Anyway, the last part I still thought this detour to Faronhall would be just a short stop for the Northern crew before they continue their mission, but now I'm starting to think we might spend quite a lot of time here. Which is not a bad thing necessarily, the Codd's are definitely an interesting family to explore deeper.
Oh, this is definitely something for the long haul. Can't yet say how long, but it will take a decent amount of Edrick's storyline in Book 2 to get out of this complicated situation. Lots of time for me to develop him, his companions and his new jailers and one of the reasons I am majorly hyped for Edrick in Book 2. I'm glad the Codd's are so warmly received, they certainly will play a key role in the events to come for Edrick and co.
Honestly I'm fine with either choice, so I'll go with meta reasoning with my choice: I feel like taking on this mission might make Arthur's storyline less stagnant. Don't get me wrong, another scene between Arthur and Aditha would no doubt be great, but seeking out Ryler would feel more like moving forward in the plot.
Well, I certainly can't be someone to criticize meta choices, ever This is fine, very much so, there's nothing that speaks against spicing his storyline up a bit by involving him in the hunt for Wolfius. All I can say though is, while trying to repair his relationship with Aditha might not be the most immediately thrilling option, Arthur will have an interesting storyline in Book 2 regardless, this much I already know with certainty.
Anyway, I really liked the conversation between Arthur and Berrick! I was a bit unsure last time what to make of this guy, but he seems like a decent fella
Ah, that is good to hear Berrick indeed seems to be alright, something I wanted to show in this part. They can't all be secret Vyrwel agents, right? As much as I actually liked that theory
[Let her treat your cut] No reason to be too proud or stubborn here, I literally see zero benefits in sending Sylvi away. And speaking of Sy… morelvi, she and her sister seem like really interesting characters, they keep growing on me with each part. Anyway, the last part I still thought this detour to Faronhall would be just a short stop for the Northern crew before they continue their mission, but now I'm starting to think we might spend quite a lot of time here. Which is not a bad thing necessarily, the Codd's are definitely an interesting family to explore deeper.
[Seek out Ryler] Honestly I'm fine with either choice, so I'll go with meta reasoning with my choice: I feel like taking on this mission might make Arthur's storyline less stagnant. Don't get me wrong, another scene between Arthur and Aditha would no doubt be great, but seeking out Ryler would feel more like moving forward in the plot. Anyway, I really liked the conversation betwee… [view original content]
Good luck for Edrick and co.! They have a guest room as a prison room! (And Jorid obviously decide to monopolize the bed!)
Yeah, their prison cell could be worse, really. It actually wouldn't be unsuited for a highborn guest (if probably not quite what you'd want to offer a king) and is a far cry from the damp prison cell Edrick likely expected. Of course, there is a major problem that has to be dealt with and it is the lack of a bed for all. Jorid selfishly claimed the single bed available already and I have a lot of plans for that storyline, many twists as the group will play the Game of Beds, to find out who can sleep in this bed in the very end. Told you Edrick's storyline in Book 2 would be an exciting one and well, I hope I did not promise too much
I'm still curious to see what the Codd plans for the people that can't or won't pay the ramsom
Well, Viveka already said, she might make them thralls, which is kind of a slave. That is the standard Ironborn way of dealing with lowborn, if they are useful. Edrick for example is strong, so he could be perfectly used for physical labour. At the same time, she might just kill them if they have no use, because as it has been stated, Viveka does not see any reason to keep prisoners around whom she can neither ransom nor use as thralls.
I really like this Arthur PoV and I'm surprised to see that the conversation with Arthur make the new blacksmith seems a good guy that is nice to read about
Ah, glad to hear you enjoy Berrick! He is indeed not much of a bad guy and he and Arthur have some similarities, which actually makes them sympathize with each other quite well. I for one am glad to have him in the story, so it's good you found him nice to read about.
I want to ask something outside the part for a change:do you plan to start Ilish and Maya PoV's in this chapter?(I don't ask about Janae since you already said to wait at least the next chapter for her)
A good question, yes. I can confirm that Ilish's storyline will only start in Chapter 2, same goes for Janae. However, I am less sure about Maya. At the same time, that is precisely the problem I had with her in Book 1, that I sometimes gave her stuff to do even if she didn't have to appear in a chapter, stretching her storyline a bit thin. She will have a good storyline in this book, but I am uncertain if her parts in this chapter add anything to her development or the story in general, so I might just put them into the next chapter in order to give her a more meaty storyline per chapter in this book, something I consider the greatest mistake I made with her in Book 1.
[Let her treat your cut]
[Go and look for Aditha]
RT:
* Good luck for Edrick and co.! They have a guest room as a prison room! (… moreAnd Jorid obviously decide to monopolize the bed!)
* I'm still curious to see what the Codd plans for the people that can't or won't pay the ramsom
* I really like this Arthur PoV and I'm surprised to see that the conversation with Arthur make the new blacksmith seems a good guy that is nice to read about
* I want to ask something outside the part for a change:do you plan to start Ilish and Maya PoV's in this chapter?(I don't ask about Janae since you already said to wait at least the next chapter for her)
And we're on schedule for once! The last couple parts, I've been kinda slower than usual, but that is not the case this time. I must also say, I really like how close the voting has been for the second choice here. Six votes for each, with the first vote breaking the tie (coincidentally, Bounden as Arthur's creator has voted for the same), that is going to influence Arthur in the next part. He really won't be all that decisive about this, eventually reluctantly choosing Ryler, and this reluctance is something I consider to be very fitting for him.
So, the next part will be out today. It will be an Alys part, taking place shortly after her last one. Last time we saw her, she arrived at the Stepstone Islands, specifically at the Merman's Rest, a large grotto with a harbour and a small city inside. From there, the pirate king Aeron Blacksails rules over the Narrow Sea. Edward, having worked for him, wishes to return to detail the next steps in his plan. However, Wilbur, the Ironborn, has taken some time to give Alys a stern warning about going there, telling her to never mention her real name or her high birth, as well as to never go anywhere without a trusty bodyguard. That latter part has been encouraged by Edward himself even, who offered Alys to choose between either Alisa or Carvin to guard her, with the other one guarding him. Alys decided that Carvin, being more knowledgeable of the Merman's Rest in general, would be the better choice, so she chose him.
Also, great news on the FoT wiki front. Pouring more work into it, there is some serious progress made, milestones reached and I even learned how to make one of those neat little boxes that show precisely in which chapter a character appeared, thank the GoT wiki for that. It looks amazing and I cannot wait to share major news about it in the near future
Hey, just wanted to quickly drop the new set of illustrations before the next part This one is themed around Aegon's first (now already defeated) obstacle in the conquer, that being the Darklyn-Mooton alliance. So, couple of these characters are already deceased by now, but they are all interesting nonetheless:
Pretty good drawings, but there's a small mistake in Bryen's drawing; I noticed the shield of House Darklyn has the seven shields of the Kingsguard, even though it doesn't exists yet.
Hey, just wanted to quickly drop the new set of illustrations before the next part This one is themed around Aegon's first (now already def… moreeated) obstacle in the conquer, that being the Darklyn-Mooton alliance. So, couple of these characters are already deceased by now, but they are all interesting nonetheless:
Pretty good drawings, but there's a small mistake in Bryen's drawing; I noticed the shield of House Darklyn has the seven shields of the Kingsguard, even though it doesn't exists yet.
Oh man, I think I really have to send you the descriptions a bit faster, given how incredibly fast you are 2 days for these five and the result is wonderful. I was looking forward for this set, given that it is the last time the Mooton/Darklyn alliance is of any importance. Sure, the three survivors will continue to play a role, but the alliance as a whole is obviously done for. And well, this surely is a fitting send off, particularly to our deceased Bryen and Grenn. Let's start at the top, the Darklyn side of the alliance. Bryen and Damon really showcase one thing I love about the drawings, which is family relationships. Well, the entire set kinda does, for obvious reasons, but the Darklyn's really look alike and amazingly, they both look equally smug. I love that Of course, there is this thing about their coat of arms, though I gotta admit, I didn't even know that before it was pointed out. Ah, wouldn't say that's too much a problem, the drawing is just too good in general. Then there is the Mooton side of the conflict and I gotta say, as expected you nailed it. Amerei was the one I had the least clear picture in my mind, since she only appeared in a single part so far, but I have to say, her drawing is almost my favourite. Almost, I say, because the top spot has to be a tie between Grenn and Jon. I never before had such a problem with deciding on a favourite, but these two have looks entirely created by me, so I had the clearest image of them in my head and they are both just so spot on. I think I've been a bit general with my description of Grenn's beard, so I am impressed you actually managed to ace it precisely how I imagined it. And Jon, well, he's a badass. I must say, he amazingly kinda looks how I always imagined a young Jon Arryn to look like. Ah, I love these, I love the drawings in general, so as usual, thank you so much for making them!
Hey, just wanted to quickly drop the new set of illustrations before the next part This one is themed around Aegon's first (now already def… moreeated) obstacle in the conquer, that being the Darklyn-Mooton alliance. So, couple of these characters are already deceased by now, but they are all interesting nonetheless:
Hey, just wanted to quickly drop the new set of illustrations before the next part This one is themed around Aegon's first (now already def… moreeated) obstacle in the conquer, that being the Darklyn-Mooton alliance. So, couple of these characters are already deceased by now, but they are all interesting nonetheless:
The Voting is closed!
Edrick is going to let Sylvi treat his cut
Arthur is going to seek out Ryler
And we're on schedule for once! … moreThe last couple parts, I've been kinda slower than usual, but that is not the case this time. I must also say, I really like how close the voting has been for the second choice here. Six votes for each, with the first vote breaking the tie (coincidentally, Bounden as Arthur's creator has voted for the same), that is going to influence Arthur in the next part. He really won't be all that decisive about this, eventually reluctantly choosing Ryler, and this reluctance is something I consider to be very fitting for him.
So, the next part will be out today. It will be an Alys part, taking place shortly after her last one. Last time we saw her, she arrived at the Stepstone Islands, specifically at the Merman's Rest, a large grotto with a harbour and a small city inside. From there, the pirate king Aeron Blac… [view original content]
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest came closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden town built on several levels alongside the stone, going all the way from the very edges of the cave to its far end, from just a few feet above the water to the top, just below the ceiling, the houses turning the natural grotto to a harbour basin. The largest harbour she had ever seen, a city for pirates.
And it wasn't silent. The noise of hundreds, probably thousands of people echoed through the cave, their chatter, laughter, screams. Bawdy songs came from more than one building and she spotted shadows in the darkness, the silhouettes of barely illuminated people hurrying over the wooden planks that connected the buildings. Somewhere in the far end of the cave, water fell down, roaring all the way.
