Maya
With a big grin on his face, Gregar put four mugs of ale onto the table, passing one to Maya, Christian and Ser Aldrik, while keepin… moreg the final one for himself. For a moment, Irving looked at him, before frowning. “Hey, you forgot one!”, he moaned and Gregar shook his head. “I already can't stand you when you're sober. Now imagine how obnoxious you become as soon as you drink alcohol”, he explained and Irving gave him an angry glare.
Maya took a sip of her ale, slightly grimacing at the watery, stale flavour. She looked at Irving for a moment, before passing her mug over to him. He raised his head, giving her a surprised look. “Wait... what are you doing?”, he asked.
Out of the corner of her eye, Maya saw that Aldrik came to the same conclusion regarding the ale. A smile flashed over her face. “What does it look like? It's a gift”, she answered. Irving slightly shook his head, but couldn't resist to give Gregar a triumphant grin… [view original content]
Maya
With a big grin on his face, Gregar put four mugs of ale onto the table, passing one to Maya, Christian and Ser Aldrik, while keepin… moreg the final one for himself. For a moment, Irving looked at him, before frowning. “Hey, you forgot one!”, he moaned and Gregar shook his head. “I already can't stand you when you're sober. Now imagine how obnoxious you become as soon as you drink alcohol”, he explained and Irving gave him an angry glare.
Maya took a sip of her ale, slightly grimacing at the watery, stale flavour. She looked at Irving for a moment, before passing her mug over to him. He raised his head, giving her a surprised look. “Wait... what are you doing?”, he asked.
Out of the corner of her eye, Maya saw that Aldrik came to the same conclusion regarding the ale. A smile flashed over her face. “What does it look like? It's a gift”, she answered. Irving slightly shook his head, but couldn't resist to give Gregar a triumphant grin… [view original content]
Maya
With a big grin on his face, Gregar put four mugs of ale onto the table, passing one to Maya, Christian and Ser Aldrik, while keepin… moreg the final one for himself. For a moment, Irving looked at him, before frowning. “Hey, you forgot one!”, he moaned and Gregar shook his head. “I already can't stand you when you're sober. Now imagine how obnoxious you become as soon as you drink alcohol”, he explained and Irving gave him an angry glare.
Maya took a sip of her ale, slightly grimacing at the watery, stale flavour. She looked at Irving for a moment, before passing her mug over to him. He raised his head, giving her a surprised look. “Wait... what are you doing?”, he asked.
Out of the corner of her eye, Maya saw that Aldrik came to the same conclusion regarding the ale. A smile flashed over her face. “What does it look like? It's a gift”, she answered. Irving slightly shook his head, but couldn't resist to give Gregar a triumphant grin… [view original content]
[Allow Ser Aldrik to announce you] I thought about this one, I had a hard time debating either Aldrik or Gregar, I don't trust Irving, xD. But I think Aldrik is more formal and seems to know more about the situation, so I think he's the best choice.
[Don't open the letter] As much as I want to, it's not safe to. I don't want to get too involved with the Burned Man, and get in even more trouble.
Maya
With a big grin on his face, Gregar put four mugs of ale onto the table, passing one to Maya, Christian and Ser Aldrik, while keepin… moreg the final one for himself. For a moment, Irving looked at him, before frowning. “Hey, you forgot one!”, he moaned and Gregar shook his head. “I already can't stand you when you're sober. Now imagine how obnoxious you become as soon as you drink alcohol”, he explained and Irving gave him an angry glare.
Maya took a sip of her ale, slightly grimacing at the watery, stale flavour. She looked at Irving for a moment, before passing her mug over to him. He raised his head, giving her a surprised look. “Wait... what are you doing?”, he asked.
Out of the corner of her eye, Maya saw that Aldrik came to the same conclusion regarding the ale. A smile flashed over her face. “What does it look like? It's a gift”, she answered. Irving slightly shook his head, but couldn't resist to give Gregar a triumphant grin… [view original content]
[Allow Ser Aldrik to announce you] A knight will always make think better and to [Open the letter, but send Jarek away first] it seems a good choice, no one will know even Jarek that seems very persuasive and curious, however I'm scare that curiosity will killed the cat...
btw you write counterpat it should be counterpath or counterpart?
This line I don't understand "This time, something large decided to relocate it's hunting grounds to the farmlands and the closer forest area" its hunting grounds relocate to the farmlands, which is closer to the forest area? that it's: its which is his hunting grounds instead of it's, because I don't thinks he's a hunting grounds.
"the Burned Man's mercenaries proved toBut quickly" to butt or to be, that is the question.
Maya
With a big grin on his face, Gregar put four mugs of ale onto the table, passing one to Maya, Christian and Ser Aldrik, while keepin… moreg the final one for himself. For a moment, Irving looked at him, before frowning. “Hey, you forgot one!”, he moaned and Gregar shook his head. “I already can't stand you when you're sober. Now imagine how obnoxious you become as soon as you drink alcohol”, he explained and Irving gave him an angry glare.
Maya took a sip of her ale, slightly grimacing at the watery, stale flavour. She looked at Irving for a moment, before passing her mug over to him. He raised his head, giving her a surprised look. “Wait... what are you doing?”, he asked.
Out of the corner of her eye, Maya saw that Aldrik came to the same conclusion regarding the ale. A smile flashed over her face. “What does it look like? It's a gift”, she answered. Irving slightly shook his head, but couldn't resist to give Gregar a triumphant grin… [view original content]
Maya
With a big grin on his face, Gregar put four mugs of ale onto the table, passing one to Maya, Christian and Ser Aldrik, while keepin… moreg the final one for himself. For a moment, Irving looked at him, before frowning. “Hey, you forgot one!”, he moaned and Gregar shook his head. “I already can't stand you when you're sober. Now imagine how obnoxious you become as soon as you drink alcohol”, he explained and Irving gave him an angry glare.
Maya took a sip of her ale, slightly grimacing at the watery, stale flavour. She looked at Irving for a moment, before passing her mug over to him. He raised his head, giving her a surprised look. “Wait... what are you doing?”, he asked.
Out of the corner of her eye, Maya saw that Aldrik came to the same conclusion regarding the ale. A smile flashed over her face. “What does it look like? It's a gift”, she answered. Irving slightly shook his head, but couldn't resist to give Gregar a triumphant grin… [view original content]
Maya will allow Ser Aldrik to announce her when she meets Harris
Ellena will open the letter, but she will send Jarek away first
That second choice was a close one, which is why I'm going to close the voting now before we get a tie. Writing for the next part is halfway done and I think I should finish it later today. It will be the first part for our newest Point of View, Arthur the guardsman. On top of that, it will also be the first part for Alys in this chapter.
The Voting is closed!
Maya will allow Ser Aldrik to announce her when she meets Harris
Ellena will open the letter, but she will send … moreJarek away first
That second choice was a close one, which is why I'm going to close the voting now before we get a tie. Writing for the next part is halfway done and I think I should finish it later today. It will be the first part for our newest Point of View, Arthur the guardsman. On top of that, it will also be the first part for Alys in this chapter.
Yes, he was introduced in Lyria's storyline in Chapter 3, but he made no appearance at all in the last chapter. He's also the son of the commander of Raylansfair's city guard.
The Voting is closed!
Maya will allow Ser Aldrik to announce her when she meets Harris
Ellena will open the letter, but she will send … moreJarek away first
That second choice was a close one, which is why I'm going to close the voting now before we get a tie. Writing for the next part is halfway done and I think I should finish it later today. It will be the first part for our newest Point of View, Arthur the guardsman. On top of that, it will also be the first part for Alys in this chapter.
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite marks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read that word” He pointed at it and Arthur narrowed his eyes. “Intestines”, he explained and his father gave him a nod. “I see”, he remarked shortly. “What else do we know about her?”, Arthur asked, in hopes of getting an answer. Commander Hackor looked around, to the half dozen guards who were patrolling the closer area, to the farm in the distance and to the man, staring at the ground a few feet away from them, his gaze apathetically, tears running down his face. He was a few years older than Arthur, a bit shorter, but bulkier, with dark brown hair and a long beard.
“Her son”, the commander explained. “Her name was Millie, the man over there is Roman. Gave us no last name and I won't ask for it, not while he is like that. She was sixty years old and lived on that farm over there, together with him. That's all we learned from him”
Arthur gave him a nod, still trying to avoid looking at the corpse. Of course, this woman wasn't the first dead body he had seen. While mostly a peaceful town, Raylansfair had an occasional case of murder. However, they were mostly made in the heat of the moment, without any method behind them. Jealous wives who stab their husbands, escalating quarrels at the local tavern. The occasional animal attack, of course... But this was different. Clearly, it had been an animal, but Arthur had no idea what kind of beast could do this. The fact that it attacked so close to Raylansfair concerned him. Roman's farm was located three miles out, one of the closest to the town. Arthur had never seen any large animal coming that close to the city, not even starving wolves in the winter.
“So we know nothing”, he summarized and his father gave him a nod. “Correctly. But I hope that this will change soon”, he answered and pointed at a figure in the distance. “Christian Thomas, one of our rangers. The best we have. After the last attack, he was looking for the beast in the deeper forest. And after this attack, I sent for him. Perhaps he can tell us more”
Soon, the figure revealed himself to be a young man, a few years younger than Arthur. He had fair skin and dark hair, with a short beard of the same colour. His face was marked by a life in the wilderness, a bit rugged, making him appear older than he truly was. His youthful brown eyes gave him away. As soon as he got a look on the body, his face got a dark expression and he let out a sigh.
“Commander Nathamer”, he greeted Arthur's father with a nod. Hackor returned the nod and pointed at Arthur. “My son Arthur. Arthur, this is Christian Thomas”, he introduced them. Arthur shook the rangers hand and was surprised by how cold it felt. The man was clearly shaken by the sight and Hackor noticed it too.
“So, what can you tell us?”, he asked. Christian knelt down, looking at the body, especially at the bite marks. “That was no wolf”, he said immediately. “You see these bite marks at the neck? Their jaws don't grow big enough to cause these wounds. And the arm... cleanly ripped off” His voice was slightly shaking as he was inspecting the gruesome wound. “An ordinary wolf would have needed quite a while to rip it off like that. Whatever it was, it was stronger. Far stronger”
“A bear then?”, Hackor asked. Christian shook his head. “Bears have the strength, true. But when they attack, they mainly use their paws. A single blow from a bear would have been enough to end her life. Whatever attacked her mainly used it's jaws, but these wounds here...”, he explained and pointed at the belly. “They were created by claws, by sharp claws, but they have been smaller than a bears claws. No, a bear would have created even more gruesome wounds, aside from the fact that bears don't behave like that when they attack”
“And have you uncovered any leads during your hunt?”, Hackor asked, visibly uncomfortable with what he just learned. A feral bear, or perhaps a pack of starving wolves, that would have been bad, but manageable. Three years ago, half a dozen guardsmen chased a pack of wolves away after they attacked a merchant. And a year ago, ten guardsmen killed a starving bear who was seen near Harking's farm. But there were no other predators in these forests. This was the Reach after all. A few wolves, deers, the occasional bear, that was all they had to offer when it came to large animals.
