Wow! That was yet another great Interlude! I love how you built upon Harren's monster persona and added some more relatable qualities to him. Harren the Ironborn Family Man, Harren and Haragard's bro-ship, Harren the struggling single father, and Harren the Worm Crusher. Glad that Harlan is still kicking, or well, wobbling. I still really wish that we went after Anturion in that assassination. Straight up merc that pirate. Alas, poor Harlan got the brunt of the assualt. Didn't Harren get a really nasty facial scar during the assassination?
Yeah, so many relatable qualities XD I indeed wanted to expand a bit on him, to make him perhaps not perfectly likable, but not quite a complete monster. He's still very much a villain, but certainly no Harmund, alright. More a Roose to that guy's Ramsay. And well, going after Anturion, while always an unlikely option, would have made a lot of things quite differently then. Harlan for example, he got it really bad, but as you can see, he is recovering. And yeah, Harren has suffered quite a scar during the assassination, when Garthon shot at him. Quite a similar to the one Sherryl suffered from Edonia's arrow, but ultimately slightly less gruesome. Harren barely notices it by now, after the initial pain has faded.
I liked the new characters introduced this interlude. I love the bromance between Haragard and Harren. I wonder if the ill ol Raider feels a miracle before he kicks the bucket. And his strapping young son! I wonder if we'll see him partaking in this upcoming war. And this Darla and her mysterious background. Can't wait to see what's going on in Harrenhal in Book 2.
It felt like the best way of introducing them, that much is for sure. Given how personal the friendship between Harren and Haragard is, it might be hard to fully establish it in the story proper, even if both are obviously going to get a lot of screentime in Kyra's parts, as well as in the parts of the other Harrenhal PoV, who will get his first part in Chapter 4. Book 2 Harrenhal will be grander than Book 1 Harrenhal, that I am pretty sure of.
And well, I am glad you enjoyed this part. I fear the next one won't be out tomorrow, because I will be away from home for the majority of the day, but I should be able to release it on Monday. I hope this will be nice too, especially as it will introduce a couple of very interesting characters as well
Wow! That was yet another great Interlude! I love how you built upon Harren's monster persona and added some more relatable qualities to him… more. Harren the Ironborn Family Man, Harren and Haragard's bro-ship, Harren the struggling single father, and Harren the Worm Crusher. Glad that Harlan is still kicking, or well, wobbling. I still really wish that we went after Anturion in that assassination. Straight up merc that pirate. Alas, poor Harlan got the brunt of the assualt. Didn't Harren get a really nasty facial scar during the assassination?
I liked the new characters introduced this interlude. I love the bromance between Haragard and Harren. I wonder if the ill ol Raider feels a miracle before he kicks the bucket. And his strapping young son! I wonder if we'll see him partaking in this upcoming war. And this Darla and her mysterious background. Can't wait to see what's going on in Harrenhal in Book 2.
It was a cold day, even for an autumn that was unusually short and harsh. The ground was frozen, the air chilling, coats of warm fur mandatory when stepping outside and yet, the courtyard of Winterfell was busy as always, safe for a spot in its centre, where two men were fighting with wooden swords.
The wild Skagosi struck down onto the prince's shield. Beren just barely managed to block the fierce strike. Being four years younger, he had a natural disadvantage, something Torrhen had tried to convince him of. Yet if anything, his prideful son had only felt challenged. He insisted on fighting the man, the 'barbarian' as he had called him.
That being said, Mace Crowl was not a barbarian, not less than most of his fellow Northerners, at least not in the eyes of Torrhen Stark. Sure, the Skagosi looked wild, with his stocky build, wild beard and the short, black hair tied into numerous thick braids. Yet he has been a ward at Winterfell for most of his life and Torrhen considered him no less cultured than any other warrior at his court.
Beren saw things differently, of course. Coming into a certain age, he saw everything differently, and right now, as he grew increasingly hectic with his blocks, avoiding a rough beating by the wooden sword of his sparring partner, he paid the price for his arrogance. Torrhen had warned him once, told him that Crowl was too skilled an opponent, but after his son continued to insist, he just let him. The boy had to learn, even if that meant making his own mistakes.
Sure enough, Mace found an opening soon afterwards. Striking past the shield, he hit the northern prince at the cheek, heavily so. Knocking Beren to the ground, the Skagosi glared down at him with his cold, blue eyes, pointing the sword at him. “Do you yield?”, he growled.
Rolling his eyes, Beren sighed, putting a hand onto his bruised cheek. “Yeah”, he mumbled. Instead of helping his sparring partner up, Mace just turned around, nodding at the King in the North. Torrhen was watching them from his position, leaning against the wall right next to the Great Hall. A slight smile formed on his face, as he watched his son staggering back on his feet.
“He's getting better”, he spoke to his companions. Two of his warriors were accompanying him today, Eon Dustin and Harrold Hornwood. Both a decade younger than him, they were amongst the finest fighters in his kingdom. Harrold was a tall man, with green eyes and black hair, the hint of a beard covering his chin, his trusty axe always dangling at his belt. In contrast, his friend Eon was even taller, yet not quite as broad-shouldered, with lighter hair, a short moustache covering his upper lip.
Right now, Harrold merely chuckled. “If you say so, my king”, he said, his voice louder than it had to be at the brief distance it had to cover. “Truth be told, the only one he was able to beat this month has been Mormont and that hardly counts” Eon gave him a slight nod. “He's aiming too high”, he replied calmly. “There is talent in him, but he's seeking out opponents way out of his league. The Skagosi is better than most of us”
“Not me”, Harrold clarified. “But eh, you're right. Give him an easy opponent and he might learn something beyond losing” He shrugged. “Guess one of the stableboys would suffice. Torrhen raised an eyebrow at his companion. “He was able to beat Jorn Mormont”, he reminded him, to which Harrold flashed him a bold grin. “Yeah, and that's why he should pick a better opponent next time. A stableboy should be an improvement”
“Harrold”, Eon hissed, pointing at the gate. Just in this case, horn signals from up on the walls announced the arrival of a new visitor. Torrhen spotted the banner and a satisfied smile formed on his face. A white sun on a field of black. Karstark had finally arrived. Though many of his bannermen were still missing, perhaps today he could hear the first opinions on the letter he received.
It had been an audacious piece of writing. Easy to dismiss. Yet Torrhen Stark, the King of Winter, was above such arrogance. Before deciding on action, he'd hear some opinions. So he had called for them and like winter, they came. Roffe Umber. Harald Degore. Now, Brogar Karstark. Others would follow. Chett Bolton. Lanard Reed. Maybe even Worland Mormont, from far Bear Island.
Brogar had already ascended to lordship before Torrhen was born. At nearly seventy years of age, his fighting days were long over and he travelled in a carriage, instead of going by horseback. Having expected his arrival, Torrhen had sent another of his warriors, Jorn, the heir to Bear Island, to fetch the old lord and escort him to Winterfell.
Sure enough, the young Mormont was riding in front of them. With curly, slightly longer hair, a tall, yet lean build and his lack of both, skill or motivation for a true fight, Jorn was far from the ideal picture of a Northerner, yet Torrhen had grown to appreciate other traits in him. As much fun as Harrold, or even Beren would make of the man, he was undeniably smarter than both. With Brandon still not having returned, Torrhen considered him the smartest man in Winterfell. In the decision to come, his word would hold great importance.
“Your grace!”, Jorn exclaimed, as he descended from his horse. “As you have ordered, Lord Brogar Karstark” He pointed at the door to the carriage, which got opened just then. Instead of the old Lord of Karhold, a young woman climbed out of it though. She was a beauty, the wind gently playing with her long, black hair, despite wearing a hooded cloak. Raising an eyebrow in an impressed way, Harrold gave his friend a nudge with his elbow, to which Eon merely rolled his eyes with a sigh.
Her blue eyes met Torrhen's grey, as Jorn's face turned a shade of red. “I... uh, I mean, Lord Brogar's niece, Lady Malina”, he stuttered, as the woman turned around, extending her hand. The old man from inside the carriage refused the gesture though. With a groan, he pulled himself out of the cart. At nearly seventy years of age, Brogar Karstark was completely grey, with wrinkled skin, not even his short, bushy beard hiding the decline of his youth. He was still one of the tallest men Torrhen had ever seen though. His face, cold and sharp, turned to Torrhen, as he and his niece approached the men.
“Your grace!”, he said and bowed, clumsily. His niece did the same, though with an elegance her old uncle likely never had. “Your grace”, she said softly. Her gaze met Harrold's as she rose again and the young warrior grinned widely.
“Brogar, my friend”, Torrhen greeted him, as he patted the lord onto the shoulder, noting that Karstark's dour frown remained. “And Lady Malina, it is an honour” To this, she smiled slightly. As she opened her mouth to say something, her uncle cut her off. “Yes, yes, of course”, he said. “We've come a long way to follow your call. Just go ahead, tell us what this is all about”
While Eon gave the lord a surprised look, Torrhen had expected such a reaction. If anything, Brogar Karstark was not known for his polite tongue. That being said, the lack of manners was something Torrhen was willing to endure, if it meant getting the support of the most powerful of his bannermen.
“Of course, mylord”, he replied calmly. The smile on his face was cold though. “Please, accompany me to the Great Hall, it will all be explained” He gave Eon a nod. “Gather everyone”, he ordered. “They have waited long enough. It's time for us the North to come together”
It did not take very long until Torrhen's bannermen were gathered, the few that had already found their way to Winterfell. The king himself stepped into the Great Hall, wrapped in a new cloak, adorned by the grey fur of a wolf Brandon had hunted for him before he left to the south. He was wearing his crown, an open circlet of hammered bronze, incised with ancient runes, surmounted by nine iron spikes, shaped like longswords. As he entered, tall, calm and prideful, the hall went silent.
With Jorn to his right and Harrold to his left, the king marched towards his throne, glancing at his gathered lords. It did not surprise him that Roffe Umber was the first to arrive. As much a giant as the one on his banners, Roffe was towering above each of them and if anything, he looked more a barbarian than Mace Crowl ever could. Wrapped in a bear's fur, he had thick, black hair and a wild monstrosity of a beard.
The man to his left, though looking similar, was more unusual. Ser Dag Umber, one of the few true knights north of the Neck, shared most of his brothers size and his black hair, though his beard was carefully cropped, same as his hair. Clad in a fine tunic, his clothing was merely adorned by black fur.
“THE KING IN THE NORTH!”, Roffe screamed at the top of his considerable lungs, pointing his double-edged battleaxe at his liege. “The King in the North!”, the remainder of the lords and ladies chimed in, while Torrhen's gaze wandered to the lord on the other side of the hall.
It was a surprise that Harald Degore had followed the call so early. Far from a principal bannerman, the Lord of Degore's Cliff has only brought a single of his followers, a woman in her late forties, like the lord himself. She was not his wife, as Harald had assured him, but his castellan, Aryana Tavner. Whereas Harald was a harsh sight, scarred and blinded in one eye, his companion was quite pretty, especially for her age and despite missing a notable part of her right ear, with full, auburn hair and an evenly structured face. Taller than most men in the room, she wore armour of boiled leather and a thin, green cloak.
That being said, the most beautiful sight, making even fair Lady Malina pale, was Torrhen's queen. Lysa Stark, born a Hornwood and cousin to Harrold's father, was sweet, if perhaps not the greatest beauty in these frozen lands. In Torrhen's eyes though, he could not imagine a sight more perfect. Dark-haired like him, she had pale, blue eyes and a soft smile. Her belly was visibly swollen, as the advanced pregnancy forced her to remain seated.
And finally, their daughter, Princess Lyra. Half as old as Beren, she was merely a girl and one that has not yet grown into her looks, with a long, plain face, yet her smile was bright and perhaps the most pretty feature about her. “Father!”, she said, as she rushed into his arms, before he had even reached his throne. “Hello, my little princess”, he spoke gently, as he briefly lifted her up from her feet, much to her joy, carrying her next to her mother.
“My queen”, he said, as she actually brought a genuine smile onto his face and a warmth that contrasted this frosty day quite notably. “My king”, she greeted him in return, as he pulled her into a swift kiss, before turning to his son, who stood at the other side of the throne. “Have you learned something today, Beren?”, he asked.
The prince sighed, putting a hand onto his aching cheek. “Don't fight against the Skagosi”, he growled, glaring at Mace, who stood next to Eon a few feet away. “Or perhaps fight him a bit more often”, Torrhen replied, to which Mace glanced at them. “Always ready when you are, my prince”, he spoke, politely, yet with a certain distance, despite both having grown up next to each other for all the sixteen years of Beren's life.
“Careful, Skagosi”, Beren replied. “One of these days, I might throw you into the mud you crawled from” To this, Mace raised an eyebrow. “You can certainly try, your prince”, he replied calmly. “It's only fair for a man of your status to... reach for the stars, as the saying goes”
Eon just barely managed to hide his chuckle as a cough, sharing an amused smirk with his king. Torrhen himself looked at his gathered lords. “Mylords!”, he said and Roffe slammed a fist onto his own chest. “Aye!”, he snarled. “We have gathered, your most loyal. Umber, Karstark and...” He paused, as Dag whispered something in his ear. “And Degore, following your call”, Roffe continued quickly. “For what purpose, I can already guess. Just tell me, shall we march upon the ploughing wildlings that plague our lands, or those Ironborn cunts?”
For his brute mannerisms, Torrhen had to admit that he was once more impressed by the surprising amount of insight the Lord of the Last Hearth had shown with his statement. He gave him a nod. “Indeed, war it is”, he said. “Or perhaps one we may sit out. It is a matter for your counsel” He glanced at Jorn. “Do you have the letter?”
With a nod, Jorn handed him the parchment, with the broken seal of the three-headed dragon. “This has arrived a month ago!”, Torrhen proclaimed. “And it is the reason I called for your immediate gathering. A letter, written by the Lord of Dragonstone. King Aegon, as he calls himself, has proclaimed himself 'King of All Westeros'. He seeks to conquer every piece of land from the Last Hearth to Sunspear and threatens to burn those that do not bend the knee”
After his sentence, he had to wait a bit until the laughter calmed down. Roffe was visibly amused by this, not even his calmer brother could contain a smile, whereas Harrold Hornwood laughed brightly. Even Brogar Karstark's cackling was audible and it was the last to die down. “A southron, silver-haired girl threatens us?”, he barked. “I say, let him try. In ten thousand years, no army dared to march past the Neck”
His niece put a hand onto his shoulder and the old lord glanced at her, with a sigh. “Go ahead, speak”, he allowed her. “You're too clever for your own good, girl” Malina gave him a smile, before she spoke up. “My uncle speaks the truth. No army has dared to march past the Neck, for good reason. No army can, not without significant losses. Lord Reed and his crannogmen stand loyal to the throne and won't let them pass”, she explained.
As she continued, her gaze grew harder and Torrhen saw something behind her beautiful face. It was a cold, calculating look. “Yet they do not call him the dragonlord for nothing. My brother could tell you vivid stories of a dragon's fire and though I am less of a storyteller, I have heard enough to assure you, three of them are a force of nature. You'd be wise not to underestimate them”
“What do you suggest then, Lady Malina?”, Torrhen asked, genuine curiosity in his tone. The young lady smiled at him. “Gather your troops, your grace”, she advised him. “But march not yet. Wait until he is forced to split up his army. He will land, or has landed, somewhere at the Blackwater, meaning he will fight Hoare and Durrandon at once. We are far away, a distant enemy and when he comes, make sure we are ready. If he takes Harrenhal, prepare to march”
“You believe he will take that castle?”, Roffe asked and Malina nodded. “Once the Riverlords have declared for him, yes”, she confirmed. Umber grinned. “Those muddy fishes lack the spine to fight back”, he claimed, though she shook her head, decidedly so. “They are proud and stubborn. Given the opportunity, they will take their revenge on Harren the Black” She turned back to the king. “And if this happens, you must be ready”
Torrhen gave her a nod. She had confirmed some of this own thoughts. He would not kneel, so a war was inevitable, sooner or later. And it was foolish for him to hope for Black Harren to fight off this invader. The man had sent his raiders to the Stony Shore since the days of Torrhen's father. A grim, cold smile appeared on his face.
“Harren Hoare will fight alone”, he declared. “Either he's doing us a favour for once, fighting off this Dragon King, or he's getting his comeuppance. One way or the other, the outcome is good for us” His lords nodded to this, murmuring their agreements. “However, if Hoare fails, Targaryen will eventually march north. You may see this as foolish, but this letter is oozing confidence. He won't back down. Maybe Hoare will be the one to kill him. Maybe Durrandon or Gardener”, he continued and took a deep breath. “Or maybe we have to. Mylords, when we march to war, will you march with me?”
“Aye!”, Brogar Karstark exclaimed. “I wouldn't have come if I'd refuse your call” He gave his king an approving nod. “We're kin, you and I, your grace. Karstark will march with Stark, now and always” His eagerness was only surpassed by Umber's, though Torrhen saw hesitation in Lord Roffe's eyes.
The lord gave his brother a nod, followed by a long sigh. The knight rose from his chair. “Your grace, none will be prouder to fight for you than House Umber”, he said. “Yet you know of our problem. Neither me nor Roffe can march south with you until it is solved”
Torrhen gave him a nod. “I am aware of this, Ser”, he spoke. “And I might know a way. Brandon's latest letter was sent a fortnight ago, from Tumbleton. He should be close to the Neck by now and I expect him here in a few weeks. The way he made it sound, he found someone to solve all your problems”
This seemed to satisfy both, Roffe and Dag, so Torrhen turned his attention to the last lord in this small council. “Lord Degore”, he said and the lord rose from his chair, approaching the throne. “You wouldn't have come this quickly if not for a concern of your own. Speak now, mylord”
Harald gave him a nod, looking almost guilty as he spoke. “Your grace, my house is nothing if not faithful”, he said. “When I received your letter, I knew war would come, so I hurried to Winterfell, to speak to you before all others” He glanced at his castellan, Lady Aryana, who gave him a brief, encouraging smile. “Yet I am an old man and the last of my line. I have no trueborn sons, nor do I expect to sire another”
“Eh, you swore an oath to the king, Degore”, Brogar growled. “You should have cared for an heir long ago. Myself, I fathered three to make sure and two life to this day. It's not the king's problem that you haven't done your duty to House Degore”
“But I have a son”, Harald growled. “A bastard he is, but nonetheless my son” He looked back to his king. “Your grace, I do not refuse your call. I have answered before anyone else to assure you, House Degore will march with you when you face the dragons. But I cannot lead them myself until I have found my son and made him my heir”
He took a step forwards, going down on one knee. “With your permission, me and Aryana will leave the North. We will travel to the Reach, where my son has last been seen. I'll bring him home and if there's still time, I will lead my men personally”, he offered. “And if you require them before I return, I have sent word to my friend, Esbern of House Forrester. He will lead my men on your call”
Torrhen exchanged a look with his wife. Queen Lysa smiled quickly, before giving him a nod. This was all the confirmation he needed. “Then you are excused, Lord Degore”, he said. “Bring your son home and I will make him your heir. But bring him quickly. I accept your offer for this war, but might need you for the ones to come”
A thankful expression formed on Harald's face, as he hurried back in line, next to his castellan. “And make no mistake, mylords, this is only the beginning”, Torrhen spoke. “Lady Malina speaks truly, a dragon is a cruel opponent. We will need the North at full strength for this”
He glanced at Jorn. “Once again, send word to the banners, every last one of them, from White Harbour to the northern clans. I wish to summon them here at once”, he commanded and Jorn saluted firmly. “Winter is coming, literally. King Aegon has spent his life in the south and has yet to learn what this means. He has never felt the cold, but by the old gods and the new, if he dares to face us, he will” Grimly, the King of Winter looked around his allies. “When the frost comes, we will march against him”, he declared. “And no fire in this world may save him”
And the king of the day is the King of the North!I have nothing special to day about the PoV itself since it was more or less like I expected (btw it was a good read and the first reaction about the letter was priceless)
Sharra PoV introduce many characters but this one is in a completly different level!
As always let's start with the royal family:I don't have many things to say about them outside that I'm really curious to read of the King from a different PoV (something that will happen in the near future)
About the Noble Houses obviously the first characters that I will write about is House Karstark! I admit that I was worried about the interaction between Brogar and Dante's sister (because it will be a little out of character for the Lord to mindless follow his niece advices)instead I'm happy that I was worried for nothing (and I feel that I will really like that lord);btw I'm obviously curious to discover when will you introduce Brogar sons
House Umber characters seems to be (expecially the Lord) really cool!Outside that I have nothing to say about them (leaving aside the fact that he will soon see them again since Raenna storyline is about their "problem")
House Degore characters (outside the fact that the castellan is a warrior woman) don't seems to me expecially interesting for now and,while I'm curious to discover which one of the many "characters with a dark and troubled past" is the heir, it seems a little dumb that the Lord and the castellan live their lands without no one to maintain their population and city (btw I like that Degore mentioned House Forrester)
And we see the heir of House Mormont today!And while I suspected that he was the polar opposite of his sister I'm curious to discover when will their father appear)
About the skagosi,an "axe to grind" man and the guy with the moustache I have nothing special to say,they seems btw really capable warriors (like almost the characters introduced in this interlude)
It will be fun when Torrhen discover that one of the person that Brandon take with him is of targaryen blood
In the end I can say that I enjoy this PoV and I look forward for the magical adventures in the North
Forum of Thrones – Interlude IV
Seven Letters – Fur and Frost
Torrhen
It was a cold day, even for an autumn that was unusually shor… moret and harsh. The ground was frozen, the air chilling, coats of warm fur mandatory when stepping outside and yet, the courtyard of Winterfell was busy as always, safe for a spot in its centre, where two men were fighting with wooden swords.
The wild Skagosi struck down onto the prince's shield. Beren just barely managed to block the fierce strike. Being four years younger, he had a natural disadvantage, something Torrhen had tried to convince him of. Yet if anything, his prideful son had only felt challenged. He insisted on fighting the man, the 'barbarian' as he had called him.