Alys would have stared in wonder if not for the uneasy feeling these people gave her. Pirates, smugglers, outlaws and those were likely still not the worst she could find here. It might not be as bad as Harrenhal, but at the same time, she was thankful for Edward's offer.
As soon as they came close enough to the pier, Edward jumped against it, a rope in his hands, climbing a good feet up a ladder onto the pier proper and then tying the boat to a thick wooden pole. Morgrem and Carvin followed after him, then Wilbur. Alys looked up at the slight climb and gulped as Edward reached down. “Take my hand, mylady”, he spoke and she accepted the gesture.
After Alisa followed last, Alys took a moment to look around. It was so dark that she couldn't see many details of the ships that had entered the cave, though she guessed them to belong to Blacksails' inner circle. Heavy warships were there, with three masts, yet also smaller, lighter and faster vessels. She even spotted the familiar shadow of an Ironborn longship, the prow carved like a dragon's head, with sharp, wooden teeth.
Her eyes darted to a drunkard, who staggered out of a larger house at the end of the pier, dragging himself across the wood, into their direction at first, then straight down, falling face first onto the planks. Morgrem chuckled, as cheering sounded from the building, clearly an inn. Or... maybe something else, judging by the scantily clad woman, notably younger than her shabby dress, who stood next to the door, carefully looking at the newcomers.
“If anyone's looking for me, I'll be in there”, he said, pointing towards the building. Carvin rolled his eyes, though Edward gave him a nod. “Make sure to look out for new fighters”, he said. “Your company has suffered dire losses” He looked across the water, to the second boat following them in some distance. On it, Alys saw the dreadful silhouette of Bear, together with half a dozen of his men.
“Sure thing, boss”, Morgrem said. “Got some debts to pay as well” He glanced at Wilbur. “You care for a drink, Ironborn?” Wilbur meanwhile was uncomfortable at this place, if less so than Alys. Or maybe he was disgusted by this, a mockery of what his people stood for. “Sure, why not”, he mumbled. “Go ahead, I'll be with you in a minute”
As Morgrem went ahead, Wilbur briefly glanced at Alys. “Remember what I told you”, he warned her, as he hurried after the sellsword. Edward narrowed his eyes, though he remained silent at this. “Well then”, he spoke, clapping his hands. “This is it. Merman's Rest” He spread his arms, as if he wanted to close them around the entirety of the city in the grotto, each drunkard, thug, whore and scoundrel. “Ah, it's good to be home again”
He began to walk down the pier, yet not towards the shady establishment Wilbur and Morgrem had entered, but heading to what Alys would consider a main street, a set of planks broad enough for a cart to drive over, partially constructed on poles over the water and partially on the muddy ground that seemed to cover the deeper parts of the grotto.
They walked in pairs of two, Alys behind Carvin, Alisa behind Edward, who had taken the lead, with the two women walking next to each other. Passing the large building, another woman, young, cheaply painted and with skin several shades darker than anything she had ever seen fluttered her heavy eyelashes. “Hey, sugar”, she greeted them and Alys was not sure if she meant Edward or Carvin. Her voice was smooth and warm. “You like what you see?”
Carvin walked past her, completely unbothered, yet Alisa stopped for a moment, her slower pace prompting Alys to do the same. The dark woman grinned a pearly white smile. “A silver coin and I am yours for a night”, she said, as Alisa eyed her carefully. “Alisa”, Edward hissed, not slowing down for her.
The woman pulled herself away from the whore and Alys noticed that there had been no desire in her gaze. She furrowed her brows at why her friend had slowed down, as Alisa began to speak. Her voice was lowered, just enough to remain out of reach for the two men to listen.
“What did he mean?”, she hissed. “Wilbur” Alys nodded. “He warned me not to tell them my real name”, she whispered in return and Alisa raised an eyebrow, as she thought about something. “Good advice”, she admitted. “Follow it. Never tell them who you are. Lie if you must, even if you make him seem a liar” She put a hand onto her shoulder, as she fastened her pace to catch up with the men again. “Consider nobody in this city your friend”, she warned her.
“You are my friend”, Alys said and Alisa's eyes widened slightly. “Keep in mind whom you tell such a thing, little lady”, she spoke, to which Alys shook her head. “I don't care”, she said. “I mean it” Briefly, a thin smile formed on Alisa's face. “Just do as he said”, she spoke, before she fastened her pace again, to catch up with Edward, who glanced over his shoulder, looking impatient.
“Never took you the type to fancy a whore”, Carvin spoke and Alisa shook her head. “That one caught my eye”, she spoke, to which he smirked. “I can't see why”, he replied, before he shrugged. “If you want her, she's all yours once we're done with the court”
By now, the roaring of the waterfall had gotten louder, even if it still had to be a a good quarter mile away. Edward was heading towards something that looked like a square, the only of its kind in this entire strange city, as far as Alys was able to tell. The wooden way had gotten more crowded, with them passing men and women of a kind she had never seen before.
Colourful was the first term that shot through her mind. There were fair skinned men and women, many of them actually, some even of Valyrian ancestry. Most however had some sort of a tan, their brownish skin illuminated by torches. Others meanwhile were dark, from bronze skin to shades of dark amber. She even saw men with the pitch black skin of demons, yet there was nothing monstrous about them as they passed her, simply minding their business, as they all did in this city of rogues.
The square was home to a marketplace and by now, the sharp smell of foreign goods stung in her nose, causing it to itch, as she covered it to avoid the stench of strange spices and odd food. Yet despite the shock these new colours and smells caused to her senses, a small part of her was beyond fascinated and she had to force herself to contain her smile. Alisa noticed her slight grin though, an expression she mimicked.
Unbothered by these wonders, Edward stepped past arguing merchants, not caring for their offers, as they chattered in at least three different languages. His goal was the mansion at the end of this square. Three stories high, it was the only building in the grotto to not consist entirely out of wood, with the ground floor being made of sturdy stone. A large double door stood open, yet two guards, stocky, hairy ape men, stood in front of it, holding halberds larger than themselves.
Edward smiled at them as he approached, while Alys forced herself not to stare at the misshapen half-humans. “King Aeron awaits me”, he said and one of the ape men grunted something in return. It almost sounded like a word, yet Alys was not so sure, though no one stopped them as they stepped out of the busy marketplace into the quiet mansion.
The entrance hall was kept in dark colours, with purple silk covering the walls and a heavy, dark red carpet drowning out their footsteps, as they walked through it. Alys saw two men close to a door at the other end of the hall, one of them sitting at a table, with his back turned on them.
The other stood next to the door, his arms crossed. He was maybe in Edward's age, his skin showing a slight tan, with dark brown hair, tied into a ponytail, and a pencil thin moustache covering his upper lip. There was a large, golden ring in his left ear, while his slim body was covered in fine clothes, made out of green silk, embroidered with gold and a thin rapier was tied to his heavy belt.
“Captain Anturion”, the man greeted them, his voice deep and smooth. “A pleasure you have been able to make it so soon” Edward stopped, putting to fingers onto his heart, a gesture the other man repeated. By now, Alys was able to glance at the sitting man, who wore a sleeveless leather coat, unbuttoned to leave his chest exposed, his hair cut very shot. He was reading some parchment and seemingly not paying any attention to the newcomers.
“Saan”, Edward greeted the man, who smirked at the new arrivals. “King Aeron will be pleased to see me” To this, the sitting man chuckled darkly, though Edward did not seem to mind. The other man rolled his bright, blue eyes. “I would doubt it”, he spoke. “The council is busy at the moment... yet they shall make an exception for the victorious conqueror” At this, he narrowed his eyes and all warmth faded from his voice. “At least I believe this is what you're here for, isn't that correct?”
Without missing a beat, Edward gave him a nod. “I am here to report on my progress”, he confirmed and Saan shrugged. “If he won't like what you have to say...”, he warned him, though left the rest unspoken. Instead, he turned around, exchanging a nod with the sitting man, before opening the door behind him. “Wait here”, he ordered, as he closed the door once more.
As soon as they were alone, the sitting man turned to them, raising an eyebrow and giving Edward a wide, bright grin. Alys got a good look at him now. He had a lean build and a handsome face, a beard stubble thicker than his head hair. A scar went down the bridge of his now, all the way to his right cheek and further scars were visible on his bare chest. The entirety of his right arm was covered in dark markings, ink, as Alys noticed, whereas his left upper arm was adorned by a blue handkerchief, carefully wrapped around it.
He rose from his chair. “Anturion!”, he greeted him loudly, pushing his right hand against Edward's shoulder. Alys saw that he had a ring on each finger. Edward in return wasn't smiling and if anything, he was looking a bit meeker than usual. “Gregor...”, he mumbled.
“Nice coat you got there”, the man named Gregor said. “Shame it's wasted on your cuntface” He said this in a tone that was genuinely cheerful, his grin getting wider as Edward frowned. Alisa however smirked and Alys herself took some pleasure in Edward's discomfort.
Gregor quickly looked at Carvin and Alisa. “And whom do we have here... say nothing, it's... Alisa?”, he asked and she gave him a nod. “And... Gonzo?” Carvin instantly frowned. “Carvin”, he corrected him in a cold tone and Gregor chuckled. “Nice try, but you look like a Gonzo to me”, he insisted.
With Carvin clenching his fists, Gregor turned to Alys. “And that is a new face”, he greeted her. “Welcome at the Merman's Rest, mylady. Whom is it I am speaking to?” Alys tensed up, instantly remembering what Alisa and Wilbur had told her. “It's Alys”, she said, leaving out her last name.
“Alys... just that?”, Gregor asked, before he shrugged. “Fine by me. Name's Gregor Harlaw. Didn't know Anturion managed to trick some new girl into one of his crazy schemes” Edward glared at the man now and Alys recognized the name. House Harlaw, Ironborn... “You have the nerve to call me crazy, dog?”, he spat.