Christian shook his head. “No leads, no good ones at least. I found a dead deer, half eaten. Maybe it was killed by our creature, maybe it was killed by a bear. Was hard to say. But it was clever enough to give me no real leads and that's what concerned me the most”, he answered.
“Perhaps a direwolf?”, Arthur asked, earning himself another disapproving look from his father. Christian seemed to think about this for a moment, but shook his head. “There are no direwolves in the Reach”, he answered and shook his head. “No wild ones at least, not here. Or south of the Neck in general. I've heard about a small pack in the Wolfswood between Winterfell and Deepwood Motte and there are rumours about sightings near the Last Hearth. But there are perhaps thirty, maybe fourty direwolves left south of the Wall. It would fit the size though, albeit it would still be an especially large specimen”
He looked towards the distance, where Raylansfair was located behind the trees. “A hedge knight in service of the ambassador of the Vale has a young direwolf with him. Not much bigger than a regular wolf. As tame as such a beast can be”, he explained and Hackor gave him a startled look. “The Vale sent an ambassador?”, he asked. “Why wasn't I informed about this?”
Christian gave him a short look. “You have been informed now”, he stated dryly. “Besides, there are more important things right now. Like the beast that preys on your citizens” Hackor gave him a short nod. “Of course”, he agreed. “So, it's no wolf, no bear and no direwolf. Do you have any idea what it could be?”
To Arthur's surprise, Christian gave him a nod. “Still a bit far fetched, but it could be a shadowcat. One of the older, larger and meaner ones. Would explain the intelligence, the strength and the way this woman was wounded”, he explained and Hackor gave him an alarmed look. “And why do we have a shadowcat here?”, he asked.
“That's a good question, commander. The Mountains of the Moon are closer than the Wolfswood. It's not impossible for a single specimen to travel all the way through the Riverlands and the Reach to find better hunting grounds here. They have a taste for human flesh”
“But she wasn't eaten”, Arthur remarked and for once, his father gave him a proud look as Christian appeared to be surprised for once. “Fuck...”, he mumbled. “You're right. A few bits of flesh missing, mainly at the neck, but she wasn't eaten” He slightly touched the dead woman's wounds. “That changes a lot. Could still be a shadowcat. They have a cruel streak. But it means that this is an exceptionally intelligent specimen” He looked up, from Hackor to Arthur. “The only reason it could have for killing humans without eating them would be that it is intelligent enough to enjoy it”
“Great...”, Hackor remarked. “So, we have a highly intelligent predator out there, strong enough to kill bears, a beast that hunts our people for fun?” Christian gave him a nod. “Sadly, that sounds right”, he remarked without a hint of irony. He looked past Arthur, at the still weeping man. “A relative?”, he asked. Hackor gave him a nod. “Her son”, he explained and looked at Arthur. “Arthur, give me a moment alone with Christian, will you?”
Arthur quickly saluted in front of his father, his commanding officer. Hackor seemed to be pleased by this and gave his son a light nod. “There are a number of tasks you could do. Someone needs to inform the castle about what happened. If Christian is right, then we need help. We don't have enough men to spare for a hunt, not with the serial killer running around in the city. Tell Lord Harris, at least ten of his guards are needed”, he explained and pointed at Roman. “Alternatively, you could talk to him, console him and find out more about our victim here. I can send everyone to the castle, but you're the best I have when it comes to consoling people. I'm going to let you choose”
Arthur knew, he wasn't good at consoling a grieving person. He had only ever consoled one person, his sister, right after their mother died six years ago. And considering how she turned out, he did a terrible job. Of course, his father paid too little attention to her to see it. But perhaps he was still the one best suited for this job. Then again, he knew that they also needed the help from the castle.
[Console Roman and find out more about the victim][Go to the castle and ask for help]
Alys
The great hall was the largest she had ever seen. Her father's tiny keep up in the North would fit in it entirely, including the courtyard. It's ceiling was at least a hundred feet above her, two galleries finding their place between it and the floor. Several dozens of hearths were located in it, albeit most of them were cold and dead at this time of the night, causing the huge hall to be chilly. Thanks to Edward's cloak she was still warm, but she could see that this did not apply to him.
“Are you shivering?”, she asked him and he quickly shook his head. “It's a bit cold, mylady, but ever since I've sailed through the frozen bay of Ib, a chilly breeze like this can't bother me. Keep the cloak, you need it more”
She gave him an affectionate smile and looked around. One of Harlan's hounds, Gabin, was starting a fire in one of the fireplaces closer to the throne. The other one, Hjalgar, was about to bring them a hot bowl of soup. Just as she thought about this, she noticed her stomach rumbling. The last time she had eaten something... Seven Hells, she had been without food for a whole day now! As soon as the lanky man put a steaming bowl of soup in front of her, she started to eat. Only a moment later, she noticed that this was a bad idea, as she noticed the heat and tears started to appear in her eyes. Carvin noticed her facial expression and started to chuckle. “Careful”, he warned her with a smirk. She shot him an angry glare, which in turn only caused him to grin even more. Still, her hunger won over the pain the hot soup caused her and she soon continued eating, much to Carvin's delight.
Instead of directing any further remark at her, the mercenary instead looked at Hjalgar, who just carried the last two bowls, for Edward and Alisa respectively. “So, you're the best damn archer Harren's little princeling has ever seen?”, he asked sceptically and the young man stopped in his tracks. “I... I suppose yes”, he answered and his gaze hardened a little bit. “What's it to you?”
“He has little experience with archery, hasn't he?”, Carvin continued and Edward gave him a cold glare. “Carvin, you're out of line”, he growled. The mercenary ignored him and continued to look at Hjalgar. The young Ironborn looked slightly at a loss of words, shyly looking to the ground, as if he tried to avoid any confrontation. “Well, why don't you prove it. You. Me. Archery contest. Tomorrow”, Carvin offered.
“There won't be enough time for that”, Edward remarked, causing Alys to give him a curious look. “We won't stay in Harrenhal for a long time”, Edward explained to her. “Just until I've finished my deal with the king. Afterwards, we're going to meet up with another ally of mine here in the Riverlands”
“And when will you bring me to Dorne?”, Alys asked with a bit of suspicion in her voice. Her distrust was clearly audible and it sent a flash of guilt through her body. Edward obviously noticed it, but he politely ignored it. “I have dealings with a small city in the western Reach. Afterwards, I have to meet up with King Blacksails at the Stepstones again. I could drop you at Sunspear if you want”, he explained and gave her a friendly smile. “I intend to make good on my promise, Lady Alys. By my honour, I will make sure that you reach Dorne”
Alys let out a relieved sigh. “I can't wait for it”, she revealed. “I hate this place” Edward gave her an approving nod, but before he could answer, a new voice sounded, deep, pleasant and compelling. “And you have every right to hate it”
Alys and Edward looked up immediately in surprise, looking towards the nearest door. A young man had walked into the room. He was tall, well-built, with a handsome, clean-shaven face. His hair was black and cut short, while his eyes had nearly the same colour, giving him an intimidating look. Despite this, he sounded friendly and his smile was surprisingly warm as he walked closer. Edward raised from his chair immediately and took an elegant bow in front of him, prompting Alys to slowly raise from her chair as well.
“It is an honour, Prince...”, Edward started and gave the man a short look. “Harrick Hoare”, he introduced himself and gave him a similarly polite bow. “Prince Harrick Hoare, the kings youngest son”
Hoare! Alys froze immediately, stopping any attempt to bow. Of course, it would be polite, but screw politeness! That man's brother tried to hunt her through the forest only a few hours ago and even not-so-subtly threatened her all the way back to Harrenhal. She would not bow in front of him!
Harrick noticed her reluctance and instead surprised her by kneeling down in front of her. “My apologies, mylady, for what my brother did. I was informed about Harlan's actions and I can ensure you that neither me, nor my father had any knowledge about his plans”, he promised and his voice got a bit lower, similar to his brothers, more dangerous, more angry, albeit the anger did not seem to be directed at her. “And neither do we approve of it. Father will have a stern talk with him and with our eldest brother, Harmund, as soon as he returned from his... his 'hunt'”
He raised from the ground again, looking at her with a stern, but honest look in his eyes. “All I can say for now is that I am deeply sorry for what happened to you. I know my apology means nothing to you, but it's heartfelt. I can understand that you must hate this castle and all of it's inhabitants now”
As surprised as she was about this gesture of kindness from a Hoare, she managed to shake her head. “I don't hate this castle”, she tried to reassure him. “It was just something said in the heat of the moment” Harrick slightly smirked at her remark. “Like my brothers, Lady Alys, I am good at spotting a lie. Unlike my brothers, I bear you no ill will for it”
“Prince Harrick, with all due respect, but weren't we supposed to meet up with the king? The business I have with him is important and personal”, Edward interjected and Harrick gave him a short Hoare-glare. “And nothing to discuss with a fourthborn son, am I right?”, he snarled. His angry glare quickly vanished, followed by a genuinely friendly smile as he noticed Edward's slightly nervous facial expression. “Ah, that expression on your face. Relax, Anturion. I am not offended by whatever you meant to imply”, he chuckled, turning around and leaving a baffled Edward behind. “My father is awaiting you in his audience room and he does not like to wait. I must warn you that he is not in a good mood today, so choose your words carefully”, he said as he gave them a handwave to follow him. Edward, Alys, Carvin and Alisa started to follow him, just as Gabin finally managed to ignite the fire in the hearth.
“Did he just...”, Edward stuttered and Alys gave him a grin. “Made fun of you? Looks like it”, she chuckled. “I like him. For a Hoare, I mean” “Have I mentioned that I have a good sense of hearing, mylady?”, Harrick spoke as he looked over his shoulder. He and Alys exchanged a short grin. Oh yes, she already felt better. This man was not as bad as his brother. And perhaps this place was not as bad as it seemed!
“One more thing we should talk about...”, Edward said, albeit he lowered his voice to avoid getting heard by Harrick. “What do you know about Harren Hoare?”, he asked. “Nothing good”, Alys answered and Edward gave her a nod. “Exactly. I know you have a quick wit and a... let's call it loose tongue. Harren will not approve of this. In fact, it would be better if you pretend to be someone you're not while you are in his presence. Pretend to be a timid and scared little girl, avoid to look him in the eyes and he won't see you as a target”
“I disagree”, Alisa remarked from behind them. Edward and Alys looked over their shoulders, facing the woman. “You know what kind of man he is, right? He is Ironborn. Even worse, he is the King of the Isles and the Rivers. He likes nothing more than to destroy something weak, something innocent, especially when it is scared of him. On the other hand, he respects strength more than anything. From what I've heard, Harren is willing to allow women in high positions in his army. The captain of his guard is a woman for example, she proved her worth by fighting Worland Mormont to a draw at age fifteen”
“Yeah, about that... Big news, I didn't”, Alys remarked quickly. Alisa gave her a nod. “You didn't. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't act strong and confident when meeting him. Don't show your fear. If Harren the Black sees you as meek and innocent, like Edward just suggested, he will destroy you”, she urged her. Edward shook his head. “I disagree, Alisa. If she acts cocky and fearless, like you just suggested, he will be enraged by it. It would be better not to give him any reason to become angry at her”
He stopped talking, just as Harrick stopped in front of a large wooden door. “Interesting conversation you had”, the kings son remarked as he looked at Alys. “I suppose you know what's best for you, right?” Before she could answer, he opened the door, revealing the large audience room behind it.
