People are writing some long and good explanations for their choices, but more I'm thinking about this, more I'm split between two choices.
So I think I'll do something I have never done (for a par that I have read in time that is), I'm actually going to stay out of the vote, because I love Gwendis, and I agree with Liquid that she will have business with Desirea, but I'm not too fond of Aisha, nor the followers of R'hllor. And I'm just not sure yet which side I want to support.
EDIT: Accidentally replied to Tales-from-telltale for no particular reason, meant to post this as a reply to the part itself
Well, this is certainly an interesting change of events. For some reason, I thought that Lucifer Dryland could not have kids. I'm very inter… moreested in learning more about these characters. For example, how did Dalia become so powerful, why did they become followers of R'hllor, and why is Dalia's daughter so significant? These characters are very mysterious. For the choice, I would say [Don't promise]. This is mainly because, we don't know what Dalia's father will want her to do and he might require her to stay with him. Anyways, she shouldn't promise her that she will leave her army at a moments notice. Even though, she might choose to do this later. She should try to leave her options open for later, when there is a chance to separate from them, so she would not feel obligated to leave with her daughter. Anyways, she could send some of her men to accompany Desirea for her protection if she needed too.
And Dalia doesn't promise to Desi that she'll follow her if the mission demands separating from the army. As some of you pointed out, this isn't a decision on wheter Dalia will follow Desi or not, she just doesn't promise it. And yeah, since everyone caught it already I might as well admit it, Desirea is indeed the enemy that Aisha seeks to destroy. And I can guarantee you that Desi's feelings on Aisha aren't any warmer. What comes to this choice, Desi might be a bit disappointed, but she is pretty mature for her age and definitely understands the position her mother is in.
Next we'll get another new PoV, this time from Godsgrace and House Allyrion. After this, there won't be additions to the PoV cast for a while, as there are almost too many already. However, a PoV from the independent Central Dorne houses (Gargalen, Vaith, Allyrion) is pretty important, as they'll have a crucial role in this coming war. And once again I avoid the need to do a recap
Anyway, I also have a new portrait for you guys, this time Efran the Bandit Lord:
Emerson Allyrion stood silently in the crypt of Godsgrace, in front of him the tomb of the late Lord Mason Allyrion. Emerson knew now that this man had been his father, even if for the first fifteen years of his life he had been raised as the bastard of Mason’s brother – Lord Morgan Allyrion.
Emerson had known the truth for over a year now, and every day since learning it he had came down here to see his real father. It had been Lord Jorvian Gargalen who had spilled the truth for him, and Morgan had later admitted to it. By the laws of the land Emerson should be the heir, actually he should already be the Lord, but Morgan saw it differently. One day Emerson would find a way to take what belonged to him, he had to believe in that.
“What would you do, father?” He whispered, looking at the statue of Mason. Everything he had heard of this man had been positive – a good lord, brave man, and a wise leader. Everything that Morgan is not, Emerson thought, clenching his fists. Yet it had been Morgan who had raised him up, who he had seen as his father for most of his life. I will never call that man my father again.
Emerson kept looking at the statue of his father for a while longer, until finally he let out a deep sigh and turned away from it. Time to return to the world of the living. With quiet steps Emerson made his way out of the crypt, and as he stepped out to the courtyard the sun dazzled his eyes for a moment. He could see guards standing on the walls, servants bringing water from the well, and the sounds of the blacksmith on his work could be heard from the smithy. And then Emerson saw his cousin Emmett, the only remaining son of Lord Morgan, swinging his sword against a strawman. Emmett was a year younger than Emerson, and had always seen him as a brother, and still did. To most Emmett was just an ugly and chubby half-wit, but Emerson had come to learn over the years that there was much more to him than that.
“Morning, Emmett.” Emerson said with a calm and friendly tone as he approached his cousin, who turned to look at him with joy in his bright blue eyes, and his dirty blonde hair sweaty and messy from the training.
“Brother!” Emmett said with a grin on his wide and puffy face, and Emerson replicated the smile. “How is the training going?” He asked politely, making Emmet scratch his head. “It’s going… well.” He answered clumsily, and Emerson nodded to him with the smile still on his face. “Would you like to train with me?” Emmett asked, his mouth forming a wide grin again.
“Not right now, Emmett.” Emerson answered calmly, and could see disappointment take over his cousin’s face. “Do you know where Esperence is?” Emerson asked, and after staying quiet for couple of seconds Emmett gave him a nod. “Sister is in the tower.” He mumbled, still a slightly sad expression on his face.
“We’ll train later, buddy.” Emerson said, patting Emmett on the shoulder. “I’ll go now, see you later.” He said, and his cousin answered with a small nod. Emerson turned away from Emmet, and made his way to the doors of the keep. Perhaps I should spend more time with him, he thought, with a sting of regret in his heart. He had been so caught up with his own problems lately that he had given hardly any attention to Emmett. And there are not many who are willing to give him attention.
However, now Emerson had to meet his other cousin, Esperence. He had heard something troubling related to her, and it was time to have a conversation about it. Emerson climbed up the stairs of the tower with determination in his steps, knowing where he’d find her.
As he arrived to the door of the room, he stopped and took in a deep breath. But before he could knock, the door was opened. In front of Emerson stood now a fairly muscular man, probably on his late twenties, with a short black hair, hazel eyes, and tanned skin. The man was dressed in casual clothing – a sleeveless dark green shirt, leather pants and boots. In his hand the man was holding a shiny dagger, and the way he looked at Emerson told that he was not afraid to use it.
“And who might you be?” Emerson asked sternly, clenching his fists. “The name is Edric. And how about you?” The man had an aggressive tone to his voice, but the conversation was quickly interrupted by the warm and confident voice of Esperence.
“It’s my cousin, Ed, let him in.” She said calmly, and Edric immediately stepped aside. Emerson walked in, seeing his cousin, and a woman around the same age as Edric sitting by the table. Emerson had no doubt that both Edric and this woman were goons of Esperence, but they had to be new ones, because he had never seen them before. This room was called the council of Esperence, because despite Morgan being the Lord, it was well known that Esperence held a strong grip on the power here.
Emerson looked at his cousin to the eyes. She was a beautiful young woman, sixteen-year-old just like Emerson. Despite being slightly chubby she was highly attractive, with her sky blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. The most attractive thing about her though had to be the confidence and charisma she carried herself with. The woman sitting next to her had a much colder look on her hazel eyes. Her hair was dark brown, her skin tanned, and her clothing very casual.
“Good morning, Emerson.” Esperence said, a slightly questioning look on her eyes. As Emerson didn’t answer, she proceeded to introduce the guests. “Well, you already met Edric, and this here is his twin sister, Lia.” Esperence explained casually. “They work for me, and that’s really all you need to know about them.”
“Could we speak in private?” Emerson finally spoke up, and Esperence raised her eyebrow. “Why is that?” She asked calmly, and Emerson let out a sigh. “I’ll tell you why, but I don’t want these goons listening.” He barked, and his cousin let out a little chuckle, while Lia stared daggers at him.