That being said, Mace Crowl was not a barbarian, not less than most of his fellow Northerners, at least not in the eyes of Torrhen Stark. Sure, the Skagosi looked wild, with his stocky build, wild beard and the short, black h… [view original content]
I haven't commented in a while due to vacationing. And I just wanted to say these interludes have been frickin awesome. To be completely honest, when they were first announced, I didn't think much of it, and just wanted to immediately jump into Book 2. But these parts are a joy to read and I'm eagerly awaiting the next part. Keep up the good work, Liquid!
Ah, it was so weird to see Winterfell in FoT, after all of the story so far being in the South. It was great though! And Torrhen seems more or less the kind of king I expected him to be, reasonable and honorable. It'll be nice to see him, as well as these other Northern lords, from Raenna's perspective. It also looks like we'll see Degore in the Reach, interesting. I wonder whose storyline will he collide with. Oh, and my theory is that this Aryana Tavner is the mother of Lord Harald's bastard, that would explain why she is going with him.
Forum of Thrones – Interlude IV
Seven Letters – Fur and Frost
Torrhen
It was a cold day, even for an autumn that was unusually shor… moret and harsh. The ground was frozen, the air chilling, coats of warm fur mandatory when stepping outside and yet, the courtyard of Winterfell was busy as always, safe for a spot in its centre, where two men were fighting with wooden swords.
The wild Skagosi struck down onto the prince's shield. Beren just barely managed to block the fierce strike. Being four years younger, he had a natural disadvantage, something Torrhen had tried to convince him of. Yet if anything, his prideful son had only felt challenged. He insisted on fighting the man, the 'barbarian' as he had called him.
That being said, Mace Crowl was not a barbarian, not less than most of his fellow Northerners, at least not in the eyes of Torrhen Stark. Sure, the Skagosi looked wild, with his stocky build, wild beard and the short, black h… [view original content]
Forum of Thrones – Interlude IV
Seven Letters – Fur and Frost
Torrhen
It was a cold day, even for an autumn that was unusually shor… moret and harsh. The ground was frozen, the air chilling, coats of warm fur mandatory when stepping outside and yet, the courtyard of Winterfell was busy as always, safe for a spot in its centre, where two men were fighting with wooden swords.
The wild Skagosi struck down onto the prince's shield. Beren just barely managed to block the fierce strike. Being four years younger, he had a natural disadvantage, something Torrhen had tried to convince him of. Yet if anything, his prideful son had only felt challenged. He insisted on fighting the man, the 'barbarian' as he had called him.
That being said, Mace Crowl was not a barbarian, not less than most of his fellow Northerners, at least not in the eyes of Torrhen Stark. Sure, the Skagosi looked wild, with his stocky build, wild beard and the short, black h… [view original content]
That makes one finished Interlude by the end of the week at the current speed Really, I cannot wait to delve into some of the things I have set up here and will set up in the three parts to come.
And the king of the day is the King of the North!I have nothing special to day about the PoV itself since it was more or less like I expected (btw it was a good read and the first reaction about the letter was priceless)
Aye, Torrhen is more straightforward than the other rulers, though in his case, I think some aspects of his character are best seen from someone else's PoV. I don't think it's a bad thing though and very glad you considered it a good read
Sharra PoV introduce many characters but this one is in a completly different level!
Well, it is 14 named characters here, 11 of which have been directly submitted by readers (while Torrhen's wife and daughter came from the submission of his son). In contrast, Sharra's PoV has only introduced 9 named characters. The Meria PoV is also going to introduce quite a lot, but not that many. I believe this is the part with the most introductions and will likely remain so for the rest of the story.
As always let's start with the royal family:I don't have many things to say about them outside that I'm really curious to read of the King from a different PoV (something that will happen in the near future)
Aye, we'll see them all through Raenna's PoV in the next chapter. There is also going to be another PoV who will interact with the royal family, so you should get plenty of viewpoints and opinions on them
About the Noble Houses obviously the first characters that I will write about is House Karstark! I admit that I was worried about the interaction between Brogar and Dante's sister (because it will be a little out of character for the Lord to mindless follow his niece advices)instead I'm happy that I was worried for nothing (and I feel that I will really like that lord);btw I'm obviously curious to discover when will you introduce Brogar sons
What can I say, you have been worried for nothing there Brogar's outlook on society is a very traditional one, even more so than what is common in Westeros, so the fact that he is willing to hear Malina out and let her speak at all means that she has impressed him quite heavily. That being said, he is willing to consider her advice, but has his own opinions and is quite passionate about them. One thing I love about Brogar is that he'll give me the chance to develop Alisa from a really unique perspective, as you'll definitely understand her better, knowing her father.
House Umber characters seems to be (expecially the Lord) really cool!Outside that I have nothing to say about them (leaving aside the fact that he will soon see them again since Raenna storyline is about their "problem")
The Umber's are amazing! This I can say as the guy who has the pleasure of writing them. There are six Umber's in total an I have the feeling they should be very well-liked characters. Roffe himself is probably my favourite of the bunch, so I was excited to introduce him first. A true Umber through and through.
House Degore characters (outside the fact that the castellan is a warrior woman) don't seems to me expecially interesting for now and,while I'm curious to discover which one of the many "characters with a dark and troubled past" is the heir, it seems a little dumb that the Lord and the castellan live their lands without no one to maintain their population and city (btw I like that Degore mentioned House Forrester)
Well, that's why Harald came to Winterfell this quickly. Technically, him leaving is not that much of a big deal, but taking his second-in-command with him as well is a pretty big deal, as it leaves the Degore troops without a leader. I can confirm though, Aryana has a reason of her own to accompany her lord and if you look carefully, you will definitely spot this reason, or at least a hint of it, in Book 2
And we see the heir of House Mormont today!And while I suspected that he was the polar opposite of his sister I'm curious to discover when will their father appear)
Aye, Jorn is quite different from his sister. It's ironic that Reymond is very much the heir Lord Mormont would have wished for in terms of personality and skills, but Jorn is the one he got. And Worland himself, he will appear as well, but might be one of the later lords to be introduced. That being said, we will hear a lot of him in Edrick's storyline, as well as in Raenna's.
About the skagosi,an "axe to grind" man and the guy with the moustache I have nothing special to say,they seems btw really capable warriors (like almost the characters introduced in this interlude)
Capable warriors and high nobility. All of these warriors, part of Torrhen's counterpart to Brandon's unfortunately deceased Snow Wolves, are going to receive a good dose of character development in Book 2. Especially Mace should be a very colourful character, as befitting for a Skagosi.
It will be fun when Torrhen discover that one of the person that Brandon take with him is of targaryen blood
Well, if he discovers this at all. Raenna is not too candid with her heritage and Brandon himself might have reasons of his own to keep it a secret. For example, it will already be hard to convince the naturally superstitious Northerners to accept the help of a Valyrian. Torrhen's own reaction might not even be the worst, as he is fairly reasonable compared to some of his bannermen.
In the end I can say that I enjoy this PoV and I look forward for the magical adventures in the North
Glad to hear it! I am surely similarly excited to write the North in Book 2, as it will feature some pretty interesting characters and really cool (literally) locations.
4 down,3 to go!
RT:
* And the king of the day is the King of the North!I have nothing special to day about the PoV itself since it w… moreas more or less like I expected (btw it was a good read and the first reaction about the letter was priceless)
* Sharra PoV introduce many characters but this one is in a completly different level!
* As always let's start with the royal family:I don't have many things to say about them outside that I'm really curious to read of the King from a different PoV (something that will happen in the near future)
* About the Noble Houses obviously the first characters that I will write about is House Karstark! I admit that I was worried about the interaction between Brogar and Dante's sister (because it will be a little out of character for the Lord to mindless follow his niece advices)instead I'm happy that I was worried for nothing (and I feel that I will really like that lord);btw I'm obviously curious to di… [view original content]
Ah, it was so weird to see Winterfell in FoT, after all of the story so far being in the South. It was great though! And Torrhen seems more or less the kind of king I expected him to be, reasonable and honorable. It'll be nice to see him, as well as these other Northern lords, from Raenna's perspective.
Hehe, and it won't be the farthest north we're going to see in the story. After all, the Last Hearth is more or less confirmed to be featured, with Brandon having intended Raenna to solve Umber's problems. Her perspective on this all will be quite unique. After all, she is a complete outsider, without any connections to the North at all, so these people will be strange to her, at least at first.
It also looks like we'll see Degore in the Reach, interesting. I wonder whose storyline will he collide with. Oh, and my theory is that this Aryana Tavner is the mother of Lord Harald's bastard, that would explain why she is going with him.
Aye, next time we're going to see Harald and Aryana will be in the Reach. Aryana has reasons of her own, that go beyond mere loyalty to her liege, this I can confirm. Wether or not this means that she's the mother of Harald's bastard... it is certainly a good guess
Ah, it was so weird to see Winterfell in FoT, after all of the story so far being in the South. It was great though! And Torrhen seems more … moreor less the kind of king I expected him to be, reasonable and honorable. It'll be nice to see him, as well as these other Northern lords, from Raenna's perspective. It also looks like we'll see Degore in the Reach, interesting. I wonder whose storyline will he collide with. Oh, and my theory is that this Aryana Tavner is the mother of Lord Harald's bastard, that would explain why she is going with him.
Ah, very glad you're back! And I am even more glad that you enjoy the Interludes so much that they even won you over I'm having a lot of fun writing them and showing these kings from their own perspective for once. At the same time, I can understand your eagerness to get to Book 2. I share it, which is a big reason why I am writing these Interlude parts so swiftly. The other is that I legitimately love writing them, so the great reception is very motivating.
I haven't commented in a while due to vacationing. And I just wanted to say these interludes have been frickin awesome. To be completely hon… moreest, when they were first announced, I didn't think much of it, and just wanted to immediately jump into Book 2. But these parts are a joy to read and I'm eagerly awaiting the next part. Keep up the good work, Liquid!
So we finally meet Torrhen and the Northern nobility, wonder what was the issue Brandon was investigating that the Umbers needed to solve.
Well, at least Brandon's past investigation has not been connected to Umber's problem. He investitaged Butterfly in Oldtown. However, the Umber problem has been brought to Torrhen's attention a while ago, so Brandon is aware of it and has now found the one he sees as very capable of dealing with this.
Jorn is indeed the opposite of his big sister, and he actually looks more like a Crannogman or a southerner than All Mormonts we know of.
Oh yes, he has something of a Crannogman. To be honest, his general attitude is far from Mormont-like and his looks aren't exactly typical either. He comes a lot after his mother. It's really ironic that this guy is the heir to Bear Island, given that he is definitely not the kind of heir Worland Mormont would wish for.
Malina is indeed quite wise, and in the absence of her brother and cousins, she's her uncle main supporter.
I can confirm, she always is her uncle's main supporter. Brogar's sons are warriors, which is nice, but warriors are not guaranteed to be all that smart. Meanwhile, she is smart and ambitious and it is especially the second trait that puts her apart from the similarly intelligent, yet relatively satisfied Dante.
We know of a few bastards from the North at Raylansfair, lets hope Harald's heir is one still alive.
Wouldn't it be a shame if he gets to Raylanfair and learns that his bastard, Federico, was killed by the Ironborn? But yes, there is a number of northern bastards in the Reach and given how his current whereabout might not be all that reliable, it could, technically, be any bastard named Snow in the entire story, as well as the unintroduced characters.
So we finally meet Torrhen and the Northern nobility, wonder what was the issue Brandon was investigating that the Umbers needed to solve.
… more Jorn is indeed the opposite of his big sister, and he actually looks more like a Crannogman or a southerner than All Mormonts we know of.
Malina is indeed quite wise, and in the absence of her brother and cousins, she's her uncle main supporter.
We know of a few bastards from the North at Raylansfair, lets hope Harald's heir is one still alive.
Forum of Thrones – Interlude IV
Seven Letters – Fur and Frost
Torrhen
It was a cold day, even for an autumn that was unusually shor… moret and harsh. The ground was frozen, the air chilling, coats of warm fur mandatory when stepping outside and yet, the courtyard of Winterfell was busy as always, safe for a spot in its centre, where two men were fighting with wooden swords.
The wild Skagosi struck down onto the prince's shield. Beren just barely managed to block the fierce strike. Being four years younger, he had a natural disadvantage, something Torrhen had tried to convince him of. Yet if anything, his prideful son had only felt challenged. He insisted on fighting the man, the 'barbarian' as he had called him.
That being said, Mace Crowl was not a barbarian, not less than most of his fellow Northerners, at least not in the eyes of Torrhen Stark. Sure, the Skagosi looked wild, with his stocky build, wild beard and the short, black h… [view original content]
Ah, and this is only the beginning I know you have waited for a long time to see her in the story, but now that this wait has come to an end, I can promise there's some good scenes coming in the future and I hope to do her justice. For now, I'm glad you enjoyed her introduction into the story!
Wouldn't it be a shame if he gets to Raylanfair and learns that his bastard, Federico, was killed by the Ironborn? But yes, there is a number of northern bastards in the Reach and given how his current whereabout might not be all that reliable, it could, technically, be any bastard named Snow in the entire story, as well as the unintroduced characters.
Who the hell is this Fererico character? Was he some sort of background character who only got mentioned once? Maybe you're mistaken with a different northern bastard who was in Raylansfair who happened to be killed by some Ironborn.
So we finally meet Torrhen and the Northern nobility, wonder what was the issue Brandon was investigating that the Umbers needed to solve.
… more
Well, at least Brandon's past investigation has not been connected to Umber's problem. He investitaged Butterfly in Oldtown. However, the Umber problem has been brought to Torrhen's attention a while ago, so Brandon is aware of it and has now found the one he sees as very capable of dealing with this.
Jorn is indeed the opposite of his big sister, and he actually looks more like a Crannogman or a southerner than All Mormonts we know of.
Oh yes, he has something of a Crannogman. To be honest, his general attitude is far from Mormont-like and his looks aren't exactly typical either. He comes a lot after his mother. It's really ironic that this guy is the heir to Bear Island, given that he is definitely not the kind of heir Worland Mormont would wish for.
Malina is indeed quite wis… [view original content]
Yet another great Interlude. I really enjoyed this one. This is two Interludes in a row that several of my characters have been introduced. We got to see a whole array of new interesting characters. The Karstark family seem really interesting and I am pretty certain that Malina is going to play a really big role in the North. Either by being this mysterious new North POV or being heavily featured in either this or Raenna's POV. Speaking of Raenna, I am very curious as to how she is going to fix Roffe's problem. Even I don't know what's up in Last Hearth, but I do have some what of a semblance as to what it may be. If what I am thinking is right though, I don't entirely know how Raenna is going to fix it. This Degore guy is kinda curious. He is leaving his lands without a leader to search for some bastard of his in the vast lands of the Reach. He is going to be sorely disappointed when he realizes that Frenchie died during the raid. His castellan is also kinda a mystery. She clearly has a past that end with her losing a bit of her ear. She has autumn hair and is really tall, so if she is in fact the bastard mommy, we cam assume that it's going to be some tall autumn haired boy. The King seems like a reasonable chap. Good head on his shoulders, so when shit hits the fan in the south he will have a good chance of not losing it. Two kids coming on three. Pretty wife. Beren may be a interesting character where he goes on challenging all the warriors in Winterfell. All in all, I am really excited for the North.
Forum of Thrones – Interlude IV
Seven Letters – Fur and Frost
Torrhen
It was a cold day, even for an autumn that was unusually shor… moret and harsh. The ground was frozen, the air chilling, coats of warm fur mandatory when stepping outside and yet, the courtyard of Winterfell was busy as always, safe for a spot in its centre, where two men were fighting with wooden swords.
The wild Skagosi struck down onto the prince's shield. Beren just barely managed to block the fierce strike. Being four years younger, he had a natural disadvantage, something Torrhen had tried to convince him of. Yet if anything, his prideful son had only felt challenged. He insisted on fighting the man, the 'barbarian' as he had called him.
That being said, Mace Crowl was not a barbarian, not less than most of his fellow Northerners, at least not in the eyes of Torrhen Stark. Sure, the Skagosi looked wild, with his stocky build, wild beard and the short, black h… [view original content]
Aww, the Stark family is so cute. Also northern lords are being themselves as always! Really enjoyable to see them so belligerent and confident. I wonder how will they react to Torrhen bending the knee..
Forrester's mention kinda confused me. Didn't Gregor say in the game that their house was founded by his grandfather Cedric? It was waaaay after the conquer.
Forum of Thrones – Interlude IV
Seven Letters – Fur and Frost
Torrhen
It was a cold day, even for an autumn that was unusually shor… moret and harsh. The ground was frozen, the air chilling, coats of warm fur mandatory when stepping outside and yet, the courtyard of Winterfell was busy as always, safe for a spot in its centre, where two men were fighting with wooden swords.
The wild Skagosi struck down onto the prince's shield. Beren just barely managed to block the fierce strike. Being four years younger, he had a natural disadvantage, something Torrhen had tried to convince him of. Yet if anything, his prideful son had only felt challenged. He insisted on fighting the man, the 'barbarian' as he had called him.
That being said, Mace Crowl was not a barbarian, not less than most of his fellow Northerners, at least not in the eyes of Torrhen Stark. Sure, the Skagosi looked wild, with his stocky build, wild beard and the short, black h… [view original content]
Don't quote me on this because I don't remember it to the letter, but if memory doesn't fail me House Forrester was founded by Gerhard Forrester. Cedric and his sons were the ones to build Ironrath, but that was 1500 years before the events of the game.
Aww, the Stark family is so cute. Also northern lords are being themselves as always! Really enjoyable to see them so belligerent and confid… moreent. I wonder how will they react to Torrhen bending the knee..
Forrester's mention kinda confused me. Didn't Gregor say in the game that their house was founded by his grandfather Cedric? It was waaaay after the conquer.
Ah, apologies, I always get his name wrong. Of course I meant Friendzone Snow, you probably remember him. That being said, I can confirm, Football is not Degore's son, this was mor meant as a little joke. It is another introduced or unintroduced Snow character, but not Fedora.
Wouldn't it be a shame if he gets to Raylanfair and learns that his bastard, Federico, was killed by the Ironborn? But yes, there is a numbe… morer of northern bastards in the Reach and given how his current whereabout might not be all that reliable, it could, technically, be any bastard named Snow in the entire story, as well as the unintroduced characters.
Who the hell is this Fererico character? Was he some sort of background character who only got mentioned once? Maybe you're mistaken with a different northern bastard who was in Raylansfair who happened to be killed by some Ironborn.
Yet another great Interlude. I really enjoyed this one. This is two Interludes in a row that several of my characters have been introduced. We got to see a whole array of new interesting characters.
Hehe, this is a great way for me to introduce some of the characters that regularly interact with these kings, especially lords and that's what I love the most about this interlude. And it felt pretty natural to introduce some of yours here, especially with Haragard. Be assured, more will follow, though not necessarily in the Interlude, considering that the remaining parts focus on regions you don't really have submitted specific characters for.
The Karstark family seem really interesting and I am pretty certain that Malina is going to play a really big role in the North. Either by being this mysterious new North POV or being heavily featured in either this or Raenna's POV.
Hm, the new Northern PoV is going to be a character who has been introduced in Book 1. That being said, Malina should play a pretty big role in both PoV's and she is one of the characters whose original introduction plans, before the planning of the Interlude, have already been to my full satisfaction. A big role in the North, you are right about this
Speaking of Raenna, I am very curious as to how she is going to fix Roffe's problem. Even I don't know what's up in Last Hearth, but I do have some what of a semblance as to what it may be. If what I am thinking is right though, I don't entirely know how Raenna is going to fix it.
Ah, Raenna will have quite a journey in Book 2. Roffe himself might not even be fully aware for how deep the problem truly runs, but both, he and Torrhen, have full trust in Brandon that he chose the right person to fix it. Safe to say, Raenna will face some problems of her own on the way.
This Degore guy is kinda curious. He is leaving his lands without a leader to search for some bastard of his in the vast lands of the Reach. He is going to be sorely disappointed when he realizes that Frenchie died during the raid. His castellan is also kinda a mystery. She clearly has a past that end with her losing a bit of her ear. She has autumn hair and is really tall, so if she is in fact the bastard mommy, we cam assume that it's going to be some tall autumn haired boy.
Aye, it is something Harald has planned for a long time now, finding his bastard. He knows, it's now or never, because if he marches to war on the way, he risks dying and leaving his lands permanently without a leader. So, the surprising announcement that Aegon has declared war on every kingdom in Westeros forced him to take on this journey way earlier than planned. Aryana has, as said above, reasons of her own, which you'll get a hint at pretty early into Book 2. She has a rather eventful past and I can confirm, this detail about her ear is a big part of it.
The King seems like a reasonable chap. Good head on his shoulders, so when shit hits the fan in the south he will have a good chance of not losing it. Two kids coming on three. Pretty wife. Beren may be a interesting character where he goes on challenging all the warriors in Winterfell. All in all, I am really excited for the North.
Aye, Torrhen is a reasonable king, though probably a bit less so than Mern. Like him, however, he is limited by how he can act due to the expectations his lords put into him. In Mern's case, it's the scheming, which he at least suspects. In Torrhen's case, it's the fact that he rules over a bunch of honourable, prideful warriors, who would take not marching to war as a sign of weakness. That being said, due to their location, the North has it the best in the current situation, being the farthest away from Aegon and his armies.
