Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
I exactly predicted that Sherryl would be able to catch them. Fuck her. [Follow Gregar's plan] This could easily backfire, but there is no way into talking through Harris with his dumbass and that bitch Sheryll.
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
Lyria
“I won't do it”, Lyria mumbled, her voice getting stronger and more angry with every second. “You're just going to kill her if I gi… moreve up on my weapon” She glared at Wolfius, who had a twisted grin on his face. “Oh, what a clever little blacksmith you are”, he complimented her. “But now, I'm going to kill her anyway” With these words, he started to apply pressure on his knife, causing the edge to slightly cut into Rosalie's belly.
The sound of her daughter crying in pain caused Lyria to boil with anger. She raised her hammer and charged at Wolfius, only to stop dead in her tracks as Wolfius pushed the knife deeper into Rosalie's belly, this time deep enough to stain her dress with blood. “For every step you take closer towards me, I'm going to hurt her a bit more”, Wolfius growled. “So, think hard about your next action” Lyria just stood there, frozen in terror, as Rosalie let out increasingly panicked screams, before her body quic… [view original content]
The next part is definitely going to be an Ilish part, although I am not yet sure if it will be long enough for a full part. Perhaps I will put in another part for either Alys, Richard or Jenna.
The next part is definitely going to be an Ilish part, although I am not yet sure if it will be long enough for a full part. Perhaps I will put in another part for either Alys, Richard or Jenna.
He, together with Philip, Urid and Jarow, teamed up with the city guard under Hackor and the castle guard under Darren to fight against the assassins in the warehouse. Unfortunately, they walked right into Clayton's trap and were utterly destroyed by Alysanne and a lot of fire. Jarow and Hackor got wounded, but are still alive, while Richard only managed to survive a fight against Alysanne thanks to Philip's timely intervention. With Kersea's help, Alysanne managed to escape the burning warehouse as well, wounded but alive. In the end, Richard had a choice to save either Urid or Darren, who were both too wounded to move out of the burning warehouse on their own. He chose to save Darren and trusted Philip to save Urid at the same time. I probably should include short recaps like this every time I close the voting and announce which PoV I'm going to write about next
He, together with Philip, Urid and Jarow, teamed up with the city guard under Hackor and the castle guard under Darren to fight against the … moreassassins in the warehouse. Unfortunately, they walked right into Clayton's trap and were utterly destroyed by Alysanne and a lot of fire. Jarow and Hackor got wounded, but are still alive, while Richard only managed to survive a fight against Alysanne thanks to Philip's timely intervention. With Kersea's help, Alysanne managed to escape the burning warehouse as well, wounded but alive. In the end, Richard had a choice to save either Urid or Darren, who were both too wounded to move out of the burning warehouse on their own. He chose to save Darren and trusted Philip to save Urid at the same time. I probably should include short recaps like this every time I close the voting and announce which PoV I'm going to write about next
Maya will follow Gregar's plan and try to break into the archive
I was hoping for this outcome and I am not exactly surprised by it. As much as careful diplomatic actions can be the best course of action at some times, this choice just guaranteed a more exciting storyline for Team Maya in the next chapter. Of course, it's also going to have big consequences, since it is changing her whole storyline.
The next part will be out later today and it will be an Ilish part. Now, thanks to Bounden, I had the idea to include a small recap every time I close the voting, about what happened in the last part of the PoV I'm going to write about next. I know, the number of storylines and their respective cast of characters can get confusing at times, especially when there are week-long gaps between the parts of some PoV's, so I hope this will help you a little bit with remembering. So, Ilish's last part was also the first time we saw her as a PoV. It was more of an introductory part for her. We saw an unusually busy evening for Ilish, in which she met a lot of different new characters, most importantly, Ser Rodrik Stone, who arrived in Raylansfair after plotting with Bear in the last chapter. In the end, she saw a mysterious stranger who was apparently creeping on her friend and fellow barmaid Daisy. She teamed up with Lawsen, a helpful guy whom Ilish is somewhat acquainted with, in order to confront this stranger.
The Voting is closed!
Maya will follow Gregar's plan and try to break into the archive
I was hoping for this outcome and I am not exac… moretly surprised by it. As much as careful diplomatic actions can be the best course of action at some times, this choice just guaranteed a more exciting storyline for Team Maya in the next chapter. Of course, it's also going to have big consequences, since it is changing her whole storyline.
The next part will be out later today and it will be an Ilish part. Now, thanks to Bounden, I had the idea to include a small recap every time I close the voting, about what happened in the last part of the PoV I'm going to write about next. I know, the number of storylines and their respective cast of characters can get confusing at times, especially when there are week-long gaps between the parts of some PoV's, so I hope this will help you a little bit with remembering. So, Ilish's last part was also the first time… [view original content]
Interesting theory. Wolfius indeed said that he has someone in Raylansfair who would work with him, but I can neither confirm nor deny if it is the stranger from Ilish's storyline. The nature of the partner is going to be revealed the next time Wolfius appears, that's all I can say about it.
Interesting theory. Wolfius indeed said that he has someone in Raylansfair who would work with him, but I can neither confirm nor deny if it… more is the stranger from Ilish's storyline. The nature of the partner is going to be revealed the next time Wolfius appears, that's all I can say about it.
The Voting is closed!
Maya will follow Gregar's plan and try to break into the archive
I was hoping for this outcome and I am not exac… moretly surprised by it. As much as careful diplomatic actions can be the best course of action at some times, this choice just guaranteed a more exciting storyline for Team Maya in the next chapter. Of course, it's also going to have big consequences, since it is changing her whole storyline.
The next part will be out later today and it will be an Ilish part. Now, thanks to Bounden, I had the idea to include a small recap every time I close the voting, about what happened in the last part of the PoV I'm going to write about next. I know, the number of storylines and their respective cast of characters can get confusing at times, especially when there are week-long gaps between the parts of some PoV's, so I hope this will help you a little bit with remembering. So, Ilish's last part was also the first time… [view original content]
Alright, I got some kinda bad news, although there's also something good to say. Sadly, I am almost sure this part won't be finished today. The main reason is, it is huge. Extremely long, kinda like the last Samantha part. I am currently 5000 letters over the post-length limit. Now, I am always above this limit in every single part and I always have to cut a few hundred letters to make it into the limit, or else my post gets cut off at some point. This time, I realized that I can't cut anything, especially no 5000 letters, instead I can only enhance to make it two full parts worth of content. Greatly enhance to be precise, because one particular scene in the next Ilish part is extremely important and deserves more than just a single page to be dealt with. It's going to be a revelation of some sorts and I am afraid I am not satisfied with keeping it short. As a result, I will without a doubt not manage to finish the next part today. On the positive side though, it is going to be a huge part, similar in length to the last Samantha part and it will be out tomorrow, after some enhancing and rewriting. Late tomorrow, to be precise, when hopefully most of you have already played and mourned the final episode of Tales from the Borderlands. So, stay tuned, the next part will have a big twist in it and it should be worth the longer wait.
The Voting is closed!
Maya will follow Gregar's plan and try to break into the archive
I was hoping for this outcome and I am not exac… moretly surprised by it. As much as careful diplomatic actions can be the best course of action at some times, this choice just guaranteed a more exciting storyline for Team Maya in the next chapter. Of course, it's also going to have big consequences, since it is changing her whole storyline.
The next part will be out later today and it will be an Ilish part. Now, thanks to Bounden, I had the idea to include a small recap every time I close the voting, about what happened in the last part of the PoV I'm going to write about next. I know, the number of storylines and their respective cast of characters can get confusing at times, especially when there are week-long gaps between the parts of some PoV's, so I hope this will help you a little bit with remembering. So, Ilish's last part was also the first time… [view original content]
Yes, although fighting might be a bit too much. Marak has only planned to intervene so far and even though he is not exactly as smart as he thinks he is, he is still not dumb enough to attack a man like Rodrik without a weapon. But there will be a confrontation of some sorts between them in the next part.
Alright, I got some kinda bad news, although there's also something good to say. Sadly, I am almost sure this part won't be finished today. … moreThe main reason is, it is huge. Extremely long, kinda like the last Samantha part. I am currently 5000 letters over the post-length limit. Now, I am always above this limit in every single part and I always have to cut a few hundred letters to make it into the limit, or else my post gets cut off at some point. This time, I realized that I can't cut anything, especially no 5000 letters, instead I can only enhance to make it two full parts worth of content. Greatly enhance to be precise, because one particular scene in the next Ilish part is extremely important and deserves more than just a single page to be dealt with. It's going to be a revelation of some sorts and I am afraid I am not satisfied with keeping it short. As a result, I will without a doubt not manage to finish the next part today. On the pos… [view original content]
Yes, although fighting might be a bit too much. Marak has only planned to intervene so far and even though he is not exactly as smart as he … morethinks he is, he is still not dumb enough to attack a man like Rodrik without a weapon. But there will be a confrontation of some sorts between them in the next part.
Alright, I got some kinda bad news, although there's also something good to say. Sadly, I am almost sure this part won't be finished today. … moreThe main reason is, it is huge. Extremely long, kinda like the last Samantha part. I am currently 5000 letters over the post-length limit. Now, I am always above this limit in every single part and I always have to cut a few hundred letters to make it into the limit, or else my post gets cut off at some point. This time, I realized that I can't cut anything, especially no 5000 letters, instead I can only enhance to make it two full parts worth of content. Greatly enhance to be precise, because one particular scene in the next Ilish part is extremely important and deserves more than just a single page to be dealt with. It's going to be a revelation of some sorts and I am afraid I am not satisfied with keeping it short. As a result, I will without a doubt not manage to finish the next part today. On the pos… [view original content]
Ilish narrowed her eyes as she looked at the stranger with the widely brimmed hat. His whole face was hidden underneath it, but she had no doubt that he was currently looking in her direction, at the visibly shaken Daisy. “I'm going to throw that guy out if necessary”, she hissed and Daisy gave her an alarmed stare. “But... what if he is dangerous?”
“Look at him”, Ilish said and Daisy did her the favour, turning her gaze to the stranger. He was short, almost half a head shorter than Ilish, who always considered herself a small girl. On top of that, he was thin, scrawny, at least not threatening from his looks alone. However, his mannerisms were something else entirely. The way he just sat there, half in the shadows and completely motionless, his chest barely raising from his breath... Ilish could understand why Daisy was afraid of him. And because of that, she had to intervene.
