Act I: The Calm Before
Chapter I: Fires Far
Ellena
It was the early noon, as Ellena Terys followed the red priestess across a lonel… morey road. Their journey had been a long, but quiet one. Noelle was not one to speak unless necessary and Ellena found herself with no desire to change this. At this point, she followed her because there was nowhere else to go. Meeting this king she spoke so highly about, it was as good as any other goal Ellena could set for herself.
Throughout all this, her anger had faded, though she was by no means calm. Her hatred for this woman had persisted, but it was waiting, biding its time. Noelle was the one that murdered Terroma and she had not forgotten, nor forgiven. Ellena had never found the man that murdered her father and at this point, she had little hope in ever doing so. But with Noelle, it was different. The priestess had travelled by her side for nearly two months. She knew where she was and more th… [view original content]
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself] I doubt a thirteen year old child would easily give up her grudge on the woman who murder her psuedo father. Plus, If we do this we'd be thrown into Wulvern's bad side as he would think Ellena was bewitched. I'm hoping for a team swap with Ellena where she helps out the soon to be if not already Grand Maester.
Act I: The Calm Before
Chapter I: Fires Far
Ellena
It was the early noon, as Ellena Terys followed the red priestess across a lonel… morey road. Their journey had been a long, but quiet one. Noelle was not one to speak unless necessary and Ellena found herself with no desire to change this. At this point, she followed her because there was nowhere else to go. Meeting this king she spoke so highly about, it was as good as any other goal Ellena could set for herself.
Throughout all this, her anger had faded, though she was by no means calm. Her hatred for this woman had persisted, but it was waiting, biding its time. Noelle was the one that murdered Terroma and she had not forgotten, nor forgiven. Ellena had never found the man that murdered her father and at this point, she had little hope in ever doing so. But with Noelle, it was different. The priestess had travelled by her side for nearly two months. She knew where she was and more th… [view original content]
Group of characters/family? I didn't create the house itself but I created Dante and Malina who are siblings, as well as Darreth who knows them personally.
If you had to kill one character? Probably Mullenndore.
I have some random questions for my fellow readers.
How many characters have you submitted?
Have you created any family/house/group of… more characters?
If you had to kill one character, who would it be?
Which obscure location do you want to see in the story?
What is Liquid's favorite color?
Who is your favorite villain?
Which character would you want to serve/be friends with/whatever positive?
Hey, welcome! Glad you decided to check my story out, I hope you're going to enjoy it You have probably noticed it, I have very recently started the second book of the story, so that is actually a perfect time to join, I'd say. It'll be a long read, but if I can help you with anything, let me know.
While I do indeed have a large number of submitted characters, I never turn down anyone, especially characters from a new reader. At this point, I am confident I will be able to introduce them all, due to starting a couple of new storylines in Book 2 and therefore having much more room to introduce new characters. This means, you're welcome to submit yours, I'm sure I will find a place for them!
I'm a bit late to the party, but I'm definitely going to give this a read.
Are you still taking character submissions? Looks like you hav… moree a long list of those to be introduced and I don't want to add any extra work if you already have your hands full.
Seems like Jon is the new Lord Mooton, and is perfectly understandable that Amerei would reject rulership.
Aye, it is a bit unusual, but Jon is indeed firmly the new Lord Mooton after Amerei just rejected her inheritance. I actually only recently noticed that technically, she comes before him in the line of succession, something I was quite surprised by. Apparently, though sons always come before daughters, the daughter of a lord comes before a lord's siblings or his nephews in the line of succession and even before male bastards. It is a bit of a questionable rule though and probably something that has often been overruled by power-hungry siblings of dead lords. In this case, it made sense for me though to have a still grieving Amerei refusing to bend the knee and therefore refusing to take Maidenpool as hers. This made room for Jon to take his canonical role as the next Lord Mooton.
Seems like Jon is the new Lord Mooton, and is perfectly understandable that Amerei would reject rulership.
[Speak up in defence of Noelle… more] While I don't think Noelle is incapable of defending herself, the Targaryens would be more willing to listen if someone vouched for her.
However, I feel like this ancient enemy is a threat that should be taken seriously, so there is no room for any pettiness.
This I can confirm. You know it, I know it, Noelle knows it. The enemy is able to actually hide from her powers, even back when she has been way stronger than she is now, due to being stronger in her faith. This alone means this person is to be taken seriously and everything else we have heard of them so far means this is going to be a formidable opponent in the things to come.
Anyway, this was a nice start for the first chapter of Book 2! And Jon Mooton actually survived the battle, yay!
Ah, glad you enjoyed it! Jon indeed survived and only received superficial wounds. Basically, after Orys was pretty badly wounded due to being knocked aside by Grenn's horse (something that could have very well killed him if he would have been hit with slightly more force), they fought on a relatively even level, though the fight ended very quickly after Grenn was killed, so Jon surrendered to save Mooton lives. Orys took him prisoner and is actually quite impressed by his skill in combat, so Jon not only survived, he is in a way better position than he has been before.
Oh man, I have a feeling Noelle and Wulvren will be the Mel and Davos of this story
Heh, the dynamic is rather similar. And to my horror, I noticed the show seems to be heading a similar direction with Mel. Back when I planned Noelle's character development, Mel was still the irredeemable fanatic witch who was hellbent on burning Shireen (yeah, it was even before she went through with it). I can only hope to give Noelle enough personality of her own to make her something differnt than Mel 2.0 (or the Alpha version of Mel, given that FoT is set 300 years before her). Wulvren is definitely nothing like Davos though, but he fills the role in their relationship.
[Speak up in defence of Noelle]
I hate defending Noelle, and I would love to see her try to nervously explain herself to Aegon and fail m… moreiserably. However, I feel like this ancient enemy is a threat that should be taken seriously, so there is no room for any pettiness.
Anyway, this was a nice start for the first chapter of Book 2! And Jon Mooton actually survived the battle, yay! Oh man, I have a feeling Noelle and Wulvren will be the Mel and Davos of this story
Congratulation to Ellena for the status of first PoV that return inside the story!
Aye, I was not too sure about it. Other possible candidates included Richard, Kyra and the Dorne PoV, but in the end, I decided to show the aftermath of the battle right away. Richard and Raylansfair will be next, then probably the Dorne PoV, because I want that done before leaving for my vacation. With a bit of luck, I'll manage to include Kyra's part as well this week, we will see.
I'm glad to see that Ellena and Noelle are now such a good friends and if after two months their relationship is not changed I'm very curious when Ellena will finally express all her "love" to the red priestess
Yeah, it really made no sense for Ellena to warm up to Noelle. She did change a bit, her immediate anger has faded away, but their relationship is a bit like Arya and the Hound's before the former warmed up to the latter. And in Ellena's case, she is unlikely to ever truly forgive Noelle. She follows her out of pragmatism, but also because she hates her so much that once the priestess stopped being useful for her, she might actually outright consider killing her. For the time being though, she knows that this would put her at a disadvantage, taking away the only direction she still has in life and that's why she won't do it anytime soon. She's a survivor, after all.
Yes yes of course Rollmop is the good God! Make his followers burn innocents is a clear sign of it!
Well, as much as I'd never defend Rollmop and the customs of said religion, in the particular constellation of him and the Great Other, he really is unambiguouly the better god. R'hllor is morally grey. While his followers practice human sacrifice, they themselves range from complete scum such as pre-Season 6 Melisandre and Book 1 Noelle to actually decent people, such as Thoros of Myr. R'hllor also has some aspects that are definitely good, such as life (to the point of resurrection) warmth and freedom. And the Great Other is literally a god of death, of evil and darkness. R'hllor is ambiguous in its morals, the Great Other is definitely not. I wouldn't go as far as to say R'hllor is the best and nicest god there is, but considering that he and the Great Other might be the only gods (or god-like beings) to exist, he is the closest thing you have. We'll meet at least two followers of the Great Other and well, while followers of R'hllor are, in many cases, actually idealistic and in their own way altruistic (even if horribly misguided such as Noelle and Melisandre), followers of the Great Other worship him for personal gain and the incredible power he offers, at least in almost any case. To see that god as anything but pure evil, someone has to be delusional and many of his followers are quite aware of the nature of the being they worship, they just do so regardless because they are just that ruthless. So, in this particular case, Noelle has a point in calling Rollmop the good god, because he is at least the lesser evil.
Aegon should be careful and watch his back because obtain allies in that way doesn't mean obtain trustworthy and mindless followers
Neither does he want mindless followers. He appreciates counsel as given by Lord Darklyn here, because he knows, if he wants a stable rule, he needs to accept and allow criticism. Of course, his inner circle will always consist of men that are incredibly loyal, such as Orys or Regis, but if someone bends the knee and swears an oath to him, he accepts it and treats them just like he does with any other bannerman allowing them to keep lands and titles in exchange for their loyalty. He'd even do that for Harren Hoare, if Harren would accept to kneel. The thing is, an oath is a big thing in the setting and those with honour, such as Damon Darklyn, will stick to it even if they do not like the man they have sworn to. On top of that, Aegon hopes to eventually win his critics over by ruling actually decently once the war is over. He knows he demands some trust in advance, though there is really no way around it with what he sets to do.
Congratulations Jon (and the Darklyn guy) to have survive the prologue and welcome to the story "not anymore heir" of House Mooton! Your hate for the Targaryen is quite understandable if I must be honest
Aye, both are still alive and now even lords of their respective houses. Amerei meanwhile, she definitely has a point when she is angry at Aegon. He killed her father and though it happened in battle, it is understandable that she will never be one of his most loyal supporters. Aegon knows this, which is why he could not install her as Lady Mooton of Maidenpool, but he at least hopes she'll remain loyal to House Mooton. But this is a general problem in the war. Many noble families will lose members to Aegon and his dragons, so their loyalty will not be based on any personal fondness. Aegon's hope is that he can eventually convince them that his vision of a united Westeros with him as the king is for the best of the entire continent.
Speaking of hate welcome back Wulvren! I see you in good shape eh? Have you become maester of House Targaryen?XD
Wulvren is back indeed and in a very good shape. He has arrived at the court a couple days before Noelle, on account of heading that direction a couple days earlier. We will learn more of his position and what it means for House Targaryen very soon, in Ellena's next part!
In the end finally the other two dragons appear inside the story!They can't make Balerion do all the work!
Neither will they There is likely only going to be one moment in which all three will be unleashed at once, but each will have their own role, which is also something Aegon will reveal more about in the coming parts. Harren is not their only enemy, so Visenya and Rhaenys will have their own battles to fight, as will Vhagar and Meraxes.
Congratulation to Ellena for the status of first PoV that return inside the story!
