Sadie
Sadie avoided to look Wylie in the eyes as she gave him a nod. “Okay”, she replied thinly. “Okay, you have a point. I'll go and mee… moret Leo then” The old man smiled at this, as he took a step away from her. “Then get up”, he said. “You've been in this bed for too long”
With a sigh, Sadie moved her feet over the cold ground. She shivered as she put some weight onto them. Though her legs were shaky, she felt suddenly more awake than before. And more than ever was she aware of her situation, as she consciously had to keep the remnant of her right arm from assisting her with standing up, the muscles trying to assist her out of two decades of instinct.
“Don't get up too quickly”, Wylie advised her. “Do it at your own speed. You've been lying in this bed for two days straight, so you might feel dizzy when moving too fast, on top of the considerable amount of blood you have lost”
Sadie frowned at his words. “Wonderful”, she sighed, th… [view original content]
Sadie
Sadie avoided to look Wylie in the eyes as she gave him a nod. “Okay”, she replied thinly. “Okay, you have a point. I'll go and mee… moret Leo then” The old man smiled at this, as he took a step away from her. “Then get up”, he said. “You've been in this bed for too long”
With a sigh, Sadie moved her feet over the cold ground. She shivered as she put some weight onto them. Though her legs were shaky, she felt suddenly more awake than before. And more than ever was she aware of her situation, as she consciously had to keep the remnant of her right arm from assisting her with standing up, the muscles trying to assist her out of two decades of instinct.
“Don't get up too quickly”, Wylie advised her. “Do it at your own speed. You've been lying in this bed for two days straight, so you might feel dizzy when moving too fast, on top of the considerable amount of blood you have lost”
Sadie frowned at his words. “Wonderful”, she sighed, th… [view original content]
Sadie
Sadie avoided to look Wylie in the eyes as she gave him a nod. “Okay”, she replied thinly. “Okay, you have a point. I'll go and mee… moret Leo then” The old man smiled at this, as he took a step away from her. “Then get up”, he said. “You've been in this bed for too long”
With a sigh, Sadie moved her feet over the cold ground. She shivered as she put some weight onto them. Though her legs were shaky, she felt suddenly more awake than before. And more than ever was she aware of her situation, as she consciously had to keep the remnant of her right arm from assisting her with standing up, the muscles trying to assist her out of two decades of instinct.
“Don't get up too quickly”, Wylie advised her. “Do it at your own speed. You've been lying in this bed for two days straight, so you might feel dizzy when moving too fast, on top of the considerable amount of blood you have lost”
Sadie frowned at his words. “Wonderful”, she sighed, th… [view original content]
Sadie
Sadie avoided to look Wylie in the eyes as she gave him a nod. “Okay”, she replied thinly. “Okay, you have a point. I'll go and mee… moret Leo then” The old man smiled at this, as he took a step away from her. “Then get up”, he said. “You've been in this bed for too long”
With a sigh, Sadie moved her feet over the cold ground. She shivered as she put some weight onto them. Though her legs were shaky, she felt suddenly more awake than before. And more than ever was she aware of her situation, as she consciously had to keep the remnant of her right arm from assisting her with standing up, the muscles trying to assist her out of two decades of instinct.
“Don't get up too quickly”, Wylie advised her. “Do it at your own speed. You've been lying in this bed for two days straight, so you might feel dizzy when moving too fast, on top of the considerable amount of blood you have lost”
Sadie frowned at his words. “Wonderful”, she sighed, th… [view original content]
I feel like this is a choice to impress. I think Two-Face will be impressed by her punching him.
Hm, an interesting idea. Indeed, if Sadie actually succeeds at punching him, Two-Face might be impressed. At the same time, this choice merely means that she will try to punch him. Wether or not she actually succeeds is another question entirely
Speaking about Walder Waters, it's nice to see him return after Two(-face) years outside the story. It's nice to see that he has other sides to show.
Yeah, I was really excited that I am finally able to show him again! He is a character with a lot of depth, so I am vety much looking forward for the things to come for him.
Blane might have his timing a bit of, but Sadie was really being a bitch there. It is understandable though, but I did feel really bad for Blane.
Well, I can confirm that Blane indeed meant no harm. He seems to like Sadie, yet at the same time, he made his move at the worst time possible. Sadie is understandably in a very bad mood right now, so he probably should have given her a bit of time before making his move. But as I said, he meant well and Sadie probably even knows this.
[Punch Two-Face] I feel like this is a choice to impress. I think Two-Face will be impressed by her punching him.
Speaking about Walder W… moreaters, it's nice to see him return after Two(-face) years outside the story. It's nice to see that he has other sides to show.
Blane might have his timing a bit of, but Sadie was really being a bitch there. It is understandable though, but I did feel really bad for Blane.
Well, I kind of expected this. After all, punching Two-Face would be a very rash choice, something Sadie would do in the heat of the moment and something that could have potentially backfired really badly when it comes to how Two-Face sees her and how Leo thinks of her. At the same time, it remains to be seen if this was truly the better option. There might be positives and negatives coming out of it. One thing is for sure, there will be another part for Sadie and it might be the most important for her in the entirety of Book 1. I hope you are going to like it, because I certainly will
The next part will be out today! I wanted to put it out yesterday, but well, I have been away for the utmost majority of the weekend and just got home. I was visiting my mother at the hospital, which is a 2-hours drive, so nothing I can do every single day. She remains in an artificial coma and some things are still unclear, but her vitals have improved massively, her pneumonia is under control and she remains stable, so I am more hopeful than ever before that she will survive this. The next week might give better answers on that end. Anyways, the next part is going to be out today. I have written a Maya part, the final one for her in Book 1 and I plan on writing an Edrick part, the penultimate part for him.
The last time we have seen Maya was shortly after the raid. Having sprained her ankle during the fighting, she was confined to a bed, with Nurse Gregar to take care of her. They got unexpected company when Keat returned. He told them that he will leave Raylansfair soon, but that he wishes to collect his payment first. Though the theft failed and Maya is left without the documents, Keat explained that he sees this as primarily the fault of Irving and as a result, as Maya's fault and that he had no role in losing the documents. Maya begrudgingly agreed with him and decided to pay him the full sum even despite having nothing in return.
Meanwhile, Edrick and his group arrived at a bridge, guarded by a mysterious knight in full armour, a relatively young man judging by his voice, who blocked the bridge due to a dispute with a traveller. The knight introduced himself as Ser Reymond Mormont, whereas the traveller is another Northerner by the name of Jorid. After Jorid insulted Reymond's honour, the angry knight demanded a duel on the bridge, something Jorid refused. Since it is one of the few ways across the river that would not require getting past an Ironborn guard, it was clear for Edrick and his companions that they had to cross. However, there was a disagreement between Alphyn and Dante on how to proceed. Whereas Alphyn wanted to fight in Jorid's stead, to make sure that Reymond would let them pass after losing, Dante wanted to avoid a dangerous and in his opinion unnecessary duel by further negotiating with the knight. Edrick decided in Alphyn's favour and allowed him to duel Reymond, which is where the next part will continue. I plan to finish this before heading to bed today, which might still be a while. But well, it will be ready today, I hope you enjoy it
Well I got here too late for the voting but I wanted to share my thoughts. I love Sadie and I feel really bad for her (though she'd probably resent that) but I'm so proud of her, she's a real trooper and I'm confident that she can overcome this. Hopefully she'll overcome her anger as well. Blane really didn't deserve that.
Sadie
Sadie avoided to look Wylie in the eyes as she gave him a nod. “Okay”, she replied thinly. “Okay, you have a point. I'll go and mee… moret Leo then” The old man smiled at this, as he took a step away from her. “Then get up”, he said. “You've been in this bed for too long”
With a sigh, Sadie moved her feet over the cold ground. She shivered as she put some weight onto them. Though her legs were shaky, she felt suddenly more awake than before. And more than ever was she aware of her situation, as she consciously had to keep the remnant of her right arm from assisting her with standing up, the muscles trying to assist her out of two decades of instinct.
“Don't get up too quickly”, Wylie advised her. “Do it at your own speed. You've been lying in this bed for two days straight, so you might feel dizzy when moving too fast, on top of the considerable amount of blood you have lost”
Sadie frowned at his words. “Wonderful”, she sighed, th… [view original content]
Ah, no problem, the voting was leaning heavily in favour of the winning option after all, so that was a clear decision here. I am glad you enjoyed this part though! Indeed Sadie is a fighter and the last choice gave her back some of her spirit in a very crucial moment. If you make the right decisions in the future, she might indeed be able to recover, that is certainly not impossible. That said, it will be a long and hard process. We're not talking about the next two or three choices, but several chapters at least. And yeah, maybe in time she will see that she might have been a bit too harsh on Blane there, given that he meant no harm. Right now, she is way too emotional and angry to see things in a different light and, to be fair, his timing could use some improvement, but he certainly learned something from this and maybe she will too
Well I got here too late for the voting but I wanted to share my thoughts. I love Sadie and I feel really bad for her (though she'd probably… more resent that) but I'm so proud of her, she's a real trooper and I'm confident that she can overcome this. Hopefully she'll overcome her anger as well. Blane really didn't deserve that.
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire month from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enough. If that would be my coin, I'd think twice about paying you, but I guess I can afford this, given the circumstances”
A sly smirk flashed across Keat's face, as Gregar wordlessly gave him a purse filled with silver coins. Though he was silent, Maya felt her companion's approval. Irving meanwhile, he had a visible frown on his face and she knew how he felt about this. At the same time, his opinion wasn't exactly important to her at this point. He was lucky that it was heard at all.
“Well, you know...”, the thief said. “This beautiful concept you mentioned... “ He reached into his coat, to store the purse he was just given and as he pulled his hand back, he held a scroll in it. “It just so happens that I believe in it quite firmly”
With a curious glance, Maya looked over the scroll. A gasp came out of her throat as she recognized it. This was one of the scrolls she had read down in the archive. Her baffled glance caused Keat to laugh brightly. He knelt down to open his backpack, revealing scrolls, undoubtedly the ones they had stolen from the archive.
“Don't give me that look, Lady Ambassador!”, the thief said, still grinning widely. “I am a good thief, a bloody good one. Getting these back, it was a piece of cake, especially with the current situation of the city. I mean, you haven't thought I'd just ask for payment without having anything to back it up, right?”
He walked towards her bed and placed the backpack next to it, carefully, while slowly, a baffled grin formed on Maya's face. “You had them this entire time?”, she asked. “Why... why would you hide this from us?”
Keat shrugged. “Partially because I enjoy that look on your fair face”, he answered. “Though mostly because I wasn't sure you'd keep your end of the deal. If you hadn't, I would have sold this to someone else. Bunch of old documents, I'm sure the Citadel would have paid handsomely, maybe even better. But a deal's a deal”
Still in disbelief, Maya shook her head, her grin widening into a full, genuine smile. “This is...”, she stuttered. “Thank you, Keat” The thief gave her a nod. “Hey, you've been the one paying me, the full sum even”, he said. “I figure that much honour must be rewarded. Just keep this in mind. Sometimes it's a good thing to stick to your word”
He rose from the ground and got an approving nod from Gregar, followed by a heavy, almost affectionate pat onto the back. “You damn thief”, her companion said in a jovial tone. “You goddamn sly bastard you... That was brilliant!”
Keat smiled as he walked past him, not giving Irving even a small look. “Always a pleasure making business with you”, he said, as he walked through the open door. “Take care, my friends. I doubt we'll see each other again, but I wish you save travels”
“Same here”, Gregar assured him. “Though where are you heading to?” Keat shrugged. “I'll keep a low profile for a couple of weeks”, he said. “Have some unfinished business here, before I'll slowly make my way south. I got family in Oldtown, my siblings, and they will be fed well, thanks to you”
With these words, he turned around and left, out of Maya's sight and out of her life, though he left a gift that still made her speechless. With a wide, uncharacteristically joyful grin, Gregar turned towards her. Finally, relieved laughter came out of his throat, as he rushed towards her. She spread her arms and he pulled her into a tight hug, nearly lifting her up from the bed.
Though her ankle caused pain to flare through her body, Maya let it happen. Even more so, she joined in on his relieved laughter. Their mission had succeeded at last and against all odds. If Lord Royce was right, then the Vale would be safe now.
Still giggling like a much younger man, Gregar let go of her, as he knelt down to inspect the bag. “Gods...”, he gasped. “It's all there. That crazy bastard has saved us all!” He raised one of the ancient scrolls, staring at it with joy. “Told you he's good”, he mumbled. “I told you he's good”
Maya's glance fell upon Irving, who was standing in the doorframe and frowning. Slowly, her smile faded, until Gregar's glance fell upon the other man. “What?”, he growled. “You're not happy about this?”
Irving shook his head, as he sighed and all of a sudden, he seemed a lot sadder than usual. This caused Maya to raise an eyebrow, urging him to speak up. “I... this is not what I mean”, he said and Gregar narrowed his eyes. “Then what is it?”, he asked. “A little faster, we got something to celebrate. Can do better than to listen to your shit”
For a second, a bit of defiance appeared in Irving's eyes, though it faded quickly and now, Maya realized that something was bothering him. “I was wrong”, he admitted. “About Keat, I mean. And I am sorry for screwing up”
Gregar grinned coldly. “Oh, you're sorry”, he asked, before his grin faded, though the angry look in his eyes didn't. “You screwed up... Your tiny little screw-up almost got me killed and it almost got Keat killed, the same guy who just single-handedly finished a mission we couldn't do as a trio, not with you around to drag us down! Ever since you joined this mission, all you did has been screwing up”
To this, Irving clenched his fists. “I saved Maya's life”, he said, facing the ground instead of either of them. “Twice!” Gregar shrugged. “And how many times have you been the one that put her into danger in the first place?”, he asked.
Irving gulped and visibly tensed up. His lips started to move, though it took him another moment to speak. “Once”, he admitted meekly. “Or... twice?” He gave Maya a truly sorrowful look and opened his mouth to speak again, though Gregar cut him off. “Twice”, he roared. “And that's a damn positive way of seeing it. You've been nothing but a hazard to our group, to our mission and the entire fucking Kingdom of Mountain and Vale!”
“I KNOW!”, Irving snapped at him, without any warning, the sudden ferocity taking even Gregar aback. “I know I fucked up! I am not as strong as either or you, or as smart, I cannot speak as well as you do, I cannot fight as well as you do. I'm not all useless with a bow, I guess, but I haven't pulled my weight as much as I should have...”
By now, Gregar had enough time to pull himself together. Though not all that tall, he still managed to tower over Irving with his sheer presence, as he clenched his fists. “So, what's this going to be?”, he asked, clearly unimpressed. “Another bit of your whining?”
