Raenna
Silently, Raenna and Terroma moved down the alleyway, while Harrington directly walked up to the door of the house. Raenna threw a… more short, distrustful glare into his direction, before he was out of sight. To her irritation, Harrington actually noticed it and answered with a small, confident smirk.
“I still don't trust him”, Raenna whispered, as she followed Terroma, who moved at a fast pace, very close to the house they were about to enter. “Well, I do”, he answered. “Do you trust me?” Raenna let out a sigh. “Always”, she answered. “I guess we'll soon find out what he's up to. You can still kill, can you?”
This remark caused Terroma to chuckle. “Sweet Raenna, I guess this is a skill no man can ever forget”, he said and stopped walking, so suddenly that Raenna almost ran into him. He crouched down and glanced at the wall next to him. It wasn't a high wall, but still at roughly seven feet, so that the common man was unable to get… [view original content]
Raenna
Silently, Raenna and Terroma moved down the alleyway, while Harrington directly walked up to the door of the house. Raenna threw a… more short, distrustful glare into his direction, before he was out of sight. To her irritation, Harrington actually noticed it and answered with a small, confident smirk.
“I still don't trust him”, Raenna whispered, as she followed Terroma, who moved at a fast pace, very close to the house they were about to enter. “Well, I do”, he answered. “Do you trust me?” Raenna let out a sigh. “Always”, she answered. “I guess we'll soon find out what he's up to. You can still kill, can you?”
This remark caused Terroma to chuckle. “Sweet Raenna, I guess this is a skill no man can ever forget”, he said and stopped walking, so suddenly that Raenna almost ran into him. He crouched down and glanced at the wall next to him. It wasn't a high wall, but still at roughly seven feet, so that the common man was unable to get… [view original content]
This choice was almost unanimous and the outcome does not exactly surprise me. It seems Harrington has earned your trust by now. Raenna will have two more parts in this chapter and since we're nearing the end of it, the wait for her next part won't be particularly long. First however, we're going to meet some of the other PoV's whom we haven't seen in a while.
The next part will be out later today. It will be a Lucas part. I have actually just now noticed how much time passed since the last Lucas part, as we haven't seen him in over a month. The last time we saw him, he, Leonard, Samantha and Sasha have arrived in Raylansfair. While Samantha and Sasha headed for the tavern, where they plan to meet up with John and Aylard, Lucas and Leonard made their way to the castle. On the way there however, they got ambushed by a group of thugs, who would have been enough to kill them in their current, wounded state. Things looked grim for the knights, until a mysterious stranger arrived and defeated the thugs. The last of them was killed by Lucas even after he already surrendered. The stranger introduced himself as Ser Ian Shortwood, a wandering hedge knight who is hoping to get into House Raylans's service. He asked to accompany them to their meeting with Harris, to which both, Lucas and Leonard agreed.
The Voting is closed!
Raenna is going to support Harrington
This choice was almost unanimous and the outcome does not exactly surprise… more me. It seems Harrington has earned your trust by now. Raenna will have two more parts in this chapter and since we're nearing the end of it, the wait for her next part won't be particularly long. First however, we're going to meet some of the other PoV's whom we haven't seen in a while.
The next part will be out later today. It will be a Lucas part. I have actually just now noticed how much time passed since the last Lucas part, as we haven't seen him in over a month. The last time we saw him, he, Leonard, Samantha and Sasha have arrived in Raylansfair. While Samantha and Sasha headed for the tavern, where they plan to meet up with John and Aylard, Lucas and Leonard made their way to the castle. On the way there however, they got ambushed by a group of thugs, who would have been enough to kill them in… [view original content]
I actually can't say that with certainty. There will be one more Arthur part in this chapter and it is planned to be a long one, but I am not sure when I'll be able to write it. First, I definitely want to write parts for Maya, Ellena, Alys and possibly Edrick, but since I hope to finish the chapter in this month, the wait for the next Arthur part shouldn't be too long.
I actually can't say that with certainty. There will be one more Arthur part in this chapter and it is planned to be a long one, but I am no… moret sure when I'll be able to write it. First, I definitely want to write parts for Maya, Ellena, Alys and possibly Edrick, but since I hope to finish the chapter in this month, the wait for the next Arthur part shouldn't be too long.
Raenna
Silently, Raenna and Terroma moved down the alleyway, while Harrington directly walked up to the door of the house. Raenna threw a… more short, distrustful glare into his direction, before he was out of sight. To her irritation, Harrington actually noticed it and answered with a small, confident smirk.
“I still don't trust him”, Raenna whispered, as she followed Terroma, who moved at a fast pace, very close to the house they were about to enter. “Well, I do”, he answered. “Do you trust me?” Raenna let out a sigh. “Always”, she answered. “I guess we'll soon find out what he's up to. You can still kill, can you?”
This remark caused Terroma to chuckle. “Sweet Raenna, I guess this is a skill no man can ever forget”, he said and stopped walking, so suddenly that Raenna almost ran into him. He crouched down and glanced at the wall next to him. It wasn't a high wall, but still at roughly seven feet, so that the common man was unable to get… [view original content]
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us something about yourself”, Leonard said, in an effort to break the silence. So far, their mysterious saviour had been less than talkative aside from their initial conversation. When prompted, he would speak, but Lucas noticed that he showed little initiative to start a conversation on his own. Either he preferred silence, or he had something to hide.
“There's not much to tell”, Ian explained. “As you know, I am a hedge knight, currently without a lord whom I'm sworn to. Originally, I come from the Stormlands. I have been travelling the Reach for years now, serving basically as a knighted sellsword” He noticed the look on Lucas' face and let out a sigh. “Before you ask, no, I am not proud of this”, he swore. “This is my reason for coming here. Raylansfair could need someone like me, while I could need a real lord. Something to be proud of, you know?”
Leonard gave him a nod. “I know that feeling”, he agreed. “Have you served many lords?” Ian chuckled and an affable smirk appeared on his face. “More than many”, he answered. “Not only lords. I've travelled through the Reach for years, serving minor lords or rich smallfolk. Not all of my work included fighting”
Lucas let out an annoyed groan. He had better to do than to listen to this man and his story. The way he saw it, most of it was probably a lie anyway. “It's been a blessing that you've been there in the alleyway”, Leonard complimented him and Lucas shot him a glare. “Yeah, what a lucky coincidence”, he growled, which caused Leonard to narrow his eyes. “Excuse us for a moment, Ian”, he mumbled, before he grabbed Lucas by the shoulder, to fasten his steps, leaving the hedge knight a few feet behind them.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Flowers?”, Leonard whispered. Lucas pressed his lips together and clenched his unwounded fist, as he directed his glare at the other knight. “What the hell is wrong with me?”, he asked. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you expect me to trust this man?”
“That's not what I meant”, Leonard whispered and lowered his tone even more. “It's how you're acting ever since we left Oldtown. You're angry, irritable, short-tempered. Trust me, I can understand that, but it's getting out of hand. Back in that alleyway... you killed that guy” Lucas frowned at these words and shook his head. “I took down an enemy”, he corrected him.
Leonard shook his head. “No”, he said. “No, you killed an unarmed man who had yielded and who was willing to give us information, just because his words provoked you. Flowers, that's not right” Lucas gave him an angry glare. “It's not right that you are trusting this stranger so much”, he snarled in return “We barely know this guy!”
“Yeah, and I try to change that”, Leonard answered sternly. Lucas sighed and shook his head. “He is hiding something, he has to hide something and still you're... chatting with him as if he's an old friend”, he hissed. This time, Leonard raised an eyebrow. “You're really convinced he's hiding something, huh?”, he asked. “Listen, Flowers, usually I'm the last person to ever trust someone, but that guy just saved our asses back there. If he would work with these thugs, if he wanted us dead, he had a great chance”
“Then maybe he's working for someone else. Not the person who sent these thugs”, Lucas argued. Leonard sighed and gave him a worried look. “Flowers, I know you've been through the Seven Hells and back, I know you have a good reason not to trust anyone, but please, this man saved our live and he gave us no reason not to trust him. Is it so hard to believe for you that he is exactly what he seems to be?”
“People are never what they seem to be!”, Lucas growled, louder this time. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that he's hiding something?” Before Leonard was able to answer, an embarrassed cough cut him off. Both men glanced over their shoulder. Lucas let out a frustrated sigh as he moved his head in the wrong direction, so that Ian was in his blind spot at first.
“I really don't want to eavesdrop, but you've been rather loud”, the hedge knight explained. “That's what this is about, right? You don't trust me, and well, I can't blame you. Let me get this straight, I have nothing to proof that I don't have a secret agenda, aside from my word. All I'm asking for is that you give me a chance to proof how much this is worth”
“And we give you that chance, Ian”, Leonard said in a friendly tone. “It's just... don't blame it on Flowers. He's been through a lot lately” An understanding look appeared on Ian's face, the kind of look that was concealing pity, which only enraged Lucas even more. “So I've seen”, he answered. “This is not a battle wound. May I ask, who did this to you?”
“Maron Mullendore”, Lucas immediately growled. He saw no point in hiding this information. In fact, the more people would know, the more he could hurt Mullendore. Ian seemed to think about this name for a moment. “Mullendore... House Mullendore of Uplands, right?”, he said and his eyes widened. “A nobleman did this to you?”
“Not a nobleman”, Lucas hissed immediately and sharply. Ian gulped as he had to look away from Lucas' angry glare. “And... have you... is he dead?” Lucas shook his head. “Not yet”, he answered. “But if I get my hands on him, I'm gonna make him pay”
Despite the anger that was boiling inside of him, he noticed the worried glance that Leonard and Ian exchanged. “Is he... a danger to this city?”, he asked. Leonard gave him a nod. “Without a doubt. Our connection to Raylansfair is the reason for Lucas' current condition”, he answered softly. Immediately, a determined look appeared on Ian's face. “Then I can promise you, should your lord accept me into his service, Maron Mullendore will be my enemy as well”, he swore. “Is he the man who sent these thugs?”
“Unlikely”, Leonard answered and a curious, puzzled expression flashed across Lucas' face. “How do you...?”, he asked, but the other knight cut him off. “The last thug, the one you... killed, he mentioned that he worked for a woman”, he explained and a forced smirk appeared on his face. “I wonder whom he meant. Maybe Lady Halla, what do you think?” It was a weak joke and no one laughed, not even Leonard himself.
