Raenna
“Gods, please, I don't want to die...”, the man pleaded, desperate tears flowing down his face. Blood was flowing out of his destr… moreoyed knee and his trousers were stained with a different kind of liquid already, much to Raenna's disgust. Mercy... mercy wasn't a bad thing in situations where she could afford it. Sadly, this wasn't such a situation. This man was dangerous, even with a destroyed knee. She knew people like him. He would pursue his revenge. He would search the city for the silver-haired woman who killed his friends and crippled him. This wasn't vengeance. The short moment of anger she had felt as the men had insulted her, it was gone now. Raenna was as calm as she had been trained to be and she did what was necessary.
“Close your eyes”, she ordered and the man shook his head. “No, no! Please, no, n...!”, he exclaimed, with the last word being cut off by Raenna's dagger. The blade moved downwards, into his chest and pen… [view original content]
Raenna
“Gods, please, I don't want to die...”, the man pleaded, desperate tears flowing down his face. Blood was flowing out of his destr… moreoyed knee and his trousers were stained with a different kind of liquid already, much to Raenna's disgust. Mercy... mercy wasn't a bad thing in situations where she could afford it. Sadly, this wasn't such a situation. This man was dangerous, even with a destroyed knee. She knew people like him. He would pursue his revenge. He would search the city for the silver-haired woman who killed his friends and crippled him. This wasn't vengeance. The short moment of anger she had felt as the men had insulted her, it was gone now. Raenna was as calm as she had been trained to be and she did what was necessary.
“Close your eyes”, she ordered and the man shook his head. “No, no! Please, no, n...!”, he exclaimed, with the last word being cut off by Raenna's dagger. The blade moved downwards, into his chest and pen… [view original content]
Raenna
“Gods, please, I don't want to die...”, the man pleaded, desperate tears flowing down his face. Blood was flowing out of his destr… moreoyed knee and his trousers were stained with a different kind of liquid already, much to Raenna's disgust. Mercy... mercy wasn't a bad thing in situations where she could afford it. Sadly, this wasn't such a situation. This man was dangerous, even with a destroyed knee. She knew people like him. He would pursue his revenge. He would search the city for the silver-haired woman who killed his friends and crippled him. This wasn't vengeance. The short moment of anger she had felt as the men had insulted her, it was gone now. Raenna was as calm as she had been trained to be and she did what was necessary.
“Close your eyes”, she ordered and the man shook his head. “No, no! Please, no, n...!”, he exclaimed, with the last word being cut off by Raenna's dagger. The blade moved downwards, into his chest and pen… [view original content]
Raenna
“Gods, please, I don't want to die...”, the man pleaded, desperate tears flowing down his face. Blood was flowing out of his destr… moreoyed knee and his trousers were stained with a different kind of liquid already, much to Raenna's disgust. Mercy... mercy wasn't a bad thing in situations where she could afford it. Sadly, this wasn't such a situation. This man was dangerous, even with a destroyed knee. She knew people like him. He would pursue his revenge. He would search the city for the silver-haired woman who killed his friends and crippled him. This wasn't vengeance. The short moment of anger she had felt as the men had insulted her, it was gone now. Raenna was as calm as she had been trained to be and she did what was necessary.
“Close your eyes”, she ordered and the man shook his head. “No, no! Please, no, n...!”, he exclaimed, with the last word being cut off by Raenna's dagger. The blade moved downwards, into his chest and pen… [view original content]
Raenna
“Gods, please, I don't want to die...”, the man pleaded, desperate tears flowing down his face. Blood was flowing out of his destr… moreoyed knee and his trousers were stained with a different kind of liquid already, much to Raenna's disgust. Mercy... mercy wasn't a bad thing in situations where she could afford it. Sadly, this wasn't such a situation. This man was dangerous, even with a destroyed knee. She knew people like him. He would pursue his revenge. He would search the city for the silver-haired woman who killed his friends and crippled him. This wasn't vengeance. The short moment of anger she had felt as the men had insulted her, it was gone now. Raenna was as calm as she had been trained to be and she did what was necessary.
“Close your eyes”, she ordered and the man shook his head. “No, no! Please, no, n...!”, he exclaimed, with the last word being cut off by Raenna's dagger. The blade moved downwards, into his chest and pen… [view original content]
[Stay out of it] you don't just abandon your old life then go back to it when a friendly face shows up.
I'm loving this, I'm starting to see a more deceitful side to Terroma. I don't know what is but there's something about Raenna I love. I think she might've become my favourite character.
Raenna
“Gods, please, I don't want to die...”, the man pleaded, desperate tears flowing down his face. Blood was flowing out of his destr… moreoyed knee and his trousers were stained with a different kind of liquid already, much to Raenna's disgust. Mercy... mercy wasn't a bad thing in situations where she could afford it. Sadly, this wasn't such a situation. This man was dangerous, even with a destroyed knee. She knew people like him. He would pursue his revenge. He would search the city for the silver-haired woman who killed his friends and crippled him. This wasn't vengeance. The short moment of anger she had felt as the men had insulted her, it was gone now. Raenna was as calm as she had been trained to be and she did what was necessary.
“Close your eyes”, she ordered and the man shook his head. “No, no! Please, no, n...!”, he exclaimed, with the last word being cut off by Raenna's dagger. The blade moved downwards, into his chest and pen… [view original content]
Raenna
“Gods, please, I don't want to die...”, the man pleaded, desperate tears flowing down his face. Blood was flowing out of his destr… moreoyed knee and his trousers were stained with a different kind of liquid already, much to Raenna's disgust. Mercy... mercy wasn't a bad thing in situations where she could afford it. Sadly, this wasn't such a situation. This man was dangerous, even with a destroyed knee. She knew people like him. He would pursue his revenge. He would search the city for the silver-haired woman who killed his friends and crippled him. This wasn't vengeance. The short moment of anger she had felt as the men had insulted her, it was gone now. Raenna was as calm as she had been trained to be and she did what was necessary.
“Close your eyes”, she ordered and the man shook his head. “No, no! Please, no, n...!”, he exclaimed, with the last word being cut off by Raenna's dagger. The blade moved downwards, into his chest and pen… [view original content]
Raenna
“Gods, please, I don't want to die...”, the man pleaded, desperate tears flowing down his face. Blood was flowing out of his destr… moreoyed knee and his trousers were stained with a different kind of liquid already, much to Raenna's disgust. Mercy... mercy wasn't a bad thing in situations where she could afford it. Sadly, this wasn't such a situation. This man was dangerous, even with a destroyed knee. She knew people like him. He would pursue his revenge. He would search the city for the silver-haired woman who killed his friends and crippled him. This wasn't vengeance. The short moment of anger she had felt as the men had insulted her, it was gone now. Raenna was as calm as she had been trained to be and she did what was necessary.
