[Reveal your connection to the Sons of the Trident]
I feel like this is a fine choice since from what I've seen most patriotic Lords of the Riverlands see the Sons as a beacon of some sorts, fighting against the tyrant they can't. And Maurice strikes me as that kind of person as well, especially with how gleeful he was when he mentioned Harren's rule faltering.
I have a feeling like Maurice is inspired by Alastor Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter. Am I right?
Apologies for my abscence - every time I'd catch up with the story the voting would already be closed. I'm happy to see all the new POVs and the story going forward!
Curiously, Raventree Hall is named like that because the Weirwood tree serves as resting place for thousands of ravens at night.
See, that is a detail I actually did not know. I should probably start to reread the novels at this point, it's been a while. Of course, it isn't night right now, but there surely will be scenes at Raventree Hall at night, so thank you very much for bringing this up
[Ask to speak with Petyr in private] Distrusting Mad-Eye is a reasonable thing, but lying may be something Lord Blackwood won't like if he f… moreinds out.
Curiously, Raventree Hall is named like that because the Weirwood tree serves as resting place for thousands of ravens at night.
I have a feeling like Maurice is inspired by Alastor Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter. Am I right?
Hm, I actually am not too sure. Aside from the nickname and the fact that they both have a weird eye, they don't have that many similarities, especially in terms of personality. At the same time, the nickname is too similar and the character too well-known for Maurice's creator to not at least having thought about him while or after submitting, even if he probably wasn't directly inspired.
Apologies for my abscence - every time I'd catch up with the story the voting would already be closed. I'm happy to see all the new POVs and the story going forward!
Ah, no problem, I am always glad when you make it in time for a boting! Actually, I am sorry for not leaving the voting open for longer, but I kinda feel like I already leave it open for too long at times. After all, I want to be finished with Chapter 4 of Book 2 by the end of the year, that feels like an ambitious goal. Since I will be busy this weekend, voting might actually end up being open for longer this time though.
[Ask to speak with Petyr in private]
I have a feeling like Maurice is inspired by Alastor Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter. Am I right?
… more Apologies for my abscence - every time I'd catch up with the story the voting would already be closed. I'm happy to see all the new POVs and the story going forward!
Garthon
Raventree Hall was old, probably ancient even, but Garthon had to admit, he was not an expert on castles. Of course it looked old… moreer than Harrenhal, though with the only other castle he had ever seen from up close being Pyke, itself almost a ruin exposed to the elements, he couldn't quite compare. It had high walls, not quite as high as Harrenhal, but still impressive, covered in moss. Two high towers flanked the main gate and there was a moat to further defend it. Behind the walls, he could see a large timber keep and, to his surprise, a tree, a huge white tree with red leaves.
“There's a godswood here?”, he asked and Christian gave him a nod. “House Blackwood still worships the wrong gods”, he spoke, his voice making it clear that he did not approve of their religion. “One of the few below the Neck to do so”
“Of course, you won't have to talk to an Ironborn about the wrong gods”, Gavin the Tall brought up, though he chuckled… [view original content]
[Ask to speak with Petyr in private] It seems I have fallen behind yet again. I just finished catching up on the latest parts, and interesting stuff has been going on for sure. I like that the Breaker Bros are such legends now, where even the guards recognize him. Lord Petyr seems like a very likable guy, I can see why his wife fell for him. I wonder what exactly Garthon and crew are planning though. There are no Ironborn there posing any threat, and Petyr is already starting to reinforce his men. Great part though and I can't wait to see what our boy Garthon will be up to next.
Garthon
Raventree Hall was old, probably ancient even, but Garthon had to admit, he was not an expert on castles. Of course it looked old… moreer than Harrenhal, though with the only other castle he had ever seen from up close being Pyke, itself almost a ruin exposed to the elements, he couldn't quite compare. It had high walls, not quite as high as Harrenhal, but still impressive, covered in moss. Two high towers flanked the main gate and there was a moat to further defend it. Behind the walls, he could see a large timber keep and, to his surprise, a tree, a huge white tree with red leaves.
“There's a godswood here?”, he asked and Christian gave him a nod. “House Blackwood still worships the wrong gods”, he spoke, his voice making it clear that he did not approve of their religion. “One of the few below the Neck to do so”
“Of course, you won't have to talk to an Ironborn about the wrong gods”, Gavin the Tall brought up, though he chuckled… [view original content]
It seems I have fallen behind yet again. I just finished catching up on the latest parts, and interesting stuff has been going on for sure.
Ah, welcome back! Don't worry, you're definitely not the only one falling behind from time to time, there's no shame in that. I am very happy that you have managed to catch up again
I like that the Breaker Bros are such legends now, where even the guards recognize him.
Ah, in this particular case, the guard recognizing them was the master-at-arms and father-in-law of Lord Blackwood. After Garthon's dealings with the Riverlords (including Petyr) and Torvin's actions in Chapter 5 of Book 1, the lords and their extended family are sure to recognize their names.
Lord Petyr seems like a very likable guy, I can see why his wife fell for him.
Indeed it was a marriage out of love and never an easy one, especially for Evelyne and her father. After all, it came with the complete loss of their already small lands, as Argilac reacted by no means with kindness to the news that one of his bannermen, no matter how insignificant, would marry his only child to one of Harren's bannermen. Harren reacted as you'd expect of him, doing a surprisingly decent thing by not caring at all who some Riverlord was about to marry. And by one of the rare examples of good fortune in the setting, their marriage turned out to be a happy and healthy one and they continue to be very much in love even after all these years.
I wonder what exactly Garthon and crew are planning though. There are no Ironborn there posing any threat, and Petyr is already starting to reinforce his men. Great part though and I can't wait to see what our boy Garthon will be up to next.
Well, with the eastern Riverlands struggling after the loss of their two most powerful lords during the prologue of Book 2, Harren must absolutely keep a firm grip on the lords of the western Riverlands if he wants to have any chance at winning the war. House Blackwood is among the most powerful houses in the western Riverlands, overshadowed only by House Tully and roughly at the same level as the houses Bracken, Mallister and Piper. Petyr's insubordinance is something he would never react to with kindness and understanding, but in this particular situation, he has absolutely no choice but to strike swiftly and harshly if he wants to continue his control over the Riverlords. So, there are no Ironborn posing any threat yet, but surrounded by capable advisors, Petyr has already started to gather his troops and reinforce the keep, to be prepared for the inevitable moment where they strike.
[Ask to speak with Petyr in private] It seems I have fallen behind yet again. I just finished catching up on the latest parts, and interesti… moreng stuff has been going on for sure. I like that the Breaker Bros are such legends now, where even the guards recognize him. Lord Petyr seems like a very likable guy, I can see why his wife fell for him. I wonder what exactly Garthon and crew are planning though. There are no Ironborn there posing any threat, and Petyr is already starting to reinforce his men. Great part though and I can't wait to see what our boy Garthon will be up to next.
Garthon is going to ask to speak to Petyr Blackwood in private
Ah, an interersting choice. Petyr will likely grant Garthon this much and he will be very interested to hear about his adventures and current allegiances in this private setting, but there might be elements at court who won't approve of this all too much, mostly because Garthon remains Ironborn and is therefore not exactly the most trustworthy ally against other Ironborn by default. We'll see, we'll see.
Now, the next part is hopefully going to be out today. I apologize for the unusually long break between parts, but I was busy this weekend. So busy in fact, that I was barely around at all and have just managed to start writing yesterday. Sorry for that, but it'll remain a rarity that I am actually unable to write anything for several days. And on a positive note, seems like several of you managed to catch up again, which is always nice So, the next part will be a Raenna part. I was originally a bit hesitating, because of the sheer amount of storylines this chapter that deal with a character coming to a castle and meeting a bunch of new characters (Garthon, Ysilla, Raenna, Ellena and yet to come Sadie and Samantha) and I kinda fear it might be a tad bit repetitive at times, but such is the fate of necessary build up. Anyways, Raenna's next part will deal with her arrival at the Last Hearth, together with a selected entourage of the North's finest (and Jorn Mormont). Not much else there is to say, I let the part speak for itself once it arrives in a couple hours, hopefully. On the slight chance that there is room for a second PoV, I am currently playing with the possibility to give Jenna or Arthur their second part in this chapter, but that is not particularly likely at this point.
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. I was super busy yesterday and barely managed to finish the part today, as it also happens to be a slight bit longer than the usual part. But that shouldn't become a regular occasion, so fear not, there will be another part this week and I'm aiming to very much improve my schedule again. Hope you still enjoy the part even if it took me a bit longer
Raenna
Never before had Raenna seen so much snow. Or, well, much snow at all. But whereas Winterfell had introduced her to this marvel, the Last Hearth ruined it for her. There was too much of anything and with the Last Hearth, it was clearly snow. Wrapped into two fur cloaks, the white one Brandon had gifted her with and Jorn Mormont's dark brown one on top, she sat next to Dag Umber as the cart somehow made its way across the road, pulled through the snow by a pair of stocky, sturdy horses with thick fur.
“Are you still cold, snow princess?”, Jorn asked her from behind, to which she shot him a glare, though she was kinda certain it missed its intended purpose, looking more pathetically freezing than intimidating in any way. “A little bit”, she admitted and he raised an eyebrow. “Got no more cloaks for you”, he spoke. “But there's always room beneath my blanket”
If she wouldn't have been so cold, she would have blushed, especially as Dag began to laugh roaringly, looking not unlike his brother as he did so. Her glare became colder. “Yeah, not surprised about that”, she hissed. “Bet there's always been plenty room in it” Jorn paused for a moment, his grin getting wider, before he chimed in with the other Northerners on the cart, who were laughing loudly.
“Couldn't have said it better myself”, Malina complimented her. It had been a surprise, but a welcome one, that the Karstark woman had decided to accompany Raenna and the rest of the Northerners to the Last Hearth, though she had proven herself to be at least more useful than Raenna, who spent most of her time trying not to freeze to death.
Alongside Malina and Jorn, Harrold Hornwood, Eon Dustin and Gared Snow were with her, together with Roffe and Dag Umber, of course. All huddled together in a single cart, with the Lord of the Last Hearth being the only one to actually ride through the snow, on a horse no less resilient than the ones who pulled the cart. And then there was Briar, of course. Both, Raenna and the girl herself had been unwilling to part ways at Winterfell. Kersea's little sister was facing the world with a hunger, she yearned to see the things Dag had told her about and Raenna had always been bad at denying a little girl her wish, especially after Roffe had assured her the journey wouldn't be dangerous to her, nor would her stay at the Last Hearth. Even she was taking the cold better than Raenna.
“So, how can anyone even live up here?”, Raenna asked, to which Dag chuckled. “It is the North!”, he simply exclaimed. “How can anyone not want to live up here?” She sighed in return. “No really, how can you live here? The cold, the snow...”, she stuttered through cold lips. Dag shrugged. “Nothing compared to the wildlings”, he replied. “Once you live up here, you see things from a different perspective. You'll get used to the cold, you learn how to survive in the snow. Wildlings though? Don't think I'll ever get used to them”
Raenna frowned, pulling the scarf up to warm her lower face. “I've never seen a wildling”, she told him. “Are they really that bad?” Dag hesitated to reply at first. “You have been in Essos before, mylady”, he concluded, a question to which she was only able to nod. “Well, I've read books of that place. Reports, written by maesters and travellers. Have you ever seen a Dothraki?”
Raenna had to think back, to the time she had spent in Volantis, alongside Terroma. One of the few truly terrifying memories was the occasion where he had taken her to see a pit fight. She remembered the long-haired man, screaming at the top of his lungs, his arakh cutting through the flesh of his opponent, the savage look in his eyes. She nodded.
“Well, Wildlings are our Dothraki”, Dag explained to her. “The name kinda implies it, they are wild men. Not the monsters Roffe makes them sound like, but nonetheless true savages, especially the ones that come to our lands. Most of them don't come to kill, but none hesitate and should you ever face one of them, you shouldn't either. The only thing on their mind is to plunder our riches before returning to what they consider to be the true North, the always frozen landscape beyond the Wall”
“Yet another reason I could never live here”, Raenna mumbled and Dag smirked at her. “Hey, it isn't too bad”, he promised. “We appreciate the small things here. Hot mead, stew, a warm bed and lovely company” As she rolled her eyes, the Northman continued. “But really, this is just our way of life. In time, we all learn to ignore the hardships and focus on the good things in life”
“Which in your case are?”, Raenna asked, a question to which Dag seemed to think for a moment. “Reading a good book by the fireplace, with my wolf close by, I'd say that is a pretty good thing”, he replied, before he tilted his head. “What about you? What is it that Raenna Minsworth considers a good thing?”
She was quiet after he asked her this, looking ahead at the castle that was lying on the plain. Surrounded by virtually nothing but flat, frozen ground safe for a small forest in the distance, the castle looked larger than it probably was, the bulky great hall reminiscent of the giant on their banner, in the way it loomed over the walls and the surrounding plains. There was no place to hide and the Umbers could see all the way to the distant gift. Even farther, Raenna spotted the hint of white and she gulped, as she knew what it was, how high it had to be according to the stories.
“Family sounds nice”, she spoke. “A home in general, no matter how cold” She sighed. “We always yearn for the things we don't have” Dag nodded in agreement. “That sounds about right”, he spoke. “Keep in mind, once we're in there, try to stick close to Kory. Find out what he is trying to hide”
“And if he isn't hiding anything?”, Malina brought up from behind, to which Roffe narrowed his eyes, sitting on his horse right next to the cart. “He is”, he growled. “The nature of which decides if he's still my brother at all” A dark frown formed on his bearded face. “If the wildlings took my brother as well, after all they did to my family...”
He did not continue his sentence, for in that moment, loud, deep horns sounded across the plains, as the garrison of the Last Hearth had spotted them. The gates, not particularly high, but clearly massive regardless and reinforced with heavy iron, were opened and a dozen riders approached them over the plains, bearing the banner of House Umber.
The man that obviously led them was just a few years older than Raenna. He was a typical Northerner in looks, with fair skin, brown hair and sharp features, his attire consisting of a leather breastplate with two chains strapped over it. Sitting atop one of the furry, stocky horses they were breeding up here, he saluted as he came closer.
“Mylord!”, he exclaimed and a wide grin formed on Roffe's face, replacing the dour frown from before. “It seems I owe your sister a mug of ale. Expected you back a fortnight from now, the soonest” Roffe shot him a grin. “I expected better from you than to bet against me, Challender”, he growled. “Or against Kari, while we're at it. The girl always knew when to take a risk”
He turned to Raenna and the people on the cart. “Challender, these people are my guests. Guests, this is Johannes Challender, leader of the Umber cavalry” Johannes smirked, placing a hand behind his head. “Eh, don't listen to him, he makes it seem more important than it truly is”, he stated, though his proud grin made it clear how he truly felt about hearing his title.
“Your sisters will be happy to have you back, both of you”, Johannes replied. “And the guests, bet they'll love seeing some new faces around” He and his men, all of them bearded, sturdy warriors, clad in fur, leather and iron, turned their horses and flanked the cart and their lord, as they approached the gates of the Last Hearth.
From up close, the castle lost some of its impressiveness, but Raenna, who had to admit her grasp on the topic was fairly limited, knew that the thick walls were more than capable to stop anyone trying to conquer it. Paired with its location, the Last Hearth was a true bulwark of the North, their shield against the wildling hordes. It had something wild itself, with the hulking timber hall and the fires burning bright from the towers.
“So, how are my sisters doing?”, Roffe asked in a jovial tone and Johannes shrugged. “Eh, it's kinda hard to know what Runa is up to these days. Spends too much time alone in the godswood if you ask me”, the cavalryman replied. “Kari and Nea are fine though! Just spoke to both this morning and lost a nice fortune betting with the former about when you'd return”
“And our brother?”, Dag interjected, causing Roffe to notably tense up. Johannes raised an eyebrow. “Kory is... well, don't know how to say it, but seems like he's settling in at last”, he explained and Raenna spotted Dag smiling in relief. Roffe however clearly seemed not convinced. “Took him long enough”, he growled. “Suppose it's natural though, given how long he's been with the wild ones”
“Well, he seems more willing to spend time with your sisters at last”, Johannes told him. “And Runa teaches him how to read” Roffe shrugged. “Eh, never got the appeal of that one”, he replied. “It'd good he's settling in at last, I guess” To this, Johannes nodded, before a slightly more serious expression formed on his face. “There's still the problem with the animals though. They stay out of his way, Ursa even growls at him when he gets too close”
“Ursa growls at everyone”, Dag brought up. “Nea raised a dangerous one there” Roffe however sighed. “I can only hope she'll get used to his scent”, he spoke grimly. “That bear is smarter than any of us” Dag chuckled at this statement. “Smarter than you for sure”, he said in a slightly teasing voice.
And with this, they had finally reached the gates of the Last Hearth. Once more, deep, vibrating horns sounded from the walls and Roffe rode faster, entering his castle first, followed by the Umber cavalry and then the cart containing Dag, Raenna and their companions. The courtyard was open and spacious, a notable difference to the technically larger, but way more contorted one she had seen in Winterfell. A large fire was burning in its centre and in the rear end, a broad set of stairs led up to the Great Hall. Several smaller buildings stood in a circle around the courtyard and through a second gate, she spotted the godswood of the Last Hearth, secluded and protected by a secondary wall.
The first to approach them weren't the people of the Last Hearth, each of them grim, stern looking folk, just the type Raenna had come to know from the Northerners, but animals, two wolves to be precise. One of them was a large beast, the kind that made the horses nervous and Raenna was certain it could easily kill a man. However, it had its head lowered as it approached, showing respect for Roffe and joy to see him again. The Lord of the Last Hearth spread his arms and gently moved a hand over the animal's fur.
The other was smaller and slimmer, though nonetheless a fearsome beast, with slightly lighter fur and piercing eyes. While the larger wolf growled with joy, this one was silent and simply sat down next to Dag as he climbed down the cart. “Raenna, I want you to meet Mutt”, he spoke and she gulped, as she gave the wolf a nod. Only then did she realize how ridiculous it was to nod at an animal. Dag chuckled. “And the large one is Giant, Roffe's companion. Guess how he came up with the name”
“You said something about bears”, Briar exclaimed, as Harrold Hornwood lifted her down the cart. “Bears are dangerous, little one”, he spoke and she rolled her eyes. “Aren't you the man who tried to mount a moose?”, she replied to which Gared snorted behind her, as he tried to swallow a chuckle. “Just saying, that was kinda dangerous”
Harrold smirked, though he let out a sigh. “No, that was glorious!”, he claimed. “At least it would have been. I made progress, but the time I spend here will go to waste. Doubt I'll manage to tame him properly before we march against the dragons” Behind him, Eon patted him onto the back. “I'm sure it's just because you have been assigned to this task here”, he spoke. “And not because, you know, it's a stupid idea or anything”
Gallantly, Gared helped Malina down the cart, while Jorn glanced at Raenna, who simply shook her head, before jumping down by herself. The Mormont man shrugged, before following. Walking up to Briar, Raenna put a hand onto her shoulder and the girl smiled at her. “Do you think I'll see bears?”, she asked. “I saw a bear once, but that has been so long ago. Kersea took me out into the forest and we followed a doe's trail and we saw a bear and...” She paused, her smile fading for a moment. “Father was mad at her of course, but it was a nice day. We did a lot of stuff like that”, she mumbled and she looked up. “When will Kersea get here?”
Raenna tried her best not to tense up at the question, as much as it pained her. She was certain the girl noticed nothing about her behaviour, but some of the others clearly did. It was Malina who came to her aid. “Oh, she won't come to the Last Hearth”, she explained. “It's too far in the North. The journey will take a while and I am sure she will rather take a break at Winterfell. Who knows, maybe she'll be there once you return”
Though looking slightly disappointed, Briar nodded, her lips forming a pout. “Yeah, figures...”, she mumbled. “How long will we be here?” Though Malina opened her mouth to reply, she was cut off by a loud roar and Briar's happy squealing. Raenna's eyes widened, as she spotted a bear, casually walking through the smaller gate that led to the godswood. It was a huge beast, larger than her for sure, probably larger than Roffe as well, with chestnut red fur and white colour painted on its face and forehead. A second later, another bear walked through the gate, only a bit smaller, but more heavy-set, with black painting on its chestnut fur. Finally, the runt of the litter, a smaller bear, still a huge, terrifying bear with the same chestnut fur and yellow markings across its forehead.
The trio of bears that caused Raenna and her companions to gather close to each other, with Harrold and Gared putting hands onto their swords, was a seemingly common sight in this castle if the reaction from the guards was any indicator. They were followed by a trio of women, each of them clearly related to each other, as Raenna didn't need to guess that they were triplets.
All three were young women, somewhere in their twenties. A bit on the sturdy side, they were curvy and toned, sharing similar physiques and nearly identical facial features. With pale skin and dark brown eyes, they had the same black hair as Roffe and Dag. One of the women wore coats of fur over a red tunic, as well as a belt to which she had strapped two throwing axes. Her hair was cut shorter than that of her sisters. The second woman wore a surprisingly lovely dress, though layered with fur, appropriate for the weather without sacrificing elegance, with her hair tied in a braid that fell over her shoulder. And finally, the third of the triplets, a slightly gloomy-looking woman with simple clothes and wild, unbound hair cascading down her back.
“Roffe!”, she exclaimed, as she rushed towards him, past her sisters. The bear with the black markings roared and fastened its pace as well. The Lord of the Last Hearth did not bat an eye at the bear rushing at him, he instead spread his arms and pulled his sister into a hug, while the animal stopped next to its wolf, still easily towering over the unusually large specimen. Both were clearly used to each other, with the wolf happily catching the scent of the bear.
“Runa, it's good to be back”, Roffe exclaimed. He grinned, as he looked at his other sisters. “Kari, Nea, move over here, your lord brother has returned” The woman with the braided hair and the elegant dress smirked. “Lord Dimwit, how have we missed you”, she greeted him, her voice teasing, though the look in her eyes full of fondness.
Raenna gulped as the other two bears had caught up with them. She exchanged a look with Malina, who seemed to share her nervousness, though she noticed the hint of fascination in the woman's eyes. “Everyone, come here. Raenna, I want you to meet my sisters”, Dag decided to introduce them and first, he pointed at the woman who had hugged Roffe. “Here we got Runa” He went on to the one with the elegant dress and the braided hair. “This is Kari” Finally, he smiled at the woman with the throwing axes. “And Nea”
Roffe and Runa separated and the lord sighed, as Raenna followed his gaze. Down the stairs that led up to the Great Hall came another man, younger than Dag and Roffe, but older than the triplets. He wore elegant clothing, his hair and beard trimmed short. With a broad build, he had a handsome face and a slight smirk on it as he came closer.
