[Try to talk Reymond down] The art of the tongue should work just fine.
Calling it now, book 2 will feature a naval battle between the rock, (mainly the reynes), and Aeron Blacksails with Edward. The chapter Riptide seems to strengthen my theory.
Alys
Alys was shivering in the cold, as the longship made its way through the fog. The air was chilly and damp, not even the thick cloak … moreshe was wrapped in did anything against it. It was almost painful as she shivered, though it was the worst in her left arm, right where that... thing had grabbed her. Even now, she could feel its freezing touch, burning down to her bone. The skin, frankly, showed no marks anymore, if it ever did in the first place.
They had left Raylansfair behind, a smouldering ruin of what it used to be. Alys' illusions went up in flames with it. Edward had been behind this. He attacked a peaceful city, accepted the death of hundreds of innocents, all for... for what exactly? Alys had no idea what he was after in the archive, or if he even found it. She had barely seen him since they had boarded the ship, though apparently, he had been wounded in the fight. A few days ago, she would have actually been concerned for h… [view original content]
Calling it now, book 2 will feature a naval battle between the rock, (mainly the reynes), and Aeron Blacksails with Edward. The chapter Riptide seems to strengthen my theory.
That is a very interesting theory, I'm liking it In general, Riptide is going to be one of the chapters I look forward for the most in Book 2 and your idea would certainly make for a great couple of parts. It is also rather realistic, since Aeron does control a great deal of ships, being the pirate king of the Narrow Sea, while the Rock might be a kingdom, but none that has all that much of a strong fleet. So, I'd say that could be a battle on equal footing. The problem would be if there ever happens to be a land war, because the Rock would annihilate anything Edward could put up on the table there.
[Try to talk Reymond down] The art of the tongue should work just fine.
Calling it now, book 2 will feature a naval battle between the rock, (mainly the reynes), and Aeron Blacksails with Edward. The chapter Riptide seems to strengthen my theory.
I'm intrigued by this Aeron Blacksails, and what exactly Edward plans to do with him. Btw, is there still something Edward needs Alys for? Or is he simply keeping her with him out of affection? Because even if there would still be use for First Men blood, well, the last chapter revealed Alys' blood isn't as pure as Edward has wished for, so she won't be useful in that way. Anyway, looks like Willfred has managed to make some more powerful enemies
[Try to talk Reymond down] I don't really see downsides to this... well, this duel could make a pretty great scene, but aside from that I think this is just the smartest option. Gotta say though, four Northern knights meeting by a bridge on Riverlands... Probably something that hasn't happened often in the history of Westeros
Alys
Alys was shivering in the cold, as the longship made its way through the fog. The air was chilly and damp, not even the thick cloak … moreshe was wrapped in did anything against it. It was almost painful as she shivered, though it was the worst in her left arm, right where that... thing had grabbed her. Even now, she could feel its freezing touch, burning down to her bone. The skin, frankly, showed no marks anymore, if it ever did in the first place.
They had left Raylansfair behind, a smouldering ruin of what it used to be. Alys' illusions went up in flames with it. Edward had been behind this. He attacked a peaceful city, accepted the death of hundreds of innocents, all for... for what exactly? Alys had no idea what he was after in the archive, or if he even found it. She had barely seen him since they had boarded the ship, though apparently, he had been wounded in the fight. A few days ago, she would have actually been concerned for h… [view original content]
Hm. Blacksails, an enemy of Butterfly. Hm. Wouldn't make a lot of sense if Anturion was in fact working for Mullendore.
Ah, I see yo… moreu remember him, very good Indeed, Blacksails is far from a friend of Butterfly, considering he drove him out of Oldtown years ago and therefore away from a likely very lucrative business. However, it is very likely that he doesn't know about Mullendore's secret identity as Butterfly and assumes the two to be different people. So, at least in theory, Anturion could just work for both, betting on neither of them ever finding out about this. I can confirm that you will get more hints at the answer to this in a later part in this chapter.
Also, I wonder if that prophecy Noelle showed Marak in Chapter 1 that mentioned something about a snake biting a red lion relates to Anturion's plans. Don't know the sigils of all the ironborn stuff and Anturion, but it could be.
That is an interesting thought… [view original content]
Damn it, I did not know that The Ice and Fire wiki even describes it as a serpent, which is the exact wording of Marak's vision. Well... uh, I could play it cool and claim that this has been part of my plans all along, but I genuinely stand corrected here. It seems Willfred should fear the elusive House Saltcliffe now
Btw, is there still something Edward needs Alys for? Or is he simply keeping her with him out of affection? Because even if there would still be use for First Men blood, well, the last chapter revealed Alys' blood isn't as pure as Edward has wished for, so she won't be useful in that way.
That is an important question. Edward doesn't really sound like the guy to hold genuine affection towards someone, or to protect her just because he feels chivalrous. At the same time, her main use for him is gone now that it has turned out that she's not as much of a pureblooded First Man as he hoped, especially when compared to Alisa. Perhaps he really just intends to uphold his promise, considering that Dorne lies very close to his destination, the Stepstones. Then again, it is entirely possible that Edward has further motives and this is something that will be explored. Certainly it is a question Alys herself is going to ask herself in time.
Anyway, looks like Willfred has managed to make some more powerful enemies
Aye, though it should be noted that Edward has made a powerful enemy as well. After all, Willfred is not some random person, but the heir to House Reyne, which basically holds direct or indirect control over a good quarter of the Kingdom of the Rock. Edward meanwhile is currently still relying on his allies to support him. He needed Harren's raiders and Nain's sellswords for his raid on Raylansfair and now he needs the support and goodwill of Aeron Blacksails. As dangerous as he is, Willfred's power is surely not to be taken lightly either.
I'm intrigued by this Aeron Blacksails, and what exactly Edward plans to do with him. Btw, is there still something Edward needs Alys for? O… morer is he simply keeping her with him out of affection? Because even if there would still be use for First Men blood, well, the last chapter revealed Alys' blood isn't as pure as Edward has wished for, so she won't be useful in that way. Anyway, looks like Willfred has managed to make some more powerful enemies
[Try to talk Reymond down] I don't really see downsides to this... well, this duel could make a pretty great scene, but aside from that I think this is just the smartest option. Gotta say though, four Northern knights meeting by a bridge on Riverlands... Probably something that hasn't happened often in the history of Westeros
Heh, the reason I had this piece of info so freshly in mind is Willem Pyke from NW being a Saltcliffe bastard, meaning I had to do some minor research on the house a while back Anyway, it's a pretty cool sigil imo.
Damn it, I did not know that The Ice and Fire wiki even describes it as a serpent, which is the exact wording of Marak's vision. Well... uh… more, I could play it cool and claim that this has been part of my plans all along, but I genuinely stand corrected here. It seems Willfred should fear the elusive House Saltcliffe now
Alys
Alys was shivering in the cold, as the longship made its way through the fog. The air was chilly and damp, not even the thick cloak … moreshe was wrapped in did anything against it. It was almost painful as she shivered, though it was the worst in her left arm, right where that... thing had grabbed her. Even now, she could feel its freezing touch, burning down to her bone. The skin, frankly, showed no marks anymore, if it ever did in the first place.
They had left Raylansfair behind, a smouldering ruin of what it used to be. Alys' illusions went up in flames with it. Edward had been behind this. He attacked a peaceful city, accepted the death of hundreds of innocents, all for... for what exactly? Alys had no idea what he was after in the archive, or if he even found it. She had barely seen him since they had boarded the ship, though apparently, he had been wounded in the fight. A few days ago, she would have actually been concerned for h… [view original content]
Aha, that's why the name sounded so familiar! If I remember correctly, Willem was called the bastard of Saltcliffe on more than one occasion and I thought that was merely a location, like how Jon is called the bastard of Winterfell. I did not remember the house name until now, though it had a familiar tone to it. It seems House Saltcliffe is not very creative when it comes to names
Heh, the reason I had this piece of info so freshly in mind is Willem Pyke from NW being a Saltcliffe bastard, meaning I had to do some minor research on the house a while back Anyway, it's a pretty cool sigil imo.
Well, yeah, I do think I mentioned his father's name being Garvy Saltcliffe at some point, but aside from that I haven't really given much focus on his family name.... since he doesn't have that family name And Saltcliffe's may not be creative, but at least they're not as bad as House Vaith of Castle Vaith by the River Vaith
Aha, that's why the name sounded so familiar! If I remember correctly, Willem was called the bastard of Saltcliffe on more than one occasion… more and I thought that was merely a location, like how Jon is called the bastard of Winterfell. I did not remember the house name until now, though it had a familiar tone to it. It seems House Saltcliffe is not very creative when it comes to names
I remember it now! That is a detail I have seriously forgotten But well, his family name hasn't really been all that important for his role so far. You're also right, the Saltcliffe's are not the only offenders and neither are they the worst. Although the Ironborn seem particularly lazy about that. House Harlaw of Harlaw, or House Volmark of Volmark for example. That said, maybe I shouldn't be complaining, given that there's also House Blackmont of Blackmont from the Kingdom of Blackmont. Still, House Vaith of Vaith by the Vaith is pretty much inexcusable though, because unlike Blackmont, Vaith doesn't even sound all that cool
Well, yeah, I do think I mentioned his father's name being Garvy Saltcliffe at some point, but aside from that I haven't really given much f… moreocus on his family name.... since he doesn't have that family name And Saltcliffe's may not be creative, but at least they're not as bad as House Vaith of Castle Vaith by the River Vaith
Nice little Alys part for the chapter. Edward is gonna need to do a little bit more than just talking and actually doing if he wants to change my mind about him. We'll see is he really does care for Alys.
As for the Edrick choice, I had to take some time and think. I don't see any of these choices as a necessarily bad one, but it's a matter of choosing what the best option is. Reymond seems too stubborn to be talked down, and it'll just waste time. So I don't think that will work.
[Allow Alphyn to fight] He wants to do it and I trust him in taking him down in a shorter amount of time.
EDIT: I just noticed that this was the deciding vote, now I really hope I didn't choose a bad option
Alys
Alys was shivering in the cold, as the longship made its way through the fog. The air was chilly and damp, not even the thick cloak … moreshe was wrapped in did anything against it. It was almost painful as she shivered, though it was the worst in her left arm, right where that... thing had grabbed her. Even now, she could feel its freezing touch, burning down to her bone. The skin, frankly, showed no marks anymore, if it ever did in the first place.