“Close your eyes”, she ordered and the man shook his head. “No, no! Please, no, n...!”, he exclaimed, with the last word being cut off by Raenna's dagger. The blade moved downwards, into his chest and pen… [view original content]
That one was a surprisingly close voting. I have to admit, in the first draft of this part, Raenna agreed to help Terroma without you having a choice, the original choice would have been the choice that will likely be at the end of her next part instead. The post-length limit however made me realize that I am better off splitting the parts, so I gave you this choice. I was very surprised that there were so many of you voting to stay out of it, considering that helping Terroma might be a chance to royally kick Butterfly's ass. However, as soon as I gave this choice, I also thought of what would happen if Raenna wouldn't help Terroma. I'm going to be more detailed at the end of this chapter in the alternative choices and perhaps will fully explain the consequences of this vote at the end of this act, but for now, let me just say, not helping him would have been the worst choice you could have made in the entire story so far. It would have been even worse than the choice to deny Samantha's wish the second time she asked to leave for Oldtown at the end of Chapter 3, which would have resulted in the unavoidable deaths of Lucas, Leonard, Lunett and Dairon. Trust me when I say that none of you would have been happy with the consequences and it would have been one of the few choices that would have had entirely negative consequences. A couple of deaths, nearly half a dozen in my early idea, would have been unavoidable. I'm not only talking about obvious characters involved in Raenna's storyline, but also about surprising characters, some of them clear favourites of yours. While these deaths might still happen, they will now depend on your choices in the coming Raenna parts and can be avoided. For now, you really dodged a bullet here.
The next part is half written. It's going to be a part with two PoV's and one of them will be Jaron's PoV. However, I'm still thinking about who I want to have as the second PoV in this part. Currently, I'm thinking about either Maya, Lyria or Jenna, with Lyria being the most likely choice for me at the moment, but I might write about a completely different PoV instead. I hope to finish this part later today.
On another note, a few hours ago the story passed the 100.000 views mark. While about half of these views are probably me refreshing the page to artificially raise the view counter, I'd like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who ever read a part of this story. You're awesome.
Congrats for the 100k views! I've been reading pretty much from the beginning and since that this has been the best thing in these forums! Thank you for writing this awesome story
And wow, I chose the helping option just thinking that it'd be more interesting, but looks like this was much more important choice than I thought
The Voting is closed!
Raenna will help Terroma
That one was a surprisingly close voting. I have to admit, in the first draft of this p… moreart, Raenna agreed to help Terroma without you having a choice, the original choice would have been the choice that will likely be at the end of her next part instead. The post-length limit however made me realize that I am better off splitting the parts, so I gave you this choice. I was very surprised that there were so many of you voting to stay out of it, considering that helping Terroma might be a chance to royally kick Butterfly's ass. However, as soon as I gave this choice, I also thought of what would happen if Raenna wouldn't help Terroma. I'm going to be more detailed at the end of this chapter in the alternative choices and perhaps will fully explain the consequences of this vote at the end of this act, but for now, let me just say, not helping him would have been the worst choice you could have… [view original content]
The Voting is closed!
Raenna will help Terroma
That one was a surprisingly close voting. I have to admit, in the first draft of this p… moreart, Raenna agreed to help Terroma without you having a choice, the original choice would have been the choice that will likely be at the end of her next part instead. The post-length limit however made me realize that I am better off splitting the parts, so I gave you this choice. I was very surprised that there were so many of you voting to stay out of it, considering that helping Terroma might be a chance to royally kick Butterfly's ass. However, as soon as I gave this choice, I also thought of what would happen if Raenna wouldn't help Terroma. I'm going to be more detailed at the end of this chapter in the alternative choices and perhaps will fully explain the consequences of this vote at the end of this act, but for now, let me just say, not helping him would have been the worst choice you could have… [view original content]
The Voting is closed!
Raenna will help Terroma
That one was a surprisingly close voting. I have to admit, in the first draft of this p… moreart, Raenna agreed to help Terroma without you having a choice, the original choice would have been the choice that will likely be at the end of her next part instead. The post-length limit however made me realize that I am better off splitting the parts, so I gave you this choice. I was very surprised that there were so many of you voting to stay out of it, considering that helping Terroma might be a chance to royally kick Butterfly's ass. However, as soon as I gave this choice, I also thought of what would happen if Raenna wouldn't help Terroma. I'm going to be more detailed at the end of this chapter in the alternative choices and perhaps will fully explain the consequences of this vote at the end of this act, but for now, let me just say, not helping him would have been the worst choice you could have… [view original content]
Hey Liquid I have a question before this chapter started you said who the new PoV's would be and I think you mentioned Ilish, Will we still see her or did you wipe the idea?
Yes, she is still planned to be a PoV later in this chapter. Her storyline will start in the second half of this chapter, since some of the other storylines have to move forwards first, but it shouldn't be too long until she first appears as a PoV, as nearly half of the chapter are already written. I think her storyline should start somewhere in the next two weeks.
Hey Liquid I have a question before this chapter started you said who the new PoV's would be and I think you mentioned Ilish, Will we still see her or did you wipe the idea?
Yes, she is still planned to be a PoV later in this chapter. Her storyline will start in the second half of this chapter, since some of the … moreother storylines have to move forwards first, but it shouldn't be too long until she first appears as a PoV, as nearly half of the chapter are already written. I think her storyline should start somewhere in the next two weeks.
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp found its way out of his mouth, followed by his roaring laughter.
Jaron sat down in front of Martin, giving him and the whore a slight nod. The woman gave him a slight wink in return. “Jaron, may I introduce you to Keira, the most beautiful whore in Oldtown”, Martin said with a grin. The whore raised an eyebrow and playfully frowned at this remark. “It's not as if I have that much of a competition”, she chuckled and looked at Jaron. “Martin surely has a way with words, hasn't he?”
“Indeed he has”, Jaron answered, looking around if he could find himself a glass of wine. Martin noticed his struggle and raised a hand, which caused a little girl to approach their table. “Come on, girl, bring my friend a stiff drink”, Martin ordered her. “He's a hero, you know”
Jaron noticed that he had to grin at this remark and slightly shook his head. “That stretches it a little bit”, he said. Martin gave him a stern look and took a deep gulp from his wine. “A damn hero”, he repeated and put his glass down. “Keira, I need to, um... you know, the privy”
The whore put a hand on his shoulder and stood up from his lap, allowing him to stand up. Her green eyes looked at Jaron. “You left quite the impression on Martin here”, she explained while sitting down onto the mercenaries chair, looking at Martin, who quickly left the room. “The whole evening he had to repeat your story over and over, how you defied that monster Butterfly against all odds. Of course, he also never failed to mention his own involvement”
“And my involvement!”, Bakr shouted, barely intelligible. “Everyone always forgets about what I did. Split that assholes head right open!” Jaron and Keira looked at him for a short moment, before simultaneously deciding to ignore him. “So, how do you know Martin?”, Jaron asked and was half sure that he would regret it.
