Uh, that looks interesting! I think my vision of Jaron was with much longer hair, as I've prepared him myself before. And I see you draw directly via tablet - did you try to first make a lineart on paper, scan it, and continue the rest via tablet with program which you use?
I did this directly with the tablet, firstly because I just got it and liked to try it out Also I'm not very good with paper. And you are definitely right about the hair! I if anyone should remember, it's supposed to reach his shoulders! Mayhaps he was just resurrected by Red Priestess
Uh, that looks interesting! I think my vision of Jaron was with much longer hair, as I've prepared him myself before. And I see you draw dir… moreectly via tablet - did you try to first make a lineart on paper, scan it, and continue the rest via tablet with program which you use?
Hehe, I know the feeling... when i got my tablet i was doing the same, but well, my interest with it and patience disappeared same fast as it appeared... now i don't even have my tryout drawings on pc anymore, after my old HD died all of a sudden... but hey, I wait for more drawings - more practice = better effects and new techniques. Perhaps Mathea will be the next? :-D
I did this directly with the tablet, firstly because I just got it and liked to try it out Also I'm not very good with paper. And you are d… moreefinitely right about the hair! I if anyone should remember, it's supposed to reach his shoulders! Mayhaps he was just resurrected by Red Priestess
The Voting is closed!
Marak is going to accept the drink
Willfred is going to follow Argella outside
This would have basically been… more my choices as well. In this chapter, I'm trying to greatly develop the characters of Noelle and Marak, so I am pleased about the first option, as it gives me an opportunity to develop their relationship and also to shed a light on Noelle's personality beyond being mysterious and creepy. The second choice mostly means that Willfred is going to appear in the next Lucas part. As an accomplished fighter, it is highly likely that his presence will do something good.
We'll see about that pretty soon, in the next part to be precise, which is hopefully going to be out today, or early tomorrow at latest. This next part is a Lucas PoV and it is set immediately after the end of his Chapter 6 storyline. The last time we saw Lucas, he arrived at the castle, together with Leonard and Ian, where they met with Harris… [view original content]
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the look in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quickly regained his composure and rushed towards Leonard, who had a hand pressed onto his leg. Quickly, he helped him to get back on his feet. Between all of this, Lucas exchanged one glance with Leonard and the other knight gave him a wordless nod.
“Bastard...”, Aylard mumbled, but it sounded less vicious than before. He sounded weak and looked a decade older. “Can't you do anything right?”, he sobbed. “Don't you dare leaving me like this” He wasn't even looking at Lucas, save for one short, desperate glance.
“I...”, Lucas mumbled. “I'm not going to kill you, Aylard” He saw Harris and Leonard approaching him. Ian was there as well, though he kept his distance. “What happened... I would give everything to change it”, he gulped. “I'd die to bring her back” He paused again and finally, Aylard looked him in the eye. “I loved your daughter”, Lucas said and anger flared up in the innkeeper's eyes. It wasn't the same anger as before. It was not directed at Lucas, it simply was.
“You loved her?”, he asked. “Tell me, bastard, do you know what her favourite colour was? Do you know how her hair looked in the autumn sun? Do you remember the sound of her laughter? How gentle she spoke to her brother?” He softly shook his head and closed his eyes. “She was everything to me. She was my daughter...”, he mumbled. “Now she's gone and I can't even follow her”
“Mylord!”, a female voice sounded. Lucas glanced into the direction of the guard quarters. A young woman with light brown hair rushed towards them, followed by guards. She herself wore the uniform of a guardsman, though a single red line on her shoulder identified her as the captain of the guard. “Lord Harris!”
She had a hand on the hilt of her sword, glancing at Aylard, at Lucas and Leonard. Harris sighed, before he raised his hand. “What happened?”, she asked and Harris moved the hand to his nose, inspecting the blood on them. “Captain Nora”, he greeted her, without looking at her. Instead, he looked at Aylard, who still lay on the ground. “Everything is fine”
Nora narrowed her eyes. “Your face”, she spoke. He gave her a nod. “I fell”, he said tonelessly, though the captain looked unconvinced. “Lord Harris, we've been told this man attacked-”, she started to say, but he cut her off. “I fell, captain”, he insisted sternly.
Slowly, Nora gave him a nod. “If you insist, mylord”, she said reluctantly, before she shifted her attention to Aylard. “What are we going to do with him?” Harris and Lucas exchanged a glance. Still with tears streaming down his face, Lucas shook his head and Harris lips formed a thin, joyless smile. “This man here does not feel too well”, he said calmly. “Please, bring him to...” He paused and looked at Aylard, who was still barely paying attention in his grief. “Ser, where are you living?”
At first, it seemed as if Aylard wasn't answering. Then he looked up and sighed. “The tavern”, he whispered. Harris looked back at Nora. “Dispatch two men to bring him back to the tavern”, he ordered, before he grabbed the captain by the upper arm. “And... be soft to him, captain”
Nora narrowed her eyes, still glancing from Harris' wounded face to the warhammer on the ground. “If this is your order, mylord”, she answered, before she turned to her men. “Federico, over here!”, she yelled. “You and me, we're going to take a walk”
Satisfied, Harris smiled, but it faded as soon as he realized that no one else was smiling. Lucas was still kneeling on the ground, even as Nora slowly helped Aylard standing up. The innkeeper showed no sign of resistance, as if his will had been broken. Like Lucas, he was still crying. Just as he fully stood on his own again, he took a step towards Lucas, which was enough for an alarmed Leonard to almost draw his sword.
“Listen, bastard”, Aylard growled and hatred shimmered through his words. Again, it wasn't only directed at Lucas, though he was a target nonetheless. “I know you have not killed her, not directly at least. For your role in... in my daughter's death, I will always hate you. You are a disgrace for knighthood and a shameful waste of human life”
Lucas looked up and through his tears, he shot Aylard a glare. The anger was still inside of him, waiting for another chance. He wouldn't give in. He couldn't. He mustn't. “What are you trying to say?”, he growled.
“You told me you lost the girl you loved”, Aylard snarled. Most of his former viciousness was gone, though the words retained their edge. “You lost a girl you knew for two weeks. I lost my eldest child” The innkeeper's fists clenched, but he managed to control himself. “You don't know my pain”, he said. “But I know yours. It wasn't love you felt, but you felt something”
He sighed. “You got what you deserve. I will never stop hating you. I will not forget and I will not forgive”, he continued with his eyes narrowed. New tears formed in their corners. “But I understand you now. I know, just like me you're going to do whatever it takes to bring down the monster that murdered my daughter”, he whispered and to Lucas' surprise, he crouched down next to him. “If you find that man, I want you to bring him to me, alive, you understand?”
Lucas just managed to give him a nod and Aylard rose again. “Good”, he growled. Without any further word, flanked by Nora and one of her guardsmen, he left the courtyard and Lucas behind. While Harris and Ian exchanged a worried glance, Leonard approached Lucas.
“You okay, Flowers?”, he asked and reached down. Lucas grabbed his hand and his friend pulled him up. He shook his head. “No, Len”, he answered. “No, I'm not okay” Pain flashed through the bandaged side of his face and he pressed his hand onto the place where his eye used to be. A thin trickle of blood ran down the bandages, mixing with the tears from his good eye. “But I'll manage, just a little bit farther”
Leonard sighed, but before he was able to say anything, Ian cut him off, by slightly coughing. “I hate to interrupt, but I'm afraid there's a problem”, he said and pointed towards the barracks. Lucas looked in the same direction and sighed, as he recognized the man that slowly approached them. Darren Tallwood has never been a calm man, but right now, he was livid. One hand was hovering right above the hilt of his sword as he came closer.
“Lucas...”, Harris hissed with a shaky voice. “What have you told him” Lucas shot him a cold glare. “Everything”, he answered and Harris sighed. “You tell me you need my help, yet at the same time you doom me?”, he growled and Lucas shook his head. “We can sort this out. There's no need for violence”, he insisted
“Are you serious, boy?”, Harris spat. “You tell Darren Tallwood that I'm responsible for the death of his friend and expect this to end without a massacre?” Under the alarmed glance of Ian, Lucas shivered and the anger returned. “Are you questioning my decision?”, he asked and Harris gave him a defiant nod.
And then, Darren had reached them. Harris gulped, but retained a calm face, as he gave the knight a nod. “Greetings, Darren. What is this about?”, he asked. Darren narrowed his eyes. “You know damn well what this is about”, he snarled and grabbed his sword, without removing it from the hilt. “You and me, we'll go into the Great Hall now. You will confess”
Harris glanced at Leonard, who limped forwards. “Darren, we can't do that now”, he insisted calmly, but the knight angrily shook his head. “I'm not talking to you, Constantine. I'm talking to the so-called acting lord”
“Darren, there is no need for violence”, Harris tried to calm him down, but took a step back under a vicious glare. “You're willing to confess then?”, Darren growled and Harris slowly shook his head. “I know what I did and you have every right to be angry. I will confess and I will pay the price, but I can't do that now, not while I have a city to protect”
“Protect?”, Darren snarled. “The only one this city needs to be protected from is you. I would prefer to end this without violence, but I am willing to cut you down if you don't come with me” Again, Harris shook his head. “And I'm afraid I can't do that”, he answered.
Darren drew his sword. Lucas gulped. This was nothing like Aylard. The innkeeper had been motivated by blind rage and grief. In case of Darren it was righteous fury and his deep sense of justice. “As a knight, it is my right to execute you, murderer”, he barked. “This is your last chance to get a trial”
“Darren...”, Harris said with sorrow in his voice. Then, he jumped back, faster than Lucas would have expected, to evade the first strike. He threw a pleading look towards the other knights. Ian was the first willing to charge between them, but Leonard held him back. As he grabbed the hedge knight by the shoulder, he groaned in pain from his wound. “No!”, he hissed. “Run to the great hall. Get Lord Tyrell!”
Ian hesitated, but then he gave Leonard a determined nod. “Got it”, he shouted and started to rush towards the hall. Leonard drew his sword and as Lucas wanted to do the same, the other knight heavily pushed him against the chest, which caused him to stagger and eventually to fall to the ground, where he heavily hit the wounded side of his head, the ruined remains of his ear. “Stay down, Flowers!”, Leonard yelled.
Harris evaded another strike and even in his dazed state, Lucas realized that Darren was holding back. His sense of honour commanded of him to bring Harris to justice, yet he hesitated to strike down an unarmed man.
