It's true, at first they probably wouldn't know but its hard to keep the truth hidden forever, especially since the Ironborn aren't exactly the smartest bunch out there. Besides, who else would profit the most from the Ironborn raiding the Daynes if not Nymeria herself since she just recently seized Clearhaven? I doubt it would take long for the nobles to come to that conclusion, and even if Nymeria had nothing to do with such raids she'd definitely be the one benefiting the most out of them. Then there's another thing, this trade deal between Dorne and the Iron Islands, at some point people would eventually notice the numerous longships going from the Sandship to the Iron Islands to deliver goods back and forth. With that in mind, it wouldn't be hard to put 2 and 2 together and figure out what's going on.
Still, I feel like that wouldn't even be the only main issue here, think about how Nymeria's own people would feel about working with the Ironborn. I highly doubt someone like Valor would look kindly to allying himself with Ironborn, Lysera and the people who know what the Ironborn did to her would take an immense hit to their morale, and even some of Nymeria's own bannermen would think twice before forming alliances with the Ironborn.
You make an interesting point, but how would the nobles or the smallfolk even know about her alliance with the Ironborn? They would just assume these are random Ironborn raids.
Nymeria
The Princess sat quietly at the head of the council table, feeling somewhat exhausted as little Sarella had kept her awake last n… moreight. She listened faintly as General Varyn, Edd Prally and Ormond Bloodspill talked about the situation at Ghost Hill.
“It was reported that the bulk of the Yronwood forces marched back towards the Tor, leaving a garrison of a few hundred men to Ghost Hill”, Varyn spoke sternly.
“We should be able to gather enough men to take it back”, Ormond commented nonchalantly, to which Edd Prally responded quickly. “That is true, but we might want to wait and see what is King Yorick’s next move”, the spymaster said sharply.
“Continue to muster the Santagar and Ladybright troops to Spottswood”, Nymeria commanded with a tired tone. “However, tell them to wait for further instructions before marching to Ghost Hill. Is there anything else we need to discuss?”
“Yes, Your Grace”, Varyn said with a subtle sigh… [view original content]
Huh, I must say, this is one of the biggest surprises in the story, so far, to be absolutely honest. King Harmund is certainly the last character I would have expected to appear, so him visiting Nymeria here is something I would have never guessed, because I haven't even seen the possibility. And I like it It's weird writing something about a guy named Harmund and not hating his guts, but he seems like an actually reasonable man. I mean, given what we know about him, that was to be expected, but still, I like him and I really love this alliance between him and Nymeria. If only his successors would have followed the same route, I'd say.
[Deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine]
Ah, that is a surprisingly hard choice, because I would like more Ironborn in the story, though not at that price. My sympathies aren't clearly pro-Dayne and obviously, but at the same time, I believe this doesn't have to be a pro-Dayne option either. Of course, not having Ironborn raiding the shores of their kingdom will be good for them, but I also think it will be good for Nymeria in the long run. See, allowing the Ironborn to raid there is admittedly a bit of a scumbag move. Nymeria's goal however is not to destroy the Dayne lands, it is to conquer the Dayne lands and to rule over them. Accepting any other ruler after Vorian will be hard enough, but if said ruler conquered with the help of marauding Ironborn? Yeah, I could see this giving her some major problems with the Dayne lands after Vorian's defeat. She already seeks to replace a capable and well-liked ruler, it can only make her task harder if she starts off as the dreaded conqueror who allowed Ironborn to slaughter the Torrentine's families while the soldiers were preoccupied. Because this is what it's going to narrow down to, Vorian's armies will be in the field fighting against Nymeria, means the ones who would be targeted by this would be those left behind, the families of these soldiers. If the conspiracy won't be dealt with by the time Book 2 is over, then I believe such a move would work to empower them greatly.
Nymeria
The Princess sat quietly at the head of the council table, feeling somewhat exhausted as little Sarella had kept her awake last n… moreight. She listened faintly as General Varyn, Edd Prally and Ormond Bloodspill talked about the situation at Ghost Hill.
“It was reported that the bulk of the Yronwood forces marched back towards the Tor, leaving a garrison of a few hundred men to Ghost Hill”, Varyn spoke sternly.
“We should be able to gather enough men to take it back”, Ormond commented nonchalantly, to which Edd Prally responded quickly. “That is true, but we might want to wait and see what is King Yorick’s next move”, the spymaster said sharply.
“Continue to muster the Santagar and Ladybright troops to Spottswood”, Nymeria commanded with a tired tone. “However, tell them to wait for further instructions before marching to Ghost Hill. Is there anything else we need to discuss?”
“Yes, Your Grace”, Varyn said with a subtle sigh… [view original content]
If she indeed sees herself as something different and not just another conqueror, then this is the choice she has to make. It is already bad enough that's she's a foreign invader, now if she lets the Ironborn loose that will only strengthen the belief that her loyalty only lies with foreigners and not the dornish people, despite her claims. Besides, that would be a really dumb move, she would earn the Ironborn's good graces and some victories against defenseless villages, but she would make enemies in almost every other front. The nobles would despise her for letting the Ironborn plunder the lands of Dorne, and the smallfolk would despise her for allowing the Ironborn to commit atrocities towards them. She would make way more enemies than she can even expect, and we all know that the Ironborn almost never make for good allies long-term.
You certainly bring up a good point here. This is very much a morality vs. convenience type of choice for Nymeria, but it's true that allowing the Ironborn to raid Torrentine could have negative ripple effects for Nym herself in the long run, such as difficulties in building trust with those she wishes to rule over. And yeah, King Harmund himself may perhaps be seen as a good long-term ally, but most of his vassals are notably less trustworthy.
[Deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine] If she indeed sees herself as something different and not just another conqueror, then this is the ch… moreoice she has to make. It is already bad enough that's she's a foreign invader, now if she lets the Ironborn loose that will only strengthen the belief that her loyalty only lies with foreigners and not the dornish people, despite her claims. Besides, that would be a really dumb move, she would earn the Ironborn's good graces and some victories against defenseless villages, but she would make enemies in almost every other front. The nobles would despise her for letting the Ironborn plunder the lands of Dorne, and the smallfolk would despise her for allowing the Ironborn to commit atrocities towards them. She would make way more enemies than she can even expect, and we all know that the Ironborn almost never make for good allies long-term.
Huh, I must say, this is one of the biggest surprises in the story, so far, to be absolutely honest. King Harmund is certainly the last character I would have expected to appear, so him visiting Nymeria here is something I would have never guessed, because I haven't even seen the possibility. And I like it It's weird writing something about a guy named Harmund and not hating his guts, but he seems like an actually reasonable man. I mean, given what we know about him, that was to be expected, but still, I like him and I really love this alliance between him and Nymeria. If only his successors would have followed the same route, I'd say.
Hehe, yeah I figured this would be a surprise, but considering what we know of Harmund the Haggler from canon, as well as the fairly major role the Ironborn already had in Book 1, I thought this made sense And oh yes, this is a very different kind of Hoare royalty from what we've seen in FoT At this moment it would seem that the Ironborn are at the brink of fully assimilating into the Greenlander culture, but well, let's just say shit happens in the following decades.
Huh, I must say, this is one of the biggest surprises in the story, so far, to be absolutely honest. King Harmund is certainly the last char… moreacter I would have expected to appear, so him visiting Nymeria here is something I would have never guessed, because I haven't even seen the possibility. And I like it It's weird writing something about a guy named Harmund and not hating his guts, but he seems like an actually reasonable man. I mean, given what we know about him, that was to be expected, but still, I like him and I really love this alliance between him and Nymeria. If only his successors would have followed the same route, I'd say.
[Deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine]
Ah, that is a surprisingly hard choice, because I would like more Ironborn in the story, though not at that price. My sympathies aren't clearly pro-Dayne and obviously, but at the same time, I believe this doesn't have to be a pro-Dayne option either. Of course, not… [view original content]
It is safe to say that plenty of surprises came from this part! I can't say I ever expected us to see a foreign king during Nymeria's conquest of Dorne especially the King of the Iron Islands but it definitely was a nice inclusion adding a Harmund the Haggler appearance into the story! Thinking about it now, the Kingdom of the Iron Islands relationship with the rest of Westeros has been mentioned on more than one occasion especially by Bjorn and the rest of his crew in Book 1 so I guess it could have been a hint for his appearance here! From what has been established about Harmund, it definitely isn't outside of the realm of possibility for himself to want to ally with Nymeria as trade partners but I suppose how willing his vassals are to take part will be a huge factor in if this partnership will be successful moving forward. As far as my choice goes, I am definitely going to have Nymeria [Deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine]
Javier and Liquid have pretty much said my exact thoughts as for why I am picking this choice with there not being much for me to add but I will say that this definitely is the best choice for Nymeria is she wants to have an easier road to winning the people of the Torrentine's respect. As Liquid said, most of the men will be off fighting in the war so all the Ironborn would be doing is terrorizing innocent people which definitely isn't a way for her to win their respect especially since unlike the Kingdom of Brimstone, the Kingdom of the Torrentine actually has a well respected ruler already with there really not being much of a need for her conquest there anyway so Nymeria actually letting the Ironborn raid the Kingdom of Torrentine will only cause problems for her moving forward.
I would also like to add that you did a phenomenal job on Isabella's Book 2 portrait! The amethyst necklace she received for a wedding present was definitely a nice touch and just like her book one portrait, this portrait was definitely just as I imagined her! I know I have said this before but it really is impressive how you are able to draw someone with only our descriptions to go off of. It really is awesome and I am always excited to see a new portrait whenever they appear. Oh and I probably should have mentioned this in Isabella's part but I am pretty sure that I was about half asleep when I submitted my vote for it and forgot to mention it so I will include it here
Jamison replied with a small sigh, turning his eyes away from Isabella. “If a man spends his life hiding from glory, it is as if he had never lived at all. His body decays, his words turn to wind. Only the name and legacy we make ourselves with our deeds lives on after we die, and I intend to be more than just a footnote in the history books of tomorrow.”
Man Wildling, I actually thought about Jamison saying something just like this about not wanting to be a footnote in future history books and thought it would be cool if he ended up saying something like this in the story so this was definitely a pleasant surprise! The entire line really says alot about his character and the entire conversation between Isabella and Jamison while sad to read because of Isabella's pain was also epic at the same time because it really shows Jamison's ambition perfectly! Sorry for mentioning it here but as I said, I forgot to mention it in Isabella's part and it was just too epic of a line not to bring up so I had to mention it here
Nymeria
The Princess sat quietly at the head of the council table, feeling somewhat exhausted as little Sarella had kept her awake last n… moreight. She listened faintly as General Varyn, Edd Prally and Ormond Bloodspill talked about the situation at Ghost Hill.
“It was reported that the bulk of the Yronwood forces marched back towards the Tor, leaving a garrison of a few hundred men to Ghost Hill”, Varyn spoke sternly.
“We should be able to gather enough men to take it back”, Ormond commented nonchalantly, to which Edd Prally responded quickly. “That is true, but we might want to wait and see what is King Yorick’s next move”, the spymaster said sharply.
“Continue to muster the Santagar and Ladybright troops to Spottswood”, Nymeria commanded with a tired tone. “However, tell them to wait for further instructions before marching to Ghost Hill. Is there anything else we need to discuss?”
“Yes, Your Grace”, Varyn said with a subtle sigh… [view original content]
It is safe to say that plenty of surprises came from this part! I can't say I ever expected us to see a foreign king during Nymeria's conquest of Dorne especially the King of the Iron Islands but it definitely was a nice inclusion adding a Harmund the Haggler appearance into the story! Thinking about it now, the Kingdom of the Iron Islands relationship with the rest of Westeros has been mentioned on more than one occasion especially by Bjorn and the rest of his crew in Book 1 so I guess it could have been a hint for his appearance here! From what has been established about Harmund, it definitely isn't outside of the realm of possibility for himself to want to ally with Nymeria as trade partners but I suppose how willing his vassals are to take part will be a huge factor in if this partnership will be successful moving forward.
Yeah, considering that NW is so heavily focused on Dorne the royalty of the other Westerosi kingdoms understandably haven't had much of a role beyond some mentions here and there. However, it was precisely the big involvement of Ironborn characters in Book 1 that gave me this idea in the first place. Like you say there was a lot of talk about the current political climate of the Iron Isles with Bjorn and his crew, which ties nicely into this development. And yeah, many of Harmund's vassals aren't crazy about all these alliances he is making with mainland Westerosi, but there should be enough willing captains in Iron Isles to establish at least some degree of trade with Dorne. How long such partnership will last is another question though. After all, we know that Harmund's reforms won't end up changing much of the Ironborn culture in the long run, given that said culture still lingers on in 300 AC, about a millennium after the events of NW
I would also like to add that you did a phenomenal job on Isabella's Book 2 portrait! The amethyst necklace she received for a wedding present was definitely a nice touch and just like her book one portrait, this portrait was definitely just as I imagined her! I know I have said this before but it really is impressive how you are able to draw someone with only our descriptions to go off of. It really is awesome and I am always excited to see a new portrait whenever they appear. Oh and I probably should have mentioned this in Isabella's part but I am pretty sure that I was about half asleep when I submitted my vote for it and forgot to mention it so I will include it here
Thank you, I'm very happy to hear you're satisfied with Isabella's portrait! I mean, I'd do them anyways because I can't help myself, but it's certainly nice and encouraging to hear from the creators of the characters that I've nailed their looks in the portraits.
Man Wildling, I actually thought about Jamison saying something just like this about not wanting to be a footnote in future history books and thought it would be cool if he ended up saying something like this in the story so this was definitely a pleasant surprise! The entire line really says alot about his character and the entire conversation between Isabella and Jamison while sad to read because of Isabella's pain was also epic at the same time because it really shows Jamison's ambition perfectly! Sorry for mentioning it here but as I said, I forgot to mention it in Isabella's part and it was just too epic of a line not to bring up so I had to mention it here
Aha, this line was basically the first thing I knew I wanted to include in that part Like you say, it really encapsulates Jamison's personality and motives, and since he is saying this to Isabella we can be sure he is earnest. Fame and glory really are important to him, perhaps partially because of the praise and recognition it will give him in this life, but even more importantly because he wants to be remembered long after he dies. Isabella brings up a good point in remarking that he won't be there to witness how he is remembered in the future, but that's just not the way Jamison sees it
It is safe to say that plenty of surprises came from this part! I can't say I ever expected us to see a foreign king during Nymeria's conque… morest of Dorne especially the King of the Iron Islands but it definitely was a nice inclusion adding a Harmund the Haggler appearance into the story! Thinking about it now, the Kingdom of the Iron Islands relationship with the rest of Westeros has been mentioned on more than one occasion especially by Bjorn and the rest of his crew in Book 1 so I guess it could have been a hint for his appearance here! From what has been established about Harmund, it definitely isn't outside of the realm of possibility for himself to want to ally with Nymeria as trade partners but I suppose how willing his vassals are to take part will be a huge factor in if this partnership will be successful moving forward. As far as my choice goes, I am definitely going to have Nymeria [Deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine]
Javier and … [view original content]
Alright, so Nymeria will deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine, taking the morally higher approach here. And like some of you brought up, there may be some pragmatic reasons for this option as well.
Anyway, as expected, God of War has distracted me more than I'd like to admit That said, I have managed to make some progress with writing the story as well, and I'll try to return to posting two PoVs at once with these next parts. The ones I'm working on are Nealia and Emerson, and the plan is to get them posted during the weekend.
Oh, and another addition to the Book 2 album, Princess Nymeria herself:
Gotta say, I really like this portrait! Of course, the quality is always great, but when compared to the Book 1 version of Nym, this one shows some pretty neat development for her as a character. She looks more, I don't know how else to say it, dornish in this version. The Book 1 version was clearly more of a Rhoynar fugitive and while she still definitely has the Rhoynar elements, she seems to have gotten closer to the dornish side as well in terms of dress and hairstyle, showing how she has comfortably settled in her new rule as queen of roughly half of Dorne. Makes her my favourite portrait out of the Book 2 portraits so far and I really am excited to see the rest of them and how they might have developed over the timeskip
Voting is closed!
Alright, so Nymeria will deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine, taking the morally higher approach here. And like some o… moref you brought up, there may be some pragmatic reasons for this option as well.
Anyway, as expected, God of War has distracted me more than I'd like to admit That said, I have managed to make some progress with writing the story as well, and I'll try to return to posting two PoVs at once with these next parts. The ones I'm working on are Nealia and Emerson, and the plan is to get them posted during the weekend.
Oh, and another addition to the Book 2 album, Princess Nymeria herself:
Nealia Sand removed the veil from her face, seeing the town of Nymerwell in the horizon, basking in the light of the setting sun. With a relieved smile on her face she turned back towards her traveling companions who were still making their way up the dune. “We’re here, I can see Nymerwell!” she yelled at them cheerfully, which was received by happy and relieved expressions.
Lien Yu was riding the camel, since her leg couldn’t withstand long walks, and she was flanked by her sister Ying and the old Valyrian adventurer named Gauron Aerarys. He had been friendly and helpful to them during their time in Godsgrace, and decided to join their journey out of interest to see Starfall with his own eyes. Nymerwell was of course still a way off from their final destination, but after almost a fortnight of traveling through the desert it was a welcome sight nonetheless.
“Thank the gods”, Lien said with a sigh as she arrived at the top of the dune and gazed at the town ahead of them. “Seems the directions given to us in Vaith were spot on”, Gauron stated with his usual calm and carefree tone.
“Now let’s hope we can find a couple beds for the night”, Ying said sternly. “Oh yes, I’m sick of sleeping on sand”, Lien quipped lightheartedly.
As they approached the town closer, it became clear they weren’t the only visitors there. “Looks like there is a whole army here”, Ying observed, her tone slightly disappointed. Indeed, the streets of the town were rife with soldiers of House Uller, way more than any town guard would need. Some looked at them with interest as they walked through the streets, few even tried to catch their attention with whistles and crass remarks, but they ignored them all and headed towards the inn.
“What do you think they are doing here?” Lien asked quietly, as they tied their camel and grabbed their bags from its back. “I’d wager it’s about the Rhoynar princess’s war”, Nealia mumbled as an answer, fearing this could well be an army headed to Torrentine. If that was the case, no one should catch a whim of her identity, or they might get the idea to use her as a hostage. Of course Nealia knew it to be unlikely that King Vorian would risk his kingdom just to save a bastard daughter, but that probably wouldn’t stop the Ullers from trying.
They stepped into the taproom of the inn, which was of course also filled with the soldiers. The innkeeper informed them that there were no rooms available, but they decided to sit down for a drink nonetheless. “I’m sure we’ll someone in the town willing to give us shelter for the night”, Lien said positively as they sat down. “Aye, I’ve learned over my years of travelling that there are always people willing to help, so long as you treat them with respect”, Gauron said with a smirk behind his bushy beard.
“Or if you have a few coins to spare for them”, Ying added with a bit more cynical tone, to which the old Valyrian chuckled softly. “Well, that doesn’t hurt either”, he said, taking a sip of the ale.
Soon they were approached by two young soldiers, a tall one with a long and cleanshaven face, and a shorter one with long hair and bushy beard. “May we sit down?” the bearded one asked with a grin on his face, and Lien gave him a nod. “By all means”, she chirped, giving Nealia a meaningful glance. She means to get more information out of them, she realized and gave Lien a subtle nod.
“My name is Robb, and my friend here is Samuel”, the bearded one introduced them as they sat down. “You lot caught our eyes, so we decided to come for a little chat.”