Nonchalantly, Gregor gave him a nod. “Oh, I'd call you all matters of things, but there's a lady present”, he said with an audacious grin. “Face it, I'm just too charming to go down to your level” He shrugged. “Though you are a dirty cheat and if you think Blacksails has forgotten that, you're sorely mistaken”
“What are you doing here anyways?”, Edward snapped, his voice raised, at which Gregor gave him a victorious sneer. “Thought you'd be dead in some backalley gutter in Volantis by now” The Ironborn put a hand onto his chest. “Ouch”, he said in a sarcastic tone. “Truth be told, there have been times where I would have died. But since I'm so fucking nice, I'll give you a word of advice: Never underestimate true friends. And that is what I have on that boat of mine. Had my back more times than even you could stab me through it”
“That didn't answer my question”, Edward growled. “Why are you here, Harlaw? Just a visit to the King of the Narrow Sea?” Gregor shook his head. “It's a bit more complicated”, he revealed. “See, I bring news. Times are changing and well, sooner or later we might all have to choose a king to serve” He winked slyly. “Or a queen”
In this moment, before Gregor was able to reveal more about this, the doors got pushed open again. The pirate lord, Saan, stood there in the frame, smiling coldly. “King Aeron and the court are willing to speak to you now”, he revealed. “Come all in”
He stepped aside, allowing Edward and his companions to enter. Alys noticed that Gregor Harlaw came with them, naturally so and Saan did nothing to protest, which meant a silent approval. Now, she stepped through the doorframe and into a circular room, similarly dark than the entrance hall. Adorned with purple and black silk, it was illuminated by dim torches, showing broad chairs around the wall of the room, someone sitting in each of them but two. These two empty ones were quickly filled, when Saan and Gregor approached them, sitting to the left and right of the door. The air was heavy and warm, filled with a sweet smell that instantly caused her to become a slight bit dizzy.
Alys' gaze wandered through the room, gulping at the figures there. The first chair she spotted was occupied by a man who wasn't sitting, but crouching on top of the chair. Dark brown hair fell down to his shoulders and he had a wiry build, lean, yet with notably defined muscles. What caused Alys to gasp was his eyes though. They were dull and grey, clouded as if he was blind. And yet, the look he gave her, followed by a wide, cheerful grin at her surprise proved that his sight was perfectly fine.
The man began to whistle, a slow, ominous tune, as Alys looked at the others. There was a tall man opposing the seemingly blind one, clad in green and turquoise, with long, brown hair, which he had braided into a thick braid that fell down his back. Handsome and clean-shaven, he was the youngest of the attendees and he was mostly interested in a belt on his lap, apparently made out of white bone, seeming indifferent or even bored of the meeting that took place.
Two people sat left and right to a large throne and they were also the oldest in the room. A man maybe about forty years old was sitting to the right of the throne, his feet resting on a smaller chair. He wore a wide hat, obscuring part of his face and showing only a thick, yet shaggy brown beard. His hands were resting on the beginnings of a belly and he grinned, revealing yellow, crooked teeth.
The person to the left of the throne was the only woman, albeit Alys did not recognize her as such at first glance. There were only few indicators of her gender, yet Alys knew a woman when she saw one, even if she had to admit, this was likely the most ugly person she had ever met. Heavyset, flat-chested and muscular, her skin had a dark tan and she had short curls, as well as a fleshy, broad face, with a crooked nose and a less than flattering expression, a dour frown.
Finally, the throne itself. Hidden beneath purple silk, Alys saw the silhouette of a man. He was tall, even if he leant back in his chair and with his right hand, he held a long stick, from which odd smoke, light purple in colour, was emitted. Moving his free hand, he brushed away the silk, as he stood up and Alys got a good look at him.
Aeron Blacksails had the blood of the Freehold in his veins. Even in the gloomy room, he was notably pale and his head was adorned by silver hair, cut short. His face was well-constructed, handsome even, with a broad jawline and high cheekbones, clean-shaven and with crystal blue eyes that seemed to shine, reflecting the purple smoke. Wearing fine clothes, the light colours were a contrast to the darkness he seemed to prefer for his room. And unlike his council, they were less adorned with trinkets or other fineries, just plain white and grey silk of exceptional quality.
He placed the other end of the stick in his mouth and took a deep breath. As he removed the stick again, he puffed purple smoke out of his mouth, before he placed it on a small table between him and the woman. “Anturion”, he spoke, his voice coarse and raspy. “Captain Edward Anturion...” He stepped towards Edward, spreading his arms.
Edward gulped, though he accepted Blacksails' hug. “My king”, he greeted him and Aeron smiled thinly. “Last time we spoke, you promised me riches beyond imagination”, he replied. “Here you are and I am none the richer” He shook his head. “Disappointing”, he added and his voice was calm and quiet, his words still carrying through the room. “And yet, you wouldn't have come if it wouldn't be important” The pirate king took a step away from his subject, turning to his throne, which he approached now. “Step closer, you four, where we can all see you”, he commanded. “The council has gathered and they are ready to here what you have to say”
The man with the clouded eyes chuckled notably, whereas the woman narrowed her dark eyes at Edward. “We want our coin, you fuck”, she growled and even her voice was deep and manly. Blacksails glanced at her. “Easy, Jadith”, he spoke, in a gentle tone. “I am sure, Captain Anturion is here to repay you” His eyes narrowed as he spotted Alys, who was trying to hide behind Carvin and Alisa. “First things first though... you brought a guest”, he added. “Girl, what is your name?”
Edward opened his mouth in her stead. “My king, this is...”, he began, though Aeron cut him off. “I wasn't speaking to you, captain”, he warned him and looked back at Alys. “Don't be afraid, girl” She was afraid though, oh yes, she was. With the warning ringing through her head, she had to imagine, could she get away with lying to him? And if she'd do, what name, what name... perhaps a simple bastard name? Nobody would question that, would they?
[Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn][Introduce yourself as Alys Snow]
Oh cmon, Alys don't play games. It can be bad. Especially when it comes to losing.
Its nice to see Edward in his habitat and the other pirates seem very interesting. I look forward to seeing them especially Gregor and The Great King Aeron Blacksails.
Overall this was a fantastic and very enjoyable part and i look forward to see where this storyline is heading.
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
Sorry Liquide for my absence.
I don't think my luck is with me.Because my another phone is lost.The first one got stoled.I am now on my friends computer
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
But what if he finds out she's lying? it's not hard to imagine the King of Pirates could tell truth from lie, especially from someone inexperienced in doing it.
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] Alys can't be so dumb to give her true name to a band of bloodthirsty pirates!
RT:
* Merman's Res… moret is really a nice location (expecially because it is completly different from all the other ones inside the story)
* It seems that Morgrem is going to recruit new manpower for the Second Sons
* Edward and Gregor,it is weird but I'm not sure if he is a new character or not,are basically best friends!
* And today after YEARS we finally meet the Pirate King! He seems a really interesting guy!
* About the members of his council...they are clearly a group of good guys but I shall wait Alys next part to express my own opinion about them
* In the end I'm curious to see,always in Alys next part, how Edward will try to weasel out of his own failure
But what if he not discover her lie or decide that he don't care about who the young guest is? I believe that Alys should at least try to be a smart kid and don't make herself a huge target in her back that scream "You need money?You are lucky because I'm a young noble girl ready to be kidnapped!"
But what if he finds out she's lying? it's not hard to imagine the King of Pirates could tell truth from lie, especially from someone inexperienced in doing it.
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
But what if he not discover her lie or decide that he don't care about who the young guest is? I believe that Alys should at least try to be… more a smart kid and don't make herself a huge target in her back that scream "You need money?You are lucky because I'm a young noble girl ready to be kidnapped!"
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] I see nothing good coming from revealing Alys' true name. Also you've gotta question Alys' intelligence if everyone warns her not to use her real name and she decides to use it anyway.
Still hate Edward btw!
I loved that adorable interaction between Alys and Alisa "You're my friend"
A little curious about Alisa's reaction to the whore. As Alys pointed out, she wasn't looking at her with desire so there must've been something else going on there. Pity? I'm not sure.
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
Man, I have to say the Merman's Rest is probably the coolest, most unique location in the story so far. I really got the atmosphere of an exotic and dark city full of pirates and scoundrels from this part, nicely written! And Aeron Blacksails and his council seem interesting to say the least. I especially liked Gregor Harlaw in this part, seems like a really entertaining character
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] I trust Alisa's and Wilbur's advice in this. If Alys reveals she is a lord's daughter, I could see Aeron wanting to get his hands on her, and I doubt Edward could protect her, seeing how he is clearly an underling to Blacksails. However, if she introduces herself as just a bastard, with some luck Aeron will have no further interest in her. Of course, there is the risk that he will spot the lie, but I think it shoudn't be that hard for Alys to fake her last name convincingly.
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
Its nice to see Edward in his habitat and the other pirates seem very interesting. I look forward to seeing them especially Gregor and The Great King Aeron Blacksails.
Yeah, we're going to get to see some different sides of Edward this time. Here, he's in a place where people know him and where he is actually around people who are stronger than him, at least in this very location. And he is not going to like this one bit. He certainly doesn't like Gregor and as you can imagine, there is no fondness for Blacksails either.
Overall this was a fantastic and very enjoyable part and i look forward to see where this storyline is heading.
Ah, thank you, I am glad you enjoyed the part! The storyline is heading to some really exciting places and I cannot wait to show more of the court of pirates
[Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn]
Oh cmon, Alys don't play games. It can be bad. Especially when it comes to losing.
Its nice to see… more Edward in his habitat and the other pirates seem very interesting. I look forward to seeing them especially Gregor and The Great King Aeron Blacksails.
Overall this was a fantastic and very enjoyable part and i look forward to see where this storyline is heading.
Sorry Liquide for my absence.
I don't think my luck is with me.Because my another phone is lost.The first one got stoled.I am now on my friends computer
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] That will identify her as nobility, but not as important as a ransom. Man, this place is certainly like Tortuga and the Bethren's Court from Pirates of the Caribbean. Now that I think about it, what is Aeron smoking?, after all, this world isn't known for having tobacco.
I noticed the guards of the entrance were ibbenese, a rare sight so far from Ibben.
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
Merman's Rest is really a nice location (expecially because it is completly different from all the other ones inside the story)
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! The Merman's Rest is indeed very different from the other locations seen in the story, something I'm very happy to flesh out a bit. It won't be a major location in this book, but I have good plans for it as the story progresses.
It seems that Morgrem is going to recruit new manpower for the Second Sons
Indeed he is! With Rodrik dead, Morgrem has taken charge of this particular unit of Second Sons, albeit they lost nearly half of their troops in Raylansfair. This is particularly bad for Edward, because the Sons are loyal to him on account of being handsomely paid by his brother, whereas the part of his forces that currently holds the majority is Bear's bandits and if anything, their loyalty is questionable at the very best.
Edward and Gregor,it is weird but I'm not sure if he is a new character or not,are basically best friends!
Hm, I am curious here, are you not sure if a character by that name hasn't appeared before, or do you consider him to be an existing character who is hiding with a new identity here? If it is the former, I can confirm this is the first time a person by the name of Gregor Harlaw has appeared in the story.
And today after YEARS we finally meet the Pirate King! He seems a really interesting guy!
Haha, yes, probably the longest build up I've ever had for a character. This is literally years and I can't think of any character who has taken longer between their first mention and the time of their first appearance. In that time, I had a lot of hype to finally write him, I hope he'll live up to it!