“Fine then.” She said. “Lia, Edric, we’ll talk more later.” The twins followed the command of Esperence with no objections, and walked out of the room. For a moment silence lingered in the air, until Esperence decided to stand up and speak up.
“What is it, Emerson?” She asked, her voice a bit more stern now. “I heard something about you.” He answered calmly, making Esperence raise her eyebrow again. “And what exactly did you hear?” She asked. Her voice was calm, but it was easy to hear that she was slowly starting to lose her patience.
“That you’ve been planning to make a connection with the Martells.” Emerson spat out. For a while Esperence stayed quiet, and Emerson could see that what he had heard seemed to be true indeed. “Who did you hear this from?” Esperence finally asked, but Emerson shook his head. “That is beside the point.” He replied quickly. “I want to know what in seven hells are you planning? Taking sides behind the back of the rest of the family… Esperence you are in over your head.”
“That’s what you think.” Esperence stated, rather than asked. “You were never raised to be a politician, Emerson, so I don’t expect you to understand, but siding with the Martells is a wise move.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Emerson answered sternly. “And whether it is or not doesn’t matter. This is too big of a thing for you to do behind Morgan’s back.” Esperence let out a small laugh as Emerson said this. “Oh, you are on Morgan’s side now? You if anyone should know he is not fit to rule or make any decisions for this house.”
“And you are?” Emerson asked coldly, but Esperence decided not to answer. “Look, I’m just asking you not to do anything reckless.” He continued with a softer tone, and Esperence nodded subtly.
“I know what I’m doing, Emerson, don’t worry about it.” She said, avoiding eye contact with him. Emerson was feeling worried. He had known for long that Esperence had an interest for politics, so much that she had even taken it to herself to gather some real power. However, now Emerson was starting to feel that his cousin’s hunger for power had grown so big that she might not even support him as the heir anymore. Perhaps I should talk to her about this.
[Tell her about your worries][Don't talk about it]
My Allyrion's! Oh how you've got me excited now Firstly I'd love to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this first part, and with it's simplicity I'm still feeling a lot of tension between Emerson and Esperence. So that's definitely a worry XD
Man, when it comes to the choice I just don't know. Esperence has indeed pulled up a lot of influence if she's managed to form her own small council, and she'd definitely be better as an ally than as an opponent for Emerson. Though perhaps he's right, maybe she is growing to adapted to her power. So part of me wants Emerson to speak about it, but then I think that reveals some weakness to him. It also kind of says that she is the strongest link in his chain of armour. It's still very early on, and we're pretty kept in the dark about a lot of things to make a solid conclusion on what choice will lead where. I think I'll vote for [Don't talk about it]. Though I'll see if I change that later on
Emerson
Emerson Allyrion stood silently in the crypt of Godsgrace, in front of him the tomb of the late Lord Mason Allyrion. Emerson knew… more now that this man had been his father, even if for the first fifteen years of his life he had been raised as the bastard of Mason’s brother – Lord Morgan Allyrion.
Emerson had known the truth for over a year now, and every day since learning it he had came down here to see his real father. It had been Lord Jorvian Gargalen who had spilled the truth for him, and Morgan had later admitted to it. By the laws of the land Emerson should be the heir, actually he should already be the Lord, but Morgan saw it differently. One day Emerson would find a way to take what belonged to him, he had to believe in that.
“What would you do, father?” He whispered, looking at the statue of Mason. Everything he had heard of this man had been positive – a good lord, brave man, and a wise leader. Everything that Morgan is… [view original content]
Emerson
Emerson Allyrion stood silently in the crypt of Godsgrace, in front of him the tomb of the late Lord Mason Allyrion. Emerson knew… more now that this man had been his father, even if for the first fifteen years of his life he had been raised as the bastard of Mason’s brother – Lord Morgan Allyrion.
Emerson had known the truth for over a year now, and every day since learning it he had came down here to see his real father. It had been Lord Jorvian Gargalen who had spilled the truth for him, and Morgan had later admitted to it. By the laws of the land Emerson should be the heir, actually he should already be the Lord, but Morgan saw it differently. One day Emerson would find a way to take what belonged to him, he had to believe in that.
“What would you do, father?” He whispered, looking at the statue of Mason. Everything he had heard of this man had been positive – a good lord, brave man, and a wise leader. Everything that Morgan is… [view original content]
Emerson
Emerson Allyrion stood silently in the crypt of Godsgrace, in front of him the tomb of the late Lord Mason Allyrion. Emerson knew… more now that this man had been his father, even if for the first fifteen years of his life he had been raised as the bastard of Mason’s brother – Lord Morgan Allyrion.
Emerson had known the truth for over a year now, and every day since learning it he had came down here to see his real father. It had been Lord Jorvian Gargalen who had spilled the truth for him, and Morgan had later admitted to it. By the laws of the land Emerson should be the heir, actually he should already be the Lord, but Morgan saw it differently. One day Emerson would find a way to take what belonged to him, he had to believe in that.
“What would you do, father?” He whispered, looking at the statue of Mason. Everything he had heard of this man had been positive – a good lord, brave man, and a wise leader. Everything that Morgan is… [view original content]
Ay, great part! I already like this new PoV and his situation, that seems to hold all kinds of potential for a great storyline
[Tell her about your worries]
I think in this situation, it will be for the best to confront her with these worries as early as possible. Sooner or later, he has to bring this up. Right now, these worries might still be unfounded, but if he waits longer, then maybe he won't even get the chance to discuss them in such a way anymore. They are family and I think it is best to discuss such things as fast as possible. Then again, I might be wrong about it and I really hope I'm not going to screw anything up here. I don't know, maybe Esperence ends up feeling insulted and angered by this, even though I am willing to risk it. If they manage to have a serious talk about this, then it might end up being helpful for both.
Emerson
Emerson Allyrion stood silently in the crypt of Godsgrace, in front of him the tomb of the late Lord Mason Allyrion. Emerson knew… more now that this man had been his father, even if for the first fifteen years of his life he had been raised as the bastard of Mason’s brother – Lord Morgan Allyrion.
Emerson had known the truth for over a year now, and every day since learning it he had came down here to see his real father. It had been Lord Jorvian Gargalen who had spilled the truth for him, and Morgan had later admitted to it. By the laws of the land Emerson should be the heir, actually he should already be the Lord, but Morgan saw it differently. One day Emerson would find a way to take what belonged to him, he had to believe in that.
“What would you do, father?” He whispered, looking at the statue of Mason. Everything he had heard of this man had been positive – a good lord, brave man, and a wise leader. Everything that Morgan is… [view original content]
[Tell her about your worries] Well safe to say I am really enjoying this new PoV! The whole idea that Emerson is the rightful lord of the house is super intriguing and it sounds like there is some interesting things going on within House Allyrion in general. I am going to go with Emerson telling Esperence about his worries since it seems upon first glance that she has gained some power for herself and if Emerson waits too long, it may be too late since Esperence is probably wanting to side with the Martells since it could lead to her getting to be the head of House Allyrion eventually.
