For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronger as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her forearms onto the railing. Talea had barely changed since he had last seen her, as if the past six months had no effect on her, where Jaron barely recognized himself anymore at times. A mousy brunette, plain, yet with a sharpness to her features and her voice. Right now, she had a thin smile on her face though.
“My father claims it used to be a sight”, she explained, as they gazed at Lys in the distance. The port was large, far larger than it had to be these days. High walls blocked it off from three sides and on better days it would have looked ravishing, built in white stone and showing the remnants of ancient architecture of a kind Jaron had never seen before. High arches and even higher towers, some of them with bridges between them, an abundance of pillars, with tall statues of men and dragons seaming those buildings that were the most prominent from afar. The whole city in general was built skyward and though smaller than Oldtown, it reached higher, with the exception of the Hightower itself, which would still dwarf even the tallest of towers here in Lys. Most of these towers had openings, large holes, almost looking like mouths from afar, sometimes dozens of feet in the sky and Jaron could only imagine their original purpose.
Though he had never left Westeros before, it didn't take much to know that this city was built by Old Valyria, its towers once home to dragons. And as much of its former glory had faded, the sight still left him in awe. There was beauty to this city, even now, and the surrounding land was fertile, the sun shining onto the marble walls of the city, the white sand on the nearby beach and the blue-green waters. Palm trees were growing nearby, taller than the ones he remembered from his brief stay in Dorne. A beauty in decay, not unlike Oldtown in these regards, but foreign in a way that was equal parts exciting and dangerous. Just seeing this city caused Jaron's heart to beat faster.
“Lys the Lovely, they called it”, Talea continued. “John claims the same, but that must have been ages ago”, Jaron replied and Talea shook her head. “Not even a decade”, she told him. “I've visited it when I was a child and it was beautiful, not unlike my Braavos” Jaron raised an eyebrow. “Hard to believe it all changed that quickly”, he admitted. “What happened?”
This time, Talea's face showed a satisfied smirk. “The price of slavery”, she replied. “Lys excelled at it, you know. Every day, merchants sold thousands to every part of Essos. Every day, ships came from even farther to bring ten thousands. Slavery has always been lucrative and the Lysene, they grew greedy. Most of their merchants became involved in the trade, one way or the other”
Almost smugly, she looked at the city. “It was a disaster waiting to happen”, she continued after a moment. “Two fatal blows happened at once. Volantis grew jealous of Lys' wealth and war came over these lands. But what really finished them was the second blow, dealt by one of those they tried to ruin” She shrugged. “Can't say I feel sorry for them”, she added. “Doesn't take much to topple an economy at war and by making sure the Lysene slave trade never recovered after the war, not in the same way as the Volantene did anyway, the city was brought to the brink of bankruptcy. It'll take decades to restore it”
“They haven't stopped?”, Jaron asked and Talea shook her head. “They haven't learned”, she clarified. “Most of the Lysene merchants still try to invest in slaves, though they have taken to deal with questionable sources. It's a city of pirates now, where a life is just another good to trade”
Jaron smirked, perhaps to hide how nervous he truly was. “Sounds just like Oldtown”, he mumbled and Talea gave him a quick glance. “At least Oldtown never dealt in slaves”, she argued, to which Jaron sighed. “And I suppose there's no way to convince a Braavosi merchant to continue east?”, he asked.
Talea's smirk faded. “I'm sorry”, she replied. “You know we gladly brought you here, but Lys is as far as we'll go. My father wishes to return home and a journey to Volantis or even further, it would ruin us” Both watched the harbour coming closer, as sailors rushed over the upper deck to prepare for the docking.
From afar, Jaron could see the multitude of vessels and as Talea had told him, most of them weren't the kind he'd want to be a passenger of. Smaller fishing boats, the crew blond-haired and sunburnt, or larger vessels, with rugged sailors aboard, their skin tones ranging from pale to ebony, most of them armed in some way and with grim expressions. Some of them watched the Pale Princess as it entered the harbour and Talea tensed up. “It's not the slightest bit as I remember”, she mumbled.
“She hasn't changed a bit since I've last been here”, the coarse voice of John Gutten came from behind them, as the one-eyed sellsword approached the two. “Isn't she a beauty?” Talea raised an eyebrow. “You haven't seen the city at its peak”, she assumed, to which John shook his head. “Trust me, I've spent time here back when you were at your mother's teats”, he boasted. “It's been terrible back then. Posh and fake, all these silver-haired sons of bitches scheming against each other. Volantis knocked them down a bit. Lys today is the true Lys, hiding about as little as a cheap whore. It might be shoddy, but at least it's genuine”
Talea frowned, as Jaron watched some Lysene, clad in velvet and outfitted with umbrellas to hide their pale skin from the burning sun, promenaded around the other side of the harbour, where several finer buildings were located. The Pale Princess slowly approached this side, were Jaron even spotted a couple of men in uniform, armed with long spears, patrolling his side of the docks exclusively.
“So, we'll need a new ship to take over at least until Volantis”, Jaron stated and John gave him a nod. “If Abbas is any smart, he'll go there, though I am not sure how he means to proceed. The route by sea is a risky one between Volantis and Slaver's Bay”
“And finding a trusty captain will be even harder”, Talea mumbled, as she let out a sigh. “Listen, Jaron, I am sorry for this, but no amount of coin will be enough to convince him to go there” Jaron nodded, giving her an encouraging smile. “We'll manage”, he stated, with a confidence he himself was barely able to muster. To be completely honest, this city, even just the glimpse of it, was overwhelming and the thought that the last two weeks at sea were only the beginning was almost inconceivable. He had seen the maps, but the sheer size of Essos was still something he had a hard time dealing with. Perhaps the only thought that gave him a bit of relief was that it was not possible that Abbas and Bakr would have reached their destination by now. Whatever their final goals, he knew Harpy was still alive and that thought had brought him comfort in the past few weeks.
“Top of that, my father is still not keen on having him around any longer than necessary”, Talea sighed and as Jaron followed her gaze, he spotted Samuel arriving at the upper deck. The sailors had not forgotten his actions when he still belonged to the Solvers and it had taken John a sizeable amount of coin to convince the captain to take him with them. Samuel's lack of any genuine remorse didn't exactly help with this.
“Rest assured, you don't have to”, the sellsword growled as he came closer and Talea narrowed her eyes. “You're not exactly all that quiet, you know” The captain's daughter shook her head. “Nor do I intend to be”, she revealed. “You can be lucky we took you at all”
“Yeah, I was born lucky”, Samuel replied flatly, before he looked at Jaron. “What are your plans for our stay here?” Jaron had thought about this for a while now, so he was ready to answer at once. “Ayden promised help, his brother Arryn”, he spoke. “He told me we should look for him in the taverns or brothels”
Almost sarcastically, Samuel raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a worthy addition to our group”, he mumbled and John flashed him a grin. “My words precisely!”, he exclaimed, before he patted Jaron onto the back. “I'd love to meet that man, though you're the one with the connection” A more serious expression appeared on his face. “You and me, we should split up. You'll arrange for that Arryn to help us, meanwhile I'll check up with some of the captains, see if I can find us a ship out of here”
Jaron took a deep breath. “Splitting up?”, he asked. “I was kinda hoping you could show me around. I've never been here before... or anywhere outside of Westeros actually” John chuckled, as he patted him onto the back. “So, this is kinda your first time, huh?”, he said and Jaron gulped. “What I mean is, I doubt I'd find my way around”, he told him, to which John tilted his head.
“You don't think I'd let you leave without some aid, huh?”, he replied. “Take Temari! He's been here as long as me, surely he can lead you around” Temari raised an eyebrow. “Me and him?”, he asked, before he shook his head. “Not sure that's much of a good idea. Besides, I'd rather stay with you”
John shrugged. “Well, I'd rather get to know our new friend here”, he stated, glancing at Samuel, who frowned. “We're no friends”, he clarified. “We just have the same destination. But fine, I'll come with you if you like” With this, he looked at Jaron. “Though it doesn't really matter to me. If you want to, I'll come with you instead”
Jaron looked from Samuel to Temari. To say he knew either particularly well was a bit of a stretch, as was to say he'd get along with either. He had been through a few things with Samuel, though calling them anything but allies would be audacious and he knew it. Temari meanwhile was someone he hadn't gotten a chance to know at all. To be fair, neither was he all that keen about it, but perhaps it would be useful to win his trust. They were in this together after all.
[Take Samuel with you][Take Temari with you]
Arthur
It wasn't long after they had left the clinic that Arthur realized they were being followed. It wasn't so much him truly knowing it, but more a thought, his instinct, something he had sharpened during his years with the city guard. He was probably not the ideal guardsman, but he still had some tricks up his sleeve.
As such, after they had left the building through the back door, Arthur had approached one of the more busy streets. The night wouldn't come for another couple of hours, though the sun was already setting, dousing the streets in twilight, perfect for Arthur and Ryler to make their escape.
He had to admit though, he was worried about Malien. While he had wisely avoided getting her involved, he had decided to sneak out without her noticing. How would the Sphynx react to that? Arthur didn't know the man particularly well, but he had the slight hope he would at least have enough restraint not to attack an innocent girl. If Ryler's fear was justified though, this hope was not as strong as he'd like it to be.
Ryler's breath fastened, sweat running down his forehead, as he found himself forced to put pressure onto his wounded leg. “Might be the only thing I regret they never did to me”, he sighed and Arthur raised an eyebrow. The younger man frowned. “The Alley Cats. The Sphynx, the old one”, he revealed. “You noticed I'm stronger than I should be. I heal faster, I am rarely out of breath”
Arthur gulped, as he realized the implications. “Is it magic?”, he asked and Ryler paused for a moment. “I never thought about it”, he admitted. “If it is, then it's probably the kind even the Maesters would be okay with. Lupin, the old Sphynx, he called it alchemy. Secrets from the east, from Asshai and even further” A grim expression appeared on his face, his mismatched eyes haunted by the memories he thought about. “The one they call the Moggy, he's been through the same and more. He's a perfected version of what I should have been”
The thought of the giant among the Alley Cats crept into Arthur's mind and he shivered at the thought that Ryler could have become the same. “First they improve. That's what they did with me, at least they started with it, before I got away”, the boy explained. “Then they take away. Pain goes first. That would have been handy right now. But they don't stop. Piece by piece, they slice apart what makes us human. Pain, memories, emotions, they take away what they don't need and warp the rest”
“And the Moggy has been through this very procedure?”, Arthur asked, feeling a shiver run down his spine. Ryler nodded. “He's an animal by now”, he stated. “The Tom's mad hound. The best thing one can do for him is to put him out of his misery”
As Arthur glanced over his shoulder, he spotted a chilling sight through the people they passed as they made their way down one of the larger streets. A mask, black and red, its wielder clad in white. “He's following us”, Arthur growled and Ryler tensed up. He opened his mouth to speak, yet only a pained gasp came out of it. As Arthur glanced at him, he noticed the wound had reopened, fresh blood running down the boy's lower leg.
They couldn't escape him forever, could they? He knew they were somewhere among the crowd and if he hadn't spotted them yet, he would in a few moments. The Alley Cats had power in this city, probably more than Arthur could ever have. If it was his word against theirs, whom would Commander Daemion trust more? No, they had to avoid the man and the best way by now would be to leave the crowded street while he would not expect it.
“This way, quickly”, Arthur hissed, as he pulled Ryler into the nearest side street. The young man pressed his lips together, clenching his fists. “I'm trying”, he replied, though he could not prevent a small limp, which slowed him down at least somewhat. And yet, they made it, or at least Arthur hoped so, as he quickly pushed Ryler into an even more narrow street, more a gap between two houses, glancing out of it onto the main street.
The masked man marched past their alleyway, continuing on the main street and Arthur sighed in relief. “He hasn't seen us”, he spoke and Ryler nodded, still frowning from the stress this put his wounded leg through. It was in this moment that he tensed up, as he felt something touching his back. It was a sensation he thankfully rarely had to feel, yet nonetheless, he recognized the tip of a knife when he felt it. “He hasn't”, the woman behind him hissed sharply. “However, I can assure you, I had you two in my sights for a while now”
Arthur took a deep breath, while Ryder tensed up beneath his grip. “Nothing to say?”, the woman whispered. “One of you's wounded, the other's a dolt, so you better don't try anything right now” The tip of the blade moved upwards, stopping right at Arthur's upper spine, between the shoulder blades.
“Is... this a robbery?”, Arthur asked, the first thing that came to his mind. The woman chuckled. “Coin is not what I'm after”, she revealed. “We three are going for a walk and then, I'll have a couple of questions” Arthur clenched his fists, cursing the fact that he was, in fact, unarmed. Ryler was wounded, the woman was right with this and to make matters worse, he had gotten pale, his breaths becoming faster and his bleeding hadn't stopped. He needed a fresh set of bandages.
“My friend needs help”, he spoke and the blade dug into his back, not deep enough to wound him in the slightest, but enough to cause a truly uncomfortable feeling. “Go, guard”, the woman hissed. “I'll tell you where. You don't comply, you die, simple as that. It's your friend I'm interested in”
With this, she pushed him forward, using her knife to direct him. She was close and Arthur could feel her breath, though not up his neck, but a little lower, meaning she had to be quite short, probably a good head or more. “Is this about the Alley Cats?”, Ryler gasped. He was clinging onto Arthur's forearm, glancing down at his wounded leg and any thought of defiance seemed to have left him, as the pain had to be intense.
“Among other things”, the woman confirmed. “It's more than that though. You've been a pain in the ass to some friends of mine and as it turns out, we know preciously little about you” Arthur narrowed his eyes, as the woman pushed him down the alleyway for a bit. “You're not part of them, right?”, he asked. “My loyalty is not with the cats, no”, the woman confirmed. “Not with all of them, at least”
“Lupin”, Ryler growled and this time, the woman outright chuckled coldly. “Do I sound like Lupin to you?”, she asked in return. “If it makes this easier for you, I've never met this Lupin you speak about and for all I've heard of him, that is for the better” By now, she approached a nearby door and Arthur noticed it wasn't entirely closed, allowing him to push it open as she directed him towards it.
The room behind was the ground floor of a simple house in this part of town. It was dark inside, the open door and a few narrow windows giving only barely enough light to spot everything in this room. A couple chairs, a table, a fireplace in the corner. A set of stairs led to the upper floor, a hatch on the ground to the basement.
Finally, the pressure on Arthur's back got released, as he received a heavy push, making him stumble into the room. He accidentally pulled Ryler with him and the young man yelped in pain, as he fell to the floor, clutching his bleeding leg. “Please, he needs help!”, Arthur was quick to say, even before he turned around.
“That is not my call to make”, the woman disagreed. “Rodrik will decide” Arthur raised an eyebrow as he turned around, finally seeing the woman who had so effortlessly abducted both of them. To his surprise, she was more a girl than a woman. Short and slim, she looked young, younger than Ryler even. Her hair was light blonde and her eyes had a cold blue tone. Though with soft features, her expression was hard, harsh even, and bitter, the pale skin putting emphasis onto the thick scar on her cheek.
“You're a child!”, Arthur exclaimed and she narrowed her eyes. “Rude”, she commented on it. “I might look a bit young for my age, but that is uncalled for” She pointed the knife at him now, the blade longer than usual with such weapons, the tip sharp and threatening. “You're not making me want to spare you when saying stuff like that”
Arthur was quick to raise his hands. “Alright, alright”, he assured her quickly. “Whatever you want, we can work this out. Nobody needs to die today” This time, she seemed almost disappointed. “Huh, if you say so”, she replied. “I don't have order to kill you or it would have been done by now. But watch your tongue” She put her free hand onto her chest. “My name is Lucia and I am not a child”
Arthur gulped, before he nodded. “Lucia, okay”, he greeted her. “I am Arthur, this is Ryler” As he said this name, her eyes narrowed momentarily. “I don't really think I care for your name”, she told him. “But you seem willing to follow a couple simple orders. Do that and maybe we can work something out. Rodrik wouldn't like it if this... Ryler bleeds out on my floor before he arrives”
“Okay, what do you want?”, Arthur asked and she smirked coldly. “You drag your friend to the other end of the room. Sit down on the ground. Shut your mouth. I'll throw you a couple bandages, you help him. If you stand up, I'll put a knife in your skull”
She absolutely meant it, as Arthur realized. Though if it'd get Ryler the help he needed... It was in this moment, that the young man grabbed the lower end of his shirt, causing his attention to shift to him. “Rodrik...”, he mumbled. “She's talking about the Sphynx”
“Smart boy”, Lucia complimented him and Arthur's eyes widened. This however changed quite a bit. After what Ryler just told him about the Alley Cats, the Sphynx in particular, this man was the last he'd like to be captured by. Defiance hadn't been on his mind with a knife to his back, but now she was standing in front of him, she was short and slim and perhaps a decade younger than him. He could be able to take her, knock her out and then get away from there, to get Ryler some real help... of course, she was armed, so fighting her would come at a risk...
