Janae
“I...”, Janae began, before she paused. She took a deep breath, as she tensed up. And then she did what might have been the hardest… more thing in her entire life. “I am sorry”, she said. “I... never meant any of this. All I wanted was my freedom”
Abbas did not react. His fists clenched, he had his back turned towards her and at first, she thought he'd focus on the landscape. However, a glance revealed that he had his eyes closed, his face a bitter frown. She sighed, slightly raising her hand, as a memory of the man he used to be appeared in her mind. Then, it was gone and she lowered her hand again. Slowly, she turned around, leaving him to his thoughts.
The sun was already setting when the ship arrived at the small port. It wasn't a town, more a fortified manor, lying on the shores of the Rhoyne. There was a wall around it and fields inside, tended to by dozens of workers. The manor itself was magnificent, four stories high and w… [view original content]
Ah ah I miss again some parts,I will try to be more constant in the future!
[Kneel] [Come up with a lie] I suppose it will be more realistic if John don't trust some unknown pirate
RT: 1) I'm a little surprise to say it but Edrick part was fun to read! Expecially the accident during the flogging and it consequences 2) Meanwhile Garthon have a private meeting with Lord Blackwood where we learn why he decide to act defiant against his current ruler and start to plan the rebellion..nice! 3) Am I wrong or Lord Reymand Orkwood is the same person that has as a Salt wife Gabin girlfriend? 4) I am curious to discover what happened to the Blackwood firstborn (and if Christian manage to escape from the Riverlands storylines) 5) This is btw a storyline that I'm really interested! 6) I really like how you decide to start Kyra part! I like her relationship with Harrick! 7) Damn you Liquid! I expected an action part when Kyra decide to meet Herman! 8) Ah ah! I expected that this was all a Damian plan and that Herman fate will be sealed after Kyra decide that she won't start an alliance with the Sons of Trident 9) I'm curious what consequences Herman death will bring to the Sons 10) Btw I'm curious of what role will the farmer and his boy have in this story 11) Meanwhile at Essos we meet Abbas friend and another slaver,I'm curious to read what we will learn at the dinner 12) I'm interested to learn what the slaves harvest 13) This time you introduce the first Unsullied of all the story! 14) Bakr and Dreck Rat are best bros! I half expected hear Bakr say something like "Hey!Do you remember when I sell you? Ah,the good old times!" 15) At Lys instead it seems that The Gutters hit the jackpot and find the pirate that hate slavers! But what quest they will have to accomplish for him? 16) Oh Oh Temari is like a walking bomb
Janae
“I...”, Janae began, before she paused. She took a deep breath, as she tensed up. And then she did what might have been the hardest… more thing in her entire life. “I am sorry”, she said. “I... never meant any of this. All I wanted was my freedom”
Abbas did not react. His fists clenched, he had his back turned towards her and at first, she thought he'd focus on the landscape. However, a glance revealed that he had his eyes closed, his face a bitter frown. She sighed, slightly raising her hand, as a memory of the man he used to be appeared in her mind. Then, it was gone and she lowered her hand again. Slowly, she turned around, leaving him to his thoughts.
The sun was already setting when the ship arrived at the small port. It wasn't a town, more a fortified manor, lying on the shores of the Rhoyne. There was a wall around it and fields inside, tended to by dozens of workers. The manor itself was magnificent, four stories high and w… [view original content]
Ah ah I miss again some parts,I will try to be more constant in the future!
Hey, welcome back! I'm glad you could make it here, your thoughts are always a treat for me
1) I'm a little surprise to say it but Edrick part was fun to read! Expecially the accident during the flogging and it consequences
Hehe, that must have been one of the few times I heard you saying you enjoyed an Edrick part I told you I have some exciting things in store for him, I am willing to bet this won't remain the only part of his you'll consider to be fun to read. There's some pretty big stuff coming up relatively soon.
2) Meanwhile Garthon have a private meeting with Lord Blackwood where we learn why he decide to act defiant against his current ruler and start to plan the rebellion..nice!
Aye, it has been quite the step for Lord Blackwood, because he actually used to be quite cowardly in the past. He grew up an idealist, but decades of Ironborn rule broke this part of him. Torvin's selfless actions against Harren Hoare have refuelled some of the fire he used to have and this means when push comes to shove, he will fight.
3) Am I wrong or Lord Reymand Orkwood is the same person that has as a Salt wife Gabin girlfriend?
Good call there, you're perfectly right. Reymand is the lord who took Gabin's girl as his salt wife simply for her looks and she actually was briefly mentioned during the wedding earlier in this chapter. Reymand is also a friend of Harren Hoare, which gives him quite some influence at court. He's a pretty unlikeable fellow even among the Ironborn, but provoking him means provoking the king.
4) I am curious to discover what happened to the Blackwood firstborn (and if Christian manage to escape from the Riverlands storylines)
While I, for obvious reasons, cannot tell you more about this for now, I can reveal that yes, we will get answers to both of these questions before Book 2 is over
5) This is btw a storyline that I'm really interested!
Ah, you mean the whole Blackwood storyline? Glad to hear it, because it will be an integral part of Book 2's Riverlands storyline. In general, this will be one of the big highlights of Book 2 in general, if my plans work out as they are supposed to.
6) I really like how you decide to start Kyra part! I like her relationship with Harrick!
Hehe, I said it before, this is one of the things I love so much, that there's several aspects of the story people are quite split over. Some readers dislike Kyra's relationship with Harrick, while you are in favour of it. I myself, I'm mainly happy I managed to create something that causes a different variety of opinions
7) Damn you Liquid! I expected an action part when Kyra decide to meet Herman!
And you are not alone with this. I am sorry to subvert your expectations, though I can promise you, action parts involving Kyra will come and they will be important. In fact, some of my personal favourite scenes to come involve Kyra fighting, so this is what I shall promise.
8) Ah ah! I expected that this was all a Damian plan and that Herman fate will be sealed after Kyra decide that she won't start an alliance with the Sons of Trident
Actually, his fate was sealed even in that case. Damon was using Herman all along and he never intended to leave him as a witness. Kyra decided over the moment of Herman's death though. If she would have decided to ally with him, he would have still died, but a bit later, as Damon would have killed him after having no use for him anymore. It's nothing personal, but you can probably understand he cannot allow anyone knowing of his betrayal, anyone but some very assorted and trustworthy people at least.
9) I'm curious what consequences Herman death will bring to the Sons
Well, the Sons as a whole are pretty decentralized in terms of their leadership. Herman was one of the founding members, but he has been crippled in battle and this makes his effective use for the organization small beyond sentimental value. The inner circle around Edric Rivers will likely be unaffected in terms of how they fight the Ironborn, but they will likely be extremely angry.
10) Btw I'm curious of what role will the farmer and his boy have in this story
I can say we haven't seen the last of them. How important they'll turn out to be, that is something that remains to be seen, but they are submitted characters and I hope to show at least a bit more of them in the future.
11) Meanwhile at Essos we meet Abbas friend and another slaver,I'm curious to read what we will learn at the dinner
And I am excited to show this. Goranero and Vanis are both pretty interesting characters and I look forward to show more of them. Especially Vanis will likely surprise you, because he holds a connection to some characters you are unlikely to expect
12) I'm interested to learn what the slaves harvest
Ah, this is something I am unlikely to reveal in Janae's parts, because let's be honest, there's few ways she can actually learn about it, but I'm going to go ahead and tell you here, because it's really not a story-spoiling secret or anything. It's a plant which, in our world, is named Papaver somniferum, commonly known as opium poppy. Basically, Goranero harvests drugs at his plantation, the most essential part to make milk of the poppy and it is a pretty lucrative business for him.
13) This time you introduce the first Unsullied of all the story!
And he will not be the last. There are two more submitted Unsullied and I am pretty certain that they won't even be the last either. Unsullied are probably not the most popular characters to submit, because there's really not much one can make with them as characters, but every once in a while, someone decides to make one. I don't have terribly much openings for them though, so I am glad I don't have that many. That being said, Dreck Rat is technically not even the first. Captain Razek um Daar, who was introduced in Meria Martell's Interlude, used to be an Unsullied, before Meria set him free to employ him as her captain of the guard. He is not an active Unsullied anymore and doesn't consider himself part of them after years of rebuilding his personality, but he was once truly Unsullied.
14) Bakr and Dreck Rat are best bros! I half expected hear Bakr say something like "Hey!Do you remember when I sell you? Ah,the good old times!"
In a way he even said that, he has fond memories of the deal he made. However, he isn't that fond of Dreck Rat, seeing him as more a tool than a person, as most slavers do with Unsullied (or slaves in general in the extreme cases), but Bakr is genuinely friendly with slaves he sells and he was happy to see him still serving faithfully.
15) At Lys instead it seems that The Gutters hit the jackpot and find the pirate that hate slavers! But what quest they will have to accomplish for him?
Aye, it all depends on asking the right person and getting the right piece of information in return for the right price. John can do stuff like that. Aidan might not be the only pirate to hate slavers, but his grudge is a rather prominent part of his personality. When it comes to what they have to help him out with, this will be John's storyline for the rest of this chapter, so you will get your answer pretty soon.
16) Oh Oh Temari is like a walking bomb
I cannot even blame him. He has always been a bit unstable and short-tempered, but while he has been a bit harsh with her in the past, there's no doubt he does love Behara and he always protected her. Now she has been taken away from him, he doesn't know if she is still alive and this affects him deeply, so it will be interesting to see where his character will go from here. A walking time bomb is one possible interpretation, but it doesn't have to be his only possible fate.
Ah ah I miss again some parts,I will try to be more constant in the future!
[Kneel]
[Come up with a lie] I suppose it will be more reali… morestic if John don't trust some unknown pirate
RT:
1) I'm a little surprise to say it but Edrick part was fun to read! Expecially the accident during the flogging and it consequences
2) Meanwhile Garthon have a private meeting with Lord Blackwood where we learn why he decide to act defiant against his current ruler and start to plan the rebellion..nice!
3) Am I wrong or Lord Reymand Orkwood is the same person that has as a Salt wife Gabin girlfriend?
4) I am curious to discover what happened to the Blackwood firstborn (and if Christian manage to escape from the Riverlands storylines)
5) This is btw a storyline that I'm really interested!
6) I really like how you decide to start Kyra part! I like her relationship with Harrick!
7) Damn you Liquid! I expected an action part when Kyra decide to meet H… [view original content]
Yes! Mah boi Aidan finally making a full appearance in the story. I might add that you’ve nailed the vibe I was going for
I was going to do my first vote here, but I’m actually going to skip this one, as I’m hardly impartial, and I know if Aidan can be trusted or not with sensitive information like that.
Ah, I am so glad to hear that I wrote him well in his first real part. After the small teaser from last chapter, this part marked the point where he indeed has fully arrived in the story, so to say. I look forward to show more of his personality and I'm pleased I got him right here, as well as to introduce his crew a bit later down the line (though most of them still in this chapter). And don't worry, there will definitely be choices in the future, in this storyline as well and even involving Aidan, that will make it easier for you to be impartial, or at least harder to know which option is likely going to end up as the better one, for him and the characters around him
Yes! Mah boi Aidan finally making a full appearance in the story. I might add that you’ve nailed the vibe I was going for
I was going to… more do my first vote here, but I’m actually going to skip this one, as I’m hardly impartial, and I know if Aidan can be trusted or not with sensitive information like that.
Janae
“I...”, Janae began, before she paused. She took a deep breath, as she tensed up. And then she did what might have been the hardest… more thing in her entire life. “I am sorry”, she said. “I... never meant any of this. All I wanted was my freedom”
Abbas did not react. His fists clenched, he had his back turned towards her and at first, she thought he'd focus on the landscape. However, a glance revealed that he had his eyes closed, his face a bitter frown. She sighed, slightly raising her hand, as a memory of the man he used to be appeared in her mind. Then, it was gone and she lowered her hand again. Slowly, she turned around, leaving him to his thoughts.
The sun was already setting when the ship arrived at the small port. It wasn't a town, more a fortified manor, lying on the shores of the Rhoyne. There was a wall around it and fields inside, tended to by dozens of workers. The manor itself was magnificent, four stories high and w… [view original content]
The first choice here was nearly unanimous, the second one however was nearly a tie, so I'm going to close the voting here to prevent things from becoming tied there. This first one was mostly a character choice. Janae is Abbas' prized trophy slave right now, he'll take his time with any revenge and he won't just harm her in a fit of rage, at least not significantly. However, you can be assured that he wouldn't have been pleased if she would have embarrassed him here. John meanwhile will be honest with Aidan, taking a bit of a risk to see if he can truly trust this man. Hatred for slavers or not, Aidan is still a pirate, so it remains to be seen how he will treat this piece of information.
The next part will hopefully be out today. There is an issue I would like to mention that could prevent me from finishing my writing in time, in which case you'd have to wait for tomorrow. Most of you probably remember, my mother had this terrible accident last year. She is still recovering, but a few days ago, she fell and injured her ankle in the process. This has gotten to the point where doctors have recommended surgery to stabilize the foot. If one of you ever injured their foot, you probably know what has to be done to support the healing process. While a routine procedure and likely not taking longer than a few minutes, it is nonetheless a surgery with all the risks to be expected from a patient with an already weakened lung and I'd be lying if I'd say I'm not extremely concerned. She went to the hospital today, where they'll make some initial tests for the anaesthetist and she'll likely receive surgery tomorrow or the day after. Hospital is only 5 minutes by car from my place, though I might have to drive back and forth a couple times to bring her stuff as she requires and this will certainly affect my writing speed, on top of my general mood being as foul as you'd expect. I found writing to be a wonderful coping mechanism for all kinds of concerns though, so when I have the time today, I gladly do it. Furthermore, I'll keep you updated, but I might not have anything new before Monday and honestly, the wait is slowly driving me crazy.
Now, with these unhappy news out of the way, the next part will feature PoV's for Drent and likely Jenna. Last time we saw Drent, he was talking to Bernard Buckler and Malcolm Mertyns on the day of the tourney at Storm's End. To his great shock, it turns out that Bernard is... not a complete asshole and actually not more happy about his potential betrothal to Argella than the princess herself. Unfortunately for poor Bernard, his first opponent in the joust will be Emphryus Dresfel and he is not expected to actually succeed against that man, despite him being determined not to bring shame to his house. He left to warm up before the first round of jousting, while Drent and Malcolm remained. Malcolm already noticed something off about the fact that somehow, Bernard got pitted against the knight most loyal to Argella and it is implied he has his suspicions about Drent's participation in the tourney. He asked for his intentions and Drent, not willing to risk revealing his true reason, which would be to defeat Argella's suitor Warrick Fell, decided to claim that he is going to try his best to actually win the tourney. Meanwhile in Raylansfair, Jenna had a talk to Petyr Vyrwel, who also, shockingly, turned out to be not a complete jerk towards her, even if it remains up in the air how genuine his expression of sympathy has been. However, he had to cut their talk short when guests in the form of Donnel Selwyn and his entourage arrived. Jenna then encountered Vali Flowers, for the first time since Richard's death and he revealed to her that he has a plan. One of the men accompanying Donnel is a certain Dunaver Flowers, knight of the Reach and member of the Order of the Green Hand. This makes him a potential ally to Vali, who seeks to win over Donnel's support. Knowing that Dunaver's word holds a great weight at the Selwyn court, he intends to meet with him, even if their relationship is a bit strained. He offered to discuss this further with Jenna while helping Maester Eddard with the preparations and she agreed to go wit him, preferring this over the other option, which would have been to search for Saerya and tell her what Vali just revealed to her.
Janae
“I...”, Janae began, before she paused. She took a deep breath, as she tensed up. And then she did what might have been the hardest… more thing in her entire life. “I am sorry”, she said. “I... never meant any of this. All I wanted was my freedom”
Abbas did not react. His fists clenched, he had his back turned towards her and at first, she thought he'd focus on the landscape. However, a glance revealed that he had his eyes closed, his face a bitter frown. She sighed, slightly raising her hand, as a memory of the man he used to be appeared in her mind. Then, it was gone and she lowered her hand again. Slowly, she turned around, leaving him to his thoughts.
The sun was already setting when the ship arrived at the small port. It wasn't a town, more a fortified manor, lying on the shores of the Rhoyne. There was a wall around it and fields inside, tended to by dozens of workers. The manor itself was magnificent, four stories high and w… [view original content]
Apologies for taking an entire day longer than I thought. As expected, hospital stuff continues to take away my free time. However, that one has actually gotten a bit better, I'll probably be able to share news next time I close the voting. However, I also encountered a problem with this part as well, as Jenna's PoV gave me some issues. Ultimately, I decided to remove it from this part in favour of a longer Drent PoV, to get more time to work on it while also giving you something to read instead of keeping you waiting for longer. Jenna will be back in the next part, likely with a second PoV as well. For now, here's a long Drent part which I hope you will enjoy
Drent
One by one, the first wave of knights rode up to the king's loge, presenting their lances and coat of arms. King Argilac sat there, clad in a fine tunic, yellow and black, his hair and beard freshly groomed. With a stern look on his face, he gave each of his knights a nod, as they proclaimed their loyalty to him once more. This was his day, most of it all.