She started to walk towards the stranger and Lawsen jumped up from his chair. “Wait for me”, he called out for her and quickly walked up to her. “If that guy is dangerous, I can help you” Ilish raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. While Lawsen was a bit taller than she was, he was almost as scrawny as the stranger. “You can help?”, she asked. Lawsen was quick to nod and he even gave her a slight smile. “Don't judge a book by it's cover. That applies to me just as well as to that guy”, he explained.
As they walked towards this strange man together, Ilish noticed that he barely seemed to react to their approaching. Instead, he sat there unsettlingly calm and without motion, his face still shrouded in shadows, but his gaze still focussed on Daisy, who was now working near the counter. He didn't even look up as Ilish and Lawsen stopped directly in front of his table. It was unnerving how she was still not able to see his face.
“Hey, you”, she tried to start a conversation. As expected, he didn't react, even though his breathing got slightly raspy for a moment. “Do you hear me?”, she asked again. “Can you understand me?” After she still got no reaction, Ilish let out a frustrated sigh.
“Okay, I know you can hear me. My name is Ilish, I am a barmaid. Listen, I know you've been watching my friend Daisy for the whole night. There's nothing wrong with looking at her, you know. She is a fine-looking girl after all”, she tried it with a different approach. “But you're overdoing it. She feels a bit harassed, even threatened by you and that's not okay. I'm sure you mean nothing bad, but just stop it before it gets worse”
The stranger still didn't show any reaction that even acknowledged her presence and finally, Ilish started to feel uneasy around him as well. And she realized that she started to loose her temper with him. If there was one thing Ilish truly hated, it was being ignored. She and Lawsen exchanged a look and her companion shrugged. Finally, Ilish slammed her fist down onto the table. “Alright, stop ignoring me!”, she growled. “And even more importantly, stop bothering Daisy. She has it hard enough already from people like you, you understand what I'm saying, you godsdamn creep?”
Finally, she realized that the stranger acknowledged her presence. He audibly hold his breath for a moment, still not looking at her. “Kreep?”, he asked with a completely monotone voice. “This is interesting. How do you know my name?” With these words, he finally raised his head and looked at her, even though Ilish immediately wished he wouldn't have done it. “Oh my god!”, she exclaimed and finally understood why he hid his face underneath this hat
The strangers' face was horribly disfigured. A part of his lips and his entire left cheek, from the cheekbone down to the chin was missing, as if it had been chewed off or perhaps cut off, exposing his teeth, gum and even part of his bone. The horrible wound was old and the flesh around it was scarred, the skin deathly pale. The remaining part of his face revealed that he was in his late teens at best, but the look in his grey eyes was as dull and dead as someone who had seen too much in his life. Short, dark blonde hair was visible underneath his hat.
“Your... your face...”, Ilish stuttered, looking at the stranger completely horrified. “How do you know my name?”, he asked again in return, his voice still completely monotone. “Have you talked to the blacksmith's girl?”
Despite the shock she was in, Ilish understood what he said and she did not like it at all. “The blacksmith's girl?”, she asked. “You mean Rosalie Mettel? What do you have to do with her?” Ilish didn't knew Rosalie Mettel very well. She was one of Daisy's friends, a nice and pleasant, but slightly shallow girl. And the way this man said 'the blacksmith's girl' made her shiver.
“Yes, I have met her a few hours ago. She is very pretty”, the Stranger answered, without even the hint of an emotion in his voice. “Tell me, how do you know my name?” Ilish narrowed her eyes in confusion, before she understood what he was saying. “Your name is creep?”, she asked and the young man shook his head. “Kreep”, he corrected her. “My name is Kreep”
Ilish and Lawsen exchanged a confused look and this time, Lawsen shook his head. “Kreep is not a name”, he insisted, although he pronounced the word slowly, as if he was talking to an imbecile. Given the disfigured man's flat, monotone way of speaking, Ilish had almost a similar impression, but behind his dull grey eyes, she saw the hint of a frightening intelligence.
“It is my name”, Kreep insisted and slowly raised from his chair. “This blacksmith's girl... her name is Rosalie? She called me by it and I decided to keep it. I don't think I have another name. At least I don't remember...” He slowly bowed his head and Ilish was unsure if it was meant as a sign of respect, or as a threatening gesture. “I have no problem with you. I apologize for bothering the pretty barmaid”, he said and his voice made it clear that he wasn't sorry at all.
Before Ilish could react, Kreep grabbed her by the shoulders, fast enough to cause her to suppress a scream. Lawsen gave her an alarmed look, but before he was able to do anything, Kreep had pushed Ilish to the site, gently, but with a strength that was terrifying, compared to his scrawny body. “I will leave now”, he proclaimed. “I have to find my father”
“Your father?”, Ilish asked, still baffled by his disfigured looks, his strange way of speaking and his frightening strength. “Who is your father?” Kreep shrugged and for a moment, it looked like the remaining part of his lips formed a gruesome smile. “I don't know. That's why I'm looking for him”, he explained as if the question was fully answered that way. Before Ilish could say another thing, he turned around, pulling his hat deeply into his face in the process, and started to walk out of the tavern.
Ilish and Lawsen were only able to look after him for a moment, until Ilish felt the need to say something to end the silence between them. “So, that was...”, she started to say, but Lawsen cut her off first. “Creepy?”, he asked with a smirk. Ilish raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “Please, don't go there, Lawsen”, she mumbled and shook her head. “That was scary”
Lawsen gave her a short nod. “I agree”, he muttered. “I'm just glad this guy left without causing a big scene. He gave me a bad feeling” Ilish had to gulp as she thought how easily he could have knocked her out with his strength. “Same here”, she agreed. Lawsen slightly chuckled, even though it was a stilted, fake chuckle, barely hiding how worried he was. “So... I was glad to help. I'm going to leave now, going back to my table. If we don't speak to each other again tonight, have a pleasant evening”, he said and Ilish gave him a thankful smile.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Daisy slowly approaching. Her friend had a relieved smile on her face as she looked from Ilish to the door the stranger just disappeared from. “Thank you, Ilish”, Daisy said and quickly gave her a short hug. Ilish pressed her lips together, still thinking about what Kreep might have done to her friend if she hadn't intervene. “Have you seen his face?”, she asked and Daisy's smile vanished. “Yes”, she admitted. “I... I am glad you dealt with him”
She wanted to say something else, but a loud noise cut her off, from behind her, in the middle of the tavern, where the sellswords sat. As Ilish and Daisy turned around, they saw Rodrik, the sellsword knight. He had raised from his chair, his left hand raised, the right hovering above the hilt of his sword, his face reddened with anger. “What have you said, you little bitch?”, he growled and then, Ilish saw it. On the ground, holding her cheek, lay Megur, Audrey's daughter and Daisy's cousin. Optically, she looked a lot like Ilish imagined a younger Audrey, with the same vibrant hair, a similarly chubby body and a plump face. She tried to crawl away from the knight, who quickly put one of his boots onto her belly. “You think you can just insult me? I am a knight and you will show respect!”
By now, the talk in the tavern had died down and most of the customers looked at the scenery in surprise, horror and, in some cases, anticipation. Daisy grabbed Ilish by the arm, slowly attempting to pull her towards the knight. “Come on”, she urged her. “We have to do something”
Ilish slightly shook her head and felt appropriately bad for it. “You see that guy? He's chopping us to pieces if we try anything” Daisy's grip on her shoulder got harder, as the girl looked from Ilish to the knight in horror. “That's my cousin over there”, she muttered and Ilish closed her eyes. That was typical for Daisy. Megur wasn't exactly the most shining example of a good cousin and if their roles would be reversed, she wouldn't think about intervening, but Daisy was the complete opposite. She had to help, even if it was dangerous to provoke this knight any more and even if there was little both of them could do against a man as tall as Rodrik.
Before Ilish even had to hold her friend back, someone else thankfully intervened. A tall man, at least as tall as the knight, with bright red hair and a long, bushy beard, raised from his chair near the counter. Ilish had seen him earlier, first talking to the chubby man with the moustache and Alan Harking, later talking to the beautiful lady in red. He was the only one to intervene and the only one who looked strong enough to intervene at the same time. “Now, what is the meaning of this?”, he growled. “That's not how you treat a lady”
Ser Rodrik focussed his gaze on the red-haired man, his hand slowly grabbing the hilt of his sword. It was Valyrian Steel, she had no doubt about it. Normal steel wasn't supposed to be that dark and to shimmer at the same time. And there was a ruby in its pommel, shaped like a heart and big enough to be worth more than the whole inn. Before the red-haired man could do anything, Rodrik had drawn his sword and pointed it directly at his throat, the edge of the blade painfully close to cut it. “None of your business”, he answered. “The bitch insulted me”
“Because you're too stingy to pay, prick!”, Megur spat from the ground and earned herself a kick in the side. “Rodrik”, one of the sellswords behind him said. Ilish recognized him as Alexander, the man she had talked to earlier. He looked genuinely concerned and a bit shocked at the knights actions. “Rodrik, don't provoke a fight, please. Look around, there are far too many...”
The knight cut him off by slamming his left elbow into his face. Alexander stumbled backwards, holding his nose, as blood flew out from between his hands. He slowly sank to the ground, just as Rodrik slowly lowered his sword, releasing the red-haired man. Apparently he indeed realized how many people he would be up against if he would start a fight. “You want to get paid, huh?”, he snarled at Megur, before he sheathed his sword and reached for his purse. No one said a word as he grabbed a handful of silver coins and let them fall down onto Megur's head. The girl cringed back as good as possible as she was hit by the hard coins and the knight turned around.
“Second Sons!”, he exclaimed. “We're leaving. It's going to be a busy night” While his men raised from their chairs and grabbed their weapons, he looked down onto the bleeding Alexander. “You're coming?”, he asked and the sellsword looked up. “You fucking broke my nose Rodrik!”, he muttered. Instead of answering, the knight stepped past him. “I'm taking that as a 'No'”, he growled and walked out, leaving Alexander behind.