[Take Temari with you] I'm fine with either choice here, and I certainly wouldn't object to more scenes between Jaron and Samuel, but I think Temari deserves some time in the spotlight as well. And like Jaron thinks here, it would be good for the two of them to build some trust between each other. Also, if this would also give us a part with John and Samuel interacting and working together, well, that would be just a plus
Anyway, FoT has now officialy entered Essos! I'm so excited to see what you have in store for Lys and beyond
[Try to fight her] Eh, if it was the Tom who was coming for them, I might've chose the other option. However, I just can't see anything good coming from being the Sphynx's captive, so we might as well try to resist. Of course, it is very likely that Arthur will just fail and be beaten by this Lucia, but we have to try at least. I doubt you'd kill Arthur here though, so I don't feel like the risk is too big.
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronge… morer as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her f… [view original content]
I'm fine with either choice here, and I certainly wouldn't object to more scenes between Jaron and Samuel, but I think Temari deserves some time in the spotlight as well. And like Jaron thinks here, it would be good for the two of them to build some trust between each other. Also, if this would also give us a part with John and Samuel interacting and working together, well, that would be just a plus
Well, with this I shall confirm that if Temari is not chosen to accompany Jaron here, he will instead appear by John's side (as John will have a storyline of his own in this chapter), whereas the other option would mean interaction between John and Samuel. All four are likely going to share scenes in either combination in the things to come, but I thought it could be nice to leave their initial interaction up to this choice
Anyway, FoT has now officialy entered Essos! I'm so excited to see what you have in store for Lys and beyond
Aye, it has officially started! Essos will be a major location in the things to come and in fact, I have plans for the next two parts to also be featured there, with PoV's from Janae and a completely new character. Lys will only be the beginning.
Eh, if it was the Tom who was coming for them, I might've chose the other option. However, I just can't see anything good coming from being the Sphynx's captive, so we might as well try to resist. Of course, it is very likely that Arthur will just fail and be beaten by this Lucia, but we have to try at least. I doubt you'd kill Arthur here though, so I don't feel like the risk is too big.
Ah, I can understand that. The Tom is surely the better option to be captured by, at least in general, though to be absolutely honest here, I'd try my best not to be captured by either. The Tom might have some honour left, but he's still a cruel bastard. And well, you might be on to something there, though while we're on the topic of PoV deaths, let me assure you that I plan to be less predictable this time around. Book 1 was the build up, where killing a PoV off after just five or six chapters made little sense and where the truly meaningful deaths occured only in the final third. In Book 2, I have a huge and fully established cast of characters already and many of them have already lived up to most of their potential, so I am probably going to spread death more evenly instead of cramming half of it into the final two chapters
[Take Temari with you] I'm fine with either choice here, and I certainly wouldn't object to more scenes between Jaron and Samuel, but I thin… morek Temari deserves some time in the spotlight as well. And like Jaron thinks here, it would be good for the two of them to build some trust between each other. Also, if this would also give us a part with John and Samuel interacting and working together, well, that would be just a plus
Anyway, FoT has now officialy entered Essos! I'm so excited to see what you have in store for Lys and beyond
[Try to fight her] Eh, if it was the Tom who was coming for them, I might've chose the other option. However, I just can't see anything good coming from being the Sphynx's captive, so we might as well try to resist. Of course, it is very likely that Arthur will just fail and be beaten by this Lucia, but we have to try at least. I doubt you'd kill Arthur here though, so I don't feel like the risk is too big.
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronge… morer as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her f… [view original content]
[Take Temari with you] At least he knows the city better, and he hasn't played a very big role yet. [Follow her order] She's not kidding about killing, so is better to not fight right now.
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronge… morer as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her f… [view original content]
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronge… morer as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her f… [view original content]
[Take Temari with you]
I want to read different interactions between the characters and Temari need to be in the spotlight for a change [Follow her order] Let's play it safe
RT: 1) In the last Kyra part we read the first marriage inside all FoT! Such a joyous celebration! 2) Btw I notice in that part the return of some old characters of the story like Vermont and one of the Blacktyde siblings and the introduction of some new characters like another member of the Codd family 3) Finally Jaron left Oldtown and we read the first part outside Westeros! Jaron/John storyline at Lys is going to be really fun! 4) The Pale Princess has return! And who knows when will see that ship again! 5) Arthur and Ryler leave me without words...they make themselves cornered by a kid
BQD:
John Gutten “It's been terrible back then. Posh and fake, all these silver-haired sons of bitches scheming against each other. Volantis knocked them down a bit. Lys today is the true Lys, hiding about as little as a cheap whore. It might be shoddy, but at least it's genuine”
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronge… morer as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her f… [view original content]
[Take Temari with you] New friend, new relationship, yeah.
[Try to fight her] Must. Be. Violent.
Hello Lys, part of Essos but also an island. Haven't you had a rough century? It's interesting that the Storm King and Aegon was involved in all that mess.
Lucia does not seem to be a character I will like. She'll probably hurt Arthur once he fails to take her out.
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronge… morer as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her f… [view original content]
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronge… morer as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her f… [view original content]
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronge… morer as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her f… [view original content]
1) In the last Kyra part we read the first marriage inside all FoT! Such a joyous celebration!
I realized you are correct, it is indeed the first marriage ceremony in the entire story, setting a prime example for a good and healthy marriage. That being said, it probably won't be the last, nor will those to come be equally depressing. Sometimes, good things can still happen. Not this time though, this marriage is going to be exactly as happy as you'd expect it to be.
2) Btw I notice in that part the return of some old characters of the story like Vermont and one of the Blacktyde siblings and the introduction of some new characters like another member of the Codd family
Yes indeed, some of the minor characters from Book 1 have made their return now. In general, Book 2 will give some deeper spotlight and insight to many of the Ironborn characters I only managed to gloss over in Book 1. Among others, Velmont and the Blacktyde siblings will receive a decent amount of development.
3) Finally Jaron left Oldtown and we read the first part outside Westeros! Jaron/John storyline at Lys is going to be really fun!
This I think I can confirm. Both will have a connected storyline in this chapter, each working on part of their goal and all in all, I really look forward to give you a deeper perspective in Essos, with Jaron, John, Janae and a fourth PoV all having parts there in this chapter
4) The Pale Princess has return! And who knows when will see that ship again!
Aye, I felt like giving them another appearance, given I basically left them behind about two years ago. As to when we'll see them again, how about John's next part? Aside from that though, don't expect a major storyline from the Pale Princess crew. It was nice catching up to them again though, so who knows what I'll decide on in the future.
5) Arthur and Ryler leave me without words...they make themselves cornered by a kid
Well, I can absolutely confirm, Lucia is not a kid. She does look really young for her age, but she's actually one of these people who just look young. In our world, she'd be legally an adult and due to her short size and youthful features, she looks a good five years younger than she truly is. Sounds a bit odd, but I know people like that, I went to school with several who never really seemed to hit puberty. She is also quite capable at doing sneaky stuff and Arthur and Ryler were way too preoccupied with avoiding the Sphynx to even consider that someone else, especially someone not belonging to the Alley Cats, could track them down as well. If Ryler would have been in a better condition, they probably would have fought back, but the thing is, Mathea had to cut away a bit of his flesh to treat his wound, therefore creating a larger, yet ultimately cleaner wound and that wound has opened, means he is actually in a bad condition and in the need of medical aid. Good thing Lucia works for probably the most skilled healer in the entire story, right?
BQD:
John Gutten
“It's been terrible back then. Posh and fake, all these silver-haired sons of bitches scheming against each other. Volantis knocked them down a bit. Lys today is the true Lys, hiding about as little as a cheap whore. It might be shoddy, but at least it's genuine”
Hehe, John might be one of the few people who like the new Lys better. There's little we know of the Lysene society of these years, but my take on it is that it used to be actually horrible. Being always second behind Volantis in terms of claiming some of the lost glory of Valyria, I guess that must have really hurt the Lysene pride. As such, its nobility used to be this bunch of fake, backstabbing assholes, competing for power with each other. The war with Volantis and Absidee ruining their slave economy has knocked them down quite a bit and we know that eventually, Lys will indeed recover to the point where it ends up as one of the most beautiful cities in the known world. Right now, the Lyseni are far from achieving this, but John appreciates that they are forced to be honest for once.
[Take Temari with you]
I want to read different interactions between the characters and Temari need to be in the spotlight for a change
[… moreFollow her order] Let's play it safe
RT:
1) In the last Kyra part we read the first marriage inside all FoT! Such a joyous celebration!
2) Btw I notice in that part the return of some old characters of the story like Vermont and one of the Blacktyde siblings and the introduction of some new characters like another member of the Codd family
3) Finally Jaron left Oldtown and we read the first part outside Westeros! Jaron/John storyline at Lys is going to be really fun!
4) The Pale Princess has return! And who knows when will see that ship again!
5) Arthur and Ryler leave me without words...they make themselves cornered by a kid
BQD:
John Gutten
“It's been terrible back then. Posh and fake, all these silver-haired sons of bitches scheming against each other. Volantis knocked them down a bit. L… [view original content]
Hello Lys, part of Essos but also an island. Haven't you had a rough century? It's interesting that the Storm King and Aegon was involved in all that mess.
Not only a rough century, but a particularly rough decade. There was the war against Volantis, in which Aegon and Argilac actually fought on the same side and they actually made things better for Lys, by defeating Volantis. Around the same time, there was Meria's spymistress Absidee, who used the tumultous war economy to destroy the Lysene slave trade, pretty much the pillar which supported 90% of their wealth. The results have not been pretty.
Lucia does not seem to be a character I will like. She'll probably hurt Arthur once he fails to take her out.
Ah, we'll see if you end up liking her or not. Lucia is definitely a complicated character, difficult to deal with, but not without intriguing elements, which I hope to reveal in time. You will learn a serious lot more about her in Arthur's next part and it might help you with deciding if you like her or not. Let's just say, she is absolutely ready to hurt Arthur if he causes trouble, but if she is capable of doing so, that is another thing entirely.
[Take Temari with you] New friend, new relationship, yeah.
[Try to fight her] Must. Be. Violent.
Hello Lys, part of Essos but also an … moreisland. Haven't you had a rough century? It's interesting that the Storm King and Aegon was involved in all that mess.
Lucia does not seem to be a character I will like. She'll probably hurt Arthur once he fails to take her out.
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronge… morer as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her f… [view original content]
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronge… morer as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her f… [view original content]
Hey I know it’s been awhile but I finally caught up! Really bummed out about Richard’s death and I hope for the best for Jenna.
Edrick’s story was amazing last chapter and I feel more connected with the characters. I’m not sure if I’d say he’d replace Marak but he’s definitely up there in my favorite’s list now.
Hey I know it’s been awhile but I finally caught up! Really bummed out about Richard’s death and I hope for the best for Jenna.
Ah, welcome back! I am happy to hear you caught up again Richard's death, well, it has been a hard one for me as well, he's been with the story from the very beginning, even if he has never been among the most popular PoV's. I simply always hate killing one of them off XD At the same time, Richard was at the end of his road. There would have been little for him going forward, it's up to Jenna now to uphold his ideals.
Edrick’s story was amazing last chapter and I feel more connected with the characters. I’m not sure if I’d say he’d replace Marak but he’s definitely up there in my favorite’s list now.
And I am glad you warmed up to Edrick and his cast with this new twist in his storyline! I definitely loved writing the Codd's in the last chapter, they should be a very interesting factor in the parts to come, as I have what I believe to be quite nice plans for them
[Take Temari with you]
[Follow her order]
Hey I know it’s been awhile but I finally caught up! Really bummed out about Richard’s death… more and I hope for the best for Jenna.
Edrick’s story was amazing last chapter and I feel more connected with the characters. I’m not sure if I’d say he’d replace Marak but he’s definitely up there in my favorite’s list now.
With the first one, I much approve of this option. I had interactions planned for John and Temari, as well as for Jaron and Samuel, but this choice is arguably shaking up the dynamics between the two duos by making Jaron and Temari, as well as John and Samuel interact more. They are in this together, so this is probably for the better. That being said, both possible companions for Jaron would have brought something to the table the other won't, so there will be effects beyond just being the guy that accompanies him. Meanwhile, there actually was a tie in the second choice. In the absence of Arthur's creator, I will break the tie by counting the first vote twice, means Arthur will end up fighting Lucia. It remains to be seen if this is for the better. Arthur is almost two heads taller, he is likely stronger, so he has a physical advantage, yet Lucia has a knife and quite a harsh temper, so there are serious risks to this as well. You will learn a lot more about her in the next part though, so I am curious how the opinion on her will develop
The next part should be out today. I am currently writing a Janae part which I think I should finish later today. However, she might not be the only PoV in this part. I am not yet sure about this, though in case she won't have enough material before her first choice to justify a part of her own, I'll include Drent as the second PoV, as I announced last time. You know where he left off. Janae meanwhile, it has been quite some time since we last saw her. She has been in a bad situation where we left off, captured by Abbas, the son of her former master, who has a probably even understandable grudge against her for killing his father. With her are the similarly captured Behara, as well as Harpy, whom Abbas took with him after returning to Oldtown in the final chapter of Book 1, with intentions to sell the former to the highest bidder and the latter to her former master. Since then, they have been taken to Essos and are currently in the Disputed Lands between Lys and Volantis and that is where we' cattch up with them again.
During the day, the collar around her neck grew so heavy, Janae barely dared to lift her head at times. During the night, it burned into her flesh and she found herself scratching the flesh below, to the point where it had gotten sore. Being chained again, being someone's property once again, it was her worst nightmare gone real.
Janae wasn't one to freak out though. She nestled on the collar as often as possible, frowning at the touch of metal around her skin, she felt drained by its mere presence, yet she did not despair. Harpy and Behara were different cases entirely. Behara had never been through anything similar. Crying herself to sleep every single night, she was barely able to hold a conversation without bursting into tears. Janae was worried for her even more than she was worried for her own life.
And Harpy... Janae was certain the calmness she displayed was an act. There was something haunted in her eyes, something so bitter and angry that Janae recognized a piece of herself in the girl and not one she wished upon anyone else. She took her enslavement well on a surface level, yet the sheer hatred that flared up in her eyes anytime she looked at Abbas proved this calmness to be anything but genuine.
A lot had happened since then. At night, forced into a small room on Abbas' ship, they had left Oldtown. Two weeks at sea, chained below deck, listening to Behara crying herself to sleep and Harpy barely finding any at all. The chains allowed them a relative freedom of movement in the room itself, though Janae had quickly noticed there was no way out. The door was reinforced and as a matter of fact, so was the hull of the ship. There was nothing to pick a lock in this room, nothing aside from the comforts she'd expect of a prison cell.
Abbas and Bakr seemed to be comfortable sailing the ship on their own during these times, though they had made an extensive stop at Lys to hire more guards, during which Janae hadn't even seen them for most of the day, just for what she considered the feeding sessions, where Bakr would come and throw them some scraps. Swallowing her pride pretty early into her captivity, Janae knew this defiance would only hurt her, so she ate what they brought. Behara however had barely managed to swallow any of it and it definitely wasn't due to the quality of what they were given. Even Janae had to admit, she had eaten worse.
That was what threw her off the most. She had braced herself for torment, for abuse that never came and slowly, over the course of weeks, this seeming indifference was what caused her resilience to waver. Abbas was the one she had expected to take revenge. At least, she expected him to act like his father, to act like he did before capturing Harpy. And yet, she had barely seen him over the last two months.
With two new guards, he even seemed confident allowing her relative freedom of movement aboard his small boat. Always with a collar, her hands in chains, unable to be much of a threat to anyone and always without Harpy or Behara. Not that they would have been much of a help in either way. It was up to Janae to get them out of here and she could trust no one with this task but herself.