Furiously, Irving shook his head. “No”, he clarified with dedication. “I know I fucked up and... and that is not what I want” He looked at Maya, who gave him a curious look. “Then what do you want, Irving?”, she asked.
He took a deep breath. “I want to ask for your forgiveness”, he spoke up. Gregar started to chuckle in disbelief. “For what?”, he asked. “Be glad you're still around, but don't push your luck. If I'd be in charge, I wouldn't have allowed you to stay just for coming back”
Irving narrowed his eyes. “For you, I wouldn't have come back”, he clarified, before he looked at Maya. “I know what I did. I can only ask for your forgiveness. Will you still have me by your side?” Maya bit down onto her lip, as she looked at this truly regretful man in front of her. “You are still here, are you not?”, she asked.
“I am”, Irving agreed. “But this is not the same, isn't it? I want... I must ask for your forgiveness. Grant it to me and I promise, I will be a better man from now on. I have flaws, so many of them, but I... I think I can overcome them. All I need to know is, if you are willing to forgive me”
Gregar rolled his eyes. “Are you serious right there?”, he asked with a look full of contempt. “You have the nerve to ask for her forgiveness? After how badly you screwed up, you can be luck she hasn't killed you!”
Now, Irving gulped and Maya could swear she saw tears in the corners of his eyes. “I know what I did”, he sighed. “And I want to change. I want to be a better man from now on, but I don't know if I can do this all on my own” He shook his head. “No... that's not true. I know I cannot do that on my own” He looked at Maya. “Please, forgive me. I swear, I will change. I will become a better man, someone you can be proud of. I will pull my weight, if you only grant me this last chance”
Gregar subtly shook his head. “Bloody pathetic”, he growled and Irving glared at him, though this time, he did not react to the provocation. Instead, he quickly looked back at Maya, genuine fear and regret in his eyes. “Please...”, he mumbled.
[Forgive Irving][Tell him he has to earn it first][Don't forgive Irving]
Edrick
It only took him a moment to consider. Reymond wanted a fight? Well, he would bloody well get one! He gave Alphyn a single nod and the knight grinned widely. “Do it then”, he said, to which Alphyn saluted mockingly. “Will do, Ser”, he confirmed.
Dante narrowed this eyes. “This is a mistake”, he stated grimly, though he protested a lot less than Edrick had feared. “We should have tried to defuse this instead of letting it escalate” Edrick glanced at him. “You accept my decision?”, he asked and Dante nodded. “I do”, he confirmed. “I think you earned that much trust and more, with the way you've been leading us so far” His usually mild gaze turned sharp as iron for a second. “But I'll have to wait how this will end. Maybe we will have a talk later”
“Mormont!”, Alphyn proclaimed. “I am going to fight you, if that's okay. My name is Alphyn Frostborn and I'll stand for Jorid's honour here. Once I have beaten you, will you make way?” Without hesitating, the other knight nodded. “If you beat me”, he clarified.
“Take a shield at least!”, Dante yelled and Alphyn shook his head. “I'm faster without it!”, he replied. “Can wield my sword with one or two hands. Big advantage over some clunky piece of metal” The other knight tilted his helmed head. Wordlessly, he moved his right hand to his shield, apparently in the attempt to remove it.
“Don't you dare!”, Alphyn yelled. “I want a challenge and you, boy, won't pose one otherwise” He grinned. “Keep the shield. I insist” Reymond stopped trying to remove the heavy shield from his forearm, as he nodded silently. “We fight to the second blood”, he replied. “No deliberately lethal wounds, but no holding back either. You don't play nice, but neither do I, Ser”
Dante clenched his fists. “This won't end well”, he said and this time, Edrick felt something of the nervousness that was rising inside the younger knight. He wasn't even entirely disagreeing. But this was still the only chance he saw. A stubborn knight couldn't be reasoned with. Sooner or later, this fight would have happened.
Jorid meanwhile sighed in relief. “Thank you, Sers”, he stated and his tone sounded genuine. “I might have been a bit too harsh on that boy, but his reaction is way out of line. Usually, I'd fight myself, but I cannot risk my life for nothing, not when I'm so close to my destination”
“You're welcome”, Edrick mumbled. “We're having the same goal after all. Getting over that bridge and past this stubborn knight” Curiosity finally got the better of him, as he looked at Dante. “You ever heard of Reymond Mormont?”, he asked. “It's a big name”
Dante shook his head. “Can't say I have. I know House Mormont is not a big one. Lord Worland got a couple of children, but I cannot tell you their names”, he replied. “My sister would know for sure” Edrick flashed him a dry grin. “I start to believe we should have taken her instead of you. Or maybe instead of Darreth”
To this, Dante raised an eyebrow, though he couldn't suppress a smirk. “I'm sure Malina would have her fun here. But don't let Darren hear this” From behind them, the squire quickly spoke up. “You know I can hear you!”, he proclaimed loudly and just for a second, Dante seemed more light-hearted than usual, though this moment of brief joy faded as both men put their attention back onto the bridge.
Edrick watched on, as Alphyn drew his sword and approached Reymond. “So be it then, boy!”, he proclaimed loudly, as he pointed the tip right at him. “You feel like getting the beating of a lifetime?” Unimpressed, the knight shrugged, the full helmet concealing any facial expression. “I don't know”, he replied. “Do you?”
Alphyn began to chuckle, though it quickly turned into a laughter. “Our mystery knight got a sense of humour” He spread his arms and Edrick found himself tensing up. This fool wasn't taking the fight seriously. No matter if Reymond truly posed a threat, this wasn't a healthy attitude. “Come on”, Alphyn said in a mocking tone. “First hit's free”
Reymond hesitated not a second. With a high-pitched battlecry, he attacked. His blade came in a high arch, down onto Alphyn, who took until the last possible second to move his own blade into the way. Using his free hand to support the tip of his sword, he pushed his weight against Reymond's attack, bringing it to a stop just inches above his head.
“Good one!”, he complimented him, still in a mocking, carefree tone. Then, he started his counterattack. Impressed, Edrick raised an eyebrow, as Alphyn started to cover Reymond with a rain of strikes, his blade becoming a blur as he attacked, left, right, left again, the steel clashing against Reymond's sword and shield, as the younger knight was taken aback for a moment, forced to retreat several steps.
Just as quickly as he gained the upper end, Alphyn gave it up again, by pausing for a second. “Come on!”, he yelled. “Is that all?” Reymond quickly proved that this was far from all. The young knight charged at him and his counterattack was slower than Alphyn's, but visibly stronger. He took this duel seriously and he put all he had into his strikes.
With a groan, Alphyn managed to deflect the strike, though the blunt side of the sword scratched across his chin, causing him to stagger backwards. Reymond paused for a moment, allowing his challenger to move a hand to his face. There was no blood on it as he pulled back. “Fine...”, Alphyn mumbled. And then he attacked.
There was a difference in skill. Judging by his voice, Reymond was a good decade younger than Alphyn and in moments like this, it showed. Whenever the heir to House Frostborn actually took this duel seriously, he had the upper hand and quite clearly so. His attack was aimed at Reymond's well-defended legs and it was the heavy armour that made it hard for the younger knight to quickly parry. His shields slammed down, though only took away a part of the blow, as most of it crashed against the steel that protected the knee.
The force was enough to cause Reymond to stagger. Using this opportunity, Alphyn attacked the knight's chest and his blow went above the shield, fully hitting the steel of the chestplate and further destabilizing the knight. His lighter armour came to his advantage now, as he jumped to Reymond's right side, forcing him to defend himself with his sword alone.
For as much as he had taken in for a couple of seconds, Edrick had to admit that Reymon recovered quickly. The boy growled in anger, as he raised his sword, pushing Alphyn's blade upwards. It scratched across the top of the helmet, but left him defenceless for a second.
This time, Reymond used his shield as a weapon. He slammed it into Alphyn's stomach, heavy enough to nearly cause his opponent to drop the weapon. A second strike, aimed at the head this time, was parried, though not without heavily pushing the other knight to the side.
For a second, Edrick was able to see Alphyn's expression. There was surprise on the knight's face, followed by anger, as he attacked again. His high strike was parried by Reymond, who locked the sword between his and the shield. Quickly, Alphyn raised his boot to kick his opponent, though the heavy armour prevented this attack from achieving much.
As he pulled his sword back, he wasted no time to attack again. Reymond's sword cut down, hitting the top of the blade and pushing it down onto the stony railing of the bridge. He held it there for a second, as Alphyn was powerless to pull it out. Then, he took a quick attack at his opponent's head. The moment he let go of the sword however, Alphyn was able to jump back and the strike cut only through thin air. On top of that, he merely used the blunt side of the sword, Edrick could see this clearly.
By now, Alphyn looked at his opponent in bewilderment. “You are a bloody prodigy, boy”, he snarled, certainly not unimpressed. Reymond did not reply. Instead, he attacked again. His sword did a relatively weak strike and Alphyn easily parried. The shield however hit him straight in the face, causing him to spin around.
What would have knocked down most other combatants, probably even Edrick himself as he had to admit, was turned into a chance by Alphyn. Using the force of the blow, he spun around and gave Reymond a heavy strike against the helmet, displacing it heavily, before he himself sunk against the railing of the bridge, using it to remain at least standing. He spat blood onto the ground and grinned, as he saw Reymond struggling with his helmet, which had moved, so that he wasn't able to see anything.
As the knight was forced to move both hands to the helmet to loosen it somewhat, Alphyn attacked again, despite the heavy hit he just suffered. This time, he got Reymond in a weak moment and with the helmet just loosened, he was unable to fully parry the attack. His sword merely deflected Alphyn's, turning it into a second strike against the head. This time, the helmet was sent flying over the edge of the railing and into the river below.
For a second, Alphyn paused, as Dante took a deep breath. And then, Edrick saw it. Reymond wasn't as young as he had thought, probably not all that much younger than him or Alphyn. He saw short, black hair, cut in a truly unflattering way and cold, dark blue eyes. But most importantly, there was an essential detail, which explained a lot about this mysterious knight. Reymond was no man. The face beneath the helmet was that of a woman. Not a very feminine one, dirty and tired, but unmistakably and not even all that ugly.
Alphyn raised an eyebrow, while the woman glared at him. “Mormont...”, he muttered. “That's a joke, isn't it? Ser Reymond Mormont... it seems you're neither” He grinned and his teeth were still stained red from the hit he took, while the woman remained silent, her glare getting stronger. “I've been fighting a woman this whole damn time”
“A woman has nearly kicked your ass!”, Edrick yelled and momentarily, she turned her glare to him, before returning her attention to the knight, the only one in this fight. “Yeah”, Alphyn admitted. “But not anymore. I won't hold back now. Got no problems with beating a little girl” Under the woman's glare, he glanced at Edrick. “That okay for you?”
[Tell Alphyn to take it easy][Tell him to go all out]
[Forgive Irving]
Well, we already started being honorable by giving Keat the money. I see no reason to stop now, even if he is incompetent. Besides, Irving is starting to grow on me.
[Tell him to go all out]
She can definitely take it, judging by how the battle went so far. Taking it easy may actually result in her winning, and her being angry at Edrick, both things I feel we won't want.
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
[Forgive Irving] I love Irving so I can't not pick this. I really hope he gets it together now.
I still ship it...
[Tell him to go all out] He gets his ass kicked whenever he screws around so he'd best take it seriously from here. Hopefully he doesn't kill her though.
EDIT: All this talk of Malina really makes me wish she'd just magically appear XD
Don't get me wrong though, I love these references.
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
[Tell him he has to earn it first] This is the best choice to make Irving a better man because making him understand that he will have to earn people trust is the only way to be sure that he won't fucked up everything (again) and maybe even accomplished to earn Maya and Gregar trust. [Tell him to go all out] It's true that fight a woman is not something that a knight should do but I believe that the other choice will just make Alphyn lose the concentration,the duel and my respect
RT:
Well,it seems that pay the thief was a good choice after all!Mission accomplished for the Vale team!
I'm interested to read Maya storyline for the next book since I suppose that she will now probably comeback to her kingdom (where she will probably have more space for her own storyline)
I suppose that,even if he wasn't in this part,Ser Aldrik will have overcome the grief for his wolf death and will be follow Maya team in the next book (expecially because he work for House Royce)
OH MY GOD!A fight scene in the Edrick PoV!Jokes aside I'm really enjoying this duel!
I'm the only one that half expect the fact that the misterious knight was a woman?Btw I'm not complaining since I'm curious how that will affect Edrick quest (and I'm already,without any reason,shipping AlphynXReymond)
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
Well,it seems that pay the thief was a good choice after all!Mission accomplished for the Vale team!
Indeed it was a good choice! This was a bit of a test from Keat, to see if he can truly trust Maya and to make sure that she won't just cheat him out of his payment once he has delivered the goods. If she would have given him half, he would have only given her half of the documents and so on. At least this time, the seemingly more selfless choice of giving away some coin has actually led to a better outcome.
I'm interested to read Maya storyline for the next book since I suppose that she will now probably comeback to her kingdom (where she will probably have more space for her own storyline)
Maya will have a nice storyline in Book 2 for sure! Actually, that much I can say, the journey back will be a bit of an adventure already, one that will coincidentally feature some of your characters as well But yeah, she will have a lot more room to receive development, without being dependant on other characters, which should make it easier for me to give her a steady amount of parts each chapter.
I suppose that,even if he wasn't in this part,Ser Aldrik will have overcome the grief for his wolf death and will be follow Maya team in the next book (expecially because he work for House Royce)
Aye, Aldrik will continue to be a part of Team Maya in Book 2. He is currently burying his wolf outside of the city, so he had no role in Maya's storyline in this chapter, but he will accompany her back to the Vale. However, overcoming this grief won't be something that is done all that quickly and the next time we see him, he might still be reasonably affected by this loss.
OH MY GOD!A fight scene in the Edrick PoV!Jokes aside I'm really enjoying this duel!
Aye, this was the first real action scene in an Edrick part. Safe to say, it was only a small hint at what's to come, as Edrick will have some very action-packed parts in the future. He needed more build-up than other storylines, but I think his Book 2 storyline should be very enjoyable and hopefully thrilling.
I'm the only one that half expect the fact that the misterious knight was a woman?Btw I'm not complaining since I'm curious how that will affect Edrick quest (and I'm already,without any reason,shipping AlphynXReymond)
Well, I did try to leave some hints and while I haven't spelled anything out all that clearly, I was sure that some would at least have a fleeting suspicion into this direction. Our mystery knight is a very interesting character, whom I hope to develop a bit better in the next part already. She's also a character whom I have planned to introduce a lot earlier. If you look at where the other Mormont's are in the waiting list, you can probably already guess how long it took me to introduce her
[Tell him he has to earn it first] This is the best choice to make Irving a better man because making him understand that he will have to ea… morern people trust is the only way to be sure that he won't fucked up everything (again) and maybe even accomplished to earn Maya and Gregar trust.