“Lady who?”, Ian asked. “Lady Halla. Halla Peddle. The housekeeper”, Leonard explained. “You're soon going to meet her, so be warned she...” He looked into the direction of the castle, which was much closer than before now, and suddenly stopped, mid-sentence, his eyes opened widely. “Oh fuck...”, he mumbled. Lucas followed his stare and stopped as well, putting his healthy hand onto his sword without hesitating. “What is it?”, Ian asked, but no one answered. Down the path, directly into their direction, walked Harris Flowers.
Behind him... Lucas jaw dropped, as he recognized the knight with the long, unkempt brown hair. Darren Tallwood was back in Raylansfair, but the joy of seeing him again was tarnished by the guards he was leading. Lucas counted half a dozen and there was no doubt that they were heading into their direction.
Harris was the first to recognize them. The acting lord was looking tired and thinner than Lucas remembered him, but there was a still a careful, attentive look in his eyes. The moment he saw him, a shocked expression flashed across his face and he fastened his steps towards them. His piercing stare started to make Lucas uncomfortable, who in turn moved the disfigured side of his face away from him.
“Ser Lucas!”, Harris greeted him, a look of baffled shock on his face. There was something else as well. He was cautious, as if he already suspected that they knew something. At least he seemed to fear the possibility. His movements were cautious and he approached them slowly. There was shock on his face, anger over seeing Lucas in such a state. But he was wary at the same time, almost afraid of what they had found in Oldtown. His right hand hovered above the hilt of his sword, a gesture which neither Lucas, nor Darren failed to see.
“Ser Leonard! I... haven't expected you back so early”, Harris continued, momentarily moving his stare away from Lucas and towards Ian. “And... you are?” Leonard gave Ian a nod and the hedge knight moved forwards, before respectfully bowing in front of Harris. “My name is Ser Ian Shortwood. I am a hedge knight and I've travelled here in the hope of getting into your service, mylord”
Behind Harris, Darren rolled with his eyes as he heard the name, his mouth forming the words 'Bloody Hell', but he remained silent. Leonard cleared his throat, gaining the acting lord's attention. “Without Ser Ian's help, me and Lucas would have died. He saved our life”, he explained.
Once more, Harris' glanced at Lucas, who clenched his fists under the piercing stare. “In Oldtown?”, he asked. Leonard shook his head. “Maybe fifteen minutes from here, in a small alleyway near the docks”, he answered. Both, Harris and Darren exchanged alarmed looks, but not even nearly as alarmed as they should be. Lucas realized that something has happened while they have been away, something so terrible that not even the news about a group of thugs that was attacking sworn knights in the streets was enough to particularly faze them.
“And... Dairon?”, Harris asked carefully. His hand was still hovering above his sword, but by now he seemed to be almost unaware of it. Underneath every layer of his gaze, Lucas saw a core of nervousness, which in turn affected everyone around him. He saw that the soldiers were holding their weapons, long spears, harder than they had to. Even Darren Tallwood had his arms crossed and was glaring from Harris to Leonard. The only one who was relatively calm was Ian, who seemed to be oblivious to what was going on.
“He did not make it”, Leonard said shortly, anger flaring up in his voice. “But we learned about Lord Raylan's last will... among other things” Harris let out a pained, tired sigh. Finally, he realized that his hand had grabbed the hilt of his sword by now. For a moment, it looked as if he was willing to unsheathe it. Then, he visibly relaxed and even managed to force himself to smile.
“It is good to have you back again”, he said, as he shook Leonard's hand. Both seemed to tense up during the gesture, but the aura of nervousness was gone. More than one of the soldiers breathed out in relief. Darren Tallwood still had a cautious, yet curious look on his face. “It's good to be back, mylord”, Leonard answered coldly.
Next, Harris stepped towards Ian. He patted him onto the shoulder as if the hedge knight was an old friend. “You saved two men who are invaluable to this city”, he said and Ian gave him a humble nod of the head. “I simply did what anyone would have done”, he proclaimed. Harris shook his head. “You have to tell me about the details later”, he said. “For now, I can only tell you that you did something extraordinary for us. You shall be richly rewarded”
“I wish for nothing but a chance to prove my worth”, Ian answered and his mouth formed a sly smirk. “And I won't refuse a flagon of your best wine” Harris chuckled at these words, relaxing even more with each passing second. “I'll give you a whole damn cellar if you want to”, he answered. “And you are right, Ser. We have a shortage of knights” His smile faded, replaced by a stern and serious look. “I can't promise anything, but I will consider your offer. For now, you are invited to stay at the castle until I made my decision”, he said and glanced towards Lucas. “There is something else I have to take care of, before I can take any oath from you”
As he said this, Darren stepped past him and towards Leonard. Now genuinely delighted to see him, Leonard shook his hand. “Leonard Constantine, you crazy hound”, Darren growled in a jovial tone. “Never thought I'd see you again” Leonard's smile turned into a big grin. “It's been a while, Darren. Apparently, I've missed a lot”
“To say the least”, Darren answered and Leonard's smile faded. He shot a vicious glare at Harris, who had turned his back on him and was slowly approaching Lucas. “I was expecting Ilhan to be with you”, the knight said and clenched his fists. Harris momentarily froze and an upset look flashed across his face, long enough to convince Lucas of his guilt. Not that there have been many doubts before. The letter Mullendore had shown him has been written by Septon Corbin, there was no doubt about it. And Septon Corbin was an honest man, one of the last few whom Lucas was willing to trust.
“Lucas”, Harris finally greeted him. Still glancing at the wounds, he extended his hand. “What... what happened to you, boy?”, he asked. Memories of the contemptuous tone in which Mullendore had spoken to him flashed through Lucas' mind and he barely managed to keep his voice low. “I'm not your boy”, he hissed, sharp enough to make Harris shiver.
The acting lord gave him an apologizing nod. “Of course, Ser Lucas. I am sorry”, he said and finally Lucas shook his still outstretched hand. Instead of letting go, he pulled Harris closer towards him. “We know everything”, he whispered into his ear, while he saw how Darren was talking to Leonard. He wasn't hearing the words, but judging from their facial expressions, they were talking about Ilhan. “We know what you did, murderer”, he continued in a low whisper and Harris grip around his hand got stronger.
“What do you want?”, Harris asked. It almost sounded as if he was begging. Not quite of course. Even right now, Harris retained a bit of the dignity Lucas had always admired in him. “We need to talk in private. You, me, Leonard. We have a lot to talk about”, Lucas answered. “One thing should be clear, under normal circumstances I would destroy you for what you did. But the circumstances are hardly normal” He let go of Harris and raised his mutilated hand. “The man who did this to me, he's a danger to this city. A bigger one than you could ever hope to be”
The last words were meant to hurt the acting lord and they worked as intended. Harris gulped and averted his gaze, looking towards Leonard and Darren. “We... we should indeed talk”, he said with a shaky voice. Leonard had a shocked look on his face and Lucas saw that not all of it was an act. “Halla too?”, he said weakly.
Lucas immediately realized what he was talking about. Harris caught his angry glare and so did Darren. “She died about a week after you left the city”, Harris explained. “She was murdered by a man named Wolfius Woodbark. We've recently caught him and he is awaiting execution” He closed his eyes. “A lot has happened since you began your journey, most of these things are unpleasant. We should talk about it, in private”, he said. “Just you, me and Leonard”
Finalley, he turned to the castle. “But first, let us go inside”, he decided. “Ser Ian, I will show you a room where you can live until I made my decision” Ian gave him a thankful nod. He and Leonard flanked Harris, as they walked towards the castle, followed by the soldiers. “It's an honour, mylord”, he said politely.
Lucas followed closely and Darren was walking next to him. “Lucas”, he finally greeted him and Lucas gave him a nod. “Darren. It's good to see you”, he answered. The knight let out a sigh. “I'd say the same thing, but... damn it, what happened to you?”
“Oldtown”, Lucas answered briefly, not in the mood to relive the events that led to his current state. “I will explain it in due time. I'm just... not ready right now” An understanding look flashed across Darren's face. “Take your time, my friend”, he said softly. He was going to add something, but Lucas froze in shock as soon as they entered the courtyard, his hand swiftly grabbing Darren's upper arm as soon as he saw the banners. “What the...”, Lucas stuttered as he saw the heavily armoured men who had gathered around the banner of the crowned stag.
“Ah, yes”, Darren sighed. “We have a couple of visitors here. First, some sleazy cunt named Hobert. Lord of Mander's Mouth, or something like that, who calls himself the rightful lord of Raylansfair. His men occupy the barracks right now, though hopefully they'll get kicked out soon. Then, Lord Tyrell arrived, to decide about the future lord of our city”
“And... what is House Durrandon doing here?”, Lucas managed to exclaim. “Well, just before you arrived, the Stag King's little fawn arrived here, bringing a small army with her”, Darren explained and pointed at the Great Hall. “She's in there right now, together with Tyrell. Luckily, her men remain in the courtyard, or else there might be a bloodbath”
“It appeared I've missed a lot”, Lucas said. What Darren said sparked his curiosity. The future of Raylansfair was of great concern to him, perhaps the only thing that mattered more than taking Mullendore down. However, before he could ask further questions, Darren grabbed him by the shoulder, a stern look finally engraved on his face.
“So have I”, he growled. “Namely, I missed the deaths of both, Halla and Ilhan” He glanced at Harris, who was still talking to Ian and Leonard, while he approached the lord's tower. “You can imagine my surprise when I return, only to be offered Ilhan Lagoon's position as Raylansfair's master-at-arms”
“Congratulations”, Lucas said half-heartedly, already realizing what Darren was hinting at. “The thing is, I was never good at lying. Hell, I hate it. But I hate it even more when people lie to me”, the knight answered. “And over the years, I got pretty good at spotting a lie. So far, it was only a suspicion, one I have shared with no one, but there was something about Harris reaction to your return, about your reaction when you learned about Ilhan's death...” He sighed and fully stopped walking. “Lucas, one thing I always liked about you is that you have never been a liar. So, I'm asking you now, tell me the truth”
“What do you mean?”, Lucas asked with a shaky voice. Darren sighed. “I'm pretty sure Harris had something to do with Ilhan's death. The official story... it does not quite match. They say Ilhan provoked a fight, they say it was self-defence. The only living witness is a meek little girl who has a worrying lack of a backbone”, he growled. “And then there's Harris reaction to my return. He immediately offered me Ilhan's position. Made me the master-at-arms, probably in the attempt of winning my loyalty. If anything, it made me even more suspicious of him. I have no evidence, but perhaps you have. Tell me, do you know more about Ilhan's death?”