On this day, she had gotten up early. The room the three were kept in was dark, the air hot. Sitting against the hull of the ship, she sighed, as she stretched her aching back. “Can't sleep anymore?”, the voice of Harpy mumbled next to her. Janae shook her head, before realizing that the other woman likely couldn't see her all that well. “No”, she replied, keeping her voice down out of consideration for Behara. “You?”
“I tried”, Harpy replied. “What I see when I close my eyes... I rather stay awake than facing him again” Janae raised an eyebrow. “Him?”, she asked and Harpy sighed, her voice stressed as she continued. “Razdal”, she spoke. “Between him and Abbas, I'd say your future master is the kinder one”
“I doubt they're much different”, Janae replied, to which Harpy moved in the darkness, sitting down next to her. “You don't know Razdal”, she stated, to which Janae shook her head. “And you don't know Abbas”, she replied. Both were silent after these simple statements, until Harpy spoke up again. “Do you?”, she asked.
In the darkness, Janae's eyes widened. “I...”, she began, before she paused. “I knew the man he used to be” With this, she gulped. “I am not sure I still know him”, she admitted. She felt Harpy's hand on her shoulder. “We'll get out of this”, she promised and Janae smiled. “It's not me whom you should encourage”, she clarified, before she paused again. “Harpy, can you promise me something?”
Harpy did not reply at first, though the hand on Janae's shoulder tensed up. “What is it?”, she asked. Janae's smile grew thinner until it faded, unseen in the darkness. “If he does anything to me... kills me, or... should I ever be unable to, I want you to look out for Behara” She placed a hand on her shoulder, on top of Harpy's. “In my stead”
The other woman took a notable gasp and Janae was once again reminded that she was barely older than Behara, perhaps even slightly younger. There was a notable difference in maturity though. Harpy had been through more than a girl her age should be, where Behara had kept her innocence. It was something Janae had to preserve and if anyone could understand this, it would be Harpy.
“In your stead”, she confirmed. “But it won't come to this, I...he'll come for me, for us, I know it” Janae smiled, as a memory of John flashed through her mind. Her bear would come as well, it was the one thing she was still certain of. “Your knight”, she mumbled. “Do you love him?”
For a brief moment, Harpy's voice softened. “Yes”, she said, her tone equal parts more happy and more sad than Janae had ever heard her. “The situation we've been through, it has been complicated, it has been messed up. Me and Jaron, what we had, what we... still have, I hope, that was about the only easy thing in it. The one thing I am certain of” She took a deep breath. “He will come”
“So will John”, Janae confirmed, knowing the certainty Harpy felt, sharing it even. The problem was just, would they be fast enough? Could she keep Abbas at bay for long enough? She left it unspoken, but heard the same doubt in Harpy's conviction, if only for a second.
It was in this moment that the door got pushed open. Janae tensed up, while Harpy suppressed a small scream. The sudden light of a torch hurt her eyes and she shielded them from it, though in a brief second, she spotted the man carrying it and her heart sunk. Out of the two guards, Haar was by far her least favourite. A few years older than her, he was old for sellsword standards and slightly on the heavy side. He had black hair that already showed signs of early balding, a heavy tan and a notable beard shade. Scarred from battle, the most notable was running down his cheek, barely missing the left eye. Wrapped in a lion's pelt, he was a fearsome sight, yet the quickness with which he used the leash was unarguably worse than any look. “Janae!”, he roared.
Behara awoke from his loud opening of the door and his yelling and she let out a brief, shrill shriek, as she crawled away from her. Harpy was quick to react, before Haar could even focus onto the girl, she moved over to her, wrapping her into a hug, calming her down in an instant, as she stared at the sellsword. Behara however did not dare to look, especially not after she had noticed the way Haar was looking at her in return, the way he looked at her right now. It made Janae sick and vicious with anger, yet acting out on it would only earn her his ire.
“Yes?”, she growled and the sellsword moved his away from Behara. “Abbas wishes to speak to you”, he told her, his hand moving to the whip on his belt. “You will come with me now” He came closer and she could smell the alcohol from his breath. It was no secret that at least part of his payment was in wine, the very same Abbas had taken from the Burned Man's property and he seemed to put these bottles to use.
As his hand moved from the whip to the key he kept next to it, Janae glanced at Harpy. There was hatred in her dark eyes, a haunting expression that twisted her features. Subtly, Janae shook her head. If John and this Jaron would be after them, Haar would eventually get his fate. But for now, she couldn't lay a finger on him.
“You have been drinking”, she stated, preventing the sellsword from glancing at Harpy and perhaps noticing her expression. The younger woman quickly calmed herself, a mask of indifference on her face, as she moved a hand through Behara's hair to keep her frightened friend calm.
Haar narrowed his eyes. “Does it matter?”, he growled. “A man must have some joy in his life” His grin was repulsive. “Three beauties down here and he denies them to me. Wine makes for a better companion, to be honest. Makes me happy, never talks back, always wet and in the mood” His gaze moved back to Behara. “Of course, maybe he has promised me one of you already, who knows...”
Behara's eyes widened and Janae clenched her fists. Harpy outright jumped up, between the two. “This is close enough”, she warned him. “You're scaring her. Back off, just do what you came for” Haar raised an eyebrow. “Or what?”, he asked.
“Or I'll show you what I learned in Oldtown”, Harpy growled, the threat in her voice as open as he disgust. “Doesn't matter when, but I will and you won't see it coming” Haar narrowed his eyes. “The pretty slave girl talks too much”, he replied. “Keep talking and your master will rip your tongue from your head”
Harpy bared her teeth. “Threaten me as you like, but you will not scare her and you will not harm her”, she barked. Haar smirked, the kind of smirk only a drunken man could have, as clenched his fists. “Abbas wants to talk to me?”, Janae interjected swiftly, trying to break up whatever conflict was arising between the two. It worked, as Haar quickly shifted his attention back to her. “Yeah”, he confirmed. “And we shouldn't keep him waiting”
Wordlessly and actually without another glance at Harpy and Behara, he moved to free Janae of the chains that kept her confined to his room. “You first”, he ordered. “Abbas is on the upper deck” Janae gave him a nod, before she glanced at her friends. Behara was clinging onto Harpy and the other woman gave her a confident nod. She smiled at this, before she began moving.
Haar was behind her the entire time, through the narrow hallway behind their cell, past the room for the guards, past Bakr's room, past Abbas' room and the storage, up a steep set of stairs and finally onto the upper deck. Janae was greeted by bright sunlight and it pained her more than Haar's torch did. Quickly however, her eyes adjusted and she saw the landscape she was in.
To both sides of the ship, she could see a shore in the distance, indicating that they were sailing down a large river, though to the south, she could see the open sea, the water blue as the sky in the sunlight. Both shores had extensive beaches, the hills above covered in short, yellow grass. A couple of small trees stood on the western shore, though the eastern was barren.
Worse than that was that behind the eastern beach and a small patch of grass, Janae could see a desolated land, dry ground, cracked and charred, not even grass growing there. The ruins of a city were seen in the distance, reaching to the open sea. Massive walls, blackened by some ancient fire, toppled towers, most of its buildings destroyed almost beyond all recognition.
Abbas sat on a chair, watching the ruins, with Bakr leaning against the railing next to him. He had his back turned and the first to spot her was the other guard. Janae didn't know the man very well. His name was Ryder and Abbas seemed to be very confident with hiring him. At the same time, he seemed to be very eager to get away from Lys, where they had found him. Not a very talkative man, she hadn't gotten much out of him yet. All she knew was that at least he was calmer than Haar, respectful, if not necessarily caring.
Finally, after Haar cleared his throat, Abbas glanced over his shoulder. He frowned as he spotted Janae, though gave her a nod, indicating that she should come closer. “Thank you, Haar”, he said. “You can take a break now, I'll call for you when I require your service again”
The sellsword saluted briefly, before lazily dragging himself below deck again. Abbas sighed, as he stared at Janae, who in return tilted her head. “This is not Volantis”, she stated and he smirked coldly. “Obviously”, he replied, to which she raised an eyebrow. “I thought you would buy supplies there”, she brought up.
Abbas shook his head. “This is Sarhoy”, he revealed. “First of the rhoynish cities to fall to the dragonlords in the Second Spice War. Their dragons burned the city to the ground and the Volantene salted the surrounding fields. The people of Sarhoy were killed or taken as slaves” He shrugged. “I've heard of this tale years ago and always quite liked it. The people of Sarhoy tried to fight against a stronger opponent, they lost and paid their price. Nymeria of Ny Sar did not repeat their mistake, she tricked the dragonlords and managed to flee. She survived and found a new home and a new life for her people in Dorne”
Janae narrowed her eyes. “Where are you taking us?”, she asked. Abbas chuckled. “Not to Volantis”, he answered. “It is the largest of the Free Cities, a place where every traveller in these lands will go to” His smile faded, replaced by the cold look she has come to know from him. “I know we are being followed”, he revealed. “Your friends will follow, as you told me. And I have seen how that bastard knight looks at our Lady Harpy. He'll do anything to get her back. A reckless man would face him, but I have learned from Sarhoy and Nymeria” He put a hand onto his chest. “I will not fight my enemies if I don't know I can beat them”, he said softly. “Let them waste their time in a city I've never been to, following a trail that is not there”
Though her heart beat faster after this revelation, Janae pulled herself together. She had counted on Volantis, on the bureaucracy of the First Daughter to stall Abbas until John would catch up with him. Her voice shivered slightly as she opened her mouth to speak again. “So we take a different route”, she clarified. “Up the Rhoyne?”
“And then onwards over the roads”, Abbas confirmed. “I have a friend up the Rhoyne, in Volon Theris. He'll take the ship to Volantis, where it will remain to confuse your friends even further” After that, we will continue by land, over Mantarys, until we take a ship in Tolos, which will lead us right to Yunkai”
“Of course, it means we have to deal with her”, Bakr mumbled and Abbas shot him a glare. Janae raised an eyebrow and Abbas sighed. “None of your concern”, he barked and for a moment, the anger on his face made way for a different and much more familiar expression. There was a remnant of sadness on his face, as well as the uncertainty she had found so charming all these years ago.
Abbas seemed to notice it as well, a look of frustration appearing on his face. “Bakr, Ryder”, he growled and both men listened up. “Leave us for a moment” While Ryder followed the order at once and without hesitation, Bakr waited for a moment. “Are you... sure?”, he asked. “I mean, alone with her? Shall I at least call for Haar?”
“Leave us”, Abbas hissed and the portly man quickly hurried now. “Of course!”, he stated, before he was gone as well, only Janae and Abbas remaining on the upper deck. The slaver stared at the ruins of Sarhoy. “The Dragonlords did the worst they could to the Rhoynar”, he mumbled. “They massacred their armies, they slew their champions, they ruined an entire culture” He sharply looked over his shoulder, at her standing there. “I know this because I studied it after you were gone”, he told her. “In the months following your departure, I found tales of wrath to be the most uplifting” His gaze wandered to her clenched fists. “And I know what you're thinking about”
“Oh yeah?”, Janae asked and he nodded. “You think about strangling me with your chains”, he deduced correctly. “It is an urge I see in your eyes. It is in your very nature, murderer” Janae bit down onto her lower lip, as they shared a look, united in nothing but cold anger.
“Let me make this a bit easier for you”, Abbas said, as he stood up. Her first instinct was to stagger away from him, though she held her ground as he approached her. Almost softly, Abbas grabbed her hand, holding it for a moment, before he did something surprising. He removed the chains around her wrist.
“What...”, Janae started, though Abbas cut her off. “You can kill me”, he told her. “I saw you fighting. You always were the fiercest, the strongest and bravest I ever knew” There was a remnant of affection shivering in his voice, though he himself crushed it as he regained his composure. “You on your own will find a way to escape and these chains will be nothing but an inconvenience”
“So you decide to make things easier for me?”, Janae asked, as she raised an eyebrow. Abbas shook his head. “I decide to make things easier for me”, he clarified. “I know how you fight and the path up the river can be a dangerous one. If it comes, I don't trust in Ryder and Haar alone. But you will fight for your survival, won't you?”
Janae nodded. “I always do”, she agreed. “Though I could just escape if I want to, could jump overboard right now and swim to safety” Abbas gave her a nod. “You can escape on your own”, he clarified. “But Behara will remain a prisoner and I have seen how you look at her. You will never leave her, am I right?”
“And if I do...”, Janae began, not finishing her sentence, for how terrible this very thought was. Abbas nodded. “You can count on me putting her through a hell beyond all you could ever imagine”, he promised. “I'll sell her as a slave regardless, yes, but to a good master if you behave. The Graces can be kind and they are always in need of servants. She'll have a good, long life with them” Pain appeared on his face. “It is more than you deserve, after what you did”
Janae barely recognized him as he stood there. It was not the first time she noticed how much he had changed, but in this moment, beneath the hatred and bitterness she had for his entire line, she felt an ounce of pity for what he had lost, for the man he used to be.
“What happened to you?”, she asked and Abbas sighed, as he sat down on the chair, his arms leaning onto the railing of the ship. For a moment, his sharp glare grew sullen, a streak of melancholy, almost as if he could see himself the way she used to see him, the way she saw him right now. “You happened”, he mumbled, his eyes not capable of meeting hers.
They were both silent after this, looking at the ruins of Sarhoy, were not a single blade of grass would ever grow again. “I want to ask you something”, Abbas finally said, breaking the silence. Janae gave him a wordless nod. “Why have you killed him? I know my father was not a kind master, but you... you went out of your way to slay him”
Janae tensed up. “He stood in the way of my freedom”, she answered and Abbas shook his head. “He was defeated. You broke your chains and you could have escape with ease, but you sneaked back and you cut his throat and I want to know why!” Anger flared up in his voice.
“He... deserved it”, Janae simply said. “For what he did” Abbas' fist slammed down onto the wood of the railing. “And what have you done?”, he barked. “Do you have any idea what this did to my family? We've never been rich, but with all of our wealth gone in an instant, our rivals tore us apart like dogs fighting over scraps” He put a hand onto his chest. “You killed my father, but I had to live with your actions. Tell me, after everything we shared, have you even thought about what happened to me after you killed him?”
Janae gulped. “Every single day”, she spoke and it wasn't the exact truth. Abbas raised an eyebrow. “Really?”, he asked, to which she sighed. “I was free, Abbas”, she told him. “Can you even imagine how it is to be caged? To be treated like an animal?”
“It is why I tried to be different”, Abbas replied. “I thought my love could be enough” Janae shook her head. “It wasn't”, she simply said. “Nothing was enough to replace my freedom, because nothing can be. Your father took the most precious thing from me and for that, to regain it without doubt, I had to kill him”
“Then you know why I have to do what I do”, Abbas replied, to which Janae shook her head. “I know you loved me”, she said. “And for a while, I thought I feel the same” She bit down onto her lower lip. “We were both wrong” Abbas gulped, though said nothing, which caused Janae to tilt her head. “I know why you want revenge on me. I... can even understand it. But Behara... Abbas, why her? The man I knew would have never harmed her”
“I am no longer the same man”, Abbas stated with certainty and Janae knew he was right. He narrowed his eyes. “But the girl... I feel nothing for her. You however... she's basically family to you and you taught me a thing about family”, he growled. “Nothing hurts more than losing family” He gave her a cruel smirk, though it did not reach the sorrow in his eyes. “I took her because I want to hurt you the way you hurt me”
Janae clenched her fists, now free of her chains and it took her a lot not to punch him right there. To beat him until nothing was left, no matter the consequences. “I was wrong about you”, she hissed, trying to find something, anything, to hurt him. “I thought you were a good man, but I see clearer now” She narrowed her eyes. “You are just as heartless as your father”
Abbas' smirk faded. “If I don't have a heart, what is it you have broken?”, he replied gingerly, his voice momentarily breaking. Janae avoided his gaze, as she remembered the man he used to be. He had long hair once and he had not been a fighter, but an artist, a painter. He had been gentle and he had been kind and he had loved her. And she had taken his father, had taken everything from him for her revenge. What exactly was it that made her better than him?
“This is where we stand then”, Abbas mumbled. “It's all said and done... isn't it?” He did not look at her. Instead, he focussed onto the ruins in the distance, as the ship sailed past them up the Rhoyne. Janae stared at her shaking fists, freed of their chains for the time being. There he was, a man she used to love, a man she had wounded and betrayed. The son of the man who took her freedom, who caged her and forced her to fight. The man that enslaved her again and did the same to Behara out of spite and to Harpy out of greed. There was only one thing she could say to him and she was not sure if she could ever muster the strength for it, was not sure if he even deserved it.