About the choice
[Be quiet and let her speak for he… morerself]
I don't see why Ellena should help Noelle if she hate her so much (outside lose any possible help from Wulvren)
RT:
* I'm glad to see that Ellena and Noelle are now such a good friends and if after two months their relationship is not changed I'm very curious when Ellena will finally express all her "love" to the red priestess
* Yes yes of course Rollmop is the good God! Make his followers burn innocents is a clear sign of it!
* Aegon should be careful and watch his back because obtain allies in that way doesn't mean obtain trustworthy and mindless followers
* Congratulations Jon (and the Darklyn guy) to have survive the prologue and welcome to the story "not anymore heir" of House Mooton! Your hate for the Targaryen is quite understandable if I must be honest
* Speaking of hate welc… [view original content]
Hm, I can confirm that, if she would speak in her defence, it won't be out of any fondness. Her feelings on her will not change and should Noelle mistake her intentions, she will harshly remind her of how she truly feels. However, she is starting to believe Noelle's claim of a great evil that threatens Aegon and House Targaryen and if she defends Noelle, it will be motivated out of this, to give the priestess more of a chance of getting close to Aegon, to fight this mysterious enemy. If she remains quiet, she'll be more willing to let Noelle fight her battle alone instead.
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself] After all Noelle put her through, I find it hard to believe that in two months Ellena would've gotten so fond of Noelle to the point of speaking in her defense.
I definitely wouldn't mind the other choice winning though, I quite like Noelle, in fact more so than I like Ellena.
You like Noelle? Now, that is a nice and unexpected surprise. While Noelle is definitely not someone that is easy to like, I always find it great when at least one or two readers warm up to such types of characters, as it means I do at least something right by writing them in a more ambiguous, grey direction.
Oh, and by the way, you misspelled Targaryen as Targaryeb here.
No, no, that is not a mistake, I actually meant the small eastern-european town of Targaryeb! Jokes aside, yeah, that is what happens when my spellchecker does not recognize Targaryen. I probably, meaning I have to manually check for errors. I probably should include it to my open office dictionary, so that it is automatically recognized. Did the same with Mullendore already, maybe I include the other names too XD
And so it has begun, the first chapter of Book 2!!!
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself]
I think this is the more in-character cho… moreice for Ellena, I think she would find it hard to defend the person that killed Terroma. I definitely wouldn't mind the other choice winning though, I quite like Noelle, in fact more so than I like Ellena.
Oh, and by the way, you misspelled Targaryen as Targaryeb here.
She had never met a king before and the tales she heard spoke highly about Targaryeb.
Oh, this is a nice surprise! I like it
This story,like our favorite moderator show on his post, has really many characters (introduce… mored or not) but which one of them are the ones that survive the longest time?That appear at the beginning of the book and reach the ending of it?Let's find out!
This is something I actually had a bit of an overview still, occasionally checking which of these characters has lived the longest and who will still be alive at the end of Book 2. The answer might surprise you, even if the total number might depend on your choices in some cases It is especially interesting with Clayton, because he was not submitted as the Prologue assassin, it was just that it has been intended to be a role for a submitted character and he fit the role the best. On other notes, he was the first male assassin to be submitted, with the next one, Rayden, not being submitted for another six months.
And now,after discover… [view original content]
1) I'm not entirely sure but I think I just saw it in the GOT forums.
EDIT: It might've been Malina. I'm not 100% certain if I submitted Da… morente or Malina first.
2)That would be Dante Karstark First one I submitted and the first one to be introduced.
Back when it was created, interactive fan fictions were a big thing in here. Ted was one of my fellow readers so as soon as I saw him creating a thread for his own work, I joined in.
I'm not sure which one of the Reyne family it was, but I think the answer is Darren. Now looking back to my submissions, the whole family is just so cliche and I would've depicted it waaay better now. But the past is in the last, I guess. I'm just happy they play a role in the story and get developed.
Since I want to show myself to not be a less fan(atic) of this story I make two list about the characters of this story.
This story,like … moreour favorite moderator show on his post, has really many characters (introduced or not) but which one of them are the ones that survive the longest time?That appear at the beginning of the book and reach the ending of it?Let's find out!
Top 20 living characters inside the story (end of Book 1):
1)Clayton Teryl (Prologue)
2)Jenna Harking (Chapter 1)
3)King Harren Hoare (Chapter 1)
4)Lord Edmyn Tully (Chapter 1)
5)Garthon Breaker (Chapter 1)
6)Wolfius Woodbark (Chapter 1)
7)Rosalie Mettel (Chapter 1)
8)Leonard Constantine (Chapter 1)
9)Noelle Mield (Chapter 1)
10)Ser Jaron the Bastard (Chapter 1)
11)Harpy (Chapter 1)
12)Bakr al-Astapori (Chapter 1)
13)Abbas al-Yunkari (Chapter 1)
14)Richard Harking (Chapter 1)
15)Ellena Terys (Chapter 2)
16)Talea (Chapter 2)
17)Willfred Reyne (Chapter… [view original content]
Rhaegar? You mean, a guy who ditched his wife and two little kids for certain death, kid napped an honorable lady for unknown reason, provoked a horrible war and brought demise to his house? Yeah, what a great guy indeed.
Man... I can't lie. I absolutely despise the Targaryens! I know a lot of readers here are so #Team Targaryen but I hate them so much. Rhaega… morer might be the only Targaryen I consider to be a decent human being. (okay that's a bit harsh but you get my point) Actually reading about Aegon's conquest makes me so angry! How he wages war on all these people so he can rule them all.
Anyway this was a really good part and I'm looking forward to book 2!
Ouch kiddo. That has got to hurt.
I imagine at least one major character will end up like ol' Grenn here.
Isn't it interesting that th… moree relationship between the Targaryens and Darklyns began and ended with the Lord of Duskendale dying?
Did the Rhoynar really kill hundreds of dragons? I am really curious how they did that.
Man I now know how I want Mullendore, Vyrwel, and Oakheart to die. Hopefully none of our "favorite" characters get a fate like this.
Which characters here were submitted, of any? I am curious if you made all of them (which makes sense) or if any were from the masses.
Also a random thought I just had. I imagined Harren the Black as Donald Trump with Harrenhal as his wall "to keep out those dragons and incestees". Lord Selwyn would be jealous at how I chuckle now. That guy has a lot of houses to dislike (damn Tarly, so good at military stuff, damn Hightowers, with those tall buildings, damn Osgreys, uh, haven't appeared and probably won't appear, uh damn them too).
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself] Nuh- uh. No chance! I refuse to vote to defend this vile witch. Gosh I hate her so much. It already angers me that Ellena is accompanying her.
Act I: The Calm Before
Chapter I: Fires Far
Ellena
It was the early noon, as Ellena Terys followed the red priestess across a lonel… morey road. Their journey had been a long, but quiet one. Noelle was not one to speak unless necessary and Ellena found herself with no desire to change this. At this point, she followed her because there was nowhere else to go. Meeting this king she spoke so highly about, it was as good as any other goal Ellena could set for herself.
Throughout all this, her anger had faded, though she was by no means calm. Her hatred for this woman had persisted, but it was waiting, biding its time. Noelle was the one that murdered Terroma and she had not forgotten, nor forgiven. Ellena had never found the man that murdered her father and at this point, she had little hope in ever doing so. But with Noelle, it was different. The priestess had travelled by her side for nearly two months. She knew where she was and more th… [view original content]
Act I: The Calm Before
Chapter I: Fires Far
Ellena
It was the early noon, as Ellena Terys followed the red priestess across a lonel… morey road. Their journey had been a long, but quiet one. Noelle was not one to speak unless necessary and Ellena found herself with no desire to change this. At this point, she followed her because there was nowhere else to go. Meeting this king she spoke so highly about, it was as good as any other goal Ellena could set for herself.
Throughout all this, her anger had faded, though she was by no means calm. Her hatred for this woman had persisted, but it was waiting, biding its time. Noelle was the one that murdered Terroma and she had not forgotten, nor forgiven. Ellena had never found the man that murdered her father and at this point, she had little hope in ever doing so. But with Noelle, it was different. The priestess had travelled by her side for nearly two months. She knew where she was and more th… [view original content]
Character submitted! If you have any questions in regards to him I'll be ready to answer. I had a lot of fun coming up with him so I hope he's not a bit too much.
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself] Ah, if it's my favorite Archmaester, Wulvren. Let's help him out.
I feel bad for Amerei Mooton. It's not very often that people think about how people bend the knee to people who murder their family.
Throughout all this, her anger had faded, though she was by no means calm. Her hatred for this woman had persisted, but it was waiting, biding its time. Noelle was the one that murdered Terroma and she had not forgotten, nor forgiven. Ellena had never found the man that murdered her father and at this point, she had little hope in ever doing so. But with Noelle, it was different. The priestess had travelled by her side for nearly two months. She knew where she was and more than once, she found her gaze wandering to the knife at her belt. Maybe one day she would act on these thoughts.
Kind of like Arya and the Hound.
Ellena rolled her eyes. “Touching”, she spat, though immediately afterwards, curiosity got the better of her again. “This enemy you mention... who is he?” Once again, Noelle seemed uncertain, as she glanced at the smoke in the distance. “He has many names”, she spoke. “And can take on many forms. He is a creature so evil, his whole being has been corrupted by the Great Other”
“Evil...”, Ellena mumbled. “Is it really this easy for you? The entire world can be divided into good and evil?” Noelle thought about this for a moment, before she shook her head. “Not anymore”, she admitted. “But when it comes to R'hllor and the Great Other, it really is. R'hllor stands for all that is good, for warmth, for life. The Great other is cold, darkness, death”
“I'm sure he is”, Ellena replied, already regretting to stir the topic into a more religious direction. Such a discussion was quickly tiring. That being said, her curiosity was not yet satisfied. “But that does not explain much about this enemy. He serves a god you don't like, okay, but is there anything you can tell me about him? Anything useful, I mean”
With a sigh, Noelle shook her head. “Even before my visions became a blur, he evaded my gaze. He is a being of immense power, this I know. Older than either of us, yet he knows how to conceal his age, so we might face someone who looks a lot younger” She hesitated for a second. “And I'm not even sure the enemy truly is a man”
As she heard this, Ellena crossed her arms. “A true enigma then”, she sighed. “Great” She glanced at Noelle, but the priestess remained silent, apparently lost in thoughts as well. The light shined at her face, still beautiful, yet the marks of Raenna's rage were still visible, as her bruises had healed badly. Her stance, the look on her face, it made it apparent that their talk was over.
Very interesting. I've been waiting for some thing to look into, haven't gotten anything this cryptic since Noelle and Marak in Chapter 1 (will have to read that again, look for new stuff).
So an person evil, eh? Some obvious candidates (which kind of causes them to be eliminated), but still people like Mullendore, Harren the Black, Gyles Gomblinger, Clayton, other antagonists, etc. Maybe even the Donnel. Maybe an unintroduced totally unknown character. Who knows.