They had left Raylansfair behind, a smouldering ruin of what it used to be. Alys' illusions went up in flames with it. Edward had been behind this. He attacked a peaceful city, accepted the death of hundreds of innocents, all for... for what exactly? Alys had no idea what he was after in the archive, or if he even found it. She had barely seen him since they had boarded the ship, though apparently, he had been wounded in the fight. A few days ago, she would have actually been concerned for h… [view original content]
Ah, this was another choice where I was pretty sure a majority of you would pick the talking option. At the same time, there have been a couple of really good arguments in favour of Alphyn. I'm liking this, regardless of the outcome, as this is going to give me an exciting write and Alphyn some time to shine. With the possible exception of Leo, he's the least developed member of Edrick's group, though the next part should be good for him. Although Dante is probably going to be not so thrilled, as he would have really liked to prevent a fight if necessary. Wether or not his approach would have worked, well, the alternative choices will tell you that one
The next part should be out today, late today. The problem is, I am about to head out in an hour or so, because I will have my first day at work. Well, work in the wider sense of the word. It's a small part-time job for Bofrost, the european market leader in direct sales of frozen food, aka the Jehova's Witnesses of the food industry. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? But ah, it's going to be a nice pay for the relatively easy task of going from door to door and speaking to people. I won't be home until the evening, so a majority of the day won't be spend with writing. However, I have made some nice progress and hope to be done with the part before heading to bed. If I won't manage to do it, well, now you know why This next part shall be an Arthur part, the second one for him in this chaptr. Last time we saw him, he returned from his patrol with Ryler, after they realized that Wolfius managed to escape the city. He was confronted by a seriously pissed off Mathea, who accused him of abandoning her and Rosalie in the middle of the raid. While she assured him they would continue to work together for the good of the city, she also made it clear than any personal relation between the two is gone. Arthur would have liked to apologize to her, but two other problems demanded his attention. One was Daemion Stratford, now acting commander of the city guard, who wished to talk to Arthur about something. The other was Ryler, who wanted to tell Arthur something about the newest guests in Raylansfair, namely the Alley Cats, of which at least the Sphynx was even present in the city guard headquarters during the time Arthur arrived there. You ultimately chose to prioritize the talk with Ryler and we'll see what's going to come out of this.
Nice little Alys part for the chapter. Edward is gonna need to do a little bit more than just talking and actually doing if he wants to change my mind about him. We'll see is he really does care for Alys.
Well, don't expect too much of him. His soft spot for Alys might be genuine, this is something that will get a more definite answer later on (even if things might still stay a bit murky on that end), but his fair share of heavily villainous traits won't just vanish. It is very possible that he will remain a complete bastard, even if there's probably worse people than him out there.
I just noticed that this was the deciding vote, now I really hope I didn't choose a bad option
You indeed made the deciding vote here Well... I did not really expect a majority for this, but we shall see what comes out of this. I do think you made Edrick's next part more... action-packed, so that is at least one good thing, probably.
Nice little Alys part for the chapter. Edward is gonna need to do a little bit more than just talking and actually doing if he wants to chan… morege my mind about him. We'll see is he really does care for Alys.
As for the Edrick choice, I had to take some time and think. I don't see any of these choices as a necessarily bad one, but it's a matter of choosing what the best option is. Reymond seems too stubborn to be talked down, and it'll just waste time. So I don't think that will work.
[Allow Alphyn to fight] He wants to do it and I trust him in taking him down in a shorter amount of time.
EDIT: I just noticed that this was the deciding vote, now I really hope I didn't choose a bad option
Hello, again! So, while Liquid is working, I'm just gonna drop you the newest set of drawings, this time a bunch of secondary characters from Oldtown. And as an extra, I also have a portrait of Harpy for you
Hello, again! So, while Liquid is working, I'm just gonna drop you the newest set of drawings, this time a bunch of secondary characters from Oldtown. And as an extra, I also have a portrait of Harpy for you
See, this is the problem of closing the voting when I'm in a hurry, because I totally forgot to announce this wonderful set of drawings I am very glad you posted it regardless, especially as it seems that I won't manage to finish the next part today
Anyways, this is naturally an amazing set! First of all, while it is hard to say with the sheer number of amazing portraits you have drawn for Forum of Thrones and Nymeria's War, I think this Harpy portrait has to be at the very least one of my favourites, out of the Top 3. This is more than spot-on, which almost all of the portraits are, this portrait is absolutely how I imagined her, down to the details. Fantastic job
Out of the drawings, it is, as always, hard to choose my favourite. Clearly, the portrait is unrivaled, but the drawings are amazing on their own. First of all, there's Roach, who is a real precious I always love these slightly more cartoonish looking characters, as few as there are and you absolutely nailed it with him. Exactly because of this cartoonish appearance, he is one I struggled with imagening before, but once again, your drawings help me the most there Erik meanwhile is one I had less problem with imagening, because he's looking exactly like the drawing. I really like that cocky grin! Lanford is similarly spot-on. Well, it feels like I'm always saying this, but that is because it's always true. Lanford is certainly a badass that much is for sure and the drawing brought this characteristic of him out. I am so excited for his stuff in the future! And ah, Taria. While writing, I rarely feel happy for the characters themselves, because of how much I put them through. So, the reunion between Taria and Ayden was really special on that end and something that made me very interested in your drawing of her. Needless to say, you did great there! Finally comes the drawing that is my favourite of the set, Farris Flowers. He's a bit of a surprise favourite for me, because I thought Roach would win, but no, he's just a close second. Farris is intimidating as hell, not only the character, but the drawing as well. I mean, that is the guy Jaron and Samuel almost picked a fight with and while they outnumber him, that couldn't have possibly been a pretty fight. Be glad you decided against an aggressive approach to him, because that guy has zero chill
Hello, again! So, while Liquid is working, I'm just gonna drop you the newest set of drawings, this time a bunch of secondary characters from Oldtown. And as an extra, I also have a portrait of Harpy for you
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in turn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was enough for Janae not to try anything. If she'd escape, Behara would pay the price.
“Does it matter?”, Bakr asked. “I mean, we're just here to get what we were promised right? The payment” Abbas gave him a nod. “Aye, the payment”, he said. “The final payment” He chuckled. “It's a shame Arkan got himself killed in our absence, even if it makes things a lot easier”
“You think Harpy is going to pay?”, Bakr asked again, as the small group walked around the corner. They were in one of Oldtown's more exclusive corners, if such a thing even existed in the first place. Abbas headed directly towards one of the mansions. “Oh yes”, he said. “Trust me, she will”
The mansion was unguarded and as Janae came close, she noticed that the door stood open. The interior she saw was devastated, as if this building had been looted not long ago. Yet Abbas didn't seem bothered by it. He stepped into the entry hall of the mansion, with Bakr pushing Janae and Behara after him, before being the last to enter.
With another vile grin, Abbas put a finger onto his lips. Bakr wordlessly put a hand onto Behara's shoulder, making it clear to Janae that she shouldn't dare anything right now. Reluctantly, she remained silent. Not that this was hard for her. With only a horrified, meek Behara as company, she had spent the past week being more silent than she had ever been. Of course, Abbas had spoken to her occasionally, but she had never given him the satisfaction of an answer. She knew what fate he had in mind for her, once they would reach Yunkai. If they would reach Yunkai. It was a long road, a dangerous one and instead of falling into despair as Behara did, Janae remained focussed, knowing that anything could happen on the way. Maybe she could still escape. Though she knew, this time she wouldn't make the mistake of sparing Abbas.
The slaver slowly walked through the entry hall, listening to something. Indeed, Janae quickly heard a noise, coming from one of the rooms that spread from the nearby hallway. The door stood half open and through the gap, she heard the sound of someone rummaging through something.
A gasp sounded as Abbas approached the door. The slaver stopped for a moment, before continuing his path. “Who is there?”, a female voice sounded, just as Abbas pushed the door open. “It's us, Lady Harpy”, he said. “Abbas and Bakr” Janae saw a woman there, probably even younger than Behara, a pretty girl with fair skin and the dark, reddish-brown hair of the Ghiscari. She was standing behind a table in a small room, littered with papers and she was obviously searching something.
The young woman looked up to them, her dark eyes wet with tears. She undoubtedly noticed the chains around Behara's wrists and she slowly backed away. “What are you still doing here?”, she hissed, her voice oozing disdain for the two men in front of her. “It's all gone. There's nothing for you to plunder” Abbas took a step forwards, taking a respectful bow. “So we've heard, mylady”, he told her, surprising sympathy in his voice. “However, we are afraid that there's still a certain open payment for me and my partner”
For a moment, the two stared at each other, wordlessly. Abbas grinned at her, as Harpy subtly reached for something below the table. Then, the slaver made his move. He tried to grab her, though she was faster than him. The hand she had put below the table moved through the air, now holding a small knife.
Abbas reacted quick enough to avoid getting his throat cut, though the tip of the blade still scratched across his cheek, causing him to groan in pain. It was this moment that Janae decided to act. With Abbas preoccupied and Bakr staring at the scene with shock, she threw herself at the massive slaver. “Hara, run!”, she screamed, as she jumped at Bakr's back, pressing her arms around his thick neck in the attempt to choke him.
The girl did not hesitate. Jumping up, she tried to make her way out of the room, though the chains that were still binding her prevented her from doing so quickly enough. Bakr used this moment to waltz into her way, with Janae still choking him. He was gasping for air now, as he desperately tried to reach for her on his back, his own massive size making such an attempt nearly impossible. At the same time, she barely managed to choke him and he still managed to block Behara's way out, with the young girl staring at him in horror,
Meanwhile, Harpy tried to attack again, though this time, Abbas managed to grab her right hand. Slamming her arm onto the table and pressing her against it, he growled something, while blood poured down the deep cut on his cheek. “Drop it!”, he yelled at her, as she used her free hand in the attempt to reach a brazen paperknife.
Abbas wasted no time to slam her hand against the table again, heavily enough to cause her to scream in pain, as she dropped the knife out of reflex. Now, Abbas yanked her upwards again, grabbing her hair, before he pushed her down, slamming her forehead against the table. Almost instantly, Harpy's body went limp.
Without missing a beat, Abbas reached for his whip. “Get off him!”, he yelled, as he cracked the whip, though Janae did not follow the order right away. If she'd get Bakr to the point of passing out, Behara could escape. She'd likely remain behind, but at least the girl would be safe. The hulking slaver was already gulping and gasping, his face red from exhaustion.
With an angry growl, Abbas' whip cut through the air with dangerous precision and pain flashed up in Janae's head, as it hit her forehead. The sudden agony was enough for her to let go off Bakr and to fall behind him into the hallway, stunned with sheer pain. Warm blood flew down the cut on her forehead and into her eyes, nearly blinding her.
Now, Behara tried to run, with Bakr on his knees. Though her attempt to weasel past him was doomed to fail, as Abbas' whip hit her back. She exclaimed a high-pitched scream of pain, enough for Janae to truly hate the slaver and then she sank to the ground, just as Janae's senses cleared again.
Still gasping for air, Bakr pulled himself up. He gave Janae an angry glare and reached down for her. Lifting her up in the air, he dropped her next to Behara without uttering a word. Still frowning with pain and with blood in her eyes, Janae looked at the girl, who was weeping from the pain of Abbas' lash.
With a growl, Bakr directed his anger at the smugly smiling Abbas. “What the fuck?”, he barked roughly. “Abbas, what are you doing? This was not what we agreed upon!” Abbas smiled at him now. “The plan changed, partner”, he explained. “Look around... how much do you think Harpy could have paid us? How much would she have paid us? She never liked us in the first place”
“Well, you fucking killed her!”, Bakr spat. “Now she's not going to pay anything!” Abbas shook his head, as he knelt down next to the woman. “Oh, she's not dead”, he said. “Just sleeping for a little while. After that, she's fine, maybe with a bit of a headache. Trust me, I have no intention of killing her, unless she leaves me no choice” His hand moved to the cut on his cheek, which was bleeding lightly. “The bitch is going to pay for this one though”
“Abbas, what are we doing now?”, Bakr asked. “With her, I mean” Abbas raised from the ground again. “Put her into chains”, he commanded. “We will take her with us and she is going to make us very rich men” A sinister streak appeared in his dark eyes. “I know a man in Yunkai who will be very happy to meet her again”
Bakr's eyes widened. “Razdal...”, he gasped. “Abbas, we cannot do this! That's... that's just cruel!” Abbas gave him a nod. “It is cruel”, he agreed. “But who is going to stop us, with Arkan dead? She's all alone now. The only one still caring for her is Razdal zo Yunzak... and the only thing I care for is how filthy rich he is going to make us” He glanced at the unconscious girl. “The murderer of his son is coming home at last”
No Choices for this part
Arthur
Reluctantly, Arthur turned away from Mathea. He could see how angry she was, though as much as it pained him to leave her like that, he had to admit that it might not be the best idea to disturb her any further. If there was a chance for her to forgive him, it wouldn't be now.