Argella sat next to him, her black hair tied into a braid that was resting on the red velvet of her dress. Her expression was similarly stern, but paired with a grim frown. She kept up with giving each knight a brief, fake smile, only to switch back to her disapproving expression the moment they turned away from the royal loge. The only one she refused even that was Bernard Buckler himself.
Of course, Drent hadn't gotten a seat even remotely close to her, but rather on the other side of the tilt yard, more or less directly opposing the royal loge. Those close to the king were his most loyal and Drent noticed that Maester Qoherys had arranged for the ones seated on the directly opposing side to be comprised solely of loyal knights and soldiers as well. Even from afar, he could see that the Storm Princess was bored by the whole event.
Drent himself, he couldn't deny a certain eagerness, as well as a nervous feeling. The first round of the jousting would begin soon, with the melee being set afterwards. Only a few more hours until he'd take part in one of the most important fights of his life.
Edonia however seemed calm, calmer even than her brother, who would not take part in the tourney at all. She crossed her arms behind her back, smiling as she watched the knights. Drent raised an eyebrow. “Are you not concerned?”, he asked and she shook her head, oozing confidence. “Why should I?”, she asked. “After all, I'm going to win today. Shouldn't you be more confident as well? Where's all the big talk now?”
She was being subtle here, reminding him to keep up playing his role, for right behind them sat Malcolm Mertyns. The Black Owl had reacted with amusement at Drent's claim that he'd win the melee, but he was almost certainly not convinced that he had been genuine in that moment. And not knowing Malcolm's intentions, that was bad. Ever since, Drent had spotted him close by and he had tried his best to prevent him from finding out the truth about his goal in the melee.
“The lady is right”, he spoke now. “You seemed pretty eager to actually win this just a few hours ago” He smirked. “Reality kicking in already?” Drent sighed, before he gave him a nod. “I'm afraid you're right”, he said. “I... am not so sure I can do this”
Malcolm chuckled. “Now, you almost disappoint me with such talk”, he claimed. “And here I was, ready to believe that a commoner would win the great melee” He shook his head. “Probably for the better though. You will face some of Durrandon's best there. Dickon Morrigen will fight, as will Landry Swann and of course, our king himself”
“You won't?”, Torrence asked and Malcolm shook his head. “Nah, I don't fight in a melee”, he spoke and put a hand onto the scabbard that held his sword. “The only weapon I'll ever swing will be this beauty. Alas, she's not allowed in the little pretend war we're going to have here today”
With this, he drew his sword and placed it on his lap. Though Drent would not call himself an expert on weaponry, he did sharply inhale as he recognized what it was made of. “That's Valyrian Steel”, he spoke and Malcolm flashed him a grin. “Silver Mist”, he spoke. “In my family's possession for five generations”
He smiled at the sword, almost affectionately. “Once you swung a sword like that, no other will do. I can proudly say, she ruined tourneys for me”, he explained. “Much as I'd love to fight, I can see why they can't allow Valyrian Steel. It's true after all, it cuts through normal steel like a hot knife through butter”
“I've seen Valyrian Steel before”, Torrence brought up. “Can't you just fight men with one of their own?” To this, Malcolm shook his head. “It is true, there's a fairly odd number of them here in Westeros, but not enough, I am afraid”, he stated. “Alas, it remains a lovely thought. A tourney for the queen of swords, that'd be something worth pursuing”
“Why don't you pick up archery then?”, Edonia asked and Torrence sighed audibly, rolling his eyes. Malcolm smirked at her. “I'm afraid I lack the talent”, he admitted. “A knight should know when to leave a task to someone more skilled at it. Albeit, if you'd offer to teach me, I would not decline”
“Surely we can work out something. Who knows, maybe you'll find your true calling”, Edonia said, reciprocating his thin smirk, while Torrence outright frowned. “So, if you're not jousting, or fighting in the melee, or doing archery work, why the hell are you here again? Quite some distance to Mistwood, I believe” Malcolm nodded calmly. “I know it must be surprising, but I am not here to win glory”, he said. “A tourney is so much more. Mostly, I am here to represent House Mertyns. To see and to be seen”
“Well, you are certainly being seen, Ser Malcolm”, Edonia spoke and Drent suppressed a chuckle as he noticed Torrence's dour expression. Before she was able to add anything else, a loud horn signal forced her attention. At the royal loge, Ser Baron Schodek had gotten up from his seat. Though it was hard to silence a thousand men and women who looked on, his voice was still carried far and Drent had little trouble understanding him. “People of Storm's End!”, he proclaimed. “Friends from near and far! It is my pleasure to initiate the tourney now, to the honour of our princess Argella and in the name of Argilac, Storm King”
“Storm King!”, a thousand voices shouted and the old knight had to wait for a moment before he was able to continue. “For the first fight”, he stated loudly. “We have Ser Emphruys Dresfel, the finest knight in the Stormlands” As he spoke, Emphryus rode in, clad in armour and with a heavy helmet concealing his face. For him, Argella rose from her seat, clapping her hands as she smiled widely. The knight rode up to the royal loge, reaching out for the princess and her lips briefly touched the steel of his gauntlet, as she spoke something Drent was unable to understand from afar.
“He will fight against a brave opponent!”, Baron continued. “Ser Bernard Buckler, heir to Bronzegate. Young in years, his skill with the lance is nonetheless to behold” Bernard rode in from the other side and this time, Argella remained sitting, having nothing but a cold glare for the man who was supposed to court her. While Argilac seemed genuinely eager for a good fight, her sympathies were clear to see.
“Smart man”, Malcolm mumbled from behind. “Bernard picked a longer lance. Quite the gambit, but if he hits Emphryus first, that'll be his only chance at winning”
Giving each other a nod of respect, Emphryus and Bernard rode up to their respective ends of the tilt yard, waiting for Baron to sound the horn. The crowd, cheering loudly for their favourite, which, in most cases, was Emphryus, made it hard to hear Baron now, as he spoke to the combatants. However, the moment he blew the horn in his hand, they went dead silent.
Drent leant forward, tensing up as he watched both men readying their horses. With lowered lances, they began to ride towards each other, slowly at first, but rapidly picking up pace. Each knight clad in steel, holding a lance and a sturdy shield, their horses wearing colourful tabards and yet, their weight caused the ground to tremble, as they charged towards each other.
The few seconds until their lances hit felt like hours and then, Bernard's lance hit the centre of Emphryus' shield. His opponent lost his aim and what was planned to hit Bernard's shoulder instead merely grazed the shield. Still the force was tremendous, enough to nearly knock both men out of the saddle, as Emphryus visibly staggered, while Bernard's lance wavered and he nearly let go of it.
Under the deafening roars of the crowd, the knights took position at the opposite ends of the tilt yard this time, turning their horses around and facing each other yet again. Then, they charged at each other for the second time. Aiming for the other knight's shoulder, Bernard fastened his horse, yet the force of the last blow was visibly still affecting him, as the tip of the lance was shaky, giving him notable problems to control it.
It was there that Emphryus did something surprising. Leaning to the side of his horse, he effectively dodged Bernard's weakly aimed lance, while his own hit the side of his opponent's shield with full force. Even through the cheering, Bernard's cry of pain was audible, or at least Drent imagined to hear it. Behind him Malcolm sighed, as the knight dropped his lance in surprise.
“This is it”, Torrence spoke, though Malcolm shook his head. “He won't give up that easily”, he disagreed. “Bernard doesn't do things the easy way” He clenched his fists. “This was supposed to be his big day. Alas, it seems he never had a chance”
In a way, Drent felt bad for the man. Bernard struggled to remain in the saddle, his now free arm clutching the left as he trembled. And yet, he glanced at his page, who slowly approached him, holding a second lance, a bit shorter this time. Emphryus hesitated for a moment, looking at the royal loge. Argilac had his fists clenched, leaning forward and staring at the scenery with anticipation. Argella meanwhile was tensed up, motionless save for the small nod she gave her knight.
It was all Emphryus needed. Quickly, he rode towards his position, arriving there faster than Bernard reached his. The Buckler knight was clearly shaken by the hit Emphryus had delivered, though he bravely remained in the saddle, as he reached his position. For a moment, they looked at each other, the Baron sounded his horn and they charged again, perhaps for the last time.
The crowd seemed to collectively hold its breath, as the two knights clashed. Emphryus' lance hit first and Drent saw Argella jumping up from her seat, certain of her knight's victory. Bernard was nearly lifted out of the saddle, as he just barely managed to avoid a direct hit. Yet although his own lance completely missed the target, he once more refused to go down and the cheers of the crowd were at least partially his in this moment.
Still visibly affected by his injury, he rode to his position with remarkable stubbornness, simply refusing to appear weak, or to just give up as it would have been his right. Emphryus hesitated for a moment longer, before he assumed his position as well again.
Opposing Drent, Argella had her fists clenched, staring at Emphryus, who was sitting in the saddle with confidence and yet, Drent was certain the hits he received had to hurt. The moment the two knights had taken up their positions, Baron sounded his horn and they lowered their lances, before spurring their horses.
Aiming at their opponent, Bernard's lance was shaking heavily, while Emphryus' was calm and precise. He hit first, landing a blow that grazed Bernard's upper arm, nearly knocking him out of the saddle. Just as Drent thought it would be over, something unexpected happened though, as Bernard's lance, perhaps due to skill, perhaps due to sheer luck, hit its mark, right above Emphryus' shield, between his chest and his arm.
And under the surprised gasps of a thousand spectators, Emphryus Dresfel got unhorsed. Bernard's lance actually broke under the force the young knight must have put into the strike and if not for Emphryus' armour, Drent knew he would have died. As it was, all he received was a painful and very heavy blow to the chest that caused him to fall right off his horse and into the dust.
Then, the crowd began to cheer for Bernard, who slowed down his horse. Behind Drent, Malcolm Mertyns slowly rose from his seat, applauding his friend, though he was otherwise silent. Drent himself did not applaud. Wide eyed, he stared at the scenery and he noticed that none was more shocked than Argella. The princess had put her hopes into Emphryus and yet, there he was, groaning and sluggishly moving his limbs on the ground, unable to get up on his own with the heavy armour on his body.
Argilac slowly rose from his seat, smiling at Bernard, then at his daughter, who was too baffled to glare in return. “It appears we have a victor”, the king proclaimed, as Bernard rode closer to the royal loge. He made it halfway there, when injury and fatigue took their toll, causing him to sink off his horse and into the dust as well, where he remained without moving.
Malcolm chuckled. “I suppose that is the best he could have hoped for”, he said. “Looks like this tourney is over for Bernard” They watched as several servants rushed towards Emphryus, helping the knight back to his feet. Slightly staggering and certainly on shaky legs, his first move was towards Bernard and he knelt next to the man.
Then, he grabbed Bernard's arm, dragging him back to his feet and with a groan, the other knight complied. There they stood, Bernard weakly removing his helmet, as Emphryus lifted his forearm up. The crowd cheered, almost deafeningly and King Argilac chimed in. Argella, having regained her composure, did not. Instead, she opted for a glare, a mixture between fury and surprise. “Bernard Buckler is victorious over Emphryus Dresfel!”, Argilac proclaimed. “He will advance to the second round of the joust!”
“I doubt it”, Malcolm spoke. “He can barely stand. Dresfel did a number on him. Guess that was to be expected, though at least he can say he technically won” Drent smiled at this. Argella obviously saw it differently, given her frown at Emphryus' defeat, but this was perhaps the best outcome. Bernard kept his dignity, even if his wounds would be too heavy to continue in the tourney, whereas this very fact would make it unlikely she'd have to even consider him an acceptable suitor.
Argilac have his daughter a glance and she replied with an almost pleading stare, to which he only shook his head. She sighed visibly, as she finally got up from her chair. “To the brave victor”, she spoke, even doing some effort to sound genuine, as she gave Bernard a stilted smile. And though it was clear how much effort it took for her to remain calm, she placed a golden circlet on his head.
As the cheering finally died down, Bernard Buckler had to be led down the tilt yard by the man he had knocked down and Drent didn't have to be a maester to know that he would not be able to continue in the second round of the joust. At least he left as a victor though, so Drent had no doubt that once the pain would fade, he'd be quite pleased with this outcome.
With a sigh, Malcolm Mertyns rose from his seat. “Excuse me now”, he spoke. “I suppose I should check up on Bernard” He gave the three soldiers a nod, followed by a sly wink into Edonia's direction. “Though I suppose I should follow up on your offer though, mylady. I think I just developed an interest in archery”
He got up and left and Edonia smirked at her brother, who glared almost furiously at the knight until he was gone in the crowd. “That guy?”, he growled. “He's...” Edonia shrugged and cut him off. “Kinda handsome”, she stated and Torrence shook his head. “Kinda a jerk”, he hissed.
“So you two should get along just fine”, Edonia replied calmly. “Though since when do you care?” Torrence clenched his fists in frustration and Edonia looked away, instead focussing onto the tilt yard again, where servants led away the two horses. Argilac and Argella had sat down again and the princess was visibly unhappy with the way things turned out.
Finally, Drent broke the silence. “This is not going according to plan”, he spoke. “Emphryus was supposed to win. The safest bet we had for today” Edonia raised an eyebrow. “So, you think the Errol boy shoots better than I do?”, she replied. “I always considered that our safest bet. Anything can happen in a joust, but archery values raw talent above everything else”
“Thankfully you don't have to be humble to win”, Drent brought up. “But yeah, I was certain Emphryus would win” Torrence nodded. “So was I”, he stated. “Fuck, I owe Garen quite a sum now” He sighed, as he stared at the tilt yard, at the spot where Emphryus had been unhorsed. “Maybe it has been a bad idea to put our hopes into a man who still hasn't recovered from the wounds he got in Raylansfair”
“You didn't put your hopes into anyone, just your coin”, Edonia reminded him and he pressed his lips together. “That makes it only worse”, he complained. “I mean, I got something to lose here” Drent smirked, though as he looked down at his hands, he noticed they were shivering. Edonia noticed it as well and she placed a hand on his forearm. “Don't grow nervous now”, she spoke softly. “A minor setback. I doubt Bernard can continue today, so who cares if he won? He's out, that's what matters. Trust in me to defeat the Errol boy and just focus on your target”
Drent looked into her green eyes and her hand wandered from his forearm to his shoulder. “The important thing is that you remain calm”, she advised him and he sighed. “And how am I supposed to do that?”, he asked. “One of Argella's suitors already did the impossible today. Who's to say you and me will succeed over his companions?”
“Would that be so bad?”, Torrence asked. “I mean, she's the princess. The only one who can force her won't do it. Who cares if one of them is supposed to marry her?” Slyly, he raised an eyebrow. “Besides Golton here, of course” Edonia rolled her eyes. “Not helping, Torrence”, she hissed. “Why don't you just shut up and let us focus on the task at hand?”
For a moment, Torrence looked almost offended. “Hey, I can help!”, he claimed, as he looked at Drent. “Are you nervous, Drent?” After hesitating for a moment, Drent had to admit to himself that yes, he was, and he gave the soldier a nod. Torrence smiled at this, not even all that unfriendly. “Then try not to panic. Just relax, happy thoughts and it'll be alright. The worst you can do is stressing out now”
“As I said, not helping”, Edonia growled. “If you have to give advice, at least don't encourage him to essentially do nothing” She looked at Drent, placing a hand on his. “You are trembling” He smiled thinly. “You think so?”, he managed to utter, but she was right. Emphryus had been defeated and he was the best of them. There were two dozen men in the melee with him and Warrick Fell. As much as he wanted to be confident, he had to admit that his chances of even just taking the man out were relatively small.
“Whenever I'm nervous, I train”, Edonia brought up. “That's what you should do. Grab a wooden sword, find some corner and warm up. Can't possibly hurt, can it?”Torrence shook his head. “Unless he exhausts himself before the fight even starts”, he brought up. “Don't listen to her, Drent. I say you should stay here, try to forget about everything involving the melee and the princess. Just watch the rest of the joust, sure you'll have a good time. And then, when the melee begins, you fight without being nervous”
[Warm up for the melee][Watch the rest of the joust]
The joust between Emphryus and Bernard was a very enjoyable read! Tbh, I'm just as surprised as Drent about the outcome, since I considered this the most solid part of Argella's plan. But as has been said, anything can happen in a joust, and I have to give props to Bernard for basically winning by sheer stubborness here
[Warm up for the melee] I certainly don't mind if the other option wins, because seeing more jousting is never bad, but I just think Drent has better chances to succeed if he starts focusing and warming up early.