About the members of his council...they are clearly a group of good guys but I shall wait Alys next part to express my own opinion about them
Well, for now they aren't even properly introduced. I put them into the character list already, yet haven't even gotten to mention most of their names. The next Alys part will likely take place there completely and it is going to be great fun.
In the end I'm curious to see,always in Alys next part, how Edward will try to weasel out of his own failure
Hm, he surely is in a lot of trouble there. You can count on him to at least try and weasel out, after all, he wouldn't have come there if he wouldn't expect to get what he wants, but these are pirates, they are pissed and he is in debt to every single one of them.
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] Alys can't be so dumb to give her true name to a band of bloodthirsty pirates!
RT:
* Merman's Res… moret is really a nice location (expecially because it is completly different from all the other ones inside the story)
* It seems that Morgrem is going to recruit new manpower for the Second Sons
* Edward and Gregor,it is weird but I'm not sure if he is a new character or not,are basically best friends!
* And today after YEARS we finally meet the Pirate King! He seems a really interesting guy!
* About the members of his council...they are clearly a group of good guys but I shall wait Alys next part to express my own opinion about them
* In the end I'm curious to see,always in Alys next part, how Edward will try to weasel out of his own failure
I expected nothing less I mean, not as if he did much to change your opinion on him lately, he's just the same scheming son of a bitch as always. Now, he is at least in a location where people are well aware of that, so maybe he's at least going to change his act.
I loved that adorable interaction between Alys and Alisa "You're my friend"
Ah, I liked it as well! Those two in this book, it'll be adorable. They are just too similar with their backstories to become anything but friends and Alisa in particular is quite glad about this, given how she is not quite the person to make friends all that easily.
A little curious about Alisa's reaction to the whore. As Alys pointed out, she wasn't looking at her with desire so there must've been something else going on there. Pity? I'm not sure.
Here, I can confirm that there was not the slightest bit of attraction to that whore. Actually, there wasn't even much interest. However, Alisa is a smart one, so she feigned interest to get a reason to slow down without Edward immediately realizing that she wanted to have a word with Alys. She was curious what Wilbur told her and wanted to ask for it, as well as giving her own advice, without Edward listening to their conversation, so faking interest in a whore to slow down a bit was her improvised way of doing so and it certainly worked.
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] I see nothing good coming from revealing Alys' true name. Also you've gotta question Alys' intelligence if… more everyone warns her not to use her real name and she decides to use it anyway.
Still hate Edward btw!
I loved that adorable interaction between Alys and Alisa "You're my friend"
A little curious about Alisa's reaction to the whore. As Alys pointed out, she wasn't looking at her with desire so there must've been something else going on there. Pity? I'm not sure.
Man, I have to say the Merman's Rest is probably the coolest, most unique location in the story so far. I really got the atmosphere of an exotic and dark city full of pirates and scoundrels from this part, nicely written! And Aeron Blacksails and his council seem interesting to say the least. I especially liked Gregor Harlaw in this part, seems like a really entertaining character
I am so glad you enjoy the location! As soon as I had the idea, I knew it would look cool in my mind, so I am very happy it also worked for you. Probably one of the most unique locations in the entire story and actually my favourite even, as I get to write far more exotic stuff than I usually have the chance to. Of course, the council is a big part of the joy I have while writing this, I am excited for the next part, where I get to flesh them all out a bit.
Man, I have to say the Merman's Rest is probably the coolest, most unique location in the story so far. I really got the atmosphere of an ex… moreotic and dark city full of pirates and scoundrels from this part, nicely written! And Aeron Blacksails and his council seem interesting to say the least. I especially liked Gregor Harlaw in this part, seems like a really entertaining character
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] I trust Alisa's and Wilbur's advice in this. If Alys reveals she is a lord's daughter, I could see Aeron wanting to get his hands on her, and I doubt Edward could protect her, seeing how he is clearly an underling to Blacksails. However, if she introduces herself as just a bastard, with some luck Aeron will have no further interest in her. Of course, there is the risk that he will spot the lie, but I think it shoudn't be that hard for Alys to fake her last name convincingly.
Man, this place is certainly like Tortuga and the Bethren's Court from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Ah, I got inspiration from that indeed. More Brethren Court and the town of Shipwreck, to be fair, I really loved the aesthetics of that place.
Now that I think about it, what is Aeron smoking?, after all, this world isn't known for having tobacco.
Oh, it is not tobacco, that doesn't emit purple smoke, after all. It's something a little stronger and of my own invention, a mild, calming drug, probably a bit stronger than weed in its effect. I figured, in a world as large as the Ice and Fire world, someone has to invent stuff to smoke. In some cultures, that was around for thousands of years after all and I'd like to imagine that a guy such as Aeron has access to even exotic goods smuggled from Yi Ti or the Summer Islands, things most people might not even be aware of.
I noticed the guards of the entrance were ibbenese, a rare sight so far from Ibben.
Indeed, it's even the first time Alys sees Ibbenese (as well as Summer Islanders, for that matter, neither are present at all in her part of the North), so she considers them half-apes and monsters, when they are actually not any less intelligent than other people. These two are not the brightest examples though, to be fair.
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] That will identify her as nobility, but not as important as a ransom. Man, this place is certainly like To… morertuga and the Bethren's Court from Pirates of the Caribbean. Now that I think about it, what is Aeron smoking?, after all, this world isn't known for having tobacco.
I noticed the guards of the entrance were ibbenese, a rare sight so far from Ibben.
Still hate Edward btw!
I expected nothing less I mean, not as if he did much to change your opinion on him lately, he's just the s… moreame scheming son of a bitch as always. Now, he is at least in a location where people are well aware of that, so maybe he's at least going to change his act.
I loved that adorable interaction between Alys and Alisa "You're my friend"
Ah, I liked it as well! Those two in this book, it'll be adorable. They are just too similar with their backstories to become anything but friends and Alisa in particular is quite glad about this, given how she is not quite the person to make friends all that easily.
A little curious about Alisa's reaction to the whore. As Alys pointed out, she wasn't looking at her with desire so there must've been something else going on there. Pity? I'm not sure.
Here, I can confirm that there was not the slightest bit of attraction to that whore. Actually, the… [view original content]
I'm gonna give you a brief rundown about my reactions reading this part for the first time:
She even spotted the familiar shadow of an Ironborn longship, the prow carved like a dragon's head, with sharp, wooden teeth.
Here I was like: "Waaaait... an Ironborn longship with a prow carved like that? Could it be...? Nah no way, it's just a coincidence I'm sure."
By now, Alys was able to glance at the sitting man, who wore a sleeveless leather coat, unbuttoned to leave his chest exposed, his hair cut very short.
Now it was slowly hitting me, but I was still confused: "Okay, now things are getting really weird... is there someone just like Gregor at Merman's Rest? hmm"
Alys got a good look at him now. He had a lean build and a handsome face, a beard stubble thicker than his head hair. A scar went down the bridge of his now, all the way to his right cheek and further scars were visible on his bare chest. The entirety of his right arm was covered in dark markings, ink, as Alys noticed, whereas his left upper arm was adorned by a blue handkerchief, carefully wrapped around it.
Here was when it finally hit me that it was indeed the Gregor and you can imagine my shock, as it was completely unexpected
Man, you really surprised me here as you no doubt know. This was so utterly different from the thngs we talked about in our PM that it took me quite some hints to realize what was going on . I mean, I wasn't expecting to see Gregor anytime soon and I thought I'd first see him in a completely different location/situation, so I think I get a pass here XD. This was a really pleasant surprise, you know that Gregor is my favorite character that I've submitted and the one I was looking forward to the most, and I have to say that you portrayed him perfectly. His introduction was amazing! He came out of nowhere and was pretty much "going to town" with Anturion even before he actually announced himself. I just couldn't stop grinning at all during the parts where Gregor was interacting with Anturion and the crew, he has this friendly and jocular aura and yet he was anything but, with him taking jabs at Anturion and even Carvin at every opportunity . Still, he was nothing but charming when talking to Alisa (whom he made sure to remember her name) and Alys, for obvious reasons. Gregor even managed to get a place in Blacksails inner circle with a chair and everything, what a champ. Gregor is being even more ambitious than I expected, I didn't think he would go to Aeron with these news and I can't wait for Alys next part to see what he's going to do.
“And... Gonzo?” Carvin instantly frowned. “Carvin”, he corrected him in a cold tone and Gregor chuckled. “Nice try, but you look like a Gonzo to me”, he insisted.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud at this one... Gregor, you can be a real piece of work my friend Now I don't know if Gregor will interact with Gonzo again anytime soon, but I'm really hoping that he will keep calling him that for the rest of the story, it would be priceless xD Besides, if Gregor calls you Gonzo then that's your new name going forward, amirite? xD
*EDIT: Seems like forgot to vote, welp, I'll just give my vote now. I'll be going with [Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn] Why wouldn't she trust these amazing people? Alys already left out her last name while introducing herself to Gregor(c'mon Alys, how could you not trust Gregor with your last name btw? It's easy to see that he is the coolest, most decent person you'll ever meet ), she should at least give them the truth now. I mean, who wouldn't trust a bunch of pirates?
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
[Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn] Honesty is the best policy.
The woman pulled herself away from the whore and Alys noticed that there had been no desire in her gaze. She furrowed her brows at why her friend had slowed down, as Alisa began to speak. Her voice was lowered, just enough to remain out of reach for the two men to listen
Huh...interesting?
Edward is really doing some tricking, being both Blacksails and Edward at the same time. It's quite impressive to be honest.
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] Sneaky beaky like. Time to infiltrate the hierarchy of the pirate nation, and soon Alys shall become the new Queen of all pirates!!!
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
Man, you really surprised me here as you no doubt know. This was so utterly different from the thngs we talked about in our PM that it took me quite some hints to realize what was going on . I mean, I wasn't expecting to see Gregor anytime soon and I thought I'd first see him in a completely different location/situation, so I think I get a pass here XD.
Yeah, that was one thing I originally have planned to happen in a different context and later, in the location we spoke about. As a matter of fact, that is still happening, but I figured, the best possible introduction to Gregor would be if I'd show him alongside his fellow pirates. Having gotten some inspiration for his involvement in the next Alys part, I just knew I had to write this, because it is unlikely I'd get such a chance again anytime soon. Nothing about his planned involvement in that other storyline has changed, but this here, take it as a little appetizer And well, I am very glad you enjoyed this introduction to the character. There is more to come and having gotten the chance to write him here (and knowing what's in store in the next scene), have made me hyped and a bit impatient to write him when this moment we talked about is finally going to come.