“Thought you'd never return”, he spoke and extended his hand. Roffe hesitated for a moment, before grabbing it. “Kory”, he greeted him with a nod. Dag's greeting was a bit warmer, as he grabbed Kory's shoulders. “Don't be too sad, little brother”, he told him. “After all the time we spent apart, you don't think we'd leave you alone in this world just yet”
Kory chuckled, though Raenna noticed something else as he glanced past his brothers. His eyes widened, if barely, as soon as he spotted Raenna and the others. “And you brought guests...”, he mumbled, to which Roffe nodded. “These people accompany Lady Malina of House Karstark”, he explained the lie they had come up with. “The fairest of Karhold, looking for a husband worthy of her beauty and heritage”
The youngest Umber brother raised an eyebrow as Malina took a bow in front of him. “A husband, huh?”, he asked. “Brother, you are one lucky bastard, you know that, eh?” He nudged him with his elbow. “A shame I'm not the eldest” After that though, he reciprocated Malina's gesture. “Mylady, welcome at Karhold. I mean, I haven't been here in a long time, but I can assure you, it is a lovely place” He put a hand onto Roffe's back. “And my brother, for all his flaws, can be a great man. You won't find anyone more worthy in the entire North, unless you decide to visit the real north, that is”
Raenna had been around men like him though. She wasn't sure what it was, but his smile was a little bit too perfect, he seemed a little bit too eager to pander to his new guests. Or maybe she only had this impression because of what Dag had told her before, because of his suspicions.
Malina smiled delicately. “Well, we shall see about that”, she spoke, while she allowed herself to admire Roffe's strong build for a moment. Kory however was glancing at Raenna. The hint of suspicion in his eyes grew stronger, though there was an inch of fascination as well. “Snow hair”, he spoke and Raenna tilted her head. “Where'd you find one like her?”
“That, dear brother, is a guest of honour”, Dag explained. “Raenna Minsworth, from the far south, with the blood of the Freehold in her veins” Kory raised an eyebrow. “What's a Freehold?”, he asked, before he bowed in front of Raenna. It was a bit of a clumsy gesture, but hers wasn't much better, to be fair. “Eh, you gotta tell me all about it some time. They all got snow hair over there”
Raenna pressed her lips together. “It's actually silver”, she spoke and Kory shrugged. “Nothing we had beyond the wall”, he told her, though he put a hand onto his heart. “Ah, I meant no offence. It's... how do you call it... lovely? I think that's the word”
One of the triplets, the one with the braided hair, shot her an apologetic smile. “Kory is new to the whole fancy word stuff”, she spoke. “Apologies for his clumsiness” She gave Raenna a wink. “Name's Kari”, she introduced herself again and extended her hand. Raenna shook it and nodded. “Yeah, your brother said so”, she spoke. “I'm Raenna... though I suppose your brother said so as well”
“Lady Kari”, Johannes Challender spoke from behind and Kari raised an eyebrow. Wordlessly, she extended her hand and with a grim sigh, Johannes places his purse in it. She grinned at him with triumph in her expression. “Maybe next time you'll know better than to bet against me”, she spoke.
Johannes rolled his eyes. “That is a debt of honour”, he told her. “Though I gotta wonder why you've been so sure your brother would return at this point” Kari shrugged and exchanged a glance with the armed woman, Nea, the one that was silently looking at the rest of the group. “Call it a woman's intuition”, she explained.
By then, Roffe clapped his hands. “Alright, guests, family!”, he roared. “It's been a long ride home, it's been exhausting and we all freeze our asses off out here. I say we go to the Great Hall, to share a hot meal by the fireplace! Any objections?”
A relieved smile formed on Gared's face and it was clear that neither of the others would disagree with Roffe's decision. One however seemed hesitant and it was him who Raenna had grown particularly suspicious about. Kory gulped, as he shook his head. “Yeah, you go ahead”, he spoke. “I'll catch up with you later, gotta take care of something else first”
With this, he was quick to separate from the rest of his family, hurrying to one of the buildings close to the godswood. Roffe frowned, though did not call out for him. Instead, he turned to the Great Hall. “Well, you heard the man”, he mumbled, as he started walking. Dag however stopped for a moment, glanced at Raenna and then followed after his older brother, leaving her to wonder if he meant anything with that. Was she supposed to follow Kory right now? Or would it arouse more suspicion by the triplets if she'd miss out on the gathering in the Great Hall
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall][Attempt to follow Kory]
Harrold smirked, though he let out a sigh. “No, that was glorious!”, he claimed. “At least it would have been. I made progress, but the time I spend here will go to waste. Doubt I'll manage to tame him properly before we march against the dragons” Behind him, Eon patted him onto the back. “I'm sure it's just because you have been assigned to this task here”, he spoke. “And not because, you know, it's a stupid idea or anything”
Just wish we saw it.
Also, so many animals. We’re reaching overlord with weird animals with weird characters. Well, actually I suspect that the number of characters and amount of animals, in addition to how weird the animals are, will greatly increase. Moose, bears, wolves, direwolves, velociraptors, squid, owls, pigeons, Dimitri the Wise, sharks, albino rhinos, elephants, falcons, dogs, cats, guinea pigs...and rats.
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. I was super busy yesterday and barely managed to finish the part today, as it also happens to… more be a slight bit longer than the usual part. But that shouldn't become a regular occasion, so fear not, there will be another part this week and I'm aiming to very much improve my schedule again. Hope you still enjoy the part even if it took me a bit longer
Raenna
Never before had Raenna seen so much snow. Or, well, much snow at all. But whereas Winterfell had introduced her to this marvel, the Last Hearth ruined it for her. There was too much of anything and with the Last Hearth, it was clearly snow. Wrapped into two fur cloaks, the white one Brandon had gifted her with and Jorn Mormont's dark brown one on top, she sat next to Dag Umber as the cart somehow made its way across the road, pulled through the snow by a pair of stocky, sturdy horses with thick fur.
“Are you still cold, snow princes… [view original content]
Hey! Sorry for the lack of voting on my end, I had a lot of stuff on mind for the last month or so, but I never left. I was reading the parts on my phone (which is not exactly ideal) part by part, I just could not give you proper comments since its difficult to do with a phone. But alas, I am using my laptop after a long time to start commenting from this part. Promise to do better with future parts
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] I really do like the cast of the North. If there is one thing I could have complemented Reanna's parts in the previous chapter is this wide and diverse cast of characters. They are all pretty unique, albeit some characters are getting more screen time than others. Besides, the mission can really start once we have settled in and grew accustomed to the castle, we just got here and Raenna needs the rest.
Alright now I am pretty concerned with Dagg trying to hit on Raenna. That is a big no. She technically has a lover (although he is far away trying to die again) and she has not thought about Samuel for quite a while, I'd say since chapter 7. Any option to romance any of the Northern cast, you already know my decision.
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. I was super busy yesterday and barely managed to finish the part today, as it also happens to… more be a slight bit longer than the usual part. But that shouldn't become a regular occasion, so fear not, there will be another part this week and I'm aiming to very much improve my schedule again. Hope you still enjoy the part even if it took me a bit longer
Raenna
Never before had Raenna seen so much snow. Or, well, much snow at all. But whereas Winterfell had introduced her to this marvel, the Last Hearth ruined it for her. There was too much of anything and with the Last Hearth, it was clearly snow. Wrapped into two fur cloaks, the white one Brandon had gifted her with and Jorn Mormont's dark brown one on top, she sat next to Dag Umber as the cart somehow made its way across the road, pulled through the snow by a pair of stocky, sturdy horses with thick fur.
“Are you still cold, snow princes… [view original content]
Also, so many animals. We’re reaching overlord with weird animals with weird characters. Well, actually I suspect that the number of characters and amount of animals, in addition to how weird the animals are, will greatly increase. Moose, bears, wolves, direwolves, velociraptors, squid, owls, pigeons, Dimitri the Wise, sharks, albino rhinos, elephants, falcons, dogs, cats, guinea pigs...and rats.
Yeah, seems animal companions are pretty popular for the characters. That being said, most kinda go for the standard wolf or dog, even the Umber bears are not unheard of in fantasy (and I can tease, they make perfect sense in this particular case). While we are probably never going to get a character with a pet velociraptor or an albino rhino (witness me receiving a dozen such characters until tomorrow), I realized perhaps one of the most normal and common animals hasn't been featured yet, and that'd be cats. To my knowledge, there is no character in the story who even has a cat and I feel like this must change at once.
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall]
I don’t want to be looked at with suspicion.
Harrold smirked, though he let out a sigh. “N… moreo, that was glorious!”, he claimed. “At least it would have been. I made progress, but the time I spend here will go to waste. Doubt I'll manage to tame him properly before we march against the dragons” Behind him, Eon patted him onto the back. “I'm sure it's just because you have been assigned to this task here”, he spoke. “And not because, you know, it's a stupid idea or anything”
Just wish we saw it.
Also, so many animals. We’re reaching overlord with weird animals with weird characters. Well, actually I suspect that the number of characters and amount of animals, in addition to how weird the animals are, will greatly increase. Moose, bears, wolves, direwolves, velociraptors, squid, owls, pigeons, Dimitri the Wise, sharks, albino rhinos, elephants, falcons, dogs, cats, guinea pigs...and rats.
Hey! Sorry for the lack of voting on my end, I had a lot of stuff on mind for the last month or so, but I never left. I was reading the parts on my phone (which is not exactly ideal) part by part, I just could not give you proper comments since its difficult to do with a phone. But alas, I am using my laptop after a long time to start commenting from this part. Promise to do better with future parts
Oh, hi, I'm glad to hear this! I hope everything is alright for you, but it is nice that you managed to remain caught up. I know that feeling though, can be a real pain to write longer texts on a phone, fully understand it. Glad you can return in full now
I really do like the cast of the North. If there is one thing I could have complemented Reanna's parts in the previous chapter is this wide and diverse cast of characters. They are all pretty unique, albeit some characters are getting more screen time than others. Besides, the mission can really start once we have settled in and grew accustomed to the castle, we just got here and Raenna needs the rest.
Ah, another thing I am glad to hear! I have really grown to like the Northern cast and I am a bit sad I found no way to include some of the others, such as Brandon, Prince Beren, Mace Crowl or Myles Cerwyn, but they should receive proper development somewhere down the line for sure. Slowly, I hope they will all become well-developed characters, even if for now, some have to get more screentime than others, such as the Umbers. This chapter in general is all about the Umbers, with them being the focus of Raenna's first mission in the name of House Stark after all.
Alright now I am pretty concerned with Dagg trying to hit on Raenna. That is a big no. She technically has a lover (although he is far away trying to die again) and she has not thought about Samuel for quite a while, I'd say since chapter 7. Any option to romance any of the Northern cast, you already know my decision.
Well, technically, the one trying to hit on Raenna has been Jorn and it was more done in a bit of a teasing sort of way, nothing too serious. Dag, well, I suppose he would as well, they are both a bit silver-tongued, but in this case, he asked out of genuine curiosity, not to try some pick-up line. When it comes to Raenna and Samuel, I'd say she actually has thought about him, I just haven't shown it in her parts. For a while, in Chapter 8 and 9 to be precise, she was kinda too busy trying not to die, but I can assure you, she has thought of Samuel in the meantime. Her hopes of seeing him again are not particularly high at this moment though, as she knows his goal is probably even more dangerous than hers. If such a reunion even happens at all might depend on their respective survival, which in turn might depend on your choices.
Hey! Sorry for the lack of voting on my end, I had a lot of stuff on mind for the last month or so, but I never left. I was reading the part… mores on my phone (which is not exactly ideal) part by part, I just could not give you proper comments since its difficult to do with a phone. But alas, I am using my laptop after a long time to start commenting from this part. Promise to do better with future parts
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] I really do like the cast of the North. If there is one thing I could have complemented Reanna's parts in the previous chapter is this wide and diverse cast of characters. They are all pretty unique, albeit some characters are getting more screen time than others. Besides, the mission can really start once we have settled in and grew accustomed to the castle, we just got here and Raenna needs the rest.
Alright now I am pretty concerned with Dagg trying to hit on Raenna. That is a big no. She technica… [view original content]
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] It's not time to investigate, and will be a good way to know the sisters better.
Last Hearth, once stronghold of the Umber kings of old (long before being submitted to the Kings of Winter) and as its name indicates, the last major settlement until you reach the Wall.
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. I was super busy yesterday and barely managed to finish the part today, as it also happens to… more be a slight bit longer than the usual part. But that shouldn't become a regular occasion, so fear not, there will be another part this week and I'm aiming to very much improve my schedule again. Hope you still enjoy the part even if it took me a bit longer
Raenna
Never before had Raenna seen so much snow. Or, well, much snow at all. But whereas Winterfell had introduced her to this marvel, the Last Hearth ruined it for her. There was too much of anything and with the Last Hearth, it was clearly snow. Wrapped into two fur cloaks, the white one Brandon had gifted her with and Jorn Mormont's dark brown one on top, she sat next to Dag Umber as the cart somehow made its way across the road, pulled through the snow by a pair of stocky, sturdy horses with thick fur.
“Are you still cold, snow princes… [view original content]
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. I was super busy yesterday and barely managed to finish the part today, as it also happens to… more be a slight bit longer than the usual part. But that shouldn't become a regular occasion, so fear not, there will be another part this week and I'm aiming to very much improve my schedule again. Hope you still enjoy the part even if it took me a bit longer
Raenna
Never before had Raenna seen so much snow. Or, well, much snow at all. But whereas Winterfell had introduced her to this marvel, the Last Hearth ruined it for her. There was too much of anything and with the Last Hearth, it was clearly snow. Wrapped into two fur cloaks, the white one Brandon had gifted her with and Jorn Mormont's dark brown one on top, she sat next to Dag Umber as the cart somehow made its way across the road, pulled through the snow by a pair of stocky, sturdy horses with thick fur.
“Are you still cold, snow princes… [view original content]
Ah man, this chapter really is bringing so many new names to try and remember Nonetheless, I'm quite liking Raenna's Northern storyline so far, even if I can't tell at all where is it heading. However, most importantly all these characters seem pretty interesting, and few of them have already managed to make a pretty distinct impression on me despite the large cast kind of limiting all of their time to shine. Also, I'm quite interested about this Johannes, if only because he has a Finnish name that also happens to be my middle name
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] I think this isn't the best time to start investigating. They have just arrived, and starting to act strangely right away would just make everyone pay more attention to Raenna, which in this case wouldn't be a good thing.
Yada yada I'm back yada yada [Attempt to follow Kory] yada yada let's start the RT!
Kersea Part:
1)First Kersea part of this chapter has a short but sweet dream about the lighthouse and we see again Alysanne (RIP) and Clayton (still MIA),it is strange that it doesn't feature Raenna (since Kersea think that she is dead) or Brie (since Kersea now don't know where her sister is) 2)Kersea and Leonard make a really interesting team,I believe they have a lot of chemistry (not in a romance way..for now) 3)Archmaester Quent=Leonard 4)Leaving aside the weird fact that Alysanne never mentioned him I'm curious to learn more about Bariq,he must be a really patient man! 5)Ahh all this talk about the dead, the wrong choices made by the characters (and in part us readers) and the return of The Hammered Harp make me really feel nostalgic! 6)I'm curious to discover in what kind of people our dynamic duo is going to meet!
Ysilla Part:
1) In the South Ysilla and her brother,together with the two mercenaries siblings, are visiting Godsgrace aka their hometown! 2) While it seems that for Ysilla this will be a quiet chapter I'm curious to learn more about her family members and the future announcements
Lachlan Part:
1) Oh oh a new PoV! And the first real story line set in Vale! 2) Runestone is a beautiful location! 3) In this part you introduce Orson daughter while we learn something more about the Royce family members 4) I'm curious to discover who is the Gulltown specialist and what the Bronze Lord want from him, Lachlan cousin aka Lord Coldwater and our PoV
The Hawk Part
1) Another new PoV at Vale! I'm really curious what plans House Shett have for he and his army 2) Aside the captain of the ship and the representative of the Iron Bank it seems that you introduce no other characters in this part (and this is funny because I expected the introduction of at least 16 characters) 3) I suppose that the arrival of an army is something that won't pass unnoticed from the Queen Reggent and from the Bronze Lord 4) I'm curious to discover what you plan for The Hawk army expecially since Westeros is a location that will be full of surprises for them (coff coff War of Conquest coff coff)
Ellena part:
1) Another awesome new location introduced in the story during my absence is Dragonstone!And it is a really cool place! 2) So in this part you finally show the canon event that you decide to make it happened some years before the original timeline eh? 3) This part too you re/introduce many new interesting characters! 4) Obviously I'm interested to learn the future Targaryen actions inside the story!
Garthon Part
1) I really like the conversation between the Ironbro and Gavin! 2) I like the new location and I'm surprised to see Garthon and Co. receive such a war welcome 3) Wow!Now that I think about it it was at least 2 years ago that Garthon and Torvin (RIP) meet Petyr (together with Frey,Tully and Mallister)! 4) I'm interested to read where this plotline will lead the Ironbro
Raenna Part
1) Meanwhile Raenna is in a northest point from the last time that we see her! 2) Today we meet more members of House Umber! And they're cute and small pets! 3)I'm still not sure what you plan for the Kory in the House (Umber) storyline but like for the other storylines I will wait after the meeting before have a more concrete opinion
Phew!I finally finish to write RT about the parts that I missed...now let's make some separated observations!
1)It seems that this is the chapter of introductions and meetings at Lords castle! 2) Read 5 PoV's without any breaks where you introduce many new character make me have a headache! XD 3) If it is possible when you have time can you do a Google doc for the Interlude and the first chapter of Book 2? Obviously if it is not a problem 4) Have you ever thought to post your story at fan fiction. net or Archive of Our Own? I believe that you story deserve more recognition! 5) It seems that chapter 2 will be much longer than chapter 1! 6) Finally the last thing that I'm going to write is my own thanks to you Liquid for all the passion that you have to deliver to us this incredible story!
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. I was super busy yesterday and barely managed to finish the part today, as it also happens to… more be a slight bit longer than the usual part. But that shouldn't become a regular occasion, so fear not, there will be another part this week and I'm aiming to very much improve my schedule again. Hope you still enjoy the part even if it took me a bit longer
Raenna
Never before had Raenna seen so much snow. Or, well, much snow at all. But whereas Winterfell had introduced her to this marvel, the Last Hearth ruined it for her. There was too much of anything and with the Last Hearth, it was clearly snow. Wrapped into two fur cloaks, the white one Brandon had gifted her with and Jorn Mormont's dark brown one on top, she sat next to Dag Umber as the cart somehow made its way across the road, pulled through the snow by a pair of stocky, sturdy horses with thick fur.
“Are you still cold, snow princes… [view original content]
For some reason, that probably wouldn't even go against character too much. For someone to associate himself so much with cats, wearing a mask and somehow pulling it off while remaining menacing, taking on a cat-themed name and generally having some similarities to them, a general fondness for the animal must be present. I mean, it might sound odd, but I could totally see the Tom and his pet cat. I'd say out of the entire current cast, he is at least one of the more likely to have a pet cat Not the only choice though and I will make sure to correct the gross misrepresentation of animals in the story, given that with Ser Pounce, the source material even has a cat as the ultimate hero.
To my knowledge, there is no character in the story who even has a cat and I feel like this must change at once.
Perhaps the Tom should have his own Ser Pounce.
Last Hearth, once stronghold of the Umber kings of old (long before being submitted to the Kings of Winter) and as its name indicates, the last major settlement until you reach the Wall.
Aye, the last castle at least. I am not certain how the status of settlements such as Mole's Town is, but unless there are any mentions in canon I have forgotten about, I'd say that before the Night's Watch received the Gift, there has been nothing but maybe the occasional farm between the Last Hearth and the Wall. The Umber's earned the name of that castle.
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] It's not time to investigate, and will be a good way to know the sisters better.
Last Hearth, on… morece stronghold of the Umber kings of old (long before being submitted to the Kings of Winter) and as its name indicates, the last major settlement until you reach the Wall.
Ah man, this chapter really is bringing so many new names to try and remember Nonetheless, I'm quite liking Raenna's Northern storyline so far, even if I can't tell at all where is it heading. However, most importantly all these characters seem pretty interesting, and few of them have already managed to make a pretty distinct impression on me despite the large cast kind of limiting all of their time to shine. Also, I'm quite interested about this Johannes, if only because he has a Finnish name that also happens to be my middle name
Yeah and I am afraid it is not over yet. This character is introducing more new plotlines than any other and therefore more new characters than any other before and the ones seen here won't be the last of them. Not all will be major, but I hope some will leave a strong impression and it seems this has already started. Be assured, the cast won't stay this large. Wait for Act 2, for ancient prophecies foretell that it shall be the bloodiest of them all But yeah, glad to hear some characters already left their mark. Johannes is not one I thought to be among them, but it makes sense in your case. He'll definitely be featured in other parts and chapters to come, that I can already say
Ah man, this chapter really is bringing so many new names to try and remember Nonetheless, I'm quite liking Raenna's Northern storyline so … morefar, even if I can't tell at all where is it heading. However, most importantly all these characters seem pretty interesting, and few of them have already managed to make a pretty distinct impression on me despite the large cast kind of limiting all of their time to shine. Also, I'm quite interested about this Johannes, if only because he has a Finnish name that also happens to be my middle name
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] I think this isn't the best time to start investigating. They have just arrived, and starting to act strangely right away would just make everyone pay more attention to Raenna, which in this case wouldn't be a good thing.
Yada yada I'm back yada yada [Attempt to follow Kory] yada yada let's start the RT!
Ah, welcome back! This truly is a time for returns and I'm glad to reply to the random thoughts again. Now that I look down, I suppose this... is going to take a while, but you know I love replying to comments, the longer the better
1)First Kersea part of this chapter has a short but sweet dream about the lighthouse and we see again Alysanne (RIP) and Clayton (still MIA),it is strange that it doesn't feature Raenna (since Kersea think that she is dead) or Brie (since Kersea now don't know where her sister is)
Oh, keep in mind she actually knows that Raenna and Briar are alive. Brandon told Davith to keep an eye out for her and after he came into contact with her, he told her the truth. If not for that, Raenna and Briar would be present here, but she knows they are alive and among friends, with her own goal being to clean her conscience so that she considers herself deserving of being around her little sister and best friend again. Alysanne meanwhile is someone whose death she feels personally responsible for. She knows how much of a damaged person Alysanne has been and she feels like it should have been her duty to fix her, to save her. Therefore, Alysanne's death to protect her from Harris is probably the one death in her life that affects her the most, because Alysanne is the first person who died to actively defend her.
2)Kersea and Leonard make a really interesting team,I believe they have a lot of chemistry (not in a romance way..for now)
Yeah, while not in a romantical way, it is undeniable that there is chemistry between them, of the occasionally volatile kind. They have come to somehow respect each other while still keeping some resentment and it makes for a couple interactions I am very excited for.