[Tell him to go all out] It's true that fight a woman is not something that a knight should do but I believe that the other choice will just make Alphyn lose the concentration,the duel and my respect
RT:
* Well,it seems that pay the thief was a good choice after all!Mission accomplished for the Vale team!
* I'm interested to read Maya storyline for the next book since I suppose that she will now probably comeback to her kingdom (where she will probably have more space for her own storyline)
* I suppose that,even if he wasn't in this part,Ser Aldrik will have overcome the grief for his wolf death and will be follow Maya team in the next book (expeciall… [view original content]
EDIT: All this talk of Malina really makes me wish she'd just magically appear XD
Don't get me wrong though, I love these references.
A wild Malina appears Ah, I know the wait for her is long, but be assured that she will be in the story very early in Book 2. And considering that this chapter is almost over... well, that means you won't have to wait all that long for her anymore. Until then, I hope that she will be a character that the readers are at least somewhat familiar with, through this talk in Edrick's parts
[Forgive Irving] I love Irving so I can't not pick this. I really hope he gets it together now.
I still ship it...
[Tell him to go all… more out] He gets his ass kicked whenever he screws around so he'd best take it seriously from here. Hopefully he doesn't kill her though.
EDIT: All this talk of Malina really makes me wish she'd just magically appear XD
Don't get me wrong though, I love these references.
[Tell him he has to earn it first] We already know giving Irving some sort of goal is a good thing. Plus, he still has a lot of making up to do for all the shit he brought upon Maya. I'm glad Keat actually did his job. What a little shit, and while I understand his reasons think is just bad business. But he is a thief so his reasoning is pretty sound. In the end he did his job so at least we know he is a trustworthy little shit.
[Tell Alphyn to take it easy] This way Alphyn will get his ass kicked by a girl, making him rethink his careless demeanor in combat, and maybe in life. Losing would be a good lesson for him, not just for this trip but also for being the future Lord Frostborn.
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
I'm glad Keat actually did his job. What a little shit, and while I understand his reasons think is just bad business. But he is a thief so his reasoning is pretty sound. In the end he did his job so at least we know he is a trustworthy little shit.
Well, Keat was indeed a bit smug about all of this. But he had the upper hand here and made sure that he keeps it in his deal with Maya. After all, he hasn't exactly the most reason to trust her with keeping her word, so this was the best course of action for him. It was at last damn nice of him to stick to his end of the deal even after getting the coin
This way Alphyn will get his ass kicked by a girl, making him rethink his careless demeanor in combat, and maybe in life. Losing would be a good lesson for him, not just for this trip but also for being the future Lord Frostborn.
Hm, surely losing here would be quite a heavy blow for Alphyn's ego an that might not be a bad thing. As seen here, he doesn't take this fight quite seriously, mostly because whenever he actually does, he is clearly the better fighter. He knows he can win and this overconfidence might be a problem in fights to the death. Then again, this fight is already pretty harsh, so losing could lead to serious injuries, that should be noted.
[Tell him he has to earn it first] We already know giving Irving some sort of goal is a good thing. Plus, he still has a lot of making up to… more do for all the shit he brought upon Maya. I'm glad Keat actually did his job. What a little shit, and while I understand his reasons think is just bad business. But he is a thief so his reasoning is pretty sound. In the end he did his job so at least we know he is a trustworthy little shit.
[Tell Alphyn to take it easy] This way Alphyn will get his ass kicked by a girl, making him rethink his careless demeanor in combat, and maybe in life. Losing would be a good lesson for him, not just for this trip but also for being the future Lord Frostborn.
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
[Forgive Irving] My boy Irving really regrets it. Well, he has been regretting it a couple of times now, but this time I really think we got something.
[Tell him to go all out] I will not have Alphyn being beaten by this woman. And this girl can take it, I am sure of it.
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
[Tell him he has to earn it first] I can't just forgive Irving after fucking up on this magnitude. If he wants to earn forgiveness, he really has to work extremely hard and not even fuck up once. I may have forgotten this, but why does Maya need the documents from the archives from Raylansfair again? Is it to protect the Vale or to give them something they need? I honestly can't remember
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire m… moreonth from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enou… [view original content]
I may have forgotten this, but why does Maya need the documents from the archives from Raylansfair again? Is it to protect the Vale or to give them something they need? I honestly can't remember
I recall that they are loans. I think there was someone still owing the Arryn's a lot of fucking money, and that money would help in the coming war. The documents were from Valyria and old Ghis and places like that I think. Don't quote me on that though, but I think that is what it is about.
[Tell him he has to earn it first] I can't just forgive Irving after fucking up on this magnitude. If he wants to earn forgiveness, he reall… morey has to work extremely hard and not even fuck up once. I may have forgotten this, but why does Maya need the documents from the archives from Raylansfair again? Is it to protect the Vale or to give them something they need? I honestly can't remember
[Tell him to go all out] Always give it your 100%
I may have forgotten this, but why does Maya need the documents from the archives from Raylansfair again? Is it to protect the Vale or to give them something they need? I honestly can't remember
What captainivy said is indeed mostly right! The documents are ancient contracts, loans and alliances, which Lord Royce wishes to use to force some powerful allies to help them in case of a war. Unlike many people in Westeros, he has correctly realized that a war will come, but he assumes that it will be about the Storm King invading the Vale, which is a threat he considers very real. For this, he has manipulated the odds of the Vale for many years and this is another step in his plan, one that he hopes will give the Vale some useful allies if the day comes. Maya has enough trust in the man to believe him when he told her about the danger this potential war might pose, so she is convinced that the documents are essential for the safety of her kingdom.
[Tell him he has to earn it first] I can't just forgive Irving after fucking up on this magnitude. If he wants to earn forgiveness, he reall… morey has to work extremely hard and not even fuck up once. I may have forgotten this, but why does Maya need the documents from the archives from Raylansfair again? Is it to protect the Vale or to give them something they need? I honestly can't remember
[Tell him to go all out] Always give it your 100%
This scene actually wouldn't have changed much. If Maya would have allowed Irving to stay, she would have still been very resentful of him, due to his catastrophical screw-up being fresh on her mind. Gregar would have felt similarly negative towards him, with an added dosis of being disappointed in Maya for not sending him away in the first time (since he can understand her taking him back after he saved her life during the battle). Irving would have been very unhappy with the situation as a whole and would have felt like a barely tolerated nuisance instead of a companion, which would have led to him asking for her forgiveness, very similarly to the scene you got here.
Maya is going to tell Irving that he has to earn her forgiveness first
Edrick is going to allow Alphyn to go all out in the duel
Ah, I kind of expected this. Irving has screwed up massively and not for the first time, so I wasn't sure if you'd be willing to just forgive him. Turns out you are not, but well, maybe this is something he can work towards, a goal, which certainly isn't that much of a bad thing. When it comes to the duel meanwhile, you correctly saw that this is not a matter to take easy. This woman is a dangerous fighter and Alphyn is probably going to need all of his skill to get the upper hand, to avoid some serious injuries that can always happen when people fight with sharp blades.
The next part will be up later today. I am currently writing an Ellena part, but I am not sure if it will give enough material for an entire part of her own, so I might find room for a second part, likely from Samantha's PoV. For Ellena, it will be her only part in this chapter, but it will feature a very important choice, so choose wisely! In Samantha's part, also the first for her in this chapter, but not her last, we will see the events of the funeral for I'lian and Lenrianda, who have been killed by Rodrik Stone during the raid. As said, I am not entirely sure if it will have room in this part, but we'll see, it certainly won't be long until I can write it down in either way.
Also, before I forget it, there are slightly good news when it comes to the condition of my mother, so I am in a far better mood today than I have been in the past two weeks. They plan to wake her up in the coming days, her vitals are constantly improving and they can probably do some surgery on her spine in the next week, meaning there is a good chance she will fully recover in time. I'll also visit her again this weekend and might be able to speak to her by then. Things remain critical of course, but the last couple of days have finally brought a couple of good news with them
She had been walking for hours straight. They felt like days, but she knew that only a single night had passed, which she had spent in a dried-out roadside ditch, just barely protected from the harsh cold of the night. After finding some barely-needed rest, she continued her way. Which way? That was something Ellena Terys was less sure about than ever before.
Brandon and Briar were gone. She hadn't caught up with them, despite walking for so long. Neither had she seen Raenna or Kersea. Not that they meant much for her. The only person that truly did matter ever since she had reached this gods-forsaken continent was dead. And she had nowhere left to go.
Tears streamed down the cheeks of the twelve-year old child and more than ever was Ellena aware of how horrible the past few months have been. She was ashamed of her crying, but helpless to stop it, as she stumbled forwards, sobbing bitterly, mourning the life she had lost and those that were gone. Her father and Terroma, they had meant the world to her. Now they were dead. Murdered...
Only after a few hours of walking did Ellena notice that she knew this area. Her heart began to beat faster, as she realized where she was. It had happened here. Terroma's death, she was close to the cliff... he had died to save her. In the end, he had been there and he had saved her. Now she was alive and he wasn't and somehow, she had to live with it.
And suddenly, she knew what she had to do. It was perhaps the only thing she had left before she had to find a new life. A final kindness for the man that had given her so much. Raenna had refused to bury him and though a part of her was resentful of the Valyrian woman for this decision, she was able to understand it, at least in some capacity. Time had been of the essence. But now there was enough of it. And with a sigh, she started to approach the cliff where Terroma had died.
Following the small stream was easy and she soon made good progress. It was cold and already getting dark again when Ellena saw the cliffs in the distance. She began to tense up as she approached the spot where Terroma had died. Her breath became faster and she clenched her fists, as she almost started to run towards this spot. After a few moments though, she stopped almost instantly.
He wasn't there. Terroma's body was gone. Wolves? This was her first thought, one so terrible that she felt a lump in her throat as it crossed her mind. But no... there was not enough blood for that. Only the bit that had been there when he and the Ironborn had fallen of the edge, staining the rocks. Wolves wouldn't have been that careful, would they? No carrion-eater would. The bodies had been moved, but with care, almost respectfully.
A sudden feeling caused her to glare up the cliff. Concentrating on it, she heard noise from up there, very muffled and quiet, but undeniably present. Someone was up there. And she had a bad feeling that she knew just who it was.
Instinctively, her hand reached to the small knife on her belt, the only way she could defend herelf out here. By nature, the Reach had a peaceful reputation, but considering how much death and violence she had seen ever since she arrived here, she still felt woefully undersupplied to face the dangers she might have to in the near future.
The path up the cliff was steeper than she remembered, but nonetheless she started to climb it, clinging onto the knife, occasionally pushing it into the ground to gain further footing on the path. By now, she clearly heard someone up there, doing... something? It was hard to say what it was, but she knew that it was only one person.
Trying to make as little noise as possible, Ellena finished her way up, where she remained in a crouching position, looking at the scenery before her. The grass was still burned where the priestess had started a fire, almost two days ago. The pole she wanted to burn Briar at was standing where they had left it. However, two piles of wood had been built not too far from it. Between them, kneeling on the ground and having turned her back towards the young girl was Noelle herself.
Ellena felt anger rising inside of her, as she pointed the knife at the woman. She had murdered Terroma! She had abducted her, she wanted to burn Briar and she murdered Terroma. She should have been dead by now. Raenna should have killed her and just seeing her there, kneeling on the ground, the setting sun in front of her, caused Ellena to feel helpless anger at the fact that she continued to live.
Still trying to remain as silent as possible, she began to sneak up on the priestess. Noelle hadn't noticed her so far. As she came closer, Ellena noticed that the priestess was mumbling something, as if she was praying. Her heart began to beat furiously and she began to tremble. This was it... she would kill this woman, she would stab her in the spine and twist the knife and bring it down onto her over and over and...
Her eyes widened as her eyes fell upon the piles of wood. Tears started to form in her eyes, as she realized what they were. Not simple piles of wood, but pyres, one for Marak, the other one for Terroma. They were done masterfully, not just mere piles, but true pyres, of the kind she had seen only once, when her father took her for a business meeting to the Red Temple at Braavos. Without her being able to control it, she let out a gasp, as the knife began to shake in her hands.
Noelle cut herself off in her prayer, glancing over her shoulder in surprise and for the first time, Ellena was able to see the damage Raenna had done when she had beaten the priestess. Noelle's face was badly bruised, purple and yellowish, little of her unearthly beauty remaining. Her nose was clearly broken, one of her eyes almost swollen shut, her cheek split open and still showing blood. Though much of it would heal, it was doubtful if she would ever fully regain her former looks.
For a moment, this gruesome sight was enough for Ellena to pause, even more than seeing the body of the man she had come to bury. Carefully, she eyed the girl, every detail of her, from her facial expression to the knife in her hand.
The two just stared at each other, until Noelle broke the silence. Her voice was slightly slurred, though not as much as Ellena had expected when she saw her face. It was filled with broken grief. “If you want to kill me, make it quick”, she said, before she looked away onto the ground. She spoke in her natural Braavosi, a language Ellena had missed dearly. “Or make it slow if it gives you peace”
The defeated tone in which she spoke caused Ellena to snap out of the stunned shock she was at seeing Terroma's corpse. A surprised look formed on her face. “You won't resist?”, she asked and Noelle shook her head. The priestess rose from the ground and Ellena noticed for the first time that she wasn't all that much taller than her.
“Why should I?”, she asked. “Slow or fast, what matters is that you would end my life. You would do something I am too weak to do” She glanced at the cliff. “I have thought about it, trust me. But it is nothing I could do on my own”
Ellena narrowed her eyes, now pointing the knife at her. “You want to die?”, she asked and without hesitating, the priestess gave her a nod. “I failed”, she answered. “The Lord of Light and the whole world. I was chosen to stop the war and I failed them” For a second, a hint of her former steely gaze shined through. “Trust me, little girl, I would welcome death. If you want to kill me, you can do it whenever you feel ready”
It was this sentence that finally convinced Ellena that she couldn't go through with killing the other woman. This wouldn't be self defence, for she was no danger anymore and not even trying to resist. It would be murder and an easy way out for the priestess. In an odd way, she would feel like doing Noelle a favour. And if there was one thing she would never do, it would be anything good for that murderer.