Lucas frowned, remembering his earlier talk with Leonard. They needed Harris, but at the same time, he knew that there would be a time where they had to take him down. Perhaps the support of Darren would be invaluable then. Or perhaps Darren would ruin their plan of working with Harris as long as they still needed him.
And he will get another part. I'm just not yet sure if I should put it before or after the next Arthur part. Probably before, considering that it has been a long time since we last saw him, but I'm going to decide that relatively spontaneously. There's also the strong possibility that he is getting two more parts. I know exactly which choice I want to put at the end of his Chapter 6 storyline, but I am not sure if I manage to reach this particular point at the end of his next part.
Good part, the tension. I voted this because honesty is good. Plus, what would happen if he found out. Or, we could lie and then tell Darren at that moment, but eh I don't know.
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas is really starting to turn into a dark character, I can feel his hostility and aggressiveness growing in every part. And honestly, he has the right to. [Tell him the truth]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Read this PoV show me that so many events are happened after Lucas start his mission at the beginning of chapter1!
About the choice this time probably I will not give my vote since: Lie to Darren will make our fellow Ser still loyal to Harris and will not ruin his and probably our plans but,if he later discover the truth Lucas sure will be in danger while Tell him the truth will make Darren angry against Harris and,first or then,ruin his plans to rule Raylansfair AND (if we don't make te good choices) ruin Lucas plans to bring misery to the butterfly
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of… more attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us s… [view original content]
I am very surprised that this choice won unanimously, as I would have expected at least a few votes in favour of lying to him. At the same time, this choice is the one I have been planning with and the one I think is going to have the more interesting consequences. Speaking about, I can tell you that you will see some consequences relatively soon. This was one of the major choices in this chapter.
The next part is going to be out today and it is going to be a long Ellena part. It's been a while for her, so here's a recap: The last time we saw Ellena, she and Himani travelled through Oldtown together, to go and deliver the letter she had received from the Burned Man. On their way, they encounter a very strange man, who calls himself Roach. According to Himani, he is harmless, though he genuinely creeped Ellena out, especially once he spotted the letter and expressed a desire to hold it, just for one moment. As expected, Ellena refused to hand over the letter.
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ellena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the largest eyes she had ever seen. “Roach...”, Himani said carefully. “Give us the letter” Roach took another step away from them. “Roach is not a thief”, he hissed. “This belongs to Roach now!” Just as Ellena darted towards him, he turned around and started to run down the alleyway, faster than Ellena could ever hope to be.
“Damn it”, Himani yelled, followed by a couple of words which Ellena would rather not think about too much. She only gave him a helpless glare, as she started to run after Roach, knowing fully well that she wouldn't catch up to him. Before she had even crossed half of the alleyway, the thief had vanished behind a corner that lead to the main street.
“NO!”, Ellena yelled, as she stopped her hopeless chase. Himani had caught up to her in no time and her helpless glare turned into anger. “You!”, she yelled and pointed her finger at him. “This is your fault! Why have you taken that damn way? You ruined it!”
Himani raised his hands and took a step away from her, even though she had no intentions of hitting him. In fact, she wasn't even angry at him and immediately felt a bit bad for lashing out so quickly. However, at the same time she couldn't contain her anger.
“Easy, m'lady!”, Himani tried to calm her down. “Easy, I can help! I'm sorry, please, calm down!” Ellena clenched her fists and slowly forced herself to get calmer. She noticed that tears of anger had formed in her eyes. This letter was important and now it was in the hands of this... this... man! Who knew what he would do with it? A disgusted look flashed across her face, as she immediately forced herself to stop thinking about this question.
“How?”, she growled. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest, but she already noticed that she managed to calm down just a little bit. “I know where he lives”, Himani said quickly. “And I know Roach. He's a coward. He is fleeing to the place where he lives”
“Why should he do that? A thief who runs straight home? That's just crazy!”, Ellena remarked, before she put a hand onto her forehead. “Of course”, she said. “Crazy” Himani gave her a nod. “Aye. He also doesn't know that I know about his little hideout”, he said with a sly grin. “I once followed him. Wanted to know where a man like him lives. It's not far from here, come on!”
He started to walk down the alleyway at a fast pace, though he wasn't running. Ellena had no trouble keeping up with him this time. A look of sheepish guilt slowly formed on her face, as she glanced at the urchin, feeling calmer with every passing second. “Sorry”, she mumbled as soon as they stepped onto the crowded main street.
Her words almost drowned under all the noise that came from around them, yet Himani still managed to hear her, as he gave her a reassuring smile. “Ah, nothing to be sorry about”, he grinned. “You have every right to be angry, m'lady. I screwed this one up” Ellena raised an eyebrow at his words, while he led her through the crowd and into another small alleyway. “You don't seem to be too bothered by this”, she remarked.
The boy gave her a nod. “Why should I?”, he asked. As Ellena narrowed her eyes again, a friendly chuckle came out of Himani's throat. “Yeah, I know, Roach ran off with the letter”, he admitted. “But that's nothing bad. That's part of the game”
“The game?”, Ellena asked, as Himani led them into another alleyway, down a set of stairs. “Yeah. You see, with everything we do, we're playing the game”, he answered. “Roach stole your letter, we get it back, nothing bad will follow out of it and the game continues”
“Not everything in life is a game”, Ellena mumbled. The vivid memory of her father, bleeding out on their floor, flashed through her mind and she had to close her eyes. “And I never said that”, Himani corrected her. “There's bad stuff. People dying. Suffering. That's not part of the game. But as long as I play, everything will work out fine for me in the end. Sometimes I make a couple of bad moves, I always remain in the game”
“And what if you don't?”, Ellena asked. “What if something happens to you, so terrible that you won't be able to continue playing?” Himani's smile faded. “Not going to lie, it almost happened to me plenty of times. Without the Burned Man, I would have died years ago, or worse”, he answered. “But I don't try to think about it too much. Stuff that really drags you down is not worth thinking about”
As he said this, his smile returned. They had left the crowded street behind for a while now and the houses they walked past seemed to come closer and closer, until Ellena could swear that their roofs almost touched. “And here it is”, he said and lowered his voice as he led her down another set of stairs, into something that resembled a pitch black tunnel.
The first thing Ellena noticed, aside from the darkness, was the smell, a horrible, rotten, mind-numbingly intense stench. The air reeked of excrements and decay. It was dark, too dark for her to actually fathom the size of this tunnel, but as she walked next to Himani through the darkness, she got the impression that it was a lot larger than she thought at first. Only moments after they had entered the tunnel, they were surrounded by darkness.
“Where are...”, she started to say, but Himani's small hand immediately found her mouth, stopping any more words from leaving it. “Silent now”, he said, barely audible. “Words travel far here and we don't want him to notice us” He grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly as he led her through the darkness.
In silence, they continued to walk through the reeking darkness. Ellena clung to Himani's hand, especially once she started to hear movement around her. Tiny feet, dozens at least. She gulped as she recognized them as rats. Growing up in Braavos, she had learned to hate any kind of vermin. Her hometown lived from trade and as such, rats provided a serious threat to the numerous warehouses that were scattered around the city.
And soon, there was something else. A voice, mumbling incomprehensible words. The distant, warm light of a candle. Himani slowed down and Ellena did the same, as they started to sneak towards the light.
“...called Roach a thief”, the voice muttered. “Roach is not a thief. No, no... This belongs to Roach. Not a thief...” While the candle did not illuminate much, it indeed showed that they had long since left the small tunnel behind. Ellena and Himani were standing in the middle of a huge, underground room. Judging by the smell, Ellena deduced that it was some kind of sewer and she sent a silent prayer to the gods that she wouldn't step into something.
Roach stood next to the candle, in the middle of something which, in the absence of a better word, had to be called a room. Dirty linen was hanging from the low ceiling, forming makeshift walls and stained wool made up something that resembled a carpet. The candle was standing on a table, next to it a mattress. The table itself was in poor condition, but a surprisingly fine tablecloth, made for a much larger object, was on top of it, covering most of it and reaching down to the ground. There were two long, half-broken cupboards in the tiny space that Roach claimed as his own and they were littered with tiny trinkets, from tinged metal, to pieces of wood, to worthless jewellery.
The letter was lying on the table, still unopened and Roach was looking at it with glee. “It's Roach's now...”, he repeated, obviously talking to himself. “It's all Roach's now. He found it, he keeps it. Hasn't stolen it. Roach is not a thief!”
Himani stepped out of the darkness and into the light of the candle and immediately, the thief noticed him. A shocked expression appeared on his ugly face, as his bug-like eyes widened. “Himani! What is Himani doing here?”
“Hello Roach”, Himani said sternly. Roach took a step away from him, stepping onto his own mattress as Ellena came out of the darkness as well. “We're here to take the letter back”, she said decisively. This time, Roach shook his head. It was a gesture of despair and he did nothing to stop her as she walked towards the table. All he did was letting out a wailing, sobbing noise as she grabbed the letter.
“How have you found me?”, he asked weakly and suddenly, Ellena felt something else for him. As she looked around, through the small, makeshift room, the dirty trinkets that made up most of it, the look of despair on Roach's face, she felt no anger for him, even though she had good reason to. She only felt pity, pity for this poor, broken man who had nothing but this tiny room in this stinking sewer.
“I followed you a while ago, so I always knew where your little hideout was”, Himani explained softly. “Listen, Roach, you know what you did was not right, do you?” The man shook his head. “No! Roach did nothing!”, he hissed, before his gaze cleared momentarily. “And Himani shouldn't be here!”
There was something about him that made it look like he was almost begging, but Ellena was unsure for what. Still feeling pity and even a strange sensation of guilt, she reached into her pocket. The absurdity of her actions caused her to shake her head. Here she was, considering to pay a thief for something that belonged to her. But still... she didn't want to leave Roach like this, so desperate and alone.
The coin she pulled out was small and square and consisted of iron. It was a Braavosi coin, worth nothing here in Oldtown, but pretty to look at, like most of the things Roach surrounded himself with. The man's eyes widened even more as she presented the coin to him. “Here, Roach”, she explained slowly and softly. “You can have this and I take the letter with me, okay?”