But there's a particular line that makes me stop and think it isn't any of them, "And can take on many forms". This makes me believe this person must be a skinchanger. And there are two skinchangers that we know of that fit the evilness: Wolfius Woodbark and (probably) Lupin Frostborn.
However, I kind of doubt that it is Wolfius, but he's still a chance. It doesn't fit him, in my opinion. Lupin, not appearing but being mentioned a lot is one of suspicions for him being it. Plus, if "The Great other is cold, darkness, death”, wouldn't it make sense if it was some from the North, and someone, with a name like Frostborn?
But the thing about concealing age and not being a man (well, actually if this person was a warg, then that does makes), that, that I no real response to. I would need more time to think about it. This information does tell us though that the person does not look that old, so it eliminates quite a few.
I also had thoughts on Edward Anturion, but there's not a lot of evidence. We'll see.
This is kind of a weird thing to say, but am I the only person who prefers Visenya over Rhaenys, both in character and attractiveness? I'm pretty sure that's an unpopular opinion, but still.
Act I: The Calm Before
Chapter I: Fires Far
Ellena
It was the early noon, as Ellena Terys followed the red priestess across a lonel… morey road. Their journey had been a long, but quiet one. Noelle was not one to speak unless necessary and Ellena found herself with no desire to change this. At this point, she followed her because there was nowhere else to go. Meeting this king she spoke so highly about, it was as good as any other goal Ellena could set for herself.
Throughout all this, her anger had faded, though she was by no means calm. Her hatred for this woman had persisted, but it was waiting, biding its time. Noelle was the one that murdered Terroma and she had not forgotten, nor forgiven. Ellena had never found the man that murdered her father and at this point, she had little hope in ever doing so. But with Noelle, it was different. The priestess had travelled by her side for nearly two months. She knew where she was and more th… [view original content]
This is kind of a weird thing to say, but am I the only person who prefers Visenya over Rhaenys, both in character and attractiveness? I'm pretty sure that's an unpopular opinion, but still.
You're not alone. Rhaenys seems like that generic beauty whose only purpose is to being seductive and stuff, bringing tension into the story. Visenya has something more in her. So it makes me sad that Aegon always preferred Rhaenys over her
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself] Ah, if it's my favorite Archmaester, Wulvren. Let's help him out.
I feel bad for Amerei Mooton. … moreIt's not very often that people think about how people bend the knee to people who murder their family.
Throughout all this, her anger had faded, though she was by no means calm. Her hatred for this woman had persisted, but it was waiting, biding its time. Noelle was the one that murdered Terroma and she had not forgotten, nor forgiven. Ellena had never found the man that murdered her father and at this point, she had little hope in ever doing so. But with Noelle, it was different. The priestess had travelled by her side for nearly two months. She knew where she was and more than once, she found her gaze wandering to the knife at her belt. Maybe one day she would act on these thoughts.
Kind of like Arya and the Hound.
Ellena rolled her eyes. “Touching”, she spat, though immediately aft… [view original content]
And I have just finished reading him. Thank you very much, he's wonderful. Certainly not too much, just a genuinely well-done and detailed character. As you can tell, I like him a lot. I will also send you a private message in a couple minutes, where I'll be getting into more detail about him!
Character submitted! If you have any questions in regards to him I'll be ready to answer. I had a lot of fun coming up with him so I hope he's not a bit too much.
I feel bad for Amerei Mooton. It's not very often that people think about how people bend the knee to people who murder their family.
Aye, she truly has gotten it bad in the last two parts. And she represents this part of Westeros' nobility that simply cannot kneel to Aegon on account of them losing family members to him. She's less pragmatic than Damon Darklyn or her uncle, so she just couldn't find it in her to kneel to this man that killed her father.
Very interesting. I've been waiting for some thing to look into, haven't gotten anything this cryptic since Noelle and Marak in Chapter 1 (will have to read that again, look for new stuff).
Hm, I like your speculation about this a lot! The true identity of the ancient enemy Noelle mentioned will remain a secret for the time being, but the fact that she knows so little about them means that it could be literally anyone. Well, almost anyone, of course. One part of your speculation I particularly enjoy is Lupin. It does actually make some sense and with him likely sharing Wolfius' gift (even if Wolfius himself might be the stronger skinchanger), that could explain why Noelle believes the enemy to be able to take on many different forms. This is going to remain a mystery for a while and finding out the identity of the enemy and wether or not they have already infiltrated Aegon's inner circle will be a big part of Ellena's storyline in Book 2.
This is kind of a weird thing to say, but am I the only person who prefers Visenya over Rhaenys, both in character and attractiveness? I'm pretty sure that's an unpopular opinion, but still.
Well, Rhaenys is the one that is easier to get along with, being easy-going, kind-hearted and playful as well as the one that is more classically pretty, so she has always been the more popular one in any possible situation the two have ever been in. Being Aegon's favourite also gave her an additional edge from an early age, so she is generally more well-loved than Visenya. However, behind this, Visenya is fascinating in her own right and has quite a number of aspects in which she is superior to Rhaenys. I like both of them roughly equally and cannot really choose a favourite there, but I hope that it'll be relatively evenly split when it comes to the reader's opinions on the Targaryen sisters. All in all, it is still pretty early and I consider both to be complex characters in their own right. Rhaenys for example should really shine in Chapter 2, which is also going to introduce a very important part of her character that should go against anything you have seen of her so far, whereas Visenya will show some deeper insights into her personality pretty soon, I hope.
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself] Ah, if it's my favorite Archmaester, Wulvren. Let's help him out.
I feel bad for Amerei Mooton. … moreIt's not very often that people think about how people bend the knee to people who murder their family.
Throughout all this, her anger had faded, though she was by no means calm. Her hatred for this woman had persisted, but it was waiting, biding its time. Noelle was the one that murdered Terroma and she had not forgotten, nor forgiven. Ellena had never found the man that murdered her father and at this point, she had little hope in ever doing so. But with Noelle, it was different. The priestess had travelled by her side for nearly two months. She knew where she was and more than once, she found her gaze wandering to the knife at her belt. Maybe one day she would act on these thoughts.
Kind of like Arya and the Hound.
Ellena rolled her eyes. “Touching”, she spat, though immediately aft… [view original content]
Let Lodos your servant be born again from the sea, as you were. Bless him with salt, bless him with stone, bless him with steel.
What is dead may never die.
What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger.
All hail Lodos, the Son of the Drowned God, He Who Dwells Beneath the Waves. Lord God who drowned for us, may his reign be eternal. Lord God who drowned for us, may his reign prosper. Lord God who drowned for us, may his reign never die!
(don't ask why I felt the need to do this. I don't know the answer)
Ah, Lodos Probably the Ironborn answer to Dimitri the Wise, albeit just like any aspect about the Ironborn, he is inexplainably successful from the few things we know. Truly, I cannot wait to show that wackjob, even if he's definitely going to be Book 3 material.
Let Lodos your servant be born again from the sea, as you were. Bless him with salt, bless him with stone, bless him with steel.
What is … moredead may never die.
What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger.
All hail Lodos, the Son of the Drowned God, He Who Dwells Beneath the Waves. Lord God who drowned for us, may his reign be eternal. Lord God who drowned for us, may his reign prosper. Lord God who drowned for us, may his reign never die!
(don't ask why I felt the need to do this. I don't know the answer)
How many characters have you submitted? 26 if I counted correctly. 27 if you count the bear.
Have you created any family/house/group of characters? I've populated a few noble houses so far. Both House Umber and House Serry are made of my characters, and I also a two members from an off branch of House Hewett. Of my peasants, there are the Nathamer guards, the tavern crew Merigolds and their sister family the Vegas, the Recton farmers, the Murphey Ironborn, some traders in the Rock, and a bunch of other interesting peasants that will appear eventually.
If you had to kill one character, who would it be? If it is to be my own character, I would have to go with Aditha. While I don't want it to happen any time soon, I've seen the Nathamer family as a walking tragedy. With all the family dysfunction going on among them, I think the final straw to the tragedy of Arthur would be him accidentally making a decision which he thought at the time to be right turn terribly wrong where all his love ones suffer, die, or turn on him. And poor Arthur would have to overcome that, which I think would be very interesting, albeit sad, to see happen.
Which obscure location do you want to see in the story? Definitely Valyrian Peninsula. I want to see what is up in that part of the world with all the ancient Valyrian history and knowledge lost to the world.
What is Liquid's favorite color? Who is your favorite villain? I really like Mullendore actually. He is so fun to hate. He has so many layers near the beginnings of the story. Recently he has only been a grumpy crippled who hasn't been able to show off his more intelligent side, but that is understandable due the very irritating situation he has been thrown in. Hopefully he can return a little bit back to his string pulling of his minions side of his villainy.
Which character would you want to serve/be friends with/whatever positive? Mathea seems like a likeable person. I wouldn't mind having her as a coworker because she seems very dedicated to her work and is over all is a good person to be around.
I have some random questions for my fellow readers.
How many characters have you submitted?
Have you created any family/house/group of… more characters?
If you had to kill one character, who would it be?
Which obscure location do you want to see in the story?
What is Liquid's favorite color?
Who is your favorite villain?
Which character would you want to serve/be friends with/whatever positive?
Yeah, I was doing some reading on A Wiki of Ice and Fire and reading about him and stuff made me realize that he may appear in this story (among other things I looked at, including stuff like the Company of the Rose, the Order of the Green Hand, Brandon Snow, Marla Sunderland) so I decided to proclaim my allegiance to Lodos. I eagerly await his appearance.
Since I got you there, I see a certain Lord Morgran Osgrey in the submission list. Funny that I mentioned them a few days ago and we've already gotten an Osgrey, as if someone saw InGen's thought and pounced like Ser Pounce, The Prince Who Was Promised. But hey, I got Dunaver Flowers in before him, who ironically mentions a Lord Osgrey in his backstory.
Ah, Lodos Probably the Ironborn answer to Dimitri the Wise, albeit just like any aspect about the Ironborn, he is inexplainably successful … morefrom the few things we know. Truly, I cannot wait to show that wackjob, even if he's definitely going to be Book 3 material.
Hm, I like your speculation about this a lot! The true identity of the ancient enemy Noelle mentioned will remain a secret for the time being, but the fact that she knows so little about them means that it could be literally anyone. Well, almost anyone, of course. One part of your speculation I particularly enjoy is Lupin. It does actually make some sense and with him likely sharing Wolfius' gift (even if Wolfius himself might be the stronger skinchanger), that could explain why Noelle believes the enemy to be able to take on many different forms. This is going to remain a mystery for a while and finding out the identity of the enemy and wether or not they have already infiltrated Aegon's inner circle will be a big part of Ellena's storyline in Book 2.