In her helpless anger and confusion, she pointed the knife at Terroma's pyre. “And that?”, she spat. “What is that about?” Noelle's gaze broke again, though she looked not at Terroma's body, but at Marak's. “I was planning to give them a proper funeral”, she replied. “I performed the rites and just finished the prayers, now I wanted to start the fire”
“You want to burn them?”, Ellena growled in disbelief and Noelle gave her a nod. “It is a good funeral”, she said. “One befitting for kings. Trust me, I would have followed their customs, for their sake at least, but we're too far away from the sea to bury Marak as his faith demands and I cannot dig deep enough to bury your friend”
“Terroma”, Ellena mumbled, her voice half anger and half sorrow. “His name is... was Terroma” Noelle gave her a nod. “Terroma”, she replied. “I was going to give him a good funeral. Do you disapprove? I will allow you to take his body if this is what you desire”
Ellena clenched her fists, though she sighed bitterly, as she shook her head. “No”, she answered. “I came to bury him, but this... I don't know which faith he followed, but I think he would have liked this a bit more”
Noelle nodded again. “As I thought”, she said, before she turned to the pyres. She spread her arms and just for a second, she seemed once again like the menacing priestess that had caused so much pain. “Lord of Light!”, she exclaimed. “These two souls have left this world behind. Watch over them, allow them a place at your side”
There was something odd about the way she spoke. It wasn't only the physical pain she was in. She seemed... less enthusiastic about this prayer. The fanatic faith she had displayed in the short time she had dragged Ellena through half of the Reach, it was shaken to the core, this much she realized. Her voice did not shiver with excitement, instead it felt as if she was merely doing a bothersome chore.
“Watch over them like you watch over us, oh Lord! We take solace in knowing that they are with you!”, she continued to speak. She paused and clenched her outstretched fists for a moment. Then, she spoke up again. “And protect us, that are left behind. Keep us safe from the dark, the cold, from what is going to come”
Her hands opened again, pointing at both of the pyres, as... nothing happened. Ellena had positioned herself next to the priestess and she saw the confused look on her face. She closed her fists again, the opened them and this time, the cracking of flames was heard from inside the piles of wood. True enough, Ellena saw them just moments later, flames created out of thin air.
Noelle did not stare at this wonder, but at her hands, confused, slightly shocked even. She quickly pulled herself together, though by then, Ellena no longer paid attention to her. Instead, she looked at Terroma and slowly, the thought sunk in that this would be the last time she would see him, as the flames just started to reach his body.
Fresh tears streamed down her face, as she tried to remember him as he used to be. Not this... dead body, about to be consumed by flames. A kind man, a man that had been almost like her father, for a short time at least. Though this time had been limited, she knew she would miss him for the rest of her life.
In her grief, she averted her eyes, instead looking at the dead sellsword. It was there that she realized she did not hate Marak. She was scared of him, yes, and in a way, she was still haunted by the thoughts of what he might have done to her. But she did not hate him. There was a difference between it. However, she did hate the one he had worked for, the priestess that was standing right next to her.
It was ironic that the only reason Noelle was still alive was her yearning for death. At the same time, this was the worst that could have happened to her. Her faith shaken, her confidence gone... Looking at her, Ellena almost had pity with her.
“Tell me”, she demanded to know, as the flames consumed both bodies. “Why did he have to die?” Noelle glanced at her and sighed. “He didn't have to”, she admitted. “And I never wanted him to. I wanted to save lives, not end them”
Ellena narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, that worked out just fine”, she spat, instantly realizing that she had hit the priestess badly with this sentence. But her curiosity was not yet sated. “Why all of this?”, she asked. “Abducting me, trying to kill Briar. Why have you done it? Because your god demanded it?”
Noelle shook her head. “He demanded nothing of me. But he showed me the future. What would happen and how to change it”, she explained and as she looked up, there was something else in her eyes, a haunted, desperate look, worse than anything Ellena had ever seen. “A war is going to come, little girl”
Ellena raised an eyebrow. “I am almost thirteen”, she informed her. To her surprise, Noelle almost smirked, in a sorrowful way. “I am a bit older then”, she replied, before the tiny moment of light-heartedness faded, replaced by the far more satisfying self-doubt and regret. “But I was right. The war will come”
“What is it about?”, Ellena asked. “Your war, I mean” Noelle sighed, as she looked into the flames of the two men she had killed with her actions. “It is the most terrible war this continent has seen ever since the Long Night”, she explained. “I have seen broken crowns, fire raining from the sky, rivers that overflow with blood. Tens of thousands will die, hundreds maybe”
By now, Ellena noticed that she had started to shiver. “And... burning Briar would have changed what exactly?”, she asked and now, Noelle bit down onto her lower lip. “It would have saved the life of a certain Harris Flowers”, she replied. “He was the castellan of Raylansfair, a prideful, stubborn man, wrong in his actions, but righteous in his goals” She shook her head. “If he would have lived, he would have submitted the archive to House Targaryen. And they would have used it to end the war without taking a single life”
Ellena gulped. “And... now?”, she asked. The hint of tears formed in Noelle's eyes. “Now many will die. The war cannot be avoided”, she said. “I have been too late. I have been too weak. The Lord of Light, he...” She cut herself off, clearly guilty at the mere thought she just had.
Ellena however had little pity for this woman. She brought it onto herself, with her fanatical devotion, her blind faith in her own righteousness. She murdered Terroma and Ellena had nothing but contempt for her, even if she finally understood her reasons. “And now?”, she asked coldly, as the stench of burning flesh reached her nose. She frowned “What are you going to do now? Ar you going to stay here until someone comes to give you the death you desire?”
To her surprise, Noelle shook her head. “I have failed to stop the war”, she said. “But I can make sure that the right king wins” Ellena raised an eyebrow. “Like you made sure that the war would never happen?”, she barked, not even bothering with hiding the bitterness in her voice. A pained expression flashed across Noelle' face. “Who is the right king in any way?”
“The prince that was promised”, the priestess explained weakly. “The flames whisper his name to me, tell me that I have to help him” With a speed Ellena had not expected, Noelle had grabbed her shoulder. “Can you hear them?”, she asked, the flames reflecting from her eyes now. “Be quiet. Just listen”
Though her first impulse was to break free from Noelle, Ellena suppressed this urge. Instead she indeed listened, first to the sound of her own heartbeat, then to the flames. And something was different than usual. She was not sure if this was due to Noelle's presence, but the cracking of the flames was not as it should be. It almost sounded like... a word? ...on, they whispered. ...on
“Aegon”, Noelle said. “Aegon Targaryen. The man who will start the war. The man who has to win it” Targaryen... Ellena had heard of them. The people in Braavos lived in fear of the last dragonlords, though she herself had always found herself to be at least slightly curious. The last dragonlords, the last dragons. She had always wanted to see a dragon.
“And how can you help him?”, she asked, now less certain than ever before when it came to Noelle. She had to be a bad person, hadn't she? She murdered Terroma, she tried to murder Briar. And yet... in her eyes, there was nothing but guilt, regret, shame, but the deep-seated conviction that she had tried to do something good.
“In a military way?”, Noelle asked in return. “Not in the slightest. Neither would my advice be all that useful. I am not a tactician and he has better men and women at his disposal. I wouldn't dare to help him in such a way. No, Aegon must win this war on his own. But I can make sure that he won't fall victim to the one opponent he cannot win against”
As much as she hated to admit it, Noelle had won her curiosity and Ellena gave her a look, not all that hateful. Oh yes, she still hated this woman. But right now, she had no other thing to do but to listen. What else could she do, now that Terroma was dead and gone, his body about to be consumed by the flames the priestess loved so much?
Noelle noticed her expression and at least a tiny bit of her confidence returned, even if it still seemed meeker than before. “The enemy age-old, the god of darkness”, she explained. “The Great Other. He is the master of death and he has sent his most terrible servant, the ancient one, a man outside of death”
Her tone caused Ellena to shiver, despite the heat that came from the two funeral pyres, which were burning brightly into the nightly sky, consuming the two men that lay on them. “Who... who is this ancient enemy?”, she asked and Noelle shook her head. “This I don't know”, she admitted. “He has lived for longer than man was meant to be, a twisted, perverted life just to please his evil master”
She glanced at Ellena, with something that resemble newly found determination. “The Great Other knows that Aegon is the champion of light, the one that will lead the righteous against the shadow, when the Long Night returns. He fears him and so he has sent his servant to crush him. Aegon is a warrior, but the ancient one does not fight by his rules. Without my help, he will fall and this world with him”
Yeah... there she was again. The fanatic Ellena had learned to despise. Yet something had changed at the same time. What she said... it sounded almost intriguing. Aegon Targaryen, the Great Other, the ancient enemy. That priestess was going to see the last dragons! Involuntarily, a smile found its way to her face as she remembered her father telling her about Balerion, the largest of the three, the largest dragon that had ever lived.
“You wish to be a part of this”, Noelle stated and Ellena's smile faded. Before she was able to answer, the priestess continued. “It is clear to see. The way your face lit up at my tale”, she explained. “I will be open with you. After all the pain I caused you, for nothing on top, I... feel like I have to make it up to you. You have nowhere to go, right?”
Ellena gave her a meek nod and Noelle smiled. It was a warm smile, something she shouldn't have any right to give her. “I am willing to take you with me. The people at Aegon's court could provide for you. You would have a life there, even if it means that you have to bear my presence for a while longer”, she offered. “But I won't lie, it will be dangerous. The ancient enemy is no one to take lightly. I cannot guarantee for your safety. Then again, this would also be true if we part ways here” She faced the flames again. “It is a decision only you can make. Go with me, to the court of the Conqueror. Or try to find a different path in your life, for the better or the worse”
[Go with Noelle] Well,have Ellena as a Dragonstone PoV seems much more interesting for her storyline that make her wander in the Reach without a mission,a quest and even a raison d'être.
RT:
And today we give our last goodbye to Marak and Terroma
The reason because Noelle wanted to burn Briar was to avoid Harris death eh?I'm really curious to know however why,if Harris was still alive,he would have help the Targaryen (a kingdom that will wage war against the Reach)?And how since he was without any allies and ready for a trial that will probably make him live all his life in prison?
To be a person that lose faith in her god (and expecially herself) it seems that Noelle is still speaking gibberish (about now a conqueror hunger of power be a chosen one and a stereotypical servant of darkness that want to stop him (and I bet everything that he is one of the psychopaths of this story))
I'm curious how Noelle think to achieve be part of Aegon court and if she will meet again a certain archmeister
Ellena
She had been walking for hours straight. They felt like days, but she knew that only a single night had passed, which she had spen… moret in a dried-out roadside ditch, just barely protected from the harsh cold of the night. After finding some barely-needed rest, she continued her way. Which way? That was something Ellena Terys was less sure about than ever before.
Brandon and Briar were gone. She hadn't caught up with them, despite walking for so long. Neither had she seen Raenna or Kersea. Not that they meant much for her. The only person that truly did matter ever since she had reached this gods-forsaken continent was dead. And she had nowhere left to go.
Tears streamed down the cheeks of the twelve-year old child and more than ever was Ellena aware of how horrible the past few months have been. She was ashamed of her crying, but helpless to stop it, as she stumbled forwards, sobbing bitterly, mourning the life she had lost and t… [view original content]
[Go with Noelle] A PoV in Dragonstone? YES PLEASE! Man, I'm hyped to see Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys! What comes to Noelle's reason why burning Briar would've stopped the war... I'm still skeptical that it would've worked that way.
Ellena
She had been walking for hours straight. They felt like days, but she knew that only a single night had passed, which she had spen… moret in a dried-out roadside ditch, just barely protected from the harsh cold of the night. After finding some barely-needed rest, she continued her way. Which way? That was something Ellena Terys was less sure about than ever before.
Brandon and Briar were gone. She hadn't caught up with them, despite walking for so long. Neither had she seen Raenna or Kersea. Not that they meant much for her. The only person that truly did matter ever since she had reached this gods-forsaken continent was dead. And she had nowhere left to go.
Tears streamed down the cheeks of the twelve-year old child and more than ever was Ellena aware of how horrible the past few months have been. She was ashamed of her crying, but helpless to stop it, as she stumbled forwards, sobbing bitterly, mourning the life she had lost and t… [view original content]
As interesting as that would be storywise, character-wise I can't see Ellena going with Noelle. At least if I were in her shoes, I sure as hell wouldn't. On another note, I wonder, is there any way Harris wouldn't have died?
Ellena
She had been walking for hours straight. They felt like days, but she knew that only a single night had passed, which she had spen… moret in a dried-out roadside ditch, just barely protected from the harsh cold of the night. After finding some barely-needed rest, she continued her way. Which way? That was something Ellena Terys was less sure about than ever before.
Brandon and Briar were gone. She hadn't caught up with them, despite walking for so long. Neither had she seen Raenna or Kersea. Not that they meant much for her. The only person that truly did matter ever since she had reached this gods-forsaken continent was dead. And she had nowhere left to go.
Tears streamed down the cheeks of the twelve-year old child and more than ever was Ellena aware of how horrible the past few months have been. She was ashamed of her crying, but helpless to stop it, as she stumbled forwards, sobbing bitterly, mourning the life she had lost and t… [view original content]
And today we give our last goodbye to Marak and Terroma
Aye, this was the last time either of them has been seen in the story proper. I really wanted to give them at least a tiny sendoff in this chapter. It also means that Marak is the only character in the story that managed to appear as a corpse in two chapters
The reason because Noelle wanted to burn Briar was to avoid Harris death eh?I'm really curious to know however why,if Harris was still alive,he would have help the Targaryen (a kingdom that will wage war against the Reach)?And how since he was without any allies and ready for a trial that will probably make him live all his life in prison?
Indeed, Noelle wanted to avoid Harris' death at the hands of Kersea, which obviously wouldn't have happened if she and Briar would have never been reunited. In that case, Kersea and Clayton would have killed Lucas and Leonard, whereas Harris would have arrived at the lighthouse with only a wounded Alysanne as his opponent, whom he would have overpowered. He would have secured the wildfire and would have used it to defeat the Ironborn even before Mullendore and Petyr arrive, meaning they would arrive not as saviors. Instead, Harris would have been the hero of Raylansfair and since Lucas and Leonard were the ones mainly interested in bringing him to justice, nobody would have made his crimes public. He still would have tried to redeem himself for falling for Sherryl's manipulations and this in turn would have made him open for the manipulations of someone else, namely Saerya, who would have convinced him that siding with House Targaryen is the best for Raylansfair. Of course, other things could have happened to ruin this again, but Noelle was shown only one way to stop this war, the most complicated and risky way ever and she tried her best to succeed at it.