The look on his face made it clear that he wasn't believing her, until he quickly grabbed the coin from her hands. “You... you give this to Roach? A... a gift?”, he asked cautiously. Ellena gave him a nod, followed by a forced smile. “It's yours”, she confirmed and finally, a wide smile appeared on Roach's face. “Roach got a gift!”, he proclaimed loudly. “Roach got a gift and it is wonderful!”
He jumped around in his tiny room, a look of childish joy on his face. Despite the dirty, disgusting surroundings, his pure happiness was enough for Ellena to feel happy herself. Still, she moved the letter back into her pocket, with the intention of never revealing it again until she was able to deliver it.
“Oh, Roach thinks it would look wonderful right here!”, the man exclaimed as he put the coin between a tiny, wooden statue that apparently depicted a phallus, and the severed, decaying head of a rat. “It's beautiful!”, Roach said with a wide smile, but it faded as soon as he looked past Ellena and Himani.
“You still shouldn't be here”, he gulped. “Only Roach should be here. You are in danger...” The warning was strange, but Himani immediately looked concerned. “What do you mean?”, he asked, still in a whispering tone, as Roach gasped at a new sound in the darkness. Ellena heard it as well. Footsteps. Distant, but heavy footsteps.
“Get down!”, Roach ordered, now almost whispering himself. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, as he rushed towards Ellena and Himani, grabbing both of them with surprising strength. “Down here!”, he urged them and pushed them underneath the table, the tablecloth soon concealing most of their bodies. “Silent now. Only Roach is here!”
Underneath the tablecloth, Ellena and Himani exchanged a worried, but silent look. She was able to see Roach's 'room' through a small hole in the tablecloth, but she was unable to see anything in the darkness beyond.
“Good evening, Roach”, a deep, warm voice greeted him in a melodic tone. Finally, Ellena saw something, someone, stepping out of the darkness. Judging by the voice, it was a man, but his whole body was covered in black clothing. He even had a hood, but what set him apart from other men was the mask he was wearing, white and gold, shaped like a cat. The eyes below it glimmered in the light of the candle. He was armed with a long, curved sword, as well as a set of throwing knives which were strapped to his chest.
“Roach greets the Tom”, Roach said in a shaky, panicked voice. Next to Ellena, Himani tensed up, a look of pure fear on his face. Behind the masked man, Ellena spotted additional silhouettes. One of them looked freakishly large and she almost couldn't believe her eyes as this figure stepped into the light as well, revealing it to be another man, more like a giant. Unlike the Tom, he was wearing white clothing, though it barely managed to cover his massive arms. Hair as white as his skin was visible underneath his equally white, cat-shaped mask.
“You seem nervous, Roach”, the Tom said, while his massive companion moved past him, closer to the table. “Whom were you talking to?” Roach quickly shook his head. “No one!”, he swore. “Roach was talking to no one. Just Roach here and no one else!” He glanced at the giant and Ellena saw that he was visibly shivering.
“Oh, Roach, may I introduce my dear friend, the Moggy”, the Tom said. Roach turned towards the giant, now shaking in fear. “Ro-Roach greets th-the Moggy”, he stuttered. The Moggy turned to the Tom who gave him an encouraging nod. Then, he let out a deep, feral growl, which only after a while formed rudimentary words. “Hello Roach”
The thief gasped in terror, trying to take a step back from the giant, but bumping into one of his cupboards. “So, Roach, what do you have today?”, the Tom asked. Roach gulped, his eyes widening even more, before he weakly shook his head. “Nothing”, he said. “The Burned Man mostly keeps out of the area. Roach hasn't seen his men in forever”
The Tom's eyes narrowed, although a somewhat amused spark was visible in them as well. “Are you sure?”, he asked. “My men have been looking forward for a little hunt. You don't want to disappoint them, do you?”
Roach desperately shook his head. “No. Roach doesn't want to disappoint anyone”, he stuttered, while the Tom took a step towards him. The masked man's glare fell upon the cupboard. Ellena gulped as she saw him grabbing the coin Roach had just placed there. “You have a new trinket”, the Tom remarked casually. “A braavosi coin”
“Y-yes”, Roach stuttered. “Roach found it. Roach finds it pretty” He looked around, his gaze momentarily meeting Ellena's, as the Moggy started to approach the table, his fists slowly clenching. From underneath the white mask came a sniffing sound, followed by a growl, more akin to a large beast than to a human being. Ellena and Himani exchanged a frightened stare, before he gave her a nod. Just as the Moggy's massive fist hit the table, cleanly shattering it with a single hit, they jumped out from underneath it, each into a different direction.
The Moggy let out a loud roar, while displeased hissing came from the darkness around them, followed by the sound of sword being drawn. The Tom himself drew his curved sword and pointed it at Roach's throat. “Not so fast”, he purred.
Noticing that they were likely surrounded, Ellena and Himani did not run. They stopped to reorient themselves. By now, it was almost pitch black in the makeshift room, as the candle had dropped to the ground after the Moggy had shattered the table. It was still burning, but it illuminated almost nothing.
“My, my, who do we have here?”, the Tom chuckled and removed the blade from Roach's throat, but not without giving him a minor, superficial cut, just enough to draw some blood. The thief stumbled backwards, a look of sheer, nightmarish fear on his face. “You're not worth the kill, Roach”, the Tom warned him. “But never disappoint me again. Leave us”
With one last, apologetic look towards Ellena and Himani, Roach was gone just as the masked man had finished his sentence. Now, the Tom was focussing on the children. “I remember you, boy”, he hissed and Himani slowly stumbled backwards. “You were at the warehouse, weren't you? I believe your name is... Himani”
Himani gulped, before he glanced at Ellena. His mouths formed the words 'Run'. Then, they both dashed towards the darkness, passing the Moggy as they did so, fast enough to confuse the giant. Ellena knew, they only had this one chance. She didn't knew these people, but she immediately understood that getting captured by them had to be avoided. Himani was slightly faster than her and the first to reach the darkness. This proved to be his undoing, as he immediately bumped into one of the masked men that stepped into their way, knocking him to the ground in the process, but falling down himself.
In her panic, Ellena simply jumped over them and into the darkness, leaving Himani and the masked men behind. The Moggy let out a deep, angry and howling roar, while desperate screams of fear came from Himani. “Ellena!”, he yelled. “Help me! Please! No! Help me!”
All of a sudden, the screams for help stopped, but there was still something to be heard, the sound of several men who were running into her direction. By now, tears were flowing down Ellena's cheeks, as she continued to run. She didn't know if she ran into the right direction and she didn't care. All that mattered was running away.
And then, the darkness gained hands, hands that grabbed her, hands that held her, hands that lifted her into the air, dragged her away and prevented her from screaming. She still tried to scream, to kick, to do something to escape, but the man that held her was too strong. “Silence”, Roach growled.
As he said this, the sound of footsteps became more distant. Ellena sighed weakly. “You... have you...?”, she gasped under tears. The Tom, he came for Roach. And now, Himani was captured. Who knew what they would do to him?
“Roach is sorry. Roach didn't know that you would find him”, Roach said and even in the darkness, she saw genuine regret on his face. “The Tom, he is a bad man. He threatens Roach, forces him to tell him about the things Roach sees”
Ellena glanced past him, into the darkness, roughly into the direction she just came from. Now that the immediate danger was over, her panic faded. “I have to go back”, she hissed. “You have to help me. We can't just leave him!”
Roach shook his head. “No!”, he urged her. “You can't go back there. He will get you and he will do terrible things to you. You're a girl, this is even worse!” Ellena pressed her lips together. “I don't care”, she decided. “Himani is my friend. I can't leave him!”
“A friend, yes”, Roach said. “Roach is your friend as well, so you have to trust him. You will have many friends, but you only have one life” He grabbed her hand and Ellena immediately pulled back. “There is nothing you can do for him. The Tom is a bad man, very bad. Too strong for little girl. You have to trust Roach. Roach can lead you out of here, Roach promises! Please, follow Roach!”
[Follow Roach][Try to escape on your own][Go back for Himani]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
[Try to escape on your own] I can't say I particulary trust Roach, especially after what the Tom said and how terrified he is of him. And nothing good will come from going back to Himani. The best thing Ellena can do for Himani is go back to the Burned Man and tell him what happened. Besides, I don't think they'll kill him. It'd be a waste as Himani knows things about the Burned Man and his operations that they can use. It would be foolish to kill Himani before getting that info out of him.
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
[follow Roach] I make this choice obviously not because I trust the mad man (people should be crazy to trust someone like Roach) but only because is the only safe way to escape from the cats.About Himani,well,it seems that he..lost the game (think that he will survive is so naive,probably he will be first tortured to spill any informations before receive the mercy of death from his own protectors,like the others children before him)
About the Pov I really like how you decide to portray Himani point of view about his own work (point of view that is probably the same for the others many children that are under The Burned Man's wings)
PS:Even if I'm so pessimistic about Himani's fate (to be honest I've the same opinion about Davith and Jaylon )I suppose that the small kid will become the fifth character that will receive the "Status Unknown" treatment.
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ell… moreena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the … [view original content]
Yeah, no big surprise here. I think it should be clear that trying to save Himani in this situation would have been catastrophical for Ellena, so I fully expected either this, or trying to escape on her own to be the winning choice. On the positive side, she now has a friend who knows a secret way into Mordor. That might come in handy, right?
The next part is hopefully going to be out later today. I still have a bit of writing to do and also kinda limited time, so I'm not 100% sure if I manage to finish this part. It contains a Maya PoV and there is the chance that it is either going to be a long part for her, or that it contains an Alys PoV as well. Currently, the latter option sounds a bit more likely. The last time we saw Maya, she, Gregar, Irving and the newest addition to their team, Keat the thief, arrived at the archive. Nothing too big happened, although Gregar once again voiced his concern over leaving Irving behind as their lookout. Meanwhile, the last Alys part has been some time. Just like Edrick, the long wait between her parts wasn't exactly planned, but she's finally back now. Her last part was also her first part in this chapter. She, together with Edward and his men, as well as a group of Ironborn under Alynne Hollard, travelled through the southern Riverlands in the last part, where Edward was going to meet someone. This someone was revealed to be a certain gentleman who goes by the name of Bear. Since Bear and his men are known to be not quite the people a young woman like Alys should be around, Edward gave her the choice to take one of his bodyguards as her own while he negotiates with the bandit. Aftr a bit of thinking, Alys decided to take Carvin as her guard.