Lupin just made sense to me, especially after reading that prequel part. Once he's in the actual story and we hear more about this, I'll be able to make a better judgement. We shall see.
We shall see with Rhaenys and Visenya. Gosh, I've been hearing about those now I feel like I've accepted polygamous incest. Very strange. We shall see.
I feel bad for Amerei Mooton. It's not very often that people think about how people bend the knee to people who murder their family.
… more Aye, she truly has gotten it bad in the last two parts. And she represents this part of Westeros' nobility that simply cannot kneel to Aegon on account of them losing family members to him. She's less pragmatic than Damon Darklyn or her uncle, so she just couldn't find it in her to kneel to this man that killed her father.
Very interesting. I've been waiting for some thing to look into, haven't gotten anything this cryptic since Noelle and Marak in Chapter 1 (will have to read that again, look for new stuff).
Hm, I like your speculation about this a lot! The true identity of the ancient enemy Noelle mentioned will remain a secret for the time being, but the fact that she knows so little about them means that it could be literally anyone. Well, almost anyone, of course. One part of your spe… [view original content]
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself Why would Ellena help Noelle out anyway? Just saying sorry doesn't change anything, she needs to prove that she is willing to do good.
Act I: The Calm Before
Chapter I: Fires Far
Ellena
It was the early noon, as Ellena Terys followed the red priestess across a lonel… morey road. Their journey had been a long, but quiet one. Noelle was not one to speak unless necessary and Ellena found herself with no desire to change this. At this point, she followed her because there was nowhere else to go. Meeting this king she spoke so highly about, it was as good as any other goal Ellena could set for herself.
Throughout all this, her anger had faded, though she was by no means calm. Her hatred for this woman had persisted, but it was waiting, biding its time. Noelle was the one that murdered Terroma and she had not forgotten, nor forgiven. Ellena had never found the man that murdered her father and at this point, she had little hope in ever doing so. But with Noelle, it was different. The priestess had travelled by her side for nearly two months. She knew where she was and more th… [view original content]
Yeah, I was doing some reading on A Wiki of Ice and Fire and reading about him and stuff made me realize that he may appear in this story (among other things I looked at, including stuff like the Company of the Rose, the Order of the Green Hand, Brandon Snow, Marla Sunderland) so I decided to proclaim my allegiance to Lodos. I eagerly await his appearance.
Your allegiance towards Lodos is a good thing. Long may he drown, or whatever they say on the Iron Islands. A while ago, while planning the Book 3 storyline, I also did some reading on the wiki (interestingly, also about Marla Sunderland, who is going to be very important for two submitted characters) and finding out about Lodos, I now face the challenge to portray a ridiculous nutjob with actually enough charisma to gain a strong following
Since I got you there, I see a certain Lord Morgran Osgrey in the submission list. Funny that I mentioned them a few days ago and we've already gotten an Osgrey, as if someone saw InGen's thought and pounced like Ser Pounce, The Prince Who Was Promised. But hey, I got Dunaver Flowers in before him, who ironically mentions a Lord Osgrey in his backstory.
Hehe, and interestingly, this Lord Osgrey has been mentioned to having served and fought in the Reach-Stormlands war as well, meaning they are exactly the same person. A number of characters from Dunaver's backstory could actually appear in time and now that he is submitted, Osgrey is definitely going to be among them
Yeah, I was doing some reading on A Wiki of Ice and Fire and reading about him and stuff made me realize that he may appear in this story (a… moremong other things I looked at, including stuff like the Company of the Rose, the Order of the Green Hand, Brandon Snow, Marla Sunderland) so I decided to proclaim my allegiance to Lodos. I eagerly await his appearance.
Since I got you there, I see a certain Lord Morgran Osgrey in the submission list. Funny that I mentioned them a few days ago and we've already gotten an Osgrey, as if someone saw InGen's thought and pounced like Ser Pounce, The Prince Who Was Promised. But hey, I got Dunaver Flowers in before him, who ironically mentions a Lord Osgrey in his backstory.
Lupin just made sense to me, especially after reading that prequel part. Once he's in the actual story and we hear more about this, I'll be able to make a better judgement. We shall see.
I can confirm that Lupin is a character first to be seen in the second half of Book 2. By the time he makes his first appearance, you should have enough information to gain a clearer understanding of the situation. Then, you'll likely see if you have been right or not about him being Noelle's enemy.
We shall see with Rhaenys and Visenya. Gosh, I've been hearing about those now I feel like I've accepted polygamous incest. Very strange. We shall see.
Well, the thing about polygamous incest is, if you're coming from a culture that is willing to abandon at least one standard that is generally considered decent (namely, no sibling marriages), it makes sense to go all in and just make it the fullblown nightmare of Westerosi moral enforcers. Seriously, the only reason the Faith won't be up in arms against him as much as they probably should be is, as so often, dragons. That being said, to defend Aegon on this, if he'd have it his way, it would be ordinary incest, no polygamous relationship. Rhaenys is the one he truly loves and in time we'll see why, whereas his relationship with Visenya is built on duty and respect.
Hm, I like your speculation about this a lot! The true identity of the ancient enemy Noelle mentioned will remain a secret for the time bein… moreg, but the fact that she knows so little about them means that it could be literally anyone. Well, almost anyone, of course. One part of your speculation I particularly enjoy is Lupin. It does actually make some sense and with him likely sharing Wolfius' gift (even if Wolfius himself might be the stronger skinchanger), that could explain why Noelle believes the enemy to be able to take on many different forms. This is going to remain a mystery for a while and finding out the identity of the enemy and wether or not they have already infiltrated Aegon's inner circle will be a big part of Ellena's storyline in Book 2.
Lupin just made sense to me, especially after reading that prequel part. Once he's in the actual story and we hear more about this, I'll be able to make a better judgement. We shall see… [view original content]
Ellena is going to remain quiet, leaving Noelle to speak for herself
I could sort of expect this, aye. Noelle is certainly someone who has done plenty of horrible things and arguably, Ellena is among those she has wronged the most, so supporting her, especially from this particular PoV, might not be something that happens anytime soon. Surely, this won't change how Ellena feels about the priestess. It will change, however, how she sees this ominous mission of her's. And well, now it is going to be harder for Noelle to win Aegon's trust, as she has to downplay Wulvren's accusations all by herself. Speaking of our dear Archmaester, he will be pleased by Ellena's decision, seeing it as a sign that she hasn't been brainwashed by Noelle.
The next part should be out later today. I am currently on my phone and on my way to work, so I cannot do any writing for the next few hours, but once I am back, the part should be ready within one good hour of writing. It will be a Richard part, showing our friends at Raylansfair after the timeskip. The situation over at the Harking farm has gotten quite tense since we last saw them. There's Richard, caught in the middle and juggling two fugitives, a daughter that grows increasingly more active (and is in the most danger due to working so close to Mullendore), a brother that is quite unhappy with the situation as a whole and the fear of being caught at all times. We have Leonard, struggling with the death of Lucas and his failure to prevent it, struggling with his new allies, two of which he does not wish to put into danger, one of which he'd rather not have as an ally. And then, there's Kersea, struggling with the injuries from her fight at the lighthouse and her own, guilty conscience, as she might finally be in a position where she can start to redeem herself, but is now faced with two allies who are in way over their heads and one ally who has quite serious distrust towards her. It will be a bit of a slower start for the three of them, mostly setting up a number of new situations and how the relationships between them developed in the last two months, but we should get to some action-packed parts soon enough
On another note, maybe you notice a pattern there, my family seems to have a certain bad habit. Some families have genetic conditions that are passed down the generations, my family has car accidents. After the almost fatal accident my mother suffered a couple months ago, my father has gotten into one just two days ago, when some dumb asshole drove into his car while trying to pass another car on the highway. As you can see by my rather jolly mood, nothing bad happened, he is completely uninjured thanks to having good reflexes. However, his car was slightly damaged and now he has to check it up, to see if it is still capable of driving long distances, such as the one we plan for our vacation. As a result, there is a tiny chance I won't leave on Sunday, but rather on Monday or Tuesday, if there have to be some repairs done. By the way, I figured this would be a good time to give you a small update on my mother's condition, as I noticed I haven't told you much for a while: She's at a rehab centre, able to breath and speak on her own again and currently training to walk again. Obviously, her muscles are all but gone due to months lying in a hospital bed, but she's in a good mood and there is a very good chance she will make a complete recovery in the next two or three months
With that out of the way, I can gladly announce another thing: @NightShroud18 has written something about the past of the Harrington brothers and he would like to share it with you. I for one enjoy it greatly and hope you're going to like it as well!
The Voting is closed!
Ellena is going to remain quiet, leaving Noelle to speak for herself
I could sort of expect this, aye. Noelle is… more certainly someone who has done plenty of horrible things and arguably, Ellena is among those she has wronged the most, so supporting her, especially from this particular PoV, might not be something that happens anytime soon. Surely, this won't change how Ellena feels about the priestess. It will change, however, how she sees this ominous mission of her's. And well, now it is going to be harder for Noelle to win Aegon's trust, as she has to downplay Wulvren's accusations all by herself. Speaking of our dear Archmaester, he will be pleased by Ellena's decision, seeing it as a sign that she hasn't been brainwashed by Noelle.
The next part should be out later today. I am currently on my phone and on my way to work, so I cannot do any writing for the next few hours, but once I am back, the part should be r… [view original content]
Thank you Liquid for the announcement! I'm excited about this and I hope that you guys like this mini series until the confrontation of the two brothers. Please be honest about what you think of the part, because it helps me improve the new parts in the future.
Samuel:- 20 years ago
It was another bitter day for young Samuel, once again he was lying on the cold ground of the Wolfswood. Taking heavy breaths and grasping for his wooden sword, he sat up and gazed at his brother Ryder.
“What’s the matter, dear brother? Lost your footing again?” Ryder laughed as he stretched his arm downwards to pick his brother up. Samuel found this gesture infuriating, as he brushed off his brother’s attempt to lift him up from the ground. “This isn’t fair Ryder! You’re too good of a fighter to spare with.” He dully remarked. Only five years separated the brothers, but Samuel could swear that Ryder fights on par with any knight from the Seven Kingdoms.
“Nonsense. The reason you fall on the ground every time we spar is because you put too much force behind your blows.” Ryder replied with a smile. “You lack speed and positioning, this leaves your whole body exposed with openings that any opponent will take advantage of.”
Samuel gave him a cold expression full of confidence, “One of those days, I promise I will strike you down to the ground in these woods.” As Samuel barely got himself repositioned to attack Ryder once more, he thought about what his brother said earlier. They had similar swords their father gave them, but Ryder was taller and had more skill. Their father trained Ryder at the age of twelve, but Ryder insisted he would oversee Samuel’s training when he becomes of age.