To be a person that lose faith in her god (and expecially herself) it seems that Noelle is still speaking gibberish (about now a conqueror hunger of power be a chosen one and a stereotypical servant of darkness that want to stop him (and I bet everything that he is one of the psychopaths of this story))
Oh yes, this is Noelle for you. Even when in a deep crisis of faith (which even comes with a slight loss of her powers), she speaks gibberish. She's just that kind of a person. When it comes to the ancient enemy she mentioned, I can promise that he is not the typical psychopath. In fact, there are few psychopathic traits about him, come to think of it. Naturally, being a devoted servant of the god of evil, he is not a nice man in any way, but when it comes to villains, this character is unique. That much I can say, he should be a very interesting antagonist.
I'm curious how Noelle think to achieve be part of Aegon court and if she will meet again a certain archmeister
Well, Wulvren is certainly not on her side, so his presence at the court of Aegon is going to be a problem for her. That said, she has something to offer as well and the picture she paints, with Aegon as a mythical hero, is surely something the conqueror himself could enjoy. After all, we are speaking about a man that is about to wage war against seven kingdoms at once, he is guaranteed to have a prideful side. Noelle is confident that she will at least manage to become a guest at his court, so that she can protect him from the ancient enemy, once that guy makes his move.
[Go with Noelle] Well,have Ellena as a Dragonstone PoV seems much more interesting for her storyline that make her wander in the Reach witho… moreut a mission,a quest and even a raison d'être.
RT:
* And today we give our last goodbye to Marak and Terroma
* The reason because Noelle wanted to burn Briar was to avoid Harris death eh?I'm really curious to know however why,if Harris was still alive,he would have help the Targaryen (a kingdom that will wage war against the Reach)?And how since he was without any allies and ready for a trial that will probably make him live all his life in prison?
* To be a person that lose faith in her god (and expecially herself) it seems that Noelle is still speaking gibberish (about now a conqueror hunger of power be a chosen one and a stereotypical servant of darkness that want to stop him (and I bet everything that he is one of the psychopaths of this story))
* I'm curious how Noelle think to achieve be part of Aegon court and if she will meet again a certain archmeister
A PoV in Dragonstone? YES PLEASE! Man, I'm hyped to see Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys!
Indeed, if Ellena goes with Noelle now, she will become a Dragonstone PoV. While Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys will have plenty of appearances in Book 2 regardless of this choice, she would obviously also interact with them and with other characters at the court.
What comes to Noelle's reason why burning Briar would've stopped the war... I'm still skeptical that it would've worked that way.
Let's just say, there would have been a chance for it. Noelle saw one way that could have worked, but there would have been many more factors which she simply hasn't seen. Her intentions were good, but even if she would have found the strength to burn Briar, unforseen things could have happened to screw her plan over. It was an incredibly fragile plan, but she was so desperate to prevent the War of Conquest that it was the only one she saw as even having a tiny chance of succeeding.
Ancient enemy, huh? Mwahahaha
Hehe, I just knew you'd spot this one Might still be some time until we actually see this enemy in person, but given what I have planned for that storyline, this is one of the rare instances where I am absolutely confident that it will be worth the wait! And his schemes will influence the story even before his first appearance. Come to think of it, they probably already do
[Go with Noelle] A PoV in Dragonstone? YES PLEASE! Man, I'm hyped to see Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys! What comes to Noelle's reason why burn… moreing Briar would've stopped the war... I'm still skeptical that it would've worked that way.
Ancient enemy, huh? Mwahahaha
As interesting as that would be storywise, character-wise I can't see Ellena going with Noelle. At least if I were in her shoes, I sure as hell wouldn't.
Fair enough. While this choice won't change how she feels about Noelle (and trust me, she absolutely hates her), it is a bit of a choice about how much she is willing to work with this person that wronged her so much if it means a chance at a better life, or if she rather takes the risk of finding something by herself. This is not only a deciding choice in her storyline in terms of plot, it will also influence her as a character, though not to such drastic degrees.
On another note, I wonder, is there any way Harris wouldn't have died?
Indeed, there would have been a way, although it would have been an unlikely one. Two ways actually, but both would have depended on very specific choices and neither would have resulted in him becoming the hero of Raylansfair he wanted to be.
One route for his survival would have been possible if Lucas and Willfred would have both sided with him in Chapter 7, resulting in him remaining in power and basically winning over Argella and Hobert, while still having enough power to prevent Mullendore and Petyr from seizing control over Raylansfair. In that case, he would have trusted Lucas enough to listen to his advice when coming up with the wildfire plan and you could have either supported him or talked him out of it. If you would have supported him, he would have attacked the lighthouse together with Lucas, resulting in his own death, but also the deaths of Clayton and Alysanne, with Kersea surviving and teaming up with Lucas. If Harris would have survived (by not attacking the lighthouse), his crimes would have been made public later though, either through Lucas or through Mullendore, and he could have either died or would have been forced to go into hiding, depending on another choice.
The other route could have happened in Chapter 8, if Lucas would have refused to set him free for the duration of the raid. There would have been a Willfred choice later on about freeing him or not and if he would have decided against freeing him, Harris would have remained in custody and alive. However, he would have been executed by Mullendore in this chapter, unless Jenna would have decided to free him in a choice she would have been offered there. So, you see there would have been far higher chances for him to die and even if he would have survived, he would have been a fugitive, not able to influence much about the situation in Raylansfair for the time being. Really the only way Noelle's plan could have succeeded would have been if he would have successfully used the Wildfire against the Ironborn, which would only be possible if Kersea and Briar wouldn't have been reunited.
[Don't go with Noelle]
As interesting as that would be storywise, character-wise I can't see Ellena going with Noelle. At least if I were in her shoes, I sure as hell wouldn't. On another note, I wonder, is there any way Harris wouldn't have died?
One route for his survival would have been possible if Lucas and Willfred would have both sided with him in Chapter 7, resulting in him remaining in power and basically winning over Argella and Hobert, while still having enough power to prevent Mullendore and Petyr from seizing control over Raylansfair. In that case, he would have trusted Lucas enough to listen to his advice when coming up with the wildfire plan and you could have either supported him or talked him out of it. If you would have supported him, he would have attacked the lighthouse together with Lucas, resulting in his own death, but also the deaths of Clayton and Alysanne, with Kersea surviving and teaming up with Lucas.
How I wish this was the end for Harris instead. Keeping control over this little city against The Hoare's, The Durandons and Hobert... How epic and badass wouldn't that be? And he would go down in a similar way I assume, but still on a somewhat good side on most folks of Raylansfair. DAMN! I would want to read that so much!
As interesting as that would be storywise, character-wise I can't see Ellena going with Noelle. At least if I were in her shoes, I sure as h… moreell wouldn't.
Fair enough. While this choice won't change how she feels about Noelle (and trust me, she absolutely hates her), it is a bit of a choice about how much she is willing to work with this person that wronged her so much if it means a chance at a better life, or if she rather takes the risk of finding something by herself. This is not only a deciding choice in her storyline in terms of plot, it will also influence her as a character, though not to such drastic degrees.
On another note, I wonder, is there any way Harris wouldn't have died?
Indeed, there would have been a way, although it would have been an unlikely one. Two ways actually, but both would have depended on very specific choices and neither would have resulted in him becoming the hero of Raylansfair he wanted to… [view original content]
Comments
[Remain calm]
[Remain calm]
[Punch Two-Face]
[Punch Two-Face] I feel like this is a choice to impress. I think Two-Face will be impressed by her punching him.
Speaking about Walder Waters, it's nice to see him return after Two(-face) years outside the story. It's nice to see that he has other sides to show.
Blane might have his timing a bit of, but Sadie was really being a bitch there. It is understandable though, but I did feel really bad for Blane.
Hm, an interesting idea. Indeed, if Sadie actually succeeds at punching him, Two-Face might be impressed. At the same time, this choice merely means that she will try to punch him. Wether or not she actually succeeds is another question entirely
Yeah, I was really excited that I am finally able to show him again! He is a character with a lot of depth, so I am vety much looking forward for the things to come for him.
Well, I can confirm that Blane indeed meant no harm. He seems to like Sadie, yet at the same time, he made his move at the worst time possible. Sadie is understandably in a very bad mood right now, so he probably should have given her a bit of time before making his move. But as I said, he meant well and Sadie probably even knows this.
The Voting is closed!
Sadie is going to remain calm
Well, I kind of expected this. After all, punching Two-Face would be a very rash choice, something Sadie would do in the heat of the moment and something that could have potentially backfired really badly when it comes to how Two-Face sees her and how Leo thinks of her. At the same time, it remains to be seen if this was truly the better option. There might be positives and negatives coming out of it. One thing is for sure, there will be another part for Sadie and it might be the most important for her in the entirety of Book 1. I hope you are going to like it, because I certainly will
The next part will be out today! I wanted to put it out yesterday, but well, I have been away for the utmost majority of the weekend and just got home. I was visiting my mother at the hospital, which is a 2-hours drive, so nothing I can do every single day. She remains in an artificial coma and some things are still unclear, but her vitals have improved massively, her pneumonia is under control and she remains stable, so I am more hopeful than ever before that she will survive this. The next week might give better answers on that end. Anyways, the next part is going to be out today. I have written a Maya part, the final one for her in Book 1 and I plan on writing an Edrick part, the penultimate part for him.
The last time we have seen Maya was shortly after the raid. Having sprained her ankle during the fighting, she was confined to a bed, with Nurse Gregar to take care of her. They got unexpected company when Keat returned. He told them that he will leave Raylansfair soon, but that he wishes to collect his payment first. Though the theft failed and Maya is left without the documents, Keat explained that he sees this as primarily the fault of Irving and as a result, as Maya's fault and that he had no role in losing the documents. Maya begrudgingly agreed with him and decided to pay him the full sum even despite having nothing in return.
Meanwhile, Edrick and his group arrived at a bridge, guarded by a mysterious knight in full armour, a relatively young man judging by his voice, who blocked the bridge due to a dispute with a traveller. The knight introduced himself as Ser Reymond Mormont, whereas the traveller is another Northerner by the name of Jorid. After Jorid insulted Reymond's honour, the angry knight demanded a duel on the bridge, something Jorid refused. Since it is one of the few ways across the river that would not require getting past an Ironborn guard, it was clear for Edrick and his companions that they had to cross. However, there was a disagreement between Alphyn and Dante on how to proceed. Whereas Alphyn wanted to fight in Jorid's stead, to make sure that Reymond would let them pass after losing, Dante wanted to avoid a dangerous and in his opinion unnecessary duel by further negotiating with the knight. Edrick decided in Alphyn's favour and allowed him to duel Reymond, which is where the next part will continue. I plan to finish this before heading to bed today, which might still be a while. But well, it will be ready today, I hope you enjoy it
Well I got here too late for the voting but I wanted to share my thoughts. I love Sadie and I feel really bad for her (though she'd probably resent that) but I'm so proud of her, she's a real trooper and I'm confident that she can overcome this. Hopefully she'll overcome her anger as well. Blane really didn't deserve that.
Ah, no problem, the voting was leaning heavily in favour of the winning option after all, so that was a clear decision here. I am glad you enjoyed this part though! Indeed Sadie is a fighter and the last choice gave her back some of her spirit in a very crucial moment. If you make the right decisions in the future, she might indeed be able to recover, that is certainly not impossible. That said, it will be a long and hard process. We're not talking about the next two or three choices, but several chapters at least. And yeah, maybe in time she will see that she might have been a bit too harsh on Blane there, given that he meant no harm. Right now, she is way too emotional and angry to see things in a different light and, to be fair, his timing could use some improvement, but he certainly learned something from this and maybe she will too
Maya
It surprised Maya how reluctant she was to give up on the coin, coin that wasn't even hers. Still, her family could live an entire month from this and in return she'd get nothing. A clean conscience, for what it's worth, by paying a thief. The irony was not lost on her.
Finally, she gave in. With a sigh, she nodded into Gregar's direction. “Pay him”, she spoke and Keat lit up at these words. “Wonderful!”, he spoke up. “I am really happy that you honour our agreement. You'd be surprised how rare this happens in these days”
Maya smirked dryly as Gregar readily walked over to the chest they were keeping their coin in. “No honour among thieves?”, she asked and Keat shook his head. “A beautiful concept”, he admitted. “Sadly, the world we live in is not as beautiful. As such, being honourable rarely pays off”
To this, Maya chuckled. “Well, it certainly won't pay off for the Bronze Lord”, she answered. “But eh, he has more than enough. If that would be my coin, I'd think twice about paying you, but I guess I can afford this, given the circumstances”
A sly smirk flashed across Keat's face, as Gregar wordlessly gave him a purse filled with silver coins. Though he was silent, Maya felt her companion's approval. Irving meanwhile, he had a visible frown on his face and she knew how he felt about this. At the same time, his opinion wasn't exactly important to her at this point. He was lucky that it was heard at all.
“Well, you know...”, the thief said. “This beautiful concept you mentioned... “ He reached into his coat, to store the purse he was just given and as he pulled his hand back, he held a scroll in it. “It just so happens that I believe in it quite firmly”
With a curious glance, Maya looked over the scroll. A gasp came out of her throat as she recognized it. This was one of the scrolls she had read down in the archive. Her baffled glance caused Keat to laugh brightly. He knelt down to open his backpack, revealing scrolls, undoubtedly the ones they had stolen from the archive.
“Don't give me that look, Lady Ambassador!”, the thief said, still grinning widely. “I am a good thief, a bloody good one. Getting these back, it was a piece of cake, especially with the current situation of the city. I mean, you haven't thought I'd just ask for payment without having anything to back it up, right?”
He walked towards her bed and placed the backpack next to it, carefully, while slowly, a baffled grin formed on Maya's face. “You had them this entire time?”, she asked. “Why... why would you hide this from us?”
Keat shrugged. “Partially because I enjoy that look on your fair face”, he answered. “Though mostly because I wasn't sure you'd keep your end of the deal. If you hadn't, I would have sold this to someone else. Bunch of old documents, I'm sure the Citadel would have paid handsomely, maybe even better. But a deal's a deal”
Still in disbelief, Maya shook her head, her grin widening into a full, genuine smile. “This is...”, she stuttered. “Thank you, Keat” The thief gave her a nod. “Hey, you've been the one paying me, the full sum even”, he said. “I figure that much honour must be rewarded. Just keep this in mind. Sometimes it's a good thing to stick to your word”
He rose from the ground and got an approving nod from Gregar, followed by a heavy, almost affectionate pat onto the back. “You damn thief”, her companion said in a jovial tone. “You goddamn sly bastard you... That was brilliant!”