“May I introduce my father, King Harren Hoare of the Black Blood, the Iron King, King of the Isles and the Rivers, King of Salt and Rock, Son of the Sea Wind and Lord Reaper of Orkmont”, Harrick announced his father and stepped aside, allowing Alys to take a look at the man himself.
And there he sat. Black Harren Hoare. He was shorter than his sons, with broad shoulders, wearing a heavy black armour. His face was a bit plump, but with sharply defined facial features. Two deep scars ran over his left cheek and crossed his mouth and chin, the lips were pressed together, forming a brutal line. His hair was cut short and it was as black as his name would suggest, despite his advancing age, even though his hairline started to recede. He sat on a large throne, made out of black wood and as he looked up, his horribly dark eyes examined Alys for a moment and the look inside of them was cruel, cruel, cruel...
By the gods, she needed a strategy!
[Act intimidated and submissive][Act strong and confident]
[Go to the castle and ask for help] I suspected shadowcats as a possibility. They aren't as large as direwolves though, but with thick black fur and white stripes, I'd assume in a field they'd be easy to spot. But yeah I saw Jaws, not getting help is false. But who will be Quint?
[Act intimidated and submissive] Yeah let's not try anything rash.
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite marks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
Notice how the beast didn't eat the body. It's killing for sport, unnecessarily.
However at the same time, shadowcats aren't as large as lions either. Maybe it's a pride of lions? Symbolic of the Reynes/Lannisters, eh?
“Great...”, Hackor remarked. “So, we have a highly intelligent predator out there, strong enough to kill bears, a beast that hunts our people for fun?” Christian gave him a nod. “Sadly, that sounds right”, he remarked without a hint of irony. He looked past Arthur, at the still weeping man. “A relative?”, he asked. Hackor gave him a nod. “Her son”, he explained and looked at Arthur. “Arthur, give me a moment alone with Christian, will you?”
Anyway back to my monster movie intelligence, I say we draw the beast out. The way we do that is get bait = Jenna Harking seems perfect.
We have assassins and beasts, we're gonna need more guards. Glad Leonard is out of that hellhole. Consoling people is a waste of time. Remember that mother in Jaws? Yeah look how much time was wasted.
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Notice how the beast didn't eat the body. It's killing for sport, unnecessarily.
Funny thing is, I originally had Hackor saying the line 'It's killing for sport', and then I needed half an hour to find out where I have heard that one before. Then I had to change it to the far less catchy 'a beast that hunts our people for fun'-line, because the beast in question is definitely not the I.Rex. In some way it's even worse.
However at the same time, shadowcats aren't as large as lions either. Maybe it's a pride of lions? Symbolic of the Reynes/Lannisters, eh?
Very interesting theory. From what I know, lions are even rarer than shadowcats, so Christian hasn't taken them into consideration. But they are definitely a possibility and shouldn't be ruled out.
Anyway back to my monster movie intelligence, I say we draw the beast out. The way we do that is get bait = Jenna Harking seems perfect.
Surprisingly, such a plan would probably even work. But no one in the city intends to use poor Jenna as a bait XD
[Go to the castle and ask for help] I suspected shadowcats as a possibility. They aren't as large as direwolves though, but with thick black… more fur and white stripes, I'd assume in a field they'd be easy to spot. But yeah I saw Jaws, not getting help is false. But who will be Quint?
[Act intimidated and submissive] Yeah let's not try anything rash.
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite marks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me wha… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Notice how the beast didn't eat the body. It's killing for sport, unnecessarily.
Funny thing is, I originally had Hackor saying the … moreline 'It's killing for sport', and then I needed half an hour to find out where I have heard that one before. Then I had to change it to the far less catchy 'a beast that hunts our people for fun'-line, because the beast in question is definitely not the I.Rex. In some way it's even worse.
However at the same time, shadowcats aren't as large as lions either. Maybe it's a pride of lions? Symbolic of the Reynes/Lannisters, eh?
Very interesting theory. From what I know, lions are even rarer than shadowcats, so Christian hasn't taken them into consideration. But they are definitely a possibility and shouldn't be ruled out.
Anyway back to my monster movie intelligence, I say we draw the beast out. The way we do that is get bait = Jenna Harking seems perfect.
Surprisingly, such a pla… [view original content]
[Go to the castle and ask for help] I want to see Arthur meet Harris and get ordered into doing some shady stuff for him. Loving Arthur so far and the relationship between him and his father is great.
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Funny thing is, I originally had Hackor saying the line 'It's killing for sport', and then I needed half an hour to find out where I have heard that one before. Then I had to change it to the far less catchy 'a beast that hunts our people for fun'-line, because the beast in question is definitely not the I.Rex. In some way it's even worse.
I dare you to have something worst than this:
Very interesting theory. From what I know, lions are even rarer than shadowcats, so Christian hasn't taken them into consideration. But they are definitely a possibility and shouldn't be ruled out.
Well, lions also were common in the Westerlands once, which is closer than the Mountains of the Moon, and this being 300 years before the main series, they probably are more plentiful. Tytos Lannister was once attacked by one
Surprisingly, such a plan would probably even work. But no one in the city intends to use poor Jenna as a bait XD
Wolfius does. It would be fine.
Anyway, with Harren Hoare revealed, I noticed that this chapter's title was 'The Iron Price', so I assume anyone involved with ironborn will have a big role, particularly stuff with taking stuff from other people.
Notice how the beast didn't eat the body. It's killing for sport, unnecessarily.
Funny thing is, I originally had Hackor saying the … moreline 'It's killing for sport', and then I needed half an hour to find out where I have heard that one before. Then I had to change it to the far less catchy 'a beast that hunts our people for fun'-line, because the beast in question is definitely not the I.Rex. In some way it's even worse.
However at the same time, shadowcats aren't as large as lions either. Maybe it's a pride of lions? Symbolic of the Reynes/Lannisters, eh?
Very interesting theory. From what I know, lions are even rarer than shadowcats, so Christian hasn't taken them into consideration. But they are definitely a possibility and shouldn't be ruled out.
Anyway back to my monster movie intelligence, I say we draw the beast out. The way we do that is get bait = Jenna Harking seems perfect.
Surprisingly, such a pla… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
[Go to the castle and ask for help] Arthur needs help and consoling isn't going to help anyone.
[Act strong and confident] this was a difficult choice for me I could go either way, LET'S DO THIS THE NORTHERN WAY!!!
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
[Console Roman and find out more about the victim] First thing that come on my mind is that the beast is trained, whatever that is, it's used by a human as a killing machine, highly possible by a Rodrik or a Bear (This could explain his name). So we may find out why that poor woman was targeted.
[Act strong and confident] If father is a little bit like his sons, and I believe that he is more than that, previous chapters showed me that this will be a better option.
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
[Console Roman and find out more about the victim] this will be awkward, I think the line will go like this: "I'm... I'm sorry for you losses, anything else you can tell me about the victim?". She'll [Act strong and confident] like a independent women, she can't intimidate a dwarf, Dwarf are legendary!
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite … moremarks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read t… [view original content]
Arthur will go to the castle and ask for help in the investigation
Let me just say, you just missed the opportunity to learn something very, very important about the beast that was responsible for the attacks.
Alys will try to act strong and confident towards Harren Hoare
I can already reveal that both choices are not good. Being around Harren Hoare is never a good idea in general. But one of the choices here is marginally better than the other one. Perhaps you managed to pick it, perhaps not. We'll see in the next Alys part.
I am very sorry by the way for leaving the voting open for so long. I was extremely busy from thursday onwards until now and only found the time to start the next part yesterday. That said, I made good progress and should be finished later today or early tomorrow at latest. It will be a Drent part. Speaking of Drent, I made one mistake with his storyline. In retrospect, I should have made the character of Garen the PoV in this storyline, since he has a deeper connection to several of the characters here, while Drent would have worked just as well as a Non-PoV character. Ah well, mistakes happen. Now Drent is the PoV and I will find a way to explain Garen's connection to the other characters at Storm's End through some other means.
And now, I have a little shout-out to a new story, written by mr.quality, @1632699. Quality has several stories here in the forum and all of them are very enjoyable. This new story, named The Forgotten, is a mystery story, set in Ohio, during a small town football game between two bitter rivals. As the story begins, seemingly random people begin to disappear off the streets, finding themselves alone in an unknown territory that seems to be hellbent on killing them. The story follows their attempts to find a way back to civilization. For me, this sounds like a story with a lot of potential. On top of that, quality is one of my favourite writers here in the forum, which means that I have no doubt that it will be a very enjoyable story and deserves every reader it can get. If you are interested, you should follow this link
A few hours before sundown, far too early in Drent's opinion, the Storm Princess decided to set up a camp for the night, when her soldiers spotted an abandoned tower, watching over a small crossroad. Lady Tariel had protested and tried to insist on moving for a few more hours, but Argella had only given her a cold glare, cutting off every thought of resistance in the other woman. And so, five dozen soldiers spent the next hours preparing a camp, for themselves, but especially for their royal leader. To his surprise, Drent had to give the princess a bit of credit, as she did a good job in coordinating her men. It took only two short hours until a few dozen tents were built around the tower.
“This is a huge load of bullshit”, Garen complained, looking over the camp. The mercenary stood on a small hill, overlooking the camp and Drent had decided to join him. There was little else to do now. A few soldiers were preparing the meal for the evening, but the rest was happy for the opportunity to relax for a while “That's what you get for allowing someone like her to lead a diplomatic mission. We made barely ten miles today before she decided to call for a rest, just because her oh-so-precious royal ass needs some rest”, Garen growled, watching the Storm Princess walking through the camp, accompanied by Lady Tariel, Jax Montclair and Emphryus Dresfel. A sly smile appeared on the mercenaries face “Though it is a precious ass indeed, you can't deny it”
“You're out of line, Garen”, Drent remarked, looking up. In some way, the mercenary had a point, but talking like this was not only dangerous, but almost suicidal. If someone like Ser Emphryus would hear him, he would challenge him to a duel for the princess' honour. Even Drent was annoyed by the continuous disdain Garen displayed towards the princess. She did a far better job than he had thought.
“But I speak the truth and many of the men see it the same way”, Garen protested. “Allow someone like Tariel to lead and we would have passed Blackhaven yesterday” Drent raised an eyebrow. “Doesn't change the fact that you are way out of line. I don't have to agree with everything our leaders do, but that does not entitle me to complain about every step they take”, he remarked. “Besides why do you feel that Lady Tariel would feel less need to rest her oh-so-precious royal ass?” Garen gave him a short glare. “Because she's nothing like that”, he explained with a smile. “Tariel wasn't born in a palace. She's used to march long distances and she's not easily tired”
“How do you know?”, Drent asked again and Garen's smile vanished. “Oh, you know. Rumours. Don't know anything for sure, of course”, he quickly answered. Drent gave him a short nod. “Of course”, he said slowly. The sound of footsteps made both men look over their shoulder. Ser Baron Schodek was slowly approaching them, a stern look on his face. Drent noticed that the old knight was still wearing his armour. In the dusk, his frame appeared to be even huger, his grey beard giving him an almost barbaric appearance.
