Blood spilled everywhere, and Missy was shaking of excitement.
There she is! You unleashed her, oh things are gonna rain down now. That mention was great, and I'm really keen to see where she goes with this. This part was excellent, and I skipped a few parts just to read this first and I was not disappointed! Absolutely thrilled, and very blood thirsty for the next part! I have no idea what's going to happen next, which is what I love the most >:D
Holy... Whoa. Um, Missy... You totally just murdered that dude, and I'm perfectly okay with that. I hope this isn't the beginning of a psychotic murdering rampage or anything, but I'm still perfectly fine with the fact that she slaughtered him. And I'm not okay with the fact that I'm okay with that. Carry on.
Missy
Missy woke up. Cold sweat was all over her forehead - the nightmares had tormented her again. Missy tried to shook these thoughts o… moreut of her mind. As she stood up, she remembered what happened yesterday. ‘Kill them’, she had said, and a cold grin had appeared on the face of the King’s brother. It was clear the Queen had been less pleased, but she had agreed to go with the plan.
As Missy opened her door, she was surprised and frightened by someone waiting for her right behind the door. After the initial shock she realized it was the Purple Ocelot, who looked at her with a soft smile. “How long have you been there?” Missy hissed, but the man just kept smiling.
“I didn’t want to wake you up, mylady.” The assassin said calmly. “It’s done; the girl is saved.” He continued, and Missy raised her eyebrows. “And?” She asked doubtingly, glancing around to make sure no one else was on the corridor.
“I killed the old man guarding her, n… [view original content]
No voting to close obviously, but I'll just say that I'm glad many of you seem to have enjoyed this part It was obviously a very important part in Missy's arc, and now you've seen how deeply disturbed she really is at the moment, even if she can usually keep her madness at bay. Some of you have also caught some hints regarding her backstory, and there will certainly be more about that in the future.
The next part will be a bit calmer one though, as we will get back to Skyreach with the second part of Isabella. Depending on how fast I manage to make progress, you can expect it either later today, or tomorrow. A small recap for Isabella Fowler: We started Isabella's story with her spending time and chatting with her friend and handmaiden Cassana Blackpool. Isabella was aware she'd soon be married off somewhere, and she was worried she could be separated from Cassana who had been her friend for years. At the same time, she was dreaming about being married with Jamison Dayne, who was her childhood friend and crush, and who had charmed her in the tourney of his nameday by naming her the Queen of love and beauty (this happened ~1,5 years ago). But Isabella realized she might have to forget Jamison in favor of a more politically beneficial marriage. And indeed, later that day she met with her father, the Blind King Garrison, who wanted to talk to her about the threat of the Manwoodys, and the importance of her marriage. He had come to conclusion that either a marriage to Prince Malcolm Dayne or Prince Naemon Blackmont would secure them the alliance they needed, and out of love towards his daughter he would let her decide which one she would want to marry. Isabella considered suggesting Jamison, but ultimately decided to choose Naemon. We'll start the next part a couple days after this conversation.
The lazy wind tickled Isabella’s pale and soft skin as she stood on the high walls of the Skyreach. She gazed at the road that raised from the Wide Way up to the mountains and the ancient castle of the Fowlers’. The wind didn’t do much to cool down the hot afternoon.
Isabella had been thinking about Blackmont a lot these past few days. She had been there only twice, whereas in Starfall she had visited every other year of her life. Her whole life she had acted like a proper lady, and she had done it again with the most important choice of her life. Her father was proud, but Isabella herself felt empty inside. She would always carry herself with dignity, virtue and honor – like a lady should. But will I be happy? Isabella had heard the septon preach how the husband and wife should learn to love each other in marriage, but she had also heard the stories of unhappy marriages where the Lady was always lonely while her Lord husband left her without a shred of love. Isabella shook her head. I’m being stupid, she thought. She knew Naemon Blackmont wasn’t a bad person, at least that wasn’t the impression she had gotten of him. But still, she couldn’t forget Jamison.
Isabella noticed her brother, Desmor, walking towards her in his silvery armor of the Royal Guard. Isabella turned towards her and smiled.
“Is something wrong, little Bella?” Desmor asked, his voice more serious than it usually was. “No, why are you asking?” Isabella answere trying to keep her voice calm, and her brother shrugged. “I don’t know.” He replied casually. “You seem… sad. You are alone here, and your smile, sorry to say, is not very convincing.” Isabella turned her eyes away from her brother, who then walked right next to her. “I understand.” He said with a gentle tone. “You are afraid to leave home.”
“That’s not it.” Isabella replied, perhaps a bit more strictly than she intended. Desmor raised his eyebrow. “Well, what is it then?” He asked, but Isabella just let out a sigh. “It’s not important.” She said quietly, and thankfully her brother gave up.
“Alright then.” He said calmly. “Whatever it is, I hope I can cheer you up.” Isabella looked at her brother who was smiling. Admittedly that already brought up her mood a bit, but she was curious of what was he talking about. “And how do you plan to do that?” She asked. “Well, I’m not really going to do anything, but aunt Obara just arrived a while ago. She was already asking for you.” Desmor spoke with a happy grin on his face, but Isabella couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “That’s your great plan to cheer me up? Aunt Obara?” She asked, and laughed as her brother gave her a shrug.
“Well, look at you! You’re already on a better mood!” Desmor quipped half-heartedly, and Isabella just shook her head, without being able to contain her grin. She wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of having to spend time with her aunt, but chatting with Desmor did manage to cheer her up all the same.
Together they started to make their way down towards the gardens, where Obara apparently was waiting for them. On the way Desmor explained about how he thought the Manwoodys should be defeated. Isabella didn’t really know nor care about military strategies, so she just kept smiling and nodding.
“Ser Russal and his squad returned today.” Desmor mentioned grimly as they walked through the courtyard. Ser Russal was one of the knights in Royal Guard, and Isabella had noticed when he had left on some mission couple weeks ago without wearing his traditional Royal Guard armor, but she had never really put more thought to it. “So, what was this mission of Ser Russal?” Isabella asked, and Desmor shrugged with a bit of frustration on his expression.
“I don’t know, father and Ferris refuse to tell me, and I wouldn’t even bother asking Russal – that man is loyal to the core. If he has been told to keep a secret, he will.” Desmor was clearly annoyed, but Isabella was more understanding. “Father and brother just want to make sure our strategies wont leak to wrong ears, so they keep everything to themselves, it’s understandable.” She spoke softly, but Desmor didn’t look to be convinced.
“Well I’m Garrison’s son just as much as Ferris is, and I’m part of the Royal Guard just as much as Ser Russal is.” Desmor replied with frustration. “Why would they expect me to tell anyone about these plans and secret missions of theirs?” Isabella chuckled to her brother’s question. “You know the oldest way of spying? Prostitutes.” Isabella answered her own question and gave a blaming look at her brother. “Our father knows you spend way too much time with whores, and I bet you like to talk all sorts of things with them.” Isabella spoke with a knowing smirk on her face, and Desmor sighed.
“I’m not an idiot.” He muttered with defeated tone, as they walked into the gardens, where their family waited for them.
Garrison had been brought to the garden with a sedan chair, and he sat next to the fountain with a peaceful expression on his face. Next to Garrison sat his oldest son, Ferris, who gave Desmor and Isabella a polite smile as they walked to the garden. Opposed to Ferris and Garrison sat Obara Fowler, the younger sister of King Garrison. Obara was at her mid-fifties, couple years younger than her brother. She had a long brown hair that was starting to grey, her green eyes were still beautiful, but otherwise her age had started to reduce her beauty. She turned to look at Desmor and Isabella as they walked in, and a humorously exaggerated smile appeared on her face. She studied Isabella from head to toe with her eyes, until finally opening her mouth.
“Come, little dove, come sit with me.” She started with graceful tone, and Isabella nodded. “Oh, you are always so beautiful. You certainly didn’t get that from your father.” She kept talking as Isabella took a seat. Thankfully Desmor sat next to her, she didn’t want to be left alone with aunt Obara.
“Bring the wine and cheese.” King Garrison said calmly. “Yes, Your Grace.” The servant said, and walked away. Obara turned her eyes to Garrison again.
“I heard you are marrying Isabella to the Blackmonts.” She said, a bit of sharpness in her words. Garrison let out a sigh. “We are sending a proposal, yes.” He answered, keeping his voice calm. “Foolish move, if you ask me.” Obara replied without any sympathy in her words.
“That’s why I’m not asking you.” Garrison answered with a fake smile. Obara bridled. “I thought you to be smarter, brother. The Blackmonts are weak.” She spoke with self-assured voice, swiping the air with her right hand as she said the last words. “You would see the Daynes as better option?” Ferris asked calmly, since Garrison decided not to answer.
“No! Gods no, those fools can rot in their white castle.” Isabella felt slightly irritated as her aunt said this. “Who then?” She asked strictly, and Obara looked at her, clearly surprised. “The Yronwoods.” She finally managed to answer, and Isabella could see her father shaking his head as the servant brought the wine and cheese to the table.
“You would have us ally with the one man who is potentially even more dangerous to us than Albin Manwoody.” He spoke with disbelief in his voice. Obara rolled her eyes, knowing of course that her brother couldn’t see it. “Yorick Yronwood is the strongest man in Dorne, it’s better to be on the good side of him.” Obara took a bite from the cheese as she spoke. “And he has a son at early teens who is still without bride, that would be the right match for Isabella.”
“Yorick Yronwood wouldn’t treat my daughter as a sign of alliance, she would treat her as a prisoner, as a means to blackmail me.” Isabella could hear a touch of frustration in her father’s words. Obara turned to look at Isabella. “Let’s ask the girl herself.” She said with a sharp tone. “Isabella, do you think the Yronwoods would be a good ally for us?” Garrison let out a frustrated sigh. “Obara…” He started, but was cut off.
“Let the girl answer to my question.” Obara snapped, and turned to Isabella again. Oh gods, Isabella thought and gulped. She didn’t want to talk about this, she didn’t want to choose sides between her father and aunt.
[Side with Garrison][Side with Obara][Say that you have no opinion]
Isabella
The lazy wind tickled Isabella’s pale and soft skin as she stood on the high walls of the Skyreach. She gazed at the road that r… moreaised from the Wide Way up to the mountains and the ancient castle of the Fowlers’. The wind didn’t do much to cool down the hot afternoon.