3)Archmaester Quent=Leonard
Yeah, in a way Quent and Leonard have similarities. The big difference is, there is more to Leonard. He can be selfless, he can be heroic, he can be genuinely caring and nice even, whereas Quent is Leonard at his worst. Leonard obviously doesn't like hearing this though.
4)Leaving aside the weird fact that Alysanne never mentioned him I'm curious to learn more about Bariq,he must be a really patient man!
I think anyone dealing with Alysanne needs a lot of patience. The reason why Alysanne never mentioned him is that she simply never saw a reason to. Kersea has met the man before and to be honest, calling the two friends would be a bit too much. It has been hinted at, Alysanne never had genuine friends before growing close to Kersea. Bariq probably was the closest thing though, he at least liked and respected Alysanne, despite knowing that she felt nothing deep or genuine for him.
5)Ahh all this talk about the dead, the wrong choices made by the characters (and in part us readers) and the return of The Hammered Harp make me really feel nostalgic!
Nostalgia is what I aim for, aye Leonard will return to Oldtown, visiting some of the earlier parts of the story, now darkly mirrored. The Hammered Harp just made its return, now a semi-abandoned ruin and in time, more of these past choices will be revisited.
6)I'm curious to discover in what kind of people our dynamic duo is going to meet!
The kind to camp in abandoned taverns during times of danger. I am certain they are going to be nice and friendly lot, there is literally no other way.
1) In the South Ysilla and her brother,together with the two mercenaries siblings, are visiting Godsgrace aka their hometown!
It remains to be seen how much of a home it still is for Theodan. He was gone for some of the most important years of his life after all, his family developed without him and stuff like that. Ysilla though, she is still very much at home there, as much as a bastard can be.
2) While it seems that for Ysilla this will be a quiet chapter I'm curious to learn more about her family members and the future announcements
A rather quiet chapter indeed, though it should hold some interesting interactions and revelations regardless. Ysilla's storyline is still in the process of building up, but I can absolutely promise that major things are coming for her, probably sooner than you think
1) Oh oh a new PoV! And the first real story line set in Vale!
And one that will stay in the Vale as well. While Maya will return in the next chapter and her storyline will be all about the journey home through the war-torn Riverlands, she only had one chapter in the Vale proper. Lachlan will give the Vale the representation it deserves.
2) Runestone is a beautiful location!
Glad you think so. The image I have in my mind surely is spectacular, in terms of landscape aesthetics I was a bit inspired by Luke Skywalker's island in the newest Star Wars movie, but with a neat mountain fortress to top it off.
3) In this part you introduce Orson daughter while we learn something more about the Royce family members
And in time, probably all of them will be featured. Two of Orson's sons, Osborn and Redmond, will be seen in this chapter even, while the third, Clovis, won't be seen right now, but will appear later on.
4) I'm curious to discover who is the Gulltown specialist and what the Bronze Lord want from him, Lachlan cousin aka Lord Coldwater and our PoV
Ah, specialist work, surely. Lachlan, Cousin Coldwater and the Gulltown specialist (and before actually introducing him, I want you all to imagine him looking like Chuck Norris) have been called for a reason, just like how the other Royce bannermen have been left out for a reason. I can tease, Orson is not alone, he has a very specific advisor by his side right now.
1) Another new PoV at Vale! I'm really curious what plans House Shett have for he and his army
Octavia Shett at least, she's the one hiring the three companies. It remains to be seen if she is your average overly ambitious highborn lady or if she has different goals.
2) Aside the captain of the ship and the representative of the Iron Bank it seems that you introduce no other characters in this part (and this is funny because I expected the introduction of at least 16 characters)
That is right, only two new characters. There is literally no part in the story that introduced so few proper characters. However, it introduced a hawk, a pig and a rat, as well as a merry amount of useful tools, such as a hammer and a quiver.
3) I suppose that the arrival of an army is something that won't pass unnoticed from the Queen Reggent and from the Bronze Lord
You can be certain they will notice it and you can be certain that this has been taken into account when their landing was planned. Taken into account, not necessarily discussed with the ones in charge before. It is a pretty impressive display of power from House Shett, for whatever their goals are.
4) I'm curious to discover what you plan for The Hawk army expecially since Westeros is a location that will be full of surprises for them (coff coff War of Conquest coff coff)
Actually, some of them are Westerosi, this I can say. They have been there before, some know the land quite well. The Hawk has been there several times, as his future parts will explain further. But none of them has ever experienced something like the War of Conquest, so they will be in for some surprises.
1) Another awesome new location introduced in the story during my absence is Dragonstone!And it is a really cool place!
Yeah, if anything, this chapter is the chapter of scenery porn, where I get to introduce lovely locations to show Dragonstone is definitely a cool one, I always loved the aesthetics related to it, this otherworldly and alien feel it has when compared to the more traditional castles in Westeros. Definitely a remnant of Valyria.
2) So in this part you finally show the canon event that you decide to make it happened some years before the original timeline eh?
You are right, it is the birth of Prince Aenys. I really wanted to have a way to easily show some other sides in all three Targaryens, stuff that usually wouldn't be so obvious. In case of Rhaenys, I'd say her more motherly side has even only been caused by the birth of her son.
3) This part too you re/introduce many new interesting characters!
Aye, some new ones and some who haven't been seen in a while, such as Quenton and Laevon. All will get their screentime eventually, but the mass of characters means it won't always be easy to feature them all at once.
4) Obviously I'm interested to learn the future Targaryen actions inside the story!
Spoiler alert, there will be fire, there will be blood, there will be war. But not only that, as you'll see. The groundwork for Aegon's very successful rule happens in these very parts.
1) I really like the conversation between the Ironbro and Gavin!
Glad to hear it The Sons in general have some complex themes going on and even characters such as Deywn have depths, which I wanted to show there. Gavin for example, he's an easy-going man, he can be actually nice and friendly, but he is also a vengeful man, this should be remembered.
2) I like the new location and I'm surprised to see Garthon and Co. receive such a war welcome
They were surprised as well for sure. Thing is, Petyr was an idealist in his youth and in a way, he still is. However, what happens with a hopeless idealist who gets pushed down again and again, until he realizes he can't change a thing about the world he lives in? That's how cynics get born. In Petyr's case, the actions of the Breaker brothers reignited a spark in him, which is precisely what Harren feared and it causes him to be very fond of both Breakers, seeing them as inspiration for his own deeds.
3) Wow!Now that I think about it it was at least 2 years ago that Garthon and Torvin (RIP) meet Petyr (together with Frey,Tully and Mallister)!
Two and a half years to be precise. Crazy, isn't it? It was actually only Garthon who met Petyr though, but both left their mark on him.
4) I'm interested to read where this plotline will lead the Ironbro
To the land of joy and wish fullfilment of course! Or well, it might do if you pick the right options, I won't rule out a happy ending for Garthon. But first, to hardships, that much is inevitable, for as much as he already suffered through.
1) Meanwhile Raenna is in a northest point from the last time that we see her!
The northest point for now you mean Raenna has made a journey longer than any other character in the story safe for Briar, from Oldtown all the way to the Last Hearth. Characters such as Jaron and co. have chances to beat her with their journey to Slaver's Bay, but there is not much further one can travel in Westeros alone.
2) Today we meet more members of House Umber! And they're cute and small pets!
Fun fact, Kari Umber considers her bear to actually be cute beyond measure, because of course she is. But yeah, a family of giants (figuratively, probably), with bears and wolves as pets, that is not something you see all day.
3)I'm still not sure what you plan for the Kory in the House (Umber) storyline but like for the other storylines I will wait after the meeting before have a more concrete opinion
Yes please. I can promise and reveal, you will get a very strong idea for where I plan to take Raenna's storyline by the end of her chapter. This I am willing to bet on, you will absolutely know what will come next for her, without even the shadow of doubt.
1)It seems that this is the chapter of introductions and meetings at Lords castle!
Trust me, it wasn't intended Only after planning the story did I realize that so many characters have their storyline leading them to a particular castle where they will meet with highborn characters. I hope it doesn't get too repititive, by the time Chapter 3 starts they should all feel very unique again.
2) Read 5 PoV's without any breaks where you introduce many new character make me have a headache! XD
Haha, I am so sorry XD New characters, so many new characters, I must admit I might have overdone it a bit at times. But take a look at how many I have to introduce at some point. Of course, I fully intend to show what a hell the War of Conquest will be and I got the manpower to literally kill hundreds of named characters without harming the cast as a whole. I will be a literary mass murderer, I fear and I take no pleasure in it.
3) If it is possible when you have time can you do a Google doc for the Interlude and the first chapter of Book 2? Obviously if it is not a problem
Yes, absolutely! I want to do it, it's just that me perfecting the art of procrastination, it occasionally drifts away. But I want to do this, I think I should do it soon. So much work to do, so little time. But it has to be done and it will be, this I swear.
4) Have you ever thought to post your story at fan fiction. net or Archive of Our Own? I believe that you story deserve more recognition!
Ah, I am asked about this all the time. The answer is yes, I have thought about it and came to the conclusion that I should do it. There are some things going on right now to make the story more well-known, not all of them are even done by me alone. Maybe posting the parts to fanfiction.net or AO3 could be a good way of making it more well known, I also intend to publish it via tumblr, there might be an audience to find as well. One thing I am just not sure about is the choice stuff and the character submission. The Telltale forums is where the story has started, it is where its heart will remain. I am certain I wouldn't have met many of you if not for me writing the story here on the Telltale forums. As such, I believe certain elements of the story, such as the character submission or the choices, which won't translate well to fanfiction.net shall remain exclusive, but I am not opposed to expanding and making FoT more well-known to the fandom as a whole. I doubt I will ever reach the level of popularity of professionalism shown in the absolute top tier of ASOIAF fanfics out there, but if I get to make it somewhat popular to the greater pond that is the internet, it definitely can't hurt my future aspirations to write for a living.
5) It seems that chapter 2 will be much longer than chapter 1!
Oh I hope not. I fear the same, but I hope not. My goal is to reach the end of Chapter 4 by the end of 2018, because it will be the perfect finale for the year (and it will leave me with some of the best material in the entire story for 2019), but this has always been an ambitious goal. I hope I will be able to release more parts containing two PoV's when possible and not distracting from the pacing and quality, because that will speed things up significantly.
6) Finally the last thing that I'm going to write is my own thanks to you Liquid for all the passion that you have to deliver to us this incredible story!
Then let me finish this, probably the single longest comment I have ever written as a response for one of the longest FoT comments of all time, with me thanking you. You mention my passion, which is true, I couldn't have done it for so long without genuine passion for writing involved, but it is comments such as yours that keep my passion alive. It is truly the most wonderful reward for me to hear things like that. While occasionally, I run into time problems and have to take care of other things, such as my university work (which might likely become more in the future), the passion I receive in return convinces me day by day that all the effort put into the story won't go to waste. As disappointing as I believe it would be to not get any reaction to something done with effort and love, as uplifting it is to realize that people appreciate it. I mean, I know you do, but it simply feels great every time I read it
Yada yada I'm back yada yada [Attempt to follow Kory] yada yada let's start the RT!
Kersea Part:
1)First Kersea part of this chapter h… moreas a short but sweet dream about the lighthouse and we see again Alysanne (RIP) and Clayton (still MIA),it is strange that it doesn't feature Raenna (since Kersea think that she is dead) or Brie (since Kersea now don't know where her sister is)
2)Kersea and Leonard make a really interesting team,I believe they have a lot of chemistry (not in a romance way..for now)
3)Archmaester Quent=Leonard
4)Leaving aside the weird fact that Alysanne never mentioned him I'm curious to learn more about Bariq,he must be a really patient man!
5)Ahh all this talk about the dead, the wrong choices made by the characters (and in part us readers) and the return of The Hammered Harp make me really feel nostalgic!
6)I'm curious to discover in what kind of people our dynamic duo is going to meet!
Ysilla Part:
1) In th… [view original content]
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. I was super busy yesterday and barely managed to finish the part today, as it also happens to… more be a slight bit longer than the usual part. But that shouldn't become a regular occasion, so fear not, there will be another part this week and I'm aiming to very much improve my schedule again. Hope you still enjoy the part even if it took me a bit longer
Raenna
Never before had Raenna seen so much snow. Or, well, much snow at all. But whereas Winterfell had introduced her to this marvel, the Last Hearth ruined it for her. There was too much of anything and with the Last Hearth, it was clearly snow. Wrapped into two fur cloaks, the white one Brandon had gifted her with and Jorn Mormont's dark brown one on top, she sat next to Dag Umber as the cart somehow made its way across the road, pulled through the snow by a pair of stocky, sturdy horses with thick fur.
“Are you still cold, snow princes… [view original content]
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] We finally get to meet all of the Umbers! They are great! Really like this Johannes guy, great guardsman. The triplets are pretty darn neato too!
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. I was super busy yesterday and barely managed to finish the part today, as it also happens to… more be a slight bit longer than the usual part. But that shouldn't become a regular occasion, so fear not, there will be another part this week and I'm aiming to very much improve my schedule again. Hope you still enjoy the part even if it took me a bit longer
Raenna
Never before had Raenna seen so much snow. Or, well, much snow at all. But whereas Winterfell had introduced her to this marvel, the Last Hearth ruined it for her. There was too much of anything and with the Last Hearth, it was clearly snow. Wrapped into two fur cloaks, the white one Brandon had gifted her with and Jorn Mormont's dark brown one on top, she sat next to Dag Umber as the cart somehow made its way across the road, pulled through the snow by a pair of stocky, sturdy horses with thick fur.
“Are you still cold, snow princes… [view original content]
Raenna is going to accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall
This was undoubtedly the more polite option, as well as the one to raise less eyebrows. After all, the Umber triplets have no idea about Raenna's true purpose and you don't know yet if they support Dag's suspicions. If Kory has anything to hide, having a genuine ally among his family can be a dangerous thing for the entirety of House Umber. That being said, if he is hiding something, she has to follow him sooner or later and that is what she eventually will do.
The next part will be out later today. I am currently writing a Jenna PoV, but don't yet know how long it will be, so I might add a second one, either from Arthur's perspective or from John's. Fact is, the one that doesn't get picked here will be seen next part. Last time we saw Jenna was in the beginning of the chapter and I realize, paired with my slightly slower writing, that this has been way too long ago. I must write more parts containing two PoV's. The increased length limit should easily allow for this. After all, I want to be done with this chapter until June at latest, preferrably finishing it in May even. 2018 shall end with the Chapter 4 finale. But yeah, back to the point, last time we saw Jenna, she was still shaken by her father's death, yet left with no choice but to continue her work at the castle, where Nora had managed to ensure her survival by claiming that she had no involvement at all in Richard's activities, something Petyr ended up apparently believing. Accidentally meeting him and Maron Mullendore, she reluctantly started a conversation with him. There, Petyr asked her if she was afraid of him and despite definitely being terrified, she decided to shake her head and try not to show her fear. Meanwhile, Arthur's part will deal with the aftermath of him and Ryler being overpowered and captured by a young woman named Lucia, an associate of the Sphynx, whereas John will show his side of the arrival in Lys, together with Jaron, Temari and Samuel. We'll see which of them, if any, I shall add to Jenna's part here.
Was she afraid? Hells yeah she was. Even just looking at this man caused her to tense up in fear, even if the look on his handsome face was not hostile in any way. He smiled, in a friendly way. Lords weren't supposed to be friendly though. This man wasn't supposed to be friendly. He murdered his father. He murdered his brother. He tolerated the man who...
Tears shot into her eyes, as she shook her head. “I'm not afraid”, she said, her voice shivering and clearly proving her wrong. Petyr raised an eyebrow. “You know it is a crime to lie to your lord”, he told her and instantly, she clenched her fists. “I...”, she stuttered, though stopped herself as Petyr chuckled.
“Relax, girl”, he told her. “I know this isn't easy, given the situation, but try to see me as a friend, not an enemy” She took a deep breath and to her own surprise and dread, she shot him a glare. “You're in league with the man who murdered my father”, she spat and Petyr's smile faded. She bit down heavily onto her lower lip, cursing herself for this.
“Was it murder though?”, Petyr asked and Jenna tilted her head, giving him a look that was half confused, half angry and absolutely terrified. “Maron tells a different story. Claims it was self defence, that he was left with no other choice” He sighed, as Jenna's look of anger did not fade in the slightest. “Listen, girl, Jenna”, he spoke. “Please understand that I am not your enemy here. I had no hand in your father's death and I am trying to uncover the full truth”
“And if it was?”, she hissed. “If it was murder?” Petyr hesitated for a moment. “Then Maron would be punished appropriately”, he promised. “Listen, the problem is, he is a sworn knight and he vows that it was necessary. His right-hand man, also a knight, confirms his side of the story, whereas your uncle, your father's only other direct relative, refuses to give any kind of testimony”
Jenna frowned. “Figures”, she muttered. “So why ask me if you don't believe me?” This time Petyr gave her an intense look. “You should not question your lord like this”, he warned her calmly and she tensed up. “However, I never said I don't believe you. I did not rise to my power by blindly trusting the word of a man simply because he is a knight”
He chuckled as he noticed the look on her face. “Don't believe me?”, he asked. “Think about it that way. It is my right to knight any man I deem worthy, be it a noble soldier or a random drunkard from the gutters. It is my right and narrows down to personal views. Trusting a knight also means trusting the judgement of the man who knighted him, a man I might not even know” He shook his head. “Trusting a man because of a title, this is a luxury I cannot afford”
In disbelief, Jenna's mouth twitched. “You have a title”, she brought up and for a moment, fear triumphed over anger, as she shook her head. “I... I didn't mean to...”, she started, but Petyr cut her off. “You did”, he spoke. “And I know lords who would have you flogged for that. I appreciate it though” He put a hand onto his heart. “I want to be trusted because I earn trust, not because of some title I hold”
Jenna kept silent after this statement, wisely so, but long enough for Petyr to notice. “You want to say?”, he asked and she shook her head. “Nothing, m'lord”, she claimed, but he chuckled. “You want to say I killed my brother, isn't that right?” Slightly hesitating, she finally nodded. For a moment, she thought she spotted something else behind this confident facade. Something doubtful, something almost insecure. Then, it was gone, as quick as it came.
“Lucas brought his death upon himself”, he spoke. “A trial by combat was his idea, I had no way to deny him this, or to help him out of the mess he brought himself in” His voice was calm, yet to the end, it shivered slightly, a display of emotion she had not expected to see from him. He seemed to realize how unfitting this was and shook his head, with slight annoyance. “Why am I telling you?”, he questioned. “It's not like you can help with that. But I might be able to help you” Pressing his lips together, he placed a hand onto her forearm, undoubtedly noticing the shivering. “I want to know what happened. What really happened”
“You know I wasn't there”, she spoke and Petyr shook his head. “You know your father better than anyone else”, he spoke. “Nora knew him as well and she assured me he would never attack Ser Maron” He shrugged. “Of course, Maron and the Tom claim something else, but after all of the accusations against the man, I admittedly find it hard to believe him”
Jenna frowned. “If you don't trust him, why do you keep him around?”, she asked, to which Petyr raised his eyebrow. “You got quite a mouth on you”, he spoke and she wasn't entirely sure if he was approving or disapproving of what she just said. “My alliance with Maron goes deeper than simple trust. We need each other, so I at least trust him to do nothing that brings harm to me” His expression grew stern. “But that is not the question here. I want to know what happened on that day, with your father”
“He wouldn't have attacked him”, Jenna replied instantly, her voice cold and firm. “My father was many things, but he was not stupid” Petyr nodded. “But emotional, wouldn't you say?”, he asked. “Maron claims your father attacked him in rage, that he had to defend himself. In that case, I can hardly punish him”
“He wouldn't...”, Jenna began, before she paused, as her voice shivered. “He had no reason to...” She shook her head. “He did not attack your knight”, she stated. “My father wouldn't have done this. Throwing his life away...” She narrowed her eyes. “Means your man murdered him”
To her surprise, Petyr gave her a nod. “He might”, he admitted. “He always had a problem with his temper” He placed a hand on Jenna's back. “Are you going to remain in my service now?”, he asked and Jenna tilted her head. “I wasn't sure I had a choice”, she spoke and Petyr smirked. “You are not my slave”, he explained. “You always have a choice”
Now, she shook her head. “Where else could I go?”, she asked. “You gave my father's farm to my uncle” It wasn't necessarily meant as an accusation, at least she didn't want to test his patience any further. Petyr nodded. “The Harking farm is a source of food for the city. It needs to be in working condition and Alan, no matter how low his behaviour might have been, objectively did us a favour”
She sighed and Petyr gave her a look that was almost sympathetic. “Listen, I will get to the bottom of this. If Maron overstepped his boundaries here, I will punish him, you have my word”, he promised. “Until then, you are free to continue your work here in the castle. I will make it clear that Maron and his men are to leave you alone, you will have a room and a stable income”
“And if I don't want to work with the man who murdered my father?”, Jenna asked coldly. Petyr looked down. “In that case, I'd say the castle of Raylansfair has lost a very bright young woman”, he complimented her. “One who doesn't hesitate to speak her mind” His compliment did wonders, as a surprised Jenna looked at him, almost baffled. Petyr chuckled. “However, if you decide to stay here, I have a request”
She raised an eyebrow. “And what might that be?”, she asked and Petyr raised from his seat next to her. “If you ever feel like I did something wrong, I, not Maron, not the Tom or any other, but me personally, you do what you just did”, he told her. “You come up to me and you talk, you're honest with me. Understood?”
Surprised by his request, Jenna merely managed to nod. “Understood”, she said meekly and Petyr shot her a small smile. “I want to at least get the chance to defend myself”, he explained. “With that, I have to leave. We will receive important guests today and I have to prepare. Thank you for your time and... my condolences”
With this, he turned around and soon was gone, while Jenna remained seated. Only slowly did she realize what just happened, that she just had a conversation with the man she should hate the most, how dangerous this encounter had actually been. With tears streaming down her face, she sat there, staring at the floor and crying in silence.
“Hey, Jenna!”, a familiar voice called out for her and she tensed up again. She hadn't seen him in days, she wasn't sure if she was in the mood to talk to him, but at the same time, there was little she could do to prevent Vali Flowers from approaching her. His voice however was more serious this time, lacking some of the biting sharpness it usually held. Probably something good, as she wasn't sure how she'd react if he'd do his usual thing around her this time.
“I won't ask if everything is alright”, he spoke and she turned around, her eyes red from crying. For once, he looked genuinely sympathetic. “Saw you talking to the big man just now”, he replied. “Be careful around him” She narrowed her eyes. “You don't have to tell me”, she hissed. “What do you want?”