“Baron”, Garen exclaimed in surprise. Drent noticed that the mercenary did not address him formally, but the knight did not comment it. He only gave them a short nod as a greeting. “How long have you been here?”, Garen asked and Drent noticed that his eyes had widened. “Long enough, boy”, Baron answered with a low voice. “I have told you before not to talk like this about the princess”
The mercenary gave him a frown. “Yeah, I know. It's just...”, he started to say, before the knight cut him off again. “It's nothing. Argella Durrandon is a bright young woman and unlike many who came before her, she cares for her people, in her own way at least. She will be our queen one day and she will be a good queen if you give her a chance”, Baron scolded the younger man, who avoided to look him in the eyes. “Yes, Baron”, he said slowly and the old knight gave him a smile. “Good boy. And now listen. Argella has a good reason to rest here for the night, regardless of how many hours we loose. This place means a lot to her”
“And if it means the world to her, that does not mean...”, Garen started to complain, before getting cut off by the knight again. “That does not mean that you have any right to question her decisions like that, Garen”, he warned him. “But, alas, I did not approach you to argue. I came to bid my farewell”
“You're leaving us, Ser Baron?”, Drent asked. The old knight gave him a nod. “I thought about waiting until dawn, resting for a night, but time is essential on my mission. You will take the western path to Blackhaven and eventually, to Raylansfair. I will continue to walk the northern path, to Rosby and Stokeworth”, he explained and let out a sigh. “I fucking hate Rosby”
He reached out and gave Garen a fatherly handshake. “You continue to guard the princess. Do your duty”, he commanded him, before turning to Drent. His dark eyes pierced through him, but Drent also saw something warm in them “And you, Golton. I don't know you very well, but what you said to Garen was a good advice. Keep an eye on him for me, will you?”
Drent gave him a nod. “I will. Good luck on your mission, Ser Baron”, he answered. The old knight gave him a disgruntled frown. “For what I care, the lords Rosby and Stokeworth can fight as long as they want. The Storm King does not want to risk a war with Black Harren over it though”, he explained. “Would have been a better idea to send that loudmouth Tariel to deal with them”
He looked down the hill towards the small camp and let out a sigh. “So, this is farewell. Argella already knows it and... ah, she saw us”, he said as the Storm Princess and her entourage started to walk towards them. Drent noticed that Montclair was already walking a saddled horse. The knight looked at Garen for a last time, smiling gruffly at him. “Farewell, boy. Next time I see you, you'll have a fucking medal pinned to your chest”, he said with a grin. The mercenary grinned back, albeit Drent noticed that he looked slightly worried as well. “And you too, Baron. Take care”, he said.
The old knight gave him a nod, before starting to walk down the hill. “You sure about leaving us already, Barry?”, Argella asked with a smirk. Baron gave her an unhappy nod. “If I could stay, I would, dear princess”, he answered. The princess seemed to be slightly upset about this, looking towards the tower. “I hoped you would stay until dawn”, she mumbled, looking far less aloof for a second. She quickly regained her composure and her calm expression. “But I wish you all the luck in the world when talking to Lord Rosby. You'll need it”, she said. “Rosby's are crude and uncultured people as far as I know. I've heard they look like warty pigs and sleep in the dirt”
Baron gave her a nod, accompanied by a grin. “Guess that's why your high father sent me. I'll blend right in”, he said and Argella let out a bright laugh. “You're too hard on yourself, Barry. I'm pretty sure you bathed at some point in the past month...”, she chuckled and took a deep breath. “Correction, at some point in the past year”, she added with a look of feigned disgust on her face.
“As I said, my princess. I'll blend right in”, he said again and the princess gave him a nod. “The best of luck on your journey”, she told him and sounded genuine as she said it. As she turned around, the old knight audibly cleared his throat, causing the princess to turn around. “My dear child, if you don't give me a big hug right now...”
He didn't need to continue, as Argella nearly jumped into his open arms, giving him a peck on the cheek. “That one's for good luck, Barry”, she said, before separating from him. “I hope next time we'll meet you won't act like the pig you look like”
“Ah, your mockery hurts, my princess, but your kisses are warmer than spring”, Baron chuckled as he walked towards his horse. “Listen to your advisors, Argella. You have good men and women around you” With these words, the old knight started to move his horse, riding slowly past the Storm Princess and her entourage. Argella slightly shrugged as she watched the knight getting smaller in the distance. “I don't make any promises”, she mumbled, loud enough for Drent to hear.
“But what does it matter for all men must die and I've tasted the...”, Garen started to mumbled, before being cut off by Drent. “What? What now?”, the mercenary protested. “The Dornishman's Wife. Baron quoted it. You don't like songs, Drentie?”
“I don't like this particular song”, Drent answered. “And I can imagine that you'll twist the lyrics a little bit. It's not the dornishman's wife you'd like to taste, am I right?” Garen looked away from the Storm Princess, who talked with Lady Tariel and Ser Emphryus in the distance, giving him a confused look. “What... what are you...?”, he asked, before he realized what Drent was suggesting. “Her? Gods no! I prefer my hands attached to my body, Drentie, no matter how nice hers is. You got that all wrong”
“Then set it right”, Drent offered, but Garen shook his head. “I'm done talking to you for the day. Go find someone else to annoy”, the mercenary growled, walking down the hill, leaving a chuckling Drent behind. In the meantime, the Storm Princess started to walk to the tower, which she had claimed completely for herself, only accompanied by Ser Emphryus. Montclair and Lady Tariel parted ways without another word, with Tariel walking in the same direction Garen left, deeper into the camp. Montclair looked around, spotted Drent on top of the hill and gave him a short handwave, commanding him to come over.
“You're enjoying this mission so far, Golton?”, the sergeant asked and Drent stood to attention immediately. “Yes, Ser”, he intoned. Montclair let out a sigh. “Stand at ease, soldier”, he said, running the fingers of his right hand through his close-cropped blonde hair. “I noticed you spend a lot of time with Garen”
“I have few alternatives if I want a talk”, Drent explained. “I'm not particularly fond of him though” Montclair gave him a slight nod. “Me neither”, the sergeant revealed. “I don't trust him. He and that manipulative upstart Tariel, I'm sure they plan something. I see them whispering, spending more time together than they should. The glances they give each other...” He let out a sigh and Drent gave him a curious look. “You don't trust Lady Tariel either?”, he asked.
Montclair looked around, to make sure that no one was listening to their conversation. “Not at all. A peasant girl from the small village of Raylansfair, taken as a courtier by the old Lord Raylan, for her beauty and intelligence, said peasant girl ends up at the Storm King's court, becoming one of his trusted advisors and by a lucky chance, she is the one to find out that our king has inherited the village she was born in? An awful lot of coincidences, don't you think?”, he explained. Drent gave him a reluctant nod. He had barely talked to Lady Tariel in the years she had spent at Storm's End so far and he disliked judging someone without knowing them better, but her had to agree with Montclair. The self proclaimed lady acted suspiciously. Still, working with Garen? From what he knew, the mercenary and Ser Baron were close and every friend of Baron was usually an enemy of Tariel.
“What do you think they are planning?”, he asked and Montclair looked towards the tower. “Don't you find it suspicious that the king sends his beloved daughter to a mission like that, a mission that would highly benefit Lady Tariel?”, the sergeant answered.
“You think she has any plans for the princess, sergeant?”, Drent asked. Montclair narrowed his eyes and gave him a slow nod. “Soldier, I'd be surprised if she hasn't. She's a schemer, our so-called lady. And she is not a friend of the princess” “So you want me to keep my distance to Garen?”, Drent asked and Montclair decidedly shook his head. “Oh no, Golton. I want you to stay close to him, to keep an eye on him, especially when he's near the princess”, he explained. “The last thing we need is something happening to her on this mission. Argilac would burn the whole Reach to the ground. Of course, that would be our smallest problem, because our heads would be the first to roll”
Drent gave him a reluctant nod. “He admitted to me that he dislikes Argella's decisions”, he revealed and Montclair pressed his lips together. “That alone does not make him a traitor though. Has the king ever executed people who criticise him?”
Montclair shook his head. “So far not, at least as long at they did not took it too far. But Argella is not her father as similar as they are. Truth be told, I have no idea how she would react”, he stated. “But I agree. Simply criticising her does not make him a traitor. I don't trust him though. Perhaps I'm just paranoid, but I'm rather safe than sorry”
“I have to agree”, Drent said. He wasn't too fond of Garen and had a slight distrust towards mercenaries in general. He never met a man who fought solely for gold, while keeping his honour intact and Garen was no difference. “So, should I look for him now?”, he asked.
Montclair started to give him a nod, before looking over his shoulder. As Drent turned around, he saw Ser Emphryus Dresfel approaching them. Like most times, he was wearing his armour, albeit now that they had reached their camp for the night, he wasn't wearing a helmet, showing his thin dark hair. Drent suppressed a sigh.
“Montclair, Golton”, the knight greeted them with a short nod. Drent and his sergeat stood attention in front of him and Dresfel looked at Drent. “Storm Princess wants to see you”, he said shortly, pointing a the tower. “You follow me now”
As Ser Emphryus started to walk back to the tower without another word, Drent looked at Montclair. The sergeant watched the knight and let out a sigh. “He's in a bad mood today. Choose your words carefully around him, Golton. And don't let the princess wait. She hates waiting”, he warned him. “I'll try to keep an eye on Garen in the meantime”
With these words, Drent and Montclair parted ways, with Drent approaching the tower and the waiting knight. “You had important talks with the sergeant?”, Dresfel asked and Drent shook his head. Of course, he trusted him. There was no doubt that Emphryus Dresfel would be willing die for House Durrandon. But he was also known to act rash and without thinking through a situation. Dropping Garen's name in his presence and implying that he might plot against the princess could cause a bloodbath.
“Montclair is paranoid. He fears for the princess' safety”, Drent explained and Dresfel let out a rough chuckle. “Montclair is a fool. As long as I am around, nothing can happen to her. Even if a thousand men would try to harm her, I would cut them all down without breaking a sweat”, he proclaimed. Drent suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. And they called the Storm King 'The Arrogant'...
“What does the princess want from me?”, he asked as they were walking up the stairs inside of the small tower, towards the upper tower room. Dresfel shrugged as an answer. “She did not tell me and I did not ask. You'll find out yourself”, he answered, stopping in front of a large wooden door. He knocked heavily on it, before turning around, allowing Drent to pass. “It's open”, a female voice from inside called and Drent took a deep breath. It did not happen all day that he was talking to a princess. In fact, he had never talked to her before and that made him slightly nervous.
The first thing he noticed as he entered the scarcely furnished room was the large, open window at the wall. Argella Durrandon was standing there, her black hair flowing openly in the wind. She was wearing a thick red dress today, appropriate for the colder evenings outside of Storm's End. Even after a full day on horseback, she looked stunningly beautiful, a hint of her royally pale skin being visible at the neck in an almost tantalising way. She had a friendly smile on her face and took a step away from the window.