Keat smiled as he walked past him, not giving Irving even a small look. “Always a pleasure making business with you”, he said, as he walked through the open door. “Take care, my friends. I doubt we'll see each other again, but I wish you save travels”
“Same here”, Gregar assured him. “Though where are you heading to?” Keat shrugged. “I'll keep a low profile for a couple of weeks”, he said. “Have some unfinished business here, before I'll slowly make my way south. I got family in Oldtown, my siblings, and they will be fed well, thanks to you”
With these words, he turned around and left, out of Maya's sight and out of her life, though he left a gift that still made her speechless. With a wide, uncharacteristically joyful grin, Gregar turned towards her. Finally, relieved laughter came out of his throat, as he rushed towards her. She spread her arms and he pulled her into a tight hug, nearly lifting her up from the bed.
Though her ankle caused pain to flare through her body, Maya let it happen. Even more so, she joined in on his relieved laughter. Their mission had succeeded at last and against all odds. If Lord Royce was right, then the Vale would be safe now.
Still giggling like a much younger man, Gregar let go of her, as he knelt down to inspect the bag. “Gods...”, he gasped. “It's all there. That crazy bastard has saved us all!” He raised one of the ancient scrolls, staring at it with joy. “Told you he's good”, he mumbled. “I told you he's good”
Maya's glance fell upon Irving, who was standing in the doorframe and frowning. Slowly, her smile faded, until Gregar's glance fell upon the other man. “What?”, he growled. “You're not happy about this?”
Irving shook his head, as he sighed and all of a sudden, he seemed a lot sadder than usual. This caused Maya to raise an eyebrow, urging him to speak up. “I... this is not what I mean”, he said and Gregar narrowed his eyes. “Then what is it?”, he asked. “A little faster, we got something to celebrate. Can do better than to listen to your shit”
For a second, a bit of defiance appeared in Irving's eyes, though it faded quickly and now, Maya realized that something was bothering him. “I was wrong”, he admitted. “About Keat, I mean. And I am sorry for screwing up”
Gregar grinned coldly. “Oh, you're sorry”, he asked, before his grin faded, though the angry look in his eyes didn't. “You screwed up... Your tiny little screw-up almost got me killed and it almost got Keat killed, the same guy who just single-handedly finished a mission we couldn't do as a trio, not with you around to drag us down! Ever since you joined this mission, all you did has been screwing up”
To this, Irving clenched his fists. “I saved Maya's life”, he said, facing the ground instead of either of them. “Twice!” Gregar shrugged. “And how many times have you been the one that put her into danger in the first place?”, he asked.
Irving gulped and visibly tensed up. His lips started to move, though it took him another moment to speak. “Once”, he admitted meekly. “Or... twice?” He gave Maya a truly sorrowful look and opened his mouth to speak again, though Gregar cut him off. “Twice”, he roared. “And that's a damn positive way of seeing it. You've been nothing but a hazard to our group, to our mission and the entire fucking Kingdom of Mountain and Vale!”
“I KNOW!”, Irving snapped at him, without any warning, the sudden ferocity taking even Gregar aback. “I know I fucked up! I am not as strong as either or you, or as smart, I cannot speak as well as you do, I cannot fight as well as you do. I'm not all useless with a bow, I guess, but I haven't pulled my weight as much as I should have...”
By now, Gregar had enough time to pull himself together. Though not all that tall, he still managed to tower over Irving with his sheer presence, as he clenched his fists. “So, what's this going to be?”, he asked, clearly unimpressed. “Another bit of your whining?”
Furiously, Irving shook his head. “No”, he clarified with dedication. “I know I fucked up and... and that is not what I want” He looked at Maya, who gave him a curious look. “Then what do you want, Irving?”, she asked.
He took a deep breath. “I want to ask for your forgiveness”, he spoke up. Gregar started to chuckle in disbelief. “For what?”, he asked. “Be glad you're still around, but don't push your luck. If I'd be in charge, I wouldn't have allowed you to stay just for coming back”
Irving narrowed his eyes. “For you, I wouldn't have come back”, he clarified, before he looked at Maya. “I know what I did. I can only ask for your forgiveness. Will you still have me by your side?” Maya bit down onto her lip, as she looked at this truly regretful man in front of her. “You are still here, are you not?”, she asked.
“I am”, Irving agreed. “But this is not the same, isn't it? I want... I must ask for your forgiveness. Grant it to me and I promise, I will be a better man from now on. I have flaws, so many of them, but I... I think I can overcome them. All I need to know is, if you are willing to forgive me”
Gregar rolled his eyes. “Are you serious right there?”, he asked with a look full of contempt. “You have the nerve to ask for her forgiveness? After how badly you screwed up, you can be luck she hasn't killed you!”
Now, Irving gulped and Maya could swear she saw tears in the corners of his eyes. “I know what I did”, he sighed. “And I want to change. I want to be a better man from now on, but I don't know if I can do this all on my own” He shook his head. “No... that's not true. I know I cannot do that on my own” He looked at Maya. “Please, forgive me. I swear, I will change. I will become a better man, someone you can be proud of. I will pull my weight, if you only grant me this last chance”
Gregar subtly shook his head. “Bloody pathetic”, he growled and Irving glared at him, though this time, he did not react to the provocation. Instead, he quickly looked back at Maya, genuine fear and regret in his eyes. “Please...”, he mumbled.
[Forgive Irving] [Tell him he has to earn it first] [Don't forgive Irving]
Edrick
It only took him a moment to consider. Reymond wanted a fight? Well, he would bloody well get one! He gave Alphyn a single nod and the knight grinned widely. “Do it then”, he said, to which Alphyn saluted mockingly. “Will do, Ser”, he confirmed.
Dante narrowed this eyes. “This is a mistake”, he stated grimly, though he protested a lot less than Edrick had feared. “We should have tried to defuse this instead of letting it escalate” Edrick glanced at him. “You accept my decision?”, he asked and Dante nodded. “I do”, he confirmed. “I think you earned that much trust and more, with the way you've been leading us so far” His usually mild gaze turned sharp as iron for a second. “But I'll have to wait how this will end. Maybe we will have a talk later”
“Mormont!”, Alphyn proclaimed. “I am going to fight you, if that's okay. My name is Alphyn Frostborn and I'll stand for Jorid's honour here. Once I have beaten you, will you make way?” Without hesitating, the other knight nodded. “If you beat me”, he clarified.
“Take a shield at least!”, Dante yelled and Alphyn shook his head. “I'm faster without it!”, he replied. “Can wield my sword with one or two hands. Big advantage over some clunky piece of metal” The other knight tilted his helmed head. Wordlessly, he moved his right hand to his shield, apparently in the attempt to remove it.
“Don't you dare!”, Alphyn yelled. “I want a challenge and you, boy, won't pose one otherwise” He grinned. “Keep the shield. I insist” Reymond stopped trying to remove the heavy shield from his forearm, as he nodded silently. “We fight to the second blood”, he replied. “No deliberately lethal wounds, but no holding back either. You don't play nice, but neither do I, Ser”
Dante clenched his fists. “This won't end well”, he said and this time, Edrick felt something of the nervousness that was rising inside the younger knight. He wasn't even entirely disagreeing. But this was still the only chance he saw. A stubborn knight couldn't be reasoned with. Sooner or later, this fight would have happened.
Jorid meanwhile sighed in relief. “Thank you, Sers”, he stated and his tone sounded genuine. “I might have been a bit too harsh on that boy, but his reaction is way out of line. Usually, I'd fight myself, but I cannot risk my life for nothing, not when I'm so close to my destination”
“You're welcome”, Edrick mumbled. “We're having the same goal after all. Getting over that bridge and past this stubborn knight” Curiosity finally got the better of him, as he looked at Dante. “You ever heard of Reymond Mormont?”, he asked. “It's a big name”
Dante shook his head. “Can't say I have. I know House Mormont is not a big one. Lord Worland got a couple of children, but I cannot tell you their names”, he replied. “My sister would know for sure” Edrick flashed him a dry grin. “I start to believe we should have taken her instead of you. Or maybe instead of Darreth”
To this, Dante raised an eyebrow, though he couldn't suppress a smirk. “I'm sure Malina would have her fun here. But don't let Darren hear this” From behind them, the squire quickly spoke up. “You know I can hear you!”, he proclaimed loudly and just for a second, Dante seemed more light-hearted than usual, though this moment of brief joy faded as both men put their attention back onto the bridge.
Edrick watched on, as Alphyn drew his sword and approached Reymond. “So be it then, boy!”, he proclaimed loudly, as he pointed the tip right at him. “You feel like getting the beating of a lifetime?” Unimpressed, the knight shrugged, the full helmet concealing any facial expression. “I don't know”, he replied. “Do you?”
Alphyn began to chuckle, though it quickly turned into a laughter. “Our mystery knight got a sense of humour” He spread his arms and Edrick found himself tensing up. This fool wasn't taking the fight seriously. No matter if Reymond truly posed a threat, this wasn't a healthy attitude. “Come on”, Alphyn said in a mocking tone. “First hit's free”
Reymond hesitated not a second. With a high-pitched battlecry, he attacked. His blade came in a high arch, down onto Alphyn, who took until the last possible second to move his own blade into the way. Using his free hand to support the tip of his sword, he pushed his weight against Reymond's attack, bringing it to a stop just inches above his head.
“Good one!”, he complimented him, still in a mocking, carefree tone. Then, he started his counterattack. Impressed, Edrick raised an eyebrow, as Alphyn started to cover Reymond with a rain of strikes, his blade becoming a blur as he attacked, left, right, left again, the steel clashing against Reymond's sword and shield, as the younger knight was taken aback for a moment, forced to retreat several steps.
Just as quickly as he gained the upper end, Alphyn gave it up again, by pausing for a second. “Come on!”, he yelled. “Is that all?” Reymond quickly proved that this was far from all. The young knight charged at him and his counterattack was slower than Alphyn's, but visibly stronger. He took this duel seriously and he put all he had into his strikes.
With a groan, Alphyn managed to deflect the strike, though the blunt side of the sword scratched across his chin, causing him to stagger backwards. Reymond paused for a moment, allowing his challenger to move a hand to his face. There was no blood on it as he pulled back. “Fine...”, Alphyn mumbled. And then he attacked.
There was a difference in skill. Judging by his voice, Reymond was a good decade younger than Alphyn and in moments like this, it showed. Whenever the heir to House Frostborn actually took this duel seriously, he had the upper hand and quite clearly so. His attack was aimed at Reymond's well-defended legs and it was the heavy armour that made it hard for the younger knight to quickly parry. His shields slammed down, though only took away a part of the blow, as most of it crashed against the steel that protected the knee.
The force was enough to cause Reymond to stagger. Using this opportunity, Alphyn attacked the knight's chest and his blow went above the shield, fully hitting the steel of the chestplate and further destabilizing the knight. His lighter armour came to his advantage now, as he jumped to Reymond's right side, forcing him to defend himself with his sword alone.
For as much as he had taken in for a couple of seconds, Edrick had to admit that Reymon recovered quickly. The boy growled in anger, as he raised his sword, pushing Alphyn's blade upwards. It scratched across the top of the helmet, but left him defenceless for a second.
This time, Reymond used his shield as a weapon. He slammed it into Alphyn's stomach, heavy enough to nearly cause his opponent to drop the weapon. A second strike, aimed at the head this time, was parried, though not without heavily pushing the other knight to the side.
For a second, Edrick was able to see Alphyn's expression. There was surprise on the knight's face, followed by anger, as he attacked again. His high strike was parried by Reymond, who locked the sword between his and the shield. Quickly, Alphyn raised his boot to kick his opponent, though the heavy armour prevented this attack from achieving much.
As he pulled his sword back, he wasted no time to attack again. Reymond's sword cut down, hitting the top of the blade and pushing it down onto the stony railing of the bridge. He held it there for a second, as Alphyn was powerless to pull it out. Then, he took a quick attack at his opponent's head. The moment he let go of the sword however, Alphyn was able to jump back and the strike cut only through thin air. On top of that, he merely used the blunt side of the sword, Edrick could see this clearly.
By now, Alphyn looked at his opponent in bewilderment. “You are a bloody prodigy, boy”, he snarled, certainly not unimpressed. Reymond did not reply. Instead, he attacked again. His sword did a relatively weak strike and Alphyn easily parried. The shield however hit him straight in the face, causing him to spin around.
What would have knocked down most other combatants, probably even Edrick himself as he had to admit, was turned into a chance by Alphyn. Using the force of the blow, he spun around and gave Reymond a heavy strike against the helmet, displacing it heavily, before he himself sunk against the railing of the bridge, using it to remain at least standing. He spat blood onto the ground and grinned, as he saw Reymond struggling with his helmet, which had moved, so that he wasn't able to see anything.
As the knight was forced to move both hands to the helmet to loosen it somewhat, Alphyn attacked again, despite the heavy hit he just suffered. This time, he got Reymond in a weak moment and with the helmet just loosened, he was unable to fully parry the attack. His sword merely deflected Alphyn's, turning it into a second strike against the head. This time, the helmet was sent flying over the edge of the railing and into the river below.
For a second, Alphyn paused, as Dante took a deep breath. And then, Edrick saw it. Reymond wasn't as young as he had thought, probably not all that much younger than him or Alphyn. He saw short, black hair, cut in a truly unflattering way and cold, dark blue eyes. But most importantly, there was an essential detail, which explained a lot about this mysterious knight. Reymond was no man. The face beneath the helmet was that of a woman. Not a very feminine one, dirty and tired, but unmistakably and not even all that ugly.
Alphyn raised an eyebrow, while the woman glared at him. “Mormont...”, he muttered. “That's a joke, isn't it? Ser Reymond Mormont... it seems you're neither” He grinned and his teeth were still stained red from the hit he took, while the woman remained silent, her glare getting stronger. “I've been fighting a woman this whole damn time”
“A woman has nearly kicked your ass!”, Edrick yelled and momentarily, she turned her glare to him, before returning her attention to the knight, the only one in this fight. “Yeah”, Alphyn admitted. “But not anymore. I won't hold back now. Got no problems with beating a little girl” Under the woman's glare, he glanced at Edrick. “That okay for you?”
[Tell Alphyn to take it easy] [Tell him to go all out]
[Forgive Irving]
Well, we already started being honorable by giving Keat the money. I see no reason to stop now, even if he is incompetent. Besides, Irving is starting to grow on me.
[Tell him to go all out]
She can definitely take it, judging by how the battle went so far. Taking it easy may actually result in her winning, and her being angry at Edrick, both things I feel we won't want.
[Tell him he has to earn it first] Perhaps this way Irving will truly do his damnest not to screw up again.
[Tell him to go all out] Alphyn is gonna get his ass kicked if he takes it easy
[Forgive Irving] I love Irving so I can't not pick this. I really hope he gets it together now.