He raised both hands, apologetically. “Hey, easy, I'm on your side”, he claimed and she raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”, she hissed. “The way I see it, you haven't done a thing to help besides claiming your allegiance. You weren't there” Vali raised an eyebrow. “Well neither was your friend Saerya”, he replied.
Jenna grimaced. “What do you want?”, she asked, slightly reluctant to soften up. Vali sighed, as he sat down next to her. “I know what you are going through right now”, he assured her. “I've... lost someone as well, at the hands of Butterfly”
They looked at each other, before Jenna shook her head. “Is it okay if I don't want to talk about it right now?”, she asked and Vali nodded. “Of course”, he said softly. “Then just listen. We have to carry on or else this was all in vain. Something is happening today, something big”
She gave him a mildly curious look. “What?”, she asked. “Just spit it out. I'm not in the mood for your games” Vali sighed. “Lord Petyr receives some guests”, he spoke. “The Lord of Selwyn Tower comes to Raylansfair and he brings with him his entire family and a sizeable entourage”
“Is he on our side?”, Jenna asked, to which Vali shook his head. “No, I don't think so, at least not at this point”, he replied. “Don't really know him, but they say he can be difficult to deal with” He shrugged. “I know his sister, quite well actually. Lady Arianna Hewett, she's the wife of my father”, he revealed. “And I can tell you, she is not a nice woman. Don't know if it's a family thing”
Jenna sighed. “Yeah, then how can this Selwyn help us?”, she asked and Vali smirked. “Lord Selwyn has a group of advisers and he holds them in high regards”, he told her. “Among them is a certain Dunaver Flowers, a knight of the Order of the Green Hand. Perhap the most reliable ally we can find”
“Then it's all good, I guess”, Jenna mumbled, to which Vali shook his head. “Eh, me and Dunaver, we never really got along, he's harsh and stubborn and a very angry man”, he spoke. “I'm going to ask of him to influence Donnel Selwyn in favour of our cause, but I might need some support to convince him”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “My help”, she stated and Vali shot her a bright smile. “You're absolutely correct”, he told her. “So, I have a couple things to bring up, we can discuss them while I help Maester Eddard with some things. Just go with me and we can talk about it, how you can help me with Dunaver and stuff like that”
Going with Vali... Jenna sighed at the request. Though had she truly better things to do? Perhaps it was a way to strike back, to gain allies and to punish the monster that murdered her father. At the same time, she had learned something today. The arrival of the Selwyn men, the identity of a Green Hand member among them, potentially even conflict between Lord Petyr and the beast. Saerya would be interested in that, so very much and perhaps she was a more reliable ally than Vali...
[Go with Vali][Search for Saerya]
Arthur
If there was one thing Arthur had never been good at, it was following such an order. This strange young woman, she got onto his nerves. She was alone and just barely armed, while he was a trained guardsman of Raylansfair. He wouldn't let himself ordered around by a girl at knifepoint.
Without warning, he took a swing at her. Not a violent man by nature, Arthur intentionally did not reach for his weapon. He didn't want to kill her, but apprehending her would be enough. What he did not expect though was that Lucia saw the strike coming, as quick as he tried it to be. She dodged and a second later, her foot stomped against his lower leg.
Grunting in pain, Arthur felt his knee giving in, as he staggered, trying to remain standing. Lucia grinned at him, the look in her eyes predatory. “Oh, you fucked up, big boy”, she hissed and her fist hit Arthur right in the face, with a force he did not expect from someone of her size. It wasn't particularly strong, but hitting him right in the nose, he sank onto the ground.
Now, the woman, usually notably shorter than him, was towering over him and she still had the knife in her other hand, playing with it almost absent-mindedly. “You really fucked up”, she chuckled. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now”
Arthur tensed up, while behind him, Ryler gasped. “Arthur...”, he mumbled and Lucia shot him a glare. “And you shut up back there”, she hissed. “Stealing his name, thinking you can get away with that...” She shook her head and looked back at Arthur. “So, one good reason, I'm waiting”
“I... I'm Arthur Nathamer”, Arthur revealed. “Son of Hackor Nathamer” Lucia smirked, before she shrugged. “So you're someone, son of someone else”, she spat. “I don't know you, nor your father” He gulped. “He was the commander of the city guard”, he tried to bargain and Lucia raised an eyebrow. “Was?”, she asked.
“He... he died, he was killed by Ironborn”, Arthur admitted and Lucia's smirk faded. “We all die one day”, she told him. “Everyone you love will be dead sooner or later. Doesn't mean much to me, your family story” She clenched her teeth, before she glared at Ryler with a fury that surprised Arthur. “And you? Got a full name as well?” The young man gave Arthur a pleading look, before pain twisted his facial features, forcing him to move a hand to the wound on his lower leg. “Grimthorn”, he muttered.
Lucia did not respond and as Arthur looked back at her, he saw her staring at him, wide-eyed, shivering. “Who are you?”, she said, her voice not showing a hint of emotion, for a moment, before cracking. “Who the fuck told you to do that?”
Arthur noticed her intention first and as such, he managed to jump in the way as she charged at Ryler. Not even bothering to notice him, he landed right at her and being more heavy by far, he pushed her back. “Get off him!”, he warned her, as she growled in anger. “Get off me or I'll kill you!”, she spat. “That was Rodrik's idea, huh? One of his sick little games! I'll bring him your head, then we'll see who's laughing...” Her hands clawed into Arthur's shoulders, the blade of the knife almost scratching his back. “And I said... GET OFF ME!”
With this, the hilt of the knife hit Arthur right into the jaw, then again from the other side, finally, her foot kicking him right in the stomach. With a groan, Arthur fell onto all fours again. As he looked up, he saw Lucia shivering with anger, but there was something else. Tears poured down the young woman's face. “You sons of bitches”, she hissed. “He told you to do that, huh? You have any idea what you just did?”
“I...”, Ryler began, but stopped himself as she glared at him. “Not a word”, she growled, as she looked up. The expression on her face was a mixture of anger and deep pain. The look of a broken soul. “He's coming”, she mumbled.
Arthur only managed to exchange a last, desperate look with Ryler, as the door got opened. “Lucia!”, the man who entered immediately called and Arthur recognized him. White garments, a hood, a cat mask in black and red. Knifes and other tools strapped to the belt over his chest. The Sphynx was alone this time and probably not much of a threat, but Lucia had proven without a doubt that she was more dangerous than she looked like. “I told you not to harm them!”
Not even bothering with his criticism, the girl spun around. “You bastard!”, she spat. “What was that for? Was I too slow at something? Too sloppy? So you wanted to play a trick on me? Teach me a lesson, huh?” Her voice was shrill, warped with rage and the Sphynx looked actually surprised, if the dark eyes beneath the mask were any indicator.
“What?”, he asked. “My sweet girl, what could I have possibly done to deserve your anger?” He raised both hands. “Please, Lucia, calm down” She took a deep breath, continuing to tear up. “Just shut up with your lies...”, she mumbled. “You told him... you told him about me. You told which name to tell me. Wanted to get a reaction out of me, well there you have your fucking reaction!”
The Sphynx tilted his head sideways. “What name did you tell her, boy?”, he asked, looking at Ryler. The young man was shivering by now, looking at the mask. “He wore the same...”, he gasped. “The Sphynx. Lupin”
“It is a title, yes”, the Sphynx explained. “But I am not Lupin, I am his successor. And I want to know what name you told poor Lucia to reduce her to... this” He pointed at the girl and in this moment, Arthur had to admit, despite the fact that she had beaten him quite soundly, he felt pity for her. What he saw was not some hardened killer, but a young woman, far too young, with the haunted eyes of someone who had seen too much in too little time, the broken, hollow expression, the underlying anger at the world. She was hurt and still hurting. “I told her my name”, Ryler spoke and sighed. “It is Ryler Grimthorn”
“Again!”, Lucia spat and this time, it was the Sphynx who charged between them, stopping her from getting anywhere near Ryler. Against him, she showed far less willingness to fight back and instead of attacking him, she merely collapsed in his arms, crying into the white mantle he was wearing.
“Lucia...”, the masked man said and his voice was not cold or cruel, but soft. “My sweet, poor Lucia...” He placed his hands on her shoulders, keeping her half a foot away from him. She stared at him, confused, angry and in clear pain. “Why did you do this?”, she asked and he shook his head. “I did nothing, nothing but having a suspicion, one he himself just confirmed”, he assured her. “Lucia, I never spoke to this boy”
The girl looked past him and towards Ryler, who was still lying on the ground, Arthur kneeling next to him. “You're lying”, she mumbled and the Sphynx shook his head. “I swear to you that I have never been more honest than in this moment”, he assured her. “It was only a suspicion before. A faint similarity perhaps. Just enough to spark my curiosity”
“I'm done for...”, Ryler gasped, keeping his voice as low as possible. “Arthur... I'll try to distract them, then you have to run. Take your sister, run as far away as you can” Arthur gulped, reaching for Ryler's shoulder, but the Sphynx looked over his shoulder. “That won't be necessary, boy”, he spoke. “You are not among enemies, as much as Lucia's unfortunate reaction may have convinced you otherwise. It is quite the opposite actually”
Lucia was looking on in shock. “You're lying”, she said again, her voice shivering, as if she tried to convince herself of what she just said. “You're a liar and a cruel, sick man and Ryler is dead and you want to...” She looked at the masked man. “What do you want with this?”
“Your safety”, the Sphynx told her gently. “Your happiness. What I always have in mind. You might not believe me, but I only ask of you to look him in the eye. The normal one, not the one Lupin twisted” Lucia did just that and for a moment, the two just stared at each other. Then, Lucia's eyes widened in shock, as she stumbled backwards, sinking onto one of the chairs next to the table. Slowly, she shook her head. “It cannot be”, she gasped. “He's dead. You told me he's dead”
The Sphynx gave him a nod. “And I was certain he was”, he replied, as he sat down on the chair next to the young woman. “You there, guardsman. Would you please help Ryler up and get over here? We have something to discuss and I want it to happen eye to eye”
Arthur looked at Ryler and the young man finally gave him a nod. With his help, he was lifted back to his feet and while Arthur supported him, he limped over to the table. “What is this all about?”, he finally asked. “If you think you can take me back to your dungeon, that won't happen. I'd rather die”
A sigh came from below the mask. “I want nothing like this”, he assured him. “As I was going to say, I was certain you had died, oh so many years ago. But there you were, in Mathea's clinic... and I would always recognize my nephew” Ryler gasped, as Lucia clenched her teeth, slamming both of her fists onto the table. The Sphynx however moved a hand to his mask and in a single movement, he took it off, followed by his hood.
Arthur was prepared for many things, but not for the sight that he was presented with right now. The Sphynx was... looking like a normal man. He had seen the Tom's mutilated face, but the Sphynx was nothing like it. An ordinary man in his thirties, with sharp features, perhaps even handsome. Dark brown eyes, the light blonde hair cut very short, with the hint of a stubble beard. The only thing that distracted from an otherwise solid appearance was the area around the right ear. The flesh was scarred and twisted, not as if it was burned, but... melted, with the ear itself being reduced to a stub. It was a minor wound though, especially compared to the sharp, lithe features he otherwise sported.
Ryler looked at him for a moment, before he gasped. “Uncle Rodrik?”, he asked and the man's cold expression softened to the point where a smile formed on his face. “Little Ryler, you have grown so much since I've last seen you”, he told him. “But I always recognize family, after all these years. I did the same with my niece”
Lucia did not look at any of them. Staring at the table, she was biting down onto her lower lip. But now that the Sphynx, Rodrik, had said it, Arthur saw it and he had no doubt Ryler did the same. The similarity between them was present, undeniable. “By the gods...”, Ryler mumbled. “Lucia...”
Between this, Arthur sat with increasing confusion, as he looked at the man he previously only knew as the Sphynx. The man noticed it and raised an eyebrow. “Ah, apologies, this must all be a bit overwhelming for the two of you”, he said and put a hand onto his chest. “Allow me to introduce myself properly. The name is Rodrik Grimthorn, youngest brother of the late Lord Ryden Grimthorn” He put a hand onto Lucia's shoulder and the young woman looked up, right at Ryler. “This is my niece, Lucia Grimthorn and as I correctly assumed, your friend right here is her younger brother Ryler”
The girl shook her head. “No...”, she mumbled. “Ryler is dead. You told me he died” She looked at her uncle. “You told me they killed him!” Rodrik shook his head. “That is what I thought all these years, my sweet girl” He smiled at Ryler. “It appears I was mistaken”
If anyone was taking this revelation worse than Lucia, it was Ryler himself, who was shaking, sweating, looking genuinely shocked, downright horrified. “You are with the Alley Cats now”, he spoke and Rodrik nodded. “I was with them from the very beginning”, he spoke. “But I can assure you, I knew nothing of your containment. Lupin was the Sphynx back then, I had no role in his experiments” He coldly tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. “His handiwork is clear to see”, he admitted. “Had I known you were with him, I would have freed you”
“What do you want?”, Ryler gasped, before he looked at Lucia, his own panic mirroring hers. “This cannot be! You... why now?” Rodrik shrugged. “A coincidence”, he told his nephew. “Many great tales begin with coincidences, such as your return to the family”
Ryler shook his head. “With the Alley Cats, you mean”, he growled and Rodrik put a hand onto his chest. “Please, the cats?”, he asked. “A means to an end. If you think I hold any personal loyalty to them, you are dearly mistaken. Erik maybe, but the rest? What do I owe them?”
He leant forwards. “But I owe my family everything”, he spoke. “When our house fell, I thought I was the only survivor. They had thrown something at me, some mixture and it did this to my ear. The pain...” He cut himself off and his voice darkened for a moment, as he tensed up, narrowing his eyes and slamming a fist onto the table. “I nearly lost my mind back then. Alone, wounded, that's how Erik found me. Others joined our group, we became the Alley Cats, a safe haven for everyone like us”
Rodrik looked at Lucia, who was subtly shaking her head. “I don't want...”, she began, but he cut her off. “I am afraid Lucia is the only one of your siblings to survive”, he explained. “She was taken by the Bloodboar men. Spared the fate you might expect, she was a bit too young for that, but the rest of your sisters didn't get so lucky”
Loudly, Lucia interrupted him by slamming a fist onto the table and giving him a cold glare. “I don't want you to talk about this”, she hissed. “In front of them, of all people” Rodrik raised an eyebrow. “Lucia, this is your brother”, he spoke and the young woman growled in frustration. “No, he is not”, she spat. “Ryler died a decade ago. I don't know what this is, I don't know whom this is about, but I want no part in any of it!”
Ryler's eyes widened, as he looked at his sister, who had jumped up from her chair. “When you're done playing your sick game, you know where to find me”, she mumbled, before she stormed out. Ryler tried to reach out for her. “Lucia!”, he said, but she did not react. Rodrik merely shook his head. “Let her”, he advised him. “What they did to your sisters, she had to witness it all. You can probably understand she grew up to be a bit... volatile. She'll come around in time”
“Yeah, no thanks to you, Sphynx”, Ryler growled. “What do you want?” Rodrik seemed genuinely surprised by this question. “I have dedicated my life to keep the remains of my family safe”, he assured him. “So far, I thought this would just mean Lucia, but today has made this a bit more... complicated”
He looked at Arthur and smiled, an unsettling expression that caused thoughts of defiance to grow in him once more. But Ryler made no attempt to flee, meaning Arthur himself decided to remain calm for now as well. “You have heard of me?”, he asked and Arthur gave him a nod. “I know men like you”, he claimed, to which the Sphynx shook his head. “I doubt it”, he spoke. “There are no men like me. Just as there are no men like you, or like Ryler. In my line of work, you learn that there's no two people quite alike”
“You look out for the family?”, Ryler asked and Rodrik gave him a nod without hesitating. “I saved Lucia from the Bloodboar soldiers”, he explained. “Took her with me to Oldtown, but I made it a point that she would never get into too much contact with the Alley Cats” He sighed. “Say what you want about them, but some are not quite the kind I want to interact with my niece”, he told him and looked his nephew deep in the eyes. “You might think me a monster because of the mask, because of what the man who wore it before me did. But I can assure you, I am nothing like Lupin. You are my family and I want nothing more than to look out for what is left of that”
Arthur narrowed his eyes, as he looked at Ryler. “Do you trust him?”, he asked and Ryler sighed. “I... I don't know”, he said. “I remember you... Uncle Rodrik. I remember Lucia and all the others” He gulped. “What has become of us?”
For a moment, a bit of remorse could be clearly seen on Rodrik's face. “We did what we had to do to survive”, he spoke. “We adapted. We changed. We did things we once swore we'd never do and in time, we became good at them and at surviving” He smiled, a genuine, if slightly unnerving smile. “But you are back now and I assure you, for as long as you want, I will look out for you”
Ryler seemed more convinced than Arthur, who gave Rodrik Grimthorn a look of suspicion. “And why all this?”, he spoke. “Why using your niece to capture us?” Rodrik chuckled softly. “Because you would have never agreed to a meeting and I... I had to make sure that Connor would not hear of this”
“Your apprentice”, Ryler stated and Rodrik nodded. “More than that, he is a Frostborn, Lupin's younger brother” As Ryler tensed up, Rodrik leant forward. “The same darkness that consumed his brother is in him, but I believe given proper teaching, he can be turned into a worthy successor for my position. He shares Lupin's gift”
Arthur narrowed his eyes. “What does Lupin have to do with this?”, he asked. Rodrik sighed. “Lupin is the man that did all this to Ryler. Beyond that, he is a traitor to the Alley Cats and a danger to just about all of us”, he revealed. “So you can imagine my joy when hearing rumours about his henchman being active in this area, a certain Wolfius Woodbark”
“You know Wolfius?”, Arthur growled, feeling anger rising in him when remembering the man. He was still out there, he knew it. It just never occurred to him that maybe even the Alley Cats had an interest in bringing him down. “I know him quite well actually”, Rodrik confirmed. “He used to be different. A well-spoken man back when I first met him, you could hold a conversation with him just like the one we have right now. But he was always around Lupin and in time, I think Frostborn corrupted his mind. That is an influence of being near him for too long, of being subjected to his darkness”
Arthur clenched his fists. “You sound like you pity him”, he spoke and Rodrik raised an eyebrow. “Woodbark? Yes I do pity him, if only because no one deserves to suffer as much as he must have done”, he confirmed. “He is a rabid dog after all that happened to his mind, one that has to be put down. I am out for bigger prey, for the monster I seek to hunt is Lupin himself”
“We have a common goal then”, Ryler confirmed and Rodrik's smile faded. “I feared you'd say that, nephew”, he admitted. “But you have grown into a formidable man and I will not stop you from hunting for Lupin, as long as you allow me to help”
Though the idea of having the Alley Cat on his side caused visible discomfort in Ryler, he nodded, a gesture that came only half as a surprise for Arthur. “And you, Arthur Nathamer...”, Rodrik spoke. “I was told Wolfius had a hand in your father's death. Rejoice, for finding this man is a goal of mine. I want and must bring him down to lure out his master”
“So, you're saying...”, Arthur began and Rodrik finished the sentence for him. “That we have a common enemy in all this and I suppose you know how the saying goes”, he confirmed. “Don't get me wrong, I don't ask of you to trust or like me. We are too different for that. I will not ask you to even understand some of the things I have done” With that, he extended his hand. “That being said, I ask of you to set aside any grudge you may have and trust me with this one thing, that I, Rodrik Grimthorn, swear to do anything I can to protect my nephew Ryler and my niece Lucia. This means, I fully commit myself to eliminating the threat that is Wolfius Woodbark and his master, Lupin Frostborn”
Arthur gulped, looking at Ryler, who gave him an encouraging nod. He however wasn't certain, far from it actually. “And if I refuse?”, he asked, to which Rodrik shrugged. “Then you can leave. I likely won't approach you again, but neither will I harm you. Me and Ryler will do this on our own, but I'd be a fool for harming the city guard's simultaneous efforts” He smiled, sharply and with cunning. “I leave the choice up to you, but can only urge you to consider the benefits. The city guard and House Grimthorn, united against a common enemy”
[Agree to work with Rodrik][Refuse to work with Rodrik]
Jenna
Was she afraid? Hells yeah she was. Even just looking at this man caused her to tense up in fear, even if the look on his handsome … moreface was not hostile in any way. He smiled, in a friendly way. Lords weren't supposed to be friendly though. This man wasn't supposed to be friendly. He murdered his father. He murdered his brother. He tolerated the man who...
Tears shot into her eyes, as she shook her head. “I'm not afraid”, she said, her voice shivering and clearly proving her wrong. Petyr raised an eyebrow. “You know it is a crime to lie to your lord”, he told her and instantly, she clenched her fists. “I...”, she stuttered, though stopped herself as Petyr chuckled.
“Relax, girl”, he told her. “I know this isn't easy, given the situation, but try to see me as a friend, not an enemy” She took a deep breath and to her own surprise and dread, she shot him a glare. “You're in league with the man who murdered my father”, she spat and … [view original content]
Well this was a pair of interesting parts! First of all, I really enjoyed the conversation between Jenna and Petyr. He's such an affable guy that I almost forget that I hate him That said, not matter what he says, I really don't think Jenna should see him as a friend, or even as a potential ally. We've learned by now that he can extremely ruthless, and I don't doubt for a second that he'd be capable of throwing Jenna under the bus if he felt the need to do so. So yeah, as charming and enjoyable to read as Petyr is, let's just try to keep our distance from him. Now, to the choice...
[Go with Vali] Now, I understand there has been some build up for a rivalry between Vali and Saerya, and with that in mind this choice could be about choosing sides between them. However, that's not why I choose to go with Vali, I just think that going with him to meet this Dunaver could give Jenna even more knowledge, which she can then perhaps take to Saerya. And also more screentime for Vali is something I can't refuse
Arthur's part though, whoa, this was not how I expected things to go! Not only is this Lucia actually Ryler's sister, but the frickin' Sphynx is their uncle. Interesting, to say the least Nonetheless, this part did make me hate Sphynx/Rodrik slightly less, especially learning that he plans to kill Wolfius and Lupin. And to think that Wolfius is the psycho that he is thanks to Lupin... man, that guy just sounds more and more despicable after every time we learn more about him. Can't wait to meet him!
[Agree to work with Rodrik] Ah, let's just do it! With this team up I'm actually feeling quite confident that they can really take down Wolfius, so better not waste the opportunity.
Jenna
Was she afraid? Hells yeah she was. Even just looking at this man caused her to tense up in fear, even if the look on his handsome … moreface was not hostile in any way. He smiled, in a friendly way. Lords weren't supposed to be friendly though. This man wasn't supposed to be friendly. He murdered his father. He murdered his brother. He tolerated the man who...
