Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
“You fucked up, boy”, Mullendore said with a sickening smile. “All of your friends are dead. Even your little girl, just because you chose to oppose me. Now you're all alone. And you will answer my questions” He looked at the knife in his hands and his smile widened. “The fuck I'm going to do!”, Lucas spat at him and Mullendore closed his eyes. “Trust me, you will, sooner or later. For your own interest, tell me what I need to know. If you hope for help, you are ridiculous. No one is looking for you. No one even knows you're here...”
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
Or perhaps I try to mislead you. Remember that choice at the end of the last chapter where Lucas had to decide if he should ask Mullendore for help or not? It heavily looked as if asking for help would be the better choice, until Jaylon came around >:D
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard] No fucking contest. Leonard the Stately must be saved. At least Samantha knows they are innocent.
Keep … morein mind that Jaylon has less men with him, if things escalate”
AND Leonard is conscious and the superior fighter. Liquid WANTS us to choose this!
Muhahahahahah I know the majority will vote this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsj4jjbgks
Liquid WANTS us to choose this!
Or perhaps I try to mislead you. Remember that choice at the end of the last chapter where Lucas had… more to decide if he should ask Mullendore for help or not? It heavily looked as if asking for help would be the better choice, until Jaylon came around >:D
He doesn't need to say to anyone that he's a true knight, define by actions not words, but will need at least one bath in a week or he'll become a filthy Knight. I was assume that you expected to take all of your option, if you didn't expect at all to take spare option then you shouldn't put there, the chivalric code wasn't enough for me as you say isn't a nobleman neither a knight and to stop the war while he leave the town after we spare him, that's a fail statement and hardly to believe by anyone. So... overall you see is a justice that a brutal monster, I mean a man to get tortured to death rather than face a fair trial, meanwhile no one deserve to die, not even a monster like Butterfly. I thought that Harpy would go that far and this is why I rather kill a bad man by myself. Hatred and anger, the emotion in general can change people.
It's too sad that Liquid become Solid
[Metal Gear intensifies]
I'm still mad because of his part with fake Butterfly as he exp… moreected to choose spare Butterfly, but he didn't give any whatsoever reason to convince us to take that option, he just assume that Chivalric code will be enough for us, treated our foe with courtesy and spare their life
Actually, I never expected you to spare "Butterfly" and I definitely never tried to convince you to spare him. I'm neutral for most choices and there are very rare times where I try to influence you in a certain direction. If I really wanted you to spare him, I would have made him plead for his life instead of making him utter some of the lowest insults possible. That said, I also gave a few good reasons to spare him. First and foremost, the chivalric code, which "Butterfly" also mentioned. Second, he promised to end the war in Oldtown if his life gets spared. Of course, that was a … [view original content]
We'll see... well, not exactly soon, as there will be other parts that have to happen first, but it won't be that long until the next Samantha part will come. This one is also going to be a major choice btw.
Liquid WANTS us to choose this!
Or perhaps I try to mislead you. Remember that choice at the end of the last chapter where Lucas had… more to decide if he should ask Mullendore for help or not? It heavily looked as if asking for help would be the better choice, until Jaylon came around >:D
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
We'll see... well, not exactly soon, as there will be other parts that have to happen first, but it won't be that long until the next Samantha part will come. This one is also going to be a major choice btw.
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
Remember Lucas had this on the next time thing:
“You fucked up, boy”, Mullendore said with a sickening smile. “All of your friends are… more dead. Even your little girl, just because you chose to oppose me. Now you're all alone. And you will answer my questions” He looked at the knife in his hands and his smile widened. “The fuck I'm going to do!”, Lucas spat at him and Mullendore closed his eyes. “Trust me, you will, sooner or later. For your own interest, tell me what I need to know. If you hope for help, you are ridiculous. No one is looking for you. No one even knows you're here...”
(That means change your vote)
Alright lets try to review the information so far.
Lucas may be in a better physical condition that Leonard, but he is in a wreck after Lunett's murder. His spirit may be broken and he may have lost any sort of will to fight. But, Leonard is actually keen on getting vengeance against Mullendore, saving him would mean that he can inform the others of Butterfly's true identity. However, saving Leonard will alert Jaylon, making him inform Mullendore. Which means that Lucas is completely fucked since Mullendore will tighten security around him, making it almost impossible to save him. If Samantha tries to break Lucas out, she may have to deal with the likes of Ryder or elite guards, making this rescue mission pointless. I must say that Liquid is putting us in a rough position right away from the start of the chapter. So my choice will be [Go after Jaylon and Leonard]
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
So random question: When I made my grand speculation post I went through every page, and I saw Flog submitted at least 3 characters. But oddly enough I never saw him vote or comment on anything, even the prologue. Are you a silent reader Flog?
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
So random question: When I made my grand speculation post I went through every page, and I saw Flog submitted at least 3 characters. But odd… morely enough I never saw him vote or comment on anything, even the prologue. Are you a silent reader Flog?
Never did see @Pipas besides that first page too.
Indeed, you have missed a majority of the latest chapter, but it's awesome to see you around here again
If you want to catch up again without reading through tons of pages, I have recently updated the google doc summary. Not exactly the best summary I've ever written, but it should suffice. Probably the most important thing for you: Ellena is still alive and while her storyline in the latest chapter hasn't really been the most action-packed in this chapter, she's arguably in the safest position she's been in for months. Theoretically at least. A lot of other characters... well, not so much. There have been twists and turns, unexpected revelations, a few new and exciting characters, a lot of moments which I absolutely loved to write, one particular moment at the very end of the chapter which I genuinely hated to write and, well, pretty much everyone got a new least favourite character now.
Act II: Shattered and Broken
Chapter II: The Iron Price
Samantha
Samantha had seen a lot of death in her life. The slaughtered bodi… morees of her family, they would haunt her dreams forever. The sight and especially the smell of a thousand charred corpses on the fields of Tyrosh, where Aegon Targaryen's dragons had burned the Volantene army, she would never forget it. The screams of Butterfly, as that girl castrated him... for the first time in her life, Samantha dearly hoped that she would never get an image out of her head. For the past five years she had dreamed of this moment. Of course, she had always hoped that she would be the one to kill him, but watching it had been just as satisfying. Still... it left a sour taste in her mouth. There was one question she couldn't get out of her head as she was walking through the streets of Oldtown, through a city that was finally free of Butterfly. What now? This had been her life for the past … [view original content]
This choice will have major consequences on how Samantha's and by extension Lucas' storyline in this chapter are going to play out. It's going to be quite dangerous for both of them, and for Sasha and Leonard as well. The next part should be finished later today. It's going to be a long Torvin part and should come out in a few hours. However, I have some problems with the forum today, for some odd reason. Loading pages takes forever or doesn't work at all, so if these problems continue, I might be unable to post the next part today.