“Harris!”, Leonard yelled as he threw his sword towards the acting lord. Skillfully, Harris managed to catch it and he immediately parried the strike. Steel clashed against steel, in a single, deafening second. “I don't want to harm you”, he said in a begging tone, as he parried another vertical strike. “You're not good enough to harm me”, Darren answered.
The next strike was aimed to kill. It was a feint and Harris parry missed. Immediately, the lord yanked his sword around, trying to at least deflect the blow. He succeeded and instead of suffering from a slashed throat, he was cut at the upper arm. Blood flew out of the wound and Harris moaned in discomfort.
He parried the next strike, but it was a weak parry, almost weak enough to allow Darren to just break through. He attempted another strike, but was momentarily held back by a female voice that was as loud and angry as it was young. “Stop this madness at once!”, she demanded.
Lucas glanced at the Great Hall. He saw Ian rushing towards them, followed by three people. Two of them were armed knights, both with black hair and a tall build, though while one of them was a young man with a certain handsomeness, the other was at least in his thirties and had more plain facial features. The older one wore chainmail, a simple tabard with the crowned stag of Durrandon on top. The younger one wore fine clothing, befitting of a nobleman, with a silver vest that was adorned by a red lion.
The woman between them was obviously the one that had shouted. She was more a girl than a woman, perhaps in Lucas' age and beautiful enough that he noticed it in his current condition. She wore a yellow dress, had pale skin, a soft face with high cheekbones and long and wavy black hair. Leonard let out an impressed whistle. “Seems like Lord Tyrell grew a damn nice pair of... arguments since I last saw him”, he whispered with a forced smirk.
Darren hesitated to strike again. Instead, he glanced from the young woman to Harris. “Who are you?”, he demanded to know and the woman crossed her arms. She glanced at the Durrandon knight, who took a step forwards. “You speak to Princess Argella of House Durrandon, daughter of Argilac, Storm King”, he introduced her.
Now, a look of surprise flashed across Darren's face and he slowly lowered his sword. The princess had a friendly smile on her face, though an angry look remained in her dark blue eyes. “Usually, that's the part where you're supposed to kneel”, she said. “I've been told that the acting lord and one of his knights try to murder each other on my courtyard”
“Your...?”, Darren started to say, before he cut himself off. “Princess, this man is a murderer. I tried to bring him to justice in front of Lord Tyrell, but he refused to accompany me to the Great Hall” The princess said nothing and instead looked at Harris, who shook his head. “A misunderstanding”, he claimed and Leonard raised an eyebrow. “A lie. Darren is upset, but he has no right to attack me like this”
“Regardless of who said the truth, I agree with this statement”, Argella confirmed and Darren cut her off. “You fucking bastard”, he snapped towards Harris. “You fucking, lying, murderous traitor bastard!” Now, a slightly angry streak appeared on Harris' face as well. “Are you going anywhere with that, Oathbreaker?”, he snarled.
Argella sighed and shook her head, before she looked at Lucas and Leonard. “And whom do we have...” She paused as her glance fell upon Lucas and her eyes widened in surprise and shock. “Oh my...”, she whispered, as Lucas noticed that the bandage around his head had fallen off. Lying on the ground, he presented his ruined eye and the stump that one was his ear, both of which were bleeding under the recent stress he put them through. Under her glance, he felt more ugly than ever.
The Stormlander knight stepped forwards, while the knight with the red lion subtly moved himself between Harris and Darren. “Get your ugly mug out of the princess' sight, cripple”, he snarled. “She's from the blood of gods and you're disgusting her”
Argella raised an eyebrow, as she momentarily glared at the knight. “Ser Emphryus!”, she barked and her gaze softened as she looked back at Lucas. Her pity was unwanted, but Lucas endured it. “Never suspected you to be the type to mock those who've been wounded in a fight”
The knight shook his head. “That man wasn't wounded in a fight, trust me, I'd know. Systematic torture, I suppose”, he answered and the princess' glare hardened. “I'm undecided if that makes your behaviour more or less repulsive, though I tend towards 'more'”, she hissed and gave Lucas a nod. “Has my knight offended you, Ser?”
Lucas shook his head, looking around for his bandages. “No”, he lied and tried his best to calm his anger down. She was a princess. Worse than that, she was the crown princess of the most powerful kingdom in Westeros and he couldn't loose his temper in front of her. “Apologies. I know I'm not quite... presentable at the moment”, he muttered and shivered at his own words. Argella seemed to be taken aback by this. “Ser Emphryus, you will apologize to this man”, she ordered immediately.
Now, the knight looked slightly confused. “A Dresfel does not apologize, princess”, he growled. “Your father would understand that” A cold smile formed on her face. “I am not my father”, she stated. “And you should be thankful that I am not the Storm King, or else this would really hurt” And with these words, she gave Dresfel a quick, backhanded slap below the ribs, against the chainmail.
The knight grunted, more out of surprise than out of real pain, while the princess grimaced, immediately started to shake her hand. “Ouch. Correction”, she groaned. “If I'd be the Storm King, this would have been really painful for you”
The knight gasped in surprise and reached out to grab her hand, though she pulled away from him. “No”, she said sternly. “Emphryus, you have two options now. Apologize to this man, or refuse my order, take a horse, ride back to Storm's End and explain to my father why I no longer require your service”
Dresfel's eyes widened, though his loyalty quickly won over his pride. “Apologies, Ser”, he mumbled and he almost sounded honest. The princess seemed pleased. “Good”, she said. “Now help him up” She gave Lucas another nod. “Let it be clear, I am not the least bit disgusted by your mangled appearance and I consider the mere suggestion an insult of personal nature”, she explained, before she turned around, facing Leonard, who was gazing at her, as well as Darren, Harris, Ian and the lion knight.
“Now that this has been settled...”, she said and the tone in her voice grew cold as ice. “I have one urgent question and I'd be grateful for your answers. What, by the love of the Seven, is going on here?”
Darren took a deep breath. “This man is a dangerous murderer”, he explained and Harris shook his head. “And this man is a liar, someone who broke his oath to the previous Lord Raylan and now has the guts to accuse me of crimes I never commited”, he tried to clarify.
Before he was able to continue, the princess cut him off. “Enough!”, she barked angrily and glared at Darren. “Both of you! I have no idea what happened here, but you two are obviously involved, oh noble knights. My mood is not the best, so apologies, but I'm not inclined to listen to your childish tantrums”
Harris tried to protest, but didn't even manage to say a single word, before Argella snapped at him. “I don't want to know who the murderer and who the oathbreaker is in your opinion, because frankly, your opinion is as interesting as your entire presence, which already starts to bore me”, she growled and turned towards Lucas and Leonard. “You two on the other hand... You have at the very least not tried to kill anyone today, so I am inclined to believe your words over any of theirs”
Her words sent a sting of guilt through Lucas, mixed with a sting of pain that flashed through his head. All of this stirred the anger, just for a moment, before her eyes fell upon him, almost soothing. “I suppose you should start with your names”
Leonard gave her a nod. “My name is Ser Leonard Constantine. This is Ser Lucas Flowers, my friend and companion. We are sworn to House Raylan”, he introduced them and Argella seemed pleased. “Sworn knights, how wonderful”, she said. Behind her, Ian took a step towards Harris. “Mylord”, he said and threw a nervous glance at the princess and her knight. “I don't think this concerns me. With your permission, I'd return to the tavern, to fetch my belongings. I'd be back in an hour”
“Permission granted”, Harris said and Ian sighed in obvious relief. He walked to the gate, a little bit too fast and Dresfel glared at him, his eyes narrowed. “My princess, there is something I have...”, he tried to say, but she cut him off. “My friend, you can be thankful that I allow you to be silent”, she whispered, her sweet tone hiding the sharpened steel below. Then, she turned back to the knights. “And now, the truth”
Leonard sighed. “I suppose that would be a job for Flowers”, he said. “Ser Lucas, I mean” He gave Lucas a nod and the princess gave him a bright smile, that seemed even genuine. “Take your time, brave Ser”, she told him. “I would simply like to hear the truth” Behind her, Harris subtly shook his head, while Darren glared at him.
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
[Lie to her] It's Lucas telling, not Leonard, so it should be fine.
To be honest I want to see more chaos like this, it's kind of amusing.
Leonard let out an impressed whistle. “Seems like Lord Tyrell grew a damn nice pair of... arguments since I last saw him”, he whispered with a forced smirk.
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
[Lie to her] Took me a while to choose and I'm still not sure about this... But I guess people want darker Lucas so I'd say this is a good chance to make that kind development.
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
[Tell Argella the truth] We get one chance to give her a good impression. It's also best not to make an enemy of someone this powerful and I don't think Lucas is a very skilled liar.
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas would tell her (and by extension, Emphryus and Willfred) that Darren's accusations are correct, that Harris murdered the previous master-at-arms in the attempt to hide the truth behind the late Lord Raylan's last will. Considering how horribly his attempts at lying in Chapter 4 and 5 backfired, he would tell her the full truth without holding back on information. If the choice to lie to her wins instead, he would decide to give lying another chance. In such a case, he would simply tell her that Darren's accusations are wrong and that Harris is not a murderer.
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
[Lie to her] It's obvious the best choice at the moment if we want Harris help (and be sure to have an ally against Mullendore)
PS:However I'm betting that the other choice will win!XD I notice that all the times that there is a choice to tell the truth many inside this forum tend to vote that. (even if is something obviously wrong like telling a father that her daughter was tortured to death)
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the loo… morek in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quick… [view original content]
Lucas is going to tell Argella the truth about Harris
The outcome of this voting is a bit surprising to me, considering that it is extremely risky for Harris, who has been established as a reliable ally against Mullendore. Then again, Argella might be an ally as well and there is no doubt that she holds a lot more power than Harris, which is going to be beneficial if she can be moved to help. Her reaction is going to be rather interesting and it won't take me long until I can show it in the next Lucas part. Another consequence is that Willfred, previously an ally of Harris, is also going to learn the truth now and like the princess, he's probably not too thrilled about it. I'm looking forward for the next part in this storyline and since it is going to set up several other storylines, the wait for it won't be too long. First however, I want to focus on several of the other PoV's.