“Why did we caught your eye?” Ying asked sternly, to which Robb chuckled warmly. “Well, you ain’t exactly the most ordinary group”, he responded with a shrug. “Two foreign ladies with mismatched eyes, one old man with silver hair, and one young lady with silver hair.”
“So you’re saying we look strange?” Ying asked with narrowed eyes, but before the soldiers could answer Lien spoke up. “Don’t mind my sister, she’s just not in a good mood”, she said with a tense chuckle. “I understand what you mean, we’re foreigners, of course we look out of place.”
“Where you from then?” Samuel asked, his tone a bit less friendly than his pal’s. “Me and my sister are from a land far to the east called Yi Ti, whereas our friends…”
“Are from Valyria”, Nealia concluded hastily. “I’m N… Neasya, and this is my grandfather Gauron.”
“Oh, we certainly wouldn’t want to piss you off”, Robb commented lightheartedly. “I’ve heard terrifying stories about the dragons your people ride to battle, mostly from the Rhoynar settlers.”
“No need to fear us, friend”, Gauron said softly, glancing at Nealia as she spoke. “We are simply here to observe a strange land and its wonders.”
“What you’ll find here is war”, Samuel said sharply, eyeing Gauron and Nealia. “Nymeria’s war, we know”, Lien said calmly. “I assume you’re here because of that as well, right?”
“Aye, Lord Harbert is leading us towards Clearhaven”, Robb answered, his tone less enthusiastic now. “Clearhaven?” Nealia asked with a surprised tone, and Robb nodded to her. “Do you have ships, or are you planning to cross the desert?”
“Neither”, Robb answered with an amused tone. “We plan to follow the Brimstone south, and then continue west along the coast. It’s a long and hard march, but safer than going through the desert. Nymeria already sent her sellswords to take over the town with ships, and as far as I know they were successful. So we’re just reinforcements.”
“This is quite curious, you see, we’d actually like to visit Clearhaven”, Lien said with a smirk, and the two soldiers glanced at each other. “Well, it’s basically a war zone”, Robb said, scratching his head. “But I see that you are carrying weapons, so I assume you know how to defend yourself.”
“Are you saying we could march with the army?” Ying asked sharply, and Robb nodded. “Like I said, it’s a long and hard march, and at the end of it might well await a battle”, he responded. “Of course, you could ask if one of the merchants at the docks would be willing to take you to Clearhaven, but you'd probably have to pay a lot to convince anyone to sail there now that the war has begun.”
“What do you say, Ne… um, Neasya?” Lien asked, looking at Nealia.
[March with the Ullers] [Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven]
-
Emerson
The great hall of the Tor was full of singing and laughter as the troops of Yronwood celebrated their return from the successful mission at Ghost Hill. Emerson Allyrion sat together with Yoren Jordayne, Leo Wells and his older brother Andar Wells, each of them getting more drunk with every horn of ale they gulped down.
“To the heroes of Yronwood!” Yoren roared drunkenly as he raised his horn for another toast. “I’ll drink to that”, Emerson responded with a grin, and raised the horn confidently on his lips, downing the ale in one gulp.
“Easy now, or you won’t find your way to bed tonight”, Andar said with an amused tone, being the one clearly least drunken out of the four of them.
“Who needs a bed, brother?” Leo responded with a burp. “I’m at least going to celebrate until dawn!”
“You do you Leo, but I intend to find someone to share my bed with tonight”, Yoren spoke with a sly grin on his face, eyeing hungrily the handmaidens a few tables away from them. Emerson chuckled at his friend’s words, but they also made him instinctively turn his gaze towards the table right next to them, where Lena Wells was sitting together with Julia Jordayne and Ser Mandon Marcant, the heir to Stonegate. Mandon had his arm around Lena, as they were singing drunkenly some song Emerson didn’t recognize. His smile faded and was quickly replace by a frown as he looked at them, but Leo putting a hand on his shoulder shifter Emerson’s attention back. “Don’t worry about my sister, lad”, he spoke with a slur, a bleary look in his eyes. “Lena will do what she will, don’t waste your energy being jealous because of her.”
“I’m not jealous”, Emerson responded, perhaps a bit too sharply, to which Leo reacted with a chuckle. “Sure you aren’t, buddy!” he yelled, tapping Emerson on the back before turning towards his brother again.
Yoren stood up from his seat now, and approached the table of the handmaidens with a confident smirk on his face. Emerson let out a sigh, his good mood vanished. Glaring at the surface of the table, his mind shifted to think about the future. Emerson’s goal of claiming his rightful place as the Lord of Godsgrace was closer than ever, since Yorick had promised that would be their next destination. Emerson knew Esperence had a strong alliance with the Martells, having even recently married the younger brother of Prince Mors. However, King Yorick was the most powerful man in Dorne, and Emerson was convinced that with the Bloodroyal’s aid he could finally take what was rightfully his.
Emerson shifted his gaze to the high table, where King Yorick was feasting with Lord Terren and his wife Lady Ynys, as well as Artos Jordayne. Even having enjoyed a few ales and laughing with his friend Yorick looked as dignified and kingly as ever. A true leader, Emerson thought with some admiration. That was the kind of man he aspired to be, the kind he needed to be if he truly was to be Lord of Godsgrace.
“What’s in your mind, Emerson?” asked Andar, shifting Emerson’s attention back to him. “Nothing, just… thinking about my home”, he muttered as an answer, pouring more ale to his horn.
“Meaning Godsgrace?” Andar asked calmly, and Emerson nodded. “I’ve been away for so long… it feels strange that in just a few days I’ll be marching back there with an army”, he spoke quietly, taking a sip of the ale.
“Life is strange, my friend”, Andar responded with a small smile forming on his face. “Anyway, I’m happy for you. It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, right?”
“Yes and no”, Emerson answered with a subtle gulp, turning his gaze down. “Taking back Godsgrace will mean fighting against my cousins… I grew up with them, they were the only friends I had.”
“Not anymore”, Leo interjected with a drunken grin on his face. “Your cousin is a traitor, there’s no need to feel sorry for her.”
“I agree with my brother”, Andar said calmly, taking in a deep breath. “Esperence made the choice to betray her own family, not you. Whatever comes next should be on her conscience, not yours.”
“Still, I can’t help but feel conflicted”, Emerson said with a sigh, taking another gulp of the ale. “I know I shouldn’t feel that way, I know my cause is just, but it still bothers me.”
“You’ll get over it, pal”, Leo assured with a relaxed tone, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. Emerson was about to respond, but then from the corner of his eye he noticed Lena walking towards the hall’s doors. Shifting his attention fully to her, he saw her stepping out of the hall and closing the doors behind her. Without hesitation Emerson stood up, took a moment to find his balance and walked away. He rushed quickly to the doors and pushed them open.
“Lena!” he yelled, noticing himself the hint of drunkenness in his voice. Lena turned around with a curious look in her eyes, and her lips formed a sly smirk. “Emerson”, she responded smoothly, taking a couple steps closer to him. “Did you want to say something?”
Emerson raised his chin up and crossed his arms, regaining his confidence before speaking up. “Didn’t know you were so close with Mandon Marcant”, he said, trying his best to sound nonchalant. Lena chuckled softly at his words, taking a couple more steps closer to him and putting her right hand against his chest. “You’re so cute when you’re jealous, Em”, she said, her tone at the same time affectionate and mocking.
“Don’t call me that”, Emerson said sternly. “And who said I was jealous? I’m just wondering why you’d settle for someone like Mandon when you could have the Lord of Godsgrace.”
“Oh, you won the battle already?” Lena asked sarcastically, and Emerson rolled his eyes in response. “I have the support of King Yorick, I shall take my rightful place soon enough”, he said confidently, to which Lena raised an eyebrow. “And when you’ve done it, you figured you’d deserve to have me as a trophy of your glorious victory?” she asked sharply, removing her hand from his chest.
“Of course not”, Emerson replied hastily, his expression mellowing now. “Alright, I admit, I was just jealous seeing you with Mandon”, he continued with a sigh. Lena grabbed his hand gently and looked him intensely to the eyes. “I’ve always appreciated your honesty”, she purred, now coming very close to Emerson. He was tempted to kiss Lena, and spend another passionate night with her like he had done so many times during these past two years, but on the back of his head was a thought holding him back. Not for the first time he felt like Lena wasn’t taking their relationship seriously, and took his love and affection for granted. Perhaps to make a point I should reject her for once.
, having even recently married the younger brother of Prince Mors.
Did Esperence marry Mors' brother even without Nymerias' approval? I'm actually surprised, didn't think she would try to do that after Nymeria shot her idea down last time.
[Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven] Yeah, not a really good idea for her to go along with the army that's fighting her family, at some point someone will identify her.
[Reject her] She's obviously playing with Emerson, maybe its time for him to man up and take charge instead of eating at the palm of her hand for a change.
Nealia
Nealia Sand removed the veil from her face, seeing the town of Nymerwell in the horizon, basking in the light of the setting sun. … moreWith a relieved smile on her face she turned back towards her traveling companions who were still making their way up the dune. “We’re here, I can see Nymerwell!” she yelled at them cheerfully, which was received by happy and relieved expressions.
Lien Yu was riding the camel, since her leg couldn’t withstand long walks, and she was flanked by her sister Ying and the old Valyrian adventurer named Gauron Aerarys. He had been friendly and helpful to them during their time in Godsgrace, and decided to join their journey out of interest to see Starfall with his own eyes. Nymerwell was of course still a way off from their final destination, but after almost a fortnight of traveling through the desert it was a welcome sight nonetheless.
“Thank the gods”, Lien said with a sigh as she arrived at the top of … [view original content]
Oh, So Esperance was able to marry Mors's brother afterall. I wonder how she was able to convince Nymeria to let her. [March with the Ullers]
My thought process here is that even though this is a big risk, it may have some benefits. I think she could use this opportunity to spy on the Ullers and gather intel on their battle tactics and plans. Then eventually, she and her group could break away from the Ullers and tell Jamison all they have learned, including their battle strategy, once they reach Clearhaven.
[Reject her]
I have a strange feeling that if he rejects her that her reaction might cause some problems later, but I'm not super confident with this particular choice.
Edit: I've decided to change my vote for the second choice.
Nealia
Nealia Sand removed the veil from her face, seeing the town of Nymerwell in the horizon, basking in the light of the setting sun. … moreWith a relieved smile on her face she turned back towards her traveling companions who were still making their way up the dune. “We’re here, I can see Nymerwell!” she yelled at them cheerfully, which was received by happy and relieved expressions.
Lien Yu was riding the camel, since her leg couldn’t withstand long walks, and she was flanked by her sister Ying and the old Valyrian adventurer named Gauron Aerarys. He had been friendly and helpful to them during their time in Godsgrace, and decided to join their journey out of interest to see Starfall with his own eyes. Nymerwell was of course still a way off from their final destination, but after almost a fortnight of traveling through the desert it was a welcome sight nonetheless.
“Thank the gods”, Lien said with a sigh as she arrived at the top of … [view original content]
Did Esperence marry Mors' brother even without Nymerias' approval? I'm actually surprised, didn't think she would try to do that after Nymeria shot her idea down last time.
Ah, this has been brought up by both you and Tales now, so I should probably address it right away. So, as you know, there has been a two year timeskip between Book 1 and Book 2, and it is mentioned here that Esperence has very recently married Jaran, which is meant to imply that Nymeria came to trust Esperence enough over these two years to finally approve the marriage. Now, I understand that this might make that earlier choice feel less significant, but there will still be some consequences to it. After all, Esperence and Jaran are now newly married, whereas with the other option they would've been married for two years already, which could make a difference in some things.
[Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven] Is good that Gauron has remained with Naelia and the sisters, his experience could be helpful. And funnily enough, he's not that old.
[Spend the night with Lena] While it's true the Tor is closer to Godsgrace, they will be located right in between Martell territory, and once the forces of Santagar and Ladybright recover Ghost Hill, Nymeria can focus in taking back Godsgrace.
Nealia
Nealia Sand removed the veil from her face, seeing the town of Nymerwell in the horizon, basking in the light of the setting sun. … moreWith a relieved smile on her face she turned back towards her traveling companions who were still making their way up the dune. “We’re here, I can see Nymerwell!” she yelled at them cheerfully, which was received by happy and relieved expressions.
Lien Yu was riding the camel, since her leg couldn’t withstand long walks, and she was flanked by her sister Ying and the old Valyrian adventurer named Gauron Aerarys. He had been friendly and helpful to them during their time in Godsgrace, and decided to join their journey out of interest to see Starfall with his own eyes. Nymerwell was of course still a way off from their final destination, but after almost a fortnight of traveling through the desert it was a welcome sight nonetheless.
“Thank the gods”, Lien said with a sigh as she arrived at the top of … [view original content]
Well yeah, it's mostly just the beard that makes Gauron look older than he is. That said, being on his mid-fifties he is still a good three decades older than his traveling companions here
[Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven] Is good that Gauron has remained with Naelia and the sisters, his experience could be helpful. And fun… morenily enough, he's not that old.
[Spend the night with Lena] While it's true the Tor is closer to Godsgrace, they will be located right in between Martell territory, and once the forces of Santagar and Ladybright recover Ghost Hill, Nymeria can focus in taking back Godsgrace.
Really liked Nealia's part I am glad to see they are all still around and together, even having added Gauron to the team. Lien seems to have recovered indeed, but the fact that her leg still isn't fully healed gives me little hope that it will improve dramatically. It might be that it will never fully heal again, though she obviously is in much better shape and spirit as she used to be last time we saw her. Makes me really glad that we chose to stay with her, I think we have picked the right option back then.
[Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven]
Well, Nealia clearly wishes to be with her family again. Marching with the Ullers, I consider it to be far too great a risk. I mean, she'd be close to enemies of her family for weeks and we know, the Ullers aren't exactly the least ruthless of Nymeria's followers. If they learn about her identity, she could be taken as a hostage and it could make things quite dangerous for her and her companions. So, I do not wish to take this risk, simple as that.
And ah, I am a bit bummed that Esperence got her wish after all. I mean, it makes sense that her scheming continued and that she gained a bit of a victory during the timeskip, by marrying quite possibly the best match in all Dorne, in in the form of Jaran, brother to the ruling princess and probably one of the few men in Dorne who'd be quite happy with letting her doing all the ruling stuff, if what we have learned of him before is correct. This means, she now has strong ties to House Martell, making her as close to a legitimate ruler as possible, and she also remains free to do all of her scheming and planning without having to fear for her husbands interference. I also originally chose against this marriage because I am quite concerned how Jaran would react should Esperence die. Since my sympathies lie with Emerson, I don't think there can be many other outcomes that see him in charge of Godsgrace. Let's hope he won't grow all that fond of her, because if anything happens to her, I could see him become a potential problem if he, for whatever reason, ends up blaming Nymeria. So, it is concerning that Esperence has gotten trusted enough for Nymeria to approve of this marriage, that she apparently managed to convince Jaran and dragged him into the Godsgrace issue and that I am actually not certain if it is better that they are only freshly married or making the situation harder. Like, I am really not certain which of these two outcomes, in the long run, will be more beneficial for Esperence.
[Reject her]
Emerson in general, for as much as I like him, hasn't been the most decisive guy so far. He's been Morgan's pawn in the beginning, then Esperence used him for her goals, now he is Yorick's vassal and pawn. I just don't want to see him being played with in a relationship situation as well. I doubt Lena is taking their relationship seriously, but Emerson obviously is and it won't do him any good if he is letting this continue as it is. Maybe at least in his private life he can be not treated like this, because his entire life so far has basically been a string of people not taking him all too seriously.
Nealia
Nealia Sand removed the veil from her face, seeing the town of Nymerwell in the horizon, basking in the light of the setting sun. … moreWith a relieved smile on her face she turned back towards her traveling companions who were still making their way up the dune. “We’re here, I can see Nymerwell!” she yelled at them cheerfully, which was received by happy and relieved expressions.
Lien Yu was riding the camel, since her leg couldn’t withstand long walks, and she was flanked by her sister Ying and the old Valyrian adventurer named Gauron Aerarys. He had been friendly and helpful to them during their time in Godsgrace, and decided to join their journey out of interest to see Starfall with his own eyes. Nymerwell was of course still a way off from their final destination, but after almost a fortnight of traveling through the desert it was a welcome sight nonetheless.
“Thank the gods”, Lien said with a sigh as she arrived at the top of … [view original content]
Really liked Nealia's part I am glad to see they are all still around and together, even having added Gauron to the team. Lien seems to have recovered indeed, but the fact that her leg still isn't fully healed gives me little hope that it will improve dramatically. It might be that it will never fully heal again, though she obviously is in much better shape and spirit as she used to be last time we saw her. Makes me really glad that we chose to stay with her, I think we have picked the right option back then.
Awesome! I had a hard time deciding how exactly to start Nealia's storyline in Book 2, considering the circumstances we left her in Book 1, but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this part. And yeah, Lien's leg still not being fully healed would definitely suggest that it's a permanent disability. However, on the other hand her being as positive in this part as she was would suggest that she has pretty much made her peace with it. And it's not likely she's completely defenseless or useless in combat situation either, especially if she happens to be mounted
And ah, I am a bit bummed that Esperence got her wish after all. I mean, it makes sense that her scheming continued and that she gained a bit of a victory during the timeskip, by marrying quite possibly the best match in all Dorne, in in the form of Jaran, brother to the ruling princess and probably one of the few men in Dorne who'd be quite happy with letting her doing all the ruling stuff, if what we have learned of him before is correct. This means, she now has strong ties to House Martell, making her as close to a legitimate ruler as possible, and she also remains free to do all of her scheming and planning without having to fear for her husbands interference. I also originally chose against this marriage because I am quite concerned how Jaran would react should Esperence die. Since my sympathies lie with Emerson, I don't think there can be many other outcomes that see him in charge of Godsgrace. Let's hope he won't grow all that fond of her, because if anything happens to her, I could see him become a potential problem if he, for whatever reason, ends up blaming Nymeria. So, it is concerning that Esperence has gotten trusted enough for Nymeria to approve of this marriage, that she apparently managed to convince Jaran and dragged him into the Godsgrace issue and that I am actually not certain if it is better that they are only freshly married or making the situation harder. Like, I am really not certain which of these two outcomes, in the long run, will be more beneficial for Esperence.
Yeah, I did expect that some of you wouldn't exactly be happy with this development, but unfortunately it was necessary for the story I want to tell with the Allyrions Like I said in my message to Javier though, the choice to turn down Esperence in Book 1 won't be without its consequences, but we'll more about that in time.
Really liked Nealia's part I am glad to see they are all still around and together, even having added Gauron to the team. Lien seems to hav… moree recovered indeed, but the fact that her leg still isn't fully healed gives me little hope that it will improve dramatically. It might be that it will never fully heal again, though she obviously is in much better shape and spirit as she used to be last time we saw her. Makes me really glad that we chose to stay with her, I think we have picked the right option back then.
[Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven]
Well, Nealia clearly wishes to be with her family again. Marching with the Ullers, I consider it to be far too great a risk. I mean, she'd be close to enemies of her family for weeks and we know, the Ullers aren't exactly the least ruthless of Nymeria's followers. If they learn about her identity, she could be taken as a hostage and it could make things quite dangerous for her and her companio… [view original content]
Well these were both very enjoyable parts with the developments that have taken place during the time skip definitely being interesting ones! First off, it is pretty cool to see that Nealia is still determined to head back to Starfall and the choice of having her stay behind with the Yu twins also has seemed to be a good one. With that choice, Nealia now has people behind her that she can seemingly trust to travel with her which is very important considering all the war that is going to be in her way on her journey home. Getting to see more of Gauron is also quite the treat as well with him being a well traveled man that has seen many things in his lifetime so getting to see his perspective of what's happening in Nealia's storyline will be nice I am sure.