Comments
[Support Harrington]
(Support Terroma)
The Voting is closed!
Raenna is going to support Harrington
This choice was almost unanimous and the outcome does not exactly surprise me. It seems Harrington has earned your trust by now. Raenna will have two more parts in this chapter and since we're nearing the end of it, the wait for her next part won't be particularly long. First however, we're going to meet some of the other PoV's whom we haven't seen in a while.
The next part will be out later today. It will be a Lucas part. I have actually just now noticed how much time passed since the last Lucas part, as we haven't seen him in over a month. The last time we saw him, he, Leonard, Samantha and Sasha have arrived in Raylansfair. While Samantha and Sasha headed for the tavern, where they plan to meet up with John and Aylard, Lucas and Leonard made their way to the castle. On the way there however, they got ambushed by a group of thugs, who would have been enough to kill them in their current, wounded state. Things looked grim for the knights, until a mysterious stranger arrived and defeated the thugs. The last of them was killed by Lucas even after he already surrendered. The stranger introduced himself as Ser Ian Shortwood, a wandering hedge knight who is hoping to get into House Raylans's service. He asked to accompany them to their meeting with Harris, to which both, Lucas and Leonard agreed.
Cool, can't wait!
When will be next Arthur part?
I actually can't say that with certainty. There will be one more Arthur part in this chapter and it is planned to be a long one, but I am not sure when I'll be able to write it. First, I definitely want to write parts for Maya, Ellena, Alys and possibly Edrick, but since I hope to finish the chapter in this month, the wait for the next Arthur part shouldn't be too long.
Edrick need at least another part! Remember that his encounter with the Lord (that I've forgotten the name) was inside the preview of this chapter!XD
[Support Terroma]
Ah damn missed the voting, but this is one I would have gotten.
Lucas
Few people paid attention to three unassuming men who were walking through the streets. In fact, few people were paying any kind of attention at all. As Lucas, flanked by Leonard and Ian, made his way to the castle, he noticed the worried looks on their faces. An uncharacteristically large number of people was either rushing towards, or away from the castle. It wasn't hard to realize that something happened.
Of course, Leonard and Ian noticed it as well. Lucas still did not fully trust the hedge knight. He saved their lives and for this he deserved a chance, but something seemed a bit off about him. Lucas found it hard to believe that his timely arrival had been nothing but a coincidence. Sure, at first there seemed to be little wrong with this man. He was polite, calm and friendly, but Lucas knew that there had to be more about him. After Mullendore, he was fed up with people who pretended to be his friend.
“So, Ian, tell us something about yourself”, Leonard said, in an effort to break the silence. So far, their mysterious saviour had been less than talkative aside from their initial conversation. When prompted, he would speak, but Lucas noticed that he showed little initiative to start a conversation on his own. Either he preferred silence, or he had something to hide.
“There's not much to tell”, Ian explained. “As you know, I am a hedge knight, currently without a lord whom I'm sworn to. Originally, I come from the Stormlands. I have been travelling the Reach for years now, serving basically as a knighted sellsword” He noticed the look on Lucas' face and let out a sigh. “Before you ask, no, I am not proud of this”, he swore. “This is my reason for coming here. Raylansfair could need someone like me, while I could need a real lord. Something to be proud of, you know?”
Leonard gave him a nod. “I know that feeling”, he agreed. “Have you served many lords?” Ian chuckled and an affable smirk appeared on his face. “More than many”, he answered. “Not only lords. I've travelled through the Reach for years, serving minor lords or rich smallfolk. Not all of my work included fighting”
Lucas let out an annoyed groan. He had better to do than to listen to this man and his story. The way he saw it, most of it was probably a lie anyway. “It's been a blessing that you've been there in the alleyway”, Leonard complimented him and Lucas shot him a glare. “Yeah, what a lucky coincidence”, he growled, which caused Leonard to narrow his eyes. “Excuse us for a moment, Ian”, he mumbled, before he grabbed Lucas by the shoulder, to fasten his steps, leaving the hedge knight a few feet behind them.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Flowers?”, Leonard whispered. Lucas pressed his lips together and clenched his unwounded fist, as he directed his glare at the other knight. “What the hell is wrong with me?”, he asked. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you expect me to trust this man?”
“That's not what I meant”, Leonard whispered and lowered his tone even more. “It's how you're acting ever since we left Oldtown. You're angry, irritable, short-tempered. Trust me, I can understand that, but it's getting out of hand. Back in that alleyway... you killed that guy” Lucas frowned at these words and shook his head. “I took down an enemy”, he corrected him.
Leonard shook his head. “No”, he said. “No, you killed an unarmed man who had yielded and who was willing to give us information, just because his words provoked you. Flowers, that's not right” Lucas gave him an angry glare. “It's not right that you are trusting this stranger so much”, he snarled in return “We barely know this guy!”
“Yeah, and I try to change that”, Leonard answered sternly. Lucas sighed and shook his head. “He is hiding something, he has to hide something and still you're... chatting with him as if he's an old friend”, he hissed. This time, Leonard raised an eyebrow. “You're really convinced he's hiding something, huh?”, he asked. “Listen, Flowers, usually I'm the last person to ever trust someone, but that guy just saved our asses back there. If he would work with these thugs, if he wanted us dead, he had a great chance”
“Then maybe he's working for someone else. Not the person who sent these thugs”, Lucas argued. Leonard sighed and gave him a worried look. “Flowers, I know you've been through the Seven Hells and back, I know you have a good reason not to trust anyone, but please, this man saved our live and he gave us no reason not to trust him. Is it so hard to believe for you that he is exactly what he seems to be?”
“People are never what they seem to be!”, Lucas growled, louder this time. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that he's hiding something?” Before Leonard was able to answer, an embarrassed cough cut him off. Both men glanced over their shoulder. Lucas let out a frustrated sigh as he moved his head in the wrong direction, so that Ian was in his blind spot at first.
“I really don't want to eavesdrop, but you've been rather loud”, the hedge knight explained. “That's what this is about, right? You don't trust me, and well, I can't blame you. Let me get this straight, I have nothing to proof that I don't have a secret agenda, aside from my word. All I'm asking for is that you give me a chance to proof how much this is worth”
“And we give you that chance, Ian”, Leonard said in a friendly tone. “It's just... don't blame it on Flowers. He's been through a lot lately” An understanding look appeared on Ian's face, the kind of look that was concealing pity, which only enraged Lucas even more. “So I've seen”, he answered. “This is not a battle wound. May I ask, who did this to you?”
“Maron Mullendore”, Lucas immediately growled. He saw no point in hiding this information. In fact, the more people would know, the more he could hurt Mullendore. Ian seemed to think about this name for a moment. “Mullendore... House Mullendore of Uplands, right?”, he said and his eyes widened. “A nobleman did this to you?”
“Not a nobleman”, Lucas hissed immediately and sharply. Ian gulped as he had to look away from Lucas' angry glare. “And... have you... is he dead?” Lucas shook his head. “Not yet”, he answered. “But if I get my hands on him, I'm gonna make him pay”
Despite the anger that was boiling inside of him, he noticed the worried glance that Leonard and Ian exchanged. “Is he... a danger to this city?”, he asked. Leonard gave him a nod. “Without a doubt. Our connection to Raylansfair is the reason for Lucas' current condition”, he answered softly. Immediately, a determined look appeared on Ian's face. “Then I can promise you, should your lord accept me into his service, Maron Mullendore will be my enemy as well”, he swore. “Is he the man who sent these thugs?”
“Unlikely”, Leonard answered and a curious, puzzled expression flashed across Lucas' face. “How do you...?”, he asked, but the other knight cut him off. “The last thug, the one you... killed, he mentioned that he worked for a woman”, he explained and a forced smirk appeared on his face. “I wonder whom he meant. Maybe Lady Halla, what do you think?” It was a weak joke and no one laughed, not even Leonard himself.
“Lady who?”, Ian asked. “Lady Halla. Halla Peddle. The housekeeper”, Leonard explained. “You're soon going to meet her, so be warned she...” He looked into the direction of the castle, which was much closer than before now, and suddenly stopped, mid-sentence, his eyes opened widely. “Oh fuck...”, he mumbled. Lucas followed his stare and stopped as well, putting his healthy hand onto his sword without hesitating. “What is it?”, Ian asked, but no one answered. Down the path, directly into their direction, walked Harris Flowers.
Behind him... Lucas jaw dropped, as he recognized the knight with the long, unkempt brown hair. Darren Tallwood was back in Raylansfair, but the joy of seeing him again was tarnished by the guards he was leading. Lucas counted half a dozen and there was no doubt that they were heading into their direction.
Harris was the first to recognize them. The acting lord was looking tired and thinner than Lucas remembered him, but there was a still a careful, attentive look in his eyes. The moment he saw him, a shocked expression flashed across his face and he fastened his steps towards them. His piercing stare started to make Lucas uncomfortable, who in turn moved the disfigured side of his face away from him.
“Ser Lucas!”, Harris greeted him, a look of baffled shock on his face. There was something else as well. He was cautious, as if he already suspected that they knew something. At least he seemed to fear the possibility. His movements were cautious and he approached them slowly. There was shock on his face, anger over seeing Lucas in such a state. But he was wary at the same time, almost afraid of what they had found in Oldtown. His right hand hovered above the hilt of his sword, a gesture which neither Lucas, nor Darren failed to see.
“Ser Leonard! I... haven't expected you back so early”, Harris continued, momentarily moving his stare away from Lucas and towards Ian. “And... you are?” Leonard gave Ian a nod and the hedge knight moved forwards, before respectfully bowing in front of Harris. “My name is Ser Ian Shortwood. I am a hedge knight and I've travelled here in the hope of getting into your service, mylord”
Behind Harris, Darren rolled with his eyes as he heard the name, his mouth forming the words 'Bloody Hell', but he remained silent. Leonard cleared his throat, gaining the acting lord's attention. “Without Ser Ian's help, me and Lucas would have died. He saved our life”, he explained.
Once more, Harris' glanced at Lucas, who clenched his fists under the piercing stare. “In Oldtown?”, he asked. Leonard shook his head. “Maybe fifteen minutes from here, in a small alleyway near the docks”, he answered. Both, Harris and Darren exchanged alarmed looks, but not even nearly as alarmed as they should be. Lucas realized that something has happened while they have been away, something so terrible that not even the news about a group of thugs that was attacking sworn knights in the streets was enough to particularly faze them.
