Nealia
They rode north on the crude road that ran about three-hundred feet to east from the River Brimstone. Nealia was between Tryden wh… moreo was on her left and Broden on her right, a handsome Braavosi man with long black hair, named Illor, rode on the left of Tryden. Behind them rode the rest of them, the Rose Company. On both sides of the river could be seen small fishing lodges and landing stages, couple of cactuses could be seen here and there, but mostly everywhere was just sand and stone.
A small town kept getting closer on the horizon and even further behind that town stood a grey castle on a stony hill. Tidmarsh and Hellgate Hall. The wooden wall around Tidmarsh was about thirteen feet tall, and its gate looked weak. Two banners hanged on the wall. On the left of the gate was the red banner with black sun, presenting the town’s allegiance for King Lucifer Dryland. On the right of the gate was the banner of House Tiddle, a white ei… [view original content]
It took me a while to make up my mind here. On the one hand, I'd like to get to know the company a bit better and I guess this might be the option more beneficial for Nealia herself. On the other hand, Tryden is an interesting guy and then there is King Dryland. I really want to learn more about him, as nothing is known about him. There is also the added bonus that Jamison might already be in Hellgate Hall and I'm a sucker for family reunions, so that convinced me.
Nealia
They rode north on the crude road that ran about three-hundred feet to east from the River Brimstone. Nealia was between Tryden wh… moreo was on her left and Broden on her right, a handsome Braavosi man with long black hair, named Illor, rode on the left of Tryden. Behind them rode the rest of them, the Rose Company. On both sides of the river could be seen small fishing lodges and landing stages, couple of cactuses could be seen here and there, but mostly everywhere was just sand and stone.
A small town kept getting closer on the horizon and even further behind that town stood a grey castle on a stony hill. Tidmarsh and Hellgate Hall. The wooden wall around Tidmarsh was about thirteen feet tall, and its gate looked weak. Two banners hanged on the wall. On the left of the gate was the red banner with black sun, presenting the town’s allegiance for King Lucifer Dryland. On the right of the gate was the banner of House Tiddle, a white ei… [view original content]
Nealia
They rode north on the crude road that ran about three-hundred feet to east from the River Brimstone. Nealia was between Tryden wh… moreo was on her left and Broden on her right, a handsome Braavosi man with long black hair, named Illor, rode on the left of Tryden. Behind them rode the rest of them, the Rose Company. On both sides of the river could be seen small fishing lodges and landing stages, couple of cactuses could be seen here and there, but mostly everywhere was just sand and stone.
A small town kept getting closer on the horizon and even further behind that town stood a grey castle on a stony hill. Tidmarsh and Hellgate Hall. The wooden wall around Tidmarsh was about thirteen feet tall, and its gate looked weak. Two banners hanged on the wall. On the left of the gate was the red banner with black sun, presenting the town’s allegiance for King Lucifer Dryland. On the right of the gate was the banner of House Tiddle, a white ei… [view original content]
Nealia
They rode north on the crude road that ran about three-hundred feet to east from the River Brimstone. Nealia was between Tryden wh… moreo was on her left and Broden on her right, a handsome Braavosi man with long black hair, named Illor, rode on the left of Tryden. Behind them rode the rest of them, the Rose Company. On both sides of the river could be seen small fishing lodges and landing stages, couple of cactuses could be seen here and there, but mostly everywhere was just sand and stone.
A small town kept getting closer on the horizon and even further behind that town stood a grey castle on a stony hill. Tidmarsh and Hellgate Hall. The wooden wall around Tidmarsh was about thirteen feet tall, and its gate looked weak. Two banners hanged on the wall. On the left of the gate was the red banner with black sun, presenting the town’s allegiance for King Lucifer Dryland. On the right of the gate was the banner of House Tiddle, a white ei… [view original content]
Nealia
They rode north on the crude road that ran about three-hundred feet to east from the River Brimstone. Nealia was between Tryden wh… moreo was on her left and Broden on her right, a handsome Braavosi man with long black hair, named Illor, rode on the left of Tryden. Behind them rode the rest of them, the Rose Company. On both sides of the river could be seen small fishing lodges and landing stages, couple of cactuses could be seen here and there, but mostly everywhere was just sand and stone.
A small town kept getting closer on the horizon and even further behind that town stood a grey castle on a stony hill. Tidmarsh and Hellgate Hall. The wooden wall around Tidmarsh was about thirteen feet tall, and its gate looked weak. Two banners hanged on the wall. On the left of the gate was the red banner with black sun, presenting the town’s allegiance for King Lucifer Dryland. On the right of the gate was the banner of House Tiddle, a white ei… [view original content]
Nealia will go to Hellgate Hall with Tryden and Illor. I would have been happy with either of these choices to be honest, but it is nice to get the first glimpse of Lucifer Dryland. However, I'll give one spoiler so that you wont be waiting for something that is not going to happen (yet): Jamison has not yet arrived to Hellgate Hall, and his next part will be from the journey there. So, no Nealia and Jamison reunion yet, but it might happen in the future.
Anywho, the next part will be the second part of Ser Myke of the Marches, and I'd guess that it's ready either later today or tomorrow. Here's a small recap: Myke's first part started with him returning to Nightsong after over a year of quiet life (retirement of sorts). At the courtyard he met his old pal, Ser Joran Storm - bastard brother of Lord Connington. They shared a couple words and talked about why Myke has returned - Lord Caron's daughter, Kortney, has been missing for almost a year. Then the two old knights had a meeting with Lord Trevas Caron himself, who seemed depressed. Myke and Joran promised to Lord Trevas that they would take the mission and do their best to find Kortney. Trevas lamented that it was his fault that Kortney had run off in the first place, as he had ignored her when she had told she didn't want to marry a nobleman because she only loved the spear master Norano of Myr - who had also disappeared shortly after Kortney. Next morning Myke was getting ready to leave, just waiting for Joran at the courtyard, when Lord Trevas' son and heir Prestan Caron offered his help on the mission, because he missed his sister. Myke felt sorry for the boy, but his decision was to leave Prestan to Nightsong.
Myke was on the side of the road, passing water. He watched as the weak flow of urine from his manhood spattered to the dusty ground. I’m old, oh, how my body loves to remind me of that. Once he was done he pulled his trousers up and turned around. Ser Joran Storm waited him with the horses, it was just the two of them on this mission. Seeing the eyes full of disappointment and sadness had been hard when Myke had told Prestan Caron to stay at Nightsong, but he knew that he made the right choice. By this age I’ve learned when something is simply too reckless.
”There are still couple hours until sundown.” Ser Joran said sternly with his coarse voice as Myke walked back to the horses. “I believe we can make it to that village, what was its name…”
“Hunter’s Well?” Myke suggested as he mounted his horse again. “Yes, that was it.” Joran said and nodded. “It’s the first village on the side of Blackmont’s kingdom.” He added, a touch of concern in his voice, but Myke just chuckled dryly. “It’s been long since Blackmonts and Carons were in war with each other, more than twenty years. I think we are welcome to stay one night.” Myke spoke with confidence - he knew this mission was hard, but this was still the easiest part of their journey. Ser Joran shrugged. “Let’s hope so.”
They continued their riding south the Wide Way, which was a glen wide enough for basically any army to march, but on the both sides of it the Red Mountains rose high to the sky. The burning hot sun was moving slowly towards the west, as they passed several abandoned and crumbled watchtowers and forts. These lands had seen hundreds of wars over the centuries. And they will see hundreds more.
Finally, when the sun was almost behind the Red Mountains on the west Myke and Joran saw the Hunter’s Well ahead of them. It was relatively small village, and as the name told there was a well, which was in the middle of the open area that was surrounded by seven small houses, a smithy, a stable and a barn. On the other side of the buildings were the small wheat fields and fruit trees. Even from afar Myke and Joran could see that something was wrong. A couple hundred feet away from the village a banner had been erected to the ground – a black banner with a crowned skull. As Myke and Joran rode closer they saw three bodies lying next to the well – three men, oldest had a balding white hair, but the youngest was more boy than a man. And it was silent. The knights dismounted their horses and walked closer to the bodies, and not a sound could be heard from anywhere.
“The blood is dry.” Joran stated with grim tone. “They have been dead for a while.” Myke nodded – the bodies had also clearly started to rot under the hot sun. “I suppose we should bury them.” He said with a sigh, and Joran nodded in agreement. They found shovels from the smithy, and started to dig behind one of the houses. Back there they also found two slaughtered horses.
“What in seven hells has happened here?” Joran muttered as they lowered the second body to its grave. “It appears there is a war coming.” Myke replied sullenly. As they grabbed the third body Myke noticed something. Someone was looking at them from the corner of the house – a young girl.
“Hey!” Myke yelled, and the girl escaped behind the corner. Myke let go from the legs of the body they were carrying, and ran after the girl. “What is it?” He heard Joran asking, but he had no time to answer. As he arrived to the center of the village he looked around for a moment until he saw it – the girl had run to the smithy, and was holding the forging hammer in her hands. Myke walked closer, raising his hands up to show he had no bad intentions.
“Hello.” He said calmly. “I’m Ser Myke, I serve House Caron. Who are you?” The girl was most likely under ten years old, and she seemed nervous. “I’m Mysa.” The black-haired girl said shyly, putting the hammer down, and Myke nodded with a kind smile on. By now Joran had also walked to them. “And this is Ser Joran Storm, who also serves House Caron.” Myke explained, glanced at Joran and then turned back to the girl. “Could you tell us what happened here?” Myke asked.
“Knights of the Manwoodys.” Someone said behind Myke and Joran. They turned around and saw an old woman, at least on her late sixties. Mysa ran to the old lady who took her under her arm. “So if Lord Caron also wants to raid us, I’m afraid he is late.” The woman had a bitter tone on her voice.
“We are only passing by.” Joran answered dryly. “You said Manwoody knights raided the village – why? Is there a war?” The woman chuckled joylessly to Joran’s question. “Who knows, the Kings play their games and we suffer.” She hissed.
“Are you two the only ones left?” Myke asked, looking around the silent village. The crone shook her head. “There are more inside, and dozen left to the Shepard's Path to west. They will go to Blackmont, though I told them they will find nothing there.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Myke muttered. “Wars have been started from less.” The woman shook her head. “It is not war we want.” She replied with dreary tone. “War will only take more of our lives, we only need help.”
“Why hadn’t you buried the dead?” Joran asked suddenly, and the old woman let out a sigh. “The knights said we shouldn’t bury them, or they’d come back and take more. But I’m thankful you did it… It was mockery to the dead and the gods to let them rot there.” She spoke with sadness in her voice. After a moment of silence Myke asked the woman if they could spend the night there. “Take one of the empty houses.” She simply answered, and left the two knights, taking Mysa back inside.
-
On the early morning Myke and Joran draw water from the well. Myke had woke up even before the sun was up, and Joran hadn’t slept much longer. The people of the village were still sleeping, as Myke and Joran were planning where would they continue from here.
“From here on we can only expect the road to get more dangerous.” Joran said with a sigh. “I would prefer not to meet these false knights that raided the village.” Myke nodded in agreement. “Be it as it may, we must keep looking for Kortney.” He said and took a deep gulp of the water.
“Do you think she could be in Blackmont?” Joran suggested, and Myke shrugged. “I don’t know the Blackmonts, but I would assume they would have sent a raven to Lord Trevas, had Kortney arrived to their court.” He answered with unenthusiastic tone. “Unless she and Norano asked them not to. Or maybe she has just settled somewhere to the villages close to Blackmont – it’s a relatively safe area to live in.” It could be heard from Joran’s voice that even he wasn’t quite convinced. Not that I have any better ideas.
“It’s possible.” Myke grunted. “Or they could have continued to south, maybe made their way to Starfall. For all we know they could have made it to the eastern coast of Dorne, or even crossed the Narrow Sea – to Myr where the spear master came from.” Joran shook his head. “Let’s not be too pessimistic.” He said. “The likeliest scenario is that they have gone to one court or another – as a noble lady Kortney would be welcomed anywhere. I think Blackmont is a good place to start from.” Myke sighed, took another gulp of the water and turned to Joran. I suppose we must start from somewhere.
Well, for obvious reasons I am very much in favour of going to Blackmont. One thing I greatly enjoy is when two PoV's meet up and going to Blackmont could potentially mean a meeting between Myke and Gwendis. I don't now if Kortney is at the court or has been there, but it is certainly a place to start from, as Joran said. I think it is for the best to first check Blackmont, to have clarity. If Kortney isn't there, perhaps she once was and perhaps someone has seen her and is able to give them a lead that could help finding her. Just going south without a clear goal in mind sounds like a bad idea.