As far as her choice goes I am definitely going to vote for her to [Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven] as the others have said, it is only a matter of time before the Uller soldiers find out who she is with some of them potentially knowing who she is already from her brief time spent in the Kingdom of Brimstone in book 1. Being an acknowledged bastard daughter of the most famous knight in all of Dorne along with being the King that they are currently at war with would definitely make things difficult for Nealia once her true identity became exposed. One thing I have gathered from this choice is that the choice is to attempt to get a ship not to actually get one so I suppose there is a chance that they may not succeed and have to take a more difficult way to Clearhaven but even still, marching with the Uller's is an even bigger risk so I think trying to get a ship to take them to Clearhaven is the best option here.
Now in regards to Emerson's part, I was pretty hyped for this one after seeing the role that he played in taking Ghost Hill especially since I didn't know he was such a beast So of course, I was amped up to see how his personality has changed and it seems that it hasn't completely which was nice to see since I figured that serving Yorick may have taken all of the good out of him As Liquid said, he really has always had people taking advantage of him in someway for basically his entire life to where he really hasn't had the opportunity or the political power to stand up for himself so I am definitely going to vote for Emerson [Reject her] From the very beginning, Lena has never really taken Emerson all that seriously at least in my opinion and it seems like she is still playing games with him even now where it clearly shows he wants something more with her so as far as I can tell, having Emerson turn her down here will make her realize that she can't just play games with him and then have all be forgiven whenever she wants to sleep with him.
On a side note, when it comes to Esperence's marriage to Jaran, this is a very interesting development that happened over the time skip and while I am surprised, i'm also not surprised at the same time if that makes sense. Even with Nymeria turning Esperence down before, it was only for having them get married at that time if I remember correctly and with two years since that point, it makes sense for Nymeria to have warmed up to the idea a bit more. By this point, Esperence has been there since basically the beginning of Nymeria's conquest westward with House Allyrion being one of if not the first independent house to declare for Nymeria so her deciding to reward Esperence does make sense but it also turns out to make things very difficult for Nymeria, at least for the time being. With Yorick now deciding to lead his armies to Godsgrace, it seems that Yorick is making his move against Nymeria while a majority of her armies are away and I definitely don't see Godsgrace holding if Yorick leads his forces to Godsgrace so Jaran and Esperence are in serious danger here and it looks like Nymeria will more than likely have to bring her armies back east unless something big happens for her soon. It looks like chapter one is going to have more battles than Book one did combined if it keeps at this pace and now it seems I have another battle to be hyped for!
Nealia
Nealia Sand removed the veil from her face, seeing the town of Nymerwell in the horizon, basking in the light of the setting sun. … moreWith a relieved smile on her face she turned back towards her traveling companions who were still making their way up the dune. “We’re here, I can see Nymerwell!” she yelled at them cheerfully, which was received by happy and relieved expressions.
Lien Yu was riding the camel, since her leg couldn’t withstand long walks, and she was flanked by her sister Ying and the old Valyrian adventurer named Gauron Aerarys. He had been friendly and helpful to them during their time in Godsgrace, and decided to join their journey out of interest to see Starfall with his own eyes. Nymerwell was of course still a way off from their final destination, but after almost a fortnight of traveling through the desert it was a welcome sight nonetheless.
“Thank the gods”, Lien said with a sigh as she arrived at the top of … [view original content]
Nealia
Nealia Sand removed the veil from her face, seeing the town of Nymerwell in the horizon, basking in the light of the setting sun. … moreWith a relieved smile on her face she turned back towards her traveling companions who were still making their way up the dune. “We’re here, I can see Nymerwell!” she yelled at them cheerfully, which was received by happy and relieved expressions.
Lien Yu was riding the camel, since her leg couldn’t withstand long walks, and she was flanked by her sister Ying and the old Valyrian adventurer named Gauron Aerarys. He had been friendly and helpful to them during their time in Godsgrace, and decided to join their journey out of interest to see Starfall with his own eyes. Nymerwell was of course still a way off from their final destination, but after almost a fortnight of traveling through the desert it was a welcome sight nonetheless.
“Thank the gods”, Lien said with a sigh as she arrived at the top of … [view original content]
Alright, so firstly Nealia will attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven. We'll see if they find a captain willing to take them to Clearhaven. It's possible, but definitely not guaranteed, since Nymerwell is a pretty small town, meaning there won't be a ton of captains to choose from, and everyone there is aware of the potential risks of sailing to Clearhaven now that the Martell-Dayne war has begun.
As for Emerson, he will reject Lena, which should make it clear to her that he doesn't want to be played with. How that will change their relationship going forward remains to be seen. Nonetheless, Emerson has his goal set on taking Godsgrace, which certainly won't be an easy task even with the Yronwood support.
And next up, we'll be getting a part from a brand new PoV. It's an already introduced character though, but that's all I will say. Well, one more thing, I have a feeling this character being made a PoV will surprise some of you, but I can promise I have a juicy storyline planned. Anyway, I hope to get the part done by tomorrow
Lastly, this time's addition to the Book 2 album of character portraits is Emerson Allyrion:
Voting is closed!
Alright, so firstly Nealia will attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven. We'll see if they find a captain willing to take t… morehem to Clearhaven. It's possible, but definitely not guaranteed, since Nymerwell is a pretty small town, meaning there won't be a ton of captains to choose from, and everyone there is aware of the potential risks of sailing to Clearhaven now that the Martell-Dayne war has begun.
As for Emerson, he will reject Lena, which should make it clear to her that he doesn't want to be played with. How that will change their relationship going forward remains to be seen. Nonetheless, Emerson has his goal set on taking Godsgrace, which certainly won't be an easy task even with the Yronwood support.
And next up, we'll be getting a part from a brand new PoV. It's an already introduced character though, but that's all I will say. Well, one more thing, I have a feeling this character being made a PoV will surprise … [view original content]
Arvin Manwoody stood by the door of the chambers, his wife Sanya sitting by the window on the opposite side of the room, both of them silent. Sanya was on her sixth month of pregnancy, and in just a few more months she would give birth to Arvin’s heir. Hopefully at least, the prince thought grimly. Sanya’s first pregnancy a year ago had ended in miscarriage.
Arvin was dressed in his traveling gear, ready to leave on a mission to the lands of House Safyre. Latest reports of the foreign band of outlaws had arrived from there, and Albin had finally agreed that something needed to be done about them. One of their latest victims had been Sanya’s cousin Ser Joffrey, though Arvin doubted that was the reason his father had decided to act. Murder of a nobleman was an unforgivable crime, but Albin had never truly valued the lives of his vassals. In truth, Arvin didn’t care about Joffrey either, but he did recognize that his death was a grave insult to their pride as the rulers of these lands.
“I came to say goodbye before I leave”, Arvin said calmly, closing the door behind him and stepping inside. Sanya shifted her gaze for a second to look at him, before turning her eyes towards the window again. “You have nothing to say?” Arvin asked sternly, to which his wife chuckled quietly.
“What do you want me to say?” she asked flatly. “Do you want me to proclaim my love for you, and tell you that I will pray every day for your safe return? We both know it’d be just a worthless lie, so why waste the breath.”
“Why do you have to be so fucking miserable all the time?” Arvin asked angrily, taking a few steps closer to her, and Sanya shot him with a cold glare. “Because there is nothing but misery in this place”, she answered emotionlessly. “That’s what your father rules with, fear and misery. And you, well, you are just another one of his loyal dogs. It sickens me that my child will have the blood of that madman in their veins.”
“I’m trying my best to make things better, but there is only so much I can do with my father still in charge”, Arvin argued, and Sanya narrowed her eyes. “You could’ve let Queen Sofina end his rule two years ago”, she insisted, and Arvin let out a cynical burst of laughter.
“We’ve gone through this before. It would’ve been treason”, he said, shaking his head with disbelief at Sanya’s thoughts. “Besides, it’s naïve to even think that Sofina would’ve been able to take charge of this kingdom. Had she succeeded, by now Yorick Yronwood would boast the title of Lord of Kingsgrave.”
“And would that truly be worse option than your father?” Sanya asked dryly. This time Arvin didn’t even bother with answering. He just shook his head, and stormed out of the room before he’d get too angry. Slamming the door behind him, he hastily walked down the corridor and past the chambers of his half-brothers. Arvin had never been particularly close with Brodin and Jullon, but after he killed their mother they had grown even more distant from him. He didn’t blame them for it, even if he had only done his duty in killing Sofina. Still, part of him feared that some day those boys would be his greatest enemies.
Approaching the end of the corridor, Arvin came across his uncle Alaric. The poor man looked pitiable in his current state, living in constant fear of his brother. Once he had had the courage to stand against some of Albin’s worse decisions, but the events two years ago had changed that. In fact, it was rare to even see Alaric outside of his own chambers these days.
“Prince Arvin”, he greeted his nephew with a gulp, an uncomfortable look in his eyes. “I just came to inform you that the men are ready and waiting.”
“Good, I’m ready to leave as well”, Arvin replied with a sigh, to which his uncle nodded. “I do truly wish you the best of luck with this mission”, Alaric said with a sincere tone, and a hint of his former confidence could be seen in his eyes. “This kingdom has gone through enough recently, the last thing we need is another enemy.”
“I have a feeling this new enemy is connected to one of the old ones”, Arvin responded sternly. “Wouldn’t put it past either Lord Caron or King Garrison to hire a bunch of sellswords to terrorize our lands.”
“I suppose you’re right”, Alaric said with a pensive tone as they begun to make their way down the stairs. “However, what strikes me as strange are the methods of these outlaws. It is as if they are not really here to terrorize our people, but rather to turn them against us.”
Arvin gave his uncle an alarmed glance. What he said was true, the reports of these outlaws explicitly said that they had for the most part only targeted soldiers, and there were rumors about them recruiting the smallfolk to their cause. What worried Arvin was the fact that convincing someone to hate Albin wasn’t exactly hard. The only hope we have is that our people fear their king more than they hate him.
As they arrived downstairs, Arvin stopped in his tracks and turned his gaze towards the corridor he knew his father’s chambers to be in. “My prince, I think it would be better if…”
Arvin ignored his uncle's concerned words and walked away, towards the king’s chambers. He walked past the many guards on the corridor, and then he saw the door being opened. Out walked Larry the Kind, the usual subtle smirk on his face. “Prince Arvin”, he greeted him with a polite tone, to which Arvin responded with a nod. “Is my father there?” He asked sternly.
“He is”, Larry answered hesitantly, glancing at the door behind him. “However, I believe we have an urgent mission ahead of us, my prince.”
“We do”, Arvin confirmed calmly, narrowing his eyes as he studied Larry’s face. “I’d still like to see my father before I leave.” He was about to step past Larry and walk in, but the freak blocked the way with his arm. “He is not alone”, he said tensely, looking Arvin to the eyes with a sharp glare.
“The Burned Witch?” Arvin asked quietly, and Larry nodded. “They wish not to be disturbed”, he said, the tone and emphasis on his words making clear it was meant as a warning. Arvin took in a deep breath, turning his eyes from Larry to the door, considering his choice.
[Go into Albin's chambers] [Leave without seeing Albin]
Ah, I actually wanted to leave a comment before this part, how one of the Kingsgrave characters is my strongest bet for the new PoV and I was actually torn between either Arvin or Valerie herself. I am really glad it's not the latter. Arvin as a PoV is nonetheless a surprise and I wouldn't have seen it coming at all just yesterday. The true winner in this situation is Tomas, because he is now officially no longer my least favourite PoV Yeah, I mean, Arvin is not his father, but he is a serious jerk nonetheless, truly a son of Albin, albeit, admittedly, without his cruelty and madness. But those dutifully following a mad tyrant are just as bad as the mad tyrant in my eyes. Sanya said it, he could have ended this, he could have let Sofina succeed in Book 1, but he declined to do so and as such, the people that will die under Albin's rule are all on him. I mean, it is a good thing that he doesn't agree with his father, but blind duty, loyalty without question, that is one of the worst traits imaginable. So, I harbour something bordering on hatred for that self-righteous prick and while he'd probably make a decent ruler of Kingsgrave once Albin is dealt with, I somewhat hope he'll share his father's fate (or take his father's place at the wall if Albin truly gets what he deserves). However, with that being said, I actually see a something speaking in his favour. As much as I'd love to hold him accountable for the atrocities Albin commited in the past two years and will commit in the years to come until he is disposed, I don't really see Arvin as an ally of Valerie. In fact, out of the entire court of Kingsgrave, I see him as one of the most decent people there, which doesn't speak in his favour, but rather says a lot about how messed up that place is. Not counting Sanya, whom I have actually grown to like in this part for the well-deserved coldness she treats her husband with, I see him as the most likely to actually turn on Valerie, perhaps even Albin if he gets off his high horse and stops priding himself in being such a good loyal dog. While I am not sure if that will happen, I think it is at least in the realms of possible that he'll turn against Valerie. This makes him a surprising, but possible ally for Team R'hllor. Get someone with decent arguments on the case and maybe he'll finally do the right thing for once. Up until then though, Arvin is firmly going to be a character I hate and let's be honest here, he deserves the hate. However, as strongly as I dislike him as a character, I actually love that he is the new PoV, because while he is the worst, his storyline is most likely going to be awesome and I am so excited for it I love having a PoV at Kingsgrave, someone who gives us a view on Albin and Valerie unlike anything we've seen before and that, paired with me hoping for him to turn against his father, is the one thing that prevents me from wishing for his death anytime soon.
[Leave without seeing Albin]
Well, the less Albin and that burned bitch appear, the better. While I would like to learn more about what they are up to, I see it as for the best if neither of them gets to influence Arvin any further. He's already enough of a bastard, we don't need to make this worse. At the same time, maybe the more time he spends with Valerie, the more his disgust will grow and eventually be stronger than his misplaced obedience. I am not sure, I could see either approach as the one to succeed when it comes to turn him into one of the good guys. For now though, if goddamn Larry warns him about it, hells, if goddamn Larry seems unsettled at something, it might be for the best to avoid it. Really, even Larry doesn't seem that bad anymore now that things have gone to a wholly new level of messed up with Valerie at the court and even he seems to have enough standards to be anything but pleased by her presence. As such, whatever they are doing in Albin's chambers right now, I am not so certain I want to know it and I certainly think it is for the best to avoid them right now.
Arvin
Arvin Manwoody stood by the door of the chambers, his wife Sanya sitting by the window on the opposite side of the room, both of th… moreem silent. Sanya was on her sixth month of pregnancy, and in just a few more months she would give birth to Arvin’s heir. Hopefully at least, the prince thought grimly. Sanya’s first pregnancy a year ago had ended in miscarriage.
Arvin was dressed in his traveling gear, ready to leave on a mission to the lands of House Safyre. Latest reports of the foreign band of outlaws had arrived from there, and Albin had finally agreed that something needed to be done about them. One of their latest victims had been Sanya’s cousin Ser Joffrey, though Arvin doubted that was the reason his father had decided to act. Murder of a nobleman was an unforgivable crime, but Albin had never truly valued the lives of his vassals. In truth, Arvin didn’t care about Joffrey either, but he did recognize that his death was a grav… [view original content]
Arvin
Arvin Manwoody stood by the door of the chambers, his wife Sanya sitting by the window on the opposite side of the room, both of th… moreem silent. Sanya was on her sixth month of pregnancy, and in just a few more months she would give birth to Arvin’s heir. Hopefully at least, the prince thought grimly. Sanya’s first pregnancy a year ago had ended in miscarriage.
Arvin was dressed in his traveling gear, ready to leave on a mission to the lands of House Safyre. Latest reports of the foreign band of outlaws had arrived from there, and Albin had finally agreed that something needed to be done about them. One of their latest victims had been Sanya’s cousin Ser Joffrey, though Arvin doubted that was the reason his father had decided to act. Murder of a nobleman was an unforgivable crime, but Albin had never truly valued the lives of his vassals. In truth, Arvin didn’t care about Joffrey either, but he did recognize that his death was a grav… [view original content]
Ah, I actually wanted to leave a comment before this part, how one of the Kingsgrave characters is my strongest bet for the new PoV and I was actually torn between either Arvin or Valerie herself. I am really glad it's not the latter. Arvin as a PoV is nonetheless a surprise and I wouldn't have seen it coming at all just yesterday. The true winner in this situation is Tomas, because he is now officially no longer my least favourite PoV Yeah, I mean, Arvin is not his father, but he is a serious jerk nonetheless, truly a son of Albin, albeit, admittedly, without his cruelty and madness. But those dutifully following a mad tyrant are just as bad as the mad tyrant in my eyes. Sanya said it, he could have ended this, he could have let Sofina succeed in Book 1, but he declined to do so and as such, the people that will die under Albin's rule are all on him. I mean, it is a good thing that he doesn't agree with his father, but blind duty, loyalty without question, that is one of the worst traits imaginable. So, I harbour something bordering on hatred for that self-righteous prick and while he'd probably make a decent ruler of Kingsgrave once Albin is dealt with, I somewhat hope he'll share his father's fate (or take his father's place at the wall if Albin truly gets what he deserves).
Heh, I was wondering if anyone had at least a hunch about this coming I think I said to you at some point that there would be coming a new PoV in Book 2 that could potentially replace Tomas as your least favorite. Well, Arvin was obviously the character I was referring to, and looks like I was indeed correct with my assumption But yeah, Arvin is not nearly as bad as his father, but it could definitely be said that by being so blindly loyal to him he shares some of the blame for the poor condition that the kingdom is in, especially considering his role in taking down Sofina's coup. This is something that definitely bothers him on some level, as we'll learn going forward in his storyline. Anyway, I'll definitely be interested to see how your and other readers' opinions on Arvin evolve as his story progresses.
However, with that being said, I actually see a something speaking in his favour. As much as I'd love to hold him accountable for the atrocities Albin commited in the past two years and will commit in the years to come until he is disposed, I don't really see Arvin as an ally of Valerie. In fact, out of the entire court of Kingsgrave, I see him as one of the most decent people there, which doesn't speak in his favour, but rather says a lot about how messed up that place is. Not counting Sanya, whom I have actually grown to like in this part for the well-deserved coldness she treats her husband with, I see him as the most likely to actually turn on Valerie, perhaps even Albin if he gets off his high horse and stops priding himself in being such a good loyal dog. While I am not sure if that will happen, I think it is at least in the realms of possible that he'll turn against Valerie. This makes him a surprising, but possible ally for Team R'hllor. Get someone with decent arguments on the case and maybe he'll finally do the right thing for once. Up until then though, Arvin is firmly going to be a character I hate and let's be honest here, he deserves the hate. However, as strongly as I dislike him as a character, I actually love that he is the new PoV, because while he is the worst, his storyline is most likely going to be awesome and I am so excited for it I love having a PoV at Kingsgrave, someone who gives us a view on Albin and Valerie unlike anything we've seen before and that, paired with me hoping for him to turn against his father, is the one thing that prevents me from wishing for his death anytime soon.
Interesting point, it indeed doesn't seem like Arvin is particularly close with Valerie. In fact, I'd say Valerie so far has had little to no interest towards Arvin, perhaps dismissing him as just another loyal servant of the king that she seeks to influence. And yeah, out of the named characters in Kingsgrave Arvin surprisingly is among the more decent people, if only because the rest are so rotten to the core And I can tell that Arvin definitely has an interesting journey ahead of him, and he may well have to step down from his high horse sooner or later, and really take a hard look at himself. All that said, Arvin won't really be a strictly Kingsgrave PoV, but rather just Manwoody kingdom PoV, since he's pretty much already leaving for a mission. Of course, he will likely return at some point, but for now getting into the chambers would probably be the best chance to get a glimpse of the situation between Albin and Valerie.