I still ship it...
[Tell him to go all out] He gets his ass kicked whenever he screws around so he'd best take it seriously from here. Hopefully he doesn't kill her though.
EDIT: All this talk of Malina really makes me wish she'd just magically appear XD
Don't get me wrong though, I love these references.
[Tell him he has to earn it first]
I can't see myself just forgiving someone who's repeatedly put my life in danger.
[Tell him to go all out]
[Tell him he has to earn it first] This is the best choice to make Irving a better man because making him understand that he will have to earn people trust is the only way to be sure that he won't fucked up everything (again) and maybe even accomplished to earn Maya and Gregar trust.
[Tell him to go all out] It's true that fight a woman is not something that a knight should do but I believe that the other choice will just make Alphyn lose the concentration,the duel and my respect
RT:
Indeed it was a good choice! This was a bit of a test from Keat, to see if he can truly trust Maya and to make sure that she won't just cheat him out of his payment once he has delivered the goods. If she would have given him half, he would have only given her half of the documents and so on. At least this time, the seemingly more selfless choice of giving away some coin has actually led to a better outcome.
Maya will have a nice storyline in Book 2 for sure! Actually, that much I can say, the journey back will be a bit of an adventure already, one that will coincidentally feature some of your characters as well
But yeah, she will have a lot more room to receive development, without being dependant on other characters, which should make it easier for me to give her a steady amount of parts each chapter.
Aye, Aldrik will continue to be a part of Team Maya in Book 2. He is currently burying his wolf outside of the city, so he had no role in Maya's storyline in this chapter, but he will accompany her back to the Vale. However, overcoming this grief won't be something that is done all that quickly and the next time we see him, he might still be reasonably affected by this loss.
Aye, this was the first real action scene in an Edrick part. Safe to say, it was only a small hint at what's to come, as Edrick will have some very action-packed parts in the future. He needed more build-up than other storylines, but I think his Book 2 storyline should be very enjoyable and hopefully thrilling.
Well, I did try to leave some hints and while I haven't spelled anything out all that clearly, I was sure that some would at least have a fleeting suspicion into this direction. Our mystery knight is a very interesting character, whom I hope to develop a bit better in the next part already. She's also a character whom I have planned to introduce a lot earlier. If you look at where the other Mormont's are in the waiting list, you can probably already guess how long it took me to introduce her
A wild Malina appears
Ah, I know the wait for her is long, but be assured that she will be in the story very early in Book 2. And considering that this chapter is almost over... well, that means you won't have to wait all that long for her anymore. Until then, I hope that she will be a character that the readers are at least somewhat familiar with, through this talk in Edrick's parts 
[Tell him he has to earn it first] We already know giving Irving some sort of goal is a good thing. Plus, he still has a lot of making up to do for all the shit he brought upon Maya. I'm glad Keat actually did his job. What a little shit, and while I understand his reasons think is just bad business. But he is a thief so his reasoning is pretty sound. In the end he did his job so at least we know he is a trustworthy little shit.
[Tell Alphyn to take it easy] This way Alphyn will get his ass kicked by a girl, making him rethink his careless demeanor in combat, and maybe in life. Losing would be a good lesson for him, not just for this trip but also for being the future Lord Frostborn.
[Forgive Irving]
[Tell him to go all out]
[Forgive Irving]
[Tell him to go all out]
I kinda miss seeing Mathea's comments.
[Tell him he has to earn it]
[Tell him to go all out]
Well, Keat was indeed a bit smug about all of this. But he had the upper hand here and made sure that he keeps it in his deal with Maya. After all, he hasn't exactly the most reason to trust her with keeping her word, so this was the best course of action for him. It was at last damn nice of him to stick to his end of the deal even after getting the coin
Hm, surely losing here would be quite a heavy blow for Alphyn's ego an that might not be a bad thing. As seen here, he doesn't take this fight quite seriously, mostly because whenever he actually does, he is clearly the better fighter. He knows he can win and this overconfidence might be a problem in fights to the death. Then again, this fight is already pretty harsh, so losing could lead to serious injuries, that should be noted.
Same here. A number of readers seems to be somewhat absent lately, but well, I guess most will return in time
[Tell him he has to earn it first]
[Tell Alphyn to take it easy]
[Forgive Irving] My boy Irving really regrets it. Well, he has been regretting it a couple of times now, but this time I really think we got something.
[Tell him to go all out] I will not have Alphyn being beaten by this woman. And this girl can take it, I am sure of it.
[Tell him he has to earn it first] I can't just forgive Irving after fucking up on this magnitude. If he wants to earn forgiveness, he really has to work extremely hard and not even fuck up once. I may have forgotten this, but why does Maya need the documents from the archives from Raylansfair again? Is it to protect the Vale or to give them something they need? I honestly can't remember
[Tell him to go all out] Always give it your 100%
I recall that they are loans. I think there was someone still owing the Arryn's a lot of fucking money, and that money would help in the coming war. The documents were from Valyria and old Ghis and places like that I think. Don't quote me on that though, but I think that is what it is about.
What captainivy said is indeed mostly right! The documents are ancient contracts, loans and alliances, which Lord Royce wishes to use to force some powerful allies to help them in case of a war. Unlike many people in Westeros, he has correctly realized that a war will come, but he assumes that it will be about the Storm King invading the Vale, which is a threat he considers very real. For this, he has manipulated the odds of the Vale for many years and this is another step in his plan, one that he hopes will give the Vale some useful allies if the day comes. Maya has enough trust in the man to believe him when he told her about the danger this potential war might pose, so she is convinced that the documents are essential for the safety of her kingdom.
How would this have played out if Maya never forced Irving to leave?
This scene actually wouldn't have changed much. If Maya would have allowed Irving to stay, she would have still been very resentful of him, due to his catastrophical screw-up being fresh on her mind. Gregar would have felt similarly negative towards him, with an added dosis of being disappointed in Maya for not sending him away in the first time (since he can understand her taking him back after he saved her life during the battle). Irving would have been very unhappy with the situation as a whole and would have felt like a barely tolerated nuisance instead of a companion, which would have led to him asking for her forgiveness, very similarly to the scene you got here.
The Voting is closed!
Maya is going to tell Irving that he has to earn her forgiveness first
Edrick is going to allow Alphyn to go all out in the duel
Ah, I kind of expected this. Irving has screwed up massively and not for the first time, so I wasn't sure if you'd be willing to just forgive him. Turns out you are not, but well, maybe this is something he can work towards, a goal, which certainly isn't that much of a bad thing. When it comes to the duel meanwhile, you correctly saw that this is not a matter to take easy. This woman is a dangerous fighter and Alphyn is probably going to need all of his skill to get the upper hand, to avoid some serious injuries that can always happen when people fight with sharp blades.
The next part will be up later today. I am currently writing an Ellena part, but I am not sure if it will give enough material for an entire part of her own, so I might find room for a second part, likely from Samantha's PoV. For Ellena, it will be her only part in this chapter, but it will feature a very important choice, so choose wisely! In Samantha's part, also the first for her in this chapter, but not her last, we will see the events of the funeral for I'lian and Lenrianda, who have been killed by Rodrik Stone during the raid. As said, I am not entirely sure if it will have room in this part, but we'll see, it certainly won't be long until I can write it down in either way.
Also, before I forget it, there are slightly good news when it comes to the condition of my mother, so I am in a far better mood today than I have been in the past two weeks. They plan to wake her up in the coming days, her vitals are constantly improving and they can probably do some surgery on her spine in the next week, meaning there is a good chance she will fully recover in time. I'll also visit her again this weekend and might be able to speak to her by then. Things remain critical of course, but the last couple of days have finally brought a couple of good news with them
Ellena
She had been walking for hours straight. They felt like days, but she knew that only a single night had passed, which she had spent in a dried-out roadside ditch, just barely protected from the harsh cold of the night. After finding some barely-needed rest, she continued her way. Which way? That was something Ellena Terys was less sure about than ever before.
Brandon and Briar were gone. She hadn't caught up with them, despite walking for so long. Neither had she seen Raenna or Kersea. Not that they meant much for her. The only person that truly did matter ever since she had reached this gods-forsaken continent was dead. And she had nowhere left to go.
Tears streamed down the cheeks of the twelve-year old child and more than ever was Ellena aware of how horrible the past few months have been. She was ashamed of her crying, but helpless to stop it, as she stumbled forwards, sobbing bitterly, mourning the life she had lost and those that were gone. Her father and Terroma, they had meant the world to her. Now they were dead. Murdered...
Only after a few hours of walking did Ellena notice that she knew this area. Her heart began to beat faster, as she realized where she was. It had happened here. Terroma's death, she was close to the cliff... he had died to save her. In the end, he had been there and he had saved her. Now she was alive and he wasn't and somehow, she had to live with it.
And suddenly, she knew what she had to do. It was perhaps the only thing she had left before she had to find a new life. A final kindness for the man that had given her so much. Raenna had refused to bury him and though a part of her was resentful of the Valyrian woman for this decision, she was able to understand it, at least in some capacity. Time had been of the essence. But now there was enough of it. And with a sigh, she started to approach the cliff where Terroma had died.
Following the small stream was easy and she soon made good progress. It was cold and already getting dark again when Ellena saw the cliffs in the distance. She began to tense up as she approached the spot where Terroma had died. Her breath became faster and she clenched her fists, as she almost started to run towards this spot. After a few moments though, she stopped almost instantly.
He wasn't there. Terroma's body was gone. Wolves? This was her first thought, one so terrible that she felt a lump in her throat as it crossed her mind. But no... there was not enough blood for that. Only the bit that had been there when he and the Ironborn had fallen of the edge, staining the rocks. Wolves wouldn't have been that careful, would they? No carrion-eater would. The bodies had been moved, but with care, almost respectfully.
A sudden feeling caused her to glare up the cliff. Concentrating on it, she heard noise from up there, very muffled and quiet, but undeniably present. Someone was up there. And she had a bad feeling that she knew just who it was.
Instinctively, her hand reached to the small knife on her belt, the only way she could defend herelf out here. By nature, the Reach had a peaceful reputation, but considering how much death and violence she had seen ever since she arrived here, she still felt woefully undersupplied to face the dangers she might have to in the near future.
The path up the cliff was steeper than she remembered, but nonetheless she started to climb it, clinging onto the knife, occasionally pushing it into the ground to gain further footing on the path. By now, she clearly heard someone up there, doing... something? It was hard to say what it was, but she knew that it was only one person.
Trying to make as little noise as possible, Ellena finished her way up, where she remained in a crouching position, looking at the scenery before her. The grass was still burned where the priestess had started a fire, almost two days ago. The pole she wanted to burn Briar at was standing where they had left it. However, two piles of wood had been built not too far from it. Between them, kneeling on the ground and having turned her back towards the young girl was Noelle herself.
Ellena felt anger rising inside of her, as she pointed the knife at the woman. She had murdered Terroma! She had abducted her, she wanted to burn Briar and she murdered Terroma. She should have been dead by now. Raenna should have killed her and just seeing her there, kneeling on the ground, the setting sun in front of her, caused Ellena to feel helpless anger at the fact that she continued to live.
Still trying to remain as silent as possible, she began to sneak up on the priestess. Noelle hadn't noticed her so far. As she came closer, Ellena noticed that the priestess was mumbling something, as if she was praying. Her heart began to beat furiously and she began to tremble. This was it... she would kill this woman, she would stab her in the spine and twist the knife and bring it down onto her over and over and...
Her eyes widened as her eyes fell upon the piles of wood. Tears started to form in her eyes, as she realized what they were. Not simple piles of wood, but pyres, one for Marak, the other one for Terroma. They were done masterfully, not just mere piles, but true pyres, of the kind she had seen only once, when her father took her for a business meeting to the Red Temple at Braavos. Without her being able to control it, she let out a gasp, as the knife began to shake in her hands.
Noelle cut herself off in her prayer, glancing over her shoulder in surprise and for the first time, Ellena was able to see the damage Raenna had done when she had beaten the priestess. Noelle's face was badly bruised, purple and yellowish, little of her unearthly beauty remaining. Her nose was clearly broken, one of her eyes almost swollen shut, her cheek split open and still showing blood. Though much of it would heal, it was doubtful if she would ever fully regain her former looks.
For a moment, this gruesome sight was enough for Ellena to pause, even more than seeing the body of the man she had come to bury. Carefully, she eyed the girl, every detail of her, from her facial expression to the knife in her hand.
The two just stared at each other, until Noelle broke the silence. Her voice was slightly slurred, though not as much as Ellena had expected when she saw her face. It was filled with broken grief. “If you want to kill me, make it quick”, she said, before she looked away onto the ground. She spoke in her natural Braavosi, a language Ellena had missed dearly. “Or make it slow if it gives you peace”
The defeated tone in which she spoke caused Ellena to snap out of the stunned shock she was at seeing Terroma's corpse. A surprised look formed on her face. “You won't resist?”, she asked and Noelle shook her head. The priestess rose from the ground and Ellena noticed for the first time that she wasn't all that much taller than her.
“Why should I?”, she asked. “Slow or fast, what matters is that you would end my life. You would do something I am too weak to do” She glanced at the cliff. “I have thought about it, trust me. But it is nothing I could do on my own”
Ellena narrowed her eyes, now pointing the knife at her. “You want to die?”, she asked and without hesitating, the priestess gave her a nod. “I failed”, she answered. “The Lord of Light and the whole world. I was chosen to stop the war and I failed them” For a second, a hint of her former steely gaze shined through. “Trust me, little girl, I would welcome death. If you want to kill me, you can do it whenever you feel ready”
It was this sentence that finally convinced Ellena that she couldn't go through with killing the other woman. This wouldn't be self defence, for she was no danger anymore and not even trying to resist. It would be murder and an easy way out for the priestess. In an odd way, she would feel like doing Noelle a favour. And if there was one thing she would never do, it would be anything good for that murderer.