On a side note, I am pretty excited to see this meeting that is coming between Jamison and House Allyrion since it could very well throw a wrench into Esperence's plans or just make things more difficult for Jamison. Either way, this meeting between Jamison and House Allyrion is definitely something that I am looking forward to
Emerson
Emerson Allyrion stood silently in the crypt of Godsgrace, in front of him the tomb of the late Lord Mason Allyrion. Emerson knew… more now that this man had been his father, even if for the first fifteen years of his life he had been raised as the bastard of Mason’s brother – Lord Morgan Allyrion.
Emerson had known the truth for over a year now, and every day since learning it he had came down here to see his real father. It had been Lord Jorvian Gargalen who had spilled the truth for him, and Morgan had later admitted to it. By the laws of the land Emerson should be the heir, actually he should already be the Lord, but Morgan saw it differently. One day Emerson would find a way to take what belonged to him, he had to believe in that.
“What would you do, father?” He whispered, looking at the statue of Mason. Everything he had heard of this man had been positive – a good lord, brave man, and a wise leader. Everything that Morgan is… [view original content]
Emerson
Emerson Allyrion stood silently in the crypt of Godsgrace, in front of him the tomb of the late Lord Mason Allyrion. Emerson knew… more now that this man had been his father, even if for the first fifteen years of his life he had been raised as the bastard of Mason’s brother – Lord Morgan Allyrion.
Emerson had known the truth for over a year now, and every day since learning it he had came down here to see his real father. It had been Lord Jorvian Gargalen who had spilled the truth for him, and Morgan had later admitted to it. By the laws of the land Emerson should be the heir, actually he should already be the Lord, but Morgan saw it differently. One day Emerson would find a way to take what belonged to him, he had to believe in that.
“What would you do, father?” He whispered, looking at the statue of Mason. Everything he had heard of this man had been positive – a good lord, brave man, and a wise leader. Everything that Morgan is… [view original content]
This one is clear, Emerson will tell Esperence about his worries. I would've probably chose this myself as well, and it will certainly make for an interesting conversation between the two.
Anyway, the next part will be a comeback of Nealia Sand and (some of) her supporting cast after a pretty long break. In the first chapter Nealia, bastard daughter of King Vorian Dayne, joined the sellsword company called the Rose Company, lead by Tryden Flowers. With Tryden, Nealia got to meet King Lucifer Dryland, who hired the company and told that their job was to help the Bandit Lord to bring havoc to the east. Nealia also got to know Illor the Braavosi, one of Tryden's closest henchmen. The two even exchanged their histories while they chatted on the walls of Hellgate Hall. Nealia also briefly got to know Manda Za from the Summer Isles, and the YiTish twin sisters Lien Yu and Ying Yu. Nealia's storyline will pick up from the Salt Shore.
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This time I have two new drawings for you! It's the mother & daughter power couple: Dalia Sand and her daughter Desirea.
They stood at the docks of the Salt Shore, the vast Summer Sea opening on their left. There were six of them – Tryden Flowers, and five of his soldiers – as had been agreed. The five soldiers Tryden had brought with him were Nealia, Illor, Broden, Manda Za and a Stormlander named Jacke – a bulky man on his early thirties.
Nealia had unsheathed one of her swords, Manda had an arrow nocked on her bow, and Illor, Broden and Jacke all had their swords unsheathed. Tryden was the only one who kept his weapon sheathed.
“That’s the building.” Tryden said calmly, looking at an abandoned and run down warehouse. There was no one at the door, nor anywhere near the building, but a red cross had been painted above the door. “You sure we aren’t walking into a trap?” Broden asked, a hint of nervousness in his words.
“Are you pissin’ your pants, Broden?” Jacke asked with his coarse voice, a mocking grin on his face, and Broden sent him an angry glare. “Boys, boys.” Tryden said calmly, a small smile on his face. “Take it easy, the Bandit Lord has no reason to betray us – he needs us. However, we can’t assume him to trust us, not yet. So, keep your calm in there.” With these words, Tryden started to walk towards the door with determined steps. Illor was the first one to follow his boss, and Jacke followed soon after him. Finally, with muffled curses, Broden followed Jacke. Manda and Nealia glanced each other, and started walking at the same time.
Tryden kicked the door open, and walked into the shady warehouse with no hesitation, his men following after him. Nealia stepped in before Manda, who followed while drawing her arrow. There were only couple windows bringing light into the building, but it was still easy to see that the Bandit Lord’s men hadn’t kept their side of the agreement – there were at least a dozen armed soldiers there. One of them stood right in the middle, two warriors right behind him.
“Illor, Nealia.” Tryden said quietly, before starting to approach the man in the middle. It was clear what he meant, so Illor and Nealia followed him, while the others stayed on the back.
“Welcome, Reachman bastard.” Said a shrill voice, coming from the man who stood in the middle. He was probably on his thirties – a skinny man with a long and greasy black hair, a narrow face with long nose and a stubble beard.
“I’m honored.” Tryden replied with a dry tone. “And I see that you didn’t keep your end of the agreement to bring only five men.” The skinny man let out an annoying little laugh for this, clapping his hands together. “Oh no, I didn’t.” He answered smugly. “But I’m happy to see that Tryden Flowers is a man of his word.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised.” Tryden said calmly, an underlying threat in his words. “For example, I can promise you that if we wouldn’t come to an agreement here, it would be your men lying dead on the ground in the end – not mine.”
“Uh, some intimidation, I see. Such a classic way to start a new friendship.” The skinny man quipped, and made a small gesture with his hand. Nealia counted seven men raising up their crossbows from the man’s signal. “However, if you want to make threats, you need to have something to back them up with.” He spoke more seriously now, before signaling his men to lower their crossbows again.
“I can see you are not Efran Sand.” Tryden stated coldly. “So, who are you?”
“Oh, you are right, my friend – I haven’t introduced myself!” The man spoke with an amused tone. “Let’s fix that. My name is Corren, and I’m the boss here.” He said, and Tryden let out a joyless chuckle. “I thought the Bastard’s Bastard was your boss.” He remarked slyly, and Corren took a step closer with a twisted grin on his face. “Just as much as Lucifer Dryland is yours.” He replied with a quiet but tense tone. For a moment that felt frighteningly long the two man just stood there staring at each other, until finally Tryden decided to speak up.
“King Lucifer sent us to help Efran Sand.” He stated calmly. “I assume that help will be needed. Am I right with my assumption?” Corren chuckled for Tryden’s question. “I’m not sure how much help you and your shitty company can really offer, Reachman bastard, but first you are going to have to prove that we can trust you.” Corren glanced around as he spoke, eyeing at Illor and Nealia. First he walked to Illor.
“What do we have here… A foreign bastard, aye?” He sneered as he studied Illor’s face. “I am from Braavos.” Illor replied, keeping his calm. “You’re a boring one.” Corren spat, walking away from him. He gave another look at Tryden as he walked past him, and then he arrived in front of Nealia.