[Warm up for the melee] It is a better idea if Drent start to prepare himself for his part of the tourney (and we already see enough of the joust)
RT: 1) Ah ah when I read Malcolm say the specific of his weapon I imagine the collector of swords put the Silver Mist in his list 2) Malcom decision to not be part of the tourney but to remain to be a representative of his House is a wise and understandable one (I can't say the same for Torrence that decide to see the tourney only has a chance to lose money) 3)The tourney has officialy started! And the joust between Ser Emphyrius and Bernard was a really enjoyable read (and the first action part in ages XD) 4) It seems that Argella plan to make her suitors look like fools haven't a good start! Expecially because while Bernard won't continue in the tourney he finish his part in it in a way that it is everything outside embarassing 5) I'm obviously curious to read the other two parts of the tourney (the archery contest and the meele)
Apologies for taking an entire day longer than I thought. As expected, hospital stuff continues to take away my free time. However, that one… more has actually gotten a bit better, I'll probably be able to share news next time I close the voting. However, I also encountered a problem with this part as well, as Jenna's PoV gave me some issues. Ultimately, I decided to remove it from this part in favour of a longer Drent PoV, to get more time to work on it while also giving you something to read instead of keeping you waiting for longer. Jenna will be back in the next part, likely with a second PoV as well. For now, here's a long Drent part which I hope you will enjoy
Drent
One by one, the first wave of knights rode up to the king's loge, presenting their lances and coat of arms. King Argilac sat there, clad in a fine tunic, yellow and black, his hair and beard freshly groomed. With a stern look on his face, he gave each of his knights a nod… [view original content]
Apologies for taking an entire day longer than I thought. As expected, hospital stuff continues to take away my free time. However, that one… more has actually gotten a bit better, I'll probably be able to share news next time I close the voting. However, I also encountered a problem with this part as well, as Jenna's PoV gave me some issues. Ultimately, I decided to remove it from this part in favour of a longer Drent PoV, to get more time to work on it while also giving you something to read instead of keeping you waiting for longer. Jenna will be back in the next part, likely with a second PoV as well. For now, here's a long Drent part which I hope you will enjoy
Drent
One by one, the first wave of knights rode up to the king's loge, presenting their lances and coat of arms. King Argilac sat there, clad in a fine tunic, yellow and black, his hair and beard freshly groomed. With a stern look on his face, he gave each of his knights a nod… [view original content]
[Watch the rest of the joust] It would be interesting to see the rest of the competitors.
That was an intense joust and it shows the skill you need to win in this sport.
Funny what Torrence said about Valyrian Steel swords, while it's true they had seen two, the number of current swords it's quite small. There's Blackfyre and Darksister with House Targaryen, Vigilance, Heartsbane and Orphan-maker in the Reach, Ice and Longclaw in the North, Red Rain with House Drumm, and Lady Forlorn and Lamentation in the Vale.
Apologies for taking an entire day longer than I thought. As expected, hospital stuff continues to take away my free time. However, that one… more has actually gotten a bit better, I'll probably be able to share news next time I close the voting. However, I also encountered a problem with this part as well, as Jenna's PoV gave me some issues. Ultimately, I decided to remove it from this part in favour of a longer Drent PoV, to get more time to work on it while also giving you something to read instead of keeping you waiting for longer. Jenna will be back in the next part, likely with a second PoV as well. For now, here's a long Drent part which I hope you will enjoy
Drent
One by one, the first wave of knights rode up to the king's loge, presenting their lances and coat of arms. King Argilac sat there, clad in a fine tunic, yellow and black, his hair and beard freshly groomed. With a stern look on his face, he gave each of his knights a nod… [view original content]
[Watch the rest of the joust] "I want to see some body parts!"
Argilac slowly rose from his seat, smiling at Bernard, then at his daughter, who was too baffled to glare in return. “It appears we have a victor”, the king proclaimed, as Bernard rode closer to the royal loge. He made it halfway there, when injury and fatigue took their toll, causing him to sink off his horse and into the dust as well, where he remained without moving.
"Are you not entertained?"
I bet Jenna delayed her own part by holding the script and then tripping on a bottle of wine, causing her to release the script into the wind, where it blew onto a tree that a lumberjack cut down, falling into a boat on a river when a lightning bolt struck the paper, the paper alone, incinerating it. Stupid Jenna.
Apologies for taking an entire day longer than I thought. As expected, hospital stuff continues to take away my free time. However, that one… more has actually gotten a bit better, I'll probably be able to share news next time I close the voting. However, I also encountered a problem with this part as well, as Jenna's PoV gave me some issues. Ultimately, I decided to remove it from this part in favour of a longer Drent PoV, to get more time to work on it while also giving you something to read instead of keeping you waiting for longer. Jenna will be back in the next part, likely with a second PoV as well. For now, here's a long Drent part which I hope you will enjoy
Drent
One by one, the first wave of knights rode up to the king's loge, presenting their lances and coat of arms. King Argilac sat there, clad in a fine tunic, yellow and black, his hair and beard freshly groomed. With a stern look on his face, he gave each of his knights a nod… [view original content]
Funny what Torrence said about Valyrian Steel swords, while it's true they had seen two, the number of current swords it's quite small. There's Blackfyre and Darksister with House Targaryen, Vigilance, Heartsbane and Orphan-maker in the Reach, Ice and Longclaw in the North, Red Rain with House Drumm, and Lady Forlorn and Lamentation in the Vale.
Well, those are the known ones, but I think it is mentioned in the books that even during the time of the War of the Five Kings there is still around 200 of Valyrian steel weapons in Westeros. So, it's safe to say there might be even more of them during the conquest.
[Watch the rest of the joust] It would be interesting to see the rest of the competitors.
That was an intense joust and it shows the skil… morel you need to win in this sport.
Funny what Torrence said about Valyrian Steel swords, while it's true they had seen two, the number of current swords it's quite small. There's Blackfyre and Darksister with House Targaryen, Vigilance, Heartsbane and Orphan-maker in the Reach, Ice and Longclaw in the North, Red Rain with House Drumm, and Lady Forlorn and Lamentation in the Vale.
Apologies for taking an entire day longer than I thought. As expected, hospital stuff continues to take away my free time. However, that one… more has actually gotten a bit better, I'll probably be able to share news next time I close the voting. However, I also encountered a problem with this part as well, as Jenna's PoV gave me some issues. Ultimately, I decided to remove it from this part in favour of a longer Drent PoV, to get more time to work on it while also giving you something to read instead of keeping you waiting for longer. Jenna will be back in the next part, likely with a second PoV as well. For now, here's a long Drent part which I hope you will enjoy
Drent
One by one, the first wave of knights rode up to the king's loge, presenting their lances and coat of arms. King Argilac sat there, clad in a fine tunic, yellow and black, his hair and beard freshly groomed. With a stern look on his face, he gave each of his knights a nod… [view original content]
The joust between Emphryus and Bernard was a very enjoyable read! Tbh, I'm just as surprised as Drent about the outcome, since I considered this the most solid part of Argella's plan. But as has been said, anything can happen in a joust, and I have to give props to Bernard for basically winning by sheer stubborness here
Ah, glad you enjoyed it It was definitely a huge surprise for pretty much everyone there. Not even Bernard expected to win after receiving some pretty heavy blows in the beginning, but as you said, he won by sheer stubborness. Emphryus grew a bit too confident, underestimating how much Bernard could take when faced with defeat and he paid the price for it. Of course, Bernard won't participate in the next round either, but he got out of this joust undefeated, alive and with his dignity intact, so he definitely won a minor victory here.
The joust between Emphryus and Bernard was a very enjoyable read! Tbh, I'm just as surprised as Drent about the outcome, since I considered … morethis the most solid part of Argella's plan. But as has been said, anything can happen in a joust, and I have to give props to Bernard for basically winning by sheer stubborness here
[Warm up for the melee] I certainly don't mind if the other option wins, because seeing more jousting is never bad, but I just think Drent has better chances to succeed if he starts focusing and warming up early.
1) Ah ah when I read Malcolm say the specific of his weapon I imagine the collector of swords put the Silver Mist in his list
Hehe, Malcolm actually has quite the interest in Valyrian steel swords himself. It's something I hope to show more of later on, but the material itself and the swords that have found their way to Westeros fascinate him and he has knowledge about the topic that exceeds that of most other people outside the Citadel. Consider him a bit of a nerd when it comes to that topic
2) Malcom decision to not be part of the tourney but to remain to be a representative of his House is a wise and understandable one (I can't say the same for Torrence that decide to see the tourney only has a chance to lose money)
Aye and I also wanted to show that a tourney is not all about fighting and winning. It's not comparable to a sports event in our society, but it is pretty much one of the most important social gatherings as well. Representatives of most noble houses in the Stormlands are present and this is the place where alliances are forged and new acquaintances are made, which, in many cases, can be more valuable for a house than winning glory during the tourney itself.
3)The tourney has officialy started! And the joust between Ser Emphyrius and Bernard was a really enjoyable read (and the first action part in ages XD)
Yeah, it was indeed one of the first in a long time. But be assured, there will be a serious load of action in Book 2, to the point where I think Book 1 will simply pale in comparison. It's a bit of a slow, exposition-heavy beginning, but take my word for it, the action in Book 2 will ultimately be highly present. We're talking battle scenes here, of a scale not seen in Book 1.
4) It seems that Argella plan to make her suitors look like fools haven't a good start! Expecially because while Bernard won't continue in the tourney he finish his part in it in a way that it is everything outside embarassing
She had better plans and she is certainly not pleased by this, albeit it would be unreasonable to blame Emphryus, who was still affected by the wounds he received in Raylansfair. But this is not a good start for Argella's goal to humiliate her suitors. Bernard might be unable to continue in the tourney, but he won some major respect on this day and not even she can deny him this much.
5) I'm obviously curious to read the other two parts of the tourney (the archery contest and the meele)
And I am excited to write them down! Especially the melee should be a highlight of the chapter, even if it won't exactly be a fight with high stakes, given that it is not meant to be lethal combat. Then again, accidents tend to happen during these mock fights and a bit of a risk will be involved.
[Warm up for the melee] It is a better idea if Drent start to prepare himself for his part of the tourney (and we already see enough of the… more joust)
RT:
1) Ah ah when I read Malcolm say the specific of his weapon I imagine the collector of swords put the Silver Mist in his list
2) Malcom decision to not be part of the tourney but to remain to be a representative of his House is a wise and understandable one (I can't say the same for Torrence that decide to see the tourney only has a chance to lose money)
3)The tourney has officialy started! And the joust between Ser Emphyrius and Bernard was a really enjoyable read (and the first action part in ages XD)
4) It seems that Argella plan to make her suitors look like fools haven't a good start! Expecially because while Bernard won't continue in the tourney he finish his part in it in a way that it is everything outside embarassing
5) I'm obviously curious to read the other two parts of the tourney (the archery contest and the meele)
That was an intense joust and it shows the skill you need to win in this sport.
Glad I managed to make it intense And yeah, skill is needed, as well as some additional factors. I did some reading into the factors that would usually decide a joust and while I would not consider myself an expert, there is a lot to take into account.
Funny what Torrence said about Valyrian Steel swords, while it's true they had seen two, the number of current swords it's quite small. There's Blackfyre and Darksister with House Targaryen, Vigilance, Heartsbane and Orphan-maker in the Reach, Ice and Longclaw in the North, Red Rain with House Drumm, and Lady Forlorn and Lamentation in the Vale.
I think Wildling is right here, there's actually at least around 200 swords in Westeros at the time, quite possibly a bit more. Of course, they are prized treasures, but especially in times of war, it might happen that they get stolen or otherwise lost, or sold if a house falls on particularly hard times. I would indeed say the number of Valyrian steel swords in Westeros is slightly higher than 200 at the time of the story.
[Watch the rest of the joust] It would be interesting to see the rest of the competitors.
That was an intense joust and it shows the skil… morel you need to win in this sport.
Funny what Torrence said about Valyrian Steel swords, while it's true they had seen two, the number of current swords it's quite small. There's Blackfyre and Darksister with House Targaryen, Vigilance, Heartsbane and Orphan-maker in the Reach, Ice and Longclaw in the North, Red Rain with House Drumm, and Lady Forlorn and Lamentation in the Vale.
I bet Jenna delayed her own part by holding the script and then tripping on a bottle of wine, causing her to release the script into the wind, where it blew onto a tree that a lumberjack cut down, falling into a boat on a river when a lightning bolt struck the paper, the paper alone, incinerating it. Stupid Jenna.
That is precisely what happened here. Either that, or me kinda struggling with finding a fitting way to end the part without it growing too long and me already being a bit too late for my own liking. Though your explanation does sound kinda likely. I wouldn't say it is stupidity though, this is all part of Darth Jenna's evil master plan. The small delay will give her more time to execute Order 66.
[Watch the rest of the joust] "I want to see some body parts!"
Argilac slowly rose from his seat, smiling at Bernard, then at his daug… morehter, who was too baffled to glare in return. “It appears we have a victor”, the king proclaimed, as Bernard rode closer to the royal loge. He made it halfway there, when injury and fatigue took their toll, causing him to sink off his horse and into the dust as well, where he remained without moving.
"Are you not entertained?"
I bet Jenna delayed her own part by holding the script and then tripping on a bottle of wine, causing her to release the script into the wind, where it blew onto a tree that a lumberjack cut down, falling into a boat on a river when a lightning bolt struck the paper, the paper alone, incinerating it. Stupid Jenna.
[Warm up for the melee] As long as he doesn't over do it he should be fine. He'll only get worse if he continues watching the melee. A warm up could do some good and hopefully distract him, clear his head a little.
Well I was very surprised and very disappointed by that first round. Not in the writing of course!
Apologies for taking an entire day longer than I thought. As expected, hospital stuff continues to take away my free time. However, that one… more has actually gotten a bit better, I'll probably be able to share news next time I close the voting. However, I also encountered a problem with this part as well, as Jenna's PoV gave me some issues. Ultimately, I decided to remove it from this part in favour of a longer Drent PoV, to get more time to work on it while also giving you something to read instead of keeping you waiting for longer. Jenna will be back in the next part, likely with a second PoV as well. For now, here's a long Drent part which I hope you will enjoy
Drent
One by one, the first wave of knights rode up to the king's loge, presenting their lances and coat of arms. King Argilac sat there, clad in a fine tunic, yellow and black, his hair and beard freshly groomed. With a stern look on his face, he gave each of his knights a nod… [view original content]
Apologies for taking an entire day longer than I thought. As expected, hospital stuff continues to take away my free time. However, that one… more has actually gotten a bit better, I'll probably be able to share news next time I close the voting. However, I also encountered a problem with this part as well, as Jenna's PoV gave me some issues. Ultimately, I decided to remove it from this part in favour of a longer Drent PoV, to get more time to work on it while also giving you something to read instead of keeping you waiting for longer. Jenna will be back in the next part, likely with a second PoV as well. For now, here's a long Drent part which I hope you will enjoy
Drent
One by one, the first wave of knights rode up to the king's loge, presenting their lances and coat of arms. King Argilac sat there, clad in a fine tunic, yellow and black, his hair and beard freshly groomed. With a stern look on his face, he gave each of his knights a nod… [view original content]
Well I was very surprised and very disappointed by that first round. Not in the writing of course!
Hehe, I knew this wouldn't go the way people thought it would Argella is certainly disappointed as well, but at the same time, she kinda has herself to blame for Bernard winning at least the first joust here, even if he has literally zero chances of winning the whole thing due to the injuries he suffered. The reason for Emphryus losing is similar, his injuries. You might remember, he held the gates of the Raylansfair castle pretty much single-handedly in the late stages of the raid and while his armour kept him alive, he got some super nasty injuries in the process and three months just aren't enough for them to heal properly. He shouldn't have participated, he wouldn't have, but his honour as a knight pretty much forced him to help Argella, who in turn was probably not even aware how much his injuries still affected him. Receiving some blows from Bernard was enough to bring him down, when usually he would have been nearly unstoppable. But yeah, as it is, both men are out of the tourney, but Bernard did manage to do it in a way that can leave him prideful of what he accomplished and without bringing shame to his family. As you know, that is pretty much the only thing he hopes for right now, trying to get out of this whole potential marriage to the Storm Princess situation with his dignity intact.
[Warm up for the melee] As long as he doesn't over do it he should be fine. He'll only get worse if he continues watching the melee. A warm … moreup could do some good and hopefully distract him, clear his head a little.
Well I was very surprised and very disappointed by that first round. Not in the writing of course!