Tears shot into her eyes, as she shook her head. “I'm not afraid”, she said, her voice shivering and clearly proving her wrong. Petyr raised an eyebrow. “You know it is a crime to lie to your lord”, he told her and instantly, she clenched her fists. “I...”, she stuttered, though stopped herself as Petyr chuckled.
“Relax, girl”, he told her. “I know this isn't easy, given the situation, but try to see me as a friend, not an enemy” She took a deep breath and to her own surprise and dread, she shot him a glare. “You're in league with the man who murdered my father”, she spat and … [view original content]
[Go with Vali] Man, why is Petyr so damn charming? We are supposed to hate him, but when he so smoothly wraps Jenna around his fingers makes you just kind of like the guy. I can't wait to see him break out of that charismatic facade and show his true, ruthless colors. About the vote, I am so conflicted. I am a stark believer of Team Targ, but I also really like Vali. At this point, I think we can go with Vali without compromising our friendship with Saerya.
[Refuse to work with Rodrik] I don't think we should be getting in bed with the devil. By working with Rodrik, we'd be having more interactions with the Alley Cats. Arthur should put focus back onto his sister and the city guard. Plus, this doesn't mean he is going to stop searching for Wolfius. And this doesn't necessary rule out his friendship with Ryler. But association with the Alley Cats is only going to bring Arthur trouble, as if it comes out, people aren't going to care whether or not he was doing it for good reasons. Plus Aditha would probably be furious with the idea of Arthur working with a clan of murders and freaks.
Jenna
Was she afraid? Hells yeah she was. Even just looking at this man caused her to tense up in fear, even if the look on his handsome … moreface was not hostile in any way. He smiled, in a friendly way. Lords weren't supposed to be friendly though. This man wasn't supposed to be friendly. He murdered his father. He murdered his brother. He tolerated the man who...
Tears shot into her eyes, as she shook her head. “I'm not afraid”, she said, her voice shivering and clearly proving her wrong. Petyr raised an eyebrow. “You know it is a crime to lie to your lord”, he told her and instantly, she clenched her fists. “I...”, she stuttered, though stopped herself as Petyr chuckled.
“Relax, girl”, he told her. “I know this isn't easy, given the situation, but try to see me as a friend, not an enemy” She took a deep breath and to her own surprise and dread, she shot him a glare. “You're in league with the man who murdered my father”, she spat and … [view original content]
Well this was a pair of interesting parts! First of all, I really enjoyed the conversation between Jenna and Petyr. He's such an affable guy that I almost forget that I hate him That said, not matter what he says, I really don't think Jenna should see him as a friend, or even as a potential ally. We've learned by now that he can extremely ruthless, and I don't doubt for a second that he'd be capable of throwing Jenna under the bus if he felt the need to do so. So yeah, as charming and enjoyable to read as Petyr is, let's just try to keep our distance from him. Now, to the choice...
Yeah, he can definitely do that, quite easily so XD One of Petyr's greatest weapons is that he can be genuinely affable and charming, able to wrap others around his finger quite easily. This is especially true for Jenna, who is not an expert manipulator and has recently suffered a loss that made her more open for emotional manipulation. If that was what Petyr is out for remains to be seen, he might have been genuine at least a bit when expressing his condolences and questioning if Maron was truly in the right for executing Richard. That being said, it is definitely safer for Jenna to keep her distance, Petyr can be equal parts affable and absolutely ruthless.
Now, I understand there has been some build up for a rivalry between Vali and Saerya, and with that in mind this choice could be about choosing sides between them. However, that's not why I choose to go with Vali, I just think that going with him to meet this Dunaver could give Jenna even more knowledge, which she can then perhaps take to Saerya. And also more screentime for Vali is something I can't refuse
Aye, at least a bit of a rivalry is what I have in mind. The alliance against Mullendore is far from actually allied, with Vali having just as much of a legitimate reason to go against Saerya than Mullendore and likewise. They have a common enemy, with Jenna being pretty much the only one keeping them together at this point.
Arthur's part though, whoa, this was not how I expected things to go! Not only is this Lucia actually Ryler's sister, but the frickin' Sphynx is their uncle. Interesting, to say the least Nonetheless, this part did make me hate Sphynx/Rodrik slightly less, especially learning that he plans to kill Wolfius and Lupin. And to think that Wolfius is the psycho that he is thanks to Lupin... man, that guy just sounds more and more despicable after every time we learn more about him. Can't wait to meet him!
Haha, I was hoping this would come as a complete surprise The Sphynx has actually a very rich backstory and Book 2 is where he will shine as a character beyond being a creepy torturer guy. I am not sure if it can be called a redeeming quality, but him apparently caring for Lucia and Ryler is definitely a positive trait as well. So, he has an interest in bringing down Lupin and Wolfius is the one they have to get to first to lure him out. When it comes to Wolfius, I can confirm that he has indeed been a bit different once. The Sphynx remembers a man who, while violent for sure, wasn't quite as insane and could actually hide his nature quite well. Given that the Wolfius you know is definitely worse than the one the Sphynx remembers means that change had some sort of a reason and after all he remembers about Lupin, he naturally concludes that he had a hand in this. Of course, you have not yet met Lupin himself, but he will appear at some point in Book 2 and by then, you will quickly see if he is truly as despicable as he is made out to be, or if Wolfius' condition has gotten worse through other means.
Well this was a pair of interesting parts! First of all, I really enjoyed the conversation between Jenna and Petyr. He's such an affable guy… more that I almost forget that I hate him That said, not matter what he says, I really don't think Jenna should see him as a friend, or even as a potential ally. We've learned by now that he can extremely ruthless, and I don't doubt for a second that he'd be capable of throwing Jenna under the bus if he felt the need to do so. So yeah, as charming and enjoyable to read as Petyr is, let's just try to keep our distance from him. Now, to the choice...
[Go with Vali] Now, I understand there has been some build up for a rivalry between Vali and Saerya, and with that in mind this choice could be about choosing sides between them. However, that's not why I choose to go with Vali, I just think that going with him to meet this Dunaver could give Jenna even more knowledge, which she can then perhaps take to Saerya.… [view original content]
Man, why is Petyr so damn charming? We are supposed to hate him, but when he so smoothly wraps Jenna around his fingers makes you just kind of like the guy. I can't wait to see him break out of that charismatic facade and show his true, ruthless colors. About the vote, I am so conflicted. I am a stark believer of Team Targ, but I also really like Vali. At this point, I think we can go with Vali without compromising our friendship with Saerya.
Yeah, damn that charming bastard XD This is the reason why he is so successful, he knows when to be ruthless, but he makes sure that he can always come back from that, that he never makes enemies in the way Mullendore does, that he never comes across as rude and uncaring and as a result, there are people who genuinely like him. Jenna is probably not among them, but she easily hates him less than Mullendore, so whatever he is doing, it is working. And well, I just realized this as well, your support of Team Targ might be a bit of a problem when it comes to your liking of Vali, because what he is definitely not and likely never will be is a Targaryen supporter.
I don't think we should be getting in bed with the devil. By working with Rodrik, we'd be having more interactions with the Alley Cats. Arthur should put focus back onto his sister and the city guard. Plus, this doesn't mean he is going to stop searching for Wolfius. And this doesn't necessary rule out his friendship with Ryler. But association with the Alley Cats is only going to bring Arthur trouble, as if it comes out, people aren't going to care whether or not he was doing it for good reasons. Plus Aditha would probably be furious with the idea of Arthur working with a clan of murders and freaks.
It would be something like this, working with a clearly bad man in order to stop someone who is even worse. Rodrik, well, he is not a classical choice for an ally, but if Arthur picks the option to work with him, it will happen out of the viewpoint that desperate times require unlikely allies. Keep in mind though, the official view on the Alley Cats is not as negative in Raylansfair as it is in Oldtown. They are seen as shady, but officially are part of the Mullendore forces and therefore exist somewhere on the same level as the old city guard, even if they don't get the same level of acceptance and respect. Aditha has a keen sense of people's true nature though, so she is likely to see past the official tale about the Alley Cats. However, she knows what Wolfius is capable of, she has lost her father because of him and this might be enough for her to be more supportive of such a decision.
[Go with Vali] Man, why is Petyr so damn charming? We are supposed to hate him, but when he so smoothly wraps Jenna around his fingers makes… more you just kind of like the guy. I can't wait to see him break out of that charismatic facade and show his true, ruthless colors. About the vote, I am so conflicted. I am a stark believer of Team Targ, but I also really like Vali. At this point, I think we can go with Vali without compromising our friendship with Saerya.
[Refuse to work with Rodrik] I don't think we should be getting in bed with the devil. By working with Rodrik, we'd be having more interactions with the Alley Cats. Arthur should put focus back onto his sister and the city guard. Plus, this doesn't mean he is going to stop searching for Wolfius. And this doesn't necessary rule out his friendship with Ryler. But association with the Alley Cats is only going to bring Arthur trouble, as if it comes out, people aren't going to care whether … [view original content]
[Go with Vali] While this will put Jenna at odds with Saerya, is better if she confirms Donaver Flowers is truly an ally. I'm actually surprised Petyr truly sounded sincere, even when he had his brother killed, he seems to feel remorse for doing it. [Agree to work with Rodrik] Just for the record "I knew it", because I suspected The Sphynx was a northerner because Rodrik is usually used in the northern regions of Westeros.
If Woodbark wasn't so bad, then how evil is Lupin Frostborn if the current Sphynx wants him dead?!
Jenna
Was she afraid? Hells yeah she was. Even just looking at this man caused her to tense up in fear, even if the look on his handsome … moreface was not hostile in any way. He smiled, in a friendly way. Lords weren't supposed to be friendly though. This man wasn't supposed to be friendly. He murdered his father. He murdered his brother. He tolerated the man who...
Tears shot into her eyes, as she shook her head. “I'm not afraid”, she said, her voice shivering and clearly proving her wrong. Petyr raised an eyebrow. “You know it is a crime to lie to your lord”, he told her and instantly, she clenched her fists. “I...”, she stuttered, though stopped herself as Petyr chuckled.
“Relax, girl”, he told her. “I know this isn't easy, given the situation, but try to see me as a friend, not an enemy” She took a deep breath and to her own surprise and dread, she shot him a glare. “You're in league with the man who murdered my father”, she spat and … [view original content]
While this will put Jenna at odds with Saerya, is better if she confirms Donaver Flowers is truly an ally. I'm actually surprised Petyr truly sounded sincere, even when he had his brother killed, he seems to feel remorse for doing it.
Yeah, it is perfectly possible that Petyr was sincere when talking to Jenna here. Of course, keep in mind that Jenna's people skills are not particularly developed yet, so an expert manipulator such as Petyr could likely play her without effort and appear sincere when he's actually lying through his teeth. However, it has been established that he is capable of genuinely loving people beyond himself, he has a daughter whom he truly cares for and I can confirm he loved Edith's mother, despite her being lowborn. His villainous actions are, as a result, not necessarily motivated out of him wanting to do evil, but something he deems inevitable, necessary for the greater good or with enough benefits for himself to justify the remorse he might feel over them.
Just for the record "I knew it", because I suspected The Sphynx was a northerner because Rodrik is usually used in the northern regions of Westeros.
Ah, so you had a suspicion here, huh? Very interesting to know The hints have been extremely few, but you are right, Rodrik is more typically a northern name, or at least one used in regions with strong First Men influence. There was also a hint with Lucia and Ryler sharing some physical traits in a similar hair and eye colour and her reacting very sharply towards his name in the last part already. But in general, I wanted this to remain as much a secret as possible. Won't be the last twist in that storyline though, that I can promise.
If Woodbark wasn't so bad, then how evil is Lupin Frostborn if the current Sphynx wants him dead?!
I wouldn't say he wasn't so bad, Wolfius has always been a bit messed up. However, the Sphynx always considered Lupin worse and still holds this opinion, especially after concluding that Lupin must have done something to corrupt Wolfius even further. The thing is that he doesn't know Wolfius as he is right now, he has only heard of his exploits. It can easily be that Wolfius right now has surpassed Lupin as Rodrik remembers him. More can likely only be revealed once both appear together, then you will without a doubt easily see which of them is worse.
[Go with Vali] While this will put Jenna at odds with Saerya, is better if she confirms Donaver Flowers is truly an ally. I'm actually surpr… moreised Petyr truly sounded sincere, even when he had his brother killed, he seems to feel remorse for doing it.
[Agree to work with Rodrik] Just for the record "I knew it", because I suspected The Sphynx was a northerner because Rodrik is usually used in the northern regions of Westeros.
If Woodbark wasn't so bad, then how evil is Lupin Frostborn if the current Sphynx wants him dead?!
Comments
[Reveal your connection to the Sons of the Trident]
Maurice seems like a nice guy, just because his eye twitches doesn't mean he's evil XD
[Reveal your connection to the Sons of the Trident]
I feel like this is a fine choice since from what I've seen most patriotic Lords of the Riverlands see the Sons as a beacon of some sorts, fighting against the tyrant they can't. And Maurice strikes me as that kind of person as well, especially with how gleeful he was when he mentioned Harren's rule faltering.
[Ask to speak with Petyr in private]
I have a feeling like Maurice is inspired by Alastor Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter. Am I right?
Apologies for my abscence - every time I'd catch up with the story the voting would already be closed. I'm happy to see all the new POVs and the story going forward!
See, that is a detail I actually did not know. I should probably start to reread the novels at this point, it's been a while. Of course, it isn't night right now, but there surely will be scenes at Raventree Hall at night, so thank you very much for bringing this up
Hm, I actually am not too sure. Aside from the nickname and the fact that they both have a weird eye, they don't have that many similarities, especially in terms of personality. At the same time, the nickname is too similar and the character too well-known for Maurice's creator to not at least having thought about him while or after submitting, even if he probably wasn't directly inspired.
Ah, no problem, I am always glad when you make it in time for a boting! Actually, I am sorry for not leaving the voting open for longer, but I kinda feel like I already leave it open for too long at times. After all, I want to be finished with Chapter 4 of Book 2 by the end of the year, that feels like an ambitious goal. Since I will be busy this weekend, voting might actually end up being open for longer this time though.
[Ask to speak with Petyr in private]
[Ask to speak with Petyr in private]
[Ask to speak with Petyr in private]
[Ask to speak with Petyr in private] It seems I have fallen behind yet again. I just finished catching up on the latest parts, and interesting stuff has been going on for sure. I like that the Breaker Bros are such legends now, where even the guards recognize him. Lord Petyr seems like a very likable guy, I can see why his wife fell for him. I wonder what exactly Garthon and crew are planning though. There are no Ironborn there posing any threat, and Petyr is already starting to reinforce his men. Great part though and I can't wait to see what our boy Garthon will be up to next.
Ah, welcome back! Don't worry, you're definitely not the only one falling behind from time to time, there's no shame in that. I am very happy that you have managed to catch up again
Ah, in this particular case, the guard recognizing them was the master-at-arms and father-in-law of Lord Blackwood. After Garthon's dealings with the Riverlords (including Petyr) and Torvin's actions in Chapter 5 of Book 1, the lords and their extended family are sure to recognize their names.
Indeed it was a marriage out of love and never an easy one, especially for Evelyne and her father. After all, it came with the complete loss of their already small lands, as Argilac reacted by no means with kindness to the news that one of his bannermen, no matter how insignificant, would marry his only child to one of Harren's bannermen. Harren reacted as you'd expect of him, doing a surprisingly decent thing by not caring at all who some Riverlord was about to marry. And by one of the rare examples of good fortune in the setting, their marriage turned out to be a happy and healthy one and they continue to be very much in love even after all these years.
Well, with the eastern Riverlands struggling after the loss of their two most powerful lords during the prologue of Book 2, Harren must absolutely keep a firm grip on the lords of the western Riverlands if he wants to have any chance at winning the war. House Blackwood is among the most powerful houses in the western Riverlands, overshadowed only by House Tully and roughly at the same level as the houses Bracken, Mallister and Piper. Petyr's insubordinance is something he would never react to with kindness and understanding, but in this particular situation, he has absolutely no choice but to strike swiftly and harshly if he wants to continue his control over the Riverlords. So, there are no Ironborn posing any threat yet, but surrounded by capable advisors, Petyr has already started to gather his troops and reinforce the keep, to be prepared for the inevitable moment where they strike.
The Voting is closed!
Garthon is going to ask to speak to Petyr Blackwood in private
Ah, an interersting choice. Petyr will likely grant Garthon this much and he will be very interested to hear about his adventures and current allegiances in this private setting, but there might be elements at court who won't approve of this all too much, mostly because Garthon remains Ironborn and is therefore not exactly the most trustworthy ally against other Ironborn by default. We'll see, we'll see.
Now, the next part is hopefully going to be out today. I apologize for the unusually long break between parts, but I was busy this weekend. So busy in fact, that I was barely around at all and have just managed to start writing yesterday. Sorry for that, but it'll remain a rarity that I am actually unable to write anything for several days. And on a positive note, seems like several of you managed to catch up again, which is always nice
So, the next part will be a Raenna part. I was originally a bit hesitating, because of the sheer amount of storylines this chapter that deal with a character coming to a castle and meeting a bunch of new characters (Garthon, Ysilla, Raenna, Ellena and yet to come Sadie and Samantha) and I kinda fear it might be a tad bit repetitive at times, but such is the fate of necessary build up. Anyways, Raenna's next part will deal with her arrival at the Last Hearth, together with a selected entourage of the North's finest (and Jorn Mormont). Not much else there is to say, I let the part speak for itself once it arrives in a couple hours, hopefully. On the slight chance that there is room for a second PoV, I am currently playing with the possibility to give Jenna or Arthur their second part in this chapter, but that is not particularly likely at this point.
Apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. I was super busy yesterday and barely managed to finish the part today, as it also happens to be a slight bit longer than the usual part. But that shouldn't become a regular occasion, so fear not, there will be another part this week and I'm aiming to very much improve my schedule again. Hope you still enjoy the part even if it took me a bit longer
Raenna
Never before had Raenna seen so much snow. Or, well, much snow at all. But whereas Winterfell had introduced her to this marvel, the Last Hearth ruined it for her. There was too much of anything and with the Last Hearth, it was clearly snow. Wrapped into two fur cloaks, the white one Brandon had gifted her with and Jorn Mormont's dark brown one on top, she sat next to Dag Umber as the cart somehow made its way across the road, pulled through the snow by a pair of stocky, sturdy horses with thick fur.
“Are you still cold, snow princess?”, Jorn asked her from behind, to which she shot him a glare, though she was kinda certain it missed its intended purpose, looking more pathetically freezing than intimidating in any way. “A little bit”, she admitted and he raised an eyebrow. “Got no more cloaks for you”, he spoke. “But there's always room beneath my blanket”
If she wouldn't have been so cold, she would have blushed, especially as Dag began to laugh roaringly, looking not unlike his brother as he did so. Her glare became colder. “Yeah, not surprised about that”, she hissed. “Bet there's always been plenty room in it” Jorn paused for a moment, his grin getting wider, before he chimed in with the other Northerners on the cart, who were laughing loudly.
“Couldn't have said it better myself”, Malina complimented her. It had been a surprise, but a welcome one, that the Karstark woman had decided to accompany Raenna and the rest of the Northerners to the Last Hearth, though she had proven herself to be at least more useful than Raenna, who spent most of her time trying not to freeze to death.
Alongside Malina and Jorn, Harrold Hornwood, Eon Dustin and Gared Snow were with her, together with Roffe and Dag Umber, of course. All huddled together in a single cart, with the Lord of the Last Hearth being the only one to actually ride through the snow, on a horse no less resilient than the ones who pulled the cart. And then there was Briar, of course. Both, Raenna and the girl herself had been unwilling to part ways at Winterfell. Kersea's little sister was facing the world with a hunger, she yearned to see the things Dag had told her about and Raenna had always been bad at denying a little girl her wish, especially after Roffe had assured her the journey wouldn't be dangerous to her, nor would her stay at the Last Hearth. Even she was taking the cold better than Raenna.
“So, how can anyone even live up here?”, Raenna asked, to which Dag chuckled. “It is the North!”, he simply exclaimed. “How can anyone not want to live up here?” She sighed in return. “No really, how can you live here? The cold, the snow...”, she stuttered through cold lips. Dag shrugged. “Nothing compared to the wildlings”, he replied. “Once you live up here, you see things from a different perspective. You'll get used to the cold, you learn how to survive in the snow. Wildlings though? Don't think I'll ever get used to them”
Raenna frowned, pulling the scarf up to warm her lower face. “I've never seen a wildling”, she told him. “Are they really that bad?” Dag hesitated to reply at first. “You have been in Essos before, mylady”, he concluded, a question to which she was only able to nod. “Well, I've read books of that place. Reports, written by maesters and travellers. Have you ever seen a Dothraki?”
Raenna had to think back, to the time she had spent in Volantis, alongside Terroma. One of the few truly terrifying memories was the occasion where he had taken her to see a pit fight. She remembered the long-haired man, screaming at the top of his lungs, his arakh cutting through the flesh of his opponent, the savage look in his eyes. She nodded.
“Well, Wildlings are our Dothraki”, Dag explained to her. “The name kinda implies it, they are wild men. Not the monsters Roffe makes them sound like, but nonetheless true savages, especially the ones that come to our lands. Most of them don't come to kill, but none hesitate and should you ever face one of them, you shouldn't either. The only thing on their mind is to plunder our riches before returning to what they consider to be the true North, the always frozen landscape beyond the Wall”
“Yet another reason I could never live here”, Raenna mumbled and Dag smirked at her. “Hey, it isn't too bad”, he promised. “We appreciate the small things here. Hot mead, stew, a warm bed and lovely company” As she rolled her eyes, the Northman continued. “But really, this is just our way of life. In time, we all learn to ignore the hardships and focus on the good things in life”
“Which in your case are?”, Raenna asked, a question to which Dag seemed to think for a moment. “Reading a good book by the fireplace, with my wolf close by, I'd say that is a pretty good thing”, he replied, before he tilted his head. “What about you? What is it that Raenna Minsworth considers a good thing?”
She was quiet after he asked her this, looking ahead at the castle that was lying on the plain. Surrounded by virtually nothing but flat, frozen ground safe for a small forest in the distance, the castle looked larger than it probably was, the bulky great hall reminiscent of the giant on their banner, in the way it loomed over the walls and the surrounding plains. There was no place to hide and the Umbers could see all the way to the distant gift. Even farther, Raenna spotted the hint of white and she gulped, as she knew what it was, how high it had to be according to the stories.
“Family sounds nice”, she spoke. “A home in general, no matter how cold” She sighed. “We always yearn for the things we don't have” Dag nodded in agreement. “That sounds about right”, he spoke. “Keep in mind, once we're in there, try to stick close to Kory. Find out what he is trying to hide”
“And if he isn't hiding anything?”, Malina brought up from behind, to which Roffe narrowed his eyes, sitting on his horse right next to the cart. “He is”, he growled. “The nature of which decides if he's still my brother at all” A dark frown formed on his bearded face. “If the wildlings took my brother as well, after all they did to my family...”