On another note, I just found out that there is a length-limit on google docs as well, it's just significantly higher than the post-length limit here in the forum. I just tried to put the last two parts of the chapter into the doc, only to find out that it fails to save most of it, instead giving me an error message. A quick search told me that I apparently exceeded the length limit for these documents. That means, in the near future there will be not one very long document for all of the Book, but instead several slightly less long documents for each Act, as soon as I find the motivation to do that.
This choice will have major consequences on how Samantha's and by extension Lucas' storyline in this chapter are going to play out. It's going to be quite dangerous for both of them, and for Sasha and Leonard as well. The next part should be finished later today. It's going to be a long Torvin part and should come out in a few hours. However, I have some problems with the forum today, for some odd reason. Loading pages takes forever or doesn't work at all, so if these problems continue, I might be unable to post the next part today.
This means Leonard will live? Yes! Lucas' storyline is going to be Reek-afied.
The Voting is closed!
Samantha will go after Jaylon and Leonard
This choice will have major consequences on how Samantha's and by exte… morension Lucas' storyline in this chapter are going to play out. It's going to be quite dangerous for both of them, and for Sasha and Leonard as well. The next part should be finished later today. It's going to be a long Torvin part and should come out in a few hours. However, I have some problems with the forum today, for some odd reason. Loading pages takes forever or doesn't work at all, so if these problems continue, I might be unable to post the next part today.
On another note, I just found out that there is a length-limit on google docs as well, it's just significantly higher than the post-length limit here in the forum. I just tried to put the last two parts of the chapter into the doc, only to find out that it fails to save most of it, instead giving me an error message. A quick search told me th… [view original content]
It's going to be quite dangerous for both of them, and for Sasha and Leonard as well.
With special emphasis on 'quite dangerous' and 'Leonard'. He is not save yet, not at all. He is still badly wounded and in the hands of a trained swordsman, while it remains questionable if Samantha even intends to save him, or if she just wants answers out of him.
This choice will have major consequences on how Samantha's and by extension Lucas' storyline in this chapter are going to play out. It's goi… moreng to be quite dangerous for both of them, and for Sasha and Leonard as well. The next part should be finished later today. It's going to be a long Torvin part and should come out in a few hours. However, I have some problems with the forum today, for some odd reason. Loading pages takes forever or doesn't work at all, so if these problems continue, I might be unable to post the next part today.
This means Leonard will live? Yes! Lucas' storyline is going to be Reek-afied.
Indeed, you have missed a majority of the latest chapter, but it's awesome to see you around here again
If you want to catch up again wi… morethout reading through tons of pages, I have recently updated the google doc summary. Not exactly the best summary I've ever written, but it should suffice. Probably the most important thing for you: Ellena is still alive and while her storyline in the latest chapter hasn't really been the most action-packed in this chapter, she's arguably in the safest position she's been in for months. Theoretically at least. A lot of other characters... well, not so much. There have been twists and turns, unexpected revelations, a few new and exciting characters, a lot of moments which I absolutely loved to write, one particular moment at the very end of the chapter which I genuinely hated to write and, well, pretty much everyone got a new least favourite character now.
They entered Harrenhal through it's southern and smaller gate. Even now in the darkness, Torvin felt watched by the castles huge towers, like giants who were judging him. And even now, people were working on the fifth tower. It would be finished soon and Harrenhal would be completed. But if the Drowned God had mercy, Harren Hoare wouldn't be around to see it.
Harlan was oddly silent, but this silence only made him more dangerous. During the past hours, Torvin got a pretty good impression on him. The prince was boisterous, surprisingly friendly while he was talking. And he loved to talk and to shout. But when he wasn't talking, he was brooding. There was a lot of anger and hatred inside of him and it became apparent by the looks he gave everything around him every time he was silent.
Right now, Harlan was looking at Alys Boleyn, his stare twisted, nearly murderous. Torvin had to smirk as he thought about the situation. It had been a decision in the heat of the moment when he found her in the forest. He could have given her to Harlan, he could have changed everything. Instead, he showed mercy, not because he was pitying her, but because he wouldn't be Harlan Hoare's dog. And he wasn't regretting it. A noble girl from the North! Who would have thought that?
And then there were her companions. Torvin paid little attention to the mercenaries. He barely remembered their names. But Anturion... He never heard about Edward Anturion before, but for some reason, Gabin and even Harlan acted unfailingly polite around him. In turn, Anturion acted the same towards them. He had been chivalrous, offering his horse to Alys, he had been gentle when helping her onto it, but something in the way he spoke, something in the way he smiled made Torvin wary around this man.
“There it is, my friends!”, Harlan proclaimed and the dark look in his eyes faded. “Welcome in Harrenhal!” He patted Anturion on the back and the man answered with a friendly smile. “Thank you, Prince Harlan, for your kindness”
Harlan gave him a generous grin. “Ah, don't mention it”, he said. “I'll send word to my father. If he wishes, he will welcome you personally” With these words he gave Gabin a short nod. “Gabin, escort Ser Edward and his entourage to the Great Hall. Make sure to bring them a hot meal and a stiff drink!”
Gabin gave him a nod and looked from him to Hjalgar. “Hjalgar, perhaps you'd like to accompany me?”, he asked and the young man gave him a surprised look. “Me?”, he asked and looked at Harlan. The prince's smile looked almost benign and if it weren't for his eyes, Torvin could have mistaken him for a completely different man. And that was what made Harlan Hoare so dangerous. “Go ahead, my friend. If you want to help Gabin, why not?”, he said. “It's late either way. I plan to call it an early night, so you're all free to do whatever you want to”
With these words, Harlan took an elegant bow in front of Anturion and another one in front of Alys, who had descended from her horse. “Good night, Ser Edward. Good night Lady Alys”, he said and gave Alys a light kiss on the hand. “Keep your friends close, mylady. Harrenhal is not a good place for a young girl”
Before she could answer anything, Harlan turned around, starting to walk towards the King's tower, where Harren and his sons had their rooms. Perhaps it was for the better. Torvin had seen the look in Lady Alys' eyes and he knew that Harlan's mood could swing easily if he was mocked in the slightest. The dark night soon caused Harlan to vanish, but his aura remained with them, cold, threatening, dangerous.
“What are you going to do now, Torvin?”, Gabin asked and Torvin looked towards the westernmost of the five towers. They had no names, at least no official ones, but this one was known as the Pyke tower, the tower where the Iron Fleet captains met. “Lord Captain Greyjoy asked for me a few hours ago, before we left for the hunt”, he said with a hint of regret. The Lord Captain wasn't a man who liked to wait.
“And you chose to make him wait?”, Gabin asked, raising an eyebrow. “That was a bold decision. I mean, I never met Damon Greyjoy before, but if he is any bit like his sister...” “He is worse”, Torvin cut him off. “I always found that it was easier to get along with Kyra” Gabin sighed and slightly shook his head. “And now he's here. May the gods have mercy” Torvin gave him a nod. “Indeed...”, he mumbled.