[Say nothing] Apology implies that Janae regrets her actions, which to be honest I don’t really think so. Maybe a little for Abbas, but not really.
or a brief moment, Harpy's voice softened. “Yes”, she said, her tone equal parts more happy and more sad than Janae had ever heard her. “The situation we've been through, it has been complicated, it has been messed up. Me and Jaron, what we had, what we... still have, I hope, that was about the only easy thing in it. The one thing I am certain of” She took a deep breath. “He will come”
Yuck too my romanticism.
Massive walls, blackened by some ancient fire, toppled towers, most of its buildings destroyed almost beyond all recognition.
Ah Mordor. So, so beautiful.
Abbas sat on a chair, watching the ruins, with Bakr leaning against the railing next to him. He had his back turned and the first to spot her was the other guard. Janae didn't know the man very well. His name was Ryder and Abbas seemed to be very confident with hiring him. At the same time, he seemed to be very eager to get away from Lys, where they had found him. Not a very talkative man, she hadn't gotten much out of him yet. All she knew was that at least he was calmer than Haar, respectful, if not necessarily caring.
Janae
During the day, the collar around her neck grew so heavy, Janae barely dared to lift her head at times. During the night, it burned… more into her flesh and she found herself scratching the flesh below, to the point where it had gotten sore. Being chained again, being someone's property once again, it was her worst nightmare gone real.
Janae wasn't one to freak out though. She nestled on the collar as often as possible, frowning at the touch of metal around her skin, she felt drained by its mere presence, yet she did not despair. Harpy and Behara were different cases entirely. Behara had never been through anything similar. Crying herself to sleep every single night, she was barely able to hold a conversation without bursting into tears. Janae was worried for her even more than she was worried for her own life.
And Harpy... Janae was certain the calmness she displayed was an act. There was something haunted in her eyes, something so … [view original content]
Janae
During the day, the collar around her neck grew so heavy, Janae barely dared to lift her head at times. During the night, it burned… more into her flesh and she found herself scratching the flesh below, to the point where it had gotten sore. Being chained again, being someone's property once again, it was her worst nightmare gone real.
Janae wasn't one to freak out though. She nestled on the collar as often as possible, frowning at the touch of metal around her skin, she felt drained by its mere presence, yet she did not despair. Harpy and Behara were different cases entirely. Behara had never been through anything similar. Crying herself to sleep every single night, she was barely able to hold a conversation without bursting into tears. Janae was worried for her even more than she was worried for her own life.
And Harpy... Janae was certain the calmness she displayed was an act. There was something haunted in her eyes, something so … [view original content]
Well, this was an important revelation. As much as his father deserved it, maybe apologizing can ease the treatment.
I can confirm, his father absolutely deserved it, he has been a cruel master, mentally and physically abusive of his slaves and Janae had very understandable reasons to come back for him after managing to escape. Abbas sees this differently of course, because while they never truly gotten along (mostly because the soft Abbas was never the heir he wanted), he was still his father and as such, he has changed tremendously due to Janae's actions. She kinda created her own nemesis here and for once, she only has herself to blame. Understandable as it might be, what she did was still selfishly enacting her vengeance, for no one's gain but her own and that is precisely what Abbas is paying her back now.
So J Team will have to realize they're not in Volantis while they're in Lys, otherwise they could lose weeks of valuable time.
There's actually something even worse to consider here. Jaron and John don't go to Volantis to chase after Abbas, they go to Volantis because according to Joshawa's information, that is where Ryder is heading to. As it turns out, Joshawa can be wrong, he made a good assumption and one that would have been correct if not for Abbas tricking him as well. They mean to find Ryder in Volantis, so that Samuel can finish his revenge and then fully commit his considerable skills to their fight. If not for that, the route over Volantis and by ship would probably be notably faster than Abbas' planned route by land. As it is, they first have to find out that Ryder is not in Volantis and that can be hard enough already.
[Apologize to Abbas] Well, this was an important revelation. As much as his father deserved it, maybe apologizing can ease the treatment.
… more So J Team will have to realize they're not in Volantis while they're in Lys, otherwise they could lose weeks of valuable time.
Apology implies that Janae regrets her actions, which to be honest I don’t really think so. Maybe a little for Abbas, but not really.
Yeah, she's not really sure if she is truly that sorry. Definitely not for his father, that guy has been a genuine bastard and Abbas is pretty much the only person mourning him. However, she does feel a bit of guilt for causing Abbas' transformation from a once kind-hearted man to someone more akin to his father (even if they are still way different in their methods, even now), she just doesn't know if it is enough to warrant an apology. After all, it's not as if Abbas hasn't done a thing to earn her wrath in these last couple chapters.
Yuck too my romanticism.
Hehe, be assured things won't be all that romantic, mostly because there will be way more important and immediate things to think about than Jaron, who, as far as Harpy knows, might still be in Oldtown. She has genuine feelings for him though and that is unlikely to change anytime soon, so that is something I want to put at least a little bit of spotlight to.
Ah Mordor. So, so beautiful.
Yeah, I believe it looked precisely like Mordor back when the Valyrians came upon it. Since then, things have gotten a little bit better, but on a plain that was burned by dragonfire and then salted, yeah, you can bet that nothing will grow there ever again. The whole area is actually quite fertile and the landscape, I believe is mostly closer to the mediterranean area, a bit like Italy, whereas the area immediately around Sarhoy is, in sharp contrast, a wasteland unlikely to ever recover. The city itself is a charred ruin and in a thousand years, it's likely not even that anymore.
[Say nothing] Apology implies that Janae regrets her actions, which to be honest I don’t really think so. Maybe a little for Abbas, but not … morereally.
or a brief moment, Harpy's voice softened. “Yes”, she said, her tone equal parts more happy and more sad than Janae had ever heard her. “The situation we've been through, it has been complicated, it has been messed up. Me and Jaron, what we had, what we... still have, I hope, that was about the only easy thing in it. The one thing I am certain of” She took a deep breath. “He will come”
Yuck too my romanticism.
Massive walls, blackened by some ancient fire, toppled towers, most of its buildings destroyed almost beyond all recognition.
Ah Mordor. So, so beautiful.
Abbas sat on a chair, watching the ruins, with Bakr leaning against the railing next to him. He had his back turned and the first to spot her was the other guard. Janae didn't know the man very well. His n… [view original content]
Ah, should've expected some trickery like this from Abbas. Excuse me my meta thinking, but having him reveal his plan now makes me wonder if something about that plan is going to go wrong Anyway, looks like the connection between Abbas and Janae goes deeper than what I expected. Interesting, this is definitely giving a lot of depth to Abbas' character, though I still think he is an absolute dickhead. As for the choice...
[Apologize to Abbas] Let's humor him for now, Janae, Harpy and Behara will be stuck with these people for a while. Who knows, perhaps Janae showing some regret for her actions will even set Abbas on a path of forgiveness, as unlikely as that is.
Btw, did I understand correctly that the Ryder in this part was Ryder Harrington?
Janae
During the day, the collar around her neck grew so heavy, Janae barely dared to lift her head at times. During the night, it burned… more into her flesh and she found herself scratching the flesh below, to the point where it had gotten sore. Being chained again, being someone's property once again, it was her worst nightmare gone real.
Janae wasn't one to freak out though. She nestled on the collar as often as possible, frowning at the touch of metal around her skin, she felt drained by its mere presence, yet she did not despair. Harpy and Behara were different cases entirely. Behara had never been through anything similar. Crying herself to sleep every single night, she was barely able to hold a conversation without bursting into tears. Janae was worried for her even more than she was worried for her own life.
And Harpy... Janae was certain the calmness she displayed was an act. There was something haunted in her eyes, something so … [view original content]
Ah, should've expected some trickery like this from Abbas. Excuse me my meta thinking, but having him reveal his plan now makes me wonder if something about that plan is going to go wrong Anyway, looks like the connection between Abbas and Janae goes deeper than what I expected. Interesting, this is definitely giving a lot of depth to Abbas' character, though I still think he is an absolute dickhead. As for the choice...
Hehe, Abbas is quite a tactician, though I'd say he is not perfect, so who knows, maybe he will end up making a mistake here and there. It is a dirty trick though, he is essentially counting on Jaron and John doing the logical thing, travelling to Volantis, and catches them off guard with something that essentially makes no sense under any other circumstance, namely taking the longer route by land. I definitely can say, Janae's storyline should be an interesting one and not everything might go according to his plan. Abbas also does have some depth to him. Don't get me wrong, he is an absolute dickhead, but the type that used to be different and never actually wanted to be the man he is today. I'd say he is at least a tragic asshole. He chose his vengeance over Janae, but that is not all there is to him, as this part hopefully showed.
Btw, did I understand correctly that the Ryder in this part was Ryder Harrington?
You understand it correctly, yes! Ryder has travelled to Lys after the events of the Book 1 finale and found himself sort of trapped, to the point where he was so desperate to travel farther that he ended up hiring as a guard for a slaver. For Abbas, he was very pleased with seeing the legendary Ryder Harrington, as he has no way of knowing that Samuel is after him. He has heard of his reputation, so he outright sought to hire him. This should make things easier for Jaron and John, though without them knowing it, it'll actually cause the opposite and make things only harder.
Ah, should've expected some trickery like this from Abbas. Excuse me my meta thinking, but having him reveal his plan now makes me wonder if… more something about that plan is going to go wrong Anyway, looks like the connection between Abbas and Janae goes deeper than what I expected. Interesting, this is definitely giving a lot of depth to Abbas' character, though I still think he is an absolute dickhead. As for the choice...
[Apologize to Abbas] Let's humor him for now, Janae, Harpy and Behara will be stuck with these people for a while. Who knows, perhaps Janae showing some regret for her actions will even set Abbas on a path of forgiveness, as unlikely as that is.
Btw, did I understand correctly that the Ryder in this part was Ryder Harrington?
Janae
During the day, the collar around her neck grew so heavy, Janae barely dared to lift her head at times. During the night, it burned… more into her flesh and she found herself scratching the flesh below, to the point where it had gotten sore. Being chained again, being someone's property once again, it was her worst nightmare gone real.
Janae wasn't one to freak out though. She nestled on the collar as often as possible, frowning at the touch of metal around her skin, she felt drained by its mere presence, yet she did not despair. Harpy and Behara were different cases entirely. Behara had never been through anything similar. Crying herself to sleep every single night, she was barely able to hold a conversation without bursting into tears. Janae was worried for her even more than she was worried for her own life.
And Harpy... Janae was certain the calmness she displayed was an act. There was something haunted in her eyes, something so … [view original content]
And the plot thickens, it seems we have already located Ryder. On a side note, I really do feel for Abbas, here's to hoping he'll live to see the end of the story.
And the plot thickens, it seems we have already located Ryder. On a side note, I really do feel for Abbas, here's to hoping he'll live to see the end of the story.
Aye, I never wanted to keep Ryder's location a secret for too long. After all, he could have just as well ended up successfully hiding for the rest of his life, Essos is huge and he had a considerable headstart, though I think (and hope) that this is a reasonable way to keep him in the story. When it comes to Abbas, his survival might be up to you actually. There are some fates, death and survival, which are set in stone and I'm not only talking about canon characters, but submitted characters as well whom I have planned to die or survive for sure. However, a majority of fates will remain up to your choices and Abbas may actually be among them.
[Apologize to Abbas]
And the plot thickens, it seems we have already located Ryder. On a side note, I really do feel for Abbas, here's to hoping he'll live to see the end of the story.
[Say nothing] I doubt that Abbas will now believe any excuse made by Janae
RT: 1) In this first Janae part of this book I can say that she is going to have a really hard time to obtain freedom again (this time together with Behara and Harpy) 2) Oh oh it seems that not only Abbas and co. are not at Lys but they are even going to skip Volantis!At this point it will be really hard for The Gutters reach them before they arrive at Yunkai (where things will only be even more complicated) 3) Good to know that Abbas and Bakr obtain some allies during their time at Lys! The first one is the gentle and pure man called Haar and the second one is the devilish creature that all the good people of the world fear called "Ryder" (and his presence make the Harrington brothers side quest be part of the main one for The Gutters) 4) Outside the two new guards it seems that Abbas has many friends/ally since in this part you mention someone that await him and Bakr at Yunkai (probably another slaver) and someone that is going to help to erase the traces of their travel at Rhoyne 5) As if the revenge reason wasn't enough we even discover in this part that Janae and Abbas had feelings to each others!This make things even more complicated! 6)Btw thank you Abbas for the history lesson,that was interesting to read 7) After have read the first part of the "rescue" team last time and the first part of the "prisoners" team today I really must say that the Essos storyline is going to be really enjoyable to read!
BQD
Abbas al-Yunkari “If I don't have a heart, what is it you have broken?”
Janae
During the day, the collar around her neck grew so heavy, Janae barely dared to lift her head at times. During the night, it burned… more into her flesh and she found herself scratching the flesh below, to the point where it had gotten sore. Being chained again, being someone's property once again, it was her worst nightmare gone real.
Janae wasn't one to freak out though. She nestled on the collar as often as possible, frowning at the touch of metal around her skin, she felt drained by its mere presence, yet she did not despair. Harpy and Behara were different cases entirely. Behara had never been through anything similar. Crying herself to sleep every single night, she was barely able to hold a conversation without bursting into tears. Janae was worried for her even more than she was worried for her own life.
And Harpy... Janae was certain the calmness she displayed was an act. There was something haunted in her eyes, something so … [view original content]
1) In this first Janae part of this book I can say that she is going to have a really hard time to obtain freedom again (this time together with Behara and Harpy)
Oh yes, it definitely is going to be a tremendously hard task, probably the hardest she ever had in her life. Last time she won her freedom, she had John's support and ultimately had to worry only for herself. This time, she has Behara and Harpy and while the latter could at least offer some support, the former is definitely a liablity to any plan she could come up with.
2) Oh oh it seems that not only Abbas and co. are not at Lys but they are even going to skip Volantis!At this point it will be really hard for The Gutters reach them before they arrive at Yunkai (where things will only be even more complicated)
Well, they were at Lys, them still being there has always been unlikely. However, Abbas' decision not to enter Volantis is going to seriously throw John off. It is illogical, picking the longer and more dangerous route, but it will be useful to throw off anyone following them. At this point, it will be nearly impossible to catch up to Abbas before he and his prisoners reach Yunkai.
3) Good to know that Abbas and Bakr obtain some allies during their time at Lys! The first one is the gentle and pure man called Haar and the second one is the devilish creature that all the good people of the world fear called "Ryder" (and his presence make the Harrington brothers side quest be part of the main one for The Gutters)
Aye, just Abbas and Bakr together with their slaves would have put serious pressure onto the slavers and I realized, a man such as Abbas would hire guards. Ryder was a logical choice, a famed warrior who is desperately seeking a way out of Lys, perfect for this job. Haar meanwhile has some obvious shortcomings, yet Abbas is clever enough to have picked him for a reason and that is experience. Haar has twenty years of experience in guarding slaves, so that makes him another useful ally for Abbas.
4) Outside the two new guards it seems that Abbas has many friends/ally since in this part you mention someone that await him and Bakr at Yunkai (probably another slaver) and someone that is going to help to erase the traces of their travel at Rhoyne
You are right, Abbas has several friends and allies in this region. Nobody is awaiting them, but Abbas has a good friend living up the river. There are also further allies, though at least some of them are reluctant (and some might be willing to help, but Abbas is a bit reluctant to ask) and you're probably going to get a better overview of the people Abbas is calling upon in this part of Essos later in this chapter.
5) As if the revenge reason wasn't enough we even discover in this part that Janae and Abbas had feelings to each others!This make things even more complicated!
Oh yeah, there is a lot of bad blood between Abbas and Janae and most of the reasons can actually be traced back to Janae. See, their roles were inverted once, with Janae, despite being a slave, being the confident one and the one in charge of their relationship. Abbas loved her deeply and so, he took her murdering his father not only for what it is, but he also considered it the ultimate betrayal on a personal level. It's worse enough that someone murdered his father, but a woman he genuinely had feelings for? As for Janae, she never felt as deeply for him, but she was at least very fond of him.