Gregor even managed to get a place in Blacksails inner circle with a chair and everything, what a champ. Gregor is being even more ambitious than I expected, I didn't think he would go to Aeron with these news and I can't wait for Alys next part to see what he's going to do.
Oh yes, he's going to be quite bold and ambitious with his goals, something that even gave him a chair at Blacksails' court. That being said, the pirate council is not quite as strict as other courts, the councilmembers are often changing and everyone who has a ship large enough and paid enough tribute to Blacksails (something he demands for indulging in acts of piracy in the Narrow Sea) can just claim one of the chairs, yet at the same time, they are not required to actually keep them. So, Gregor took this one for reasons of his own, which will be explained in Alys' next part (though you might have an idea already), yet it won't really prevent him from basically doing whatever he wants to do.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud at this one... Gregor, you can be a real piece of work my friend Now I don't know if Gregor will interact with Gonzo again anytime soon, but I'm really hoping that he will keep calling him that for the rest of the story, it would be priceless xD Besides, if Gregor calls you Gonzo then that's your new name going forward, amirite? xD
Hehe, that was a scene I put in relatively spontaneously and one I am quite happy with. Just like Alisa, he was perfectly aware of Carvin's name to begin with, yet even when corrected he tried to still annoy him for the sheer sake of it. A piece of work, but hopefully of the charmingly audacious kind. I certainly look forward for future scenes with Gregor and Gonzo, even if their respective paths won't see them spending all that much time together
I'm gonna give you a brief rundown about my reactions reading this part for the first time:
She even spotted the familiar shadow of an… more Ironborn longship, the prow carved like a dragon's head, with sharp, wooden teeth.
Here I was like: "Waaaait... an Ironborn longship with a prow carved like that? Could it be...? Nah no way, it's just a coincidence I'm sure."
By now, Alys was able to glance at the sitting man, who wore a sleeveless leather coat, unbuttoned to leave his chest exposed, his hair cut very short.
Now it was slowly hitting me, but I was still confused: "Okay, now things are getting really weird... is there someone just like Gregor at Merman's Rest? hmm"
Alys got a good look at him now. He had a lean build and a handsome face, a beard stubble thicker than his head hair. A scar went down the bridge of his now, all the way to his right cheek and further scars were visible on his bare chest. The entiret… [view original content]
Edward is really doing some tricking, being both Blacksails and Edward at the same time. It's quite impressive to be honest.
Ah, you think that's impressive? It's just a clever illusion, using light and mirrors, allowing Edward to stand in two places at once. He does the talking so easily because he is a master ventriloquist as well. Anyone could pull that one off, really. What is far more impressive is how Edward manages to be his own brother Nain at the same time, who is supposedly thousands of miles away, in Vaes Khadokh. With that level of skill, he could have his own show in Vegas, but of course, he rather chooses to be a villain in FoT, ain't that just typical?
[Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn] Honesty is the best policy.
The woman pulled herself away from the whore and Alys noticed that the… morere had been no desire in her gaze. She furrowed her brows at why her friend had slowed down, as Alisa began to speak. Her voice was lowered, just enough to remain out of reach for the two men to listen
Huh...interesting?
Edward is really doing some tricking, being both Blacksails and Edward at the same time. It's quite impressive to be honest.
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest cam… moree closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden … [view original content]
This one has been closer than I thought, a nice surprise. I didn't really thought it would be that close, but you brought up good arguments for both options here. In the end, Alys is going to introduce herself as Alys Snow now, potentially slightly harming Edward's plans (because you didn't thought he'd bring some random bastard girl to a meeting with the pirate king, right?), but also potentially keeping her safe in a room filled with people who are equal parts greedy and ruthless. If any of them decides that claiming the ransom for a highborn girl is worth the effort, all that is standing between them is Edward and his two followers and he himself is already far from in a good position, because he is in debt to every single one of these. Ah, Alys' storyline in this chapter should be a pleasant one, I cannot wait to flesh out the other pirates a bit better.
The next part should be out later today. I first have to take care of some other stuff, some messages, as well as one character submission for another story, but I have started and made good progress with the part as well. I currently write a Drent PoV, but it is not certain it will be the only PoV for the part. In this case, I'll also include Willfred's second PoV here, so take recaps for both, particularly as both had their first parts in this chapter quite some time ago: Last time we saw Drent, he returned to Storm's End, together with Argella and the other soldiers. In the wake of Jax Montclair's death, Drent inofficially took over his position and as such, he stood by Argella's side when she spoke to her father. As it turned out though, she is feeling quite guilty for what she perceives as a failure in Raylansfair. Since she has been taught to strive for perfection, the fact that her work in Raylansfair, while certainly not bad, was far from perfect particularly for her kingdom, it weighs heavily on her and as such, she publically asked for her father's forgiveness. Drent obviously sees things differently there and as it turns out, so does a majority of you, as you chose for Drent to speak up and reveal his view on things, despite the fact that he is quite likely overstepping his position here. Meanwhile, Willfred is plagued with nightmares after acquiring this strange box from Edward during the raid. In this particular nightmare, he dreamt of a past battle between two First Men clans, where one of the clan chieftains used some sort of power to force the other into submission. Willfred, after waking up, noted how these nightmares are getting worse. He got up, meeting with the two remaining of his soldiers who survived the raid, Jack Holmes and Prins. They informed him that Roger wanted to speak to him, so Willfred met with him. Roger quickly noticed how bad Willfred was looking after another night of no real rest, so he asked him what was going on. Willfred, not so sure if he should tell his uncle about repeated nightmares, given how they might affect how he is viewed as a leader, decided to remain quiet about this, assuring Roger that everything is alright, which, of course, is a clear lie though.
Comments
Oh, this is definitely something for the long haul. Can't yet say how long, but it will take a decent amount of Edrick's storyline in Book 2 to get out of this complicated situation. Lots of time for me to develop him, his companions and his new jailers and one of the reasons I am majorly hyped for Edrick in Book 2. I'm glad the Codd's are so warmly received, they certainly will play a key role in the events to come for Edrick and co.
Well, I certainly can't be someone to criticize meta choices, ever
This is fine, very much so, there's nothing that speaks against spicing his storyline up a bit by involving him in the hunt for Wolfius. All I can say though is, while trying to repair his relationship with Aditha might not be the most immediately thrilling option, Arthur will have an interesting storyline in Book 2 regardless, this much I already know with certainty.
Ah, that is good to hear
Berrick indeed seems to be alright, something I wanted to show in this part. They can't all be secret Vyrwel agents, right? As much as I actually liked that theory 
Yeah, their prison cell could be worse, really. It actually wouldn't be unsuited for a highborn guest (if probably not quite what you'd want to offer a king) and is a far cry from the damp prison cell Edrick likely expected. Of course, there is a major problem that has to be dealt with and it is the lack of a bed for all. Jorid selfishly claimed the single bed available already and I have a lot of plans for that storyline, many twists as the group will play the Game of Beds, to find out who can sleep in this bed in the very end. Told you Edrick's storyline in Book 2 would be an exciting one and well, I hope I did not promise too much
Well, Viveka already said, she might make them thralls, which is kind of a slave. That is the standard Ironborn way of dealing with lowborn, if they are useful. Edrick for example is strong, so he could be perfectly used for physical labour. At the same time, she might just kill them if they have no use, because as it has been stated, Viveka does not see any reason to keep prisoners around whom she can neither ransom nor use as thralls.
Ah, glad to hear you enjoy Berrick! He is indeed not much of a bad guy and he and Arthur have some similarities, which actually makes them sympathize with each other quite well. I for one am glad to have him in the story, so it's good you found him nice to read about.
A good question, yes. I can confirm that Ilish's storyline will only start in Chapter 2, same goes for Janae. However, I am less sure about Maya. At the same time, that is precisely the problem I had with her in Book 1, that I sometimes gave her stuff to do even if she didn't have to appear in a chapter, stretching her storyline a bit thin. She will have a good storyline in this book, but I am uncertain if her parts in this chapter add anything to her development or the story in general, so I might just put them into the next chapter in order to give her a more meaty storyline per chapter in this book, something I consider the greatest mistake I made with her in Book 1.
The Voting is closed!
Edrick is going to let Sylvi treat his cut
Arthur is going to seek out Ryler
And we're on schedule for once! The last couple parts, I've been kinda slower than usual, but that is not the case this time. I must also say, I really like how close the voting has been for the second choice here. Six votes for each, with the first vote breaking the tie (coincidentally, Bounden as Arthur's creator has voted for the same), that is going to influence Arthur in the next part. He really won't be all that decisive about this, eventually reluctantly choosing Ryler, and this reluctance is something I consider to be very fitting for him.
So, the next part will be out today. It will be an Alys part, taking place shortly after her last one. Last time we saw her, she arrived at the Stepstone Islands, specifically at the Merman's Rest, a large grotto with a harbour and a small city inside. From there, the pirate king Aeron Blacksails rules over the Narrow Sea. Edward, having worked for him, wishes to return to detail the next steps in his plan. However, Wilbur, the Ironborn, has taken some time to give Alys a stern warning about going there, telling her to never mention her real name or her high birth, as well as to never go anywhere without a trusty bodyguard. That latter part has been encouraged by Edward himself even, who offered Alys to choose between either Alisa or Carvin to guard her, with the other one guarding him. Alys decided that Carvin, being more knowledgeable of the Merman's Rest in general, would be the better choice, so she chose him.
Also, great news on the FoT wiki front. Pouring more work into it, there is some serious progress made, milestones reached and I even learned how to make one of those neat little boxes that show precisely in which chapter a character appeared, thank the GoT wiki for that. It looks amazing and I cannot wait to share major news about it in the near future
Hey, just wanted to quickly drop the new set of illustrations before the next part
This one is themed around Aegon's first (now already defeated) obstacle in the conquer, that being the Darklyn-Mooton alliance. So, couple of these characters are already deceased by now, but they are all interesting nonetheless:
Pretty good drawings, but there's a small mistake in Bryen's drawing; I noticed the shield of House Darklyn has the seven shields of the Kingsguard, even though it doesn't exists yet.
Fixed.