In her helpless anger and confusion, she pointed the knife at Terroma's pyre. “And that?”, she spat. “What is that about?” Noelle's gaze broke again, though she looked not at Terroma's body, but at Marak's. “I was planning to give them a proper funeral”, she replied. “I performed the rites and just finished the prayers, now I wanted to start the fire”
“You want to burn them?”, Ellena growled in disbelief and Noelle gave her a nod. “It is a good funeral”, she said. “One befitting for kings. Trust me, I would have followed their customs, for their sake at least, but we're too far away from the sea to bury Marak as his faith demands and I cannot dig deep enough to bury your friend”
“Terroma”, Ellena mumbled, her voice half anger and half sorrow. “His name is... was Terroma” Noelle gave her a nod. “Terroma”, she replied. “I was going to give him a good funeral. Do you disapprove? I will allow you to take his body if this is what you desire”
Ellena clenched her fists, though she sighed bitterly, as she shook her head. “No”, she answered. “I came to bury him, but this... I don't know which faith he followed, but I think he would have liked this a bit more”
Noelle nodded again. “As I thought”, she said, before she turned to the pyres. She spread her arms and just for a second, she seemed once again like the menacing priestess that had caused so much pain. “Lord of Light!”, she exclaimed. “These two souls have left this world behind. Watch over them, allow them a place at your side”
There was something odd about the way she spoke. It wasn't only the physical pain she was in. She seemed... less enthusiastic about this prayer. The fanatic faith she had displayed in the short time she had dragged Ellena through half of the Reach, it was shaken to the core, this much she realized. Her voice did not shiver with excitement, instead it felt as if she was merely doing a bothersome chore.
“Watch over them like you watch over us, oh Lord! We take solace in knowing that they are with you!”, she continued to speak. She paused and clenched her outstretched fists for a moment. Then, she spoke up again. “And protect us, that are left behind. Keep us safe from the dark, the cold, from what is going to come”
Her hands opened again, pointing at both of the pyres, as... nothing happened. Ellena had positioned herself next to the priestess and she saw the confused look on her face. She closed her fists again, the opened them and this time, the cracking of flames was heard from inside the piles of wood. True enough, Ellena saw them just moments later, flames created out of thin air.
Noelle did not stare at this wonder, but at her hands, confused, slightly shocked even. She quickly pulled herself together, though by then, Ellena no longer paid attention to her. Instead, she looked at Terroma and slowly, the thought sunk in that this would be the last time she would see him, as the flames just started to reach his body.
Fresh tears streamed down her face, as she tried to remember him as he used to be. Not this... dead body, about to be consumed by flames. A kind man, a man that had been almost like her father, for a short time at least. Though this time had been limited, she knew she would miss him for the rest of her life.
In her grief, she averted her eyes, instead looking at the dead sellsword. It was there that she realized she did not hate Marak. She was scared of him, yes, and in a way, she was still haunted by the thoughts of what he might have done to her. But she did not hate him. There was a difference between it. However, she did hate the one he had worked for, the priestess that was standing right next to her.
It was ironic that the only reason Noelle was still alive was her yearning for death. At the same time, this was the worst that could have happened to her. Her faith shaken, her confidence gone... Looking at her, Ellena almost had pity with her.
“Tell me”, she demanded to know, as the flames consumed both bodies. “Why did he have to die?” Noelle glanced at her and sighed. “He didn't have to”, she admitted. “And I never wanted him to. I wanted to save lives, not end them”
Ellena narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, that worked out just fine”, she spat, instantly realizing that she had hit the priestess badly with this sentence. But her curiosity was not yet sated. “Why all of this?”, she asked. “Abducting me, trying to kill Briar. Why have you done it? Because your god demanded it?”
Noelle shook her head. “He demanded nothing of me. But he showed me the future. What would happen and how to change it”, she explained and as she looked up, there was something else in her eyes, a haunted, desperate look, worse than anything Ellena had ever seen. “A war is going to come, little girl”
Ellena raised an eyebrow. “I am almost thirteen”, she informed her. To her surprise, Noelle almost smirked, in a sorrowful way. “I am a bit older then”, she replied, before the tiny moment of light-heartedness faded, replaced by the far more satisfying self-doubt and regret. “But I was right. The war will come”
“What is it about?”, Ellena asked. “Your war, I mean” Noelle sighed, as she looked into the flames of the two men she had killed with her actions. “It is the most terrible war this continent has seen ever since the Long Night”, she explained. “I have seen broken crowns, fire raining from the sky, rivers that overflow with blood. Tens of thousands will die, hundreds maybe”
By now, Ellena noticed that she had started to shiver. “And... burning Briar would have changed what exactly?”, she asked and now, Noelle bit down onto her lower lip. “It would have saved the life of a certain Harris Flowers”, she replied. “He was the castellan of Raylansfair, a prideful, stubborn man, wrong in his actions, but righteous in his goals” She shook her head. “If he would have lived, he would have submitted the archive to House Targaryen. And they would have used it to end the war without taking a single life”
Ellena gulped. “And... now?”, she asked. The hint of tears formed in Noelle's eyes. “Now many will die. The war cannot be avoided”, she said. “I have been too late. I have been too weak. The Lord of Light, he...” She cut herself off, clearly guilty at the mere thought she just had.
Ellena however had little pity for this woman. She brought it onto herself, with her fanatical devotion, her blind faith in her own righteousness. She murdered Terroma and Ellena had nothing but contempt for her, even if she finally understood her reasons. “And now?”, she asked coldly, as the stench of burning flesh reached her nose. She frowned “What are you going to do now? Ar you going to stay here until someone comes to give you the death you desire?”
To her surprise, Noelle shook her head. “I have failed to stop the war”, she said. “But I can make sure that the right king wins” Ellena raised an eyebrow. “Like you made sure that the war would never happen?”, she barked, not even bothering with hiding the bitterness in her voice. A pained expression flashed across Noelle' face. “Who is the right king in any way?”
“The prince that was promised”, the priestess explained weakly. “The flames whisper his name to me, tell me that I have to help him” With a speed Ellena had not expected, Noelle had grabbed her shoulder. “Can you hear them?”, she asked, the flames reflecting from her eyes now. “Be quiet. Just listen”
Though her first impulse was to break free from Noelle, Ellena suppressed this urge. Instead she indeed listened, first to the sound of her own heartbeat, then to the flames. And something was different than usual. She was not sure if this was due to Noelle's presence, but the cracking of the flames was not as it should be. It almost sounded like... a word?
...on, they whispered. ...on
“Aegon”, Noelle said. “Aegon Targaryen. The man who will start the war. The man who has to win it” Targaryen... Ellena had heard of them. The people in Braavos lived in fear of the last dragonlords, though she herself had always found herself to be at least slightly curious. The last dragonlords, the last dragons. She had always wanted to see a dragon.
“And how can you help him?”, she asked, now less certain than ever before when it came to Noelle. She had to be a bad person, hadn't she? She murdered Terroma, she tried to murder Briar. And yet... in her eyes, there was nothing but guilt, regret, shame, but the deep-seated conviction that she had tried to do something good.
“In a military way?”, Noelle asked in return. “Not in the slightest. Neither would my advice be all that useful. I am not a tactician and he has better men and women at his disposal. I wouldn't dare to help him in such a way. No, Aegon must win this war on his own. But I can make sure that he won't fall victim to the one opponent he cannot win against”
As much as she hated to admit it, Noelle had won her curiosity and Ellena gave her a look, not all that hateful. Oh yes, she still hated this woman. But right now, she had no other thing to do but to listen. What else could she do, now that Terroma was dead and gone, his body about to be consumed by the flames the priestess loved so much?
Noelle noticed her expression and at least a tiny bit of her confidence returned, even if it still seemed meeker than before. “The enemy age-old, the god of darkness”, she explained. “The Great Other. He is the master of death and he has sent his most terrible servant, the ancient one, a man outside of death”
Her tone caused Ellena to shiver, despite the heat that came from the two funeral pyres, which were burning brightly into the nightly sky, consuming the two men that lay on them. “Who... who is this ancient enemy?”, she asked and Noelle shook her head. “This I don't know”, she admitted. “He has lived for longer than man was meant to be, a twisted, perverted life just to please his evil master”
She glanced at Ellena, with something that resemble newly found determination. “The Great Other knows that Aegon is the champion of light, the one that will lead the righteous against the shadow, when the Long Night returns. He fears him and so he has sent his servant to crush him. Aegon is a warrior, but the ancient one does not fight by his rules. Without my help, he will fall and this world with him”
Yeah... there she was again. The fanatic Ellena had learned to despise. Yet something had changed at the same time. What she said... it sounded almost intriguing. Aegon Targaryen, the Great Other, the ancient enemy. That priestess was going to see the last dragons! Involuntarily, a smile found its way to her face as she remembered her father telling her about Balerion, the largest of the three, the largest dragon that had ever lived.
“You wish to be a part of this”, Noelle stated and Ellena's smile faded. Before she was able to answer, the priestess continued. “It is clear to see. The way your face lit up at my tale”, she explained. “I will be open with you. After all the pain I caused you, for nothing on top, I... feel like I have to make it up to you. You have nowhere to go, right?”
Ellena gave her a meek nod and Noelle smiled. It was a warm smile, something she shouldn't have any right to give her. “I am willing to take you with me. The people at Aegon's court could provide for you. You would have a life there, even if it means that you have to bear my presence for a while longer”, she offered. “But I won't lie, it will be dangerous. The ancient enemy is no one to take lightly. I cannot guarantee for your safety. Then again, this would also be true if we part ways here” She faced the flames again. “It is a decision only you can make. Go with me, to the court of the Conqueror. Or try to find a different path in your life, for the better or the worse”
[Go with Noelle] [Don't go with Noelle]
[Go with Noelle] Well,have Ellena as a Dragonstone PoV seems much more interesting for her storyline that make her wander in the Reach without a mission,a quest and even a raison d'être.
RT:
[Go with Noelle] A PoV in Dragonstone? YES PLEASE!
Man, I'm hyped to see Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys! What comes to Noelle's reason why burning Briar would've stopped the war... I'm still skeptical that it would've worked that way.
Ancient enemy, huh? Mwahahaha
[Don't go with Noelle]
As interesting as that would be storywise, character-wise I can't see Ellena going with Noelle. At least if I were in her shoes, I sure as hell wouldn't. On another note, I wonder, is there any way Harris wouldn't have died?
[Go with Noelle]
Aye, this was the last time either of them has been seen in the story proper. I really wanted to give them at least a tiny sendoff in this chapter. It also means that Marak is the only character in the story that managed to appear as a corpse in two chapters
Indeed, Noelle wanted to avoid Harris' death at the hands of Kersea, which obviously wouldn't have happened if she and Briar would have never been reunited. In that case, Kersea and Clayton would have killed Lucas and Leonard, whereas Harris would have arrived at the lighthouse with only a wounded Alysanne as his opponent, whom he would have overpowered. He would have secured the wildfire and would have used it to defeat the Ironborn even before Mullendore and Petyr arrive, meaning they would arrive not as saviors. Instead, Harris would have been the hero of Raylansfair and since Lucas and Leonard were the ones mainly interested in bringing him to justice, nobody would have made his crimes public. He still would have tried to redeem himself for falling for Sherryl's manipulations and this in turn would have made him open for the manipulations of someone else, namely Saerya, who would have convinced him that siding with House Targaryen is the best for Raylansfair. Of course, other things could have happened to ruin this again, but Noelle was shown only one way to stop this war, the most complicated and risky way ever and she tried her best to succeed at it.
Oh yes, this is Noelle for you. Even when in a deep crisis of faith (which even comes with a slight loss of her powers), she speaks gibberish. She's just that kind of a person. When it comes to the ancient enemy she mentioned, I can promise that he is not the typical psychopath. In fact, there are few psychopathic traits about him, come to think of it. Naturally, being a devoted servant of the god of evil, he is not a nice man in any way, but when it comes to villains, this character is unique. That much I can say, he should be a very interesting antagonist.
Well, Wulvren is certainly not on her side, so his presence at the court of Aegon is going to be a problem for her. That said, she has something to offer as well and the picture she paints, with Aegon as a mythical hero, is surely something the conqueror himself could enjoy. After all, we are speaking about a man that is about to wage war against seven kingdoms at once, he is guaranteed to have a prideful side. Noelle is confident that she will at least manage to become a guest at his court, so that she can protect him from the ancient enemy, once that guy makes his move.
Indeed, if Ellena goes with Noelle now, she will become a Dragonstone PoV. While Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys will have plenty of appearances in Book 2 regardless of this choice, she would obviously also interact with them and with other characters at the court.
Let's just say, there would have been a chance for it. Noelle saw one way that could have worked, but there would have been many more factors which she simply hasn't seen. Her intentions were good, but even if she would have found the strength to burn Briar, unforseen things could have happened to screw her plan over. It was an incredibly fragile plan, but she was so desperate to prevent the War of Conquest that it was the only one she saw as even having a tiny chance of succeeding.
Hehe, I just knew you'd spot this one
Might still be some time until we actually see this enemy in person, but given what I have planned for that storyline, this is one of the rare instances where I am absolutely confident that it will be worth the wait! And his schemes will influence the story even before his first appearance. Come to think of it, they probably already do 
Fair enough. While this choice won't change how she feels about Noelle (and trust me, she absolutely hates her), it is a bit of a choice about how much she is willing to work with this person that wronged her so much if it means a chance at a better life, or if she rather takes the risk of finding something by herself. This is not only a deciding choice in her storyline in terms of plot, it will also influence her as a character, though not to such drastic degrees.
Indeed, there would have been a way, although it would have been an unlikely one. Two ways actually, but both would have depended on very specific choices and neither would have resulted in him becoming the hero of Raylansfair he wanted to be.
One route for his survival would have been possible if Lucas and Willfred would have both sided with him in Chapter 7, resulting in him remaining in power and basically winning over Argella and Hobert, while still having enough power to prevent Mullendore and Petyr from seizing control over Raylansfair. In that case, he would have trusted Lucas enough to listen to his advice when coming up with the wildfire plan and you could have either supported him or talked him out of it. If you would have supported him, he would have attacked the lighthouse together with Lucas, resulting in his own death, but also the deaths of Clayton and Alysanne, with Kersea surviving and teaming up with Lucas. If Harris would have survived (by not attacking the lighthouse), his crimes would have been made public later though, either through Lucas or through Mullendore, and he could have either died or would have been forced to go into hiding, depending on another choice.
The other route could have happened in Chapter 8, if Lucas would have refused to set him free for the duration of the raid. There would have been a Willfred choice later on about freeing him or not and if he would have decided against freeing him, Harris would have remained in custody and alive. However, he would have been executed by Mullendore in this chapter, unless Jenna would have decided to free him in a choice she would have been offered there. So, you see there would have been far higher chances for him to die and even if he would have survived, he would have been a fugitive, not able to influence much about the situation in Raylansfair for the time being. Really the only way Noelle's plan could have succeeded would have been if he would have successfully used the Wildfire against the Ironborn, which would only be possible if Kersea and Briar wouldn't have been reunited.
How I wish this was the end for Harris instead. Keeping control over this little city against The Hoare's, The Durandons and Hobert... How epic and badass wouldn't that be? And he would go down in a similar way I assume, but still on a somewhat good side on most folks of Raylansfair. DAMN! I would want to read that so much!