“You are Drent Golton, am I right?”, she asked. Drent noticed that his stance was relaxed, so he immediately stood attention as he hastily gave her a nod. “Yes, my princess”, he answered swiftly. Argella let out a small chuckle. “Relax”, she ordered. “Standing attention does not suit you. You look more like a soldier when you relax” A smirk appeared on her face as she approached the small, dusty table to Drent's right. “Unless of course you want to look like a sack of potatoes”
“That was... not my intention”, Drent stuttered, slightly surprised by the casual tone in her voice. She gave him a benevolent nod. “As I imagined. Grab a seat. You want some wine?” Drent gave her a nod. He would never deny an offer of free wine, regardless of who offered it. Argella raised her eyebrow in surprise. “You do?”, she asked. “Are you sure?”
Drent gulped as he slowly shook his head. “I meant no disrespect, my princess”, he mumbled. The surprised look on her face seemed to be genuine as she looked towards a small carafe in front of her. “Disrespect?”, she asked. “Drent, if I wanted you to decline my offer, I wouldn't have asked. If you want some wine, take it”
“My princess, why have you sent for me?”, Drent asked and finally moved his hand towards the carafe. The Princess gave him a pleased smile as he poured the wine into one of the two glasses on the table. “Thank you, that's enough”, she said, grabbing the glass. Drent paused for a moment, before he continued to pour the wine into a second glass, this time for himself.
“Two reasons. First, I'd like to find out more about you. A lowly soldier, appointed as one of my personal guards. I expected father to give me a dozen knights instead of... well...”, she explained and paused. “The second reason is, I figured that you must be a well-connected man, at least when it comes to the common soldiers. Emphryus stands above them and does not talk to them. Sergeant Montclair is their commanding officer. They talk to him, but rarely express their own thoughts and feelings. And finally this... Garion?”
“Garen”, Drent corrected her and Argella gave him a thankful nod. “Garen, of course. He is an outsider from what I've seen. But you... you are one of the soldiers. Fought with these men, laughed with these men. And you follow my orders, yes?”, she asked.
“All of them”, Drent assured her, while asking himself more and more what she actually wanted from him. “Good”, Argella answered. “First order. I want you to always tell me the truth. The full truth to any question I ask”
“Of course, my princess”, Drent answered, taking a sip from his wine. She gave him a pleased smile, before taking a sip from her wine as well. “I am glad to hear this. I have a question for you. An important question”, she explained, looking over her shoulder towards the open window. For a moment, her smile faded, replaced by a slightly distanced, perhaps even melancholic expression.
“I want you to tell me what these men out there think about me”, she said. “I lead them, but I have the feeling they are not satisfied. I try to do things like my father would do, but alas, it seems I could do better” With these words she looked at Drent. “Which is where you come into play. You certainly know their opinions about me. Honest opinions. I'm especially looking for negative opinions, any criticism. And if you have names for me, people I could talk to in private, I would be more than grateful”
[Tell her that Garen is dissatisfied with her leadership][Tell her that some men are dissatisfied with her leadership, but you don't know their names][Claim that everyone is satisfied with her leadership][Claim that you don't know the soldiers opinion about her]
Comments
[Allow Ser Adrik to announce you]
[Open the letter, but send Jarek away first]
[Allow Ser Aldrik to announce you]
[Open the letter, but send Jarek away] I'm just as curious Jatek and Ellena and I want to know what Ellena is going to get herself into.
[Allow Ser Aldrik to announce you]
[Don't open the letter]
[Allow Ser Aldrik to announce you] I thought about this one, I had a hard time debating either Aldrik or Gregar, I don't trust Irving, xD. But I think Aldrik is more formal and seems to know more about the situation, so I think he's the best choice.
[Don't open the letter] As much as I want to, it's not safe to. I don't want to get too involved with the Burned Man, and get in even more trouble.
[Allow Ser Aldrik to announce you]
[Open the letter, but send Jarek away first]
[Allow Ser Aldrik to announce you] A knight will always make think better and to [Open the letter, but send Jarek away first] it seems a good choice, no one will know even Jarek that seems very persuasive and curious, however I'm scare that curiosity will killed the cat...
btw you write counterpat it should be counterpath or counterpart?
This line I don't understand "This time, something large decided to relocate it's hunting grounds to the farmlands and the closer forest area" its hunting grounds relocate to the farmlands, which is closer to the forest area? that it's: its which is his hunting grounds instead of it's, because I don't thinks he's a hunting grounds.
"the Burned Man's mercenaries proved toBut quickly" to butt or to be, that is the question.
Conspirational it's conspiratorial ignore me, lol.
I'll be a monster tale in your story, wait don't tell me, IT WILL BE AWESOME.
[Allow Ser Aldrik to announce you]
[Don't open the letter]
The Voting is closed!
Maya will allow Ser Aldrik to announce her when she meets Harris
Ellena will open the letter, but she will send Jarek away first
That second choice was a close one, which is why I'm going to close the voting now before we get a tie. Writing for the next part is halfway done and I think I should finish it later today. It will be the first part for our newest Point of View, Arthur the guardsman. On top of that, it will also be the first part for Alys in this chapter.
Has Arthur made an appearance before?
Yes, he was introduced in Lyria's storyline in Chapter 3, but he made no appearance at all in the last chapter. He's also the son of the commander of Raylansfair's city guard.
Are we going to get to see why Christian was sent away?
Yes, you will. Christian will have a larger role in this part.
I'm guessing Arthur and Christian are going to have a bromance like Lucas and Leonard.
Arthur
“Bite marks on her neck...”, Arthur began, but was cut off by his father. “What's left of her neck”, the commander growled. “Bite marks on what's left of her neck”, Arthur corrected himself, while writing down the gruesome sight in front of him. “Chest torn open, intestines shred to pieces. Left arm ripped off slightly below the shoulder, missing...” “Not missing”, Commander Hackor interrupted him again. “It's lying ten feet down the road. Deep bite marks, but the beast did not try to eat it”, he corrected his son with visible annoyance. He let out a sigh, grabbing the parchment. “Show me what you've written, boy”, he said and started to read. Arthut concentrated on his father, with his once chestnut hair, now greying and receding, the large scar above his eyebrow, his green iron armour, his stern eyes of the same colour, looking disappointed as they looked most times.
“Three misspellings”, his father growled. “And I can't read that word” He pointed at it and Arthur narrowed his eyes. “Intestines”, he explained and his father gave him a nod. “I see”, he remarked shortly. “What else do we know about her?”, Arthur asked, in hopes of getting an answer. Commander Hackor looked around, to the half dozen guards who were patrolling the closer area, to the farm in the distance and to the man, staring at the ground a few feet away from them, his gaze apathetically, tears running down his face. He was a few years older than Arthur, a bit shorter, but bulkier, with dark brown hair and a long beard.
“Her son”, the commander explained. “Her name was Millie, the man over there is Roman. Gave us no last name and I won't ask for it, not while he is like that. She was sixty years old and lived on that farm over there, together with him. That's all we learned from him”
Arthur gave him a nod, still trying to avoid looking at the corpse. Of course, this woman wasn't the first dead body he had seen. While mostly a peaceful town, Raylansfair had an occasional case of murder. However, they were mostly made in the heat of the moment, without any method behind them. Jealous wives who stab their husbands, escalating quarrels at the local tavern. The occasional animal attack, of course... But this was different. Clearly, it had been an animal, but Arthur had no idea what kind of beast could do this. The fact that it attacked so close to Raylansfair concerned him. Roman's farm was located three miles out, one of the closest to the town. Arthur had never seen any large animal coming that close to the city, not even starving wolves in the winter.
“So we know nothing”, he summarized and his father gave him a nod. “Correctly. But I hope that this will change soon”, he answered and pointed at a figure in the distance. “Christian Thomas, one of our rangers. The best we have. After the last attack, he was looking for the beast in the deeper forest. And after this attack, I sent for him. Perhaps he can tell us more”
Soon, the figure revealed himself to be a young man, a few years younger than Arthur. He had fair skin and dark hair, with a short beard of the same colour. His face was marked by a life in the wilderness, a bit rugged, making him appear older than he truly was. His youthful brown eyes gave him away. As soon as he got a look on the body, his face got a dark expression and he let out a sigh.
“Commander Nathamer”, he greeted Arthur's father with a nod. Hackor returned the nod and pointed at Arthur. “My son Arthur. Arthur, this is Christian Thomas”, he introduced them. Arthur shook the rangers hand and was surprised by how cold it felt. The man was clearly shaken by the sight and Hackor noticed it too.
“So, what can you tell us?”, he asked. Christian knelt down, looking at the body, especially at the bite marks. “That was no wolf”, he said immediately. “You see these bite marks at the neck? Their jaws don't grow big enough to cause these wounds. And the arm... cleanly ripped off” His voice was slightly shaking as he was inspecting the gruesome wound. “An ordinary wolf would have needed quite a while to rip it off like that. Whatever it was, it was stronger. Far stronger”
“A bear then?”, Hackor asked. Christian shook his head. “Bears have the strength, true. But when they attack, they mainly use their paws. A single blow from a bear would have been enough to end her life. Whatever attacked her mainly used it's jaws, but these wounds here...”, he explained and pointed at the belly. “They were created by claws, by sharp claws, but they have been smaller than a bears claws. No, a bear would have created even more gruesome wounds, aside from the fact that bears don't behave like that when they attack”
“And have you uncovered any leads during your hunt?”, Hackor asked, visibly uncomfortable with what he just learned. A feral bear, or perhaps a pack of starving wolves, that would have been bad, but manageable. Three years ago, half a dozen guardsmen chased a pack of wolves away after they attacked a merchant. And a year ago, ten guardsmen killed a starving bear who was seen near Harking's farm. But there were no other predators in these forests. This was the Reach after all. A few wolves, deers, the occasional bear, that was all they had to offer when it came to large animals.
Christian shook his head. “No leads, no good ones at least. I found a dead deer, half eaten. Maybe it was killed by our creature, maybe it was killed by a bear. Was hard to say. But it was clever enough to give me no real leads and that's what concerned me the most”, he answered.
“Perhaps a direwolf?”, Arthur asked, earning himself another disapproving look from his father. Christian seemed to think about this for a moment, but shook his head. “There are no direwolves in the Reach”, he answered and shook his head. “No wild ones at least, not here. Or south of the Neck in general. I've heard about a small pack in the Wolfswood between Winterfell and Deepwood Motte and there are rumours about sightings near the Last Hearth. But there are perhaps thirty, maybe fourty direwolves left south of the Wall. It would fit the size though, albeit it would still be an especially large specimen”
He looked towards the distance, where Raylansfair was located behind the trees. “A hedge knight in service of the ambassador of the Vale has a young direwolf with him. Not much bigger than a regular wolf. As tame as such a beast can be”, he explained and Hackor gave him a startled look. “The Vale sent an ambassador?”, he asked. “Why wasn't I informed about this?”
Christian gave him a short look. “You have been informed now”, he stated dryly. “Besides, there are more important things right now. Like the beast that preys on your citizens” Hackor gave him a short nod. “Of course”, he agreed. “So, it's no wolf, no bear and no direwolf. Do you have any idea what it could be?”