Oh man, I think I really have to send you the descriptions a bit faster, given how incredibly fast you are
2 days for these five and the result is wonderful. I was looking forward for this set, given that it is the last time the Mooton/Darklyn alliance is of any importance. Sure, the three survivors will continue to play a role, but the alliance as a whole is obviously done for. And well, this surely is a fitting send off, particularly to our deceased Bryen and Grenn. Let's start at the top, the Darklyn side of the alliance. Bryen and Damon really showcase one thing I love about the drawings, which is family relationships. Well, the entire set kinda does, for obvious reasons, but the Darklyn's really look alike and amazingly, they both look equally smug. I love that 
Of course, there is this thing about their coat of arms, though I gotta admit, I didn't even know that before it was pointed out. Ah, wouldn't say that's too much a problem, the drawing is just too good in general. Then there is the Mooton side of the conflict and I gotta say, as expected you nailed it. Amerei was the one I had the least clear picture in my mind, since she only appeared in a single part so far, but I have to say, her drawing is almost my favourite. Almost, I say, because the top spot has to be a tie between Grenn and Jon. I never before had such a problem with deciding on a favourite, but these two have looks entirely created by me, so I had the clearest image of them in my head and they are both just so spot on. I think I've been a bit general with my description of Grenn's beard, so I am impressed you actually managed to ace it precisely how I imagined it. And Jon, well, he's a badass. I must say, he amazingly kinda looks how I always imagined a young Jon Arryn to look like. Ah, I love these, I love the drawings in general, so as usual, thank you so much for making them!
These are great, theses are great, these are great, THEEESEE ARE GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But seriously, they are fantastic. Thank you again for giving us another great look at your amazing talents
.
Man, it really frustrates me that any choice involving Wolfius always seems to win!
But I can't complain too much, considering how close the vote was.
Alys
Sitting aboard the small rowing boat, Alys had her arms resting on her legs to prevent either from shaking, as the Merman's Rest came closer. She wasn't doing any rowing of course, Edward made sure of that, neither was he, standing at the bow, a leg on the hull. He seemed prideful, to a shameless degree, as he let his men do the work.
There was Carvin, sitting on the bench in front of her, smiling reassuringly. Wilbur was sitting next to him and one bench in front of them, close to Edward, was Morgrem of the Second Sons. Alisa wasn't rowing either, instead she sat next to Alys, cautiously eyeing the grotto they just entered.
It was quite a lot darker than she had expected, as well as larger. The dim light of day that entered through the same path as the rowing boat did was not even nearly enough, yet there were small lights in the darkness, thousands of them, illuminating hulking ships that had entered the grotto and the wooden town built on several levels alongside the stone, going all the way from the very edges of the cave to its far end, from just a few feet above the water to the top, just below the ceiling, the houses turning the natural grotto to a harbour basin. The largest harbour she had ever seen, a city for pirates.
And it wasn't silent. The noise of hundreds, probably thousands of people echoed through the cave, their chatter, laughter, screams. Bawdy songs came from more than one building and she spotted shadows in the darkness, the silhouettes of barely illuminated people hurrying over the wooden planks that connected the buildings. Somewhere in the far end of the cave, water fell down, roaring all the way.
Alys would have stared in wonder if not for the uneasy feeling these people gave her. Pirates, smugglers, outlaws and those were likely still not the worst she could find here. It might not be as bad as Harrenhal, but at the same time, she was thankful for Edward's offer.
As soon as they came close enough to the pier, Edward jumped against it, a rope in his hands, climbing a good feet up a ladder onto the pier proper and then tying the boat to a thick wooden pole. Morgrem and Carvin followed after him, then Wilbur. Alys looked up at the slight climb and gulped as Edward reached down. “Take my hand, mylady”, he spoke and she accepted the gesture.
After Alisa followed last, Alys took a moment to look around. It was so dark that she couldn't see many details of the ships that had entered the cave, though she guessed them to belong to Blacksails' inner circle. Heavy warships were there, with three masts, yet also smaller, lighter and faster vessels. She even spotted the familiar shadow of an Ironborn longship, the prow carved like a dragon's head, with sharp, wooden teeth.
Her eyes darted to a drunkard, who staggered out of a larger house at the end of the pier, dragging himself across the wood, into their direction at first, then straight down, falling face first onto the planks. Morgrem chuckled, as cheering sounded from the building, clearly an inn. Or... maybe something else, judging by the scantily clad woman, notably younger than her shabby dress, who stood next to the door, carefully looking at the newcomers.
“If anyone's looking for me, I'll be in there”, he said, pointing towards the building. Carvin rolled his eyes, though Edward gave him a nod. “Make sure to look out for new fighters”, he said. “Your company has suffered dire losses” He looked across the water, to the second boat following them in some distance. On it, Alys saw the dreadful silhouette of Bear, together with half a dozen of his men.
“Sure thing, boss”, Morgrem said. “Got some debts to pay as well” He glanced at Wilbur. “You care for a drink, Ironborn?” Wilbur meanwhile was uncomfortable at this place, if less so than Alys. Or maybe he was disgusted by this, a mockery of what his people stood for. “Sure, why not”, he mumbled. “Go ahead, I'll be with you in a minute”
As Morgrem went ahead, Wilbur briefly glanced at Alys. “Remember what I told you”, he warned her, as he hurried after the sellsword. Edward narrowed his eyes, though he remained silent at this. “Well then”, he spoke, clapping his hands. “This is it. Merman's Rest” He spread his arms, as if he wanted to close them around the entirety of the city in the grotto, each drunkard, thug, whore and scoundrel. “Ah, it's good to be home again”
He began to walk down the pier, yet not towards the shady establishment Wilbur and Morgrem had entered, but heading to what Alys would consider a main street, a set of planks broad enough for a cart to drive over, partially constructed on poles over the water and partially on the muddy ground that seemed to cover the deeper parts of the grotto.
They walked in pairs of two, Alys behind Carvin, Alisa behind Edward, who had taken the lead, with the two women walking next to each other. Passing the large building, another woman, young, cheaply painted and with skin several shades darker than anything she had ever seen fluttered her heavy eyelashes. “Hey, sugar”, she greeted them and Alys was not sure if she meant Edward or Carvin. Her voice was smooth and warm. “You like what you see?”
Carvin walked past her, completely unbothered, yet Alisa stopped for a moment, her slower pace prompting Alys to do the same. The dark woman grinned a pearly white smile. “A silver coin and I am yours for a night”, she said, as Alisa eyed her carefully. “Alisa”, Edward hissed, not slowing down for her.
The woman pulled herself away from the whore and Alys noticed that there had been no desire in her gaze. She furrowed her brows at why her friend had slowed down, as Alisa began to speak. Her voice was lowered, just enough to remain out of reach for the two men to listen.
“What did he mean?”, she hissed. “Wilbur” Alys nodded. “He warned me not to tell them my real name”, she whispered in return and Alisa raised an eyebrow, as she thought about something. “Good advice”, she admitted. “Follow it. Never tell them who you are. Lie if you must, even if you make him seem a liar” She put a hand onto her shoulder, as she fastened her pace to catch up with the men again. “Consider nobody in this city your friend”, she warned her.
“You are my friend”, Alys said and Alisa's eyes widened slightly. “Keep in mind whom you tell such a thing, little lady”, she spoke, to which Alys shook her head. “I don't care”, she said. “I mean it” Briefly, a thin smile formed on Alisa's face. “Just do as he said”, she spoke, before she fastened her pace again, to catch up with Edward, who glanced over his shoulder, looking impatient.
“Never took you the type to fancy a whore”, Carvin spoke and Alisa shook her head. “That one caught my eye”, she spoke, to which he smirked. “I can't see why”, he replied, before he shrugged. “If you want her, she's all yours once we're done with the court”
By now, the roaring of the waterfall had gotten louder, even if it still had to be a a good quarter mile away. Edward was heading towards something that looked like a square, the only of its kind in this entire strange city, as far as Alys was able to tell. The wooden way had gotten more crowded, with them passing men and women of a kind she had never seen before.
Colourful was the first term that shot through her mind. There were fair skinned men and women, many of them actually, some even of Valyrian ancestry. Most however had some sort of a tan, their brownish skin illuminated by torches. Others meanwhile were dark, from bronze skin to shades of dark amber. She even saw men with the pitch black skin of demons, yet there was nothing monstrous about them as they passed her, simply minding their business, as they all did in this city of rogues.
The square was home to a marketplace and by now, the sharp smell of foreign goods stung in her nose, causing it to itch, as she covered it to avoid the stench of strange spices and odd food. Yet despite the shock these new colours and smells caused to her senses, a small part of her was beyond fascinated and she had to force herself to contain her smile. Alisa noticed her slight grin though, an expression she mimicked.
Unbothered by these wonders, Edward stepped past arguing merchants, not caring for their offers, as they chattered in at least three different languages. His goal was the mansion at the end of this square. Three stories high, it was the only building in the grotto to not consist entirely out of wood, with the ground floor being made of sturdy stone. A large double door stood open, yet two guards, stocky, hairy ape men, stood in front of it, holding halberds larger than themselves.
Edward smiled at them as he approached, while Alys forced herself not to stare at the misshapen half-humans. “King Aeron awaits me”, he said and one of the ape men grunted something in return. It almost sounded like a word, yet Alys was not so sure, though no one stopped them as they stepped out of the busy marketplace into the quiet mansion.
The entrance hall was kept in dark colours, with purple silk covering the walls and a heavy, dark red carpet drowning out their footsteps, as they walked through it. Alys saw two men close to a door at the other end of the hall, one of them sitting at a table, with his back turned on them.
The other stood next to the door, his arms crossed. He was maybe in Edward's age, his skin showing a slight tan, with dark brown hair, tied into a ponytail, and a pencil thin moustache covering his upper lip. There was a large, golden ring in his left ear, while his slim body was covered in fine clothes, made out of green silk, embroidered with gold and a thin rapier was tied to his heavy belt.
“Captain Anturion”, the man greeted them, his voice deep and smooth. “A pleasure you have been able to make it so soon” Edward stopped, putting to fingers onto his heart, a gesture the other man repeated. By now, Alys was able to glance at the sitting man, who wore a sleeveless leather coat, unbuttoned to leave his chest exposed, his hair cut very shot. He was reading some parchment and seemingly not paying any attention to the newcomers.
“Saan”, Edward greeted the man, who smirked at the new arrivals. “King Aeron will be pleased to see me” To this, the sitting man chuckled darkly, though Edward did not seem to mind. The other man rolled his bright, blue eyes. “I would doubt it”, he spoke. “The council is busy at the moment... yet they shall make an exception for the victorious conqueror” At this, he narrowed his eyes and all warmth faded from his voice. “At least I believe this is what you're here for, isn't that correct?”
Without missing a beat, Edward gave him a nod. “I am here to report on my progress”, he confirmed and Saan shrugged. “If he won't like what you have to say...”, he warned him, though left the rest unspoken. Instead, he turned around, exchanging a nod with the sitting man, before opening the door behind him. “Wait here”, he ordered, as he closed the door once more.