“And... Dairon?”, Harris asked carefully. His hand was still hovering above his sword, but by now he seemed to be almost unaware of it. Underneath every layer of his gaze, Lucas saw a core of nervousness, which in turn affected everyone around him. He saw that the soldiers were holding their weapons, long spears, harder than they had to. Even Darren Tallwood had his arms crossed and was glaring from Harris to Leonard. The only one who was relatively calm was Ian, who seemed to be oblivious to what was going on.
“He did not make it”, Leonard said shortly, anger flaring up in his voice. “But we learned about Lord Raylan's last will... among other things” Harris let out a pained, tired sigh. Finally, he realized that his hand had grabbed the hilt of his sword by now. For a moment, it looked as if he was willing to unsheathe it. Then, he visibly relaxed and even managed to force himself to smile.
“It is good to have you back again”, he said, as he shook Leonard's hand. Both seemed to tense up during the gesture, but the aura of nervousness was gone. More than one of the soldiers breathed out in relief. Darren Tallwood still had a cautious, yet curious look on his face. “It's good to be back, mylord”, Leonard answered coldly.
Next, Harris stepped towards Ian. He patted him onto the shoulder as if the hedge knight was an old friend. “You saved two men who are invaluable to this city”, he said and Ian gave him a humble nod of the head. “I simply did what anyone would have done”, he proclaimed. Harris shook his head. “You have to tell me about the details later”, he said. “For now, I can only tell you that you did something extraordinary for us. You shall be richly rewarded”
“I wish for nothing but a chance to prove my worth”, Ian answered and his mouth formed a sly smirk. “And I won't refuse a flagon of your best wine” Harris chuckled at these words, relaxing even more with each passing second. “I'll give you a whole damn cellar if you want to”, he answered. “And you are right, Ser. We have a shortage of knights” His smile faded, replaced by a stern and serious look. “I can't promise anything, but I will consider your offer. For now, you are invited to stay at the castle until I made my decision”, he said and glanced towards Lucas. “There is something else I have to take care of, before I can take any oath from you”
As he said this, Darren stepped past him and towards Leonard. Now genuinely delighted to see him, Leonard shook his hand. “Leonard Constantine, you crazy hound”, Darren growled in a jovial tone. “Never thought I'd see you again” Leonard's smile turned into a big grin. “It's been a while, Darren. Apparently, I've missed a lot”
“To say the least”, Darren answered and Leonard's smile faded. He shot a vicious glare at Harris, who had turned his back on him and was slowly approaching Lucas. “I was expecting Ilhan to be with you”, the knight said and clenched his fists. Harris momentarily froze and an upset look flashed across his face, long enough to convince Lucas of his guilt. Not that there have been many doubts before. The letter Mullendore had shown him has been written by Septon Corbin, there was no doubt about it. And Septon Corbin was an honest man, one of the last few whom Lucas was willing to trust.
“Lucas”, Harris finally greeted him. Still glancing at the wounds, he extended his hand. “What... what happened to you, boy?”, he asked. Memories of the contemptuous tone in which Mullendore had spoken to him flashed through Lucas' mind and he barely managed to keep his voice low. “I'm not your boy”, he hissed, sharp enough to make Harris shiver.
The acting lord gave him an apologizing nod. “Of course, Ser Lucas. I am sorry”, he said and finally Lucas shook his still outstretched hand. Instead of letting go, he pulled Harris closer towards him. “We know everything”, he whispered into his ear, while he saw how Darren was talking to Leonard. He wasn't hearing the words, but judging from their facial expressions, they were talking about Ilhan. “We know what you did, murderer”, he continued in a low whisper and Harris grip around his hand got stronger.
“What do you want?”, Harris asked. It almost sounded as if he was begging. Not quite of course. Even right now, Harris retained a bit of the dignity Lucas had always admired in him. “We need to talk in private. You, me, Leonard. We have a lot to talk about”, Lucas answered. “One thing should be clear, under normal circumstances I would destroy you for what you did. But the circumstances are hardly normal” He let go of Harris and raised his mutilated hand. “The man who did this to me, he's a danger to this city. A bigger one than you could ever hope to be”
The last words were meant to hurt the acting lord and they worked as intended. Harris gulped and averted his gaze, looking towards Leonard and Darren. “We... we should indeed talk”, he said with a shaky voice. Leonard had a shocked look on his face and Lucas saw that not all of it was an act. “Halla too?”, he said weakly.
Lucas immediately realized what he was talking about. Harris caught his angry glare and so did Darren. “She died about a week after you left the city”, Harris explained. “She was murdered by a man named Wolfius Woodbark. We've recently caught him and he is awaiting execution” He closed his eyes. “A lot has happened since you began your journey, most of these things are unpleasant. We should talk about it, in private”, he said. “Just you, me and Leonard”
Finalley, he turned to the castle. “But first, let us go inside”, he decided. “Ser Ian, I will show you a room where you can live until I made my decision” Ian gave him a thankful nod. He and Leonard flanked Harris, as they walked towards the castle, followed by the soldiers. “It's an honour, mylord”, he said politely.
Lucas followed closely and Darren was walking next to him. “Lucas”, he finally greeted him and Lucas gave him a nod. “Darren. It's good to see you”, he answered. The knight let out a sigh. “I'd say the same thing, but... damn it, what happened to you?”
“Oldtown”, Lucas answered briefly, not in the mood to relive the events that led to his current state. “I will explain it in due time. I'm just... not ready right now” An understanding look flashed across Darren's face. “Take your time, my friend”, he said softly. He was going to add something, but Lucas froze in shock as soon as they entered the courtyard, his hand swiftly grabbing Darren's upper arm as soon as he saw the banners. “What the...”, Lucas stuttered as he saw the heavily armoured men who had gathered around the banner of the crowned stag.
“Ah, yes”, Darren sighed. “We have a couple of visitors here. First, some sleazy cunt named Hobert. Lord of Mander's Mouth, or something like that, who calls himself the rightful lord of Raylansfair. His men occupy the barracks right now, though hopefully they'll get kicked out soon. Then, Lord Tyrell arrived, to decide about the future lord of our city”
“And... what is House Durrandon doing here?”, Lucas managed to exclaim. “Well, just before you arrived, the Stag King's little fawn arrived here, bringing a small army with her”, Darren explained and pointed at the Great Hall. “She's in there right now, together with Tyrell. Luckily, her men remain in the courtyard, or else there might be a bloodbath”
“It appeared I've missed a lot”, Lucas said. What Darren said sparked his curiosity. The future of Raylansfair was of great concern to him, perhaps the only thing that mattered more than taking Mullendore down. However, before he could ask further questions, Darren grabbed him by the shoulder, a stern look finally engraved on his face.
“So have I”, he growled. “Namely, I missed the deaths of both, Halla and Ilhan” He glanced at Harris, who was still talking to Ian and Leonard, while he approached the lord's tower. “You can imagine my surprise when I return, only to be offered Ilhan Lagoon's position as Raylansfair's master-at-arms”
“Congratulations”, Lucas said half-heartedly, already realizing what Darren was hinting at. “The thing is, I was never good at lying. Hell, I hate it. But I hate it even more when people lie to me”, the knight answered. “And over the years, I got pretty good at spotting a lie. So far, it was only a suspicion, one I have shared with no one, but there was something about Harris reaction to your return, about your reaction when you learned about Ilhan's death...” He sighed and fully stopped walking. “Lucas, one thing I always liked about you is that you have never been a liar. So, I'm asking you now, tell me the truth”
“What do you mean?”, Lucas asked with a shaky voice. Darren sighed. “I'm pretty sure Harris had something to do with Ilhan's death. The official story... it does not quite match. They say Ilhan provoked a fight, they say it was self-defence. The only living witness is a meek little girl who has a worrying lack of a backbone”, he growled. “And then there's Harris reaction to my return. He immediately offered me Ilhan's position. Made me the master-at-arms, probably in the attempt of winning my loyalty. If anything, it made me even more suspicious of him. I have no evidence, but perhaps you have. Tell me, do you know more about Ilhan's death?”
Lucas frowned, remembering his earlier talk with Leonard. They needed Harris, but at the same time, he knew that there would be a time where they had to take him down. Perhaps the support of Darren would be invaluable then. Or perhaps Darren would ruin their plan of working with Harris as long as they still needed him.
[Lie to Darren] [Tell him the truth]
And he will get another part. I'm just not yet sure if I should put it before or after the next Arthur part. Probably before, considering that it has been a long time since we last saw him, but I'm going to decide that relatively spontaneously. There's also the strong possibility that he is getting two more parts. I know exactly which choice I want to put at the end of his Chapter 6 storyline, but I am not sure if I manage to reach this particular point at the end of his next part.
[Tell him the truth]
Good part, the tension. I voted this because honesty is good. Plus, what would happen if he found out. Or, we could lie and then tell Darren at that moment, but eh I don't know.
[Tell him the truth] Darren knows what Harris did, I see no point in lying. I'm just hoping he'll keep his mouth shut.
[Tell him the truth]
[Tell him the truth] Ask and you shall receive. Besides, he said he's gotten good at spotting a lie over the years.
[Tell him the truth]
[Tell him the truth]
Lucas is really starting to turn into a dark character, I can feel his hostility and aggressiveness growing in every part. And honestly, he has the right to. [Tell him the truth]
[Tell him the truth]
No point in hiding the truth, especially in Lucas actual mental state it would be not adequate choice to lie.
[Tell him the truth]
[Tell him the truth]
Read this PoV show me that so many events are happened after Lucas start his mission at the beginning of chapter1!
About the choice this time probably I will not give my vote since: Lie to Darren will make our fellow Ser still loyal to Harris and will not ruin his and probably our plans but,if he later discover the truth Lucas sure will be in danger while Tell him the truth will make Darren angry against Harris and,first or then,ruin his plans to rule Raylansfair AND (if we don't make te good choices) ruin Lucas plans to bring misery to the butterfly
(Tell him the truth)
[Tell him the truth] Darren is a trustworthy guy, definitely someone we should keep close to us. So let's just be honest.
Great part!
Sorry, Ted, for some reason I unfollowed this thread
[Tell him the truth]
The Voting is closed!