Instead, Arthur turned to the door out of the building, following Ryler at a steady pace. The young man had been visibly disturbed, an unsettling sight, and whatever he had to say, it surely was urgent. As hard as it was, he wouldn't dare to disturb Mathea any further and he was sure that Daemion could wait.
He found Ryler waiting for him in a small side street next to the building. The young man looked up, breathing in relief as he spotted him. “Glad you could make it”, he said. “I wouldn't have waited for long. What happened in there changes everything and I can't risk attracting too much attention right now”
Arthur raised an eyebrow, as he spotted Ryler's helmet on the ground next to him. “What do you mean?”, he asked and the young man picked up the helmet. “You see this?”, he asked in return and Arthur gave him a nod. “Well, what do you think this means?”
This time, it didn't take Arthur long to make an assumption. “You stole it from them? From the Sphynx and his companions?”, he asked. Ryler shook his head. “Yes and no”, he replied. “I didn't stole it. It was more like me taking it from the corpse of the... man who used to own it” He frowned as he spoke. “I never learned his real name, like most of them. But he was called the Moggy”
“Did you kill him?”, Arthur asked and Ryler gave him a nod. “Yes”, he replied and this time he looked even more uncomfortable. Arthur remained silent, allowing him to continue on his own. “He tried to stop me from escaping”, he finally revealed. “But he had orders not to kill me. He held back. I didn't” Now, he picked up the helmet. “I took it to remind me of what happened. And what I almost could have been”
To Arthur's questioning look, he sighed. “The Moggy is not exactly a name, not even a nickname. It's a rank”, he explained. “They call themselves the Alley Cats. The Tom, the Moggy... the Sphynx. Murderers, torturers, psychopaths for hire” He shivered visibly and it was discomforting for Arthur to see him in such a state. “The Moggy... he is always the strongest of them, but this strength is never quite natural. A Moggy is not born, he is made. Normal people, who are tortured physically and mentally, reconditioned into complete obedience and... altered”
This time, he took a bit longer to answer, enough for Arthur to tilt his head in a questioning way. “I don't know what they gave me”, he replied. “But I believe it was the beginning of what they did to the Moggy. My strength is not quite on the same level as his was, but it's not all mine either”
“And the Alley Cats did this to you”, Arthur concluded tonelessly, clenching his fists as he heard this confession. Ryler gave him a nod. “The Sphynx did”, he said. “Lupin” His mismatched eyes narrowed. “And his... lickspittle, Wolfius. He did the worst”
The two men stared at each other, as Arthur felt a wave of sympathy for the young man. “So that's why you wish to hunt him down”, he realized. A grim look formed on Ryler's face. “He left the Alley Cats shortly after Lupin did, for all I know. It's hard to say when they were always wearing those masks”, he explained. “But I know, this Sphynx is not Lupin. If he was, then your friend would have been dead the moment he saw her”
The thought alone was enough for Arthur to look away from Ryler's intense glare. It was the first time he heard the name, but from the way Ryler spoke, Lupin sounded like a man to be afraid of. Even Ryler was hesitant to talk about him, it was clear to see.
“Is the new Sphynx a threat?”, he asked and Ryler gave him a heavy nod. “All of them are threats”, he stated. “Don't ever make the mistake of trusting them” He sighed. “Now that they are here, things are guaranteed to get worse. I have to find Wolfius and then I have to leave”
Arthur gave him a nod. “Where would you go?”, he asked. This time, Ryler seemed unsure what to answer. “No idea”, he admitted. “My family is gone, slaughtered to the last. Lord Bloodboar made sure of that. The only other life I have known was in the Sphynx' dungeons” He shook his head. “I don't know where I'd go, but I'm sure I'll find something”
“And what about Lupin?”, Arthur asked. Ryler frowned at how loudly he spoke the name. “I won't go after Lupin”, he said. “As much as I hate him, I know better than to challenge him. I want vengeance, but that doesn't mean I'm suicidal. Wolfius has to suffice” He looked up all of a sudden, hearing something Arthur got only aware of a few seconds later. Footsteps on the stony street.
“Arthur?”, the familiar, yet heavily annoyed voice of Daemion Stratford sounded. Ryler narrowed his eyes. “Remember what I said”, he hissed. “Don't trust them, or those they work for... or with” Just as Daemion turned around the corner, Ryler turned to the other end of the street. He glanced over his shoulder one last time. “We will meet again”, he said, before he and his hound started to walk.
“Hells, Arthur, will you listen to me?”, Stratford growled and this time, Arthur moved his attention to the captain, his commanding officer after all. “Apologies, Ser”, he said. “This was important” Daemion shook his head. “Not as important as what I have to tell you”, he growled, before his expression softened, a sight that was as rare as it was concerning.
The moment Arthur spotted this expression on Daemion's face, he realized exactly what he had to say. His face dropped into a frown, as he tensed up. “Cap... Captain?”, he asked with a shivering voice, focussing fully onto the man. Everything turned grey as Daemion bit down onto his lower lip. “It's about your father”, he finally revealed. “I am sorry”
Two hollow-eyed guardsmen stood in front of the door, yet they had wordlessly opened it as Arthur approached. He barely looked at them, as he was nearly trembling in grief after what Daemion had just told him. Barely holding together, he approached the open doorframe, taking a deep breath before stepping into the room.
She was waiting for him as Daemion had promised. Both did. Perhaps as a gesture of respect, they had granted the corpse Hackor Nathamer a small room of his own. There he laid, almost peaceful in death. Someone had taken the time to wash the blood off him, to clad him into a fresh, green tunic and to fold his arms. It almost looked as if he was sleeping. Yet he wasn't.
Aditha looked up as Arthur entered the room. Her eyes were already reddened from crying, still tears running down her cheeks. Still, her gaze was clear, despite the wound she suffered, as evidenced by the bandage around her forehead. As she saw him, she gasped, as she jumped up from her position right next to their dead father. Rushing towards him, the two siblings fell into a close hug, as Aditha lowered her head onto his chest.
The two remained in that position, neither saying a word. Arthur merely stared at the corpse of his father, almost expecting the man to just open his eyes and stand up again. Hackor had been many things, a father, a commander. Most importantly, he had been the toughest man Arthur ever met. His death always seemed like something impossible, so much that even now, Arthur had problems accepting the reality of it.
From the look she gave him, Aditha had the same thought. “Where have you been?”, she gasped thinly and a wave of guilt flashed over Arthur, causing his knees to shake. “I... did my duty”, he said. “I did what father wanted” Aditha sighed, as she pulled away from him. With widely opened eyes, she stared at the corpse of Hackor, before she staggered backwards, sinking onto a chair. After a moment of hesitation, Arthur sat down next to her.
“I always thought I hated him, for leaving mother to die, for leaving me to die”, Aditha whispered with a tearful voice. “But that... that wasn't the full truth. I was lying, mostly to myself. And I thought he hated me, for all the things I did to hurt him” She looked at her brother. “He died to save me”
Arthur evaded her gaze, instead focussing on his father. In this moment he didn't know how to feel. There was guilt for not following Hackor, for leaving him alone in such a situation. Sure, it had been the commander's orders, but only this once, Arthur wished he would have ignored the order. There was grief for the father he lost. And anger, more than just a little bit, directed at a man who loved his children, but failed to ever show it, save for his final action. His death, it hurt more than any bit of neglect Arthur had to suffer for the past decade.
“He loved you”, he said softly and Aditha pressed her lips together, as a new wave of tears formed in her eyes, though she remained silent. Yes, their father had loved Aditha. He had given his life for her in the end. Arthur wasn't sure if this was enough do undo more than a decade of neglect. And he wasn't sure if this meant that the same applied to him. Or if Hackor died still disappointed in him.
Gently, Aditha placed her head on his shoulder, as he put a hand around her back. Her breaths were irregular, interrupted by gasps, as she remained by his side, both of them looking at their father. “He loved you as well”, she clarified. “He told me. And he... he wanted to tell me that he is proud of you” Their gazes met and Aditha gave him a weak, joyless smile, as tears formed in Arthur's eyes.
“He really did”, she promised. “It was the last thing he told me before I was knocked out” Arthur glanced down at his hands, before burying his head in his arms, to spare her the sight of seeing him crying, as grief finally won over guilt and anger.
A knock on the door caused Arthur to look up. Reluctantly, one of the guards entered the room. Arthur didn't know him, though judging by his youth, it had to be one of the newer recruits. He quickly looked to the ground as he spotted the Nathamer siblings, avoiding to look at either of them or at the corpse of his commanding officer. “Ser...”, he said.
“What?”, Arthur growled, surprised by how harsh his voice sounded. “If... if you have a moment. There is someone who wishes to speak to you. She said I should get her somebody from the city guard. She said it's urgent”
He looked up, his eyes lingering on the siblings for a moment, before he saluted, turning around and leaving the room, undoubtedly waiting for him in the hallway. Arthur sighed. This was the last thing he needed right now. He had lost his father. So did Aditha. His sister looked at him and though the voice of duty in his head urged him to go, she silently begged him to stay, for a little longer at least.
Fucking Abbas, my hate for this slaver fucker just reached a whole new level. Fucking greedy asshole. He is wrong though, there is still someone else who cares for Harpy, and I seriously hope that someone will cut the throat of this bastard of a Ghiscari. Ugh, should've known something bad will happen to Harpy while being alone in the mansion
[Stay with Aditha] The reason I'm choosing this, is because Arthur has fucked up enough relationships already. Hackor's flaw was his neglection towards his family, Arthur should know not to make the same mistake. Whatever this urgent business is, I'm sure it can't wait for another moment, so Arthur can properly mourn his father and support his sister.
Anyway, this part certainly gave some interesting info on Ryler and the Alley Cats, so I'm glad we chose to speak with him. And damn, Lupin must really be something else if Ryler considers challenging him suicidal.
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
Fucking Abbas, my hate for this slaver fucker just reached a whole new level. Fucking greedy asshole. He is wrong though, there is still someone else who cares for Harpy, and I seriously hope that someone will cut the throat of this bastard of a Ghiscari. Ugh, should've known something bad will happen to Harpy while being alone in the mansion
Oh yes, Abbas is really off the rails here. He has held back in the earlier chapters, but the presence of Janae is bringing out the absolute worst in him. Though it must be said, he has always been a greedy bastard and he had this thought for a while now, that bringing Harpy back to her old master, who is among the richest men in Yunkai, would give him a neat sum of coin, especially with his expedition to Westeros being overall a huge loss on the financial side. So, it's not only Janae's presence that is turning him from a more neutral character into a clear villain. That said, he is aware of Jaron's presence and I originally even thought of him to mention the fact that he's still out there, but I ultimately decided against it. He knows about Jaron and his relationship to Harpy, but he considers him so irrelevant as a threat that he's not even worth mentioning. Time will tell if this is a realistic view on the situation or if he's taking things too lightly.