First of all, I apologize for keeping you waiting here and for still not being certain that the next part will be out today. A mixture of university chores and spending time at the hospital have kept me busy, I am afraid. Speaking of, the hospital situation is developing nicely. My mother will receive a harmless surgery tomorrow and it can be expected that she returns home next week, which should mean my own schedule will go back to normal next week.
The next part, I'll try to have it ready today. It will include the Jenna part I announced last time, featuring, among others, Jenna, Vali and Maester Eddard. I would also like to include the next Arthur part as well. Last time we saw him, he and Ryler were kept prisoner by a girl named Lucia, who, as it turned out, is the niece of the Sphynx. And the Sphynx, arriving shortly afterwards, revealed himself to be a certain Rodrik Grimthorn, uncle of Ryler, making Ryler and Lucia siblings. After the initial shock has settled for all but Lucia (who took the revelation that her brother is still alive very badly), Rodrik offered an alliance against Wolfius, whom he considered a threat to his family. After some consideration, Arthur decided to accept this offer. As said, I hope to finish it today, but due to the entire situation, I can't fully promise it, I am afraid. Sorry in advance for keeping you waiting, I'll try to be as fast as possible
Even approaching the maester's quarters gave Jenna an uneasy feeling. She hadn't been here in a long time and the thought of having a maester that isn't Eaton still felt wrong to her. Maester Eddard had just recently even entered the room for the first time, still not having settled in from what Jenna was able to tell. She had no idea how he could even try to follow after a man who had stood for Raylansfair like no one else.
Then again, she hadn't exactly spent time around the new maester either. Some of the servants, mostly Saerya to be honest, had spent quite some time gossiping about his good looks and Jenna had to agree with them on some level. Young for his position, Eddard was undeniably a handsome man, though still more than twice her age and even on better days, she found it hard to swoon over him in the way some of the others did.
Right now, Eddard was in his room, busy with unpacking one of the boxes Vali had brought him when they first arrived. His door stood open, though he did not notice them at first, only slightly flinching when Vali cleared his throat. Initial confusion quickly made room for a wide smile, as he stood up from the ground he had been kneeling on.
“Ah, Vali, just in time”, he spoke. “And you brought a friend with you. Wonderful” He gave Jenna a nod, extending his hand. After hesitating for a moment, she awkwardly shook it, while Eddard's free hand moved through his short beard. “I believe we haven't had the pleasure”, he spoke. “My name is Eddard”
“J-Jenna”, Jenna stuttered. “Jenna Harking” Eddard raised an eyebrow. “I heard that name before”, he stated. “My condolences” Her hesitant smile faded quickly, replaced by a lump in her throat and a frown. “Thank you”, she mumbled, her mouth tightening.
“Maester, you mentioned you need my help?”, Vali spoke and Eddard nodded. “Yeah, it's about our guests”, he replied quickly. “There is a bit of an issue with the room we intended for Ser Dustran, the eldest son of Lord Donnel” He sighed. “It might be for the best if you follow me”
With this, he straightened his grey robe, before marching past the two and out of the room. “It's good you brought help”, he commented. “You are here to help, isn't that right, Jenna?” Lost in dark thoughts, it took Jenna a moment to reply, but she pulled herself together. “Yes... of course”, she told him and he gave her a smile over his shoulder. “Because I believe Vali could need some help with this”
Vali sighed, as Eddard led them to the stairs, down to the floor below, where he moved towards a door. “You see, we do have a slight problem”, he explained. “A miscalculation on my parts, I'm afraid. It is only courteous if the Selwyn family receives rooms next to each other, so we ordered to bring their belongings to this floor. Yet we failed to see that this particular room is already occupied, by Ser Willfred Reyne to be precise”
Jenna raised an eyebrow, as they stopped in front of the door. Vali shrugged. “So what?”, he asked. “Give Dustran another room then” Eddard shook his head. “I am afraid Lord Donnel could see this as an insult”, he replied. “He is a prideful man, that one, and pleasing him won't be easy. Yet it is what Lord Petyr has decided to do, so we gotta try our best to follow his wishes”
“And Ser Willfred, has he been informed?”, Jenna asked, remembering the Reyne knight. He had seemed prideful as well and she wasn't sure how he'd take it being relocated. Eddard shook his head. “It's been a rather recent order”, he spoke. “Lord Petyr wishes to inform the man himself, but until then, I have been tasked with finding a new room for him, to keep the Selwyn family together”
Vali rolled his eyes. “Let me guess, it's the other side of the castle”, he snarled and Eddard smirked. “Not quite that far, my dear apprentice”, he replied. “Just upstairs. The room next to mine will do. I expect you two to carry his belongings up there. Take the rest of the day off once you are done”
With this, he moved a hand to his belt, removing a key from it, which he put into the lock. Jenna tilted her head as the door sprung open. Out of the many things she did not expect about this new maester, a skeleton key for the castle was the last she expected. Sure, it was not unthinkable that one would exist, but Eaton never had one... right?
Behind the door, there was a large room and she sighed silently, as she noticed how long it would take to move all the things upstairs. Two chests, a cupboard, even an armour stand... yeah, she wouldn't even touch that last one. In her mind, she cursed Vali for dragging her into this, noticing that the young man seemed a bit uneasy at the sight as well.
“Seems like the red lion doesn't really grasp the concept of tidiness though”, Vali brought up and his mouth twitched as he pointed at the piles of clothes scattered across the floor. Jenna just knew, she wouldn't touch those either. Giving Vali an angry glare, she walked past him and into the room. “Yeah, can we just get this over with?”, she snapped at him and the unashamed grin he gave her made it only worse.
Eddard smirked kindly. “You may”, he spoke. “Just make sure to have the room ready for Ser Dustran as quick as possible. If the man's any bit like his father, I doubt he's fond of waiting” He turned around, walking back to the stairs, leaving Jenna and Vali behind.
The moment, the maester was out of sight, Jenna gave Vali a venomous look. “You knew about this”, she hissed and he visibly suppressed a chuckle. She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. “I thought you wanted to discuss something important with me, but you only wanted someone to help you with this!”
He shook his head at that statement. “I had my suspicions”, he admitted. “But I really want to talk. Lots of important things are about to happen and I want you on my side for that” Jenna looked around the room and frowned at the utter mess it was in. “You have a weird way of showing that”, she told him grimly. “I have more important things to do than to help you with your chores”
“Yeah, such as plotting your revenge on the man that murdered your father, I know”, Vali replied nonchalantly and it sent a sting through Jenna's chest. She quickly avoided his gaze and clenched her fists. If there's one thing she wouldn't do in front of him, it would be showing weakness. “For example”, she hissed coldly, though her voice was shivering.
“And you think you can do that on your own?”, Vali asked, his voice showing genuine curiosity. Perhaps a hint of concern, but she didn't want to interpret too much into it. “I have Saerya”, she replied, noticing how this caused him to frown. “That woman cannot be trusted”, he warned her and she shrugged. “Apparently you can't either”, she spat. “Else you wouldn't have lured me into this garbage pile of a room to do your chores!”
Vali's smirk grew wider. “Anger does not suit you, mylady”, he spoke. “It's like a little lamb getting upset” He raised both of his hands and took a step back as she glared at him. “Sorry, just saying how it is”, he was quick to defend himself.
She narrowed her eyes, as she turned away from him, blinking once, twice. “I got better things to do”, she mumbled. “Fucking arse...” With this, she tried to walk out of the room, but Vali held her back and she tensed up at his touch. “Jenna, wait!”, he spoke, as he pulled her back into the room, quickly closing the door before she could break free again. For a moment, his face showed actual concern. “I know you don't trust me, but I want to help you. And I asked you to come with me because I want to tell you about my plan”, he assured her. “If that works out, you can have your revenge. Believe me or not, but I want to give you the chance, because I think you deserve it, you genuinely do”
He let go of her and instead of walking straight past him, Jenna stopped and crossed her arms, tilting her head sideways to glance at him. “I'm listening”, she confirmed and Vali turned away from her, as he began to approach a pile of clothes. “Listen, I wanted you to come with me because nobody will grow suspicious now, least of them all the maester himself. Nice man and all, but every careless word you let slip in his presence will reach Tavner's ears, no doubt about it”
“How reassuring”, Jenna spoke and Vali shrugged. “It's a smart move, relocating the knight right next to his room”, he admitted. “I wonder what he wants from the Reyne” He began to pick up the clothes. “So, here's how this is going. I'll do the hard work in here, you just gather some of the other stuff, easy task, and you help me carry it up to Reyne's new room. And meanwhile, we talk. If we want to have an ally against Mullendore, we need the help of Ser Dunaver. And for that I need your help”
Jenna sighed. “I start to realize why he does not like you”, she spoke, as she moved to the table below the window. Several pages of parchment were lying there and she tensed up as she noticed that she was looking at a knight's personal belongings. The part of her that was still afraid tried not to look at it too much. She didn't want to pry, didn't want to learn anything that could put her into danger. The part of her that was furious though knew that she was in danger already. A little prying wouldn't make it worse.
“Eh, I might surprise you”, Vali brought up. “In fact, it's Dunaver's fault. Bugger just can't take a joke” He shrugged. “But fact is, we need him and for that, I gotta convince him that I have changed” If it wouldn't be for everything that happened in the past days, Jenna would have laughed at this. As it was, she felt hollow. It wasn't genuine joy that beamed up in her, more a grim sort of amusement.
“Good luck with that”, she told him. “I don't think I can help you with that” He shook his head. “Dunaver is a knight”, he spoke. “And despite, well, all the stuff you'll notice about him once you meet him, that means something to him. You meanwhile, you are pretty much the most innocent person I've ever met” The way he said it, it sounded like an insult and she clenched her teeth.
“What does that have to do with anything?”, she asked and Vali smirked. “If you vow for me, he will reconsider. Like, probably not enough to flat out make his peace with me, but enough to hear me out. You're perfect for making him listen to me. Once that is done, I can do the rest. I believe with all the shit going down here, Dunaver will be quite interested in working with us once I got through to him”
Jenna sighed, as her gaze wandered across the table. “Great plan”, she mumbled and he raised an eyebrow. “Sarcasm!”, he exclaimed. “Maybe there's hope for you yet” She rolled her eyes, just as she spotted something on the table. It was a box, a small one, made out of old, dry wood. Nothing remarkable about it, nothing at all... and yet, she found herself oddly reluctant to turn away from it. What slightly unnerved her though, was the fact that her heartbeat was fastening.
[Open the box][Leave it be]
Arthur
“I suppose we have a common enemy”, Arthur said, already slightly regretting his decision as he shook the Sphynx's hand. The man smiled, pleased and with confidence and yet, there was something unnerving about him. “It is settled then?”, he asked. “We are allies in this?”
Arthur gave him a nod. “We are”, he confirmed. “I can't speak for the city guard, just like you can't speak for the Alley Cats, but you and me, we're in this together” The Sphynx... Rodrik, he looked at Ryler. “And you, nephew? Can I count on you?” Ryler's expression was one of determination, but also more hopeful than Arthur had ever seen him before. “You can”, he confirmed. “Wolfius must be stopped”
“Lupin must be stopped”, Rodrik corrected him. “Wolfius will be collateral damage on the way. Inevitable, putting the mad dog down. I have reason to believe he is still loyal to his master. In return, Lupin might even harbour some fondness for his servant, in the way one would be fond of a favourite blade. He's the sharpest knife in Lupin's arsenal, his most dangerous asset, though I have no grudge with the man itself”
“Sounds like you pity him”, Arthur said and Rodrik nodded. “Surprised about that?”, he asked. “It may be hard to believe, but I am not without empathy” He smirked. “I think what I pity about Wolfius is that he was broken on a level I have never seen before”, he explained. “Despite all I know about the human body, what Lupin did to Wolfius is literally beyond my powers. It is... frankly, horrifying”
Indeed he looked unnerved as he said this, his smirk feeling more like an attempt to overplay it and Arthur could not help but notice that he was glancing around, as if he was expecting that someone was listening to their conversation. The confidence cracking, that was something that caused Arthur to grow nervous as well. For the first time in all this, he had to ask himself if he was truly even prepared for what he was going up against. Aditha came to mind, her tears at their father's deathbed... he couldn't face losing her as well.
“I help you against Wolfius”, he promised. “This Lupin, I don't know him. But I know Wolfius is somewhere close and he is still a danger to this city. He vowed to kill me and my sister one day” Rodrik nodded. “He tends to keep his promises. It's a part of himself he kept after Lupin was through with him, but twisted, like the rest of his mind. He will come back, he will try to kill you and your sister and if we don't act decisively, he will succeed”
“When?”, Ryler asked, clenching his fists and Rodrik shrugged. “Could be tomorrow, or in a week, or in a year”, he admitted. “I have no idea how a sick mind works. Expect him sooner rather than later” He sighed. “Now, there's an aspect you might not agree with. When we have him, I... want him alive”
Arthur and Ryler exchanged a look and in Arthur's case, it was slightly alarmed. Ryler merely seemed confused. “No way”, Arthur immediately growled. “We had him at our mercy once and we spared him. He escaped and caused my father's death. Do you expect me to make the same mistake again?”
To this, Rodrik shook his head. “Not a mistake”, he spoke. “The fool back then hasn't been you, but your father, if you don't mind me saying so” He stared Arthur dead in the eye, as the guardsman felt anger welling up in him, though he managed to calm himself down quite quickly. “Wolfius is not like normal men. He cannot be contained so easily. I however have my ways and I assure you, it won't be long. Once I have what I need, I'll cut his throat”
“We'll speak about that once we have him”, Arthur agreed and in this moment, Rodrik narrowed his eyes. “Lucia!”, he barked. “Come inside, child. I know you're listening” For a moment, there was only silence and then, the door got opened again. Lucia entered the room, sour-faced and unable to meet Ryler's gaze. Her cheeks were wet and her fists clenched, as she stared at the ground.
“I would rather not have a talk right now”, she hissed, her voice shivering heavily, her tone making it clear how she was forcing herself to remain calm. She seemed less like a child now, closer to Arthur in age, at least from the expression she sported. Those were the eyes of someone who had seen too much, a look he would expect on an old soldier's face. There was sorrow in it and yet, deep down, he spotted the same expression he knew from Ryler. Hope, if tiny and marred.
“Then we don't have to”, Rodrik replied softly. “Not now at least. I won't go anywhere. Your brother won't go anywhere” He gave the young man a questioning look. “Isn't that right, Ryler?”, he asked and with a nervous eagerness, he nodded. “I won't leave”, he promised, staring at his sister. “Lucy, I...” He cut himself off, as she tensed up. “I won't go anywhere. I... thought I had lost you”
She closed her eyes, her fists still clenched, as her lower lip shivered. “You have”, she merely replied, before she walked past them, sitting down on a chair in the corner of the room. Ryler sighed, though Rodrik smiled at him, reassuringly. “Another time”, he said. “We will be a family again, this I swear” His smile was strange, as there was a distinct lack of the unnerving darkness Arthur had spotted in each of his expressions so far. “It'll be like it used to be, like it should be”
“Once we have dealt with Lupin”, Ryler growled and Rodrik nodded. “And Wolfius”, he said, looking at Arthur, who gave him a nod. “Is there anyone else who could help us?”, he asked, to which Rodrik seemed to think for a bit. “Hard to say”, he admitted. “Erik... the Tom, he despises Lupin, yet has no reason to act against him. I doubt he'll refuse to help, but don't expect too much from him. How about the city guard?”
Arthur shook his head. “Commander Daemion made it clear he wishes to close the case”, he stated, unable to hide his frustration at the fact. “Apparently two months without any sightings is enough to make him forget about the man who murdered his predecessor”
“Frustrating, yet understandable”, Rodrik admitted. “Wolfius is a vagrant. Your commander has no reason to believe he is still in the area. He doesn't know him the way we do. Anyone else who'd be able to help? This is your city, guardsman. Don't the people of Raylansfair want to keep it safe?”
“They used to”, Arthur spoke. “But so many who cared are dead by now. Richard Harking, Urid Strad, Lyria Mettel...” He was cut off by Ryler, whose eyes were suddenly widening. “The girl”, he just said and Arthur tilted his head. “Rosalie Mettel, I mean. She's the only one whom Wolfius ever spared” His gaze met Arthur, eager, unusually enthusiastic and yet, Arthur saw him nervously glancing at the uncle he had thought dead for so long. “There must be a reason for that. Have you spoken to her?”
Arthur gulped. “Ah, not me personally, no”, he replied. “Valarr Roux was sent to question her, a week after the raid. According to him, she did not even react to his presence, answering no questions, she barely even looked at him”
“Is that the same girl working for your lovely healer?”, Rodrik asked. “Didn't give me a catatonic impression, though I suppose it's been some time. Haunted for sure” He smirked. “I think Connor fancies her” Ryler narrowed his eyes. “Didn't you question her at all in these two months?”, he asked.