Yet another great Interlude. I really enjoyed this one. This is two Interludes in a row that several of my characters have been introduced. … moreWe got to see a whole array of new interesting characters. The Karstark family seem really interesting and I am pretty certain that Malina is going to play a really big role in the North. Either by being this mysterious new North POV or being heavily featured in either this or Raenna's POV. Speaking of Raenna, I am very curious as to how she is going to fix Roffe's problem. Even I don't know what's up in Last Hearth, but I do have some what of a semblance as to what it may be. If what I am thinking is right though, I don't entirely know how Raenna is going to fix it. This Degore guy is kinda curious. He is leaving his lands without a leader to search for some bastard of his in the vast lands of the Reach. He is going to be sorely disappointed when he realizes that Frenchie died during the raid. His castel… [view original content]
Aww, the Stark family is so cute. Also northern lords are being themselves as always! Really enjoyable to see them so belligerent and confident. I wonder how will they react to Torrhen bending the knee..
Glad to hear you enjoyed these characters I look forward to introduce more of the northern lords, there is quite a number whom I have not yet shown. In Raenna's next part, set a couple weeks after this Interlude, we might get to see more of them, as more will have arrived, among them big names, such as Bolton or Manderly, even if most of these will only get truly important to the narrative in the other PoV's parts.
Forrester's mention kinda confused me. Didn't Gregor say in the game that their house was founded by his grandfather Cedric? It was waaaay after the conquer.
I haven't played the first episode in a while, so I don't remember the conversation with Gregor all that well, but I believe Javier is right. A search on the wiki told me that Cedric has indeed lived 1500 years before the events of the game and he was not even the first Forrester, so I guess we can assume they have been around for at least slightly longer than that. The first Lord Forrester is a man named Gerhard and we don't know when he lived, but I'd say it was at least 1500 years before the Conquest.
Aww, the Stark family is so cute. Also northern lords are being themselves as always! Really enjoyable to see them so belligerent and confid… moreent. I wonder how will they react to Torrhen bending the knee..
Forrester's mention kinda confused me. Didn't Gregor say in the game that their house was founded by his grandfather Cedric? It was waaaay after the conquer.
Hey there! It is indeed long, though very far from reaching its completion. I've recently reached the end of the first of three books (figuratively speaking) of the story, so I'm going to be busy with this for several years to come. Like I said in the Nymeria's War thread, if you want to join, it's not too late, even if the read is a long one and I'm always here to help. I'm currently trying some things to hopefully make it more easily accessible for anyone who wishes to join despite the size of the material that has been written already. If you want to give it a try, you're welcome
Hey there! It is indeed long, though very far from reaching its completion. I've recently reached the end of the first of three books (figur… moreatively speaking) of the story, so I'm going to be busy with this for several years to come. Like I said in the Nymeria's War thread, if you want to join, it's not too late, even if the read is a long one and I'm always here to help. I'm currently trying some things to hopefully make it more easily accessible for anyone who wishes to join despite the size of the material that has been written already. If you want to give it a try, you're welcome
Ah, nice! Well, if there is anything I can do to help you getting started, you can always ask. I have written a recap that summarizes the most important events for each of the storylines, though the most recent chapter, which started on page 154, is still missing in it. I probably should get around adding it in some time this week. Other than that, should you require further explanations or assistance with catching up, send me a message or ask me right here and I'll try my best.
Don't quote me on this because I don't remember it to the letter, but if memory doesn't fail me House Forrester was founded by Gerhard Forre… morester. Cedric and his sons were the ones to build Ironrath, but that was 1500 years before the events of the game.
The King of the Rock slowed his destrier, as he overlooked the army that had gathered in the small valley below him. Hundreds, thousands likely, doomed fathers, brothers and sons. Behind them, in the light of dawn, the Golden Tooth, the fortress they had been besieging for months now. It would end today. Loren and the three thousand behind him would make sure of this.
He spotted the banners. Blacktyde. Greyjoy. Tully. Bracken. Some of them followed by their own choice, others had none. It did not matter for Loren Lannister. They entered his lands, they slaughtered his people, they waged war on his kingdom. There were many things he could forgive, but this was none of them. Having surrounded their main force in the early hours of the night, having taken out scouts and having prevented any chance for them to escape, Loren was determined to end this.
“What do you say?”, Darren asked, moving his horse next to the king's. The Lord of Castamere had been by his side for this entire campaign, from the day they left his castle, for over a dozen skirmishes, right until this very moment. He and Marbrand had given a bulk of their troops and their banners were the most prominent, aside from the golden lion of Lannister. Swyft had come as well. And Turnberry, having sent his heir to lead their small force.
“Rock and a hard place”, Loren replied with a thin smirk. Darren's smile was a bit wider, a rare sight on his bearded face. “Only if I get to lead the cavalry”, he replied. Loren slightly rolled his eyes. “Fine”, he said, though he raised a finger. “This time”
Since the Ironborn and their slave soldiers had already spotted them, Loren did not bother with remaining secretive. He gave Darren a nod and the lord pulled a horn from his belt. Blowing into it, twice, he moved his horse to the western flank of the army. The riders followed, a thousand men on heavy horses.
Loren himself rode to the eastern flank and on his sign, the remaining men followed. Blocking the only entrance out of the valley, as they had been ordered, the soldiers formed a wall of shields and spears, swiftly and with brutal precision. They were men of the Rock and like that, they would not yield.
In the meantime, Loren watched how Darren and his riders, slowly began to ride to the other side of the valley. The Ironborn surely knew what would happen, yet without riders of their own, or any sort of defensive position against cavalry, they were powerless to stop anything about their impending doom. Loren would have felt pity, if not for the fact that he hated these people more than anything in the world.
Behind the shield wall, Loren towered above his soldiers, sitting high on his horse. The king knew, he was not quite the sight one would imagine from a Lannister. Compared to his father and even his own son, he'd describe himself as plain, with an almost plump face, in spite of the golden hair that still proved him to be a member of his family. Yet right now, clad in an armour painted gold and red, a cloak of the latter colour draped around his shoulders and the crown of his ancestors, a golden wreath, on his head, Loren knew he was at least a sight to behold.
Only a few feet away from him stood his young cousin, Damion. The superstitious lot would advice against being close to the boy they called 'The Cursed Lion', but Loren made sure not to spend time with such people. Damion was a cousin and despite the horrible luck he seemed to bring those around him, despite the three knights that had already died after he entered their service, family ties meant something to King Loren. At less than half of his age, Damion was younger than Prince Lucion, shorter, yet still handsome in spite of the faint scars on his youthful face, with blonde hair and green eyes.
Right now, Damion gave him a nod and Loren took a deep breath. Oh, how he hated such moments. Speeches... what else was there to do for a king? With one quick move, he drew his sword and feeling the metal in his hand made him at least somewhat more at ease.
“Men!”, he yelled and he knew, they were listening to him, even if none glanced over their shoulder. Each and every one of them was focussing on the Ironborn, yet they listened regardless. “When they come, I expect you to slaughter them!”, the king growled. Letting his anger drive his words, the Lion of Lannister roared, furious at the lives stolen by the men down in the valley. “This won't be the time for mercy. They do not yield and you will not let them. This is a time for vengeance!”, he shouted. “Cut them down, with ire, with fell blades! Let your roars be the last thing they hear in life, for the Rock, for all of us!”
He glanced at Damion and the boy blew his horn, a loud, deep sound that resonated within Loren. The knights of his personal guard joined in, each with their own, two dozen, the noise echoing across the valley. And from the other side, Darren Reyne answered.
The cavalry began their charge. Heavily armoured soldiers in the centre, light and nimble riders on the edges. They made their way down the hill, towards the invaders. At first, the Ironborn were petrified, an appropriate reaction to a thousand man on horseback charging. The ground was shaking from their hooves, the noise alone almost deafening.
As expected, the enemies began to flee, yet another appropriate reaction. Sure, the Ironborn commanders managed to rally quite a number of them, urging them to form a shield wall. Though besieging the castle for months now, they had failed to prepare for such a massive counter-attack. Most likely, they had expected a quick victory after killing the old Lord Lefferd. His son Mandon though, he had proven to be every bit the lord he had to be, holding them off until now, until Loren and his men had come to their aid.
The riders tore through the camp, the massive horses crashing through tents, knocking away the tiny shield wall and the fleeing defenders as if they were mere children and not grown raiders. On two sides, those that tried to escape were cut down by the lighter cavalry, which quickly convinced the utmost majority of men to flee up the hill, where Loren's infantry was already waiting.
In a heartbeat, the battle turned from fight to slaughter. Loren and his generals had planned this assault, surely, but the swiftness with which their dreaded enemies were dispatched left him in awe. Were those truly the Ironborn that had plagued his kingdom since the Age of Heroes? Or maybe there was little iron among them. If those were Riverlanders, then today, Loren and his host were the fishers.
The force that crashed into his infantry still outnumbered them, while a few unlucky remained behind to buy them time, binding the cavalry in close combat. And with the desperate ferocity of the doomed, the enemy ran into Loren's shield wall.
Being so close to the bloodshed, the king felt his heart beating faster. Excitement and slight dread rose up in him, as he watched the Ironborn trying to hack their way through his own soldiers. They failed, of course they did, but it was a sight to behold. Not fond of bloodshed, at least usually, Loren nonetheless found it relieving to see the death of these men. They got what was coming to them. Never again would they harm his people.
Among his soldiers, there was one Loren found particularly fascinating to watch. Someone had knocked away the man's helmet, yet he continued to fight. He was tall, quite likely a match for the tallest men at the court of Casterly Rock, in terms of sheer size at least, even if he was a rather skinny lad. He made up for it with clear ferocity, the look on his face quite terrifying as he cleaved at the men. Loren decided to keep this man in mind.
Finally, the riders had broken through the ranks of the remaining Ironborn in the camp. Tearing through their defences, they encircled them from three sides, they forced them to run into the direction of Loren's infantry, who was making short work of the Ironborn. Those that fell to the ground or tried to surrender were trampled by a thousand hooves.
The king let out a sigh of relief, as the Ironborn, now surrounded from every side, finally gave up. They had caused some final losses to Loren's army, but compared to their own, it was nothing. A couple dozen riders and maybe two or three times as many infantrymen were scattered across the valley, but in return, only few Ironborn remained. A hundred, maybe two and they were quick to throw down their weapons, before sinking onto the ground.
As Loren rode closer, he saw the tears of defeat on their faces, but he felt no pity. When it came to these men, he was like the rock that gave his kingdom its name. Wordlessly Darren Reyne and his vanguard joined the king on their horses, as they approached the surviving enemies. Stevron Marbrand and half a dozen of his riders came as well. The red-haired Lord of Ashemark seemed exhausted from the brief, but intense fight and Loren saw that he had problems remaining in his saddle.
“Who speaks for you?”, he growled coldly, as he glared at the Ironborn and their Riverlander allies. No one answered at first, so Loren gave one of the riders a nod. The man raised his spear, throwing it into the captured host and impaling one unlucky man who wore the colours of House Bracken.
“I ask again”, Loren repeated, while the next of his men raised his spear. This was enough to break their spirit. “I do!”, a man replied, with a shaky voice. The others quickly made way for him, so that Loren was able to get a better look at him. He was a young man, probably younger than Lucion, with blonde hair and the beginnings of a beard. A deep, fresh cut was running along his cheek and he held his ribs in pain, yet the tabard he wore showed a sigil Loren was quite familiar with.
“You're a Darry”, he said and the man gave him a tired nod. “Ser Lothor Darry”, he introduced himself. “Thirdborn son of Lord Nestor” He looked around at his remaining men and from the way they looked at him, it was clear to Loren whom of them was Ironborn and whom was a fellow Riverlander. “I... I presume I lead them. Lord Botley did, but you killed him. And... and all of his captains too. Sunderly and Kenning and Myre”
Loren gave him a nod. “And what do you think I should do with you and yours?”, he asked, clenching his fists. Lothor gulped. “We... we were forced to fight for them”, he claimed. “Our country is occupied. Please, we hate the Ironborn as much as you do”
This statement gave him even more hateful glares from the surviving Ironborn, but Lothor did not stop. “I hold no loyalties to them beyond forced servitude. If you spare us, your grace, we shall fight for you” His bold offer was met with mixed reactions, even among his own people. Another one, an older man who wore the colours of House Vance shook his head. “Coward”, he growled. “If we turn on them, they'd put our families to the sword!” He turned to the king. “Your grace, we are your prisoners. Our houses will pay for our freedom”
“Will they?”, Loren asked calmly. “I understand few of you had a choice. Yet I have a question for you” He leant forwards, glaring from the Darry boy to the proud Vance soldier. “Are you trying to fool me?”, he growled. “You might have been forced to fight, but you did things beyond that. You slaughtered my people, even the children, you raped women from here to our eastern borders, you plundered and reaved. None of you is an ounce better than the masters you served”
As the Riverlanders started to protest, Loren stopped listening. He had been merciful in the past, but a decade as the king, waging war against these men, had beaten this streak out of him. If he'd let them go, in any way, they would return, forced or not, to continue the fight. They were enemies and murderers and there was only one punishment for that.
“Lord Marbrand!”, he barked and the lord gave him a tired nod. “Separate the Riverlanders from their Ironborn masters. The former you kill swiftly. A warrior's death” At these command, the Riverlanders fell to the ground, begging for mercy, not seeing that this was, in fact, the only mercy Loren was willing to grant them. “The Ironborn I want you to crucify. Bring them to the eastern border and leave them there to die and rot!"
Marbrand saluted and without looking at his prisoners again, the king turned away. Hard as a rock. Loren knew, not all of his lords agreed with this, but in their current situation, they had to show strength, even if it seemed brutal. No mercy for his enemies, so that his people could live in peace.
As he rode up on the hill again, Darren joined him. The Lord of Castamere was quiet, as they rode side by side back to the camp. Finally, Loren broke the silence. “You think I did wrong?”, he asked and Darren shook his head. “I think there is no wrong in this situation. Nor is there a right”, he replied. “You chose what's best for the Rock. A king's choice”
Loren smiled thinly. “Thank you for saying that”, he replied. “Truth be told, I'd love to spare them. But what could I do? They'd never stop fighting us, never stop hating us” Darren sighed. “And actions like these won't make things any easier. The war has brought nothing good, but as it is, I don't see it ever ending. A deadly stalemate for the rest of our lives and a thousand years beyond”
The red and golden banners of the Lannister camp were visible in the distance and they filled Loren with pride, as he fastened his pace. Damion had caught up with them by now and he grinned. “A good fight, your grace!”, he exclaimed, to which Loren chuckled. “You and I, we have not been the ones to do the fighting, squire”, he said. “Pray that we never have to. There's honour in leading, as much as there's in fighting”
Darren gave the boy a reassuring smile. “See, your king still lives”, he spoke. “Not so much of a cursed lion after all, are you?” Damion frowned, though finally nodded. “I... I think so”, he replied, as the three riders reached the camp way before their vanguard
As they descended from their horses, the soldiers saluted. “King!”, they greeted him, putting a closed fist onto their chests. Loren smiled at them, as he approached the largest of the tents, where he had installed his makeshift war council. With Marbrand remaining behind to do his bloody work, only two men were inside the tent as Loren entered.
Tyson Turnberry was there, heir to Maybros, a boy of sixteen years, with cherry blonde hair, green eyes and a notably freckled face. He sat in his chair, visibly unhappy about something and Loren had to ask himself if word of his decision had already reached him. Surely enough, Tyson would have disagreed. He was like Loren used to be, not as hard and perhaps a bit naïve. Yet the king overlooked this generously, knowing of his young age.
The other man was Bognard Swyft, Lord of Cornfield. Being the same age as Loren and Darren, he was a more heavy-set man, ever since his crippling injury ended his career as a tourney knight. Straight black hair, falling down to his jaw, a short beard and a moustache, as well as pale skin and a grim face. His right hand was shaking even more notably than usual, a sight that still induced pity in Loren.
Once, Bognard had been a warrior, the best of them all, but his own temper had been his undoing. During a tourney, a careless insult from a Foote knight had sent him into a rage. Not caring for the helmet the knight wore, Bognard had tackled him to the ground and covered him in punches, only stopping as the man was close to death and his own hand ruined from slamming it onto the metal of his armour for so long. And yet, he was one of the men Loren would trust above all others.
“Your grace”, Swyft greeted him, while Tyson remained silent. The young boy was staring at a letter in his hands, clenched around the parchment, as Loren noticed. “I presume the battle is won?” To this, Loren gave him a nod. “A glorious victory. The Golden Tooth is save once more. Send word to Lord Lefferd, I wish to speak to him”
Bognard saluted slowly. “I will arrange it”, he promised. “Yet... your grace, there has been a situation” He glanced at Tyson, who looked up. “Maybros has been attacked, by Durren Stallhart”, the boy revealed. “My family is save, but many of the people have been slaughtered. Baelor Bloodbane is dead and half of our soldiers. The city has been saved by a band of sellsword... led by Leonard Hill”
Loren raised an eyebrow. “The bastard of Lannisport has entered our lands once more?”, he asked and Tyson gave him a nod. “Ser Tythan has sent a letter”, he revealed. “Apparently, they will leave Maybros soon, to travel to Castamere”
Darren took a deep breath. “Hill's men on my lands?”, he growled. “What is he planning?” To this, Tyson shrugged. “Tythan plans to accompany them to find out” This was a relief for Loren, who nodded. “I allow it”, he spoke. “Yet I want to be informed over Leonard's whereabouts at all time. He's too dangerous to be left without supervision”
“I'm afraid this is not all”, Bognard spoke, as his good hand reached for a scroll on the table. Wordlessly, he tossed it to his king. “This arrived at the same time”, he answered. “A letter from Aegon Targaryen. I dared to read it and... I am afraid Harren the Black might not be our only problem.
And so, Loren read it as well. It wasn't a very long letter, yet the words were outrageous. He had heard tales of the Dragonlord, yet they have been nothing more, tales from the other end of the continent, from a tiny island, three kingdoms apart. He had heard rumours of Targaryen's ambition, but paid them no mind. This had been a mistake.
“A new enemy arises in the east”, he sighed, as he lowered the letter. “And one that should not be underestimated” Bognard gave him a nod, as the king passed the letter towards Lord Reyne. “Though perhaps he could be an ally as well”, he brought up. “Sent word to Dragonstone, your grace. Let him know you have a mutual enemy in Harren Hoare. Together, you can take the Riverlands and split them between you. What happens to the rest of Westeros is none of our concern”
“To me, it seems more like we and Hoare have a mutual enemy”, Darren spoke. “You have read the letter. He wishes to be the only king in these lands. Not even Harren is this audacious” Loren raised an eyebrow. “Surely you do not intend to ally with the Black Blood, do you?”, he asked in disbelief.
Darren shook his head. “Nay”, he declined. “But neither do I think we should fight against him right now. Ignore both. Hoare is forced to turn his attention east and with a bit of luck, both of our enemies will wear each other down. Then, we strike”
Loren and Bognard exchanged a glance and the crippled lord of Cornfield finally gave in. “Might be an even better idea”, he admitted. “To be honest, I wouldn't feel good fighting side by side with the Dragonlord. Let them fight against each other”
A slight smile of approval formed on Tyson Turnberry's face and with this, it was decided upon. Yet, Loren had something else to add. “Mylords, I appreciate your counsel”, he told them. “And this is what we will do. Until one of them stands at our borders once more, we will not fight them” He took a deep breath. “Yet I will not ignore the last dragon of Valyria. The history books are full with men who made the same mistake”, he brought up. “No, we will wait. We will gather our troops” He looked at Bognard. “And we will not do it alone”, he spoke. “Send word to Highgarden. King Mern has received the same letter without a doubt. Let him know I wish to meet him” He paused, glancing around his council. “Let him know, we stand together”
Well,I don't expected that you have showed the battle (or to be precise the end of it) at the Golden tooth in the Rock interlude
I really like King Loren as a PoV,a King capable of do hard choices during war times (and I like his interaction with Lord Reyne)
Welcome back Lord Reyne and Marbrand!(I must admit however that I found weird the absence of Lord Crakehall,I half expected him to be present for that battle)
And now let's talk about the new entries starting with the royal squire! He seems to be a nice kid leaving aside the fact that he manage to let any knight that he work for die (and I'm curious to learn how)
Then we have the heir of House Turnberry,while it is too soon to have a opinion about him I'm glad that some God (or another reader) grant my request (still no news about his father btw)
And the last new introduced character is Lord Swyft,he seems a good man leaving aside his temperament (btw nice backstory about how he can't use his hands anymore)
In the end (about the new characters) I'm curious to read if we will see Lord Mandon and your plans for Random Rock soldier #137
Poor Baelor,probably his biggest accomplishment inside the story is being mentioned as a dead man in front of his king
What want to do that evildoer called Leonard (not the Constantine one) at Castamere?And why Darren say to not know what is happening?He is the one that send Two Face at Maybros..right?
I'm curious to see where we will see Sadie after the time skip
King Loren is going to meet King Mern?This will be for sure something interesting
Forum of Thrones – Interlude V
Seven Letters – A Hard Place
Loren
The King of the Rock slowed his destrier, as he overlooked the ar… moremy that had gathered in the small valley below him. Hundreds, thousands likely, doomed fathers, brothers and sons. Behind them, in the light of dawn, the Golden Tooth, the fortress they had been besieging for months now. It would end today. Loren and the three thousand behind him would make sure of this.
He spotted the banners. Blacktyde. Greyjoy. Tully. Bracken. Some of them followed by their own choice, others had none. It did not matter for Loren Lannister. They entered his lands, they slaughtered his people, they waged war on his kingdom. There were many things he could forgive, but this was none of them. Having surrounded their main force in the early hours of the night, having taken out scouts and having prevented any chance for them to escape, Loren was determined to end this.
“What do you sa… [view original content]
And the next one is going to be quite a bit tricky. Though all of the PoV's so far had their own, unique personality, the dornish princess, Meria, is going to be quite a challenge. Due to her age, she has lost most of her sight and is technically blind, so I really have to find a way to still describe her surroundings through sounds and the like only. As hyped as I am to introduce the characters at the court, I cannot promise I will manage to do that until Friday.