Amont these other PoV's are Ellena and Sadie, whose Chapter 7 storyline will begin in the next part, which I hope to finish today. Since their storylines in this chapter are just about to begin, I'm going to keep the recap a bit shorter than usual. At the end of Chapter 6, Ellena was captured by Marak and Noelle. The two, accompanied by Archmaester Wulvren, brought her out of Oldtown, to the northern Reach, where they currently are, on their way to a location where they wait for Terroma to trade Ellena for Briar. This part will take place around the same time as Marak's last part, which means that the group is currently resting for the night, with Marak and Noelle talking, while Ellena and Wulvren sleep a bit away from them. Meanwhile, Sadie has encountered Gyles Gomblinger, the man she suspects of keeping her sister as a slave in his brothel. She and her companion Dan witnessed an argument between Gyles and Baelor Bloodbane, the captain of the local garrison of soldiers and hoping to gain an ally, Sadie decided to reveal her suspicions to Baelor. In turn, he was very eager to bring down Gyles, as he was waiting for such an opportunity for a long time. Sadie's next part will start during the next evening, when she and Baelor are making their first move.
Now, as you know I follow quite a number of stories on here and occasionally, I like to give them a small shout-out here, to hopefully gain your interest. The story I would like to promote today is another GoT-story. It is called The Invasion and it is written by @Stigz_52. Actually, the story has started a while ago, though it was on a small break to allow Stigz to focus on his other story. Now, the Invasion is back and I figured it could really use more readers to celebrate this happy occasion. Stigz is a very dedicated writer, who has written quite a large amount of content for the story, though he has also written a recap, to allow new readers who are interested to quickly catch up. The story itself is set during a very interesting time period of the Westerosian history, namely the Andal Invasion, during which the Andal people came from their homelands in Essos to the continent of Westeros, where they fought against the First Men who already lived there, to find a new place to live. It's a big story and very well-written, even more so ever since it returned a few days ago, featuring a diverse and well-written cast of characters, an intriguing storyline set during a very fascinating period of history in Westeros and a writing style that simply gets better and better, from great beginnings to the truly awesome recent parts. In short, it truly is a work that deserves more readers, which hopefully is the point where some of you decide to check it out. If you are interested in a story set during the Andal Invasion, I have this link for you
Heey! Just wanted to share another fan art! I'm pretty sure you recognize who it is, but just in case - it's Maron Mullendore with the injury he suffered on that epic chapter finale.
Ellena ran up the stairs, giggling wildly as she heard the heavy footsteps behind her. As fast as she could and with her heart thumping wildly, she continued to rush down the vast hallway, her long, plaited braids flying in the wind, her laughter sounding through the building. She glanced to her left, seeing an open door and without hesitation, she ran through it and into the storage room behind.
“Where are you?”, a deep voice growled and Ellena had to chuckle, as she looked around for a place to hide. She spotted a closet, one of several in the room, but one whose doors stood slightly open, revealing that it was largely empty, save for two old brooms. Just as the footsteps came closer, she jumped inside, making far too much noise in the process.
She saw the large silhouette walking into the room and couldn't contain a wide grin, though she at least managed to suppress her giggle. “Where is my little girl?”, the voice of the silhouette sounded, as the man slowly approached the closet. She tried to hide deeper into it, knocking against one of the brooms in the process, which made far too much noise.
Immediately, the doors flung open and she let out a playful scream, as she was grabbed by strong hands and lifted up. “There you are!”, her father exclaimed. Ellyrio Terys was tall, he had always been the tallest man in the world for Ellena. His hairline was starting to recede, but he still had a full, bushy beard. His wide smile was hiding underneath it, but his dark brown eyes laughed widely, as he lifted her up and started to tickle her.
“There's my little daughter!”, he exclaimed and Ellena screamed with joy, as he spun her around with one hand, using the other to tickle her side. He was laughing as well and it sounded like thunder. “Stop! Stop!”, Ellena gasped, out of breath from the laughing and he immediately followed her wish. Exhausted, she sank down into his arms, laying her head onto his shoulder, with a thin, happy smile on her face, while her father held her gently.
For a while, neither said a word. Her father softly rocked her in his arms like a newborn child, despite the fact that she was almost seven. She did not mind. These moments were rarer, even rarer since her mother died two years ago and he had to do all of his work alone and she cherished every second she could spend with him.
“Here you go, Ellena”, her father whispered calmly, as he set her back to the ground. She remained clinging onto him and her smile faded. “I want to continue”, she answered and he smiled at her. “So want I, but there is work to do”, he explained. “Tomorrow, yes?”
She sighed. “Tomorrow”, she confirmed and looked up at him, her eyes filled with curiosity. “And the day after and the day after, forever and ever, yes?” Her father's smile grew smaller. “Not forever”, he answered. “One day, you will be a grown woman and I will be frail and old” Ellena doubted her father could ever be frail and old. He was large, big-bellied and muscular and hairy as a bear. He'd stay young forever. At this moment, she had been sure of it.
“Even later, you'll be a mother and if your gods are good, you will have a daughter as sweet as mine”, he said and her smile returned, briefly, until he continued. “I will be long gone by then, that's how it must be”
Ellena shook her head. “I don't want you to go”, she urged him and he laughed. “Not today, Ellena”, he assured her. “Not today, not tomorrow and not for many, many more years. I will not leave you until you are ready and you will not leave your children until they are ready, not if the god is merciful” He had always been like that, she remembered. Always explaining to her how things truly were. “But if you leave, there is nothing to fear. Death is a part of life”, he explained. “And all men must die”
Ellena had a sad smile on her face as she opened her eyes. Her father's words were still in her head, after all these years. He had left her, long before she was ready. She wasn't even sure if she could have ever been ready for such a thing.
The rope around her hands and around her feet was uncomfortably tight. The red-haired man had bound her, though she was glad he had kept his distance afterwards. He was Noelle's dog, as she had quickly realized, but there was something wild about him as well, something uncontrollable. Noelle on the other hand was a mystery to her. The red priestess had barely spoken to her the past two days and Ellena had no intention to change this. The only thing she made clear were her plans. Ellena was supposed to be their hostage and they would attempt to trade her for another poor girl, whom Noelle would burn alive. At this moment, Noelle and her dog were talking to each other, though they were too far away for her to listen to their conversation. The priestess handed the red-haired man a large bottle and he took a deep gulp out of it.
Out of her three captors, there was only one she even remotely liked. She hadn't spend much time talking to Archmaester Wulvren, but he had never been cruel to her either. Currently, the old man was laying about a foot to her right, leaning against a tree. At first, she thought he was sleeping, but when she slightly moved, in the futile attempt to get free of her bindings, he opened his eyes.
“Try to sleep a little bit”, he said and she shot him a glare. “Easier said than done, with the company”, she answered and glanced into the direction of Noelle and her dog, though the moment she spoke, she noticed her dry throat. A small smile appeared on Wulvren's face “Marak? He won't kill you, that I'll make sure of”, he promised her.
“Who says I'm afraid to die?”, Ellena answered defiantly and the Archmaester gulped. “Everyone should be afraid of the end”, he said and his smile faded. “I know I am. And so should you, for no one can say what comes after”
“Valar Morghulis”, Ellena repeated the words her father taught her so many years ago. Now, Wulvren raised an eyebrow. “You're Braavosi”, he deduced. “That explains it. Your people always had a very... peculiar outlook on death. Some of you even worship it, don't they?” His smile returned, thin, but genuine. “The thought of a religion that worships a god of death seems bizarre to me. I was never a man of religion. It's hard to believe in things that have no evidence”
“You're the Archmaester of Magic”, Ellena retorted dryly and his eyes widened. “Magic is something that is very much real”, he answered. “Or at least, it had been real. During my childhood, in Cider Hall, I first learned about it. Spent whole days in my parents library, reading whatever I could find about the use of magic. The Children of the Forest, separating Westeros from Essos with their magic. The dragonlords, building cities from nothing, just by weaving their spells...”
“Witches burning children alive for... for whatever it is Noelle is planning”, Ellena interjected and the enthusiastic glance in Wulvren's eyes faded. “That is not the kind of magic I've been dreaming about. The day I found out that it is all that is left of my dream has been the hardest in my entire life”, he mumbled.
“Then why are you still here?”, Ellena asked and slightly coughed. Wulvren sighed. “I have asked myself the very same question over and over during the past two days”, he answered. “The truth is, as much as I'd like to convince myself otherwise, I am curious about Noelle's plan. Blood magic is my least favourite type of magic, but still... It works even centuries after the doom, it still holds tremendous power” Ellena noticed that he was shivering. “Imagine how terrifying it had to be in the days of old”
He paused again and glanced towards Noelle. “Though, I think my main reason for coming with you is that I hope she'll change her mind”, he whispered. “I know Noelle for over a decade now. Her blind faith has always been worrying, but at the end of the day, she was always trying to do what is right” He shook his head. “This? This is not right and I hope Noelle will see it before it's too late. If I can help her seeing it, then I do a good thing here”
Ellena opened her mouth to answer, but instead of words, she only started to cough, as a result of her dry throat. Wulvren immediately moved closer and gave her a worried glance. “Is everything alright?”, he asked, as her coughs died down. She gave him a sluggish nod. “Is there anything I can do for you?”, he asked again.
Ellena glanced down at the rope that bound her and then she glanced past him, towards Marak and Noelle, who were just drinking from a bottle, while talking about something. Neither of them paid attention towards Ellena or Wulvren. She narrowed her eyes at the Archmaester. “You don't agree with what Noelle's doing?”, she asked and Wulvren gave her a nod. “Not one bit”, he confirmed. “Now, what can I bring you? Water perhaps?”
Yes, water would be nice. At the same time, Ellena started to wonder. He just openly expressed his disapproval with what Noelle was planning. The red priestess and her dog were preoccupied with their talk. Perhaps she could convince him. She had no intention of being Noelle's bargaining chip. Perhaps the risk angering or loosing her only potential ally with such a request would be worth a chance.
[Ask him for water][Ask him to free you]
Sadie
“So, what are the chances that we're all going to die in there?”, Dan asked in a cautious tone, as he walked to Sadie's right. Baelor was walking to their left and together, the three approached the Golden Gyles. From afar, it looked like a small castle, with high, stone walls, a proper gate and even a tiny tower.
“Depends”, Baelor answered shortly. “Are we going to meet the right person in the taproom and how many guards are on duty tonight” Dan's worried glance gained a curious streak. “And this person we meet is whom?”, he asked again.