He did not continue his sentence, for in that moment, loud, deep horns sounded across the plains, as the garrison of the Last Hearth had spotted them. The gates, not particularly high, but clearly massive regardless and reinforced with heavy iron, were opened and a dozen riders approached them over the plains, bearing the banner of House Umber.
The man that obviously led them was just a few years older than Raenna. He was a typical Northerner in looks, with fair skin, brown hair and sharp features, his attire consisting of a leather breastplate with two chains strapped over it. Sitting atop one of the furry, stocky horses they were breeding up here, he saluted as he came closer.
“Mylord!”, he exclaimed and a wide grin formed on Roffe's face, replacing the dour frown from before. “It seems I owe your sister a mug of ale. Expected you back a fortnight from now, the soonest” Roffe shot him a grin. “I expected better from you than to bet against me, Challender”, he growled. “Or against Kari, while we're at it. The girl always knew when to take a risk”
He turned to Raenna and the people on the cart. “Challender, these people are my guests. Guests, this is Johannes Challender, leader of the Umber cavalry” Johannes smirked, placing a hand behind his head. “Eh, don't listen to him, he makes it seem more important than it truly is”, he stated, though his proud grin made it clear how he truly felt about hearing his title.
“Your sisters will be happy to have you back, both of you”, Johannes replied. “And the guests, bet they'll love seeing some new faces around” He and his men, all of them bearded, sturdy warriors, clad in fur, leather and iron, turned their horses and flanked the cart and their lord, as they approached the gates of the Last Hearth.
From up close, the castle lost some of its impressiveness, but Raenna, who had to admit her grasp on the topic was fairly limited, knew that the thick walls were more than capable to stop anyone trying to conquer it. Paired with its location, the Last Hearth was a true bulwark of the North, their shield against the wildling hordes. It had something wild itself, with the hulking timber hall and the fires burning bright from the towers.
“So, how are my sisters doing?”, Roffe asked in a jovial tone and Johannes shrugged. “Eh, it's kinda hard to know what Runa is up to these days. Spends too much time alone in the godswood if you ask me”, the cavalryman replied. “Kari and Nea are fine though! Just spoke to both this morning and lost a nice fortune betting with the former about when you'd return”
“And our brother?”, Dag interjected, causing Roffe to notably tense up. Johannes raised an eyebrow. “Kory is... well, don't know how to say it, but seems like he's settling in at last”, he explained and Raenna spotted Dag smiling in relief. Roffe however clearly seemed not convinced. “Took him long enough”, he growled. “Suppose it's natural though, given how long he's been with the wild ones”
“Well, he seems more willing to spend time with your sisters at last”, Johannes told him. “And Runa teaches him how to read” Roffe shrugged. “Eh, never got the appeal of that one”, he replied. “It'd good he's settling in at last, I guess” To this, Johannes nodded, before a slightly more serious expression formed on his face. “There's still the problem with the animals though. They stay out of his way, Ursa even growls at him when he gets too close”
“Ursa growls at everyone”, Dag brought up. “Nea raised a dangerous one there” Roffe however sighed. “I can only hope she'll get used to his scent”, he spoke grimly. “That bear is smarter than any of us” Dag chuckled at this statement. “Smarter than you for sure”, he said in a slightly teasing voice.
And with this, they had finally reached the gates of the Last Hearth. Once more, deep, vibrating horns sounded from the walls and Roffe rode faster, entering his castle first, followed by the Umber cavalry and then the cart containing Dag, Raenna and their companions. The courtyard was open and spacious, a notable difference to the technically larger, but way more contorted one she had seen in Winterfell. A large fire was burning in its centre and in the rear end, a broad set of stairs led up to the Great Hall. Several smaller buildings stood in a circle around the courtyard and through a second gate, she spotted the godswood of the Last Hearth, secluded and protected by a secondary wall.
The first to approach them weren't the people of the Last Hearth, each of them grim, stern looking folk, just the type Raenna had come to know from the Northerners, but animals, two wolves to be precise. One of them was a large beast, the kind that made the horses nervous and Raenna was certain it could easily kill a man. However, it had its head lowered as it approached, showing respect for Roffe and joy to see him again. The Lord of the Last Hearth spread his arms and gently moved a hand over the animal's fur.
The other was smaller and slimmer, though nonetheless a fearsome beast, with slightly lighter fur and piercing eyes. While the larger wolf growled with joy, this one was silent and simply sat down next to Dag as he climbed down the cart. “Raenna, I want you to meet Mutt”, he spoke and she gulped, as she gave the wolf a nod. Only then did she realize how ridiculous it was to nod at an animal. Dag chuckled. “And the large one is Giant, Roffe's companion. Guess how he came up with the name”
“You said something about bears”, Briar exclaimed, as Harrold Hornwood lifted her down the cart. “Bears are dangerous, little one”, he spoke and she rolled her eyes. “Aren't you the man who tried to mount a moose?”, she replied to which Gared snorted behind her, as he tried to swallow a chuckle. “Just saying, that was kinda dangerous”
Harrold smirked, though he let out a sigh. “No, that was glorious!”, he claimed. “At least it would have been. I made progress, but the time I spend here will go to waste. Doubt I'll manage to tame him properly before we march against the dragons” Behind him, Eon patted him onto the back. “I'm sure it's just because you have been assigned to this task here”, he spoke. “And not because, you know, it's a stupid idea or anything”
Gallantly, Gared helped Malina down the cart, while Jorn glanced at Raenna, who simply shook her head, before jumping down by herself. The Mormont man shrugged, before following. Walking up to Briar, Raenna put a hand onto her shoulder and the girl smiled at her. “Do you think I'll see bears?”, she asked. “I saw a bear once, but that has been so long ago. Kersea took me out into the forest and we followed a doe's trail and we saw a bear and...” She paused, her smile fading for a moment. “Father was mad at her of course, but it was a nice day. We did a lot of stuff like that”, she mumbled and she looked up. “When will Kersea get here?”
Raenna tried her best not to tense up at the question, as much as it pained her. She was certain the girl noticed nothing about her behaviour, but some of the others clearly did. It was Malina who came to her aid. “Oh, she won't come to the Last Hearth”, she explained. “It's too far in the North. The journey will take a while and I am sure she will rather take a break at Winterfell. Who knows, maybe she'll be there once you return”
Though looking slightly disappointed, Briar nodded, her lips forming a pout. “Yeah, figures...”, she mumbled. “How long will we be here?” Though Malina opened her mouth to reply, she was cut off by a loud roar and Briar's happy squealing. Raenna's eyes widened, as she spotted a bear, casually walking through the smaller gate that led to the godswood. It was a huge beast, larger than her for sure, probably larger than Roffe as well, with chestnut red fur and white colour painted on its face and forehead. A second later, another bear walked through the gate, only a bit smaller, but more heavy-set, with black painting on its chestnut fur. Finally, the runt of the litter, a smaller bear, still a huge, terrifying bear with the same chestnut fur and yellow markings across its forehead.
The trio of bears that caused Raenna and her companions to gather close to each other, with Harrold and Gared putting hands onto their swords, was a seemingly common sight in this castle if the reaction from the guards was any indicator. They were followed by a trio of women, each of them clearly related to each other, as Raenna didn't need to guess that they were triplets.
All three were young women, somewhere in their twenties. A bit on the sturdy side, they were curvy and toned, sharing similar physiques and nearly identical facial features. With pale skin and dark brown eyes, they had the same black hair as Roffe and Dag. One of the women wore coats of fur over a red tunic, as well as a belt to which she had strapped two throwing axes. Her hair was cut shorter than that of her sisters. The second woman wore a surprisingly lovely dress, though layered with fur, appropriate for the weather without sacrificing elegance, with her hair tied in a braid that fell over her shoulder. And finally, the third of the triplets, a slightly gloomy-looking woman with simple clothes and wild, unbound hair cascading down her back.
“Roffe!”, she exclaimed, as she rushed towards him, past her sisters. The bear with the black markings roared and fastened its pace as well. The Lord of the Last Hearth did not bat an eye at the bear rushing at him, he instead spread his arms and pulled his sister into a hug, while the animal stopped next to its wolf, still easily towering over the unusually large specimen. Both were clearly used to each other, with the wolf happily catching the scent of the bear.
“Runa, it's good to be back”, Roffe exclaimed. He grinned, as he looked at his other sisters. “Kari, Nea, move over here, your lord brother has returned” The woman with the braided hair and the elegant dress smirked. “Lord Dimwit, how have we missed you”, she greeted him, her voice teasing, though the look in her eyes full of fondness.
Raenna gulped as the other two bears had caught up with them. She exchanged a look with Malina, who seemed to share her nervousness, though she noticed the hint of fascination in the woman's eyes. “Everyone, come here. Raenna, I want you to meet my sisters”, Dag decided to introduce them and first, he pointed at the woman who had hugged Roffe. “Here we got Runa” He went on to the one with the elegant dress and the braided hair. “This is Kari” Finally, he smiled at the woman with the throwing axes. “And Nea”
Roffe and Runa separated and the lord sighed, as Raenna followed his gaze. Down the stairs that led up to the Great Hall came another man, younger than Dag and Roffe, but older than the triplets. He wore elegant clothing, his hair and beard trimmed short. With a broad build, he had a handsome face and a slight smirk on it as he came closer.
“Thought you'd never return”, he spoke and extended his hand. Roffe hesitated for a moment, before grabbing it. “Kory”, he greeted him with a nod. Dag's greeting was a bit warmer, as he grabbed Kory's shoulders. “Don't be too sad, little brother”, he told him. “After all the time we spent apart, you don't think we'd leave you alone in this world just yet”
Kory chuckled, though Raenna noticed something else as he glanced past his brothers. His eyes widened, if barely, as soon as he spotted Raenna and the others. “And you brought guests...”, he mumbled, to which Roffe nodded. “These people accompany Lady Malina of House Karstark”, he explained the lie they had come up with. “The fairest of Karhold, looking for a husband worthy of her beauty and heritage”
The youngest Umber brother raised an eyebrow as Malina took a bow in front of him. “A husband, huh?”, he asked. “Brother, you are one lucky bastard, you know that, eh?” He nudged him with his elbow. “A shame I'm not the eldest” After that though, he reciprocated Malina's gesture. “Mylady, welcome at Karhold. I mean, I haven't been here in a long time, but I can assure you, it is a lovely place” He put a hand onto Roffe's back. “And my brother, for all his flaws, can be a great man. You won't find anyone more worthy in the entire North, unless you decide to visit the real north, that is”
Raenna had been around men like him though. She wasn't sure what it was, but his smile was a little bit too perfect, he seemed a little bit too eager to pander to his new guests. Or maybe she only had this impression because of what Dag had told her before, because of his suspicions.
Malina smiled delicately. “Well, we shall see about that”, she spoke, while she allowed herself to admire Roffe's strong build for a moment. Kory however was glancing at Raenna. The hint of suspicion in his eyes grew stronger, though there was an inch of fascination as well. “Snow hair”, he spoke and Raenna tilted her head. “Where'd you find one like her?”
“That, dear brother, is a guest of honour”, Dag explained. “Raenna Minsworth, from the far south, with the blood of the Freehold in her veins” Kory raised an eyebrow. “What's a Freehold?”, he asked, before he bowed in front of Raenna. It was a bit of a clumsy gesture, but hers wasn't much better, to be fair. “Eh, you gotta tell me all about it some time. They all got snow hair over there”
Raenna pressed her lips together. “It's actually silver”, she spoke and Kory shrugged. “Nothing we had beyond the wall”, he told her, though he put a hand onto his heart. “Ah, I meant no offence. It's... how do you call it... lovely? I think that's the word”
One of the triplets, the one with the braided hair, shot her an apologetic smile. “Kory is new to the whole fancy word stuff”, she spoke. “Apologies for his clumsiness” She gave Raenna a wink. “Name's Kari”, she introduced herself again and extended her hand. Raenna shook it and nodded. “Yeah, your brother said so”, she spoke. “I'm Raenna... though I suppose your brother said so as well”
“Lady Kari”, Johannes Challender spoke from behind and Kari raised an eyebrow. Wordlessly, she extended her hand and with a grim sigh, Johannes places his purse in it. She grinned at him with triumph in her expression. “Maybe next time you'll know better than to bet against me”, she spoke.
Johannes rolled his eyes. “That is a debt of honour”, he told her. “Though I gotta wonder why you've been so sure your brother would return at this point” Kari shrugged and exchanged a glance with the armed woman, Nea, the one that was silently looking at the rest of the group. “Call it a woman's intuition”, she explained.
By then, Roffe clapped his hands. “Alright, guests, family!”, he roared. “It's been a long ride home, it's been exhausting and we all freeze our asses off out here. I say we go to the Great Hall, to share a hot meal by the fireplace! Any objections?”
A relieved smile formed on Gared's face and it was clear that neither of the others would disagree with Roffe's decision. One however seemed hesitant and it was him who Raenna had grown particularly suspicious about. Kory gulped, as he shook his head. “Yeah, you go ahead”, he spoke. “I'll catch up with you later, gotta take care of something else first”
With this, he was quick to separate from the rest of his family, hurrying to one of the buildings close to the godswood. Roffe frowned, though did not call out for him. Instead, he turned to the Great Hall. “Well, you heard the man”, he mumbled, as he started walking. Dag however stopped for a moment, glanced at Raenna and then followed after his older brother, leaving her to wonder if he meant anything with that. Was she supposed to follow Kory right now? Or would it arouse more suspicion by the triplets if she'd miss out on the gathering in the Great Hall
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] [Attempt to follow Kory]
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall]
I don’t want to be looked at with suspicion.
Just wish we saw it.
Also, so many animals. We’re reaching overlord with weird animals with weird characters. Well, actually I suspect that the number of characters and amount of animals, in addition to how weird the animals are, will greatly increase. Moose, bears, wolves, direwolves, velociraptors, squid, owls, pigeons, Dimitri the Wise, sharks, albino rhinos, elephants, falcons, dogs, cats, guinea pigs...and rats.
Hey! Sorry for the lack of voting on my end, I had a lot of stuff on mind for the last month or so, but I never left. I was reading the parts on my phone (which is not exactly ideal) part by part, I just could not give you proper comments since its difficult to do with a phone. But alas, I am using my laptop after a long time to start commenting from this part. Promise to do better with future parts
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] I really do like the cast of the North. If there is one thing I could have complemented Reanna's parts in the previous chapter is this wide and diverse cast of characters. They are all pretty unique, albeit some characters are getting more screen time than others. Besides, the mission can really start once we have settled in and grew accustomed to the castle, we just got here and Raenna needs the rest.
Alright now I am pretty concerned with Dagg trying to hit on Raenna. That is a big no. She technically has a lover (although he is far away trying to die again) and she has not thought about Samuel for quite a while, I'd say since chapter 7. Any option to romance any of the Northern cast, you already know my decision.
Yeah, seems animal companions are pretty popular for the characters. That being said, most kinda go for the standard wolf or dog, even the Umber bears are not unheard of in fantasy (and I can tease, they make perfect sense in this particular case). While we are probably never going to get a character with a pet velociraptor or an albino rhino (witness me receiving a dozen such characters until tomorrow), I realized perhaps one of the most normal and common animals hasn't been featured yet, and that'd be cats. To my knowledge, there is no character in the story who even has a cat and I feel like this must change at once.
Oh, hi, I'm glad to hear this! I hope everything is alright for you, but it is nice that you managed to remain caught up. I know that feeling though, can be a real pain to write longer texts on a phone, fully understand it. Glad you can return in full now
Ah, another thing I am glad to hear! I have really grown to like the Northern cast and I am a bit sad I found no way to include some of the others, such as Brandon, Prince Beren, Mace Crowl or Myles Cerwyn, but they should receive proper development somewhere down the line for sure. Slowly, I hope they will all become well-developed characters, even if for now, some have to get more screentime than others, such as the Umbers. This chapter in general is all about the Umbers, with them being the focus of Raenna's first mission in the name of House Stark after all.
Well, technically, the one trying to hit on Raenna has been Jorn and it was more done in a bit of a teasing sort of way, nothing too serious. Dag, well, I suppose he would as well, they are both a bit silver-tongued, but in this case, he asked out of genuine curiosity, not to try some pick-up line. When it comes to Raenna and Samuel, I'd say she actually has thought about him, I just haven't shown it in her parts. For a while, in Chapter 8 and 9 to be precise, she was kinda too busy trying not to die, but I can assure you, she has thought of Samuel in the meantime. Her hopes of seeing him again are not particularly high at this moment though, as she knows his goal is probably even more dangerous than hers. If such a reunion even happens at all might depend on their respective survival, which in turn might depend on your choices.
Perhaps the Tom should have his own Ser Pounce.
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] It's not time to investigate, and will be a good way to know the sisters better.
Last Hearth, once stronghold of the Umber kings of old (long before being submitted to the Kings of Winter) and as its name indicates, the last major settlement until you reach the Wall.
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall]
Ah man, this chapter really is bringing so many new names to try and remember
Nonetheless, I'm quite liking Raenna's Northern storyline so far, even if I can't tell at all where is it heading. However, most importantly all these characters seem pretty interesting, and few of them have already managed to make a pretty distinct impression on me despite the large cast kind of limiting all of their time to shine. Also, I'm quite interested about this Johannes, if only because he has a Finnish name that also happens to be my middle name 
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] I think this isn't the best time to start investigating. They have just arrived, and starting to act strangely right away would just make everyone pay more attention to Raenna, which in this case wouldn't be a good thing.
[Attempt to follow Kory]
Kory is our mission after all.
Yada yada I'm back yada yada [Attempt to follow Kory] yada yada let's start the RT!
Kersea Part:
1)First Kersea part of this chapter has a short but sweet dream about the lighthouse and we see again Alysanne (RIP) and Clayton (still MIA),it is strange that it doesn't feature Raenna (since Kersea think that she is dead) or Brie (since Kersea now don't know where her sister is)
2)Kersea and Leonard make a really interesting team,I believe they have a lot of chemistry (not in a romance way..for now)
3)Archmaester Quent=Leonard
4)Leaving aside the weird fact that Alysanne never mentioned him I'm curious to learn more about Bariq,he must be a really patient man!
5)Ahh all this talk about the dead, the wrong choices made by the characters (and in part us readers) and the return of The Hammered Harp make me really feel nostalgic!
6)I'm curious to discover in what kind of people our dynamic duo is going to meet!
Ysilla Part:
1) In the South Ysilla and her brother,together with the two mercenaries siblings, are visiting Godsgrace aka their hometown!
2) While it seems that for Ysilla this will be a quiet chapter I'm curious to learn more about her family members and the future announcements
Lachlan Part:
1) Oh oh a new PoV! And the first real story line set in Vale!
2) Runestone is a beautiful location!
3) In this part you introduce Orson daughter while we learn something more about the Royce family members
4) I'm curious to discover who is the Gulltown specialist and what the Bronze Lord want from him, Lachlan cousin aka Lord Coldwater and our PoV
The Hawk Part
1) Another new PoV at Vale! I'm really curious what plans House Shett have for he and his army
2) Aside the captain of the ship and the representative of the Iron Bank it seems that you introduce no other characters in this part (and this is funny because I expected the introduction of at least 16 characters)
3) I suppose that the arrival of an army is something that won't pass unnoticed from the Queen Reggent and from the Bronze Lord
4) I'm curious to discover what you plan for The Hawk army expecially since Westeros is a location that will be full of surprises for them (coff coff War of Conquest coff coff)
Ellena part:
1) Another awesome new location introduced in the story during my absence is Dragonstone!And it is a really cool place!
2) So in this part you finally show the canon event that you decide to make it happened some years before the original timeline eh?
3) This part too you re/introduce many new interesting characters!
4) Obviously I'm interested to learn the future Targaryen actions inside the story!
Garthon Part
1) I really like the conversation between the Ironbro and Gavin!
2) I like the new location and I'm surprised to see Garthon and Co. receive such a war welcome
3) Wow!Now that I think about it it was at least 2 years ago that Garthon and Torvin (RIP) meet Petyr (together with Frey,Tully and Mallister)!
4) I'm interested to read where this plotline will lead the Ironbro
Raenna Part
1) Meanwhile Raenna is in a northest point from the last time that we see her!
2) Today we meet more members of House Umber! And they're cute and small pets!
3)I'm still not sure what you plan for the Kory in the House (Umber) storyline but like for the other storylines I will wait after the meeting before have a more concrete opinion
Phew!I finally finish to write RT about the parts that I missed...now let's make some separated observations!
1)It seems that this is the chapter of introductions and meetings at Lords castle!
2) Read 5 PoV's without any breaks where you introduce many new character make me have a headache! XD
3) If it is possible when you have time can you do a Google doc for the Interlude and the first chapter of Book 2? Obviously if it is not a problem
4) Have you ever thought to post your story at fan fiction. net or Archive of Our Own? I believe that you story deserve more recognition!
5) It seems that chapter 2 will be much longer than chapter 1!
6) Finally the last thing that I'm going to write is my own thanks to you Liquid for all the passion that you have to deliver to us this incredible story!
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall]
For some reason, that probably wouldn't even go against character too much. For someone to associate himself so much with cats, wearing a mask and somehow pulling it off while remaining menacing, taking on a cat-themed name and generally having some similarities to them, a general fondness for the animal must be present. I mean, it might sound odd, but I could totally see the Tom and his pet cat. I'd say out of the entire current cast, he is at least one of the more likely to have a pet cat
Not the only choice though and I will make sure to correct the gross misrepresentation of animals in the story, given that with Ser Pounce, the source material even has a cat as the ultimate hero.
Aye, the last castle at least. I am not certain how the status of settlements such as Mole's Town is, but unless there are any mentions in canon I have forgotten about, I'd say that before the Night's Watch received the Gift, there has been nothing but maybe the occasional farm between the Last Hearth and the Wall. The Umber's earned the name of that castle.
Yeah and I am afraid it is not over yet. This character is introducing more new plotlines than any other and therefore more new characters than any other before and the ones seen here won't be the last of them. Not all will be major, but I hope some will leave a strong impression and it seems this has already started. Be assured, the cast won't stay this large. Wait for Act 2, for ancient prophecies foretell that it shall be the bloodiest of them all
But yeah, glad to hear some characters already left their mark. Johannes is not one I thought to be among them, but it makes sense in your case. He'll definitely be featured in other parts and chapters to come, that I can already say 
Ah, welcome back! This truly is a time for returns and I'm glad to reply to the random thoughts again. Now that I look down, I suppose this... is going to take a while, but you know I love replying to comments, the longer the better
Oh, keep in mind she actually knows that Raenna and Briar are alive. Brandon told Davith to keep an eye out for her and after he came into contact with her, he told her the truth. If not for that, Raenna and Briar would be present here, but she knows they are alive and among friends, with her own goal being to clean her conscience so that she considers herself deserving of being around her little sister and best friend again. Alysanne meanwhile is someone whose death she feels personally responsible for. She knows how much of a damaged person Alysanne has been and she feels like it should have been her duty to fix her, to save her. Therefore, Alysanne's death to protect her from Harris is probably the one death in her life that affects her the most, because Alysanne is the first person who died to actively defend her.