Gabin looked at Anturion and his entourage, who waited politely in the distance. He patted Torvin on the back and slightly smirked. “I'm not envying you right now. Have fun with the Lord Captain. But as soon as you're done, meet me and Hjalgar in the Great Hall”
Torvin gave him a grin and looked towards Hjalgar. “See you soon”, he said and turned around, leaving his companions behind. He never had much to do with Damon Greyjoy before. Of course, as the Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, he gave orders, but while he was among the highest of nobles, Torvin was no nobleman at all. Half of the Iron Islands nobility had dark rumours surrounding them, but the stories about Damon made even him shiver. He was a kinslayer by accident, cursed by the Drowned God after he killed his younger brother with a throwing axe while playing the Finger Dance when he was only fourteen. He was banished from the kingdom after nearly killing Harndon Hoare, the kings thirdborn son at the age of nineteen. Torvin knew, Harndon probably deserved it, but the sheer audacity Damon showed by beating him to a bloody pulp in bright daylight, it still baffled him. In his exile, he was rumoured to have sailed to the other end of the world, up to Asshai and beyond. And thirteen years later he returned, successfully pleaded forgiveness and was even appointed as the new Lord Captain, after his predecessor, the old Lord Harlaw, decided to retire peacefully. His success proved that it was a good decision to give him the position, but Torvin never really trusted this man.
As he walked up the narrow set of stairs that lead up to the Pyke tower's main door, he saw movement near a window next to it, a figure stepping out of the door. Lord Captain Damon Greyjoy, known as the Ghost of Pyke, gave him a slight nod as a greeting. Like most of his ancestors, his hair was dark, while his skin was eerily pale. His face was handsome, in a rugged way, with sharp facial features and a rather prominent nose. A short well-groomed beard covered his chin and mouth and his dark brown eyes looked almost amused.
Torvin looked up at the man who could have been a Hoare. Dark hair, dark eyes and an even darker heart, a smile like the Stranger himself, a kinslayer and aside from Harren Hoare the only man in Harrenhal who managed to genuinely scare him. “Lord Captain Greyjoy”, he said respectfully, slightly lowering his head. He was below this man, in more than one way and he was not afraid to admit it. “Captain Breaker”, Damon Greyjoy answered with his soft voice. “You're awfully late. Do you prefer to stroll around the countryside with our revered princelings?”
Torvin gave him an apologizing look and Damon answered with a pearly white smile. “It's fine, Captain Breaker, don't get irritated by my questions”, he said an as Torvin approached him. He even gave him a warm handshake, paired with a polite smile that failed to reached his eyes. “I'm sorry, Lord Captain”, Torvin said sincerely.
“Don't be sorry, Captain. I'm sure it was exciting to see how Prince Harmund showed the smallfolk where they belong”, Damon answered mockingly and looked Torvin straight in the eye. Torvin couldn't stand this inquisitive stare and concentrated on a spot above the Lord Captain's head. “Besides, the meeting is not over yet. The captains Stallhart, Vessels and Hollard are still present. You just missed a lot of trouble and some uneasy situations over the course of the evening”
With these words, Damon turned around, entering the tower. Torvin followed closely. “There has been trouble?”, he asked and Damon gave him a slight nod. “Some of the captains weren't pleased with the roles I had prepared for them in the next step of the war. Fortunately, it was nothing my sister couldn't handle”
“Has there been death?”, Torvin asked and Damon shook his head. “Sadly not. It was just the usual boring brawl. I believe Tristan Botlin lost an eye in the attempt of stabbing me”, he answered and his mouth formed a smirk. “I haven't really paid attention to what happened afterwards, but two men were necessary to stop Kyra from killing the man”
Torvin chuckled as he had to imagine Kyra Greyjoy beating up Tristan Botlin. Damon's younger sister was over a whole foot shorter than Botlin and had probably only a third of his weight. Nonetheless, as enjoyable as this picture was, it wasn't hard to imagine. What Kyra lacked in strength, she made more than up for in fierceness and ferocity. Botlin should have known better.
“Your sister will accompany our meeting?”, he asked and Damon gave him a nod. “Someone has to prevent a hundred hot-headed raiders from killing each other after all. And who would be better suited than the captain of Harren's guard?”
Torvin had to agree to this. Captain of the guard... on some days Torvin was surprised that a man as rooted in tradition as Harren Hoare was willing to give such a position to a woman. Then again, no one deserved it more than Kyra Greyjoy, who had already clashed swords with the lord of Bear Island at the age of fifteen. Besides, even Torvin's limited understanding of politics were enough to see that it had been a necessary manoeuvre to bind the Greyjoy's closer to the crown again after the events that lead to Damon's exile.
Damon stopped in front of the large, double-winged door that lead to the Iron Fleet's war room. Loud, agitated voices were heard. A woman's bright laughter could clearly be singled out. Damon raised his hand. “One moment, Captain Breaker”, he whispered with a low voice and an amused look in his eyes, as he pointed at the door. “Let's hear what they talk about, shall we?”
“I fail to see why that upstart cunt Codd gets the Crag!”, a loud, harsh voice shouted. Torvin knew the man who was talking. Simon Vessels, captain of the Solitude, father of Harmund Hoare's best friend Rell. Compared to Rell, he was especially obnoxious, a foul-mouthed son of a whore. “Because Codd has actual experience when it comes to raiding, unlike your son”, a soft, female voice answered. Alynne Hollard, the only woman among Harren's captains. Technically, she was a Riverlady, born to House Hollard, but she had been drowned and reborn as a servant of the Drowned God, just like every man in Harren's army. Unlike most of his soldiers, Alynne had taken this route out of her own free will. Torvin knew, the Lord Captain appreciated her calculating advice.
“Watch your tongue!”, Simon shouted and Damon chuckled slightly. “You haven't gotten any role at all in our future war, if I'm not mistaken” “Just like your son”, Alynne stated as an answer. The sound of someone jumping up, knocking a chair over in the process, was heard, as well as the sound of steel being drawn. “Careful where you point that thing, Simon”, another female voice said. Torvin recognized Kyra Greyjoy, the young Kraken of Pyke and a genuine smile flashed over Damon's face. “You surely don't know how to handle such a long sword”
“You'd do better not to talk to me, bitch”, Simon growled. Damon narrowed his eyes and a dangerous look appeared in them. He took a step forwards, pushing both door wings open in the process, cutting off every talk inside of the room.
The war room was nearly empty. Only four people sat inside of it, each of them looking at Damon. The air reeked of alcohol and smoke, but the fire inside of the fireplace was nearly burnt down. Large windows were supposed to catch the light, but in the darkness that surrounded Harrenhal at night, a large chandelier, formed like a stylized kraken, was the only way to illuminate the large room. Over a hundred empty chairs were located in a half circle around the large table in the middle. Right now, the only people in the room had gathered around the table.