6)Btw thank you Abbas for the history lesson,that was interesting to read
Ah, it's nice you enjoyed it. Abbas is quite fascinated with history and what one can learn of it and it's safe to say he learned quite a lot out of the downfall of the rhoynish cities and the way Nymeria survived by retreating. However, this is more than just exposition, the remnants of the Rhoynar in Essos will play a part in the chapters to come
7) After have read the first part of the "rescue" team last time and the first part of the "prisoners" team today I really must say that the Essos storyline is going to be really enjoyable to read!
Glad to hear this! Essos is going to be vast (and the next PoV will also be set there and initially unrelated to either of the two established Essos storylines. I think all in all, it should be very enjoyable to read, there's a lot to look forward to
BQD
Abbas al-Yunkari
“If I don't have a heart, what is it you have broken?”
Probably the most tragic thing Abbas could have said in this moment. He is a genuine jerk, he has done plenty terrible things, but it can all be traced back to this moment and he is likely still hurting over Janae's actions. Perhaps he acts heartless today, but there has been a time in which he has been drastically different and that is important to take into account when dealing with him.
[Say nothing] I doubt that Abbas will now believe any excuse made by Janae
RT:
1) In this first Janae part of this book I can say that s… morehe is going to have a really hard time to obtain freedom again (this time together with Behara and Harpy)
2) Oh oh it seems that not only Abbas and co. are not at Lys but they are even going to skip Volantis!At this point it will be really hard for The Gutters reach them before they arrive at Yunkai (where things will only be even more complicated)
3) Good to know that Abbas and Bakr obtain some allies during their time at Lys! The first one is the gentle and pure man called Haar and the second one is the devilish creature that all the good people of the world fear called "Ryder" (and his presence make the Harrington brothers side quest be part of the main one for The Gutters)
4) Outside the two new guards it seems that Abbas has many friends/ally since in this part you mention someone that await him a… [view original content]
Janae
During the day, the collar around her neck grew so heavy, Janae barely dared to lift her head at times. During the night, it burned… more into her flesh and she found herself scratching the flesh below, to the point where it had gotten sore. Being chained again, being someone's property once again, it was her worst nightmare gone real.
Janae wasn't one to freak out though. She nestled on the collar as often as possible, frowning at the touch of metal around her skin, she felt drained by its mere presence, yet she did not despair. Harpy and Behara were different cases entirely. Behara had never been through anything similar. Crying herself to sleep every single night, she was barely able to hold a conversation without bursting into tears. Janae was worried for her even more than she was worried for her own life.
And Harpy... Janae was certain the calmness she displayed was an act. There was something haunted in her eyes, something so … [view original content]
As some of you have pointed out, it is not particularly likely that he is going to listen to this apology. However, neither is it particularly likely that this will worsen his view on Janae. It will also decide how she feels about this, as she feels quite uncertain on how to behave around Abbas. Fact is, she had a significant role in shaping him into the horrible man he is today and while the Abbas of today might not deserve all that much of her pity, she does feel a sting of regret for pretty much ruining the man he used to be. And let me assure you, the Abbas of old did not deserve what happened to his family. Anyways, their relationship will be a major factor in this storyline and will also factor into its eventual outcome, for the better or worse.
The next part should be out later today and it is a part I am very excited about! This is mostly due to the themes it tackles, which are themes never before tackled in FoT with such intensity. As such, the part might feel a little different and I hope you are still going to enjoy it. I for one hope it'll be refreshing, but ultimately, we'll see how it goes. What I can tell you is that it will be written from the perspective of a completely new PoV, who won't have any apparent ties to existing storylines, but particularly keen eyes among you might spot a hint at one connection that is actually extremely significant for one of FoT's larger arcs. It's just going to be a bit hidden at first. This new PoV will also be set in Essos, but farther to the east, probably the farthest I'm going to go with the story proper.
The Voting is closed!
Janae is going to apologize to Abbas
As some of you have pointed out, it is not particularly likely that he is g… moreoing to listen to this apology. However, neither is it particularly likely that this will worsen his view on Janae. It will also decide how she feels about this, as she feels quite uncertain on how to behave around Abbas. Fact is, she had a significant role in shaping him into the horrible man he is today and while the Abbas of today might not deserve all that much of her pity, she does feel a sting of regret for pretty much ruining the man he used to be. And let me assure you, the Abbas of old did not deserve what happened to his family. Anyways, their relationship will be a major factor in this storyline and will also factor into its eventual outcome, for the better or worse.
The next part should be out later today and it is a part I am very excited about! This is mostly due to the themes it tackles,… [view original content]
So, as I said in my earlier post, the new set of drawings is ready! This time the drawings are centered around the storyline of Garthon, and especially characters from the Sons of the Trident. Here they are:
Oh yes, I really was hoping you'd drop them here, given that Garthon is also going to return pretty soon, probably in the part after the next one (though Drent should come first and, of course, the new PoV). Now, the Sons of the Trident are one of the aspects I hope to flesh out a lot more in the chapters to come and safe to say, this made me sufficiently hyped for them. First of all, there's Edric, probably my personal favourite character out of these five, yet surprisingly not my favourite drawing It's not because I don't like his drawing, but because a certain other one is just amazing. He's great, you really captured that leader feeling he has. Next his second in command, Dacey is probably the closest to how I envisioned her to look like. With her not being picked to accompany Garthon, it'll probably take a little longer until we're going to see her again (same goes for everyone that is not Gavin), but this drawing already made me super excited for featuring her again. Onwards, to what is actually my favourite of this set. I did not expect Deywn to win this round, but he's definitely oddly intimidating, given that he's pretty much just a lanky guy with a knife. It's probably this feeling of confidence you gave him here that makes me appreciate his drawing so much. Probably not the most dangerous guy around, but with that confidence, he is not to be underestimated. Onwards to Gavin, he is one I actually wasn't sure how to envision. I really like your interpretation, it once again influenced how I myself see the character while writing. And well, it makes me super glad you chose in favour of him when it comes to Garthon's companion, because it'll mean a lot more for him in the coming Blackwood storyline. And lastly, the one guy that is not a Son of the Trident here. Christian is yet another one I was never sure how to envision, probably because he was sidelined almost worse than any other character in the story. This should change and to celebrate this occasion, I think a drawing is only in order. He's a character I barely managed to flesh out so far, but I like the detail you gave him, makes me excited to show some more depth with him. All in all, as always, thank you very much for this
On another note, I am super glad you made two posts here, because now the new part can start a new page, instead of being the last on this page. I never like having a part not on the same page as the majority of votes XD
So, as I said in my earlier post, the new set of drawings is ready! This time the drawings are centered around the storyline of Garthon, and… more especially characters from the Sons of the Trident. Here they are:
I hope you like 'em!
Comments
Jaron
For a major port on the most important sea in the known world, Lys was disturbingly rundown, an impression that became only stronger as the city came closer. Though several ships were located in the harbour, most of them were not the type Jaron would trust with bringing them from the westernmost port in Essos to Slaver's Bay, either because he distrusted the vessel itself or the crew he spotted on it.
It was a shame that their current ship would not take this direction, yet a blessing at the same that John managed to acquire the services of this particular crew at all, for Jaron knew them. At this very moment, he stood at the railing, watching the once prideful port city approaching. It had been some time since his stay at the Pale Princess, yet the people who saved his life after Butterfly's attempt to kill him remained fondly in his memory.
The captain's daughter was nearby, taking a rare break from her work, as she put her forearms onto the railing. Talea had barely changed since he had last seen her, as if the past six months had no effect on her, where Jaron barely recognized himself anymore at times. A mousy brunette, plain, yet with a sharpness to her features and her voice. Right now, she had a thin smile on her face though.
“My father claims it used to be a sight”, she explained, as they gazed at Lys in the distance. The port was large, far larger than it had to be these days. High walls blocked it off from three sides and on better days it would have looked ravishing, built in white stone and showing the remnants of ancient architecture of a kind Jaron had never seen before. High arches and even higher towers, some of them with bridges between them, an abundance of pillars, with tall statues of men and dragons seaming those buildings that were the most prominent from afar. The whole city in general was built skyward and though smaller than Oldtown, it reached higher, with the exception of the Hightower itself, which would still dwarf even the tallest of towers here in Lys. Most of these towers had openings, large holes, almost looking like mouths from afar, sometimes dozens of feet in the sky and Jaron could only imagine their original purpose.
Though he had never left Westeros before, it didn't take much to know that this city was built by Old Valyria, its towers once home to dragons. And as much of its former glory had faded, the sight still left him in awe. There was beauty to this city, even now, and the surrounding land was fertile, the sun shining onto the marble walls of the city, the white sand on the nearby beach and the blue-green waters. Palm trees were growing nearby, taller than the ones he remembered from his brief stay in Dorne. A beauty in decay, not unlike Oldtown in these regards, but foreign in a way that was equal parts exciting and dangerous. Just seeing this city caused Jaron's heart to beat faster.
“Lys the Lovely, they called it”, Talea continued. “John claims the same, but that must have been ages ago”, Jaron replied and Talea shook her head. “Not even a decade”, she told him. “I've visited it when I was a child and it was beautiful, not unlike my Braavos” Jaron raised an eyebrow. “Hard to believe it all changed that quickly”, he admitted. “What happened?”
This time, Talea's face showed a satisfied smirk. “The price of slavery”, she replied. “Lys excelled at it, you know. Every day, merchants sold thousands to every part of Essos. Every day, ships came from even farther to bring ten thousands. Slavery has always been lucrative and the Lysene, they grew greedy. Most of their merchants became involved in the trade, one way or the other”
Almost smugly, she looked at the city. “It was a disaster waiting to happen”, she continued after a moment. “Two fatal blows happened at once. Volantis grew jealous of Lys' wealth and war came over these lands. But what really finished them was the second blow, dealt by one of those they tried to ruin” She shrugged. “Can't say I feel sorry for them”, she added. “Doesn't take much to topple an economy at war and by making sure the Lysene slave trade never recovered after the war, not in the same way as the Volantene did anyway, the city was brought to the brink of bankruptcy. It'll take decades to restore it”
“They haven't stopped?”, Jaron asked and Talea shook her head. “They haven't learned”, she clarified. “Most of the Lysene merchants still try to invest in slaves, though they have taken to deal with questionable sources. It's a city of pirates now, where a life is just another good to trade”
Jaron smirked, perhaps to hide how nervous he truly was. “Sounds just like Oldtown”, he mumbled and Talea gave him a quick glance. “At least Oldtown never dealt in slaves”, she argued, to which Jaron sighed. “And I suppose there's no way to convince a Braavosi merchant to continue east?”, he asked.
Talea's smirk faded. “I'm sorry”, she replied. “You know we gladly brought you here, but Lys is as far as we'll go. My father wishes to return home and a journey to Volantis or even further, it would ruin us” Both watched the harbour coming closer, as sailors rushed over the upper deck to prepare for the docking.
From afar, Jaron could see the multitude of vessels and as Talea had told him, most of them weren't the kind he'd want to be a passenger of. Smaller fishing boats, the crew blond-haired and sunburnt, or larger vessels, with rugged sailors aboard, their skin tones ranging from pale to ebony, most of them armed in some way and with grim expressions. Some of them watched the Pale Princess as it entered the harbour and Talea tensed up. “It's not the slightest bit as I remember”, she mumbled.
“She hasn't changed a bit since I've last been here”, the coarse voice of John Gutten came from behind them, as the one-eyed sellsword approached the two. “Isn't she a beauty?” Talea raised an eyebrow. “You haven't seen the city at its peak”, she assumed, to which John shook his head. “Trust me, I've spent time here back when you were at your mother's teats”, he boasted. “It's been terrible back then. Posh and fake, all these silver-haired sons of bitches scheming against each other. Volantis knocked them down a bit. Lys today is the true Lys, hiding about as little as a cheap whore. It might be shoddy, but at least it's genuine”
Talea frowned, as Jaron watched some Lysene, clad in velvet and outfitted with umbrellas to hide their pale skin from the burning sun, promenaded around the other side of the harbour, where several finer buildings were located. The Pale Princess slowly approached this side, were Jaron even spotted a couple of men in uniform, armed with long spears, patrolling his side of the docks exclusively.
“So, we'll need a new ship to take over at least until Volantis”, Jaron stated and John gave him a nod. “If Abbas is any smart, he'll go there, though I am not sure how he means to proceed. The route by sea is a risky one between Volantis and Slaver's Bay”
“And finding a trusty captain will be even harder”, Talea mumbled, as she let out a sigh. “Listen, Jaron, I am sorry for this, but no amount of coin will be enough to convince him to go there” Jaron nodded, giving her an encouraging smile. “We'll manage”, he stated, with a confidence he himself was barely able to muster. To be completely honest, this city, even just the glimpse of it, was overwhelming and the thought that the last two weeks at sea were only the beginning was almost inconceivable. He had seen the maps, but the sheer size of Essos was still something he had a hard time dealing with. Perhaps the only thought that gave him a bit of relief was that it was not possible that Abbas and Bakr would have reached their destination by now. Whatever their final goals, he knew Harpy was still alive and that thought had brought him comfort in the past few weeks.
“Top of that, my father is still not keen on having him around any longer than necessary”, Talea sighed and as Jaron followed her gaze, he spotted Samuel arriving at the upper deck. The sailors had not forgotten his actions when he still belonged to the Solvers and it had taken John a sizeable amount of coin to convince the captain to take him with them. Samuel's lack of any genuine remorse didn't exactly help with this.
“Rest assured, you don't have to”, the sellsword growled as he came closer and Talea narrowed her eyes. “You're not exactly all that quiet, you know” The captain's daughter shook her head. “Nor do I intend to be”, she revealed. “You can be lucky we took you at all”
“Yeah, I was born lucky”, Samuel replied flatly, before he looked at Jaron. “What are your plans for our stay here?” Jaron had thought about this for a while now, so he was ready to answer at once. “Ayden promised help, his brother Arryn”, he spoke. “He told me we should look for him in the taverns or brothels”
Almost sarcastically, Samuel raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a worthy addition to our group”, he mumbled and John flashed him a grin. “My words precisely!”, he exclaimed, before he patted Jaron onto the back. “I'd love to meet that man, though you're the one with the connection” A more serious expression appeared on his face. “You and me, we should split up. You'll arrange for that Arryn to help us, meanwhile I'll check up with some of the captains, see if I can find us a ship out of here”
Jaron took a deep breath. “Splitting up?”, he asked. “I was kinda hoping you could show me around. I've never been here before... or anywhere outside of Westeros actually” John chuckled, as he patted him onto the back. “So, this is kinda your first time, huh?”, he said and Jaron gulped. “What I mean is, I doubt I'd find my way around”, he told him, to which John tilted his head.
“You don't think I'd let you leave without some aid, huh?”, he replied. “Take Temari! He's been here as long as me, surely he can lead you around” Temari raised an eyebrow. “Me and him?”, he asked, before he shook his head. “Not sure that's much of a good idea. Besides, I'd rather stay with you”
John shrugged. “Well, I'd rather get to know our new friend here”, he stated, glancing at Samuel, who frowned. “We're no friends”, he clarified. “We just have the same destination. But fine, I'll come with you if you like” With this, he looked at Jaron. “Though it doesn't really matter to me. If you want to, I'll come with you instead”
Jaron looked from Samuel to Temari. To say he knew either particularly well was a bit of a stretch, as was to say he'd get along with either. He had been through a few things with Samuel, though calling them anything but allies would be audacious and he knew it. Temari meanwhile was someone he hadn't gotten a chance to know at all. To be fair, neither was he all that keen about it, but perhaps it would be useful to win his trust. They were in this together after all.
[Take Samuel with you] [Take Temari with you]
Arthur
It wasn't long after they had left the clinic that Arthur realized they were being followed. It wasn't so much him truly knowing it, but more a thought, his instinct, something he had sharpened during his years with the city guard. He was probably not the ideal guardsman, but he still had some tricks up his sleeve.
As such, after they had left the building through the back door, Arthur had approached one of the more busy streets. The night wouldn't come for another couple of hours, though the sun was already setting, dousing the streets in twilight, perfect for Arthur and Ryler to make their escape.
He had to admit though, he was worried about Malien. While he had wisely avoided getting her involved, he had decided to sneak out without her noticing. How would the Sphynx react to that? Arthur didn't know the man particularly well, but he had the slight hope he would at least have enough restraint not to attack an innocent girl. If Ryler's fear was justified though, this hope was not as strong as he'd like it to be.