Well,I don't expected that you have showed the battle (or to be precise the end of it) at the Golden tooth in the Rock interlude
Certainly the most action-packed of the Interludes, who have mostly focussed on the characters before this one. But well, it felt natural to show the end of Loren's campaign against the Ironborn that besieged the Golden Tooth and as short as it ultimately was, I wanted to conclude this open plotline before moving to the War of Conquest in Book 2.
I really like King Loren as a PoV,a King capable of do hard choices during war times (and I like his interaction with Lord Reyne)
Ah, glad to hear it! Loren is a curious case, as he is a man who definitely lacks many traits his Lannister ancestors and descendants have. He's more like Tywin in these regards, not handsome, not charismatic or all too happy to get some spotlight, yet calculating, pragmatic and very intelligent. Unlike Tywin, he's also genuinely concerned for the well-being of his men and perhaps not quite as ruthless. I wasn't sure how he's going to be seen, but so far, each of the rulers seems to have been taken favourably in their interludes (aside from maybe that jackass Harren, who still managed to show some depth )
Welcome back Lord Reyne and Marbrand!(I must admit however that I found weird the absence of Lord Crakehall,I half expected him to be present for that battle)
It's been a while for them, aye, but with them being mentioned companions of Loren during his campaign, it made a lot of sense to reintroduce them as well. Crakehall meanwhile, he was mentioned to accompany Willfred to the southern borders of his kingdom. Afterwards, he returned to his seat, to gather his men and defend the southern border against Ironborn marauders. He will reapear in Book 2, but played no part in this part of the war against the Ironborn.
And now let's talk about the new entries starting with the royal squire! He seems to be a nice kid leaving aside the fact that he manage to let any knight that he work for die (and I'm curious to learn how)
Ah, the Cursed Lion. He's a character whom I had plans for quite some time now, but whom I only recently learned to really appreciate. An interesting guy and in his position as the royal squire he will be featured quite often. It's a pretty brave thing from Loren to take him as his squire, because the knights he worked for so far have all died in tragic accidents after he joined their service. Poor kid can't catch a break. We'll learn more about his story in Book 2
Then we have the heir of House Turnberry,while it is too soon to have a opinion about him I'm glad that some God (or another reader) grant my request (still no news about his father btw)
Ah, I wanted to show Tyson just because, especially as I knew that you have wanted a Turnberry character for a while. You can thank Edinosaur23 for submitting Tyson and you can look forward for more of this character in Book 2, where we're going to learn more about his character.
And the last new introduced character is Lord Swyft,he seems a good man leaving aside his temperament (btw nice backstory about how he can't use his hands anymore)
Aye, Lord Bognard. A pretty colourful guy, quite unique among the submitted lords, so he is one I am featuring gladly. He is also going to be involved heavily in a certain storyline in Book 2 and I look forward to flesh him out a bit more.
In the end (about the new characters) I'm curious to read if we will see Lord Mandon and your plans for Random Rock soldier #137
Actually, Mandon Lefferd is not all that new anymore. He was mentioned twice in Chapter 2, first as having won a tourney not too long ago, then being noted to have ascended to lordhood after his father died during the siege Loren and his men just broke. I hope I'll be able to show him, maybe. The Random Rock Soldier #137 is actually a character whom I wanted to feature more in this part. He's going to be a major character for one particular storyline, albeit likely not the one you'd expect. I would have liked to at least properly establish his name and looks, because I can guarantee, by the time I am able to do this next, you won't remember that tall, ferocious Random Rock Soldier #137.
Poor Baelor,probably his biggest accomplishment inside the story is being mentioned as a dead man in front of his king
A shame He has been an accomplished warrior, so Loren was quite familiar with him even before and his death proves just how bad the situation in Maybros has gotten. I also wanted to give him at least some mention, after having killed him off so early.
What want to do that evildoer called Leonard (not the Constantine one) at Castamere?And why Darren say to not know what is happening?He is the one that send Two Face at Maybros..right?
Ah, Leo and his men are indeed heading to Castamere, having negotiated with Two-Face to bring refugees from Maybros there, once the people have slightly recovered from their wounds. And Darren indeed knows nothing about this. He has been away from Castamere for three months now, so he has not given the order. Instead, this was likely his wife, Lady Mileena, who rules over the Reyne lands (of which Maybros is a part of, belonging to a Reyne vassal) in his absence and it is likely her responsibility to send Two-Face there. So, this is all very new to him.
I'm curious to see where we will see Sadie after the time skip
At a very dark place, literally and figuratively. Sadie has little choice but to accompany Leo's men now, as Gyles has plans on temporarily leaving Maybros as well, together with his prostitutes and therefore Melanie. However, she won't be quite at Castamere yet next time we see her.
King Loren is going to meet King Mern?This will be for sure something interesting
Ah, it will be a very central meeting. Loren and Mern are the only kings in Westeros who are actually on friendly terms with each other during the days of the Conquest, having a common enemy in the Ironborn and being generally old friends and allies. Their meeting is an important step during the War of Conquest and one I hope to show through a PoV if I can fit it in.
And now only two letters are left
RT:
* Well,I don't expected that you have showed the battle (or to be precise the end of it) at th… moree Golden tooth in the Rock interlude
* I really like King Loren as a PoV,a King capable of do hard choices during war times (and I like his interaction with Lord Reyne)
* Welcome back Lord Reyne and Marbrand!(I must admit however that I found weird the absence of Lord Crakehall,I half expected him to be present for that battle)
* And now let's talk about the new entries starting with the royal squire! He seems to be a nice kid leaving aside the fact that he manage to let any knight that he work for die (and I'm curious to learn how)
* Then we have the heir of House Turnberry,while it is too soon to have a opinion about him I'm glad that some God (or another reader) grant my request (still no news about his father btw)
* And the last new introduced character is Lord Swyft,he seems a good man leaving … [view original content]
Well, we all knew Lannisters were indeed warriors, and it shows ruthlessness is a characteristic that many of them has had. Pity for the Riverlanders, they are always hit the worst in this situations.
It makes me curious who this soldier is, may be someone historically important.
The alliance that assembled the largest host in the history of Westeros is about to be formed.
Forum of Thrones – Interlude V
Seven Letters – A Hard Place
Loren
The King of the Rock slowed his destrier, as he overlooked the ar… moremy that had gathered in the small valley below him. Hundreds, thousands likely, doomed fathers, brothers and sons. Behind them, in the light of dawn, the Golden Tooth, the fortress they had been besieging for months now. It would end today. Loren and the three thousand behind him would make sure of this.
He spotted the banners. Blacktyde. Greyjoy. Tully. Bracken. Some of them followed by their own choice, others had none. It did not matter for Loren Lannister. They entered his lands, they slaughtered his people, they waged war on his kingdom. There were many things he could forgive, but this was none of them. Having surrounded their main force in the early hours of the night, having taken out scouts and having prevented any chance for them to escape, Loren was determined to end this.
“What do you sa… [view original content]
Another great interlude, nice! Now, I have to say that aside from Harren, I find Loren the least likable of the rulers introduced so far. That said, I do understand his logic and motivations, and even respect them to some degree. It was also a nice change of pace to actually see a battle in the interlude, which was something I wasn't expecting. And it also looks like the build up for a certain epic battle has begun, even thought it will probably take a looong time before we get to that battle
Can't wait to see (or rather, not see) the Dornish court in the next interlude!
Forum of Thrones – Interlude V
Seven Letters – A Hard Place
Loren
The King of the Rock slowed his destrier, as he overlooked the ar… moremy that had gathered in the small valley below him. Hundreds, thousands likely, doomed fathers, brothers and sons. Behind them, in the light of dawn, the Golden Tooth, the fortress they had been besieging for months now. It would end today. Loren and the three thousand behind him would make sure of this.
He spotted the banners. Blacktyde. Greyjoy. Tully. Bracken. Some of them followed by their own choice, others had none. It did not matter for Loren Lannister. They entered his lands, they slaughtered his people, they waged war on his kingdom. There were many things he could forgive, but this was none of them. Having surrounded their main force in the early hours of the night, having taken out scouts and having prevented any chance for them to escape, Loren was determined to end this.
“What do you sa… [view original content]
Well, we all knew Lannisters were indeed warriors, and it shows ruthlessness is a characteristic that many of them has had. Pity for the Riverlanders, they are always hit the worst in this situations.
Aye, they have always been warrior kings, even if the generation of Lannister's we know from the books and show might not represent this all too well, save for Jaime, with all of them being more focussed on schemes and politics. Loren is a Lannister through and through, meaning he has a certain ruthless streak to him. And, of course, the Riverlanders have to suffer under this, because let's be honest, the Riverlanders always have to suffer everything.
It makes me curious who this soldier is, may be someone historically important.
Hmmm, maybe. Man, I really wish I would have been able to properly introduce him in this part, given that it will take me a couple chapters until we get back to Loren and his host. Until then, I can only hope some remember this mysterious guy. If not, well, he will become rather important, so by the end of Book 2, he should be a well-established character for sure.
The alliance that assembled the largest host in the history of Westeros is about to be formed.
Aye. At full strength, the Reach and Rock can bring tens of thousands of soldiers, more than any other kingdom could muster (even if the Stormlands and Riverlands on their own likely could muster more than Loren and Mern individually). It is a pretty rare thing for two kings to consider an alliance of such magnitude, but given the threat of Aegon, it is an appropriate response.
Well, we all knew Lannisters were indeed warriors, and it shows ruthlessness is a characteristic that many of them has had. Pity for the Riv… moreerlanders, they are always hit the worst in this situations.
It makes me curious who this soldier is, may be someone historically important.
The alliance that assembled the largest host in the history of Westeros is about to be formed.
Now, I have to say that aside from Harren, I find Loren the least likable of the rulers introduced so far. That said, I do understand his logic and motivations, and even respect them to some degree.
Aye, this is probably true. Loren is a pragmatic ruler who looks out solely for his own people. The more well-intentioned rulers, such as Mern or Sharra, would have never executed prisoners of war, but Loren has fought against the Ironborn and Riverlanders for too long to still be merciful to them. It has been a harsh action, but not one he did out of cruelty, but out of necessity for the good of his people. He has some likable traits, but this part definitely did not show much of them
It was also a nice change of pace to actually see a battle in the interlude, which was something I wasn't expecting. And it also looks like the build up for a certain epic battle has begun, even thought it will probably take a looong time before we get to that battle
I really wanted to have at least some action in these parts, given that most of them are set at some court. Loren has last been mentioned to wage war against the Ironborn besieging the Golden Tooth, so it only makes sense for him to still be there, I guess. An opportunity has been taken. And aye, there was indeed some build-up here, even if the battle in question is not going to be Book 2 material. Once I announce the titles for the Book 3 chapters, you will definitely know when to expect it though.
Can't wait to see (or rather, not see) the Dornish court in the next interlude!
Hehe, I really have to try something new there. I guess to make it moderately sufferable, Meria will be able to distinguish between light and dark, meaning she's legally blind by our standards, but can still describe stuff such as seeing the hint of light somewhere. Would make sense, given that she has one particular role in the canonical story that is surprisingly physical for a woman in her age
Another great interlude, nice! Now, I have to say that aside from Harren, I find Loren the least likable of the rulers introduced so far. T… morehat said, I do understand his logic and motivations, and even respect them to some degree. It was also a nice change of pace to actually see a battle in the interlude, which was something I wasn't expecting. And it also looks like the build up for a certain epic battle has begun, even thought it will probably take a looong time before we get to that battle
Can't wait to see (or rather, not see) the Dornish court in the next interlude!
You know, the relationship between Loren and Darren is exactly the opposite to the one Tywin and Roger Reyne had, and we all know what happened. The irony of what will happen to their descendants is quite interesting to read. "And now the rains weep on its hall, and not a soul to hear"
I didn't expected House Turnberry to be the overlords of Maybros, but making them Reyne vassals actually makes sense, since for what it is implied in the books, house Turnberry are a house that has lost a lot of prestige, not even mentioning if they have a seat.
Well, we all knew Lannisters were indeed warriors, and it shows ruthlessness is a characteristic that many of them has had. Pity for the Riv… moreerlanders, they are always hit the worst in this situations.
Aye, they have always been warrior kings, even if the generation of Lannister's we know from the books and show might not represent this all too well, save for Jaime, with all of them being more focussed on schemes and politics. Loren is a Lannister through and through, meaning he has a certain ruthless streak to him. And, of course, the Riverlanders have to suffer under this, because let's be honest, the Riverlanders always have to suffer everything.
It makes me curious who this soldier is, may be someone historically important.
Hmmm, maybe. Man, I really wish I would have been able to properly introduce him in this part, given that it will take me a couple chapters until we get back to Loren and his host. Until then, I ca… [view original content]
You know, the relationship between Loren and Darren is exactly the opposite to the one Tywin and Roger Reyne had, and we all know what happened. The irony of what will happen to their descendants is quite interesting to read. "And now the rains weep on its hall, and not a soul to hear"
That it is and it is deliberate. I wanted to show that despite their later rivalry, the two houses have been quite close once and Loren and Darren have a similar personality on top of that, so them getting along felt quite natural as well. If they could see what their descendants are going to do, they'd be horrified.
I didn't expected House Turnberry to be the overlords of Maybros, but making them Reyne vassals actually makes sense, since for what it is implied in the books, house Turnberry are a house that has lost a lot of prestige, not even mentioning if they have a seat.
Ah, it has been mentioned off-handedly a couple times. During the raid on Maybros, Lord Turnberry barricaded himself in his castle, leaving the people of Maybros to die, which brought him a lot of hate from his subjects. I chose for them to be the rulers of Maybros because they were one of the Rock houses without any canonically named seat, so I was free to give them Maybros and make them vassals of the Reyne's as a result. Surely, though they are obviously not wiped out during the Reyne-Tarbeck rebellion, them being vassals of this traitor house means that they are definitely going to be punished somehow, maybe even stripped of Maybros.
You know, the relationship between Loren and Darren is exactly the opposite to the one Tywin and Roger Reyne had, and we all know what happe… morened. The irony of what will happen to their descendants is quite interesting to read. "And now the rains weep on its hall, and not a soul to hear"
I didn't expected House Turnberry to be the overlords of Maybros, but making them Reyne vassals actually makes sense, since for what it is implied in the books, house Turnberry are a house that has lost a lot of prestige, not even mentioning if they have a seat.
Forum of Thrones – Interlude V
Seven Letters – A Hard Place
Loren
The King of the Rock slowed his destrier, as he overlooked the ar… moremy that had gathered in the small valley below him. Hundreds, thousands likely, doomed fathers, brothers and sons. Behind them, in the light of dawn, the Golden Tooth, the fortress they had been besieging for months now. It would end today. Loren and the three thousand behind him would make sure of this.
He spotted the banners. Blacktyde. Greyjoy. Tully. Bracken. Some of them followed by their own choice, others had none. It did not matter for Loren Lannister. They entered his lands, they slaughtered his people, they waged war on his kingdom. There were many things he could forgive, but this was none of them. Having surrounded their main force in the early hours of the night, having taken out scouts and having prevented any chance for them to escape, Loren was determined to end this.
“What do you sa… [view original content]
Oh yes, at least Darren. I feel truly sorry for sidelining most of them for so long, but as you can guess from the Book 2 cover, they will come back in full force very soon and that has always been the plan. It's just that reaching Book 2 has taken me a lot longer than I thought and this came at the expense of those readers whose characters were, from the moment they have been submitted, planned to be Book 2 characters. I'd say Chapter 2 is where I really get to finally work with the Reyne family as they deserve
Loren is a likeable man. It's sad when you remember what happens to him in the future.
Likable is not what I thought people would consider him to be while writing the part, but I can see what you mean. It's very pleasing, glad you enjoy him! And well, I'd say there will be hard times for each and every one of the rulers coming up pretty soon. At least Loren won't be alone there
Being old was commonly accepted to be a bad thing, yet the younglings had no idea what they were truly talking about. As a very old woman, Meria knew the plight her parents had to go through before her. Admittedly, having grown fat with the age meant that she had to go through a couple additional problems.
Opening her eyes was more a reflex by now, not something that gave her an actual benefit. It was all a grey blur, with her only being able to guess when she saw a shadow, spots that were slightly darker than the rest of her surroundings.
One of these spots was working on her right now, trying to get her into her overcoat. Cira, her handmaiden and one of the few she actually trusted. Pleasant, yet far too quiet for Meria's taste. “Bah, girl”, she said, he hoarsy voice causing the young handmaiden to gasp in surprise, which in return caused the dornish princess to chuckle. “Don't be like that!”, she ordered her, as she leant forwards in her wheelchair, so that Cira was able to fully put the coat on her. “Say something!”
The girl waited for a moment. “What... what would you like to talk about, my princess?”, she asked and Meria smiled. “How's the palace looking?”, she asked in return. “Is my good-for-nothing son keeping an eye on the details?”
Cira gulped. “It's looking splendid”, she said. “The most beautiful palace in Westeros” Meria raised an eyebrow. “And to how many palaces have you been that you can say such a thing?”, she asked. “Besides, is Nymor doing it himself, or is that yet another job he burdens my sweet granddaughter with?”
This time, Cira hesitated to answer. “Princess Deria is doing most of the work”, she admitted in a sheepish voice and a triumphant grin formed on Meria's face. “Ha!”, she exclaimed, leaning back in her wheelchair. “Now, you can tell Allaryn he can come in. Let's not waste further time here”
Relieved at not being tormented with questions any further, Cira quickly stepped away from the wheelchair, her careful feet making almost no sound as she rushed over to the door. “Allaryn, the princess requires your service now”, she spoke.
Her own, soft steps were drowned out by Allaryn's, who made no attempt at being quiet. He had been in Meria's service for longer than Cira, back when she was still able to see and he knew that ever since her sight started to fail her, she preferred her servants to make some noise, to announce their presence. Gentle Cira had more traditional views on the topic and more than once, she had actually startled the princess with her silence. Still, she preferred her over the Dalt girl. At least with Cira, she was sure that she had never stolen anything from her.
“My princess”, Allaryn greeted her and Meria gave him a nod. “Allaryn, my dear, I think I am ready”, she spoke, feeling him grabbing the wheelchair behind her. “Bring me to the council meeting. Seven behold if they started without me again”
“I doubt they will”, Allaryn replied. “Prince Nymor is attending today. You know how he is” Meria smiled. “Sadly, I do”, she said. “But for once, it might be a good thing. Must be important though if he is attending. Do you know whom else will come?”
“I don't”, Allaryn admitted. “But Cira has spoken to Maester Cliff” Meria looked into the direction she expected Cira to be. “Then come with us, child”, she ordered her. “You can tell me on the way”
The three made their way out of Meria's quarters, Allaryn pushing the wheelchair and Cira walking next to her. It was colder than usual in the halls of Sunspear, a gentle breeze the dornish princess welcomed quite thankfully. She smiled slightly. “So...?”, she asked.
“Cliff has asked for a lot of attendees to discuss... something”, Cira began. “The Maester was unwilling to tell me more about what exactly it is. But Prince Nymor and Princess Deria will both attend” This was not a surprise. Deria had all the ambition her father was lacking and where Nymor was a kind spirit, unwilling to deal with conflict, Deria actively sought them out. Nymor was a good administrator, Meria was willing to give him that, but Deria, she was more. One day, she'd make a fine ruler. Part of Meria's unwillingness to just drop down and die was the prospect of Nymor being Prince of Dorne. It would be inevitable, but the longer she lived, the shorter his reign would be.
And a long live, that's what she had. Eighty years, fifty-five of them as the Princess of Dorne. The yellow toad, that's what her enemies called her, but Meria Nymeros Martell was too old to listen to their slander. She actually took pride in it even. Lesser rulers wouldn't receive such insults, ever. That being said, she was also too old to just let it pass. Eighty years and she hadn't forgotten a thing, neither a service well done, nor an insult.
“Ser Lyonel will be there as well, Captain Razek and Lady Absidee. I believe Landon Jordayne and Vinicus Flowers have been called as well”, Cira continued. Allaryn sighed. “Of course the bastard would show up”, he growled. Meria glanced over her shoulder, as the broad, blurry shadow behind her. “I don't remember his heritage being part of your problem with him”, she spoke.
“His heritage is the root of the problem”, Allaryn explained. “He's not one of us. A Reachman” Meria raised a finger. “Half a reachman”, she reminded him. “The other half's Braavosi” Allaryn sighed. “That's not making it any better, my princess”, he growled. “Worse than that, he's half a Florent and half a Salvatore and I trust neither”
“You trust no one”, Meria said with a sly smile. “That's what makes you such a good guard” She turned her head into Cira's direction, hopefully. “And whom else?”, she asked. “And Sarina Manwoody has requested to attend too”, the girl continued. “Maester Cliff believes she somehow learned about the importance of this meeting”
Meria raised an eyebrow. “The heiress to Kingsgrave?”, she asked. “She's a clever one, I give her that, but she's not part of the council” Cira sighed. “Prince Nymor already allowed her to take part of this meeting”, she mumbled. To this, Meria rolled her blind eyes. “Oh, that boy”, she muttered. “Who knows what pressure Sarina put upon him”
“Shall I throw her out, my princess?”, Allaryn asked and Meria shook her head. “That won't be necessary”, she replied. “The girl could consider it an insult. Let her hear what Maester Cliff has to say. If she got my son to grant her permission, she earned it”
Any further conversation was cut off from another one, taking place down the hallway, beyond a corner. Two voices, female, one of them sharp and agitated, the other one soft, yet with an underlying harshness to it that made it only sound more pleasant in Meria's ears. The princess never forgot a voice, so she knew whom these two women were right as they spoke.
“Oh, poor little bastard”, the sharp voice hissed. It reminded Meria of the snake on the woman's sigil. Elia Aspys, younger sister of Lady Vyria of Snakestone. Meria had no fondness for either, nor for that scheming, petty family of theirs. Poisoners and killers, every last one of them. “Doesn't your daddy grant you enough clothes to cover your body with?”