Keira seemed to notice his hesitation and slightly rolled with her eyes. “Not in the way you think. He's not a regular customer. In fact, he does not pay”, she explained, before raising her hands. “It's nothing serious either, just a casual fling. Martin is kind and better than most. In a city likes Oldtown, this means a lot”
“Do you know what also means a lot?”, Bakr asked, raising his glass. “Having enough to drink! Back in the old days, during one of my raids to the Dothraki Sea, I was forced to drink a Dothraki beverage, made from horse piss. Actual horse piss!”
He started to chuckle, leaning back on his chair and apparently didn't even expect an answer. Keira glanced at him, before looking back at Jaron. “Where was I?”, she asked, a smirk on her face as she glanced at Bakr again.
Jaron turned his head to his left as he saw the young girl from earlier approaching. Without saying a word, but with a smile on her face, she handed him a large cup, filled to the brink with a clear liquid. Jaron gave her a friendly nod, before smelling at the liquid. A disgusted frown appeared on his face. “Seven Hell, what is this?”
Keira moved forwards, slightly sniffing at his drink. A playful smile appeared on her face. “That's what Martin would call a 'stiff drink'”, she said. “I'm not blaming him. He grew up in Braavos, where they even consider water a 'stiff drink'”
Jaron took a careful sip and felt how the alcohol started to murder his taste buds. Violently coughing, he put the cup back onto the table, which caused Keira to laugh brightly. “Do not worry, Martin reacted the same”, she said.
“Not true!”, Martin's voice sounded as he entered the room again, quickly walking back to their table. He put his hands onto the table, slightly leaning on it as he looked at Jaron. “I reacted far worse. Drank a cup of this and nearly died from it” He looked down at Jaron's left arm, hanging inside of a sling. “So... Harpy told me you blocked a sword with your arm, is that right?”
Jaron gave him a nod, as he remembered this moment. Slight pain flashed through his arm, causing him to shiver. “It was either my arm or my head”, he answered. “And I am lucky that I still have both” “Indeed you are”, Martin answered. “What Harpy told me made you appear downright suicidal, taking on several of Butterfly's men at once, blocking sword strikes with your arm and stuff”
Jaron raised his unwounded hand in protest. “To my defence, I had good armour”, he explained and Martin gave him a grin. “And obviously more luck than judgement”, he answered. “But I'm glad you survived” His grin vanished as he lowered his eyes, a melancholic look in them. “Although not all of us had that much luck. Tell me... how did Robb die?”
Jaron's smirk faded as well. Robb... considering how bad they got along, the man's final actions still baffled him. “Hasn't Harpy told you about it?”, he asked, trying to avoid the topic. He had to admit that he was wrong with his earlier opinion on the man. In the end, Robb had saved his life and Harpy's as well.
Martin slowly shook his head. “She tried her best to avoid talking to me. The little things I got out of her mainly gave me a picture of what you did. She stayed silent when it came to Robb”, he answered and let out a sigh. “She also refused to talk about Butterfly, quite understandably. But I know what happened to that bastard, now I just want to know what happened to Robb”
“He saved us. Me and Harpy”, Jaron answered with a low tone in his voice, taking another gulp from his glass. This time, the alcohol felt a lot less strong. “They got her down on the ground. I had to fight against Butterfly and one of his men, I couldn't help her. Robb killed one of my attackers and engaged Butterfly in single combat” He closed his eyes for a moment, the joy he had felt earlier was all but gone. “He died valiantly and with honour”
Martin pressed his lips together and let out a sigh, which caused Keira to put her hands around his shoulders. “Now that's a surprise”, he muttered. “I was willing to kill him not even a day ago and now... I don't know how to feel about him anymore. He was an asshole, that's undeniable. But he was a loyal asshole and damn fine man in his own way”
With these words, Martin raised his glass. Jaron did the same and to his surprise, even Bakr stopped grinning and grabbed his glass, looking stern and serious. “To Robb”, Martin proclaimed. “And to all the others who died in this war. May their souls find peace, now that their killer is dead”
“I can drink to that”, Bakr mumbled and emptied his cup in a single gulp. Martin and Jaron both took a sip from their alcohol, before putting it down again. Martin gave Keira a slight smile and she smirked at him, before the mercenary looked back at Jaron. “I got to ask you one more thing before I forget it, my friend. What exactly is the situation between you and Harpy now?”
Jaron avoided to look into Martin's eyes as he looked for a good answer. He had never been good talking about his feelings and the situation was uncomfortable for him. “I don't know”, he answered truthfully. “We haven't talked, after the warehouse I mean. I have the feeling she tried to stay away from me”
Martin let out a frustrated sigh, slightly rolling with his eyes. “That's fair, my friend. One more question though”, he said and raised his voice. “Are you the dumbest bastard alive? Sitting here, talking to me and Keira...” “And Bakr!”, Bakr interrupted him loudly. “And Bakr...”, Martin corrected himself. “Talking to me and Keira and Bakr, while that girl is out there waiting for you?”
“Waiting for me?”, Jaron asked in surprise and Martin gave him an annoyed nod. “Well, technically she is apparently trying to drink herself to death...”, he said, before he was interrupted by Bakr again. “I tried that once. Took me a whole day of drinking and in the end I simply passed out in my own vomit. Then again, that girl has only a quarter of my weight...”, he proclaimed, before a glare from Martin cut him off. “Okay, okay, I'm silent”, the Ghiscari mumbled.
“What I wanted to say is, technically she is not waiting for you, but I'm sure she would appreciate your company”, Martin explained. “I don't know”, Jaron answered, looking for a way to change the course of this conversation. “What if she, you know, does not share my feelings?”
“What if she...?”, Martin gasped. “Are you serious right now? You saved that girl's life back in the warehouse, risking your own in the process. Do your pal Martin a favour, get up, go outside to the balcony and get that girl. Now's the time!” The mercenary and Keira exchanged a short glance, before they were interrupted again by Bakr.
“You know, that's actually not a good tactic”, he interjected. “Back in my days, I knew exactly how to handle a woman and even now, you should listen to my advice over that boy-faced sellsword over there” He leant forwards, ignoring the glare coming from Martin. “Let her wait for a little bit. I have counted. She's still at her first bottle, which is good, but it could be better. So here's what you're going to do; Step one, do something else for a while. Step two, come back later. Step three, go outside to find her pissed drunken and ready for everything. Step four, you win”
Jaron looked from Martin to Bakr. Both men seemed to be convinced that their advice was better and both men looked at Jaron, awaiting a decision. He knew, he couldn't avoid talking to Harpy forever. And didn't even want to avoid it. But then he remembered Ayden Blackwell, who had urged him to meet up with him, to make a plan about their next move in this war.