Ryler's breath fastened, sweat running down his forehead, as he found himself forced to put pressure onto his wounded leg. “Might be the only thing I regret they never did to me”, he sighed and Arthur raised an eyebrow. The younger man frowned. “The Alley Cats. The Sphynx, the old one”, he revealed. “You noticed I'm stronger than I should be. I heal faster, I am rarely out of breath”
Arthur gulped, as he realized the implications. “Is it magic?”, he asked and Ryler paused for a moment. “I never thought about it”, he admitted. “If it is, then it's probably the kind even the Maesters would be okay with. Lupin, the old Sphynx, he called it alchemy. Secrets from the east, from Asshai and even further” A grim expression appeared on his face, his mismatched eyes haunted by the memories he thought about. “The one they call the Moggy, he's been through the same and more. He's a perfected version of what I should have been”
The thought of the giant among the Alley Cats crept into Arthur's mind and he shivered at the thought that Ryler could have become the same. “First they improve. That's what they did with me, at least they started with it, before I got away”, the boy explained. “Then they take away. Pain goes first. That would have been handy right now. But they don't stop. Piece by piece, they slice apart what makes us human. Pain, memories, emotions, they take away what they don't need and warp the rest”
“And the Moggy has been through this very procedure?”, Arthur asked, feeling a shiver run down his spine. Ryler nodded. “He's an animal by now”, he stated. “The Tom's mad hound. The best thing one can do for him is to put him out of his misery”
As Arthur glanced over his shoulder, he spotted a chilling sight through the people they passed as they made their way down one of the larger streets. A mask, black and red, its wielder clad in white. “He's following us”, Arthur growled and Ryler tensed up. He opened his mouth to speak, yet only a pained gasp came out of it. As Arthur glanced at him, he noticed the wound had reopened, fresh blood running down the boy's lower leg.
They couldn't escape him forever, could they? He knew they were somewhere among the crowd and if he hadn't spotted them yet, he would in a few moments. The Alley Cats had power in this city, probably more than Arthur could ever have. If it was his word against theirs, whom would Commander Daemion trust more? No, they had to avoid the man and the best way by now would be to leave the crowded street while he would not expect it.
“This way, quickly”, Arthur hissed, as he pulled Ryler into the nearest side street. The young man pressed his lips together, clenching his fists. “I'm trying”, he replied, though he could not prevent a small limp, which slowed him down at least somewhat. And yet, they made it, or at least Arthur hoped so, as he quickly pushed Ryler into an even more narrow street, more a gap between two houses, glancing out of it onto the main street.
The masked man marched past their alleyway, continuing on the main street and Arthur sighed in relief. “He hasn't seen us”, he spoke and Ryler nodded, still frowning from the stress this put his wounded leg through. It was in this moment that he tensed up, as he felt something touching his back. It was a sensation he thankfully rarely had to feel, yet nonetheless, he recognized the tip of a knife when he felt it. “He hasn't”, the woman behind him hissed sharply. “However, I can assure you, I had you two in my sights for a while now”
Arthur took a deep breath, while Ryder tensed up beneath his grip. “Nothing to say?”, the woman whispered. “One of you's wounded, the other's a dolt, so you better don't try anything right now” The tip of the blade moved upwards, stopping right at Arthur's upper spine, between the shoulder blades.
“Is... this a robbery?”, Arthur asked, the first thing that came to his mind. The woman chuckled. “Coin is not what I'm after”, she revealed. “We three are going for a walk and then, I'll have a couple of questions” Arthur clenched his fists, cursing the fact that he was, in fact, unarmed. Ryler was wounded, the woman was right with this and to make matters worse, he had gotten pale, his breaths becoming faster and his bleeding hadn't stopped. He needed a fresh set of bandages.
“My friend needs help”, he spoke and the blade dug into his back, not deep enough to wound him in the slightest, but enough to cause a truly uncomfortable feeling. “Go, guard”, the woman hissed. “I'll tell you where. You don't comply, you die, simple as that. It's your friend I'm interested in”
With this, she pushed him forward, using her knife to direct him. She was close and Arthur could feel her breath, though not up his neck, but a little lower, meaning she had to be quite short, probably a good head or more. “Is this about the Alley Cats?”, Ryler gasped. He was clinging onto Arthur's forearm, glancing down at his wounded leg and any thought of defiance seemed to have left him, as the pain had to be intense.
“Among other things”, the woman confirmed. “It's more than that though. You've been a pain in the ass to some friends of mine and as it turns out, we know preciously little about you” Arthur narrowed his eyes, as the woman pushed him down the alleyway for a bit. “You're not part of them, right?”, he asked. “My loyalty is not with the cats, no”, the woman confirmed. “Not with all of them, at least”
“Lupin”, Ryler growled and this time, the woman outright chuckled coldly. “Do I sound like Lupin to you?”, she asked in return. “If it makes this easier for you, I've never met this Lupin you speak about and for all I've heard of him, that is for the better” By now, she approached a nearby door and Arthur noticed it wasn't entirely closed, allowing him to push it open as she directed him towards it.
The room behind was the ground floor of a simple house in this part of town. It was dark inside, the open door and a few narrow windows giving only barely enough light to spot everything in this room. A couple chairs, a table, a fireplace in the corner. A set of stairs led to the upper floor, a hatch on the ground to the basement.
Finally, the pressure on Arthur's back got released, as he received a heavy push, making him stumble into the room. He accidentally pulled Ryler with him and the young man yelped in pain, as he fell to the floor, clutching his bleeding leg. “Please, he needs help!”, Arthur was quick to say, even before he turned around.
“That is not my call to make”, the woman disagreed. “Rodrik will decide” Arthur raised an eyebrow as he turned around, finally seeing the woman who had so effortlessly abducted both of them. To his surprise, she was more a girl than a woman. Short and slim, she looked young, younger than Ryler even. Her hair was light blonde and her eyes had a cold blue tone. Though with soft features, her expression was hard, harsh even, and bitter, the pale skin putting emphasis onto the thick scar on her cheek.
“You're a child!”, Arthur exclaimed and she narrowed her eyes. “Rude”, she commented on it. “I might look a bit young for my age, but that is uncalled for” She pointed the knife at him now, the blade longer than usual with such weapons, the tip sharp and threatening. “You're not making me want to spare you when saying stuff like that”
Arthur was quick to raise his hands. “Alright, alright”, he assured her quickly. “Whatever you want, we can work this out. Nobody needs to die today” This time, she seemed almost disappointed. “Huh, if you say so”, she replied. “I don't have order to kill you or it would have been done by now. But watch your tongue” She put her free hand onto her chest. “My name is Lucia and I am not a child”
Arthur gulped, before he nodded. “Lucia, okay”, he greeted her. “I am Arthur, this is Ryler” As he said this name, her eyes narrowed momentarily. “I don't really think I care for your name”, she told him. “But you seem willing to follow a couple simple orders. Do that and maybe we can work something out. Rodrik wouldn't like it if this... Ryler bleeds out on my floor before he arrives”
“Okay, what do you want?”, Arthur asked and she smirked coldly. “You drag your friend to the other end of the room. Sit down on the ground. Shut your mouth. I'll throw you a couple bandages, you help him. If you stand up, I'll put a knife in your skull”
She absolutely meant it, as Arthur realized. Though if it'd get Ryler the help he needed... It was in this moment, that the young man grabbed the lower end of his shirt, causing his attention to shift to him. “Rodrik...”, he mumbled. “She's talking about the Sphynx”
“Smart boy”, Lucia complimented him and Arthur's eyes widened. This however changed quite a bit. After what Ryler just told him about the Alley Cats, the Sphynx in particular, this man was the last he'd like to be captured by. Defiance hadn't been on his mind with a knife to his back, but now she was standing in front of him, she was short and slim and perhaps a decade younger than him. He could be able to take her, knock her out and then get away from there, to get Ryler some real help... of course, she was armed, so fighting her would come at a risk...
[Follow her order] [Try to fight her]
[Take Temari with you] I'm fine with either choice here, and I certainly wouldn't object to more scenes between Jaron and Samuel, but I think Temari deserves some time in the spotlight as well. And like Jaron thinks here, it would be good for the two of them to build some trust between each other. Also, if this would also give us a part with John and Samuel interacting and working together, well, that would be just a plus
Anyway, FoT has now officialy entered Essos! I'm so excited to see what you have in store for Lys and beyond
[Try to fight her] Eh, if it was the Tom who was coming for them, I might've chose the other option. However, I just can't see anything good coming from being the Sphynx's captive, so we might as well try to resist. Of course, it is very likely that Arthur will just fail and be beaten by this Lucia, but we have to try at least. I doubt you'd kill Arthur here though, so I don't feel like the risk is too big.
Well, with this I shall confirm that if Temari is not chosen to accompany Jaron here, he will instead appear by John's side (as John will have a storyline of his own in this chapter), whereas the other option would mean interaction between John and Samuel. All four are likely going to share scenes in either combination in the things to come, but I thought it could be nice to leave their initial interaction up to this choice
Aye, it has officially started! Essos will be a major location in the things to come and in fact, I have plans for the next two parts to also be featured there, with PoV's from Janae and a completely new character. Lys will only be the beginning.
Ah, I can understand that. The Tom is surely the better option to be captured by, at least in general, though to be absolutely honest here, I'd try my best not to be captured by either. The Tom might have some honour left, but he's still a cruel bastard. And well, you might be on to something there, though while we're on the topic of PoV deaths, let me assure you that I plan to be less predictable this time around. Book 1 was the build up, where killing a PoV off after just five or six chapters made little sense and where the truly meaningful deaths occured only in the final third. In Book 2, I have a huge and fully established cast of characters already and many of them have already lived up to most of their potential, so I am probably going to spread death more evenly instead of cramming half of it into the final two chapters
[Take Temari with you]
[Follow her order]
[Take Temari with you] At least he knows the city better, and he hasn't played a very big role yet.
[Follow her order] She's not kidding about killing, so is better to not fight right now.
[Take Temari with you]
[Follow her order]
[Take Samuel with you]
[Try to fight her]
[Take Temari with you]
I want to read different interactions between the characters and Temari need to be in the spotlight for a change
[Follow her order] Let's play it safe
RT:
1) In the last Kyra part we read the first marriage inside all FoT! Such a joyous celebration!
2) Btw I notice in that part the return of some old characters of the story like Vermont and one of the Blacktyde siblings and the introduction of some new characters like another member of the Codd family
3) Finally Jaron left Oldtown and we read the first part outside Westeros! Jaron/John storyline at Lys is going to be really fun!
4) The Pale Princess has return! And who knows when will see that ship again!
5) Arthur and Ryler leave me without words...they make themselves cornered by a kid
BQD:
John Gutten
“It's been terrible back then. Posh and fake, all these silver-haired sons of bitches scheming against each other. Volantis knocked them down a bit. Lys today is the true Lys, hiding about as little as a cheap whore. It might be shoddy, but at least it's genuine”
[Take Temari with you] New friend, new relationship, yeah.
[Try to fight her] Must. Be. Violent.
Hello Lys, part of Essos but also an island. Haven't you had a rough century? It's interesting that the Storm King and Aegon was involved in all that mess.
Lucia does not seem to be a character I will like. She'll probably hurt Arthur once he fails to take her out.
[Take Temari with you]
[Try to fight her]
[Take Samuel with you]
[Try to fight her]
I don't think getting captured is a good idea, but I have a feeling that it'll happen regardless.
[Take Temari with you]
[Follow her order]
I realized you are correct, it is indeed the first marriage ceremony in the entire story, setting a prime example for a good and healthy marriage. That being said, it probably won't be the last, nor will those to come be equally depressing. Sometimes, good things can still happen. Not this time though, this marriage is going to be exactly as happy as you'd expect it to be.
Yes indeed, some of the minor characters from Book 1 have made their return now. In general, Book 2 will give some deeper spotlight and insight to many of the Ironborn characters I only managed to gloss over in Book 1. Among others, Velmont and the Blacktyde siblings will receive a decent amount of development.
This I think I can confirm. Both will have a connected storyline in this chapter, each working on part of their goal and all in all, I really look forward to give you a deeper perspective in Essos, with Jaron, John, Janae and a fourth PoV all having parts there in this chapter
Aye, I felt like giving them another appearance, given I basically left them behind about two years ago. As to when we'll see them again, how about John's next part? Aside from that though, don't expect a major storyline from the Pale Princess crew. It was nice catching up to them again though, so who knows what I'll decide on in the future.
Well, I can absolutely confirm, Lucia is not a kid. She does look really young for her age, but she's actually one of these people who just look young. In our world, she'd be legally an adult and due to her short size and youthful features, she looks a good five years younger than she truly is. Sounds a bit odd, but I know people like that, I went to school with several who never really seemed to hit puberty. She is also quite capable at doing sneaky stuff and Arthur and Ryler were way too preoccupied with avoiding the Sphynx to even consider that someone else, especially someone not belonging to the Alley Cats, could track them down as well. If Ryler would have been in a better condition, they probably would have fought back, but the thing is, Mathea had to cut away a bit of his flesh to treat his wound, therefore creating a larger, yet ultimately cleaner wound and that wound has opened, means he is actually in a bad condition and in the need of medical aid. Good thing Lucia works for probably the most skilled healer in the entire story, right?
Hehe, John might be one of the few people who like the new Lys better. There's little we know of the Lysene society of these years, but my take on it is that it used to be actually horrible. Being always second behind Volantis in terms of claiming some of the lost glory of Valyria, I guess that must have really hurt the Lysene pride. As such, its nobility used to be this bunch of fake, backstabbing assholes, competing for power with each other. The war with Volantis and Absidee ruining their slave economy has knocked them down quite a bit and we know that eventually, Lys will indeed recover to the point where it ends up as one of the most beautiful cities in the known world. Right now, the Lyseni are far from achieving this, but John appreciates that they are forced to be honest for once.
Not only a rough century, but a particularly rough decade. There was the war against Volantis, in which Aegon and Argilac actually fought on the same side and they actually made things better for Lys, by defeating Volantis. Around the same time, there was Meria's spymistress Absidee, who used the tumultous war economy to destroy the Lysene slave trade, pretty much the pillar which supported 90% of their wealth. The results have not been pretty.
Ah, we'll see if you end up liking her or not. Lucia is definitely a complicated character, difficult to deal with, but not without intriguing elements, which I hope to reveal in time. You will learn a serious lot more about her in Arthur's next part and it might help you with deciding if you like her or not. Let's just say, she is absolutely ready to hurt Arthur if he causes trouble, but if she is capable of doing so, that is another thing entirely.
[Take Temari with you]
[Try to fight her]
[Take Temari with you]
[Try to fight her]
[Take Temari with you]
[Follow her order]
[Take Temari with you]
[Follow her order]
Hey I know it’s been awhile but I finally caught up! Really bummed out about Richard’s death and I hope for the best for Jenna.
Edrick’s story was amazing last chapter and I feel more connected with the characters. I’m not sure if I’d say he’d replace Marak but he’s definitely up there in my favorite’s list now.
Ah, welcome back! I am happy to hear you caught up again
Richard's death, well, it has been a hard one for me as well, he's been with the story from the very beginning, even if he has never been among the most popular PoV's. I simply always hate killing one of them off XD At the same time, Richard was at the end of his road. There would have been little for him going forward, it's up to Jenna now to uphold his ideals.
And I am glad you warmed up to Edrick and his cast with this new twist in his storyline! I definitely loved writing the Codd's in the last chapter, they should be a very interesting factor in the parts to come, as I have what I believe to be quite nice plans for them
The Voting is closed!