“At least I have a body to show off, Elia”, the second voice said and Meria grinned. Ysilla Sand, Allyrion's bastard and a new guest at court. She didn't know her very well, but was quite fond of her father. Lord Alester was an old friend of Nymor and unlike her son, he was actually a capable man, the best Lord of Godsgrace Meria could have hoped for. And from what she knew about Ysilla's presence at court, it was quite important for her family.
“It's Lady Elia”, Elia replied sharply and Ysilla chuckled softly. “You really need that, don't you... Elia?”, she said slyly. The other woman groaned in frustration. “Bastard!”, she spat. “No manners. It's a wonder your daddy even tolerates you”
“My father loves me”, Ysilla replied. “I doubt you can say the same. Come to think of it, I doubt anyone loves you” Elia chuckled coldly. “Oh, and that's where you're wrong, you little bitch” It was in this moment that Allaryn pushed Meria's wheelchair around the corner. “Language, Mylady Elia”, the princess reminded her.
“My Princess!”, Elia exclaimed. “I... I had no idea you were listening” Meria smiled. “And I had no idea you were getting into a quarrel with my honoured guest” Elia tried to stutter something else, but the princess cut her off. “No need for justifications. I hold no grudge and I doubt Lady Ysilla does”, she assured her. “Just crawl back to your brother, little snake, I'm sure he misses you terribly”
This time, Elia suppressed a gasp, if barely. “I... of course, my princess”, she mumbled, as she rushed past her. Allaryn leaned closer to her ear. “She got red as a beet as you said this”, he whispered and she could almost hear his grin.
“Lady Sand”, she greeted her guest, pointing onto the free side of her wheelchair. “Why don't you walk with me for a moment” Ysilla followed the order at once. “Princess Meria, how are you feeling today?”, she asked and the princess groaned. “Like an old, fat sack of mouldy potatoes”, she complained. “Why is everyone asking me that? Seriously, you're smarter than that, girl. How's your brother doing?”
“Theodan is still in the city”, Ysilla replied. “Undoubtedly seeing some whore. Not the kind of activity I want to disturb him by. I walked in on him and some woman once. Not an impressive sight, so not one I need to see again”
Meria's laughter was hoarsy, but booming. “I like you, girl”, she admitted. “Say, we're heading for a council meeting. Why don't you accompany us? You could represent the interests of your family there” Behind her, Allaryn sighed sharply. “Is that wise, my princess?”, he asked. “She's a mere bastard”
“I do not remember asking for your opinion, Allaryn”, Meria told him. “Besides, if Nymor can bring the Manwoody girl, I can bring my own guest. Maybe that'll teach him about the importance of having a council” She glanced towards Ysilla, spotting her slim shadow right next to her. “If he makes any trouble, comment on his hair”, she adviced her, as she moved a hand across the remains of her own. “Getting bald is not all bad, but I assure you, he hates it”
With this, they stopped in front of the doors that led to Meria's war room. She still remembered the way it used to look, an impressive room, round, with a table located in its centre, surrounded by high columns, large windows above them that allowed it to be brightly lit during daylight hours. Of course, the only thing Meria noticed about this was the warmth on her skin.
“Cira”, she said and the girl put a hand onto hers, which the old princess squeeze briefly. “I want you to go back to my rooms. If you see Bronwen somewhere, tell her to get her hands off my jewelry” Cira pulled her hand back. “Of course, my princess”, she said. And with this, her soft steps began to move away from the wheelchair, as Allaryn pushed the door open.
Loud chatter met Meria's ears and she clearly heard a couple voices. Landon Jordayne, her Master of Law, a man with the smoothest, most pleasant voice Meria had ever heard. She heard Lyonel Sand, her grand admiral, a man not much younger than her, but much louder. Between them, Nymor's soft voice and Deria's sharp additions. They all quickly lowered their voices as Allaryn pushed the princess into the room.
There was no need for an introduction. Meria merely gave her servant a smile and he moved out of the room, closing the doors behind him. “Ysilla, child, tell me whom we have here today”, she spoke and the young woman began to speak. “Prince Nymor and Princess Deria”, she explained. “Ser Lyonel Sand and Landon Jordayne. Maester Cliff and Captain Razek um Daar” She paused for a moment. “And Lady Sarina Manwoody”
“Always a pleasure, Ysilla”, Sarina's voice came. A woman such as Elia would have meant it as a slight, but Sarina wasn't petty. Meria had no illusions that she was quite a bit a schemer, but at least her friendliness wasn't an act here. “Lady Sarina”, she greeted her. “I have already heard you're here with us today”
Sarina hesitated to answer. “If my presence is not wanted...”, she began, speaking from the other side of the table, but Meria raised her hand. “It is unexpected, but not unwelcome”, she spoke, before she looked around. “Now, where is Nymor?”
“I am here, mother”, Nymor's gentle voice sounded and Meria gave him a cold smile. “Next time you invite a guest, I wish to be informed about it”, she told him, before turning to her council. “Lady Ysilla is my guest for today”
“As a fellow bastard, I can only welcome you, mylady”, Lyonel spoke. “I suppose there's no objection?” Ysilla quickly sat down, even before anyone was able to say anything. “None”, Captain Razek replied, unquestionably loyal as always. It had taken her years to make a true person out of the former Unsullied, but even now, he was without a doubt the most loyal at her council.
“Where is Vinicus Flowers? And Lady Absidee”, Meria asked and Landon Jordayne cleared his throat. “Flowers did not follow the call for today, my princess. I do not know of his whereabouts”, he replied smoothly. “Lady Absidee is meeting an acquaintance in the shadow city. Myriah Watermont, the... madam”
“An informant?”, Meria asked. “Dear Absidee is excused then. Her work is of highest importance. But Flowers... I need to have a word with him. This is quite disappointing. Maester Cliff, don't keep us waiting any longer. Why have you called us here?”
Cliff sighed. “I admit, I am surprised by Lady Absidee's absence”, he revealed. “I believe she could... should have warned us about this months ago!” He pulled out a piece of paper, Meria clearly hearing the sound of parchment being unfurled. “A raven arrived earlier”, he said. “From Dragonstone”
“Give this to me”, Nymor spoke, sitting right next to the maester. He grabbed the parchment and began to read, as Meria heard from his mumblings. “What... this... this cannot be!”, he gasped. “Aegon Targaryen has declared war on Westeros. He demands our fealty, or he threatens to unleash his dragons upon Dorne”
Dragons... for a moment, Meria tensed up, while her council erupted into loud murmuring. Deria argued harshly with her father, Ser Lyonel interjected, even Landon said something, too much for her to listen to them all. She put a hand onto Ysilla's shoulder and the girl understood. Stronger than she would have expected, the bastard slammed a fist onto the table, silencing them.
“Enough with that!”, Meria spoke. “Cliff, this is a serious matter. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. My friends, what are your thoughts on this?” It was Nymor who spoke first. “He is a Dragonlord of Valyria”, he replied. “We know what happens when we choose to fight”
“So, you would want us to flee again?”, Deria replied coldly. “Maybe back to Mother Rhoyne? Last time, we bowed to hundreds of dragons. This Aegon, he has only three and he will not risk them for Dorne” Landon cleared his throat. “I would not be so sure about it, mylady”, he replied. “Targaryen is an ambitious man. He wants all of Westeros, not just most of it”
“He has three thousand men at most”, Lyonel brought up. “What danger can he be to us?” Meria smiled thinly, as Nymor cleared his throat. “It's the dragons, Ser”, he reminded him. “Your family has never faced them before, but mine has suffered greatly under them. And though it's true that Aegon has only three, our numbers are significantly fewer than what we used to have during the Spice Wars. The secrets of the water wizards have long since faded from our memories. The dragons are weaker than they used to be, but make no mistake, so are we”
“So what is it we shall do in your opinion, father?”, Deria asked and Nymor sighed. “I say we should seek an alliance instead”, he offered. “What good is Dorne for him? A dry, hot land, hard to conquer, even harder to hold. We have a common enemy in Argilac the Arrogant and I propose we seek to crush him together”
Meria gave her son a nod. “I would even agree with this”, she admitted. “If he wishes to fight alongside us against the Stag King, then we shall. But what if he does not accept this?” Nymor sighed. “I don't know if we can win against three dragons”, he admitted. “He says if we kneel, we keep lands and titles. Would it truly be that bad, preventing a costly war?”
“A smart idea”, Landon admitted. “In case a war breaks out, I must admit, I cannot promise that the entire population stands behind you” Lyonel chuckled at these words. “Is this about the Sandstorm?”, he asked. “A band of insurgents, one that should have been crushed by now, Master of Laws”
“The Sandstorm is a serious threat”, Razek intervened. “I find it hard to agree with Landon's course of action, but he is correct when it comes to them” Meria raised an eyebrow at Landon, who sighed. “Razek's support is as unexpected as it is genuine, my princess”, he explained. “I am afraid, despite all my efforts, the Sandstorm is only getting stronger. By now, I suspect lords, or maybe someone even closer to you, to support them at least in some capacity”
“So, we should not march to war?”, Meria asked. “At least until the Sandstorm rebels have been dealt with”, Landon answered. “It would be foolish to fight without the entire kingdom behind you. We're few as it is”
“It would be cowardly”, Sarina Manwoody intervened. “My princess, I trust Jordayne when it comes to the Sandstorm, but you have to ask yourself how much you'd lose if you do not fight. My house has never been ruled by kings not from our line, nor will we ever. When we knelt to your ancestor, this has been promised to us”
Meria looked into Sarina's direction, giving her a short nod. “And I won't break this promise”, she replied. “I am no Nymeria though. Not a young warrior queen. I will lead you, but not in the way you might expect” She looked around her council. “I have no intention of kneeling to the dragon. But neither will we fight. Let him burn, slaughter and conquer the rest of Westeros. He will not do the same with us”
Slamming her heavy hand onto the table, she knew she had their attention. “If he tries, he will learn a costly lesson. This is Dorne. There is no king above us”, she said and smiled at Sarina. “Your words, mylady. They meant something else once, but more than anything, they are a promise in these days, Nymeria's promise and mine”
It was in this moment that the door got pushed open. Nymeria heard the deep gasp of Allaryn. “My princess!”, he exclaimed and she knew something had happened. Something bad. “There has been an attack at the Planky Town! One of Ser Emilian's patrols has been ambushed. The Sandstorm, we believe. There are no survivors”
“So close!”, Deria exclaimed, while Meria clenched her fists in shock. “That means Sunspear might be in danger. The shadow city...” Next to her, Meria heard Ysilla gasping. “Theodan is still out there...”, the girl mumbled and Meria put a hand onto her shoulder, feeling the thin fabric of her dress. “Girl, go and find your brother”, she ordered. “Razek, send two guards with them. Once they are back, put the castle on lockdown until your men secured the city!”
With a sigh, Meria leant back in her chair, as her council around her erupted into loud chatter over the string of bad news. Enemies from the inside, enemies from the outside. Meria Nymeros Martell was no Nymeria, never has been. For all her strength, these were moments where she truly felt her age. She did not know what would come, with the Sandstorm, with Aegon. She only knew, she would never bow before them, never bend, never break. She was Dorne and there was no king above her.
Great part. You have really put theses out quickly. Its nice to see the Martell's remain interesting through the generations. You know I have to wonder if the royal families ever meet up. Almost all of them seem secluded in their little stretches of land. Do the Kings ever have visits from each other?
Forum of Thrones – Interlude VI
Seven Letters – No King Above
Meria
Being old was commonly accepted to be a bad thing, yet the youn… moreglings had no idea what they were truly talking about. As a very old woman, Meria knew the plight her parents had to go through before her. Admittedly, having grown fat with the age meant that she had to go through a couple additional problems.
Opening her eyes was more a reflex by now, not something that gave her an actual benefit. It was all a grey blur, with her only being able to guess when she saw a shadow, spots that were slightly darker than the rest of her surroundings.
One of these spots was working on her right now, trying to get her into her overcoat. Cira, her handmaiden and one of the few she actually trusted. Pleasant, yet far too quiet for Meria's taste. “Bah, girl”, she said, he hoarsy voice causing the young handmaiden to gasp in surprise, which in return caused the dornish princess… [view original content]
Oh man, Meria has such an awesome and distinctive personality She reminded me a bit of Olenna, just wit a bit of Dornish twist to her. And you also did great with the limitation of her being blind, making it actually an interesting element in her interactions with other characters. And boy oh boy, hhere certainly were many characters introduced here! I can understand that though, since it was basically your first chance to show off these characters. And many of them seem really interesting, even if we only got a tiny glimpse of their personalities.
And ha, I wasn't actually expecting to get any of my Manwoody's introduced here, but you managed to write Sarina in, awesome! Obviously we didn't get much of her yet, but so far I really like how you write her
The stuff with Aegon's letter was more or less what I expected, but this (Darude -) Sandstorm stuff was a complete surprise! I'm guessing we'll see a storyline related to them in Book 2. Hmmm... I sense Yronwood scheming here
Forum of Thrones – Interlude VI
Seven Letters – No King Above
Meria
Being old was commonly accepted to be a bad thing, yet the youn… moreglings had no idea what they were truly talking about. As a very old woman, Meria knew the plight her parents had to go through before her. Admittedly, having grown fat with the age meant that she had to go through a couple additional problems.
Opening her eyes was more a reflex by now, not something that gave her an actual benefit. It was all a grey blur, with her only being able to guess when she saw a shadow, spots that were slightly darker than the rest of her surroundings.
One of these spots was working on her right now, trying to get her into her overcoat. Cira, her handmaiden and one of the few she actually trusted. Pleasant, yet far too quiet for Meria's taste. “Bah, girl”, she said, he hoarsy voice causing the young handmaiden to gasp in surprise, which in return caused the dornish princess… [view original content]
I've been really looking forward to this part, and it came out even sooner than I had expected! It's really interesting to see things from the perspective of a blind woman, and also a character that is way past their prime and physically weak.
Hmm, for some reason the Dornish names seem to be harder for me to remember.
Comments
Yeah, so many relatable qualities XD I indeed wanted to expand a bit on him, to make him perhaps not perfectly likable, but not quite a complete monster. He's still very much a villain, but certainly no Harmund, alright. More a Roose to that guy's Ramsay. And well, going after Anturion, while always an unlikely option, would have made a lot of things quite differently then. Harlan for example, he got it really bad, but as you can see, he is recovering. And yeah, Harren has suffered quite a scar during the assassination, when Garthon shot at him. Quite a similar to the one Sherryl suffered from Edonia's arrow, but ultimately slightly less gruesome. Harren barely notices it by now, after the initial pain has faded.
It felt like the best way of introducing them, that much is for sure. Given how personal the friendship between Harren and Haragard is, it might be hard to fully establish it in the story proper, even if both are obviously going to get a lot of screentime in Kyra's parts, as well as in the parts of the other Harrenhal PoV, who will get his first part in Chapter 4. Book 2 Harrenhal will be grander than Book 1 Harrenhal, that I am pretty sure of.
And well, I am glad you enjoyed this part. I fear the next one won't be out tomorrow, because I will be away from home for the majority of the day, but I should be able to release it on Monday. I hope this will be nice too, especially as it will introduce a couple of very interesting characters as well
Another amazing interlude.Greatly enjoying Harren's story
Forum of Thrones – Interlude IV
Seven Letters – Fur and Frost
Torrhen
It was a cold day, even for an autumn that was unusually short and harsh. The ground was frozen, the air chilling, coats of warm fur mandatory when stepping outside and yet, the courtyard of Winterfell was busy as always, safe for a spot in its centre, where two men were fighting with wooden swords.
The wild Skagosi struck down onto the prince's shield. Beren just barely managed to block the fierce strike. Being four years younger, he had a natural disadvantage, something Torrhen had tried to convince him of. Yet if anything, his prideful son had only felt challenged. He insisted on fighting the man, the 'barbarian' as he had called him.
That being said, Mace Crowl was not a barbarian, not less than most of his fellow Northerners, at least not in the eyes of Torrhen Stark. Sure, the Skagosi looked wild, with his stocky build, wild beard and the short, black hair tied into numerous thick braids. Yet he has been a ward at Winterfell for most of his life and Torrhen considered him no less cultured than any other warrior at his court.
Beren saw things differently, of course. Coming into a certain age, he saw everything differently, and right now, as he grew increasingly hectic with his blocks, avoiding a rough beating by the wooden sword of his sparring partner, he paid the price for his arrogance. Torrhen had warned him once, told him that Crowl was too skilled an opponent, but after his son continued to insist, he just let him. The boy had to learn, even if that meant making his own mistakes.
Sure enough, Mace found an opening soon afterwards. Striking past the shield, he hit the northern prince at the cheek, heavily so. Knocking Beren to the ground, the Skagosi glared down at him with his cold, blue eyes, pointing the sword at him. “Do you yield?”, he growled.
Rolling his eyes, Beren sighed, putting a hand onto his bruised cheek. “Yeah”, he mumbled. Instead of helping his sparring partner up, Mace just turned around, nodding at the King in the North. Torrhen was watching them from his position, leaning against the wall right next to the Great Hall. A slight smile formed on his face, as he watched his son staggering back on his feet.
“He's getting better”, he spoke to his companions. Two of his warriors were accompanying him today, Eon Dustin and Harrold Hornwood. Both a decade younger than him, they were amongst the finest fighters in his kingdom. Harrold was a tall man, with green eyes and black hair, the hint of a beard covering his chin, his trusty axe always dangling at his belt. In contrast, his friend Eon was even taller, yet not quite as broad-shouldered, with lighter hair, a short moustache covering his upper lip.
Right now, Harrold merely chuckled. “If you say so, my king”, he said, his voice louder than it had to be at the brief distance it had to cover. “Truth be told, the only one he was able to beat this month has been Mormont and that hardly counts” Eon gave him a slight nod. “He's aiming too high”, he replied calmly. “There is talent in him, but he's seeking out opponents way out of his league. The Skagosi is better than most of us”
“Not me”, Harrold clarified. “But eh, you're right. Give him an easy opponent and he might learn something beyond losing” He shrugged. “Guess one of the stableboys would suffice. Torrhen raised an eyebrow at his companion. “He was able to beat Jorn Mormont”, he reminded him, to which Harrold flashed him a bold grin. “Yeah, and that's why he should pick a better opponent next time. A stableboy should be an improvement”
“Harrold”, Eon hissed, pointing at the gate. Just in this case, horn signals from up on the walls announced the arrival of a new visitor. Torrhen spotted the banner and a satisfied smile formed on his face. A white sun on a field of black. Karstark had finally arrived. Though many of his bannermen were still missing, perhaps today he could hear the first opinions on the letter he received.
It had been an audacious piece of writing. Easy to dismiss. Yet Torrhen Stark, the King of Winter, was above such arrogance. Before deciding on action, he'd hear some opinions. So he had called for them and like winter, they came. Roffe Umber. Harald Degore. Now, Brogar Karstark. Others would follow. Chett Bolton. Lanard Reed. Maybe even Worland Mormont, from far Bear Island.
Brogar had already ascended to lordship before Torrhen was born. At nearly seventy years of age, his fighting days were long over and he travelled in a carriage, instead of going by horseback. Having expected his arrival, Torrhen had sent another of his warriors, Jorn, the heir to Bear Island, to fetch the old lord and escort him to Winterfell.
Sure enough, the young Mormont was riding in front of them. With curly, slightly longer hair, a tall, yet lean build and his lack of both, skill or motivation for a true fight, Jorn was far from the ideal picture of a Northerner, yet Torrhen had grown to appreciate other traits in him. As much fun as Harrold, or even Beren would make of the man, he was undeniably smarter than both. With Brandon still not having returned, Torrhen considered him the smartest man in Winterfell. In the decision to come, his word would hold great importance.
“Your grace!”, Jorn exclaimed, as he descended from his horse. “As you have ordered, Lord Brogar Karstark” He pointed at the door to the carriage, which got opened just then. Instead of the old Lord of Karhold, a young woman climbed out of it though. She was a beauty, the wind gently playing with her long, black hair, despite wearing a hooded cloak. Raising an eyebrow in an impressed way, Harrold gave his friend a nudge with his elbow, to which Eon merely rolled his eyes with a sigh.
Her blue eyes met Torrhen's grey, as Jorn's face turned a shade of red. “I... uh, I mean, Lord Brogar's niece, Lady Malina”, he stuttered, as the woman turned around, extending her hand. The old man from inside the carriage refused the gesture though. With a groan, he pulled himself out of the cart. At nearly seventy years of age, Brogar Karstark was completely grey, with wrinkled skin, not even his short, bushy beard hiding the decline of his youth. He was still one of the tallest men Torrhen had ever seen though. His face, cold and sharp, turned to Torrhen, as he and his niece approached the men.
“Your grace!”, he said and bowed, clumsily. His niece did the same, though with an elegance her old uncle likely never had. “Your grace”, she said softly. Her gaze met Harrold's as she rose again and the young warrior grinned widely.
“Brogar, my friend”, Torrhen greeted him, as he patted the lord onto the shoulder, noting that Karstark's dour frown remained. “And Lady Malina, it is an honour” To this, she smiled slightly. As she opened her mouth to say something, her uncle cut her off. “Yes, yes, of course”, he said. “We've come a long way to follow your call. Just go ahead, tell us what this is all about”
While Eon gave the lord a surprised look, Torrhen had expected such a reaction. If anything, Brogar Karstark was not known for his polite tongue. That being said, the lack of manners was something Torrhen was willing to endure, if it meant getting the support of the most powerful of his bannermen.
“Of course, mylord”, he replied calmly. The smile on his face was cold though. “Please, accompany me to the Great Hall, it will all be explained” He gave Eon a nod. “Gather everyone”, he ordered. “They have waited long enough. It's time for us the North to come together”
It did not take very long until Torrhen's bannermen were gathered, the few that had already found their way to Winterfell. The king himself stepped into the Great Hall, wrapped in a new cloak, adorned by the grey fur of a wolf Brandon had hunted for him before he left to the south. He was wearing his crown, an open circlet of hammered bronze, incised with ancient runes, surmounted by nine iron spikes, shaped like longswords. As he entered, tall, calm and prideful, the hall went silent.