Simon Vessels was usually a tanned man, but right now he was as pale as a ghost. His light brown hair was cut extremely short and the large, ugly scar across his right eye was shivering as he was looking at Damon. His mouth was slightly opened and with very slow movements, he started to put his longsword back into it's sheath. Simon was barely seen without his armour, a mixture of brown leather and chainmail, with a broad fur collar.
Across him sat Captain Alynne Hollard, the youngest person in the room. Her blonde hair was cut short and her dark blue eyes pierced from Simon to the Lord Captain. As usual, she wasn't smiling, instead she was slightly frowning.
Between them sat the third captain of the Iron Fleet present, Captain Durren Stallhart. His long brown hair was unkempt, as well as his beard, giving him a wild appearance. His large nose had been broken one too many times, pale scars crossing all over his visible body, contrasting well with his tanned skin. His feet rested on the table and he made no attempts of putting them down as Damon Greyjoy slowly entered the room. Instead, he had a huge, gleeful grin on his face as he gave Torvin a nod and Simon a triumphant look.
Leaning against the window, smiling brightly at the sight of her brother, stood Kyra Greyjoy, quite fittingly known as the Laughing Kraken. She had the dark blue eyes that were commonly found with her house, as well as the eerily pale skin, the dark brown hair and the physical beauty the Greyjoy's were known for. She was at least two heads shorter than Torvin and had to wield the large bearded axe she currently rested her arms on with both hands, even though it was intended to be wielded with one. Of course, she was never seen without her mail armour, but it wasn't too hard to imagine her in a fine dress. Or without any clothes at all.
“Ah, brother”, she greeted Damon and gave Torvin a nod as well. “And Captain Breaker finally found his way to us as well. You had a tough hunt, Captain?” Torvin slightly shook his head. “A waste of time”, he admitted. “Should have attended the meeting instead”
“You should have”, Damon agreed and looked at Kyra again, who gave Simon a triumphant glare. “You just arrived at a good time, brother”, Kyra said and gleefully watched how Simon's face dropped. “Simon here just said something very interesting”
Simon Vessels frantically shook his head and somehow managed to loose even more colour on his face as Damon slowly approached. “It's... it's nothing, Lord Captain!”, he swore. “I'm just curious why Rell got no assignment today. I mean, he is one of Harmund Hoare's closest associates, he is a good fighter and he proved his cunning more than once. My son is ready, he only needs a chance!” As he talked, he clearly started to get more agitated. “Even that fucking upstart Lucifer Codd got an assignment for the coming war. The coast of the Crag is a huge target for a dim-witted cunt like him”, he said and Damon raised an eyebrow, putting Simon off his stride. “I mean... I mean... not like he would not deserve an assignment. But... not that big!”
“And with these last three words, my friends, Captain Vessels summarized his physical attributes quite well”, Kyra mocked him, earning herself a cold glare from Simon. Damon ignored her remark, but as he saw that Simon opened his mouth again, he cut him off. “I can assure you, your son will get an important role in the war, the chance he ever dreamt off, as soon as a few other matters are dealt with”, he said and Vessels looked surprised, as well as pleased. Before he could answer anything, Damon continued to speak. “Was that all, Captain Vessels? You said nothing else?”
Torvin knew that Simon Vessels was not a fool. He knew, Damon listened to their conversation. Still, he gave Kyra a pleading look as he shook his head. “That was all, Lord Captain”, he promised. Damon looked at Kyra who gave him an affirmative nod. “Nothing else, brother. Captain Vessels had been awfully and unusually polite, even articulate today. Not a single insult came out of his mouth”
With her words, the matter was settled and Torvin knew how close Simon had avoided to get into real trouble. The older captain gave the young woman a thankful look, which she answered with a forgiving smile.
“Now that we dealt with this, we need to talk about Breaker's role in the coming war”, Damon whispered, his voice very low as he was still looking at Simon. “Over the past few hours, we have assigned six dozen captains to the coming war. Some, like Captain Hollard here, will have a passive role in our next step...” “I'm still honoured to serve”, Alynne interjected, causing Damon to give her a pearly-white smile, like a polite shark. “Indeed you are, Captain Hollard”, he whispered. “Others, like Captain Stallhart here, got tremendously important roles”
Durren Stallhart gave him a short nod and slightly put his feet into a more comfortable position as he leant forwards. “Aye”, he growled. “The northern coast of the Rock” He grinned proudly at Torvin. “All of it, boy. A hundred miles, filled with villages, filled with riches and women for me and my men!”
“You forgot the sheep”, Kyra interjected, which caused Durren to burst into roaring laughter. “Aye, Laughing Kraken's right. I forgot the sheep. Hard to distinguish them from the rocky girls over there”, he answered and heavily tapped his chest. “But Durren Stallhart never backed out from anything. The villagers of the rock better hide their girls and their sheep when they see my sails!”
He and Kyra grinned at each other and Damon let out a slight sigh. “I'm sure all the sheep in the Rock shiver in fear when they think of you”, he said. “But back to the topic. Captain Breaker, you are one of the Iron Fleet's lowest captains, your ship one of it's smallest” He looked at his sister, to prevent any attempt of hers to say something. “And to answer my sisters unspoken remark: Sadly, size matters when it comes to warships. Because of this, you won't get a target of your own. Instead, I have prepared two possible assignments for you, one promising you a small fortune of loot, the other one promising you glory and fame”, he explained, glaring at Kyra, who raised both hands. “Hey, you brought the warships up, not me”, she defended herself.
Damon ignored his sister's remark and looked back at Torvin. “I'm going to let you choose. The first assignment would put you under my command, while we raid Lannisport in the earlier stages of the war and with a bit of luck, lay siege to Casterly Rock itself during the later stages. Of course, the treasure is going to be shared between you and a hundred other captains, but you could climb high in the king's favour”, he explained and his eyes pierced through Torvin. “If you want to climb high in his favour, of course”, he added with a dangerous tone in his voice.
“The second assignment would put you together with Captain Stallhart here. The coasts of the northern Rock are rich, richer than one might imagine, but scarcely guarded. And it would be all for you and Durren here, every village, every small castle and every town between the Ironman's Bay and Banefort. Of course, that one won't be as prestigious as the other one, but the material reward will be sizeable”
Before Torvin could answer, Durren patted him on the back. “What do you say, boy? You and me on an adventure? Like in the good old days?”, he asked with a grin. Damon said nothing, but folded his hands together, awaiting Torvin's decision.