Ah, I actually wanted to leave a comment before this part, how one of the Kingsgrave characters is my strongest bet for the new PoV and I wa… mores actually torn between either Arvin or Valerie herself. I am really glad it's not the latter. Arvin as a PoV is nonetheless a surprise and I wouldn't have seen it coming at all just yesterday. The true winner in this situation is Tomas, because he is now officially no longer my least favourite PoV Yeah, I mean, Arvin is not his father, but he is a serious jerk nonetheless, truly a son of Albin, albeit, admittedly, without his cruelty and madness. But those dutifully following a mad tyrant are just as bad as the mad tyrant in my eyes. Sanya said it, he could have ended this, he could have let Sofina succeed in Book 1, but he declined to do so and as such, the people that will die under Albin's rule are all on him. I mean, it is a good thing that he doesn't agree with his father, but blind duty, loyalty w… [view original content]
Arvin
Arvin Manwoody stood by the door of the chambers, his wife Sanya sitting by the window on the opposite side of the room, both of th… moreem silent. Sanya was on her sixth month of pregnancy, and in just a few more months she would give birth to Arvin’s heir. Hopefully at least, the prince thought grimly. Sanya’s first pregnancy a year ago had ended in miscarriage.
Arvin was dressed in his traveling gear, ready to leave on a mission to the lands of House Safyre. Latest reports of the foreign band of outlaws had arrived from there, and Albin had finally agreed that something needed to be done about them. One of their latest victims had been Sanya’s cousin Ser Joffrey, though Arvin doubted that was the reason his father had decided to act. Murder of a nobleman was an unforgivable crime, but Albin had never truly valued the lives of his vassals. In truth, Arvin didn’t care about Joffrey either, but he did recognize that his death was a grav… [view original content]
[Leave without seeing Albin] Honestly, Arvin could use some time to get away from his father.
I was wondering if Arvin was married, glad we now know he married between books, to Sanya Purell right?
Now this is pretty awesome! If I remember correctly, someone asked about Arvin and you told them that he would play a bigger role in Book 2. By bigger role I definitely wasn't expecting him as a PoV! This makes sense since we do need a PoV on the Manwoody side of things and thinking about it now, he is the perfect choice. This first part of his was interesting with this insight into his character being something that I definitely enjoyed with him being surprisingly loyal to his father and even honorable in his own way by not turning against him when he probably could overthrow his father easily if the rest of his vassals shares Sanya's opinion. As far as his storyline goes, this is definitely going to be very exciting I'm sure with Arvin himself going after the Free Ravens and with all of the mystery surrounding them, I suppose time will tell if Arvin will be one to root for in his battles against them or not.
[Leave without seeing Albin]
While I do want to see what is going on in regards to Albin and Valerie, I don't think having Arvin go in there and see would be that great of an idea for him and with Arvin clearly showing blind loyalty to his father, I am going to try to pick choices that will eventually lead to Arvin breaking away from him if possible.
Arvin
Arvin Manwoody stood by the door of the chambers, his wife Sanya sitting by the window on the opposite side of the room, both of th… moreem silent. Sanya was on her sixth month of pregnancy, and in just a few more months she would give birth to Arvin’s heir. Hopefully at least, the prince thought grimly. Sanya’s first pregnancy a year ago had ended in miscarriage.
Arvin was dressed in his traveling gear, ready to leave on a mission to the lands of House Safyre. Latest reports of the foreign band of outlaws had arrived from there, and Albin had finally agreed that something needed to be done about them. One of their latest victims had been Sanya’s cousin Ser Joffrey, though Arvin doubted that was the reason his father had decided to act. Murder of a nobleman was an unforgivable crime, but Albin had never truly valued the lives of his vassals. In truth, Arvin didn’t care about Joffrey either, but he did recognize that his death was a grav… [view original content]
Now this is pretty awesome! If I remember correctly, someone asked about Arvin and you told them that he would play a bigger role in Book 2. By bigger role I definitely wasn't expecting him as a PoV! This makes sense since we do need a PoV on the Manwoody side of things and thinking about it now, he is the perfect choice. This first part of his was interesting with this insight into his character being something that I definitely enjoyed with him being surprisingly loyal to his father and even honorable in his own way by not turning against him when he probably could overthrow his father easily if the rest of his vassals shares Sanya's opinion. As far as his storyline goes, this is definitely going to be very exciting I'm sure with Arvin himself going after the Free Ravens and with all of the mystery surrounding them, I suppose time will tell if Arvin will be one to root for in his battles against them or not.
Yeah, I think I hinted towards Book 2 giving us a better understanding of Arvin as a character, and that's what I aim to do with his storyline He definitely understands that his father is flawed, but having grown up in Kingsgrave his perspective is a bit skewed regarding just how wrong Albin's rule truly is. It can't really be said that Arvin doesn't know of anything better (he has seen the court of Yronwood for example), but he is just used to rationalizing and downplaying his father's tyranny and cruelty. And while he has been sometimes abused by Albin himself, Arvin is still one of the few people thar Albin cares about at least on some level.
Heh, I was wondering if anyone had at least a hunch about this coming I think I said to you at some point that there would be coming a new PoV in Book 2 that could potentially replace Tomas as your least favorite. Well, Arvin was obviously the character I was referring to, and looks like I was indeed correct with my assumption But yeah, Arvin is not nearly as bad as his father, but it could definitely be said that by being so blindly loyal to him he shares some of the blame for the poor condition that the kingdom is in, especially considering his role in taking down Sofina's coup. This is something that definitely bothers him on some level, as we'll learn going forward in his storyline. Anyway, I'll definitely be interested to see how your and other readers' opinions on Arvin evolve as his story progresses.
I'd say I had a tiny bit of a hunch, but only because I thought about which characters I'd consider the least likely to receive a PoV at this point and Valerie was at the top of that list. From her, it wasn't really much of a stretch to assume it might be Arvin, because Valerie, well, she might have been a bit too much of an outlandish choice My runner-ups for unlikely but still relatively plausible PoV's, by the way, have been Desmor and Desirea, but after ruling out Valerie, Arvin has been my strongest bet, for a grand total of two hours until you released the part and confirmed it. I would say, Arvin really makes it easy to replace Tomas as my least favourite, though their general situation is quite similar. They are both characters who have, in theory, a couple of decent traits, but have some massive issues to overcome first before I could even consider liking them. Tomas is at the point where I feel at least neutral about him, but Arvin is arguably worse. I mean, Tomas served a relatively ordinary king and did something that is terrible but not exactly unthinkable in times of war. Arvin blindly serves a cruel madman and his actions have led to tons of suffering for literally everyone in his kingdom and probably the surrounding kingdoms as well, particularly the Fowler lands. Hell, even Albin would have been better off with Sofina's coup succeeding, because he's basically a mad dog who can only be put out of his misery. All of this and Arvin's self-righteous and unreflected attitude towards his wife's criticism makes him a hundred times worse than Tomas at his lowest. At the same time, I see just enough ground for him to improve to not write him off as a lost cause from the very beginning. Certainly, I will be curious how he will develop, but for now, there's some pretty massive issues he has to work out first. But the way I see it, Jaime Lannister started off as perhaps one of the least likeable characters in the novels as well and look how he turned out. And similarly, there is a serious lot Arvin has to overcome before I can even consider changing my opinion on him.
Interesting point, it indeed doesn't seem like Arvin is particularly close with Valerie. In fact, I'd say Valerie so far has had little to no interest towards Arvin, perhaps dismissing him as just another loyal servant of the king that she seeks to influence. And yeah, out of the named characters in Kingsgrave Arvin surprisingly is among the more decent people, if only because the rest are so rotten to the core And I can tell that Arvin definitely has an interesting journey ahead of him, and he may well have to step down from his high horse sooner or later, and really take a hard look at himself. All that said, Arvin won't really be a strictly Kingsgrave PoV, but rather just Manwoody kingdom PoV, since he's pretty much already leaving for a mission. Of course, he will likely return at some point, but for now getting into the chambers would probably be the best chance to get a glimpse of the situation between Albin and Valerie.
Then that settles my choice for good, I would very much prefer if she keeps this opinion on him, allowing Arvin to perhaps take a different path without her noticing it, opposing her while she still thinks little about him. But yeah, that guy definitely needs to have some sense beaten into him, because he genuinely seems to believe that as long as he is just following orders, he's doing the right thing and cannot be blamed for anything he does. I do have this hope that he will eventually realize the errors of his way, hopefully in time to actually support the numerous enemies of Albin and Valerie. In these regards, I could see him as a possible ally for Team R'hllor or the Free Ravens and his help would be highly appreciated, but I remain a bit on the fence, because the opposite, him remaining his father's loyal dog, is certainly something I see in the realms of possible as well.
Ah, I actually wanted to leave a comment before this part, how one of the Kingsgrave characters is my strongest bet for the new PoV and I wa… mores actually torn between either Arvin or Valerie herself. I am really glad it's not the latter. Arvin as a PoV is nonetheless a surprise and I wouldn't have seen it coming at all just yesterday. The true winner in this situation is Tomas, because he is now officially no longer my least favourite PoV Yeah, I mean, Arvin is not his father, but he is a serious jerk nonetheless, truly a son of Albin, albeit, admittedly, without his cruelty and madness. But those dutifully following a mad tyrant are just as bad as the mad tyrant in my eyes. Sanya said it, he could have ended this, he could have let Sofina succeed in Book 1, but he declined to do so and as such, the people that will die under Albin's rule are all on him. I mean, it is a good thing that he doesn't agree with his father, but blind duty, loyalty w… [view original content]
Arvin
Arvin Manwoody stood by the door of the chambers, his wife Sanya sitting by the window on the opposite side of the room, both of th… moreem silent. Sanya was on her sixth month of pregnancy, and in just a few more months she would give birth to Arvin’s heir. Hopefully at least, the prince thought grimly. Sanya’s first pregnancy a year ago had ended in miscarriage.
Arvin was dressed in his traveling gear, ready to leave on a mission to the lands of House Safyre. Latest reports of the foreign band of outlaws had arrived from there, and Albin had finally agreed that something needed to be done about them. One of their latest victims had been Sanya’s cousin Ser Joffrey, though Arvin doubted that was the reason his father had decided to act. Murder of a nobleman was an unforgivable crime, but Albin had never truly valued the lives of his vassals. In truth, Arvin didn’t care about Joffrey either, but he did recognize that his death was a grav… [view original content]
Alright, the result is clear as day even if it hasn't been the most active voting, so let's move on. Arvin will leave without seeing Albin. Definitely the safer option, avoiding possibly pissing off Albin, and perhaps more importantly staying out of Valerie's radar. Next time we see Arvin, he'll be leaving on his mission to the lands of House Safyre.
Next up, we'll reintroduce the storylines of the Blackmont siblings, with a part for both Gwendis and Naemon. I've made some decent progress on these parts, Gwendis' being basically done by now, but I'm not 100% sure if I'll be able to post them today. If not, then tomorrow.
And of course I have a new portrait for our newest PoV, Prince Arvin Manwoody:
Naemon held his dulled training sword high, staring his squire Davos Dayne sternly into his purple eyes. Davos moved for a strike, but Naemon parried it, and riposted with a downward slash that hit the boy on his collarbone. Having shaken his defense, Naemon rushed to tackle Davos to the ground.
Davos groaned slightly as he got back up on his feet, a pained smirk on his face. He had grown a lot during these last two years, being merely couple inches shorter than Naemon now. Not only that, Davos' skill with the sword had improved greatly as well, leaving no room for Naemon to be sloppy.
“So, do you think your father is right?” Davos asked casually, preparing himself to continue the sparring. Naemon shrugged, before moving for an attack. He struck twice, and Davos deflected both. “Right about what?” Naemon asked sternly.
“You know what I mean”, Davos responded, striking from above. Naemon parried his strike, and leaped back to dodge the following swing. “Do you think your sister could be alive? And living in Volantis?” Davos continued curiously.
Naemon lowered his sword now, taking in a deep breath. “I wouldn’t trust Benedict’s delusions”, he said calmly, even if in his heart he wanted to believe that there was some truth to what his father had told him. “His magic has brought nothing but harm so far… better not expect anything more from it. Now, concentrate.”
“Yessir”, Davos responded with a dutiful tone, and so they continued their sparring.
-
Later that day, Naemon approached the council chamber, having taken a bath and changed his gear after the training. While at first he had felt out of place at these meetings, during the past two years they had started to feel more and more like just another routine. That didn’t mean Naemon enjoyed the council meetings, far from it, but he suffered through them with dignity and honor.
Stepping inside the council room, Naemon saw his father sitting at the head of the table. It was a rare sight to see Benedict taking part in these meeting, and it was also an indication that something particularly important would be discussed. Right next to Benedict sat Noctis and Maester Mortin. Around the middle of the table were seated Ser Kegan Drinkwater and Braddock Blackmont, and closer to the other end were Ser Thomos the Thunder and Davos Dayne, who had also changed into more suitable clothing.
Naemon took his seat at the opposing end from his father, nodding wordlessly to greet the council members. “Welcome, Prince Naemon”, Mortin said with his warm and polite tone. “We were just about to start with the first subject of this meeting.”
“And what would that be?” Naemon asked calmly, leaning back on his chair. The maester pulled a scroll from his sleeve. “A message from Oakswood”, he stated, laying the scroll on the table. “Ser Edwyn informs that a small convoy of knights have arrived from the Reach, led by a man named Ser Blaine Bulwer. Edwyn writes that Ser Blaine has told his mission to be to find a bunch of runaway Reachman nobles from Dorne, and that he has no intent on disturbing or upsetting the local authorities while fulfilling his mission.”
“We should invite the man here”, Ser Kegan said sternly, glancing at the King. “That way we can judge ourselves if this Bulwer knight can truly be trusted.”
A short silence followed, as Benedict looked at Naemon and gave him a meaningful nod. “I agree with Ser Kegan”, Naemon spoke up calmly. “Maester Mortin, send a raven back to Oakswood, inviting Ser Blaine and his companions here.”
“As you wish, my prince”, Mortin spoke with a dutiful nod, before pulling another scroll from his sleeve. “The other two subjects of today’s meeting are connected”, he continued with a small sigh, pulling one more scroll from his sleeve. “New messages have arrived from both Starfall and Skyreach. King Garrison seeks our aid against the Martells, and King Vorian suggests we should indeed help the Fowlers.”
“Of course he does”, Benedict said sharply. “If Skyreach falls, the Martells are free to march to the Torrentine from the north.”
“That would be bad for us as well, Your Grace”, Ser Thomos pointed out, and Benedict nodded. “Indeed”, the King spoke with some frustration. “The future of Dorne hangs in the balance, and we must be careful not to perish in all this chaos surrounding us. Whatever we choose to do, defense of our own lands will be paramount.”
“I agree, Your Grace”, Ser Kegan spoke up carefully. “However, we’ve had two good years of peace after our defeat in Kingsgrave. The situation is stable now, we should be able to spare some troops to aid the Fowlers.”
“And who will lead these troops?” Benedict asked calmly, his gaze shifting from Kegan to Naemon, and from Naemon to Thomos. A tense silence lingered in the room, and Naemon noticed Davos looking at him eagerly. Of course, the boy was hungry for a chance at glory, and Naemon couldn’t deny that he was ready for it. However, he himself didn’t feel the urge to march to war. Defending your own lands was one thing, but Naemon had little interest for the conflicts of House Fowler.
[Lead the troops yourself] [Suggest Kegan or Thomos]
-
Gwendis
Gwendis Blackmont stood on the balcony of her apartment. It was still early in the morning, but Volantis had already woken up. Slaves were running the errands of their masters on the streets, guardsmen clad in silver mail shirts and polished helms with tiger masks patrolled the streets, merchants hurried their goods to the markets, and so on. Gwendis’ apartment was close to the Temple of the Lord of Light, but her balcony was faced on the opposite direction, so what she saw instead were the massive Black Wall around the Old Volantis, and the busy Silk Market next to it. Tall and decorated towers of the Volantene nobles peaked from behind the wall, and every now and then a dragon or two could be seen and heard flying above them. Turning her gaze slightly to the west, Gwendis could almost see to the Long Bridge, but the glamorous bathhouses and high-end brothels made of white marble blocked her view.
“Oh, you’re already up”, Gwendis heard a friendly female voice behind her, and turned to see a pale and slim young woman with long silver hair and bright violet eyes. Laela was the trainee and attendant of the High Priestess, and Gwendis had shared an apartment with her for over a year now, ever since she had learned to completely repress her connection to the Great Other. “You look a bit distracted, Gwen. Is everything alright?” Laela asked calmly, taking a sip of her grapefruit juice.
“I’m fine, I just… had a strange dream last night”, Gwendis explained with a subtle gulp, knowing it sounded more serious than it was. Laela narrowed her eyes in a concerned manner and tilted her head slightly. “Not the nightmares again?” she asked quietly, and Gwendis quickly shook her head. “No, nothing like that”, she clarified with a small sigh. “This wasn’t a nightmare, but it wasn’t a normal dream either… it was like it was real.”
“Well, what happened in the dream?” Laela asked curiously, now leaning on the railing of the balcony. “I saw my father”, Gwendis answered, a shy smile forming on her face. “He spoke to me, begged me to come back home. I know it was a dream, but… it felt like it was really him.”
Laela eyed her silently for a moment, perhaps to determine whether she was serious or not. “Interesting”, she finally said with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about, but… perhaps your father did actual contact you.”
“Would that be possible?” Gwendis asked, unable to hide her excitement, to which Laela chuckled softly. “Well, I know that glass candles can be used to enter other people’s dreams from across the world”, she responded with a relaxed tone. “However, they are extremely rare west of the Narrow Sea, and require a deep knowledge of magic to use. Do you think your father would have one?”
“I don’t know”, Gwendis admitted with a small sigh, turning her gaze towards the black walls. “However, I do know that there are several sorcerers among his retainers, so it’s not impossible.”
“Perhaps I should look at the flames tonight and find out”, Laela suggested with a playful tone, and Gwendis gave her a questioning look. “And you think R’hllor would show you?” She asked doubtingly. “I mean, why would he care about something menial like this?” Of course finding out if her father had truly tried to contact her wasn’t a menial issue to Gwendis, but she found it unlikely the gods cared about it.
“From what I can tell, the gods care about you a lot”, Laela responded with a shrug. “Wouldn’t hurt to try anyway, would it?”
“No, I suppose it wouldn’t”, Gwendis said quietly, and Laela gave her an encouraging smile. The whole time she had spent here in Volantis Gwendis had known that someday she would go back home, but she had also feared the reaction of her father and brother. If Benedict is truly calling for me with magic, there is no doubt he’ll welcome me back with open arms.
“Belan”, Laela exclaimed suddenly, waking Gwendis from her thoughts. She turned her gaze down to the street where Laela was looking, and indeed Belan the Brave could be seen walking towards the house, clad in his light armor and red cape, carrying a short sword on his hip and a small round shield on his back. Belan was now sixteen, having grown into a man, and still as loyal to Desirea as always. He noticed them at the balcony and stopped right under it. “Laela, Gwen, good to see you’re up already”, he greeted them calmly. “Desi sent me to fetch you. The High Priestess is holding a meeting by the noon, and Desi thinks both of you should be present.”