Jaron is going to take Temari with him
Arthur is going to try and fight Lucia
With the first one, I much approve of this option. I had interactions planned for John and Temari, as well as for Jaron and Samuel, but this choice is arguably shaking up the dynamics between the two duos by making Jaron and Temari, as well as John and Samuel interact more. They are in this together, so this is probably for the better. That being said, both possible companions for Jaron would have brought something to the table the other won't, so there will be effects beyond just being the guy that accompanies him. Meanwhile, there actually was a tie in the second choice. In the absence of Arthur's creator, I will break the tie by counting the first vote twice, means Arthur will end up fighting Lucia. It remains to be seen if this is for the better. Arthur is almost two heads taller, he is likely stronger, so he has a physical advantage, yet Lucia has a knife and quite a harsh temper, so there are serious risks to this as well. You will learn a lot more about her in the next part though, so I am curious how the opinion on her will develop
The next part should be out today. I am currently writing a Janae part which I think I should finish later today. However, she might not be the only PoV in this part. I am not yet sure about this, though in case she won't have enough material before her first choice to justify a part of her own, I'll include Drent as the second PoV, as I announced last time. You know where he left off. Janae meanwhile, it has been quite some time since we last saw her. She has been in a bad situation where we left off, captured by Abbas, the son of her former master, who has a probably even understandable grudge against her for killing his father. With her are the similarly captured Behara, as well as Harpy, whom Abbas took with him after returning to Oldtown in the final chapter of Book 1, with intentions to sell the former to the highest bidder and the latter to her former master. Since then, they have been taken to Essos and are currently in the Disputed Lands between Lys and Volantis and that is where we' cattch up with them again.
Janae
During the day, the collar around her neck grew so heavy, Janae barely dared to lift her head at times. During the night, it burned into her flesh and she found herself scratching the flesh below, to the point where it had gotten sore. Being chained again, being someone's property once again, it was her worst nightmare gone real.
Janae wasn't one to freak out though. She nestled on the collar as often as possible, frowning at the touch of metal around her skin, she felt drained by its mere presence, yet she did not despair. Harpy and Behara were different cases entirely. Behara had never been through anything similar. Crying herself to sleep every single night, she was barely able to hold a conversation without bursting into tears. Janae was worried for her even more than she was worried for her own life.
And Harpy... Janae was certain the calmness she displayed was an act. There was something haunted in her eyes, something so bitter and angry that Janae recognized a piece of herself in the girl and not one she wished upon anyone else. She took her enslavement well on a surface level, yet the sheer hatred that flared up in her eyes anytime she looked at Abbas proved this calmness to be anything but genuine.
A lot had happened since then. At night, forced into a small room on Abbas' ship, they had left Oldtown. Two weeks at sea, chained below deck, listening to Behara crying herself to sleep and Harpy barely finding any at all. The chains allowed them a relative freedom of movement in the room itself, though Janae had quickly noticed there was no way out. The door was reinforced and as a matter of fact, so was the hull of the ship. There was nothing to pick a lock in this room, nothing aside from the comforts she'd expect of a prison cell.
Abbas and Bakr seemed to be comfortable sailing the ship on their own during these times, though they had made an extensive stop at Lys to hire more guards, during which Janae hadn't even seen them for most of the day, just for what she considered the feeding sessions, where Bakr would come and throw them some scraps. Swallowing her pride pretty early into her captivity, Janae knew this defiance would only hurt her, so she ate what they brought. Behara however had barely managed to swallow any of it and it definitely wasn't due to the quality of what they were given. Even Janae had to admit, she had eaten worse.
That was what threw her off the most. She had braced herself for torment, for abuse that never came and slowly, over the course of weeks, this seeming indifference was what caused her resilience to waver. Abbas was the one she had expected to take revenge. At least, she expected him to act like his father, to act like he did before capturing Harpy. And yet, she had barely seen him over the last two months.
With two new guards, he even seemed confident allowing her relative freedom of movement aboard his small boat. Always with a collar, her hands in chains, unable to be much of a threat to anyone and always without Harpy or Behara. Not that they would have been much of a help in either way. It was up to Janae to get them out of here and she could trust no one with this task but herself.
On this day, she had gotten up early. The room the three were kept in was dark, the air hot. Sitting against the hull of the ship, she sighed, as she stretched her aching back. “Can't sleep anymore?”, the voice of Harpy mumbled next to her. Janae shook her head, before realizing that the other woman likely couldn't see her all that well. “No”, she replied, keeping her voice down out of consideration for Behara. “You?”
“I tried”, Harpy replied. “What I see when I close my eyes... I rather stay awake than facing him again” Janae raised an eyebrow. “Him?”, she asked and Harpy sighed, her voice stressed as she continued. “Razdal”, she spoke. “Between him and Abbas, I'd say your future master is the kinder one”
“I doubt they're much different”, Janae replied, to which Harpy moved in the darkness, sitting down next to her. “You don't know Razdal”, she stated, to which Janae shook her head. “And you don't know Abbas”, she replied. Both were silent after these simple statements, until Harpy spoke up again. “Do you?”, she asked.
In the darkness, Janae's eyes widened. “I...”, she began, before she paused. “I knew the man he used to be” With this, she gulped. “I am not sure I still know him”, she admitted. She felt Harpy's hand on her shoulder. “We'll get out of this”, she promised and Janae smiled. “It's not me whom you should encourage”, she clarified, before she paused again. “Harpy, can you promise me something?”
Harpy did not reply at first, though the hand on Janae's shoulder tensed up. “What is it?”, she asked. Janae's smile grew thinner until it faded, unseen in the darkness. “If he does anything to me... kills me, or... should I ever be unable to, I want you to look out for Behara” She placed a hand on her shoulder, on top of Harpy's. “In my stead”
The other woman took a notable gasp and Janae was once again reminded that she was barely older than Behara, perhaps even slightly younger. There was a notable difference in maturity though. Harpy had been through more than a girl her age should be, where Behara had kept her innocence. It was something Janae had to preserve and if anyone could understand this, it would be Harpy.
“In your stead”, she confirmed. “But it won't come to this, I...he'll come for me, for us, I know it” Janae smiled, as a memory of John flashed through her mind. Her bear would come as well, it was the one thing she was still certain of. “Your knight”, she mumbled. “Do you love him?”
For a brief moment, Harpy's voice softened. “Yes”, she said, her tone equal parts more happy and more sad than Janae had ever heard her. “The situation we've been through, it has been complicated, it has been messed up. Me and Jaron, what we had, what we... still have, I hope, that was about the only easy thing in it. The one thing I am certain of” She took a deep breath. “He will come”
“So will John”, Janae confirmed, knowing the certainty Harpy felt, sharing it even. The problem was just, would they be fast enough? Could she keep Abbas at bay for long enough? She left it unspoken, but heard the same doubt in Harpy's conviction, if only for a second.
It was in this moment that the door got pushed open. Janae tensed up, while Harpy suppressed a small scream. The sudden light of a torch hurt her eyes and she shielded them from it, though in a brief second, she spotted the man carrying it and her heart sunk. Out of the two guards, Haar was by far her least favourite. A few years older than her, he was old for sellsword standards and slightly on the heavy side. He had black hair that already showed signs of early balding, a heavy tan and a notable beard shade. Scarred from battle, the most notable was running down his cheek, barely missing the left eye. Wrapped in a lion's pelt, he was a fearsome sight, yet the quickness with which he used the leash was unarguably worse than any look. “Janae!”, he roared.
Behara awoke from his loud opening of the door and his yelling and she let out a brief, shrill shriek, as she crawled away from her. Harpy was quick to react, before Haar could even focus onto the girl, she moved over to her, wrapping her into a hug, calming her down in an instant, as she stared at the sellsword. Behara however did not dare to look, especially not after she had noticed the way Haar was looking at her in return, the way he looked at her right now. It made Janae sick and vicious with anger, yet acting out on it would only earn her his ire.
“Yes?”, she growled and the sellsword moved his away from Behara. “Abbas wishes to speak to you”, he told her, his hand moving to the whip on his belt. “You will come with me now” He came closer and she could smell the alcohol from his breath. It was no secret that at least part of his payment was in wine, the very same Abbas had taken from the Burned Man's property and he seemed to put these bottles to use.
As his hand moved from the whip to the key he kept next to it, Janae glanced at Harpy. There was hatred in her dark eyes, a haunting expression that twisted her features. Subtly, Janae shook her head. If John and this Jaron would be after them, Haar would eventually get his fate. But for now, she couldn't lay a finger on him.
“You have been drinking”, she stated, preventing the sellsword from glancing at Harpy and perhaps noticing her expression. The younger woman quickly calmed herself, a mask of indifference on her face, as she moved a hand through Behara's hair to keep her frightened friend calm.
Haar narrowed his eyes. “Does it matter?”, he growled. “A man must have some joy in his life” His grin was repulsive. “Three beauties down here and he denies them to me. Wine makes for a better companion, to be honest. Makes me happy, never talks back, always wet and in the mood” His gaze moved back to Behara. “Of course, maybe he has promised me one of you already, who knows...”
Behara's eyes widened and Janae clenched her fists. Harpy outright jumped up, between the two. “This is close enough”, she warned him. “You're scaring her. Back off, just do what you came for” Haar raised an eyebrow. “Or what?”, he asked.
“Or I'll show you what I learned in Oldtown”, Harpy growled, the threat in her voice as open as he disgust. “Doesn't matter when, but I will and you won't see it coming” Haar narrowed his eyes. “The pretty slave girl talks too much”, he replied. “Keep talking and your master will rip your tongue from your head”
Harpy bared her teeth. “Threaten me as you like, but you will not scare her and you will not harm her”, she barked. Haar smirked, the kind of smirk only a drunken man could have, as clenched his fists. “Abbas wants to talk to me?”, Janae interjected swiftly, trying to break up whatever conflict was arising between the two. It worked, as Haar quickly shifted his attention back to her. “Yeah”, he confirmed. “And we shouldn't keep him waiting”
Wordlessly and actually without another glance at Harpy and Behara, he moved to free Janae of the chains that kept her confined to his room. “You first”, he ordered. “Abbas is on the upper deck” Janae gave him a nod, before she glanced at her friends. Behara was clinging onto Harpy and the other woman gave her a confident nod. She smiled at this, before she began moving.
Haar was behind her the entire time, through the narrow hallway behind their cell, past the room for the guards, past Bakr's room, past Abbas' room and the storage, up a steep set of stairs and finally onto the upper deck. Janae was greeted by bright sunlight and it pained her more than Haar's torch did. Quickly however, her eyes adjusted and she saw the landscape she was in.
To both sides of the ship, she could see a shore in the distance, indicating that they were sailing down a large river, though to the south, she could see the open sea, the water blue as the sky in the sunlight. Both shores had extensive beaches, the hills above covered in short, yellow grass. A couple of small trees stood on the western shore, though the eastern was barren.
Worse than that was that behind the eastern beach and a small patch of grass, Janae could see a desolated land, dry ground, cracked and charred, not even grass growing there. The ruins of a city were seen in the distance, reaching to the open sea. Massive walls, blackened by some ancient fire, toppled towers, most of its buildings destroyed almost beyond all recognition.
Abbas sat on a chair, watching the ruins, with Bakr leaning against the railing next to him. He had his back turned and the first to spot her was the other guard. Janae didn't know the man very well. His name was Ryder and Abbas seemed to be very confident with hiring him. At the same time, he seemed to be very eager to get away from Lys, where they had found him. Not a very talkative man, she hadn't gotten much out of him yet. All she knew was that at least he was calmer than Haar, respectful, if not necessarily caring.
Finally, after Haar cleared his throat, Abbas glanced over his shoulder. He frowned as he spotted Janae, though gave her a nod, indicating that she should come closer. “Thank you, Haar”, he said. “You can take a break now, I'll call for you when I require your service again”
The sellsword saluted briefly, before lazily dragging himself below deck again. Abbas sighed, as he stared at Janae, who in return tilted her head. “This is not Volantis”, she stated and he smirked coldly. “Obviously”, he replied, to which she raised an eyebrow. “I thought you would buy supplies there”, she brought up.
Abbas shook his head. “This is Sarhoy”, he revealed. “First of the rhoynish cities to fall to the dragonlords in the Second Spice War. Their dragons burned the city to the ground and the Volantene salted the surrounding fields. The people of Sarhoy were killed or taken as slaves” He shrugged. “I've heard of this tale years ago and always quite liked it. The people of Sarhoy tried to fight against a stronger opponent, they lost and paid their price. Nymeria of Ny Sar did not repeat their mistake, she tricked the dragonlords and managed to flee. She survived and found a new home and a new life for her people in Dorne”
Janae narrowed her eyes. “Where are you taking us?”, she asked. Abbas chuckled. “Not to Volantis”, he answered. “It is the largest of the Free Cities, a place where every traveller in these lands will go to” His smile faded, replaced by the cold look she has come to know from him. “I know we are being followed”, he revealed. “Your friends will follow, as you told me. And I have seen how that bastard knight looks at our Lady Harpy. He'll do anything to get her back. A reckless man would face him, but I have learned from Sarhoy and Nymeria” He put a hand onto his chest. “I will not fight my enemies if I don't know I can beat them”, he said softly. “Let them waste their time in a city I've never been to, following a trail that is not there”
Though her heart beat faster after this revelation, Janae pulled herself together. She had counted on Volantis, on the bureaucracy of the First Daughter to stall Abbas until John would catch up with him. Her voice shivered slightly as she opened her mouth to speak again. “So we take a different route”, she clarified. “Up the Rhoyne?”
“And then onwards over the roads”, Abbas confirmed. “I have a friend up the Rhoyne, in Volon Theris. He'll take the ship to Volantis, where it will remain to confuse your friends even further” After that, we will continue by land, over Mantarys, until we take a ship in Tolos, which will lead us right to Yunkai”
“Of course, it means we have to deal with her”, Bakr mumbled and Abbas shot him a glare. Janae raised an eyebrow and Abbas sighed. “None of your concern”, he barked and for a moment, the anger on his face made way for a different and much more familiar expression. There was a remnant of sadness on his face, as well as the uncertainty she had found so charming all these years ago.
Abbas seemed to notice it as well, a look of frustration appearing on his face. “Bakr, Ryder”, he growled and both men listened up. “Leave us for a moment” While Ryder followed the order at once and without hesitation, Bakr waited for a moment. “Are you... sure?”, he asked. “I mean, alone with her? Shall I at least call for Haar?”
“Leave us”, Abbas hissed and the portly man quickly hurried now. “Of course!”, he stated, before he was gone as well, only Janae and Abbas remaining on the upper deck. The slaver stared at the ruins of Sarhoy. “The Dragonlords did the worst they could to the Rhoynar”, he mumbled. “They massacred their armies, they slew their champions, they ruined an entire culture” He sharply looked over his shoulder, at her standing there. “I know this because I studied it after you were gone”, he told her. “In the months following your departure, I found tales of wrath to be the most uplifting” His gaze wandered to her clenched fists. “And I know what you're thinking about”
“Oh yeah?”, Janae asked and he nodded. “You think about strangling me with your chains”, he deduced correctly. “It is an urge I see in your eyes. It is in your very nature, murderer” Janae bit down onto her lower lip, as they shared a look, united in nothing but cold anger.
“Let me make this a bit easier for you”, Abbas said, as he stood up. Her first instinct was to stagger away from him, though she held her ground as he approached her. Almost softly, Abbas grabbed her hand, holding it for a moment, before he did something surprising. He removed the chains around her wrist.
“What...”, Janae started, though Abbas cut her off. “You can kill me”, he told her. “I saw you fighting. You always were the fiercest, the strongest and bravest I ever knew” There was a remnant of affection shivering in his voice, though he himself crushed it as he regained his composure. “You on your own will find a way to escape and these chains will be nothing but an inconvenience”
“So you decide to make things easier for me?”, Janae asked, as she raised an eyebrow. Abbas shook his head. “I decide to make things easier for me”, he clarified. “I know how you fight and the path up the river can be a dangerous one. If it comes, I don't trust in Ryder and Haar alone. But you will fight for your survival, won't you?”
Janae nodded. “I always do”, she agreed. “Though I could just escape if I want to, could jump overboard right now and swim to safety” Abbas gave her a nod. “You can escape on your own”, he clarified. “But Behara will remain a prisoner and I have seen how you look at her. You will never leave her, am I right?”
“And if I do...”, Janae began, not finishing her sentence, for how terrible this very thought was. Abbas nodded. “You can count on me putting her through a hell beyond all you could ever imagine”, he promised. “I'll sell her as a slave regardless, yes, but to a good master if you behave. The Graces can be kind and they are always in need of servants. She'll have a good, long life with them” Pain appeared on his face. “It is more than you deserve, after what you did”
Janae barely recognized him as he stood there. It was not the first time she noticed how much he had changed, but in this moment, beneath the hatred and bitterness she had for his entire line, she felt an ounce of pity for what he had lost, for the man he used to be.