Isabella had been thinking about Blackmont a lot these past few days. She had been there only twice, whereas in Starfall she had visited every other year of her life. Her whole life she had acted like a proper lady, and she had done it again with the most important choice of her life. Her father was proud, but Isabella herself felt empty inside. She would always carry herself with dignity, virtue and honor – like a lady should. But will I be happy? Isabella had heard the septon preach how the husband and wife should learn to love each other in marriage, but she had also heard the stories of unhappy marriages where the Lady was always lonely while her Lord husband l… [view original content]
Isabella
The lazy wind tickled Isabella’s pale and soft skin as she stood on the high walls of the Skyreach. She gazed at the road that r… moreaised from the Wide Way up to the mountains and the ancient castle of the Fowlers’. The wind didn’t do much to cool down the hot afternoon.
Isabella had been thinking about Blackmont a lot these past few days. She had been there only twice, whereas in Starfall she had visited every other year of her life. Her whole life she had acted like a proper lady, and she had done it again with the most important choice of her life. Her father was proud, but Isabella herself felt empty inside. She would always carry herself with dignity, virtue and honor – like a lady should. But will I be happy? Isabella had heard the septon preach how the husband and wife should learn to love each other in marriage, but she had also heard the stories of unhappy marriages where the Lady was always lonely while her Lord husband l… [view original content]
Isabella
The lazy wind tickled Isabella’s pale and soft skin as she stood on the high walls of the Skyreach. She gazed at the road that r… moreaised from the Wide Way up to the mountains and the ancient castle of the Fowlers’. The wind didn’t do much to cool down the hot afternoon.
Isabella had been thinking about Blackmont a lot these past few days. She had been there only twice, whereas in Starfall she had visited every other year of her life. Her whole life she had acted like a proper lady, and she had done it again with the most important choice of her life. Her father was proud, but Isabella herself felt empty inside. She would always carry herself with dignity, virtue and honor – like a lady should. But will I be happy? Isabella had heard the septon preach how the husband and wife should learn to love each other in marriage, but she had also heard the stories of unhappy marriages where the Lady was always lonely while her Lord husband l… [view original content]
I was thinking of either this or picking the third option, though in the end I decided in favour of Garrison. While Isabella wants to stay out of it, I believe it is good for her to take a side here, at least in the long run, as it'll help with making her more decisive. There won't always be the option to remain neutral. That said, remaining neutral here sounds tempting and I may decide to change my vote later. For now though, I decided to openly side with Garrison, simply because I genuinely don't think the Yronwoods are good allies. I guess the Blackmonts are roughly at the same level as the Fowlers in terms of power, which means the Fowlers can enter this alliance as equals, or perhaps even as the side in charge. The Yronwoods meanwhile have no reason at all to treat the Fowlers as equals. From all we know, Yorick Yronwood has plans to expand his kingdom, which means the Fowlers will be in his way sooner or later. It is also still possible that he is behind the Fowler-Manwoody-Blackmont war in the first place, as I've speculated before, which would make him even less suited as an ally. In such a situation, the Fowlers have to seek reliable allies who see eye to eye with them, not people who would treat them as weak and inferior. And well, it would indeed be a sign of weakness to crawl to the Yronwoods, begging for an alliance. With the Blackmonts instead, both houses could gain strength from such a bond. While not much has been revealed about King Yorick and House Yronwood, I see Garrison's concerns as well-founded, after the few things we heard. It says a lot about Yorick that Garrison is so adamantly opposed to the thought that his daughter could marry into his house, whereas he is far less opposed to the thought that his daughter could marry a Blackmont. I doubt a man as cunning as Garrison would have these concerns without reason. He certainly knows more about Yorick Yronwood than we do and I trust his judgement.
Isabella
The lazy wind tickled Isabella’s pale and soft skin as she stood on the high walls of the Skyreach. She gazed at the road that r… moreaised from the Wide Way up to the mountains and the ancient castle of the Fowlers’. The wind didn’t do much to cool down the hot afternoon.
Isabella had been thinking about Blackmont a lot these past few days. She had been there only twice, whereas in Starfall she had visited every other year of her life. Her whole life she had acted like a proper lady, and she had done it again with the most important choice of her life. Her father was proud, but Isabella herself felt empty inside. She would always carry herself with dignity, virtue and honor – like a lady should. But will I be happy? Isabella had heard the septon preach how the husband and wife should learn to love each other in marriage, but she had also heard the stories of unhappy marriages where the Lady was always lonely while her Lord husband l… [view original content]
[Say that you have no opinion] This option really seems like the best option and the one that is most in line with her character at this point. It seems in my opinion that Isabella is not sure about the situation of her marriage entirely, either to the Blackmonts or the Yronwoods that her aunt is suggesting. She is a very shy girl who's opinion on marriage relies more on she cares for and not who would be the better political alliance even though she knows the importance of that too. Isabella is obviously being put in a uncomfortable situation she does not want to be in by having to choose sides between family so that along with the fact that she does not truly know who would be the better alliance between the Blackmonts or Yronwoods leads me to believe that staying neutral is the best choice here.
By the way, I know I am repeating myself here but this is another excellent part, I am hooked on this story!
Isabella
The lazy wind tickled Isabella’s pale and soft skin as she stood on the high walls of the Skyreach. She gazed at the road that r… moreaised from the Wide Way up to the mountains and the ancient castle of the Fowlers’. The wind didn’t do much to cool down the hot afternoon.
Isabella had been thinking about Blackmont a lot these past few days. She had been there only twice, whereas in Starfall she had visited every other year of her life. Her whole life she had acted like a proper lady, and she had done it again with the most important choice of her life. Her father was proud, but Isabella herself felt empty inside. She would always carry herself with dignity, virtue and honor – like a lady should. But will I be happy? Isabella had heard the septon preach how the husband and wife should learn to love each other in marriage, but she had also heard the stories of unhappy marriages where the Lady was always lonely while her Lord husband l… [view original content]
[Say that you have no opinion] This option really seems like the best option and the one that is most in line with her character at this poi… morent. It seems in my opinion that Isabella is not sure about the situation of her marriage entirely, either to the Blackmonts or the Yronwoods that her aunt is suggesting. She is a very shy girl who's opinion on marriage relies more on she cares for and not who would be the better political alliance even though she knows the importance of that too. Isabella is obviously being put in a uncomfortable situation she does not want to be in by having to choose sides between family so that along with the fact that she does not truly know who would be the better alliance between the Blackmonts or Yronwoods leads me to believe that staying neutral is the best choice here.
By the way, I know I am repeating myself here but this is another excellent part, I am hooked on this story!
I'm tempted to have Isabella say that she has no opinion. Mainly because I want to see how the siblings settle the matter. However, it is best for everybody if she....
[Side with Garrison]
I still might decide to change my vote to be neutral, but for now this is what I'm going with.
Oh wow, this is a lovely drawing! Gwendis looks perfectly the way I imagined her, very sweet. I'm simply loving this style and this picture in general. The detail is amazing and I noticed a stark and really well-done contrast to your earlier drawing of Missy. Thanks a lot! I can't wait for the next one
Well, I was torn between staying neutral or this, but I guess it's not good idea to stay neutral with this one. Let's give Isabella some opinion this time.
Isabella
The lazy wind tickled Isabella’s pale and soft skin as she stood on the high walls of the Skyreach. She gazed at the road that r… moreaised from the Wide Way up to the mountains and the ancient castle of the Fowlers’. The wind didn’t do much to cool down the hot afternoon.
Isabella had been thinking about Blackmont a lot these past few days. She had been there only twice, whereas in Starfall she had visited every other year of her life. Her whole life she had acted like a proper lady, and she had done it again with the most important choice of her life. Her father was proud, but Isabella herself felt empty inside. She would always carry herself with dignity, virtue and honor – like a lady should. But will I be happy? Isabella had heard the septon preach how the husband and wife should learn to love each other in marriage, but she had also heard the stories of unhappy marriages where the Lady was always lonely while her Lord husband l… [view original content]
The strongest ally isn't always the best ally. After won war, Yronwoods may just treat Fowler like common bannerman, which is not the scenario we are going here. Blackmonts, although they look weaker, is better - more trust-worthy, with more convenient location (just the Wide Way divides their seats), and we don't really know if we can trust Yronwoods - as they're new to the story.
Isabella
The lazy wind tickled Isabella’s pale and soft skin as she stood on the high walls of the Skyreach. She gazed at the road that r… moreaised from the Wide Way up to the mountains and the ancient castle of the Fowlers’. The wind didn’t do much to cool down the hot afternoon.
Isabella had been thinking about Blackmont a lot these past few days. She had been there only twice, whereas in Starfall she had visited every other year of her life. Her whole life she had acted like a proper lady, and she had done it again with the most important choice of her life. Her father was proud, but Isabella herself felt empty inside. She would always carry herself with dignity, virtue and honor – like a lady should. But will I be happy? Isabella had heard the septon preach how the husband and wife should learn to love each other in marriage, but she had also heard the stories of unhappy marriages where the Lady was always lonely while her Lord husband l… [view original content]
And Isabella will side with Garrison, agreeing that the Yronwoods aren't good allies for the Fowlers. This is what I would've probably chosen myself. Now, unlike the last choice, this wasn't really a choice about who to marry - marrying the Yronwood boy was never a real option. This choice was most of all about Isabella's own development, and a little bit about her relations to Garrison and Obara. Obviously Garrison wouldn't have suddenly started to hate her daughter just because of one disagreement, but Obara might be angered a bit easier. And what comes to the option of not having an opinion, even if it's kinda the neutral choice here, it wouldn't have really impressed anyone.
And the next part will be the third part of the old knight, Ser Myke of the Marches. I've already written about 2/3 of the part so far, so if my writing inspiration doesn't suddenly die out, the part should be ready later today. Anyway, here's the recap: Last time we saw Ser Myke and Ser Joran they had started their mission to find Kortney Caron, daughter of Lord Trevas Caron. They traveled the Wide Way south, arriving to a village called Hunter's Well. A Manwoody banner had been erected close to the village, and three men had been murdered and left to rot in the village. The village seemed silent, so Myke and Joran decided to bury the death. They were almost done when Myke noticed a young girl was watching them. He went after the girl, trying to ask what had happened. An old woman came to explain what the situation was: a squad of knights with the Manwoody banner had rode to the village, killed the three men and commanded the villagers not to bury them or they'd come back and kill more. The old woman told that some of the villagers had left to Blackmont, to tell the King about what had happened. When Myke said it might cause a war, the woman said they didn't need a war, just help. Next morning Myke and Joran were wondering where should they continue from here, and they decided to head towards Blackmont. They haven't reached their goal yet, but the next part will show us the beginning of their travel at Shepard's Path, which should eventually take them to Blackmont.