With Jorn to his right and Harrold to his left, the king marched towards his throne, glancing at his gathered lords. It did not surprise him that Roffe Umber was the first to arrive. As much a giant as the one on his banners, Roffe was towering above each of them and if anything, he looked more a barbarian than Mace Crowl ever could. Wrapped in a bear's fur, he had thick, black hair and a wild monstrosity of a beard.
The man to his left, though looking similar, was more unusual. Ser Dag Umber, one of the few true knights north of the Neck, shared most of his brothers size and his black hair, though his beard was carefully cropped, same as his hair. Clad in a fine tunic, his clothing was merely adorned by black fur.
“THE KING IN THE NORTH!”, Roffe screamed at the top of his considerable lungs, pointing his double-edged battleaxe at his liege. “The King in the North!”, the remainder of the lords and ladies chimed in, while Torrhen's gaze wandered to the lord on the other side of the hall.
It was a surprise that Harald Degore had followed the call so early. Far from a principal bannerman, the Lord of Degore's Cliff has only brought a single of his followers, a woman in her late forties, like the lord himself. She was not his wife, as Harald had assured him, but his castellan, Aryana Tavner. Whereas Harald was a harsh sight, scarred and blinded in one eye, his companion was quite pretty, especially for her age and despite missing a notable part of her right ear, with full, auburn hair and an evenly structured face. Taller than most men in the room, she wore armour of boiled leather and a thin, green cloak.
That being said, the most beautiful sight, making even fair Lady Malina pale, was Torrhen's queen. Lysa Stark, born a Hornwood and cousin to Harrold's father, was sweet, if perhaps not the greatest beauty in these frozen lands. In Torrhen's eyes though, he could not imagine a sight more perfect. Dark-haired like him, she had pale, blue eyes and a soft smile. Her belly was visibly swollen, as the advanced pregnancy forced her to remain seated.
And finally, their daughter, Princess Lyra. Half as old as Beren, she was merely a girl and one that has not yet grown into her looks, with a long, plain face, yet her smile was bright and perhaps the most pretty feature about her. “Father!”, she said, as she rushed into his arms, before he had even reached his throne. “Hello, my little princess”, he spoke gently, as he briefly lifted her up from her feet, much to her joy, carrying her next to her mother.
“My queen”, he said, as she actually brought a genuine smile onto his face and a warmth that contrasted this frosty day quite notably. “My king”, she greeted him in return, as he pulled her into a swift kiss, before turning to his son, who stood at the other side of the throne. “Have you learned something today, Beren?”, he asked.
The prince sighed, putting a hand onto his aching cheek. “Don't fight against the Skagosi”, he growled, glaring at Mace, who stood next to Eon a few feet away. “Or perhaps fight him a bit more often”, Torrhen replied, to which Mace glanced at them. “Always ready when you are, my prince”, he spoke, politely, yet with a certain distance, despite both having grown up next to each other for all the sixteen years of Beren's life.
“Careful, Skagosi”, Beren replied. “One of these days, I might throw you into the mud you crawled from” To this, Mace raised an eyebrow. “You can certainly try, your prince”, he replied calmly. “It's only fair for a man of your status to... reach for the stars, as the saying goes”
Eon just barely managed to hide his chuckle as a cough, sharing an amused smirk with his king. Torrhen himself looked at his gathered lords. “Mylords!”, he said and Roffe slammed a fist onto his own chest. “Aye!”, he snarled. “We have gathered, your most loyal. Umber, Karstark and...” He paused, as Dag whispered something in his ear. “And Degore, following your call”, Roffe continued quickly. “For what purpose, I can already guess. Just tell me, shall we march upon the ploughing wildlings that plague our lands, or those Ironborn cunts?”
For his brute mannerisms, Torrhen had to admit that he was once more impressed by the surprising amount of insight the Lord of the Last Hearth had shown with his statement. He gave him a nod. “Indeed, war it is”, he said. “Or perhaps one we may sit out. It is a matter for your counsel” He glanced at Jorn. “Do you have the letter?”
With a nod, Jorn handed him the parchment, with the broken seal of the three-headed dragon. “This has arrived a month ago!”, Torrhen proclaimed. “And it is the reason I called for your immediate gathering. A letter, written by the Lord of Dragonstone. King Aegon, as he calls himself, has proclaimed himself 'King of All Westeros'. He seeks to conquer every piece of land from the Last Hearth to Sunspear and threatens to burn those that do not bend the knee”
After his sentence, he had to wait a bit until the laughter calmed down. Roffe was visibly amused by this, not even his calmer brother could contain a smile, whereas Harrold Hornwood laughed brightly. Even Brogar Karstark's cackling was audible and it was the last to die down. “A southron, silver-haired girl threatens us?”, he barked. “I say, let him try. In ten thousand years, no army dared to march past the Neck”
His niece put a hand onto his shoulder and the old lord glanced at her, with a sigh. “Go ahead, speak”, he allowed her. “You're too clever for your own good, girl” Malina gave him a smile, before she spoke up. “My uncle speaks the truth. No army has dared to march past the Neck, for good reason. No army can, not without significant losses. Lord Reed and his crannogmen stand loyal to the throne and won't let them pass”, she explained.
As she continued, her gaze grew harder and Torrhen saw something behind her beautiful face. It was a cold, calculating look. “Yet they do not call him the dragonlord for nothing. My brother could tell you vivid stories of a dragon's fire and though I am less of a storyteller, I have heard enough to assure you, three of them are a force of nature. You'd be wise not to underestimate them”
“What do you suggest then, Lady Malina?”, Torrhen asked, genuine curiosity in his tone. The young lady smiled at him. “Gather your troops, your grace”, she advised him. “But march not yet. Wait until he is forced to split up his army. He will land, or has landed, somewhere at the Blackwater, meaning he will fight Hoare and Durrandon at once. We are far away, a distant enemy and when he comes, make sure we are ready. If he takes Harrenhal, prepare to march”
“You believe he will take that castle?”, Roffe asked and Malina nodded. “Once the Riverlords have declared for him, yes”, she confirmed. Umber grinned. “Those muddy fishes lack the spine to fight back”, he claimed, though she shook her head, decidedly so. “They are proud and stubborn. Given the opportunity, they will take their revenge on Harren the Black” She turned back to the king. “And if this happens, you must be ready”
Torrhen gave her a nod. She had confirmed some of this own thoughts. He would not kneel, so a war was inevitable, sooner or later. And it was foolish for him to hope for Black Harren to fight off this invader. The man had sent his raiders to the Stony Shore since the days of Torrhen's father. A grim, cold smile appeared on his face.
“Harren Hoare will fight alone”, he declared. “Either he's doing us a favour for once, fighting off this Dragon King, or he's getting his comeuppance. One way or the other, the outcome is good for us” His lords nodded to this, murmuring their agreements. “However, if Hoare fails, Targaryen will eventually march north. You may see this as foolish, but this letter is oozing confidence. He won't back down. Maybe Hoare will be the one to kill him. Maybe Durrandon or Gardener”, he continued and took a deep breath. “Or maybe we have to. Mylords, when we march to war, will you march with me?”
“Aye!”, Brogar Karstark exclaimed. “I wouldn't have come if I'd refuse your call” He gave his king an approving nod. “We're kin, you and I, your grace. Karstark will march with Stark, now and always” His eagerness was only surpassed by Umber's, though Torrhen saw hesitation in Lord Roffe's eyes.
The lord gave his brother a nod, followed by a long sigh. The knight rose from his chair. “Your grace, none will be prouder to fight for you than House Umber”, he said. “Yet you know of our problem. Neither me nor Roffe can march south with you until it is solved”
Torrhen gave him a nod. “I am aware of this, Ser”, he spoke. “And I might know a way. Brandon's latest letter was sent a fortnight ago, from Tumbleton. He should be close to the Neck by now and I expect him here in a few weeks. The way he made it sound, he found someone to solve all your problems”
This seemed to satisfy both, Roffe and Dag, so Torrhen turned his attention to the last lord in this small council. “Lord Degore”, he said and the lord rose from his chair, approaching the throne. “You wouldn't have come this quickly if not for a concern of your own. Speak now, mylord”
Harald gave him a nod, looking almost guilty as he spoke. “Your grace, my house is nothing if not faithful”, he said. “When I received your letter, I knew war would come, so I hurried to Winterfell, to speak to you before all others” He glanced at his castellan, Lady Aryana, who gave him a brief, encouraging smile. “Yet I am an old man and the last of my line. I have no trueborn sons, nor do I expect to sire another”
“Eh, you swore an oath to the king, Degore”, Brogar growled. “You should have cared for an heir long ago. Myself, I fathered three to make sure and two life to this day. It's not the king's problem that you haven't done your duty to House Degore”
“But I have a son”, Harald growled. “A bastard he is, but nonetheless my son” He looked back to his king. “Your grace, I do not refuse your call. I have answered before anyone else to assure you, House Degore will march with you when you face the dragons. But I cannot lead them myself until I have found my son and made him my heir”
He took a step forwards, going down on one knee. “With your permission, me and Aryana will leave the North. We will travel to the Reach, where my son has last been seen. I'll bring him home and if there's still time, I will lead my men personally”, he offered. “And if you require them before I return, I have sent word to my friend, Esbern of House Forrester. He will lead my men on your call”
Torrhen exchanged a look with his wife. Queen Lysa smiled quickly, before giving him a nod. This was all the confirmation he needed. “Then you are excused, Lord Degore”, he said. “Bring your son home and I will make him your heir. But bring him quickly. I accept your offer for this war, but might need you for the ones to come”
A thankful expression formed on Harald's face, as he hurried back in line, next to his castellan. “And make no mistake, mylords, this is only the beginning”, Torrhen spoke. “Lady Malina speaks truly, a dragon is a cruel opponent. We will need the North at full strength for this”
He glanced at Jorn. “Once again, send word to the banners, every last one of them, from White Harbour to the northern clans. I wish to summon them here at once”, he commanded and Jorn saluted firmly. “Winter is coming, literally. King Aegon has spent his life in the south and has yet to learn what this means. He has never felt the cold, but by the old gods and the new, if he dares to face us, he will” Grimly, the King of Winter looked around his allies. “When the frost comes, we will march against him”, he declared. “And no fire in this world may save him”
End of Interlude IV – Fur and Frost
4 down,3 to go!
RT:
I haven't commented in a while due to vacationing. And I just wanted to say these interludes have been frickin awesome. To be completely honest, when they were first announced, I didn't think much of it, and just wanted to immediately jump into Book 2. But these parts are a joy to read and I'm eagerly awaiting the next part. Keep up the good work, Liquid!
Ah, it was so weird to see Winterfell in FoT, after all of the story so far being in the South. It was great though! And Torrhen seems more or less the kind of king I expected him to be, reasonable and honorable. It'll be nice to see him, as well as these other Northern lords, from Raenna's perspective. It also looks like we'll see Degore in the Reach, interesting. I wonder whose storyline will he collide with. Oh, and my theory is that this Aryana Tavner is the mother of Lord Harald's bastard, that would explain why she is going with him.
So we finally meet Torrhen and the Northern nobility, wonder what was the issue Brandon was investigating that the Umbers needed to solve.
Jorn is indeed the opposite of his big sister, and he actually looks more like a Crannogman or a southerner than All Mormonts we know of.
Malina is indeed quite wise, and in the absence of her brother and cousins, she's her uncle main supporter.
We know of a few bastards from the North at Raylansfair, lets hope Harald's heir is one still alive.
That makes one finished Interlude by the end of the week at the current speed
Really, I cannot wait to delve into some of the things I have set up here and will set up in the three parts to come.
Aye, Torrhen is more straightforward than the other rulers, though in his case, I think some aspects of his character are best seen from someone else's PoV. I don't think it's a bad thing though and very glad you considered it a good read
Well, it is 14 named characters here, 11 of which have been directly submitted by readers (while Torrhen's wife and daughter came from the submission of his son). In contrast, Sharra's PoV has only introduced 9 named characters. The Meria PoV is also going to introduce quite a lot, but not that many. I believe this is the part with the most introductions and will likely remain so for the rest of the story.
Aye, we'll see them all through Raenna's PoV in the next chapter. There is also going to be another PoV who will interact with the royal family, so you should get plenty of viewpoints and opinions on them
What can I say, you have been worried for nothing there
Brogar's outlook on society is a very traditional one, even more so than what is common in Westeros, so the fact that he is willing to hear Malina out and let her speak at all means that she has impressed him quite heavily. That being said, he is willing to consider her advice, but has his own opinions and is quite passionate about them. One thing I love about Brogar is that he'll give me the chance to develop Alisa from a really unique perspective, as you'll definitely understand her better, knowing her father.
The Umber's are amazing! This I can say as the guy who has the pleasure of writing them. There are six Umber's in total an I have the feeling they should be very well-liked characters. Roffe himself is probably my favourite of the bunch, so I was excited to introduce him first. A true Umber through and through.
Well, that's why Harald came to Winterfell this quickly. Technically, him leaving is not that much of a big deal, but taking his second-in-command with him as well is a pretty big deal, as it leaves the Degore troops without a leader. I can confirm though, Aryana has a reason of her own to accompany her lord and if you look carefully, you will definitely spot this reason, or at least a hint of it, in Book 2
Aye, Jorn is quite different from his sister. It's ironic that Reymond is very much the heir Lord Mormont would have wished for in terms of personality and skills, but Jorn is the one he got. And Worland himself, he will appear as well, but might be one of the later lords to be introduced. That being said, we will hear a lot of him in Edrick's storyline, as well as in Raenna's.
Capable warriors and high nobility. All of these warriors, part of Torrhen's counterpart to Brandon's unfortunately deceased Snow Wolves, are going to receive a good dose of character development in Book 2. Especially Mace should be a very colourful character, as befitting for a Skagosi.
Well, if he discovers this at all. Raenna is not too candid with her heritage and Brandon himself might have reasons of his own to keep it a secret. For example, it will already be hard to convince the naturally superstitious Northerners to accept the help of a Valyrian. Torrhen's own reaction might not even be the worst, as he is fairly reasonable compared to some of his bannermen.
Glad to hear it! I am surely similarly excited to write the North in Book 2, as it will feature some pretty interesting characters and really cool (literally) locations.
Hehe, and it won't be the farthest north we're going to see in the story. After all, the Last Hearth is more or less confirmed to be featured, with Brandon having intended Raenna to solve Umber's problems. Her perspective on this all will be quite unique. After all, she is a complete outsider, without any connections to the North at all, so these people will be strange to her, at least at first.
Aye, next time we're going to see Harald and Aryana will be in the Reach. Aryana has reasons of her own, that go beyond mere loyalty to her liege, this I can confirm. Wether or not this means that she's the mother of Harald's bastard... it is certainly a good guess
Ah, very glad you're back! And I am even more glad that you enjoy the Interludes so much that they even won you over
I'm having a lot of fun writing them and showing these kings from their own perspective for once. At the same time, I can understand your eagerness to get to Book 2. I share it, which is a big reason why I am writing these Interlude parts so swiftly. The other is that I legitimately love writing them, so the great reception is very motivating.
Well, at least Brandon's past investigation has not been connected to Umber's problem. He investitaged Butterfly in Oldtown. However, the Umber problem has been brought to Torrhen's attention a while ago, so Brandon is aware of it and has now found the one he sees as very capable of dealing with this.
Oh yes, he has something of a Crannogman. To be honest, his general attitude is far from Mormont-like and his looks aren't exactly typical either. He comes a lot after his mother. It's really ironic that this guy is the heir to Bear Island, given that he is definitely not the kind of heir Worland Mormont would wish for.
I can confirm, she always is her uncle's main supporter. Brogar's sons are warriors, which is nice, but warriors are not guaranteed to be all that smart. Meanwhile, she is smart and ambitious and it is especially the second trait that puts her apart from the similarly intelligent, yet relatively satisfied Dante.
Wouldn't it be a shame if he gets to Raylanfair and learns that his bastard, Federico, was killed by the Ironborn? But yes, there is a number of northern bastards in the Reach and given how his current whereabout might not be all that reliable, it could, technically, be any bastard named Snow in the entire story, as well as the unintroduced characters.
It was such a treat for Malina to make an appearance! As you know I've been anticipating her arrival for a while and it's finally happened! ^_^
Ah, and this is only the beginning
I know you have waited for a long time to see her in the story, but now that this wait has come to an end, I can promise there's some good scenes coming in the future and I hope to do her justice. For now, I'm glad you enjoyed her introduction into the story!
Who the hell is this Fererico character? Was he some sort of background character who only got mentioned once? Maybe you're mistaken with a different northern bastard who was in Raylansfair who happened to be killed by some Ironborn.
Yet another great Interlude. I really enjoyed this one. This is two Interludes in a row that several of my characters have been introduced. We got to see a whole array of new interesting characters. The Karstark family seem really interesting and I am pretty certain that Malina is going to play a really big role in the North. Either by being this mysterious new North POV or being heavily featured in either this or Raenna's POV. Speaking of Raenna, I am very curious as to how she is going to fix Roffe's problem. Even I don't know what's up in Last Hearth, but I do have some what of a semblance as to what it may be. If what I am thinking is right though, I don't entirely know how Raenna is going to fix it. This Degore guy is kinda curious. He is leaving his lands without a leader to search for some bastard of his in the vast lands of the Reach. He is going to be sorely disappointed when he realizes that Frenchie died during the raid. His castellan is also kinda a mystery. She clearly has a past that end with her losing a bit of her ear. She has autumn hair and is really tall, so if she is in fact the bastard mommy, we cam assume that it's going to be some tall autumn haired boy. The King seems like a reasonable chap. Good head on his shoulders, so when shit hits the fan in the south he will have a good chance of not losing it. Two kids coming on three. Pretty wife. Beren may be a interesting character where he goes on challenging all the warriors in Winterfell. All in all, I am really excited for the North.
Aww, the Stark family is so cute. Also northern lords are being themselves as always! Really enjoyable to see them so belligerent and confident. I wonder how will they react to Torrhen bending the knee..
Forrester's mention kinda confused me. Didn't Gregor say in the game that their house was founded by his grandfather Cedric? It was waaaay after the conquer.
Don't quote me on this because I don't remember it to the letter, but if memory doesn't fail me House Forrester was founded by Gerhard Forrester. Cedric and his sons were the ones to build Ironrath, but that was 1500 years before the events of the game.
Ah, apologies, I always get his name wrong. Of course I meant Friendzone Snow, you probably remember him. That being said, I can confirm, Football is not Degore's son, this was mor meant as a little joke. It is another introduced or unintroduced Snow character, but not Fedora.
Hehe, this is a great way for me to introduce some of the characters that regularly interact with these kings, especially lords and that's what I love the most about this interlude. And it felt pretty natural to introduce some of yours here, especially with Haragard. Be assured, more will follow, though not necessarily in the Interlude, considering that the remaining parts focus on regions you don't really have submitted specific characters for.
Hm, the new Northern PoV is going to be a character who has been introduced in Book 1. That being said, Malina should play a pretty big role in both PoV's and she is one of the characters whose original introduction plans, before the planning of the Interlude, have already been to my full satisfaction. A big role in the North, you are right about this
Ah, Raenna will have quite a journey in Book 2. Roffe himself might not even be fully aware for how deep the problem truly runs, but both, he and Torrhen, have full trust in Brandon that he chose the right person to fix it. Safe to say, Raenna will face some problems of her own on the way.
Aye, it is something Harald has planned for a long time now, finding his bastard. He knows, it's now or never, because if he marches to war on the way, he risks dying and leaving his lands permanently without a leader. So, the surprising announcement that Aegon has declared war on every kingdom in Westeros forced him to take on this journey way earlier than planned. Aryana has, as said above, reasons of her own, which you'll get a hint at pretty early into Book 2. She has a rather eventful past and I can confirm, this detail about her ear is a big part of it.
Aye, Torrhen is a reasonable king, though probably a bit less so than Mern. Like him, however, he is limited by how he can act due to the expectations his lords put into him. In Mern's case, it's the scheming, which he at least suspects. In Torrhen's case, it's the fact that he rules over a bunch of honourable, prideful warriors, who would take not marching to war as a sign of weakness. That being said, due to their location, the North has it the best in the current situation, being the farthest away from Aegon and his armies.
Glad to hear you enjoyed these characters
I look forward to introduce more of the northern lords, there is quite a number whom I have not yet shown. In Raenna's next part, set a couple weeks after this Interlude, we might get to see more of them, as more will have arrived, among them big names, such as Bolton or Manderly, even if most of these will only get truly important to the narrative in the other PoV's parts.
I haven't played the first episode in a while, so I don't remember the conversation with Gregor all that well, but I believe Javier is right. A search on the wiki told me that Cedric has indeed lived 1500 years before the events of the game and he was not even the first Forrester, so I guess we can assume they have been around for at least slightly longer than that. The first Lord Forrester is a man named Gerhard and we don't know when he lived, but I'd say it was at least 1500 years before the Conquest.
Hi, well this is long. lol
Hey there! It is indeed long, though very far from reaching its completion. I've recently reached the end of the first of three books (figuratively speaking) of the story, so I'm going to be busy with this for several years to come. Like I said in the Nymeria's War thread, if you want to join, it's not too late, even if the read is a long one and I'm always here to help. I'm currently trying some things to hopefully make it more easily accessible for anyone who wishes to join despite the size of the material that has been written already. If you want to give it a try, you're welcome
Worth giving it a try
Ah, nice! Well, if there is anything I can do to help you getting started, you can always ask. I have written a recap that summarizes the most important events for each of the storylines, though the most recent chapter, which started on page 154, is still missing in it. I probably should get around adding it in some time this week. Other than that, should you require further explanations or assistance with catching up, send me a message or ask me right here and I'll try my best.
Oops, my bad then.