[Go outside and talk to Harpy][Make plans with Ayden first]
Lyria
Through a small gap between the shutters, Lyria kept an eye on the street. The door was locked and with Rosalie's help, she had moved the large wooden table out of her dining room in front of it. The backdoor was locked twice. The shutters in front of every window in her house were closed. It was dark outside, but the main room of her house was brightly illuminated. Lyria was holding her forging hammer, Rosalie had a long knife lying next to her. By all means, a single man should be unable to break into her house. But still, Lyria Mettel felt threatened.
She had left Richard and his friends on their own. Helping the city guard, giving them valuable information, that was her duty as a citizen. Fighting alongside them against highly trained killers, that was suicide. It was presumptuous to assume that she, a simple blacksmith, could make any difference in this fight. And so she had returned home, locked the door and shut the windows, waiting until Richard and the others would return with good news. Wolfius was out in the city, perhaps looking for her, perhaps looking for Rosalie or for someone else entirely. Until he was gone, she would stay vigilant. She had already lost her husband to a killer, she wouldn't loose her daughter too!
“Mother...”, Rosalie said with shaking voice, just as Lyria thought she spotted a figure, standing in the shadows of the alleyway that opposed her house. “What is it?”, Lyria growled, her eyes not moving away from the suspicious shadow. Yes, that was almost certainly a figure... had Wolfius followed her all the way here? What was he doing now? He wouldn't be able to get inside!
“Mother, there's a rat”, Rosalie said again, this time her voice was slightly shaking. Lyria let out a sigh and turned around, seeing her daughter with a mortified facial expression, looking at a small rat that was calmly walking through the room. The animal didn't even bother to look at Lyria, which caused her to give Rosalie a short glare. “Rosie, was that really necessary?”, she asked.
Rosalie looked at her mother and Lyria saw terror inside of them. “You... you have looked too late. Before you turned around, itt was just... it was standing still and looking at me”, she stuttered. “I think it was watching me...” She was breathing faster now and Lyria finally moved away from the window, watching the rat disappearing into the forge room. She embraced her daughter and felt her shaking in fear.
“Shh, everything is fine, Rosie. If you are afraid, your mind sometimes plays tricks on you”, she said and felt Rosalie shivering. Her daughter looked up and her eyes widened as she let out a short scream while jumping up from her chair. “Behind you!”, she yelled. Lyria quickly turned around, her hammer raised... only to see the rat Rosalie had been panicked over sitting on the windowsill, innocently licking its paws.
Lyria sighed and hold her daughter closely, slightly shaking her head. “Rosie, this is just a rat”, she said and separated from her. She took a step towards the animal, which looked at her with mild interest. “See? There is nothing to fear”, Lyria said and looked at Rosalie, while she slowly moved her left hand towards the rat. For a moment, her daughter indeed seemed to calm down. Suddenly, a terrified expression flashed over Rosalie's face. “Watch out!”, she screamed. In the same moment, pain flashed through Lyria's index finger.
The rat had made a jump towards her, sinking its teeth into the flesh of her finger. Lyria let out a scream of pain as she let go of her hammer, grabbing the rat with her free hand and smashing it onto the windowsill. In the wave of anger her pain caused, she only needed one strike to end the animals life.
Breathing heavily, Lyria looked at her wounded finger. The bite wasn't deep, but still painful. A piece of flesh was missing and for such a small wound, it was bleeding heavily. “My god, what was that?”, Lyria asked, looking at her terrified daughter. “Rosie, bring me some water. I need to clean this”
Without saying a word, Rosalie gave her a nod, her face pale with fear as she scurried towards the storeroom. Lyria looked at her bleeding finger, before she leant down to the ground, to pick up her hammer again. Her gaze fell upon the dead rat. It wasn't the first rat Lyria had killed in her life, but the first that had attacked her. Usually, they were shy creatures, nothing to be afraid of. And then she heard it. Faint laughter, coming from across the street, a malicious chuckle full of perverted joy.
“That was entertaining to watch, blacksmith Mettel”, the familiar voice of Wolfius called her out. Lyria darted towards the window, looking through the gap, only to see nothing. The suspicious shadow was gone.
“Have you thought you could hide from me?”, Wolfius' voice sounded from a different window. Rosalie's surprised scream gave away that he was standing at the small window of the storage room. She had closed it, luckily, but his voice could still be heard. Mortified, Rosalie ran into the main room, clinging to her knife. “Mother, he's here!”, she screamed.
“Don't you worry, you dumb little whore, your mother knows already”, Wolfius shouted from a different window. The small forge room window. “Go away!”, Lyria yelled and was shocked at how meek her voice sounded. Wolfius amused chuckle was predictable. “What do you want? I did everything you want!”, Lyria yelled again.
“Oh, but that's wrong...”, Wolfius voice sounded again, this time from behind the window she was standing at. “You informed the city guard, even though I asked you not to do it... and that, my dear blacksmith Mettel, that is something I can't tolerate” The last words of his sentence were spoken with barely concealed anger and Lyria shivered in terror. Seven Hells, she should have stayed with Richard and the others!
She moved towards the gap between the shutters, looking through it if she could get a glimpse of Wolfius. The first thing she saw was something moving quickly towards her eye and she jumped back, just in time to avoid getting stabbed by his knife. The tip of his blade, sticking through the gap, nearly managed to stab her eye before she was out of reach.
“Good one!”, Wolfius complimented her mockingly, pulling his knife back through the gap and into the nightly darkness. “Truly excellent! Sadly, your reflexes won't help you... Do you really think these walls can keep me out forever?” The hint of his face appeared in the gap, his eye looking at Rosalie. “Hello, Rosalie. You're looking especially lovely today”, he said and Lyria saw her daughter close to a panic attack.
“I can see you, Rosalie”, Wolfius hissed. “I can hear your heart beating in fear. I can smell your terror and I can't wait to taste your blood. You're going to die tonight, you and your mother” Lyria pressed her lips together, swinging her hammer towards the shutters. “Get away!”, she screamed and Wolfius took a step back.
“Away? And where shall I go?”, he asked, his voice signalizing that he was moving around the house. “Perhaps here?”, he asked and pounded against the shutters of the window next to the main door. “Or perhaps here?” The doorknob turned, only for a frustrated sigh to sound as Wolfius realized that he wouldn't be able to open the door. “No? Do you think that table behind the door can keep me out forever? I'll find another way inside...”
Lyria took a step closer to Rosalie, embracing her softly. The girl was crying in fear and shivering like never before. Lyria remembered, Rosalie had always been a strong girl. She barely cried back as her father had been killed by the Ironborn. Seeing her like this, it filled Lyria with helpless rage.