Great part! I must say, I already regret the last Gwendis choice not to send word about the coming war to House Dayne. On a personal level, I would have loved for her to meet up with the Dayne part of her family, which hopefully might still happen, but most importantly, I start to regret the decision because this part showed quite well how much the smallfolk is probably going to suffer in the war to come. Of course I don't know what Benedict would have done if Gwendis would have ignored his direct order (and I'm still afraid he or one of the snakes around him could go full Melisandre on her if she disobeys him too many times), but after this part, I can already see that her choice will certainly cause negative consequences for Blackmont's smallfolk now that they don't have the knights of House Dayne as an additional protection.
Myke
Myke was on the side of the road, passing water. He watched as the weak flow of urine from his manhood spattered to the dusty ground… more. I’m old, oh, how my body loves to remind me of that. Once he was done he pulled his trousers up and turned around. Ser Joran Storm waited him with the horses, it was just the two of them on this mission. Seeing the eyes full of disappointment and sadness had been hard when Myke had told Prestan Caron to stay at Nightsong, but he knew that he made the right choice. By this age I’ve learned when something is simply too reckless.
”There are still couple hours until sundown.” Ser Joran said sternly with his coarse voice as Myke walked back to the horses. “I believe we can make it to that village, what was its name…”
“Hunter’s Well?” Myke suggested as he mounted his horse again. “Yes, that was it.” Joran said and nodded. “It’s the first village on the side of Blackmont’s kingdom.” He added, a touch of … [view original content]
Myke
Myke was on the side of the road, passing water. He watched as the weak flow of urine from his manhood spattered to the dusty ground… more. I’m old, oh, how my body loves to remind me of that. Once he was done he pulled his trousers up and turned around. Ser Joran Storm waited him with the horses, it was just the two of them on this mission. Seeing the eyes full of disappointment and sadness had been hard when Myke had told Prestan Caron to stay at Nightsong, but he knew that he made the right choice. By this age I’ve learned when something is simply too reckless.
”There are still couple hours until sundown.” Ser Joran said sternly with his coarse voice as Myke walked back to the horses. “I believe we can make it to that village, what was its name…”
“Hunter’s Well?” Myke suggested as he mounted his horse again. “Yes, that was it.” Joran said and nodded. “It’s the first village on the side of Blackmont’s kingdom.” He added, a touch of … [view original content]
Myke
Myke was on the side of the road, passing water. He watched as the weak flow of urine from his manhood spattered to the dusty ground… more. I’m old, oh, how my body loves to remind me of that. Once he was done he pulled his trousers up and turned around. Ser Joran Storm waited him with the horses, it was just the two of them on this mission. Seeing the eyes full of disappointment and sadness had been hard when Myke had told Prestan Caron to stay at Nightsong, but he knew that he made the right choice. By this age I’ve learned when something is simply too reckless.
”There are still couple hours until sundown.” Ser Joran said sternly with his coarse voice as Myke walked back to the horses. “I believe we can make it to that village, what was its name…”
“Hunter’s Well?” Myke suggested as he mounted his horse again. “Yes, that was it.” Joran said and nodded. “It’s the first village on the side of Blackmont’s kingdom.” He added, a touch of … [view original content]
Great part! I'm going against the crowd here, mostly because of what Liquid stated. The Blackmont's know war is coming, and we chose not to send a raven to Starfall to warn the Dayne's. Myke has seen war in his years, and he knows what is to come, so for me he is the next candidate which can warn the Dayne's. Also, it's possible that Kortney may have not chosen to go to the Blackmont's, noting how you stated their past. Of course, I'd love for Myke to meet with Gwendis and that'll likely happen, however I fear for the Dayne's and Kortney
Myke
Myke was on the side of the road, passing water. He watched as the weak flow of urine from his manhood spattered to the dusty ground… more. I’m old, oh, how my body loves to remind me of that. Once he was done he pulled his trousers up and turned around. Ser Joran Storm waited him with the horses, it was just the two of them on this mission. Seeing the eyes full of disappointment and sadness had been hard when Myke had told Prestan Caron to stay at Nightsong, but he knew that he made the right choice. By this age I’ve learned when something is simply too reckless.
”There are still couple hours until sundown.” Ser Joran said sternly with his coarse voice as Myke walked back to the horses. “I believe we can make it to that village, what was its name…”
“Hunter’s Well?” Myke suggested as he mounted his horse again. “Yes, that was it.” Joran said and nodded. “It’s the first village on the side of Blackmont’s kingdom.” He added, a touch of … [view original content]
Myke
Myke was on the side of the road, passing water. He watched as the weak flow of urine from his manhood spattered to the dusty ground… more. I’m old, oh, how my body loves to remind me of that. Once he was done he pulled his trousers up and turned around. Ser Joran Storm waited him with the horses, it was just the two of them on this mission. Seeing the eyes full of disappointment and sadness had been hard when Myke had told Prestan Caron to stay at Nightsong, but he knew that he made the right choice. By this age I’ve learned when something is simply too reckless.
”There are still couple hours until sundown.” Ser Joran said sternly with his coarse voice as Myke walked back to the horses. “I believe we can make it to that village, what was its name…”
“Hunter’s Well?” Myke suggested as he mounted his horse again. “Yes, that was it.” Joran said and nodded. “It’s the first village on the side of Blackmont’s kingdom.” He added, a touch of … [view original content]
Myke
Myke was on the side of the road, passing water. He watched as the weak flow of urine from his manhood spattered to the dusty ground… more. I’m old, oh, how my body loves to remind me of that. Once he was done he pulled his trousers up and turned around. Ser Joran Storm waited him with the horses, it was just the two of them on this mission. Seeing the eyes full of disappointment and sadness had been hard when Myke had told Prestan Caron to stay at Nightsong, but he knew that he made the right choice. By this age I’ve learned when something is simply too reckless.
”There are still couple hours until sundown.” Ser Joran said sternly with his coarse voice as Myke walked back to the horses. “I believe we can make it to that village, what was its name…”
“Hunter’s Well?” Myke suggested as he mounted his horse again. “Yes, that was it.” Joran said and nodded. “It’s the first village on the side of Blackmont’s kingdom.” He added, a touch of … [view original content]
Myke
Myke was on the side of the road, passing water. He watched as the weak flow of urine from his manhood spattered to the dusty ground… more. I’m old, oh, how my body loves to remind me of that. Once he was done he pulled his trousers up and turned around. Ser Joran Storm waited him with the horses, it was just the two of them on this mission. Seeing the eyes full of disappointment and sadness had been hard when Myke had told Prestan Caron to stay at Nightsong, but he knew that he made the right choice. By this age I’ve learned when something is simply too reckless.
”There are still couple hours until sundown.” Ser Joran said sternly with his coarse voice as Myke walked back to the horses. “I believe we can make it to that village, what was its name…”
“Hunter’s Well?” Myke suggested as he mounted his horse again. “Yes, that was it.” Joran said and nodded. “It’s the first village on the side of Blackmont’s kingdom.” He added, a touch of … [view original content]
Great Part! Myke as a character is pretty unique compared to basically all of the other POVs which are directly affiliated with the Dornish kings in one way or the other, while Myke is in Dorne on a mission of his own and he will no doubt get caught in the wars to come and it'll be cool to see his perspective. This choice is really tough and I was skeptical to choose this considering the bad blood between House Caron and House Blackmont but ultimately I figure that time has passed and it probably would be best for Myke to cover all of the bases and go to Blackmont first. I would say Myke will not be in Blackmont long and will no doubt be heading south very soon, plus as been said by others, a chance for Gwendis and Myke to meet would be cool as well!
Myke
Myke was on the side of the road, passing water. He watched as the weak flow of urine from his manhood spattered to the dusty ground… more. I’m old, oh, how my body loves to remind me of that. Once he was done he pulled his trousers up and turned around. Ser Joran Storm waited him with the horses, it was just the two of them on this mission. Seeing the eyes full of disappointment and sadness had been hard when Myke had told Prestan Caron to stay at Nightsong, but he knew that he made the right choice. By this age I’ve learned when something is simply too reckless.
”There are still couple hours until sundown.” Ser Joran said sternly with his coarse voice as Myke walked back to the horses. “I believe we can make it to that village, what was its name…”
“Hunter’s Well?” Myke suggested as he mounted his horse again. “Yes, that was it.” Joran said and nodded. “It’s the first village on the side of Blackmont’s kingdom.” He added, a touch of … [view original content]
Myke and Joran will go to Blackmont. I'm glad you chose this option, because it gives me the possibility to show many interesting things via Myke's point of view.
I was at a vacation with the family this weekend (without the laptop) so I haven't written much of the next part yet, but it will be a Jamison PoV. Here's a small recap of his first part: We started with Jamison hanging out in Starfall, waking up next to a beautiful girl in his bed. He had been back to his home for about a week, after traveling ~1,5 years around Westeros (mainly Reach and Stormlands) and taking part in several tourneys. Jamison was starting to get bored at his home now, and he was also frustrated of his father's (Vorian) and older brother's (Malcolm) passive politics. Then he met Ser Laroy Ladybright, the knight who had taught him how to fight when he was a kid, and now returned from a visit to High Hermitage. At first they were both happy to see each other, but soon the topic of the conversation turned to Jamison's future. Jamison made it clear that he desired more than to be a simple knight in his father's and brother's service, which Ser Laroy was taken aback by. Before he managed to give a scolding to Jamison they were interrupted by Malcolm. Jamison didn't show warmth or love towards his brother, who shrugged it off and sent him to their father, who had called for him. So Jamison went to meet his father, King Vorian, to his office. As Vorian had clearly noticed his son's discontent with the situation, he wished to have a conversation of his future. Once again Jamison made clear he highly disagreed with them not trying to conquer, and his father listened patiently, until he mentioned going to war against Blackmonts which snapped Vorian. He reminded his son that the Blackmonts are family to them, and thus Jamison was forgetting his honor with these kind of suggestions. However, he also reminded that Jamison had a chance to earn honor and glory even if he wasn't the heir - by proving his skills in politics. Vorian gave Jamison a chance to take the lead of a diplomatic mission to Hellgate Hall, and he took it. In the next part we will get a small travelogue of the first half of his journey, and see his visit to Sandstone, which is basically the halfway point of the journey.
On the morning that Jamison left Starfall with his traveling company, his mother, Queen Arenna, had cried. Arenna had always been a kind and loving mother, and now his son was once again leaving, after spending just a week back at home. Jamison himself didn’t cry, he belonged to adventures, he longed for the road.
With Jamison had left three knights, all of them with their squires. Jamison himself didn’t have a squire, though his father had many times suggested he’d get one from their cadet house at High Hermitage, but Jamison didn’t care for it. I don’t need some boy cleaning my sword and wiping my ass. The knights with him were Ser Laroy Ladybright, Ser Rolan Nightfall and Ser Aron of the Southpoint. Ser Laroy’s squire was a boy of fifteen, son of the Lord and mayor of Southpoint – a tall and skinny blonde lad named Darnis. Ser Rolan was a sturdy and grim man on his late thirties, the younger brother of Lord Gerold Nightfall. His squire was his nephew, the heir to Nightfall, Lyreon Nightfall – snobby and cocksure boy of thirteen, apparently quite skilled with lance. Ser Aron was the cousin of the Southpoint’s Lord – Timeon of Southpoint – and he was known as a quiet and honorable man. His squire was Aidin Dayne, the fourthborn son of Ser Gerris Dayne the Lord of High Hermitage. Aidin was a shy boy of twelve, and he was blessed with all the beauty of the Daynes’ from bright lilac eyes to silky silver hair.
All of these knights and squires were the kind of people Jamison never wanted to become – humble servants with no ambition. Well, perhaps the heir of Nightfall had some ambition, but even he seemed more interested in winning tourneys than actually gaining something real. Aside from the knights they had a two dozen mounted soldiers from the Starfall’s household guard, including the commander of the guard Arthur Wythmail, second son of Lord Ulrick Wythmail.
The first four days they had traveled through the mountain roads, stopping to villages where the common folk had regaled them. Jamison might not have been as loved by the people as his father, but his name was respected. “May the Warrior bring strength to your swords!” A young man had proclaimed in one of the villages, as if they were marching to war. “This time I’d rather the Crone bring wind under my tongue.” Jamison had quipped, leaving the man wondering what was he talking about.
After leaving the mountains they followed the coast south for two days until they arrived to Southpoint. The small town was guarded by low walls made of sandstone. Almost everything in Southpoint was built with sandstone, including the mansion of the Lord. Timeon of Southpoint was a fat and balding man with a silly mustache. He was happy to see his son and cousin, and arranged for them all an unsparing feast with everything from honeyed lamb to olives, cheeses and lemon cakes.
“The Sword of the Night they call you.” Lord Timeon had said with an admiration and respect in his words. “Well I say you deserve the Dawn, and becoming the Sword of the Morning!” Jamison had smiled politely for the compliment, but reminded that his father was still known as the greatest knight of the land. “Screw that!” Timeon had yelled, clearly a bit drunk. “You would put the sword to good use!”