Anyway, this part certainly gave some interesting info on Ryler and the Alley Cats, so I'm glad we chose to speak with him. And damn, Lupin must really be something else if Ryler considers challenging him suicidal.
This is something I can safely confirm. Ryler has spent years in the presence of Wolfius and Lupin back when they were Alley Cats. His opinion on the danger each of them poses is realistic. You have seen what Wolfius is capable of, yet Ryler still considers it perfectly possible that he can take him. Now imagine how much more dangerous Lupin must be if even Ryler is terrified of him. And, that I can say, he is rightfully terrified. Lupin gives even me the chills, even if it's still a long time until I will be able to introduce him properly
Fucking Abbas, my hate for this slaver fucker just reached a whole new level. Fucking greedy asshole. He is wrong though, there is still som… moreeone else who cares for Harpy, and I seriously hope that someone will cut the throat of this bastard of a Ghiscari. Ugh, should've known something bad will happen to Harpy while being alone in the mansion
[Stay with Aditha] The reason I'm choosing this, is because Arthur has fucked up enough relationships already. Hackor's flaw was his neglection towards his family, Arthur should know not to make the same mistake. Whatever this urgent business is, I'm sure it can't wait for another moment, so Arthur can properly mourn his father and support his sister.
Anyway, this part certainly gave some interesting info on Ryler and the Alley Cats, so I'm glad we chose to speak with him. And damn, Lupin must really be something else if Ryler considers challenging him suicidal.
[Stay with Aditha] I doubt that the other woman is in a life or death situation so I believe that this is the right moment to let the siblings have five minutes alone
RT:
Well,I'm surprised that we already have the last Janae part of this chapter (not that I complain about it)
While I'm not surprised of the outcome I really like the escape attempt
Now that the escape failed I suppose that not only Abbas but even Bakr will be more cautious around their slaves
It seems that Razal is a not only a character of Harpy and The Burned Man backstory eh?I'm really looking forward to read his first apparition inside the story!
Speaking about Arthur part it was interesting learn something of the Alley Cats hierarchy
Again another character that is scare about Lupin,while part of me is interested to read about him I have the terrible impression that he will just be Wolfius 2.0
It was sad but unavoidable read of Arthur and Aditha have their first look at the body of their father
I highly doubt that Hackor death will be easily forgotten by his family (and not only them)
Speaking of dead people we will see a public event to remember all the deaths of the raid by the Raylainsfair citizen?
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
Well,I'm surprised that we already have the last Janae part of this chapter (not that I complain about it)
To be honest, it was originally planned for a little bit later. However, the problem with the Arthur part caused me to move it a bit forwards. The thing is, Arthur's PoV is only slightly longer than half of the post. With the post length-limit, I knew I had to pick a second PoV that could reasonably be told in under 9500 characters. Maybe Ilish's part could have fit, or Willfred's, but both of these might get longer than that, whereas I was sure that Janae would work in this length. And well, since the necessary prerequisite, Jaron and Samuel leaving the mansion, has already happened, I was pretty free with where to put this part.
While I'm not surprised of the outcome I really like the escape attempt
Ah, glad to hear it Indeed, it has been a really futile attempt, but it shows an important aspect about Janae. She might be a super cold and distant person most of the time, but she does have a genuine soft spot for Behara and if there's a way to help the girl, she's going to take it, even if it means choking the life out of a guy three times her size.
Now that the escape failed I suppose that not only Abbas but even Bakr will be more cautious around their slaves
Aye, Bakr has been a bit more lax in the past, something that nearly got him killed here and likely would have killed him if Abbas wouldn't have been that cautious. Abbas is always cautious with his slaves, but Bakr has been too relaxed in the past and he is likely to get more strict from now on.
It seems that Razal is a not only a character of Harpy and The Burned Man backstory eh?I'm really looking forward to read his first apparition inside the story!
You are absolutely right! Razdal is more than just a major background character for Harpy and the Burned Man, he is someone I have actually put a lot of thought into. He will appear eventually and I hope he is going to be an interesting character.
Speaking about Arthur part it was interesting learn something of the Alley Cats hierarchy
Aye, that was a piece of information I feel I had to drop at one point, to avoid confusion later on. Ryler has met a Sphynx while he was their captive, not the Sphynx you know. Said Sphynx was later revealed to be Lupin Frostborn, who left the Alley Cats together with his companion Wolfius, whereas the man known as Rodrik donned the mask of the Sphynx instead. He also killed a Moggy, not the one you know and took his helmet, which is why the new Moggy has to wear an ordinary Ally Cat mask instead of that helmet.
Again another character that is scare about Lupin,while part of me is interested to read about him I have the terrible impression that he will just be Wolfius 2.0
Well, Lupin is certainly not a misunderstood good guy. The things that have been revealed about him have been seriously horrible and then there is his appearance in TheFurryOne's Lupin mini-series, which should give you a good idea of him. I can assure you however that he is not Wolfius 2.0, even if there are similarities about them. I'd say Lupin is more sane and far more dangerous.
It was sad but unavoidable read of Arthur and Aditha have their first look at the body of their father
Aye, it was something I found very hard to write exactly because of how sad it was. Originally, it was planned to go on for longer and depending on the choice, I might still get another chance to expand on it, but I ultimately found myself unable to write this part in such a length right now.
I highly doubt that Hackor death will be easily forgotten by his family (and not only them)
This is for sure. Hackor's death has torn even more of a hole into this family than his actions while he was alive ever did. Surely he has never been the father of the year and highly negelectful (and in fact, Aditha outright lied to her brother when she told him about his supposed final words to her), but he was still their father, both siblings loved him and even more importantly, he was the most important leader in the city after the death of Lord Raylan. His death will be felt heavily with his remaining family and even more with his city.
Speaking of dead people we will see a public event to remember all the deaths of the raid by the Raylainsfair citizen?
Ah, this is very likely. Right now, things are way too chaotic to have such a ceremony, but it can be guessed that the ones in charge have an interest in arranging such a thing once the situation has calmed down a bit more.
[Stay with Aditha] I doubt that the other woman is in a life or death situation so I believe that this is the right moment to let the siblin… moregs have five minutes alone
RT:
* Well,I'm surprised that we already have the last Janae part of this chapter (not that I complain about it)
* While I'm not surprised of the outcome I really like the escape attempt
* Now that the escape failed I suppose that not only Abbas but even Bakr will be more cautious around their slaves
* It seems that Razal is a not only a character of Harpy and The Burned Man backstory eh?I'm really looking forward to read his first apparition inside the story!
* Speaking about Arthur part it was interesting learn something of the Alley Cats hierarchy
* Again another character that is scare about Lupin,while part of me is interested to read about him I have the terrible impression that he will just be Wolfius 2.0
* It was sad but unavoidable read of Arthur and Adith… [view original content]
Bloody loved this part. So much emotion. Arthur got to learn about the Alley Cats, and now he is emotionally wrecked. I loved how glum everyone was. The solemn air of it all was very well done, though I do wish you had included Daemion telling Arthur about Hackor's death. Aditha was heartbroken as expected, and the fact that she straight you lied to Arthur about Hackor's last words makes it all the better. Poor Arthur got his hopes climbed up again by hearing that, hopefully Hackor left some sort of Commander's logbook where he held his opinion on the city guards, including Arthur, in his office somewhere. I can't wait to see the next thing to come along and dash his hopes again. As for the choice, I really wanted to choose to go with the guard. Not because I am curious to see who wants him, but I just want Arthur to burn more of his bridges. He already last Mathea's trust, and Daemion sounded upset with Arthur flaking on him. Hopefully Arthur turns into his father eventually, having such a difficult relationship with everyone he cared about. But in the end I do want to see more grief from Arthur and Aditha, so I say we should [Stay with Aditha].
As for Janae's part, I liked it. I knew ever since last chapter that Abbas was going to kidnap Harpy. I am curious as to if Jaron will save her before she is sent to Essos though. I don't think Harpy will escape, but Janae might. A little Jaron Janae team up action to save their friends in Essos. Would make for an interesting Essos storyline, but I wonder who would be the POV in that situation. Mention Essos, I can't wait to see what storylines are going to happen over there. There is definitely going to be more going on than just Jaron and Janae. Maybe we go to slaver bay, or the Dothraki sea. There is so much to explore there that you can't really make a good guess. There are going to be so many new places to explore in Book 2. The North, Essos, Dorne, maybe Storm's End when Argella is sent back. I am super excited to see what is in store.
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
This is something I can safely confirm. Ryler has spent years in the presence of Wolfius and Lupin back when they were Alley Cats. His opinion on the danger each of them poses is realistic. You have seen what Wolfius is capable of, yet Ryler still considers it perfectly possible that he can take him. Now imagine how much more dangerous Lupin must be if even Ryler is terrified of him. And, that I can say, he is rightfully terrified. Lupin gives even me the chills, even if it's still a long time until I will be able to introduce him properly
I'm not sure Wolfius is a really powerful warg, but does Ryler know that? If not then I'd say he's more dangerous than Lupin, but I have a feeling Lupin has some magical abilities. So maybe he's more dangerous than Wolfius.
Fucking Abbas, my hate for this slaver fucker just reached a whole new level. Fucking greedy asshole. He is wrong though, there is still som… moreeone else who cares for Harpy, and I seriously hope that someone will cut the throat of this bastard of a Ghiscari. Ugh, should've known something bad will happen to Harpy while being alone in the mansion
Oh yes, Abbas is really off the rails here. He has held back in the earlier chapters, but the presence of Janae is bringing out the absolute worst in him. Though it must be said, he has always been a greedy bastard and he had this thought for a while now, that bringing Harpy back to her old master, who is among the richest men in Yunkai, would give him a neat sum of coin, especially with his expedition to Westeros being overall a huge loss on the financial side. So, it's not only Janae's presence that is turning him from a more neutral character into a clear villain. That said, he is aware of Ja… [view original content]
It is not entirely sure if Ryler knows just how dangerous Wolfius is. He knows for sure that there is something plain wrong with him and being a fellow Northerner, he probably has some suspicions into the correct direction, but it can be seen as doubtful if he knows the full extent of Wolfius' warg powers. That said, while it is entirely possible that he is underestimating Wolfius, he is rightfully terrified of Lupin.
This is something I can safely confirm. Ryler has spent years in the presence of Wolfius and Lupin back when they were Alley Cats. His opini… moreon on the danger each of them poses is realistic. You have seen what Wolfius is capable of, yet Ryler still considers it perfectly possible that he can take him. Now imagine how much more dangerous Lupin must be if even Ryler is terrified of him. And, that I can say, he is rightfully terrified. Lupin gives even me the chills, even if it's still a long time until I will be able to introduce him properly
I'm not sure Wolfius is a really powerful warg, but does Ryler know that? If not then I'd say he's more dangerous than Lupin, but I have a feeling Lupin has some magical abilities. So maybe he's more dangerous than Wolfius.
The solemn air of it all was very well done, though I do wish you had included Daemion telling Arthur about Hackor's death.
I have originally thought about including this and even tried to write the scene. Leaving it out caused the problems I had with this part, though I ultimately felt like cutting the scene at this point would be the better way. Now, I am not so sure anymore, but neither am I sure it was a mistake. I can understand that you wished to see this scene though and I feel a bit bad for not showing it. Depending on the choice, I'll at least get to show more of Arthur's and Aditha's reaction to Hackor's death though, so there's something, I hope.