“Or perhaps...”, Wolfius said after a short moment of silence, only to be interrupted by a loud noise, loud and sudden enough to make Rosalie and Lyria scream in surprising fear. And in Lyria's case, the fear was only amplified as she recognized the noise. It was the backdoor, leading from her forge to the outside, the backdoor she had locked! Her hands moved down to her belt, she always carried the key... by the gods, it wasn't there anymore! Desperate tears filled Lyria's eyes as she realized that the keys that locked her inside of this house, the keys that kept Wolfius on the outside have been gone, as she realized that he somehow managed to unlock the backdoor.
“What was that?”, Wolfius voice sounded, surprisingly from behind the maindoor. How had he... Lyria gulped. How had he unlocked the backdoor while standing at the main door? He couldn't have ran back to the main door that quickly, could he? “It sounded as if your impenetrable fortress just opened its gates for me...”, the beast growled.
Lyria looked down at the hammer in her hand and felt the rage inside of her. She was stronger than him, she knew it. He was convinced that he had succeeded in reducing her to a sobbing mess, filled with fear. If she would storm outside now, perhaps she could catch him off guard. Perhaps she could kill him, or at least chase him away. Or perhaps she could at least lure him away from Rosalie. She nearly gave in to the urge, as Rosalie's hand grabbed hers. “Mother, don't...”, the girl whispered with tears in her eyes.
[Stay with Rosalie in the main room][Go outside and confront Wolfius]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
I like this part with Wolfius. Very tension building.
I'm glad to hear that! I wasn't too sure what to write at first, but Wolfius is a character that almost writes himself, so it ended up being very enjoyable for me. As for tension building, just before writing this part I have watched a bit of Until Dawn gameplay on Youtube and it helped to get me in the right mood:D
[Make plans with Ayden] Nope not talking with Harpy. Absolutely not. Plus we need to fight a war.
[Go outside and confront Wolfius] I don… more't like Lyria and Rosalie so hopefully they can both die.
He knew, he couldn't avoid talking to Harpy
He can.
I like this part with Wolfius. Very tension building.
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
[Go outside and talk to Harpy] Come on people, #Jarpy must happen!
[Stay with Rosalie in the main room] I think this is wiser, just my two cents. Not really a big fan of Lyria, but I'll keep myself from purposely trying to kill her
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
[Make plans with Ayden] Eh, not really interested in Harpy right now plus we have work to do, best not to delay.
[Go outside and confront Wolfius] Hiding will only delay the inevitable, let's force a final confrontation! though I doubt this will be a 'final' confrontation.
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said… more. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp f… [view original content]
[Go outside and talk to Harpy] Come on people, #Jarpy must happen!
[Stay with Rosalie in the main room] I think this is wiser, just my two cents. Not really a big fan of Lyria, but I'll keep myself from purposely trying to kill her
Huh, let me try to explain it the best I can. I hope it makes sense.
The easiest way is if you upload it on imgur.com. If I'm not mistaken, you need to sign up there first, but it's free and easy. If you did this, you can upload images from your pc to imgur. Afterwards, you can put them (or any other picture you find somewhere else in the internet) into your comments here in the forum by clicking on the 'image'-button above your comment and copy/pasting the complete url of the image you want to put into your comment.
Comments
[Stay out of it] Nope, Raenna is going to go find her own story line. She don't need to be no side gurl.
(Help him)
[Help him]
[Help him]
[Help him] I need to know who's Terroma's allies, will help us to know who is fighting who.
[Stay out of it] you don't just abandon your old life then go back to it when a friendly face shows up.
I'm loving this, I'm starting to see a more deceitful side to Terroma. I don't know what is but there's something about Raenna I love. I think she might've become my favourite character.
[Help him]
[Stay out of it] Nope, just nope. Raenna ain't getting involved with that shit!
[Stay out of it]
[Stay out of it]
The Voting is closed!
Raenna will help Terroma
That one was a surprisingly close voting. I have to admit, in the first draft of this part, Raenna agreed to help Terroma without you having a choice, the original choice would have been the choice that will likely be at the end of her next part instead. The post-length limit however made me realize that I am better off splitting the parts, so I gave you this choice. I was very surprised that there were so many of you voting to stay out of it, considering that helping Terroma might be a chance to royally kick Butterfly's ass. However, as soon as I gave this choice, I also thought of what would happen if Raenna wouldn't help Terroma. I'm going to be more detailed at the end of this chapter in the alternative choices and perhaps will fully explain the consequences of this vote at the end of this act, but for now, let me just say, not helping him would have been the worst choice you could have made in the entire story so far. It would have been even worse than the choice to deny Samantha's wish the second time she asked to leave for Oldtown at the end of Chapter 3, which would have resulted in the unavoidable deaths of Lucas, Leonard, Lunett and Dairon. Trust me when I say that none of you would have been happy with the consequences and it would have been one of the few choices that would have had entirely negative consequences. A couple of deaths, nearly half a dozen in my early idea, would have been unavoidable. I'm not only talking about obvious characters involved in Raenna's storyline, but also about surprising characters, some of them clear favourites of yours. While these deaths might still happen, they will now depend on your choices in the coming Raenna parts and can be avoided. For now, you really dodged a bullet here.
The next part is half written. It's going to be a part with two PoV's and one of them will be Jaron's PoV. However, I'm still thinking about who I want to have as the second PoV in this part. Currently, I'm thinking about either Maya, Lyria or Jenna, with Lyria being the most likely choice for me at the moment, but I might write about a completely different PoV instead. I hope to finish this part later today.
On another note, a few hours ago the story passed the 100.000 views mark. While about half of these views are probably me refreshing the page to artificially raise the view counter, I'd like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who ever read a part of this story. You're awesome.
Congrats for the 100k views! I've been reading pretty much from the beginning and since that this has been the best thing in these forums! Thank you for writing this awesome story
And wow, I chose the helping option just thinking that it'd be more interesting, but looks like this was much more important choice than I thought
And yess, nice to see Jaron again!
you are the awesome one here
Yay, can't wait for another part... so hungry of your creativity! Really, great job, long time i did not feel so attached to any community.
Hey Liquid I have a question before this chapter started you said who the new PoV's would be and I think you mentioned Ilish, Will we still see her or did you wipe the idea?
Yes, she is still planned to be a PoV later in this chapter. Her storyline will start in the second half of this chapter, since some of the other storylines have to move forwards first, but it shouldn't be too long until she first appears as a PoV, as nearly half of the chapter are already written. I think her storyline should start somewhere in the next two weeks.