After their night at Hunter’s Well, Myke and Joran had taken the Shepard’s Path, which was a mountain road that took them from them the Wide Way to the river valley on the west side of the mountains. It was the other one of river Torrentine’s two tributaries that flowed at the bottom of this valley, and the locals called it Blackstream.
Here the Shepard’s Path continued its way alongside the river towards south and Blackmont, the town of Gravesend being approximately on the halfway. As the two knights made their way closer to the river, Myke noticed that Blackstream was running quite low. And now that he thought about it, there hadn’t been a single rain during their journey.
On the road they met a group of five men, three women and five children. They were traveling north, armed with axes and pitchforks, carrying with them as much of their property as they and their one donkey managed to carry.
“Somewhere north, away from Dorne.” The oldest of the men grunted when Myke asked where did they plan to travel. “People here are starving, and now Benedict the Demonlover wages war.” He muttered grimly and Myke gave him an understanding nod.
“During the last year, have you seen a noble girl with a foreign man travelling these lands?” Myke asked, describing Kortney’s appearance from the long and wavy auburn hair to beautiful emerald green eyes. He wasn’t particularly surprised that these people had no answer for him, and neither was Ser Joran. They continued their way south, arriving to some small inn a couple hours before sundown.
As Myke and Joran walked in they found out that the inn was more crowded than they had expected, almost every table was occupied. Myke and Joran walked to the bar stand, where the old and hunchbacked innkeeper with balding head and bushy grey beard looked at them with narrowed eyes. They ordered ales, and this time it was Ser Joran who described Lady Kortney’s appearance, asking if the man had seen her or Norano. And once again the answer was no.
“This man wouldn’t remember if Kortney had been here yesterday.” Ser Joran muttered under his breath, and Myke chuckled tiredly. He looked at the tables to see what sort of company they had. On one table was a small family – mother, father and two little boys. On another table was a skinny young boy, probably on his late teens, with very short red hair. He was wearing a light plated armor and a black cape, and kept glancing around himself nervously. Myke turned his eyes to the next table, where he saw two old men chatting and laughing, probably regular customers of the inn. On the corner table was a group of four young men, dressed in rags, grim looks on their faces. One of them was holding a small scythe, and Myke could see two kitchen knives on the table and one axe leaning against the wall. Each of them are armed.
Myke turned slowly back to Joran, who stared at his ale with a sullen expression. “This is watered down shite.” He said grimly, and Myke took a sip of his own ale too see if that was true. “You’re right.” He said with calm and quiet voice, and saw how a small grin was formed on his friend’s face.
“It seems we arrived right on time for a war.” Ser Joran stated casually as he took another gulp from his ale. Myke nodded. He had seen couple of wars during his life, and he wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of seeing yet another. “Between Blackmonts and Manwoodys.” Myke spoke with apathetic words. “And over some small piece of land, no doubt.”
“I hear the Mad Albin is planning to conquer all of the Red Mountains.” The innkeeper suddenly wheezed behind the bar stand – clearly he had been listening to Myke and Joran. “Albin Manwoody?” Ser Joran had a mocking tone on his voice. “Perhaps he can try to steal lands from Blackmonts and Fowlers, but one step to the Stormland’s side and he’ll be sent to the deepest of the Seven Hells.” The innkeeper looked at them with a frown.
“You are Stormlanders, aye?” The old man asked, and Joran nodded proudly. The innkeeper eyed Joran and Myke with detest. “You may find there is not much love here for Stormlanders.” He muttered and turned away.
Joran was about to say something to Myke, when the door of the inn was suddenly slammed open. Myke and Joran turned to look and saw two men, both of them dressed in simple chainmail and halfhelm. The men had unsheathed their swords, and eyed the people of the inn with sharp stare. Myke turned his eyes to the corner table, and saw how the young men reached for their weapons.
The soldiers walked closer to the corner table. “You have one last chance, deserters.” The taller one of the soldiers said with deep voice. “Come with us peacefully, and your lives will be spared. Disobey, and we'll kill you here.” The man with scythe stood up and spat on the floor. “You can bloody try!” He growled, and his friends stood up as well, clenching to their kitchen knives and axe. A tense silence filled the room as the tall soldier glanced at his brother-in-arms, who was clearly just a young boy. Myke knew that if he would have to defend himself, his whip mace wouldn’t be the ideal weapon in such a limited space, so he reached for the hilt of his dagger. Ser Joran also reached for his sword.
“The last warning…” The older soldier started, but was cut off. “You already got your answer!” The one with the axe shouted. “You leave me no choice.” The soldier muttered, and charged.
The small family quickly made their way out while the soldier disarmed the man with scythe with one swing, and managed to make a cut to his thigh with another. The black-haired man with kitchen knife managed to surprise the old soldier, but his stab didn’t penetrate the chainmail, and the soldier sent him stumbling down to the floor with his elbow. The younger soldier backed down to dodge the axe man’s swing, almost bumping to Myke.
At the same time the older soldier cut the throat of the bald man with kitchen knife. The younger soldier kept backing down towards the door, the axe man following him. The older soldier was surrounded by the injured man with scythe and the black-haired man with kitchen knife.
The older soldier made the first move – he charged again towards the man with scythe, this time opening his stomach. The man fell to the floor, screaming in agony. But the soldier was too slow with his next move, and before he could turn against the other man, the knife had already opened his throat.
At the same time the younger soldier had parried and dodged the swings of the axe man. It was clear the boy wasn’t a very experienced fighter – Myke had spotted a several openings for him to attack and end the fight, but he just kept backing to a corner. And now the black-haired man with the kitchen knife walked towards him too. Ser Joran let out a sigh and turned his eyes back to his ale. This fight is over; the boy is going to die. But Myke didn’t turn away. Perhaps it wasn’t his fight to take part in, but at least he would honor the boy by not closing his eyes. He noticed that the skinny boy with plated armor was also watching the fight, a stern look on his eyes.
Myke tightened his grip to the dagger as the young soldier looked at the two men approaching him with panic in his eyes. Perhaps I should do it, Myke thought, clenching his teeth. As he took a first step towards the fight, Ser Joran gave him a disapproving glare. He stopped. If I don’t intervene now, the boy dies.
This boy is a Blackmont soldier and we know Myke plans to get help from the Blackmonts, information that could lead him to the whereabouts of Kortney. It can't hurt to save one of their soldiers, to get into their good graces. Perhaps the boy can help in return, by introducing Myke to someone who might be able to give him the information he needs, a superior officer for example. Aside from that, just staring and leaving a young boy to die is going to help no one. These deserters could certainly cause trouble for Myke as well later on if he spares them now. After all, that's what deserters usually do
Myke
After their night at Hunter’s Well, Myke and Joran had taken the Shepard’s Path, which was a mountain road that took them from them … morethe Wide Way to the river valley on the west side of the mountains. It was the other one of river Torrentine’s two tributaries that flowed at the bottom of this valley, and the locals called it Blackstream.
Here the Shepard’s Path continued its way alongside the river towards south and Blackmont, the town of Gravesend being approximately on the halfway. As the two knights made their way closer to the river, Myke noticed that Blackstream was running quite low. And now that he thought about it, there hadn’t been a single rain during their journey.
On the road they met a group of five men, three women and five children. They were traveling north, armed with axes and pitchforks, carrying with them as much of their property as they and their one donkey managed to carry.
“Somewhere north, away from Dor… [view original content]
Intervening between Blackmonts soldiers and deserters certainly wont help to get in good graces with Benedict.... it's painful for me to choose this one, but they are going there for some reasons and the situation here can be simply taken against them.
Myke
After their night at Hunter’s Well, Myke and Joran had taken the Shepard’s Path, which was a mountain road that took them from them … morethe Wide Way to the river valley on the west side of the mountains. It was the other one of river Torrentine’s two tributaries that flowed at the bottom of this valley, and the locals called it Blackstream.
Here the Shepard’s Path continued its way alongside the river towards south and Blackmont, the town of Gravesend being approximately on the halfway. As the two knights made their way closer to the river, Myke noticed that Blackstream was running quite low. And now that he thought about it, there hadn’t been a single rain during their journey.
On the road they met a group of five men, three women and five children. They were traveling north, armed with axes and pitchforks, carrying with them as much of their property as they and their one donkey managed to carry.
“Somewhere north, away from Dor… [view original content]
Myke
After their night at Hunter’s Well, Myke and Joran had taken the Shepard’s Path, which was a mountain road that took them from them … morethe Wide Way to the river valley on the west side of the mountains. It was the other one of river Torrentine’s two tributaries that flowed at the bottom of this valley, and the locals called it Blackstream.
Here the Shepard’s Path continued its way alongside the river towards south and Blackmont, the town of Gravesend being approximately on the halfway. As the two knights made their way closer to the river, Myke noticed that Blackstream was running quite low. And now that he thought about it, there hadn’t been a single rain during their journey.
On the road they met a group of five men, three women and five children. They were traveling north, armed with axes and pitchforks, carrying with them as much of their property as they and their one donkey managed to carry.
“Somewhere north, away from Dor… [view original content]
Myke
After their night at Hunter’s Well, Myke and Joran had taken the Shepard’s Path, which was a mountain road that took them from them … morethe Wide Way to the river valley on the west side of the mountains. It was the other one of river Torrentine’s two tributaries that flowed at the bottom of this valley, and the locals called it Blackstream.
Here the Shepard’s Path continued its way alongside the river towards south and Blackmont, the town of Gravesend being approximately on the halfway. As the two knights made their way closer to the river, Myke noticed that Blackstream was running quite low. And now that he thought about it, there hadn’t been a single rain during their journey.
On the road they met a group of five men, three women and five children. They were traveling north, armed with axes and pitchforks, carrying with them as much of their property as they and their one donkey managed to carry.
“Somewhere north, away from Dor… [view original content]
[Help the boy] From a political standpoint, helping this Blackmont soldier may just be what is needed to help ease the tension that no doubt has to be there between House Caron and House Blackmont. I would say most of the tension has died down but even still I am sure that there is still quite a bit of mistrust between the two houses especially since they went to war with one another I believe it was just twenty years ago. So with that being said, I think Myke helping out this Blackmont soldier can no doubt be seen as a sign of good will and could help the Blackmonts possibly be more compliant in helping Myke on his mission. Also from a moral standpoint, it seems like Myke feels bad for this young boy who has been put in a situation just because of a conflict between two kings he has probably not even met so it just seems like it is in Myke's character to help in this situation even though it is really not his problem.
Myke
After their night at Hunter’s Well, Myke and Joran had taken the Shepard’s Path, which was a mountain road that took them from them … morethe Wide Way to the river valley on the west side of the mountains. It was the other one of river Torrentine’s two tributaries that flowed at the bottom of this valley, and the locals called it Blackstream.