[Choose to raid the northern Rock with Durren Stallhart][Choose to raid Lannisport with the majority of the Iron Fleet]
Torvin
They entered Harrenhal through it's southern and smaller gate. Even now in the darkness, Torvin felt watched by the castles huge t… moreowers, like giants who were judging him. And even now, people were working on the fifth tower. It would be finished soon and Harrenhal would be completed. But if the Drowned God had mercy, Harren Hoare wouldn't be around to see it.
Harlan was oddly silent, but this silence only made him more dangerous. During the past hours, Torvin got a pretty good impression on him. The prince was boisterous, surprisingly friendly while he was talking. And he loved to talk and to shout. But when he wasn't talking, he was brooding. There was a lot of anger and hatred inside of him and it became apparent by the looks he gave everything around him every time he was silent.
Right now, Harlan was looking at Alys Boleyn, his stare twisted, nearly murderous. Torvin had to smirk as he thought about the situation. It had b… [view original content]
Torvin
They entered Harrenhal through it's southern and smaller gate. Even now in the darkness, Torvin felt watched by the castles huge t… moreowers, like giants who were judging him. And even now, people were working on the fifth tower. It would be finished soon and Harrenhal would be completed. But if the Drowned God had mercy, Harren Hoare wouldn't be around to see it.
Harlan was oddly silent, but this silence only made him more dangerous. During the past hours, Torvin got a pretty good impression on him. The prince was boisterous, surprisingly friendly while he was talking. And he loved to talk and to shout. But when he wasn't talking, he was brooding. There was a lot of anger and hatred inside of him and it became apparent by the looks he gave everything around him every time he was silent.
Right now, Harlan was looking at Alys Boleyn, his stare twisted, nearly murderous. Torvin had to smirk as he thought about the situation. It had b… [view original content]
Torvin
They entered Harrenhal through it's southern and smaller gate. Even now in the darkness, Torvin felt watched by the castles huge t… moreowers, like giants who were judging him. And even now, people were working on the fifth tower. It would be finished soon and Harrenhal would be completed. But if the Drowned God had mercy, Harren Hoare wouldn't be around to see it.
Harlan was oddly silent, but this silence only made him more dangerous. During the past hours, Torvin got a pretty good impression on him. The prince was boisterous, surprisingly friendly while he was talking. And he loved to talk and to shout. But when he wasn't talking, he was brooding. There was a lot of anger and hatred inside of him and it became apparent by the looks he gave everything around him every time he was silent.
Right now, Harlan was looking at Alys Boleyn, his stare twisted, nearly murderous. Torvin had to smirk as he thought about the situation. It had b… [view original content]
Torvin
They entered Harrenhal through it's southern and smaller gate. Even now in the darkness, Torvin felt watched by the castles huge t… moreowers, like giants who were judging him. And even now, people were working on the fifth tower. It would be finished soon and Harrenhal would be completed. But if the Drowned God had mercy, Harren Hoare wouldn't be around to see it.
Harlan was oddly silent, but this silence only made him more dangerous. During the past hours, Torvin got a pretty good impression on him. The prince was boisterous, surprisingly friendly while he was talking. And he loved to talk and to shout. But when he wasn't talking, he was brooding. There was a lot of anger and hatred inside of him and it became apparent by the looks he gave everything around him every time he was silent.
Right now, Harlan was looking at Alys Boleyn, his stare twisted, nearly murderous. Torvin had to smirk as he thought about the situation. It had b… [view original content]
Uh oh! How many pages is Forum of Thrones? I want to make sure I don't reach that limit anytime soon, which I probably won't, but it's still good to prepare for the future.
The Voting is closed!
Samantha will go after Jaylon and Leonard
This choice will have major consequences on how Samantha's and by exte… morension Lucas' storyline in this chapter are going to play out. It's going to be quite dangerous for both of them, and for Sasha and Leonard as well. The next part should be finished later today. It's going to be a long Torvin part and should come out in a few hours. However, I have some problems with the forum today, for some odd reason. Loading pages takes forever or doesn't work at all, so if these problems continue, I might be unable to post the next part today.
On another note, I just found out that there is a length-limit on google docs as well, it's just significantly higher than the post-length limit here in the forum. I just tried to put the last two parts of the chapter into the doc, only to find out that it fails to save most of it, instead giving me an error message. A quick search told me th… [view original content]
Comments
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard] No fucking contest. Leonard the Stately must be saved. At least Samantha knows they are innocent.
AND Leonard is conscious and the superior fighter. Liquid WANTS us to choose this!
Muhahahahahah I know the majority will vote this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSsj4jjbgks
Remember Lucas had this on the next time thing:
(That means change your vote)
(Go after Jaylon and Leonard)
Or perhaps I try to mislead you. Remember that choice at the end of the last chapter where Lucas had to decide if he should ask Mullendore for help or not? It heavily looked as if asking for help would be the better choice, until Jaylon came around >:D
Well guess what, this isn't that. THIS IS the right choice.
He doesn't need to say to anyone that he's a true knight, define by actions not words, but will need at least one bath in a week or he'll become a filthy Knight. I was assume that you expected to take all of your option, if you didn't expect at all to take spare option then you shouldn't put there, the chivalric code wasn't enough for me as you say isn't a nobleman neither a knight and to stop the war while he leave the town after we spare him, that's a fail statement and hardly to believe by anyone. So... overall you see is a justice that a brutal monster, I mean a man to get tortured to death rather than face a fair trial, meanwhile no one deserve to die, not even a monster like Butterfly. I thought that Harpy would go that far and this is why I rather kill a bad man by myself. Hatred and anger, the emotion in general can change people.
Fine I'll take my leave, you win.
We'll see... well, not exactly soon, as there will be other parts that have to happen first, but it won't be that long until the next Samantha part will come. This one is also going to be a major choice btw.
Thats what I was thinking.
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard]
Goddamnit.
Just let Lucas dieeeeee
But wait, if they interrogate them, wouldn't they also probably heal them?
FUCK
[Go after Mullendore and Lucas]
But what if that part was completely determinant? I am torn. I don't want Lucas or Leonard to die.
Alright lets try to review the information so far.
Lucas may be in a better physical condition that Leonard, but he is in a wreck after Lunett's murder. His spirit may be broken and he may have lost any sort of will to fight. But, Leonard is actually keen on getting vengeance against Mullendore, saving him would mean that he can inform the others of Butterfly's true identity. However, saving Leonard will alert Jaylon, making him inform Mullendore. Which means that Lucas is completely fucked since Mullendore will tighten security around him, making it almost impossible to save him. If Samantha tries to break Lucas out, she may have to deal with the likes of Ryder or elite guards, making this rescue mission pointless. I must say that Liquid is putting us in a rough position right away from the start of the chapter. So my choice will be [Go after Jaylon and Leonard]
And you especially don't want Leonard to die.
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard] Don't know why, but it seems like a better choice. Less people, less opportunity to die.
Great part!
[Go after Mullendore and Lucas]
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard]
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard] Must save Leonard! I'm a bit scared for Lucas now though.