As soon as they were alone, the sitting man turned to them, raising an eyebrow and giving Edward a wide, bright grin. Alys got a good look at him now. He had a lean build and a handsome face, a beard stubble thicker than his head hair. A scar went down the bridge of his now, all the way to his right cheek and further scars were visible on his bare chest. The entirety of his right arm was covered in dark markings, ink, as Alys noticed, whereas his left upper arm was adorned by a blue handkerchief, carefully wrapped around it.
He rose from his chair. “Anturion!”, he greeted him loudly, pushing his right hand against Edward's shoulder. Alys saw that he had a ring on each finger. Edward in return wasn't smiling and if anything, he was looking a bit meeker than usual. “Gregor...”, he mumbled.
“Nice coat you got there”, the man named Gregor said. “Shame it's wasted on your cuntface” He said this in a tone that was genuinely cheerful, his grin getting wider as Edward frowned. Alisa however smirked and Alys herself took some pleasure in Edward's discomfort.
Gregor quickly looked at Carvin and Alisa. “And whom do we have here... say nothing, it's... Alisa?”, he asked and she gave him a nod. “And... Gonzo?” Carvin instantly frowned. “Carvin”, he corrected him in a cold tone and Gregor chuckled. “Nice try, but you look like a Gonzo to me”, he insisted.
With Carvin clenching his fists, Gregor turned to Alys. “And that is a new face”, he greeted her. “Welcome at the Merman's Rest, mylady. Whom is it I am speaking to?” Alys tensed up, instantly remembering what Alisa and Wilbur had told her. “It's Alys”, she said, leaving out her last name.
“Alys... just that?”, Gregor asked, before he shrugged. “Fine by me. Name's Gregor Harlaw. Didn't know Anturion managed to trick some new girl into one of his crazy schemes” Edward glared at the man now and Alys recognized the name. House Harlaw, Ironborn... “You have the nerve to call me crazy, dog?”, he spat.
Nonchalantly, Gregor gave him a nod. “Oh, I'd call you all matters of things, but there's a lady present”, he said with an audacious grin. “Face it, I'm just too charming to go down to your level” He shrugged. “Though you are a dirty cheat and if you think Blacksails has forgotten that, you're sorely mistaken”
“What are you doing here anyways?”, Edward snapped, his voice raised, at which Gregor gave him a victorious sneer. “Thought you'd be dead in some backalley gutter in Volantis by now” The Ironborn put a hand onto his chest. “Ouch”, he said in a sarcastic tone. “Truth be told, there have been times where I would have died. But since I'm so fucking nice, I'll give you a word of advice: Never underestimate true friends. And that is what I have on that boat of mine. Had my back more times than even you could stab me through it”
“That didn't answer my question”, Edward growled. “Why are you here, Harlaw? Just a visit to the King of the Narrow Sea?” Gregor shook his head. “It's a bit more complicated”, he revealed. “See, I bring news. Times are changing and well, sooner or later we might all have to choose a king to serve” He winked slyly. “Or a queen”
In this moment, before Gregor was able to reveal more about this, the doors got pushed open again. The pirate lord, Saan, stood there in the frame, smiling coldly. “King Aeron and the court are willing to speak to you now”, he revealed. “Come all in”
He stepped aside, allowing Edward and his companions to enter. Alys noticed that Gregor Harlaw came with them, naturally so and Saan did nothing to protest, which meant a silent approval. Now, she stepped through the doorframe and into a circular room, similarly dark than the entrance hall. Adorned with purple and black silk, it was illuminated by dim torches, showing broad chairs around the wall of the room, someone sitting in each of them but two. These two empty ones were quickly filled, when Saan and Gregor approached them, sitting to the left and right of the door. The air was heavy and warm, filled with a sweet smell that instantly caused her to become a slight bit dizzy.
Alys' gaze wandered through the room, gulping at the figures there. The first chair she spotted was occupied by a man who wasn't sitting, but crouching on top of the chair. Dark brown hair fell down to his shoulders and he had a wiry build, lean, yet with notably defined muscles. What caused Alys to gasp was his eyes though. They were dull and grey, clouded as if he was blind. And yet, the look he gave her, followed by a wide, cheerful grin at her surprise proved that his sight was perfectly fine.
The man began to whistle, a slow, ominous tune, as Alys looked at the others. There was a tall man opposing the seemingly blind one, clad in green and turquoise, with long, brown hair, which he had braided into a thick braid that fell down his back. Handsome and clean-shaven, he was the youngest of the attendees and he was mostly interested in a belt on his lap, apparently made out of white bone, seeming indifferent or even bored of the meeting that took place.
Two people sat left and right to a large throne and they were also the oldest in the room. A man maybe about forty years old was sitting to the right of the throne, his feet resting on a smaller chair. He wore a wide hat, obscuring part of his face and showing only a thick, yet shaggy brown beard. His hands were resting on the beginnings of a belly and he grinned, revealing yellow, crooked teeth.
The person to the left of the throne was the only woman, albeit Alys did not recognize her as such at first glance. There were only few indicators of her gender, yet Alys knew a woman when she saw one, even if she had to admit, this was likely the most ugly person she had ever met. Heavyset, flat-chested and muscular, her skin had a dark tan and she had short curls, as well as a fleshy, broad face, with a crooked nose and a less than flattering expression, a dour frown.
Finally, the throne itself. Hidden beneath purple silk, Alys saw the silhouette of a man. He was tall, even if he leant back in his chair and with his right hand, he held a long stick, from which odd smoke, light purple in colour, was emitted. Moving his free hand, he brushed away the silk, as he stood up and Alys got a good look at him.
Aeron Blacksails had the blood of the Freehold in his veins. Even in the gloomy room, he was notably pale and his head was adorned by silver hair, cut short. His face was well-constructed, handsome even, with a broad jawline and high cheekbones, clean-shaven and with crystal blue eyes that seemed to shine, reflecting the purple smoke. Wearing fine clothes, the light colours were a contrast to the darkness he seemed to prefer for his room. And unlike his council, they were less adorned with trinkets or other fineries, just plain white and grey silk of exceptional quality.
He placed the other end of the stick in his mouth and took a deep breath. As he removed the stick again, he puffed purple smoke out of his mouth, before he placed it on a small table between him and the woman. “Anturion”, he spoke, his voice coarse and raspy. “Captain Edward Anturion...” He stepped towards Edward, spreading his arms.
Edward gulped, though he accepted Blacksails' hug. “My king”, he greeted him and Aeron smiled thinly. “Last time we spoke, you promised me riches beyond imagination”, he replied. “Here you are and I am none the richer” He shook his head. “Disappointing”, he added and his voice was calm and quiet, his words still carrying through the room. “And yet, you wouldn't have come if it wouldn't be important” The pirate king took a step away from his subject, turning to his throne, which he approached now. “Step closer, you four, where we can all see you”, he commanded. “The council has gathered and they are ready to here what you have to say”
The man with the clouded eyes chuckled notably, whereas the woman narrowed her dark eyes at Edward. “We want our coin, you fuck”, she growled and even her voice was deep and manly. Blacksails glanced at her. “Easy, Jadith”, he spoke, in a gentle tone. “I am sure, Captain Anturion is here to repay you” His eyes narrowed as he spotted Alys, who was trying to hide behind Carvin and Alisa. “First things first though... you brought a guest”, he added. “Girl, what is your name?”
Edward opened his mouth in her stead. “My king, this is...”, he began, though Aeron cut him off. “I wasn't speaking to you, captain”, he warned him and looked back at Alys. “Don't be afraid, girl” She was afraid though, oh yes, she was. With the warning ringing through her head, she had to imagine, could she get away with lying to him? And if she'd do, what name, what name... perhaps a simple bastard name? Nobody would question that, would they?
[Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn] [Introduce yourself as Alys Snow]
[Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn]
Oh cmon, Alys don't play games. It can be bad. Especially when it comes to losing.
Its nice to see Edward in his habitat and the other pirates seem very interesting. I look forward to seeing them especially Gregor and The Great King Aeron Blacksails.
Overall this was a fantastic and very enjoyable part and i look forward to see where this storyline is heading.
Sorry Liquide for my absence.
I don't think my luck is with me.Because my another phone is lost.The first one got stoled.I am now on my friends computer
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] Alys can't be so dumb to give her true name to a band of bloodthirsty pirates!
RT:
But what if he finds out she's lying? it's not hard to imagine the King of Pirates could tell truth from lie, especially from someone inexperienced in doing it.
But what if he not discover her lie or decide that he don't care about who the young guest is? I believe that Alys should at least try to be a smart kid and don't make herself a huge target in her back that scream "You need money?You are lucky because I'm a young noble girl ready to be kidnapped!"
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow]
If she doesn't get caught
Sorry double post
But again, is that smart in the first place? She's lying to a man who deals with thieves and murderers daily. Who know how he'll react.
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow]
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow]
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] I see nothing good coming from revealing Alys' true name. Also you've gotta question Alys' intelligence if everyone warns her not to use her real name and she decides to use it anyway.
Still hate Edward btw!
I loved that adorable interaction between Alys and Alisa "You're my friend"
A little curious about Alisa's reaction to the whore. As Alys pointed out, she wasn't looking at her with desire so there must've been something else going on there. Pity? I'm not sure.
Man, I have to say the Merman's Rest is probably the coolest, most unique location in the story so far. I really got the atmosphere of an exotic and dark city full of pirates and scoundrels from this part, nicely written! And Aeron Blacksails and his council seem interesting to say the least. I especially liked Gregor Harlaw in this part, seems like a really entertaining character
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] I trust Alisa's and Wilbur's advice in this. If Alys reveals she is a lord's daughter, I could see Aeron wanting to get his hands on her, and I doubt Edward could protect her, seeing how he is clearly an underling to Blacksails. However, if she introduces herself as just a bastard, with some luck Aeron will have no further interest in her. Of course, there is the risk that he will spot the lie, but I think it shoudn't be that hard for Alys to fake her last name convincingly.
Yeah, we're going to get to see some different sides of Edward this time. Here, he's in a place where people know him and where he is actually around people who are stronger than him, at least in this very location. And he is not going to like this one bit. He certainly doesn't like Gregor and as you can imagine, there is no fondness for Blacksails either.
Ah, thank you, I am glad you enjoyed the part! The storyline is heading to some really exciting places and I cannot wait to show more of the court of pirates
Ah shit, you really have no luck. I am sorry to hear this
Hopefully you will manage to find it again, best wishes for that!
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] That will identify her as nobility, but not as important as a ransom. Man, this place is certainly like Tortuga and the Bethren's Court from Pirates of the Caribbean. Now that I think about it, what is Aeron smoking?, after all, this world isn't known for having tobacco.
I noticed the guards of the entrance were ibbenese, a rare sight so far from Ibben.