Here the Shepard’s Path continued its way alongside the river towards south and Blackmont, the town of Gravesend being approximately on the halfway. As the two knights made their way closer to the river, Myke noticed that Blackstream was running quite low. And now that he thought about it, there hadn’t been a single rain during their journey.
On the road they met a group of five men, three women and five children. They were traveling north, armed with axes and pitchforks, carrying with them as much of their property as they and their one donkey managed to carry.
“Somewhere north, away from Dor… [view original content]
So I'm not going to close this voting yet, in case someone still wants to vote, but I have the next part ready once again. So, I'm just going to post it and once again close the two votings at the same time.
It's a Nealia part, and here's the recap: In the last Nealia part we had her, Tryden Flowers and Illor of Braavos visiting the court of Hellgate Hall, and meeting King Lucifer himself. Lucifer had asked Nealia whether he can trust Tryden or not. Nealia said that if Tryden is paid enough, he can be trusted. Lucifer was still a bit skeptical, but he was convinced enough to hire the Rose Company. While Tryden went to bargain the contract with Lucifer's treasurer, Nealia and Illor walked around Hellgate Hall, ending up on the battlements where they could see the Brimstone flowing towards south. Illor brought up that Nealia hadn't really told much about herself, and Nealia remarked that Illor had told even less. So Illor went on to tell the story of his life, mostly of his childhood in Braavos and rise to a respected hired killer in service of a crimelord. After his story he asked if Nealia could now tell something about her past. You voted for her to tell her story.
Nealia looked at the small and gentle smile on Illor’s face, and she let out a sigh. “Ah, alright then.” She said, hardly believing it herself that she was about to tell this man about her past. “Well, you know that I’m a bastard of King Vorian Dayne.” She started, and Illor gave her a small nod. “And my mother Arlena, well, she was just a peasant girl, from a peaceful and quiet village close to Starfall. When Vorian met her, he wasn’t yet the King, and only fourteen years old – my mother was two years older. Both my mother and my father always talked about each other warmly, but they couldn’t have a life together.” Nealia gulped, and gazed at the horizon of the desert. She felt uncomfortable talking about this.
“I understand.” Illor said with his warm and calm voice. “The lives of noble and common are so often separated from each other. So, were you raised at Starfall?” Nealia shook her head. “Not at first.” She answered. “Vorian kept me as a secret from his father. Now and then he would come to see me and Arlena. He was always kind and loving, called me little princess. My mother of course cared for me too, but her father never liked me. He looked at me like I was an ugly stain in his family’s reputation, and perhaps I was just that. But when Vorian came to visit, dressed in fine clothes and carrying his shining sword, bringing gifts for me, I felt like I was something more than just the bastard of a farmer’s daughter.”
“And you were.” Illor said with a kind smile. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here, ready to march to war like a true warrior.” Nealia chuckled at the Braavosi’s words. “Yes, I was always a fighter.” She replied calmly. “From a small kid I was always wrestling with the boys of the village. When I realized that I would never beat them in raw strength, I decided I would find other ways to beat them.” Nealia smirked, remembering how the boys blamed her of using dirty tricks to knock them down.
“How long did you live in the village?” Illor asked casually, and Nealia let out a small sigh. “The old King of Torrentine died when I was eight.” She said tonelessly. “And that was when Vorian brought me to court. I still saw my mother, now and then, but less and less as the years went on – when she died I was fourteen and hadn’t seen her in a year.” Nealia stopped talking for a moment, almost feeling tears come to her eyes. I cried enough back then, Nealia thought to herself and continued to tell the story. “When I arrived to Starfall, I felt like wherever I went someone was staring at me. No doubt people had been whispering and gossiping about the bastard of Vorian all those years, and now I was there, for all of them to look at. But father told me not to be ashamed, he said he was proud of me, and that was all that mattered.” Nealia had a small smile on her face as she spoke. “And what about the rest of the family?” Illor asked, and Nealia shrugged.
“Queen Arenna and Prince Malcolm were always respectful and friendly towards me, even if a bit distant. Jamison was different though. When he was angry at me, he made sure to remind me that I was a bastard and he wasn’t. At the same time though, he was the one who truly felt like a brother to me. With him I learned to fight with a sword, and with him I had a true friendship. I called him the Sword of the Night because of his dark hair, and he called me the Bastard Princess.” Nealia chuckled and shook her head. “He was a stubborn little prick, but he was my stubborn little prick. Well, at least until he started to drool over that Fowler girl.” Illor looked at her with puzzlement. “Princess Isabella Fowler.” Nealia clarified. “Jamison was always good with girls, but I think Isabella was the only one that he really had a crush on.”
“It sounds like your time in Starfall was quite happy.” Illor said with a questioning look on his eyes. “Why did you leave?” Nealia let out a deep sigh for this question. There were times when she missed Starfall, quite often to be honest, but it was something she had to leave behind. “Malcolm was the heir, training politics with Vorian, starting to take part in the council meetings. And Jamison, well, he was a knight taking part in tourneys and bringing glory for the House. What was my role? I was just a bastard girl who was decent with sword. My place was not at the court. So, I left when I was eighteen, to improve my skills and gain some coin in the process. I became a sellsword, because it was the only thing I was good at. When I left my father said I’d always be welcome to Starfall, but I was never meant to live in a castle. I was never meant to be a princess, not even a bastard princess.” She turned to Illor, who gave her a smile.
“I think we have a lot in common.” He said with his friendly tone, and Nealia answered with a shrug. “We can both fight.” She replied with a smirk. “But I never worked for crimelords.” Illor raised his eyebrow. “You did work for King Albin, if I recall correctly. And now we both work for Tryden.” That last sentence killed off Nealia’s smirk.
“Yeah… Tryden.” She said with joyless tone. “You’ve worked a couple years for him now. Tell me, Illor of Braavos, is Tryden Flowers as much of a cunt as he seems to be?” Nealia asked, and Illor let out a small laugh. “It is part of his job to be the way he is.” He said calmly. “To the world he is the cocky sellsword, but behind that curtain he is a smart man who makes his moves carefully.”
“And how much of that praising is bought with the gold he pays you?” Nealia asked, but Illor just shook his head. “No amount of gold can dictate my opinions.” He answered, this time a bit more serious look on his face. The way the Braavosi said it was so convincing that all Nealia could do was give him a nod. “Alright then.” She said casually. “I’m not sure yet if I like our bastard of a boss, but at least you seem decent enough.”
“That’s good to hear.” Illor replied, the friendly smile back on his face. Nealia turned to look at the Brimstone again. Somewhere there in the west was her family. But now I’m going east. For the first time she wondered if she would ever see her family again. The thought of dying for King Lucifer, or for Tryden Flowers, on some battlefield hundreds of miles from home – it was a depressing thought. But that was her life now, she had made that decision long ago.
“There you are.” Tryden Flower’s voice called behind them. They turned to face him, and he threw a small bag of gold for each of them. “That’s for now, you’ll get more once the mission is completed.” Tryden had his cold grin on as he spoke. “Enjoying the day?” He asked, glancing at the view.
“A bit too hot in my taste.” Illor answered with carefree tone, swiping sweat from his forehead. “Hah, I guess there is a reason they named the place ‘Hellgate Hall’.” Tryden said, and turned his look to Nealia. “Well then, time to go back to Tidmarsh.”
-
As they arrived to the town, the market was quite crowded, and the streets were full of noise. Nealia saw some sellswords of the Rose Company here and there, but she expected most of them to be at the Jolly Fisher. There were also guardsmen patrolling the streets. Some of them had anger in their eyes, others fear or at least nervousness.
As they arrived to the Jolly Fisher, Tryden let out a yawn. “I have some thinking to do.” He said and walked in, presumably heading for his room. Illor followed after him. Nealia noticed that the tall and muscular woman from Summer Islands was standing next to the door, almost like she was in guard.
“Is there a reason to stand in guard?” Nealia asked as she walked closer to the door. The Summer Islander turned her deep set brown eyes to Nealia. “Why you ask this?” She asked with a strong accent and smooth voice. “Well, you know, if there is a reason to worry about something, I’d like to know.” Nealia said lazily, and the Summer Islander narrowed her eyes. “No reason to worry.” She stated firmly.
“By the way, what’s your name?” Nealia asked casually. “It would be nice to get to know to people.” The woman eyed Nealia for a moment, but finally nodded. “Manda Za.” She said shortly, and Nealia gave her a nod. “Okay, I’m…”
“I know who you are.” Manda cut her off with calm words and deadpan look on her face. Nealia nodded again. “So, why are you here? I mean, standing there, if you are not guarding…”
“It gets boring to watch idiots drink and fight.” She said, a small hint of a smile finally appearing on her face. Nealia let out a small chuckle. “I suppose so.” She replied. “Well, excuse me, I think I’ll go take a look.” Manda gave her a small nod, and she walked inside. What she saw there was a mess. She could immediately spot couple men who had passed out on their tables, there was bloodstains on the floor, she even saw vomit under one of the tables. Disgusting, she thought and walked to the bar stand, listening to some drunken singing from one of the tables. Even if she knew the song, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to recognize it.
She ordered red wine from the innkeeper, who was visibly displeased of the situation. As she got her wine she turned around. She was not going to talk with any of these drunken fools, but she didn’t feel like being alone either. On one of the tables she saw the twins from somewhere far east that she had seen earlier sitting with Manda, and they didn’t look to be drunk at all. On another table was Broden with Illor. Broden was clearly a bit drunk, but at least Nealia knew Illor to be good company.
[Spend time with the twins][Spend time with Broden and Illor]
Myke
After their night at Hunter’s Well, Myke and Joran had taken the Shepard’s Path, which was a mountain road that took them from them … morethe Wide Way to the river valley on the west side of the mountains. It was the other one of river Torrentine’s two tributaries that flowed at the bottom of this valley, and the locals called it Blackstream.
Here the Shepard’s Path continued its way alongside the river towards south and Blackmont, the town of Gravesend being approximately on the halfway. As the two knights made their way closer to the river, Myke noticed that Blackstream was running quite low. And now that he thought about it, there hadn’t been a single rain during their journey.
On the road they met a group of five men, three women and five children. They were traveling north, armed with axes and pitchforks, carrying with them as much of their property as they and their one donkey managed to carry.
“Somewhere north, away from Dor… [view original content]
Nealia
Nealia looked at the small and gentle smile on Illor’s face, and she let out a sigh. “Ah, alright then.” She said, hardly believin… moreg it herself that she was about to tell this man about her past. “Well, you know that I’m a bastard of King Vorian Dayne.” She started, and Illor gave her a small nod. “And my mother Arlena, well, she was just a peasant girl, from a peaceful and quiet village close to Starfall. When Vorian met her, he wasn’t yet the King, and only fourteen years old – my mother was two years older. Both my mother and my father always talked about each other warmly, but they couldn’t have a life together.” Nealia gulped, and gazed at the horizon of the desert. She felt uncomfortable talking about this.