“And who is this silver-haired bitch?” He asked with a disgusting grin on his face. As Nealia stayed quiet, Corren turned to look at Tryden. “You cut her tongue out?” He asked with a chuckle.
“Her name is Nealia Sand, and she is the only daughter of King Vorian Dayne.” Tryden explained with a stern look in his eyes. “Oh my!” Corren yelled as he turned to look at Nealia. “We have a royal cunt here, boys!” He shouted, and some of his men gave him a small laugh. Corren now took a couple steps closer to Nealia, looking at her with narrowed eyes.
“You have a problem?” Nealia asked with anger in her words, and Corren shook his head. “No, no, no… No problem whatsoever.” The skinny man moved his hand to Nealia’s waist as he said this, making her tighten her grip on the sword.
“You know, you are a lucky girl to have daddy Tryden look after you here… Just imagine all the things we’d do to you if you’d be here alone, bitch.” As Corren spoke with his slimy voice, he moved his hand to Nealia’s bottom. I’ve had enough, Nealia thought, her blood boiling of anger – she wouldn’t tolerate any more of this bullshit.
Nealia
They stood at the docks of the Salt Shore, the vast Summer Sea opening on their left. There were six of them – Tryden Flowers, and… more five of his soldiers – as had been agreed. The five soldiers Tryden had brought with him were Nealia, Illor, Broden, Manda Za and a Stormlander named Jacke – a bulky man on his early thirties.
Nealia had unsheathed one of her swords, Manda had an arrow nocked on her bow, and Illor, Broden and Jacke all had their swords unsheathed. Tryden was the only one who kept his weapon sheathed.
“That’s the building.” Tryden said calmly, looking at an abandoned and run down warehouse. There was no one at the door, nor anywhere near the building, but a red cross had been painted above the door. “You sure we aren’t walking into a trap?” Broden asked, a hint of nervousness in his words.
“Are you pissin’ your pants, Broden?” Jacke asked with his coarse voice, a mocking grin on his face, and Broden sent him an a… [view original content]
Ah... I know, such an aggressive option is not what I usually pick. However, I have carefully thought about it. First of all, Corren seems like a piece of shit, so it wouldn't be sad for him. I'm not even sure if Nealia is going to stab him fatally. If she is not, which I kind of got the impression of, then this is going to be the best kind of warning she could give him and his men. Nealia would, quite clearly, show him that she means business. It's clear to me that he needs a warning and just telling him to stop would definitely look weak and possibly even be seen by him as a reason to target her even more severely. Who knows where that could lead to if she does not stop him now. I am not sure how much of a punch Nealia can actually throw, but this option seems as the worst of the three, as she'd likely only anger him, without severely wounding him, achieving nothing in the process. No, I think if she wounds him badly here, then she'd send the message that she's not one to be messed with.
And well, I also had to think of how utterly badass this would look, for her to just casually stab him after he did not listen to her warnings That is something I'd really love to see. That said, I can see the reason for telling him to stop as well and wouldn't be particularly unhappy if that option ends up winning instead, even if I don't really see it as better than stabbing him.
Nealia
They stood at the docks of the Salt Shore, the vast Summer Sea opening on their left. There were six of them – Tryden Flowers, and… more five of his soldiers – as had been agreed. The five soldiers Tryden had brought with him were Nealia, Illor, Broden, Manda Za and a Stormlander named Jacke – a bulky man on his early thirties.
Nealia had unsheathed one of her swords, Manda had an arrow nocked on her bow, and Illor, Broden and Jacke all had their swords unsheathed. Tryden was the only one who kept his weapon sheathed.
“That’s the building.” Tryden said calmly, looking at an abandoned and run down warehouse. There was no one at the door, nor anywhere near the building, but a red cross had been painted above the door. “You sure we aren’t walking into a trap?” Broden asked, a hint of nervousness in his words.
“Are you pissin’ your pants, Broden?” Jacke asked with his coarse voice, a mocking grin on his face, and Broden sent him an a… [view original content]
As funny as it is to say, this is probably the best option for her. Like Liquid said, telling Corren to stop would probably make Nealia even more of a target and punching Corren would most likely just make him mad. Taking Corren by surprise and stabbing him would definitely show that Nealia is not someone that he can mess with.
Nealia
They stood at the docks of the Salt Shore, the vast Summer Sea opening on their left. There were six of them – Tryden Flowers, and… more five of his soldiers – as had been agreed. The five soldiers Tryden had brought with him were Nealia, Illor, Broden, Manda Za and a Stormlander named Jacke – a bulky man on his early thirties.
Nealia had unsheathed one of her swords, Manda had an arrow nocked on her bow, and Illor, Broden and Jacke all had their swords unsheathed. Tryden was the only one who kept his weapon sheathed.
“That’s the building.” Tryden said calmly, looking at an abandoned and run down warehouse. There was no one at the door, nor anywhere near the building, but a red cross had been painted above the door. “You sure we aren’t walking into a trap?” Broden asked, a hint of nervousness in his words.
“Are you pissin’ your pants, Broden?” Jacke asked with his coarse voice, a mocking grin on his face, and Broden sent him an a… [view original content]
Nealia
They stood at the docks of the Salt Shore, the vast Summer Sea opening on their left. There were six of them – Tryden Flowers, and… more five of his soldiers – as had been agreed. The five soldiers Tryden had brought with him were Nealia, Illor, Broden, Manda Za and a Stormlander named Jacke – a bulky man on his early thirties.
Nealia had unsheathed one of her swords, Manda had an arrow nocked on her bow, and Illor, Broden and Jacke all had their swords unsheathed. Tryden was the only one who kept his weapon sheathed.
“That’s the building.” Tryden said calmly, looking at an abandoned and run down warehouse. There was no one at the door, nor anywhere near the building, but a red cross had been painted above the door. “You sure we aren’t walking into a trap?” Broden asked, a hint of nervousness in his words.
“Are you pissin’ your pants, Broden?” Jacke asked with his coarse voice, a mocking grin on his face, and Broden sent him an a… [view original content]
Nealia
They stood at the docks of the Salt Shore, the vast Summer Sea opening on their left. There were six of them – Tryden Flowers, and… more five of his soldiers – as had been agreed. The five soldiers Tryden had brought with him were Nealia, Illor, Broden, Manda Za and a Stormlander named Jacke – a bulky man on his early thirties.
Nealia had unsheathed one of her swords, Manda had an arrow nocked on her bow, and Illor, Broden and Jacke all had their swords unsheathed. Tryden was the only one who kept his weapon sheathed.
“That’s the building.” Tryden said calmly, looking at an abandoned and run down warehouse. There was no one at the door, nor anywhere near the building, but a red cross had been painted above the door. “You sure we aren’t walking into a trap?” Broden asked, a hint of nervousness in his words.
“Are you pissin’ your pants, Broden?” Jacke asked with his coarse voice, a mocking grin on his face, and Broden sent him an a… [view original content]
Are you guys forgetting that Corren brought a dozen soldiers with him? This includes seven archers with crossbows. Tryden only has five. Punching or stabbing Corren could lead to a fight between both groups and there is a high chance that the Rose Company could end up losing some of its members. Not to mention, them losing any chance of working with Efran and fulfilling Lucifer Dryland's mission.