“Leonard Hill”, Baelor answered. “He's a sellsword, like that Blane guy I fought against yesterday. In fact, Blane is working for him, as a member of his company” Dan gulped audibly and Sadie raised an eyebrow. “Gyles is rich enough to buy an entire company?”, she asked and Baelor gave her a nod. “Only a small one though. They call themselves 'The Forgotten'. Couple of dozen members, though I never really counted them”, he explained. “Less than a hundred for sure”
“How reassuring”, Dan sighed and looked at Sadie. “Can't believe I'm once more risking my life for you” Sadie flashed him a kind smile, though it was partially to overplay her own feelings of guilt for dragging him into this. She needed Dan's help to save Melanie. In this whole city, he was the only one she fully trusted. Even Baelor was an uneasy ally at best, as long as she didn't know him any better. But Dan was more than an ally. He was a friend and she would never forgive herself if anything would happen to him.
“You're a good man, Dan Ornon. Don't you even dare trying to deny it”, she told him, before she glanced at Baelor. “This Leonard guy, what do you know about him?” Baelor seemed to think about the question for a moment.
“It's hard to say. I'm not a people person”, he stated and Sadie had no problem believing this. “Though I did meet him a couple of times, after I won my fights for Gyles. He doesn't seem too bad to me, though that does not mean much. A calm guy, perhaps a bit too calm. Impeccable manners, which is a rare trait. Respectful, you know? Got a way with words, so be careful around him”
“I have a way with words as well, so leave that to me”, Dan proclaimed, before his worried streak reappeared. “How about his fighting skills?” This time, Baelor shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea. Haven't seen him fighting yet, but the way he looks, chances are he's damn good. If we're lucky, we won't find out”
“And what are your plans for this guy?”, Dan asked and Sadie's lips formed a forced, fake smirk. This was the part of the plan she was more than a bit sceptical about, though it was better than no plan at all, which would have been her approach on dealing with this matter. Her sister was in there and gods knew what she endured at this very moment. It took Sadie a lot of effort to even stay calm, to stay close to Baelor and Dan and to prevent herself from just storming into this whorehouse. It helped to know that she followed a plan. It gave her an almost soothing order.
“We drink with him”, Baelor explained and for a moment, it was silent. Then, Dan narrowed his eyes. “That was a serious question”, he clarified and Baelor gave him a nod. “And I gave you a serious answer”, he stated. “We drink with him. Not to make him drunk, but to keep him occupied, to avoid any suspicion when we step into the inner courtyard of the Golden Gyles. Instead of pissing, we're going to search for a way into the backrooms, where Gyles keeps his girls”
Sadie noticeable shivered at the word and Dan noticed it. He put a hand onto her shoulder. “This is a horrible plan”, he mumbled and Baelor shook his head. “There's a chance it's going to work”, he argued. “The problem is, the other entrances are guarded. The windows that led from the inner courtyard into the backrooms though... no one would guard them”
“That means only one of us can go”, Sadie spoke and Baelor gave her a nod. “Only you”, he corrected her. “I don't claim to know Leonard particularly well, but I hope to keep the conversation going until you return. And I want our very own way with words right next to me” While he said this, he glanced at Dan, who finally sighed in defeat. “I must admit, I can't think of a better plan either, not in the short time we have”, he admitted.
“It's settled then”, Baelor said, but Sadie shook her head. “One more thing...”, she mentioned. “If I truly manage to find Melanie, what then? I don't think I can drag her with me to the taproom again” This time, a wide, daring smile appeared on Baelor's face. “Why not?”, he asked. “Think about it... You drag a girl that has been kept as a slave into the taproom. There will be guests and guests talk. I doubt that Gyles would be stupid enough to prevent us from leaving, that would make things only worse for him” Sadie reciprocated his smile and it was almost genuine in her case. “You know, I really hate this plan”, she grinned desperately, clinging to the fleeting hope that this would somehow work.
And with these words, they stepped through the large front gate and into the taproom of the Golden Gyles immediately behind it. Compared to last time, it was remarkably empty. Sadie counted a few dozen drinking people, scattered around the tables. Two young girls rushed around, carrying mugs filled with ale. Nilanne, the one from yesterday, wasn't among them. Sadie also counted four armed men, wearing simple chainmail and longswords, with a peculiar tabard on top, depicting the golden lion of Lannister on a ground of red, though with two lines crossing over it. Two of them were guarding the door that led to the backrooms, while the other two were sitting around a table.
“We got lucky”, Baelor said and slightly pointed at the two men at the table. One of them was Blane, as Sadie recognized. The wounds the handsome sellsword received in his fight with Baelor were now far more visible than yesterday, though there was still something roguish about him.
The man to his right was something else entirely. He was huge, easily towering Blane and if he'd stand, he would probably be even taller than Baelor. Once, he apparently had a certain attractiveness, but no one would call him handsome nowadays, not with a multitude of deep battle scars all over his face. He had short hair and a long beard, both of it in the same, intriguing golden blonde colour. This man was the first to look up and Sadie stopped involuntarily as the piercing, green glare hit her.
“Don't loose your nerves now”, Baelor whispered, without really moving his lips. “He's an affable guy if you stay on his good side. Just introduce yourself and let us drink with him for a bit. Then, when you feel the time is right, you leave for the inner courtyard”
Then, he approached the two men. The tall, bearded man rose from his chair and it became apparent to Sadie that he was indeed half a head taller than Baelor. Both men shared a friendly handshake and the soldier turned around. “Let me introduce my companions. These are Dan and Kelly”, he proclaimed and finally, Blane looked up. His eyes met Sadie's and a pleased smirk appeared on his bruised face, as he gave her the hint of a nod.
“Dan, Kelly, this is Leonard Hill, founder and leader of the Forgotten”, Baelor introduced the tall man, who respectfully bowed his head. “It's a pleasure”, he said in a calm, soft tone, as he gave Sadie a polite kiss on the back of her hand. “Please, sit down” While he said this, an intense, slightly dangerous streak appeared in his eyes, as Sadie, Baelor and Dan followed his order.
With a smile, the sellsword sat down as well, before he raised an arm. “Five!”, he exclaimed and looked back at Baelor. “I must say, after yesterday I wasn't sure you'd show up again and it's brave that you did”, he grinned. “Gyles is pretty angry at you”
“Am I not allowed in here?”, Baelor asked straightforwardly and Leonard shook his head. “Gyles never said anything like that. He's busy at the moment and I certainly won't follow an order he never gave”, he answered and a friendly, sympathetic smile appeared on his face. “Instead, I'd like to grab a couple of drinks with my friend, the undefeated champion of Maybros”, he explained and raised an eyebrow. “Though, I wonder why you showed up again. If Gyles would be here, he'd throw you out, you know that, right?”
Baelor gave him a nod. “Aye. Just figured, I made two new friends yesterday. Wanted to take them out for a drink”, he explained and Leonard chuckled. “Not much choice here. I'm glad you're here though. Between us, if you would have lost yesterday, I would have lost a lot of money, so the way I see it, you did everything right”, the sellsword answered.
With these words, his eerily calm green eyes fell upon Sadie. “Mylady”, he said politely. “I'd like to apologize for the state of this establishment. It's half of a brothel and you deserve better than that” She smiled at him. “Thank you, Leonard”, she answered and was about to continue, when he rose a hand. “Please, both of you, call me Leo. My friends all call me Leo”, he urged her and his smile faded. “And we are all friends here, aren't we?”
These words and the calmness they were uttered with caused Sadie to shiver. Perhaps it was just a result of the stress she was in right now. Thankfully, the barmaid chose this moment to deliver five mugs of cold ale to their table, which momentarily interrupted the conversation.
“So... Kelly!”, Blane exclaimed with a happy smile. “Long time no see. How have you ended up in the company of Bloodbane?” His smile was open and genuine. Meanwhile Leo's smile seemed similarly genuine, but there were other aspects about him she found unnerving. His physique was intimidating, which clashed with his soft and calm way of speaking in her opinion. She wasn't sure if she liked him, or was scared, or perhaps both.
As she took a deep gulp from her ale to win more time to answer. Perhaps now would be a good time to execute the first step of her plan, before she'd get trapped in smalltalk with the two sellswords, before she would risk revealing her true intentions by accident. Or perhaps now was too early, too suspicious. Especially Leo already seemed to be at least wary from the very moment they met, behind his friendly behaviour, though Sadie was unsure if talking to him would make him more or less wary.
[Talk to Blane and Leo][Excuse yourself and go outside]
This is just awesome! Like with the picture of Jaron you did earlier, I love the increased detail. In this case, I think the facial expression is even better. The scene itself has been one of my favourites to write, because honestly, it was extremely satisfying and I think you captured the raw emotion I tried to show in this scene perfectly. Thank you very much, these drawings are amazing
Heey! Just wanted to share another fan art! I'm pretty sure you recognize who it is, but just in case - it's Maron Mullendore with the injury he suffered on that epic chapter finale.
Ellena
Ellena ran up the stairs, giggling wildly as she heard the heavy footsteps behind her. As fast as she could and with her heart thu… moremping wildly, she continued to rush down the vast hallway, her long, plaited braids flying in the wind, her laughter sounding through the building. She glanced to her left, seeing an open door and without hesitation, she ran through it and into the storage room behind.
“Where are you?”, a deep voice growled and Ellena had to chuckle, as she looked around for a place to hide. She spotted a closet, one of several in the room, but one whose doors stood slightly open, revealing that it was largely empty, save for two old brooms. Just as the footsteps came closer, she jumped inside, making far too much noise in the process.
She saw the large silhouette walking into the room and couldn't contain a wide grin, though she at least managed to suppress her giggle. “Where is my little girl?”, the voice of the s… [view original content]
Ellena
Ellena ran up the stairs, giggling wildly as she heard the heavy footsteps behind her. As fast as she could and with her heart thu… moremping wildly, she continued to rush down the vast hallway, her long, plaited braids flying in the wind, her laughter sounding through the building. She glanced to her left, seeing an open door and without hesitation, she ran through it and into the storage room behind.
“Where are you?”, a deep voice growled and Ellena had to chuckle, as she looked around for a place to hide. She spotted a closet, one of several in the room, but one whose doors stood slightly open, revealing that it was largely empty, save for two old brooms. Just as the footsteps came closer, she jumped inside, making far too much noise in the process.
She saw the large silhouette walking into the room and couldn't contain a wide grin, though she at least managed to suppress her giggle. “Where is my little girl?”, the voice of the s… [view original content]
Ellena
Ellena ran up the stairs, giggling wildly as she heard the heavy footsteps behind her. As fast as she could and with her heart thu… moremping wildly, she continued to rush down the vast hallway, her long, plaited braids flying in the wind, her laughter sounding through the building. She glanced to her left, seeing an open door and without hesitation, she ran through it and into the storage room behind.