“I understand.” Illor said with his warm and calm voice. “The lives of noble and common are so often separated from each other. So, were you raised at Starfall?” Nealia shook her head. “Not at first.” She answered. “Voria… [view original content]
Nealia
Nealia looked at the small and gentle smile on Illor’s face, and she let out a sigh. “Ah, alright then.” She said, hardly believin… moreg it herself that she was about to tell this man about her past. “Well, you know that I’m a bastard of King Vorian Dayne.” She started, and Illor gave her a small nod. “And my mother Arlena, well, she was just a peasant girl, from a peaceful and quiet village close to Starfall. When Vorian met her, he wasn’t yet the King, and only fourteen years old – my mother was two years older. Both my mother and my father always talked about each other warmly, but they couldn’t have a life together.” Nealia gulped, and gazed at the horizon of the desert. She felt uncomfortable talking about this.
“I understand.” Illor said with his warm and calm voice. “The lives of noble and common are so often separated from each other. So, were you raised at Starfall?” Nealia shook her head. “Not at first.” She answered. “Voria… [view original content]
Nealia
Nealia looked at the small and gentle smile on Illor’s face, and she let out a sigh. “Ah, alright then.” She said, hardly believin… moreg it herself that she was about to tell this man about her past. “Well, you know that I’m a bastard of King Vorian Dayne.” She started, and Illor gave her a small nod. “And my mother Arlena, well, she was just a peasant girl, from a peaceful and quiet village close to Starfall. When Vorian met her, he wasn’t yet the King, and only fourteen years old – my mother was two years older. Both my mother and my father always talked about each other warmly, but they couldn’t have a life together.” Nealia gulped, and gazed at the horizon of the desert. She felt uncomfortable talking about this.
“I understand.” Illor said with his warm and calm voice. “The lives of noble and common are so often separated from each other. So, were you raised at Starfall?” Nealia shook her head. “Not at first.” She answered. “Voria… [view original content]
Nealia
Nealia looked at the small and gentle smile on Illor’s face, and she let out a sigh. “Ah, alright then.” She said, hardly believin… moreg it herself that she was about to tell this man about her past. “Well, you know that I’m a bastard of King Vorian Dayne.” She started, and Illor gave her a small nod. “And my mother Arlena, well, she was just a peasant girl, from a peaceful and quiet village close to Starfall. When Vorian met her, he wasn’t yet the King, and only fourteen years old – my mother was two years older. Both my mother and my father always talked about each other warmly, but they couldn’t have a life together.” Nealia gulped, and gazed at the horizon of the desert. She felt uncomfortable talking about this.
“I understand.” Illor said with his warm and calm voice. “The lives of noble and common are so often separated from each other. So, were you raised at Starfall?” Nealia shook her head. “Not at first.” She answered. “Voria… [view original content]
Stay out of the Fight
This is Dorne right? We don't jump people in dorne. That is a rule now.
We will make it one.
Btw is this a ToJ callout? A Eddard/Jojen mirror? Or is this just coincidence.
[Spend time with the twins] One of my big questions I had about Nealia since she is a bastard daughter of Vorian Dayne was her relationship if any she had with her brothers and the kingdom of Torrentine in general. Safe to say, you have answered that soundly! It is pretty awesome to know that Nealia ended up being close siblings and friends with Jamison, and now it makes me all the more excited for a potential reunion between the two or a big Dayne family reunion would be awesome as well! For the choice though, I would say she should probably get to know the twins because if she is going to be fighting alongside all of these people in the Rose Company, she should get to know as many of them as she can and try to gain an idea of who she should trust or not.
Nealia
Nealia looked at the small and gentle smile on Illor’s face, and she let out a sigh. “Ah, alright then.” She said, hardly believin… moreg it herself that she was about to tell this man about her past. “Well, you know that I’m a bastard of King Vorian Dayne.” She started, and Illor gave her a small nod. “And my mother Arlena, well, she was just a peasant girl, from a peaceful and quiet village close to Starfall. When Vorian met her, he wasn’t yet the King, and only fourteen years old – my mother was two years older. Both my mother and my father always talked about each other warmly, but they couldn’t have a life together.” Nealia gulped, and gazed at the horizon of the desert. She felt uncomfortable talking about this.
“I understand.” Illor said with his warm and calm voice. “The lives of noble and common are so often separated from each other. So, were you raised at Starfall?” Nealia shook her head. “Not at first.” She answered. “Voria… [view original content]
We already know more about Illor and while I certainly find him to be a likeable character, I feel like now would be a good opportunity to meet new people. It can't be a bad thing to get to know as many people as possible, perhaps it'll come in handy later. Aside from that, I am quite curious how twins from the far east ended up in Dorne. I imagine that must be quite the story. Great part by the way! I enjoyed learning more about Nealia's relationship to her family. It seems her relationship to Jamison is especially complex and I am intrigued by a possible meeting between the two. Family reunions are always nice and this particular reunion sounds especially interesting.
Nealia
Nealia looked at the small and gentle smile on Illor’s face, and she let out a sigh. “Ah, alright then.” She said, hardly believin… moreg it herself that she was about to tell this man about her past. “Well, you know that I’m a bastard of King Vorian Dayne.” She started, and Illor gave her a small nod. “And my mother Arlena, well, she was just a peasant girl, from a peaceful and quiet village close to Starfall. When Vorian met her, he wasn’t yet the King, and only fourteen years old – my mother was two years older. Both my mother and my father always talked about each other warmly, but they couldn’t have a life together.” Nealia gulped, and gazed at the horizon of the desert. She felt uncomfortable talking about this.
“I understand.” Illor said with his warm and calm voice. “The lives of noble and common are so often separated from each other. So, were you raised at Starfall?” Nealia shook her head. “Not at first.” She answered. “Voria… [view original content]
Spending time with drunk Broden and Illor with who we had already spent some time would be pointless - it seems just a better option to talk to twins, maybe to find some new storyline? Anyway, it should introduce something more to the story, which is obviously better.
Nealia
Nealia looked at the small and gentle smile on Illor’s face, and she let out a sigh. “Ah, alright then.” She said, hardly believin… moreg it herself that she was about to tell this man about her past. “Well, you know that I’m a bastard of King Vorian Dayne.” She started, and Illor gave her a small nod. “And my mother Arlena, well, she was just a peasant girl, from a peaceful and quiet village close to Starfall. When Vorian met her, he wasn’t yet the King, and only fourteen years old – my mother was two years older. Both my mother and my father always talked about each other warmly, but they couldn’t have a life together.” Nealia gulped, and gazed at the horizon of the desert. She felt uncomfortable talking about this.
“I understand.” Illor said with his warm and calm voice. “The lives of noble and common are so often separated from each other. So, were you raised at Starfall?” Nealia shook her head. “Not at first.” She answered. “Voria… [view original content]
Myke will help the boy. So, obviously this part shows that there is a bit of a disorder in the Blackmont's kingdom. We'll see more of that in the future...
And Nealia will spend time with these twins from far east. As much as I would have enjoyed writing drunken Broden, I'm glad to get to introduce these two characters I enjoyed writing Nealia's backstory so I hoped it was enjoyable to read
I have made next to no progress with the next part (partly because I've been just watching Battle of the Bastards ), but I hope to get it done in couple days. It's a new PoV so no need for recap. But I can say that it will be a part from the eastern coast.
Votings are closed!
Myke will help the boy. So, obviously this part shows that there is a bit of a disorder in the Blackmont's kingdom. W… moree'll see more of that in the future...
And Nealia will spend time with these twins from far east. As much as I would have enjoyed writing drunken Broden, I'm glad to get to introduce these two characters I enjoyed writing Nealia's backstory so I hoped it was enjoyable to read
I have made next to no progress with the next part (partly because I've been just watching Battle of the Bastards ), but I hope to get it done in couple days. It's a new PoV so no need for recap. But I can say that it will be a part from the eastern coast.
Comments
There she is! You unleashed her, oh things are gonna rain down now. That mention was great, and I'm really keen to see where she goes with this. This part was excellent, and I skipped a few parts just to read this first and I was not disappointed! Absolutely thrilled, and very blood thirsty for the next part! I have no idea what's going to happen next, which is what I love the most >:D
May the speculations begin XD
Holy... Whoa. Um, Missy... You totally just murdered that dude, and I'm perfectly okay with that. I hope this isn't the beginning of a psychotic murdering rampage or anything, but I'm still perfectly fine with the fact that she slaughtered him. And I'm not okay with the fact that I'm okay with that. Carry on.
No voting to close obviously, but I'll just say that I'm glad many of you seem to have enjoyed this part
It was obviously a very important part in Missy's arc, and now you've seen how deeply disturbed she really is at the moment, even if she can usually keep her madness at bay. Some of you have also caught some hints regarding her backstory, and there will certainly be more about that in the future.
The next part will be a bit calmer one though, as we will get back to Skyreach with the second part of Isabella. Depending on how fast I manage to make progress, you can expect it either later today, or tomorrow. A small recap for Isabella Fowler: We started Isabella's story with her spending time and chatting with her friend and handmaiden Cassana Blackpool. Isabella was aware she'd soon be married off somewhere, and she was worried she could be separated from Cassana who had been her friend for years. At the same time, she was dreaming about being married with Jamison Dayne, who was her childhood friend and crush, and who had charmed her in the tourney of his nameday by naming her the Queen of love and beauty (this happened ~1,5 years ago). But Isabella realized she might have to forget Jamison in favor of a more politically beneficial marriage. And indeed, later that day she met with her father, the Blind King Garrison, who wanted to talk to her about the threat of the Manwoodys, and the importance of her marriage. He had come to conclusion that either a marriage to Prince Malcolm Dayne or Prince Naemon Blackmont would secure them the alliance they needed, and out of love towards his daughter he would let her decide which one she would want to marry. Isabella considered suggesting Jamison, but ultimately decided to choose Naemon. We'll start the next part a couple days after this conversation.
Isabella
The lazy wind tickled Isabella’s pale and soft skin as she stood on the high walls of the Skyreach. She gazed at the road that raised from the Wide Way up to the mountains and the ancient castle of the Fowlers’. The wind didn’t do much to cool down the hot afternoon.