Nealia
They stood at the docks of the Salt Shore, the vast Summer Sea opening on their left. There were six of them – Tryden Flowers, and… more five of his soldiers – as had been agreed. The five soldiers Tryden had brought with him were Nealia, Illor, Broden, Manda Za and a Stormlander named Jacke – a bulky man on his early thirties.
Nealia had unsheathed one of her swords, Manda had an arrow nocked on her bow, and Illor, Broden and Jacke all had their swords unsheathed. Tryden was the only one who kept his weapon sheathed.
“That’s the building.” Tryden said calmly, looking at an abandoned and run down warehouse. There was no one at the door, nor anywhere near the building, but a red cross had been painted above the door. “You sure we aren’t walking into a trap?” Broden asked, a hint of nervousness in his words.
“Are you pissin’ your pants, Broden?” Jacke asked with his coarse voice, a mocking grin on his face, and Broden sent him an a… [view original content]
Preferably, both of you can vote to tell him to stop. That way there is a less likely chance of Lucifer's mission for the company being ruined and some of our comrades don't end up dying.
Well, I've had a read, and man. Corren is an absolute fucker. I have to agree with Tales in most areas here, Corren has the upper hand. He's got ranged men with crossbows, and that's twelve instant shots if things go to shit. Basically two for each of Tryden's squad. In the grand scheme of things, telling Corren to fuck off would be the best approach to this, and if the votes were weighed a bit differently then that is what I'd have gone with. Alas, the votes are either to punch or stab this fucker, and as Tales has well pointed out, these could lead to problems. Well, at least stabbing the guy definitely could. I personally think Corren might find some enjoyment from receiving a hit from Naelia, he seems sick enough. Also, a punch is not as vital as thrusting your sword through his chest.
So I'm going to go with [Punch him]. No, I don't particularly like it, and I'm a bit disappointed with how the votes swung here. However, I think this is the best compromise without potentially getting them all shot.
Alright, we got the vote, so better close quickly before it's a tie again
Voting is closed!
And Nealia will punch Corren. The guy definitely deserves a good punch, no doubt about that. Stabbing him was the extreme wildcard choice here and I was very surprised to see that it almost won. It certainly would've led to a dangerous situation, but there would've been some positives to it as well. Telling him to stop would've been the safest choice, but as some of you pointed out it might have given a bit weak impression for Corren. So, we are going with the compromise, how Corren and his men react to that will be seen in the next Nealia part.
But next we will go back to Starfall and Naemon's storyline. His first part in this chapter consisted mostly chatting with Malcolm, about things like the Daynes trying to help the Drylands win the war against Martells. We were also introduced to Davos Dayne, the fourteen-year-old cousin of Malcolm and Jamison - and actually cousin of Naemon as well. He was training in the courtyard with Ser Myle, who had hard time besting him. At the end Malcolm proposed a sparring match, and Naemon agreed.
I've written probably about half of the next part now, it will most likely be ready tomorrow.
Wow! I did not expect to see these so soon! As always, I have to commend you with these, as you've definitely depicted both of them as I imagined. Emerson definitely has that look about him which I fully saw in him when I made him, so you've captured him with expertise here. Esperence is also very well done, and I'm overall very happy with these two, as I'm happy with all of your fantastic portraits!
”Alright then.” Naemon said, taking a couple light swings at the air to get a good grip to the sword. He turned towards Malcolm, who had taken a defensive position, and nodded to him with a smile. Naemon moved for an attack. He struck three times, but they were easy swings, and Malcolm had no trouble parrying them.
“Come on, Naemon, no need to hold back.” He said with almost amused tone, before proceeding to counterattack. Naemon was almost caught off guard, and the couple first strikes of Malcolm were surprisingly hard for him to deflect. After that Naemon found his composure again, blocked Malcolm’s swing that came from the left, and managed to force the Prince of Starfall to a defensive position again.
Naemon took in a deep breath, before moving for an attack again. He moved his sword with skill and speed that gave a hard time for Malcolm to keep up, but he did – for now. Naemon read the movements of his opponent, seeing that he always had harder time blocking the strikes that came from his left. Let’s finish this, Naemon thought with confidence. He tricked Malcolm into thinking he had a chance to turn the tides, but as he tried to strike, Naemon surprised him with a strong swing from downwards. The shrill sound of the steel hitting against steel made Malcolm grit his teeth, and before he knew it Naemon was giving hard hitting strikes from the left. Malcolm managed to parry the first, but it broke his grip on the sword. Naemon used this opportunity and grabbed Malcolm’s blade with his left hand, and slammed him to the ribs. “Yield!” Malcolm groaned, and Naemon stopped, taking a couple steps back.
“Ouch.” The Crown Prince mumbled laconically, dropping his sword and holding his ribs. Then he let out a small laugh. “Well, that was fun… Aside from the pain.”
“You were better than I expected.” Naemon said with a smile, making Malcolm raise an eyebrow. “Not very high expectations, huh?” He asked, though he didn’t sound angry at all.
“Oh, I didn’t mean…” Naemon started, but Malcolm cut him off. “I get it, don’t worry.” He said with a chuckle. “My brother is better than me in this, which leads to people underestimating me – I guess they forget that I was also trained by Vorian Dayne. But in the end, it’s an advantage to be underestimated, so I’m not complaining.” Naemon gave him a nod, letting out a small sigh. “I wish I had been trained by Vorian.” His voice was something between dreamy and brooding. Malcolm shrugged, picking up his sword from the ground. “Looks like you’ve learned just fine without him.” He stated calmly.
Naemon turned towards Myle and Davos, who both had wide grins on their faces. “That was a great duel, Ser Naemon.” Davos complimented with a polite tone, but before Naemon could answer he saw Alester Upton walking towards them with one of his soldiers. “What does he want…” Naemon muttered, which made Davos and Myle also turn to look at the Lord of Sword’s Edge.
“Afternoon, sers.” Alester said with a calm and friendly tone. “My Prince.” He added, giving a small bow for Malcolm.
“Good afternoon, Lord Alester.” Malcolm replied with a forced smile on his face. “I can get you a dulled sword if you want to spar.” He continued, but Alester shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m not really in the mood for swordplay right now.” He said, quickly glancing at Naemon. “Just wanted to tell that the feast will begin soon.”
“Already?” Malcolm asked with a raised eyebrow, and Alester nodded to him. “So your father told me, my Prince.” He answered calmly, and then turned towards Naemon. “Also, after the feast there will be a meeting between King Vorian, Naemon, Malcolm and me.”
“About the war?” Naemon asked with a serious tone, and a small smirk appeared on Alester’s face. “Indeed.” He replied, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Naemon. “My troops will play a key role on this, so I definitely want to hear what you’ve got to say for the King.”
“Understandable.” Naemon said dryly. “Now, if you excuse me, I’ll go change something more suiting for a feast.” With these words he left the courtyard.