With all his might, Samuel charged forwards at Ryder, sword in hand. When he reached him, he thrust his arm upwards to strike at his head. Ryder responded by simply taking a step backwards, completely indifferent to Samuel’s attacks. Samuel continued the pressure on his brother by thrusting the sword forward, trying to attack the chest region. Again, Ryder took another step to the side, missing the attack completely. Samuel knew what he was trying to do. Ryder would not parry his strikes to drive Samuel into making a mistake. Samuel spun around in a circle to force Ryder to parry. His brother further insulted him by simply ducking under the attack. Filled with anger, Samuel started to swing wildly in a feeble attempt to finally land a blow. Ryder just dodged all of them without exerting any genuine effort. Until finally, Samuel ran out of breath and dropped his sword on the ground while going down on one knee.
“Do you yield brother?” Ryder mocked him further. Samuel felt a sudden surge of anger flaring up in his blue eyes and for a moment, he forgot about being tired. “SHUT UP!” He tried to take his brother by surprise as he lunged his weapon forward, but failed miserably as Samuel stumbled and landed on his right ankle awkwardly. He let out a painful groan as he let of his sword to shield his ankle. In a flash, Ryder was crouching next to him to investigate his sprained ankle.
“I told you something like this would happen. Here, let me have a look.” Ryder gently touched his ankle to see if the pain was serious. “How badly does it hurt?” He asked with kindness in his voice. “Not too bad, I think I can walk.” Samuel tried to stand, but failed as putting pressure on his leg made him feel uncomfortable. “I was trying to see if you can keep your head while fighting, but it seems like I took it too far. Forgive me. I’ll carry you to our home from here.” His brother apologized and sounded very genuine. Samuel nodded and smiled, although he finds his brother’s methods of teaching a bit odd, he was grateful that Ryder is kind enough to make time for him so they spend it together. His brother lifted him up gently by his back, and made way to their home at Torrhen’s Square.
Along the way, the two brothers exchanged tales of gossip around Torrhen’s Square, legendary tales of extinguished heroes from the North, and discussing their family. Samuel could barely feel the pain in his ankle anymore due to their talk. But he wondered how his mother would react after Samuel hurt himself again. It did not matter though, his mother loved her children too deeply to scold them for such a thing.
They owned a small house near the end of the city, it felt disjointed from the rest, but it was comfortable for six people. The family was always well fed, and every member had their unique trait. Ryder was the eldest, always looking out for his younger siblings. Anna, the gentlest of the bunch, spends her time with her friends and in training to become a handmaiden to House Tallhart. Samuel, the most determined, always trying to surpass his brother in skill. And finally, Cedric, the youngest who is a ward to the city’s smith.
Once they entered through the front door, he noticed his mother and Anna were cooking something delicious. It gave a seductive scent which suggested it was roasted meat, some sausages and bacon. Samuel had no idea how could they purchase such exquisite food, but it did not bother him much. Their father was discharged from the Northern Army due to ‘excessive violence’ but Samuel never believed it. Instead, he now serves as a simple guardsman for House Tallhart, getting a fair wage.
“Hello mother, it seems like young Sam hurt himself again today” Ryder greeted his mother as he let Samuel down carefully on the chair. Their mother was a true beauty, she wasn’t very tall but her black hair was darker than the everlasting night. Anna inherited most of her features as well, but her hair was not as beautiful. “By the Old Gods Samuel, if you keep this up you will get yourself seriously hurt or worse. Why don’t you try taking it a little easier, sweet one?” His mother finished as she kissed him on his forehead. “I’m not stopping until I defeat Ryder. He’s good at everything you know, too good.” Samuel gave his brother a cold glare, full of determination and hope. His brother only smiled in return, “I shall look forward for that day, Sam. But perhaps I should start counting the years until you actually hit me.” Ryder and the rest started laughing, except for Samuel. “You will see, as soon as this blasted ankle heals, I’ll show you what I can really do!”
“Samuel, if you want, I can get some of my friends’ brother to help teach you how to-“Anna started saying but Samuel’s impatience interrupted her. “I don’t want help from anyone else. I just need Ryder.” He said it a little louder than he meant, but she didn’t seem to mind. “That’s enough for now, young ones. Supper is almost ready. Anna, go fetch your father and Cedrick from the smith, only The Mother knows why he loves staying there so late.” Their mother told Anna, and in a heartbeat, Anna stood up from her cooking pot and started to head outside.
“So then, does it still hurt?” Ryder asked Samuel. After taking a closer look, the pain slowly started to fade away. “A little bit, give me until tomorrow and we can continue our training.” Samuel answered confidently. “Of course, little brother, any time you wish. Just try to work on your stance and speed. I promise you that you will hit me some day.” Ryder reassured him. For a moment, they were both smiling at each other. Samuel dreamt of the day when they finally become men grown so they can fight together side by side at the Northern Army and serve their King. Just the idea brought great excitement to him and he was anxious to see that day come true. “Do not worry, I will.”
Thank you Liquid for the announcement! I'm excited about this and I hope that you guys like this mini series until the confrontation of the … moretwo brothers. Please be honest about what you think of the part, because it helps me improve the new parts in the future.
Samuel:- 20 years ago
It was another bitter day for young Samuel, once again he was lying on the cold ground of the Wolfswood. Taking heavy breaths and grasping for his wooden sword, he sat up and gazed at his brother Ryder.
“What’s the matter, dear brother? Lost your footing again?” Ryder laughed as he stretched his arm downwards to pick his brother up. Samuel found this gesture infuriating, as he brushed off his brother’s attempt to lift him up from the ground. “This isn’t fair Ryder! You’re too good of a fighter to spare with.” He dully remarked. Only five years separated the brothers, but Samuel could swear that Ryder fights on par with any knight from the Seven Kingdom… [view original content]
There's Richard, caught in the middle and juggling two fugitives, a daughter that grows increasingly more active (and is in the most danger due to working so close to Mullendore), a brother that is quite unhappy with the situation as a whole and the fear of being caught at all times.
You know, this is really funny if read that Jenna is getting more sexually active, and Alan is getting nervous of being caught with her.
We have Leonard, struggling with the death of Lucas and his failure to prevent it, struggling with his new allies, two of which he does not wish to put into danger, one of which he'd rather not have as an ally.
Poor, poor Leonard. It's okay, your creator/father (me) will save you with tons of other characters, heheheh. Can't wait to see how this episode of Seinfeld plays out. You have Jerry (Leonard). You got George (Richard). You got Kramer (Alan). You got Elaine (Jenna). And you got....Newman (Kersea).
And then, there's Kersea, struggling with the injuries from her fight at the lighthouse and her own, guilty conscience, as she might finally be in a position where she can start to redeem herself, but is now faced with two allies who are in way over their heads and one ally who has quite serious distrust towards her.
So she's injured still? Means Leonard can sneak out and not have to be worried about following her. Redeeming herself? I dunno man. Eh, two allies way over their heads. Suckers. I'm glad that the mistrust and paranoia of Leonard will finally be shown in full unadulterated form.
It will be a bit of a slower start for the three of them, mostly setting up a number of new situations and how the relationships between them developed in the last two months,but we should get to some action-packed parts soon enough
Slow and steady wins the race, unless it's a sprint. We'll see how long until they are caught, probably by Ser Hugo Farnham.
I'm terribly sorry about your family and almost as important, the poor cars. I hope the 13th accident breaks the curse. Seriously though bro, hope everything turns out okay (pun heh).
The Voting is closed!
Ellena is going to remain quiet, leaving Noelle to speak for herself
I could sort of expect this, aye. Noelle is… more certainly someone who has done plenty of horrible things and arguably, Ellena is among those she has wronged the most, so supporting her, especially from this particular PoV, might not be something that happens anytime soon. Surely, this won't change how Ellena feels about the priestess. It will change, however, how she sees this ominous mission of her's. And well, now it is going to be harder for Noelle to win Aegon's trust, as she has to downplay Wulvren's accusations all by herself. Speaking of our dear Archmaester, he will be pleased by Ellena's decision, seeing it as a sign that she hasn't been brainwashed by Noelle.
The next part should be out later today. I am currently on my phone and on my way to work, so I cannot do any writing for the next few hours, but once I am back, the part should be r… [view original content]
By the way It is happy to know that they are well.And you told that you will be on a vocation this August....
is the vocation cancelled or anything else happened?
The Voting is closed!
Ellena is going to remain quiet, leaving Noelle to speak for herself
I could sort of expect this, aye. Noelle is… more certainly someone who has done plenty of horrible things and arguably, Ellena is among those she has wronged the most, so supporting her, especially from this particular PoV, might not be something that happens anytime soon. Surely, this won't change how Ellena feels about the priestess. It will change, however, how she sees this ominous mission of her's. And well, now it is going to be harder for Noelle to win Aegon's trust, as she has to downplay Wulvren's accusations all by herself. Speaking of our dear Archmaester, he will be pleased by Ellena's decision, seeing it as a sign that she hasn't been brainwashed by Noelle.
The next part should be out later today. I am currently on my phone and on my way to work, so I cannot do any writing for the next few hours, but once I am back, the part should be r… [view original content]
Thank you Liquid for the announcement! I'm excited about this and I hope that you guys like this mini series until the confrontation of the … moretwo brothers. Please be honest about what you think of the part, because it helps me improve the new parts in the future.
Samuel:- 20 years ago
It was another bitter day for young Samuel, once again he was lying on the cold ground of the Wolfswood. Taking heavy breaths and grasping for his wooden sword, he sat up and gazed at his brother Ryder.
“What’s the matter, dear brother? Lost your footing again?” Ryder laughed as he stretched his arm downwards to pick his brother up. Samuel found this gesture infuriating, as he brushed off his brother’s attempt to lift him up from the ground. “This isn’t fair Ryder! You’re too good of a fighter to spare with.” He dully remarked. Only five years separated the brothers, but Samuel could swear that Ryder fights on par with any knight from the Seven Kingdom… [view original content]
Haha, that was not my intention XD Be assured, I couldn't be better at the moment. And should anything happen to me before the age of ninety, I'd probably punch Death in the nuts until he sends me back. Age ninety, that would give me another sixty seven years of finishing this story, I think I might manage to at least reach Book 3 until then
Not gonna lie, Liquid. I thought you were about to tell us you were dying. Scared the shit out of me! XD
I'm glad that you and your family are doing well though.
You know, this is really funny if read that Jenna is getting more sexually active, and Alan is getting nervous of being caught with her.