Daisy and Ilish ran over to Megur and while Daisy helped her cousin up, Ilish looked at Alexander, letting out a sigh, before finally extending a hand to help him up. “I can do it alone”, Megur hissed and slapped Daisy's hand away as she got up, quickly collecting Rodrik's silver coins. With a forced smile on her face, she looked at the red-haired man, who was slightly holding his throat. Rodrik's sword had barely grazed it, although it was clear that it could have easily been worse. “Thank you”, Megur chirped, as she walked past him, towards her mother. “He nearly killed me”, the red-haired man mumbled, without even looking at her. “Nearly killed me just for intervening”
“Yeah, that's Rodrik for you”, Alexander said, while Ilish helped him up. He gave her a thankful smile. “Ser Rodrik Stone, also known as 'The Kinslayer', a wanted man in the Kingdom of the Mountain and Vale. He killed men for less”, he continued, as he sat down on a chair. “You see, my earlier warning has not been misplaced. It was genuine concern. Letting him wait was not a good idea, because now he is in a murderous mood”
Even though she had no real reason to do it, Ilish reached into her pocket, giving Alexander a small linen for his bleeding nose. He gave her another thankful smile, as he pressed the linen against his nose. “I had to help my friend”, Ilish insisted. “I couldn't know he would outright try to kill someone”
“Rodrik lives for bloodshed and brutality. He is absolutely ruthless”, Alexander explained. “He even killed his own father, the old Lord Corbray out of pure spite” Ilish sat down next to him, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. “So, how did you end up working for a man like him?”, she asked. “You don't seem that bad”
Alexander chuckled at these words. “Out of habit”, he answered. “I lived in Slaver's Bay for most of my live, the only son of exiled Volantene merchants. Befriended the wrong people in my early teens. I got into some fights and noticed that I had a talent. Because of that, I finally joined the Second Sons, back when Rodrik was still an ordinary member of them”
Ilish gave him a nod. “Yeah. I know stories like that. And suddenly, you find yourself working in a job you hate, for a man you despise, but strangely unwilling to just quit”, she mumbled. “My father had the same problem and I like to imagine that my brother has it at the moment” She avoided eye contact for a moment as she had to remember Carvin. “So, why are the Second Sons in Westeros?”, she asked to fill the uncomfortable silence.
“To explain that, I have to speak verbosely. Four banners, among it the one Rodrik is currently leading, got hired by some bloodthirsty bastard who fights in the contested lands in the old kingdom of Sarnor” His voice got a slightly bitter tone as he continued. “Nain Anturion”, he mumbled. “One of the worst monsters I ever had the questionable honour of serving under. He and Rodrik got along well, very well actually. They had a similar interest in killing people and in less than two years, Rodrik managed to achieve command over a full banner”
“So, you have a history of working for assholes?”, Ilish asked and Alexander smirked slightly. “Looks like it, right?”, he chuckled. “I mean, my work has never been that bad. I mostly had to stand guard somewhere and occasionally I had to fight against someone, but it could have been worse”
“You haven't answered my question”, Ilish remarked and Alexander gave her a nod. “You are right, of course. While Nain has hired the whole company, he chose one of the best banners, Rodrik's to be precise, to travel to Westeros, to help his brother out with his own plan. Edward Anturion is a complete bastard, but compared to Nain, he is a saint. Nain is someone who slaughters villages for fun, while Edward is nothing more than a high-ranking and immensely ambitious captain in the court of Aeron Blacksails, the pirate king. Ruthless, but reasonable”
“You mean, Rodrik is only a henchman in whatever plan he is following here?”, Ilish asked. Alexander shrugged, apparently thinking for a moment. “I don't know that much about it. Rodrik is searching for something, but he rarely shares any details about his plans with us”, he explained. “I know, it can't be good for your city, or else Anturion would be here personally”
Ilish narrowed her eyes as she looked around. The red-haired man was gone, now talking to the lady in the red dress. Megur was talking to Audrey, quite loudly, while Daisy continued to serve the few guests who hadn't left already. No one was listening to them. “So, why are you telling me all of this? I doubt Rodrik would approve”, she hissed.
“I doubt Rodrik will ever know, unless you plan to tell him”, Alexander answered. “Aside from that, at the moment I couldn't care less for what Rodrik would approve of” He slightly touched his bleeding nose and shivered from the pain. “That bastard went too far”
Ilish slowly nodded in agreement. “I guess he did. What are your plans now?”, she asked. Alexander sighed. “Waiting for Rodrik to return. I have no idea where he is going, but I think he'll come back to get me later. The only good quality about Rodrik is his loyalty to his men. No matter how rough he treats them, he leaves no one behind. Until then, I can only wait”
“Alright”, Ilish said, giving him the hint of a smile. “You're not that bad, Alexander. Was nice talking to you” She raised from her chair, noting the hint of disappointment on the man's face. “You're leaving me already?”, he asked with a smirk. “We just start to know each other” This forced a slight chuckle out of Ilish's throat. “And I'm afraid we won't get to know each other any better”, she answered. “Because my shift is over. I'm going home” She slightly bowed her head and he reciprocated the gesture, before she turned around, walking towards Audrey and Megur.
The innkeeper and her daughter saw her coming and stopped their talk. Audrey had a warm smile on her face, while Megur looked less pleased to see her. “Ilish, my dear!”, Audrey greeted her. “You did good today, with this strange man. Daisy told me” Megur frowned and Audrey's smile vanished. “I am glad you left the intervening to Marak here”, she continued and looked at the red-haired man near the counter.
“You want another free ale, Marak?”, she asked. Marak interrupted his talk with the lady in red and a wide grin formed on his face. The woman frowned as he turned away from her and quickly put one of her hands onto his forearm. “He had enough”, she said sharply and Marak's grin vanished. “I had enough”, he repeated with annoyance.
“Today was surely a busy day”, Ilish answered. “But it looks like you can handle it from here. It's already late. Would it be fine if I leave now?” Megur pressed her lips together and shook her head, but Audrey gave her a nod. “Of course, dear”, she said. “You did enough today. Get some sleep, I see you tomorrow”
Ilish gave her a thankful smile, before turning towards the tavern's small side entrance. Audrey was right. She really needed some sleep. It wasn't only Alan Harking's neverending and obnoxious flirting she had to endure the whole day, or the encounter with Kreep, or the stressful situation with Rodrik. No, what truly tired her was the talk with Alexander. Sure, he wasn't too bad, even a bit charming, as she had to admit, but the things he said... As she walked down the dark street, Ilish was worried.
Back when her old life in the North ended, she had felt similarly worried. But over the past five years, she had built herself a new existence here. Raylansfair was her life now. Audrey and Daisy, even Megur. What Alexander said implied a threat to Raylansfair. Ilish wasn't afraid for herself, but for her friends, for her new family.
The distant sound of footsteps cut her thought off and she looked over her shoulder. Nothing, just the darkness. She gulped, before slowly continuing the way to her small house at a steady speed. It was nothing, right? Just her tired mind playing tricks on her. But still... she could swear that there was something, or better, someone, somewhere behind here.
Finally, she heard the sound again, clearly footsteps. She stopped again and turned around, this time clearly hearing the sound of someone running towards her. “Who's there?”, she asked loudly and to her surprise, she even got an answer. “It's me!”, a slightly familiar voice called her. “Alexander Botwerys”
Indeed, the tall figure of Alexander appeared out of the dark. He was out of breath, clearly he had been running after her for a while now. As he had reached her, he stopped, putting his hands onto his upper legs, breathing heavily. “Just... give me a moment”, he gasped, while Ilish gave him a righteously confused look. “Alexander?”, she asked. “What the hell are you doing? Did you just ran after me?”
He gave her a short nod. “There is something...”, he gasped. “Something I haven't realized at first. Something that might be important to you, Ilish Granver. I'm going to ask you a strange question now, but are you, by any chance, related to Carvin Granver?”
The mention of her brother caught Ilish off guard. Her eyes widened as she took a step closer towards Alexander. “You know my brother?”, she asked weakly. Carvin... it almost hurt to think about him. For the past five years, her brother had been as good as dead for her. After what he did... he not only destroyed his life, but hers as well.
Alexander gave her a nod, quickly regaining his breath. “I am sorry for chasing after you like a madman, but I just had to ask this”, he apologized. “Would you mind if I walk with you, for a while?” Ilish shook her head, noticing that she was slightly smirking at his words. “Not at all”, she answered.
The two continued to walk through the night, closely together, as Alexander began to speak. “I feel a bit foolish for not realizing it earlier”, he chuckled. “Aside from your surname... you mentioned a brother and Carvin, he never stopped talking about his little sister”
“He was talking about me?”, Ilish asked in surprise. “I thought he never wanted to see me again” Alexander's smile got decidedly warmer, as he shook his head. “Quite the contrary, dear Ilish. He is afraid that you don't wish to see him”, he explained and his smile got weaker as he noticed the cold look on Ilish's face. “You really don't want to see him again?”, he asked.
Ilish let out a sigh. “It's not that easy, Alexander”, she answered. “How much do you know about my brother?” She avoided his stare, instead focussing on her feet. Carvin was alive... Ilish felt overjoyed, but at the same time, she felt old anger to resurface. “I know he is a good man”, Alexander answered. “One of the finest in my banner, once you get to know him better”
His words caused Ilish to shake her head. “Perhaps we're talking about two different Carvin Granvers here. My brother... he's anything but a good man”, she mumbled. “He's inconsiderate. Ruthless. Vengeful” She paused and closed her eyes. “Can't blame him for that last one, actually. In his position, I would have done the same”
“What are you talking about?”, Alexander asked with genuine interest in his voice. “It's about our father”, Ilish answered. “Our mother died a few years after my birth, during the winter. Her death changed father, but it also changed Carvin. Father started to drink a lot and he started to gamble. He was a crappy father, but the only one we had. When he couldn't repay his gambling debts, the trouble started” She cut herself off, before the really bad memories resurfaced. First, they broke his fingers, she remembered. A week later, they slaughtered the cattle. When he still couldn't pay, they lit the barn on fire. And then... “The people he owed money to, they killed him”, she muttered. “Carvin lost control. He took a sword and he killed them all. The last one... he made him scream”
“Sounds like something I would have done myself. Are you so resentful towards him just because he avenged your father? I doubt these people would have stopped with him”, Alexander remarked and Ilish gave him a nod. “I know, they wouldn't have stopped with him. They would have continued to terrorize me and Carvin until we're either dead, or they got their money. I don't blame him for killing them, not even for how he killed them. I blame him for what happened later”
Alexander noticed the hurt expression on her face and calmly put an arm around her shoulder, gently comforting her. Ilish was surprised by the gesture, but too tired to refuse it. “He left me”, she mumbled. “He was all the family I had left and he left me. I know, the men he killed had important friends, who would have tried to hunt him down, unless he would leave the kingdom, better yet, the whole continent”
“Which worked out”, Alexander remarked. She nodded shortly. “I suppose it did. But I... I wanted to come with him, you know. And he refused, in the most cruel way ever. We travelled together to White Harbour. At night, he just grabbed his horse and most of our stuff, leaving me with barely enough money to travel out of the North”, she explained. “Left me only a note that he never wishes to see me again”
She paused, suspecting that Alexander would say something, but to her surprise, he stayed silent as well. Finally, he broke the silence after a long moment. “I am sure he had his reasons. Essos would have destroyed you”, he mumbled and Ilish finally pulled away from his grip. “I don't care for his reasons!”, she snapped. “I don't care how dangerous Essos would have been for me. He had no right to make this choice for me!”