-
The feast was nothing short from grandiose. From the number of courses and wines, to the finely ornamented tablecloths and silver dishes, to the musicians filling the hall with beautiful songs, everything was glamorous. It had been awhile since Naemon had last took part in a great feast like this, and he certainly enjoyed it. He was on the royal high table, and right next to him on his left sat King Vorian and Queen Arenna, and on his right was Prince Malcolm.
“It’s a pity your sister can’t be here.” Arenna said softly, taking a sip of her wine. “Perhaps you could both visit together when the war is over.” Naemon gave the Queen a smile. “Yes, I’m sure she’d enjoy it.” He answered with a polite tone, and Arenna nodded to him.
“And your father is welcome too, of course.” Vorian added, and now Naemon had harder time smiling. “Benedict… He doesn’t really like to travel much anymore.” He found a diplomatic way to put it, and Vorian chuckled softly. “I see.” He said with a smile. “Well, he is welcome nonetheless.”
“Gwendis definitely would’ve loved to come with me.” Naemon changed the subject back to his sister. “She is just always so busy, now more than ever.” He explained, and Vorian nodded with a calm look on his purple eyes. “There is a lot of Valaena in Gwendis, and not only in her appearance.” Suddenly hearing his mother’s name was a bit uncomfortable for Naemon, but he managed to keep his composure. “She is a remarkable young woman, destined for great things.” Vorian spoke with genuine admiration in his words. “As are you of course, future King of Blackmont.” He added with a grin, and Naemon chuckled awkwardly.
“I don’t know about that.” He said, gulping subtly. “I’m afraid that I’m not ready for that role… It should’ve never been my role.” Vorian patted Naemon on the shoulder with a short but warm laugh. “Do you think I was ready to be a king when my father died?” He asked with a soft tone on his voice. “For many years I was still more a knight than a king, but I’ve learned, and you will too. Trust me, Naemon.” Naemon answered with a small nod, feeling slightly more confident. “Besides, hopefully you still have many years before you have to step into that role.”
“Hopefully.” Naemon replied quietly, letting out a sigh. For a moment they were all quiet, just listening to the joyful sounds of the feast around them.
“There is something I’d like to offer for you, Naemon.” Vorian spoke up, his voice calm and serious. Naemon looked at the King with a questioning gaze, and he continued. “You have met my nephew Davos. A talented boy, determined to become a great knight one day.” As Vorian said this he turned to look at Naemon with a small smile forming on his face. “He looks up to you, just like he looks up to me and Jamison. When you become a king, there will be a whole kingdom looking up to you.”
“So the offer…” Naemon started, and Vorian cut him off with a nod. “I’m asking if you’d take him as your squire.” He said with a warm smile. “I understand if you don’t want to, but it would be good for both of you. You’d learn to lead, and Davos would have a great mentor in knighthood.” Naemon was left speechless at first – this offer came to him as a complete surprise. Naemon had never really considered about having a squire, but if he’d have one, Davos Dayne certainly wouldn’t be a bad choice.
I really enjoyed that part. The scene between the Daynes and Naemon during the feast was wonderful. It's clear they are family and no matter how long they haven't seen each other, it is very nice to see that they care about each other. It's indeed a shame that Gwendis can't be with them But well, I also liked Malcolm a lot in this part, as well as Vorian. If that spot wouldn't be already taken by Benedict, I'd even say he is my favourite king right now. He is definitely the nicest king we have met so far.
[Accept the offer]
This sounds great! Besides the fact that Vorian's arguments make a lot sense, I see this as an important step into the right direction for Naemon. No matter if he ever becomes king or lord or anything like that, Naemon has to learn how to take responsibility for more people than just himself. He is a knight and regardless of the direction his live will go into, sooner or later someone will expect of him to take a squire. When it comes to potential candidates for such a position, Davos is definitely a good choice, as Naemon himself already mentioned. He seems like an alright guy, someone who already knows the basics and who would probably make it easy for Naemon, who himself doesn't have the most experience when it comes to having a squire.
Naemon
”Alright then.” Naemon said, taking a couple light swings at the air to get a good grip to the sword. He turned towards Malcolm, w… moreho had taken a defensive position, and nodded to him with a smile. Naemon moved for an attack. He struck three times, but they were easy swings, and Malcolm had no trouble parrying them.
“Come on, Naemon, no need to hold back.” He said with almost amused tone, before proceeding to counterattack. Naemon was almost caught off guard, and the couple first strikes of Malcolm were surprisingly hard for him to deflect. After that Naemon found his composure again, blocked Malcolm’s swing that came from the left, and managed to force the Prince of Starfall to a defensive position again.
Naemon took in a deep breath, before moving for an attack again. He moved his sword with skill and speed that gave a hard time for Malcolm to keep up, but he did – for now. Naemon read the movements of his opponent, seeing th… [view original content]
Naemon
”Alright then.” Naemon said, taking a couple light swings at the air to get a good grip to the sword. He turned towards Malcolm, w… moreho had taken a defensive position, and nodded to him with a smile. Naemon moved for an attack. He struck three times, but they were easy swings, and Malcolm had no trouble parrying them.
“Come on, Naemon, no need to hold back.” He said with almost amused tone, before proceeding to counterattack. Naemon was almost caught off guard, and the couple first strikes of Malcolm were surprisingly hard for him to deflect. After that Naemon found his composure again, blocked Malcolm’s swing that came from the left, and managed to force the Prince of Starfall to a defensive position again.
Naemon took in a deep breath, before moving for an attack again. He moved his sword with skill and speed that gave a hard time for Malcolm to keep up, but he did – for now. Naemon read the movements of his opponent, seeing th… [view original content]
Naemon
”Alright then.” Naemon said, taking a couple light swings at the air to get a good grip to the sword. He turned towards Malcolm, w… moreho had taken a defensive position, and nodded to him with a smile. Naemon moved for an attack. He struck three times, but they were easy swings, and Malcolm had no trouble parrying them.
“Come on, Naemon, no need to hold back.” He said with almost amused tone, before proceeding to counterattack. Naemon was almost caught off guard, and the couple first strikes of Malcolm were surprisingly hard for him to deflect. After that Naemon found his composure again, blocked Malcolm’s swing that came from the left, and managed to force the Prince of Starfall to a defensive position again.
Naemon took in a deep breath, before moving for an attack again. He moved his sword with skill and speed that gave a hard time for Malcolm to keep up, but he did – for now. Naemon read the movements of his opponent, seeing th… [view original content]
Naemon
”Alright then.” Naemon said, taking a couple light swings at the air to get a good grip to the sword. He turned towards Malcolm, w… moreho had taken a defensive position, and nodded to him with a smile. Naemon moved for an attack. He struck three times, but they were easy swings, and Malcolm had no trouble parrying them.
“Come on, Naemon, no need to hold back.” He said with almost amused tone, before proceeding to counterattack. Naemon was almost caught off guard, and the couple first strikes of Malcolm were surprisingly hard for him to deflect. After that Naemon found his composure again, blocked Malcolm’s swing that came from the left, and managed to force the Prince of Starfall to a defensive position again.