After spending a night at the Southpoint they had took Sandstone as their destination. “The Qorgyle’s might not be friendly to us.” Ser Rolan Nightfall had muttered grimly as they rode out of Southpoint’s gate. “In their history they have several times been caught up in the wars between Torrentine and Brimstone – and now they hold no loyalty to either.” Jamison had nodded to Ser Rolan’s warnings, but he wasn’t afraid. Lord of Sandstone would never risk angering the King of Torrentine.
This last week of their journey through the desert road had been the grimmest part of their travel so far. There had been only one small village in the desert, couple wells, and that was it. After first two days they had decided to rest the hot days and travel in the evenings and nights.
Finally, at the eight morning after leaving Southpoint, as they were making their camp after riding the night, a couple of Qorgyle scouts came riding to them on the road. The soldiers had red tabards with the three black scorpions of the Qorgyle, red turbans in their heads and spears in their hands.
“Who are you?” Asked the older one of the soldiers grimly, staying far enough from them to make an escape if Jamison or his knights would try to attack. Jamison walked closer to the man, keeping his sword sheathed. He was tired of the night’s ride, but he concentrated on sounding polite.
“I am Ser Jamison of House Dayne.” He started calmly, and he could see the soldiers’ eyes widening. “With me are Sers Rolan Nightfall, Laroy Ladybright and Aron of Southpoint with their squires, and Starfall’s captain of the guard, Arthur Wythmail, with two dozen of his men.” The Qorgyle soldier narrowed his eyes. “And why are you here?” He asked with emotionless words.
“We are on a diplomatic mission.” Jamison replied and glanced at his men. “We are on our way to meet King Lucifer on Hellgate Hall, and figured we could rest at Sandstone.” The soldier nodded slowly, though his face remained serious. “I can escort you and your men, Ser Jamison.” He said with tense tone. “My name is Korb Fyste.” The man added, and Jamison nodded to him as an answer. Korb turned towards the younger soldier. “Ride ahead and tell Lord Allar.” He grunted, and the younger soldier turned and rode away – towards Sandstone.
Jamison walked back to his men, who were all looking at him with tired eyes. “We’ll rest a couple hours and then we’ll go.” Jamison announced, and the men seemed happy enough with his decision. All three knights seemed to approve, but Lyreon Nightfall let out a yawn. “I need more sleep than that, why is there a hurry?” He asked with lazy tone. “Because your Prince says so.” His uncle, Ser Rolan, answered strictly, but Lyreon still had a sour expression on his face.
“A true knight is always ready.” Jamison remarked with a smirk, but Lyreon didn’t answer anything, just glanced at him and turned away. Arrogant boy, Jamison thought and walked to the camp the soldiers had made.
-
As they rode in from the Sandstone’s gate, the first thing that caught Jamison’s eye was the pearly white well on the middle of the courtyard. Of course, that well was made to be so beautiful for a reason – it was the foundation of this castle. Qorgyles had once been Andal adventurers who had made their way to Dorne, found a lonely water source from the middle of the desert, and built their walls around it. That much I remember from my history lessons.
As the company dismounted their horses, Jamison saw a tall man with light brown skin and fine red silk clothes walking towards them. The man was at least on his forties, perhaps fifties, his black hair was receding and the expression on his long face with brown eyes was full of cynicism and resentment.
“Ser Jamison.” The man greeted him with dry tone. Jamison gave him a small bow, and offered his hand for a handshake. With reluctance the man grabbed his hand. “I take it you are Lord Allar Qorgyle.” Jamison said with a polite tone, and the man nodded. “Follow me.” He said. “I’ll have wine and bread for you… Your men can go to the barracks of the guards, they can rest and eat there.” Jamison nodded, turned to Ser Laroy and told him to take the men to the barracks. Then he followed Lord Allar to the main keep.
-
Jamison sat with Lord Allar on the terrace next to the small garden of Sandstone. There were mostly just lemon trees and a couple pools with beautifully clear water. Jamison grabbed a plum from the platter on the table, took a bite and washed it down with the red wine. Lord Allar turned his grim face towards him.
“A diplomatic mission, you say.” He muttered. “The Drylands are going to war with the Martells and you plan to help them?” He asked, and Jamison cleared his throat. “We plan to support them financially.” He explained, which made Allar narrow his eyes. “And why would you do that?” He asked sternly.
“We are going to ask him to give up some of his lands from the southern coast in return – lands that once belonged to Kingdom of Torrentine.” Jamison answered, and Lord Allar let out a joyless chuckle. “You might be disappointed – King Lucifer is a stingy man. You’ll have a hard time convincing him to give anything away.” Jamison could hear hatred from the Lord’s voice.
“I have no doubt you know King Lucifer better than I do, but I know that right now he is alone against Lord Martell and his Rhoynar friends.” Jamison explained. “Right now he only has his own bannermen, and just like you, many of those around him will be resentful of allying with him.”
“And why should anyone ally with him?” Allar asked strictly, staring at Jamison with anger in his eyes. “Why shouldn’t I help the Martells to destroy him?” Jamison let out a sigh. “The Martells would force you under their rule, they have claimed…”
“I know what they have claimed!” Allar cut Jamison off. “But I also know that if King Lucifer wins this war he will once again turn his eyes towards west, towards us.” For a moment Jamison couldn’t come up with an answer, so he just turned to look at the garden again, and drank more of the wine.
“I have a suggestion for you, Ser Dayne.” Allar spoke calmly, but the anger still ran deep in those words. “Go ahead.” Jamison replied tiredly, and Allar stood up from his chair. “When you meet King Lucifer you will give him a message from me.” He started. “You will tell him that if he vows by the Seven Gods that he and whoever inherits his throne will from this day keep their dirty hands away from my lands, and I will let him fight his war and I will let you help him. But if he does not make this vow… I will give my support to the Martells, and I will make sure no support from the Daynes will ever reach his lands. Do you understand my terms?”
“I understand.” Jamison answered quietly, still processing in his head what this all meant. “And will you promise to deliver these terms to Lucifer Dryland?” Lord Allar asked strictly, and Jamison let out a deep sigh.
There are no drawbacks of this choice - I highly doubt that relaying this information will make Jamison and whole House Dayne look like enemies to Drylands. It's just clearing the situation between houses in Dorne, and that terms - as we have seen in Game of Thrones itself - can be easily broken, so nothing will hold Drylands and Daynes to just fight the Qorgyles and get their lands (of course if they will win the South War against Martells, what, as we know, won't happen).
Jamison
On the morning that Jamison left Starfall with his traveling company, his mother, Queen Arenna, had cried. Arenna had always been… more a kind and loving mother, and now his son was once again leaving, after spending just a week back at home. Jamison himself didn’t cry, he belonged to adventures, he longed for the road.
With Jamison had left three knights, all of them with their squires. Jamison himself didn’t have a squire, though his father had many times suggested he’d get one from their cadet house at High Hermitage, but Jamison didn’t care for it. I don’t need some boy cleaning my sword and wiping my ass. The knights with him were Ser Laroy Ladybright, Ser Rolan Nightfall and Ser Aron of the Southpoint. Ser Laroy’s squire was a boy of fifteen, son of the Lord and mayor of Southpoint – a tall and skinny blonde lad named Darnis. Ser Rolan was a sturdy and grim man on his late thirties, the younger brother of Lord Gerold Nightfall. … [view original content]
I see no reason not to do it. Maybe delivering the terms is going to anger Dryland, but only a madman would be angry at the messenger. I wouldn't do that with Albin Manwoody, but if Lucifer Dryland would be as unstable as that guy, I'm sure someone would have mentioned it. In fact, refusing to promise anything here sounds foolish. Allar just made it very clear that he intends to sabotage the potential Dayne/Dryland alliance if Jamison refuses his wish and I think that could include preventing Jamison from even reaching Hellgate Hall. Refusing his wish right to his face, in his hall and without a significant advantage over him does not sound good to me.
Jamison
On the morning that Jamison left Starfall with his traveling company, his mother, Queen Arenna, had cried. Arenna had always been… more a kind and loving mother, and now his son was once again leaving, after spending just a week back at home. Jamison himself didn’t cry, he belonged to adventures, he longed for the road.
With Jamison had left three knights, all of them with their squires. Jamison himself didn’t have a squire, though his father had many times suggested he’d get one from their cadet house at High Hermitage, but Jamison didn’t care for it. I don’t need some boy cleaning my sword and wiping my ass. The knights with him were Ser Laroy Ladybright, Ser Rolan Nightfall and Ser Aron of the Southpoint. Ser Laroy’s squire was a boy of fifteen, son of the Lord and mayor of Southpoint – a tall and skinny blonde lad named Darnis. Ser Rolan was a sturdy and grim man on his late thirties, the younger brother of Lord Gerold Nightfall. … [view original content]
Jamison
On the morning that Jamison left Starfall with his traveling company, his mother, Queen Arenna, had cried. Arenna had always been… more a kind and loving mother, and now his son was once again leaving, after spending just a week back at home. Jamison himself didn’t cry, he belonged to adventures, he longed for the road.
With Jamison had left three knights, all of them with their squires. Jamison himself didn’t have a squire, though his father had many times suggested he’d get one from their cadet house at High Hermitage, but Jamison didn’t care for it. I don’t need some boy cleaning my sword and wiping my ass. The knights with him were Ser Laroy Ladybright, Ser Rolan Nightfall and Ser Aron of the Southpoint. Ser Laroy’s squire was a boy of fifteen, son of the Lord and mayor of Southpoint – a tall and skinny blonde lad named Darnis. Ser Rolan was a sturdy and grim man on his late thirties, the younger brother of Lord Gerold Nightfall. … [view original content]
Jamison
On the morning that Jamison left Starfall with his traveling company, his mother, Queen Arenna, had cried. Arenna had always been… more a kind and loving mother, and now his son was once again leaving, after spending just a week back at home. Jamison himself didn’t cry, he belonged to adventures, he longed for the road.
With Jamison had left three knights, all of them with their squires. Jamison himself didn’t have a squire, though his father had many times suggested he’d get one from their cadet house at High Hermitage, but Jamison didn’t care for it. I don’t need some boy cleaning my sword and wiping my ass. The knights with him were Ser Laroy Ladybright, Ser Rolan Nightfall and Ser Aron of the Southpoint. Ser Laroy’s squire was a boy of fifteen, son of the Lord and mayor of Southpoint – a tall and skinny blonde lad named Darnis. Ser Rolan was a sturdy and grim man on his late thirties, the younger brother of Lord Gerold Nightfall. … [view original content]
First off, I would just like to say great job on writing Jamison! I really like his role right now with you having him playing the diplomat and being polite while showing at the same time that it is not something that he is very used to or really enjoys. As for the decision, I will agree with the others on this one and [Promise to deliver the terms]. Jamison is not one who takes threats very well especially from someone who he sees as below him. However, in this situation it would be insane and terrible for the mission to antagonize Lord Qorgyle in his own hall and reject his terms. Jamison is still trying to prove himself as a worthy diplomat and as someone of importance in Starfall's court so there is no need for him to lose his temper and fail his mission before he even gets to Hellgate Hall. It will no doubt be intriguing to see how long he is able to hold his composure before Jamison's natural personality shines through!
Jamison
On the morning that Jamison left Starfall with his traveling company, his mother, Queen Arenna, had cried. Arenna had always been… more a kind and loving mother, and now his son was once again leaving, after spending just a week back at home. Jamison himself didn’t cry, he belonged to adventures, he longed for the road.
With Jamison had left three knights, all of them with their squires. Jamison himself didn’t have a squire, though his father had many times suggested he’d get one from their cadet house at High Hermitage, but Jamison didn’t care for it. I don’t need some boy cleaning my sword and wiping my ass. The knights with him were Ser Laroy Ladybright, Ser Rolan Nightfall and Ser Aron of the Southpoint. Ser Laroy’s squire was a boy of fifteen, son of the Lord and mayor of Southpoint – a tall and skinny blonde lad named Darnis. Ser Rolan was a sturdy and grim man on his late thirties, the younger brother of Lord Gerold Nightfall. … [view original content]
A bit less voting activity this time, but it's a clear one so no reason to wait any longer. Jamison will promise to deliver the terms that Lord Allar gave him. Now, this choice was promising to do something, not yet doing it, but you have good points on why you chose this - and I did expect you to choose this option, but thought that there should still be a voting about it since that's the spirit of interactive stories And obviously this was mostly just a set up part, introducing us a bit more to the political situation around Lucifer Dryland - and introducing a chunk of characters from the Dayne vassals (there are potential future PoVs among those characters).
Anyway, with this part all of our PoVs so far (ofc there will be more) have had their first two parts. So, time for mini gallup: 1. Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you? 2. And the opposite - who has so far been your least favorite/least interesting PoV? If you have time then I'd gladly read your reasons/thoughts about this, but you can also just answer the questions without anything more. And if you have questions, suggestions, advises, etc. for me, go ahead and ask/tell!