That... that is not what I meant. Though that being said, Jenna is very much Alan's favourite member of the Harking family, on account of her being the only one that tries to get along with him. They are not spending any time together though, one way or the other. I start to believe I've been featuring the Targaryen's too much that you start to see incest relationships anywhere XD
Poor, poor Leonard. It's okay, your creator/father (me) will save you with tons of other characters, heheheh. Can't wait to see how this episode of Seinfeld plays out. You have Jerry (Leonard). You got George (Richard). You got Kramer (Alan). You got Elaine (Jenna). And you got....Newman (Kersea).
Hehe, that is certainly a comparison. I'd say the relationship between Leonard and Kersea is slightly better than the one between Jerry and Newman, but yeah, it is very much a begrudging alliance they have and the only reason they are not at each others throats (or, Leonard's at Kersea's, she actually doesn't have a problem with him) is that they both have a common enemy and one that absolutely requires teamwork to be taken down.
So she's injured still? Means Leonard can sneak out and not have to be worried about following her. Redeeming herself? I dunno man. Eh, two allies way over their heads. Suckers. I'm glad that the mistrust and paranoia of Leonard will finally be shown in full unadulterated form.
Well, she was nearly killed by Clayton and though Richard treated her injuries, we will see more of her condition in this next part, to be released in a few hours. Leonard won't just sneak out though. He has seen her in combat, he knows how useful she can be and she's probably the one best suited to just murder Mullendore in his sleep. Redemption is very much her ultimate goal, though she knows that won't be all too easy. And well, Richard is definitely in way over his head, though Jenna has started to pull her weight a bit more. As for Leonard's paranoia, we are going to see it sooner or later. It's there, slightly hidden, but it is there.
I'm terribly sorry about your family and almost as important, the poor cars. I hope the 13th accident breaks the curse. Seriously though bro, hope everything turns out okay (pun heh).
Yeah, turns out my mother's car is the only one that won't fully recover, so RIP. It has been a nice one. But well, it means I bought one of my own, months before I actually wanted to do it, so I can't wait for my very own accidents. Makes me glad that I'll spend the next three weeks in my father's car, which is a huge all-terrain vehicle and therefore naturally one of the safest cars to be in.
showing our friends at Raylansfair
"Friends".
There's Richard, caught in the middle and juggling two fugitives, a daughter tha… moret grows increasingly more active (and is in the most danger due to working so close to Mullendore), a brother that is quite unhappy with the situation as a whole and the fear of being caught at all times.
You know, this is really funny if read that Jenna is getting more sexually active, and Alan is getting nervous of being caught with her.
We have Leonard, struggling with the death of Lucas and his failure to prevent it, struggling with his new allies, two of which he does not wish to put into danger, one of which he'd rather not have as an ally.
Poor, poor Leonard. It's okay, your creator/father (me) will save you with tons of other characters, heheheh. Can't wait to see how this episode of Seinfeld plays out. You have Jerry (Leonard). You got George (Richard). You got Kramer (Alan)… [view original content]
Comments
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself]
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself] I doubt a thirteen year old child would easily give up her grudge on the woman who murder her psuedo father. Plus, If we do this we'd be thrown into Wulvern's bad side as he would think Ellena was bewitched. I'm hoping for a team swap with Ellena where she helps out the soon to be if not already Grand Maester.
How many characters have you submitted? Four.
Group of characters/family? I didn't create the house itself but I created Dante and Malina who are siblings, as well as Darreth who knows them personally.
If you had to kill one character? Probably Mullenndore.
Favorite villain? Petyr Vyrwell!
Hey, welcome! Glad you decided to check my story out, I hope you're going to enjoy it
You have probably noticed it, I have very recently started the second book of the story, so that is actually a perfect time to join, I'd say. It'll be a long read, but if I can help you with anything, let me know.
While I do indeed have a large number of submitted characters, I never turn down anyone, especially characters from a new reader. At this point, I am confident I will be able to introduce them all, due to starting a couple of new storylines in Book 2 and therefore having much more room to introduce new characters. This means, you're welcome to submit yours, I'm sure I will find a place for them!
Aye, it is a bit unusual, but Jon is indeed firmly the new Lord Mooton after Amerei just rejected her inheritance. I actually only recently noticed that technically, she comes before him in the line of succession, something I was quite surprised by. Apparently, though sons always come before daughters, the daughter of a lord comes before a lord's siblings or his nephews in the line of succession and even before male bastards. It is a bit of a questionable rule though and probably something that has often been overruled by power-hungry siblings of dead lords. In this case, it made sense for me though to have a still grieving Amerei refusing to bend the knee and therefore refusing to take Maidenpool as hers. This made room for Jon to take his canonical role as the next Lord Mooton.
This I can confirm. You know it, I know it, Noelle knows it. The enemy is able to actually hide from her powers, even back when she has been way stronger than she is now, due to being stronger in her faith. This alone means this person is to be taken seriously and everything else we have heard of them so far means this is going to be a formidable opponent in the things to come.
Ah, glad you enjoyed it! Jon indeed survived and only received superficial wounds. Basically, after Orys was pretty badly wounded due to being knocked aside by Grenn's horse (something that could have very well killed him if he would have been hit with slightly more force), they fought on a relatively even level, though the fight ended very quickly after Grenn was killed, so Jon surrendered to save Mooton lives. Orys took him prisoner and is actually quite impressed by his skill in combat, so Jon not only survived, he is in a way better position than he has been before.
Heh, the dynamic is rather similar. And to my horror, I noticed the show seems to be heading a similar direction with Mel. Back when I planned Noelle's character development, Mel was still the irredeemable fanatic witch who was hellbent on burning Shireen (yeah, it was even before she went through with it). I can only hope to give Noelle enough personality of her own to make her something differnt than Mel 2.0 (or the Alpha version of Mel, given that FoT is set 300 years before her). Wulvren is definitely nothing like Davos though, but he fills the role in their relationship.
Aye, I was not too sure about it. Other possible candidates included Richard, Kyra and the Dorne PoV, but in the end, I decided to show the aftermath of the battle right away. Richard and Raylansfair will be next, then probably the Dorne PoV, because I want that done before leaving for my vacation. With a bit of luck, I'll manage to include Kyra's part as well this week, we will see.
Yeah, it really made no sense for Ellena to warm up to Noelle. She did change a bit, her immediate anger has faded away, but their relationship is a bit like Arya and the Hound's before the former warmed up to the latter. And in Ellena's case, she is unlikely to ever truly forgive Noelle. She follows her out of pragmatism, but also because she hates her so much that once the priestess stopped being useful for her, she might actually outright consider killing her. For the time being though, she knows that this would put her at a disadvantage, taking away the only direction she still has in life and that's why she won't do it anytime soon. She's a survivor, after all.
Well, as much as I'd never defend Rollmop and the customs of said religion, in the particular constellation of him and the Great Other, he really is unambiguouly the better god. R'hllor is morally grey. While his followers practice human sacrifice, they themselves range from complete scum such as pre-Season 6 Melisandre and Book 1 Noelle to actually decent people, such as Thoros of Myr. R'hllor also has some aspects that are definitely good, such as life (to the point of resurrection) warmth and freedom. And the Great Other is literally a god of death, of evil and darkness. R'hllor is ambiguous in its morals, the Great Other is definitely not. I wouldn't go as far as to say R'hllor is the best and nicest god there is, but considering that he and the Great Other might be the only gods (or god-like beings) to exist, he is the closest thing you have. We'll meet at least two followers of the Great Other and well, while followers of R'hllor are, in many cases, actually idealistic and in their own way altruistic (even if horribly misguided such as Noelle and Melisandre), followers of the Great Other worship him for personal gain and the incredible power he offers, at least in almost any case. To see that god as anything but pure evil, someone has to be delusional and many of his followers are quite aware of the nature of the being they worship, they just do so regardless because they are just that ruthless. So, in this particular case, Noelle has a point in calling Rollmop the good god, because he is at least the lesser evil.
Neither does he want mindless followers. He appreciates counsel as given by Lord Darklyn here, because he knows, if he wants a stable rule, he needs to accept and allow criticism. Of course, his inner circle will always consist of men that are incredibly loyal, such as Orys or Regis, but if someone bends the knee and swears an oath to him, he accepts it and treats them just like he does with any other bannerman allowing them to keep lands and titles in exchange for their loyalty. He'd even do that for Harren Hoare, if Harren would accept to kneel. The thing is, an oath is a big thing in the setting and those with honour, such as Damon Darklyn, will stick to it even if they do not like the man they have sworn to. On top of that, Aegon hopes to eventually win his critics over by ruling actually decently once the war is over. He knows he demands some trust in advance, though there is really no way around it with what he sets to do.
Aye, both are still alive and now even lords of their respective houses. Amerei meanwhile, she definitely has a point when she is angry at Aegon. He killed her father and though it happened in battle, it is understandable that she will never be one of his most loyal supporters. Aegon knows this, which is why he could not install her as Lady Mooton of Maidenpool, but he at least hopes she'll remain loyal to House Mooton. But this is a general problem in the war. Many noble families will lose members to Aegon and his dragons, so their loyalty will not be based on any personal fondness. Aegon's hope is that he can eventually convince them that his vision of a united Westeros with him as the king is for the best of the entire continent.
Wulvren is back indeed and in a very good shape. He has arrived at the court a couple days before Noelle, on account of heading that direction a couple days earlier. We will learn more of his position and what it means for House Targaryen very soon, in Ellena's next part!
Neither will they
There is likely only going to be one moment in which all three will be unleashed at once, but each will have their own role, which is also something Aegon will reveal more about in the coming parts. Harren is not their only enemy, so Visenya and Rhaenys will have their own battles to fight, as will Vhagar and Meraxes.
Hm, I can confirm that, if she would speak in her defence, it won't be out of any fondness. Her feelings on her will not change and should Noelle mistake her intentions, she will harshly remind her of how she truly feels. However, she is starting to believe Noelle's claim of a great evil that threatens Aegon and House Targaryen and if she defends Noelle, it will be motivated out of this, to give the priestess more of a chance of getting close to Aegon, to fight this mysterious enemy. If she remains quiet, she'll be more willing to let Noelle fight her battle alone instead.
You like Noelle? Now, that is a nice and unexpected surprise. While Noelle is definitely not someone that is easy to like, I always find it great when at least one or two readers warm up to such types of characters, as it means I do at least something right by writing them in a more ambiguous, grey direction.
No, no, that is not a mistake, I actually meant the small eastern-european town of Targaryeb! Jokes aside, yeah, that is what happens when my spellchecker does not recognize Targaryen. I probably, meaning I have to manually check for errors. I probably should include it to my open office dictionary, so that it is automatically recognized. Did the same with Mullendore already, maybe I include the other names too XD
Aye, my character! I totally forgot about her. Glad to hear she'll be introduced soon. I'm really excited to explore lands beyond the Wall.