“Your brother loves you Ilish”, Alexander said softly. “And it is clear that you love him as well, or else you wouldn't be that hurt over him leaving you. The way he talks about you... you should hear him. Carvin loves you”
Ilish shook her head insecurely, before a thought crossed her mind. “Is he...”, she mumbled. “Is he with you?” She was half relieved and half disappointed when Alexander shook his head. “He is part of my banner, but Rodrik appointed him as Edward's personal bodyguard. They are currently somewhere in the Riverlands, from what I have heard”, he answered, before he gave her a soft smile. “I am sorry. I know you must be disappointed by this answer”
“So... what now”, Ilish asked, pressing her lips together to hide how upset she was at these memories. Alexander smirked at her. “I only wanted to ask about your connection to Carvin. Unless you have any more questions, I suppose...”, he started to say, before he cut himself off. “Quiet”, he hissed and pointed down the street. “We are not alone...”
Both of them stopped and Ilish started to listen. At first, she heard nothing. Then, the hint of raspy breaths and soft footsteps. Finally, she saw a scrawny figure in the darkness, slowly coming closer. She noticed that Alexander narrowed his eyes and put a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Who is this...”, he mumbled, putting his second hand on the hilt of a long dagger on his belt. “Who walks there?”, he shouted.
Finally, the figure stepped into the moonlight, revealing a large hat, underneath it the scarred, mutilated face of Kreep. For the first time, Ilish noticed the razor sharp blades that were dangling on his belt. She gulped, damning herself for not taking a knife with her. “What the hell?”, Alexander mumbled, widely opening his eyes as he looked at Kreep's face. Finally, he drew his longsword and the dagger, pointing both at the young man. “Stay back!”, he shouted and to Ilish's surprise, Kreep followed the order.
“Good evening”, he greeted them in his unnervingly emotionless voice. “Could you not point these blades at me? I am not here for either of you” Ilish and Alexander exchanged a glance and the sellsword kept his blade raised and pointed at Kreep. “Then why are you following us?” For the first time, she saw emotion on Kreep's face. The remains of his lips formed a terrifying smile, even though his eyes looked slightly confused. “I am not following you”, he answered and pointed at Ilish. No... with terror, she realized that he was pointing at something behind her. “I followed him”
Ilish twirled around, looking at a second figure that was illuminated by the moonlight. A thin body underneath a long, brown overcoat, bedraggled blonde hair, a scarred, pale face, light grey eyes, one of them blinded by a fresh wound and worst of all, a sickening grin on his face. “Hello Katya”, Wolfius Woodbark greeted her, revealing the long dagger he was holding in his hand.
Katya? Ilish let out a sigh. Oh, Seven Hells, he still had no idea... “My name is Ilish”, she answered with shaking voice, to hide her fear. She had heard the stories, had heard what this man did. “Why are you here? What do you want from me?”, she asked, even if she already knew the answer. Wolfius grin got a bit wider. “Ilish? But Katya is such a pretty name”, he chuckled, before his voice gained sharpness. “Can't you guess why I am here, whore?”
“Stay back!”, Alexander growled, pointing the longsword at Wolfius and the dagger at Kreep. “Both of you!” Wolfius chuckled, finally looking at Alexander. “What do you want to do against me, huh?”, he asked. Alexander pointed the blade slightly higher, right between Wolfius' eyes. “For starters, I'm going to stab you if you come another step closer”
Wolfius shook his head. “I have no problem with you. You may leave if you...”, he started to say, before he looked over Alexander's shoulder. “Seven Hells, your face is fucked up!”, he remarked as he looked at Kreep. “Why... why are you smiling?” Finally Ilish realized that Kreep was openly smiling now, an effect that was made even more gruesome by his missing cheek. “I have found you”, the young man exclaimed. “I have found you... father”
For a moment, Wolfius' surprised facial expression matched Ilish's. “Father?”, both of them exclaimed almost simultaneously. Wolfius regained his composure a bit quicker. “This is absurd. I don't know what you are, but I have only one son and you look nothing like him”, he growled. “So, if you don't want to die alongside her, leave me alone”
Kreep slowly shook his head. “I know, you are my father. I feel it. I have felt your presence ever since I arrived here. And you have felt mine”, he answered. “Look me in the eyes, father and you will see it. I am like you” Ilish and Wolfius both looked at Kreep's pale grey eyes, the same colour Wolfius' remaining eye had. But Wolfius apparently saw something more in them. “I have a son”, he mumbled in disbelief, before a howling laugh forced his way out of his throat. “I have a son and he is just like me!”, he yelled in triumph. “You are the one whose presence I felt! The one that is going to help me!”
His triumphant howl stopped, as he pointed his knife at Alexander. “Wait a moment...”, he mumbled. “I think I know why I never knew anything about you...” He looked at Kreep, still amazed, but also violently angry. “You were supposed to be dead! He told me you died at birth!”, he shouted. “This bastard... If I ever get near him again, I will cut his lying little eyes out!” He looked back at Kreep, his dagger still pointing at Alexander. “You're going to help me, first in this city and later when I get my vengeance!”, he barked.
Kreep quickly gave him a nod. “I will, father!”, he promised. “Whatever you want to do, father” Wolfius gave him a nod, but before he was able to say anything, Alexander took a swing at him, forcing him to jump back to evade the blade. “So, you both want to die?”, the sellsword asked. Wolfius shook his head. “I could ask you the same thing”, he growled and looked back at Kreep. “Son, do me a favour and... what's your name, by the way?”
“I am Kreep, father”, Kreep answered and did not react when Wolfius gave him a confused grin. “Kreep? Kreep is not a name, boy. What kind of parent names their kid...”, he said, before cutting himself off. “Oh... oh, of course... Well, Kreep, do me a favour and get the girl for me. Don't kill her, just knock her out. She's mine” He tried to stab Alexander, who parried the dagger with his longsword. “I'll be with her in a minute”, Wolfius growled. “First I got to dispose of this little rat”
Alexander looked over his shoulders and gave Ilish a worried look. Before she could even react, Kreep had already grabbed her and heavily threw her onto the ground. Her vision blurred for a short moment as she hit her head, but her senses returned immediately as Kreep jumped on top of her with brutal strength, holding her hands down. “Don't resist!”, he ordered her, his voice sounding almost like Wolfius' for a moment. “It gets more painful if you resist”
Out of the corner of her eyes, Ilish saw Alexander trying to hit Wolfius, who managed to evade the sellsword's attack with surprising speed and grace. On the other hand, Alexander proved himself to be a good fighter, blocking Wolfius' rapid counterattacks with ease. Ilish tried to move her own hands upwards to punch Kreep in the face, only to realize how much stronger he was than her. His grip on her wrists got stronger and he didn't even flinch as she raised her knee to kick him in the stomach. “I warned you”, he growled, letting go of her right wrist for a moment. Before Ilish was able to punch him with her newly free hand, Kreep gave her a heavy punch in the face, causing her to nearly loose her consciousness. “I warned you”, he repeated and punched her again, this time hitting her cheek. “I warned you”
“Ilish!”, she heard Alexander shouting and as she slightly turned her head, she saw him attempting to attack Kreep. Wolfius used this moment to dart forwards, trying to impale his opponent. In the last moment, Alexander managed to parry the attack, but only by moving his left arm between the blade and his chest. The knife pierced his sleeve and the flesh underneath it, causing him to cry out in pain and to drop his dagger.
“Big mistake, man”, Wolfius chuckled and viciously continued his attack, forcing Alexander into the defensive, as he barely managed to parry the madman's attack with his sword. Kreep let out a hissing sound as he raised his closed fist again. And Ilish closed her eyes...
...only to open them again as she felt the grip on her wrists to disappear, as Kreep let out a surprised grunt and made a jump backwards, off of her. She immediately crawled backwards, away from him, as he focussed his gaze on a new figure who had just entered the alleyway, a longsword in hand. It took Ilish a moment to recognize Lawsen, whose determined and angry facial expression was a stark contrast to his usual friendly smile. “Get away from her”, he growled and for a moment, Kreep looked surprised. He quickly regained his composure and put his hands on the hilt of his daggers.
“Lawsen?”, Ilish mumbled in surprise, her head still hurting and her vision still blurred from Kreep's punch. He gave her a nod, followed by a slight smile. “I saw this bastard following you and I knew, I had to do something”, he said. “Glad I managed to be here in time” Ilish groaned in pain as she got back on her knees. “Where do you got that sword?”, she asked, but Lawsen didn't manage to answer immediately, as Kreep let out an animalistic howl, before he started to charge at him, attacking him with both daggers simultaneously.
“Told you not to judge a book by it's cover!”, Lawsen shouted as he managed to parry the strike. It looked less skilled than Alexander's attacks, but Kreep wasn't a particularly skilled fighter either. On the downside, Wolfius' son was unbelievably fast, quickly attacking Lawsen over and over, slowly forcing him to go backwards again.
“Ilish, now's your chance!”, she heard Alexander calling, who still fought against Wolfius. “Run! We keep them busy!” With these words he took a counterattack at Wolfius, forcing him to take a jump backwards. However, she also saw that Wolfius' knife had caused a serious wound to his arm. The ground was already stained with his blood, but he kept on fighting with his good arm, relentlessly driving Wolfius backwards. The smirk on the monster's face made it clear that this wasn't entirely unintentional however and Ilish realized that he was only waiting until Alexander made the next mistake.
