, but she finally saw a small light in the distance.
“Is that our man?”, she whispered. Irving shook his head. “Men”, he answered. “I see at least half a dozen shadows around a small fire. You really want to check that out?”, he asked with a sheepish voice.
“I'll be careful. Stay behind, I want you to cover me”, Maya answered. Irving gave her a determined nod. “You can count on me”, he said and Maya wished she could believe him. As silent as possible, she started to approach the light. Soon, she saw that it was bigger than she thought at first, a small campfire. She saw a few figures sitting around it, but couldn't get a clear view on it. But what she saw was a second light, slowly approaching the camp. Maya started to sneak up to a few bushes, attempting to hide inside of them. It wasn't comfortable, but it was good enough for her and she was almost certain that the people around the campfire couldn't see her. She finally got a good view on them. Dirty, raggedy men, clad in leathery clothes, armed with daggers and short swords. Their number was hard to count as a result of the bad lighting, but they were at least half a dozen.
Finally, she saw the man who was nearing the campfire, carrying a small lantern with him. The men around the fire jumped up, immediately pulling out their swords. The new visitor, a tall man with a muscular body, a shorn head and a brown beard raised his hands. Maya saw the sword dangling at his side and was immediately struck by it's beauty. It was a longsword, resting in an elegant leathery sheet, the hilt consisting of blackened steel, a heart-shaped ruby embedded in it's pommel. She had heard about a heart-shaped ruby somewhere before...
“Easy, men”, a loud voice growled, shifting Maya's attention to something she had thought of as a particularly dark rock when first observing the scenery. The rock turned out to be a man, the tallest man she had ever seen, clad in a blackened armour. He wasn't wearing a helmet and Maya saw that he was younger than she thought he would be, with shoulder-length dark hair, dark brown skin and a fresh scar running across his chin and mouth. His voice was dark, violent and thirsting for blood. "I believe he's our fucking guest"
The visitor gave him an ugly smile, his light blue eyes shining in anticipation. “Are you Bear?”, he asked. The huge man, Bear, gave him a nod. “And you're fucking Anturion”, he growled. The man shook his head. “Ser Rodrik Stone”, he answered and Maya froze in terror. She knew this man. Everyone who had some dealing with the lords of the Vale knew this man. Ser Rodrik Stone the Kinslayer, Lord Corbray's bastard, Lord Corbray's murderer. And she knew the sword. Lady Forlorn, the ancient sword belonging to House Corbray. He had stolen it the day he slew his father. Just a few metres away from her stood the most wanted man in the Vale of Arryn.
“Anturion is busy. He's searching for a new ally, a strong ally. You're negotiating with me now”, Rodrik said with a cold glare and looked over the men. “Are these all of yours? You promised us fifty men for our cause” Bear took a step closer towards Rodrik. Even though the kinslayer was one of the tallest men Maya had ever seen, Bear was at least a head taller. “I alone am worth fifty fucking men”, he growled. “The rest of my men is scattered over Raylan's lands. Sitting in his forest, sitting in his taverns, walking through his villages. Ready to strike on your command. Do you have the money for that?” Ser Rodrik gave him a nod and Maya listened in anticipation. They were talking about Raylan, about Raylansfair! What kind of conspiracy was she stumbling upon right now?
A noise behind her made her turn around, as well as causing Rodrik to raise his head. “Is someone there?”, he growled and Bear let out a howling laugh. “One of my men is out there. Patrolling the area, to make sure that we won't be fucking disturbed”
Maya noticed movement nearing her position from behind. A young scout with short blonde hair was walking around, slowly nearing her position. He was wielding a short sword and looked around, but apparently he hadn't spotted her so far. But she knew, in her current position it would only be a matter of time. She was practically invisible from the positions of Bear and Rodrik, but from the other side,
she was highly visible. Her only cover was the darkness, unless she would somehow manage to crawl deeper into the bush. Closer towards Bear and Rodrik. She didn't knew anything about Bear, but Rodrik alone would be bad enough. And then she saw something else behind the scout. Irving was standing there, his bow drawn, an arrow pointing at the man. With his eyesight, he had obviously seen her and was waiting for something, a signal, an order, to shoot this man in the head. She was about to raise her hand, as she remembered who exactly the man was she had to trust here. Was she really willing to try her luck with Irving Todd? What if he missed the scout? What if he failed to kill him immediately?
[Try to hide by crawling deeper into the bush] [Give Irving a signal to shoot the man]
[Give Irving a signal to shoot the man]
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
[Give Irving a signak to shoot the man] Relationships arebuild in trust
WTF DIMITRI.
Awesome (and weird) chapter!
Glad you liked it. Dimitri is definitely the weirdest non-joke character submitted so far and it was a small challenge to write him into a part that featured him and Irving as the resident comic reliefs, but that also featured Bear (who I personally find funny in a very dark and obscene way) and Rodrik who are both obviously bad news. I hope the part turned out fine, without suffering from a too severe mood swing.
[Give Irving a signal to shoot the man] well. This is either a good thing or a bad thing... Or both. Or none.
[Give Irving a signal to shoot the man] Well crawling further isn't going to work and Irving shooting him 'might' work... Emphasis on 'might'.
Irving shall save Maya's life and she will fall in love with him XD
Another great chapter, I absolutely love the interaction between Maya and Irving.
[Give Irving a signal to shoot the man]