Naemon took in a deep breath, before moving for an attack again. He moved his sword with skill and speed that gave a hard time for Malcolm to keep up, but he did – for now. Naemon read the movements of his opponent, seeing th… [view original content]
Naemon
”Alright then.” Naemon said, taking a couple light swings at the air to get a good grip to the sword. He turned towards Malcolm, w… moreho had taken a defensive position, and nodded to him with a smile. Naemon moved for an attack. He struck three times, but they were easy swings, and Malcolm had no trouble parrying them.
“Come on, Naemon, no need to hold back.” He said with almost amused tone, before proceeding to counterattack. Naemon was almost caught off guard, and the couple first strikes of Malcolm were surprisingly hard for him to deflect. After that Naemon found his composure again, blocked Malcolm’s swing that came from the left, and managed to force the Prince of Starfall to a defensive position again.
Naemon took in a deep breath, before moving for an attack again. He moved his sword with skill and speed that gave a hard time for Malcolm to keep up, but he did – for now. Naemon read the movements of his opponent, seeing th… [view original content]
Well this was a really fun part! It was really cool getting to see how well Naemon gets along with Malcolm, Vorian and the Dayne side of his family in general. I am also a massive fan of the encouraging talk that Vorian had with Naemon since from the look of things, Naemon will eventually have to lead his house so maybe that talk will lead to Naemon learning to accept his potential future role.
[Accept the offer]
When it comes to the choice, what Vorian said makes perfect sense. Naemon needs to learn how to lead and Davos needs a talented knight to teach him so it really fits perfectly here. I see no negatives to Naemon accepting Davos as his squire so this is definitely the choice to make here.
Naemon
”Alright then.” Naemon said, taking a couple light swings at the air to get a good grip to the sword. He turned towards Malcolm, w… moreho had taken a defensive position, and nodded to him with a smile. Naemon moved for an attack. He struck three times, but they were easy swings, and Malcolm had no trouble parrying them.
“Come on, Naemon, no need to hold back.” He said with almost amused tone, before proceeding to counterattack. Naemon was almost caught off guard, and the couple first strikes of Malcolm were surprisingly hard for him to deflect. After that Naemon found his composure again, blocked Malcolm’s swing that came from the left, and managed to force the Prince of Starfall to a defensive position again.
Naemon took in a deep breath, before moving for an attack again. He moved his sword with skill and speed that gave a hard time for Malcolm to keep up, but he did – for now. Naemon read the movements of his opponent, seeing th… [view original content]
And Naemon will accept the offer, taking Davos as his squire. As I expected, there isn't really a good reason to decline, unless for some reason you really don't like Davos
Anyway, next we will continue with Gwendis. Her last part was a game changer in her storyline, as after just having a moment of forgiveness with her father, Gwendis was confronted by Aisha, who told her that going to Skyreach would lead to the death that she had seen in her vision. Aisha offered an alternative path of going with her, and you voted for Gwendis to choose it. The new part is almost ready, and it will start with Gwendis already out of Blackmont.
The sun was starting to rise, but the sky was still dark. They had been on the move the whole night, and made their way to the mountains east of Blackmont. From here Gwendis could see all the way to the river, and she could still spot Blackmont next to it, even if it was just a small dot in the horizon. They were now setting their camp on a small cave that they had stumbled upon – or perhaps Aisha had known it would be here.
Gwendis was dressed in a grey cloak and some simple clothes that Trentan had stolen from the barracks. Trentan himself had similar clothing, and Aisha wore a black cloak over her revealing outfit. Gwendis had to admit that she was worn out from the travel, though she hadn’t even been the one who carried their supplies. But even more than that she was starting to feel regret. She had left a short message for her father, trying to explain why she had left, but she was afraid it wasn’t enough to make him understand.
“Are you alright, Gwendis?” Aisha asked with her calm and emotionless voice – clearly it was easy to see from Gwendis’ face that she was feeling down. She gave the priestess a small nod, walked past her to the cave, and sat down. Right after her Trentan walked in and sat down on the other side of the cave, glaring at Gwendis.
“Is there a problem?” She asked, perhaps more harshly than was necessary, but Trentan just shook his head. “No, just wondering how it is for you now… Not being above everyone anymore.” It was clear there was some bitterness in the young thief’s voice.
“You are angry at me, huh?” Gwendis’ tone was mildly amused. She had blackmailed the thief earlier, but she couldn’t really say that she felt bad about it. “Do I have to remind you that you were the one who tried to steal from me in the first place?”
“Nothing wrong in stealing from those who have too much.” Trentan replied strictly, making Gwendis sigh. “Whatever.” She said with a bored tone. “You did your job getting us out and stealing us supplies, why don’t you just go? What has Aisha even promised you?”
“Not your business, princess.” Trentan sneered, and Gwendis rolled her eyes. “Well, I hope whatever she promised is worth it.” Gwendis said lazily. “She is not the safest person to be around.”
“Yet you are running away with her.” Trentan remarked coldly. Gwendis stayed quiet, she had no will to continue this conversation. She constantly felt like she had made a terrible mistake, and then she tried to convince herself that this was her only way to survive, until she again started to doubt herself – it was an endless circle of regret and fear.
Trentan stood up with a sigh, and walked out of the cave, leaving Gwendis alone. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, but she couldn’t stop thinking about how Benedict would react to this, or Naemon. It would be horrible for them both, she knew it. I had to do this, she convinced herself again, remembering the path to death that she had seen in the vision.
“What are you thinking about?” She heard Aisha’s tranquil voice asking, and she opened her eyes. “I’m thinking that I’ve made a mistake.” Gwendis answered truthfully, and after eyeing her for a moment Aisha sat down next to her. “You haven’t.” The priestess said with confidence in her words. “You have chosen the path that will not only save you, but make you whole, fulfill your destiny.”
“Stop!” Gwendis spat angrily. “You keep saying things like that, but still I’m clueless of what exactly are you talking about. Is that how you want it to be? That I’m in the dark and you keep promising me light, yet never really show it.” As she stopped talking, Gwendis felt like breaking down to tears, but she kept herself together with sheer will.
“Too much light can blind you, Gwendis.” Aisha answered calmly. Gwendis let out a joyless chuckle and shook her head. “I trusted you, Aisha.” She said with quiet but frustrated words. “I trusted that this is the right thing to do… I need you to tell me, what in seven hells are we actually doing?” For a while Aisha stayed silent, until finally she let out a sigh.
“You remember what I told you about the enemies of my god gathering, right?” She asked, and Gwendis nodded. “Enemies that I know nothing about.” She remarked, and Aisha nodded subtly. “I don’t know much more than you do.” She said quietly, now looking Gwendis to the eyes. “After all, it was you who told me that the time to face them has come.”