Lucas is going to tell Darren the truth
I am very surprised that this choice won unanimously, as I would have expected at least a few votes in favour of lying to him. At the same time, this choice is the one I have been planning with and the one I think is going to have the more interesting consequences. Speaking about, I can tell you that you will see some consequences relatively soon. This was one of the major choices in this chapter.
The next part is going to be out today and it is going to be a long Ellena part. It's been a while for her, so here's a recap: The last time we saw Ellena, she and Himani travelled through Oldtown together, to go and deliver the letter she had received from the Burned Man. On their way, they encounter a very strange man, who calls himself Roach. According to Himani, he is harmless, though he genuinely creeped Ellena out, especially once he spotted the letter and expressed a desire to hold it, just for one moment. As expected, Ellena refused to hand over the letter.
Ellena
Roach's grin would have looked repulsive on any face imaginable. There was something pathetic about it, something which caused Ellena to distrust him in an instant. “Please?”, he asked, while he stared longingly at the letter. “Give it to Roach, just for one second”
Ellena shook her head. “No chance”, she said decisively. Roach's grin faded slowly, replaced by a look that made her almost feel pity with him. She glanced at Himani, looking for help and momentarily stopped paying attention to Roach.
His thin hands grabbed the latter, yanking it out of her hands in a second. Thankfully, it did not tear during this process, but before Ellena could react, Roach already jumped away from her. “So pretty...”, the man giggled, staring at the letter, while Ellena took a step towards him, a furious look on her face. “Give it back!”, she ordered. “You... you thief!”
The last word caused Roach's eyes to narrow, which still made them the largest eyes she had ever seen. “Roach...”, Himani said carefully. “Give us the letter” Roach took another step away from them. “Roach is not a thief”, he hissed. “This belongs to Roach now!” Just as Ellena darted towards him, he turned around and started to run down the alleyway, faster than Ellena could ever hope to be.
“Damn it”, Himani yelled, followed by a couple of words which Ellena would rather not think about too much. She only gave him a helpless glare, as she started to run after Roach, knowing fully well that she wouldn't catch up to him. Before she had even crossed half of the alleyway, the thief had vanished behind a corner that lead to the main street.
“NO!”, Ellena yelled, as she stopped her hopeless chase. Himani had caught up to her in no time and her helpless glare turned into anger. “You!”, she yelled and pointed her finger at him. “This is your fault! Why have you taken that damn way? You ruined it!”
Himani raised his hands and took a step away from her, even though she had no intentions of hitting him. In fact, she wasn't even angry at him and immediately felt a bit bad for lashing out so quickly. However, at the same time she couldn't contain her anger.
“Easy, m'lady!”, Himani tried to calm her down. “Easy, I can help! I'm sorry, please, calm down!” Ellena clenched her fists and slowly forced herself to get calmer. She noticed that tears of anger had formed in her eyes. This letter was important and now it was in the hands of this... this... man! Who knew what he would do with it? A disgusted look flashed across her face, as she immediately forced herself to stop thinking about this question.
“How?”, she growled. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest, but she already noticed that she managed to calm down just a little bit. “I know where he lives”, Himani said quickly. “And I know Roach. He's a coward. He is fleeing to the place where he lives”
“Why should he do that? A thief who runs straight home? That's just crazy!”, Ellena remarked, before she put a hand onto her forehead. “Of course”, she said. “Crazy” Himani gave her a nod. “Aye. He also doesn't know that I know about his little hideout”, he said with a sly grin. “I once followed him. Wanted to know where a man like him lives. It's not far from here, come on!”
He started to walk down the alleyway at a fast pace, though he wasn't running. Ellena had no trouble keeping up with him this time. A look of sheepish guilt slowly formed on her face, as she glanced at the urchin, feeling calmer with every passing second. “Sorry”, she mumbled as soon as they stepped onto the crowded main street.
Her words almost drowned under all the noise that came from around them, yet Himani still managed to hear her, as he gave her a reassuring smile. “Ah, nothing to be sorry about”, he grinned. “You have every right to be angry, m'lady. I screwed this one up” Ellena raised an eyebrow at his words, while he led her through the crowd and into another small alleyway. “You don't seem to be too bothered by this”, she remarked.
The boy gave her a nod. “Why should I?”, he asked. As Ellena narrowed her eyes again, a friendly chuckle came out of Himani's throat. “Yeah, I know, Roach ran off with the letter”, he admitted. “But that's nothing bad. That's part of the game”
“The game?”, Ellena asked, as Himani led them into another alleyway, down a set of stairs. “Yeah. You see, with everything we do, we're playing the game”, he answered. “Roach stole your letter, we get it back, nothing bad will follow out of it and the game continues”
“Not everything in life is a game”, Ellena mumbled. The vivid memory of her father, bleeding out on their floor, flashed through her mind and she had to close her eyes. “And I never said that”, Himani corrected her. “There's bad stuff. People dying. Suffering. That's not part of the game. But as long as I play, everything will work out fine for me in the end. Sometimes I make a couple of bad moves, I always remain in the game”
“And what if you don't?”, Ellena asked. “What if something happens to you, so terrible that you won't be able to continue playing?” Himani's smile faded. “Not going to lie, it almost happened to me plenty of times. Without the Burned Man, I would have died years ago, or worse”, he answered. “But I don't try to think about it too much. Stuff that really drags you down is not worth thinking about”
As he said this, his smile returned. They had left the crowded street behind for a while now and the houses they walked past seemed to come closer and closer, until Ellena could swear that their roofs almost touched. “And here it is”, he said and lowered his voice as he led her down another set of stairs, into something that resembled a pitch black tunnel.
The first thing Ellena noticed, aside from the darkness, was the smell, a horrible, rotten, mind-numbingly intense stench. The air reeked of excrements and decay. It was dark, too dark for her to actually fathom the size of this tunnel, but as she walked next to Himani through the darkness, she got the impression that it was a lot larger than she thought at first. Only moments after they had entered the tunnel, they were surrounded by darkness.
“Where are...”, she started to say, but Himani's small hand immediately found her mouth, stopping any more words from leaving it. “Silent now”, he said, barely audible. “Words travel far here and we don't want him to notice us” He grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly as he led her through the darkness.
In silence, they continued to walk through the reeking darkness. Ellena clung to Himani's hand, especially once she started to hear movement around her. Tiny feet, dozens at least. She gulped as she recognized them as rats. Growing up in Braavos, she had learned to hate any kind of vermin. Her hometown lived from trade and as such, rats provided a serious threat to the numerous warehouses that were scattered around the city.
And soon, there was something else. A voice, mumbling incomprehensible words. The distant, warm light of a candle. Himani slowed down and Ellena did the same, as they started to sneak towards the light.
“...called Roach a thief”, the voice muttered. “Roach is not a thief. No, no... This belongs to Roach. Not a thief...” While the candle did not illuminate much, it indeed showed that they had long since left the small tunnel behind. Ellena and Himani were standing in the middle of a huge, underground room. Judging by the smell, Ellena deduced that it was some kind of sewer and she sent a silent prayer to the gods that she wouldn't step into something.
Roach stood next to the candle, in the middle of something which, in the absence of a better word, had to be called a room. Dirty linen was hanging from the low ceiling, forming makeshift walls and stained wool made up something that resembled a carpet. The candle was standing on a table, next to it a mattress. The table itself was in poor condition, but a surprisingly fine tablecloth, made for a much larger object, was on top of it, covering most of it and reaching down to the ground. There were two long, half-broken cupboards in the tiny space that Roach claimed as his own and they were littered with tiny trinkets, from tinged metal, to pieces of wood, to worthless jewellery.
The letter was lying on the table, still unopened and Roach was looking at it with glee. “It's Roach's now...”, he repeated, obviously talking to himself. “It's all Roach's now. He found it, he keeps it. Hasn't stolen it. Roach is not a thief!”
Himani stepped out of the darkness and into the light of the candle and immediately, the thief noticed him. A shocked expression appeared on his ugly face, as his bug-like eyes widened. “Himani! What is Himani doing here?”
“Hello Roach”, Himani said sternly. Roach took a step away from him, stepping onto his own mattress as Ellena came out of the darkness as well. “We're here to take the letter back”, she said decisively. This time, Roach shook his head. It was a gesture of despair and he did nothing to stop her as she walked towards the table. All he did was letting out a wailing, sobbing noise as she grabbed the letter.
“How have you found me?”, he asked weakly and suddenly, Ellena felt something else for him. As she looked around, through the small, makeshift room, the dirty trinkets that made up most of it, the look of despair on Roach's face, she felt no anger for him, even though she had good reason to. She only felt pity, pity for this poor, broken man who had nothing but this tiny room in this stinking sewer.
“I followed you a while ago, so I always knew where your little hideout was”, Himani explained softly. “Listen, Roach, you know what you did was not right, do you?” The man shook his head. “No! Roach did nothing!”, he hissed, before his gaze cleared momentarily. “And Himani shouldn't be here!”
There was something about him that made it look like he was almost begging, but Ellena was unsure for what. Still feeling pity and even a strange sensation of guilt, she reached into her pocket. The absurdity of her actions caused her to shake her head. Here she was, considering to pay a thief for something that belonged to her. But still... she didn't want to leave Roach like this, so desperate and alone.
The coin she pulled out was small and square and consisted of iron. It was a Braavosi coin, worth nothing here in Oldtown, but pretty to look at, like most of the things Roach surrounded himself with. The man's eyes widened even more as she presented the coin to him. “Here, Roach”, she explained slowly and softly. “You can have this and I take the letter with me, okay?”
The look on his face made it clear that he wasn't believing her, until he quickly grabbed the coin from her hands. “You... you give this to Roach? A... a gift?”, he asked cautiously. Ellena gave him a nod, followed by a forced smile. “It's yours”, she confirmed and finally, a wide smile appeared on Roach's face. “Roach got a gift!”, he proclaimed loudly. “Roach got a gift and it is wonderful!”
He jumped around in his tiny room, a look of childish joy on his face. Despite the dirty, disgusting surroundings, his pure happiness was enough for Ellena to feel happy herself. Still, she moved the letter back into her pocket, with the intention of never revealing it again until she was able to deliver it.
“Oh, Roach thinks it would look wonderful right here!”, the man exclaimed as he put the coin between a tiny, wooden statue that apparently depicted a phallus, and the severed, decaying head of a rat. “It's beautiful!”, Roach said with a wide smile, but it faded as soon as he looked past Ellena and Himani.