Still a bit dizzy and with weak knees, she slowly got back on her feet. For a short moment, she looked towards the exit of the alleyway, somewhere behind Lawsen and Kreep. She immediately felt ashamed for this thought. No, Wolfius was here for her. She couldn't live with herself if she would just leave Alexander and Lawsen. While the sellsword had a momentary advantage over Wolfius, Lawsen's fight against Kreep looked less good. He was bleeding from a small cut on his chest and only barely managed to dodge an attack that would have nearly slashed his throat, while having almost no time to make a counterattack. Ilish knew, she had to help one of them, perhaps even both!
She quickly looked around and spotted Alexander's dagger still lying on the ground where he dropped it. Ilish wasn't a fighter, but she came from the North. She knew how to pull her weight in a fight, even if the dagger was almost too long for her liking. With shaking hands, she grabbed it, looking at the two fights. On her left, Alexander finally managed to force Wolfius to parry his attacks, even if his wounded arm clearly caused him pain and made him reckless. To her right, Kreep had succeeded in giving Lawsen a second, painful-looking cut across the chest. He wasn't paying any attention to her at the moment. Ilish gulped, knowing that she had to make a decision, whom she wanted to help first.
[Help Alexander and fight against Wolfius][Help Lawsen and fight against Kreep]
I can promise, the wait for your character won't be long anymore, because he perfectly fits into a role that I need for one of the storylines in this chapter, so expect him in one of the next few parts. While he is not appearing in this part, he will be in the story very, very soon
“Today was surely a busy day”, Ilish answered. “But it looks like you can handle it from here. It's already late. Would it be fine if I leav… moree now?” Megur pressed her lips together and shook her head, but Audrey gave her a nod. “Of course, dear”, she said. “You did enough today. Get some sleep, I see you tomorrow”
Ilish gave her a thankful smile, before turning towards the tavern's small side entrance. Audrey was right. She really needed some sleep. It wasn't only Alan Harking's neverending and obnoxious flirting she had to endure the whole day, or the encounter with Kreep, or the stressful situation with Rodrik. No, what truly tired her was the talk with Alexander. Sure, he wasn't too bad, even a bit charming, as she had to admit, but the things he said... As she walked down the dark street, Ilish was worried.
Back when her old life in the North ended, she had felt similarly worried. But over the past five years, she had built herself a… [view original content]
“Today was surely a busy day”, Ilish answered. “But it looks like you can handle it from here. It's already late. Would it be fine if I leav… moree now?” Megur pressed her lips together and shook her head, but Audrey gave her a nod. “Of course, dear”, she said. “You did enough today. Get some sleep, I see you tomorrow”
Ilish gave her a thankful smile, before turning towards the tavern's small side entrance. Audrey was right. She really needed some sleep. It wasn't only Alan Harking's neverending and obnoxious flirting she had to endure the whole day, or the encounter with Kreep, or the stressful situation with Rodrik. No, what truly tired her was the talk with Alexander. Sure, he wasn't too bad, even a bit charming, as she had to admit, but the things he said... As she walked down the dark street, Ilish was worried.
Back when her old life in the North ended, she had felt similarly worried. But over the past five years, she had built herself a… [view original content]
“Today was surely a busy day”, Ilish answered. “But it looks like you can handle it from here. It's already late. Would it be fine if I leav… moree now?” Megur pressed her lips together and shook her head, but Audrey gave her a nod. “Of course, dear”, she said. “You did enough today. Get some sleep, I see you tomorrow”
Ilish gave her a thankful smile, before turning towards the tavern's small side entrance. Audrey was right. She really needed some sleep. It wasn't only Alan Harking's neverending and obnoxious flirting she had to endure the whole day, or the encounter with Kreep, or the stressful situation with Rodrik. No, what truly tired her was the talk with Alexander. Sure, he wasn't too bad, even a bit charming, as she had to admit, but the things he said... As she walked down the dark street, Ilish was worried.
Back when her old life in the North ended, she had felt similarly worried. But over the past five years, she had built herself a… [view original content]
Comments
[Follow Aldrik's plan] I hate Harris slightly less, cause he trolled them hard. Let's just stall.
Plus I think Clayton is connected to if not the person who would be breaking in.
[Follow Gregar's plan]
[Follow Gregar's plan] As Gregar said, we tried diplomacy and it failed, it's time to act!
Poor Irving
[Follow Gregar's plan]
[Follow Aldrik's plan]
[Follow Gregar's plan]
[Follow Gregar's plan]
[Follow Aldrik's plan]
I exactly predicted that Sherryl would be able to catch them. Fuck her. [Follow Gregar's plan] This could easily backfire, but there is no way into talking through Harris with his dumbass and that bitch Sheryll.
[Follow Gregar's plan]
No ass-licking anymore - they tried - they failed.
[Follow Gregar's plan]
(Fellow Gregars plan)
[Follow Gregar's plan] Fucking Harris.
Oh, and about Wolfius, I'm pretty sure at this point that he is a warg.
[Follow Gregar's plan]
Compared to Gregar, I dislike Aldrik. And, of course, diplomacy (which did not work) is not as cool as action.
[Follow Gregar's plan]
[Follow Gregar's plan]
[Follow Gregar's plan] I kinda want to see these guys get arrested so they can get out of Harris' way.
[Follow Gregar's plan] I liked Wolfius in this part (but I still want him to die)
Whose part is next?
The next part is definitely going to be an Ilish part, although I am not yet sure if it will be long enough for a full part. Perhaps I will put in another part for either Alys, Richard or Jenna.
I can't even remember what Richard's been doing this chapter.
He, together with Philip, Urid and Jarow, teamed up with the city guard under Hackor and the castle guard under Darren to fight against the assassins in the warehouse. Unfortunately, they walked right into Clayton's trap and were utterly destroyed by Alysanne and a lot of fire. Jarow and Hackor got wounded, but are still alive, while Richard only managed to survive a fight against Alysanne thanks to Philip's timely intervention. With Kersea's help, Alysanne managed to escape the burning warehouse as well, wounded but alive. In the end, Richard had a choice to save either Urid or Darren, who were both too wounded to move out of the burning warehouse on their own. He chose to save Darren and trusted Philip to save Urid at the same time. I probably should include short recaps like this every time I close the voting and announce which PoV I'm going to write about next
Oh yeah, I probably should've remembered since it involved my own character lol. Recaps would be really useful for remembering what happened.
The Voting is closed!
Maya will follow Gregar's plan and try to break into the archive
I was hoping for this outcome and I am not exactly surprised by it. As much as careful diplomatic actions can be the best course of action at some times, this choice just guaranteed a more exciting storyline for Team Maya in the next chapter. Of course, it's also going to have big consequences, since it is changing her whole storyline.
The next part will be out later today and it will be an Ilish part. Now, thanks to Bounden, I had the idea to include a small recap every time I close the voting, about what happened in the last part of the PoV I'm going to write about next. I know, the number of storylines and their respective cast of characters can get confusing at times, especially when there are week-long gaps between the parts of some PoV's, so I hope this will help you a little bit with remembering. So, Ilish's last part was also the first time we saw her as a PoV. It was more of an introductory part for her. We saw an unusually busy evening for Ilish, in which she met a lot of different new characters, most importantly, Ser Rodrik Stone, who arrived in Raylansfair after plotting with Bear in the last chapter. In the end, she saw a mysterious stranger who was apparently creeping on her friend and fellow barmaid Daisy. She teamed up with Lawsen, a helpful guy whom Ilish is somewhat acquainted with, in order to confront this stranger.
Does the stranger work with Wolfius he did say he had a partner?
Surprise twist: The partner is actually Wolfius' rat.
Is Ser Rodrik the one who Marak is going to fight?
Yes, although fighting might be a bit too much. Marak has only planned to intervene so far and even though he is not exactly as smart as he thinks he is, he is still not dumb enough to attack a man like Rodrik without a weapon. But there will be a confrontation of some sorts between them in the next part.
Hmm it must truly be an interesting part if it is so long.
So it will happen in Ilish's part?
Yes, this confronation between Rodrik and Marak will happen in the next Ilish part, although it will only be one of several interesting scenes in it.
Well I am expecting Wolfius to appear because in the previews for this chapter he was talking to Ilish.
If its good than i can wait
Fingers crossed for my char
Ilish
Ilish narrowed her eyes as she looked at the stranger with the widely brimmed hat. His whole face was hidden underneath it, but she had no doubt that he was currently looking in her direction, at the visibly shaken Daisy. “I'm going to throw that guy out if necessary”, she hissed and Daisy gave her an alarmed stare. “But... what if he is dangerous?”
“Look at him”, Ilish said and Daisy did her the favour, turning her gaze to the stranger. He was short, almost half a head shorter than Ilish, who always considered herself a small girl. On top of that, he was thin, scrawny, at least not threatening from his looks alone. However, his mannerisms were something else entirely. The way he just sat there, half in the shadows and completely motionless, his chest barely raising from his breath... Ilish could understand why Daisy was afraid of him. And because of that, she had to intervene.
She started to walk towards the stranger and Lawsen jumped up from his chair. “Wait for me”, he called out for her and quickly walked up to her. “If that guy is dangerous, I can help you” Ilish raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. While Lawsen was a bit taller than she was, he was almost as scrawny as the stranger. “You can help?”, she asked. Lawsen was quick to nod and he even gave her a slight smile. “Don't judge a book by it's cover. That applies to me just as well as to that guy”, he explained.
As they walked towards this strange man together, Ilish noticed that he barely seemed to react to their approaching. Instead, he sat there unsettlingly calm and without motion, his face still shrouded in shadows, but his gaze still focussed on Daisy, who was now working near the counter. He didn't even look up as Ilish and Lawsen stopped directly in front of his table. It was unnerving how she was still not able to see his face.
“Hey, you”, she tried to start a conversation. As expected, he didn't react, even though his breathing got slightly raspy for a moment. “Do you hear me?”, she asked again. “Can you understand me?” After she still got no reaction, Ilish let out a frustrated sigh.
“Okay, I know you can hear me. My name is Ilish, I am a barmaid. Listen, I know you've been watching my friend Daisy for the whole night. There's nothing wrong with looking at her, you know. She is a fine-looking girl after all”, she tried it with a different approach. “But you're overdoing it. She feels a bit harassed, even threatened by you and that's not okay. I'm sure you mean nothing bad, but just stop it before it gets worse”
The stranger still didn't show any reaction that even acknowledged her presence and finally, Ilish started to feel uneasy around him as well. And she realized that she started to loose her temper with him. If there was one thing Ilish truly hated, it was being ignored. She and Lawsen exchanged a look and her companion shrugged. Finally, Ilish slammed her fist down onto the table. “Alright, stop ignoring me!”, she growled. “And even more importantly, stop bothering Daisy. She has it hard enough already from people like you, you understand what I'm saying, you godsdamn creep?”