And our next part will be a new PoV, Isabella Fowler. She is the daughter of King Garrison Fowler, and will introduce us to Skyreach. At least in my current plan Isabella will be a minor PoV, but she'll once again bring another kind of perspective to the story, so hopefully you'll enjoy For obvious reasons there is no need for a recap this time. The part is almost ready, and I'll post it here later today.
Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you? I enjoyed reading Missy and Gwendis parts the most for now. Gwendis I guess because my own character is placed there but it is not the only reason of course. I like simply the dark aura which is glooming in Blackmont. Missy parts as well were specific, showing the mad king and his kingdom.
And the opposite - who has so far been your least favorite/least interesting PoV? I cannot answer that question, because simply all PoV's have something special in them and we are just getting to know them better - it is too early for me to answer this question. :-)
I wonder, did you think of which storyline my other characters will fit? I am really curious! Of course if you plan using them.
Voting is closed!
A bit less voting activity this time, but it's a clear one so no reason to wait any longer. Jamison will promise to del… moreiver the terms that Lord Allar gave him. Now, this choice was promising to do something, not yet doing it, but you have good points on why you chose this - and I did expect you to choose this option, but thought that there should still be a voting about it since that's the spirit of interactive stories And obviously this was mostly just a set up part, introducing us a bit more to the political situation around Lucifer Dryland - and introducing a chunk of characters from the Dayne vassals (there are potential future PoVs among those characters).
Anyway, with this part all of our PoVs so far (ofc there will be more) have had their first two parts. So, time for mini gallup: 1. Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you? 2. And the opposite - who has so far bee… [view original content]
I wonder, did you think of which storyline my other characters will fit? I am really curious! Of course if you plan using them.
Yes, I am going to use them, and I do have a place for them planned out - because of a certain choice it will be a while before I get to introduce them properly, but there will be a small hint towards them very soon. I'm not going to spoil it, but I'm sure you'll notice it when it happens
Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you? I enjoyed reading Missy and Gwendis parts the most … morefor now. Gwendis I guess because my own character is placed there but it is not the only reason of course. I like simply the dark aura which is glooming in Blackmont. Missy parts as well were specific, showing the mad king and his kingdom.
And the opposite - who has so far been your least favorite/least interesting PoV? I cannot answer that question, because simply all PoV's have something special in them and we are just getting to know them better - it is too early for me to answer this question. :-)
I wonder, did you think of which storyline my other characters will fit? I am really curious! Of course if you plan using them.
I wonder, did you think of which storyline my other characters will fit? I am really curious! Of course if you plan using them.
Yes,… more I am going to use them, and I do have a place for them planned out - because of a certain choice it will be a while before I get to introduce them properly, but there will be a small hint towards them very soon. I'm not going to spoil it, but I'm sure you'll notice it when it happens
Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you?
I really struggled with this, because on the one hand, I always feel a bit bad when I name my own in such a question, but on the other hand, I can't deny that I love the way you wrote Gwendis so far. She's perfectly as imagined and I'm greatly enjoying her storyline. This storyline is currently the most intriguing for me as well, which I think is not only the bias speaking. I'm loving the suspense and the underlying sense of danger. It speaks a lot about how much I enjoy this storyline that it already caused me to develop quite the paranoia that Gwendis might be in terrible danger. And while my speculation into this direction already made me hate about 90% of the characters she interacted with, I can't deny that they are all colourful and interesting. Another favourite of mine is Jamison. Initially, he sparked my interest for being related to Gwen and Naemon and I soon grew even further interested in him for being so different from the other PoV's. He is arrogant and haughty and aggressive, a person with some major flaws, which sets him apart from the other PoV's, who at their core all struck me as more or less good people. Jamison has a lot of potential to do good, but he is also the PoV who could the most easily fall into a villainous role and it is this ambivalence that sets him apart from the others. There is also the similarity in name between him and my favourite PoV from the books, so that is another major point in his favour
And the opposite - who has so far been your least favorite/least interesting PoV?
This one is even harder, as I genuinely enjoyed every PoV so far. They are all radically different in terms of personality and their role in the story and I feel like all of them offer something unique and valuable to the story. Therefore, I don't really have a least favourite PoV. However, I have one PoV I found less interesting than the others and it is Nymeria. Now, I don't dislike Nymeria as a character. In fact, I love her character and I root for her victory. I also enjoy her storyline, which is, after all, the main storyline, considering that this story revolves around her war. I just found myself less thrilled by the parts from her PoV. We know, no matter what choice she makes, she is going to be victorious. This sets her apart from the other PoV's. We don't know if defying Benedict is going to put Gwendis in danger, or if Missy's choices end up angering Albin. We don't know if Nealia's choices cause her to die in the coming war, of if Myke's choices will set him on the road to find Kortney, or if Jamison's choices lead to him ending up as a fullblown villain. Therefore, I found myself far more intrigued by the choices they have to make, as they can really affect the ultimate outcome of their storylines. I'm still enjoying Nymeria as a PoV though, it just seems that there is less at stake for her personally.
Voting is closed!
A bit less voting activity this time, but it's a clear one so no reason to wait any longer. Jamison will promise to del… moreiver the terms that Lord Allar gave him. Now, this choice was promising to do something, not yet doing it, but you have good points on why you chose this - and I did expect you to choose this option, but thought that there should still be a voting about it since that's the spirit of interactive stories And obviously this was mostly just a set up part, introducing us a bit more to the political situation around Lucifer Dryland - and introducing a chunk of characters from the Dayne vassals (there are potential future PoVs among those characters).
Anyway, with this part all of our PoVs so far (ofc there will be more) have had their first two parts. So, time for mini gallup: 1. Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you? 2. And the opposite - who has so far bee… [view original content]
Voting is closed!
Missy will tell King Albin that she loves him. I expected this to be another clear vote, and while it kinda was, I'm su… morerprised that staying quiet got as many votes as it did. Now, I should say that this decision has two kind of consequences. Firstly the obvious - how will the King react? But aside from that there is a more subtle consequence on what kind of direction will this take Missy internally, as a character. However, as this is just the first choice, neither of those things will be anything that would determine the rest of Missy's story. There will be lots of choices for her that can change the direction of her development.
The next part will be the second part of Nymeria. I have started writing it but I'm still at the very beginning, I have written less than one page so far. It could be that I'll manage to finish it tomorrow, but I can't promise that. Also, I should finish the next part of my other story But d… [view original content]
I definitely understand your choice in the first answer - the situation at Blackmont is arguably the most developed for now, especially since even Myke's second part was kind of related to it.
We know, no matter what choice she makes, she is going to be victorious.
This is certainly true, and it's why I was uncertain whether to keep her as a PoV after the prologue. I came to the conclusion that I will, but she will certainly be a bit different kind of PoV, as her story is perhaps a bit more the story of House Nymeros Martell, rather than just her personal story. I will use her as a PoV only when I think it's necessary to move the plot forward. For this reason I will also be introducing other PoVs to the Martell camp in the near future, to bring more weight to that part of the story.
Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you?
I really struggled with this, because on the one… more hand, I always feel a bit bad when I name my own in such a question, but on the other hand, I can't deny that I love the way you wrote Gwendis so far. She's perfectly as imagined and I'm greatly enjoying her storyline. This storyline is currently the most intriguing for me as well, which I think is not only the bias speaking. I'm loving the suspense and the underlying sense of danger. It speaks a lot about how much I enjoy this storyline that it already caused me to develop quite the paranoia that Gwendis might be in terrible danger. And while my speculation into this direction already made me hate about 90% of the characters she interacted with, I can't deny that they are all colourful and interesting. Another favourite of mine is Jamison. Initially, he sparked my interest for being related to Gwen and … [view original content]
Damn Game of Thrones has really effected us immensely.
We all know the right thing to do here. But I would choose the say you love him ju… morest like you guys did.
Also getting through this story man and it's crazy good. I always wanted to explore what happened with/to Nymeria... And here it is.
Apologies for any other comments on old chapters.
Princess Isabella Fowler sat on a comfortable chair at the balcony of her chamber at Skyreach. She took a tiny sip of her juice as she listened to her handmaiden and best friend Cassana Blackpool talk about how she had heard that King Benedict Blackmont could turn into a giant vulture that stole babies in the night. Silly story, the Princess thought but kept listening with a smile on her face. Isabella had just had her seventeenth nameday two weeks ago, and Cassana would have her fifteenth nameday in couple weeks. Cassana was happy and outgoing girl with long black hair, big green eyes, round cheeks and full lips. Isabella herself was known for her beauty, her blonde hair and delicate facial features. Together they often talked about who is the best knight in Dorne, stories they had heard, what lands would they like to see and everything else. Well, mostly it was Cassana who talked, but Isabella loved to listen to her. For four years now they had been close friends. Isabella knew she would sooner or later be married off, and while she was looking forward to it, she already knew she would miss Cassana. Unless she could come with me, she thought wishfully.
“Can you believe that?” Cassana’s question waked Isabella from her thoughts. She looked at Cassana without knowing what to say. “You weren’t listening!” Cassana said, half amused and half frustrated. Isabella let out a small laugh. “I’m sorry, Cassana. What was it that you were asking?” She tried to sound interested as she spoke, but Cassana just shook her head. “Just forget it.” She replied with a chuckle. “What were you thinking about?” She then asked, and Isabella shrugged shyly.
“Just… I’ll soon be married; my father has mentioned it couple times recently. I think he is just pondering on who will she offer me to.” Isabella spoke calmly, but a sly smile appeared on Cassana’s face. “Do you think it’s Jamison?” She asked, hardly containing herself from giggling, and Isabella couldn’t help but smile. Almost two years ago, just few months before Jamison Dayne had left for his travels around Westeros, Isabella had visited Starfall with her family. It had been a glorious tourney, celebrating Jamison’s sixteenth nameday. None of the Fowler knights had done very well on that tourney, but it didn’t matter to Isabella. It had been a magical week; all the great knights of the land had been there in their shiny armors. And on the last joust of the last day Prince Jamison Dayne had knocked Prince Naemon Blackmont off his horse, winning the tourney. He had named Isabella the Queen of love and beauty, and it had been the best moment of her life. The look on Jamison’s purple eyes was full of passion and love, and his black hair had waved in the smooth wind of the evening. After that Isabella had just hoped that one day she could marry Jamison, but she understood life was always not so simple. My father has a Kingdom to rule, and he needs allies.
“I surely wouldn’t have anything against it.” Isabella answered quietly, and Cassana laughed a heartfelt laughter. “You would marry the best and most handsome knight in Dorne, no one would have anything against that!” She said and they both laughed. Then they heard someone knocking on the chamber’s door. “I’ll go.” Cassana said with a smile and left the balcony. Soon she walked back, a small blush on her face. The reason for the blush walked behind her – Ser Soren Ashford, Lord Commander of King Garrison’s Royal Guard, a tall and muscular knight on his mid-twenties. Soren was a quite handsome man with his messy blonde hair, deep blue eyes and strong jaw – and it was clear that Cassana had a crush on him. There he stood in his silver armor, looking at Isabella with a charming smile.
“My Princess,” He said smoothly, “Your father would like to speak with you.” This made Isabella excited. Could this be it? “What does he want to talk about?” Isabella asked calmly, and Ser Soren shrugged. “Forgive me, my Princess, but he didn’t mention that.” He said, and Isabella nodded, keeping a polite smile on her face. “Let me escort you to your father.” Ser Soren proposed like a true knight, and the Princess stood up, glancing at Cassana who was still blushing. Isabella shook all the vain thoughts from her mind. Time to meet the King.
-
Isabella sat down and looked at Garrison Fowler, whose empty eyes stared at nothingness. The office was decorated with elegant furniture, on the wall were two shields with the blue hawk of the Fowler painted in them, a magnificent great sword with a golden hilt was above them. Isabella’s father had not seen any of these decorations in eleven years, since he had lost his sight.
“I’m glad you could come, my sweet daughter.” Garrison said, his voice was warm, but a bit weakened by his age. Isabella was the youngest child of Garrison – and only daughter. She had three brothers. Oldest, Prince Ferris, was already on his early thirties and often rode to meet the vassals of the King, as Garrison rarely left Skyreach. The second son of Garrison, Andren, was on his late twenties, but he had traveled to the Citadel of Oldtown seven years ago to study to become a maester. Isabella hardly even remembered what Andren had looked like. The youngest of Garrison’s sons was Prince Desmor, at the age of twenty-one. Desmor was a fairly skillful knight and the youngest of the ten knights in Garrison’s Royal Guard. Desmor was definitely the brother that Isabella had spent the most time with during her childhood, and while she was proud of him, she wished he would not dishonor himself so much with drinking and spending time with prostitutes. That is not the way of a true knight.