“You mean Sirai is holding a meeting”, Laela responded with a smirk. “Come on Belan, she is your mother, you don’t have to refer to her by her title.”
“She may be my mother, but she is the High Priestess first and foremost”, Belan stated sternly, a sharp look in his eyes. “You of all people should understand that, Laela.”
“Always so dutiful”, Laela replied with an amused tone. “Anyway, we’ll come in a moment”, she then yelled to Belan, heading back inside the apartment, and Gwendis followed. They changed their clothes, brushed and braided each other’s hairs and had a brief breakfast, before finally heading out.
“In a moment”, Belan grumbled sarcastically Laela’s earlier words as they approached him on the street, and Laela shot him with a glare. “Quiet, boy”, she said playfully, starting to walk towards the temple. The noblemen of Volantis would never traverse the streets afoot, instead using palanquins carried by slaves or riding elephants, but the red priests were less sensitive about appearing lowly. After all, it was the slaves and lowest of the freeborn that mostly worshipped R’hllor here, whereas the noblemen of Volantis prayed to the gods of Valyria.
“Did Desirea tell what this meeting is about?” Gwendis asked as they were walking through the plaza in front of the temple. “Something about Dorne, that’s all I know”, Belan answered, the expression on his face souring for a moment. It was understandable that Belan didn’t like to talk about Dorne, since it was where he had lost his father two years ago.
“Well, I suppose that explains why Sirai wants Gwen to take part in the meeting”, Laela said calmly, glancing at Gwendis with a pondering expression. “However, I can’t see what there could be to talk about Dorne. After all, the mission there was a success, the agents of the Great Other were defeated. Right?”
“I saw them die”, Belan confirmed quietly, a hint of anger in his voice. For a moment they were all silent, until Laela spoke up with a sigh. “Well, they do say that the struggle between R’hllor and Great Other will continue until the Long Night comes again, and Azor Ahai is reborn”, she said with a pondering tone, as they arrived at the stairs leading up to the temple. “But more of the enemy in Dorne, could it really be?”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions, perhaps this has nothing to do with the Great Other”, Gwendis intervened calmly, and Laela gave her a nod. “You’re right”, she said with a small chuckle. “Perhaps Sirai just seeks to convert some of the Dornish nobility now that the threat of the Great Other is dealt with.”
Gwendis smiled and nodded to her friend’s words, though she feared the truth could be something much worse. However, her concern faded as they walked into the magnificent hallway of the temple. Massive orange pillars reached the dome ceiling of the hall, fires burned in the braziers around them, and a long red carpet was laid on the limestone floor between them.
Approaching the end of the hallway, they were approached by Desirea. She had grown into a young woman during these two years, towering Gwendis by almost a foot. She was dressed in a bright red dress, which complimented her svelte body. In her dark eyes was a concerned and empathetic look, as she gave a small nod to Gwendis, Laela and Belan.
“Morning, Desi”, Laela was the first to speak up, just a tiny hint of coldness in her words. Gwendis knew Laela to be somewhat jealous of Desirea, since it was clear the High Priestess saw the younger girl as the future of the church of R’hllor, instead of her apprentice.
“Morning”, Desi responded warmly. “I’m glad to see you came so soon, but we’re still waiting for one more guest before we can begin the meeting”, she continued calmly.
“We were just wondering what this meeting is about”, Gwendis spoke up with a casual and friendly tone. “Belan mentioned it might have something to do with Dorne.”
“Indeed”, Desi confirmed with a small sigh, taking in a deep breath before continuing. “There are… several things, and it’s probably best to leave most of it for the meeting itself. However, I suppose I could tell you my part in this.”
“Go ahead”, Laela prompted with a nonchalant tone, to which Desi nodded. “The visions our lord has given me recently, they have been troubling to say the least”, she began hesitantly. “Every time I look into the flames, R’hllor shows me darkness lingering above the sands, under the blazing sun.”
“Dorne”, Belan concluded grimly, and Desirea nodded in confirmation. “Yes, I believe so”, she said bitterly, shaking her head slightly. “It seems our mission wasn’t as successful as we believed. A mere shadow of our enemy remained alive, stayed hidden and licked its wounds. However, it seems now that shadow has grown more powerful.”
“But how?” Laela asked with a genuinely curious tone, completely dropping her earlier attitude. “I don’t know”, Desirea admitted with a sigh, an uncomfortable look in her eyes. “Anyway, like I said we’re still waiting for one more guest to arrive, but unless you want to ask something more you can already make your way to the High Priestess’ quarters.”
Belan remained by Desirea’s side, and Laela glanced at Gwendis, ready to leave, but Gwendis hesitated. Since they were already talking about Dorne, perhaps she should bring up the dream she had about her father. Then again, she doubted the dream had anything to do with this threat that Desirea had been sensing, and she didn’t want to concern her over nothing.
[Tell Desi about the dream] [Go to the High Priestess quarters]
Aaaah, Gwen and Naemon I am so happy right now to see them both back! I consider a happy dance to be in order So, let me start with Naemon first. This part was short but sweet, making me super hyped for his storyline in Book 2. As expected, Naemon has settled into his new role a bit by now, but I think it's really clear, he has no passion for all this. In general, he seems to have lost some of his passion, this easy-going vibe he always had in his early parts. Can't say I blame him for that, but it is sad to see how much these two years have changed him into a more serious and stern person. I suppose having his best friend taken away and being forced into a role he never wanted can have such an effect, but it was nonetheless a harsh contrast. It also seems like he's really not believing his father and I assume at this point he has given up hope that Gwendis' return to Blackmont is any realistic. This is perhaps the saddest aspect of his part. He is faced with evidence that Gwen is alive and well and possibly making her return home, but after two years of grieving, he is probably too wary to actually hope this to be true, either out of fear to be disappointed, or because he simply distrusts Benedict this much.
And Gwendis... oh, oh this was already a highlight for me and a much more positive part than Naemon's more gloomy situation. I doubt things will stay that way for her, so I am going to cherish this as long as it lasts. She's in Volantis, she has notably recovered from her ordeal with the Great Other assholes, she even gained a friend and roommate! It's like college for her, if college would consist of a bunch of super religious cultists. So... I guess it's kinda like college in Texas But back to the topic, it was amazing to see her back and in her new situation. Obviously, she has settled in well, she seemed to have gained an actual friend in Laela (and I swear, I had a hard time not reading that name as "Lyla" XD), as well as having become friends with Belan and probably Desi. I am so happy about all this, even though I am a bit curious about her actual role in the R'hllor church. She doesn't seem to hold any official positions, so is she, like, their guest? Or maybe a patient, given that they helped her with getting rid of that pesky Great Other influence in her head. I fear this connection could return though once she leaves Volantis and gets closer to Valerie again and I really doubt she has gotten rid of the demon for good. But focus on the good things, she seems the happiest I've seen her in, well, probably forever, given that her early Blackmont parts haven't been particularly happy either. I like Laela already and I am really wanting to learn more about her, there are some interesting dynamics with her, Desi and Gwen. And I am curious to whom this other guest is whom Desi is waiting to meet. It seems to be something built up as a surprise and secret, else I would have expected a name drop here. Probably someone important, not necessarily a character we already know about, but undoubtedly someone who will play quite a role as things progress and I wonder whom it could be. But ah, I am excited for Gwen in Book 2, seeing her storyline in Volantis, even if I suppose it'll only be a brief part of this book, but also seeing her return to Dorne and how she settles into that new conflict, not only between R'hllor and Great Other, but also the conflict between Nymeria and the rest of Dorne which is rapidly growing. Safe to say, I am sufficiently hyped for the future
Now, at last, the choices!
[Lead the troops yourself]
Out of the two choices here, this one's the harder for me this time. Because thing is, we know the defense of the Fowler lands is eventually doomed to fail. I am admittedly scared that something will happen to Naemon as a result of this and even before Gwen actually manages to reunite with him, but I don't think it'll be as simple as that. Most likely, this choice won't spell inevitable doom for Naemon, not more than staying in Blackmont and facing other potential threats, so if we make the right choices as things progress, this could instead be a chance for him to prove himself further. See, I do have a long-term goal with my choices for the Blackmont siblings. Obviously, I do favour Gwen as the Lady Blackmont eventually, it was part of my reason to even do something as reckless as going with Aisha. However, neither do I want anything bad to happen to Naemon and this means, if Gwen wants to have any chance to take what is her birthright under Nymeria's rule, not only is it necessary that she gets through the coming conflict alive, but Naemon also needs a different role. Leading the armies, that is something he can do and I think he can do it well. A chance to prove himself as a commander and, on a minor note, a chance to see the events in Skyreach develop. I am particularly curious to see potential interaction between Naemon and Desmor, so that makes the option a bit too tempting to miss out on
[Tell Desi about the dream]
This one's a bit easier to me. Sure, I don't want to trouble Desi any further than necessary. However, I think it will be necessary for her to know the full picture, including details that might not be all that relevant. If Gwen's dream is indeed not of importance to the ongoing Great Other threat, then I have no doubt that Desi will be able to realize this, leaving her not more concerned than before. However, if it is important, if there is any sort of connection, then she should know. The one connection I could see is the glass candle. Laela already speculated into this direction and Desi should be able to put two and two together. Maybe the presence of a glass candle in Blackmont and the fact that it has been used (and could potentially draw danger to Blackmont like moths to the light) will change Desi's own thoughts and strategies about facing the Great Other threat. In any way, even if it is a minor detail for the overall conflict, it is not something that should be hidden, especially not to someone such as Desi, whom I consider to be wholeheartedly trustworthy.
Naemon
Naemon held his dulled training sword high, staring his squire Davos Dayne sternly into his purple eyes. Davos moved for a strike,… more but Naemon parried it, and riposted with a downward slash that hit the boy on his collarbone. Having shaken his defense, Naemon rushed to tackle Davos to the ground.
Davos groaned slightly as he got back up on his feet, a pained smirk on his face. He had grown a lot during these last two years, being merely couple inches shorter than Naemon now. Not only that, Davos' skill with the sword had improved greatly as well, leaving no room for Naemon to be sloppy.
“So, do you think your father is right?” Davos asked casually, preparing himself to continue the sparring. Naemon shrugged, before moving for an attack. He struck twice, and Davos deflected both. “Right about what?” Naemon asked sternly.
“You know what I mean”, Davos responded, striking from above. Naemon parried his strike, and leaped back t… [view original content]
The Blackmont's have returned! It is nice to see these two again with the both of them dealing with several changes throughout the start of the story to where they are now and I am sure their storylines in this book will be just as awesome! There really isn't much for me to add with what Liquid already said so I will get to the choices themselves and my reasons behind them!
[Lead the troops yourself]
There is definitely more risk involved with this choice but at the same time, I think Naemon will still be in a pretty safe position if we pick the right choices. Besides as the heir to Blackmont, Naemon should be heavily protected if he chooses to be to where he could lead from the back just like he did in the battle against Karsan's rebels. Obviously if war with the Martell's come for him, it will be a way bigger battle but even still, he shouldn't be in too much danger unless he chooses to be of course. While helping the Fowler's doesn't seem to be ideal for Naemon, it does seem like a sound choice for him from his PoV I believe as well since if Skyreach falls, Blackmont is pretty much wide open for the Martell's to attack. On a side note though, it does look as if the Fowler's are going to put up a fight even with the overwhelming numbers on their lands but with the 500 Dayne men, however many man Blackmont have and the remaining Fowler men, Mors may actually be in a little bit of trouble here and if not, it still holds potential for an epic battle! Also, Naemon and Desmor interactions have to happen and with the option now there, this potential meeting is near the top of my choices of characters that I want to see meet
[Tell Desi about the dream]
I see minimal danger with this choice and with someone as wise as Desi around, Gwendis should take every chance she gets to obtain advice and gain knowledge from her.
Naemon
Naemon held his dulled training sword high, staring his squire Davos Dayne sternly into his purple eyes. Davos moved for a strike,… more but Naemon parried it, and riposted with a downward slash that hit the boy on his collarbone. Having shaken his defense, Naemon rushed to tackle Davos to the ground.
Davos groaned slightly as he got back up on his feet, a pained smirk on his face. He had grown a lot during these last two years, being merely couple inches shorter than Naemon now. Not only that, Davos' skill with the sword had improved greatly as well, leaving no room for Naemon to be sloppy.
“So, do you think your father is right?” Davos asked casually, preparing himself to continue the sparring. Naemon shrugged, before moving for an attack. He struck twice, and Davos deflected both. “Right about what?” Naemon asked sternly.
“You know what I mean”, Davos responded, striking from above. Naemon parried his strike, and leaped back t… [view original content]
Naemon
Naemon held his dulled training sword high, staring his squire Davos Dayne sternly into his purple eyes. Davos moved for a strike,… more but Naemon parried it, and riposted with a downward slash that hit the boy on his collarbone. Having shaken his defense, Naemon rushed to tackle Davos to the ground.
Davos groaned slightly as he got back up on his feet, a pained smirk on his face. He had grown a lot during these last two years, being merely couple inches shorter than Naemon now. Not only that, Davos' skill with the sword had improved greatly as well, leaving no room for Naemon to be sloppy.
“So, do you think your father is right?” Davos asked casually, preparing himself to continue the sparring. Naemon shrugged, before moving for an attack. He struck twice, and Davos deflected both. “Right about what?” Naemon asked sternly.
“You know what I mean”, Davos responded, striking from above. Naemon parried his strike, and leaped back t… [view original content]
[Suggest Kegan or Thomos] Meeting the men from the Reach could be interesting, after all their relationships have been uneasy since the reign of Garth the Painter. [Go to the High Priestess quarters] I'm having curiosity about meeting Belan's mother and what they think about Gwendis' presence.
Naemon
Naemon held his dulled training sword high, staring his squire Davos Dayne sternly into his purple eyes. Davos moved for a strike,… more but Naemon parried it, and riposted with a downward slash that hit the boy on his collarbone. Having shaken his defense, Naemon rushed to tackle Davos to the ground.
Davos groaned slightly as he got back up on his feet, a pained smirk on his face. He had grown a lot during these last two years, being merely couple inches shorter than Naemon now. Not only that, Davos' skill with the sword had improved greatly as well, leaving no room for Naemon to be sloppy.
“So, do you think your father is right?” Davos asked casually, preparing himself to continue the sparring. Naemon shrugged, before moving for an attack. He struck twice, and Davos deflected both. “Right about what?” Naemon asked sternly.
“You know what I mean”, Davos responded, striking from above. Naemon parried his strike, and leaped back t… [view original content]
Naemon
Naemon held his dulled training sword high, staring his squire Davos Dayne sternly into his purple eyes. Davos moved for a strike,… more but Naemon parried it, and riposted with a downward slash that hit the boy on his collarbone. Having shaken his defense, Naemon rushed to tackle Davos to the ground.
Davos groaned slightly as he got back up on his feet, a pained smirk on his face. He had grown a lot during these last two years, being merely couple inches shorter than Naemon now. Not only that, Davos' skill with the sword had improved greatly as well, leaving no room for Naemon to be sloppy.
“So, do you think your father is right?” Davos asked casually, preparing himself to continue the sparring. Naemon shrugged, before moving for an attack. He struck twice, and Davos deflected both. “Right about what?” Naemon asked sternly.
“You know what I mean”, Davos responded, striking from above. Naemon parried his strike, and leaped back t… [view original content]
Comments
It's true, at first they probably wouldn't know but its hard to keep the truth hidden forever, especially since the Ironborn aren't exactly the smartest bunch out there. Besides, who else would profit the most from the Ironborn raiding the Daynes if not Nymeria herself since she just recently seized Clearhaven? I doubt it would take long for the nobles to come to that conclusion, and even if Nymeria had nothing to do with such raids she'd definitely be the one benefiting the most out of them. Then there's another thing, this trade deal between Dorne and the Iron Islands, at some point people would eventually notice the numerous longships going from the Sandship to the Iron Islands to deliver goods back and forth. With that in mind, it wouldn't be hard to put 2 and 2 together and figure out what's going on.
Still, I feel like that wouldn't even be the only main issue here, think about how Nymeria's own people would feel about working with the Ironborn. I highly doubt someone like Valor would look kindly to allying himself with Ironborn, Lysera and the people who know what the Ironborn did to her would take an immense hit to their morale, and even some of Nymeria's own bannermen would think twice before forming alliances with the Ironborn.
[Allow the Ironborn raid to Torrentine]
Huh, I must say, this is one of the biggest surprises in the story, so far, to be absolutely honest. King Harmund is certainly the last character I would have expected to appear, so him visiting Nymeria here is something I would have never guessed, because I haven't even seen the possibility. And I like it
It's weird writing something about a guy named Harmund and not hating his guts, but he seems like an actually reasonable man. I mean, given what we know about him, that was to be expected, but still, I like him and I really love this alliance between him and Nymeria. If only his successors would have followed the same route, I'd say.
[Deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine]
Ah, that is a surprisingly hard choice, because I would like more Ironborn in the story, though not at that price. My sympathies aren't clearly pro-Dayne and obviously, but at the same time, I believe this doesn't have to be a pro-Dayne option either. Of course, not having Ironborn raiding the shores of their kingdom will be good for them, but I also think it will be good for Nymeria in the long run. See, allowing the Ironborn to raid there is admittedly a bit of a scumbag move. Nymeria's goal however is not to destroy the Dayne lands, it is to conquer the Dayne lands and to rule over them. Accepting any other ruler after Vorian will be hard enough, but if said ruler conquered with the help of marauding Ironborn? Yeah, I could see this giving her some major problems with the Dayne lands after Vorian's defeat. She already seeks to replace a capable and well-liked ruler, it can only make her task harder if she starts off as the dreaded conqueror who allowed Ironborn to slaughter the Torrentine's families while the soldiers were preoccupied. Because this is what it's going to narrow down to, Vorian's armies will be in the field fighting against Nymeria, means the ones who would be targeted by this would be those left behind, the families of these soldiers. If the conspiracy won't be dealt with by the time Book 2 is over, then I believe such a move would work to empower them greatly.
You certainly bring up a good point here. This is very much a morality vs. convenience type of choice for Nymeria, but it's true that allowing the Ironborn to raid Torrentine could have negative ripple effects for Nym herself in the long run, such as difficulties in building trust with those she wishes to rule over. And yeah, King Harmund himself may perhaps be seen as a good long-term ally, but most of his vassals are notably less trustworthy.
Hehe, yeah I figured this would be a surprise, but considering what we know of Harmund the Haggler from canon, as well as the fairly major role the Ironborn already had in Book 1, I thought this made sense
And oh yes, this is a very different kind of Hoare royalty from what we've seen in FoT 
At this moment it would seem that the Ironborn are at the brink of fully assimilating into the Greenlander culture, but well, let's just say shit happens in the following decades.
It is safe to say that plenty of surprises came from this part! I can't say I ever expected us to see a foreign king during Nymeria's conquest of Dorne especially the King of the Iron Islands but it definitely was a nice inclusion adding a Harmund the Haggler appearance into the story! Thinking about it now, the Kingdom of the Iron Islands relationship with the rest of Westeros has been mentioned on more than one occasion especially by Bjorn and the rest of his crew in Book 1 so I guess it could have been a hint for his appearance here! From what has been established about Harmund, it definitely isn't outside of the realm of possibility for himself to want to ally with Nymeria as trade partners but I suppose how willing his vassals are to take part will be a huge factor in if this partnership will be successful moving forward. As far as my choice goes, I am definitely going to have Nymeria [Deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine]
Javier and Liquid have pretty much said my exact thoughts as for why I am picking this choice with there not being much for me to add but I will say that this definitely is the best choice for Nymeria is she wants to have an easier road to winning the people of the Torrentine's respect. As Liquid said, most of the men will be off fighting in the war so all the Ironborn would be doing is terrorizing innocent people which definitely isn't a way for her to win their respect especially since unlike the Kingdom of Brimstone, the Kingdom of the Torrentine actually has a well respected ruler already with there really not being much of a need for her conquest there anyway so Nymeria actually letting the Ironborn raid the Kingdom of Torrentine will only cause problems for her moving forward.