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard]
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard] we will go to the Gate *of HELL
So random question: When I made my grand speculation post I went through every page, and I saw Flog submitted at least 3 characters. But oddly enough I never saw him vote or comment on anything, even the prologue. Are you a silent reader Flog?
Never did see @Pipas besides that first page too.
[gomadter mullendore and lucas]
go after
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard]
Look again, I'm not only on 1st page. :P I just kinda stopped somewhere at page 40. I'll return to reading this someday, don't you worry.
Wow, I missed a lot.
Indeed, you have missed a majority of the latest chapter, but it's awesome to see you around here again
If you want to catch up again without reading through tons of pages, I have recently updated the google doc summary. Not exactly the best summary I've ever written, but it should suffice. Probably the most important thing for you: Ellena is still alive and while her storyline in the latest chapter hasn't really been the most action-packed in this chapter, she's arguably in the safest position she's been in for months. Theoretically at least. A lot of other characters... well, not so much. There have been twists and turns, unexpected revelations, a few new and exciting characters, a lot of moments which I absolutely loved to write, one particular moment at the very end of the chapter which I genuinely hated to write and, well, pretty much everyone got a new least favourite character now.
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard]
Dammit, this story is greatly contributing to me goofing off at work and I'm okay with that.
[Go after Jaylon and Leonard]
The Voting is closed!
Samantha will go after Jaylon and Leonard
This choice will have major consequences on how Samantha's and by extension Lucas' storyline in this chapter are going to play out. It's going to be quite dangerous for both of them, and for Sasha and Leonard as well. The next part should be finished later today. It's going to be a long Torvin part and should come out in a few hours. However, I have some problems with the forum today, for some odd reason. Loading pages takes forever or doesn't work at all, so if these problems continue, I might be unable to post the next part today.
On another note, I just found out that there is a length-limit on google docs as well, it's just significantly higher than the post-length limit here in the forum. I just tried to put the last two parts of the chapter into the doc, only to find out that it fails to save most of it, instead giving me an error message. A quick search told me that I apparently exceeded the length limit for these documents. That means, in the near future there will be not one very long document for all of the Book, but instead several slightly less long documents for each Act, as soon as I find the motivation to do that.
This means Leonard will live? Yes! Lucas' storyline is going to be Reek-afied.
With special emphasis on 'quite dangerous' and 'Leonard'. He is not save yet, not at all. He is still badly wounded and in the hands of a trained swordsman, while it remains questionable if Samantha even intends to save him, or if she just wants answers out of him.
What the hell? Mullendore is Butterfly? I need a moment after that. That was crazy.
Torvin
They entered Harrenhal through it's southern and smaller gate. Even now in the darkness, Torvin felt watched by the castles huge towers, like giants who were judging him. And even now, people were working on the fifth tower. It would be finished soon and Harrenhal would be completed. But if the Drowned God had mercy, Harren Hoare wouldn't be around to see it.
Harlan was oddly silent, but this silence only made him more dangerous. During the past hours, Torvin got a pretty good impression on him. The prince was boisterous, surprisingly friendly while he was talking. And he loved to talk and to shout. But when he wasn't talking, he was brooding. There was a lot of anger and hatred inside of him and it became apparent by the looks he gave everything around him every time he was silent.
Right now, Harlan was looking at Alys Boleyn, his stare twisted, nearly murderous. Torvin had to smirk as he thought about the situation. It had been a decision in the heat of the moment when he found her in the forest. He could have given her to Harlan, he could have changed everything. Instead, he showed mercy, not because he was pitying her, but because he wouldn't be Harlan Hoare's dog. And he wasn't regretting it. A noble girl from the North! Who would have thought that?
And then there were her companions. Torvin paid little attention to the mercenaries. He barely remembered their names. But Anturion... He never heard about Edward Anturion before, but for some reason, Gabin and even Harlan acted unfailingly polite around him. In turn, Anturion acted the same towards them. He had been chivalrous, offering his horse to Alys, he had been gentle when helping her onto it, but something in the way he spoke, something in the way he smiled made Torvin wary around this man.
“There it is, my friends!”, Harlan proclaimed and the dark look in his eyes faded. “Welcome in Harrenhal!” He patted Anturion on the back and the man answered with a friendly smile. “Thank you, Prince Harlan, for your kindness”
Harlan gave him a generous grin. “Ah, don't mention it”, he said. “I'll send word to my father. If he wishes, he will welcome you personally” With these words he gave Gabin a short nod. “Gabin, escort Ser Edward and his entourage to the Great Hall. Make sure to bring them a hot meal and a stiff drink!”
Gabin gave him a nod and looked from him to Hjalgar. “Hjalgar, perhaps you'd like to accompany me?”, he asked and the young man gave him a surprised look. “Me?”, he asked and looked at Harlan. The prince's smile looked almost benign and if it weren't for his eyes, Torvin could have mistaken him for a completely different man. And that was what made Harlan Hoare so dangerous. “Go ahead, my friend. If you want to help Gabin, why not?”, he said. “It's late either way. I plan to call it an early night, so you're all free to do whatever you want to”
With these words, Harlan took an elegant bow in front of Anturion and another one in front of Alys, who had descended from her horse. “Good night, Ser Edward. Good night Lady Alys”, he said and gave Alys a light kiss on the hand. “Keep your friends close, mylady. Harrenhal is not a good place for a young girl”
Before she could answer anything, Harlan turned around, starting to walk towards the King's tower, where Harren and his sons had their rooms. Perhaps it was for the better. Torvin had seen the look in Lady Alys' eyes and he knew that Harlan's mood could swing easily if he was mocked in the slightest. The dark night soon caused Harlan to vanish, but his aura remained with them, cold, threatening, dangerous.
“What are you going to do now, Torvin?”, Gabin asked and Torvin looked towards the westernmost of the five towers. They had no names, at least no official ones, but this one was known as the Pyke tower, the tower where the Iron Fleet captains met. “Lord Captain Greyjoy asked for me a few hours ago, before we left for the hunt”, he said with a hint of regret. The Lord Captain wasn't a man who liked to wait.
“And you chose to make him wait?”, Gabin asked, raising an eyebrow. “That was a bold decision. I mean, I never met Damon Greyjoy before, but if he is any bit like his sister...” “He is worse”, Torvin cut him off. “I always found that it was easier to get along with Kyra” Gabin sighed and slightly shook his head. “And now he's here. May the gods have mercy” Torvin gave him a nod. “Indeed...”, he mumbled.