“I’m glad to be here, father.” She answered kindly, and his father’s lips formed a smile. “Now more than ever I would love to have my eyes back. You have grown to be so beautiful, I’m sure of that.” Garrison said, a small touch of sadness in his words. As Isabella didn’t know what to answer, her father continued. “But such is the way of this world, unfair and ironic. It is for ourselves to make whatever happiness we can to our lives.” Garrison let out a deep sigh after speaking.
“I assume you called me here to talk about wedding me to someone. Am I right?” Isabella asked with polite tone, and his father nodded. “That too.” He said calmly. “But I would also like to ask – have you heard the news from Kingsgrave?” He asked, and the question surprised Isabella. It wasn’t like Garrison to talk about politics to his daughter. “Not really.” Isabella answered shyly. “Well, I did heard something about him wanting to conquer.” She added, as she remembered how Ser Soren had talked about it to him couple days ago.
“Yes.” Garrison replied, a dark and sorrowful tone on his voice. “The Mad King Albin is waging war, and we will be the first ones he will spew his madness on.” The King sighed after these words. “But I am no fool, and my kingdom is not as weak as he thinks. I would have gladly lived the rest of my days without wars, but if Albin wants to dance, I will give him a dance. And I’ll be honored to end the life of that madman. Recently he humiliated and murdered a loyal spy of mine in his halls, and now he has claimed to destroy me and everyone else on the Red Mountains. But that won’t happen, I shall toss that lunatic to the gates of the Seven Hells.” Isabella felt a bit frightened as she heard a touch of rage in her father’s words. “So, what is your plan?” The Princess asked with timid voice.
“I have already made my first moves to secure an alliance for us.” He replied, his voice calm again. “Only few generations ago the Fowlers were the strongest of the Dornish kings… perhaps this war will take us back to those times.” Isabella was left speechless. It was weird, hearing her father talk about war like this – Isabella was used to seeing him as a man of peace.
“So… What is my role in this?” Isabella finally asked, but the King stayed quiet. “I mean, I know… I must marry someone, but who?” Now her father nodded. “I haven’t made a proposal to anyone yet.” He answered. “But I have two options in mind. Because you are important to me, and your opinion matters to me, I wanted to ask you first.” Garrison explained and took a deep breath. “Either Prince Naemon Blackmont, or Prince Malcolm Dayne.” He finally said. “Either of those two would secure us a solid alliance against Albin. So who would you choose, my darling?”
Isabella gulped. Naemon or Malcolm? Blackmont or Dayne? As she tried to think about this, her thoughts kept escaping to Jamison. Perhaps she could suggest it, perhaps the second son of Vorian would be enough to form an alliance. No, don’t be so selfish! Isabella knew that making this alliance was important, far more important than her crush on Jamison, but still… It will pain me forever if I don’t at least try.
[Choose Naemon][Choose Malcolm][Suggest Jamison]
-
PS. Check out the mini gallup from the earlier post if you haven't yet!
Main reason I chose this is because I am very interested in how a war between Blackmont and Manwoody would play out if another power would get involved.
Isabella
Princess Isabella Fowler sat on a comfortable chair at the balcony of her chamber at Skyreach. She took a tiny sip of her juice … moreas she listened to her handmaiden and best friend Cassana Blackpool talk about how she had heard that King Benedict Blackmont could turn into a giant vulture that stole babies in the night. Silly story, the Princess thought but kept listening with a smile on her face. Isabella had just had her seventeenth nameday two weeks ago, and Cassana would have her fifteenth nameday in couple weeks. Cassana was happy and outgoing girl with long black hair, big green eyes, round cheeks and full lips. Isabella herself was known for her beauty, her blonde hair and delicate facial features. Together they often talked about who is the best knight in Dorne, stories they had heard, what lands would they like to see and everything else. Well, mostly it was Cassana who talked, but Isabella loved to listen to her. For four ye… [view original content]
Voting is closed!
This was the most even voting we have had so far, but Gwendis will not command the maester to send a raven to Starfall.… more
I understand why you'd like to avoid any risks here - Blackmont is full of shady characters. For some reason I had planned the other option's consequences more clearly, but no worries I do have plan for this choice as well - just not as detailed, yet. And I can admit there would have been the first major set back for Gwendis as one of the other options consequences. However, not all the consequences of this choice will be happy either!
The next part will be Missy PoV. I'd write a small recap, but I'm with my phone so I'll just trust this time that you remember what happened in the last part of Missy! I've had some problems with my laptop which has slowed my writing process a bit I'm positive I'll get the part posted here before weekend though. Cheers!
I was torn between this and suggesting Jamison. In any way, I was very quick to dismiss the Malcolm choice. Isabella clearly has a crush on Jamison and because of that, marrying his brother would be extremely awkward. While Jamison is the one she wants, I don't see why Garrison would agree to this. He needs a solid alliance against House Manwoody and for this, he needs his daughter to marry the heir, not the second son. This means, from a political standpoint Jamison is the less suitable candidate. Isabella's feelings aside and seeing things from this political standpoint, I see Naemon as the best choice, even better than Malcolm. The Blackmonts are already at war with the Manwoodys, so they certainly need an ally, just like House Fowler needs an ally. Vorian Dayne meanwhile might be reluctant to send his men to another war after already making plans to join the war against House Martell, especially as the war against House Manwoody does not directly affect him yet. House Blackmont and House Fowler however are both about to fight against the Manwoodys regardless and they can both need each others help. I believe, if they are going to ally through marriage, it will be for the best for both houses in the coming war, so from a political standpoint Naemon sounds like the strongest choice. An alliance with House Fowler is also undoubtedly the best for House Blackmont, which is another reason why I choose this.
Isabella
Princess Isabella Fowler sat on a comfortable chair at the balcony of her chamber at Skyreach. She took a tiny sip of her juice … moreas she listened to her handmaiden and best friend Cassana Blackpool talk about how she had heard that King Benedict Blackmont could turn into a giant vulture that stole babies in the night. Silly story, the Princess thought but kept listening with a smile on her face. Isabella had just had her seventeenth nameday two weeks ago, and Cassana would have her fifteenth nameday in couple weeks. Cassana was happy and outgoing girl with long black hair, big green eyes, round cheeks and full lips. Isabella herself was known for her beauty, her blonde hair and delicate facial features. Together they often talked about who is the best knight in Dorne, stories they had heard, what lands would they like to see and everything else. Well, mostly it was Cassana who talked, but Isabella loved to listen to her. For four ye… [view original content]
Isabella
Princess Isabella Fowler sat on a comfortable chair at the balcony of her chamber at Skyreach. She took a tiny sip of her juice … moreas she listened to her handmaiden and best friend Cassana Blackpool talk about how she had heard that King Benedict Blackmont could turn into a giant vulture that stole babies in the night. Silly story, the Princess thought but kept listening with a smile on her face. Isabella had just had her seventeenth nameday two weeks ago, and Cassana would have her fifteenth nameday in couple weeks. Cassana was happy and outgoing girl with long black hair, big green eyes, round cheeks and full lips. Isabella herself was known for her beauty, her blonde hair and delicate facial features. Together they often talked about who is the best knight in Dorne, stories they had heard, what lands would they like to see and everything else. Well, mostly it was Cassana who talked, but Isabella loved to listen to her. For four ye… [view original content]
Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you?
I would have to pretty much agree with Liquid on this question on his character choices and reasons behind it! Gwendis and Jamison are two of my favorite PoV's and both truly have unique character backstories with their stories being so good and those two are no doubt my favorite povs thus far. I will mention though that Ser Myke's PoV's have been an early favorite of mine as well. The old knight going into dangerous territory on one last mission before he retires, that is a fun story to tell and I am no doubt interested to see how Nymeria's war will affect him and his quest to find Kortney.
I will agree with the others though that at this point I can not really complain about any of the PoV's. They are all starting to get going and really I am excited to see where all of there stories end up.
Excellent Part! I am glad that Isabella turned out to be of use for you in Skyreach! As for the choice, I am going with [Suggest Jamison], I figure she should at least try to get her father to approve of Jamison since she does have a crush on him plus they could be a good and unique match as well with Isabella being shy and timid while Jamison is arrogant and full of confidence. Obviously though my bias comes into play as well and I enjoy that backstory on them for sure! I would like to hear King Garrison's opinion on the match between the two and if he would approve but most likely Garrison would not approve because as others have said, an alliance for her father's kingdom is more important than Isabella's feelings but it would be cool to see her at least try!
Isabella
Princess Isabella Fowler sat on a comfortable chair at the balcony of her chamber at Skyreach. She took a tiny sip of her juice … moreas she listened to her handmaiden and best friend Cassana Blackpool talk about how she had heard that King Benedict Blackmont could turn into a giant vulture that stole babies in the night. Silly story, the Princess thought but kept listening with a smile on her face. Isabella had just had her seventeenth nameday two weeks ago, and Cassana would have her fifteenth nameday in couple weeks. Cassana was happy and outgoing girl with long black hair, big green eyes, round cheeks and full lips. Isabella herself was known for her beauty, her blonde hair and delicate facial features. Together they often talked about who is the best knight in Dorne, stories they had heard, what lands would they like to see and everything else. Well, mostly it was Cassana who talked, but Isabella loved to listen to her. For four ye… [view original content]
Isabella
Princess Isabella Fowler sat on a comfortable chair at the balcony of her chamber at Skyreach. She took a tiny sip of her juice … moreas she listened to her handmaiden and best friend Cassana Blackpool talk about how she had heard that King Benedict Blackmont could turn into a giant vulture that stole babies in the night. Silly story, the Princess thought but kept listening with a smile on her face. Isabella had just had her seventeenth nameday two weeks ago, and Cassana would have her fifteenth nameday in couple weeks. Cassana was happy and outgoing girl with long black hair, big green eyes, round cheeks and full lips. Isabella herself was known for her beauty, her blonde hair and delicate facial features. Together they often talked about who is the best knight in Dorne, stories they had heard, what lands would they like to see and everything else. Well, mostly it was Cassana who talked, but Isabella loved to listen to her. For four ye… [view original content]
Isabella
Princess Isabella Fowler sat on a comfortable chair at the balcony of her chamber at Skyreach. She took a tiny sip of her juice … moreas she listened to her handmaiden and best friend Cassana Blackpool talk about how she had heard that King Benedict Blackmont could turn into a giant vulture that stole babies in the night. Silly story, the Princess thought but kept listening with a smile on her face. Isabella had just had her seventeenth nameday two weeks ago, and Cassana would have her fifteenth nameday in couple weeks. Cassana was happy and outgoing girl with long black hair, big green eyes, round cheeks and full lips. Isabella herself was known for her beauty, her blonde hair and delicate facial features. Together they often talked about who is the best knight in Dorne, stories they had heard, what lands would they like to see and everything else. Well, mostly it was Cassana who talked, but Isabella loved to listen to her. For four ye… [view original content]
And guys, i understand how customs usually work in GoT, and I know that the only way to truly form an alliance is to have each heir marry each other... But let's remember this is Dorne. And let's remember which two kings we are talking about. This isn't the Mad Albany, or the sorcerer Benedict, this is Dayne and Fowler.
I do think this would be a stretch for the Fowlers, but if i understand Vorians characters correctly, he doesn't only seem like a tactical man but a righteous man. And what would be a better way for his house to build more relationships with this war, if not marrying his most ambitious son of to a house with much promise.
But here's the clause, and idk how you'll feel about this or consider this @WildingKing.
The clause is that Jamison Dayne will take claim of Skyreach when Garrison Fowler dies, and not his sons.
Regardless, I think it'd be a great move for this duo to be wed, and it leaves room for the true Dayne heir to still wed and form an alliance with another.
Comments
[Stay in Tidmarsh]
[Go to Hellgate Hall]
It took me a while to make up my mind here. On the one hand, I'd like to get to know the company a bit better and I guess this might be the option more beneficial for Nealia herself. On the other hand, Tryden is an interesting guy and then there is King Dryland. I really want to learn more about him, as nothing is known about him. There is also the added bonus that Jamison might already be in Hellgate Hall and I'm a sucker for family reunions, so that convinced me.
[Go to Hellgate Hall]
[Go to Hellgate Hall]
[Stay in Tidmarsh]
Voting is closed!
Nealia will go to Hellgate Hall with Tryden and Illor. I would have been happy with either of these choices to be honest, but it is nice to get the first glimpse of Lucifer Dryland. However, I'll give one spoiler so that you wont be waiting for something that is not going to happen (yet): Jamison has not yet arrived to Hellgate Hall, and his next part will be from the journey there. So, no Nealia and Jamison reunion yet, but it might happen in the future.