Finally, she realized that the stranger acknowledged her presence. He audibly hold his breath for a moment, still not looking at her. “Kreep?”, he asked with a completely monotone voice. “This is interesting. How do you know my name?” With these words, he finally raised his head and looked at her, even though Ilish immediately wished he wouldn't have done it. “Oh my god!”, she exclaimed and finally understood why he hid his face underneath this hat
The strangers' face was horribly disfigured. A part of his lips and his entire left cheek, from the cheekbone down to the chin was missing, as if it had been chewed off or perhaps cut off, exposing his teeth, gum and even part of his bone. The horrible wound was old and the flesh around it was scarred, the skin deathly pale. The remaining part of his face revealed that he was in his late teens at best, but the look in his grey eyes was as dull and dead as someone who had seen too much in his life. Short, dark blonde hair was visible underneath his hat.
“Your... your face...”, Ilish stuttered, looking at the stranger completely horrified. “How do you know my name?”, he asked again in return, his voice still completely monotone. “Have you talked to the blacksmith's girl?”
Despite the shock she was in, Ilish understood what he said and she did not like it at all. “The blacksmith's girl?”, she asked. “You mean Rosalie Mettel? What do you have to do with her?” Ilish didn't knew Rosalie Mettel very well. She was one of Daisy's friends, a nice and pleasant, but slightly shallow girl. And the way this man said 'the blacksmith's girl' made her shiver.
“Yes, I have met her a few hours ago. She is very pretty”, the Stranger answered, without even the hint of an emotion in his voice. “Tell me, how do you know my name?” Ilish narrowed her eyes in confusion, before she understood what he was saying. “Your name is creep?”, she asked and the young man shook his head. “Kreep”, he corrected her. “My name is Kreep”
Ilish and Lawsen exchanged a confused look and this time, Lawsen shook his head. “Kreep is not a name”, he insisted, although he pronounced the word slowly, as if he was talking to an imbecile. Given the disfigured man's flat, monotone way of speaking, Ilish had almost a similar impression, but behind his dull grey eyes, she saw the hint of a frightening intelligence.
“It is my name”, Kreep insisted and slowly raised from his chair. “This blacksmith's girl... her name is Rosalie? She called me by it and I decided to keep it. I don't think I have another name. At least I don't remember...” He slowly bowed his head and Ilish was unsure if it was meant as a sign of respect, or as a threatening gesture. “I have no problem with you. I apologize for bothering the pretty barmaid”, he said and his voice made it clear that he wasn't sorry at all.
Before Ilish could react, Kreep grabbed her by the shoulders, fast enough to cause her to suppress a scream. Lawsen gave her an alarmed look, but before he was able to do anything, Kreep had pushed Ilish to the site, gently, but with a strength that was terrifying, compared to his scrawny body. “I will leave now”, he proclaimed. “I have to find my father”
“Your father?”, Ilish asked, still baffled by his disfigured looks, his strange way of speaking and his frightening strength. “Who is your father?” Kreep shrugged and for a moment, it looked like the remaining part of his lips formed a gruesome smile. “I don't know. That's why I'm looking for him”, he explained as if the question was fully answered that way. Before Ilish could say another thing, he turned around, pulling his hat deeply into his face in the process, and started to walk out of the tavern.
Ilish and Lawsen were only able to look after him for a moment, until Ilish felt the need to say something to end the silence between them. “So, that was...”, she started to say, but Lawsen cut her off first. “Creepy?”, he asked with a smirk. Ilish raised her eyebrows and shook her head. “Please, don't go there, Lawsen”, she mumbled and shook her head. “That was scary”
Lawsen gave her a short nod. “I agree”, he muttered. “I'm just glad this guy left without causing a big scene. He gave me a bad feeling” Ilish had to gulp as she thought how easily he could have knocked her out with his strength. “Same here”, she agreed. Lawsen slightly chuckled, even though it was a stilted, fake chuckle, barely hiding how worried he was. “So... I was glad to help. I'm going to leave now, going back to my table. If we don't speak to each other again tonight, have a pleasant evening”, he said and Ilish gave him a thankful smile.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Daisy slowly approaching. Her friend had a relieved smile on her face as she looked from Ilish to the door the stranger just disappeared from. “Thank you, Ilish”, Daisy said and quickly gave her a short hug. Ilish pressed her lips together, still thinking about what Kreep might have done to her friend if she hadn't intervene. “Have you seen his face?”, she asked and Daisy's smile vanished. “Yes”, she admitted. “I... I am glad you dealt with him”
She wanted to say something else, but a loud noise cut her off, from behind her, in the middle of the tavern, where the sellswords sat. As Ilish and Daisy turned around, they saw Rodrik, the sellsword knight. He had raised from his chair, his left hand raised, the right hovering above the hilt of his sword, his face reddened with anger. “What have you said, you little bitch?”, he growled and then, Ilish saw it. On the ground, holding her cheek, lay Megur, Audrey's daughter and Daisy's cousin. Optically, she looked a lot like Ilish imagined a younger Audrey, with the same vibrant hair, a similarly chubby body and a plump face. She tried to crawl away from the knight, who quickly put one of his boots onto her belly. “You think you can just insult me? I am a knight and you will show respect!”
By now, the talk in the tavern had died down and most of the customers looked at the scenery in surprise, horror and, in some cases, anticipation. Daisy grabbed Ilish by the arm, slowly attempting to pull her towards the knight. “Come on”, she urged her. “We have to do something”
Ilish slightly shook her head and felt appropriately bad for it. “You see that guy? He's chopping us to pieces if we try anything” Daisy's grip on her shoulder got harder, as the girl looked from Ilish to the knight in horror. “That's my cousin over there”, she muttered and Ilish closed her eyes. That was typical for Daisy. Megur wasn't exactly the most shining example of a good cousin and if their roles would be reversed, she wouldn't think about intervening, but Daisy was the complete opposite. She had to help, even if it was dangerous to provoke this knight any more and even if there was little both of them could do against a man as tall as Rodrik.
Before Ilish even had to hold her friend back, someone else thankfully intervened. A tall man, at least as tall as the knight, with bright red hair and a long, bushy beard, raised from his chair near the counter. Ilish had seen him earlier, first talking to the chubby man with the moustache and Alan Harking, later talking to the beautiful lady in red. He was the only one to intervene and the only one who looked strong enough to intervene at the same time. “Now, what is the meaning of this?”, he growled. “That's not how you treat a lady”
Ser Rodrik focussed his gaze on the red-haired man, his hand slowly grabbing the hilt of his sword. It was Valyrian Steel, she had no doubt about it. Normal steel wasn't supposed to be that dark and to shimmer at the same time. And there was a ruby in its pommel, shaped like a heart and big enough to be worth more than the whole inn. Before the red-haired man could do anything, Rodrik had drawn his sword and pointed it directly at his throat, the edge of the blade painfully close to cut it. “None of your business”, he answered. “The bitch insulted me”
“Because you're too stingy to pay, prick!”, Megur spat from the ground and earned herself a kick in the side. “Rodrik”, one of the sellswords behind him said. Ilish recognized him as Alexander, the man she had talked to earlier. He looked genuinely concerned and a bit shocked at the knights actions. “Rodrik, don't provoke a fight, please. Look around, there are far too many...”
The knight cut him off by slamming his left elbow into his face. Alexander stumbled backwards, holding his nose, as blood flew out from between his hands. He slowly sank to the ground, just as Rodrik slowly lowered his sword, releasing the red-haired man. Apparently he indeed realized how many people he would be up against if he would start a fight. “You want to get paid, huh?”, he snarled at Megur, before he sheathed his sword and reached for his purse. No one said a word as he grabbed a handful of silver coins and let them fall down onto Megur's head. The girl cringed back as good as possible as she was hit by the hard coins and the knight turned around.
“Second Sons!”, he exclaimed. “We're leaving. It's going to be a busy night” While his men raised from their chairs and grabbed their weapons, he looked down onto the bleeding Alexander. “You're coming?”, he asked and the sellsword looked up. “You fucking broke my nose Rodrik!”, he muttered. Instead of answering, the knight stepped past him. “I'm taking that as a 'No'”, he growled and walked out, leaving Alexander behind.
Daisy and Ilish ran over to Megur and while Daisy helped her cousin up, Ilish looked at Alexander, letting out a sigh, before finally extending a hand to help him up. “I can do it alone”, Megur hissed and slapped Daisy's hand away as she got up, quickly collecting Rodrik's silver coins. With a forced smile on her face, she looked at the red-haired man, who was slightly holding his throat. Rodrik's sword had barely grazed it, although it was clear that it could have easily been worse. “Thank you”, Megur chirped, as she walked past him, towards her mother. “He nearly killed me”, the red-haired man mumbled, without even looking at her. “Nearly killed me just for intervening”
“Yeah, that's Rodrik for you”, Alexander said, while Ilish helped him up. He gave her a thankful smile. “Ser Rodrik Stone, also known as 'The Kinslayer', a wanted man in the Kingdom of the Mountain and Vale. He killed men for less”, he continued, as he sat down on a chair. “You see, my earlier warning has not been misplaced. It was genuine concern. Letting him wait was not a good idea, because now he is in a murderous mood”
Even though she had no real reason to do it, Ilish reached into her pocket, giving Alexander a small linen for his bleeding nose. He gave her another thankful smile, as he pressed the linen against his nose. “I had to help my friend”, Ilish insisted. “I couldn't know he would outright try to kill someone”
“Rodrik lives for bloodshed and brutality. He is absolutely ruthless”, Alexander explained. “He even killed his own father, the old Lord Corbray out of pure spite” Ilish sat down next to him, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. “So, how did you end up working for a man like him?”, she asked. “You don't seem that bad”
Alexander chuckled at these words. “Out of habit”, he answered. “I lived in Slaver's Bay for most of my live, the only son of exiled Volantene merchants. Befriended the wrong people in my early teens. I got into some fights and noticed that I had a talent. Because of that, I finally joined the Second Sons, back when Rodrik was still an ordinary member of them”
Ilish gave him a nod. “Yeah. I know stories like that. And suddenly, you find yourself working in a job you hate, for a man you despise, but strangely unwilling to just quit”, she mumbled. “My father had the same problem and I like to imagine that my brother has it at the moment” She avoided eye contact for a moment as she had to remember Carvin. “So, why are the Second Sons in Westeros?”, she asked to fill the uncomfortable silence.