I would also like to add that you did a phenomenal job on Isabella's Book 2 portrait! The amethyst necklace she received for a wedding present was definitely a nice touch and just like her book one portrait, this portrait was definitely just as I imagined her! I know I have said this before but it really is impressive how you are able to draw someone with only our descriptions to go off of. It really is awesome and I am always excited to see a new portrait whenever they appear. Oh and I probably should have mentioned this in Isabella's part but I am pretty sure that I was about half asleep when I submitted my vote for it and forgot to mention it so I will include it here
Man Wildling, I actually thought about Jamison saying something just like this about not wanting to be a footnote in future history books and thought it would be cool if he ended up saying something like this in the story so this was definitely a pleasant surprise! The entire line really says alot about his character and the entire conversation between Isabella and Jamison while sad to read because of Isabella's pain was also epic at the same time because it really shows Jamison's ambition perfectly! Sorry for mentioning it here but as I said, I forgot to mention it in Isabella's part and it was just too epic of a line not to bring up so I had to mention it here
Yeah, considering that NW is so heavily focused on Dorne the royalty of the other Westerosi kingdoms understandably haven't had much of a role beyond some mentions here and there. However, it was precisely the big involvement of Ironborn characters in Book 1 that gave me this idea in the first place. Like you say there was a lot of talk about the current political climate of the Iron Isles with Bjorn and his crew, which ties nicely into this development. And yeah, many of Harmund's vassals aren't crazy about all these alliances he is making with mainland Westerosi, but there should be enough willing captains in Iron Isles to establish at least some degree of trade with Dorne. How long such partnership will last is another question though. After all, we know that Harmund's reforms won't end up changing much of the Ironborn culture in the long run, given that said culture still lingers on in 300 AC, about a millennium after the events of NW
Thank you, I'm very happy to hear you're satisfied with Isabella's portrait!
I mean, I'd do them anyways because I can't help myself, but it's certainly nice and encouraging to hear from the creators of the characters that I've nailed their looks in the portraits.
Aha, this line was basically the first thing I knew I wanted to include in that part
Like you say, it really encapsulates Jamison's personality and motives, and since he is saying this to Isabella we can be sure he is earnest. Fame and glory really are important to him, perhaps partially because of the praise and recognition it will give him in this life, but even more importantly because he wants to be remembered long after he dies. Isabella brings up a good point in remarking that he won't be there to witness how he is remembered in the future, but that's just not the way Jamison sees it 
[Deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine]
Voting is closed!
Alright, so Nymeria will deny the Ironborn raid to Torrentine, taking the morally higher approach here. And like some of you brought up, there may be some pragmatic reasons for this option as well.
Anyway, as expected, God of War has distracted me more than I'd like to admit
That said, I have managed to make some progress with writing the story as well, and I'll try to return to posting two PoVs at once with these next parts. The ones I'm working on are Nealia and Emerson, and the plan is to get them posted during the weekend.
Oh, and another addition to the Book 2 album, Princess Nymeria herself:
Gotta say, I really like this portrait! Of course, the quality is always great, but when compared to the Book 1 version of Nym, this one shows some pretty neat development for her as a character. She looks more, I don't know how else to say it, dornish in this version. The Book 1 version was clearly more of a Rhoynar fugitive and while she still definitely has the Rhoynar elements, she seems to have gotten closer to the dornish side as well in terms of dress and hairstyle, showing how she has comfortably settled in her new rule as queen of roughly half of Dorne. Makes her my favourite portrait out of the Book 2 portraits so far and I really am excited to see the rest of them and how they might have developed over the timeskip
Nealia
Nealia Sand removed the veil from her face, seeing the town of Nymerwell in the horizon, basking in the light of the setting sun. With a relieved smile on her face she turned back towards her traveling companions who were still making their way up the dune. “We’re here, I can see Nymerwell!” she yelled at them cheerfully, which was received by happy and relieved expressions.
Lien Yu was riding the camel, since her leg couldn’t withstand long walks, and she was flanked by her sister Ying and the old Valyrian adventurer named Gauron Aerarys. He had been friendly and helpful to them during their time in Godsgrace, and decided to join their journey out of interest to see Starfall with his own eyes. Nymerwell was of course still a way off from their final destination, but after almost a fortnight of traveling through the desert it was a welcome sight nonetheless.
“Thank the gods”, Lien said with a sigh as she arrived at the top of the dune and gazed at the town ahead of them. “Seems the directions given to us in Vaith were spot on”, Gauron stated with his usual calm and carefree tone.
“Now let’s hope we can find a couple beds for the night”, Ying said sternly. “Oh yes, I’m sick of sleeping on sand”, Lien quipped lightheartedly.
As they approached the town closer, it became clear they weren’t the only visitors there. “Looks like there is a whole army here”, Ying observed, her tone slightly disappointed. Indeed, the streets of the town were rife with soldiers of House Uller, way more than any town guard would need. Some looked at them with interest as they walked through the streets, few even tried to catch their attention with whistles and crass remarks, but they ignored them all and headed towards the inn.
“What do you think they are doing here?” Lien asked quietly, as they tied their camel and grabbed their bags from its back. “I’d wager it’s about the Rhoynar princess’s war”, Nealia mumbled as an answer, fearing this could well be an army headed to Torrentine. If that was the case, no one should catch a whim of her identity, or they might get the idea to use her as a hostage. Of course Nealia knew it to be unlikely that King Vorian would risk his kingdom just to save a bastard daughter, but that probably wouldn’t stop the Ullers from trying.
They stepped into the taproom of the inn, which was of course also filled with the soldiers. The innkeeper informed them that there were no rooms available, but they decided to sit down for a drink nonetheless. “I’m sure we’ll someone in the town willing to give us shelter for the night”, Lien said positively as they sat down. “Aye, I’ve learned over my years of travelling that there are always people willing to help, so long as you treat them with respect”, Gauron said with a smirk behind his bushy beard.
“Or if you have a few coins to spare for them”, Ying added with a bit more cynical tone, to which the old Valyrian chuckled softly. “Well, that doesn’t hurt either”, he said, taking a sip of the ale.
Soon they were approached by two young soldiers, a tall one with a long and cleanshaven face, and a shorter one with long hair and bushy beard. “May we sit down?” the bearded one asked with a grin on his face, and Lien gave him a nod. “By all means”, she chirped, giving Nealia a meaningful glance. She means to get more information out of them, she realized and gave Lien a subtle nod.
“My name is Robb, and my friend here is Samuel”, the bearded one introduced them as they sat down. “You lot caught our eyes, so we decided to come for a little chat.”
“Why did we caught your eye?” Ying asked sternly, to which Robb chuckled warmly. “Well, you ain’t exactly the most ordinary group”, he responded with a shrug. “Two foreign ladies with mismatched eyes, one old man with silver hair, and one young lady with silver hair.”
“So you’re saying we look strange?” Ying asked with narrowed eyes, but before the soldiers could answer Lien spoke up. “Don’t mind my sister, she’s just not in a good mood”, she said with a tense chuckle. “I understand what you mean, we’re foreigners, of course we look out of place.”
“Where you from then?” Samuel asked, his tone a bit less friendly than his pal’s. “Me and my sister are from a land far to the east called Yi Ti, whereas our friends…”
“Are from Valyria”, Nealia concluded hastily. “I’m N… Neasya, and this is my grandfather Gauron.”
“Oh, we certainly wouldn’t want to piss you off”, Robb commented lightheartedly. “I’ve heard terrifying stories about the dragons your people ride to battle, mostly from the Rhoynar settlers.”
“No need to fear us, friend”, Gauron said softly, glancing at Nealia as she spoke. “We are simply here to observe a strange land and its wonders.”
“What you’ll find here is war”, Samuel said sharply, eyeing Gauron and Nealia. “Nymeria’s war, we know”, Lien said calmly. “I assume you’re here because of that as well, right?”
“Aye, Lord Harbert is leading us towards Clearhaven”, Robb answered, his tone less enthusiastic now. “Clearhaven?” Nealia asked with a surprised tone, and Robb nodded to her. “Do you have ships, or are you planning to cross the desert?”
“Neither”, Robb answered with an amused tone. “We plan to follow the Brimstone south, and then continue west along the coast. It’s a long and hard march, but safer than going through the desert. Nymeria already sent her sellswords to take over the town with ships, and as far as I know they were successful. So we’re just reinforcements.”
“This is quite curious, you see, we’d actually like to visit Clearhaven”, Lien said with a smirk, and the two soldiers glanced at each other. “Well, it’s basically a war zone”, Robb said, scratching his head. “But I see that you are carrying weapons, so I assume you know how to defend yourself.”
“Are you saying we could march with the army?” Ying asked sharply, and Robb nodded. “Like I said, it’s a long and hard march, and at the end of it might well await a battle”, he responded. “Of course, you could ask if one of the merchants at the docks would be willing to take you to Clearhaven, but you'd probably have to pay a lot to convince anyone to sail there now that the war has begun.”
“What do you say, Ne… um, Neasya?” Lien asked, looking at Nealia.
[March with the Ullers] [Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven]
-
Emerson
The great hall of the Tor was full of singing and laughter as the troops of Yronwood celebrated their return from the successful mission at Ghost Hill. Emerson Allyrion sat together with Yoren Jordayne, Leo Wells and his older brother Andar Wells, each of them getting more drunk with every horn of ale they gulped down.
“To the heroes of Yronwood!” Yoren roared drunkenly as he raised his horn for another toast. “I’ll drink to that”, Emerson responded with a grin, and raised the horn confidently on his lips, downing the ale in one gulp.
“Easy now, or you won’t find your way to bed tonight”, Andar said with an amused tone, being the one clearly least drunken out of the four of them.
“Who needs a bed, brother?” Leo responded with a burp. “I’m at least going to celebrate until dawn!”
“You do you Leo, but I intend to find someone to share my bed with tonight”, Yoren spoke with a sly grin on his face, eyeing hungrily the handmaidens a few tables away from them. Emerson chuckled at his friend’s words, but they also made him instinctively turn his gaze towards the table right next to them, where Lena Wells was sitting together with Julia Jordayne and Ser Mandon Marcant, the heir to Stonegate. Mandon had his arm around Lena, as they were singing drunkenly some song Emerson didn’t recognize. His smile faded and was quickly replace by a frown as he looked at them, but Leo putting a hand on his shoulder shifter Emerson’s attention back. “Don’t worry about my sister, lad”, he spoke with a slur, a bleary look in his eyes. “Lena will do what she will, don’t waste your energy being jealous because of her.”
“I’m not jealous”, Emerson responded, perhaps a bit too sharply, to which Leo reacted with a chuckle. “Sure you aren’t, buddy!” he yelled, tapping Emerson on the back before turning towards his brother again.
Yoren stood up from his seat now, and approached the table of the handmaidens with a confident smirk on his face. Emerson let out a sigh, his good mood vanished. Glaring at the surface of the table, his mind shifted to think about the future. Emerson’s goal of claiming his rightful place as the Lord of Godsgrace was closer than ever, since Yorick had promised that would be their next destination. Emerson knew Esperence had a strong alliance with the Martells, having even recently married the younger brother of Prince Mors. However, King Yorick was the most powerful man in Dorne, and Emerson was convinced that with the Bloodroyal’s aid he could finally take what was rightfully his.
Emerson shifted his gaze to the high table, where King Yorick was feasting with Lord Terren and his wife Lady Ynys, as well as Artos Jordayne. Even having enjoyed a few ales and laughing with his friend Yorick looked as dignified and kingly as ever. A true leader, Emerson thought with some admiration. That was the kind of man he aspired to be, the kind he needed to be if he truly was to be Lord of Godsgrace.
“What’s in your mind, Emerson?” asked Andar, shifting Emerson’s attention back to him. “Nothing, just… thinking about my home”, he muttered as an answer, pouring more ale to his horn.
“Meaning Godsgrace?” Andar asked calmly, and Emerson nodded. “I’ve been away for so long… it feels strange that in just a few days I’ll be marching back there with an army”, he spoke quietly, taking a sip of the ale.
“Life is strange, my friend”, Andar responded with a small smile forming on his face. “Anyway, I’m happy for you. It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, right?”
“Yes and no”, Emerson answered with a subtle gulp, turning his gaze down. “Taking back Godsgrace will mean fighting against my cousins… I grew up with them, they were the only friends I had.”
“Not anymore”, Leo interjected with a drunken grin on his face. “Your cousin is a traitor, there’s no need to feel sorry for her.”
“I agree with my brother”, Andar said calmly, taking in a deep breath. “Esperence made the choice to betray her own family, not you. Whatever comes next should be on her conscience, not yours.”
“Still, I can’t help but feel conflicted”, Emerson said with a sigh, taking another gulp of the ale. “I know I shouldn’t feel that way, I know my cause is just, but it still bothers me.”
“You’ll get over it, pal”, Leo assured with a relaxed tone, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. Emerson was about to respond, but then from the corner of his eye he noticed Lena walking towards the hall’s doors. Shifting his attention fully to her, he saw her stepping out of the hall and closing the doors behind her. Without hesitation Emerson stood up, took a moment to find his balance and walked away. He rushed quickly to the doors and pushed them open.
“Lena!” he yelled, noticing himself the hint of drunkenness in his voice. Lena turned around with a curious look in her eyes, and her lips formed a sly smirk. “Emerson”, she responded smoothly, taking a couple steps closer to him. “Did you want to say something?”
Emerson raised his chin up and crossed his arms, regaining his confidence before speaking up. “Didn’t know you were so close with Mandon Marcant”, he said, trying his best to sound nonchalant. Lena chuckled softly at his words, taking a couple more steps closer to him and putting her right hand against his chest. “You’re so cute when you’re jealous, Em”, she said, her tone at the same time affectionate and mocking.
“Don’t call me that”, Emerson said sternly. “And who said I was jealous? I’m just wondering why you’d settle for someone like Mandon when you could have the Lord of Godsgrace.”
“Oh, you won the battle already?” Lena asked sarcastically, and Emerson rolled his eyes in response. “I have the support of King Yorick, I shall take my rightful place soon enough”, he said confidently, to which Lena raised an eyebrow. “And when you’ve done it, you figured you’d deserve to have me as a trophy of your glorious victory?” she asked sharply, removing her hand from his chest.
“Of course not”, Emerson replied hastily, his expression mellowing now. “Alright, I admit, I was just jealous seeing you with Mandon”, he continued with a sigh. Lena grabbed his hand gently and looked him intensely to the eyes. “I’ve always appreciated your honesty”, she purred, now coming very close to Emerson. He was tempted to kiss Lena, and spend another passionate night with her like he had done so many times during these past two years, but on the back of his head was a thought holding him back. Not for the first time he felt like Lena wasn’t taking their relationship seriously, and took his love and affection for granted. Perhaps to make a point I should reject her for once.
[Spend the night with Lena] [Reject her]
Did Esperence marry Mors' brother even without Nymerias' approval? I'm actually surprised, didn't think she would try to do that after Nymeria shot her idea down last time.
[Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven] Yeah, not a really good idea for her to go along with the army that's fighting her family, at some point someone will identify her.
[Reject her] She's obviously playing with Emerson, maybe its time for him to man up and take charge instead of eating at the palm of her hand for a change.
Oh, So Esperance was able to marry Mors's brother afterall. I wonder how she was able to convince Nymeria to let her.
[March with the Ullers]
My thought process here is that even though this is a big risk, it may have some benefits. I think she could use this opportunity to spy on the Ullers and gather intel on their battle tactics and plans. Then eventually, she and her group could break away from the Ullers and tell Jamison all they have learned, including their battle strategy, once they reach Clearhaven.
[Reject her]
I have a strange feeling that if he rejects her that her reaction might cause some problems later, but I'm not super confident with this particular choice.
Edit: I've decided to change my vote for the second choice.
Ah, this has been brought up by both you and Tales now, so I should probably address it right away. So, as you know, there has been a two year timeskip between Book 1 and Book 2, and it is mentioned here that Esperence has very recently married Jaran, which is meant to imply that Nymeria came to trust Esperence enough over these two years to finally approve the marriage. Now, I understand that this might make that earlier choice feel less significant, but there will still be some consequences to it. After all, Esperence and Jaran are now newly married, whereas with the other option they would've been married for two years already, which could make a difference in some things.
[Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven] Is good that Gauron has remained with Naelia and the sisters, his experience could be helpful. And funnily enough, he's not that old.
[Spend the night with Lena] While it's true the Tor is closer to Godsgrace, they will be located right in between Martell territory, and once the forces of Santagar and Ladybright recover Ghost Hill, Nymeria can focus in taking back Godsgrace.
Well yeah, it's mostly just the beard that makes Gauron look older than he is. That said, being on his mid-fifties he is still a good three decades older than his traveling companions here
Really liked Nealia's part
I am glad to see they are all still around and together, even having added Gauron to the team. Lien seems to have recovered indeed, but the fact that her leg still isn't fully healed gives me little hope that it will improve dramatically. It might be that it will never fully heal again, though she obviously is in much better shape and spirit as she used to be last time we saw her. Makes me really glad that we chose to stay with her, I think we have picked the right option back then.
[Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven]
Well, Nealia clearly wishes to be with her family again. Marching with the Ullers, I consider it to be far too great a risk. I mean, she'd be close to enemies of her family for weeks and we know, the Ullers aren't exactly the least ruthless of Nymeria's followers. If they learn about her identity, she could be taken as a hostage and it could make things quite dangerous for her and her companions. So, I do not wish to take this risk, simple as that.
And ah, I am a bit bummed that Esperence got her wish after all. I mean, it makes sense that her scheming continued and that she gained a bit of a victory during the timeskip, by marrying quite possibly the best match in all Dorne, in in the form of Jaran, brother to the ruling princess and probably one of the few men in Dorne who'd be quite happy with letting her doing all the ruling stuff, if what we have learned of him before is correct. This means, she now has strong ties to House Martell, making her as close to a legitimate ruler as possible, and she also remains free to do all of her scheming and planning without having to fear for her husbands interference. I also originally chose against this marriage because I am quite concerned how Jaran would react should Esperence die. Since my sympathies lie with Emerson, I don't think there can be many other outcomes that see him in charge of Godsgrace. Let's hope he won't grow all that fond of her, because if anything happens to her, I could see him become a potential problem if he, for whatever reason, ends up blaming Nymeria. So, it is concerning that Esperence has gotten trusted enough for Nymeria to approve of this marriage, that she apparently managed to convince Jaran and dragged him into the Godsgrace issue and that I am actually not certain if it is better that they are only freshly married or making the situation harder. Like, I am really not certain which of these two outcomes, in the long run, will be more beneficial for Esperence.
[Reject her]
Emerson in general, for as much as I like him, hasn't been the most decisive guy so far. He's been Morgan's pawn in the beginning, then Esperence used him for her goals, now he is Yorick's vassal and pawn. I just don't want to see him being played with in a relationship situation as well. I doubt Lena is taking their relationship seriously, but Emerson obviously is and it won't do him any good if he is letting this continue as it is. Maybe at least in his private life he can be not treated like this, because his entire life so far has basically been a string of people not taking him all too seriously.
Awesome!