Anywho, the next part will be the second part of Ser Myke of the Marches, and I'd guess that it's ready either later today or tomorrow. Here's a small recap: Myke's first part started with him returning to Nightsong after over a year of quiet life (retirement of sorts). At the courtyard he met his old pal, Ser Joran Storm - bastard brother of Lord Connington. They shared a couple words and talked about why Myke has returned - Lord Caron's daughter, Kortney, has been missing for almost a year. Then the two old knights had a meeting with Lord Trevas Caron himself, who seemed depressed. Myke and Joran promised to Lord Trevas that they would take the mission and do their best to find Kortney. Trevas lamented that it was his fault that Kortney had run off in the first place, as he had ignored her when she had told she didn't want to marry a nobleman because she only loved the spear master Norano of Myr - who had also disappeared shortly after Kortney. Next morning Myke was getting ready to leave, just waiting for Joran at the courtyard, when Lord Trevas' son and heir Prestan Caron offered his help on the mission, because he missed his sister. Myke felt sorry for the boy, but his decision was to leave Prestan to Nightsong.
Myke
Myke was on the side of the road, passing water. He watched as the weak flow of urine from his manhood spattered to the dusty ground. I’m old, oh, how my body loves to remind me of that. Once he was done he pulled his trousers up and turned around. Ser Joran Storm waited him with the horses, it was just the two of them on this mission. Seeing the eyes full of disappointment and sadness had been hard when Myke had told Prestan Caron to stay at Nightsong, but he knew that he made the right choice. By this age I’ve learned when something is simply too reckless.
”There are still couple hours until sundown.” Ser Joran said sternly with his coarse voice as Myke walked back to the horses. “I believe we can make it to that village, what was its name…”
“Hunter’s Well?” Myke suggested as he mounted his horse again. “Yes, that was it.” Joran said and nodded. “It’s the first village on the side of Blackmont’s kingdom.” He added, a touch of concern in his voice, but Myke just chuckled dryly. “It’s been long since Blackmonts and Carons were in war with each other, more than twenty years. I think we are welcome to stay one night.” Myke spoke with confidence - he knew this mission was hard, but this was still the easiest part of their journey. Ser Joran shrugged. “Let’s hope so.”
They continued their riding south the Wide Way, which was a glen wide enough for basically any army to march, but on the both sides of it the Red Mountains rose high to the sky. The burning hot sun was moving slowly towards the west, as they passed several abandoned and crumbled watchtowers and forts. These lands had seen hundreds of wars over the centuries. And they will see hundreds more.
Finally, when the sun was almost behind the Red Mountains on the west Myke and Joran saw the Hunter’s Well ahead of them. It was relatively small village, and as the name told there was a well, which was in the middle of the open area that was surrounded by seven small houses, a smithy, a stable and a barn. On the other side of the buildings were the small wheat fields and fruit trees. Even from afar Myke and Joran could see that something was wrong. A couple hundred feet away from the village a banner had been erected to the ground – a black banner with a crowned skull. As Myke and Joran rode closer they saw three bodies lying next to the well – three men, oldest had a balding white hair, but the youngest was more boy than a man. And it was silent. The knights dismounted their horses and walked closer to the bodies, and not a sound could be heard from anywhere.
“The blood is dry.” Joran stated with grim tone. “They have been dead for a while.” Myke nodded – the bodies had also clearly started to rot under the hot sun. “I suppose we should bury them.” He said with a sigh, and Joran nodded in agreement. They found shovels from the smithy, and started to dig behind one of the houses. Back there they also found two slaughtered horses.
“What in seven hells has happened here?” Joran muttered as they lowered the second body to its grave. “It appears there is a war coming.” Myke replied sullenly. As they grabbed the third body Myke noticed something. Someone was looking at them from the corner of the house – a young girl.
“Hey!” Myke yelled, and the girl escaped behind the corner. Myke let go from the legs of the body they were carrying, and ran after the girl. “What is it?” He heard Joran asking, but he had no time to answer. As he arrived to the center of the village he looked around for a moment until he saw it – the girl had run to the smithy, and was holding the forging hammer in her hands. Myke walked closer, raising his hands up to show he had no bad intentions.
“Hello.” He said calmly. “I’m Ser Myke, I serve House Caron. Who are you?” The girl was most likely under ten years old, and she seemed nervous. “I’m Mysa.” The black-haired girl said shyly, putting the hammer down, and Myke nodded with a kind smile on. By now Joran had also walked to them. “And this is Ser Joran Storm, who also serves House Caron.” Myke explained, glanced at Joran and then turned back to the girl. “Could you tell us what happened here?” Myke asked.
“Knights of the Manwoodys.” Someone said behind Myke and Joran. They turned around and saw an old woman, at least on her late sixties. Mysa ran to the old lady who took her under her arm. “So if Lord Caron also wants to raid us, I’m afraid he is late.” The woman had a bitter tone on her voice.
“We are only passing by.” Joran answered dryly. “You said Manwoody knights raided the village – why? Is there a war?” The woman chuckled joylessly to Joran’s question. “Who knows, the Kings play their games and we suffer.” She hissed.
“Are you two the only ones left?” Myke asked, looking around the silent village. The crone shook her head. “There are more inside, and dozen left to the Shepard's Path to west. They will go to Blackmont, though I told them they will find nothing there.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Myke muttered. “Wars have been started from less.” The woman shook her head. “It is not war we want.” She replied with dreary tone. “War will only take more of our lives, we only need help.”
“Why hadn’t you buried the dead?” Joran asked suddenly, and the old woman let out a sigh. “The knights said we shouldn’t bury them, or they’d come back and take more. But I’m thankful you did it… It was mockery to the dead and the gods to let them rot there.” She spoke with sadness in her voice. After a moment of silence Myke asked the woman if they could spend the night there. “Take one of the empty houses.” She simply answered, and left the two knights, taking Mysa back inside.
-
On the early morning Myke and Joran draw water from the well. Myke had woke up even before the sun was up, and Joran hadn’t slept much longer. The people of the village were still sleeping, as Myke and Joran were planning where would they continue from here.
“From here on we can only expect the road to get more dangerous.” Joran said with a sigh. “I would prefer not to meet these false knights that raided the village.” Myke nodded in agreement. “Be it as it may, we must keep looking for Kortney.” He said and took a deep gulp of the water.
“Do you think she could be in Blackmont?” Joran suggested, and Myke shrugged. “I don’t know the Blackmonts, but I would assume they would have sent a raven to Lord Trevas, had Kortney arrived to their court.” He answered with unenthusiastic tone. “Unless she and Norano asked them not to. Or maybe she has just settled somewhere to the villages close to Blackmont – it’s a relatively safe area to live in.” It could be heard from Joran’s voice that even he wasn’t quite convinced. Not that I have any better ideas.
“It’s possible.” Myke grunted. “Or they could have continued to south, maybe made their way to Starfall. For all we know they could have made it to the eastern coast of Dorne, or even crossed the Narrow Sea – to Myr where the spear master came from.” Joran shook his head. “Let’s not be too pessimistic.” He said. “The likeliest scenario is that they have gone to one court or another – as a noble lady Kortney would be welcomed anywhere. I think Blackmont is a good place to start from.” Myke sighed, took another gulp of the water and turned to Joran. I suppose we must start from somewhere.
[Go to Blackmont] [Continue south]
[Go to Blackmont]
Well, for obvious reasons I am very much in favour of going to Blackmont. One thing I greatly enjoy is when two PoV's meet up and going to Blackmont could potentially mean a meeting between Myke and Gwendis. I don't now if Kortney is at the court or has been there, but it is certainly a place to start from, as Joran said. I think it is for the best to first check Blackmont, to have clarity. If Kortney isn't there, perhaps she once was and perhaps someone has seen her and is able to give them a lead that could help finding her. Just going south without a clear goal in mind sounds like a bad idea.
Great part! I must say, I already regret the last Gwendis choice not to send word about the coming war to House Dayne. On a personal level, I would have loved for her to meet up with the Dayne part of her family, which hopefully might still happen, but most importantly, I start to regret the decision because this part showed quite well how much the smallfolk is probably going to suffer in the war to come. Of course I don't know what Benedict would have done if Gwendis would have ignored his direct order (and I'm still afraid he or one of the snakes around him could go full Melisandre on her if she disobeys him too many times), but after this part, I can already see that her choice will certainly cause negative consequences for Blackmont's smallfolk now that they don't have the knights of House Dayne as an additional protection.
[Go to Blackmont]
Want to see more Blackmont! Purrfect choice.
[Go to Blackmont]
[Continue south]
Great part! I'm going against the crowd here, mostly because of what Liquid stated. The Blackmont's know war is coming, and we chose not to send a raven to Starfall to warn the Dayne's. Myke has seen war in his years, and he knows what is to come, so for me he is the next candidate which can warn the Dayne's. Also, it's possible that Kortney may have not chosen to go to the Blackmont's, noting how you stated their past. Of course, I'd love for Myke to meet with Gwendis and that'll likely happen, however I fear for the Dayne's and Kortney
[Continue south]
[Continue south]
[Go to Blackmont]
Great part!
[Go to Blackmont]
Great Part! Myke as a character is pretty unique compared to basically all of the other POVs which are directly affiliated with the Dornish kings in one way or the other, while Myke is in Dorne on a mission of his own and he will no doubt get caught in the wars to come and it'll be cool to see his perspective. This choice is really tough and I was skeptical to choose this considering the bad blood between House Caron and House Blackmont but ultimately I figure that time has passed and it probably would be best for Myke to cover all of the bases and go to Blackmont first. I would say Myke will not be in Blackmont long and will no doubt be heading south very soon, plus as been said by others, a chance for Gwendis and Myke to meet would be cool as well!
Voting closed!
Myke and Joran will go to Blackmont. I'm glad you chose this option, because it gives me the possibility to show many interesting things via Myke's point of view.
I was at a vacation with the family this weekend (without the laptop) so I haven't written much of the next part yet, but it will be a Jamison PoV. Here's a small recap of his first part: We started with Jamison hanging out in Starfall, waking up next to a beautiful girl in his bed. He had been back to his home for about a week, after traveling ~1,5 years around Westeros (mainly Reach and Stormlands) and taking part in several tourneys. Jamison was starting to get bored at his home now, and he was also frustrated of his father's (Vorian) and older brother's (Malcolm) passive politics. Then he met Ser Laroy Ladybright, the knight who had taught him how to fight when he was a kid, and now returned from a visit to High Hermitage. At first they were both happy to see each other, but soon the topic of the conversation turned to Jamison's future. Jamison made it clear that he desired more than to be a simple knight in his father's and brother's service, which Ser Laroy was taken aback by. Before he managed to give a scolding to Jamison they were interrupted by Malcolm. Jamison didn't show warmth or love towards his brother, who shrugged it off and sent him to their father, who had called for him. So Jamison went to meet his father, King Vorian, to his office. As Vorian had clearly noticed his son's discontent with the situation, he wished to have a conversation of his future. Once again Jamison made clear he highly disagreed with them not trying to conquer, and his father listened patiently, until he mentioned going to war against Blackmonts which snapped Vorian. He reminded his son that the Blackmonts are family to them, and thus Jamison was forgetting his honor with these kind of suggestions. However, he also reminded that Jamison had a chance to earn honor and glory even if he wasn't the heir - by proving his skills in politics. Vorian gave Jamison a chance to take the lead of a diplomatic mission to Hellgate Hall, and he took it. In the next part we will get a small travelogue of the first half of his journey, and see his visit to Sandstone, which is basically the halfway point of the journey.
1-3 days and it'll be ready!
Jamison
On the morning that Jamison left Starfall with his traveling company, his mother, Queen Arenna, had cried. Arenna had always been a kind and loving mother, and now his son was once again leaving, after spending just a week back at home. Jamison himself didn’t cry, he belonged to adventures, he longed for the road.
With Jamison had left three knights, all of them with their squires. Jamison himself didn’t have a squire, though his father had many times suggested he’d get one from their cadet house at High Hermitage, but Jamison didn’t care for it. I don’t need some boy cleaning my sword and wiping my ass. The knights with him were Ser Laroy Ladybright, Ser Rolan Nightfall and Ser Aron of the Southpoint. Ser Laroy’s squire was a boy of fifteen, son of the Lord and mayor of Southpoint – a tall and skinny blonde lad named Darnis. Ser Rolan was a sturdy and grim man on his late thirties, the younger brother of Lord Gerold Nightfall. His squire was his nephew, the heir to Nightfall, Lyreon Nightfall – snobby and cocksure boy of thirteen, apparently quite skilled with lance. Ser Aron was the cousin of the Southpoint’s Lord – Timeon of Southpoint – and he was known as a quiet and honorable man. His squire was Aidin Dayne, the fourthborn son of Ser Gerris Dayne the Lord of High Hermitage. Aidin was a shy boy of twelve, and he was blessed with all the beauty of the Daynes’ from bright lilac eyes to silky silver hair.