Forum of Thrones – Interlude V
Seven Letters – A Hard Place
Loren
The King of the Rock slowed his destrier, as he overlooked the army that had gathered in the small valley below him. Hundreds, thousands likely, doomed fathers, brothers and sons. Behind them, in the light of dawn, the Golden Tooth, the fortress they had been besieging for months now. It would end today. Loren and the three thousand behind him would make sure of this.
He spotted the banners. Blacktyde. Greyjoy. Tully. Bracken. Some of them followed by their own choice, others had none. It did not matter for Loren Lannister. They entered his lands, they slaughtered his people, they waged war on his kingdom. There were many things he could forgive, but this was none of them. Having surrounded their main force in the early hours of the night, having taken out scouts and having prevented any chance for them to escape, Loren was determined to end this.
“What do you say?”, Darren asked, moving his horse next to the king's. The Lord of Castamere had been by his side for this entire campaign, from the day they left his castle, for over a dozen skirmishes, right until this very moment. He and Marbrand had given a bulk of their troops and their banners were the most prominent, aside from the golden lion of Lannister. Swyft had come as well. And Turnberry, having sent his heir to lead their small force.
“Rock and a hard place”, Loren replied with a thin smirk. Darren's smile was a bit wider, a rare sight on his bearded face. “Only if I get to lead the cavalry”, he replied. Loren slightly rolled his eyes. “Fine”, he said, though he raised a finger. “This time”
Since the Ironborn and their slave soldiers had already spotted them, Loren did not bother with remaining secretive. He gave Darren a nod and the lord pulled a horn from his belt. Blowing into it, twice, he moved his horse to the western flank of the army. The riders followed, a thousand men on heavy horses.
Loren himself rode to the eastern flank and on his sign, the remaining men followed. Blocking the only entrance out of the valley, as they had been ordered, the soldiers formed a wall of shields and spears, swiftly and with brutal precision. They were men of the Rock and like that, they would not yield.
In the meantime, Loren watched how Darren and his riders, slowly began to ride to the other side of the valley. The Ironborn surely knew what would happen, yet without riders of their own, or any sort of defensive position against cavalry, they were powerless to stop anything about their impending doom. Loren would have felt pity, if not for the fact that he hated these people more than anything in the world.
Behind the shield wall, Loren towered above his soldiers, sitting high on his horse. The king knew, he was not quite the sight one would imagine from a Lannister. Compared to his father and even his own son, he'd describe himself as plain, with an almost plump face, in spite of the golden hair that still proved him to be a member of his family. Yet right now, clad in an armour painted gold and red, a cloak of the latter colour draped around his shoulders and the crown of his ancestors, a golden wreath, on his head, Loren knew he was at least a sight to behold.
Only a few feet away from him stood his young cousin, Damion. The superstitious lot would advice against being close to the boy they called 'The Cursed Lion', but Loren made sure not to spend time with such people. Damion was a cousin and despite the horrible luck he seemed to bring those around him, despite the three knights that had already died after he entered their service, family ties meant something to King Loren. At less than half of his age, Damion was younger than Prince Lucion, shorter, yet still handsome in spite of the faint scars on his youthful face, with blonde hair and green eyes.
Right now, Damion gave him a nod and Loren took a deep breath. Oh, how he hated such moments. Speeches... what else was there to do for a king? With one quick move, he drew his sword and feeling the metal in his hand made him at least somewhat more at ease.
“Men!”, he yelled and he knew, they were listening to him, even if none glanced over their shoulder. Each and every one of them was focussing on the Ironborn, yet they listened regardless. “When they come, I expect you to slaughter them!”, the king growled. Letting his anger drive his words, the Lion of Lannister roared, furious at the lives stolen by the men down in the valley. “This won't be the time for mercy. They do not yield and you will not let them. This is a time for vengeance!”, he shouted. “Cut them down, with ire, with fell blades! Let your roars be the last thing they hear in life, for the Rock, for all of us!”
He glanced at Damion and the boy blew his horn, a loud, deep sound that resonated within Loren. The knights of his personal guard joined in, each with their own, two dozen, the noise echoing across the valley. And from the other side, Darren Reyne answered.
The cavalry began their charge. Heavily armoured soldiers in the centre, light and nimble riders on the edges. They made their way down the hill, towards the invaders. At first, the Ironborn were petrified, an appropriate reaction to a thousand man on horseback charging. The ground was shaking from their hooves, the noise alone almost deafening.
As expected, the enemies began to flee, yet another appropriate reaction. Sure, the Ironborn commanders managed to rally quite a number of them, urging them to form a shield wall. Though besieging the castle for months now, they had failed to prepare for such a massive counter-attack. Most likely, they had expected a quick victory after killing the old Lord Lefferd. His son Mandon though, he had proven to be every bit the lord he had to be, holding them off until now, until Loren and his men had come to their aid.
The riders tore through the camp, the massive horses crashing through tents, knocking away the tiny shield wall and the fleeing defenders as if they were mere children and not grown raiders. On two sides, those that tried to escape were cut down by the lighter cavalry, which quickly convinced the utmost majority of men to flee up the hill, where Loren's infantry was already waiting.
In a heartbeat, the battle turned from fight to slaughter. Loren and his generals had planned this assault, surely, but the swiftness with which their dreaded enemies were dispatched left him in awe. Were those truly the Ironborn that had plagued his kingdom since the Age of Heroes? Or maybe there was little iron among them. If those were Riverlanders, then today, Loren and his host were the fishers.
The force that crashed into his infantry still outnumbered them, while a few unlucky remained behind to buy them time, binding the cavalry in close combat. And with the desperate ferocity of the doomed, the enemy ran into Loren's shield wall.
Being so close to the bloodshed, the king felt his heart beating faster. Excitement and slight dread rose up in him, as he watched the Ironborn trying to hack their way through his own soldiers. They failed, of course they did, but it was a sight to behold. Not fond of bloodshed, at least usually, Loren nonetheless found it relieving to see the death of these men. They got what was coming to them. Never again would they harm his people.
Among his soldiers, there was one Loren found particularly fascinating to watch. Someone had knocked away the man's helmet, yet he continued to fight. He was tall, quite likely a match for the tallest men at the court of Casterly Rock, in terms of sheer size at least, even if he was a rather skinny lad. He made up for it with clear ferocity, the look on his face quite terrifying as he cleaved at the men. Loren decided to keep this man in mind.
Finally, the riders had broken through the ranks of the remaining Ironborn in the camp. Tearing through their defences, they encircled them from three sides, they forced them to run into the direction of Loren's infantry, who was making short work of the Ironborn. Those that fell to the ground or tried to surrender were trampled by a thousand hooves.
The king let out a sigh of relief, as the Ironborn, now surrounded from every side, finally gave up. They had caused some final losses to Loren's army, but compared to their own, it was nothing. A couple dozen riders and maybe two or three times as many infantrymen were scattered across the valley, but in return, only few Ironborn remained. A hundred, maybe two and they were quick to throw down their weapons, before sinking onto the ground.
As Loren rode closer, he saw the tears of defeat on their faces, but he felt no pity. When it came to these men, he was like the rock that gave his kingdom its name. Wordlessly Darren Reyne and his vanguard joined the king on their horses, as they approached the surviving enemies. Stevron Marbrand and half a dozen of his riders came as well. The red-haired Lord of Ashemark seemed exhausted from the brief, but intense fight and Loren saw that he had problems remaining in his saddle.
“Who speaks for you?”, he growled coldly, as he glared at the Ironborn and their Riverlander allies. No one answered at first, so Loren gave one of the riders a nod. The man raised his spear, throwing it into the captured host and impaling one unlucky man who wore the colours of House Bracken.
“I ask again”, Loren repeated, while the next of his men raised his spear. This was enough to break their spirit. “I do!”, a man replied, with a shaky voice. The others quickly made way for him, so that Loren was able to get a better look at him. He was a young man, probably younger than Lucion, with blonde hair and the beginnings of a beard. A deep, fresh cut was running along his cheek and he held his ribs in pain, yet the tabard he wore showed a sigil Loren was quite familiar with.
“You're a Darry”, he said and the man gave him a tired nod. “Ser Lothor Darry”, he introduced himself. “Thirdborn son of Lord Nestor” He looked around at his remaining men and from the way they looked at him, it was clear to Loren whom of them was Ironborn and whom was a fellow Riverlander. “I... I presume I lead them. Lord Botley did, but you killed him. And... and all of his captains too. Sunderly and Kenning and Myre”
Loren gave him a nod. “And what do you think I should do with you and yours?”, he asked, clenching his fists. Lothor gulped. “We... we were forced to fight for them”, he claimed. “Our country is occupied. Please, we hate the Ironborn as much as you do”
This statement gave him even more hateful glares from the surviving Ironborn, but Lothor did not stop. “I hold no loyalties to them beyond forced servitude. If you spare us, your grace, we shall fight for you” His bold offer was met with mixed reactions, even among his own people. Another one, an older man who wore the colours of House Vance shook his head. “Coward”, he growled. “If we turn on them, they'd put our families to the sword!” He turned to the king. “Your grace, we are your prisoners. Our houses will pay for our freedom”
“Will they?”, Loren asked calmly. “I understand few of you had a choice. Yet I have a question for you” He leant forwards, glaring from the Darry boy to the proud Vance soldier. “Are you trying to fool me?”, he growled. “You might have been forced to fight, but you did things beyond that. You slaughtered my people, even the children, you raped women from here to our eastern borders, you plundered and reaved. None of you is an ounce better than the masters you served”
As the Riverlanders started to protest, Loren stopped listening. He had been merciful in the past, but a decade as the king, waging war against these men, had beaten this streak out of him. If he'd let them go, in any way, they would return, forced or not, to continue the fight. They were enemies and murderers and there was only one punishment for that.
“Lord Marbrand!”, he barked and the lord gave him a tired nod. “Separate the Riverlanders from their Ironborn masters. The former you kill swiftly. A warrior's death” At these command, the Riverlanders fell to the ground, begging for mercy, not seeing that this was, in fact, the only mercy Loren was willing to grant them. “The Ironborn I want you to crucify. Bring them to the eastern border and leave them there to die and rot!"
Marbrand saluted and without looking at his prisoners again, the king turned away. Hard as a rock. Loren knew, not all of his lords agreed with this, but in their current situation, they had to show strength, even if it seemed brutal. No mercy for his enemies, so that his people could live in peace.
As he rode up on the hill again, Darren joined him. The Lord of Castamere was quiet, as they rode side by side back to the camp. Finally, Loren broke the silence. “You think I did wrong?”, he asked and Darren shook his head. “I think there is no wrong in this situation. Nor is there a right”, he replied. “You chose what's best for the Rock. A king's choice”
Loren smiled thinly. “Thank you for saying that”, he replied. “Truth be told, I'd love to spare them. But what could I do? They'd never stop fighting us, never stop hating us” Darren sighed. “And actions like these won't make things any easier. The war has brought nothing good, but as it is, I don't see it ever ending. A deadly stalemate for the rest of our lives and a thousand years beyond”
The red and golden banners of the Lannister camp were visible in the distance and they filled Loren with pride, as he fastened his pace. Damion had caught up with them by now and he grinned. “A good fight, your grace!”, he exclaimed, to which Loren chuckled. “You and I, we have not been the ones to do the fighting, squire”, he said. “Pray that we never have to. There's honour in leading, as much as there's in fighting”
Darren gave the boy a reassuring smile. “See, your king still lives”, he spoke. “Not so much of a cursed lion after all, are you?” Damion frowned, though finally nodded. “I... I think so”, he replied, as the three riders reached the camp way before their vanguard
As they descended from their horses, the soldiers saluted. “King!”, they greeted him, putting a closed fist onto their chests. Loren smiled at them, as he approached the largest of the tents, where he had installed his makeshift war council. With Marbrand remaining behind to do his bloody work, only two men were inside the tent as Loren entered.
Tyson Turnberry was there, heir to Maybros, a boy of sixteen years, with cherry blonde hair, green eyes and a notably freckled face. He sat in his chair, visibly unhappy about something and Loren had to ask himself if word of his decision had already reached him. Surely enough, Tyson would have disagreed. He was like Loren used to be, not as hard and perhaps a bit naïve. Yet the king overlooked this generously, knowing of his young age.
The other man was Bognard Swyft, Lord of Cornfield. Being the same age as Loren and Darren, he was a more heavy-set man, ever since his crippling injury ended his career as a tourney knight. Straight black hair, falling down to his jaw, a short beard and a moustache, as well as pale skin and a grim face. His right hand was shaking even more notably than usual, a sight that still induced pity in Loren.
Once, Bognard had been a warrior, the best of them all, but his own temper had been his undoing. During a tourney, a careless insult from a Foote knight had sent him into a rage. Not caring for the helmet the knight wore, Bognard had tackled him to the ground and covered him in punches, only stopping as the man was close to death and his own hand ruined from slamming it onto the metal of his armour for so long. And yet, he was one of the men Loren would trust above all others.
“Your grace”, Swyft greeted him, while Tyson remained silent. The young boy was staring at a letter in his hands, clenched around the parchment, as Loren noticed. “I presume the battle is won?” To this, Loren gave him a nod. “A glorious victory. The Golden Tooth is save once more. Send word to Lord Lefferd, I wish to speak to him”
Bognard saluted slowly. “I will arrange it”, he promised. “Yet... your grace, there has been a situation” He glanced at Tyson, who looked up. “Maybros has been attacked, by Durren Stallhart”, the boy revealed. “My family is save, but many of the people have been slaughtered. Baelor Bloodbane is dead and half of our soldiers. The city has been saved by a band of sellsword... led by Leonard Hill”
Loren raised an eyebrow. “The bastard of Lannisport has entered our lands once more?”, he asked and Tyson gave him a nod. “Ser Tythan has sent a letter”, he revealed. “Apparently, they will leave Maybros soon, to travel to Castamere”
Darren took a deep breath. “Hill's men on my lands?”, he growled. “What is he planning?” To this, Tyson shrugged. “Tythan plans to accompany them to find out” This was a relief for Loren, who nodded. “I allow it”, he spoke. “Yet I want to be informed over Leonard's whereabouts at all time. He's too dangerous to be left without supervision”
“I'm afraid this is not all”, Bognard spoke, as his good hand reached for a scroll on the table. Wordlessly, he tossed it to his king. “This arrived at the same time”, he answered. “A letter from Aegon Targaryen. I dared to read it and... I am afraid Harren the Black might not be our only problem.
And so, Loren read it as well. It wasn't a very long letter, yet the words were outrageous. He had heard tales of the Dragonlord, yet they have been nothing more, tales from the other end of the continent, from a tiny island, three kingdoms apart. He had heard rumours of Targaryen's ambition, but paid them no mind. This had been a mistake.
“A new enemy arises in the east”, he sighed, as he lowered the letter. “And one that should not be underestimated” Bognard gave him a nod, as the king passed the letter towards Lord Reyne. “Though perhaps he could be an ally as well”, he brought up. “Sent word to Dragonstone, your grace. Let him know you have a mutual enemy in Harren Hoare. Together, you can take the Riverlands and split them between you. What happens to the rest of Westeros is none of our concern”
“To me, it seems more like we and Hoare have a mutual enemy”, Darren spoke. “You have read the letter. He wishes to be the only king in these lands. Not even Harren is this audacious” Loren raised an eyebrow. “Surely you do not intend to ally with the Black Blood, do you?”, he asked in disbelief.
Darren shook his head. “Nay”, he declined. “But neither do I think we should fight against him right now. Ignore both. Hoare is forced to turn his attention east and with a bit of luck, both of our enemies will wear each other down. Then, we strike”
Loren and Bognard exchanged a glance and the crippled lord of Cornfield finally gave in. “Might be an even better idea”, he admitted. “To be honest, I wouldn't feel good fighting side by side with the Dragonlord. Let them fight against each other”
A slight smile of approval formed on Tyson Turnberry's face and with this, it was decided upon. Yet, Loren had something else to add. “Mylords, I appreciate your counsel”, he told them. “And this is what we will do. Until one of them stands at our borders once more, we will not fight them” He took a deep breath. “Yet I will not ignore the last dragon of Valyria. The history books are full with men who made the same mistake”, he brought up. “No, we will wait. We will gather our troops” He looked at Bognard. “And we will not do it alone”, he spoke. “Send word to Highgarden. King Mern has received the same letter without a doubt. Let him know I wish to meet him” He paused, glancing around his council. “Let him know, we stand together”
End of Interlude V – A Hard Place
And now only two letters are left
RT:
And the next one is going to be quite a bit tricky. Though all of the PoV's so far had their own, unique personality, the dornish princess, Meria, is going to be quite a challenge. Due to her age, she has lost most of her sight and is technically blind, so I really have to find a way to still describe her surroundings through sounds and the like only. As hyped as I am to introduce the characters at the court, I cannot promise I will manage to do that until Friday.
Certainly the most action-packed of the Interludes, who have mostly focussed on the characters before this one. But well, it felt natural to show the end of Loren's campaign against the Ironborn that besieged the Golden Tooth and as short as it ultimately was, I wanted to conclude this open plotline before moving to the War of Conquest in Book 2.
Ah, glad to hear it! Loren is a curious case, as he is a man who definitely lacks many traits his Lannister ancestors and descendants have. He's more like Tywin in these regards, not handsome, not charismatic or all too happy to get some spotlight, yet calculating, pragmatic and very intelligent. Unlike Tywin, he's also genuinely concerned for the well-being of his men and perhaps not quite as ruthless. I wasn't sure how he's going to be seen, but so far, each of the rulers seems to have been taken favourably in their interludes (aside from maybe that jackass Harren, who still managed to show some depth
)
It's been a while for them, aye, but with them being mentioned companions of Loren during his campaign, it made a lot of sense to reintroduce them as well. Crakehall meanwhile, he was mentioned to accompany Willfred to the southern borders of his kingdom. Afterwards, he returned to his seat, to gather his men and defend the southern border against Ironborn marauders. He will reapear in Book 2, but played no part in this part of the war against the Ironborn.
Ah, the Cursed Lion. He's a character whom I had plans for quite some time now, but whom I only recently learned to really appreciate. An interesting guy and in his position as the royal squire he will be featured quite often. It's a pretty brave thing from Loren to take him as his squire, because the knights he worked for so far have all died in tragic accidents after he joined their service. Poor kid can't catch a break. We'll learn more about his story in Book 2
Ah, I wanted to show Tyson just because, especially as I knew that you have wanted a Turnberry character for a while. You can thank Edinosaur23 for submitting Tyson and you can look forward for more of this character in Book 2, where we're going to learn more about his character.
Aye, Lord Bognard. A pretty colourful guy, quite unique among the submitted lords, so he is one I am featuring gladly. He is also going to be involved heavily in a certain storyline in Book 2 and I look forward to flesh him out a bit more.
Actually, Mandon Lefferd is not all that new anymore. He was mentioned twice in Chapter 2, first as having won a tourney not too long ago, then being noted to have ascended to lordhood after his father died during the siege Loren and his men just broke. I hope I'll be able to show him, maybe. The Random Rock Soldier #137 is actually a character whom I wanted to feature more in this part. He's going to be a major character for one particular storyline, albeit likely not the one you'd expect. I would have liked to at least properly establish his name and looks, because I can guarantee, by the time I am able to do this next, you won't remember that tall, ferocious Random Rock Soldier #137.
A shame
He has been an accomplished warrior, so Loren was quite familiar with him even before and his death proves just how bad the situation in Maybros has gotten. I also wanted to give him at least some mention, after having killed him off so early.
Ah, Leo and his men are indeed heading to Castamere, having negotiated with Two-Face to bring refugees from Maybros there, once the people have slightly recovered from their wounds. And Darren indeed knows nothing about this. He has been away from Castamere for three months now, so he has not given the order. Instead, this was likely his wife, Lady Mileena, who rules over the Reyne lands (of which Maybros is a part of, belonging to a Reyne vassal) in his absence and it is likely her responsibility to send Two-Face there. So, this is all very new to him.
At a very dark place, literally and figuratively. Sadie has little choice but to accompany Leo's men now, as Gyles has plans on temporarily leaving Maybros as well, together with his prostitutes and therefore Melanie. However, she won't be quite at Castamere yet next time we see her.
Ah, it will be a very central meeting. Loren and Mern are the only kings in Westeros who are actually on friendly terms with each other during the days of the Conquest, having a common enemy in the Ironborn and being generally old friends and allies. Their meeting is an important step during the War of Conquest and one I hope to show through a PoV if I can fit it in.
Well, we all knew Lannisters were indeed warriors, and it shows ruthlessness is a characteristic that many of them has had. Pity for the Riverlanders, they are always hit the worst in this situations.
It makes me curious who this soldier is, may be someone historically important.
The alliance that assembled the largest host in the history of Westeros is about to be formed.
Another great interlude, nice!
Now, I have to say that aside from Harren, I find Loren the least likable of the rulers introduced so far. That said, I do understand his logic and motivations, and even respect them to some degree. It was also a nice change of pace to actually see a battle in the interlude, which was something I wasn't expecting. And it also looks like the build up for a certain epic battle has begun, even thought it will probably take a looong time before we get to that battle 
Can't wait to see (or rather, not see) the Dornish court in the next interlude!
Aye, they have always been warrior kings, even if the generation of Lannister's we know from the books and show might not represent this all too well, save for Jaime, with all of them being more focussed on schemes and politics. Loren is a Lannister through and through, meaning he has a certain ruthless streak to him. And, of course, the Riverlanders have to suffer under this, because let's be honest, the Riverlanders always have to suffer everything.
Hmmm, maybe. Man, I really wish I would have been able to properly introduce him in this part, given that it will take me a couple chapters until we get back to Loren and his host. Until then, I can only hope some remember this mysterious guy. If not, well, he will become rather important, so by the end of Book 2, he should be a well-established character for sure.