“What happened to you?”, she asked and Abbas sighed, as he sat down on the chair, his arms leaning onto the railing of the ship. For a moment, his sharp glare grew sullen, a streak of melancholy, almost as if he could see himself the way she used to see him, the way she saw him right now. “You happened”, he mumbled, his eyes not capable of meeting hers.
They were both silent after this, looking at the ruins of Sarhoy, were not a single blade of grass would ever grow again. “I want to ask you something”, Abbas finally said, breaking the silence. Janae gave him a wordless nod. “Why have you killed him? I know my father was not a kind master, but you... you went out of your way to slay him”
Janae tensed up. “He stood in the way of my freedom”, she answered and Abbas shook his head. “He was defeated. You broke your chains and you could have escape with ease, but you sneaked back and you cut his throat and I want to know why!” Anger flared up in his voice.
“He... deserved it”, Janae simply said. “For what he did” Abbas' fist slammed down onto the wood of the railing. “And what have you done?”, he barked. “Do you have any idea what this did to my family? We've never been rich, but with all of our wealth gone in an instant, our rivals tore us apart like dogs fighting over scraps” He put a hand onto his chest. “You killed my father, but I had to live with your actions. Tell me, after everything we shared, have you even thought about what happened to me after you killed him?”
Janae gulped. “Every single day”, she spoke and it wasn't the exact truth. Abbas raised an eyebrow. “Really?”, he asked, to which she sighed. “I was free, Abbas”, she told him. “Can you even imagine how it is to be caged? To be treated like an animal?”
“It is why I tried to be different”, Abbas replied. “I thought my love could be enough” Janae shook her head. “It wasn't”, she simply said. “Nothing was enough to replace my freedom, because nothing can be. Your father took the most precious thing from me and for that, to regain it without doubt, I had to kill him”
“Then you know why I have to do what I do”, Abbas replied, to which Janae shook her head. “I know you loved me”, she said. “And for a while, I thought I feel the same” She bit down onto her lower lip. “We were both wrong” Abbas gulped, though said nothing, which caused Janae to tilt her head. “I know why you want revenge on me. I... can even understand it. But Behara... Abbas, why her? The man I knew would have never harmed her”
“I am no longer the same man”, Abbas stated with certainty and Janae knew he was right. He narrowed his eyes. “But the girl... I feel nothing for her. You however... she's basically family to you and you taught me a thing about family”, he growled. “Nothing hurts more than losing family” He gave her a cruel smirk, though it did not reach the sorrow in his eyes. “I took her because I want to hurt you the way you hurt me”
Janae clenched her fists, now free of her chains and it took her a lot not to punch him right there. To beat him until nothing was left, no matter the consequences. “I was wrong about you”, she hissed, trying to find something, anything, to hurt him. “I thought you were a good man, but I see clearer now” She narrowed her eyes. “You are just as heartless as your father”
Abbas' smirk faded. “If I don't have a heart, what is it you have broken?”, he replied gingerly, his voice momentarily breaking. Janae avoided his gaze, as she remembered the man he used to be. He had long hair once and he had not been a fighter, but an artist, a painter. He had been gentle and he had been kind and he had loved her. And she had taken his father, had taken everything from him for her revenge. What exactly was it that made her better than him?
“This is where we stand then”, Abbas mumbled. “It's all said and done... isn't it?” He did not look at her. Instead, he focussed onto the ruins in the distance, as the ship sailed past them up the Rhoyne. Janae stared at her shaking fists, freed of their chains for the time being. There he was, a man she used to love, a man she had wounded and betrayed. The son of the man who took her freedom, who caged her and forced her to fight. The man that enslaved her again and did the same to Behara out of spite and to Harpy out of greed. There was only one thing she could say to him and she was not sure if she could ever muster the strength for it, was not sure if he even deserved it.
[Apologize to Abbas] [Say nothing]
[Apologize to Abbas] Well, this was an important revelation. As much as his father deserved it, maybe apologizing can ease the treatment.
So J Team will have to realize they're not in Volantis while they're in Lys, otherwise they could lose weeks of valuable time.
[Say nothing] Apology implies that Janae regrets her actions, which to be honest I don’t really think so. Maybe a little for Abbas, but not really.
Yuck too my romanticism.
Ah Mordor. So, so beautiful.
Hm. Hm. Hm. Hm.......
[Apologize to Abbas]
I can confirm, his father absolutely deserved it, he has been a cruel master, mentally and physically abusive of his slaves and Janae had very understandable reasons to come back for him after managing to escape. Abbas sees this differently of course, because while they never truly gotten along (mostly because the soft Abbas was never the heir he wanted), he was still his father and as such, he has changed tremendously due to Janae's actions. She kinda created her own nemesis here and for once, she only has herself to blame. Understandable as it might be, what she did was still selfishly enacting her vengeance, for no one's gain but her own and that is precisely what Abbas is paying her back now.
There's actually something even worse to consider here. Jaron and John don't go to Volantis to chase after Abbas, they go to Volantis because according to Joshawa's information, that is where Ryder is heading to. As it turns out, Joshawa can be wrong, he made a good assumption and one that would have been correct if not for Abbas tricking him as well. They mean to find Ryder in Volantis, so that Samuel can finish his revenge and then fully commit his considerable skills to their fight. If not for that, the route over Volantis and by ship would probably be notably faster than Abbas' planned route by land. As it is, they first have to find out that Ryder is not in Volantis and that can be hard enough already.
Yeah, she's not really sure if she is truly that sorry. Definitely not for his father, that guy has been a genuine bastard and Abbas is pretty much the only person mourning him. However, she does feel a bit of guilt for causing Abbas' transformation from a once kind-hearted man to someone more akin to his father (even if they are still way different in their methods, even now), she just doesn't know if it is enough to warrant an apology. After all, it's not as if Abbas hasn't done a thing to earn her wrath in these last couple chapters.
Hehe, be assured things won't be all that romantic, mostly because there will be way more important and immediate things to think about than Jaron, who, as far as Harpy knows, might still be in Oldtown. She has genuine feelings for him though and that is unlikely to change anytime soon, so that is something I want to put at least a little bit of spotlight to.
Yeah, I believe it looked precisely like Mordor back when the Valyrians came upon it. Since then, things have gotten a little bit better, but on a plain that was burned by dragonfire and then salted, yeah, you can bet that nothing will grow there ever again. The whole area is actually quite fertile and the landscape, I believe is mostly closer to the mediterranean area, a bit like Italy, whereas the area immediately around Sarhoy is, in sharp contrast, a wasteland unlikely to ever recover. The city itself is a charred ruin and in a thousand years, it's likely not even that anymore.
Ah, should've expected some trickery like this from Abbas. Excuse me my meta thinking, but having him reveal his plan now makes me wonder if something about that plan is going to go wrong
Anyway, looks like the connection between Abbas and Janae goes deeper than what I expected. Interesting, this is definitely giving a lot of depth to Abbas' character, though I still think he is an absolute dickhead. As for the choice...
[Apologize to Abbas] Let's humor him for now, Janae, Harpy and Behara will be stuck with these people for a while. Who knows, perhaps Janae showing some regret for her actions will even set Abbas on a path of forgiveness, as unlikely as that is.
Btw, did I understand correctly that the Ryder in this part was Ryder Harrington?
[Say nothing]
Hehe, Abbas is quite a tactician, though I'd say he is not perfect, so who knows, maybe he will end up making a mistake here and there. It is a dirty trick though, he is essentially counting on Jaron and John doing the logical thing, travelling to Volantis, and catches them off guard with something that essentially makes no sense under any other circumstance, namely taking the longer route by land. I definitely can say, Janae's storyline should be an interesting one and not everything might go according to his plan. Abbas also does have some depth to him. Don't get me wrong, he is an absolute dickhead, but the type that used to be different and never actually wanted to be the man he is today. I'd say he is at least a tragic asshole. He chose his vengeance over Janae, but that is not all there is to him, as this part hopefully showed.
You understand it correctly, yes! Ryder has travelled to Lys after the events of the Book 1 finale and found himself sort of trapped, to the point where he was so desperate to travel farther that he ended up hiring as a guard for a slaver. For Abbas, he was very pleased with seeing the legendary Ryder Harrington, as he has no way of knowing that Samuel is after him. He has heard of his reputation, so he outright sought to hire him. This should make things easier for Jaron and John, though without them knowing it, it'll actually cause the opposite and make things only harder.
[Apologize to Abbas]
[Apologize to Abbas]
And the plot thickens, it seems we have already located Ryder. On a side note, I really do feel for Abbas, here's to hoping he'll live to see the end of the story.
Aye, I never wanted to keep Ryder's location a secret for too long. After all, he could have just as well ended up successfully hiding for the rest of his life, Essos is huge and he had a considerable headstart, though I think (and hope) that this is a reasonable way to keep him in the story. When it comes to Abbas, his survival might be up to you actually. There are some fates, death and survival, which are set in stone and I'm not only talking about canon characters, but submitted characters as well whom I have planned to die or survive for sure. However, a majority of fates will remain up to your choices and Abbas may actually be among them.
[Say nothing] I doubt that Abbas will now believe any excuse made by Janae
RT:
1) In this first Janae part of this book I can say that she is going to have a really hard time to obtain freedom again (this time together with Behara and Harpy)
2) Oh oh it seems that not only Abbas and co. are not at Lys but they are even going to skip Volantis!At this point it will be really hard for The Gutters reach them before they arrive at Yunkai (where things will only be even more complicated)
3) Good to know that Abbas and Bakr obtain some allies during their time at Lys! The first one is the gentle and pure man called Haar and the second one is the devilish creature that all the good people of the world fear called "Ryder" (and his presence make the Harrington brothers side quest be part of the main one for The Gutters)
4) Outside the two new guards it seems that Abbas has many friends/ally since in this part you mention someone that await him and Bakr at Yunkai (probably another slaver) and someone that is going to help to erase the traces of their travel at Rhoyne
5) As if the revenge reason wasn't enough we even discover in this part that Janae and Abbas had feelings to each others!This make things even more complicated!
6)Btw thank you Abbas for the history lesson,that was interesting to read
7) After have read the first part of the "rescue" team last time and the first part of the "prisoners" team today I really must say that the Essos storyline is going to be really enjoyable to read!
BQD
Abbas al-Yunkari
“If I don't have a heart, what is it you have broken?”
Oh yes, it definitely is going to be a tremendously hard task, probably the hardest she ever had in her life. Last time she won her freedom, she had John's support and ultimately had to worry only for herself. This time, she has Behara and Harpy and while the latter could at least offer some support, the former is definitely a liablity to any plan she could come up with.
Well, they were at Lys, them still being there has always been unlikely. However, Abbas' decision not to enter Volantis is going to seriously throw John off. It is illogical, picking the longer and more dangerous route, but it will be useful to throw off anyone following them. At this point, it will be nearly impossible to catch up to Abbas before he and his prisoners reach Yunkai.
Aye, just Abbas and Bakr together with their slaves would have put serious pressure onto the slavers and I realized, a man such as Abbas would hire guards. Ryder was a logical choice, a famed warrior who is desperately seeking a way out of Lys, perfect for this job. Haar meanwhile has some obvious shortcomings, yet Abbas is clever enough to have picked him for a reason and that is experience. Haar has twenty years of experience in guarding slaves, so that makes him another useful ally for Abbas.
You are right, Abbas has several friends and allies in this region. Nobody is awaiting them, but Abbas has a good friend living up the river. There are also further allies, though at least some of them are reluctant (and some might be willing to help, but Abbas is a bit reluctant to ask) and you're probably going to get a better overview of the people Abbas is calling upon in this part of Essos later in this chapter.
Oh yeah, there is a lot of bad blood between Abbas and Janae and most of the reasons can actually be traced back to Janae. See, their roles were inverted once, with Janae, despite being a slave, being the confident one and the one in charge of their relationship. Abbas loved her deeply and so, he took her murdering his father not only for what it is, but he also considered it the ultimate betrayal on a personal level. It's worse enough that someone murdered his father, but a woman he genuinely had feelings for? As for Janae, she never felt as deeply for him, but she was at least very fond of him.
Ah, it's nice you enjoyed it. Abbas is quite fascinated with history and what one can learn of it and it's safe to say he learned quite a lot out of the downfall of the rhoynish cities and the way Nymeria survived by retreating. However, this is more than just exposition, the remnants of the Rhoynar in Essos will play a part in the chapters to come
Glad to hear this! Essos is going to be vast (and the next PoV will also be set there and initially unrelated to either of the two established Essos storylines. I think all in all, it should be very enjoyable to read, there's a lot to look forward to
Probably the most tragic thing Abbas could have said in this moment. He is a genuine jerk, he has done plenty terrible things, but it can all be traced back to this moment and he is likely still hurting over Janae's actions. Perhaps he acts heartless today, but there has been a time in which he has been drastically different and that is important to take into account when dealing with him.
[Apologize to Abbas]
I would write in length why I chose this, but a I already feel like I’m cutting this one close in terms of time. Mark my words, it’ll be next time.
The Voting is closed!
Janae is going to apologize to Abbas
As some of you have pointed out, it is not particularly likely that he is going to listen to this apology. However, neither is it particularly likely that this will worsen his view on Janae. It will also decide how she feels about this, as she feels quite uncertain on how to behave around Abbas. Fact is, she had a significant role in shaping him into the horrible man he is today and while the Abbas of today might not deserve all that much of her pity, she does feel a sting of regret for pretty much ruining the man he used to be. And let me assure you, the Abbas of old did not deserve what happened to his family. Anyways, their relationship will be a major factor in this storyline and will also factor into its eventual outcome, for the better or worse.
The next part should be out later today and it is a part I am very excited about! This is mostly due to the themes it tackles, which are themes never before tackled in FoT with such intensity. As such, the part might feel a little different and I hope you are still going to enjoy it. I for one hope it'll be refreshing, but ultimately, we'll see how it goes. What I can tell you is that it will be written from the perspective of a completely new PoV, who won't have any apparent ties to existing storylines, but particularly keen eyes among you might spot a hint at one connection that is actually extremely significant for one of FoT's larger arcs. It's just going to be a bit hidden at first. This new PoV will also be set in Essos, but farther to the east, probably the farthest I'm going to go with the story proper.
[Apologize to Abbas]
Different, fresh themes? A new PoV? Farthest east FoT is ever going to go? Color me intrigued!
Also, I have the next set of drawings ready. I'll drop it in a moment as I get back on my laptop!
So, as I said in my earlier post, the new set of drawings is ready! This time the drawings are centered around the storyline of Garthon, and especially characters from the Sons of the Trident. Here they are:
I hope you like 'em!
Oh yes, I really was hoping you'd drop them here, given that Garthon is also going to return pretty soon, probably in the part after the next one (though Drent should come first and, of course, the new PoV). Now, the Sons of the Trident are one of the aspects I hope to flesh out a lot more in the chapters to come and safe to say, this made me sufficiently hyped for them. First of all, there's Edric, probably my personal favourite character out of these five, yet surprisingly not my favourite drawing
It's not because I don't like his drawing, but because a certain other one is just amazing. He's great, you really captured that leader feeling he has. Next his second in command, Dacey is probably the closest to how I envisioned her to look like. With her not being picked to accompany Garthon, it'll probably take a little longer until we're going to see her again (same goes for everyone that is not Gavin), but this drawing already made me super excited for featuring her again. Onwards, to what is actually my favourite of this set. I did not expect Deywn to win this round, but he's definitely oddly intimidating, given that he's pretty much just a lanky guy with a knife. It's probably this feeling of confidence you gave him here that makes me appreciate his drawing so much. Probably not the most dangerous guy around, but with that confidence, he is not to be underestimated. Onwards to Gavin, he is one I actually wasn't sure how to envision. I really like your interpretation, it once again influenced how I myself see the character while writing. And well, it makes me super glad you chose in favour of him when it comes to Garthon's companion, because it'll mean a lot more for him in the coming Blackwood storyline. And lastly, the one guy that is not a Son of the Trident here. Christian is yet another one I was never sure how to envision, probably because he was sidelined almost worse than any other character in the story. This should change and to celebrate this occasion, I think a drawing is only in order. He's a character I barely managed to flesh out so far, but I like the detail you gave him, makes me excited to show some more depth with him. All in all, as always, thank you very much for this 
On another note, I am super glad you made two posts here, because now the new part can start a new page, instead of being the last on this page. I never like having a part not on the same page as the majority of votes XD