“You still shouldn't be here”, he gulped. “Only Roach should be here. You are in danger...” The warning was strange, but Himani immediately looked concerned. “What do you mean?”, he asked, still in a whispering tone, as Roach gasped at a new sound in the darkness. Ellena heard it as well. Footsteps. Distant, but heavy footsteps.
“Get down!”, Roach ordered, now almost whispering himself. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, as he rushed towards Ellena and Himani, grabbing both of them with surprising strength. “Down here!”, he urged them and pushed them underneath the table, the tablecloth soon concealing most of their bodies. “Silent now. Only Roach is here!”
Underneath the tablecloth, Ellena and Himani exchanged a worried, but silent look. She was able to see Roach's 'room' through a small hole in the tablecloth, but she was unable to see anything in the darkness beyond.
“Good evening, Roach”, a deep, warm voice greeted him in a melodic tone. Finally, Ellena saw something, someone, stepping out of the darkness. Judging by the voice, it was a man, but his whole body was covered in black clothing. He even had a hood, but what set him apart from other men was the mask he was wearing, white and gold, shaped like a cat. The eyes below it glimmered in the light of the candle. He was armed with a long, curved sword, as well as a set of throwing knives which were strapped to his chest.
“Roach greets the Tom”, Roach said in a shaky, panicked voice. Next to Ellena, Himani tensed up, a look of pure fear on his face. Behind the masked man, Ellena spotted additional silhouettes. One of them looked freakishly large and she almost couldn't believe her eyes as this figure stepped into the light as well, revealing it to be another man, more like a giant. Unlike the Tom, he was wearing white clothing, though it barely managed to cover his massive arms. Hair as white as his skin was visible underneath his equally white, cat-shaped mask.
“You seem nervous, Roach”, the Tom said, while his massive companion moved past him, closer to the table. “Whom were you talking to?” Roach quickly shook his head. “No one!”, he swore. “Roach was talking to no one. Just Roach here and no one else!” He glanced at the giant and Ellena saw that he was visibly shivering.
“Oh, Roach, may I introduce my dear friend, the Moggy”, the Tom said. Roach turned towards the giant, now shaking in fear. “Ro-Roach greets th-the Moggy”, he stuttered. The Moggy turned to the Tom who gave him an encouraging nod. Then, he let out a deep, feral growl, which only after a while formed rudimentary words. “Hello Roach”
The thief gasped in terror, trying to take a step back from the giant, but bumping into one of his cupboards. “So, Roach, what do you have today?”, the Tom asked. Roach gulped, his eyes widening even more, before he weakly shook his head. “Nothing”, he said. “The Burned Man mostly keeps out of the area. Roach hasn't seen his men in forever”
The Tom's eyes narrowed, although a somewhat amused spark was visible in them as well. “Are you sure?”, he asked. “My men have been looking forward for a little hunt. You don't want to disappoint them, do you?”
Roach desperately shook his head. “No. Roach doesn't want to disappoint anyone”, he stuttered, while the Tom took a step towards him. The masked man's glare fell upon the cupboard. Ellena gulped as she saw him grabbing the coin Roach had just placed there. “You have a new trinket”, the Tom remarked casually. “A braavosi coin”
“Y-yes”, Roach stuttered. “Roach found it. Roach finds it pretty” He looked around, his gaze momentarily meeting Ellena's, as the Moggy started to approach the table, his fists slowly clenching. From underneath the white mask came a sniffing sound, followed by a growl, more akin to a large beast than to a human being. Ellena and Himani exchanged a frightened stare, before he gave her a nod. Just as the Moggy's massive fist hit the table, cleanly shattering it with a single hit, they jumped out from underneath it, each into a different direction.
The Moggy let out a loud roar, while displeased hissing came from the darkness around them, followed by the sound of sword being drawn. The Tom himself drew his curved sword and pointed it at Roach's throat. “Not so fast”, he purred.
Noticing that they were likely surrounded, Ellena and Himani did not run. They stopped to reorient themselves. By now, it was almost pitch black in the makeshift room, as the candle had dropped to the ground after the Moggy had shattered the table. It was still burning, but it illuminated almost nothing.
“My, my, who do we have here?”, the Tom chuckled and removed the blade from Roach's throat, but not without giving him a minor, superficial cut, just enough to draw some blood. The thief stumbled backwards, a look of sheer, nightmarish fear on his face. “You're not worth the kill, Roach”, the Tom warned him. “But never disappoint me again. Leave us”
With one last, apologetic look towards Ellena and Himani, Roach was gone just as the masked man had finished his sentence. Now, the Tom was focussing on the children. “I remember you, boy”, he hissed and Himani slowly stumbled backwards. “You were at the warehouse, weren't you? I believe your name is... Himani”
Himani gulped, before he glanced at Ellena. His mouths formed the words 'Run'. Then, they both dashed towards the darkness, passing the Moggy as they did so, fast enough to confuse the giant. Ellena knew, they only had this one chance. She didn't knew these people, but she immediately understood that getting captured by them had to be avoided. Himani was slightly faster than her and the first to reach the darkness. This proved to be his undoing, as he immediately bumped into one of the masked men that stepped into their way, knocking him to the ground in the process, but falling down himself.
In her panic, Ellena simply jumped over them and into the darkness, leaving Himani and the masked men behind. The Moggy let out a deep, angry and howling roar, while desperate screams of fear came from Himani. “Ellena!”, he yelled. “Help me! Please! No! Help me!”
All of a sudden, the screams for help stopped, but there was still something to be heard, the sound of several men who were running into her direction. By now, tears were flowing down Ellena's cheeks, as she continued to run. She didn't know if she ran into the right direction and she didn't care. All that mattered was running away.
And then, the darkness gained hands, hands that grabbed her, hands that held her, hands that lifted her into the air, dragged her away and prevented her from screaming. She still tried to scream, to kick, to do something to escape, but the man that held her was too strong. “Silence”, Roach growled.
As he said this, the sound of footsteps became more distant. Ellena sighed weakly. “You... have you...?”, she gasped under tears. The Tom, he came for Roach. And now, Himani was captured. Who knew what they would do to him?
“Roach is sorry. Roach didn't know that you would find him”, Roach said and even in the darkness, she saw genuine regret on his face. “The Tom, he is a bad man. He threatens Roach, forces him to tell him about the things Roach sees”
Ellena glanced past him, into the darkness, roughly into the direction she just came from. Now that the immediate danger was over, her panic faded. “I have to go back”, she hissed. “You have to help me. We can't just leave him!”
Roach shook his head. “No!”, he urged her. “You can't go back there. He will get you and he will do terrible things to you. You're a girl, this is even worse!” Ellena pressed her lips together. “I don't care”, she decided. “Himani is my friend. I can't leave him!”
“A friend, yes”, Roach said. “Roach is your friend as well, so you have to trust him. You will have many friends, but you only have one life” He grabbed her hand and Ellena immediately pulled back. “There is nothing you can do for him. The Tom is a bad man, very bad. Too strong for little girl. You have to trust Roach. Roach can lead you out of here, Roach promises! Please, follow Roach!”
[Follow Roach] [Try to escape on your own] [Go back for Himani]
[Follow Roach]
Roach reminds me a lot of gollum.
And the Moggy he is probably Frankenstein.
[Follow Roach] I feel bad but I don't want to put Ellena in danger.
[Follow Roach] None of this choices seem good.
[Follow Roach] Roach FTW! I'm worried about Himani though, but I don't think Ellena can really help him in this situation
[Try to escape on your own] I can't say I particulary trust Roach, especially after what the Tom said and how terrified he is of him. And nothing good will come from going back to Himani. The best thing Ellena can do for Himani is go back to the Burned Man and tell him what happened. Besides, I don't think they'll kill him. It'd be a waste as Himani knows things about the Burned Man and his operations that they can use. It would be foolish to kill Himani before getting that info out of him.
[Follow Roach]
[Follow Roach]
[Follow Roach] I have a bad feeling aboute this!
"Roach will take you to safetly, Roach promise, Roach know the way, Roach is very smart when caling his name every time like maniac..."
[Go back for Himani]
We cannot leave Himani alone... he screamed for help. :c
[Follow Roach] Follow Roach we must. A friend he is.
[follow Roach] I make this choice obviously not because I trust the mad man (people should be crazy to trust someone like Roach) but only because is the only safe way to escape from the cats.About Himani,well,it seems that he..lost the game (think that he will survive is so naive,probably he will be first tortured to spill any informations before receive the mercy of death from his own protectors,like the others children before him)
About the Pov I really like how you decide to portray Himani point of view about his own work (point of view that is probably the same for the others many children that are under The Burned Man's wings)
PS:Even if I'm so pessimistic about Himani's fate (to be honest I've the same opinion about Davith and Jaylon )I suppose that the small kid will become the fifth character that will receive the "Status Unknown" treatment.
(Follow Roach)
[Go back for Himani]
Roach reminds me of Gollum so much.
[Go back for Himani] Why not.
The Voting is closed!
Ellena is going to follow Roach
Yeah, no big surprise here. I think it should be clear that trying to save Himani in this situation would have been catastrophical for Ellena, so I fully expected either this, or trying to escape on her own to be the winning choice. On the positive side, she now has a friend who knows a secret way into Mordor. That might come in handy, right?
The next part is hopefully going to be out later today. I still have a bit of writing to do and also kinda limited time, so I'm not 100% sure if I manage to finish this part. It contains a Maya PoV and there is the chance that it is either going to be a long part for her, or that it contains an Alys PoV as well. Currently, the latter option sounds a bit more likely. The last time we saw Maya, she, Gregar, Irving and the newest addition to their team, Keat the thief, arrived at the archive. Nothing too big happened, although Gregar once again voiced his concern over leaving Irving behind as their lookout. Meanwhile, the last Alys part has been some time. Just like Edrick, the long wait between her parts wasn't exactly planned, but she's finally back now. Her last part was also her first part in this chapter. She, together with Edward and his men, as well as a group of Ironborn under Alynne Hollard, travelled through the southern Riverlands in the last part, where Edward was going to meet someone. This someone was revealed to be a certain gentleman who goes by the name of Bear. Since Bear and his men are known to be not quite the people a young woman like Alys should be around, Edward gave her the choice to take one of his bodyguards as her own while he negotiates with the bandit. Aftr a bit of thinking, Alys decided to take Carvin as her guard.