“Where are you?”, a deep voice growled and Ellena had to chuckle, as she looked around for a place to hide. She spotted a closet, one of several in the room, but one whose doors stood slightly open, revealing that it was largely empty, save for two old brooms. Just as the footsteps came closer, she jumped inside, making far too much noise in the process.
She saw the large silhouette walking into the room and couldn't contain a wide grin, though she at least managed to suppress her giggle. “Where is my little girl?”, the voice of the s… [view original content]
Ellena
Ellena ran up the stairs, giggling wildly as she heard the heavy footsteps behind her. As fast as she could and with her heart thu… moremping wildly, she continued to rush down the vast hallway, her long, plaited braids flying in the wind, her laughter sounding through the building. She glanced to her left, seeing an open door and without hesitation, she ran through it and into the storage room behind.
“Where are you?”, a deep voice growled and Ellena had to chuckle, as she looked around for a place to hide. She spotted a closet, one of several in the room, but one whose doors stood slightly open, revealing that it was largely empty, save for two old brooms. Just as the footsteps came closer, she jumped inside, making far too much noise in the process.
She saw the large silhouette walking into the room and couldn't contain a wide grin, though she at least managed to suppress her giggle. “Where is my little girl?”, the voice of the s… [view original content]
Comments
Uh, that looks interesting! I think my vision of Jaron was with much longer hair, as I've prepared him myself before. And I see you draw directly via tablet - did you try to first make a lineart on paper, scan it, and continue the rest via tablet with program which you use?
I did this directly with the tablet, firstly because I just got it and liked to try it out
Also I'm not very good with paper. And you are definitely right about the hair! I if anyone should remember, it's supposed to reach his shoulders! Mayhaps he was just resurrected by Red Priestess 
Hehe, I know the feeling... when i got my tablet i was doing the same, but well, my interest with it and patience disappeared same fast as it appeared... now i don't even have my tryout drawings on pc anymore, after my old HD died all of a sudden... but hey, I wait for more drawings - more practice = better effects and new techniques. Perhaps Mathea will be the next? :-D
Well, I guess Darren is involved in it.
It looks amazing! I'm simply loving the increased detail and the facial expression. Well done and thanks a lot for sharing this awesome drawing
Absolutely stunning. I wish I had the enthusiasm And skill to do that aswell.
Lucas
Lucas let out a scream of pure rage, as he raised his sword...
He looked Aylard in the eyes, widened, filled with tears, the look in them was not one of fear, but pleading, desperate, these wide, green eyes, the only thing the innkeeper had in common with his daughter...
And Lucas threw the sword away, while simultaneously going down on his knees. He let out a short, angry scream, while clenching his fists. His eye was closed and in his mind, he was back in that room in Oldtown...
Lunett bleeding out on the ground, Mullendore standing above her, a twisted grin on his face. “Hello, boy...”, the monster chuckled.
With a terrified gasp, Lucas snapped back and opened his eye again. He was breathing heavily and tears streamed down his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harris slowly rising from the ground. The acting lord was bleeding from the nose, but seemed to barely notice it. His face showed shock, though he quickly regained his composure and rushed towards Leonard, who had a hand pressed onto his leg. Quickly, he helped him to get back on his feet. Between all of this, Lucas exchanged one glance with Leonard and the other knight gave him a wordless nod.
“Bastard...”, Aylard mumbled, but it sounded less vicious than before. He sounded weak and looked a decade older. “Can't you do anything right?”, he sobbed. “Don't you dare leaving me like this” He wasn't even looking at Lucas, save for one short, desperate glance.
“I...”, Lucas mumbled. “I'm not going to kill you, Aylard” He saw Harris and Leonard approaching him. Ian was there as well, though he kept his distance. “What happened... I would give everything to change it”, he gulped. “I'd die to bring her back” He paused again and finally, Aylard looked him in the eye. “I loved your daughter”, Lucas said and anger flared up in the innkeeper's eyes. It wasn't the same anger as before. It was not directed at Lucas, it simply was.
“You loved her?”, he asked. “Tell me, bastard, do you know what her favourite colour was? Do you know how her hair looked in the autumn sun? Do you remember the sound of her laughter? How gentle she spoke to her brother?” He softly shook his head and closed his eyes. “She was everything to me. She was my daughter...”, he mumbled. “Now she's gone and I can't even follow her”
“Mylord!”, a female voice sounded. Lucas glanced into the direction of the guard quarters. A young woman with light brown hair rushed towards them, followed by guards. She herself wore the uniform of a guardsman, though a single red line on her shoulder identified her as the captain of the guard. “Lord Harris!”
She had a hand on the hilt of her sword, glancing at Aylard, at Lucas and Leonard. Harris sighed, before he raised his hand. “What happened?”, she asked and Harris moved the hand to his nose, inspecting the blood on them. “Captain Nora”, he greeted her, without looking at her. Instead, he looked at Aylard, who still lay on the ground. “Everything is fine”
Nora narrowed her eyes. “Your face”, she spoke. He gave her a nod. “I fell”, he said tonelessly, though the captain looked unconvinced. “Lord Harris, we've been told this man attacked-”, she started to say, but he cut her off. “I fell, captain”, he insisted sternly.
Slowly, Nora gave him a nod. “If you insist, mylord”, she said reluctantly, before she shifted her attention to Aylard. “What are we going to do with him?” Harris and Lucas exchanged a glance. Still with tears streaming down his face, Lucas shook his head and Harris lips formed a thin, joyless smile. “This man here does not feel too well”, he said calmly. “Please, bring him to...” He paused and looked at Aylard, who was still barely paying attention in his grief. “Ser, where are you living?”
At first, it seemed as if Aylard wasn't answering. Then he looked up and sighed. “The tavern”, he whispered. Harris looked back at Nora. “Dispatch two men to bring him back to the tavern”, he ordered, before he grabbed the captain by the upper arm. “And... be soft to him, captain”
Nora narrowed her eyes, still glancing from Harris' wounded face to the warhammer on the ground. “If this is your order, mylord”, she answered, before she turned to her men. “Federico, over here!”, she yelled. “You and me, we're going to take a walk”
Satisfied, Harris smiled, but it faded as soon as he realized that no one else was smiling. Lucas was still kneeling on the ground, even as Nora slowly helped Aylard standing up. The innkeeper showed no sign of resistance, as if his will had been broken. Like Lucas, he was still crying. Just as he fully stood on his own again, he took a step towards Lucas, which was enough for an alarmed Leonard to almost draw his sword.
“Listen, bastard”, Aylard growled and hatred shimmered through his words. Again, it wasn't only directed at Lucas, though he was a target nonetheless. “I know you have not killed her, not directly at least. For your role in... in my daughter's death, I will always hate you. You are a disgrace for knighthood and a shameful waste of human life”
Lucas looked up and through his tears, he shot Aylard a glare. The anger was still inside of him, waiting for another chance. He wouldn't give in. He couldn't. He mustn't. “What are you trying to say?”, he growled.
“You told me you lost the girl you loved”, Aylard snarled. Most of his former viciousness was gone, though the words retained their edge. “You lost a girl you knew for two weeks. I lost my eldest child” The innkeeper's fists clenched, but he managed to control himself. “You don't know my pain”, he said. “But I know yours. It wasn't love you felt, but you felt something”
He sighed. “You got what you deserve. I will never stop hating you. I will not forget and I will not forgive”, he continued with his eyes narrowed. New tears formed in their corners. “But I understand you now. I know, just like me you're going to do whatever it takes to bring down the monster that murdered my daughter”, he whispered and to Lucas' surprise, he crouched down next to him. “If you find that man, I want you to bring him to me, alive, you understand?”
Lucas just managed to give him a nod and Aylard rose again. “Good”, he growled. Without any further word, flanked by Nora and one of her guardsmen, he left the courtyard and Lucas behind. While Harris and Ian exchanged a worried glance, Leonard approached Lucas.
“You okay, Flowers?”, he asked and reached down. Lucas grabbed his hand and his friend pulled him up. He shook his head. “No, Len”, he answered. “No, I'm not okay” Pain flashed through the bandaged side of his face and he pressed his hand onto the place where his eye used to be. A thin trickle of blood ran down the bandages, mixing with the tears from his good eye. “But I'll manage, just a little bit farther”
Leonard sighed, but before he was able to say anything, Ian cut him off, by slightly coughing. “I hate to interrupt, but I'm afraid there's a problem”, he said and pointed towards the barracks. Lucas looked in the same direction and sighed, as he recognized the man that slowly approached them. Darren Tallwood has never been a calm man, but right now, he was livid. One hand was hovering right above the hilt of his sword as he came closer.
“Lucas...”, Harris hissed with a shaky voice. “What have you told him” Lucas shot him a cold glare. “Everything”, he answered and Harris sighed. “You tell me you need my help, yet at the same time you doom me?”, he growled and Lucas shook his head. “We can sort this out. There's no need for violence”, he insisted
“Are you serious, boy?”, Harris spat. “You tell Darren Tallwood that I'm responsible for the death of his friend and expect this to end without a massacre?” Under the alarmed glance of Ian, Lucas shivered and the anger returned. “Are you questioning my decision?”, he asked and Harris gave him a defiant nod.
And then, Darren had reached them. Harris gulped, but retained a calm face, as he gave the knight a nod. “Greetings, Darren. What is this about?”, he asked. Darren narrowed his eyes. “You know damn well what this is about”, he snarled and grabbed his sword, without removing it from the hilt. “You and me, we'll go into the Great Hall now. You will confess”
Harris glanced at Leonard, who limped forwards. “Darren, we can't do that now”, he insisted calmly, but the knight angrily shook his head. “I'm not talking to you, Constantine. I'm talking to the so-called acting lord”
“Darren, there is no need for violence”, Harris tried to calm him down, but took a step back under a vicious glare. “You're willing to confess then?”, Darren growled and Harris slowly shook his head. “I know what I did and you have every right to be angry. I will confess and I will pay the price, but I can't do that now, not while I have a city to protect”
“Protect?”, Darren snarled. “The only one this city needs to be protected from is you. I would prefer to end this without violence, but I am willing to cut you down if you don't come with me” Again, Harris shook his head. “And I'm afraid I can't do that”, he answered.