To Arthur's surprise, Christian gave him a nod. “Still a bit far fetched, but it could be a shadowcat. One of the older, larger and meaner ones. Would explain the intelligence, the strength and the way this woman was wounded”, he explained and Hackor gave him an alarmed look. “And why do we have a shadowcat here?”, he asked.
“That's a good question, commander. The Mountains of the Moon are closer than the Wolfswood. It's not impossible for a single specimen to travel all the way through the Riverlands and the Reach to find better hunting grounds here. They have a taste for human flesh”
“But she wasn't eaten”, Arthur remarked and for once, his father gave him a proud look as Christian appeared to be surprised for once. “Fuck...”, he mumbled. “You're right. A few bits of flesh missing, mainly at the neck, but she wasn't eaten” He slightly touched the dead woman's wounds. “That changes a lot. Could still be a shadowcat. They have a cruel streak. But it means that this is an exceptionally intelligent specimen” He looked up, from Hackor to Arthur. “The only reason it could have for killing humans without eating them would be that it is intelligent enough to enjoy it”
“Great...”, Hackor remarked. “So, we have a highly intelligent predator out there, strong enough to kill bears, a beast that hunts our people for fun?” Christian gave him a nod. “Sadly, that sounds right”, he remarked without a hint of irony. He looked past Arthur, at the still weeping man. “A relative?”, he asked. Hackor gave him a nod. “Her son”, he explained and looked at Arthur. “Arthur, give me a moment alone with Christian, will you?”
Arthur quickly saluted in front of his father, his commanding officer. Hackor seemed to be pleased by this and gave his son a light nod. “There are a number of tasks you could do. Someone needs to inform the castle about what happened. If Christian is right, then we need help. We don't have enough men to spare for a hunt, not with the serial killer running around in the city. Tell Lord Harris, at least ten of his guards are needed”, he explained and pointed at Roman. “Alternatively, you could talk to him, console him and find out more about our victim here. I can send everyone to the castle, but you're the best I have when it comes to consoling people. I'm going to let you choose”
Arthur knew, he wasn't good at consoling a grieving person. He had only ever consoled one person, his sister, right after their mother died six years ago. And considering how she turned out, he did a terrible job. Of course, his father paid too little attention to her to see it. But perhaps he was still the one best suited for this job. Then again, he knew that they also needed the help from the castle.
[Console Roman and find out more about the victim] [Go to the castle and ask for help]
Alys
The great hall was the largest she had ever seen. Her father's tiny keep up in the North would fit in it entirely, including the courtyard. It's ceiling was at least a hundred feet above her, two galleries finding their place between it and the floor. Several dozens of hearths were located in it, albeit most of them were cold and dead at this time of the night, causing the huge hall to be chilly. Thanks to Edward's cloak she was still warm, but she could see that this did not apply to him.
“Are you shivering?”, she asked him and he quickly shook his head. “It's a bit cold, mylady, but ever since I've sailed through the frozen bay of Ib, a chilly breeze like this can't bother me. Keep the cloak, you need it more”
She gave him an affectionate smile and looked around. One of Harlan's hounds, Gabin, was starting a fire in one of the fireplaces closer to the throne. The other one, Hjalgar, was about to bring them a hot bowl of soup. Just as she thought about this, she noticed her stomach rumbling. The last time she had eaten something... Seven Hells, she had been without food for a whole day now! As soon as the lanky man put a steaming bowl of soup in front of her, she started to eat. Only a moment later, she noticed that this was a bad idea, as she noticed the heat and tears started to appear in her eyes. Carvin noticed her facial expression and started to chuckle. “Careful”, he warned her with a smirk. She shot him an angry glare, which in turn only caused him to grin even more. Still, her hunger won over the pain the hot soup caused her and she soon continued eating, much to Carvin's delight.
Instead of directing any further remark at her, the mercenary instead looked at Hjalgar, who just carried the last two bowls, for Edward and Alisa respectively. “So, you're the best damn archer Harren's little princeling has ever seen?”, he asked sceptically and the young man stopped in his tracks. “I... I suppose yes”, he answered and his gaze hardened a little bit. “What's it to you?”
“He has little experience with archery, hasn't he?”, Carvin continued and Edward gave him a cold glare. “Carvin, you're out of line”, he growled. The mercenary ignored him and continued to look at Hjalgar. The young Ironborn looked slightly at a loss of words, shyly looking to the ground, as if he tried to avoid any confrontation. “Well, why don't you prove it. You. Me. Archery contest. Tomorrow”, Carvin offered.
“There won't be enough time for that”, Edward remarked, causing Alys to give him a curious look. “We won't stay in Harrenhal for a long time”, Edward explained to her. “Just until I've finished my deal with the king. Afterwards, we're going to meet up with another ally of mine here in the Riverlands”
“And when will you bring me to Dorne?”, Alys asked with a bit of suspicion in her voice. Her distrust was clearly audible and it sent a flash of guilt through her body. Edward obviously noticed it, but he politely ignored it. “I have dealings with a small city in the western Reach. Afterwards, I have to meet up with King Blacksails at the Stepstones again. I could drop you at Sunspear if you want”, he explained and gave her a friendly smile. “I intend to make good on my promise, Lady Alys. By my honour, I will make sure that you reach Dorne”
Alys let out a relieved sigh. “I can't wait for it”, she revealed. “I hate this place” Edward gave her an approving nod, but before he could answer, a new voice sounded, deep, pleasant and compelling. “And you have every right to hate it”
Alys and Edward looked up immediately in surprise, looking towards the nearest door. A young man had walked into the room. He was tall, well-built, with a handsome, clean-shaven face. His hair was black and cut short, while his eyes had nearly the same colour, giving him an intimidating look. Despite this, he sounded friendly and his smile was surprisingly warm as he walked closer. Edward raised from his chair immediately and took an elegant bow in front of him, prompting Alys to slowly raise from her chair as well.
“It is an honour, Prince...”, Edward started and gave the man a short look. “Harrick Hoare”, he introduced himself and gave him a similarly polite bow. “Prince Harrick Hoare, the kings youngest son”
Hoare! Alys froze immediately, stopping any attempt to bow. Of course, it would be polite, but screw politeness! That man's brother tried to hunt her through the forest only a few hours ago and even not-so-subtly threatened her all the way back to Harrenhal. She would not bow in front of him!
Harrick noticed her reluctance and instead surprised her by kneeling down in front of her. “My apologies, mylady, for what my brother did. I was informed about Harlan's actions and I can ensure you that neither me, nor my father had any knowledge about his plans”, he promised and his voice got a bit lower, similar to his brothers, more dangerous, more angry, albeit the anger did not seem to be directed at her. “And neither do we approve of it. Father will have a stern talk with him and with our eldest brother, Harmund, as soon as he returned from his... his 'hunt'”
He raised from the ground again, looking at her with a stern, but honest look in his eyes. “All I can say for now is that I am deeply sorry for what happened to you. I know my apology means nothing to you, but it's heartfelt. I can understand that you must hate this castle and all of it's inhabitants now”
As surprised as she was about this gesture of kindness from a Hoare, she managed to shake her head. “I don't hate this castle”, she tried to reassure him. “It was just something said in the heat of the moment” Harrick slightly smirked at her remark. “Like my brothers, Lady Alys, I am good at spotting a lie. Unlike my brothers, I bear you no ill will for it”
“Prince Harrick, with all due respect, but weren't we supposed to meet up with the king? The business I have with him is important and personal”, Edward interjected and Harrick gave him a short Hoare-glare. “And nothing to discuss with a fourthborn son, am I right?”, he snarled. His angry glare quickly vanished, followed by a genuinely friendly smile as he noticed Edward's slightly nervous facial expression. “Ah, that expression on your face. Relax, Anturion. I am not offended by whatever you meant to imply”, he chuckled, turning around and leaving a baffled Edward behind. “My father is awaiting you in his audience room and he does not like to wait. I must warn you that he is not in a good mood today, so choose your words carefully”, he said as he gave them a handwave to follow him. Edward, Alys, Carvin and Alisa started to follow him, just as Gabin finally managed to ignite the fire in the hearth.
“Did he just...”, Edward stuttered and Alys gave him a grin. “Made fun of you? Looks like it”, she chuckled. “I like him. For a Hoare, I mean” “Have I mentioned that I have a good sense of hearing, mylady?”, Harrick spoke as he looked over his shoulder. He and Alys exchanged a short grin. Oh yes, she already felt better. This man was not as bad as his brother. And perhaps this place was not as bad as it seemed!
“One more thing we should talk about...”, Edward said, albeit he lowered his voice to avoid getting heard by Harrick. “What do you know about Harren Hoare?”, he asked. “Nothing good”, Alys answered and Edward gave her a nod. “Exactly. I know you have a quick wit and a... let's call it loose tongue. Harren will not approve of this. In fact, it would be better if you pretend to be someone you're not while you are in his presence. Pretend to be a timid and scared little girl, avoid to look him in the eyes and he won't see you as a target”
“I disagree”, Alisa remarked from behind them. Edward and Alys looked over their shoulders, facing the woman. “You know what kind of man he is, right? He is Ironborn. Even worse, he is the King of the Isles and the Rivers. He likes nothing more than to destroy something weak, something innocent, especially when it is scared of him. On the other hand, he respects strength more than anything. From what I've heard, Harren is willing to allow women in high positions in his army. The captain of his guard is a woman for example, she proved her worth by fighting Worland Mormont to a draw at age fifteen”
“Yeah, about that... Big news, I didn't”, Alys remarked quickly. Alisa gave her a nod. “You didn't. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't act strong and confident when meeting him. Don't show your fear. If Harren the Black sees you as meek and innocent, like Edward just suggested, he will destroy you”, she urged her. Edward shook his head. “I disagree, Alisa. If she acts cocky and fearless, like you just suggested, he will be enraged by it. It would be better not to give him any reason to become angry at her”
He stopped talking, just as Harrick stopped in front of a large wooden door. “Interesting conversation you had”, the kings son remarked as he looked at Alys. “I suppose you know what's best for you, right?” Before she could answer, he opened the door, revealing the large audience room behind it.
“May I introduce my father, King Harren Hoare of the Black Blood, the Iron King, King of the Isles and the Rivers, King of Salt and Rock, Son of the Sea Wind and Lord Reaper of Orkmont”, Harrick announced his father and stepped aside, allowing Alys to take a look at the man himself.
And there he sat. Black Harren Hoare. He was shorter than his sons, with broad shoulders, wearing a heavy black armour. His face was a bit plump, but with sharply defined facial features. Two deep scars ran over his left cheek and crossed his mouth and chin, the lips were pressed together, forming a brutal line. His hair was cut short and it was as black as his name would suggest, despite his advancing age, even though his hairline started to recede. He sat on a large throne, made out of black wood and as he looked up, his horribly dark eyes examined Alys for a moment and the look inside of them was cruel, cruel, cruel...
By the gods, she needed a strategy!