Thanks
Jaron
Jaron smirked at Ayden, before turning towards Martin's table. “We'll talk later, Ayden. First, I have a victory to enjoy”, he said. “Fair enough”, Ayden answered, turning towards the hallway. “Make sure to talk to me later. We might have won this fight, but as long as Butterfly's men are out there, the war is not over”
Both men walked into opposite directions, with Jaron approaching Martin and Bakr. The Ghiscari was clearly not sober anymore and Martin's reddened cheeks proved that he had drunken a few glasses as well. The whore sitting on Martin's lap was the first who saw Jaron approaching. She gave Martin a slight nudge and the mercenary looked up, raising his glass with a big grin. “Jaron!”, he yelled. “Get your ass over here!” He pointed at an empty chair in front of him.
Finally, Bakr realized that Jaron was approaching. A big, goofy grin appeared on his face, he attempted to say something, but instead only a loud burp found its way out of his mouth, followed by his roaring laughter.
Jaron sat down in front of Martin, giving him and the whore a slight nod. The woman gave him a slight wink in return. “Jaron, may I introduce you to Keira, the most beautiful whore in Oldtown”, Martin said with a grin. The whore raised an eyebrow and playfully frowned at this remark. “It's not as if I have that much of a competition”, she chuckled and looked at Jaron. “Martin surely has a way with words, hasn't he?”
“Indeed he has”, Jaron answered, looking around if he could find himself a glass of wine. Martin noticed his struggle and raised a hand, which caused a little girl to approach their table. “Come on, girl, bring my friend a stiff drink”, Martin ordered her. “He's a hero, you know”
Jaron noticed that he had to grin at this remark and slightly shook his head. “That stretches it a little bit”, he said. Martin gave him a stern look and took a deep gulp from his wine. “A damn hero”, he repeated and put his glass down. “Keira, I need to, um... you know, the privy”
The whore put a hand on his shoulder and stood up from his lap, allowing him to stand up. Her green eyes looked at Jaron. “You left quite the impression on Martin here”, she explained while sitting down onto the mercenaries chair, looking at Martin, who quickly left the room. “The whole evening he had to repeat your story over and over, how you defied that monster Butterfly against all odds. Of course, he also never failed to mention his own involvement”
“And my involvement!”, Bakr shouted, barely intelligible. “Everyone always forgets about what I did. Split that assholes head right open!” Jaron and Keira looked at him for a short moment, before simultaneously deciding to ignore him. “So, how do you know Martin?”, Jaron asked and was half sure that he would regret it.
Keira seemed to notice his hesitation and slightly rolled with her eyes. “Not in the way you think. He's not a regular customer. In fact, he does not pay”, she explained, before raising her hands. “It's nothing serious either, just a casual fling. Martin is kind and better than most. In a city likes Oldtown, this means a lot”
“Do you know what also means a lot?”, Bakr asked, raising his glass. “Having enough to drink! Back in the old days, during one of my raids to the Dothraki Sea, I was forced to drink a Dothraki beverage, made from horse piss. Actual horse piss!”
He started to chuckle, leaning back on his chair and apparently didn't even expect an answer. Keira glanced at him, before looking back at Jaron. “Where was I?”, she asked, a smirk on her face as she glanced at Bakr again.
Jaron turned his head to his left as he saw the young girl from earlier approaching. Without saying a word, but with a smile on her face, she handed him a large cup, filled to the brink with a clear liquid. Jaron gave her a friendly nod, before smelling at the liquid. A disgusted frown appeared on his face. “Seven Hell, what is this?”
Keira moved forwards, slightly sniffing at his drink. A playful smile appeared on her face. “That's what Martin would call a 'stiff drink'”, she said. “I'm not blaming him. He grew up in Braavos, where they even consider water a 'stiff drink'”
Jaron took a careful sip and felt how the alcohol started to murder his taste buds. Violently coughing, he put the cup back onto the table, which caused Keira to laugh brightly. “Do not worry, Martin reacted the same”, she said.
“Not true!”, Martin's voice sounded as he entered the room again, quickly walking back to their table. He put his hands onto the table, slightly leaning on it as he looked at Jaron. “I reacted far worse. Drank a cup of this and nearly died from it” He looked down at Jaron's left arm, hanging inside of a sling. “So... Harpy told me you blocked a sword with your arm, is that right?”
Jaron gave him a nod, as he remembered this moment. Slight pain flashed through his arm, causing him to shiver. “It was either my arm or my head”, he answered. “And I am lucky that I still have both” “Indeed you are”, Martin answered. “What Harpy told me made you appear downright suicidal, taking on several of Butterfly's men at once, blocking sword strikes with your arm and stuff”
Jaron raised his unwounded hand in protest. “To my defence, I had good armour”, he explained and Martin gave him a grin. “And obviously more luck than judgement”, he answered. “But I'm glad you survived” His grin vanished as he lowered his eyes, a melancholic look in them. “Although not all of us had that much luck. Tell me... how did Robb die?”
Jaron's smirk faded as well. Robb... considering how bad they got along, the man's final actions still baffled him. “Hasn't Harpy told you about it?”, he asked, trying to avoid the topic. He had to admit that he was wrong with his earlier opinion on the man. In the end, Robb had saved his life and Harpy's as well.
Martin slowly shook his head. “She tried her best to avoid talking to me. The little things I got out of her mainly gave me a picture of what you did. She stayed silent when it came to Robb”, he answered and let out a sigh. “She also refused to talk about Butterfly, quite understandably. But I know what happened to that bastard, now I just want to know what happened to Robb”
“He saved us. Me and Harpy”, Jaron answered with a low tone in his voice, taking another gulp from his glass. This time, the alcohol felt a lot less strong. “They got her down on the ground. I had to fight against Butterfly and one of his men, I couldn't help her. Robb killed one of my attackers and engaged Butterfly in single combat” He closed his eyes for a moment, the joy he had felt earlier was all but gone. “He died valiantly and with honour”
Martin pressed his lips together and let out a sigh, which caused Keira to put her hands around his shoulders. “Now that's a surprise”, he muttered. “I was willing to kill him not even a day ago and now... I don't know how to feel about him anymore. He was an asshole, that's undeniable. But he was a loyal asshole and damn fine man in his own way”
With these words, Martin raised his glass. Jaron did the same and to his surprise, even Bakr stopped grinning and grabbed his glass, looking stern and serious. “To Robb”, Martin proclaimed. “And to all the others who died in this war. May their souls find peace, now that their killer is dead”
“I can drink to that”, Bakr mumbled and emptied his cup in a single gulp. Martin and Jaron both took a sip from their alcohol, before putting it down again. Martin gave Keira a slight smile and she smirked at him, before the mercenary looked back at Jaron. “I got to ask you one more thing before I forget it, my friend. What exactly is the situation between you and Harpy now?”