Darren drew his sword. Lucas gulped. This was nothing like Aylard. The innkeeper had been motivated by blind rage and grief. In case of Darren it was righteous fury and his deep sense of justice. “As a knight, it is my right to execute you, murderer”, he barked. “This is your last chance to get a trial”
“Darren...”, Harris said with sorrow in his voice. Then, he jumped back, faster than Lucas would have expected, to evade the first strike. He threw a pleading look towards the other knights. Ian was the first willing to charge between them, but Leonard held him back. As he grabbed the hedge knight by the shoulder, he groaned in pain from his wound. “No!”, he hissed. “Run to the great hall. Get Lord Tyrell!”
Ian hesitated, but then he gave Leonard a determined nod. “Got it”, he shouted and started to rush towards the hall. Leonard drew his sword and as Lucas wanted to do the same, the other knight heavily pushed him against the chest, which caused him to stagger and eventually to fall to the ground, where he heavily hit the wounded side of his head, the ruined remains of his ear. “Stay down, Flowers!”, Leonard yelled.
Harris evaded another strike and even in his dazed state, Lucas realized that Darren was holding back. His sense of honour commanded of him to bring Harris to justice, yet he hesitated to strike down an unarmed man.
“Harris!”, Leonard yelled as he threw his sword towards the acting lord. Skillfully, Harris managed to catch it and he immediately parried the strike. Steel clashed against steel, in a single, deafening second. “I don't want to harm you”, he said in a begging tone, as he parried another vertical strike. “You're not good enough to harm me”, Darren answered.
The next strike was aimed to kill. It was a feint and Harris parry missed. Immediately, the lord yanked his sword around, trying to at least deflect the blow. He succeeded and instead of suffering from a slashed throat, he was cut at the upper arm. Blood flew out of the wound and Harris moaned in discomfort.
He parried the next strike, but it was a weak parry, almost weak enough to allow Darren to just break through. He attempted another strike, but was momentarily held back by a female voice that was as loud and angry as it was young. “Stop this madness at once!”, she demanded.
Lucas glanced at the Great Hall. He saw Ian rushing towards them, followed by three people. Two of them were armed knights, both with black hair and a tall build, though while one of them was a young man with a certain handsomeness, the other was at least in his thirties and had more plain facial features. The older one wore chainmail, a simple tabard with the crowned stag of Durrandon on top. The younger one wore fine clothing, befitting of a nobleman, with a silver vest that was adorned by a red lion.
The woman between them was obviously the one that had shouted. She was more a girl than a woman, perhaps in Lucas' age and beautiful enough that he noticed it in his current condition. She wore a yellow dress, had pale skin, a soft face with high cheekbones and long and wavy black hair. Leonard let out an impressed whistle. “Seems like Lord Tyrell grew a damn nice pair of... arguments since I last saw him”, he whispered with a forced smirk.
Darren hesitated to strike again. Instead, he glanced from the young woman to Harris. “Who are you?”, he demanded to know and the woman crossed her arms. She glanced at the Durrandon knight, who took a step forwards. “You speak to Princess Argella of House Durrandon, daughter of Argilac, Storm King”, he introduced her.
Now, a look of surprise flashed across Darren's face and he slowly lowered his sword. The princess had a friendly smile on her face, though an angry look remained in her dark blue eyes. “Usually, that's the part where you're supposed to kneel”, she said. “I've been told that the acting lord and one of his knights try to murder each other on my courtyard”
“Your...?”, Darren started to say, before he cut himself off. “Princess, this man is a murderer. I tried to bring him to justice in front of Lord Tyrell, but he refused to accompany me to the Great Hall” The princess said nothing and instead looked at Harris, who shook his head. “A misunderstanding”, he claimed and Leonard raised an eyebrow. “A lie. Darren is upset, but he has no right to attack me like this”
“Regardless of who said the truth, I agree with this statement”, Argella confirmed and Darren cut her off. “You fucking bastard”, he snapped towards Harris. “You fucking, lying, murderous traitor bastard!” Now, a slightly angry streak appeared on Harris' face as well. “Are you going anywhere with that, Oathbreaker?”, he snarled.
Argella sighed and shook her head, before she looked at Lucas and Leonard. “And whom do we have...” She paused as her glance fell upon Lucas and her eyes widened in surprise and shock. “Oh my...”, she whispered, as Lucas noticed that the bandage around his head had fallen off. Lying on the ground, he presented his ruined eye and the stump that one was his ear, both of which were bleeding under the recent stress he put them through. Under her glance, he felt more ugly than ever.
The Stormlander knight stepped forwards, while the knight with the red lion subtly moved himself between Harris and Darren. “Get your ugly mug out of the princess' sight, cripple”, he snarled. “She's from the blood of gods and you're disgusting her”
Argella raised an eyebrow, as she momentarily glared at the knight. “Ser Emphryus!”, she barked and her gaze softened as she looked back at Lucas. Her pity was unwanted, but Lucas endured it. “Never suspected you to be the type to mock those who've been wounded in a fight”
The knight shook his head. “That man wasn't wounded in a fight, trust me, I'd know. Systematic torture, I suppose”, he answered and the princess' glare hardened. “I'm undecided if that makes your behaviour more or less repulsive, though I tend towards 'more'”, she hissed and gave Lucas a nod. “Has my knight offended you, Ser?”
Lucas shook his head, looking around for his bandages. “No”, he lied and tried his best to calm his anger down. She was a princess. Worse than that, she was the crown princess of the most powerful kingdom in Westeros and he couldn't loose his temper in front of her. “Apologies. I know I'm not quite... presentable at the moment”, he muttered and shivered at his own words. Argella seemed to be taken aback by this. “Ser Emphryus, you will apologize to this man”, she ordered immediately.
Now, the knight looked slightly confused. “A Dresfel does not apologize, princess”, he growled. “Your father would understand that” A cold smile formed on her face. “I am not my father”, she stated. “And you should be thankful that I am not the Storm King, or else this would really hurt” And with these words, she gave Dresfel a quick, backhanded slap below the ribs, against the chainmail.
The knight grunted, more out of surprise than out of real pain, while the princess grimaced, immediately started to shake her hand. “Ouch. Correction”, she groaned. “If I'd be the Storm King, this would have been really painful for you”
The knight gasped in surprise and reached out to grab her hand, though she pulled away from him. “No”, she said sternly. “Emphryus, you have two options now. Apologize to this man, or refuse my order, take a horse, ride back to Storm's End and explain to my father why I no longer require your service”
Dresfel's eyes widened, though his loyalty quickly won over his pride. “Apologies, Ser”, he mumbled and he almost sounded honest. The princess seemed pleased. “Good”, she said. “Now help him up” She gave Lucas another nod. “Let it be clear, I am not the least bit disgusted by your mangled appearance and I consider the mere suggestion an insult of personal nature”, she explained, before she turned around, facing Leonard, who was gazing at her, as well as Darren, Harris, Ian and the lion knight.
“Now that this has been settled...”, she said and the tone in her voice grew cold as ice. “I have one urgent question and I'd be grateful for your answers. What, by the love of the Seven, is going on here?”
Darren took a deep breath. “This man is a dangerous murderer”, he explained and Harris shook his head. “And this man is a liar, someone who broke his oath to the previous Lord Raylan and now has the guts to accuse me of crimes I never commited”, he tried to clarify.
Before he was able to continue, the princess cut him off. “Enough!”, she barked angrily and glared at Darren. “Both of you! I have no idea what happened here, but you two are obviously involved, oh noble knights. My mood is not the best, so apologies, but I'm not inclined to listen to your childish tantrums”
Harris tried to protest, but didn't even manage to say a single word, before Argella snapped at him. “I don't want to know who the murderer and who the oathbreaker is in your opinion, because frankly, your opinion is as interesting as your entire presence, which already starts to bore me”, she growled and turned towards Lucas and Leonard. “You two on the other hand... You have at the very least not tried to kill anyone today, so I am inclined to believe your words over any of theirs”
Her words sent a sting of guilt through Lucas, mixed with a sting of pain that flashed through his head. All of this stirred the anger, just for a moment, before her eyes fell upon him, almost soothing. “I suppose you should start with your names”
Leonard gave her a nod. “My name is Ser Leonard Constantine. This is Ser Lucas Flowers, my friend and companion. We are sworn to House Raylan”, he introduced them and Argella seemed pleased. “Sworn knights, how wonderful”, she said. Behind her, Ian took a step towards Harris. “Mylord”, he said and threw a nervous glance at the princess and her knight. “I don't think this concerns me. With your permission, I'd return to the tavern, to fetch my belongings. I'd be back in an hour”
“Permission granted”, Harris said and Ian sighed in obvious relief. He walked to the gate, a little bit too fast and Dresfel glared at him, his eyes narrowed. “My princess, there is something I have...”, he tried to say, but she cut him off. “My friend, you can be thankful that I allow you to be silent”, she whispered, her sweet tone hiding the sharpened steel below. Then, she turned back to the knights. “And now, the truth”
Leonard sighed. “I suppose that would be a job for Flowers”, he said. “Ser Lucas, I mean” He gave Lucas a nod and the princess gave him a bright smile, that seemed even genuine. “Take your time, brave Ser”, she told him. “I would simply like to hear the truth” Behind her, Harris subtly shook his head, while Darren glared at him.
[Tell Argella the truth] [Lie to her]
[Tell Argella the truth] this is a tough choice.
I love it! Ser Bastard.
(Tell Argella the truth)
[Tell Argella the truth]
Take those wounded guys to medic :-o i am really interested how interaction between them would be.
[Lie to her]
[Lie to her]
[Tell Argella the truth]
[Tell Argella the truth]
[Lie to her] I'm not sure how good Argella is at spotting a lie but it would be nice to cooperate with Harris on his future "plans."
(Tell Argella the truth)
[Lie to her] It's Lucas telling, not Leonard, so it should be fine.
To be honest I want to see more chaos like this, it's kind of amusing.
Heheh.
[Lie to her] Took me a while to choose and I'm still not sure about this... But I guess people want darker Lucas so I'd say this is a good chance to make that kind development.
What exactly would we be telling her?
[Tell Argella the truth] We get one chance to give her a good impression. It's also best not to make an enemy of someone this powerful and I don't think Lucas is a very skilled liar.
Lucas would tell her (and by extension, Emphryus and Willfred) that Darren's accusations are correct, that Harris murdered the previous master-at-arms in the attempt to hide the truth behind the late Lord Raylan's last will. Considering how horribly his attempts at lying in Chapter 4 and 5 backfired, he would tell her the full truth without holding back on information. If the choice to lie to her wins instead, he would decide to give lying another chance. In such a case, he would simply tell her that Darren's accusations are wrong and that Harris is not a murderer.