[Act intimidated and submissive] [Act strong and confident]
[Go to the castle and ask for help] I suspected shadowcats as a possibility. They aren't as large as direwolves though, but with thick black fur and white stripes, I'd assume in a field they'd be easy to spot. But yeah I saw Jaws, not getting help is false. But who will be Quint?
[Act intimidated and submissive] Yeah let's not try anything rash.
Notice how the beast didn't eat the body. It's killing for sport, unnecessarily.
However at the same time, shadowcats aren't as large as lions either. Maybe it's a pride of lions? Symbolic of the Reynes/Lannisters, eh?
Anyway back to my monster movie intelligence, I say we draw the beast out. The way we do that is get bait = Jenna Harking seems perfect.
We have assassins and beasts, we're gonna need more guards. Glad Leonard is out of that hellhole. Consoling people is a waste of time. Remember that mother in Jaws? Yeah look how much time was wasted.
Funny thing is, I originally had Hackor saying the line 'It's killing for sport', and then I needed half an hour to find out where I have heard that one before. Then I had to change it to the far less catchy 'a beast that hunts our people for fun'-line, because the beast in question is definitely not the I.Rex. In some way it's even worse.
Very interesting theory. From what I know, lions are even rarer than shadowcats, so Christian hasn't taken them into consideration. But they are definitely a possibility and shouldn't be ruled out.
Surprisingly, such a plan would probably even work. But no one in the city intends to use poor Jenna as a bait XD
(Go to the castle and ask for help)
(Act intimidated and submissive)
[Go to the castle and ask for help]
[Act strong and confident]
But Jenna would make such great bait!
[Go to the castle and ask for help] I want to see Arthur meet Harris and get ordered into doing some shady stuff for him. Loving Arthur so far and the relationship between him and his father is great.
[Act strong and confident]Meh
[Console Roman and find out more about the victim]
[Act intimidated and submissive]
I dare you to have something worst than this:
Well, lions also were common in the Westerlands once, which is closer than the Mountains of the Moon, and this being 300 years before the main series, they probably are more plentiful. Tytos Lannister was once attacked by one
Wolfius does. It would be fine.
Anyway, with Harren Hoare revealed, I noticed that this chapter's title was 'The Iron Price', so I assume anyone involved with ironborn will have a big role, particularly stuff with taking stuff from other people.
[Go to the castle and ask for help]
[Act strong and confident]
[Go to the castle and ask for help]
[Act intimidated and submissive]
[Go to the castle and ask for help] Arthur needs help and consoling isn't going to help anyone.
[Act strong and confident] this was a difficult choice for me I could go either way, LET'S DO THIS THE NORTHERN WAY!!!
;( how dare you...
The North Remembers
[Go to the castle and ask for help]
[Act intimidated and submissive] I don't want problems, thanks.
[Console Roman and find out more about the victim] First thing that come on my mind is that the beast is trained, whatever that is, it's used by a human as a killing machine, highly possible by a Rodrik or a Bear (This could explain his name). So we may find out why that poor woman was targeted.
[Act strong and confident] If father is a little bit like his sons, and I believe that he is more than that, previous chapters showed me that this will be a better option.
[Go to the castle and ask for help] I wanna see what Harris thinks about this predator.
[Act strong and confident] I trust Alisa
Great parts!
Btw, could this "predator" actually be a human? Bear for example
[Go to the castle and ask for help]
[Act intimidated and submissive]
[Go to the castle and ask for help]]
[Act intimidated and submissive]
[Go to the castle ask for help]
[Act strong and confident]
[Console Roman and find out more about the victim] this will be awkward, I think the line will go like this: "I'm... I'm sorry for you losses, anything else you can tell me about the victim?". She'll [Act strong and confident] like a independent women, she can't intimidate a dwarf, Dwarf are legendary!
DWARF CONFIRMED
https://youtu.be/dXjcJGGmJ9A
just joking, i'm drink, I mean drunk.
[Go to the castle and ask for help]
[Act intimidated and submissive]
Great part!
[Go to the castle and ask for help] I think he should get help.
[Act strong and confident] Better to intimidate him and show him that she's a good fighter and not a coward.
[Go to the castle and ask for help]
[Act strong and confident]
[Console Roman and find out more about the victim] poor Roman
[Act intimidated and submissive]
The Voting is closed!
Arthur will go to the castle and ask for help in the investigation
Let me just say, you just missed the opportunity to learn something very, very important about the beast that was responsible for the attacks.
Alys will try to act strong and confident towards Harren Hoare
I can already reveal that both choices are not good. Being around Harren Hoare is never a good idea in general. But one of the choices here is marginally better than the other one. Perhaps you managed to pick it, perhaps not. We'll see in the next Alys part.
I am very sorry by the way for leaving the voting open for so long. I was extremely busy from thursday onwards until now and only found the time to start the next part yesterday. That said, I made good progress and should be finished later today or early tomorrow at latest. It will be a Drent part. Speaking of Drent, I made one mistake with his storyline. In retrospect, I should have made the character of Garen the PoV in this storyline, since he has a deeper connection to several of the characters here, while Drent would have worked just as well as a Non-PoV character. Ah well, mistakes happen. Now Drent is the PoV and I will find a way to explain Garen's connection to the other characters at Storm's End through some other means.
And now, I have a little shout-out to a new story, written by mr.quality, @1632699. Quality has several stories here in the forum and all of them are very enjoyable. This new story, named The Forgotten, is a mystery story, set in Ohio, during a small town football game between two bitter rivals. As the story begins, seemingly random people begin to disappear off the streets, finding themselves alone in an unknown territory that seems to be hellbent on killing them. The story follows their attempts to find a way back to civilization. For me, this sounds like a story with a lot of potential. On top of that, quality is one of my favourite writers here in the forum, which means that I have no doubt that it will be a very enjoyable story and deserves every reader it can get. If you are interested, you should follow this link
Drent
A few hours before sundown, far too early in Drent's opinion, the Storm Princess decided to set up a camp for the night, when her soldiers spotted an abandoned tower, watching over a small crossroad. Lady Tariel had protested and tried to insist on moving for a few more hours, but Argella had only given her a cold glare, cutting off every thought of resistance in the other woman. And so, five dozen soldiers spent the next hours preparing a camp, for themselves, but especially for their royal leader. To his surprise, Drent had to give the princess a bit of credit, as she did a good job in coordinating her men. It took only two short hours until a few dozen tents were built around the tower.
“This is a huge load of bullshit”, Garen complained, looking over the camp. The mercenary stood on a small hill, overlooking the camp and Drent had decided to join him. There was little else to do now. A few soldiers were preparing the meal for the evening, but the rest was happy for the opportunity to relax for a while “That's what you get for allowing someone like her to lead a diplomatic mission. We made barely ten miles today before she decided to call for a rest, just because her oh-so-precious royal ass needs some rest”, Garen growled, watching the Storm Princess walking through the camp, accompanied by Lady Tariel, Jax Montclair and Emphryus Dresfel. A sly smile appeared on the mercenaries face “Though it is a precious ass indeed, you can't deny it”
“You're out of line, Garen”, Drent remarked, looking up. In some way, the mercenary had a point, but talking like this was not only dangerous, but almost suicidal. If someone like Ser Emphryus would hear him, he would challenge him to a duel for the princess' honour. Even Drent was annoyed by the continuous disdain Garen displayed towards the princess. She did a far better job than he had thought.
“But I speak the truth and many of the men see it the same way”, Garen protested. “Allow someone like Tariel to lead and we would have passed Blackhaven yesterday” Drent raised an eyebrow. “Doesn't change the fact that you are way out of line. I don't have to agree with everything our leaders do, but that does not entitle me to complain about every step they take”, he remarked. “Besides why do you feel that Lady Tariel would feel less need to rest her oh-so-precious royal ass?” Garen gave him a short glare. “Because she's nothing like that”, he explained with a smile. “Tariel wasn't born in a palace. She's used to march long distances and she's not easily tired”
“How do you know?”, Drent asked again and Garen's smile vanished. “Oh, you know. Rumours. Don't know anything for sure, of course”, he quickly answered. Drent gave him a short nod. “Of course”, he said slowly. The sound of footsteps made both men look over their shoulder. Ser Baron Schodek was slowly approaching them, a stern look on his face. Drent noticed that the old knight was still wearing his armour. In the dusk, his frame appeared to be even huger, his grey beard giving him an almost barbaric appearance.
“Baron”, Garen exclaimed in surprise. Drent noticed that the mercenary did not address him formally, but the knight did not comment it. He only gave them a short nod as a greeting. “How long have you been here?”, Garen asked and Drent noticed that his eyes had widened. “Long enough, boy”, Baron answered with a low voice. “I have told you before not to talk like this about the princess”
The mercenary gave him a frown. “Yeah, I know. It's just...”, he started to say, before the knight cut him off again. “It's nothing. Argella Durrandon is a bright young woman and unlike many who came before her, she cares for her people, in her own way at least. She will be our queen one day and she will be a good queen if you give her a chance”, Baron scolded the younger man, who avoided to look him in the eyes. “Yes, Baron”, he said slowly and the old knight gave him a smile. “Good boy. And now listen. Argella has a good reason to rest here for the night, regardless of how many hours we loose. This place means a lot to her”
“And if it means the world to her, that does not mean...”, Garen started to complain, before getting cut off by the knight again. “That does not mean that you have any right to question her decisions like that, Garen”, he warned him. “But, alas, I did not approach you to argue. I came to bid my farewell”
“You're leaving us, Ser Baron?”, Drent asked. The old knight gave him a nod. “I thought about waiting until dawn, resting for a night, but time is essential on my mission. You will take the western path to Blackhaven and eventually, to Raylansfair. I will continue to walk the northern path, to Rosby and Stokeworth”, he explained and let out a sigh. “I fucking hate Rosby”
He reached out and gave Garen a fatherly handshake. “You continue to guard the princess. Do your duty”, he commanded him, before turning to Drent. His dark eyes pierced through him, but Drent also saw something warm in them “And you, Golton. I don't know you very well, but what you said to Garen was a good advice. Keep an eye on him for me, will you?”
Drent gave him a nod. “I will. Good luck on your mission, Ser Baron”, he answered. The old knight gave him a disgruntled frown. “For what I care, the lords Rosby and Stokeworth can fight as long as they want. The Storm King does not want to risk a war with Black Harren over it though”, he explained. “Would have been a better idea to send that loudmouth Tariel to deal with them”
He looked down the hill towards the small camp and let out a sigh. “So, this is farewell. Argella already knows it and... ah, she saw us”, he said as the Storm Princess and her entourage started to walk towards them. Drent noticed that Montclair was already walking a saddled horse. The knight looked at Garen for a last time, smiling gruffly at him. “Farewell, boy. Next time I see you, you'll have a fucking medal pinned to your chest”, he said with a grin. The mercenary grinned back, albeit Drent noticed that he looked slightly worried as well. “And you too, Baron. Take care”, he said.