All of these knights and squires were the kind of people Jamison never wanted to become – humble servants with no ambition. Well, perhaps the heir of Nightfall had some ambition, but even he seemed more interested in winning tourneys than actually gaining something real. Aside from the knights they had a two dozen mounted soldiers from the Starfall’s household guard, including the commander of the guard Arthur Wythmail, second son of Lord Ulrick Wythmail.
The first four days they had traveled through the mountain roads, stopping to villages where the common folk had regaled them. Jamison might not have been as loved by the people as his father, but his name was respected. “May the Warrior bring strength to your swords!” A young man had proclaimed in one of the villages, as if they were marching to war. “This time I’d rather the Crone bring wind under my tongue.” Jamison had quipped, leaving the man wondering what was he talking about.
After leaving the mountains they followed the coast south for two days until they arrived to Southpoint. The small town was guarded by low walls made of sandstone. Almost everything in Southpoint was built with sandstone, including the mansion of the Lord. Timeon of Southpoint was a fat and balding man with a silly mustache. He was happy to see his son and cousin, and arranged for them all an unsparing feast with everything from honeyed lamb to olives, cheeses and lemon cakes.
“The Sword of the Night they call you.” Lord Timeon had said with an admiration and respect in his words. “Well I say you deserve the Dawn, and becoming the Sword of the Morning!” Jamison had smiled politely for the compliment, but reminded that his father was still known as the greatest knight of the land. “Screw that!” Timeon had yelled, clearly a bit drunk. “You would put the sword to good use!”
After spending a night at the Southpoint they had took Sandstone as their destination. “The Qorgyle’s might not be friendly to us.” Ser Rolan Nightfall had muttered grimly as they rode out of Southpoint’s gate. “In their history they have several times been caught up in the wars between Torrentine and Brimstone – and now they hold no loyalty to either.” Jamison had nodded to Ser Rolan’s warnings, but he wasn’t afraid. Lord of Sandstone would never risk angering the King of Torrentine.
This last week of their journey through the desert road had been the grimmest part of their travel so far. There had been only one small village in the desert, couple wells, and that was it. After first two days they had decided to rest the hot days and travel in the evenings and nights.
Finally, at the eight morning after leaving Southpoint, as they were making their camp after riding the night, a couple of Qorgyle scouts came riding to them on the road. The soldiers had red tabards with the three black scorpions of the Qorgyle, red turbans in their heads and spears in their hands.
“Who are you?” Asked the older one of the soldiers grimly, staying far enough from them to make an escape if Jamison or his knights would try to attack. Jamison walked closer to the man, keeping his sword sheathed. He was tired of the night’s ride, but he concentrated on sounding polite.
“I am Ser Jamison of House Dayne.” He started calmly, and he could see the soldiers’ eyes widening. “With me are Sers Rolan Nightfall, Laroy Ladybright and Aron of Southpoint with their squires, and Starfall’s captain of the guard, Arthur Wythmail, with two dozen of his men.” The Qorgyle soldier narrowed his eyes. “And why are you here?” He asked with emotionless words.
“We are on a diplomatic mission.” Jamison replied and glanced at his men. “We are on our way to meet King Lucifer on Hellgate Hall, and figured we could rest at Sandstone.” The soldier nodded slowly, though his face remained serious. “I can escort you and your men, Ser Jamison.” He said with tense tone. “My name is Korb Fyste.” The man added, and Jamison nodded to him as an answer. Korb turned towards the younger soldier. “Ride ahead and tell Lord Allar.” He grunted, and the younger soldier turned and rode away – towards Sandstone.
Jamison walked back to his men, who were all looking at him with tired eyes. “We’ll rest a couple hours and then we’ll go.” Jamison announced, and the men seemed happy enough with his decision. All three knights seemed to approve, but Lyreon Nightfall let out a yawn. “I need more sleep than that, why is there a hurry?” He asked with lazy tone. “Because your Prince says so.” His uncle, Ser Rolan, answered strictly, but Lyreon still had a sour expression on his face.
“A true knight is always ready.” Jamison remarked with a smirk, but Lyreon didn’t answer anything, just glanced at him and turned away. Arrogant boy, Jamison thought and walked to the camp the soldiers had made.
-
As they rode in from the Sandstone’s gate, the first thing that caught Jamison’s eye was the pearly white well on the middle of the courtyard. Of course, that well was made to be so beautiful for a reason – it was the foundation of this castle. Qorgyles had once been Andal adventurers who had made their way to Dorne, found a lonely water source from the middle of the desert, and built their walls around it. That much I remember from my history lessons.
As the company dismounted their horses, Jamison saw a tall man with light brown skin and fine red silk clothes walking towards them. The man was at least on his forties, perhaps fifties, his black hair was receding and the expression on his long face with brown eyes was full of cynicism and resentment.
“Ser Jamison.” The man greeted him with dry tone. Jamison gave him a small bow, and offered his hand for a handshake. With reluctance the man grabbed his hand. “I take it you are Lord Allar Qorgyle.” Jamison said with a polite tone, and the man nodded. “Follow me.” He said. “I’ll have wine and bread for you… Your men can go to the barracks of the guards, they can rest and eat there.” Jamison nodded, turned to Ser Laroy and told him to take the men to the barracks. Then he followed Lord Allar to the main keep.
-
Jamison sat with Lord Allar on the terrace next to the small garden of Sandstone. There were mostly just lemon trees and a couple pools with beautifully clear water. Jamison grabbed a plum from the platter on the table, took a bite and washed it down with the red wine. Lord Allar turned his grim face towards him.
“A diplomatic mission, you say.” He muttered. “The Drylands are going to war with the Martells and you plan to help them?” He asked, and Jamison cleared his throat. “We plan to support them financially.” He explained, which made Allar narrow his eyes. “And why would you do that?” He asked sternly.
“We are going to ask him to give up some of his lands from the southern coast in return – lands that once belonged to Kingdom of Torrentine.” Jamison answered, and Lord Allar let out a joyless chuckle. “You might be disappointed – King Lucifer is a stingy man. You’ll have a hard time convincing him to give anything away.” Jamison could hear hatred from the Lord’s voice.
“I have no doubt you know King Lucifer better than I do, but I know that right now he is alone against Lord Martell and his Rhoynar friends.” Jamison explained. “Right now he only has his own bannermen, and just like you, many of those around him will be resentful of allying with him.”
“And why should anyone ally with him?” Allar asked strictly, staring at Jamison with anger in his eyes. “Why shouldn’t I help the Martells to destroy him?” Jamison let out a sigh. “The Martells would force you under their rule, they have claimed…”
“I know what they have claimed!” Allar cut Jamison off. “But I also know that if King Lucifer wins this war he will once again turn his eyes towards west, towards us.” For a moment Jamison couldn’t come up with an answer, so he just turned to look at the garden again, and drank more of the wine.
“I have a suggestion for you, Ser Dayne.” Allar spoke calmly, but the anger still ran deep in those words. “Go ahead.” Jamison replied tiredly, and Allar stood up from his chair. “When you meet King Lucifer you will give him a message from me.” He started. “You will tell him that if he vows by the Seven Gods that he and whoever inherits his throne will from this day keep their dirty hands away from my lands, and I will let him fight his war and I will let you help him. But if he does not make this vow… I will give my support to the Martells, and I will make sure no support from the Daynes will ever reach his lands. Do you understand my terms?”
“I understand.” Jamison answered quietly, still processing in his head what this all meant. “And will you promise to deliver these terms to Lucifer Dryland?” Lord Allar asked strictly, and Jamison let out a deep sigh.
[Promise to deliver the terms] [Don't promise]
[Promise to deliver the terms]
[Promise to deliver the terms]
There are no drawbacks of this choice - I highly doubt that relaying this information will make Jamison and whole House Dayne look like enemies to Drylands. It's just clearing the situation between houses in Dorne, and that terms - as we have seen in Game of Thrones itself - can be easily broken, so nothing will hold Drylands and Daynes to just fight the Qorgyles and get their lands (of course if they will win the South War against Martells, what, as we know, won't happen).
[Promise to deliver the terms]
I see no reason not to do it. Maybe delivering the terms is going to anger Dryland, but only a madman would be angry at the messenger. I wouldn't do that with Albin Manwoody, but if Lucifer Dryland would be as unstable as that guy, I'm sure someone would have mentioned it. In fact, refusing to promise anything here sounds foolish. Allar just made it very clear that he intends to sabotage the potential Dayne/Dryland alliance if Jamison refuses his wish and I think that could include preventing Jamison from even reaching Hellgate Hall. Refusing his wish right to his face, in his hall and without a significant advantage over him does not sound good to me.
[Promise to deliver the terms]
[Promise to deliver the terms]
First off, I would just like to say great job on writing Jamison! I really like his role right now with you having him playing the diplomat and being polite while showing at the same time that it is not something that he is very used to or really enjoys. As for the decision, I will agree with the others on this one and [Promise to deliver the terms]. Jamison is not one who takes threats very well especially from someone who he sees as below him. However, in this situation it would be insane and terrible for the mission to antagonize Lord Qorgyle in his own hall and reject his terms. Jamison is still trying to prove himself as a worthy diplomat and as someone of importance in Starfall's court so there is no need for him to lose his temper and fail his mission before he even gets to Hellgate Hall. It will no doubt be intriguing to see how long he is able to hold his composure before Jamison's natural personality shines through!
Voting is closed!
A bit less voting activity this time, but it's a clear one so no reason to wait any longer. Jamison will promise to deliver the terms that Lord Allar gave him. Now, this choice was promising to do something, not yet doing it, but you have good points on why you chose this - and I did expect you to choose this option, but thought that there should still be a voting about it since that's the spirit of interactive stories
And obviously this was mostly just a set up part, introducing us a bit more to the political situation around Lucifer Dryland - and introducing a chunk of characters from the Dayne vassals (there are potential future PoVs among those characters).
Anyway, with this part all of our PoVs so far (ofc there will be more) have had their first two parts. So, time for mini gallup: 1. Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you? 2. And the opposite - who has so far been your least favorite/least interesting PoV? If you have time then I'd gladly read your reasons/thoughts about this, but you can also just answer the questions without anything more. And if you have questions, suggestions, advises, etc. for me, go ahead and ask/tell!
And our next part will be a new PoV, Isabella Fowler. She is the daughter of King Garrison Fowler, and will introduce us to Skyreach. At least in my current plan Isabella will be a minor PoV, but she'll once again bring another kind of perspective to the story, so hopefully you'll enjoy
For obvious reasons there is no need for a recap this time. The part is almost ready, and I'll post it here later today.
Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you? I enjoyed reading Missy and Gwendis parts the most for now. Gwendis I guess because my own character is placed there but it is not the only reason of course. I like simply the dark aura which is glooming in Blackmont. Missy parts as well were specific, showing the mad king and his kingdom.
And the opposite - who has so far been your least favorite/least interesting PoV? I cannot answer that question, because simply all PoV's have something special in them and we are just getting to know them better - it is too early for me to answer this question. :-)
I wonder, did you think of which storyline my other characters will fit? I am really curious! Of course if you plan using them.
Yes, I am going to use them, and I do have a place for them planned out - because of a certain choice it will be a while before I get to introduce them properly, but there will be a small hint towards them very soon. I'm not going to spoil it, but I'm sure you'll notice it when it happens
Great, looking for the hint then! :-)
Who has been your favorite Pov so far/whose storyline seems the most interesting to you?
I really struggled with this, because on the one hand, I always feel a bit bad when I name my own in such a question, but on the other hand, I can't deny that I love the way you wrote Gwendis so far. She's perfectly as imagined and I'm greatly enjoying her storyline. This storyline is currently the most intriguing for me as well, which I think is not only the bias speaking. I'm loving the suspense and the underlying sense of danger. It speaks a lot about how much I enjoy this storyline that it already caused me to develop quite the paranoia that Gwendis might be in terrible danger. And while my speculation into this direction already made me hate about 90% of the characters she interacted with, I can't deny that they are all colourful and interesting. Another favourite of mine is Jamison. Initially, he sparked my interest for being related to Gwen and Naemon and I soon grew even further interested in him for being so different from the other PoV's. He is arrogant and haughty and aggressive, a person with some major flaws, which sets him apart from the other PoV's, who at their core all struck me as more or less good people. Jamison has a lot of potential to do good, but he is also the PoV who could the most easily fall into a villainous role and it is this ambivalence that sets him apart from the others. There is also the similarity in name between him and my favourite PoV from the books, so that is another major point in his favour
And the opposite - who has so far been your least favorite/least interesting PoV?