“To explain that, I have to speak verbosely. Four banners, among it the one Rodrik is currently leading, got hired by some bloodthirsty bastard who fights in the contested lands in the old kingdom of Sarnor” His voice got a slightly bitter tone as he continued. “Nain Anturion”, he mumbled. “One of the worst monsters I ever had the questionable honour of serving under. He and Rodrik got along well, very well actually. They had a similar interest in killing people and in less than two years, Rodrik managed to achieve command over a full banner”
“So, you have a history of working for assholes?”, Ilish asked and Alexander smirked slightly. “Looks like it, right?”, he chuckled. “I mean, my work has never been that bad. I mostly had to stand guard somewhere and occasionally I had to fight against someone, but it could have been worse”
“You haven't answered my question”, Ilish remarked and Alexander gave her a nod. “You are right, of course. While Nain has hired the whole company, he chose one of the best banners, Rodrik's to be precise, to travel to Westeros, to help his brother out with his own plan. Edward Anturion is a complete bastard, but compared to Nain, he is a saint. Nain is someone who slaughters villages for fun, while Edward is nothing more than a high-ranking and immensely ambitious captain in the court of Aeron Blacksails, the pirate king. Ruthless, but reasonable”
“You mean, Rodrik is only a henchman in whatever plan he is following here?”, Ilish asked. Alexander shrugged, apparently thinking for a moment. “I don't know that much about it. Rodrik is searching for something, but he rarely shares any details about his plans with us”, he explained. “I know, it can't be good for your city, or else Anturion would be here personally”
Ilish narrowed her eyes as she looked around. The red-haired man was gone, now talking to the lady in the red dress. Megur was talking to Audrey, quite loudly, while Daisy continued to serve the few guests who hadn't left already. No one was listening to them. “So, why are you telling me all of this? I doubt Rodrik would approve”, she hissed.
“I doubt Rodrik will ever know, unless you plan to tell him”, Alexander answered. “Aside from that, at the moment I couldn't care less for what Rodrik would approve of” He slightly touched his bleeding nose and shivered from the pain. “That bastard went too far”
Ilish slowly nodded in agreement. “I guess he did. What are your plans now?”, she asked. Alexander sighed. “Waiting for Rodrik to return. I have no idea where he is going, but I think he'll come back to get me later. The only good quality about Rodrik is his loyalty to his men. No matter how rough he treats them, he leaves no one behind. Until then, I can only wait”
“Alright”, Ilish said, giving him the hint of a smile. “You're not that bad, Alexander. Was nice talking to you” She raised from her chair, noting the hint of disappointment on the man's face. “You're leaving me already?”, he asked with a smirk. “We just start to know each other” This forced a slight chuckle out of Ilish's throat. “And I'm afraid we won't get to know each other any better”, she answered. “Because my shift is over. I'm going home” She slightly bowed her head and he reciprocated the gesture, before she turned around, walking towards Audrey and Megur.
The innkeeper and her daughter saw her coming and stopped their talk. Audrey had a warm smile on her face, while Megur looked less pleased to see her. “Ilish, my dear!”, Audrey greeted her. “You did good today, with this strange man. Daisy told me” Megur frowned and Audrey's smile vanished. “I am glad you left the intervening to Marak here”, she continued and looked at the red-haired man near the counter.
“You want another free ale, Marak?”, she asked. Marak interrupted his talk with the lady in red and a wide grin formed on his face. The woman frowned as he turned away from her and quickly put one of her hands onto his forearm. “He had enough”, she said sharply and Marak's grin vanished. “I had enough”, he repeated with annoyance.
“Today was surely a busy day”, Ilish answered. “But it looks like you can handle it from here. It's already late. Would it be fine if I leave now?” Megur pressed her lips together and shook her head, but Audrey gave her a nod. “Of course, dear”, she said. “You did enough today. Get some sleep, I see you tomorrow”
Ilish gave her a thankful smile, before turning towards the tavern's small side entrance. Audrey was right. She really needed some sleep. It wasn't only Alan Harking's neverending and obnoxious flirting she had to endure the whole day, or the encounter with Kreep, or the stressful situation with Rodrik. No, what truly tired her was the talk with Alexander. Sure, he wasn't too bad, even a bit charming, as she had to admit, but the things he said... As she walked down the dark street, Ilish was worried.
Back when her old life in the North ended, she had felt similarly worried. But over the past five years, she had built herself a new existence here. Raylansfair was her life now. Audrey and Daisy, even Megur. What Alexander said implied a threat to Raylansfair. Ilish wasn't afraid for herself, but for her friends, for her new family.
The distant sound of footsteps cut her thought off and she looked over her shoulder. Nothing, just the darkness. She gulped, before slowly continuing the way to her small house at a steady speed. It was nothing, right? Just her tired mind playing tricks on her. But still... she could swear that there was something, or better, someone, somewhere behind here.
Finally, she heard the sound again, clearly footsteps. She stopped again and turned around, this time clearly hearing the sound of someone running towards her. “Who's there?”, she asked loudly and to her surprise, she even got an answer. “It's me!”, a slightly familiar voice called her. “Alexander Botwerys”
Indeed, the tall figure of Alexander appeared out of the dark. He was out of breath, clearly he had been running after her for a while now. As he had reached her, he stopped, putting his hands onto his upper legs, breathing heavily. “Just... give me a moment”, he gasped, while Ilish gave him a righteously confused look. “Alexander?”, she asked. “What the hell are you doing? Did you just ran after me?”
He gave her a short nod. “There is something...”, he gasped. “Something I haven't realized at first. Something that might be important to you, Ilish Granver. I'm going to ask you a strange question now, but are you, by any chance, related to Carvin Granver?”
The mention of her brother caught Ilish off guard. Her eyes widened as she took a step closer towards Alexander. “You know my brother?”, she asked weakly. Carvin... it almost hurt to think about him. For the past five years, her brother had been as good as dead for her. After what he did... he not only destroyed his life, but hers as well.
Alexander gave her a nod, quickly regaining his breath. “I am sorry for chasing after you like a madman, but I just had to ask this”, he apologized. “Would you mind if I walk with you, for a while?” Ilish shook her head, noticing that she was slightly smirking at his words. “Not at all”, she answered.
The two continued to walk through the night, closely together, as Alexander began to speak. “I feel a bit foolish for not realizing it earlier”, he chuckled. “Aside from your surname... you mentioned a brother and Carvin, he never stopped talking about his little sister”
“He was talking about me?”, Ilish asked in surprise. “I thought he never wanted to see me again” Alexander's smile got decidedly warmer, as he shook his head. “Quite the contrary, dear Ilish. He is afraid that you don't wish to see him”, he explained and his smile got weaker as he noticed the cold look on Ilish's face. “You really don't want to see him again?”, he asked.
Ilish let out a sigh. “It's not that easy, Alexander”, she answered. “How much do you know about my brother?” She avoided his stare, instead focussing on her feet. Carvin was alive... Ilish felt overjoyed, but at the same time, she felt old anger to resurface. “I know he is a good man”, Alexander answered. “One of the finest in my banner, once you get to know him better”
His words caused Ilish to shake her head. “Perhaps we're talking about two different Carvin Granvers here. My brother... he's anything but a good man”, she mumbled. “He's inconsiderate. Ruthless. Vengeful” She paused and closed her eyes. “Can't blame him for that last one, actually. In his position, I would have done the same”
“What are you talking about?”, Alexander asked with genuine interest in his voice. “It's about our father”, Ilish answered. “Our mother died a few years after my birth, during the winter. Her death changed father, but it also changed Carvin. Father started to drink a lot and he started to gamble. He was a crappy father, but the only one we had. When he couldn't repay his gambling debts, the trouble started” She cut herself off, before the really bad memories resurfaced. First, they broke his fingers, she remembered. A week later, they slaughtered the cattle. When he still couldn't pay, they lit the barn on fire. And then... “The people he owed money to, they killed him”, she muttered. “Carvin lost control. He took a sword and he killed them all. The last one... he made him scream”
“Sounds like something I would have done myself. Are you so resentful towards him just because he avenged your father? I doubt these people would have stopped with him”, Alexander remarked and Ilish gave him a nod. “I know, they wouldn't have stopped with him. They would have continued to terrorize me and Carvin until we're either dead, or they got their money. I don't blame him for killing them, not even for how he killed them. I blame him for what happened later”
Alexander noticed the hurt expression on her face and calmly put an arm around her shoulder, gently comforting her. Ilish was surprised by the gesture, but too tired to refuse it. “He left me”, she mumbled. “He was all the family I had left and he left me. I know, the men he killed had important friends, who would have tried to hunt him down, unless he would leave the kingdom, better yet, the whole continent”
“Which worked out”, Alexander remarked. She nodded shortly. “I suppose it did. But I... I wanted to come with him, you know. And he refused, in the most cruel way ever. We travelled together to White Harbour. At night, he just grabbed his horse and most of our stuff, leaving me with barely enough money to travel out of the North”, she explained. “Left me only a note that he never wishes to see me again”
She paused, suspecting that Alexander would say something, but to her surprise, he stayed silent as well. Finally, he broke the silence after a long moment. “I am sure he had his reasons. Essos would have destroyed you”, he mumbled and Ilish finally pulled away from his grip. “I don't care for his reasons!”, she snapped. “I don't care how dangerous Essos would have been for me. He had no right to make this choice for me!”
“Your brother loves you Ilish”, Alexander said softly. “And it is clear that you love him as well, or else you wouldn't be that hurt over him leaving you. The way he talks about you... you should hear him. Carvin loves you”
Ilish shook her head insecurely, before a thought crossed her mind. “Is he...”, she mumbled. “Is he with you?” She was half relieved and half disappointed when Alexander shook his head. “He is part of my banner, but Rodrik appointed him as Edward's personal bodyguard. They are currently somewhere in the Riverlands, from what I have heard”, he answered, before he gave her a soft smile. “I am sorry. I know you must be disappointed by this answer”
“So... what now”, Ilish asked, pressing her lips together to hide how upset she was at these memories. Alexander smirked at her. “I only wanted to ask about your connection to Carvin. Unless you have any more questions, I suppose...”, he started to say, before he cut himself off. “Quiet”, he hissed and pointed down the street. “We are not alone...”