The old knight gave him a nod, before starting to walk down the hill. “You sure about leaving us already, Barry?”, Argella asked with a smirk. Baron gave her an unhappy nod. “If I could stay, I would, dear princess”, he answered. The princess seemed to be slightly upset about this, looking towards the tower. “I hoped you would stay until dawn”, she mumbled, looking far less aloof for a second. She quickly regained her composure and her calm expression. “But I wish you all the luck in the world when talking to Lord Rosby. You'll need it”, she said. “Rosby's are crude and uncultured people as far as I know. I've heard they look like warty pigs and sleep in the dirt”
Baron gave her a nod, accompanied by a grin. “Guess that's why your high father sent me. I'll blend right in”, he said and Argella let out a bright laugh. “You're too hard on yourself, Barry. I'm pretty sure you bathed at some point in the past month...”, she chuckled and took a deep breath. “Correction, at some point in the past year”, she added with a look of feigned disgust on her face.
“As I said, my princess. I'll blend right in”, he said again and the princess gave him a nod. “The best of luck on your journey”, she told him and sounded genuine as she said it. As she turned around, the old knight audibly cleared his throat, causing the princess to turn around. “My dear child, if you don't give me a big hug right now...”
He didn't need to continue, as Argella nearly jumped into his open arms, giving him a peck on the cheek. “That one's for good luck, Barry”, she said, before separating from him. “I hope next time we'll meet you won't act like the pig you look like”
“Ah, your mockery hurts, my princess, but your kisses are warmer than spring”, Baron chuckled as he walked towards his horse. “Listen to your advisors, Argella. You have good men and women around you” With these words, the old knight started to move his horse, riding slowly past the Storm Princess and her entourage. Argella slightly shrugged as she watched the knight getting smaller in the distance. “I don't make any promises”, she mumbled, loud enough for Drent to hear.
“But what does it matter for all men must die and I've tasted the...”, Garen started to mumbled, before being cut off by Drent. “What? What now?”, the mercenary protested. “The Dornishman's Wife. Baron quoted it. You don't like songs, Drentie?”
“I don't like this particular song”, Drent answered. “And I can imagine that you'll twist the lyrics a little bit. It's not the dornishman's wife you'd like to taste, am I right?” Garen looked away from the Storm Princess, who talked with Lady Tariel and Ser Emphryus in the distance, giving him a confused look. “What... what are you...?”, he asked, before he realized what Drent was suggesting. “Her? Gods no! I prefer my hands attached to my body, Drentie, no matter how nice hers is. You got that all wrong”
“Then set it right”, Drent offered, but Garen shook his head. “I'm done talking to you for the day. Go find someone else to annoy”, the mercenary growled, walking down the hill, leaving a chuckling Drent behind. In the meantime, the Storm Princess started to walk to the tower, which she had claimed completely for herself, only accompanied by Ser Emphryus. Montclair and Lady Tariel parted ways without another word, with Tariel walking in the same direction Garen left, deeper into the camp. Montclair looked around, spotted Drent on top of the hill and gave him a short handwave, commanding him to come over.
“You're enjoying this mission so far, Golton?”, the sergeant asked and Drent stood to attention immediately. “Yes, Ser”, he intoned. Montclair let out a sigh. “Stand at ease, soldier”, he said, running the fingers of his right hand through his close-cropped blonde hair. “I noticed you spend a lot of time with Garen”
“I have few alternatives if I want a talk”, Drent explained. “I'm not particularly fond of him though” Montclair gave him a slight nod. “Me neither”, the sergeant revealed. “I don't trust him. He and that manipulative upstart Tariel, I'm sure they plan something. I see them whispering, spending more time together than they should. The glances they give each other...” He let out a sigh and Drent gave him a curious look. “You don't trust Lady Tariel either?”, he asked.
Montclair looked around, to make sure that no one was listening to their conversation. “Not at all. A peasant girl from the small village of Raylansfair, taken as a courtier by the old Lord Raylan, for her beauty and intelligence, said peasant girl ends up at the Storm King's court, becoming one of his trusted advisors and by a lucky chance, she is the one to find out that our king has inherited the village she was born in? An awful lot of coincidences, don't you think?”, he explained. Drent gave him a reluctant nod. He had barely talked to Lady Tariel in the years she had spent at Storm's End so far and he disliked judging someone without knowing them better, but her had to agree with Montclair. The self proclaimed lady acted suspiciously. Still, working with Garen? From what he knew, the mercenary and Ser Baron were close and every friend of Baron was usually an enemy of Tariel.
“What do you think they are planning?”, he asked and Montclair looked towards the tower. “Don't you find it suspicious that the king sends his beloved daughter to a mission like that, a mission that would highly benefit Lady Tariel?”, the sergeant answered.
“You think she has any plans for the princess, sergeant?”, Drent asked. Montclair narrowed his eyes and gave him a slow nod. “Soldier, I'd be surprised if she hasn't. She's a schemer, our so-called lady. And she is not a friend of the princess” “So you want me to keep my distance to Garen?”, Drent asked and Montclair decidedly shook his head. “Oh no, Golton. I want you to stay close to him, to keep an eye on him, especially when he's near the princess”, he explained. “The last thing we need is something happening to her on this mission. Argilac would burn the whole Reach to the ground. Of course, that would be our smallest problem, because our heads would be the first to roll”
Drent gave him a reluctant nod. “He admitted to me that he dislikes Argella's decisions”, he revealed and Montclair pressed his lips together. “That alone does not make him a traitor though. Has the king ever executed people who criticise him?”
Montclair shook his head. “So far not, at least as long at they did not took it too far. But Argella is not her father as similar as they are. Truth be told, I have no idea how she would react”, he stated. “But I agree. Simply criticising her does not make him a traitor. I don't trust him though. Perhaps I'm just paranoid, but I'm rather safe than sorry”
“I have to agree”, Drent said. He wasn't too fond of Garen and had a slight distrust towards mercenaries in general. He never met a man who fought solely for gold, while keeping his honour intact and Garen was no difference. “So, should I look for him now?”, he asked.
Montclair started to give him a nod, before looking over his shoulder. As Drent turned around, he saw Ser Emphryus Dresfel approaching them. Like most times, he was wearing his armour, albeit now that they had reached their camp for the night, he wasn't wearing a helmet, showing his thin dark hair. Drent suppressed a sigh.
“Montclair, Golton”, the knight greeted them with a short nod. Drent and his sergeat stood attention in front of him and Dresfel looked at Drent. “Storm Princess wants to see you”, he said shortly, pointing a the tower. “You follow me now”
As Ser Emphryus started to walk back to the tower without another word, Drent looked at Montclair. The sergeant watched the knight and let out a sigh. “He's in a bad mood today. Choose your words carefully around him, Golton. And don't let the princess wait. She hates waiting”, he warned him. “I'll try to keep an eye on Garen in the meantime”
With these words, Drent and Montclair parted ways, with Drent approaching the tower and the waiting knight. “You had important talks with the sergeant?”, Dresfel asked and Drent shook his head. Of course, he trusted him. There was no doubt that Emphryus Dresfel would be willing die for House Durrandon. But he was also known to act rash and without thinking through a situation. Dropping Garen's name in his presence and implying that he might plot against the princess could cause a bloodbath.
“Montclair is paranoid. He fears for the princess' safety”, Drent explained and Dresfel let out a rough chuckle. “Montclair is a fool. As long as I am around, nothing can happen to her. Even if a thousand men would try to harm her, I would cut them all down without breaking a sweat”, he proclaimed. Drent suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. And they called the Storm King 'The Arrogant'...
“What does the princess want from me?”, he asked as they were walking up the stairs inside of the small tower, towards the upper tower room. Dresfel shrugged as an answer. “She did not tell me and I did not ask. You'll find out yourself”, he answered, stopping in front of a large wooden door. He knocked heavily on it, before turning around, allowing Drent to pass. “It's open”, a female voice from inside called and Drent took a deep breath. It did not happen all day that he was talking to a princess. In fact, he had never talked to her before and that made him slightly nervous.
The first thing he noticed as he entered the scarcely furnished room was the large, open window at the wall. Argella Durrandon was standing there, her black hair flowing openly in the wind. She was wearing a thick red dress today, appropriate for the colder evenings outside of Storm's End. Even after a full day on horseback, she looked stunningly beautiful, a hint of her royally pale skin being visible at the neck in an almost tantalising way. She had a friendly smile on her face and took a step away from the window.
“You are Drent Golton, am I right?”, she asked. Drent noticed that his stance was relaxed, so he immediately stood attention as he hastily gave her a nod. “Yes, my princess”, he answered swiftly. Argella let out a small chuckle. “Relax”, she ordered. “Standing attention does not suit you. You look more like a soldier when you relax” A smirk appeared on her face as she approached the small, dusty table to Drent's right. “Unless of course you want to look like a sack of potatoes”
“That was... not my intention”, Drent stuttered, slightly surprised by the casual tone in her voice. She gave him a benevolent nod. “As I imagined. Grab a seat. You want some wine?” Drent gave her a nod. He would never deny an offer of free wine, regardless of who offered it. Argella raised her eyebrow in surprise. “You do?”, she asked. “Are you sure?”
Drent gulped as he slowly shook his head. “I meant no disrespect, my princess”, he mumbled. The surprised look on her face seemed to be genuine as she looked towards a small carafe in front of her. “Disrespect?”, she asked. “Drent, if I wanted you to decline my offer, I wouldn't have asked. If you want some wine, take it”
“My princess, why have you sent for me?”, Drent asked and finally moved his hand towards the carafe. The Princess gave him a pleased smile as he poured the wine into one of the two glasses on the table. “Thank you, that's enough”, she said, grabbing the glass. Drent paused for a moment, before he continued to pour the wine into a second glass, this time for himself.
“Two reasons. First, I'd like to find out more about you. A lowly soldier, appointed as one of my personal guards. I expected father to give me a dozen knights instead of... well...”, she explained and paused. “The second reason is, I figured that you must be a well-connected man, at least when it comes to the common soldiers. Emphryus stands above them and does not talk to them. Sergeant Montclair is their commanding officer. They talk to him, but rarely express their own thoughts and feelings. And finally this... Garion?”
“Garen”, Drent corrected her and Argella gave him a thankful nod. “Garen, of course. He is an outsider from what I've seen. But you... you are one of the soldiers. Fought with these men, laughed with these men. And you follow my orders, yes?”, she asked.
“All of them”, Drent assured her, while asking himself more and more what she actually wanted from him. “Good”, Argella answered. “First order. I want you to always tell me the truth. The full truth to any question I ask”
“Of course, my princess”, Drent answered, taking a sip from his wine. She gave him a pleased smile, before taking a sip from her wine as well. “I am glad to hear this. I have a question for you. An important question”, she explained, looking over her shoulder towards the open window. For a moment, her smile faded, replaced by a slightly distanced, perhaps even melancholic expression.
“I want you to tell me what these men out there think about me”, she said. “I lead them, but I have the feeling they are not satisfied. I try to do things like my father would do, but alas, it seems I could do better” With these words she looked at Drent. “Which is where you come into play. You certainly know their opinions about me. Honest opinions. I'm especially looking for negative opinions, any criticism. And if you have names for me, people I could talk to in private, I would be more than grateful”
[Tell her that Garen is dissatisfied with her leadership] [Tell her that some men are dissatisfied with her leadership, but you don't know their names] [Claim that everyone is satisfied with her leadership] [Claim that you don't know the soldiers opinion about her]