Jaron avoided to look into Martin's eyes as he looked for a good answer. He had never been good talking about his feelings and the situation was uncomfortable for him. “I don't know”, he answered truthfully. “We haven't talked, after the warehouse I mean. I have the feeling she tried to stay away from me”
Martin let out a frustrated sigh, slightly rolling with his eyes. “That's fair, my friend. One more question though”, he said and raised his voice. “Are you the dumbest bastard alive? Sitting here, talking to me and Keira...” “And Bakr!”, Bakr interrupted him loudly. “And Bakr...”, Martin corrected himself. “Talking to me and Keira and Bakr, while that girl is out there waiting for you?”
“Waiting for me?”, Jaron asked in surprise and Martin gave him an annoyed nod. “Well, technically she is apparently trying to drink herself to death...”, he said, before he was interrupted by Bakr again. “I tried that once. Took me a whole day of drinking and in the end I simply passed out in my own vomit. Then again, that girl has only a quarter of my weight...”, he proclaimed, before a glare from Martin cut him off. “Okay, okay, I'm silent”, the Ghiscari mumbled.
“What I wanted to say is, technically she is not waiting for you, but I'm sure she would appreciate your company”, Martin explained. “I don't know”, Jaron answered, looking for a way to change the course of this conversation. “What if she, you know, does not share my feelings?”
“What if she...?”, Martin gasped. “Are you serious right now? You saved that girl's life back in the warehouse, risking your own in the process. Do your pal Martin a favour, get up, go outside to the balcony and get that girl. Now's the time!” The mercenary and Keira exchanged a short glance, before they were interrupted again by Bakr.
“You know, that's actually not a good tactic”, he interjected. “Back in my days, I knew exactly how to handle a woman and even now, you should listen to my advice over that boy-faced sellsword over there” He leant forwards, ignoring the glare coming from Martin. “Let her wait for a little bit. I have counted. She's still at her first bottle, which is good, but it could be better. So here's what you're going to do; Step one, do something else for a while. Step two, come back later. Step three, go outside to find her pissed drunken and ready for everything. Step four, you win”
Jaron looked from Martin to Bakr. Both men seemed to be convinced that their advice was better and both men looked at Jaron, awaiting a decision. He knew, he couldn't avoid talking to Harpy forever. And didn't even want to avoid it. But then he remembered Ayden Blackwell, who had urged him to meet up with him, to make a plan about their next move in this war.
[Go outside and talk to Harpy] [Make plans with Ayden first]
Lyria
Through a small gap between the shutters, Lyria kept an eye on the street. The door was locked and with Rosalie's help, she had moved the large wooden table out of her dining room in front of it. The backdoor was locked twice. The shutters in front of every window in her house were closed. It was dark outside, but the main room of her house was brightly illuminated. Lyria was holding her forging hammer, Rosalie had a long knife lying next to her. By all means, a single man should be unable to break into her house. But still, Lyria Mettel felt threatened.
She had left Richard and his friends on their own. Helping the city guard, giving them valuable information, that was her duty as a citizen. Fighting alongside them against highly trained killers, that was suicide. It was presumptuous to assume that she, a simple blacksmith, could make any difference in this fight. And so she had returned home, locked the door and shut the windows, waiting until Richard and the others would return with good news. Wolfius was out in the city, perhaps looking for her, perhaps looking for Rosalie or for someone else entirely. Until he was gone, she would stay vigilant. She had already lost her husband to a killer, she wouldn't loose her daughter too!
“Mother...”, Rosalie said with shaking voice, just as Lyria thought she spotted a figure, standing in the shadows of the alleyway that opposed her house. “What is it?”, Lyria growled, her eyes not moving away from the suspicious shadow. Yes, that was almost certainly a figure... had Wolfius followed her all the way here? What was he doing now? He wouldn't be able to get inside!
“Mother, there's a rat”, Rosalie said again, this time her voice was slightly shaking. Lyria let out a sigh and turned around, seeing her daughter with a mortified facial expression, looking at a small rat that was calmly walking through the room. The animal didn't even bother to look at Lyria, which caused her to give Rosalie a short glare. “Rosie, was that really necessary?”, she asked.
Rosalie looked at her mother and Lyria saw terror inside of them. “You... you have looked too late. Before you turned around, itt was just... it was standing still and looking at me”, she stuttered. “I think it was watching me...” She was breathing faster now and Lyria finally moved away from the window, watching the rat disappearing into the forge room. She embraced her daughter and felt her shaking in fear.
“Shh, everything is fine, Rosie. If you are afraid, your mind sometimes plays tricks on you”, she said and felt Rosalie shivering. Her daughter looked up and her eyes widened as she let out a short scream while jumping up from her chair. “Behind you!”, she yelled. Lyria quickly turned around, her hammer raised... only to see the rat Rosalie had been panicked over sitting on the windowsill, innocently licking its paws.
Lyria sighed and hold her daughter closely, slightly shaking her head. “Rosie, this is just a rat”, she said and separated from her. She took a step towards the animal, which looked at her with mild interest. “See? There is nothing to fear”, Lyria said and looked at Rosalie, while she slowly moved her left hand towards the rat. For a moment, her daughter indeed seemed to calm down. Suddenly, a terrified expression flashed over Rosalie's face. “Watch out!”, she screamed. In the same moment, pain flashed through Lyria's index finger.
The rat had made a jump towards her, sinking its teeth into the flesh of her finger. Lyria let out a scream of pain as she let go of her hammer, grabbing the rat with her free hand and smashing it onto the windowsill. In the wave of anger her pain caused, she only needed one strike to end the animals life.
Breathing heavily, Lyria looked at her wounded finger. The bite wasn't deep, but still painful. A piece of flesh was missing and for such a small wound, it was bleeding heavily. “My god, what was that?”, Lyria asked, looking at her terrified daughter. “Rosie, bring me some water. I need to clean this”
Without saying a word, Rosalie gave her a nod, her face pale with fear as she scurried towards the storeroom. Lyria looked at her bleeding finger, before she leant down to the ground, to pick up her hammer again. Her gaze fell upon the dead rat. It wasn't the first rat Lyria had killed in her life, but the first that had attacked her. Usually, they were shy creatures, nothing to be afraid of. And then she heard it. Faint laughter, coming from across the street, a malicious chuckle full of perverted joy.
“That was entertaining to watch, blacksmith Mettel”, the familiar voice of Wolfius called her out. Lyria darted towards the window, looking through the gap, only to see nothing. The suspicious shadow was gone.
“Have you thought you could hide from me?”, Wolfius' voice sounded from a different window. Rosalie's surprised scream gave away that he was standing at the small window of the storage room. She had closed it, luckily, but his voice could still be heard. Mortified, Rosalie ran into the main room, clinging to her knife. “Mother, he's here!”, she screamed.