To this, Arthur shook his head. “She found a new home with Mathea”, he spoke. “And, uh, I don't think Mathea wants me to speak to her ward. Things have cooled off since I left her during the raid” Rodrik chuckled softly. “Delightfully ruthless”, he said, making it sound like a genuine compliment. “You are goal-driven, guardsman. I appreciate that. Nonetheless, someone has to talk to that girl. For all I know, Wolfius never left survivors before. Sparing people has been Lupin's thing, but trust me, it's not a good thing with him. They've gotten more alike, master and servant”
“I'll do it”, Ryler said instantly. “If she knows anything about Wolfius, then she might be able to help. Can't see a reason why she wouldn't. The man murdered her mother, after all” He gave Arthur a curious look. “Do you want to come with me?”, he asked.
Arthur tensed up, as he hesitated to answer right away. It was true, he and Mathea weren't exactly on good terms right now. He feared how she'd react, seeing him snooping around her clinic again, questioning a heavily traumatized girl. In fact, he wasn't even too certain if dragging Rosalie into this was a good idea. She survived Wolfius' attack and perhaps that was the best she could hope for. And yet, he knew how revenge could burn inside a heart. If Rosalie felt the same, it would be cruel to deny her the chance.
“You seem nervous, guardsman”, Rodrik spoke. “Look, Ryler should be more than capable of talking to a pretty girl all by himself” He flashed a smirk at his frowning nephew. “I think?”, he added sarcastically. “As I said, he should be capable. If you dread your healer's understandable grudge against your person, I would offer an alternative” He placed a hand on his chest. “As much as I doubt his support will do much for us, Erik should be informed, especially about our little alliance. I'll do it and if you would like to accompany me, I could make the introduction” His smile was cold and cutting, yet Arthur started to believe he was unable to be anything but menacing to anyone not part of his family. “Your decision”
Jenna
Even approaching the maester's quarters gave Jenna an uneasy feeling. She hadn't been here in a long time and the thought of having… more a maester that isn't Eaton still felt wrong to her. Maester Eddard had just recently even entered the room for the first time, still not having settled in from what Jenna was able to tell. She had no idea how he could even try to follow after a man who had stood for Raylansfair like no one else.
Then again, she hadn't exactly spent time around the new maester either. Some of the servants, mostly Saerya to be honest, had spent quite some time gossiping about his good looks and Jenna had to agree with them on some level. Young for his position, Eddard was undeniably a handsome man, though still more than twice her age and even on better days, she found it hard to swoon over him in the way some of the others did.
Right now, Eddard was in his room, busy with unpacking one of the boxes Vali had brought … [view original content]
Jenna
Even approaching the maester's quarters gave Jenna an uneasy feeling. She hadn't been here in a long time and the thought of having… more a maester that isn't Eaton still felt wrong to her. Maester Eddard had just recently even entered the room for the first time, still not having settled in from what Jenna was able to tell. She had no idea how he could even try to follow after a man who had stood for Raylansfair like no one else.
Then again, she hadn't exactly spent time around the new maester either. Some of the servants, mostly Saerya to be honest, had spent quite some time gossiping about his good looks and Jenna had to agree with them on some level. Young for his position, Eddard was undeniably a handsome man, though still more than twice her age and even on better days, she found it hard to swoon over him in the way some of the others did.
Right now, Eddard was in his room, busy with unpacking one of the boxes Vali had brought … [view original content]
[Go with Rodrik] Ryler and the pretty girl is all good. Let's go with our dear, dear friend, Rodrik.
Jenna raised an eyebrow, as they stopped in front of the door. Vali shrugged. “So what?”, he asked. “Give Dustran another room then” Eddard shook his head. “I am afraid Lord Donnel could see this as an insult”, he replied. “He is a prideful man, that one, and pleasing him won't be easy. Yet it is what Lord Petyr has decided to do, so we gotta try our best to follow his wishes”
Jenna
Even approaching the maester's quarters gave Jenna an uneasy feeling. She hadn't been here in a long time and the thought of having… more a maester that isn't Eaton still felt wrong to her. Maester Eddard had just recently even entered the room for the first time, still not having settled in from what Jenna was able to tell. She had no idea how he could even try to follow after a man who had stood for Raylansfair like no one else.
Then again, she hadn't exactly spent time around the new maester either. Some of the servants, mostly Saerya to be honest, had spent quite some time gossiping about his good looks and Jenna had to agree with them on some level. Young for his position, Eddard was undeniably a handsome man, though still more than twice her age and even on better days, she found it hard to swoon over him in the way some of the others did.
Right now, Eddard was in his room, busy with unpacking one of the boxes Vali had brought … [view original content]
[Leave it be] Yeah, no reason for Jenna to get mixed up with this dark magic fuckery. We've seen the box (or rather the artifact inside) damage Willfred's mind already, let's just keep Jenna focused on her vengeance against Mullendore.
[Go with Rodrik] Frankly, I just see this as the more interesting option Ryler can handle Rosalie by himself, though I doubt he'll get much out of her. On the other hand, getting a glimpse at the leaders of the Alley Cats interacting together is something I'm really interested to see. We've gained some understanding of Rodrik's character in these past few Arthur parts, time we learn some more about the Tom/Erik as well. It's strange to suddenly think about these characters as allies, rather than just the henchmen of the main antagonist of the story
Jenna
Even approaching the maester's quarters gave Jenna an uneasy feeling. She hadn't been here in a long time and the thought of having… more a maester that isn't Eaton still felt wrong to her. Maester Eddard had just recently even entered the room for the first time, still not having settled in from what Jenna was able to tell. She had no idea how he could even try to follow after a man who had stood for Raylansfair like no one else.
Then again, she hadn't exactly spent time around the new maester either. Some of the servants, mostly Saerya to be honest, had spent quite some time gossiping about his good looks and Jenna had to agree with them on some level. Young for his position, Eddard was undeniably a handsome man, though still more than twice her age and even on better days, she found it hard to swoon over him in the way some of the others did.
Right now, Eddard was in his room, busy with unpacking one of the boxes Vali had brought … [view original content]
[Open the box] Whatever's in that box, maybe it will show different things to Jenna. Maybe a different vision of the Dawn Age, or the Age of Heroes.
[Go with Rodrik] Understanding a bit more of the Tom/Erik can be useful to get rid of Mullendore later on. They may obey him but I think they're far from his mindless lackeys.
Jenna
Even approaching the maester's quarters gave Jenna an uneasy feeling. She hadn't been here in a long time and the thought of having… more a maester that isn't Eaton still felt wrong to her. Maester Eddard had just recently even entered the room for the first time, still not having settled in from what Jenna was able to tell. She had no idea how he could even try to follow after a man who had stood for Raylansfair like no one else.
Then again, she hadn't exactly spent time around the new maester either. Some of the servants, mostly Saerya to be honest, had spent quite some time gossiping about his good looks and Jenna had to agree with them on some level. Young for his position, Eddard was undeniably a handsome man, though still more than twice her age and even on better days, she found it hard to swoon over him in the way some of the others did.
Right now, Eddard was in his room, busy with unpacking one of the boxes Vali had brought … [view original content]
Jenna
Even approaching the maester's quarters gave Jenna an uneasy feeling. She hadn't been here in a long time and the thought of having… more a maester that isn't Eaton still felt wrong to her. Maester Eddard had just recently even entered the room for the first time, still not having settled in from what Jenna was able to tell. She had no idea how he could even try to follow after a man who had stood for Raylansfair like no one else.
Then again, she hadn't exactly spent time around the new maester either. Some of the servants, mostly Saerya to be honest, had spent quite some time gossiping about his good looks and Jenna had to agree with them on some level. Young for his position, Eddard was undeniably a handsome man, though still more than twice her age and even on better days, she found it hard to swoon over him in the way some of the others did.
Right now, Eddard was in his room, busy with unpacking one of the boxes Vali had brought … [view original content]
Jenna
Even approaching the maester's quarters gave Jenna an uneasy feeling. She hadn't been here in a long time and the thought of having… more a maester that isn't Eaton still felt wrong to her. Maester Eddard had just recently even entered the room for the first time, still not having settled in from what Jenna was able to tell. She had no idea how he could even try to follow after a man who had stood for Raylansfair like no one else.
Then again, she hadn't exactly spent time around the new maester either. Some of the servants, mostly Saerya to be honest, had spent quite some time gossiping about his good looks and Jenna had to agree with them on some level. Young for his position, Eddard was undeniably a handsome man, though still more than twice her age and even on better days, she found it hard to swoon over him in the way some of the others did.
Right now, Eddard was in his room, busy with unpacking one of the boxes Vali had brought … [view original content]
We've gained some understanding of Rodrik's character in these past few Arthur parts, time we learn some more about the Tom/Erik as well. It's strange to suddenly think about these characters as allies, rather than just the henchmen of the main antagonist of the story
Ah, this is something I really want to establish over the course of Book 2. Book 1 had a fairly central main plot and Mullendore has certainly been the primary antagonist in it. At the same time, with Book 2 spreading out to more individual storylines, I want to put some focus on the fact that this doesn't mean the characters around him have to be antagonists for every single storyline. For example, Maron and his Alley Cats will certainly remain opposed to Kersea, therefore acting as villains in her storyline (even if she isn't currently in a place to interact with any of them), but the same cannot be said for Arthur, even if he isn't an ally of Mullendore either thanks to the secrets Sherryl told him about. This means the Alley Cats, so far clean cut villains wherever they appeared, will have a more nuanced role in his storyline and with him primarily being opposed to Wolfius, whom they consider an enemy as well, there is technically little that speaks against considering them allies in that particular storyline. As I wanted to show with Rodrik in the last two parts, there are aspects to his character that are vastly different from the Sphynx persona we've seen so far and which only really can be brought out if he is seen through the eyes of a character who isn't his enemy. I hope to do the same with other characters as well, such as Harren who will certainly continue to be the looming threat on the horizon for Garthon, but will take on a different and probably notably less villainous role in Kyra's storyline. If the same applies to the Tom, it'll be seen in the future for sure
[Leave it be] Yeah, no reason for Jenna to get mixed up with this dark magic fuckery. We've seen the box (or rather the artifact inside) dam… moreage Willfred's mind already, let's just keep Jenna focused on her vengeance against Mullendore.
[Go with Rodrik] Frankly, I just see this as the more interesting option Ryler can handle Rosalie by himself, though I doubt he'll get much out of her. On the other hand, getting a glimpse at the leaders of the Alley Cats interacting together is something I'm really interested to see. We've gained some understanding of Rodrik's character in these past few Arthur parts, time we learn some more about the Tom/Erik as well. It's strange to suddenly think about these characters as allies, rather than just the henchmen of the main antagonist of the story
Comments
[Kneel]
[Tell him the truth]
Ah ah I miss again some parts,I will try to be more constant in the future!
[Kneel]
[Come up with a lie] I suppose it will be more realistic if John don't trust some unknown pirate
RT:
1) I'm a little surprise to say it but Edrick part was fun to read! Expecially the accident during the flogging and it consequences
2) Meanwhile Garthon have a private meeting with Lord Blackwood where we learn why he decide to act defiant against his current ruler and start to plan the rebellion..nice!
3) Am I wrong or Lord Reymand Orkwood is the same person that has as a Salt wife Gabin girlfriend?
4) I am curious to discover what happened to the Blackwood firstborn (and if Christian manage to escape from the Riverlands storylines)
5) This is btw a storyline that I'm really interested!
6) I really like how you decide to start Kyra part! I like her relationship with Harrick!
7) Damn you Liquid! I expected an action part when Kyra decide to meet Herman!
8) Ah ah! I expected that this was all a Damian plan and that Herman fate will be sealed after Kyra decide that she won't start an alliance with the Sons of Trident
9) I'm curious what consequences Herman death will bring to the Sons
10) Btw I'm curious of what role will the farmer and his boy have in this story
11) Meanwhile at Essos we meet Abbas friend and another slaver,I'm curious to read what we will learn at the dinner
12) I'm interested to learn what the slaves harvest
13) This time you introduce the first Unsullied of all the story!
14) Bakr and Dreck Rat are best bros! I half expected hear Bakr say something like "Hey!Do you remember when I sell you? Ah,the good old times!"
15) At Lys instead it seems that The Gutters hit the jackpot and find the pirate that hate slavers! But what quest they will have to accomplish for him?
16) Oh Oh Temari is like a walking bomb
Hey, welcome back! I'm glad you could make it here, your thoughts are always a treat for me
Hehe, that must have been one of the few times I heard you saying you enjoyed an Edrick part
I told you I have some exciting things in store for him, I am willing to bet this won't remain the only part of his you'll consider to be fun to read. There's some pretty big stuff coming up relatively soon.
Aye, it has been quite the step for Lord Blackwood, because he actually used to be quite cowardly in the past. He grew up an idealist, but decades of Ironborn rule broke this part of him. Torvin's selfless actions against Harren Hoare have refuelled some of the fire he used to have and this means when push comes to shove, he will fight.
Good call there, you're perfectly right. Reymand is the lord who took Gabin's girl as his salt wife simply for her looks and she actually was briefly mentioned during the wedding earlier in this chapter. Reymand is also a friend of Harren Hoare, which gives him quite some influence at court. He's a pretty unlikeable fellow even among the Ironborn, but provoking him means provoking the king.
While I, for obvious reasons, cannot tell you more about this for now, I can reveal that yes, we will get answers to both of these questions before Book 2 is over
Ah, you mean the whole Blackwood storyline? Glad to hear it, because it will be an integral part of Book 2's Riverlands storyline. In general, this will be one of the big highlights of Book 2 in general, if my plans work out as they are supposed to.
Hehe, I said it before, this is one of the things I love so much, that there's several aspects of the story people are quite split over. Some readers dislike Kyra's relationship with Harrick, while you are in favour of it. I myself, I'm mainly happy I managed to create something that causes a different variety of opinions
And you are not alone with this. I am sorry to subvert your expectations, though I can promise you, action parts involving Kyra will come and they will be important. In fact, some of my personal favourite scenes to come involve Kyra fighting, so this is what I shall promise.
Actually, his fate was sealed even in that case. Damon was using Herman all along and he never intended to leave him as a witness. Kyra decided over the moment of Herman's death though. If she would have decided to ally with him, he would have still died, but a bit later, as Damon would have killed him after having no use for him anymore. It's nothing personal, but you can probably understand he cannot allow anyone knowing of his betrayal, anyone but some very assorted and trustworthy people at least.
Well, the Sons as a whole are pretty decentralized in terms of their leadership. Herman was one of the founding members, but he has been crippled in battle and this makes his effective use for the organization small beyond sentimental value. The inner circle around Edric Rivers will likely be unaffected in terms of how they fight the Ironborn, but they will likely be extremely angry.
I can say we haven't seen the last of them. How important they'll turn out to be, that is something that remains to be seen, but they are submitted characters and I hope to show at least a bit more of them in the future.
And I am excited to show this. Goranero and Vanis are both pretty interesting characters and I look forward to show more of them. Especially Vanis will likely surprise you, because he holds a connection to some characters you are unlikely to expect
Ah, this is something I am unlikely to reveal in Janae's parts, because let's be honest, there's few ways she can actually learn about it, but I'm going to go ahead and tell you here, because it's really not a story-spoiling secret or anything. It's a plant which, in our world, is named Papaver somniferum, commonly known as opium poppy. Basically, Goranero harvests drugs at his plantation, the most essential part to make milk of the poppy and it is a pretty lucrative business for him.
And he will not be the last. There are two more submitted Unsullied and I am pretty certain that they won't even be the last either. Unsullied are probably not the most popular characters to submit, because there's really not much one can make with them as characters, but every once in a while, someone decides to make one. I don't have terribly much openings for them though, so I am glad I don't have that many. That being said, Dreck Rat is technically not even the first. Captain Razek um Daar, who was introduced in Meria Martell's Interlude, used to be an Unsullied, before Meria set him free to employ him as her captain of the guard. He is not an active Unsullied anymore and doesn't consider himself part of them after years of rebuilding his personality, but he was once truly Unsullied.
In a way he even said that, he has fond memories of the deal he made. However, he isn't that fond of Dreck Rat, seeing him as more a tool than a person, as most slavers do with Unsullied (or slaves in general in the extreme cases), but Bakr is genuinely friendly with slaves he sells and he was happy to see him still serving faithfully.
Aye, it all depends on asking the right person and getting the right piece of information in return for the right price. John can do stuff like that. Aidan might not be the only pirate to hate slavers, but his grudge is a rather prominent part of his personality. When it comes to what they have to help him out with, this will be John's storyline for the rest of this chapter, so you will get your answer pretty soon.