Aditha was heartbroken as expected, and the fact that she straight you lied to Arthur about Hackor's last words makes it all the better. Poor Arthur got his hopes climbed up again by hearing that, hopefully Hackor left some sort of Commander's logbook where he held his opinion on the city guards, including Arthur, in his office somewhere. I can't wait to see the next thing to come along and dash his hopes again.
You are probably the only reader who actually wants their characters to suffer as much as possible But yeah, Aditha lied to him, even if she had good intentions. She also had the suspicion that with clear evidence that her father loved her more than he was able to show, the same might apply to Arthur. And if not, then she still considers it kinder to give him some closure than to keep him with the thought that he never got his father's respect. That said, Arthur is not entirely willing to believe her on this.
Hopefully Arthur turns into his father eventually, having such a difficult relationship with everyone he cared about.
Well, that would be one way to win Hackor's respect, by becoming exactly like him. Though Hackor balanced this problem with being so damn good at his job that nobody dared to challenge him. All things considered, Arthur is far less capable as a guard, something Hackor realized, though he has other qualities, which might help him in the future.
As for Janae's part, I liked it. I knew ever since last chapter that Abbas was going to kidnap Harpy. I am curious as to if Jaron will save her before she is sent to Essos though. I don't think Harpy will escape, but Janae might. A little Jaron Janae team up action to save their friends in Essos. Would make for an interesting Essos storyline, but I wonder who would be the POV in that situation.
Yeah, that one has been heavily hinted at in the Next Time segment, though the consequences of this will be huge and probably not entirely expected. Harpy's escape will be hard, with her being unconscious at the moment, though things might not be hopeless for Janae. And surely Jaron would be willing to team up with her. That said, I naturally cannot confirm anything. I can promise that there will be some PoV team-up's in Book 2, although it doesn't necessarily have to be a Jaron-Janae team. In such a constellation, it is likely I will decid on one primary PoV, with the other one being a supporting PoV for two or three parts each chapter. Both would share the screentime roughly equally and appear in each other's parts, but one of the PoV's will get more parts from their view.
Mention Essos, I can't wait to see what storylines are going to happen over there. There is definitely going to be more going on than just Jaron and Janae. Maybe we go to slaver bay, or the Dothraki sea. There is so much to explore there that you can't really make a good guess. There are going to be so many new places to explore in Book 2. The North, Essos, Dorne, maybe Storm's End when Argella is sent back. I am super excited to see what is in store.
Aye, I can confirm that there will be a large number of storylines happening in Essos, even if the main focus will remain on Westeros. A couple of big PoV's will have their storylines in Essos. Slaver's Bay is all but confirmed and I have indeed early ideas of showing the Dothraki Sea. The Free Cities are a given as well, at least two of them. And yeah, the North, some places in Essos, Dorne and also Storm's End will have a lot of spotlight in Book 2
Bloody loved this part. So much emotion. Arthur got to learn about the Alley Cats, and now he is emotionally wrecked. I loved how glum every… moreone was. The solemn air of it all was very well done, though I do wish you had included Daemion telling Arthur about Hackor's death. Aditha was heartbroken as expected, and the fact that she straight you lied to Arthur about Hackor's last words makes it all the better. Poor Arthur got his hopes climbed up again by hearing that, hopefully Hackor left some sort of Commander's logbook where he held his opinion on the city guards, including Arthur, in his office somewhere. I can't wait to see the next thing to come along and dash his hopes again. As for the choice, I really wanted to choose to go with the guard. Not because I am curious to see who wants him, but I just want Arthur to burn more of his bridges. He already last Mathea's trust, and Daemion sounded upset with Arthur flaking on him. Hopefully Arthu… [view original content]
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
Hey Liquid, I just wanted to know, how does everyone know how to read? It seems that nearly everyone we've come across in FoT can read, including Jenna, I mean she is really nothing more than a peasant there really should be no way she can read. Especially since the main series has a large number of characters who cannot read (and that's 300 years after this). If I recall Davos can just barely read and I'm not sure if Jenna can write letters but still she seems to be better than Davos when it comes to reading, I'd actually say most characters in FoT read better than him.
Sorry about that huge rant it's just something I've been wondering about.
It is true, the setting in FoT is probably somewhat more literate than Westeros should be in some places. That said, at least with quite a number of PoV's, there's actually an explanation as to why they can read. With Jenna, it has, as far as I know, been explained in an earlier part way back that her mother had come from a more wealthy family and that she was able to read, teaching this skill to her children and likely to Richard as well. Other characters either come from a highborn background or are in a position were being able to read is important, such as Maya and her group, who were hand-picked by Lord Royce, or John, who should be able to read so that he can read contracts he is involved in. Others have spent a lot of time in the company of a character that was able to read and it is likely they were taught the basics, such as Sadie who travelled with Dan for years. That said, by far not everyone you met in the story was able to read. It's just that their lack of such a skill is not exactly brought up. A majority of the farmers for example, or Lyria, or Temari or Lunett, none of these characters have ever been in a situation were their lack of reading skills would be important. Actually, I think the only time a lack of reading skills has been brought up was in Chapter 4, when Mullendore pretended to be illiterate to get Lucas to underestimate him.
[Stay with Aditha] Seems like the best choice.
Hey Liquid, I just wanted to know, how does everyone know how to read? It seems that nearl… morey everyone we've come across in FoT can read, including Jenna, I mean she is really nothing more than a peasant there really should be no way she can read. Especially since the main series has a large number of characters who cannot read (and that's 300 years after this). If I recall Davos can just barely read and I'm not sure if Jenna can write letters but still she seems to be better than Davos when it comes to reading, I'd actually say most characters in FoT read better than him.
Sorry about that huge rant it's just something I've been wondering about.
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
[Go with the guard] It's either Maya or Sherryl. Either way, it's important. Aditha can cry on her own some more. This is what Hackor would have wanted.
As for Abbas, man he's pissed. Don't worry my friend, I shall defend you. He'll have some way to redeem himself. You'll all see.
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
As for Abbas, man he's pissed. Don't worry my friend, I shall defend you. He'll have some way to redeem himself. You'll all see.
Redemption for Abbas? This is... an interesting thought. He is at the very least not a one-dimensional bad guy, that much I can promise, and there will be elements about him and scenes involving him in which he might, depending on your opinion on him, very well appear sympathetic even. A fullblown redemption is something that would require some willingness from his part though and at least at this point, he is too angry to even consider such a thing.
[Go with the guard] It's either Maya or Sherryl. Either way, it's important. Aditha can cry on her own some more. This is what Hackor would … morehave wanted.
As for Abbas, man he's pissed. Don't worry my friend, I shall defend you. He'll have some way to redeem himself. You'll all see.
[Go with the guard] As much as it sucks to just leave, Arthur should go. It could be important. I'm really reluctant to pick this as WildlingKing brought up a real good point about Hackor neglecting his family.
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
Pheew.. It's been a while, I hope I won't fall behind so much again.
Anyways, awesome new parts. Pretty damn intense. For the choice, [Go with the guard] Sure, he might not think straight when he is talking to this woman, but he could mourn later. Let's think like Sadie a couple of parts back. 'Mourn later'. (At least I think she did, during her dream sequence).
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in t… moreurn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was … [view original content]
Pheew.. It's been a while, I hope I won't fall behind so much again.
Anyways, awesome new parts. Pretty damn intense. For the choice, [Go… more with the guard] Sure, he might not think straight when he is talking to this woman, but he could mourn later. Let's think like Sadie a couple of parts back. 'Mourn later'. (At least I think she did, during her dream sequence).
I'm fine with the other one winning though.
Comments
[Try to talk Reymond down] The art of the tongue should work just fine.
Calling it now, book 2 will feature a naval battle between the rock, (mainly the reynes), and Aeron Blacksails with Edward. The chapter Riptide seems to strengthen my theory.
That is a very interesting theory, I'm liking it
In general, Riptide is going to be one of the chapters I look forward for the most in Book 2 and your idea would certainly make for a great couple of parts. It is also rather realistic, since Aeron does control a great deal of ships, being the pirate king of the Narrow Sea, while the Rock might be a kingdom, but none that has all that much of a strong fleet. So, I'd say that could be a battle on equal footing. The problem would be if there ever happens to be a land war, because the Rock would annihilate anything Edward could put up on the table there.
I'm intrigued by this Aeron Blacksails, and what exactly Edward plans to do with him. Btw, is there still something Edward needs Alys for? Or is he simply keeping her with him out of affection? Because even if there would still be use for First Men blood, well, the last chapter revealed Alys' blood isn't as pure as Edward has wished for, so she won't be useful in that way. Anyway, looks like Willfred has managed to make some more powerful enemies
[Try to talk Reymond down] I don't really see downsides to this... well, this duel could make a pretty great scene, but aside from that I think this is just the smartest option. Gotta say though, four Northern knights meeting by a bridge on Riverlands... Probably something that hasn't happened often in the history of Westeros
Well, actually:
I mean, it's not a regular snake, but still
Damn it, I did not know that
The Ice and Fire wiki even describes it as a serpent, which is the exact wording of Marak's vision. Well... uh, I could play it cool and claim that this has been part of my plans all along, but I genuinely stand corrected here. It seems Willfred should fear the elusive House Saltcliffe now 
That is an important question. Edward doesn't really sound like the guy to hold genuine affection towards someone, or to protect her just because he feels chivalrous. At the same time, her main use for him is gone now that it has turned out that she's not as much of a pureblooded First Man as he hoped, especially when compared to Alisa. Perhaps he really just intends to uphold his promise, considering that Dorne lies very close to his destination, the Stepstones. Then again, it is entirely possible that Edward has further motives and this is something that will be explored. Certainly it is a question Alys herself is going to ask herself in time.
Aye, though it should be noted that Edward has made a powerful enemy as well. After all, Willfred is not some random person, but the heir to House Reyne, which basically holds direct or indirect control over a good quarter of the Kingdom of the Rock. Edward meanwhile is currently still relying on his allies to support him. He needed Harren's raiders and Nain's sellswords for his raid on Raylansfair and now he needs the support and goodwill of Aeron Blacksails. As dangerous as he is, Willfred's power is surely not to be taken lightly either.
Heh, the reason I had this piece of info so freshly in mind is Willem Pyke from NW being a Saltcliffe bastard, meaning I had to do some minor research on the house a while back
Anyway, it's a pretty cool sigil imo.
[Try to talk Reymond down] I figure that it won't hurt to at least try and if this plan doesn't work, the duel will happen anyway.
Aha, that's why the name sounded so familiar! If I remember correctly, Willem was called the bastard of Saltcliffe on more than one occasion and I thought that was merely a location, like how Jon is called the bastard of Winterfell. I did not remember the house name until now, though it had a familiar tone to it. It seems House Saltcliffe is not very creative when it comes to names
Well, yeah, I do think I mentioned his father's name being Garvy Saltcliffe at some point, but aside from that I haven't really given much focus on his family name.... since he doesn't have that family name
And Saltcliffe's may not be creative, but at least they're not as bad as House Vaith of Castle Vaith by the River Vaith 
I remember it now! That is a detail I have seriously forgotten
But well, his family name hasn't really been all that important for his role so far. You're also right, the Saltcliffe's are not the only offenders and neither are they the worst. Although the Ironborn seem particularly lazy about that. House Harlaw of Harlaw, or House Volmark of Volmark for example. That said, maybe I shouldn't be complaining, given that there's also House Blackmont of Blackmont from the Kingdom of Blackmont. Still, House Vaith of Vaith by the Vaith is pretty much inexcusable though, because unlike Blackmont, Vaith doesn't even sound all that cool 
[Allow Alphyn to fight]
Why the hell not? Let's deal with the fake Mormont and get going.