Isabella had been thinking about Blackmont a lot these past few days. She had been there only twice, whereas in Starfall she had visited every other year of her life. Her whole life she had acted like a proper lady, and she had done it again with the most important choice of her life. Her father was proud, but Isabella herself felt empty inside. She would always carry herself with dignity, virtue and honor – like a lady should. But will I be happy? Isabella had heard the septon preach how the husband and wife should learn to love each other in marriage, but she had also heard the stories of unhappy marriages where the Lady was always lonely while her Lord husband left her without a shred of love. Isabella shook her head. I’m being stupid, she thought. She knew Naemon Blackmont wasn’t a bad person, at least that wasn’t the impression she had gotten of him. But still, she couldn’t forget Jamison.
Isabella noticed her brother, Desmor, walking towards her in his silvery armor of the Royal Guard. Isabella turned towards her and smiled.
“Is something wrong, little Bella?” Desmor asked, his voice more serious than it usually was. “No, why are you asking?” Isabella answere trying to keep her voice calm, and her brother shrugged. “I don’t know.” He replied casually. “You seem… sad. You are alone here, and your smile, sorry to say, is not very convincing.” Isabella turned her eyes away from her brother, who then walked right next to her. “I understand.” He said with a gentle tone. “You are afraid to leave home.”
“That’s not it.” Isabella replied, perhaps a bit more strictly than she intended. Desmor raised his eyebrow. “Well, what is it then?” He asked, but Isabella just let out a sigh. “It’s not important.” She said quietly, and thankfully her brother gave up.
“Alright then.” He said calmly. “Whatever it is, I hope I can cheer you up.” Isabella looked at her brother who was smiling. Admittedly that already brought up her mood a bit, but she was curious of what was he talking about. “And how do you plan to do that?” She asked. “Well, I’m not really going to do anything, but aunt Obara just arrived a while ago. She was already asking for you.” Desmor spoke with a happy grin on his face, but Isabella couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “That’s your great plan to cheer me up? Aunt Obara?” She asked, and laughed as her brother gave her a shrug.
“Well, look at you! You’re already on a better mood!” Desmor quipped half-heartedly, and Isabella just shook her head, without being able to contain her grin. She wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of having to spend time with her aunt, but chatting with Desmor did manage to cheer her up all the same.
Together they started to make their way down towards the gardens, where Obara apparently was waiting for them. On the way Desmor explained about how he thought the Manwoodys should be defeated. Isabella didn’t really know nor care about military strategies, so she just kept smiling and nodding.
“Ser Russal and his squad returned today.” Desmor mentioned grimly as they walked through the courtyard. Ser Russal was one of the knights in Royal Guard, and Isabella had noticed when he had left on some mission couple weeks ago without wearing his traditional Royal Guard armor, but she had never really put more thought to it. “So, what was this mission of Ser Russal?” Isabella asked, and Desmor shrugged with a bit of frustration on his expression.
“I don’t know, father and Ferris refuse to tell me, and I wouldn’t even bother asking Russal – that man is loyal to the core. If he has been told to keep a secret, he will.” Desmor was clearly annoyed, but Isabella was more understanding. “Father and brother just want to make sure our strategies wont leak to wrong ears, so they keep everything to themselves, it’s understandable.” She spoke softly, but Desmor didn’t look to be convinced.
“Well I’m Garrison’s son just as much as Ferris is, and I’m part of the Royal Guard just as much as Ser Russal is.” Desmor replied with frustration. “Why would they expect me to tell anyone about these plans and secret missions of theirs?” Isabella chuckled to her brother’s question. “You know the oldest way of spying? Prostitutes.” Isabella answered her own question and gave a blaming look at her brother. “Our father knows you spend way too much time with whores, and I bet you like to talk all sorts of things with them.” Isabella spoke with a knowing smirk on her face, and Desmor sighed.
“I’m not an idiot.” He muttered with defeated tone, as they walked into the gardens, where their family waited for them.
Garrison had been brought to the garden with a sedan chair, and he sat next to the fountain with a peaceful expression on his face. Next to Garrison sat his oldest son, Ferris, who gave Desmor and Isabella a polite smile as they walked to the garden. Opposed to Ferris and Garrison sat Obara Fowler, the younger sister of King Garrison. Obara was at her mid-fifties, couple years younger than her brother. She had a long brown hair that was starting to grey, her green eyes were still beautiful, but otherwise her age had started to reduce her beauty. She turned to look at Desmor and Isabella as they walked in, and a humorously exaggerated smile appeared on her face. She studied Isabella from head to toe with her eyes, until finally opening her mouth.
“Come, little dove, come sit with me.” She started with graceful tone, and Isabella nodded. “Oh, you are always so beautiful. You certainly didn’t get that from your father.” She kept talking as Isabella took a seat. Thankfully Desmor sat next to her, she didn’t want to be left alone with aunt Obara.
“Bring the wine and cheese.” King Garrison said calmly. “Yes, Your Grace.” The servant said, and walked away. Obara turned her eyes to Garrison again.
“I heard you are marrying Isabella to the Blackmonts.” She said, a bit of sharpness in her words. Garrison let out a sigh. “We are sending a proposal, yes.” He answered, keeping his voice calm. “Foolish move, if you ask me.” Obara replied without any sympathy in her words.
“That’s why I’m not asking you.” Garrison answered with a fake smile. Obara bridled. “I thought you to be smarter, brother. The Blackmonts are weak.” She spoke with self-assured voice, swiping the air with her right hand as she said the last words. “You would see the Daynes as better option?” Ferris asked calmly, since Garrison decided not to answer.
“No! Gods no, those fools can rot in their white castle.” Isabella felt slightly irritated as her aunt said this. “Who then?” She asked strictly, and Obara looked at her, clearly surprised. “The Yronwoods.” She finally managed to answer, and Isabella could see her father shaking his head as the servant brought the wine and cheese to the table.
“You would have us ally with the one man who is potentially even more dangerous to us than Albin Manwoody.” He spoke with disbelief in his voice. Obara rolled her eyes, knowing of course that her brother couldn’t see it. “Yorick Yronwood is the strongest man in Dorne, it’s better to be on the good side of him.” Obara took a bite from the cheese as she spoke. “And he has a son at early teens who is still without bride, that would be the right match for Isabella.”
“Yorick Yronwood wouldn’t treat my daughter as a sign of alliance, she would treat her as a prisoner, as a means to blackmail me.” Isabella could hear a touch of frustration in her father’s words. Obara turned to look at Isabella. “Let’s ask the girl herself.” She said with a sharp tone. “Isabella, do you think the Yronwoods would be a good ally for us?” Garrison let out a frustrated sigh. “Obara…” He started, but was cut off.
“Let the girl answer to my question.” Obara snapped, and turned to Isabella again. Oh gods, Isabella thought and gulped. She didn’t want to talk about this, she didn’t want to choose sides between her father and aunt.
[Side with Garrison] [Side with Obara] [Say that you have no opinion]
Well, crap. What do I say about this?
I guess I'd [Say that I have no opinion] because I don't want either of them to be offended.
[Side with Garrison]
Yeah... no.
Great part once again.
[Side with Garrison] I believe Garrison knows what he is doing.
[Side with Garrison]
I was thinking of either this or picking the third option, though in the end I decided in favour of Garrison. While Isabella wants to stay out of it, I believe it is good for her to take a side here, at least in the long run, as it'll help with making her more decisive. There won't always be the option to remain neutral. That said, remaining neutral here sounds tempting and I may decide to change my vote later. For now though, I decided to openly side with Garrison, simply because I genuinely don't think the Yronwoods are good allies. I guess the Blackmonts are roughly at the same level as the Fowlers in terms of power, which means the Fowlers can enter this alliance as equals, or perhaps even as the side in charge. The Yronwoods meanwhile have no reason at all to treat the Fowlers as equals. From all we know, Yorick Yronwood has plans to expand his kingdom, which means the Fowlers will be in his way sooner or later. It is also still possible that he is behind the Fowler-Manwoody-Blackmont war in the first place, as I've speculated before, which would make him even less suited as an ally. In such a situation, the Fowlers have to seek reliable allies who see eye to eye with them, not people who would treat them as weak and inferior. And well, it would indeed be a sign of weakness to crawl to the Yronwoods, begging for an alliance. With the Blackmonts instead, both houses could gain strength from such a bond. While not much has been revealed about King Yorick and House Yronwood, I see Garrison's concerns as well-founded, after the few things we heard. It says a lot about Yorick that Garrison is so adamantly opposed to the thought that his daughter could marry into his house, whereas he is far less opposed to the thought that his daughter could marry a Blackmont. I doubt a man as cunning as Garrison would have these concerns without reason. He certainly knows more about Yorick Yronwood than we do and I trust his judgement.
[Say that you have no opinion] This option really seems like the best option and the one that is most in line with her character at this point. It seems in my opinion that Isabella is not sure about the situation of her marriage entirely, either to the Blackmonts or the Yronwoods that her aunt is suggesting. She is a very shy girl who's opinion on marriage relies more on she cares for and not who would be the better political alliance even though she knows the importance of that too. Isabella is obviously being put in a uncomfortable situation she does not want to be in by having to choose sides between family so that along with the fact that she does not truly know who would be the better alliance between the Blackmonts or Yronwoods leads me to believe that staying neutral is the best choice here.
By the way, I know I am repeating myself here but this is another excellent part, I am hooked on this story!
It cheers me up every time to see someone has enjoyed my writing
I'll try to keep delivering 
So, if you remember, I made a Missy illustration a while ago. Well, here's one for Gwendis:
I'm tempted to have Isabella say that she has no opinion. Mainly because I want to see how the siblings settle the matter. However, it is best for everybody if she....
[Side with Garrison]
I still might decide to change my vote to be neutral, but for now this is what I'm going with.
Oh wow, this is a lovely drawing! Gwendis looks perfectly the way I imagined her, very sweet. I'm simply loving this style and this picture in general. The detail is amazing and I noticed a stark and really well-done contrast to your earlier drawing of Missy. Thanks a lot! I can't wait for the next one
[Side with Garrison
Well, I was torn between staying neutral or this, but I guess it's not good idea to stay neutral with this one. Let's give Isabella some opinion this time.
Side with Garrison
Just because Obara doesn't have a good enough reason at all compared to her brother.
[Side with Garrison]
The strongest ally isn't always the best ally. After won war, Yronwoods may just treat Fowler like common bannerman, which is not the scenario we are going here. Blackmonts, although they look weaker, is better - more trust-worthy, with more convenient location (just the Wide Way divides their seats), and we don't really know if we can trust Yronwoods - as they're new to the story.
Voting is closed!