This one is even harder, as I genuinely enjoyed every PoV so far. They are all radically different in terms of personality and their role in the story and I feel like all of them offer something unique and valuable to the story. Therefore, I don't really have a least favourite PoV. However, I have one PoV I found less interesting than the others and it is Nymeria. Now, I don't dislike Nymeria as a character. In fact, I love her character and I root for her victory. I also enjoy her storyline, which is, after all, the main storyline, considering that this story revolves around her war. I just found myself less thrilled by the parts from her PoV. We know, no matter what choice she makes, she is going to be victorious. This sets her apart from the other PoV's. We don't know if defying Benedict is going to put Gwendis in danger, or if Missy's choices end up angering Albin. We don't know if Nealia's choices cause her to die in the coming war, of if Myke's choices will set him on the road to find Kortney, or if Jamison's choices lead to him ending up as a fullblown villain. Therefore, I found myself far more intrigued by the choices they have to make, as they can really affect the ultimate outcome of their storylines. I'm still enjoying Nymeria as a PoV though, it just seems that there is less at stake for her personally.
Damn Game of Thrones has really effected us immensely.
We all know the right thing to do here. But I would choose the say you love him just like you guys did.
Also getting through this story man and it's crazy good. I always wanted to explore what happened with/to Nymeria... And here it is.
Apologies for any other comments on old chapters.
I definitely understand your choice in the first answer - the situation at Blackmont is arguably the most developed for now, especially since even Myke's second part was kind of related to it.
This is certainly true, and it's why I was uncertain whether to keep her as a PoV after the prologue. I came to the conclusion that I will, but she will certainly be a bit different kind of PoV, as her story is perhaps a bit more the story of House Nymeros Martell, rather than just her personal story. I will use her as a PoV only when I think it's necessary to move the plot forward. For this reason I will also be introducing other PoVs to the Martell camp in the near future, to bring more weight to that part of the story.
No need to apologize! And always great to have new readers
Isabella
Princess Isabella Fowler sat on a comfortable chair at the balcony of her chamber at Skyreach. She took a tiny sip of her juice as she listened to her handmaiden and best friend Cassana Blackpool talk about how she had heard that King Benedict Blackmont could turn into a giant vulture that stole babies in the night. Silly story, the Princess thought but kept listening with a smile on her face. Isabella had just had her seventeenth nameday two weeks ago, and Cassana would have her fifteenth nameday in couple weeks. Cassana was happy and outgoing girl with long black hair, big green eyes, round cheeks and full lips. Isabella herself was known for her beauty, her blonde hair and delicate facial features. Together they often talked about who is the best knight in Dorne, stories they had heard, what lands would they like to see and everything else. Well, mostly it was Cassana who talked, but Isabella loved to listen to her. For four years now they had been close friends. Isabella knew she would sooner or later be married off, and while she was looking forward to it, she already knew she would miss Cassana. Unless she could come with me, she thought wishfully.
“Can you believe that?” Cassana’s question waked Isabella from her thoughts. She looked at Cassana without knowing what to say. “You weren’t listening!” Cassana said, half amused and half frustrated. Isabella let out a small laugh. “I’m sorry, Cassana. What was it that you were asking?” She tried to sound interested as she spoke, but Cassana just shook her head. “Just forget it.” She replied with a chuckle. “What were you thinking about?” She then asked, and Isabella shrugged shyly.
“Just… I’ll soon be married; my father has mentioned it couple times recently. I think he is just pondering on who will she offer me to.” Isabella spoke calmly, but a sly smile appeared on Cassana’s face. “Do you think it’s Jamison?” She asked, hardly containing herself from giggling, and Isabella couldn’t help but smile. Almost two years ago, just few months before Jamison Dayne had left for his travels around Westeros, Isabella had visited Starfall with her family. It had been a glorious tourney, celebrating Jamison’s sixteenth nameday. None of the Fowler knights had done very well on that tourney, but it didn’t matter to Isabella. It had been a magical week; all the great knights of the land had been there in their shiny armors. And on the last joust of the last day Prince Jamison Dayne had knocked Prince Naemon Blackmont off his horse, winning the tourney. He had named Isabella the Queen of love and beauty, and it had been the best moment of her life. The look on Jamison’s purple eyes was full of passion and love, and his black hair had waved in the smooth wind of the evening. After that Isabella had just hoped that one day she could marry Jamison, but she understood life was always not so simple. My father has a Kingdom to rule, and he needs allies.
“I surely wouldn’t have anything against it.” Isabella answered quietly, and Cassana laughed a heartfelt laughter. “You would marry the best and most handsome knight in Dorne, no one would have anything against that!” She said and they both laughed. Then they heard someone knocking on the chamber’s door. “I’ll go.” Cassana said with a smile and left the balcony. Soon she walked back, a small blush on her face. The reason for the blush walked behind her – Ser Soren Ashford, Lord Commander of King Garrison’s Royal Guard, a tall and muscular knight on his mid-twenties. Soren was a quite handsome man with his messy blonde hair, deep blue eyes and strong jaw – and it was clear that Cassana had a crush on him. There he stood in his silver armor, looking at Isabella with a charming smile.
“My Princess,” He said smoothly, “Your father would like to speak with you.” This made Isabella excited. Could this be it? “What does he want to talk about?” Isabella asked calmly, and Ser Soren shrugged. “Forgive me, my Princess, but he didn’t mention that.” He said, and Isabella nodded, keeping a polite smile on her face. “Let me escort you to your father.” Ser Soren proposed like a true knight, and the Princess stood up, glancing at Cassana who was still blushing. Isabella shook all the vain thoughts from her mind. Time to meet the King.
-
Isabella sat down and looked at Garrison Fowler, whose empty eyes stared at nothingness. The office was decorated with elegant furniture, on the wall were two shields with the blue hawk of the Fowler painted in them, a magnificent great sword with a golden hilt was above them. Isabella’s father had not seen any of these decorations in eleven years, since he had lost his sight.
“I’m glad you could come, my sweet daughter.” Garrison said, his voice was warm, but a bit weakened by his age. Isabella was the youngest child of Garrison – and only daughter. She had three brothers. Oldest, Prince Ferris, was already on his early thirties and often rode to meet the vassals of the King, as Garrison rarely left Skyreach. The second son of Garrison, Andren, was on his late twenties, but he had traveled to the Citadel of Oldtown seven years ago to study to become a maester. Isabella hardly even remembered what Andren had looked like. The youngest of Garrison’s sons was Prince Desmor, at the age of twenty-one. Desmor was a fairly skillful knight and the youngest of the ten knights in Garrison’s Royal Guard. Desmor was definitely the brother that Isabella had spent the most time with during her childhood, and while she was proud of him, she wished he would not dishonor himself so much with drinking and spending time with prostitutes. That is not the way of a true knight.
“I’m glad to be here, father.” She answered kindly, and his father’s lips formed a smile. “Now more than ever I would love to have my eyes back. You have grown to be so beautiful, I’m sure of that.” Garrison said, a small touch of sadness in his words. As Isabella didn’t know what to answer, her father continued. “But such is the way of this world, unfair and ironic. It is for ourselves to make whatever happiness we can to our lives.” Garrison let out a deep sigh after speaking.
“I assume you called me here to talk about wedding me to someone. Am I right?” Isabella asked with polite tone, and his father nodded. “That too.” He said calmly. “But I would also like to ask – have you heard the news from Kingsgrave?” He asked, and the question surprised Isabella. It wasn’t like Garrison to talk about politics to his daughter. “Not really.” Isabella answered shyly. “Well, I did heard something about him wanting to conquer.” She added, as she remembered how Ser Soren had talked about it to him couple days ago.
“Yes.” Garrison replied, a dark and sorrowful tone on his voice. “The Mad King Albin is waging war, and we will be the first ones he will spew his madness on.” The King sighed after these words. “But I am no fool, and my kingdom is not as weak as he thinks. I would have gladly lived the rest of my days without wars, but if Albin wants to dance, I will give him a dance. And I’ll be honored to end the life of that madman. Recently he humiliated and murdered a loyal spy of mine in his halls, and now he has claimed to destroy me and everyone else on the Red Mountains. But that won’t happen, I shall toss that lunatic to the gates of the Seven Hells.” Isabella felt a bit frightened as she heard a touch of rage in her father’s words. “So, what is your plan?” The Princess asked with timid voice.
“I have already made my first moves to secure an alliance for us.” He replied, his voice calm again. “Only few generations ago the Fowlers were the strongest of the Dornish kings… perhaps this war will take us back to those times.” Isabella was left speechless. It was weird, hearing her father talk about war like this – Isabella was used to seeing him as a man of peace.
“So… What is my role in this?” Isabella finally asked, but the King stayed quiet. “I mean, I know… I must marry someone, but who?” Now her father nodded. “I haven’t made a proposal to anyone yet.” He answered. “But I have two options in mind. Because you are important to me, and your opinion matters to me, I wanted to ask you first.” Garrison explained and took a deep breath. “Either Prince Naemon Blackmont, or Prince Malcolm Dayne.” He finally said. “Either of those two would secure us a solid alliance against Albin. So who would you choose, my darling?”
Isabella gulped. Naemon or Malcolm? Blackmont or Dayne? As she tried to think about this, her thoughts kept escaping to Jamison. Perhaps she could suggest it, perhaps the second son of Vorian would be enough to form an alliance. No, don’t be so selfish! Isabella knew that making this alliance was important, far more important than her crush on Jamison, but still… It will pain me forever if I don’t at least try.
[Choose Naemon] [Choose Malcolm] [Suggest Jamison]
-
PS. Check out the mini gallup from the earlier post if you haven't yet!
[Choose Naemon]
Main reason I chose this is because I am very interested in how a war between Blackmont and Manwoody would play out if another power would get involved.
Also I like that Stannis line you hid in there.
Go on, do your duty.
Thumbs up man
[Choose Naemon]
I was torn between this and suggesting Jamison. In any way, I was very quick to dismiss the Malcolm choice. Isabella clearly has a crush on Jamison and because of that, marrying his brother would be extremely awkward. While Jamison is the one she wants, I don't see why Garrison would agree to this. He needs a solid alliance against House Manwoody and for this, he needs his daughter to marry the heir, not the second son. This means, from a political standpoint Jamison is the less suitable candidate. Isabella's feelings aside and seeing things from this political standpoint, I see Naemon as the best choice, even better than Malcolm. The Blackmonts are already at war with the Manwoodys, so they certainly need an ally, just like House Fowler needs an ally. Vorian Dayne meanwhile might be reluctant to send his men to another war after already making plans to join the war against House Martell, especially as the war against House Manwoody does not directly affect him yet. House Blackmont and House Fowler however are both about to fight against the Manwoodys regardless and they can both need each others help. I believe, if they are going to ally through marriage, it will be for the best for both houses in the coming war, so from a political standpoint Naemon sounds like the strongest choice. An alliance with House Fowler is also undoubtedly the best for House Blackmont, which is another reason why I choose this.
[Choose Naemon]
I would have to pretty much agree with Liquid on this question on his character choices and reasons behind it! Gwendis and Jamison are two of my favorite PoV's and both truly have unique character backstories with their stories being so good and those two are no doubt my favorite povs thus far. I will mention though that Ser Myke's PoV's have been an early favorite of mine as well. The old knight going into dangerous territory on one last mission before he retires, that is a fun story to tell and I am no doubt interested to see how Nymeria's war will affect him and his quest to find Kortney.
I will agree with the others though that at this point I can not really complain about any of the PoV's. They are all starting to get going and really I am excited to see where all of there stories end up.
Excellent Part! I am glad that Isabella turned out to be of use for you in Skyreach! As for the choice, I am going with [Suggest Jamison], I figure she should at least try to get her father to approve of Jamison since she does have a crush on him plus they could be a good and unique match as well with Isabella being shy and timid while Jamison is arrogant and full of confidence. Obviously though my bias comes into play as well and I enjoy that backstory on them for sure! I would like to hear King Garrison's opinion on the match between the two and if he would approve but most likely Garrison would not approve because as others have said, an alliance for her father's kingdom is more important than Isabella's feelings but it would be cool to see her at least try!
[Choose Malcolm]
So, Daynes look like much more normal family, no black magic or anything like that.
[Choose Naemon]
Woah I'm finally caught up! Nice.
Alright I'm goin with
[Suggest Jamison]
And guys, i understand how customs usually work in GoT, and I know that the only way to truly form an alliance is to have each heir marry each other... But let's remember this is Dorne. And let's remember which two kings we are talking about. This isn't the Mad Albany, or the sorcerer Benedict, this is Dayne and Fowler.
I do think this would be a stretch for the Fowlers, but if i understand Vorians characters correctly, he doesn't only seem like a tactical man but a righteous man. And what would be a better way for his house to build more relationships with this war, if not marrying his most ambitious son of to a house with much promise.
But here's the clause, and idk how you'll feel about this or consider this @WildingKing.
The clause is that Jamison Dayne will take claim of Skyreach when Garrison Fowler dies, and not his sons.
Regardless, I think it'd be a great move for this duo to be wed, and it leaves room for the true Dayne heir to still wed and form an alliance with another.