Nice little Alys part for the chapter. Edward is gonna need to do a little bit more than just talking and actually doing if he wants to change my mind about him. We'll see is he really does care for Alys.
As for the Edrick choice, I had to take some time and think. I don't see any of these choices as a necessarily bad one, but it's a matter of choosing what the best option is. Reymond seems too stubborn to be talked down, and it'll just waste time. So I don't think that will work.
[Allow Alphyn to fight] He wants to do it and I trust him in taking him down in a shorter amount of time.
EDIT: I just noticed that this was the deciding vote, now I really hope I didn't choose a bad option
The Voting is closed!
Edrick is going to allow Alphyn to fight
Ah, this was another choice where I was pretty sure a majority of you would pick the talking option. At the same time, there have been a couple of really good arguments in favour of Alphyn. I'm liking this, regardless of the outcome, as this is going to give me an exciting write and Alphyn some time to shine. With the possible exception of Leo, he's the least developed member of Edrick's group, though the next part should be good for him. Although Dante is probably going to be not so thrilled, as he would have really liked to prevent a fight if necessary. Wether or not his approach would have worked, well, the alternative choices will tell you that one
The next part should be out today, late today. The problem is, I am about to head out in an hour or so, because I will have my first day at work. Well, work in the wider sense of the word. It's a small part-time job for Bofrost, the european market leader in direct sales of frozen food, aka the Jehova's Witnesses of the food industry. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? But ah, it's going to be a nice pay for the relatively easy task of going from door to door and speaking to people. I won't be home until the evening, so a majority of the day won't be spend with writing. However, I have made some nice progress and hope to be done with the part before heading to bed. If I won't manage to do it, well, now you know why
This next part shall be an Arthur part, the second one for him in this chaptr. Last time we saw him, he returned from his patrol with Ryler, after they realized that Wolfius managed to escape the city. He was confronted by a seriously pissed off Mathea, who accused him of abandoning her and Rosalie in the middle of the raid. While she assured him they would continue to work together for the good of the city, she also made it clear than any personal relation between the two is gone. Arthur would have liked to apologize to her, but two other problems demanded his attention. One was Daemion Stratford, now acting commander of the city guard, who wished to talk to Arthur about something. The other was Ryler, who wanted to tell Arthur something about the newest guests in Raylansfair, namely the Alley Cats, of which at least the Sphynx was even present in the city guard headquarters during the time Arthur arrived there. You ultimately chose to prioritize the talk with Ryler and we'll see what's going to come out of this.
Well, don't expect too much of him. His soft spot for Alys might be genuine, this is something that will get a more definite answer later on (even if things might still stay a bit murky on that end), but his fair share of heavily villainous traits won't just vanish. It is very possible that he will remain a complete bastard, even if there's probably worse people than him out there.
You indeed made the deciding vote here
Well... I did not really expect a majority for this, but we shall see what comes out of this. I do think you made Edrick's next part more... action-packed, so that is at least one good thing, probably.
Hello, again! So, while Liquid is working, I'm just gonna drop you the newest set of drawings, this time a bunch of secondary characters from Oldtown. And as an extra, I also have a portrait of Harpy for you
These are always great. Thank you.
See, this is the problem of closing the voting when I'm in a hurry, because I totally forgot to announce this wonderful set of drawings
I am very glad you posted it regardless, especially as it seems that I won't manage to finish the next part today 
I always love these slightly more cartoonish looking characters, as few as there are and you absolutely nailed it with him. Exactly because of this cartoonish appearance, he is one I struggled with imagening before, but once again, your drawings help me the most there 
Erik meanwhile is one I had less problem with imagening, because he's looking exactly like the drawing. I really like that cocky grin! Lanford is similarly spot-on. Well, it feels like I'm always saying this, but that is because it's always true. Lanford is certainly a badass that much is for sure and the drawing brought this characteristic of him out. I am so excited for his stuff in the future! And ah, Taria. While writing, I rarely feel happy for the characters themselves, because of how much I put them through. So, the reunion between Taria and Ayden was really special on that end and something that made me very interested in your drawing of her. Needless to say, you did great there! Finally comes the drawing that is my favourite of the set, Farris Flowers. He's a bit of a surprise favourite for me, because I thought Roach would win, but no, he's just a close second. Farris is intimidating as hell, not only the character, but the drawing as well. I mean, that is the guy Jaron and Samuel almost picked a fight with and while they outnumber him, that couldn't have possibly been a pretty fight. Be glad you decided against an aggressive approach to him, because that guy has zero chill 
Anyways, this is naturally an amazing set! First of all, while it is hard to say with the sheer number of amazing portraits you have drawn for Forum of Thrones and Nymeria's War, I think this Harpy portrait has to be at the very least one of my favourites, out of the Top 3. This is more than spot-on, which almost all of the portraits are, this portrait is absolutely how I imagined her, down to the details. Fantastic job
Out of the drawings, it is, as always, hard to choose my favourite. Clearly, the portrait is unrivaled, but the drawings are amazing on their own. First of all, there's Roach, who is a real precious
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long! I encountered a problem with Arthur's part, which required of me to cut it in half. This in turn means that he will have one additional part in this chapter and also that this part has one additional PoV, which is going to be Janae's.
Janae
With a smirk, Abbas turned his head back from the corner. “They have left”, he said with an eager look in his eyes. “I can't fucking believe it... they have left and she remained” He shook his head. “Come on, Bakr!”, he growled and the massive slaver followed the order, pushing a defiant Janae and a submissive Behara forwards.
They had spent the last week travelling to Oldtown in chains and even now, Janae's wrists were sore, though the Ghiscari had removed the shackles once they had entered the city. Removed them from her at least. Behara remained in chains, hidden beneath a long cloak which Abbas had given to her. The message was clear and it was enough for Janae not to try anything. If she'd escape, Behara would pay the price.
“Does it matter?”, Bakr asked. “I mean, we're just here to get what we were promised right? The payment” Abbas gave him a nod. “Aye, the payment”, he said. “The final payment” He chuckled. “It's a shame Arkan got himself killed in our absence, even if it makes things a lot easier”
“You think Harpy is going to pay?”, Bakr asked again, as the small group walked around the corner. They were in one of Oldtown's more exclusive corners, if such a thing even existed in the first place. Abbas headed directly towards one of the mansions. “Oh yes”, he said. “Trust me, she will”
The mansion was unguarded and as Janae came close, she noticed that the door stood open. The interior she saw was devastated, as if this building had been looted not long ago. Yet Abbas didn't seem bothered by it. He stepped into the entry hall of the mansion, with Bakr pushing Janae and Behara after him, before being the last to enter.
With another vile grin, Abbas put a finger onto his lips. Bakr wordlessly put a hand onto Behara's shoulder, making it clear to Janae that she shouldn't dare anything right now. Reluctantly, she remained silent. Not that this was hard for her. With only a horrified, meek Behara as company, she had spent the past week being more silent than she had ever been. Of course, Abbas had spoken to her occasionally, but she had never given him the satisfaction of an answer. She knew what fate he had in mind for her, once they would reach Yunkai. If they would reach Yunkai. It was a long road, a dangerous one and instead of falling into despair as Behara did, Janae remained focussed, knowing that anything could happen on the way. Maybe she could still escape. Though she knew, this time she wouldn't make the mistake of sparing Abbas.
The slaver slowly walked through the entry hall, listening to something. Indeed, Janae quickly heard a noise, coming from one of the rooms that spread from the nearby hallway. The door stood half open and through the gap, she heard the sound of someone rummaging through something.
A gasp sounded as Abbas approached the door. The slaver stopped for a moment, before continuing his path. “Who is there?”, a female voice sounded, just as Abbas pushed the door open. “It's us, Lady Harpy”, he said. “Abbas and Bakr” Janae saw a woman there, probably even younger than Behara, a pretty girl with fair skin and the dark, reddish-brown hair of the Ghiscari. She was standing behind a table in a small room, littered with papers and she was obviously searching something.
The young woman looked up to them, her dark eyes wet with tears. She undoubtedly noticed the chains around Behara's wrists and she slowly backed away. “What are you still doing here?”, she hissed, her voice oozing disdain for the two men in front of her. “It's all gone. There's nothing for you to plunder” Abbas took a step forwards, taking a respectful bow. “So we've heard, mylady”, he told her, surprising sympathy in his voice. “However, we are afraid that there's still a certain open payment for me and my partner”
For a moment, the two stared at each other, wordlessly. Abbas grinned at her, as Harpy subtly reached for something below the table. Then, the slaver made his move. He tried to grab her, though she was faster than him. The hand she had put below the table moved through the air, now holding a small knife.
Abbas reacted quick enough to avoid getting his throat cut, though the tip of the blade still scratched across his cheek, causing him to groan in pain. It was this moment that Janae decided to act. With Abbas preoccupied and Bakr staring at the scene with shock, she threw herself at the massive slaver. “Hara, run!”, she screamed, as she jumped at Bakr's back, pressing her arms around his thick neck in the attempt to choke him.
The girl did not hesitate. Jumping up, she tried to make her way out of the room, though the chains that were still binding her prevented her from doing so quickly enough. Bakr used this moment to waltz into her way, with Janae still choking him. He was gasping for air now, as he desperately tried to reach for her on his back, his own massive size making such an attempt nearly impossible. At the same time, she barely managed to choke him and he still managed to block Behara's way out, with the young girl staring at him in horror,
Meanwhile, Harpy tried to attack again, though this time, Abbas managed to grab her right hand. Slamming her arm onto the table and pressing her against it, he growled something, while blood poured down the deep cut on his cheek. “Drop it!”, he yelled at her, as she used her free hand in the attempt to reach a brazen paperknife.
Abbas wasted no time to slam her hand against the table again, heavily enough to cause her to scream in pain, as she dropped the knife out of reflex. Now, Abbas yanked her upwards again, grabbing her hair, before he pushed her down, slamming her forehead against the table. Almost instantly, Harpy's body went limp.
Without missing a beat, Abbas reached for his whip. “Get off him!”, he yelled, as he cracked the whip, though Janae did not follow the order right away. If she'd get Bakr to the point of passing out, Behara could escape. She'd likely remain behind, but at least the girl would be safe. The hulking slaver was already gulping and gasping, his face red from exhaustion.
With an angry growl, Abbas' whip cut through the air with dangerous precision and pain flashed up in Janae's head, as it hit her forehead. The sudden agony was enough for her to let go off Bakr and to fall behind him into the hallway, stunned with sheer pain. Warm blood flew down the cut on her forehead and into her eyes, nearly blinding her.
Now, Behara tried to run, with Bakr on his knees. Though her attempt to weasel past him was doomed to fail, as Abbas' whip hit her back. She exclaimed a high-pitched scream of pain, enough for Janae to truly hate the slaver and then she sank to the ground, just as Janae's senses cleared again.
Still gasping for air, Bakr pulled himself up. He gave Janae an angry glare and reached down for her. Lifting her up in the air, he dropped her next to Behara without uttering a word. Still frowning with pain and with blood in her eyes, Janae looked at the girl, who was weeping from the pain of Abbas' lash.