Gabin looked at Anturion and his entourage, who waited politely in the distance. He patted Torvin on the back and slightly smirked. “I'm not envying you right now. Have fun with the Lord Captain. But as soon as you're done, meet me and Hjalgar in the Great Hall”
Torvin gave him a grin and looked towards Hjalgar. “See you soon”, he said and turned around, leaving his companions behind. He never had much to do with Damon Greyjoy before. Of course, as the Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, he gave orders, but while he was among the highest of nobles, Torvin was no nobleman at all. Half of the Iron Islands nobility had dark rumours surrounding them, but the stories about Damon made even him shiver. He was a kinslayer by accident, cursed by the Drowned God after he killed his younger brother with a throwing axe while playing the Finger Dance when he was only fourteen. He was banished from the kingdom after nearly killing Harndon Hoare, the kings thirdborn son at the age of nineteen. Torvin knew, Harndon probably deserved it, but the sheer audacity Damon showed by beating him to a bloody pulp in bright daylight, it still baffled him. In his exile, he was rumoured to have sailed to the other end of the world, up to Asshai and beyond. And thirteen years later he returned, successfully pleaded forgiveness and was even appointed as the new Lord Captain, after his predecessor, the old Lord Harlaw, decided to retire peacefully. His success proved that it was a good decision to give him the position, but Torvin never really trusted this man.
As he walked up the narrow set of stairs that lead up to the Pyke tower's main door, he saw movement near a window next to it, a figure stepping out of the door. Lord Captain Damon Greyjoy, known as the Ghost of Pyke, gave him a slight nod as a greeting. Like most of his ancestors, his hair was dark, while his skin was eerily pale. His face was handsome, in a rugged way, with sharp facial features and a rather prominent nose. A short well-groomed beard covered his chin and mouth and his dark brown eyes looked almost amused.
Torvin looked up at the man who could have been a Hoare. Dark hair, dark eyes and an even darker heart, a smile like the Stranger himself, a kinslayer and aside from Harren Hoare the only man in Harrenhal who managed to genuinely scare him. “Lord Captain Greyjoy”, he said respectfully, slightly lowering his head. He was below this man, in more than one way and he was not afraid to admit it. “Captain Breaker”, Damon Greyjoy answered with his soft voice. “You're awfully late. Do you prefer to stroll around the countryside with our revered princelings?”
Torvin gave him an apologizing look and Damon answered with a pearly white smile. “It's fine, Captain Breaker, don't get irritated by my questions”, he said an as Torvin approached him. He even gave him a warm handshake, paired with a polite smile that failed to reached his eyes. “I'm sorry, Lord Captain”, Torvin said sincerely.
“Don't be sorry, Captain. I'm sure it was exciting to see how Prince Harmund showed the smallfolk where they belong”, Damon answered mockingly and looked Torvin straight in the eye. Torvin couldn't stand this inquisitive stare and concentrated on a spot above the Lord Captain's head. “Besides, the meeting is not over yet. The captains Stallhart, Vessels and Hollard are still present. You just missed a lot of trouble and some uneasy situations over the course of the evening”
With these words, Damon turned around, entering the tower. Torvin followed closely. “There has been trouble?”, he asked and Damon gave him a slight nod. “Some of the captains weren't pleased with the roles I had prepared for them in the next step of the war. Fortunately, it was nothing my sister couldn't handle”
“Has there been death?”, Torvin asked and Damon shook his head. “Sadly not. It was just the usual boring brawl. I believe Tristan Botlin lost an eye in the attempt of stabbing me”, he answered and his mouth formed a smirk. “I haven't really paid attention to what happened afterwards, but two men were necessary to stop Kyra from killing the man”
Torvin chuckled as he had to imagine Kyra Greyjoy beating up Tristan Botlin. Damon's younger sister was over a whole foot shorter than Botlin and had probably only a third of his weight. Nonetheless, as enjoyable as this picture was, it wasn't hard to imagine. What Kyra lacked in strength, she made more than up for in fierceness and ferocity. Botlin should have known better.
“Your sister will accompany our meeting?”, he asked and Damon gave him a nod. “Someone has to prevent a hundred hot-headed raiders from killing each other after all. And who would be better suited than the captain of Harren's guard?”
Torvin had to agree to this. Captain of the guard... on some days Torvin was surprised that a man as rooted in tradition as Harren Hoare was willing to give such a position to a woman. Then again, no one deserved it more than Kyra Greyjoy, who had already clashed swords with the lord of Bear Island at the age of fifteen. Besides, even Torvin's limited understanding of politics were enough to see that it had been a necessary manoeuvre to bind the Greyjoy's closer to the crown again after the events that lead to Damon's exile.
Damon stopped in front of the large, double-winged door that lead to the Iron Fleet's war room. Loud, agitated voices were heard. A woman's bright laughter could clearly be singled out. Damon raised his hand. “One moment, Captain Breaker”, he whispered with a low voice and an amused look in his eyes, as he pointed at the door. “Let's hear what they talk about, shall we?”
“I fail to see why that upstart cunt Codd gets the Crag!”, a loud, harsh voice shouted. Torvin knew the man who was talking. Simon Vessels, captain of the Solitude, father of Harmund Hoare's best friend Rell. Compared to Rell, he was especially obnoxious, a foul-mouthed son of a whore. “Because Codd has actual experience when it comes to raiding, unlike your son”, a soft, female voice answered. Alynne Hollard, the only woman among Harren's captains. Technically, she was a Riverlady, born to House Hollard, but she had been drowned and reborn as a servant of the Drowned God, just like every man in Harren's army. Unlike most of his soldiers, Alynne had taken this route out of her own free will. Torvin knew, the Lord Captain appreciated her calculating advice.
“Watch your tongue!”, Simon shouted and Damon chuckled slightly. “You haven't gotten any role at all in our future war, if I'm not mistaken” “Just like your son”, Alynne stated as an answer. The sound of someone jumping up, knocking a chair over in the process, was heard, as well as the sound of steel being drawn. “Careful where you point that thing, Simon”, another female voice said. Torvin recognized Kyra Greyjoy, the young Kraken of Pyke and a genuine smile flashed over Damon's face. “You surely don't know how to handle such a long sword”
“You'd do better not to talk to me, bitch”, Simon growled. Damon narrowed his eyes and a dangerous look appeared in them. He took a step forwards, pushing both door wings open in the process, cutting off every talk inside of the room.
The war room was nearly empty. Only four people sat inside of it, each of them looking at Damon. The air reeked of alcohol and smoke, but the fire inside of the fireplace was nearly burnt down. Large windows were supposed to catch the light, but in the darkness that surrounded Harrenhal at night, a large chandelier, formed like a stylized kraken, was the only way to illuminate the large room. Over a hundred empty chairs were located in a half circle around the large table in the middle. Right now, the only people in the room had gathered around the table.
Simon Vessels was usually a tanned man, but right now he was as pale as a ghost. His light brown hair was cut extremely short and the large, ugly scar across his right eye was shivering as he was looking at Damon. His mouth was slightly opened and with very slow movements, he started to put his longsword back into it's sheath. Simon was barely seen without his armour, a mixture of brown leather and chainmail, with a broad fur collar.