I really like the name of your character. "Malina" means "raspberry" in Russian and it's so heartwarming to read it every time
Rhaegar? You mean, a guy who ditched his wife and two little kids for certain death, kid napped an honorable lady for unknown reason, provoked a horrible war and brought demise to his house? Yeah, what a great guy indeed.
The first line of your comment just goes so well with your avatar. Chris FTW
[Speak up in defence of Noelle]
Really? I had no idea! I like that.
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself] Nuh- uh. No chance! I refuse to vote to defend this vile witch. Gosh I hate her so much. It already angers me that Ellena is accompanying her.
[Speak up in defence of Noelle]
Character submitted! If you have any questions in regards to him I'll be ready to answer. I had a lot of fun coming up with him so I hope he's not a bit too much.
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself] Ah, if it's my favorite Archmaester, Wulvren. Let's help him out.
I feel bad for Amerei Mooton. It's not very often that people think about how people bend the knee to people who murder their family.
Kind of like Arya and the Hound.
Very interesting. I've been waiting for some thing to look into, haven't gotten anything this cryptic since Noelle and Marak in Chapter 1 (will have to read that again, look for new stuff).
So an person evil, eh? Some obvious candidates (which kind of causes them to be eliminated), but still people like Mullendore, Harren the Black, Gyles Gomblinger, Clayton, other antagonists, etc. Maybe even the Donnel. Maybe an unintroduced totally unknown character. Who knows.
But there's a particular line that makes me stop and think it isn't any of them, "And can take on many forms". This makes me believe this person must be a skinchanger. And there are two skinchangers that we know of that fit the evilness: Wolfius Woodbark and (probably) Lupin Frostborn.
However, I kind of doubt that it is Wolfius, but he's still a chance. It doesn't fit him, in my opinion. Lupin, not appearing but being mentioned a lot is one of suspicions for him being it. Plus, if "The Great other is cold, darkness, death”, wouldn't it make sense if it was some from the North, and someone, with a name like Frostborn?
But the thing about concealing age and not being a man (well, actually if this person was a warg, then that does makes), that, that I no real response to. I would need more time to think about it. This information does tell us though that the person does not look that old, so it eliminates quite a few.
I also had thoughts on Edward Anturion, but there's not a lot of evidence. We'll see.
This is kind of a weird thing to say, but am I the only person who prefers Visenya over Rhaenys, both in character and attractiveness? I'm pretty sure that's an unpopular opinion, but still.
You're not alone. Rhaenys seems like that generic beauty whose only purpose is to being seductive and stuff, bringing tension into the story. Visenya has something more in her. So it makes me sad that Aegon always preferred Rhaenys over her
And I have just finished reading him. Thank you very much, he's wonderful. Certainly not too much, just a genuinely well-done and detailed character. As you can tell, I like him a lot. I will also send you a private message in a couple minutes, where I'll be getting into more detail about him!
Aye, she truly has gotten it bad in the last two parts. And she represents this part of Westeros' nobility that simply cannot kneel to Aegon on account of them losing family members to him. She's less pragmatic than Damon Darklyn or her uncle, so she just couldn't find it in her to kneel to this man that killed her father.
Hm, I like your speculation about this a lot! The true identity of the ancient enemy Noelle mentioned will remain a secret for the time being, but the fact that she knows so little about them means that it could be literally anyone. Well, almost anyone, of course. One part of your speculation I particularly enjoy is Lupin. It does actually make some sense and with him likely sharing Wolfius' gift (even if Wolfius himself might be the stronger skinchanger), that could explain why Noelle believes the enemy to be able to take on many different forms. This is going to remain a mystery for a while and finding out the identity of the enemy and wether or not they have already infiltrated Aegon's inner circle will be a big part of Ellena's storyline in Book 2.
Well, Rhaenys is the one that is easier to get along with, being easy-going, kind-hearted and playful as well as the one that is more classically pretty, so she has always been the more popular one in any possible situation the two have ever been in. Being Aegon's favourite also gave her an additional edge from an early age, so she is generally more well-loved than Visenya. However, behind this, Visenya is fascinating in her own right and has quite a number of aspects in which she is superior to Rhaenys. I like both of them roughly equally and cannot really choose a favourite there, but I hope that it'll be relatively evenly split when it comes to the reader's opinions on the Targaryen sisters. All in all, it is still pretty early and I consider both to be complex characters in their own right. Rhaenys for example should really shine in Chapter 2, which is also going to introduce a very important part of her character that should go against anything you have seen of her so far, whereas Visenya will show some deeper insights into her personality pretty soon, I hope.
Let Lodos your servant be born again from the sea, as you were. Bless him with salt, bless him with stone, bless him with steel.
What is dead may never die.
What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger.
All hail Lodos, the Son of the Drowned God, He Who Dwells Beneath the Waves. Lord God who drowned for us, may his reign be eternal. Lord God who drowned for us, may his reign prosper. Lord God who drowned for us, may his reign never die!
(don't ask why I felt the need to do this. I don't know the answer)
Ah, Lodos
Probably the Ironborn answer to Dimitri the Wise, albeit just like any aspect about the Ironborn, he is inexplainably successful from the few things we know. Truly, I cannot wait to show that wackjob, even if he's definitely going to be Book 3 material.
How many characters have you submitted? 26 if I counted correctly. 27 if you count the bear.
Have you created any family/house/group of characters? I've populated a few noble houses so far. Both House Umber and House Serry are made of my characters, and I also a two members from an off branch of House Hewett. Of my peasants, there are the Nathamer guards, the tavern crew Merigolds and their sister family the Vegas, the Recton farmers, the Murphey Ironborn, some traders in the Rock, and a bunch of other interesting peasants that will appear eventually.
If you had to kill one character, who would it be? If it is to be my own character, I would have to go with Aditha. While I don't want it to happen any time soon, I've seen the Nathamer family as a walking tragedy. With all the family dysfunction going on among them, I think the final straw to the tragedy of Arthur would be him accidentally making a decision which he thought at the time to be right turn terribly wrong where all his love ones suffer, die, or turn on him. And poor Arthur would have to overcome that, which I think would be very interesting, albeit sad, to see happen.
Which obscure location do you want to see in the story? Definitely Valyrian Peninsula. I want to see what is up in that part of the world with all the ancient Valyrian history and knowledge lost to the world.
What is Liquid's favorite color?
Who is your favorite villain? I really like Mullendore actually. He is so fun to hate. He has so many layers near the beginnings of the story. Recently he has only been a grumpy crippled who hasn't been able to show off his more intelligent side, but that is understandable due the very irritating situation he has been thrown in. Hopefully he can return a little bit back to his string pulling of his minions side of his villainy.
Which character would you want to serve/be friends with/whatever positive? Mathea seems like a likeable person. I wouldn't mind having her as a coworker because she seems very dedicated to her work and is over all is a good person to be around.
Yeah, I was doing some reading on A Wiki of Ice and Fire and reading about him and stuff made me realize that he may appear in this story (among other things I looked at, including stuff like the Company of the Rose, the Order of the Green Hand, Brandon Snow, Marla Sunderland) so I decided to proclaim my allegiance to Lodos. I eagerly await his appearance.
Since I got you there, I see a certain Lord Morgran Osgrey in the submission list. Funny that I mentioned them a few days ago and we've already gotten an Osgrey, as if someone saw InGen's thought and pounced like Ser Pounce, The Prince Who Was Promised. But hey, I got Dunaver Flowers in before him, who ironically mentions a Lord Osgrey in his backstory.
Lupin just made sense to me, especially after reading that prequel part. Once he's in the actual story and we hear more about this, I'll be able to make a better judgement. We shall see.
We shall see with Rhaenys and Visenya. Gosh, I've been hearing about those now I feel like I've accepted polygamous incest. Very strange. We shall see.
[Be quiet and let her speak for herself Why would Ellena help Noelle out anyway? Just saying sorry doesn't change anything, she needs to prove that she is willing to do good.
Your allegiance towards Lodos is a good thing. Long may he drown, or whatever they say on the Iron Islands. A while ago, while planning the Book 3 storyline, I also did some reading on the wiki (interestingly, also about Marla Sunderland, who is going to be very important for two submitted characters) and finding out about Lodos, I now face the challenge to portray a ridiculous nutjob with actually enough charisma to gain a strong following
Hehe, and interestingly, this Lord Osgrey has been mentioned to having served and fought in the Reach-Stormlands war as well, meaning they are exactly the same person. A number of characters from Dunaver's backstory could actually appear in time and now that he is submitted, Osgrey is definitely going to be among them
I can confirm that Lupin is a character first to be seen in the second half of Book 2. By the time he makes his first appearance, you should have enough information to gain a clearer understanding of the situation. Then, you'll likely see if you have been right or not about him being Noelle's enemy.
Well, the thing about polygamous incest is, if you're coming from a culture that is willing to abandon at least one standard that is generally considered decent (namely, no sibling marriages), it makes sense to go all in and just make it the fullblown nightmare of Westerosi moral enforcers. Seriously, the only reason the Faith won't be up in arms against him as much as they probably should be is, as so often, dragons. That being said, to defend Aegon on this, if he'd have it his way, it would be ordinary incest, no polygamous relationship. Rhaenys is the one he truly loves and in time we'll see why, whereas his relationship with Visenya is built on duty and respect.
The Voting is closed!
Ellena is going to remain quiet, leaving Noelle to speak for herself
I could sort of expect this, aye. Noelle is certainly someone who has done plenty of horrible things and arguably, Ellena is among those she has wronged the most, so supporting her, especially from this particular PoV, might not be something that happens anytime soon. Surely, this won't change how Ellena feels about the priestess. It will change, however, how she sees this ominous mission of her's. And well, now it is going to be harder for Noelle to win Aegon's trust, as she has to downplay Wulvren's accusations all by herself. Speaking of our dear Archmaester, he will be pleased by Ellena's decision, seeing it as a sign that she hasn't been brainwashed by Noelle.