With a growl, Bakr directed his anger at the smugly smiling Abbas. “What the fuck?”, he barked roughly. “Abbas, what are you doing? This was not what we agreed upon!” Abbas smiled at him now. “The plan changed, partner”, he explained. “Look around... how much do you think Harpy could have paid us? How much would she have paid us? She never liked us in the first place”
“Well, you fucking killed her!”, Bakr spat. “Now she's not going to pay anything!” Abbas shook his head, as he knelt down next to the woman. “Oh, she's not dead”, he said. “Just sleeping for a little while. After that, she's fine, maybe with a bit of a headache. Trust me, I have no intention of killing her, unless she leaves me no choice” His hand moved to the cut on his cheek, which was bleeding lightly. “The bitch is going to pay for this one though”
“Abbas, what are we doing now?”, Bakr asked. “With her, I mean” Abbas raised from the ground again. “Put her into chains”, he commanded. “We will take her with us and she is going to make us very rich men” A sinister streak appeared in his dark eyes. “I know a man in Yunkai who will be very happy to meet her again”
Bakr's eyes widened. “Razdal...”, he gasped. “Abbas, we cannot do this! That's... that's just cruel!” Abbas gave him a nod. “It is cruel”, he agreed. “But who is going to stop us, with Arkan dead? She's all alone now. The only one still caring for her is Razdal zo Yunzak... and the only thing I care for is how filthy rich he is going to make us” He glanced at the unconscious girl. “The murderer of his son is coming home at last”
No Choices for this part
Arthur
Reluctantly, Arthur turned away from Mathea. He could see how angry she was, though as much as it pained him to leave her like that, he had to admit that it might not be the best idea to disturb her any further. If there was a chance for her to forgive him, it wouldn't be now.
Instead, Arthur turned to the door out of the building, following Ryler at a steady pace. The young man had been visibly disturbed, an unsettling sight, and whatever he had to say, it surely was urgent. As hard as it was, he wouldn't dare to disturb Mathea any further and he was sure that Daemion could wait.
He found Ryler waiting for him in a small side street next to the building. The young man looked up, breathing in relief as he spotted him. “Glad you could make it”, he said. “I wouldn't have waited for long. What happened in there changes everything and I can't risk attracting too much attention right now”
Arthur raised an eyebrow, as he spotted Ryler's helmet on the ground next to him. “What do you mean?”, he asked and the young man picked up the helmet. “You see this?”, he asked in return and Arthur gave him a nod. “Well, what do you think this means?”
This time, it didn't take Arthur long to make an assumption. “You stole it from them? From the Sphynx and his companions?”, he asked. Ryler shook his head. “Yes and no”, he replied. “I didn't stole it. It was more like me taking it from the corpse of the... man who used to own it” He frowned as he spoke. “I never learned his real name, like most of them. But he was called the Moggy”
“Did you kill him?”, Arthur asked and Ryler gave him a nod. “Yes”, he replied and this time he looked even more uncomfortable. Arthur remained silent, allowing him to continue on his own. “He tried to stop me from escaping”, he finally revealed. “But he had orders not to kill me. He held back. I didn't” Now, he picked up the helmet. “I took it to remind me of what happened. And what I almost could have been”
To Arthur's questioning look, he sighed. “The Moggy is not exactly a name, not even a nickname. It's a rank”, he explained. “They call themselves the Alley Cats. The Tom, the Moggy... the Sphynx. Murderers, torturers, psychopaths for hire” He shivered visibly and it was discomforting for Arthur to see him in such a state. “The Moggy... he is always the strongest of them, but this strength is never quite natural. A Moggy is not born, he is made. Normal people, who are tortured physically and mentally, reconditioned into complete obedience and... altered”
This time, he took a bit longer to answer, enough for Arthur to tilt his head in a questioning way. “I don't know what they gave me”, he replied. “But I believe it was the beginning of what they did to the Moggy. My strength is not quite on the same level as his was, but it's not all mine either”
“And the Alley Cats did this to you”, Arthur concluded tonelessly, clenching his fists as he heard this confession. Ryler gave him a nod. “The Sphynx did”, he said. “Lupin” His mismatched eyes narrowed. “And his... lickspittle, Wolfius. He did the worst”
The two men stared at each other, as Arthur felt a wave of sympathy for the young man. “So that's why you wish to hunt him down”, he realized. A grim look formed on Ryler's face. “He left the Alley Cats shortly after Lupin did, for all I know. It's hard to say when they were always wearing those masks”, he explained. “But I know, this Sphynx is not Lupin. If he was, then your friend would have been dead the moment he saw her”
The thought alone was enough for Arthur to look away from Ryler's intense glare. It was the first time he heard the name, but from the way Ryler spoke, Lupin sounded like a man to be afraid of. Even Ryler was hesitant to talk about him, it was clear to see.
“Is the new Sphynx a threat?”, he asked and Ryler gave him a heavy nod. “All of them are threats”, he stated. “Don't ever make the mistake of trusting them” He sighed. “Now that they are here, things are guaranteed to get worse. I have to find Wolfius and then I have to leave”
Arthur gave him a nod. “Where would you go?”, he asked. This time, Ryler seemed unsure what to answer. “No idea”, he admitted. “My family is gone, slaughtered to the last. Lord Bloodboar made sure of that. The only other life I have known was in the Sphynx' dungeons” He shook his head. “I don't know where I'd go, but I'm sure I'll find something”
“And what about Lupin?”, Arthur asked. Ryler frowned at how loudly he spoke the name. “I won't go after Lupin”, he said. “As much as I hate him, I know better than to challenge him. I want vengeance, but that doesn't mean I'm suicidal. Wolfius has to suffice” He looked up all of a sudden, hearing something Arthur got only aware of a few seconds later. Footsteps on the stony street.
“Arthur?”, the familiar, yet heavily annoyed voice of Daemion Stratford sounded. Ryler narrowed his eyes. “Remember what I said”, he hissed. “Don't trust them, or those they work for... or with” Just as Daemion turned around the corner, Ryler turned to the other end of the street. He glanced over his shoulder one last time. “We will meet again”, he said, before he and his hound started to walk.
“Hells, Arthur, will you listen to me?”, Stratford growled and this time, Arthur moved his attention to the captain, his commanding officer after all. “Apologies, Ser”, he said. “This was important” Daemion shook his head. “Not as important as what I have to tell you”, he growled, before his expression softened, a sight that was as rare as it was concerning.
The moment Arthur spotted this expression on Daemion's face, he realized exactly what he had to say. His face dropped into a frown, as he tensed up. “Cap... Captain?”, he asked with a shivering voice, focussing fully onto the man. Everything turned grey as Daemion bit down onto his lower lip. “It's about your father”, he finally revealed. “I am sorry”
Two hollow-eyed guardsmen stood in front of the door, yet they had wordlessly opened it as Arthur approached. He barely looked at them, as he was nearly trembling in grief after what Daemion had just told him. Barely holding together, he approached the open doorframe, taking a deep breath before stepping into the room.
She was waiting for him as Daemion had promised. Both did. Perhaps as a gesture of respect, they had granted the corpse Hackor Nathamer a small room of his own. There he laid, almost peaceful in death. Someone had taken the time to wash the blood off him, to clad him into a fresh, green tunic and to fold his arms. It almost looked as if he was sleeping. Yet he wasn't.
Aditha looked up as Arthur entered the room. Her eyes were already reddened from crying, still tears running down her cheeks. Still, her gaze was clear, despite the wound she suffered, as evidenced by the bandage around her forehead. As she saw him, she gasped, as she jumped up from her position right next to their dead father. Rushing towards him, the two siblings fell into a close hug, as Aditha lowered her head onto his chest.
The two remained in that position, neither saying a word. Arthur merely stared at the corpse of his father, almost expecting the man to just open his eyes and stand up again. Hackor had been many things, a father, a commander. Most importantly, he had been the toughest man Arthur ever met. His death always seemed like something impossible, so much that even now, Arthur had problems accepting the reality of it.
From the look she gave him, Aditha had the same thought. “Where have you been?”, she gasped thinly and a wave of guilt flashed over Arthur, causing his knees to shake. “I... did my duty”, he said. “I did what father wanted” Aditha sighed, as she pulled away from him. With widely opened eyes, she stared at the corpse of Hackor, before she staggered backwards, sinking onto a chair. After a moment of hesitation, Arthur sat down next to her.
“I always thought I hated him, for leaving mother to die, for leaving me to die”, Aditha whispered with a tearful voice. “But that... that wasn't the full truth. I was lying, mostly to myself. And I thought he hated me, for all the things I did to hurt him” She looked at her brother. “He died to save me”
Arthur evaded her gaze, instead focussing on his father. In this moment he didn't know how to feel. There was guilt for not following Hackor, for leaving him alone in such a situation. Sure, it had been the commander's orders, but only this once, Arthur wished he would have ignored the order. There was grief for the father he lost. And anger, more than just a little bit, directed at a man who loved his children, but failed to ever show it, save for his final action. His death, it hurt more than any bit of neglect Arthur had to suffer for the past decade.
“He loved you”, he said softly and Aditha pressed her lips together, as a new wave of tears formed in her eyes, though she remained silent. Yes, their father had loved Aditha. He had given his life for her in the end. Arthur wasn't sure if this was enough do undo more than a decade of neglect. And he wasn't sure if this meant that the same applied to him. Or if Hackor died still disappointed in him.
Gently, Aditha placed her head on his shoulder, as he put a hand around her back. Her breaths were irregular, interrupted by gasps, as she remained by his side, both of them looking at their father. “He loved you as well”, she clarified. “He told me. And he... he wanted to tell me that he is proud of you” Their gazes met and Aditha gave him a weak, joyless smile, as tears formed in Arthur's eyes.
“He really did”, she promised. “It was the last thing he told me before I was knocked out” Arthur glanced down at his hands, before burying his head in his arms, to spare her the sight of seeing him crying, as grief finally won over guilt and anger.
A knock on the door caused Arthur to look up. Reluctantly, one of the guards entered the room. Arthur didn't know him, though judging by his youth, it had to be one of the newer recruits. He quickly looked to the ground as he spotted the Nathamer siblings, avoiding to look at either of them or at the corpse of his commanding officer. “Ser...”, he said.
“What?”, Arthur growled, surprised by how harsh his voice sounded. “If... if you have a moment. There is someone who wishes to speak to you. She said I should get her somebody from the city guard. She said it's urgent”
He looked up, his eyes lingering on the siblings for a moment, before he saluted, turning around and leaving the room, undoubtedly waiting for him in the hallway. Arthur sighed. This was the last thing he needed right now. He had lost his father. So did Aditha. His sister looked at him and though the voice of duty in his head urged him to go, she silently begged him to stay, for a little longer at least.
[Stay with Aditha] [Go with the guard]
Fucking Abbas, my hate for this slaver fucker just reached a whole new level. Fucking greedy asshole. He is wrong though, there is still someone else who cares for Harpy, and I seriously hope that someone will cut the throat of this bastard of a Ghiscari. Ugh, should've known something bad will happen to Harpy while being alone in the mansion
[Stay with Aditha] The reason I'm choosing this, is because Arthur has fucked up enough relationships already. Hackor's flaw was his neglection towards his family, Arthur should know not to make the same mistake. Whatever this urgent business is, I'm sure it can't wait for another moment, so Arthur can properly mourn his father and support his sister.