And Isabella will side with Garrison, agreeing that the Yronwoods aren't good allies for the Fowlers. This is what I would've probably chosen myself. Now, unlike the last choice, this wasn't really a choice about who to marry - marrying the Yronwood boy was never a real option. This choice was most of all about Isabella's own development, and a little bit about her relations to Garrison and Obara. Obviously Garrison wouldn't have suddenly started to hate her daughter just because of one disagreement, but Obara might be angered a bit easier. And what comes to the option of not having an opinion, even if it's kinda the neutral choice here, it wouldn't have really impressed anyone.
And the next part will be the third part of the old knight, Ser Myke of the Marches. I've already written about 2/3 of the part so far, so if my writing inspiration doesn't suddenly die out, the part should be ready later today. Anyway, here's the recap: Last time we saw Ser Myke and Ser Joran they had started their mission to find Kortney Caron, daughter of Lord Trevas Caron. They traveled the Wide Way south, arriving to a village called Hunter's Well. A Manwoody banner had been erected close to the village, and three men had been murdered and left to rot in the village. The village seemed silent, so Myke and Joran decided to bury the death. They were almost done when Myke noticed a young girl was watching them. He went after the girl, trying to ask what had happened. An old woman came to explain what the situation was: a squad of knights with the Manwoody banner had rode to the village, killed the three men and commanded the villagers not to bury them or they'd come back and kill more. The old woman told that some of the villagers had left to Blackmont, to tell the King about what had happened. When Myke said it might cause a war, the woman said they didn't need a war, just help. Next morning Myke and Joran were wondering where should they continue from here, and they decided to head towards Blackmont. They haven't reached their goal yet, but the next part will show us the beginning of their travel at Shepard's Path, which should eventually take them to Blackmont.
Myke
After their night at Hunter’s Well, Myke and Joran had taken the Shepard’s Path, which was a mountain road that took them from them the Wide Way to the river valley on the west side of the mountains. It was the other one of river Torrentine’s two tributaries that flowed at the bottom of this valley, and the locals called it Blackstream.
Here the Shepard’s Path continued its way alongside the river towards south and Blackmont, the town of Gravesend being approximately on the halfway. As the two knights made their way closer to the river, Myke noticed that Blackstream was running quite low. And now that he thought about it, there hadn’t been a single rain during their journey.
On the road they met a group of five men, three women and five children. They were traveling north, armed with axes and pitchforks, carrying with them as much of their property as they and their one donkey managed to carry.
“Somewhere north, away from Dorne.” The oldest of the men grunted when Myke asked where did they plan to travel. “People here are starving, and now Benedict the Demonlover wages war.” He muttered grimly and Myke gave him an understanding nod.
“During the last year, have you seen a noble girl with a foreign man travelling these lands?” Myke asked, describing Kortney’s appearance from the long and wavy auburn hair to beautiful emerald green eyes. He wasn’t particularly surprised that these people had no answer for him, and neither was Ser Joran. They continued their way south, arriving to some small inn a couple hours before sundown.
As Myke and Joran walked in they found out that the inn was more crowded than they had expected, almost every table was occupied. Myke and Joran walked to the bar stand, where the old and hunchbacked innkeeper with balding head and bushy grey beard looked at them with narrowed eyes. They ordered ales, and this time it was Ser Joran who described Lady Kortney’s appearance, asking if the man had seen her or Norano. And once again the answer was no.
“This man wouldn’t remember if Kortney had been here yesterday.” Ser Joran muttered under his breath, and Myke chuckled tiredly. He looked at the tables to see what sort of company they had. On one table was a small family – mother, father and two little boys. On another table was a skinny young boy, probably on his late teens, with very short red hair. He was wearing a light plated armor and a black cape, and kept glancing around himself nervously. Myke turned his eyes to the next table, where he saw two old men chatting and laughing, probably regular customers of the inn. On the corner table was a group of four young men, dressed in rags, grim looks on their faces. One of them was holding a small scythe, and Myke could see two kitchen knives on the table and one axe leaning against the wall. Each of them are armed.
Myke turned slowly back to Joran, who stared at his ale with a sullen expression. “This is watered down shite.” He said grimly, and Myke took a sip of his own ale too see if that was true. “You’re right.” He said with calm and quiet voice, and saw how a small grin was formed on his friend’s face.
“It seems we arrived right on time for a war.” Ser Joran stated casually as he took another gulp from his ale. Myke nodded. He had seen couple of wars during his life, and he wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of seeing yet another. “Between Blackmonts and Manwoodys.” Myke spoke with apathetic words. “And over some small piece of land, no doubt.”
“I hear the Mad Albin is planning to conquer all of the Red Mountains.” The innkeeper suddenly wheezed behind the bar stand – clearly he had been listening to Myke and Joran. “Albin Manwoody?” Ser Joran had a mocking tone on his voice. “Perhaps he can try to steal lands from Blackmonts and Fowlers, but one step to the Stormland’s side and he’ll be sent to the deepest of the Seven Hells.” The innkeeper looked at them with a frown.
“You are Stormlanders, aye?” The old man asked, and Joran nodded proudly. The innkeeper eyed Joran and Myke with detest. “You may find there is not much love here for Stormlanders.” He muttered and turned away.
Joran was about to say something to Myke, when the door of the inn was suddenly slammed open. Myke and Joran turned to look and saw two men, both of them dressed in simple chainmail and halfhelm. The men had unsheathed their swords, and eyed the people of the inn with sharp stare. Myke turned his eyes to the corner table, and saw how the young men reached for their weapons.
The soldiers walked closer to the corner table. “You have one last chance, deserters.” The taller one of the soldiers said with deep voice. “Come with us peacefully, and your lives will be spared. Disobey, and we'll kill you here.” The man with scythe stood up and spat on the floor. “You can bloody try!” He growled, and his friends stood up as well, clenching to their kitchen knives and axe. A tense silence filled the room as the tall soldier glanced at his brother-in-arms, who was clearly just a young boy. Myke knew that if he would have to defend himself, his whip mace wouldn’t be the ideal weapon in such a limited space, so he reached for the hilt of his dagger. Ser Joran also reached for his sword.
“The last warning…” The older soldier started, but was cut off. “You already got your answer!” The one with the axe shouted. “You leave me no choice.” The soldier muttered, and charged.
The small family quickly made their way out while the soldier disarmed the man with scythe with one swing, and managed to make a cut to his thigh with another. The black-haired man with kitchen knife managed to surprise the old soldier, but his stab didn’t penetrate the chainmail, and the soldier sent him stumbling down to the floor with his elbow. The younger soldier backed down to dodge the axe man’s swing, almost bumping to Myke.
At the same time the older soldier cut the throat of the bald man with kitchen knife. The younger soldier kept backing down towards the door, the axe man following him. The older soldier was surrounded by the injured man with scythe and the black-haired man with kitchen knife.
The older soldier made the first move – he charged again towards the man with scythe, this time opening his stomach. The man fell to the floor, screaming in agony. But the soldier was too slow with his next move, and before he could turn against the other man, the knife had already opened his throat.
At the same time the younger soldier had parried and dodged the swings of the axe man. It was clear the boy wasn’t a very experienced fighter – Myke had spotted a several openings for him to attack and end the fight, but he just kept backing to a corner. And now the black-haired man with the kitchen knife walked towards him too. Ser Joran let out a sigh and turned his eyes back to his ale. This fight is over; the boy is going to die. But Myke didn’t turn away. Perhaps it wasn’t his fight to take part in, but at least he would honor the boy by not closing his eyes. He noticed that the skinny boy with plated armor was also watching the fight, a stern look on his eyes.
Myke tightened his grip to the dagger as the young soldier looked at the two men approaching him with panic in his eyes. Perhaps I should do it, Myke thought, clenching his teeth. As he took a first step towards the fight, Ser Joran gave him a disapproving glare. He stopped. If I don’t intervene now, the boy dies.
[Help the boy] [Stay out of the fight]
[Help the boy]
This boy is a Blackmont soldier and we know Myke plans to get help from the Blackmonts, information that could lead him to the whereabouts of Kortney. It can't hurt to save one of their soldiers, to get into their good graces. Perhaps the boy can help in return, by introducing Myke to someone who might be able to give him the information he needs, a superior officer for example. Aside from that, just staring and leaving a young boy to die is going to help no one. These deserters could certainly cause trouble for Myke as well later on if he spares them now. After all, that's what deserters usually do
[Stay out of the fight]
Intervening between Blackmonts soldiers and deserters certainly wont help to get in good graces with Benedict.... it's painful for me to choose this one, but they are going there for some reasons and the situation here can be simply taken against them.
[Help the boy]
[Stay out of the fight]
[Help the boy] From a political standpoint, helping this Blackmont soldier may just be what is needed to help ease the tension that no doubt has to be there between House Caron and House Blackmont. I would say most of the tension has died down but even still I am sure that there is still quite a bit of mistrust between the two houses especially since they went to war with one another I believe it was just twenty years ago. So with that being said, I think Myke helping out this Blackmont soldier can no doubt be seen as a sign of good will and could help the Blackmonts possibly be more compliant in helping Myke on his mission. Also from a moral standpoint, it seems like Myke feels bad for this young boy who has been put in a situation just because of a conflict between two kings he has probably not even met so it just seems like it is in Myke's character to help in this situation even though it is really not his problem.
[Help the boy]
This action might convince the Blackmonts to trust Myke and Ser Joran. They may be willing to give them information about Kortney, if they have it.
So I'm not going to close this voting yet, in case someone still wants to vote, but I have the next part ready once again. So, I'm just going to post it and once again close the two votings at the same time.
It's a Nealia part, and here's the recap: In the last Nealia part we had her, Tryden Flowers and Illor of Braavos visiting the court of Hellgate Hall, and meeting King Lucifer himself. Lucifer had asked Nealia whether he can trust Tryden or not. Nealia said that if Tryden is paid enough, he can be trusted. Lucifer was still a bit skeptical, but he was convinced enough to hire the Rose Company. While Tryden went to bargain the contract with Lucifer's treasurer, Nealia and Illor walked around Hellgate Hall, ending up on the battlements where they could see the Brimstone flowing towards south. Illor brought up that Nealia hadn't really told much about herself, and Nealia remarked that Illor had told even less. So Illor went on to tell the story of his life, mostly of his childhood in Braavos and rise to a respected hired killer in service of a crimelord. After his story he asked if Nealia could now tell something about her past. You voted for her to tell her story.