Yeah, while not in a romantical way, it is undeniable that there is chemistry between them, of the occasionally volatile kind. They have come to somehow respect each other while still keeping some resentment and it makes for a couple interactions I am very excited for.
Yeah, in a way Quent and Leonard have similarities. The big difference is, there is more to Leonard. He can be selfless, he can be heroic, he can be genuinely caring and nice even, whereas Quent is Leonard at his worst. Leonard obviously doesn't like hearing this though.
I think anyone dealing with Alysanne needs a lot of patience. The reason why Alysanne never mentioned him is that she simply never saw a reason to. Kersea has met the man before and to be honest, calling the two friends would be a bit too much. It has been hinted at, Alysanne never had genuine friends before growing close to Kersea. Bariq probably was the closest thing though, he at least liked and respected Alysanne, despite knowing that she felt nothing deep or genuine for him.
Nostalgia is what I aim for, aye
Leonard will return to Oldtown, visiting some of the earlier parts of the story, now darkly mirrored. The Hammered Harp just made its return, now a semi-abandoned ruin and in time, more of these past choices will be revisited.
The kind to camp in abandoned taverns during times of danger. I am certain they are going to be nice and friendly lot, there is literally no other way.
It remains to be seen how much of a home it still is for Theodan. He was gone for some of the most important years of his life after all, his family developed without him and stuff like that. Ysilla though, she is still very much at home there, as much as a bastard can be.
A rather quiet chapter indeed, though it should hold some interesting interactions and revelations regardless. Ysilla's storyline is still in the process of building up, but I can absolutely promise that major things are coming for her, probably sooner than you think
And one that will stay in the Vale as well. While Maya will return in the next chapter and her storyline will be all about the journey home through the war-torn Riverlands, she only had one chapter in the Vale proper. Lachlan will give the Vale the representation it deserves.
Glad you think so. The image I have in my mind surely is spectacular, in terms of landscape aesthetics I was a bit inspired by Luke Skywalker's island in the newest Star Wars movie, but with a neat mountain fortress to top it off.
And in time, probably all of them will be featured. Two of Orson's sons, Osborn and Redmond, will be seen in this chapter even, while the third, Clovis, won't be seen right now, but will appear later on.
Ah, specialist work, surely. Lachlan, Cousin Coldwater and the Gulltown specialist (and before actually introducing him, I want you all to imagine him looking like Chuck Norris) have been called for a reason, just like how the other Royce bannermen have been left out for a reason. I can tease, Orson is not alone, he has a very specific advisor by his side right now.
Octavia Shett at least, she's the one hiring the three companies. It remains to be seen if she is your average overly ambitious highborn lady or if she has different goals.
That is right, only two new characters. There is literally no part in the story that introduced so few proper characters. However, it introduced a hawk, a pig and a rat, as well as a merry amount of useful tools, such as a hammer and a quiver.
You can be certain they will notice it and you can be certain that this has been taken into account when their landing was planned. Taken into account, not necessarily discussed with the ones in charge before. It is a pretty impressive display of power from House Shett, for whatever their goals are.
Actually, some of them are Westerosi, this I can say. They have been there before, some know the land quite well. The Hawk has been there several times, as his future parts will explain further. But none of them has ever experienced something like the War of Conquest, so they will be in for some surprises.
Yeah, if anything, this chapter is the chapter of scenery porn, where I get to introduce lovely locations to show
Dragonstone is definitely a cool one, I always loved the aesthetics related to it, this otherworldly and alien feel it has when compared to the more traditional castles in Westeros. Definitely a remnant of Valyria.
You are right, it is the birth of Prince Aenys. I really wanted to have a way to easily show some other sides in all three Targaryens, stuff that usually wouldn't be so obvious. In case of Rhaenys, I'd say her more motherly side has even only been caused by the birth of her son.
Aye, some new ones and some who haven't been seen in a while, such as Quenton and Laevon. All will get their screentime eventually, but the mass of characters means it won't always be easy to feature them all at once.
Spoiler alert, there will be fire, there will be blood, there will be war. But not only that, as you'll see. The groundwork for Aegon's very successful rule happens in these very parts.
Glad to hear it
The Sons in general have some complex themes going on and even characters such as Deywn have depths, which I wanted to show there. Gavin for example, he's an easy-going man, he can be actually nice and friendly, but he is also a vengeful man, this should be remembered.
They were surprised as well for sure. Thing is, Petyr was an idealist in his youth and in a way, he still is. However, what happens with a hopeless idealist who gets pushed down again and again, until he realizes he can't change a thing about the world he lives in? That's how cynics get born. In Petyr's case, the actions of the Breaker brothers reignited a spark in him, which is precisely what Harren feared and it causes him to be very fond of both Breakers, seeing them as inspiration for his own deeds.
Two and a half years to be precise. Crazy, isn't it? It was actually only Garthon who met Petyr though, but both left their mark on him.
To the land of joy and wish fullfilment of course! Or well, it might do if you pick the right options, I won't rule out a happy ending for Garthon. But first, to hardships, that much is inevitable, for as much as he already suffered through.
The northest point for now you mean
Raenna has made a journey longer than any other character in the story safe for Briar, from Oldtown all the way to the Last Hearth. Characters such as Jaron and co. have chances to beat her with their journey to Slaver's Bay, but there is not much further one can travel in Westeros alone.
Fun fact, Kari Umber considers her bear to actually be cute beyond measure, because of course she is. But yeah, a family of giants (figuratively, probably), with bears and wolves as pets, that is not something you see all day.
Yes please. I can promise and reveal, you will get a very strong idea for where I plan to take Raenna's storyline by the end of her chapter. This I am willing to bet on, you will absolutely know what will come next for her, without even the shadow of doubt.
Trust me, it wasn't intended
Only after planning the story did I realize that so many characters have their storyline leading them to a particular castle where they will meet with highborn characters. I hope it doesn't get too repititive, by the time Chapter 3 starts they should all feel very unique again.
Haha, I am so sorry XD New characters, so many new characters, I must admit I might have overdone it a bit at times. But take a look at how many I have to introduce at some point. Of course, I fully intend to show what a hell the War of Conquest will be and I got the manpower to literally kill hundreds of named characters without harming the cast as a whole. I will be a literary mass murderer, I fear and I take no pleasure in it.
Yes, absolutely! I want to do it, it's just that me perfecting the art of procrastination, it occasionally drifts away. But I want to do this, I think I should do it soon. So much work to do, so little time. But it has to be done and it will be, this I swear.
Ah, I am asked about this all the time. The answer is yes, I have thought about it and came to the conclusion that I should do it. There are some things going on right now to make the story more well-known, not all of them are even done by me alone. Maybe posting the parts to fanfiction.net or AO3 could be a good way of making it more well known, I also intend to publish it via tumblr, there might be an audience to find as well. One thing I am just not sure about is the choice stuff and the character submission. The Telltale forums is where the story has started, it is where its heart will remain. I am certain I wouldn't have met many of you if not for me writing the story here on the Telltale forums. As such, I believe certain elements of the story, such as the character submission or the choices, which won't translate well to fanfiction.net shall remain exclusive, but I am not opposed to expanding and making FoT more well-known to the fandom as a whole. I doubt I will ever reach the level of popularity of professionalism shown in the absolute top tier of ASOIAF fanfics out there, but if I get to make it somewhat popular to the greater pond that is the internet, it definitely can't hurt my future aspirations to write for a living.
Oh I hope not. I fear the same, but I hope not. My goal is to reach the end of Chapter 4 by the end of 2018, because it will be the perfect finale for the year (and it will leave me with some of the best material in the entire story for 2019), but this has always been an ambitious goal. I hope I will be able to release more parts containing two PoV's when possible and not distracting from the pacing and quality, because that will speed things up significantly.
Then let me finish this, probably the single longest comment I have ever written as a response for one of the longest FoT comments of all time, with me thanking you. You mention my passion, which is true, I couldn't have done it for so long without genuine passion for writing involved, but it is comments such as yours that keep my passion alive. It is truly the most wonderful reward for me to hear things like that. While occasionally, I run into time problems and have to take care of other things, such as my university work (which might likely become more in the future), the passion I receive in return convinces me day by day that all the effort put into the story won't go to waste. As disappointing as I believe it would be to not get any reaction to something done with effort and love, as uplifting it is to realize that people appreciate it. I mean, I know you do, but it simply feels great every time I read it
[Attempt to follow Kory]
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall] We finally get to meet all of the Umbers! They are great! Really like this Johannes guy, great guardsman. The triplets are pretty darn neato too!
[Accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall]
The Voting is closed!
Raenna is going to accompany the Umbers to the Great Hall
This was undoubtedly the more polite option, as well as the one to raise less eyebrows. After all, the Umber triplets have no idea about Raenna's true purpose and you don't know yet if they support Dag's suspicions. If Kory has anything to hide, having a genuine ally among his family can be a dangerous thing for the entirety of House Umber. That being said, if he is hiding something, she has to follow him sooner or later and that is what she eventually will do.
The next part will be out later today. I am currently writing a Jenna PoV, but don't yet know how long it will be, so I might add a second one, either from Arthur's perspective or from John's. Fact is, the one that doesn't get picked here will be seen next part. Last time we saw Jenna was in the beginning of the chapter and I realize, paired with my slightly slower writing, that this has been way too long ago. I must write more parts containing two PoV's. The increased length limit should easily allow for this. After all, I want to be done with this chapter until June at latest, preferrably finishing it in May even. 2018 shall end with the Chapter 4 finale. But yeah, back to the point, last time we saw Jenna, she was still shaken by her father's death, yet left with no choice but to continue her work at the castle, where Nora had managed to ensure her survival by claiming that she had no involvement at all in Richard's activities, something Petyr ended up apparently believing. Accidentally meeting him and Maron Mullendore, she reluctantly started a conversation with him. There, Petyr asked her if she was afraid of him and despite definitely being terrified, she decided to shake her head and try not to show her fear. Meanwhile, Arthur's part will deal with the aftermath of him and Ryler being overpowered and captured by a young woman named Lucia, an associate of the Sphynx, whereas John will show his side of the arrival in Lys, together with Jaron, Temari and Samuel. We'll see which of them, if any, I shall add to Jenna's part here.
Jenna
Was she afraid? Hells yeah she was. Even just looking at this man caused her to tense up in fear, even if the look on his handsome face was not hostile in any way. He smiled, in a friendly way. Lords weren't supposed to be friendly though. This man wasn't supposed to be friendly. He murdered his father. He murdered his brother. He tolerated the man who...
Tears shot into her eyes, as she shook her head. “I'm not afraid”, she said, her voice shivering and clearly proving her wrong. Petyr raised an eyebrow. “You know it is a crime to lie to your lord”, he told her and instantly, she clenched her fists. “I...”, she stuttered, though stopped herself as Petyr chuckled.
“Relax, girl”, he told her. “I know this isn't easy, given the situation, but try to see me as a friend, not an enemy” She took a deep breath and to her own surprise and dread, she shot him a glare. “You're in league with the man who murdered my father”, she spat and Petyr's smile faded. She bit down heavily onto her lower lip, cursing herself for this.
“Was it murder though?”, Petyr asked and Jenna tilted her head, giving him a look that was half confused, half angry and absolutely terrified. “Maron tells a different story. Claims it was self defence, that he was left with no other choice” He sighed, as Jenna's look of anger did not fade in the slightest. “Listen, girl, Jenna”, he spoke. “Please understand that I am not your enemy here. I had no hand in your father's death and I am trying to uncover the full truth”
“And if it was?”, she hissed. “If it was murder?” Petyr hesitated for a moment. “Then Maron would be punished appropriately”, he promised. “Listen, the problem is, he is a sworn knight and he vows that it was necessary. His right-hand man, also a knight, confirms his side of the story, whereas your uncle, your father's only other direct relative, refuses to give any kind of testimony”
Jenna frowned. “Figures”, she muttered. “So why ask me if you don't believe me?” This time Petyr gave her an intense look. “You should not question your lord like this”, he warned her calmly and she tensed up. “However, I never said I don't believe you. I did not rise to my power by blindly trusting the word of a man simply because he is a knight”
He chuckled as he noticed the look on her face. “Don't believe me?”, he asked. “Think about it that way. It is my right to knight any man I deem worthy, be it a noble soldier or a random drunkard from the gutters. It is my right and narrows down to personal views. Trusting a knight also means trusting the judgement of the man who knighted him, a man I might not even know” He shook his head. “Trusting a man because of a title, this is a luxury I cannot afford”
In disbelief, Jenna's mouth twitched. “You have a title”, she brought up and for a moment, fear triumphed over anger, as she shook her head. “I... I didn't mean to...”, she started, but Petyr cut her off. “You did”, he spoke. “And I know lords who would have you flogged for that. I appreciate it though” He put a hand onto his heart. “I want to be trusted because I earn trust, not because of some title I hold”
Jenna kept silent after this statement, wisely so, but long enough for Petyr to notice. “You want to say?”, he asked and she shook her head. “Nothing, m'lord”, she claimed, but he chuckled. “You want to say I killed my brother, isn't that right?” Slightly hesitating, she finally nodded. For a moment, she thought she spotted something else behind this confident facade. Something doubtful, something almost insecure. Then, it was gone, as quick as it came.
“Lucas brought his death upon himself”, he spoke. “A trial by combat was his idea, I had no way to deny him this, or to help him out of the mess he brought himself in” His voice was calm, yet to the end, it shivered slightly, a display of emotion she had not expected to see from him. He seemed to realize how unfitting this was and shook his head, with slight annoyance. “Why am I telling you?”, he questioned. “It's not like you can help with that. But I might be able to help you” Pressing his lips together, he placed a hand onto her forearm, undoubtedly noticing the shivering. “I want to know what happened. What really happened”
“You know I wasn't there”, she spoke and Petyr shook his head. “You know your father better than anyone else”, he spoke. “Nora knew him as well and she assured me he would never attack Ser Maron” He shrugged. “Of course, Maron and the Tom claim something else, but after all of the accusations against the man, I admittedly find it hard to believe him”
Jenna frowned. “If you don't trust him, why do you keep him around?”, she asked, to which Petyr raised his eyebrow. “You got quite a mouth on you”, he spoke and she wasn't entirely sure if he was approving or disapproving of what she just said. “My alliance with Maron goes deeper than simple trust. We need each other, so I at least trust him to do nothing that brings harm to me” His expression grew stern. “But that is not the question here. I want to know what happened on that day, with your father”
“He wouldn't have attacked him”, Jenna replied instantly, her voice cold and firm. “My father was many things, but he was not stupid” Petyr nodded. “But emotional, wouldn't you say?”, he asked. “Maron claims your father attacked him in rage, that he had to defend himself. In that case, I can hardly punish him”
“He wouldn't...”, Jenna began, before she paused, as her voice shivered. “He had no reason to...” She shook her head. “He did not attack your knight”, she stated. “My father wouldn't have done this. Throwing his life away...” She narrowed her eyes. “Means your man murdered him”
To her surprise, Petyr gave her a nod. “He might”, he admitted. “He always had a problem with his temper” He placed a hand on Jenna's back. “Are you going to remain in my service now?”, he asked and Jenna tilted her head. “I wasn't sure I had a choice”, she spoke and Petyr smirked. “You are not my slave”, he explained. “You always have a choice”
Now, she shook her head. “Where else could I go?”, she asked. “You gave my father's farm to my uncle” It wasn't necessarily meant as an accusation, at least she didn't want to test his patience any further. Petyr nodded. “The Harking farm is a source of food for the city. It needs to be in working condition and Alan, no matter how low his behaviour might have been, objectively did us a favour”
She sighed and Petyr gave her a look that was almost sympathetic. “Listen, I will get to the bottom of this. If Maron overstepped his boundaries here, I will punish him, you have my word”, he promised. “Until then, you are free to continue your work here in the castle. I will make it clear that Maron and his men are to leave you alone, you will have a room and a stable income”
“And if I don't want to work with the man who murdered my father?”, Jenna asked coldly. Petyr looked down. “In that case, I'd say the castle of Raylansfair has lost a very bright young woman”, he complimented her. “One who doesn't hesitate to speak her mind” His compliment did wonders, as a surprised Jenna looked at him, almost baffled. Petyr chuckled. “However, if you decide to stay here, I have a request”
She raised an eyebrow. “And what might that be?”, she asked and Petyr raised from his seat next to her. “If you ever feel like I did something wrong, I, not Maron, not the Tom or any other, but me personally, you do what you just did”, he told her. “You come up to me and you talk, you're honest with me. Understood?”
Surprised by his request, Jenna merely managed to nod. “Understood”, she said meekly and Petyr shot her a small smile. “I want to at least get the chance to defend myself”, he explained. “With that, I have to leave. We will receive important guests today and I have to prepare. Thank you for your time and... my condolences”
With this, he turned around and soon was gone, while Jenna remained seated. Only slowly did she realize what just happened, that she just had a conversation with the man she should hate the most, how dangerous this encounter had actually been. With tears streaming down her face, she sat there, staring at the floor and crying in silence.
“Hey, Jenna!”, a familiar voice called out for her and she tensed up again. She hadn't seen him in days, she wasn't sure if she was in the mood to talk to him, but at the same time, there was little she could do to prevent Vali Flowers from approaching her. His voice however was more serious this time, lacking some of the biting sharpness it usually held. Probably something good, as she wasn't sure how she'd react if he'd do his usual thing around her this time.
“I won't ask if everything is alright”, he spoke and she turned around, her eyes red from crying. For once, he looked genuinely sympathetic. “Saw you talking to the big man just now”, he replied. “Be careful around him” She narrowed her eyes. “You don't have to tell me”, she hissed. “What do you want?”
He raised both hands, apologetically. “Hey, easy, I'm on your side”, he claimed and she raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”, she hissed. “The way I see it, you haven't done a thing to help besides claiming your allegiance. You weren't there” Vali raised an eyebrow. “Well neither was your friend Saerya”, he replied.
Jenna grimaced. “What do you want?”, she asked, slightly reluctant to soften up. Vali sighed, as he sat down next to her. “I know what you are going through right now”, he assured her. “I've... lost someone as well, at the hands of Butterfly”
They looked at each other, before Jenna shook her head. “Is it okay if I don't want to talk about it right now?”, she asked and Vali nodded. “Of course”, he said softly. “Then just listen. We have to carry on or else this was all in vain. Something is happening today, something big”
She gave him a mildly curious look. “What?”, she asked. “Just spit it out. I'm not in the mood for your games” Vali sighed. “Lord Petyr receives some guests”, he spoke. “The Lord of Selwyn Tower comes to Raylansfair and he brings with him his entire family and a sizeable entourage”
“Is he on our side?”, Jenna asked, to which Vali shook his head. “No, I don't think so, at least not at this point”, he replied. “Don't really know him, but they say he can be difficult to deal with” He shrugged. “I know his sister, quite well actually. Lady Arianna Hewett, she's the wife of my father”, he revealed. “And I can tell you, she is not a nice woman. Don't know if it's a family thing”
Jenna sighed. “Yeah, then how can this Selwyn help us?”, she asked and Vali smirked. “Lord Selwyn has a group of advisers and he holds them in high regards”, he told her. “Among them is a certain Dunaver Flowers, a knight of the Order of the Green Hand. Perhap the most reliable ally we can find”
“Then it's all good, I guess”, Jenna mumbled, to which Vali shook his head. “Eh, me and Dunaver, we never really got along, he's harsh and stubborn and a very angry man”, he spoke. “I'm going to ask of him to influence Donnel Selwyn in favour of our cause, but I might need some support to convince him”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “My help”, she stated and Vali shot her a bright smile. “You're absolutely correct”, he told her. “So, I have a couple things to bring up, we can discuss them while I help Maester Eddard with some things. Just go with me and we can talk about it, how you can help me with Dunaver and stuff like that”
Going with Vali... Jenna sighed at the request. Though had she truly better things to do? Perhaps it was a way to strike back, to gain allies and to punish the monster that murdered her father. At the same time, she had learned something today. The arrival of the Selwyn men, the identity of a Green Hand member among them, potentially even conflict between Lord Petyr and the beast. Saerya would be interested in that, so very much and perhaps she was a more reliable ally than Vali...
[Go with Vali] [Search for Saerya]
Arthur
If there was one thing Arthur had never been good at, it was following such an order. This strange young woman, she got onto his nerves. She was alone and just barely armed, while he was a trained guardsman of Raylansfair. He wouldn't let himself ordered around by a girl at knifepoint.
Without warning, he took a swing at her. Not a violent man by nature, Arthur intentionally did not reach for his weapon. He didn't want to kill her, but apprehending her would be enough. What he did not expect though was that Lucia saw the strike coming, as quick as he tried it to be. She dodged and a second later, her foot stomped against his lower leg.
Grunting in pain, Arthur felt his knee giving in, as he staggered, trying to remain standing. Lucia grinned at him, the look in her eyes predatory. “Oh, you fucked up, big boy”, she hissed and her fist hit Arthur right in the face, with a force he did not expect from someone of her size. It wasn't particularly strong, but hitting him right in the nose, he sank onto the ground.
Now, the woman, usually notably shorter than him, was towering over him and she still had the knife in her other hand, playing with it almost absent-mindedly. “You really fucked up”, she chuckled. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now”
Arthur tensed up, while behind him, Ryler gasped. “Arthur...”, he mumbled and Lucia shot him a glare. “And you shut up back there”, she hissed. “Stealing his name, thinking you can get away with that...” She shook her head and looked back at Arthur. “So, one good reason, I'm waiting”
“I... I'm Arthur Nathamer”, Arthur revealed. “Son of Hackor Nathamer” Lucia smirked, before she shrugged. “So you're someone, son of someone else”, she spat. “I don't know you, nor your father” He gulped. “He was the commander of the city guard”, he tried to bargain and Lucia raised an eyebrow. “Was?”, she asked.
“He... he died, he was killed by Ironborn”, Arthur admitted and Lucia's smirk faded. “We all die one day”, she told him. “Everyone you love will be dead sooner or later. Doesn't mean much to me, your family story” She clenched her teeth, before she glared at Ryler with a fury that surprised Arthur. “And you? Got a full name as well?” The young man gave Arthur a pleading look, before pain twisted his facial features, forcing him to move a hand to the wound on his lower leg. “Grimthorn”, he muttered.