[Lie to her] We still need Harris to take down Mullendore, and neither Durrandon or Hobert care enough bother with him.
[Tell Argella the truth]
[Lie to her]
[Tell Argella the truth]
Oh man. I don't know.
[Lie to her] She will probably spot the lie but we need Harris right now.
Which PoV is next?
[Lie to her] It's obvious the best choice at the moment if we want Harris help (and be sure to have an ally against Mullendore)
PS:However I'm betting that the other choice will win!XD I notice that all the times that there is a choice to tell the truth many inside this forum tend to vote that. (even if is something obviously wrong like telling a father that her daughter was tortured to death)
[tell argella the truth]
[Tell Argella the truth]
I'm currently writing a part from Ellena's PoV, but it is extremely likely that I will have room for a second PoV, which is going to be Sadie.
[Tell Argella the truth]
The Voting is closed!
Lucas is going to tell Argella the truth about Harris
The outcome of this voting is a bit surprising to me, considering that it is extremely risky for Harris, who has been established as a reliable ally against Mullendore. Then again, Argella might be an ally as well and there is no doubt that she holds a lot more power than Harris, which is going to be beneficial if she can be moved to help. Her reaction is going to be rather interesting and it won't take me long until I can show it in the next Lucas part. Another consequence is that Willfred, previously an ally of Harris, is also going to learn the truth now and like the princess, he's probably not too thrilled about it. I'm looking forward for the next part in this storyline and since it is going to set up several other storylines, the wait for it won't be too long. First however, I want to focus on several of the other PoV's.
Amont these other PoV's are Ellena and Sadie, whose Chapter 7 storyline will begin in the next part, which I hope to finish today. Since their storylines in this chapter are just about to begin, I'm going to keep the recap a bit shorter than usual. At the end of Chapter 6, Ellena was captured by Marak and Noelle. The two, accompanied by Archmaester Wulvren, brought her out of Oldtown, to the northern Reach, where they currently are, on their way to a location where they wait for Terroma to trade Ellena for Briar. This part will take place around the same time as Marak's last part, which means that the group is currently resting for the night, with Marak and Noelle talking, while Ellena and Wulvren sleep a bit away from them. Meanwhile, Sadie has encountered Gyles Gomblinger, the man she suspects of keeping her sister as a slave in his brothel. She and her companion Dan witnessed an argument between Gyles and Baelor Bloodbane, the captain of the local garrison of soldiers and hoping to gain an ally, Sadie decided to reveal her suspicions to Baelor. In turn, he was very eager to bring down Gyles, as he was waiting for such an opportunity for a long time. Sadie's next part will start during the next evening, when she and Baelor are making their first move.
Now, as you know I follow quite a number of stories on here and occasionally, I like to give them a small shout-out here, to hopefully gain your interest. The story I would like to promote today is another GoT-story. It is called The Invasion and it is written by @Stigz_52. Actually, the story has started a while ago, though it was on a small break to allow Stigz to focus on his other story. Now, the Invasion is back and I figured it could really use more readers to celebrate this happy occasion. Stigz is a very dedicated writer, who has written quite a large amount of content for the story, though he has also written a recap, to allow new readers who are interested to quickly catch up. The story itself is set during a very interesting time period of the Westerosian history, namely the Andal Invasion, during which the Andal people came from their homelands in Essos to the continent of Westeros, where they fought against the First Men who already lived there, to find a new place to live. It's a big story and very well-written, even more so ever since it returned a few days ago, featuring a diverse and well-written cast of characters, an intriguing storyline set during a very fascinating period of history in Westeros and a writing style that simply gets better and better, from great beginnings to the truly awesome recent parts. In short, it truly is a work that deserves more readers, which hopefully is the point where some of you decide to check it out. If you are interested in a story set during the Andal Invasion, I have this link for you
Heey! Just wanted to share another fan art! I'm pretty sure you recognize who it is, but just in case - it's Maron Mullendore with the injury he suffered on that epic chapter finale.
Ellena
Ellena ran up the stairs, giggling wildly as she heard the heavy footsteps behind her. As fast as she could and with her heart thumping wildly, she continued to rush down the vast hallway, her long, plaited braids flying in the wind, her laughter sounding through the building. She glanced to her left, seeing an open door and without hesitation, she ran through it and into the storage room behind.
“Where are you?”, a deep voice growled and Ellena had to chuckle, as she looked around for a place to hide. She spotted a closet, one of several in the room, but one whose doors stood slightly open, revealing that it was largely empty, save for two old brooms. Just as the footsteps came closer, she jumped inside, making far too much noise in the process.
She saw the large silhouette walking into the room and couldn't contain a wide grin, though she at least managed to suppress her giggle. “Where is my little girl?”, the voice of the silhouette sounded, as the man slowly approached the closet. She tried to hide deeper into it, knocking against one of the brooms in the process, which made far too much noise.
Immediately, the doors flung open and she let out a playful scream, as she was grabbed by strong hands and lifted up. “There you are!”, her father exclaimed. Ellyrio Terys was tall, he had always been the tallest man in the world for Ellena. His hairline was starting to recede, but he still had a full, bushy beard. His wide smile was hiding underneath it, but his dark brown eyes laughed widely, as he lifted her up and started to tickle her.
“There's my little daughter!”, he exclaimed and Ellena screamed with joy, as he spun her around with one hand, using the other to tickle her side. He was laughing as well and it sounded like thunder. “Stop! Stop!”, Ellena gasped, out of breath from the laughing and he immediately followed her wish. Exhausted, she sank down into his arms, laying her head onto his shoulder, with a thin, happy smile on her face, while her father held her gently.
For a while, neither said a word. Her father softly rocked her in his arms like a newborn child, despite the fact that she was almost seven. She did not mind. These moments were rarer, even rarer since her mother died two years ago and he had to do all of his work alone and she cherished every second she could spend with him.
“Here you go, Ellena”, her father whispered calmly, as he set her back to the ground. She remained clinging onto him and her smile faded. “I want to continue”, she answered and he smiled at her. “So want I, but there is work to do”, he explained. “Tomorrow, yes?”
She sighed. “Tomorrow”, she confirmed and looked up at him, her eyes filled with curiosity. “And the day after and the day after, forever and ever, yes?” Her father's smile grew smaller. “Not forever”, he answered. “One day, you will be a grown woman and I will be frail and old” Ellena doubted her father could ever be frail and old. He was large, big-bellied and muscular and hairy as a bear. He'd stay young forever. At this moment, she had been sure of it.
“Even later, you'll be a mother and if your gods are good, you will have a daughter as sweet as mine”, he said and her smile returned, briefly, until he continued. “I will be long gone by then, that's how it must be”
Ellena shook her head. “I don't want you to go”, she urged him and he laughed. “Not today, Ellena”, he assured her. “Not today, not tomorrow and not for many, many more years. I will not leave you until you are ready and you will not leave your children until they are ready, not if the god is merciful” He had always been like that, she remembered. Always explaining to her how things truly were. “But if you leave, there is nothing to fear. Death is a part of life”, he explained. “And all men must die”
Ellena had a sad smile on her face as she opened her eyes. Her father's words were still in her head, after all these years. He had left her, long before she was ready. She wasn't even sure if she could have ever been ready for such a thing.
The rope around her hands and around her feet was uncomfortably tight. The red-haired man had bound her, though she was glad he had kept his distance afterwards. He was Noelle's dog, as she had quickly realized, but there was something wild about him as well, something uncontrollable. Noelle on the other hand was a mystery to her. The red priestess had barely spoken to her the past two days and Ellena had no intention to change this. The only thing she made clear were her plans. Ellena was supposed to be their hostage and they would attempt to trade her for another poor girl, whom Noelle would burn alive. At this moment, Noelle and her dog were talking to each other, though they were too far away for her to listen to their conversation. The priestess handed the red-haired man a large bottle and he took a deep gulp out of it.
Out of her three captors, there was only one she even remotely liked. She hadn't spend much time talking to Archmaester Wulvren, but he had never been cruel to her either. Currently, the old man was laying about a foot to her right, leaning against a tree. At first, she thought he was sleeping, but when she slightly moved, in the futile attempt to get free of her bindings, he opened his eyes.
“Try to sleep a little bit”, he said and she shot him a glare. “Easier said than done, with the company”, she answered and glanced into the direction of Noelle and her dog, though the moment she spoke, she noticed her dry throat. A small smile appeared on Wulvren's face “Marak? He won't kill you, that I'll make sure of”, he promised her.
“Who says I'm afraid to die?”, Ellena answered defiantly and the Archmaester gulped. “Everyone should be afraid of the end”, he said and his smile faded. “I know I am. And so should you, for no one can say what comes after”
“Valar Morghulis”, Ellena repeated the words her father taught her so many years ago. Now, Wulvren raised an eyebrow. “You're Braavosi”, he deduced. “That explains it. Your people always had a very... peculiar outlook on death. Some of you even worship it, don't they?” His smile returned, thin, but genuine. “The thought of a religion that worships a god of death seems bizarre to me. I was never a man of religion. It's hard to believe in things that have no evidence”
“You're the Archmaester of Magic”, Ellena retorted dryly and his eyes widened. “Magic is something that is very much real”, he answered. “Or at least, it had been real. During my childhood, in Cider Hall, I first learned about it. Spent whole days in my parents library, reading whatever I could find about the use of magic. The Children of the Forest, separating Westeros from Essos with their magic. The dragonlords, building cities from nothing, just by weaving their spells...”
“Witches burning children alive for... for whatever it is Noelle is planning”, Ellena interjected and the enthusiastic glance in Wulvren's eyes faded. “That is not the kind of magic I've been dreaming about. The day I found out that it is all that is left of my dream has been the hardest in my entire life”, he mumbled.
“Then why are you still here?”, Ellena asked and slightly coughed. Wulvren sighed. “I have asked myself the very same question over and over during the past two days”, he answered. “The truth is, as much as I'd like to convince myself otherwise, I am curious about Noelle's plan. Blood magic is my least favourite type of magic, but still... It works even centuries after the doom, it still holds tremendous power” Ellena noticed that he was shivering. “Imagine how terrifying it had to be in the days of old”
He paused again and glanced towards Noelle. “Though, I think my main reason for coming with you is that I hope she'll change her mind”, he whispered. “I know Noelle for over a decade now. Her blind faith has always been worrying, but at the end of the day, she was always trying to do what is right” He shook his head. “This? This is not right and I hope Noelle will see it before it's too late. If I can help her seeing it, then I do a good thing here”
Ellena opened her mouth to answer, but instead of words, she only started to cough, as a result of her dry throat. Wulvren immediately moved closer and gave her a worried glance. “Is everything alright?”, he asked, as her coughs died down. She gave him a sluggish nod. “Is there anything I can do for you?”, he asked again.