I had a hard time deciding how exactly to start Nealia's storyline in Book 2, considering the circumstances we left her in Book 1, but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this part. And yeah, Lien's leg still not being fully healed would definitely suggest that it's a permanent disability. However, on the other hand her being as positive in this part as she was would suggest that she has pretty much made her peace with it. And it's not likely she's completely defenseless or useless in combat situation either, especially if she happens to be mounted 
Yeah, I did expect that some of you wouldn't exactly be happy with this development, but unfortunately it was necessary for the story I want to tell with the Allyrions
Like I said in my message to Javier though, the choice to turn down Esperence in Book 1 won't be without its consequences, but we'll more about that in time.
Well these were both very enjoyable parts with the developments that have taken place during the time skip definitely being interesting ones! First off, it is pretty cool to see that Nealia is still determined to head back to Starfall and the choice of having her stay behind with the Yu twins also has seemed to be a good one. With that choice, Nealia now has people behind her that she can seemingly trust to travel with her which is very important considering all the war that is going to be in her way on her journey home. Getting to see more of Gauron is also quite the treat as well with him being a well traveled man that has seen many things in his lifetime so getting to see his perspective of what's happening in Nealia's storyline will be nice I am sure.
As far as her choice goes I am definitely going to vote for her to [Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven] as the others have said, it is only a matter of time before the Uller soldiers find out who she is with some of them potentially knowing who she is already from her brief time spent in the Kingdom of Brimstone in book 1. Being an acknowledged bastard daughter of the most famous knight in all of Dorne along with being the King that they are currently at war with would definitely make things difficult for Nealia once her true identity became exposed. One thing I have gathered from this choice is that the choice is to attempt to get a ship not to actually get one so I suppose there is a chance that they may not succeed and have to take a more difficult way to Clearhaven but even still, marching with the Uller's is an even bigger risk so I think trying to get a ship to take them to Clearhaven is the best option here.
Now in regards to Emerson's part, I was pretty hyped for this one after seeing the role that he played in taking Ghost Hill especially since I didn't know he was such a beast
So of course, I was amped up to see how his personality has changed and it seems that it hasn't completely which was nice to see since I figured that serving Yorick may have taken all of the good out of him 
As Liquid said, he really has always had people taking advantage of him in someway for basically his entire life to where he really hasn't had the opportunity or the political power to stand up for himself so I am definitely going to vote for Emerson [Reject her] From the very beginning, Lena has never really taken Emerson all that seriously at least in my opinion and it seems like she is still playing games with him even now where it clearly shows he wants something more with her so as far as I can tell, having Emerson turn her down here will make her realize that she can't just play games with him and then have all be forgiven whenever she wants to sleep with him.
On a side note, when it comes to Esperence's marriage to Jaran, this is a very interesting development that happened over the time skip and while I am surprised, i'm also not surprised at the same time if that makes sense. Even with Nymeria turning Esperence down before, it was only for having them get married at that time if I remember correctly and with two years since that point, it makes sense for Nymeria to have warmed up to the idea a bit more. By this point, Esperence has been there since basically the beginning of Nymeria's conquest westward with House Allyrion being one of if not the first independent house to declare for Nymeria so her deciding to reward Esperence does make sense but it also turns out to make things very difficult for Nymeria, at least for the time being. With Yorick now deciding to lead his armies to Godsgrace, it seems that Yorick is making his move against Nymeria while a majority of her armies are away and I definitely don't see Godsgrace holding if Yorick leads his forces to Godsgrace so Jaran and Esperence are in serious danger here and it looks like Nymeria will more than likely have to bring her armies back east unless something big happens for her soon. It looks like chapter one is going to have more battles than Book one did combined if it keeps at this pace and now it seems I have another battle to be hyped for!
[Attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven]
[Spend the night with Lena]
Voting is closed!
Alright, so firstly Nealia will attempt to get a ship to Clearhaven. We'll see if they find a captain willing to take them to Clearhaven. It's possible, but definitely not guaranteed, since Nymerwell is a pretty small town, meaning there won't be a ton of captains to choose from, and everyone there is aware of the potential risks of sailing to Clearhaven now that the Martell-Dayne war has begun.
As for Emerson, he will reject Lena, which should make it clear to her that he doesn't want to be played with. How that will change their relationship going forward remains to be seen. Nonetheless, Emerson has his goal set on taking Godsgrace, which certainly won't be an easy task even with the Yronwood support.
And next up, we'll be getting a part from a brand new PoV. It's an already introduced character though, but that's all I will say. Well, one more thing, I have a feeling this character being made a PoV will surprise some of you, but I can promise I have a juicy storyline planned. Anyway, I hope to get the part done by tomorrow
Lastly, this time's addition to the Book 2 album of character portraits is Emerson Allyrion:
Quite handsome he is.
Arvin
Arvin Manwoody stood by the door of the chambers, his wife Sanya sitting by the window on the opposite side of the room, both of them silent. Sanya was on her sixth month of pregnancy, and in just a few more months she would give birth to Arvin’s heir. Hopefully at least, the prince thought grimly. Sanya’s first pregnancy a year ago had ended in miscarriage.
Arvin was dressed in his traveling gear, ready to leave on a mission to the lands of House Safyre. Latest reports of the foreign band of outlaws had arrived from there, and Albin had finally agreed that something needed to be done about them. One of their latest victims had been Sanya’s cousin Ser Joffrey, though Arvin doubted that was the reason his father had decided to act. Murder of a nobleman was an unforgivable crime, but Albin had never truly valued the lives of his vassals. In truth, Arvin didn’t care about Joffrey either, but he did recognize that his death was a grave insult to their pride as the rulers of these lands.
“I came to say goodbye before I leave”, Arvin said calmly, closing the door behind him and stepping inside. Sanya shifted her gaze for a second to look at him, before turning her eyes towards the window again. “You have nothing to say?” Arvin asked sternly, to which his wife chuckled quietly.
“What do you want me to say?” she asked flatly. “Do you want me to proclaim my love for you, and tell you that I will pray every day for your safe return? We both know it’d be just a worthless lie, so why waste the breath.”
“Why do you have to be so fucking miserable all the time?” Arvin asked angrily, taking a few steps closer to her, and Sanya shot him with a cold glare. “Because there is nothing but misery in this place”, she answered emotionlessly. “That’s what your father rules with, fear and misery. And you, well, you are just another one of his loyal dogs. It sickens me that my child will have the blood of that madman in their veins.”
“I’m trying my best to make things better, but there is only so much I can do with my father still in charge”, Arvin argued, and Sanya narrowed her eyes. “You could’ve let Queen Sofina end his rule two years ago”, she insisted, and Arvin let out a cynical burst of laughter.
“We’ve gone through this before. It would’ve been treason”, he said, shaking his head with disbelief at Sanya’s thoughts. “Besides, it’s naïve to even think that Sofina would’ve been able to take charge of this kingdom. Had she succeeded, by now Yorick Yronwood would boast the title of Lord of Kingsgrave.”
“And would that truly be worse option than your father?” Sanya asked dryly. This time Arvin didn’t even bother with answering. He just shook his head, and stormed out of the room before he’d get too angry. Slamming the door behind him, he hastily walked down the corridor and past the chambers of his half-brothers. Arvin had never been particularly close with Brodin and Jullon, but after he killed their mother they had grown even more distant from him. He didn’t blame them for it, even if he had only done his duty in killing Sofina. Still, part of him feared that some day those boys would be his greatest enemies.
Approaching the end of the corridor, Arvin came across his uncle Alaric. The poor man looked pitiable in his current state, living in constant fear of his brother. Once he had had the courage to stand against some of Albin’s worse decisions, but the events two years ago had changed that. In fact, it was rare to even see Alaric outside of his own chambers these days.
“Prince Arvin”, he greeted his nephew with a gulp, an uncomfortable look in his eyes. “I just came to inform you that the men are ready and waiting.”
“Good, I’m ready to leave as well”, Arvin replied with a sigh, to which his uncle nodded. “I do truly wish you the best of luck with this mission”, Alaric said with a sincere tone, and a hint of his former confidence could be seen in his eyes. “This kingdom has gone through enough recently, the last thing we need is another enemy.”
“I have a feeling this new enemy is connected to one of the old ones”, Arvin responded sternly. “Wouldn’t put it past either Lord Caron or King Garrison to hire a bunch of sellswords to terrorize our lands.”
“I suppose you’re right”, Alaric said with a pensive tone as they begun to make their way down the stairs. “However, what strikes me as strange are the methods of these outlaws. It is as if they are not really here to terrorize our people, but rather to turn them against us.”
Arvin gave his uncle an alarmed glance. What he said was true, the reports of these outlaws explicitly said that they had for the most part only targeted soldiers, and there were rumors about them recruiting the smallfolk to their cause. What worried Arvin was the fact that convincing someone to hate Albin wasn’t exactly hard. The only hope we have is that our people fear their king more than they hate him.
As they arrived downstairs, Arvin stopped in his tracks and turned his gaze towards the corridor he knew his father’s chambers to be in. “My prince, I think it would be better if…”
Arvin ignored his uncle's concerned words and walked away, towards the king’s chambers. He walked past the many guards on the corridor, and then he saw the door being opened. Out walked Larry the Kind, the usual subtle smirk on his face. “Prince Arvin”, he greeted him with a polite tone, to which Arvin responded with a nod. “Is my father there?” He asked sternly.
“He is”, Larry answered hesitantly, glancing at the door behind him. “However, I believe we have an urgent mission ahead of us, my prince.”
“We do”, Arvin confirmed calmly, narrowing his eyes as he studied Larry’s face. “I’d still like to see my father before I leave.” He was about to step past Larry and walk in, but the freak blocked the way with his arm. “He is not alone”, he said tensely, looking Arvin to the eyes with a sharp glare.
“The Burned Witch?” Arvin asked quietly, and Larry nodded. “They wish not to be disturbed”, he said, the tone and emphasis on his words making clear it was meant as a warning. Arvin took in a deep breath, turning his eyes from Larry to the door, considering his choice.
[Go into Albin's chambers] [Leave without seeing Albin]
Ah, I actually wanted to leave a comment before this part, how one of the Kingsgrave characters is my strongest bet for the new PoV and I was actually torn between either Arvin or Valerie herself. I am really glad it's not the latter. Arvin as a PoV is nonetheless a surprise and I wouldn't have seen it coming at all just yesterday. The true winner in this situation is Tomas, because he is now officially no longer my least favourite PoV
Yeah, I mean, Arvin is not his father, but he is a serious jerk nonetheless, truly a son of Albin, albeit, admittedly, without his cruelty and madness. But those dutifully following a mad tyrant are just as bad as the mad tyrant in my eyes. Sanya said it, he could have ended this, he could have let Sofina succeed in Book 1, but he declined to do so and as such, the people that will die under Albin's rule are all on him. I mean, it is a good thing that he doesn't agree with his father, but blind duty, loyalty without question, that is one of the worst traits imaginable. So, I harbour something bordering on hatred for that self-righteous prick and while he'd probably make a decent ruler of Kingsgrave once Albin is dealt with, I somewhat hope he'll share his father's fate (or take his father's place at the wall if Albin truly gets what he deserves). However, with that being said, I actually see a something speaking in his favour. As much as I'd love to hold him accountable for the atrocities Albin commited in the past two years and will commit in the years to come until he is disposed, I don't really see Arvin as an ally of Valerie. In fact, out of the entire court of Kingsgrave, I see him as one of the most decent people there, which doesn't speak in his favour, but rather says a lot about how messed up that place is. Not counting Sanya, whom I have actually grown to like in this part for the well-deserved coldness she treats her husband with, I see him as the most likely to actually turn on Valerie, perhaps even Albin if he gets off his high horse and stops priding himself in being such a good loyal dog. While I am not sure if that will happen, I think it is at least in the realms of possible that he'll turn against Valerie. This makes him a surprising, but possible ally for Team R'hllor. Get someone with decent arguments on the case and maybe he'll finally do the right thing for once. Up until then though, Arvin is firmly going to be a character I hate and let's be honest here, he deserves the hate. However, as strongly as I dislike him as a character, I actually love that he is the new PoV, because while he is the worst, his storyline is most likely going to be awesome and I am so excited for it 
I love having a PoV at Kingsgrave, someone who gives us a view on Albin and Valerie unlike anything we've seen before and that, paired with me hoping for him to turn against his father, is the one thing that prevents me from wishing for his death anytime soon.
[Leave without seeing Albin]
Well, the less Albin and that burned bitch appear, the better. While I would like to learn more about what they are up to, I see it as for the best if neither of them gets to influence Arvin any further. He's already enough of a bastard, we don't need to make this worse. At the same time, maybe the more time he spends with Valerie, the more his disgust will grow and eventually be stronger than his misplaced obedience. I am not sure, I could see either approach as the one to succeed when it comes to turn him into one of the good guys. For now though, if goddamn Larry warns him about it, hells, if goddamn Larry seems unsettled at something, it might be for the best to avoid it. Really, even Larry doesn't seem that bad anymore now that things have gone to a wholly new level of messed up with Valerie at the court and even he seems to have enough standards to be anything but pleased by her presence. As such, whatever they are doing in Albin's chambers right now, I am not so certain I want to know it and I certainly think it is for the best to avoid them right now.
[Leave without seeing Albin]
He said he doesn't wish to be disturbed.
Heh, I was wondering if anyone had at least a hunch about this coming
I think I said to you at some point that there would be coming a new PoV in Book 2 that could potentially replace Tomas as your least favorite. Well, Arvin was obviously the character I was referring to, and looks like I was indeed correct with my assumption 
But yeah, Arvin is not nearly as bad as his father, but it could definitely be said that by being so blindly loyal to him he shares some of the blame for the poor condition that the kingdom is in, especially considering his role in taking down Sofina's coup. This is something that definitely bothers him on some level, as we'll learn going forward in his storyline. Anyway, I'll definitely be interested to see how your and other readers' opinions on Arvin evolve as his story progresses.
Interesting point, it indeed doesn't seem like Arvin is particularly close with Valerie. In fact, I'd say Valerie so far has had little to no interest towards Arvin, perhaps dismissing him as just another loyal servant of the king that she seeks to influence. And yeah, out of the named characters in Kingsgrave Arvin surprisingly is among the more decent people, if only because the rest are so rotten to the core
And I can tell that Arvin definitely has an interesting journey ahead of him, and he may well have to step down from his high horse sooner or later, and really take a hard look at himself. All that said, Arvin won't really be a strictly Kingsgrave PoV, but rather just Manwoody kingdom PoV, since he's pretty much already leaving for a mission. Of course, he will likely return at some point, but for now getting into the chambers would probably be the best chance to get a glimpse of the situation between Albin and Valerie.
[Leave without seeing Albin] Honestly, Arvin could use some time to get away from his father.
I was wondering if Arvin was married, glad we now know he married between books, to Sanya Purell right?
Yes, Sanya Purell, or now Sanya Manwoody. I'll try to get around to updating the names and locations in the OP tomorrow.
Now this is pretty awesome! If I remember correctly, someone asked about Arvin and you told them that he would play a bigger role in Book 2. By bigger role I definitely wasn't expecting him as a PoV! This makes sense since we do need a PoV on the Manwoody side of things and thinking about it now, he is the perfect choice. This first part of his was interesting with this insight into his character being something that I definitely enjoyed with him being surprisingly loyal to his father and even honorable in his own way by not turning against him when he probably could overthrow his father easily if the rest of his vassals shares Sanya's opinion. As far as his storyline goes, this is definitely going to be very exciting I'm sure with Arvin himself going after the Free Ravens and with all of the mystery surrounding them, I suppose time will tell if Arvin will be one to root for in his battles against them or not.
[Leave without seeing Albin]
While I do want to see what is going on in regards to Albin and Valerie, I don't think having Arvin go in there and see would be that great of an idea for him and with Arvin clearly showing blind loyalty to his father, I am going to try to pick choices that will eventually lead to Arvin breaking away from him if possible.
Yeah, I think I hinted towards Book 2 giving us a better understanding of Arvin as a character, and that's what I aim to do with his storyline
He definitely understands that his father is flawed, but having grown up in Kingsgrave his perspective is a bit skewed regarding just how wrong Albin's rule truly is. It can't really be said that Arvin doesn't know of anything better (he has seen the court of Yronwood for example), but he is just used to rationalizing and downplaying his father's tyranny and cruelty. And while he has been sometimes abused by Albin himself, Arvin is still one of the few people thar Albin cares about at least on some level.
I'd say I had a tiny bit of a hunch, but only because I thought about which characters I'd consider the least likely to receive a PoV at this point and Valerie was at the top of that list. From her, it wasn't really much of a stretch to assume it might be Arvin, because Valerie, well, she might have been a bit too much of an outlandish choice
My runner-ups for unlikely but still relatively plausible PoV's, by the way, have been Desmor and Desirea, but after ruling out Valerie, Arvin has been my strongest bet, for a grand total of two hours until you released the part and confirmed it. I would say, Arvin really makes it easy to replace Tomas as my least favourite, though their general situation is quite similar. They are both characters who have, in theory, a couple of decent traits, but have some massive issues to overcome first before I could even consider liking them. Tomas is at the point where I feel at least neutral about him, but Arvin is arguably worse. I mean, Tomas served a relatively ordinary king and did something that is terrible but not exactly unthinkable in times of war. Arvin blindly serves a cruel madman and his actions have led to tons of suffering for literally everyone in his kingdom and probably the surrounding kingdoms as well, particularly the Fowler lands. Hell, even Albin would have been better off with Sofina's coup succeeding, because he's basically a mad dog who can only be put out of his misery. All of this and Arvin's self-righteous and unreflected attitude towards his wife's criticism makes him a hundred times worse than Tomas at his lowest. At the same time, I see just enough ground for him to improve to not write him off as a lost cause from the very beginning. Certainly, I will be curious how he will develop, but for now, there's some pretty massive issues he has to work out first. But the way I see it, Jaime Lannister started off as perhaps one of the least likeable characters in the novels as well and look how he turned out. And similarly, there is a serious lot Arvin has to overcome before I can even consider changing my opinion on him.
Then that settles my choice for good, I would very much prefer if she keeps this opinion on him, allowing Arvin to perhaps take a different path without her noticing it, opposing her while she still thinks little about him. But yeah, that guy definitely needs to have some sense beaten into him, because he genuinely seems to believe that as long as he is just following orders, he's doing the right thing and cannot be blamed for anything he does. I do have this hope that he will eventually realize the errors of his way, hopefully in time to actually support the numerous enemies of Albin and Valerie. In these regards, I could see him as a possible ally for Team R'hllor or the Free Ravens and his help would be highly appreciated, but I remain a bit on the fence, because the opposite, him remaining his father's loyal dog, is certainly something I see in the realms of possible as well.
[Leave without seeing Albin]
Voting is closed
Alright, the result is clear as day even if it hasn't been the most active voting, so let's move on. Arvin will leave without seeing Albin. Definitely the safer option, avoiding possibly pissing off Albin, and perhaps more importantly staying out of Valerie's radar. Next time we see Arvin, he'll be leaving on his mission to the lands of House Safyre.
Next up, we'll reintroduce the storylines of the Blackmont siblings, with a part for both Gwendis and Naemon. I've made some decent progress on these parts, Gwendis' being basically done by now, but I'm not 100% sure if I'll be able to post them today. If not, then tomorrow.
And of course I have a new portrait for our newest PoV, Prince Arvin Manwoody:
Naemon
Naemon held his dulled training sword high, staring his squire Davos Dayne sternly into his purple eyes. Davos moved for a strike, but Naemon parried it, and riposted with a downward slash that hit the boy on his collarbone. Having shaken his defense, Naemon rushed to tackle Davos to the ground.