The next part should be out later today. I am currently on my phone and on my way to work, so I cannot do any writing for the next few hours, but once I am back, the part should be ready within one good hour of writing. It will be a Richard part, showing our friends at Raylansfair after the timeskip. The situation over at the Harking farm has gotten quite tense since we last saw them. There's Richard, caught in the middle and juggling two fugitives, a daughter that grows increasingly more active (and is in the most danger due to working so close to Mullendore), a brother that is quite unhappy with the situation as a whole and the fear of being caught at all times. We have Leonard, struggling with the death of Lucas and his failure to prevent it, struggling with his new allies, two of which he does not wish to put into danger, one of which he'd rather not have as an ally. And then, there's Kersea, struggling with the injuries from her fight at the lighthouse and her own, guilty conscience, as she might finally be in a position where she can start to redeem herself, but is now faced with two allies who are in way over their heads and one ally who has quite serious distrust towards her. It will be a bit of a slower start for the three of them, mostly setting up a number of new situations and how the relationships between them developed in the last two months, but we should get to some action-packed parts soon enough
On another note, maybe you notice a pattern there, my family seems to have a certain bad habit. Some families have genetic conditions that are passed down the generations, my family has car accidents. After the almost fatal accident my mother suffered a couple months ago, my father has gotten into one just two days ago, when some dumb asshole drove into his car while trying to pass another car on the highway. As you can see by my rather jolly mood, nothing bad happened, he is completely uninjured thanks to having good reflexes. However, his car was slightly damaged and now he has to check it up, to see if it is still capable of driving long distances, such as the one we plan for our vacation. As a result, there is a tiny chance I won't leave on Sunday, but rather on Monday or Tuesday, if there have to be some repairs done. By the way, I figured this would be a good time to give you a small update on my mother's condition, as I noticed I haven't told you much for a while: She's at a rehab centre, able to breath and speak on her own again and currently training to walk again. Obviously, her muscles are all but gone due to months lying in a hospital bed, but she's in a good mood and there is a very good chance she will make a complete recovery in the next two or three months
With that out of the way, I can gladly announce another thing: @NightShroud18 has written something about the past of the Harrington brothers and he would like to share it with you. I for one enjoy it greatly and hope you're going to like it as well!
Not gonna lie, Liquid. I thought you were about to tell us you were dying. Scared the shit out of me! XD
I'm glad that you and your family are doing well though.
Thank you Liquid for the announcement! I'm excited about this and I hope that you guys like this mini series until the confrontation of the two brothers. Please be honest about what you think of the part, because it helps me improve the new parts in the future.
Samuel:- 20 years ago
It was another bitter day for young Samuel, once again he was lying on the cold ground of the Wolfswood. Taking heavy breaths and grasping for his wooden sword, he sat up and gazed at his brother Ryder.
“What’s the matter, dear brother? Lost your footing again?” Ryder laughed as he stretched his arm downwards to pick his brother up. Samuel found this gesture infuriating, as he brushed off his brother’s attempt to lift him up from the ground. “This isn’t fair Ryder! You’re too good of a fighter to spare with.” He dully remarked. Only five years separated the brothers, but Samuel could swear that Ryder fights on par with any knight from the Seven Kingdoms.
“Nonsense. The reason you fall on the ground every time we spar is because you put too much force behind your blows.” Ryder replied with a smile. “You lack speed and positioning, this leaves your whole body exposed with openings that any opponent will take advantage of.”
Samuel gave him a cold expression full of confidence, “One of those days, I promise I will strike you down to the ground in these woods.” As Samuel barely got himself repositioned to attack Ryder once more, he thought about what his brother said earlier. They had similar swords their father gave them, but Ryder was taller and had more skill. Their father trained Ryder at the age of twelve, but Ryder insisted he would oversee Samuel’s training when he becomes of age.
With all his might, Samuel charged forwards at Ryder, sword in hand. When he reached him, he thrust his arm upwards to strike at his head. Ryder responded by simply taking a step backwards, completely indifferent to Samuel’s attacks. Samuel continued the pressure on his brother by thrusting the sword forward, trying to attack the chest region. Again, Ryder took another step to the side, missing the attack completely. Samuel knew what he was trying to do. Ryder would not parry his strikes to drive Samuel into making a mistake. Samuel spun around in a circle to force Ryder to parry. His brother further insulted him by simply ducking under the attack. Filled with anger, Samuel started to swing wildly in a feeble attempt to finally land a blow. Ryder just dodged all of them without exerting any genuine effort. Until finally, Samuel ran out of breath and dropped his sword on the ground while going down on one knee.
“Do you yield brother?” Ryder mocked him further. Samuel felt a sudden surge of anger flaring up in his blue eyes and for a moment, he forgot about being tired. “SHUT UP!” He tried to take his brother by surprise as he lunged his weapon forward, but failed miserably as Samuel stumbled and landed on his right ankle awkwardly. He let out a painful groan as he let of his sword to shield his ankle. In a flash, Ryder was crouching next to him to investigate his sprained ankle.
“I told you something like this would happen. Here, let me have a look.” Ryder gently touched his ankle to see if the pain was serious. “How badly does it hurt?” He asked with kindness in his voice. “Not too bad, I think I can walk.” Samuel tried to stand, but failed as putting pressure on his leg made him feel uncomfortable. “I was trying to see if you can keep your head while fighting, but it seems like I took it too far. Forgive me. I’ll carry you to our home from here.” His brother apologized and sounded very genuine. Samuel nodded and smiled, although he finds his brother’s methods of teaching a bit odd, he was grateful that Ryder is kind enough to make time for him so they spend it together. His brother lifted him up gently by his back, and made way to their home at Torrhen’s Square.
Along the way, the two brothers exchanged tales of gossip around Torrhen’s Square, legendary tales of extinguished heroes from the North, and discussing their family. Samuel could barely feel the pain in his ankle anymore due to their talk. But he wondered how his mother would react after Samuel hurt himself again. It did not matter though, his mother loved her children too deeply to scold them for such a thing.
They owned a small house near the end of the city, it felt disjointed from the rest, but it was comfortable for six people. The family was always well fed, and every member had their unique trait. Ryder was the eldest, always looking out for his younger siblings. Anna, the gentlest of the bunch, spends her time with her friends and in training to become a handmaiden to House Tallhart. Samuel, the most determined, always trying to surpass his brother in skill. And finally, Cedric, the youngest who is a ward to the city’s smith.
Once they entered through the front door, he noticed his mother and Anna were cooking something delicious. It gave a seductive scent which suggested it was roasted meat, some sausages and bacon. Samuel had no idea how could they purchase such exquisite food, but it did not bother him much. Their father was discharged from the Northern Army due to ‘excessive violence’ but Samuel never believed it. Instead, he now serves as a simple guardsman for House Tallhart, getting a fair wage.
“Hello mother, it seems like young Sam hurt himself again today” Ryder greeted his mother as he let Samuel down carefully on the chair. Their mother was a true beauty, she wasn’t very tall but her black hair was darker than the everlasting night. Anna inherited most of her features as well, but her hair was not as beautiful. “By the Old Gods Samuel, if you keep this up you will get yourself seriously hurt or worse. Why don’t you try taking it a little easier, sweet one?” His mother finished as she kissed him on his forehead. “I’m not stopping until I defeat Ryder. He’s good at everything you know, too good.” Samuel gave his brother a cold glare, full of determination and hope. His brother only smiled in return, “I shall look forward for that day, Sam. But perhaps I should start counting the years until you actually hit me.” Ryder and the rest started laughing, except for Samuel. “You will see, as soon as this blasted ankle heals, I’ll show you what I can really do!”
“Samuel, if you want, I can get some of my friends’ brother to help teach you how to-“Anna started saying but Samuel’s impatience interrupted her. “I don’t want help from anyone else. I just need Ryder.” He said it a little louder than he meant, but she didn’t seem to mind. “That’s enough for now, young ones. Supper is almost ready. Anna, go fetch your father and Cedrick from the smith, only The Mother knows why he loves staying there so late.” Their mother told Anna, and in a heartbeat, Anna stood up from her cooking pot and started to head outside.
“So then, does it still hurt?” Ryder asked Samuel. After taking a closer look, the pain slowly started to fade away. “A little bit, give me until tomorrow and we can continue our training.” Samuel answered confidently. “Of course, little brother, any time you wish. Just try to work on your stance and speed. I promise you that you will hit me some day.” Ryder reassured him. For a moment, they were both smiling at each other. Samuel dreamt of the day when they finally become men grown so they can fight together side by side at the Northern Army and serve their King. Just the idea brought great excitement to him and he was anxious to see that day come true. “Do not worry, I will.”
End of Part I
Reminds me of my brother and I a little bit.
This would be a great place for one of those SpongeBob time cards "20 Years later" to Samuel getting his ass handed to him by Ryder.
"Friends".
You know, this is really funny if read that Jenna is getting more sexually active, and Alan is getting nervous of being caught with her.
Poor, poor Leonard. It's okay, your creator/father (me) will save you with tons of other characters, heheheh. Can't wait to see how this episode of Seinfeld plays out. You have Jerry (Leonard). You got George (Richard). You got Kramer (Alan). You got Elaine (Jenna). And you got....Newman (Kersea).
So she's injured still? Means Leonard can sneak out and not have to be worried about following her. Redeeming herself? I dunno man. Eh, two allies way over their heads. Suckers. I'm glad that the mistrust and paranoia of Leonard will finally be shown in full unadulterated form.
Slow and steady wins the race, unless it's a sprint. We'll see how long until they are caught, probably by Ser Hugo Farnham.
I'm terribly sorry about your family and almost as important, the poor cars. I hope the 13th accident breaks the curse. Seriously though bro, hope everything turns out okay (pun heh).
Ah,U scared the ell out of me!!!
By the way It is happy to know that they are well.And you told that you will be on a vocation this August....
is the vocation cancelled or anything else happened?
Isn't Samuel just precious! I really liked this. Samuel's definitely one of my favorite characters, so this was a treat.
Haha, that was not my intention XD Be assured, I couldn't be better at the moment. And should anything happen to me before the age of ninety, I'd probably punch Death in the nuts until he sends me back. Age ninety, that would give me another sixty seven years of finishing this story, I think I might manage to at least reach Book 3 until then
That... that is not what I meant. Though that being said, Jenna is very much Alan's favourite member of the Harking family, on account of her being the only one that tries to get along with him. They are not spending any time together though, one way or the other. I start to believe I've been featuring the Targaryen's too much that you start to see incest relationships anywhere XD
Hehe, that is certainly a comparison. I'd say the relationship between Leonard and Kersea is slightly better than the one between Jerry and Newman, but yeah, it is very much a begrudging alliance they have and the only reason they are not at each others throats (or, Leonard's at Kersea's, she actually doesn't have a problem with him) is that they both have a common enemy and one that absolutely requires teamwork to be taken down.
Well, she was nearly killed by Clayton and though Richard treated her injuries, we will see more of her condition in this next part, to be released in a few hours. Leonard won't just sneak out though. He has seen her in combat, he knows how useful she can be and she's probably the one best suited to just murder Mullendore in his sleep. Redemption is very much her ultimate goal, though she knows that won't be all too easy. And well, Richard is definitely in way over his head, though Jenna has started to pull her weight a bit more. As for Leonard's paranoia, we are going to see it sooner or later. It's there, slightly hidden, but it is there.
Yeah, turns out my mother's car is the only one that won't fully recover, so RIP. It has been a nice one. But well, it means I bought one of my own, months before I actually wanted to do it, so I can't wait for my very own accidents. Makes me glad that I'll spend the next three weeks in my father's car, which is a huge all-terrain vehicle and therefore naturally one of the safest cars to be in.