Ellena glanced down at the rope that bound her and then she glanced past him, towards Marak and Noelle, who were just drinking from a bottle, while talking about something. Neither of them paid attention towards Ellena or Wulvren. She narrowed her eyes at the Archmaester. “You don't agree with what Noelle's doing?”, she asked and Wulvren gave her a nod. “Not one bit”, he confirmed. “Now, what can I bring you? Water perhaps?”
Yes, water would be nice. At the same time, Ellena started to wonder. He just openly expressed his disapproval with what Noelle was planning. The red priestess and her dog were preoccupied with their talk. Perhaps she could convince him. She had no intention of being Noelle's bargaining chip. Perhaps the risk angering or loosing her only potential ally with such a request would be worth a chance.
[Ask him for water] [Ask him to free you]
Sadie
“So, what are the chances that we're all going to die in there?”, Dan asked in a cautious tone, as he walked to Sadie's right. Baelor was walking to their left and together, the three approached the Golden Gyles. From afar, it looked like a small castle, with high, stone walls, a proper gate and even a tiny tower.
“Depends”, Baelor answered shortly. “Are we going to meet the right person in the taproom and how many guards are on duty tonight” Dan's worried glance gained a curious streak. “And this person we meet is whom?”, he asked again.
“Leonard Hill”, Baelor answered. “He's a sellsword, like that Blane guy I fought against yesterday. In fact, Blane is working for him, as a member of his company” Dan gulped audibly and Sadie raised an eyebrow. “Gyles is rich enough to buy an entire company?”, she asked and Baelor gave her a nod. “Only a small one though. They call themselves 'The Forgotten'. Couple of dozen members, though I never really counted them”, he explained. “Less than a hundred for sure”
“How reassuring”, Dan sighed and looked at Sadie. “Can't believe I'm once more risking my life for you” Sadie flashed him a kind smile, though it was partially to overplay her own feelings of guilt for dragging him into this. She needed Dan's help to save Melanie. In this whole city, he was the only one she fully trusted. Even Baelor was an uneasy ally at best, as long as she didn't know him any better. But Dan was more than an ally. He was a friend and she would never forgive herself if anything would happen to him.
“You're a good man, Dan Ornon. Don't you even dare trying to deny it”, she told him, before she glanced at Baelor. “This Leonard guy, what do you know about him?” Baelor seemed to think about the question for a moment.
“It's hard to say. I'm not a people person”, he stated and Sadie had no problem believing this. “Though I did meet him a couple of times, after I won my fights for Gyles. He doesn't seem too bad to me, though that does not mean much. A calm guy, perhaps a bit too calm. Impeccable manners, which is a rare trait. Respectful, you know? Got a way with words, so be careful around him”
“I have a way with words as well, so leave that to me”, Dan proclaimed, before his worried streak reappeared. “How about his fighting skills?” This time, Baelor shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea. Haven't seen him fighting yet, but the way he looks, chances are he's damn good. If we're lucky, we won't find out”
“And what are your plans for this guy?”, Dan asked and Sadie's lips formed a forced, fake smirk. This was the part of the plan she was more than a bit sceptical about, though it was better than no plan at all, which would have been her approach on dealing with this matter. Her sister was in there and gods knew what she endured at this very moment. It took Sadie a lot of effort to even stay calm, to stay close to Baelor and Dan and to prevent herself from just storming into this whorehouse. It helped to know that she followed a plan. It gave her an almost soothing order.
“We drink with him”, Baelor explained and for a moment, it was silent. Then, Dan narrowed his eyes. “That was a serious question”, he clarified and Baelor gave him a nod. “And I gave you a serious answer”, he stated. “We drink with him. Not to make him drunk, but to keep him occupied, to avoid any suspicion when we step into the inner courtyard of the Golden Gyles. Instead of pissing, we're going to search for a way into the backrooms, where Gyles keeps his girls”
Sadie noticeable shivered at the word and Dan noticed it. He put a hand onto her shoulder. “This is a horrible plan”, he mumbled and Baelor shook his head. “There's a chance it's going to work”, he argued. “The problem is, the other entrances are guarded. The windows that led from the inner courtyard into the backrooms though... no one would guard them”
“That means only one of us can go”, Sadie spoke and Baelor gave her a nod. “Only you”, he corrected her. “I don't claim to know Leonard particularly well, but I hope to keep the conversation going until you return. And I want our very own way with words right next to me” While he said this, he glanced at Dan, who finally sighed in defeat. “I must admit, I can't think of a better plan either, not in the short time we have”, he admitted.
“It's settled then”, Baelor said, but Sadie shook her head. “One more thing...”, she mentioned. “If I truly manage to find Melanie, what then? I don't think I can drag her with me to the taproom again” This time, a wide, daring smile appeared on Baelor's face. “Why not?”, he asked. “Think about it... You drag a girl that has been kept as a slave into the taproom. There will be guests and guests talk. I doubt that Gyles would be stupid enough to prevent us from leaving, that would make things only worse for him” Sadie reciprocated his smile and it was almost genuine in her case. “You know, I really hate this plan”, she grinned desperately, clinging to the fleeting hope that this would somehow work.
And with these words, they stepped through the large front gate and into the taproom of the Golden Gyles immediately behind it. Compared to last time, it was remarkably empty. Sadie counted a few dozen drinking people, scattered around the tables. Two young girls rushed around, carrying mugs filled with ale. Nilanne, the one from yesterday, wasn't among them. Sadie also counted four armed men, wearing simple chainmail and longswords, with a peculiar tabard on top, depicting the golden lion of Lannister on a ground of red, though with two lines crossing over it. Two of them were guarding the door that led to the backrooms, while the other two were sitting around a table.
“We got lucky”, Baelor said and slightly pointed at the two men at the table. One of them was Blane, as Sadie recognized. The wounds the handsome sellsword received in his fight with Baelor were now far more visible than yesterday, though there was still something roguish about him.
The man to his right was something else entirely. He was huge, easily towering Blane and if he'd stand, he would probably be even taller than Baelor. Once, he apparently had a certain attractiveness, but no one would call him handsome nowadays, not with a multitude of deep battle scars all over his face. He had short hair and a long beard, both of it in the same, intriguing golden blonde colour. This man was the first to look up and Sadie stopped involuntarily as the piercing, green glare hit her.
“Don't loose your nerves now”, Baelor whispered, without really moving his lips. “He's an affable guy if you stay on his good side. Just introduce yourself and let us drink with him for a bit. Then, when you feel the time is right, you leave for the inner courtyard”
Then, he approached the two men. The tall, bearded man rose from his chair and it became apparent to Sadie that he was indeed half a head taller than Baelor. Both men shared a friendly handshake and the soldier turned around. “Let me introduce my companions. These are Dan and Kelly”, he proclaimed and finally, Blane looked up. His eyes met Sadie's and a pleased smirk appeared on his bruised face, as he gave her the hint of a nod.
“Dan, Kelly, this is Leonard Hill, founder and leader of the Forgotten”, Baelor introduced the tall man, who respectfully bowed his head. “It's a pleasure”, he said in a calm, soft tone, as he gave Sadie a polite kiss on the back of her hand. “Please, sit down” While he said this, an intense, slightly dangerous streak appeared in his eyes, as Sadie, Baelor and Dan followed his order.
With a smile, the sellsword sat down as well, before he raised an arm. “Five!”, he exclaimed and looked back at Baelor. “I must say, after yesterday I wasn't sure you'd show up again and it's brave that you did”, he grinned. “Gyles is pretty angry at you”
“Am I not allowed in here?”, Baelor asked straightforwardly and Leonard shook his head. “Gyles never said anything like that. He's busy at the moment and I certainly won't follow an order he never gave”, he answered and a friendly, sympathetic smile appeared on his face. “Instead, I'd like to grab a couple of drinks with my friend, the undefeated champion of Maybros”, he explained and raised an eyebrow. “Though, I wonder why you showed up again. If Gyles would be here, he'd throw you out, you know that, right?”
Baelor gave him a nod. “Aye. Just figured, I made two new friends yesterday. Wanted to take them out for a drink”, he explained and Leonard chuckled. “Not much choice here. I'm glad you're here though. Between us, if you would have lost yesterday, I would have lost a lot of money, so the way I see it, you did everything right”, the sellsword answered.
With these words, his eerily calm green eyes fell upon Sadie. “Mylady”, he said politely. “I'd like to apologize for the state of this establishment. It's half of a brothel and you deserve better than that” She smiled at him. “Thank you, Leonard”, she answered and was about to continue, when he rose a hand. “Please, both of you, call me Leo. My friends all call me Leo”, he urged her and his smile faded. “And we are all friends here, aren't we?”
These words and the calmness they were uttered with caused Sadie to shiver. Perhaps it was just a result of the stress she was in right now. Thankfully, the barmaid chose this moment to deliver five mugs of cold ale to their table, which momentarily interrupted the conversation.
“So... Kelly!”, Blane exclaimed with a happy smile. “Long time no see. How have you ended up in the company of Bloodbane?” His smile was open and genuine. Meanwhile Leo's smile seemed similarly genuine, but there were other aspects about him she found unnerving. His physique was intimidating, which clashed with his soft and calm way of speaking in her opinion. She wasn't sure if she liked him, or was scared, or perhaps both.
As she took a deep gulp from her ale to win more time to answer. Perhaps now would be a good time to execute the first step of her plan, before she'd get trapped in smalltalk with the two sellswords, before she would risk revealing her true intentions by accident. Or perhaps now was too early, too suspicious. Especially Leo already seemed to be at least wary from the very moment they met, behind his friendly behaviour, though Sadie was unsure if talking to him would make him more or less wary.
[Talk to Blane and Leo] [Excuse yourself and go outside]
This is just awesome! Like with the picture of Jaron you did earlier, I love the increased detail. In this case, I think the facial expression is even better. The scene itself has been one of my favourites to write, because honestly, it was extremely satisfying and I think you captured the raw emotion I tried to show in this scene perfectly. Thank you very much, these drawings are amazing
[Ask him for water]
[Talk to Blane and Leo]
[Ask him for water]
[Excuse yourself and go outside]
[Ask him for water]
[Excuse yourself and go outside]
[Ask him to free you]
[Talk to Blane and Leo]