Nealia
Nealia looked at the small and gentle smile on Illor’s face, and she let out a sigh. “Ah, alright then.” She said, hardly believing it herself that she was about to tell this man about her past. “Well, you know that I’m a bastard of King Vorian Dayne.” She started, and Illor gave her a small nod. “And my mother Arlena, well, she was just a peasant girl, from a peaceful and quiet village close to Starfall. When Vorian met her, he wasn’t yet the King, and only fourteen years old – my mother was two years older. Both my mother and my father always talked about each other warmly, but they couldn’t have a life together.” Nealia gulped, and gazed at the horizon of the desert. She felt uncomfortable talking about this.
“I understand.” Illor said with his warm and calm voice. “The lives of noble and common are so often separated from each other. So, were you raised at Starfall?” Nealia shook her head. “Not at first.” She answered. “Vorian kept me as a secret from his father. Now and then he would come to see me and Arlena. He was always kind and loving, called me little princess. My mother of course cared for me too, but her father never liked me. He looked at me like I was an ugly stain in his family’s reputation, and perhaps I was just that. But when Vorian came to visit, dressed in fine clothes and carrying his shining sword, bringing gifts for me, I felt like I was something more than just the bastard of a farmer’s daughter.”
“And you were.” Illor said with a kind smile. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here, ready to march to war like a true warrior.” Nealia chuckled at the Braavosi’s words. “Yes, I was always a fighter.” She replied calmly. “From a small kid I was always wrestling with the boys of the village. When I realized that I would never beat them in raw strength, I decided I would find other ways to beat them.” Nealia smirked, remembering how the boys blamed her of using dirty tricks to knock them down.
“How long did you live in the village?” Illor asked casually, and Nealia let out a small sigh. “The old King of Torrentine died when I was eight.” She said tonelessly. “And that was when Vorian brought me to court. I still saw my mother, now and then, but less and less as the years went on – when she died I was fourteen and hadn’t seen her in a year.” Nealia stopped talking for a moment, almost feeling tears come to her eyes. I cried enough back then, Nealia thought to herself and continued to tell the story. “When I arrived to Starfall, I felt like wherever I went someone was staring at me. No doubt people had been whispering and gossiping about the bastard of Vorian all those years, and now I was there, for all of them to look at. But father told me not to be ashamed, he said he was proud of me, and that was all that mattered.” Nealia had a small smile on her face as she spoke. “And what about the rest of the family?” Illor asked, and Nealia shrugged.
“Queen Arenna and Prince Malcolm were always respectful and friendly towards me, even if a bit distant. Jamison was different though. When he was angry at me, he made sure to remind me that I was a bastard and he wasn’t. At the same time though, he was the one who truly felt like a brother to me. With him I learned to fight with a sword, and with him I had a true friendship. I called him the Sword of the Night because of his dark hair, and he called me the Bastard Princess.” Nealia chuckled and shook her head. “He was a stubborn little prick, but he was my stubborn little prick. Well, at least until he started to drool over that Fowler girl.” Illor looked at her with puzzlement. “Princess Isabella Fowler.” Nealia clarified. “Jamison was always good with girls, but I think Isabella was the only one that he really had a crush on.”
“It sounds like your time in Starfall was quite happy.” Illor said with a questioning look on his eyes. “Why did you leave?” Nealia let out a deep sigh for this question. There were times when she missed Starfall, quite often to be honest, but it was something she had to leave behind. “Malcolm was the heir, training politics with Vorian, starting to take part in the council meetings. And Jamison, well, he was a knight taking part in tourneys and bringing glory for the House. What was my role? I was just a bastard girl who was decent with sword. My place was not at the court. So, I left when I was eighteen, to improve my skills and gain some coin in the process. I became a sellsword, because it was the only thing I was good at. When I left my father said I’d always be welcome to Starfall, but I was never meant to live in a castle. I was never meant to be a princess, not even a bastard princess.” She turned to Illor, who gave her a smile.
“I think we have a lot in common.” He said with his friendly tone, and Nealia answered with a shrug. “We can both fight.” She replied with a smirk. “But I never worked for crimelords.” Illor raised his eyebrow. “You did work for King Albin, if I recall correctly. And now we both work for Tryden.” That last sentence killed off Nealia’s smirk.
“Yeah… Tryden.” She said with joyless tone. “You’ve worked a couple years for him now. Tell me, Illor of Braavos, is Tryden Flowers as much of a cunt as he seems to be?” Nealia asked, and Illor let out a small laugh. “It is part of his job to be the way he is.” He said calmly. “To the world he is the cocky sellsword, but behind that curtain he is a smart man who makes his moves carefully.”
“And how much of that praising is bought with the gold he pays you?” Nealia asked, but Illor just shook his head. “No amount of gold can dictate my opinions.” He answered, this time a bit more serious look on his face. The way the Braavosi said it was so convincing that all Nealia could do was give him a nod. “Alright then.” She said casually. “I’m not sure yet if I like our bastard of a boss, but at least you seem decent enough.”
“That’s good to hear.” Illor replied, the friendly smile back on his face. Nealia turned to look at the Brimstone again. Somewhere there in the west was her family. But now I’m going east. For the first time she wondered if she would ever see her family again. The thought of dying for King Lucifer, or for Tryden Flowers, on some battlefield hundreds of miles from home – it was a depressing thought. But that was her life now, she had made that decision long ago.
“There you are.” Tryden Flower’s voice called behind them. They turned to face him, and he threw a small bag of gold for each of them. “That’s for now, you’ll get more once the mission is completed.” Tryden had his cold grin on as he spoke. “Enjoying the day?” He asked, glancing at the view.
“A bit too hot in my taste.” Illor answered with carefree tone, swiping sweat from his forehead. “Hah, I guess there is a reason they named the place ‘Hellgate Hall’.” Tryden said, and turned his look to Nealia. “Well then, time to go back to Tidmarsh.”
-
As they arrived to the town, the market was quite crowded, and the streets were full of noise. Nealia saw some sellswords of the Rose Company here and there, but she expected most of them to be at the Jolly Fisher. There were also guardsmen patrolling the streets. Some of them had anger in their eyes, others fear or at least nervousness.
As they arrived to the Jolly Fisher, Tryden let out a yawn. “I have some thinking to do.” He said and walked in, presumably heading for his room. Illor followed after him. Nealia noticed that the tall and muscular woman from Summer Islands was standing next to the door, almost like she was in guard.
“Is there a reason to stand in guard?” Nealia asked as she walked closer to the door. The Summer Islander turned her deep set brown eyes to Nealia. “Why you ask this?” She asked with a strong accent and smooth voice. “Well, you know, if there is a reason to worry about something, I’d like to know.” Nealia said lazily, and the Summer Islander narrowed her eyes. “No reason to worry.” She stated firmly.
“By the way, what’s your name?” Nealia asked casually. “It would be nice to get to know to people.” The woman eyed Nealia for a moment, but finally nodded. “Manda Za.” She said shortly, and Nealia gave her a nod. “Okay, I’m…”
“I know who you are.” Manda cut her off with calm words and deadpan look on her face. Nealia nodded again. “So, why are you here? I mean, standing there, if you are not guarding…”
“It gets boring to watch idiots drink and fight.” She said, a small hint of a smile finally appearing on her face. Nealia let out a small chuckle. “I suppose so.” She replied. “Well, excuse me, I think I’ll go take a look.” Manda gave her a small nod, and she walked inside. What she saw there was a mess. She could immediately spot couple men who had passed out on their tables, there was bloodstains on the floor, she even saw vomit under one of the tables. Disgusting, she thought and walked to the bar stand, listening to some drunken singing from one of the tables. Even if she knew the song, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to recognize it.
She ordered red wine from the innkeeper, who was visibly displeased of the situation. As she got her wine she turned around. She was not going to talk with any of these drunken fools, but she didn’t feel like being alone either. On one of the tables she saw the twins from somewhere far east that she had seen earlier sitting with Manda, and they didn’t look to be drunk at all. On another table was Broden with Illor. Broden was clearly a bit drunk, but at least Nealia knew Illor to be good company.
[Spend time with the twins] [Spend time with Broden and Illor]
Stay out of the Fight
This is Dorne right? We don't jump people in dorne. That is a rule now.
We will make it one.
Btw is this a ToJ callout? A Eddard/Jojen mirror? Or is this just coincidence.
[Spend time with the twins]
[Spend time with Broden and Illor]
[Spend time with the twins]
Sounds more interesting to learn about this two foreign twins. With Illor we had a chat just recently and Broden, well... drunk.
[Spend time with the twins]
Great part
No, I wasn't really thinking about ToJ while writing this. Are you referring to the potential attack from behind with a dagger?
[Spend time with the twins] One of my big questions I had about Nealia since she is a bastard daughter of Vorian Dayne was her relationship if any she had with her brothers and the kingdom of Torrentine in general. Safe to say, you have answered that soundly! It is pretty awesome to know that Nealia ended up being close siblings and friends with Jamison, and now it makes me all the more excited for a potential reunion between the two or a big Dayne family reunion would be awesome as well! For the choice though, I would say she should probably get to know the twins because if she is going to be fighting alongside all of these people in the Rose Company, she should get to know as many of them as she can and try to gain an idea of who she should trust or not.
[Spend time with the twins]
We already know more about Illor and while I certainly find him to be a likeable character, I feel like now would be a good opportunity to meet new people. It can't be a bad thing to get to know as many people as possible, perhaps it'll come in handy later. Aside from that, I am quite curious how twins from the far east ended up in Dorne. I imagine that must be quite the story. Great part by the way! I enjoyed learning more about Nealia's relationship to her family. It seems her relationship to Jamison is especially complex and I am intrigued by a possible meeting between the two. Family reunions are always nice and this particular reunion sounds especially interesting.
[Spend time with the twins]
It is a good idea to acquaint herself with the people she will be fighting with.
Yeah.. And the mark of an everlasting friendship between the two families.. I wonder how this can play out here..
Spend time with Twins
Gotta network when you are the least knowledgable.
P
Somehow I already trust Manda more than Illor
[Spend time with the twins]
Spending time with drunk Broden and Illor with who we had already spent some time would be pointless - it seems just a better option to talk to twins, maybe to find some new storyline? Anyway, it should introduce something more to the story, which is obviously better.
Votings are closed!
Myke will help the boy. So, obviously this part shows that there is a bit of a disorder in the Blackmont's kingdom. We'll see more of that in the future...
And Nealia will spend time with these twins from far east. As much as I would have enjoyed writing drunken Broden, I'm glad to get to introduce these two characters
I enjoyed writing Nealia's backstory so I hoped it was enjoyable to read 
I have made next to no progress with the next part (partly because I've been just watching Battle of the Bastards
), but I hope to get it done in couple days. It's a new PoV so no need for recap. But I can say that it will be a part from the eastern coast.
Had to immediately rewatch the episode... I know what you mean