“Don't you worry, you dumb little whore, your mother knows already”, Wolfius shouted from a different window. The small forge room window. “Go away!”, Lyria yelled and was shocked at how meek her voice sounded. Wolfius amused chuckle was predictable. “What do you want? I did everything you want!”, Lyria yelled again.
“Oh, but that's wrong...”, Wolfius voice sounded again, this time from behind the window she was standing at. “You informed the city guard, even though I asked you not to do it... and that, my dear blacksmith Mettel, that is something I can't tolerate” The last words of his sentence were spoken with barely concealed anger and Lyria shivered in terror. Seven Hells, she should have stayed with Richard and the others!
She moved towards the gap between the shutters, looking through it if she could get a glimpse of Wolfius. The first thing she saw was something moving quickly towards her eye and she jumped back, just in time to avoid getting stabbed by his knife. The tip of his blade, sticking through the gap, nearly managed to stab her eye before she was out of reach.
“Good one!”, Wolfius complimented her mockingly, pulling his knife back through the gap and into the nightly darkness. “Truly excellent! Sadly, your reflexes won't help you... Do you really think these walls can keep me out forever?” The hint of his face appeared in the gap, his eye looking at Rosalie. “Hello, Rosalie. You're looking especially lovely today”, he said and Lyria saw her daughter close to a panic attack.
“I can see you, Rosalie”, Wolfius hissed. “I can hear your heart beating in fear. I can smell your terror and I can't wait to taste your blood. You're going to die tonight, you and your mother” Lyria pressed her lips together, swinging her hammer towards the shutters. “Get away!”, she screamed and Wolfius took a step back.
“Away? And where shall I go?”, he asked, his voice signalizing that he was moving around the house. “Perhaps here?”, he asked and pounded against the shutters of the window next to the main door. “Or perhaps here?” The doorknob turned, only for a frustrated sigh to sound as Wolfius realized that he wouldn't be able to open the door. “No? Do you think that table behind the door can keep me out forever? I'll find another way inside...”
Lyria took a step closer to Rosalie, embracing her softly. The girl was crying in fear and shivering like never before. Lyria remembered, Rosalie had always been a strong girl. She barely cried back as her father had been killed by the Ironborn. Seeing her like this, it filled Lyria with helpless rage.
“Or perhaps...”, Wolfius said after a short moment of silence, only to be interrupted by a loud noise, loud and sudden enough to make Rosalie and Lyria scream in surprising fear. And in Lyria's case, the fear was only amplified as she recognized the noise. It was the backdoor, leading from her forge to the outside, the backdoor she had locked! Her hands moved down to her belt, she always carried the key... by the gods, it wasn't there anymore! Desperate tears filled Lyria's eyes as she realized that the keys that locked her inside of this house, the keys that kept Wolfius on the outside have been gone, as she realized that he somehow managed to unlock the backdoor.
“What was that?”, Wolfius voice sounded, surprisingly from behind the maindoor. How had he... Lyria gulped. How had he unlocked the backdoor while standing at the main door? He couldn't have ran back to the main door that quickly, could he? “It sounded as if your impenetrable fortress just opened its gates for me...”, the beast growled.
Lyria looked down at the hammer in her hand and felt the rage inside of her. She was stronger than him, she knew it. He was convinced that he had succeeded in reducing her to a sobbing mess, filled with fear. If she would storm outside now, perhaps she could catch him off guard. Perhaps she could kill him, or at least chase him away. Or perhaps she could at least lure him away from Rosalie. She nearly gave in to the urge, as Rosalie's hand grabbed hers. “Mother, don't...”, the girl whispered with tears in her eyes.
[Stay with Rosalie in the main room] [Go outside and confront Wolfius]
[Make plans with Ayden]
[Go outside and confront Wolfius] This could be a bad idea because he probably brought someone to help.
[Make plans with Ayden] Nope not talking with Harpy. Absolutely not. Plus we need to fight a war.
[Go outside and confront Wolfius] I don't like Lyria and Rosalie so hopefully they can both die.
He can.
I like this part with Wolfius. Very tension building.
(Make plans with Ayden first)
(Stay with Rosalie in the main room)
Not forever. Probably. Maybe.
I'm glad to hear that! I wasn't too sure what to write at first, but Wolfius is a character that almost writes himself, so it ended up being very enjoyable for me. As for tension building, just before writing this part I have watched a bit of Until Dawn gameplay on Youtube and it helped to get me in the right mood:D
[Make plans with Ayden]
[Go outside and confront Wolfius] Let's smash his head open with our hammer!
[Make plans with Ayden]
[Stay with Rosalie in the main room]
[Make plans with Ayden]
[Go outside and confront Wolfius]
[Go outside and talk to Harpy]
[Stay with Rosalie in the main room]
Finally caught up!!
One question:
[Go outside and talk to Harpy] Start her!
[Stay with Rosalie in the main room] In the past, it always was that choices which give us some time turn out better. I hope it's friend at back door.
[Go outside and talk to Harpy] [Stay with Rosalie in the main room]
[Make plans with Ayden]
[Go outside and confront Wolfius]
[Go outside and talk to Harpy] Come on people, #Jarpy must happen!
[Stay with Rosalie in the main room] I think this is wiser, just my two cents. Not really a big fan of Lyria, but I'll keep myself from purposely trying to kill her
[Make plans with Ayden] Come on, we seriously need to figure out how to deal with Butterfly
[Go outside and confront Wolfius] This choice may get Rosalie fucked if there are two people stalking the house, so lets hope for the best here.
[Make plans with Ayden] Eh, not really interested in Harpy right now plus we have work to do, best not to delay.
[Go outside and confront Wolfius] Hiding will only delay the inevitable, let's force a final confrontation! though I doubt this will be a 'final' confrontation.
Very good episode.
The first one is easy for me.
[Go outside and talk to Harpy]
But the second one is really hard
[Stay with Rosalie in the main room] dont want her to die
I'm sure Wolfius is not alone.
I'm doing a Tales fan fic
https://www.telltalegames.com/community/discussion/99463/my-fan-fic-for-season-2-wip?new=1
does anyone know how i can upload images? q.q
I ship jarpy too! q.q
Huh, let me try to explain it the best I can. I hope it makes sense.
The easiest way is if you upload it on imgur.com. If I'm not mistaken, you need to sign up there first, but it's free and easy. If you did this, you can upload images from your pc to imgur. Afterwards, you can put them (or any other picture you find somewhere else in the internet) into your comments here in the forum by clicking on the 'image'-button above your comment and copy/pasting the complete url of the image you want to put into your comment.
This is awesome and it's great to hear that!
And I see InGen is already asking the real questions
Not to be rude that's great and all but not really relevant to this thread. I'm always worried about sounding like an ass when I say shit like this.