Both of them stopped and Ilish started to listen. At first, she heard nothing. Then, the hint of raspy breaths and soft footsteps. Finally, she saw a scrawny figure in the darkness, slowly coming closer. She noticed that Alexander narrowed his eyes and put a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Who is this...”, he mumbled, putting his second hand on the hilt of a long dagger on his belt. “Who walks there?”, he shouted.
Finally, the figure stepped into the moonlight, revealing a large hat, underneath it the scarred, mutilated face of Kreep. For the first time, Ilish noticed the razor sharp blades that were dangling on his belt. She gulped, damning herself for not taking a knife with her. “What the hell?”, Alexander mumbled, widely opening his eyes as he looked at Kreep's face. Finally, he drew his longsword and the dagger, pointing both at the young man. “Stay back!”, he shouted and to Ilish's surprise, Kreep followed the order.
“Good evening”, he greeted them in his unnervingly emotionless voice. “Could you not point these blades at me? I am not here for either of you” Ilish and Alexander exchanged a glance and the sellsword kept his blade raised and pointed at Kreep. “Then why are you following us?” For the first time, she saw emotion on Kreep's face. The remains of his lips formed a terrifying smile, even though his eyes looked slightly confused. “I am not following you”, he answered and pointed at Ilish. No... with terror, she realized that he was pointing at something behind her. “I followed him”
Ilish twirled around, looking at a second figure that was illuminated by the moonlight. A thin body underneath a long, brown overcoat, bedraggled blonde hair, a scarred, pale face, light grey eyes, one of them blinded by a fresh wound and worst of all, a sickening grin on his face. “Hello Katya”, Wolfius Woodbark greeted her, revealing the long dagger he was holding in his hand.
Katya? Ilish let out a sigh. Oh, Seven Hells, he still had no idea... “My name is Ilish”, she answered with shaking voice, to hide her fear. She had heard the stories, had heard what this man did. “Why are you here? What do you want from me?”, she asked, even if she already knew the answer. Wolfius grin got a bit wider. “Ilish? But Katya is such a pretty name”, he chuckled, before his voice gained sharpness. “Can't you guess why I am here, whore?”
“Stay back!”, Alexander growled, pointing the longsword at Wolfius and the dagger at Kreep. “Both of you!” Wolfius chuckled, finally looking at Alexander. “What do you want to do against me, huh?”, he asked. Alexander pointed the blade slightly higher, right between Wolfius' eyes. “For starters, I'm going to stab you if you come another step closer”
Wolfius shook his head. “I have no problem with you. You may leave if you...”, he started to say, before he looked over Alexander's shoulder. “Seven Hells, your face is fucked up!”, he remarked as he looked at Kreep. “Why... why are you smiling?” Finally Ilish realized that Kreep was openly smiling now, an effect that was made even more gruesome by his missing cheek. “I have found you”, the young man exclaimed. “I have found you... father”
For a moment, Wolfius' surprised facial expression matched Ilish's. “Father?”, both of them exclaimed almost simultaneously. Wolfius regained his composure a bit quicker. “This is absurd. I don't know what you are, but I have only one son and you look nothing like him”, he growled. “So, if you don't want to die alongside her, leave me alone”
Kreep slowly shook his head. “I know, you are my father. I feel it. I have felt your presence ever since I arrived here. And you have felt mine”, he answered. “Look me in the eyes, father and you will see it. I am like you” Ilish and Wolfius both looked at Kreep's pale grey eyes, the same colour Wolfius' remaining eye had. But Wolfius apparently saw something more in them. “I have a son”, he mumbled in disbelief, before a howling laugh forced his way out of his throat. “I have a son and he is just like me!”, he yelled in triumph. “You are the one whose presence I felt! The one that is going to help me!”
His triumphant howl stopped, as he pointed his knife at Alexander. “Wait a moment...”, he mumbled. “I think I know why I never knew anything about you...” He looked at Kreep, still amazed, but also violently angry. “You were supposed to be dead! He told me you died at birth!”, he shouted. “This bastard... If I ever get near him again, I will cut his lying little eyes out!” He looked back at Kreep, his dagger still pointing at Alexander. “You're going to help me, first in this city and later when I get my vengeance!”, he barked.
Kreep quickly gave him a nod. “I will, father!”, he promised. “Whatever you want to do, father” Wolfius gave him a nod, but before he was able to say anything, Alexander took a swing at him, forcing him to jump back to evade the blade. “So, you both want to die?”, the sellsword asked. Wolfius shook his head. “I could ask you the same thing”, he growled and looked back at Kreep. “Son, do me a favour and... what's your name, by the way?”
“I am Kreep, father”, Kreep answered and did not react when Wolfius gave him a confused grin. “Kreep? Kreep is not a name, boy. What kind of parent names their kid...”, he said, before cutting himself off. “Oh... oh, of course... Well, Kreep, do me a favour and get the girl for me. Don't kill her, just knock her out. She's mine” He tried to stab Alexander, who parried the dagger with his longsword. “I'll be with her in a minute”, Wolfius growled. “First I got to dispose of this little rat”
Alexander looked over his shoulders and gave Ilish a worried look. Before she could even react, Kreep had already grabbed her and heavily threw her onto the ground. Her vision blurred for a short moment as she hit her head, but her senses returned immediately as Kreep jumped on top of her with brutal strength, holding her hands down. “Don't resist!”, he ordered her, his voice sounding almost like Wolfius' for a moment. “It gets more painful if you resist”
Out of the corner of her eyes, Ilish saw Alexander trying to hit Wolfius, who managed to evade the sellsword's attack with surprising speed and grace. On the other hand, Alexander proved himself to be a good fighter, blocking Wolfius' rapid counterattacks with ease. Ilish tried to move her own hands upwards to punch Kreep in the face, only to realize how much stronger he was than her. His grip on her wrists got stronger and he didn't even flinch as she raised her knee to kick him in the stomach. “I warned you”, he growled, letting go of her right wrist for a moment. Before Ilish was able to punch him with her newly free hand, Kreep gave her a heavy punch in the face, causing her to nearly loose her consciousness. “I warned you”, he repeated and punched her again, this time hitting her cheek. “I warned you”
“Ilish!”, she heard Alexander shouting and as she slightly turned her head, she saw him attempting to attack Kreep. Wolfius used this moment to dart forwards, trying to impale his opponent. In the last moment, Alexander managed to parry the attack, but only by moving his left arm between the blade and his chest. The knife pierced his sleeve and the flesh underneath it, causing him to cry out in pain and to drop his dagger.
“Big mistake, man”, Wolfius chuckled and viciously continued his attack, forcing Alexander into the defensive, as he barely managed to parry the madman's attack with his sword. Kreep let out a hissing sound as he raised his closed fist again. And Ilish closed her eyes...
...only to open them again as she felt the grip on her wrists to disappear, as Kreep let out a surprised grunt and made a jump backwards, off of her. She immediately crawled backwards, away from him, as he focussed his gaze on a new figure who had just entered the alleyway, a longsword in hand. It took Ilish a moment to recognize Lawsen, whose determined and angry facial expression was a stark contrast to his usual friendly smile. “Get away from her”, he growled and for a moment, Kreep looked surprised. He quickly regained his composure and put his hands on the hilt of his daggers.
“Lawsen?”, Ilish mumbled in surprise, her head still hurting and her vision still blurred from Kreep's punch. He gave her a nod, followed by a slight smile. “I saw this bastard following you and I knew, I had to do something”, he said. “Glad I managed to be here in time” Ilish groaned in pain as she got back on her knees. “Where do you got that sword?”, she asked, but Lawsen didn't manage to answer immediately, as Kreep let out an animalistic howl, before he started to charge at him, attacking him with both daggers simultaneously.
“Told you not to judge a book by it's cover!”, Lawsen shouted as he managed to parry the strike. It looked less skilled than Alexander's attacks, but Kreep wasn't a particularly skilled fighter either. On the downside, Wolfius' son was unbelievably fast, quickly attacking Lawsen over and over, slowly forcing him to go backwards again.
“Ilish, now's your chance!”, she heard Alexander calling, who still fought against Wolfius. “Run! We keep them busy!” With these words he took a counterattack at Wolfius, forcing him to take a jump backwards. However, she also saw that Wolfius' knife had caused a serious wound to his arm. The ground was already stained with his blood, but he kept on fighting with his good arm, relentlessly driving Wolfius backwards. The smirk on the monster's face made it clear that this wasn't entirely unintentional however and Ilish realized that he was only waiting until Alexander made the next mistake.
Still a bit dizzy and with weak knees, she slowly got back on her feet. For a short moment, she looked towards the exit of the alleyway, somewhere behind Lawsen and Kreep. She immediately felt ashamed for this thought. No, Wolfius was here for her. She couldn't live with herself if she would just leave Alexander and Lawsen. While the sellsword had a momentary advantage over Wolfius, Lawsen's fight against Kreep looked less good. He was bleeding from a small cut on his chest and only barely managed to dodge an attack that would have nearly slashed his throat, while having almost no time to make a counterattack. Ilish knew, she had to help one of them, perhaps even both!
She quickly looked around and spotted Alexander's dagger still lying on the ground where he dropped it. Ilish wasn't a fighter, but she came from the North. She knew how to pull her weight in a fight, even if the dagger was almost too long for her liking. With shaking hands, she grabbed it, looking at the two fights. On her left, Alexander finally managed to force Wolfius to parry his attacks, even if his wounded arm clearly caused him pain and made him reckless. To her right, Kreep had succeeded in giving Lawsen a second, painful-looking cut across the chest. He wasn't paying any attention to her at the moment. Ilish gulped, knowing that she had to make a decision, whom she wanted to help first.
[Help Alexander and fight against Wolfius] [Help Lawsen and fight against Kreep]
I can promise, the wait for your character won't be long anymore, because he perfectly fits into a role that I need for one of the storylines in this chapter, so expect him in one of the next few parts. While he is not appearing in this part, he will be in the story very, very soon
(Help Alexander and fight against Wolfius)
[Help Lawsen and fight against Kreep] Yeah I don't like Alexander.
[Help Lawsen and fight against Kreep] Alexander should be fine.