I cannot even blame him. He has always been a bit unstable and short-tempered, but while he has been a bit harsh with her in the past, there's no doubt he does love Behara and he always protected her. Now she has been taken away from him, he doesn't know if she is still alive and this affects him deeply, so it will be interesting to see where his character will go from here. A walking time bomb is one possible interpretation, but it doesn't have to be his only possible fate.
Yes! Mah boi Aidan finally making a full appearance in the story. I might add that you’ve nailed the vibe I was going for
I was going to do my first vote here, but I’m actually going to skip this one, as I’m hardly impartial, and I know if Aidan can be trusted or not with sensitive information like that.
Ah, I am so glad to hear that I wrote him well in his first real part.
After the small teaser from last chapter, this part marked the point where he indeed has fully arrived in the story, so to say. I look forward to show more of his personality and I'm pleased I got him right here, as well as to introduce his crew a bit later down the line (though most of them still in this chapter). And don't worry, there will definitely be choices in the future, in this storyline as well and even involving Aidan, that will make it easier for you to be impartial, or at least harder to know which option is likely going to end up as the better one, for him and the characters around him 
[Kneel] Haven't they seen the Last Crusade? Do you know what happens when you don't kneel.
[Come up with a lie] Lies! Dishonesty! Good stuff! Aidan doesn't know anything about slavers. That was another Aidan Storm. Lie! Lie!
[Kneel]
[Tell him the truth]
The Voting is closed!
Janae is going to kneel
John is going to tell Aidan the truth
The first choice here was nearly unanimous, the second one however was nearly a tie, so I'm going to close the voting here to prevent things from becoming tied there. This first one was mostly a character choice. Janae is Abbas' prized trophy slave right now, he'll take his time with any revenge and he won't just harm her in a fit of rage, at least not significantly. However, you can be assured that he wouldn't have been pleased if she would have embarrassed him here. John meanwhile will be honest with Aidan, taking a bit of a risk to see if he can truly trust this man. Hatred for slavers or not, Aidan is still a pirate, so it remains to be seen how he will treat this piece of information.
The next part will hopefully be out today. There is an issue I would like to mention that could prevent me from finishing my writing in time, in which case you'd have to wait for tomorrow. Most of you probably remember, my mother had this terrible accident last year. She is still recovering, but a few days ago, she fell and injured her ankle in the process. This has gotten to the point where doctors have recommended surgery to stabilize the foot. If one of you ever injured their foot, you probably know what has to be done to support the healing process. While a routine procedure and likely not taking longer than a few minutes, it is nonetheless a surgery with all the risks to be expected from a patient with an already weakened lung and I'd be lying if I'd say I'm not extremely concerned. She went to the hospital today, where they'll make some initial tests for the anaesthetist and she'll likely receive surgery tomorrow or the day after. Hospital is only 5 minutes by car from my place, though I might have to drive back and forth a couple times to bring her stuff as she requires and this will certainly affect my writing speed, on top of my general mood being as foul as you'd expect. I found writing to be a wonderful coping mechanism for all kinds of concerns though, so when I have the time today, I gladly do it. Furthermore, I'll keep you updated, but I might not have anything new before Monday and honestly, the wait is slowly driving me crazy.
Now, with these unhappy news out of the way, the next part will feature PoV's for Drent and likely Jenna. Last time we saw Drent, he was talking to Bernard Buckler and Malcolm Mertyns on the day of the tourney at Storm's End. To his great shock, it turns out that Bernard is... not a complete asshole and actually not more happy about his potential betrothal to Argella than the princess herself. Unfortunately for poor Bernard, his first opponent in the joust will be Emphryus Dresfel and he is not expected to actually succeed against that man, despite him being determined not to bring shame to his house. He left to warm up before the first round of jousting, while Drent and Malcolm remained. Malcolm already noticed something off about the fact that somehow, Bernard got pitted against the knight most loyal to Argella and it is implied he has his suspicions about Drent's participation in the tourney. He asked for his intentions and Drent, not willing to risk revealing his true reason, which would be to defeat Argella's suitor Warrick Fell, decided to claim that he is going to try his best to actually win the tourney. Meanwhile in Raylansfair, Jenna had a talk to Petyr Vyrwel, who also, shockingly, turned out to be not a complete jerk towards her, even if it remains up in the air how genuine his expression of sympathy has been. However, he had to cut their talk short when guests in the form of Donnel Selwyn and his entourage arrived. Jenna then encountered Vali Flowers, for the first time since Richard's death and he revealed to her that he has a plan. One of the men accompanying Donnel is a certain Dunaver Flowers, knight of the Reach and member of the Order of the Green Hand. This makes him a potential ally to Vali, who seeks to win over Donnel's support. Knowing that Dunaver's word holds a great weight at the Selwyn court, he intends to meet with him, even if their relationship is a bit strained. He offered to discuss this further with Jenna while helping Maester Eddard with the preparations and she agreed to go wit him, preferring this over the other option, which would have been to search for Saerya and tell her what Vali just revealed to her.
[Remain standing] Fuck that. The very idea of Janae degrading herself is sickening.
[Tell him the truth] Trust him or not, you can't expect him to help out a liar.
EDIT: Ignore my comment. Didn't realize the voting was closed, sorry.
Apologies for taking an entire day longer than I thought. As expected, hospital stuff continues to take away my free time. However, that one has actually gotten a bit better, I'll probably be able to share news next time I close the voting. However, I also encountered a problem with this part as well, as Jenna's PoV gave me some issues. Ultimately, I decided to remove it from this part in favour of a longer Drent PoV, to get more time to work on it while also giving you something to read instead of keeping you waiting for longer. Jenna will be back in the next part, likely with a second PoV as well. For now, here's a long Drent part which I hope you will enjoy
Drent
One by one, the first wave of knights rode up to the king's loge, presenting their lances and coat of arms. King Argilac sat there, clad in a fine tunic, yellow and black, his hair and beard freshly groomed. With a stern look on his face, he gave each of his knights a nod, as they proclaimed their loyalty to him once more. This was his day, most of it all.
Argella sat next to him, her black hair tied into a braid that was resting on the red velvet of her dress. Her expression was similarly stern, but paired with a grim frown. She kept up with giving each knight a brief, fake smile, only to switch back to her disapproving expression the moment they turned away from the royal loge. The only one she refused even that was Bernard Buckler himself.
Of course, Drent hadn't gotten a seat even remotely close to her, but rather on the other side of the tilt yard, more or less directly opposing the royal loge. Those close to the king were his most loyal and Drent noticed that Maester Qoherys had arranged for the ones seated on the directly opposing side to be comprised solely of loyal knights and soldiers as well. Even from afar, he could see that the Storm Princess was bored by the whole event.
Drent himself, he couldn't deny a certain eagerness, as well as a nervous feeling. The first round of the jousting would begin soon, with the melee being set afterwards. Only a few more hours until he'd take part in one of the most important fights of his life.
Edonia however seemed calm, calmer even than her brother, who would not take part in the tourney at all. She crossed her arms behind her back, smiling as she watched the knights. Drent raised an eyebrow. “Are you not concerned?”, he asked and she shook her head, oozing confidence. “Why should I?”, she asked. “After all, I'm going to win today. Shouldn't you be more confident as well? Where's all the big talk now?”
She was being subtle here, reminding him to keep up playing his role, for right behind them sat Malcolm Mertyns. The Black Owl had reacted with amusement at Drent's claim that he'd win the melee, but he was almost certainly not convinced that he had been genuine in that moment. And not knowing Malcolm's intentions, that was bad. Ever since, Drent had spotted him close by and he had tried his best to prevent him from finding out the truth about his goal in the melee.
“The lady is right”, he spoke now. “You seemed pretty eager to actually win this just a few hours ago” He smirked. “Reality kicking in already?” Drent sighed, before he gave him a nod. “I'm afraid you're right”, he said. “I... am not so sure I can do this”
Malcolm chuckled. “Now, you almost disappoint me with such talk”, he claimed. “And here I was, ready to believe that a commoner would win the great melee” He shook his head. “Probably for the better though. You will face some of Durrandon's best there. Dickon Morrigen will fight, as will Landry Swann and of course, our king himself”
“You won't?”, Torrence asked and Malcolm shook his head. “Nah, I don't fight in a melee”, he spoke and put a hand onto the scabbard that held his sword. “The only weapon I'll ever swing will be this beauty. Alas, she's not allowed in the little pretend war we're going to have here today”
With this, he drew his sword and placed it on his lap. Though Drent would not call himself an expert on weaponry, he did sharply inhale as he recognized what it was made of. “That's Valyrian Steel”, he spoke and Malcolm flashed him a grin. “Silver Mist”, he spoke. “In my family's possession for five generations”
He smiled at the sword, almost affectionately. “Once you swung a sword like that, no other will do. I can proudly say, she ruined tourneys for me”, he explained. “Much as I'd love to fight, I can see why they can't allow Valyrian Steel. It's true after all, it cuts through normal steel like a hot knife through butter”
“I've seen Valyrian Steel before”, Torrence brought up. “Can't you just fight men with one of their own?” To this, Malcolm shook his head. “It is true, there's a fairly odd number of them here in Westeros, but not enough, I am afraid”, he stated. “Alas, it remains a lovely thought. A tourney for the queen of swords, that'd be something worth pursuing”
“Why don't you pick up archery then?”, Edonia asked and Torrence sighed audibly, rolling his eyes. Malcolm smirked at her. “I'm afraid I lack the talent”, he admitted. “A knight should know when to leave a task to someone more skilled at it. Albeit, if you'd offer to teach me, I would not decline”
“Surely we can work out something. Who knows, maybe you'll find your true calling”, Edonia said, reciprocating his thin smirk, while Torrence outright frowned. “So, if you're not jousting, or fighting in the melee, or doing archery work, why the hell are you here again? Quite some distance to Mistwood, I believe” Malcolm nodded calmly. “I know it must be surprising, but I am not here to win glory”, he said. “A tourney is so much more. Mostly, I am here to represent House Mertyns. To see and to be seen”
“Well, you are certainly being seen, Ser Malcolm”, Edonia spoke and Drent suppressed a chuckle as he noticed Torrence's dour expression. Before she was able to add anything else, a loud horn signal forced her attention. At the royal loge, Ser Baron Schodek had gotten up from his seat. Though it was hard to silence a thousand men and women who looked on, his voice was still carried far and Drent had little trouble understanding him. “People of Storm's End!”, he proclaimed. “Friends from near and far! It is my pleasure to initiate the tourney now, to the honour of our princess Argella and in the name of Argilac, Storm King”
“Storm King!”, a thousand voices shouted and the old knight had to wait for a moment before he was able to continue. “For the first fight”, he stated loudly. “We have Ser Emphruys Dresfel, the finest knight in the Stormlands” As he spoke, Emphryus rode in, clad in armour and with a heavy helmet concealing his face. For him, Argella rose from her seat, clapping her hands as she smiled widely. The knight rode up to the royal loge, reaching out for the princess and her lips briefly touched the steel of his gauntlet, as she spoke something Drent was unable to understand from afar.
“He will fight against a brave opponent!”, Baron continued. “Ser Bernard Buckler, heir to Bronzegate. Young in years, his skill with the lance is nonetheless to behold” Bernard rode in from the other side and this time, Argella remained sitting, having nothing but a cold glare for the man who was supposed to court her. While Argilac seemed genuinely eager for a good fight, her sympathies were clear to see.
“Smart man”, Malcolm mumbled from behind. “Bernard picked a longer lance. Quite the gambit, but if he hits Emphryus first, that'll be his only chance at winning”
Giving each other a nod of respect, Emphryus and Bernard rode up to their respective ends of the tilt yard, waiting for Baron to sound the horn. The crowd, cheering loudly for their favourite, which, in most cases, was Emphryus, made it hard to hear Baron now, as he spoke to the combatants. However, the moment he blew the horn in his hand, they went dead silent.
Drent leant forward, tensing up as he watched both men readying their horses. With lowered lances, they began to ride towards each other, slowly at first, but rapidly picking up pace. Each knight clad in steel, holding a lance and a sturdy shield, their horses wearing colourful tabards and yet, their weight caused the ground to tremble, as they charged towards each other.
The few seconds until their lances hit felt like hours and then, Bernard's lance hit the centre of Emphryus' shield. His opponent lost his aim and what was planned to hit Bernard's shoulder instead merely grazed the shield. Still the force was tremendous, enough to nearly knock both men out of the saddle, as Emphryus visibly staggered, while Bernard's lance wavered and he nearly let go of it.
Under the deafening roars of the crowd, the knights took position at the opposite ends of the tilt yard this time, turning their horses around and facing each other yet again. Then, they charged at each other for the second time. Aiming for the other knight's shoulder, Bernard fastened his horse, yet the force of the last blow was visibly still affecting him, as the tip of the lance was shaky, giving him notable problems to control it.
It was there that Emphryus did something surprising. Leaning to the side of his horse, he effectively dodged Bernard's weakly aimed lance, while his own hit the side of his opponent's shield with full force. Even through the cheering, Bernard's cry of pain was audible, or at least Drent imagined to hear it. Behind him Malcolm sighed, as the knight dropped his lance in surprise.
“This is it”, Torrence spoke, though Malcolm shook his head. “He won't give up that easily”, he disagreed. “Bernard doesn't do things the easy way” He clenched his fists. “This was supposed to be his big day. Alas, it seems he never had a chance”
In a way, Drent felt bad for the man. Bernard struggled to remain in the saddle, his now free arm clutching the left as he trembled. And yet, he glanced at his page, who slowly approached him, holding a second lance, a bit shorter this time. Emphryus hesitated for a moment, looking at the royal loge. Argilac had his fists clenched, leaning forward and staring at the scenery with anticipation. Argella meanwhile was tensed up, motionless save for the small nod she gave her knight.
It was all Emphryus needed. Quickly, he rode towards his position, arriving there faster than Bernard reached his. The Buckler knight was clearly shaken by the hit Emphryus had delivered, though he bravely remained in the saddle, as he reached his position. For a moment, they looked at each other, the Baron sounded his horn and they charged again, perhaps for the last time.
The crowd seemed to collectively hold its breath, as the two knights clashed. Emphryus' lance hit first and Drent saw Argella jumping up from her seat, certain of her knight's victory. Bernard was nearly lifted out of the saddle, as he just barely managed to avoid a direct hit. Yet although his own lance completely missed the target, he once more refused to go down and the cheers of the crowd were at least partially his in this moment.
Still visibly affected by his injury, he rode to his position with remarkable stubbornness, simply refusing to appear weak, or to just give up as it would have been his right. Emphryus hesitated for a moment longer, before he assumed his position as well again.
Opposing Drent, Argella had her fists clenched, staring at Emphryus, who was sitting in the saddle with confidence and yet, Drent was certain the hits he received had to hurt. The moment the two knights had taken up their positions, Baron sounded his horn and they lowered their lances, before spurring their horses.
Aiming at their opponent, Bernard's lance was shaking heavily, while Emphryus' was calm and precise. He hit first, landing a blow that grazed Bernard's upper arm, nearly knocking him out of the saddle. Just as Drent thought it would be over, something unexpected happened though, as Bernard's lance, perhaps due to skill, perhaps due to sheer luck, hit its mark, right above Emphryus' shield, between his chest and his arm.
And under the surprised gasps of a thousand spectators, Emphryus Dresfel got unhorsed. Bernard's lance actually broke under the force the young knight must have put into the strike and if not for Emphryus' armour, Drent knew he would have died. As it was, all he received was a painful and very heavy blow to the chest that caused him to fall right off his horse and into the dust.
Then, the crowd began to cheer for Bernard, who slowed down his horse. Behind Drent, Malcolm Mertyns slowly rose from his seat, applauding his friend, though he was otherwise silent. Drent himself did not applaud. Wide eyed, he stared at the scenery and he noticed that none was more shocked than Argella. The princess had put her hopes into Emphryus and yet, there he was, groaning and sluggishly moving his limbs on the ground, unable to get up on his own with the heavy armour on his body.
Argilac slowly rose from his seat, smiling at Bernard, then at his daughter, who was too baffled to glare in return. “It appears we have a victor”, the king proclaimed, as Bernard rode closer to the royal loge. He made it halfway there, when injury and fatigue took their toll, causing him to sink off his horse and into the dust as well, where he remained without moving.
Malcolm chuckled. “I suppose that is the best he could have hoped for”, he said. “Looks like this tourney is over for Bernard” They watched as several servants rushed towards Emphryus, helping the knight back to his feet. Slightly staggering and certainly on shaky legs, his first move was towards Bernard and he knelt next to the man.