Thanks Liquide
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! The Merman's Rest is indeed very different from the other locations seen in the story, something I'm very happy to flesh out a bit. It won't be a major location in this book, but I have good plans for it as the story progresses.
Indeed he is! With Rodrik dead, Morgrem has taken charge of this particular unit of Second Sons, albeit they lost nearly half of their troops in Raylansfair. This is particularly bad for Edward, because the Sons are loyal to him on account of being handsomely paid by his brother, whereas the part of his forces that currently holds the majority is Bear's bandits and if anything, their loyalty is questionable at the very best.
Hm, I am curious here, are you not sure if a character by that name hasn't appeared before, or do you consider him to be an existing character who is hiding with a new identity here? If it is the former, I can confirm this is the first time a person by the name of Gregor Harlaw has appeared in the story.
Haha, yes, probably the longest build up I've ever had for a character. This is literally years and I can't think of any character who has taken longer between their first mention and the time of their first appearance. In that time, I had a lot of hype to finally write him, I hope he'll live up to it!
Well, for now they aren't even properly introduced. I put them into the character list already, yet haven't even gotten to mention most of their names. The next Alys part will likely take place there completely and it is going to be great fun.
Hm, he surely is in a lot of trouble there. You can count on him to at least try and weasel out, after all, he wouldn't have come there if he wouldn't expect to get what he wants, but these are pirates, they are pissed and he is in debt to every single one of them.
I expected nothing less
I mean, not as if he did much to change your opinion on him lately, he's just the same scheming son of a bitch as always. Now, he is at least in a location where people are well aware of that, so maybe he's at least going to change his act.
Ah, I liked it as well! Those two in this book, it'll be adorable. They are just too similar with their backstories to become anything but friends and Alisa in particular is quite glad about this, given how she is not quite the person to make friends all that easily.
Here, I can confirm that there was not the slightest bit of attraction to that whore. Actually, there wasn't even much interest. However, Alisa is a smart one, so she feigned interest to get a reason to slow down without Edward immediately realizing that she wanted to have a word with Alys. She was curious what Wilbur told her and wanted to ask for it, as well as giving her own advice, without Edward listening to their conversation, so faking interest in a whore to slow down a bit was her improvised way of doing so and it certainly worked.
I am so glad you enjoy the location! As soon as I had the idea, I knew it would look cool in my mind, so I am very happy it also worked for you. Probably one of the most unique locations in the entire story and actually my favourite even, as I get to write far more exotic stuff than I usually have the chance to. Of course, the council is a big part of the joy I have while writing this, I am excited for the next part, where I get to flesh them all out a bit.
Ah, I got inspiration from that indeed. More Brethren Court and the town of Shipwreck, to be fair, I really loved the aesthetics of that place.
Oh, it is not tobacco, that doesn't emit purple smoke, after all. It's something a little stronger and of my own invention, a mild, calming drug, probably a bit stronger than weed in its effect. I figured, in a world as large as the Ice and Fire world, someone has to invent stuff to smoke. In some cultures, that was around for thousands of years after all and I'd like to imagine that a guy such as Aeron has access to even exotic goods smuggled from Yi Ti or the Summer Islands, things most people might not even be aware of.
Indeed, it's even the first time Alys sees Ibbenese (as well as Summer Islanders, for that matter, neither are present at all in her part of the North), so she considers them half-apes and monsters, when they are actually not any less intelligent than other people. These two are not the brightest examples though, to be fair.
Oh, I get it! That's pretty clever.
I'm gonna give you a brief rundown about my reactions reading this part for the first time:
Here I was like: "Waaaait... an Ironborn longship with a prow carved like that? Could it be...? Nah no way, it's just a coincidence I'm sure."
Now it was slowly hitting me, but I was still confused: "Okay, now things are getting really weird... is there someone just like Gregor at Merman's Rest? hmm"
Here was when it finally hit me that it was indeed the Gregor and you can imagine my shock, as it was completely unexpected
Man, you really surprised me here as you no doubt know. This was so utterly different from the thngs we talked about in our PM that it took me quite some hints to realize what was going on
. I mean, I wasn't expecting to see Gregor anytime soon and I thought I'd first see him in a completely different location/situation, so I think I get a pass here XD. This was a really pleasant surprise, you know that Gregor is my favorite character that I've submitted and the one I was looking forward to the most, and I have to say that you portrayed him perfectly. His introduction was amazing! He came out of nowhere and was pretty much "going to town" with Anturion even before he actually announced himself. I just couldn't stop grinning at all during the parts where Gregor was interacting with Anturion and the crew, he has this friendly and jocular aura and yet he was anything but, with him taking jabs at Anturion and even Carvin at every opportunity 
. Still, he was nothing but charming when talking to Alisa (whom he made sure to remember her name) and Alys, for obvious reasons. Gregor even managed to get a place in Blacksails inner circle with a chair and everything, what a champ. 
Gregor is being even more ambitious than I expected, I didn't think he would go to Aeron with these news and I can't wait for Alys next part to see what he's going to do.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud at this one... Gregor, you can be a real piece of work my friend
Now I don't know if Gregor will interact with Gonzo again anytime soon, but I'm really hoping that he will keep calling him that for the rest of the story, it would be priceless xD Besides, if Gregor calls you Gonzo then that's your new name going forward, amirite? xD
*EDIT: Seems like forgot to vote, welp, I'll just give my vote now. I'll be going with [Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn] Why wouldn't she trust these amazing people? Alys already left out her last name while introducing herself to Gregor(c'mon Alys, how could you not trust Gregor with your last name btw? It's easy to see that he is the coolest, most decent person you'll ever meet
), she should at least give them the truth now. I mean, who wouldn't trust a bunch of pirates?
[Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn] Honesty is the best policy.
Huh...interesting?
Edward is really doing some tricking, being both Blacksails and Edward at the same time. It's quite impressive to be honest.
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow] Sneaky beaky like. Time to infiltrate the hierarchy of the pirate nation, and soon Alys shall become the new Queen of all pirates!!!
Yeah, that was one thing I originally have planned to happen in a different context and later, in the location we spoke about. As a matter of fact, that is still happening, but I figured, the best possible introduction to Gregor would be if I'd show him alongside his fellow pirates. Having gotten some inspiration for his involvement in the next Alys part, I just knew I had to write this, because it is unlikely I'd get such a chance again anytime soon. Nothing about his planned involvement in that other storyline has changed, but this here, take it as a little appetizer
And well, I am very glad you enjoyed this introduction to the character. There is more to come and having gotten the chance to write him here (and knowing what's in store in the next scene), have made me hyped and a bit impatient to write him when this moment we talked about is finally going to come.
Oh yes, he's going to be quite bold and ambitious with his goals, something that even gave him a chair at Blacksails' court. That being said, the pirate council is not quite as strict as other courts, the councilmembers are often changing and everyone who has a ship large enough and paid enough tribute to Blacksails (something he demands for indulging in acts of piracy in the Narrow Sea) can just claim one of the chairs, yet at the same time, they are not required to actually keep them. So, Gregor took this one for reasons of his own, which will be explained in Alys' next part (though you might have an idea already), yet it won't really prevent him from basically doing whatever he wants to do.
Hehe, that was a scene I put in relatively spontaneously and one I am quite happy with. Just like Alisa, he was perfectly aware of Carvin's name to begin with, yet even when corrected he tried to still annoy him for the sheer sake of it. A piece of work, but hopefully of the charmingly audacious kind. I certainly look forward for future scenes with Gregor and Gonzo, even if their respective paths won't see them spending all that much time together
Ah, you think that's impressive? It's just a clever illusion, using light and mirrors, allowing Edward to stand in two places at once. He does the talking so easily because he is a master ventriloquist as well. Anyone could pull that one off, really. What is far more impressive is how Edward manages to be his own brother Nain at the same time, who is supposedly thousands of miles away, in Vaes Khadokh. With that level of skill, he could have his own show in Vegas, but of course, he rather chooses to be a villain in FoT, ain't that just typical?
[Introduce yourself as Alys Snow]
Alys, and Alisa are a really cute duo. I hope we'll explore their relationship further. Also the council is really intriguing!
[Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn]
It's not like the Boleyns are one of the major houses of Westeros, I'm sure it'll be fine.
[Introduce yourself as Alys Boleyn]
The other choice is tempting, but i'd rather not lie to a friggin king.
The Voting is closed!
Alys is going to introduce herself as Alys Snow
This one has been closer than I thought, a nice surprise. I didn't really thought it would be that close, but you brought up good arguments for both options here. In the end, Alys is going to introduce herself as Alys Snow now, potentially slightly harming Edward's plans (because you didn't thought he'd bring some random bastard girl to a meeting with the pirate king, right?), but also potentially keeping her safe in a room filled with people who are equal parts greedy and ruthless. If any of them decides that claiming the ransom for a highborn girl is worth the effort, all that is standing between them is Edward and his two followers and he himself is already far from in a good position, because he is in debt to every single one of these. Ah, Alys' storyline in this chapter should be a pleasant one, I cannot wait to flesh out the other pirates a bit better.
The next part should be out later today. I first have to take care of some other stuff, some messages, as well as one character submission for another story, but I have started and made good progress with the part as well. I currently write a Drent PoV, but it is not certain it will be the only PoV for the part. In this case, I'll also include Willfred's second PoV here, so take recaps for both, particularly as both had their first parts in this chapter quite some time ago: Last time we saw Drent, he returned to Storm's End, together with Argella and the other soldiers. In the wake of Jax Montclair's death, Drent inofficially took over his position and as such, he stood by Argella's side when she spoke to her father. As it turned out though, she is feeling quite guilty for what she perceives as a failure in Raylansfair. Since she has been taught to strive for perfection, the fact that her work in Raylansfair, while certainly not bad, was far from perfect particularly for her kingdom, it weighs heavily on her and as such, she publically asked for her father's forgiveness. Drent obviously sees things differently there and as it turns out, so does a majority of you, as you chose for Drent to speak up and reveal his view on things, despite the fact that he is quite likely overstepping his position here. Meanwhile, Willfred is plagued with nightmares after acquiring this strange box from Edward during the raid. In this particular nightmare, he dreamt of a past battle between two First Men clans, where one of the clan chieftains used some sort of power to force the other into submission. Willfred, after waking up, noted how these nightmares are getting worse. He got up, meeting with the two remaining of his soldiers who survived the raid, Jack Holmes and Prins. They informed him that Roger wanted to speak to him, so Willfred met with him. Roger quickly noticed how bad Willfred was looking after another night of no real rest, so he asked him what was going on. Willfred, not so sure if he should tell his uncle about repeated nightmares, given how they might affect how he is viewed as a leader, decided to remain quiet about this, assuring Roger that everything is alright, which, of course, is a clear lie though.