Davos groaned slightly as he got back up on his feet, a pained smirk on his face. He had grown a lot during these last two years, being merely couple inches shorter than Naemon now. Not only that, Davos' skill with the sword had improved greatly as well, leaving no room for Naemon to be sloppy.
“So, do you think your father is right?” Davos asked casually, preparing himself to continue the sparring. Naemon shrugged, before moving for an attack. He struck twice, and Davos deflected both. “Right about what?” Naemon asked sternly.
“You know what I mean”, Davos responded, striking from above. Naemon parried his strike, and leaped back to dodge the following swing. “Do you think your sister could be alive? And living in Volantis?” Davos continued curiously.
Naemon lowered his sword now, taking in a deep breath. “I wouldn’t trust Benedict’s delusions”, he said calmly, even if in his heart he wanted to believe that there was some truth to what his father had told him. “His magic has brought nothing but harm so far… better not expect anything more from it. Now, concentrate.”
“Yessir”, Davos responded with a dutiful tone, and so they continued their sparring.
-
Later that day, Naemon approached the council chamber, having taken a bath and changed his gear after the training. While at first he had felt out of place at these meetings, during the past two years they had started to feel more and more like just another routine. That didn’t mean Naemon enjoyed the council meetings, far from it, but he suffered through them with dignity and honor.
Stepping inside the council room, Naemon saw his father sitting at the head of the table. It was a rare sight to see Benedict taking part in these meeting, and it was also an indication that something particularly important would be discussed. Right next to Benedict sat Noctis and Maester Mortin. Around the middle of the table were seated Ser Kegan Drinkwater and Braddock Blackmont, and closer to the other end were Ser Thomos the Thunder and Davos Dayne, who had also changed into more suitable clothing.
Naemon took his seat at the opposing end from his father, nodding wordlessly to greet the council members. “Welcome, Prince Naemon”, Mortin said with his warm and polite tone. “We were just about to start with the first subject of this meeting.”
“And what would that be?” Naemon asked calmly, leaning back on his chair. The maester pulled a scroll from his sleeve. “A message from Oakswood”, he stated, laying the scroll on the table. “Ser Edwyn informs that a small convoy of knights have arrived from the Reach, led by a man named Ser Blaine Bulwer. Edwyn writes that Ser Blaine has told his mission to be to find a bunch of runaway Reachman nobles from Dorne, and that he has no intent on disturbing or upsetting the local authorities while fulfilling his mission.”
“We should invite the man here”, Ser Kegan said sternly, glancing at the King. “That way we can judge ourselves if this Bulwer knight can truly be trusted.”
A short silence followed, as Benedict looked at Naemon and gave him a meaningful nod. “I agree with Ser Kegan”, Naemon spoke up calmly. “Maester Mortin, send a raven back to Oakswood, inviting Ser Blaine and his companions here.”
“As you wish, my prince”, Mortin spoke with a dutiful nod, before pulling another scroll from his sleeve. “The other two subjects of today’s meeting are connected”, he continued with a small sigh, pulling one more scroll from his sleeve. “New messages have arrived from both Starfall and Skyreach. King Garrison seeks our aid against the Martells, and King Vorian suggests we should indeed help the Fowlers.”
“Of course he does”, Benedict said sharply. “If Skyreach falls, the Martells are free to march to the Torrentine from the north.”
“That would be bad for us as well, Your Grace”, Ser Thomos pointed out, and Benedict nodded. “Indeed”, the King spoke with some frustration. “The future of Dorne hangs in the balance, and we must be careful not to perish in all this chaos surrounding us. Whatever we choose to do, defense of our own lands will be paramount.”
“I agree, Your Grace”, Ser Kegan spoke up carefully. “However, we’ve had two good years of peace after our defeat in Kingsgrave. The situation is stable now, we should be able to spare some troops to aid the Fowlers.”
“And who will lead these troops?” Benedict asked calmly, his gaze shifting from Kegan to Naemon, and from Naemon to Thomos. A tense silence lingered in the room, and Naemon noticed Davos looking at him eagerly. Of course, the boy was hungry for a chance at glory, and Naemon couldn’t deny that he was ready for it. However, he himself didn’t feel the urge to march to war. Defending your own lands was one thing, but Naemon had little interest for the conflicts of House Fowler.
[Lead the troops yourself] [Suggest Kegan or Thomos]
-
Gwendis
Gwendis Blackmont stood on the balcony of her apartment. It was still early in the morning, but Volantis had already woken up. Slaves were running the errands of their masters on the streets, guardsmen clad in silver mail shirts and polished helms with tiger masks patrolled the streets, merchants hurried their goods to the markets, and so on. Gwendis’ apartment was close to the Temple of the Lord of Light, but her balcony was faced on the opposite direction, so what she saw instead were the massive Black Wall around the Old Volantis, and the busy Silk Market next to it. Tall and decorated towers of the Volantene nobles peaked from behind the wall, and every now and then a dragon or two could be seen and heard flying above them. Turning her gaze slightly to the west, Gwendis could almost see to the Long Bridge, but the glamorous bathhouses and high-end brothels made of white marble blocked her view.
“Oh, you’re already up”, Gwendis heard a friendly female voice behind her, and turned to see a pale and slim young woman with long silver hair and bright violet eyes. Laela was the trainee and attendant of the High Priestess, and Gwendis had shared an apartment with her for over a year now, ever since she had learned to completely repress her connection to the Great Other. “You look a bit distracted, Gwen. Is everything alright?” Laela asked calmly, taking a sip of her grapefruit juice.
“I’m fine, I just… had a strange dream last night”, Gwendis explained with a subtle gulp, knowing it sounded more serious than it was. Laela narrowed her eyes in a concerned manner and tilted her head slightly. “Not the nightmares again?” she asked quietly, and Gwendis quickly shook her head. “No, nothing like that”, she clarified with a small sigh. “This wasn’t a nightmare, but it wasn’t a normal dream either… it was like it was real.”
“Well, what happened in the dream?” Laela asked curiously, now leaning on the railing of the balcony. “I saw my father”, Gwendis answered, a shy smile forming on her face. “He spoke to me, begged me to come back home. I know it was a dream, but… it felt like it was really him.”
Laela eyed her silently for a moment, perhaps to determine whether she was serious or not. “Interesting”, she finally said with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about, but… perhaps your father did actual contact you.”
“Would that be possible?” Gwendis asked, unable to hide her excitement, to which Laela chuckled softly. “Well, I know that glass candles can be used to enter other people’s dreams from across the world”, she responded with a relaxed tone. “However, they are extremely rare west of the Narrow Sea, and require a deep knowledge of magic to use. Do you think your father would have one?”
“I don’t know”, Gwendis admitted with a small sigh, turning her gaze towards the black walls. “However, I do know that there are several sorcerers among his retainers, so it’s not impossible.”
“Perhaps I should look at the flames tonight and find out”, Laela suggested with a playful tone, and Gwendis gave her a questioning look. “And you think R’hllor would show you?” She asked doubtingly. “I mean, why would he care about something menial like this?” Of course finding out if her father had truly tried to contact her wasn’t a menial issue to Gwendis, but she found it unlikely the gods cared about it.
“From what I can tell, the gods care about you a lot”, Laela responded with a shrug. “Wouldn’t hurt to try anyway, would it?”
“No, I suppose it wouldn’t”, Gwendis said quietly, and Laela gave her an encouraging smile. The whole time she had spent here in Volantis Gwendis had known that someday she would go back home, but she had also feared the reaction of her father and brother. If Benedict is truly calling for me with magic, there is no doubt he’ll welcome me back with open arms.
“Belan”, Laela exclaimed suddenly, waking Gwendis from her thoughts. She turned her gaze down to the street where Laela was looking, and indeed Belan the Brave could be seen walking towards the house, clad in his light armor and red cape, carrying a short sword on his hip and a small round shield on his back. Belan was now sixteen, having grown into a man, and still as loyal to Desirea as always. He noticed them at the balcony and stopped right under it. “Laela, Gwen, good to see you’re up already”, he greeted them calmly. “Desi sent me to fetch you. The High Priestess is holding a meeting by the noon, and Desi thinks both of you should be present.”
“You mean Sirai is holding a meeting”, Laela responded with a smirk. “Come on Belan, she is your mother, you don’t have to refer to her by her title.”
“She may be my mother, but she is the High Priestess first and foremost”, Belan stated sternly, a sharp look in his eyes. “You of all people should understand that, Laela.”
“Always so dutiful”, Laela replied with an amused tone. “Anyway, we’ll come in a moment”, she then yelled to Belan, heading back inside the apartment, and Gwendis followed. They changed their clothes, brushed and braided each other’s hairs and had a brief breakfast, before finally heading out.
“In a moment”, Belan grumbled sarcastically Laela’s earlier words as they approached him on the street, and Laela shot him with a glare. “Quiet, boy”, she said playfully, starting to walk towards the temple. The noblemen of Volantis would never traverse the streets afoot, instead using palanquins carried by slaves or riding elephants, but the red priests were less sensitive about appearing lowly. After all, it was the slaves and lowest of the freeborn that mostly worshipped R’hllor here, whereas the noblemen of Volantis prayed to the gods of Valyria.
“Did Desirea tell what this meeting is about?” Gwendis asked as they were walking through the plaza in front of the temple. “Something about Dorne, that’s all I know”, Belan answered, the expression on his face souring for a moment. It was understandable that Belan didn’t like to talk about Dorne, since it was where he had lost his father two years ago.
“Well, I suppose that explains why Sirai wants Gwen to take part in the meeting”, Laela said calmly, glancing at Gwendis with a pondering expression. “However, I can’t see what there could be to talk about Dorne. After all, the mission there was a success, the agents of the Great Other were defeated. Right?”
“I saw them die”, Belan confirmed quietly, a hint of anger in his voice. For a moment they were all silent, until Laela spoke up with a sigh. “Well, they do say that the struggle between R’hllor and Great Other will continue until the Long Night comes again, and Azor Ahai is reborn”, she said with a pondering tone, as they arrived at the stairs leading up to the temple. “But more of the enemy in Dorne, could it really be?”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions, perhaps this has nothing to do with the Great Other”, Gwendis intervened calmly, and Laela gave her a nod. “You’re right”, she said with a small chuckle. “Perhaps Sirai just seeks to convert some of the Dornish nobility now that the threat of the Great Other is dealt with.”
Gwendis smiled and nodded to her friend’s words, though she feared the truth could be something much worse. However, her concern faded as they walked into the magnificent hallway of the temple. Massive orange pillars reached the dome ceiling of the hall, fires burned in the braziers around them, and a long red carpet was laid on the limestone floor between them.
Approaching the end of the hallway, they were approached by Desirea. She had grown into a young woman during these two years, towering Gwendis by almost a foot. She was dressed in a bright red dress, which complimented her svelte body. In her dark eyes was a concerned and empathetic look, as she gave a small nod to Gwendis, Laela and Belan.
“Morning, Desi”, Laela was the first to speak up, just a tiny hint of coldness in her words. Gwendis knew Laela to be somewhat jealous of Desirea, since it was clear the High Priestess saw the younger girl as the future of the church of R’hllor, instead of her apprentice.
“Morning”, Desi responded warmly. “I’m glad to see you came so soon, but we’re still waiting for one more guest before we can begin the meeting”, she continued calmly.
“We were just wondering what this meeting is about”, Gwendis spoke up with a casual and friendly tone. “Belan mentioned it might have something to do with Dorne.”
“Indeed”, Desi confirmed with a small sigh, taking in a deep breath before continuing. “There are… several things, and it’s probably best to leave most of it for the meeting itself. However, I suppose I could tell you my part in this.”
“Go ahead”, Laela prompted with a nonchalant tone, to which Desi nodded. “The visions our lord has given me recently, they have been troubling to say the least”, she began hesitantly. “Every time I look into the flames, R’hllor shows me darkness lingering above the sands, under the blazing sun.”
“Dorne”, Belan concluded grimly, and Desirea nodded in confirmation. “Yes, I believe so”, she said bitterly, shaking her head slightly. “It seems our mission wasn’t as successful as we believed. A mere shadow of our enemy remained alive, stayed hidden and licked its wounds. However, it seems now that shadow has grown more powerful.”
“But how?” Laela asked with a genuinely curious tone, completely dropping her earlier attitude. “I don’t know”, Desirea admitted with a sigh, an uncomfortable look in her eyes. “Anyway, like I said we’re still waiting for one more guest to arrive, but unless you want to ask something more you can already make your way to the High Priestess’ quarters.”
Belan remained by Desirea’s side, and Laela glanced at Gwendis, ready to leave, but Gwendis hesitated. Since they were already talking about Dorne, perhaps she should bring up the dream she had about her father. Then again, she doubted the dream had anything to do with this threat that Desirea had been sensing, and she didn’t want to concern her over nothing.
[Tell Desi about the dream] [Go to the High Priestess quarters]
Aaaah, Gwen and Naemon I am so happy right now to see them both back! I consider a happy dance to be in order
So, let me start with Naemon first. This part was short but sweet, making me super hyped for his storyline in Book 2. As expected, Naemon has settled into his new role a bit by now, but I think it's really clear, he has no passion for all this. In general, he seems to have lost some of his passion, this easy-going vibe he always had in his early parts. Can't say I blame him for that, but it is sad to see how much these two years have changed him into a more serious and stern person. I suppose having his best friend taken away and being forced into a role he never wanted can have such an effect, but it was nonetheless a harsh contrast. It also seems like he's really not believing his father and I assume at this point he has given up hope that Gwendis' return to Blackmont is any realistic. This is perhaps the saddest aspect of his part. He is faced with evidence that Gwen is alive and well and possibly making her return home, but after two years of grieving, he is probably too wary to actually hope this to be true, either out of fear to be disappointed, or because he simply distrusts Benedict this much.
And Gwendis... oh, oh this was already a highlight for me and a much more positive part than Naemon's more gloomy situation. I doubt things will stay that way for her, so I am going to cherish this as long as it lasts. She's in Volantis, she has notably recovered from her ordeal with the Great Other assholes, she even gained a friend and roommate! It's like college for her, if college would consist of a bunch of super religious cultists. So... I guess it's kinda like college in Texas
But back to the topic, it was amazing to see her back and in her new situation. Obviously, she has settled in well, she seemed to have gained an actual friend in Laela (and I swear, I had a hard time not reading that name as "Lyla" XD), as well as having become friends with Belan and probably Desi. I am so happy about all this, even though I am a bit curious about her actual role in the R'hllor church. She doesn't seem to hold any official positions, so is she, like, their guest? Or maybe a patient, given that they helped her with getting rid of that pesky Great Other influence in her head. I fear this connection could return though once she leaves Volantis and gets closer to Valerie again and I really doubt she has gotten rid of the demon for good. But focus on the good things, she seems the happiest I've seen her in, well, probably forever, given that her early Blackmont parts haven't been particularly happy either. I like Laela already and I am really wanting to learn more about her, there are some interesting dynamics with her, Desi and Gwen. And I am curious to whom this other guest is whom Desi is waiting to meet. It seems to be something built up as a surprise and secret, else I would have expected a name drop here. Probably someone important, not necessarily a character we already know about, but undoubtedly someone who will play quite a role as things progress and I wonder whom it could be. But ah, I am excited for Gwen in Book 2, seeing her storyline in Volantis, even if I suppose it'll only be a brief part of this book, but also seeing her return to Dorne and how she settles into that new conflict, not only between R'hllor and Great Other, but also the conflict between Nymeria and the rest of Dorne which is rapidly growing. Safe to say, I am sufficiently hyped for the future 
Now, at last, the choices!
[Lead the troops yourself]
Out of the two choices here, this one's the harder for me this time. Because thing is, we know the defense of the Fowler lands is eventually doomed to fail. I am admittedly scared that something will happen to Naemon as a result of this and even before Gwen actually manages to reunite with him, but I don't think it'll be as simple as that. Most likely, this choice won't spell inevitable doom for Naemon, not more than staying in Blackmont and facing other potential threats, so if we make the right choices as things progress, this could instead be a chance for him to prove himself further. See, I do have a long-term goal with my choices for the Blackmont siblings. Obviously, I do favour Gwen as the Lady Blackmont eventually, it was part of my reason to even do something as reckless as going with Aisha. However, neither do I want anything bad to happen to Naemon and this means, if Gwen wants to have any chance to take what is her birthright under Nymeria's rule, not only is it necessary that she gets through the coming conflict alive, but Naemon also needs a different role. Leading the armies, that is something he can do and I think he can do it well. A chance to prove himself as a commander and, on a minor note, a chance to see the events in Skyreach develop. I am particularly curious to see potential interaction between Naemon and Desmor, so that makes the option a bit too tempting to miss out on
[Tell Desi about the dream]
This one's a bit easier to me. Sure, I don't want to trouble Desi any further than necessary. However, I think it will be necessary for her to know the full picture, including details that might not be all that relevant. If Gwen's dream is indeed not of importance to the ongoing Great Other threat, then I have no doubt that Desi will be able to realize this, leaving her not more concerned than before. However, if it is important, if there is any sort of connection, then she should know. The one connection I could see is the glass candle. Laela already speculated into this direction and Desi should be able to put two and two together. Maybe the presence of a glass candle in Blackmont and the fact that it has been used (and could potentially draw danger to Blackmont like moths to the light) will change Desi's own thoughts and strategies about facing the Great Other threat. In any way, even if it is a minor detail for the overall conflict, it is not something that should be hidden, especially not to someone such as Desi, whom I consider to be wholeheartedly trustworthy.
[Suggest Kegan or Thomos]
I just don't want anything to happen to Naemon before he can reunite with Gwendis.
[Tell Desi about the dream]
It might be good for Desi to know about it.
The Blackmont's have returned! It is nice to see these two again with the both of them dealing with several changes throughout the start of the story to where they are now and I am sure their storylines in this book will be just as awesome! There really isn't much for me to add with what Liquid already said so I will get to the choices themselves and my reasons behind them!
[Lead the troops yourself]
There is definitely more risk involved with this choice but at the same time, I think Naemon will still be in a pretty safe position if we pick the right choices. Besides as the heir to Blackmont, Naemon should be heavily protected if he chooses to be to where he could lead from the back just like he did in the battle against Karsan's rebels. Obviously if war with the Martell's come for him, it will be a way bigger battle but even still, he shouldn't be in too much danger unless he chooses to be of course. While helping the Fowler's doesn't seem to be ideal for Naemon, it does seem like a sound choice for him from his PoV I believe as well since if Skyreach falls, Blackmont is pretty much wide open for the Martell's to attack. On a side note though, it does look as if the Fowler's are going to put up a fight even with the overwhelming numbers on their lands but with the 500 Dayne men, however many man Blackmont have and the remaining Fowler men, Mors may actually be in a little bit of trouble here and if not, it still holds potential for an epic battle! Also, Naemon and Desmor interactions have to happen and with the option now there, this potential meeting is near the top of my choices of characters that I want to see meet
[Tell Desi about the dream]
I see minimal danger with this choice and with someone as wise as Desi around, Gwendis should take every chance she gets to obtain advice and gain knowledge from her.
[Suggest Kegan or Thomos]
[Tell Desi about the dream]
[Suggest Kegan or Thomos] Meeting the men from the Reach could be interesting, after all their relationships have been uneasy since the reign of Garth the Painter.
[Go to the High Priestess quarters] I'm having curiosity about meeting Belan's mother and what they think about Gwendis' presence.
[Lead the troops yourself]
[Tell Desi about the dream]