Lucia did not respond and as Arthur looked back at her, he saw her staring at him, wide-eyed, shivering. “Who are you?”, she said, her voice not showing a hint of emotion, for a moment, before cracking. “Who the fuck told you to do that?”
Arthur noticed her intention first and as such, he managed to jump in the way as she charged at Ryler. Not even bothering to notice him, he landed right at her and being more heavy by far, he pushed her back. “Get off him!”, he warned her, as she growled in anger. “Get off me or I'll kill you!”, she spat. “That was Rodrik's idea, huh? One of his sick little games! I'll bring him your head, then we'll see who's laughing...” Her hands clawed into Arthur's shoulders, the blade of the knife almost scratching his back. “And I said... GET OFF ME!”
With this, the hilt of the knife hit Arthur right into the jaw, then again from the other side, finally, her foot kicking him right in the stomach. With a groan, Arthur fell onto all fours again. As he looked up, he saw Lucia shivering with anger, but there was something else. Tears poured down the young woman's face. “You sons of bitches”, she hissed. “He told you to do that, huh? You have any idea what you just did?”
“I...”, Ryler began, but stopped himself as she glared at him. “Not a word”, she growled, as she looked up. The expression on her face was a mixture of anger and deep pain. The look of a broken soul. “He's coming”, she mumbled.
Arthur only managed to exchange a last, desperate look with Ryler, as the door got opened. “Lucia!”, the man who entered immediately called and Arthur recognized him. White garments, a hood, a cat mask in black and red. Knifes and other tools strapped to the belt over his chest. The Sphynx was alone this time and probably not much of a threat, but Lucia had proven without a doubt that she was more dangerous than she looked like. “I told you not to harm them!”
Not even bothering with his criticism, the girl spun around. “You bastard!”, she spat. “What was that for? Was I too slow at something? Too sloppy? So you wanted to play a trick on me? Teach me a lesson, huh?” Her voice was shrill, warped with rage and the Sphynx looked actually surprised, if the dark eyes beneath the mask were any indicator.
“What?”, he asked. “My sweet girl, what could I have possibly done to deserve your anger?” He raised both hands. “Please, Lucia, calm down” She took a deep breath, continuing to tear up. “Just shut up with your lies...”, she mumbled. “You told him... you told him about me. You told which name to tell me. Wanted to get a reaction out of me, well there you have your fucking reaction!”
The Sphynx tilted his head sideways. “What name did you tell her, boy?”, he asked, looking at Ryler. The young man was shivering by now, looking at the mask. “He wore the same...”, he gasped. “The Sphynx. Lupin”
“It is a title, yes”, the Sphynx explained. “But I am not Lupin, I am his successor. And I want to know what name you told poor Lucia to reduce her to... this” He pointed at the girl and in this moment, Arthur had to admit, despite the fact that she had beaten him quite soundly, he felt pity for her. What he saw was not some hardened killer, but a young woman, far too young, with the haunted eyes of someone who had seen too much in too little time, the broken, hollow expression, the underlying anger at the world. She was hurt and still hurting. “I told her my name”, Ryler spoke and sighed. “It is Ryler Grimthorn”
“Again!”, Lucia spat and this time, it was the Sphynx who charged between them, stopping her from getting anywhere near Ryler. Against him, she showed far less willingness to fight back and instead of attacking him, she merely collapsed in his arms, crying into the white mantle he was wearing.
“Lucia...”, the masked man said and his voice was not cold or cruel, but soft. “My sweet, poor Lucia...” He placed his hands on her shoulders, keeping her half a foot away from him. She stared at him, confused, angry and in clear pain. “Why did you do this?”, she asked and he shook his head. “I did nothing, nothing but having a suspicion, one he himself just confirmed”, he assured her. “Lucia, I never spoke to this boy”
The girl looked past him and towards Ryler, who was still lying on the ground, Arthur kneeling next to him. “You're lying”, she mumbled and the Sphynx shook his head. “I swear to you that I have never been more honest than in this moment”, he assured her. “It was only a suspicion before. A faint similarity perhaps. Just enough to spark my curiosity”
“I'm done for...”, Ryler gasped, keeping his voice as low as possible. “Arthur... I'll try to distract them, then you have to run. Take your sister, run as far away as you can” Arthur gulped, reaching for Ryler's shoulder, but the Sphynx looked over his shoulder. “That won't be necessary, boy”, he spoke. “You are not among enemies, as much as Lucia's unfortunate reaction may have convinced you otherwise. It is quite the opposite actually”
Lucia was looking on in shock. “You're lying”, she said again, her voice shivering, as if she tried to convince herself of what she just said. “You're a liar and a cruel, sick man and Ryler is dead and you want to...” She looked at the masked man. “What do you want with this?”
“Your safety”, the Sphynx told her gently. “Your happiness. What I always have in mind. You might not believe me, but I only ask of you to look him in the eye. The normal one, not the one Lupin twisted” Lucia did just that and for a moment, the two just stared at each other. Then, Lucia's eyes widened in shock, as she stumbled backwards, sinking onto one of the chairs next to the table. Slowly, she shook her head. “It cannot be”, she gasped. “He's dead. You told me he's dead”
The Sphynx gave him a nod. “And I was certain he was”, he replied, as he sat down on the chair next to the young woman. “You there, guardsman. Would you please help Ryler up and get over here? We have something to discuss and I want it to happen eye to eye”
Arthur looked at Ryler and the young man finally gave him a nod. With his help, he was lifted back to his feet and while Arthur supported him, he limped over to the table. “What is this all about?”, he finally asked. “If you think you can take me back to your dungeon, that won't happen. I'd rather die”
A sigh came from below the mask. “I want nothing like this”, he assured him. “As I was going to say, I was certain you had died, oh so many years ago. But there you were, in Mathea's clinic... and I would always recognize my nephew” Ryler gasped, as Lucia clenched her teeth, slamming both of her fists onto the table. The Sphynx however moved a hand to his mask and in a single movement, he took it off, followed by his hood.
Arthur was prepared for many things, but not for the sight that he was presented with right now. The Sphynx was... looking like a normal man. He had seen the Tom's mutilated face, but the Sphynx was nothing like it. An ordinary man in his thirties, with sharp features, perhaps even handsome. Dark brown eyes, the light blonde hair cut very short, with the hint of a stubble beard. The only thing that distracted from an otherwise solid appearance was the area around the right ear. The flesh was scarred and twisted, not as if it was burned, but... melted, with the ear itself being reduced to a stub. It was a minor wound though, especially compared to the sharp, lithe features he otherwise sported.
Ryler looked at him for a moment, before he gasped. “Uncle Rodrik?”, he asked and the man's cold expression softened to the point where a smile formed on his face. “Little Ryler, you have grown so much since I've last seen you”, he told him. “But I always recognize family, after all these years. I did the same with my niece”
Lucia did not look at any of them. Staring at the table, she was biting down onto her lower lip. But now that the Sphynx, Rodrik, had said it, Arthur saw it and he had no doubt Ryler did the same. The similarity between them was present, undeniable. “By the gods...”, Ryler mumbled. “Lucia...”
Between this, Arthur sat with increasing confusion, as he looked at the man he previously only knew as the Sphynx. The man noticed it and raised an eyebrow. “Ah, apologies, this must all be a bit overwhelming for the two of you”, he said and put a hand onto his chest. “Allow me to introduce myself properly. The name is Rodrik Grimthorn, youngest brother of the late Lord Ryden Grimthorn” He put a hand onto Lucia's shoulder and the young woman looked up, right at Ryler. “This is my niece, Lucia Grimthorn and as I correctly assumed, your friend right here is her younger brother Ryler”
The girl shook her head. “No...”, she mumbled. “Ryler is dead. You told me he died” She looked at her uncle. “You told me they killed him!” Rodrik shook his head. “That is what I thought all these years, my sweet girl” He smiled at Ryler. “It appears I was mistaken”
If anyone was taking this revelation worse than Lucia, it was Ryler himself, who was shaking, sweating, looking genuinely shocked, downright horrified. “You are with the Alley Cats now”, he spoke and Rodrik nodded. “I was with them from the very beginning”, he spoke. “But I can assure you, I knew nothing of your containment. Lupin was the Sphynx back then, I had no role in his experiments” He coldly tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. “His handiwork is clear to see”, he admitted. “Had I known you were with him, I would have freed you”
“What do you want?”, Ryler gasped, before he looked at Lucia, his own panic mirroring hers. “This cannot be! You... why now?” Rodrik shrugged. “A coincidence”, he told his nephew. “Many great tales begin with coincidences, such as your return to the family”
Ryler shook his head. “With the Alley Cats, you mean”, he growled and Rodrik put a hand onto his chest. “Please, the cats?”, he asked. “A means to an end. If you think I hold any personal loyalty to them, you are dearly mistaken. Erik maybe, but the rest? What do I owe them?”
He leant forwards. “But I owe my family everything”, he spoke. “When our house fell, I thought I was the only survivor. They had thrown something at me, some mixture and it did this to my ear. The pain...” He cut himself off and his voice darkened for a moment, as he tensed up, narrowing his eyes and slamming a fist onto the table. “I nearly lost my mind back then. Alone, wounded, that's how Erik found me. Others joined our group, we became the Alley Cats, a safe haven for everyone like us”
Rodrik looked at Lucia, who was subtly shaking her head. “I don't want...”, she began, but he cut her off. “I am afraid Lucia is the only one of your siblings to survive”, he explained. “She was taken by the Bloodboar men. Spared the fate you might expect, she was a bit too young for that, but the rest of your sisters didn't get so lucky”
Loudly, Lucia interrupted him by slamming a fist onto the table and giving him a cold glare. “I don't want you to talk about this”, she hissed. “In front of them, of all people” Rodrik raised an eyebrow. “Lucia, this is your brother”, he spoke and the young woman growled in frustration. “No, he is not”, she spat. “Ryler died a decade ago. I don't know what this is, I don't know whom this is about, but I want no part in any of it!”
Ryler's eyes widened, as he looked at his sister, who had jumped up from her chair. “When you're done playing your sick game, you know where to find me”, she mumbled, before she stormed out. Ryler tried to reach out for her. “Lucia!”, he said, but she did not react. Rodrik merely shook his head. “Let her”, he advised him. “What they did to your sisters, she had to witness it all. You can probably understand she grew up to be a bit... volatile. She'll come around in time”
“Yeah, no thanks to you, Sphynx”, Ryler growled. “What do you want?” Rodrik seemed genuinely surprised by this question. “I have dedicated my life to keep the remains of my family safe”, he assured him. “So far, I thought this would just mean Lucia, but today has made this a bit more... complicated”
He looked at Arthur and smiled, an unsettling expression that caused thoughts of defiance to grow in him once more. But Ryler made no attempt to flee, meaning Arthur himself decided to remain calm for now as well. “You have heard of me?”, he asked and Arthur gave him a nod. “I know men like you”, he claimed, to which the Sphynx shook his head. “I doubt it”, he spoke. “There are no men like me. Just as there are no men like you, or like Ryler. In my line of work, you learn that there's no two people quite alike”
“You look out for the family?”, Ryler asked and Rodrik gave him a nod without hesitating. “I saved Lucia from the Bloodboar soldiers”, he explained. “Took her with me to Oldtown, but I made it a point that she would never get into too much contact with the Alley Cats” He sighed. “Say what you want about them, but some are not quite the kind I want to interact with my niece”, he told him and looked his nephew deep in the eyes. “You might think me a monster because of the mask, because of what the man who wore it before me did. But I can assure you, I am nothing like Lupin. You are my family and I want nothing more than to look out for what is left of that”
Arthur narrowed his eyes, as he looked at Ryler. “Do you trust him?”, he asked and Ryler sighed. “I... I don't know”, he said. “I remember you... Uncle Rodrik. I remember Lucia and all the others” He gulped. “What has become of us?”
For a moment, a bit of remorse could be clearly seen on Rodrik's face. “We did what we had to do to survive”, he spoke. “We adapted. We changed. We did things we once swore we'd never do and in time, we became good at them and at surviving” He smiled, a genuine, if slightly unnerving smile. “But you are back now and I assure you, for as long as you want, I will look out for you”
Ryler seemed more convinced than Arthur, who gave Rodrik Grimthorn a look of suspicion. “And why all this?”, he spoke. “Why using your niece to capture us?” Rodrik chuckled softly. “Because you would have never agreed to a meeting and I... I had to make sure that Connor would not hear of this”
“Your apprentice”, Ryler stated and Rodrik nodded. “More than that, he is a Frostborn, Lupin's younger brother” As Ryler tensed up, Rodrik leant forward. “The same darkness that consumed his brother is in him, but I believe given proper teaching, he can be turned into a worthy successor for my position. He shares Lupin's gift”
Arthur narrowed his eyes. “What does Lupin have to do with this?”, he asked. Rodrik sighed. “Lupin is the man that did all this to Ryler. Beyond that, he is a traitor to the Alley Cats and a danger to just about all of us”, he revealed. “So you can imagine my joy when hearing rumours about his henchman being active in this area, a certain Wolfius Woodbark”
“You know Wolfius?”, Arthur growled, feeling anger rising in him when remembering the man. He was still out there, he knew it. It just never occurred to him that maybe even the Alley Cats had an interest in bringing him down. “I know him quite well actually”, Rodrik confirmed. “He used to be different. A well-spoken man back when I first met him, you could hold a conversation with him just like the one we have right now. But he was always around Lupin and in time, I think Frostborn corrupted his mind. That is an influence of being near him for too long, of being subjected to his darkness”
Arthur clenched his fists. “You sound like you pity him”, he spoke and Rodrik raised an eyebrow. “Woodbark? Yes I do pity him, if only because no one deserves to suffer as much as he must have done”, he confirmed. “He is a rabid dog after all that happened to his mind, one that has to be put down. I am out for bigger prey, for the monster I seek to hunt is Lupin himself”
“We have a common goal then”, Ryler confirmed and Rodrik's smile faded. “I feared you'd say that, nephew”, he admitted. “But you have grown into a formidable man and I will not stop you from hunting for Lupin, as long as you allow me to help”
Though the idea of having the Alley Cat on his side caused visible discomfort in Ryler, he nodded, a gesture that came only half as a surprise for Arthur. “And you, Arthur Nathamer...”, Rodrik spoke. “I was told Wolfius had a hand in your father's death. Rejoice, for finding this man is a goal of mine. I want and must bring him down to lure out his master”
“So, you're saying...”, Arthur began and Rodrik finished the sentence for him. “That we have a common enemy in all this and I suppose you know how the saying goes”, he confirmed. “Don't get me wrong, I don't ask of you to trust or like me. We are too different for that. I will not ask you to even understand some of the things I have done” With that, he extended his hand. “That being said, I ask of you to set aside any grudge you may have and trust me with this one thing, that I, Rodrik Grimthorn, swear to do anything I can to protect my nephew Ryler and my niece Lucia. This means, I fully commit myself to eliminating the threat that is Wolfius Woodbark and his master, Lupin Frostborn”
Arthur gulped, looking at Ryler, who gave him an encouraging nod. He however wasn't certain, far from it actually. “And if I refuse?”, he asked, to which Rodrik shrugged. “Then you can leave. I likely won't approach you again, but neither will I harm you. Me and Ryler will do this on our own, but I'd be a fool for harming the city guard's simultaneous efforts” He smiled, sharply and with cunning. “I leave the choice up to you, but can only urge you to consider the benefits. The city guard and House Grimthorn, united against a common enemy”
[Agree to work with Rodrik] [Refuse to work with Rodrik]
[Go with Vali]
[Agree to work with Rodrik]
Well this was a pair of interesting parts! First of all, I really enjoyed the conversation between Jenna and Petyr. He's such an affable guy that I almost forget that I hate him
That said, not matter what he says, I really don't think Jenna should see him as a friend, or even as a potential ally. We've learned by now that he can extremely ruthless, and I don't doubt for a second that he'd be capable of throwing Jenna under the bus if he felt the need to do so. So yeah, as charming and enjoyable to read as Petyr is, let's just try to keep our distance from him. Now, to the choice...
[Go with Vali] Now, I understand there has been some build up for a rivalry between Vali and Saerya, and with that in mind this choice could be about choosing sides between them. However, that's not why I choose to go with Vali, I just think that going with him to meet this Dunaver could give Jenna even more knowledge, which she can then perhaps take to Saerya. And also more screentime for Vali is something I can't refuse
Arthur's part though, whoa, this was not how I expected things to go! Not only is this Lucia actually Ryler's sister, but the frickin' Sphynx is their uncle. Interesting, to say the least
Nonetheless, this part did make me hate Sphynx/Rodrik slightly less, especially learning that he plans to kill Wolfius and Lupin. And to think that Wolfius is the psycho that he is thanks to Lupin... man, that guy just sounds more and more despicable after every time we learn more about him. Can't wait to meet him! 
[Agree to work with Rodrik] Ah, let's just do it! With this team up I'm actually feeling quite confident that they can really take down Wolfius, so better not waste the opportunity.
[Search for Saerya]
[Agree to work with Rodrik]
[Go with Vali] Man, why is Petyr so damn charming? We are supposed to hate him, but when he so smoothly wraps Jenna around his fingers makes you just kind of like the guy. I can't wait to see him break out of that charismatic facade and show his true, ruthless colors. About the vote, I am so conflicted. I am a stark believer of Team Targ, but I also really like Vali. At this point, I think we can go with Vali without compromising our friendship with Saerya.
[Refuse to work with Rodrik] I don't think we should be getting in bed with the devil. By working with Rodrik, we'd be having more interactions with the Alley Cats. Arthur should put focus back onto his sister and the city guard. Plus, this doesn't mean he is going to stop searching for Wolfius. And this doesn't necessary rule out his friendship with Ryler. But association with the Alley Cats is only going to bring Arthur trouble, as if it comes out, people aren't going to care whether or not he was doing it for good reasons. Plus Aditha would probably be furious with the idea of Arthur working with a clan of murders and freaks.
Yeah, he can definitely do that, quite easily so XD One of Petyr's greatest weapons is that he can be genuinely affable and charming, able to wrap others around his finger quite easily. This is especially true for Jenna, who is not an expert manipulator and has recently suffered a loss that made her more open for emotional manipulation. If that was what Petyr is out for remains to be seen, he might have been genuine at least a bit when expressing his condolences and questioning if Maron was truly in the right for executing Richard. That being said, it is definitely safer for Jenna to keep her distance, Petyr can be equal parts affable and absolutely ruthless.
Aye, at least a bit of a rivalry is what I have in mind. The alliance against Mullendore is far from actually allied, with Vali having just as much of a legitimate reason to go against Saerya than Mullendore and likewise. They have a common enemy, with Jenna being pretty much the only one keeping them together at this point.
Haha, I was hoping this would come as a complete surprise
The Sphynx has actually a very rich backstory and Book 2 is where he will shine as a character beyond being a creepy torturer guy. I am not sure if it can be called a redeeming quality, but him apparently caring for Lucia and Ryler is definitely a positive trait as well. So, he has an interest in bringing down Lupin and Wolfius is the one they have to get to first to lure him out. When it comes to Wolfius, I can confirm that he has indeed been a bit different once. The Sphynx remembers a man who, while violent for sure, wasn't quite as insane and could actually hide his nature quite well. Given that the Wolfius you know is definitely worse than the one the Sphynx remembers means that change had some sort of a reason and after all he remembers about Lupin, he naturally concludes that he had a hand in this. Of course, you have not yet met Lupin himself, but he will appear at some point in Book 2 and by then, you will quickly see if he is truly as despicable as he is made out to be, or if Wolfius' condition has gotten worse through other means.
Yeah, damn that charming bastard XD This is the reason why he is so successful, he knows when to be ruthless, but he makes sure that he can always come back from that, that he never makes enemies in the way Mullendore does, that he never comes across as rude and uncaring and as a result, there are people who genuinely like him. Jenna is probably not among them, but she easily hates him less than Mullendore, so whatever he is doing, it is working. And well, I just realized this as well, your support of Team Targ might be a bit of a problem when it comes to your liking of Vali, because what he is definitely not and likely never will be is a Targaryen supporter.
It would be something like this, working with a clearly bad man in order to stop someone who is even worse. Rodrik, well, he is not a classical choice for an ally, but if Arthur picks the option to work with him, it will happen out of the viewpoint that desperate times require unlikely allies. Keep in mind though, the official view on the Alley Cats is not as negative in Raylansfair as it is in Oldtown. They are seen as shady, but officially are part of the Mullendore forces and therefore exist somewhere on the same level as the old city guard, even if they don't get the same level of acceptance and respect. Aditha has a keen sense of people's true nature though, so she is likely to see past the official tale about the Alley Cats. However, she knows what Wolfius is capable of, she has lost her father because of him and this might be enough for her to be more supportive of such a decision.
[Go with Vali] While this will put Jenna at odds with Saerya, is better if she confirms Donaver Flowers is truly an ally. I'm actually surprised Petyr truly sounded sincere, even when he had his brother killed, he seems to feel remorse for doing it.
[Agree to work with Rodrik] Just for the record "I knew it", because I suspected The Sphynx was a northerner because Rodrik is usually used in the northern regions of Westeros.
If Woodbark wasn't so bad, then how evil is Lupin Frostborn if the current Sphynx wants him dead?!
Yeah, it is perfectly possible that Petyr was sincere when talking to Jenna here. Of course, keep in mind that Jenna's people skills are not particularly developed yet, so an expert manipulator such as Petyr could likely play her without effort and appear sincere when he's actually lying through his teeth. However, it has been established that he is capable of genuinely loving people beyond himself, he has a daughter whom he truly cares for and I can confirm he loved Edith's mother, despite her being lowborn. His villainous actions are, as a result, not necessarily motivated out of him wanting to do evil, but something he deems inevitable, necessary for the greater good or with enough benefits for himself to justify the remorse he might feel over them.
Ah, so you had a suspicion here, huh? Very interesting to know
The hints have been extremely few, but you are right, Rodrik is more typically a northern name, or at least one used in regions with strong First Men influence. There was also a hint with Lucia and Ryler sharing some physical traits in a similar hair and eye colour and her reacting very sharply towards his name in the last part already. But in general, I wanted this to remain as much a secret as possible. Won't be the last twist in that storyline though, that I can promise.
I wouldn't say he wasn't so bad, Wolfius has always been a bit messed up. However, the Sphynx always considered Lupin worse and still holds this opinion, especially after concluding that Lupin must have done something to corrupt Wolfius even further. The thing is that he doesn't know Wolfius as he is right now, he has only heard of his exploits. It can easily be that Wolfius right now has surpassed Lupin as Rodrik remembers him. More can likely only be revealed once both appear together, then you will without a doubt easily see which of them is worse.