Across him sat Captain Alynne Hollard, the youngest person in the room. Her blonde hair was cut short and her dark blue eyes pierced from Simon to the Lord Captain. As usual, she wasn't smiling, instead she was slightly frowning.
Between them sat the third captain of the Iron Fleet present, Captain Durren Stallhart. His long brown hair was unkempt, as well as his beard, giving him a wild appearance. His large nose had been broken one too many times, pale scars crossing all over his visible body, contrasting well with his tanned skin. His feet rested on the table and he made no attempts of putting them down as Damon Greyjoy slowly entered the room. Instead, he had a huge, gleeful grin on his face as he gave Torvin a nod and Simon a triumphant look.
Leaning against the window, smiling brightly at the sight of her brother, stood Kyra Greyjoy, quite fittingly known as the Laughing Kraken. She had the dark blue eyes that were commonly found with her house, as well as the eerily pale skin, the dark brown hair and the physical beauty the Greyjoy's were known for. She was at least two heads shorter than Torvin and had to wield the large bearded axe she currently rested her arms on with both hands, even though it was intended to be wielded with one. Of course, she was never seen without her mail armour, but it wasn't too hard to imagine her in a fine dress. Or without any clothes at all.
“Ah, brother”, she greeted Damon and gave Torvin a nod as well. “And Captain Breaker finally found his way to us as well. You had a tough hunt, Captain?” Torvin slightly shook his head. “A waste of time”, he admitted. “Should have attended the meeting instead”
“You should have”, Damon agreed and looked at Kyra again, who gave Simon a triumphant glare. “You just arrived at a good time, brother”, Kyra said and gleefully watched how Simon's face dropped. “Simon here just said something very interesting”
Simon Vessels frantically shook his head and somehow managed to loose even more colour on his face as Damon slowly approached. “It's... it's nothing, Lord Captain!”, he swore. “I'm just curious why Rell got no assignment today. I mean, he is one of Harmund Hoare's closest associates, he is a good fighter and he proved his cunning more than once. My son is ready, he only needs a chance!” As he talked, he clearly started to get more agitated. “Even that fucking upstart Lucifer Codd got an assignment for the coming war. The coast of the Crag is a huge target for a dim-witted cunt like him”, he said and Damon raised an eyebrow, putting Simon off his stride. “I mean... I mean... not like he would not deserve an assignment. But... not that big!”
“And with these last three words, my friends, Captain Vessels summarized his physical attributes quite well”, Kyra mocked him, earning herself a cold glare from Simon. Damon ignored her remark, but as he saw that Simon opened his mouth again, he cut him off. “I can assure you, your son will get an important role in the war, the chance he ever dreamt off, as soon as a few other matters are dealt with”, he said and Vessels looked surprised, as well as pleased. Before he could answer anything, Damon continued to speak. “Was that all, Captain Vessels? You said nothing else?”
Torvin knew that Simon Vessels was not a fool. He knew, Damon listened to their conversation. Still, he gave Kyra a pleading look as he shook his head. “That was all, Lord Captain”, he promised. Damon looked at Kyra who gave him an affirmative nod. “Nothing else, brother. Captain Vessels had been awfully and unusually polite, even articulate today. Not a single insult came out of his mouth”
With her words, the matter was settled and Torvin knew how close Simon had avoided to get into real trouble. The older captain gave the young woman a thankful look, which she answered with a forgiving smile.
“Now that we dealt with this, we need to talk about Breaker's role in the coming war”, Damon whispered, his voice very low as he was still looking at Simon. “Over the past few hours, we have assigned six dozen captains to the coming war. Some, like Captain Hollard here, will have a passive role in our next step...” “I'm still honoured to serve”, Alynne interjected, causing Damon to give her a pearly-white smile, like a polite shark. “Indeed you are, Captain Hollard”, he whispered. “Others, like Captain Stallhart here, got tremendously important roles”
Durren Stallhart gave him a short nod and slightly put his feet into a more comfortable position as he leant forwards. “Aye”, he growled. “The northern coast of the Rock” He grinned proudly at Torvin. “All of it, boy. A hundred miles, filled with villages, filled with riches and women for me and my men!”
“You forgot the sheep”, Kyra interjected, which caused Durren to burst into roaring laughter. “Aye, Laughing Kraken's right. I forgot the sheep. Hard to distinguish them from the rocky girls over there”, he answered and heavily tapped his chest. “But Durren Stallhart never backed out from anything. The villagers of the rock better hide their girls and their sheep when they see my sails!”
He and Kyra grinned at each other and Damon let out a slight sigh. “I'm sure all the sheep in the Rock shiver in fear when they think of you”, he said. “But back to the topic. Captain Breaker, you are one of the Iron Fleet's lowest captains, your ship one of it's smallest” He looked at his sister, to prevent any attempt of hers to say something. “And to answer my sisters unspoken remark: Sadly, size matters when it comes to warships. Because of this, you won't get a target of your own. Instead, I have prepared two possible assignments for you, one promising you a small fortune of loot, the other one promising you glory and fame”, he explained, glaring at Kyra, who raised both hands. “Hey, you brought the warships up, not me”, she defended herself.
Damon ignored his sister's remark and looked back at Torvin. “I'm going to let you choose. The first assignment would put you under my command, while we raid Lannisport in the earlier stages of the war and with a bit of luck, lay siege to Casterly Rock itself during the later stages. Of course, the treasure is going to be shared between you and a hundred other captains, but you could climb high in the king's favour”, he explained and his eyes pierced through Torvin. “If you want to climb high in his favour, of course”, he added with a dangerous tone in his voice.
“The second assignment would put you together with Captain Stallhart here. The coasts of the northern Rock are rich, richer than one might imagine, but scarcely guarded. And it would be all for you and Durren here, every village, every small castle and every town between the Ironman's Bay and Banefort. Of course, that one won't be as prestigious as the other one, but the material reward will be sizeable”
Before Torvin could answer, Durren patted him on the back. “What do you say, boy? You and me on an adventure? Like in the good old days?”, he asked with a grin. Damon said nothing, but folded his hands together, awaiting Torvin's decision.
[Choose to raid the northern Rock with Durren Stallhart] [Choose to raid Lannisport with the majority of the Iron Fleet]
[Choose to raid the northern Rock with Durren Stallhart]
[Choose to raid Lannisport with the majority of the Iron Fleet]
[Choose to raid the northern Rock with Durren Stallhart] Go for it.
Great chapter!
[Choose to raid Lannisport with the majority of the Iron Fleet]
[Choose to raid Lannisport with the majority of the Iron Fleet]
Oops, I missed the voting. My bad.
Uh oh! How many pages is Forum of Thrones? I want to make sure I don't reach that limit anytime soon, which I probably won't, but it's still good to prepare for the future.