Then, he grabbed Bernard's arm, dragging him back to his feet and with a groan, the other knight complied. There they stood, Bernard weakly removing his helmet, as Emphryus lifted his forearm up. The crowd cheered, almost deafeningly and King Argilac chimed in. Argella, having regained her composure, did not. Instead, she opted for a glare, a mixture between fury and surprise. “Bernard Buckler is victorious over Emphryus Dresfel!”, Argilac proclaimed. “He will advance to the second round of the joust!”
“I doubt it”, Malcolm spoke. “He can barely stand. Dresfel did a number on him. Guess that was to be expected, though at least he can say he technically won” Drent smiled at this. Argella obviously saw it differently, given her frown at Emphryus' defeat, but this was perhaps the best outcome. Bernard kept his dignity, even if his wounds would be too heavy to continue in the tourney, whereas this very fact would make it unlikely she'd have to even consider him an acceptable suitor.
Argilac have his daughter a glance and she replied with an almost pleading stare, to which he only shook his head. She sighed visibly, as she finally got up from her chair. “To the brave victor”, she spoke, even doing some effort to sound genuine, as she gave Bernard a stilted smile. And though it was clear how much effort it took for her to remain calm, she placed a golden circlet on his head.
As the cheering finally died down, Bernard Buckler had to be led down the tilt yard by the man he had knocked down and Drent didn't have to be a maester to know that he would not be able to continue in the second round of the joust. At least he left as a victor though, so Drent had no doubt that once the pain would fade, he'd be quite pleased with this outcome.
With a sigh, Malcolm Mertyns rose from his seat. “Excuse me now”, he spoke. “I suppose I should check up on Bernard” He gave the three soldiers a nod, followed by a sly wink into Edonia's direction. “Though I suppose I should follow up on your offer though, mylady. I think I just developed an interest in archery”
He got up and left and Edonia smirked at her brother, who glared almost furiously at the knight until he was gone in the crowd. “That guy?”, he growled. “He's...” Edonia shrugged and cut him off. “Kinda handsome”, she stated and Torrence shook his head. “Kinda a jerk”, he hissed.
“So you two should get along just fine”, Edonia replied calmly. “Though since when do you care?” Torrence clenched his fists in frustration and Edonia looked away, instead focussing onto the tilt yard again, where servants led away the two horses. Argilac and Argella had sat down again and the princess was visibly unhappy with the way things turned out.
Finally, Drent broke the silence. “This is not going according to plan”, he spoke. “Emphryus was supposed to win. The safest bet we had for today” Edonia raised an eyebrow. “So, you think the Errol boy shoots better than I do?”, she replied. “I always considered that our safest bet. Anything can happen in a joust, but archery values raw talent above everything else”
“Thankfully you don't have to be humble to win”, Drent brought up. “But yeah, I was certain Emphryus would win” Torrence nodded. “So was I”, he stated. “Fuck, I owe Garen quite a sum now” He sighed, as he stared at the tilt yard, at the spot where Emphryus had been unhorsed. “Maybe it has been a bad idea to put our hopes into a man who still hasn't recovered from the wounds he got in Raylansfair”
“You didn't put your hopes into anyone, just your coin”, Edonia reminded him and he pressed his lips together. “That makes it only worse”, he complained. “I mean, I got something to lose here” Drent smirked, though as he looked down at his hands, he noticed they were shivering. Edonia noticed it as well and she placed a hand on his forearm. “Don't grow nervous now”, she spoke softly. “A minor setback. I doubt Bernard can continue today, so who cares if he won? He's out, that's what matters. Trust in me to defeat the Errol boy and just focus on your target”
Drent looked into her green eyes and her hand wandered from his forearm to his shoulder. “The important thing is that you remain calm”, she advised him and he sighed. “And how am I supposed to do that?”, he asked. “One of Argella's suitors already did the impossible today. Who's to say you and me will succeed over his companions?”
“Would that be so bad?”, Torrence asked. “I mean, she's the princess. The only one who can force her won't do it. Who cares if one of them is supposed to marry her?” Slyly, he raised an eyebrow. “Besides Golton here, of course” Edonia rolled her eyes. “Not helping, Torrence”, she hissed. “Why don't you just shut up and let us focus on the task at hand?”
For a moment, Torrence looked almost offended. “Hey, I can help!”, he claimed, as he looked at Drent. “Are you nervous, Drent?” After hesitating for a moment, Drent had to admit to himself that yes, he was, and he gave the soldier a nod. Torrence smiled at this, not even all that unfriendly. “Then try not to panic. Just relax, happy thoughts and it'll be alright. The worst you can do is stressing out now”
“As I said, not helping”, Edonia growled. “If you have to give advice, at least don't encourage him to essentially do nothing” She looked at Drent, placing a hand on his. “You are trembling” He smiled thinly. “You think so?”, he managed to utter, but she was right. Emphryus had been defeated and he was the best of them. There were two dozen men in the melee with him and Warrick Fell. As much as he wanted to be confident, he had to admit that his chances of even just taking the man out were relatively small.
“Whenever I'm nervous, I train”, Edonia brought up. “That's what you should do. Grab a wooden sword, find some corner and warm up. Can't possibly hurt, can it?”Torrence shook his head. “Unless he exhausts himself before the fight even starts”, he brought up. “Don't listen to her, Drent. I say you should stay here, try to forget about everything involving the melee and the princess. Just watch the rest of the joust, sure you'll have a good time. And then, when the melee begins, you fight without being nervous”
[Warm up for the melee] [Watch the rest of the joust]
[Watch the rest of the joust]
Malcolm Mertyns is a cool guy, I like him.
The joust between Emphryus and Bernard was a very enjoyable read! Tbh, I'm just as surprised as Drent about the outcome, since I considered this the most solid part of Argella's plan. But as has been said, anything can happen in a joust, and I have to give props to Bernard for basically winning by sheer stubborness here
[Warm up for the melee] I certainly don't mind if the other option wins, because seeing more jousting is never bad, but I just think Drent has better chances to succeed if he starts focusing and warming up early.
[Warm up for the melee] It is a better idea if Drent start to prepare himself for his part of the tourney (and we already see enough of the joust)
RT:
1) Ah ah when I read Malcolm say the specific of his weapon I imagine the collector of swords put the Silver Mist in his list
2) Malcom decision to not be part of the tourney but to remain to be a representative of his House is a wise and understandable one (I can't say the same for Torrence that decide to see the tourney only has a chance to lose money)
3)The tourney has officialy started! And the joust between Ser Emphyrius and Bernard was a really enjoyable read (and the first action part in ages XD)
4) It seems that Argella plan to make her suitors look like fools haven't a good start! Expecially because while Bernard won't continue in the tourney he finish his part in it in a way that it is everything outside embarassing
5) I'm obviously curious to read the other two parts of the tourney (the archery contest and the meele)
[Watch the rest of the joust]
[Watch the rest of the joust] It would be interesting to see the rest of the competitors.
That was an intense joust and it shows the skill you need to win in this sport.
Funny what Torrence said about Valyrian Steel swords, while it's true they had seen two, the number of current swords it's quite small. There's Blackfyre and Darksister with House Targaryen, Vigilance, Heartsbane and Orphan-maker in the Reach, Ice and Longclaw in the North, Red Rain with House Drumm, and Lady Forlorn and Lamentation in the Vale.
[Watch the rest of the joust] "I want to see some body parts!"
"Are you not entertained?"
I bet Jenna delayed her own part by holding the script and then tripping on a bottle of wine, causing her to release the script into the wind, where it blew onto a tree that a lumberjack cut down, falling into a boat on a river when a lightning bolt struck the paper, the paper alone, incinerating it. Stupid Jenna.
Well, those are the known ones, but I think it is mentioned in the books that even during the time of the War of the Five Kings there is still around 200 of Valyrian steel weapons in Westeros. So, it's safe to say there might be even more of them during the conquest.
[Warm up for the melee]
Ah, glad you enjoyed it
It was definitely a huge surprise for pretty much everyone there. Not even Bernard expected to win after receiving some pretty heavy blows in the beginning, but as you said, he won by sheer stubborness. Emphryus grew a bit too confident, underestimating how much Bernard could take when faced with defeat and he paid the price for it. Of course, Bernard won't participate in the next round either, but he got out of this joust undefeated, alive and with his dignity intact, so he definitely won a minor victory here.
Hehe, Malcolm actually has quite the interest in Valyrian steel swords himself. It's something I hope to show more of later on, but the material itself and the swords that have found their way to Westeros fascinate him and he has knowledge about the topic that exceeds that of most other people outside the Citadel. Consider him a bit of a nerd when it comes to that topic
Aye and I also wanted to show that a tourney is not all about fighting and winning. It's not comparable to a sports event in our society, but it is pretty much one of the most important social gatherings as well. Representatives of most noble houses in the Stormlands are present and this is the place where alliances are forged and new acquaintances are made, which, in many cases, can be more valuable for a house than winning glory during the tourney itself.
Yeah, it was indeed one of the first in a long time. But be assured, there will be a serious load of action in Book 2, to the point where I think Book 1 will simply pale in comparison. It's a bit of a slow, exposition-heavy beginning, but take my word for it, the action in Book 2 will ultimately be highly present. We're talking battle scenes here, of a scale not seen in Book 1.
She had better plans and she is certainly not pleased by this, albeit it would be unreasonable to blame Emphryus, who was still affected by the wounds he received in Raylansfair. But this is not a good start for Argella's goal to humiliate her suitors. Bernard might be unable to continue in the tourney, but he won some major respect on this day and not even she can deny him this much.
And I am excited to write them down! Especially the melee should be a highlight of the chapter, even if it won't exactly be a fight with high stakes, given that it is not meant to be lethal combat. Then again, accidents tend to happen during these mock fights and a bit of a risk will be involved.
Glad I managed to make it intense
And yeah, skill is needed, as well as some additional factors. I did some reading into the factors that would usually decide a joust and while I would not consider myself an expert, there is a lot to take into account.
I think Wildling is right here, there's actually at least around 200 swords in Westeros at the time, quite possibly a bit more. Of course, they are prized treasures, but especially in times of war, it might happen that they get stolen or otherwise lost, or sold if a house falls on particularly hard times. I would indeed say the number of Valyrian steel swords in Westeros is slightly higher than 200 at the time of the story.
That is precisely what happened here. Either that, or me kinda struggling with finding a fitting way to end the part without it growing too long and me already being a bit too late for my own liking. Though your explanation does sound kinda likely. I wouldn't say it is stupidity though, this is all part of Darth Jenna's evil master plan. The small delay will give her more time to execute Order 66.
[Warm up for the melee] As long as he doesn't over do it he should be fine. He'll only get worse if he continues watching the melee. A warm up could do some good and hopefully distract him, clear his head a little.
Well I was very surprised and very disappointed by that first round. Not in the writing of course!
[Warm up for melee]
[Watch the rest of the joust]
[Warm up for melee] Hmmmm, I already ship Edonia and Malcolm
My instant reaction was "Stay away from Edonia" XD
Hehe, I knew this wouldn't go the way people thought it would
Argella is certainly disappointed as well, but at the same time, she kinda has herself to blame for Bernard winning at least the first joust here, even if he has literally zero chances of winning the whole thing due to the injuries he suffered. The reason for Emphryus losing is similar, his injuries. You might remember, he held the gates of the Raylansfair castle pretty much single-handedly in the late stages of the raid and while his armour kept him alive, he got some super nasty injuries in the process and three months just aren't enough for them to heal properly. He shouldn't have participated, he wouldn't have, but his honour as a knight pretty much forced him to help Argella, who in turn was probably not even aware how much his injuries still affected him. Receiving some blows from Bernard was enough to bring him down, when usually he would have been nearly unstoppable. But yeah, as it is, both men are out of the tourney, but Bernard did manage to do it in a way that can leave him prideful of what he accomplished and without bringing shame to his family. As you know, that is pretty much the only thing he hopes for right now, trying to get out of this whole potential marriage to the Storm Princess situation with his dignity intact.
The Voting is closed!
Drent is going to warm up for the joust
First of all, I apologize for keeping you waiting here and for still not being certain that the next part will be out today. A mixture of university chores and spending time at the hospital have kept me busy, I am afraid. Speaking of, the hospital situation is developing nicely. My mother will receive a harmless surgery tomorrow and it can be expected that she returns home next week, which should mean my own schedule will go back to normal next week.
The next part, I'll try to have it ready today. It will include the Jenna part I announced last time, featuring, among others, Jenna, Vali and Maester Eddard. I would also like to include the next Arthur part as well. Last time we saw him, he and Ryler were kept prisoner by a girl named Lucia, who, as it turned out, is the niece of the Sphynx. And the Sphynx, arriving shortly afterwards, revealed himself to be a certain Rodrik Grimthorn, uncle of Ryler, making Ryler and Lucia siblings. After the initial shock has settled for all but Lucia (who took the revelation that her brother is still alive very badly), Rodrik offered an alliance against Wolfius, whom he considered a threat to his family. After some consideration, Arthur decided to accept this offer. As said, I hope to finish it today, but due to the entire situation, I can't fully promise it, I am afraid. Sorry in advance for keeping you waiting, I'll try to be as fast as possible
Jenna
Even approaching the maester's quarters gave Jenna an uneasy feeling. She hadn't been here in a long time and the thought of having a maester that isn't Eaton still felt wrong to her. Maester Eddard had just recently even entered the room for the first time, still not having settled in from what Jenna was able to tell. She had no idea how he could even try to follow after a man who had stood for Raylansfair like no one else.
Then again, she hadn't exactly spent time around the new maester either. Some of the servants, mostly Saerya to be honest, had spent quite some time gossiping about his good looks and Jenna had to agree with them on some level. Young for his position, Eddard was undeniably a handsome man, though still more than twice her age and even on better days, she found it hard to swoon over him in the way some of the others did.
Right now, Eddard was in his room, busy with unpacking one of the boxes Vali had brought him when they first arrived. His door stood open, though he did not notice them at first, only slightly flinching when Vali cleared his throat. Initial confusion quickly made room for a wide smile, as he stood up from the ground he had been kneeling on.
“Ah, Vali, just in time”, he spoke. “And you brought a friend with you. Wonderful” He gave Jenna a nod, extending his hand. After hesitating for a moment, she awkwardly shook it, while Eddard's free hand moved through his short beard. “I believe we haven't had the pleasure”, he spoke. “My name is Eddard”
“J-Jenna”, Jenna stuttered. “Jenna Harking” Eddard raised an eyebrow. “I heard that name before”, he stated. “My condolences” Her hesitant smile faded quickly, replaced by a lump in her throat and a frown. “Thank you”, she mumbled, her mouth tightening.
“Maester, you mentioned you need my help?”, Vali spoke and Eddard nodded. “Yeah, it's about our guests”, he replied quickly. “There is a bit of an issue with the room we intended for Ser Dustran, the eldest son of Lord Donnel” He sighed. “It might be for the best if you follow me”
With this, he straightened his grey robe, before marching past the two and out of the room. “It's good you brought help”, he commented. “You are here to help, isn't that right, Jenna?” Lost in dark thoughts, it took Jenna a moment to reply, but she pulled herself together. “Yes... of course”, she told him and he gave her a smile over his shoulder. “Because I believe Vali could need some help with this”
Vali sighed, as Eddard led them to the stairs, down to the floor below, where he moved towards a door. “You see, we do have a slight problem”, he explained. “A miscalculation on my parts, I'm afraid. It is only courteous if the Selwyn family receives rooms next to each other, so we ordered to bring their belongings to this floor. Yet we failed to see that this particular room is already occupied, by Ser Willfred Reyne to be precise”
Jenna raised an eyebrow, as they stopped in front of the door. Vali shrugged. “So what?”, he asked. “Give Dustran another room then” Eddard shook his head. “I am afraid Lord Donnel could see this as an insult”, he replied. “He is a prideful man, that one, and pleasing him won't be easy. Yet it is what Lord Petyr has decided to do, so we gotta try our best to follow his wishes”
“And Ser Willfred, has he been informed?”, Jenna asked, remembering the Reyne knight. He had seemed prideful as well and she wasn't sure how he'd take it being relocated. Eddard shook his head. “It's been a rather recent order”, he spoke. “Lord Petyr wishes to inform the man himself, but until then, I have been tasked with finding a new room for him, to keep the Selwyn family together”
Vali rolled his eyes. “Let me guess, it's the other side of the castle”, he snarled and Eddard smirked. “Not quite that far, my dear apprentice”, he replied. “Just upstairs. The room next to mine will do. I expect you two to carry his belongings up there. Take the rest of the day off once you are done”
With this, he moved a hand to his belt, removing a key from it, which he put into the lock. Jenna tilted her head as the door sprung open. Out of the many things she did not expect about this new maester, a skeleton key for the castle was the last she expected. Sure, it was not unthinkable that one would exist, but Eaton never had one... right?