Aye. At full strength, the Reach and Rock can bring tens of thousands of soldiers, more than any other kingdom could muster (even if the Stormlands and Riverlands on their own likely could muster more than Loren and Mern individually). It is a pretty rare thing for two kings to consider an alliance of such magnitude, but given the threat of Aegon, it is an appropriate response.
Aye, this is probably true. Loren is a pragmatic ruler who looks out solely for his own people. The more well-intentioned rulers, such as Mern or Sharra, would have never executed prisoners of war, but Loren has fought against the Ironborn and Riverlanders for too long to still be merciful to them. It has been a harsh action, but not one he did out of cruelty, but out of necessity for the good of his people. He has some likable traits, but this part definitely did not show much of them
I really wanted to have at least some action in these parts, given that most of them are set at some court. Loren has last been mentioned to wage war against the Ironborn besieging the Golden Tooth, so it only makes sense for him to still be there, I guess. An opportunity has been taken. And aye, there was indeed some build-up here, even if the battle in question is not going to be Book 2 material. Once I announce the titles for the Book 3 chapters, you will definitely know when to expect it though.
Hehe, I really have to try something new there. I guess to make it moderately sufferable, Meria will be able to distinguish between light and dark, meaning she's legally blind by our standards, but can still describe stuff such as seeing the hint of light somewhere. Would make sense, given that she has one particular role in the canonical story that is surprisingly physical for a woman in her age
You know, the relationship between Loren and Darren is exactly the opposite to the one Tywin and Roger Reyne had, and we all know what happened. The irony of what will happen to their descendants is quite interesting to read. "And now the rains weep on its hall, and not a soul to hear"
I didn't expected House Turnberry to be the overlords of Maybros, but making them Reyne vassals actually makes sense, since for what it is implied in the books, house Turnberry are a house that has lost a lot of prestige, not even mentioning if they have a seat.
That it is and it is deliberate. I wanted to show that despite their later rivalry, the two houses have been quite close once and Loren and Darren have a similar personality on top of that, so them getting along felt quite natural as well. If they could see what their descendants are going to do, they'd be horrified.
Ah, it has been mentioned off-handedly a couple times. During the raid on Maybros, Lord Turnberry barricaded himself in his castle, leaving the people of Maybros to die, which brought him a lot of hate from his subjects. I chose for them to be the rulers of Maybros because they were one of the Rock houses without any canonically named seat, so I was free to give them Maybros and make them vassals of the Reyne's as a result. Surely, though they are obviously not wiped out during the Reyne-Tarbeck rebellion, them being vassals of this traitor house means that they are definitely going to be punished somehow, maybe even stripped of Maybros.
My precious Reynes are back, finally! :')
Loren is a likeable man. It's sad when you remember what happens to him in the future.
Oh yes, at least Darren. I feel truly sorry for sidelining most of them for so long, but as you can guess from the Book 2 cover, they will come back in full force very soon and that has always been the plan. It's just that reaching Book 2 has taken me a lot longer than I thought and this came at the expense of those readers whose characters were, from the moment they have been submitted, planned to be Book 2 characters. I'd say Chapter 2 is where I really get to finally work with the Reyne family as they deserve
Likable is not what I thought people would consider him to be while writing the part, but I can see what you mean. It's very pleasing, glad you enjoy him! And well, I'd say there will be hard times for each and every one of the rulers coming up pretty soon. At least Loren won't be alone there
Forum of Thrones – Interlude VI
Seven Letters – No King Above
Meria
Being old was commonly accepted to be a bad thing, yet the younglings had no idea what they were truly talking about. As a very old woman, Meria knew the plight her parents had to go through before her. Admittedly, having grown fat with the age meant that she had to go through a couple additional problems.
Opening her eyes was more a reflex by now, not something that gave her an actual benefit. It was all a grey blur, with her only being able to guess when she saw a shadow, spots that were slightly darker than the rest of her surroundings.
One of these spots was working on her right now, trying to get her into her overcoat. Cira, her handmaiden and one of the few she actually trusted. Pleasant, yet far too quiet for Meria's taste. “Bah, girl”, she said, he hoarsy voice causing the young handmaiden to gasp in surprise, which in return caused the dornish princess to chuckle. “Don't be like that!”, she ordered her, as she leant forwards in her wheelchair, so that Cira was able to fully put the coat on her. “Say something!”
The girl waited for a moment. “What... what would you like to talk about, my princess?”, she asked and Meria smiled. “How's the palace looking?”, she asked in return. “Is my good-for-nothing son keeping an eye on the details?”
Cira gulped. “It's looking splendid”, she said. “The most beautiful palace in Westeros” Meria raised an eyebrow. “And to how many palaces have you been that you can say such a thing?”, she asked. “Besides, is Nymor doing it himself, or is that yet another job he burdens my sweet granddaughter with?”
This time, Cira hesitated to answer. “Princess Deria is doing most of the work”, she admitted in a sheepish voice and a triumphant grin formed on Meria's face. “Ha!”, she exclaimed, leaning back in her wheelchair. “Now, you can tell Allaryn he can come in. Let's not waste further time here”
Relieved at not being tormented with questions any further, Cira quickly stepped away from the wheelchair, her careful feet making almost no sound as she rushed over to the door. “Allaryn, the princess requires your service now”, she spoke.
Her own, soft steps were drowned out by Allaryn's, who made no attempt at being quiet. He had been in Meria's service for longer than Cira, back when she was still able to see and he knew that ever since her sight started to fail her, she preferred her servants to make some noise, to announce their presence. Gentle Cira had more traditional views on the topic and more than once, she had actually startled the princess with her silence. Still, she preferred her over the Dalt girl. At least with Cira, she was sure that she had never stolen anything from her.
“My princess”, Allaryn greeted her and Meria gave him a nod. “Allaryn, my dear, I think I am ready”, she spoke, feeling him grabbing the wheelchair behind her. “Bring me to the council meeting. Seven behold if they started without me again”
“I doubt they will”, Allaryn replied. “Prince Nymor is attending today. You know how he is” Meria smiled. “Sadly, I do”, she said. “But for once, it might be a good thing. Must be important though if he is attending. Do you know whom else will come?”
“I don't”, Allaryn admitted. “But Cira has spoken to Maester Cliff” Meria looked into the direction she expected Cira to be. “Then come with us, child”, she ordered her. “You can tell me on the way”
The three made their way out of Meria's quarters, Allaryn pushing the wheelchair and Cira walking next to her. It was colder than usual in the halls of Sunspear, a gentle breeze the dornish princess welcomed quite thankfully. She smiled slightly. “So...?”, she asked.
“Cliff has asked for a lot of attendees to discuss... something”, Cira began. “The Maester was unwilling to tell me more about what exactly it is. But Prince Nymor and Princess Deria will both attend” This was not a surprise. Deria had all the ambition her father was lacking and where Nymor was a kind spirit, unwilling to deal with conflict, Deria actively sought them out. Nymor was a good administrator, Meria was willing to give him that, but Deria, she was more. One day, she'd make a fine ruler. Part of Meria's unwillingness to just drop down and die was the prospect of Nymor being Prince of Dorne. It would be inevitable, but the longer she lived, the shorter his reign would be.
And a long live, that's what she had. Eighty years, fifty-five of them as the Princess of Dorne. The yellow toad, that's what her enemies called her, but Meria Nymeros Martell was too old to listen to their slander. She actually took pride in it even. Lesser rulers wouldn't receive such insults, ever. That being said, she was also too old to just let it pass. Eighty years and she hadn't forgotten a thing, neither a service well done, nor an insult.
“Ser Lyonel will be there as well, Captain Razek and Lady Absidee. I believe Landon Jordayne and Vinicus Flowers have been called as well”, Cira continued. Allaryn sighed. “Of course the bastard would show up”, he growled. Meria glanced over her shoulder, as the broad, blurry shadow behind her. “I don't remember his heritage being part of your problem with him”, she spoke.
“His heritage is the root of the problem”, Allaryn explained. “He's not one of us. A Reachman” Meria raised a finger. “Half a reachman”, she reminded him. “The other half's Braavosi” Allaryn sighed. “That's not making it any better, my princess”, he growled. “Worse than that, he's half a Florent and half a Salvatore and I trust neither”
“You trust no one”, Meria said with a sly smile. “That's what makes you such a good guard” She turned her head into Cira's direction, hopefully. “And whom else?”, she asked. “And Sarina Manwoody has requested to attend too”, the girl continued. “Maester Cliff believes she somehow learned about the importance of this meeting”
Meria raised an eyebrow. “The heiress to Kingsgrave?”, she asked. “She's a clever one, I give her that, but she's not part of the council” Cira sighed. “Prince Nymor already allowed her to take part of this meeting”, she mumbled. To this, Meria rolled her blind eyes. “Oh, that boy”, she muttered. “Who knows what pressure Sarina put upon him”
“Shall I throw her out, my princess?”, Allaryn asked and Meria shook her head. “That won't be necessary”, she replied. “The girl could consider it an insult. Let her hear what Maester Cliff has to say. If she got my son to grant her permission, she earned it”
Any further conversation was cut off from another one, taking place down the hallway, beyond a corner. Two voices, female, one of them sharp and agitated, the other one soft, yet with an underlying harshness to it that made it only sound more pleasant in Meria's ears. The princess never forgot a voice, so she knew whom these two women were right as they spoke.
“Oh, poor little bastard”, the sharp voice hissed. It reminded Meria of the snake on the woman's sigil. Elia Aspys, younger sister of Lady Vyria of Snakestone. Meria had no fondness for either, nor for that scheming, petty family of theirs. Poisoners and killers, every last one of them. “Doesn't your daddy grant you enough clothes to cover your body with?”
“At least I have a body to show off, Elia”, the second voice said and Meria grinned. Ysilla Sand, Allyrion's bastard and a new guest at court. She didn't know her very well, but was quite fond of her father. Lord Alester was an old friend of Nymor and unlike her son, he was actually a capable man, the best Lord of Godsgrace Meria could have hoped for. And from what she knew about Ysilla's presence at court, it was quite important for her family.
“It's Lady Elia”, Elia replied sharply and Ysilla chuckled softly. “You really need that, don't you... Elia?”, she said slyly. The other woman groaned in frustration. “Bastard!”, she spat. “No manners. It's a wonder your daddy even tolerates you”
“My father loves me”, Ysilla replied. “I doubt you can say the same. Come to think of it, I doubt anyone loves you” Elia chuckled coldly. “Oh, and that's where you're wrong, you little bitch” It was in this moment that Allaryn pushed Meria's wheelchair around the corner. “Language, Mylady Elia”, the princess reminded her.
“My Princess!”, Elia exclaimed. “I... I had no idea you were listening” Meria smiled. “And I had no idea you were getting into a quarrel with my honoured guest” Elia tried to stutter something else, but the princess cut her off. “No need for justifications. I hold no grudge and I doubt Lady Ysilla does”, she assured her. “Just crawl back to your brother, little snake, I'm sure he misses you terribly”
This time, Elia suppressed a gasp, if barely. “I... of course, my princess”, she mumbled, as she rushed past her. Allaryn leaned closer to her ear. “She got red as a beet as you said this”, he whispered and she could almost hear his grin.
“Lady Sand”, she greeted her guest, pointing onto the free side of her wheelchair. “Why don't you walk with me for a moment” Ysilla followed the order at once. “Princess Meria, how are you feeling today?”, she asked and the princess groaned. “Like an old, fat sack of mouldy potatoes”, she complained. “Why is everyone asking me that? Seriously, you're smarter than that, girl. How's your brother doing?”
“Theodan is still in the city”, Ysilla replied. “Undoubtedly seeing some whore. Not the kind of activity I want to disturb him by. I walked in on him and some woman once. Not an impressive sight, so not one I need to see again”
Meria's laughter was hoarsy, but booming. “I like you, girl”, she admitted. “Say, we're heading for a council meeting. Why don't you accompany us? You could represent the interests of your family there” Behind her, Allaryn sighed sharply. “Is that wise, my princess?”, he asked. “She's a mere bastard”
“I do not remember asking for your opinion, Allaryn”, Meria told him. “Besides, if Nymor can bring the Manwoody girl, I can bring my own guest. Maybe that'll teach him about the importance of having a council” She glanced towards Ysilla, spotting her slim shadow right next to her. “If he makes any trouble, comment on his hair”, she adviced her, as she moved a hand across the remains of her own. “Getting bald is not all bad, but I assure you, he hates it”
With this, they stopped in front of the doors that led to Meria's war room. She still remembered the way it used to look, an impressive room, round, with a table located in its centre, surrounded by high columns, large windows above them that allowed it to be brightly lit during daylight hours. Of course, the only thing Meria noticed about this was the warmth on her skin.
“Cira”, she said and the girl put a hand onto hers, which the old princess squeeze briefly. “I want you to go back to my rooms. If you see Bronwen somewhere, tell her to get her hands off my jewelry” Cira pulled her hand back. “Of course, my princess”, she said. And with this, her soft steps began to move away from the wheelchair, as Allaryn pushed the door open.
Loud chatter met Meria's ears and she clearly heard a couple voices. Landon Jordayne, her Master of Law, a man with the smoothest, most pleasant voice Meria had ever heard. She heard Lyonel Sand, her grand admiral, a man not much younger than her, but much louder. Between them, Nymor's soft voice and Deria's sharp additions. They all quickly lowered their voices as Allaryn pushed the princess into the room.
There was no need for an introduction. Meria merely gave her servant a smile and he moved out of the room, closing the doors behind him. “Ysilla, child, tell me whom we have here today”, she spoke and the young woman began to speak. “Prince Nymor and Princess Deria”, she explained. “Ser Lyonel Sand and Landon Jordayne. Maester Cliff and Captain Razek um Daar” She paused for a moment. “And Lady Sarina Manwoody”
“Always a pleasure, Ysilla”, Sarina's voice came. A woman such as Elia would have meant it as a slight, but Sarina wasn't petty. Meria had no illusions that she was quite a bit a schemer, but at least her friendliness wasn't an act here. “Lady Sarina”, she greeted her. “I have already heard you're here with us today”
Sarina hesitated to answer. “If my presence is not wanted...”, she began, speaking from the other side of the table, but Meria raised her hand. “It is unexpected, but not unwelcome”, she spoke, before she looked around. “Now, where is Nymor?”
“I am here, mother”, Nymor's gentle voice sounded and Meria gave him a cold smile. “Next time you invite a guest, I wish to be informed about it”, she told him, before turning to her council. “Lady Ysilla is my guest for today”
“As a fellow bastard, I can only welcome you, mylady”, Lyonel spoke. “I suppose there's no objection?” Ysilla quickly sat down, even before anyone was able to say anything. “None”, Captain Razek replied, unquestionably loyal as always. It had taken her years to make a true person out of the former Unsullied, but even now, he was without a doubt the most loyal at her council.
“Where is Vinicus Flowers? And Lady Absidee”, Meria asked and Landon Jordayne cleared his throat. “Flowers did not follow the call for today, my princess. I do not know of his whereabouts”, he replied smoothly. “Lady Absidee is meeting an acquaintance in the shadow city. Myriah Watermont, the... madam”
“An informant?”, Meria asked. “Dear Absidee is excused then. Her work is of highest importance. But Flowers... I need to have a word with him. This is quite disappointing. Maester Cliff, don't keep us waiting any longer. Why have you called us here?”
Cliff sighed. “I admit, I am surprised by Lady Absidee's absence”, he revealed. “I believe she could... should have warned us about this months ago!” He pulled out a piece of paper, Meria clearly hearing the sound of parchment being unfurled. “A raven arrived earlier”, he said. “From Dragonstone”
“Give this to me”, Nymor spoke, sitting right next to the maester. He grabbed the parchment and began to read, as Meria heard from his mumblings. “What... this... this cannot be!”, he gasped. “Aegon Targaryen has declared war on Westeros. He demands our fealty, or he threatens to unleash his dragons upon Dorne”
Dragons... for a moment, Meria tensed up, while her council erupted into loud murmuring. Deria argued harshly with her father, Ser Lyonel interjected, even Landon said something, too much for her to listen to them all. She put a hand onto Ysilla's shoulder and the girl understood. Stronger than she would have expected, the bastard slammed a fist onto the table, silencing them.
“Enough with that!”, Meria spoke. “Cliff, this is a serious matter. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. My friends, what are your thoughts on this?” It was Nymor who spoke first. “He is a Dragonlord of Valyria”, he replied. “We know what happens when we choose to fight”
“So, you would want us to flee again?”, Deria replied coldly. “Maybe back to Mother Rhoyne? Last time, we bowed to hundreds of dragons. This Aegon, he has only three and he will not risk them for Dorne” Landon cleared his throat. “I would not be so sure about it, mylady”, he replied. “Targaryen is an ambitious man. He wants all of Westeros, not just most of it”
“He has three thousand men at most”, Lyonel brought up. “What danger can he be to us?” Meria smiled thinly, as Nymor cleared his throat. “It's the dragons, Ser”, he reminded him. “Your family has never faced them before, but mine has suffered greatly under them. And though it's true that Aegon has only three, our numbers are significantly fewer than what we used to have during the Spice Wars. The secrets of the water wizards have long since faded from our memories. The dragons are weaker than they used to be, but make no mistake, so are we”
“So what is it we shall do in your opinion, father?”, Deria asked and Nymor sighed. “I say we should seek an alliance instead”, he offered. “What good is Dorne for him? A dry, hot land, hard to conquer, even harder to hold. We have a common enemy in Argilac the Arrogant and I propose we seek to crush him together”
Meria gave her son a nod. “I would even agree with this”, she admitted. “If he wishes to fight alongside us against the Stag King, then we shall. But what if he does not accept this?” Nymor sighed. “I don't know if we can win against three dragons”, he admitted. “He says if we kneel, we keep lands and titles. Would it truly be that bad, preventing a costly war?”
“A smart idea”, Landon admitted. “In case a war breaks out, I must admit, I cannot promise that the entire population stands behind you” Lyonel chuckled at these words. “Is this about the Sandstorm?”, he asked. “A band of insurgents, one that should have been crushed by now, Master of Laws”
“The Sandstorm is a serious threat”, Razek intervened. “I find it hard to agree with Landon's course of action, but he is correct when it comes to them” Meria raised an eyebrow at Landon, who sighed. “Razek's support is as unexpected as it is genuine, my princess”, he explained. “I am afraid, despite all my efforts, the Sandstorm is only getting stronger. By now, I suspect lords, or maybe someone even closer to you, to support them at least in some capacity”
“So, we should not march to war?”, Meria asked. “At least until the Sandstorm rebels have been dealt with”, Landon answered. “It would be foolish to fight without the entire kingdom behind you. We're few as it is”
“It would be cowardly”, Sarina Manwoody intervened. “My princess, I trust Jordayne when it comes to the Sandstorm, but you have to ask yourself how much you'd lose if you do not fight. My house has never been ruled by kings not from our line, nor will we ever. When we knelt to your ancestor, this has been promised to us”
Meria looked into Sarina's direction, giving her a short nod. “And I won't break this promise”, she replied. “I am no Nymeria though. Not a young warrior queen. I will lead you, but not in the way you might expect” She looked around her council. “I have no intention of kneeling to the dragon. But neither will we fight. Let him burn, slaughter and conquer the rest of Westeros. He will not do the same with us”
Slamming her heavy hand onto the table, she knew she had their attention. “If he tries, he will learn a costly lesson. This is Dorne. There is no king above us”, she said and smiled at Sarina. “Your words, mylady. They meant something else once, but more than anything, they are a promise in these days, Nymeria's promise and mine”
It was in this moment that the door got pushed open. Nymeria heard the deep gasp of Allaryn. “My princess!”, he exclaimed and she knew something had happened. Something bad. “There has been an attack at the Planky Town! One of Ser Emilian's patrols has been ambushed. The Sandstorm, we believe. There are no survivors”
“So close!”, Deria exclaimed, while Meria clenched her fists in shock. “That means Sunspear might be in danger. The shadow city...” Next to her, Meria heard Ysilla gasping. “Theodan is still out there...”, the girl mumbled and Meria put a hand onto her shoulder, feeling the thin fabric of her dress. “Girl, go and find your brother”, she ordered. “Razek, send two guards with them. Once they are back, put the castle on lockdown until your men secured the city!”
With a sigh, Meria leant back in her chair, as her council around her erupted into loud chatter over the string of bad news. Enemies from the inside, enemies from the outside. Meria Nymeros Martell was no Nymeria, never has been. For all her strength, these were moments where she truly felt her age. She did not know what would come, with the Sandstorm, with Aegon. She only knew, she would never bow before them, never bend, never break. She was Dorne and there was no king above her.
End of Interlude VI – No King Above
Great part. You have really put theses out quickly. Its nice to see the Martell's remain interesting through the generations. You know I have to wonder if the royal families ever meet up. Almost all of them seem secluded in their little stretches of land. Do the Kings ever have visits from each other?
Oh well. Great part anyway. One more to go ;D.
Oh man, Meria has such an awesome and distinctive personality
She reminded me a bit of Olenna, just wit a bit of Dornish twist to her. And you also did great with the limitation of her being blind, making it actually an interesting element in her interactions with other characters. And boy oh boy, hhere certainly were many characters introduced here! 
I can understand that though, since it was basically your first chance to show off these characters. And many of them seem really interesting, even if we only got a tiny glimpse of their personalities.
And ha, I wasn't actually expecting to get any of my Manwoody's introduced here, but you managed to write Sarina in, awesome!
Obviously we didn't get much of her yet, but so far I really like how you write her 
The stuff with Aegon's letter was more or less what I expected, but this (Darude -) Sandstorm stuff was a complete surprise! I'm guessing we'll see a storyline related to them in Book 2. Hmmm... I sense Yronwood scheming here
I've been really looking forward to this part, and it came out even sooner than I had expected! It's really interesting to see things from the perspective of a blind woman, and also a character that is way past their prime and physically weak.
Hmm, for some reason the Dornish names seem to be harder for me to remember.