Anyway, this part certainly gave some interesting info on Ryler and the Alley Cats, so I'm glad we chose to speak with him. And damn, Lupin must really be something else if Ryler considers challenging him suicidal.
Oh yes, Abbas is really off the rails here. He has held back in the earlier chapters, but the presence of Janae is bringing out the absolute worst in him. Though it must be said, he has always been a greedy bastard and he had this thought for a while now, that bringing Harpy back to her old master, who is among the richest men in Yunkai, would give him a neat sum of coin, especially with his expedition to Westeros being overall a huge loss on the financial side. So, it's not only Janae's presence that is turning him from a more neutral character into a clear villain. That said, he is aware of Jaron's presence and I originally even thought of him to mention the fact that he's still out there, but I ultimately decided against it. He knows about Jaron and his relationship to Harpy, but he considers him so irrelevant as a threat that he's not even worth mentioning. Time will tell if this is a realistic view on the situation or if he's taking things too lightly.
This is something I can safely confirm. Ryler has spent years in the presence of Wolfius and Lupin back when they were Alley Cats. His opinion on the danger each of them poses is realistic. You have seen what Wolfius is capable of, yet Ryler still considers it perfectly possible that he can take him. Now imagine how much more dangerous Lupin must be if even Ryler is terrified of him. And, that I can say, he is rightfully terrified. Lupin gives even me the chills, even if it's still a long time until I will be able to introduce him properly
[Stay with Aditha] I doubt that the other woman is in a life or death situation so I believe that this is the right moment to let the siblings have five minutes alone
RT:
To be honest, it was originally planned for a little bit later. However, the problem with the Arthur part caused me to move it a bit forwards. The thing is, Arthur's PoV is only slightly longer than half of the post. With the post length-limit, I knew I had to pick a second PoV that could reasonably be told in under 9500 characters. Maybe Ilish's part could have fit, or Willfred's, but both of these might get longer than that, whereas I was sure that Janae would work in this length. And well, since the necessary prerequisite, Jaron and Samuel leaving the mansion, has already happened, I was pretty free with where to put this part.
Ah, glad to hear it
Indeed, it has been a really futile attempt, but it shows an important aspect about Janae. She might be a super cold and distant person most of the time, but she does have a genuine soft spot for Behara and if there's a way to help the girl, she's going to take it, even if it means choking the life out of a guy three times her size.
Aye, Bakr has been a bit more lax in the past, something that nearly got him killed here and likely would have killed him if Abbas wouldn't have been that cautious. Abbas is always cautious with his slaves, but Bakr has been too relaxed in the past and he is likely to get more strict from now on.
You are absolutely right! Razdal is more than just a major background character for Harpy and the Burned Man, he is someone I have actually put a lot of thought into. He will appear eventually and I hope he is going to be an interesting character.
Aye, that was a piece of information I feel I had to drop at one point, to avoid confusion later on. Ryler has met a Sphynx while he was their captive, not the Sphynx you know. Said Sphynx was later revealed to be Lupin Frostborn, who left the Alley Cats together with his companion Wolfius, whereas the man known as Rodrik donned the mask of the Sphynx instead. He also killed a Moggy, not the one you know and took his helmet, which is why the new Moggy has to wear an ordinary Ally Cat mask instead of that helmet.
Well, Lupin is certainly not a misunderstood good guy. The things that have been revealed about him have been seriously horrible and then there is his appearance in TheFurryOne's Lupin mini-series, which should give you a good idea of him. I can assure you however that he is not Wolfius 2.0, even if there are similarities about them. I'd say Lupin is more sane and far more dangerous.
Aye, it was something I found very hard to write exactly because of how sad it was. Originally, it was planned to go on for longer and depending on the choice, I might still get another chance to expand on it, but I ultimately found myself unable to write this part in such a length right now.
This is for sure. Hackor's death has torn even more of a hole into this family than his actions while he was alive ever did. Surely he has never been the father of the year and highly negelectful (and in fact, Aditha outright lied to her brother when she told him about his supposed final words to her), but he was still their father, both siblings loved him and even more importantly, he was the most important leader in the city after the death of Lord Raylan. His death will be felt heavily with his remaining family and even more with his city.
Ah, this is very likely. Right now, things are way too chaotic to have such a ceremony, but it can be guessed that the ones in charge have an interest in arranging such a thing once the situation has calmed down a bit more.
Bloody loved this part. So much emotion. Arthur got to learn about the Alley Cats, and now he is emotionally wrecked. I loved how glum everyone was. The solemn air of it all was very well done, though I do wish you had included Daemion telling Arthur about Hackor's death. Aditha was heartbroken as expected, and the fact that she straight you lied to Arthur about Hackor's last words makes it all the better. Poor Arthur got his hopes climbed up again by hearing that, hopefully Hackor left some sort of Commander's logbook where he held his opinion on the city guards, including Arthur, in his office somewhere. I can't wait to see the next thing to come along and dash his hopes again. As for the choice, I really wanted to choose to go with the guard. Not because I am curious to see who wants him, but I just want Arthur to burn more of his bridges. He already last Mathea's trust, and Daemion sounded upset with Arthur flaking on him. Hopefully Arthur turns into his father eventually, having such a difficult relationship with everyone he cared about. But in the end I do want to see more grief from Arthur and Aditha, so I say we should [Stay with Aditha].
As for Janae's part, I liked it. I knew ever since last chapter that Abbas was going to kidnap Harpy. I am curious as to if Jaron will save her before she is sent to Essos though. I don't think Harpy will escape, but Janae might. A little Jaron Janae team up action to save their friends in Essos. Would make for an interesting Essos storyline, but I wonder who would be the POV in that situation. Mention Essos, I can't wait to see what storylines are going to happen over there. There is definitely going to be more going on than just Jaron and Janae. Maybe we go to slaver bay, or the Dothraki sea. There is so much to explore there that you can't really make a good guess. There are going to be so many new places to explore in Book 2. The North, Essos, Dorne, maybe Storm's End when Argella is sent back. I am super excited to see what is in store.
[Stay with Aditha]
[Stay with Aditha]
[Stay with Aditha]
I'm not sure Wolfius is a really powerful warg, but does Ryler know that? If not then I'd say he's more dangerous than Lupin, but I have a feeling Lupin has some magical abilities. So maybe he's more dangerous than Wolfius.
It is not entirely sure if Ryler knows just how dangerous Wolfius is. He knows for sure that there is something plain wrong with him and being a fellow Northerner, he probably has some suspicions into the correct direction, but it can be seen as doubtful if he knows the full extent of Wolfius' warg powers. That said, while it is entirely possible that he is underestimating Wolfius, he is rightfully terrified of Lupin.
I have originally thought about including this and even tried to write the scene. Leaving it out caused the problems I had with this part, though I ultimately felt like cutting the scene at this point would be the better way. Now, I am not so sure anymore, but neither am I sure it was a mistake. I can understand that you wished to see this scene though and I feel a bit bad for not showing it. Depending on the choice, I'll at least get to show more of Arthur's and Aditha's reaction to Hackor's death though, so there's something, I hope.
You are probably the only reader who actually wants their characters to suffer as much as possible
But yeah, Aditha lied to him, even if she had good intentions. She also had the suspicion that with clear evidence that her father loved her more than he was able to show, the same might apply to Arthur. And if not, then she still considers it kinder to give him some closure than to keep him with the thought that he never got his father's respect. That said, Arthur is not entirely willing to believe her on this.
Well, that would be one way to win Hackor's respect, by becoming exactly like him. Though Hackor balanced this problem with being so damn good at his job that nobody dared to challenge him. All things considered, Arthur is far less capable as a guard, something Hackor realized, though he has other qualities, which might help him in the future.
Yeah, that one has been heavily hinted at in the Next Time segment, though the consequences of this will be huge and probably not entirely expected. Harpy's escape will be hard, with her being unconscious at the moment, though things might not be hopeless for Janae. And surely Jaron would be willing to team up with her. That said, I naturally cannot confirm anything. I can promise that there will be some PoV team-up's in Book 2, although it doesn't necessarily have to be a Jaron-Janae team. In such a constellation, it is likely I will decid on one primary PoV, with the other one being a supporting PoV for two or three parts each chapter. Both would share the screentime roughly equally and appear in each other's parts, but one of the PoV's will get more parts from their view.
Aye, I can confirm that there will be a large number of storylines happening in Essos, even if the main focus will remain on Westeros. A couple of big PoV's will have their storylines in Essos. Slaver's Bay is all but confirmed and I have indeed early ideas of showing the Dothraki Sea. The Free Cities are a given as well, at least two of them. And yeah, the North, some places in Essos, Dorne and also Storm's End will have a lot of spotlight in Book 2
[Stay with Aditha]
[Stay with Aditha]
I wonder who could be at the door, perhaps one of the Stormlanders?
[Stay with Aditha] Seems like the best choice.
Hey Liquid, I just wanted to know, how does everyone know how to read? It seems that nearly everyone we've come across in FoT can read, including Jenna, I mean she is really nothing more than a peasant there really should be no way she can read. Especially since the main series has a large number of characters who cannot read (and that's 300 years after this). If I recall Davos can just barely read and I'm not sure if Jenna can write letters but still she seems to be better than Davos when it comes to reading, I'd actually say most characters in FoT read better than him.
Sorry about that huge rant it's just something I've been wondering about.
It is true, the setting in FoT is probably somewhat more literate than Westeros should be in some places. That said, at least with quite a number of PoV's, there's actually an explanation as to why they can read. With Jenna, it has, as far as I know, been explained in an earlier part way back that her mother had come from a more wealthy family and that she was able to read, teaching this skill to her children and likely to Richard as well. Other characters either come from a highborn background or are in a position were being able to read is important, such as Maya and her group, who were hand-picked by Lord Royce, or John, who should be able to read so that he can read contracts he is involved in. Others have spent a lot of time in the company of a character that was able to read and it is likely they were taught the basics, such as Sadie who travelled with Dan for years. That said, by far not everyone you met in the story was able to read. It's just that their lack of such a skill is not exactly brought up. A majority of the farmers for example, or Lyria, or Temari or Lunett, none of these characters have ever been in a situation were their lack of reading skills would be important. Actually, I think the only time a lack of reading skills has been brought up was in Chapter 4, when Mullendore pretended to be illiterate to get Lucas to underestimate him.
[Go with the guard]
[Go with the guard] It's either Maya or Sherryl. Either way, it's important. Aditha can cry on her own some more. This is what Hackor would have wanted.
As for Abbas, man he's pissed. Don't worry my friend, I shall defend you. He'll have some way to redeem himself. You'll all see.
Redemption for Abbas? This is... an interesting thought. He is at the very least not a one-dimensional bad guy, that much I can promise, and there will be elements about him and scenes involving him in which he might, depending on your opinion on him, very well appear sympathetic even. A fullblown redemption is something that would require some willingness from his part though and at least at this point, he is too angry to even consider such a thing.
[Go with the guard] As much as it sucks to just leave, Arthur should go. It could be important. I'm really reluctant to pick this as WildlingKing brought up a real good point about Hackor neglecting his family.
Pheew.. It's been a while, I hope I won't fall behind so much again.
Anyways, awesome new parts. Pretty damn intense. For the choice, [Go with the guard] Sure, he might not think straight when he is talking to this woman, but he could mourn later. Let's think like Sadie a couple of parts back. 'Mourn later'. (At least I think she did, during her dream sequence).
I'm fine with the other one winning though.
Ah, welcome back! I am very glad you found the time to catch up again