Behind the door, there was a large room and she sighed silently, as she noticed how long it would take to move all the things upstairs. Two chests, a cupboard, even an armour stand... yeah, she wouldn't even touch that last one. In her mind, she cursed Vali for dragging her into this, noticing that the young man seemed a bit uneasy at the sight as well.
“Seems like the red lion doesn't really grasp the concept of tidiness though”, Vali brought up and his mouth twitched as he pointed at the piles of clothes scattered across the floor. Jenna just knew, she wouldn't touch those either. Giving Vali an angry glare, she walked past him and into the room. “Yeah, can we just get this over with?”, she snapped at him and the unashamed grin he gave her made it only worse.
Eddard smirked kindly. “You may”, he spoke. “Just make sure to have the room ready for Ser Dustran as quick as possible. If the man's any bit like his father, I doubt he's fond of waiting” He turned around, walking back to the stairs, leaving Jenna and Vali behind.
The moment, the maester was out of sight, Jenna gave Vali a venomous look. “You knew about this”, she hissed and he visibly suppressed a chuckle. She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. “I thought you wanted to discuss something important with me, but you only wanted someone to help you with this!”
He shook his head at that statement. “I had my suspicions”, he admitted. “But I really want to talk. Lots of important things are about to happen and I want you on my side for that” Jenna looked around the room and frowned at the utter mess it was in. “You have a weird way of showing that”, she told him grimly. “I have more important things to do than to help you with your chores”
“Yeah, such as plotting your revenge on the man that murdered your father, I know”, Vali replied nonchalantly and it sent a sting through Jenna's chest. She quickly avoided his gaze and clenched her fists. If there's one thing she wouldn't do in front of him, it would be showing weakness. “For example”, she hissed coldly, though her voice was shivering.
“And you think you can do that on your own?”, Vali asked, his voice showing genuine curiosity. Perhaps a hint of concern, but she didn't want to interpret too much into it. “I have Saerya”, she replied, noticing how this caused him to frown. “That woman cannot be trusted”, he warned her and she shrugged. “Apparently you can't either”, she spat. “Else you wouldn't have lured me into this garbage pile of a room to do your chores!”
Vali's smirk grew wider. “Anger does not suit you, mylady”, he spoke. “It's like a little lamb getting upset” He raised both of his hands and took a step back as she glared at him. “Sorry, just saying how it is”, he was quick to defend himself.
She narrowed her eyes, as she turned away from him, blinking once, twice. “I got better things to do”, she mumbled. “Fucking arse...” With this, she tried to walk out of the room, but Vali held her back and she tensed up at his touch. “Jenna, wait!”, he spoke, as he pulled her back into the room, quickly closing the door before she could break free again. For a moment, his face showed actual concern. “I know you don't trust me, but I want to help you. And I asked you to come with me because I want to tell you about my plan”, he assured her. “If that works out, you can have your revenge. Believe me or not, but I want to give you the chance, because I think you deserve it, you genuinely do”
He let go of her and instead of walking straight past him, Jenna stopped and crossed her arms, tilting her head sideways to glance at him. “I'm listening”, she confirmed and Vali turned away from her, as he began to approach a pile of clothes. “Listen, I wanted you to come with me because nobody will grow suspicious now, least of them all the maester himself. Nice man and all, but every careless word you let slip in his presence will reach Tavner's ears, no doubt about it”
“How reassuring”, Jenna spoke and Vali shrugged. “It's a smart move, relocating the knight right next to his room”, he admitted. “I wonder what he wants from the Reyne” He began to pick up the clothes. “So, here's how this is going. I'll do the hard work in here, you just gather some of the other stuff, easy task, and you help me carry it up to Reyne's new room. And meanwhile, we talk. If we want to have an ally against Mullendore, we need the help of Ser Dunaver. And for that I need your help”
Jenna sighed. “I start to realize why he does not like you”, she spoke, as she moved to the table below the window. Several pages of parchment were lying there and she tensed up as she noticed that she was looking at a knight's personal belongings. The part of her that was still afraid tried not to look at it too much. She didn't want to pry, didn't want to learn anything that could put her into danger. The part of her that was furious though knew that she was in danger already. A little prying wouldn't make it worse.
“Eh, I might surprise you”, Vali brought up. “In fact, it's Dunaver's fault. Bugger just can't take a joke” He shrugged. “But fact is, we need him and for that, I gotta convince him that I have changed” If it wouldn't be for everything that happened in the past days, Jenna would have laughed at this. As it was, she felt hollow. It wasn't genuine joy that beamed up in her, more a grim sort of amusement.
“Good luck with that”, she told him. “I don't think I can help you with that” He shook his head. “Dunaver is a knight”, he spoke. “And despite, well, all the stuff you'll notice about him once you meet him, that means something to him. You meanwhile, you are pretty much the most innocent person I've ever met” The way he said it, it sounded like an insult and she clenched her teeth.
“What does that have to do with anything?”, she asked and Vali smirked. “If you vow for me, he will reconsider. Like, probably not enough to flat out make his peace with me, but enough to hear me out. You're perfect for making him listen to me. Once that is done, I can do the rest. I believe with all the shit going down here, Dunaver will be quite interested in working with us once I got through to him”
Jenna sighed, as her gaze wandered across the table. “Great plan”, she mumbled and he raised an eyebrow. “Sarcasm!”, he exclaimed. “Maybe there's hope for you yet” She rolled her eyes, just as she spotted something on the table. It was a box, a small one, made out of old, dry wood. Nothing remarkable about it, nothing at all... and yet, she found herself oddly reluctant to turn away from it. What slightly unnerved her though, was the fact that her heartbeat was fastening.
[Open the box] [Leave it be]
Arthur
“I suppose we have a common enemy”, Arthur said, already slightly regretting his decision as he shook the Sphynx's hand. The man smiled, pleased and with confidence and yet, there was something unnerving about him. “It is settled then?”, he asked. “We are allies in this?”
Arthur gave him a nod. “We are”, he confirmed. “I can't speak for the city guard, just like you can't speak for the Alley Cats, but you and me, we're in this together” The Sphynx... Rodrik, he looked at Ryler. “And you, nephew? Can I count on you?” Ryler's expression was one of determination, but also more hopeful than Arthur had ever seen him before. “You can”, he confirmed. “Wolfius must be stopped”
“Lupin must be stopped”, Rodrik corrected him. “Wolfius will be collateral damage on the way. Inevitable, putting the mad dog down. I have reason to believe he is still loyal to his master. In return, Lupin might even harbour some fondness for his servant, in the way one would be fond of a favourite blade. He's the sharpest knife in Lupin's arsenal, his most dangerous asset, though I have no grudge with the man itself”
“Sounds like you pity him”, Arthur said and Rodrik nodded. “Surprised about that?”, he asked. “It may be hard to believe, but I am not without empathy” He smirked. “I think what I pity about Wolfius is that he was broken on a level I have never seen before”, he explained. “Despite all I know about the human body, what Lupin did to Wolfius is literally beyond my powers. It is... frankly, horrifying”
Indeed he looked unnerved as he said this, his smirk feeling more like an attempt to overplay it and Arthur could not help but notice that he was glancing around, as if he was expecting that someone was listening to their conversation. The confidence cracking, that was something that caused Arthur to grow nervous as well. For the first time in all this, he had to ask himself if he was truly even prepared for what he was going up against. Aditha came to mind, her tears at their father's deathbed... he couldn't face losing her as well.
“I help you against Wolfius”, he promised. “This Lupin, I don't know him. But I know Wolfius is somewhere close and he is still a danger to this city. He vowed to kill me and my sister one day” Rodrik nodded. “He tends to keep his promises. It's a part of himself he kept after Lupin was through with him, but twisted, like the rest of his mind. He will come back, he will try to kill you and your sister and if we don't act decisively, he will succeed”
“When?”, Ryler asked, clenching his fists and Rodrik shrugged. “Could be tomorrow, or in a week, or in a year”, he admitted. “I have no idea how a sick mind works. Expect him sooner rather than later” He sighed. “Now, there's an aspect you might not agree with. When we have him, I... want him alive”
Arthur and Ryler exchanged a look and in Arthur's case, it was slightly alarmed. Ryler merely seemed confused. “No way”, Arthur immediately growled. “We had him at our mercy once and we spared him. He escaped and caused my father's death. Do you expect me to make the same mistake again?”
To this, Rodrik shook his head. “Not a mistake”, he spoke. “The fool back then hasn't been you, but your father, if you don't mind me saying so” He stared Arthur dead in the eye, as the guardsman felt anger welling up in him, though he managed to calm himself down quite quickly. “Wolfius is not like normal men. He cannot be contained so easily. I however have my ways and I assure you, it won't be long. Once I have what I need, I'll cut his throat”
“We'll speak about that once we have him”, Arthur agreed and in this moment, Rodrik narrowed his eyes. “Lucia!”, he barked. “Come inside, child. I know you're listening” For a moment, there was only silence and then, the door got opened again. Lucia entered the room, sour-faced and unable to meet Ryler's gaze. Her cheeks were wet and her fists clenched, as she stared at the ground.
“I would rather not have a talk right now”, she hissed, her voice shivering heavily, her tone making it clear how she was forcing herself to remain calm. She seemed less like a child now, closer to Arthur in age, at least from the expression she sported. Those were the eyes of someone who had seen too much, a look he would expect on an old soldier's face. There was sorrow in it and yet, deep down, he spotted the same expression he knew from Ryler. Hope, if tiny and marred.
“Then we don't have to”, Rodrik replied softly. “Not now at least. I won't go anywhere. Your brother won't go anywhere” He gave the young man a questioning look. “Isn't that right, Ryler?”, he asked and with a nervous eagerness, he nodded. “I won't leave”, he promised, staring at his sister. “Lucy, I...” He cut himself off, as she tensed up. “I won't go anywhere. I... thought I had lost you”
She closed her eyes, her fists still clenched, as her lower lip shivered. “You have”, she merely replied, before she walked past them, sitting down on a chair in the corner of the room. Ryler sighed, though Rodrik smiled at him, reassuringly. “Another time”, he said. “We will be a family again, this I swear” His smile was strange, as there was a distinct lack of the unnerving darkness Arthur had spotted in each of his expressions so far. “It'll be like it used to be, like it should be”
“Once we have dealt with Lupin”, Ryler growled and Rodrik nodded. “And Wolfius”, he said, looking at Arthur, who gave him a nod. “Is there anyone else who could help us?”, he asked, to which Rodrik seemed to think for a bit. “Hard to say”, he admitted. “Erik... the Tom, he despises Lupin, yet has no reason to act against him. I doubt he'll refuse to help, but don't expect too much from him. How about the city guard?”
Arthur shook his head. “Commander Daemion made it clear he wishes to close the case”, he stated, unable to hide his frustration at the fact. “Apparently two months without any sightings is enough to make him forget about the man who murdered his predecessor”
“Frustrating, yet understandable”, Rodrik admitted. “Wolfius is a vagrant. Your commander has no reason to believe he is still in the area. He doesn't know him the way we do. Anyone else who'd be able to help? This is your city, guardsman. Don't the people of Raylansfair want to keep it safe?”
“They used to”, Arthur spoke. “But so many who cared are dead by now. Richard Harking, Urid Strad, Lyria Mettel...” He was cut off by Ryler, whose eyes were suddenly widening. “The girl”, he just said and Arthur tilted his head. “Rosalie Mettel, I mean. She's the only one whom Wolfius ever spared” His gaze met Arthur, eager, unusually enthusiastic and yet, Arthur saw him nervously glancing at the uncle he had thought dead for so long. “There must be a reason for that. Have you spoken to her?”
Arthur gulped. “Ah, not me personally, no”, he replied. “Valarr Roux was sent to question her, a week after the raid. According to him, she did not even react to his presence, answering no questions, she barely even looked at him”
“Is that the same girl working for your lovely healer?”, Rodrik asked. “Didn't give me a catatonic impression, though I suppose it's been some time. Haunted for sure” He smirked. “I think Connor fancies her” Ryler narrowed his eyes. “Didn't you question her at all in these two months?”, he asked.
To this, Arthur shook his head. “She found a new home with Mathea”, he spoke. “And, uh, I don't think Mathea wants me to speak to her ward. Things have cooled off since I left her during the raid” Rodrik chuckled softly. “Delightfully ruthless”, he said, making it sound like a genuine compliment. “You are goal-driven, guardsman. I appreciate that. Nonetheless, someone has to talk to that girl. For all I know, Wolfius never left survivors before. Sparing people has been Lupin's thing, but trust me, it's not a good thing with him. They've gotten more alike, master and servant”
“I'll do it”, Ryler said instantly. “If she knows anything about Wolfius, then she might be able to help. Can't see a reason why she wouldn't. The man murdered her mother, after all” He gave Arthur a curious look. “Do you want to come with me?”, he asked.
Arthur tensed up, as he hesitated to answer right away. It was true, he and Mathea weren't exactly on good terms right now. He feared how she'd react, seeing him snooping around her clinic again, questioning a heavily traumatized girl. In fact, he wasn't even too certain if dragging Rosalie into this was a good idea. She survived Wolfius' attack and perhaps that was the best she could hope for. And yet, he knew how revenge could burn inside a heart. If Rosalie felt the same, it would be cruel to deny her the chance.
“You seem nervous, guardsman”, Rodrik spoke. “Look, Ryler should be more than capable of talking to a pretty girl all by himself” He flashed a smirk at his frowning nephew. “I think?”, he added sarcastically. “As I said, he should be capable. If you dread your healer's understandable grudge against your person, I would offer an alternative” He placed a hand on his chest. “As much as I doubt his support will do much for us, Erik should be informed, especially about our little alliance. I'll do it and if you would like to accompany me, I could make the introduction” His smile was cold and cutting, yet Arthur started to believe he was unable to be anything but menacing to anyone not part of his family. “Your decision”
[Go with Ryler] [Go with Rodrik]
[Open the box]
[Go with Rodrik]
******[Leave it be]******
******[Go with Rodrik]******
[Open the box] Shiny. Must open...
[Go with Rodrik] Ryler and the pretty girl is all good. Let's go with our dear, dear friend, Rodrik.
Heheheh.
[Leave it be] Yeah, no reason for Jenna to get mixed up with this dark magic fuckery. We've seen the box (or rather the artifact inside) damage Willfred's mind already, let's just keep Jenna focused on her vengeance against Mullendore.
[Go with Rodrik] Frankly, I just see this as the more interesting option
Ryler can handle Rosalie by himself, though I doubt he'll get much out of her. On the other hand, getting a glimpse at the leaders of the Alley Cats interacting together is something I'm really interested to see. We've gained some understanding of Rodrik's character in these past few Arthur parts, time we learn some more about the Tom/Erik as well. It's strange to suddenly think about these characters as allies, rather than just the henchmen of the main antagonist of the story 
[Open the box] Whatever's in that box, maybe it will show different things to Jenna. Maybe a different vision of the Dawn Age, or the Age of Heroes.
[Go with Rodrik] Understanding a bit more of the Tom/Erik can be useful to get rid of Mullendore later on. They may obey him but I think they're far from his mindless lackeys.
[Open the box]
We need a second perspective on the box voodoo magic
[Go with Rodrik]
I really just want to see more of the Tom
[Open the box]
[Go with Rodrik]
[Leave it be]
[Go with Ryler]
I'm really liking my boi Eddard so far. Good job on him, Liquid!
[Open the box]
[Go with Rodrik]
Ah, this is something I really want to establish over the course of Book 2. Book 1 had a fairly central main plot and Mullendore has certainly been the primary antagonist in it. At the same time, with Book 2 spreading out to more individual storylines, I want to put some focus on the fact that this doesn't mean the characters around him have to be antagonists for every single storyline. For example, Maron and his Alley Cats will certainly remain opposed to Kersea, therefore acting as villains in her storyline (even if she isn't currently in a place to interact with any of them), but the same cannot be said for Arthur, even if he isn't an ally of Mullendore either thanks to the secrets Sherryl told him about. This means the Alley Cats, so far clean cut villains wherever they appeared, will have a more nuanced role in his storyline and with him primarily being opposed to Wolfius, whom they consider an enemy as well, there is technically little that speaks against considering them allies in that particular storyline. As I wanted to show with Rodrik in the last two parts, there are aspects to his character that are vastly different from the Sphynx persona we've seen so far and which only really can be brought out if he is seen through the eyes of a character who isn't his enemy. I hope to do the same with other characters as well, such as Harren who will certainly continue to be the looming threat on the horizon for Garthon, but will take on a different and probably notably less villainous role in Kyra's storyline. If the same applies to the Tom, it'll be seen in the future for sure