“What?” Gwendis asked with a truly confused tone. “The vision, it was yours, not mine.” Aisha spoke with a small touch of admiration in her words. The way she looked at Gwendis made her feel uncomfortable, but she couldn’t say anything. “I was just the one who unlocked it for you. You have a gift, Gwendis, and you can use that gift to serve the greatest of gods.” Aisha paused, taking in a deep breath before continuing. “When my path first led to Blackmont, I thought the god had led me there to guide King Benedict into serving him, but I was wrong. Benedict wasn’t the one that my god was seeking – it was you.”
Gwendis gulped, she was not sure how to react to this. “So, now you want me to use this gift to destroy your enemies?” She asked with an uncertain tone on her voice. “I will help you, and you will help me.” Aisha replied calmly, once again avoiding to answer the question.
“But… I have no idea how to use this… gift.” Gwendis muttered, feeling anxious. What have I gotten myself into?
“There is no rush, Gwendis.” Aisha spoke with calming tone, a very small hint of a smile on her face. “Like I said, too much light will only blind you, so we will take it slow. And for now, I know where we must go, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“And… Where must we go?” Gwendis asked quietly, making Aisha let out a sigh. “If we are going to face our enemy, we need a warrior.” Aisha answered, turning her eyes away from Gwendis now. “I know someone, and I know where we should find him.”
Aisha stood up to look outside the cave. “I think we can stay here for couple hours.” She changed the subject with calm and calculating words. “Better get some sleep now.” She added, turning to look at Gwendis again.
“Aren’t you worried that my father’s men will find us?” The Princess asked, but Aisha just shook her head slowly. “Don’t worry about it, princess.” The priestess answered smoothly. “It will take a while before they notice that you are gone.”
Gwendis laid down, knowing that Aisha was right. And she still wasn’t sure whether she’d be sad or happy if her father’s men would ride in and bring her back home. With these thoughts, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
-
The cold blue eyes stared at her from the darkness. Embrace the darkness, a screeching voice echoed in the dark void, and Gwendis felt her heart beating. Be the darkness, the voice got louder, and Gwendis couldn’t escape it. Blow out the flames or die, the words filled the dark world, consuming Gwendis. And then she woke up.
Cold sweat was running down her forehead as she looked at the stony ceiling of the cave. She sat up, her heart still beating wildly. The sun was shining outside the cave, and Aisha walked in, looking at Gwendis with a questioning look on her eyes.
“What is it, Gwendis?” She asked quietly. “Did you see something?” The priestess looked at her with eyes full of curiosity, and Gwendis gulped. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to discuss this with Aisha. Perhaps I should just forget it.
[Tell her what you saw][Say that it was just a nightmare]
God damn it... Gwendis' situation is really a mess. It's even worse than I thought and I got no one to blame but myself. Well, maybe Aisha as well, that scheming bitch. That said, I am not entirely sure if she is truly manipulating Gwendis, as I now got the impression that she genuinely believes her own disgusting lies. I mean, she seems genuinely enthusiastic when talking about Gwendis' dark future and that makes me doubt her sanity, not for the first time. Like, not only her sanity, but even further, I start to question the very essence of her mental health. But that doesn't change the fact that what she says are either lies, or a very twisted, speculative and questionable sort of truth. She is not the problem, as I must admit, at least most likely not. She is a fanatic, quite likely insane and I regret that I ever chose for Gwendis to grab her hand back then, because that kickstarted this whole thing. She is also manipulating Gwendis, but in turn, she is manipulated by that demon she worships and that demon is the real problem. It now seems to start manipulating Gwendis as well and no, under no circumstance do I want for Gwendis to become just like Aisha, to be the darkness, as that thing put it. I am afraid what kind of destiny it has in mind for her, as I doubt it will be anything even remotely pleasant and I must say, I hate Aisha for working for that thing and for helping it in manipulating Gwendis, to work for whatever ultimate goal it has. I was always unsure how to react to this situation, but now, I am pretty much convinced that ever trusting her in the slightest was a severe mistake. The last thing I want for Gwendis, besides death of course, would be to become some vile, twisted madwoman, convinced that the bad things she does are actually good things. Like, for example fighting the enemies of the Great Other. So, yeah, I am really afraid that this will lead her down a path to become like Aisha, or maybe even worse. Hopefully there will be a way for her to keep her humanity in all of this, to stay alive without becoming the monster Aisha and her demon want her to be.
[Tell her what you saw]
Now, I think I have made it clear that I hate Aisha. I hate her god, I hate her agenda, I hate her lies and schemes and the fact that she doesn't even realize that her actions are evil and that this makes her evil, even if she probably used to be a decent person before she came under the thrall of the Great Other. At the same time, I can't just ignore everything she and her demon say, I can't just consider it as lies, as I think it contains a very twisted form of the truth instead. Whatever it was that Gwendis saw, it certainly wasn't just a nightmare and completely ignoring it won't be good. Of course, completely ignoring Aisha from the very beginning would have been a wise thing, but now it is already too late and her help might be necessary to prevent Gwendis from becoming an instrument of evil (you know, the kind of instrument that would be happily destroyed by Dalia and Desi). As unlikely as it is that Aisha is ever going to do a thing that will benefit Gwendis in the slightest, perhaps her knowledge can still help. Gwen has to know what she is dealing with, so we have to know how it can be stopped, how she can stay out of that whole mess, or at the very least, how she can prevent Desi's warrior from killing her. At the same time, I have noticed that Aisha talks about recruiting a warrior as well and this scares the crap out of me, because it probably means that both sides are now officially dangerous to Gwendis. As much as I'd like to, just pissing Aisha off without getting the necessary protection from someone else is just as likely to kill Gwendis as fully giving herself in to this dark future Aisha has in mind and to draw the ire of Dalia in the process. It seems being neutral, not pissing off either side, could be the wisest course of action for now, but god damn it, I just wish Gwendis would just run the hell away from these crazy fanatics and their pointless fight. I don't want her to be a pawn of the Great Other, but fully becoming a pawn of R'hllor is not an option either, as that would almost certainly cause her death at the hands of Aisha's warrior instead. It is, by far, the thing I am the most conflicted about, as I simply do not know in the slightest how to proceed in a way that is not going to lead to Gwendis' death.
Gwendis
The sun was starting to rise, but the sky was still dark. They had been on the move the whole night, and made their way to the mo… moreuntains east of Blackmont. From here Gwendis could see all the way to the river, and she could still spot Blackmont next to it, even if it was just a small dot in the horizon. They were now setting their camp on a small cave that they had stumbled upon – or perhaps Aisha had known it would be here.
Gwendis was dressed in a grey cloak and some simple clothes that Trentan had stolen from the barracks. Trentan himself had similar clothing, and Aisha wore a black cloak over her revealing outfit. Gwendis had to admit that she was worn out from the travel, though she hadn’t even been the one who carried their supplies. But even more than that she was starting to feel regret. She had left a short message for her father, trying to explain why she had left, but she was afraid it wasn’t enough to make him unders… [view original content]
Gwendis
The sun was starting to rise, but the sky was still dark. They had been on the move the whole night, and made their way to the mo… moreuntains east of Blackmont. From here Gwendis could see all the way to the river, and she could still spot Blackmont next to it, even if it was just a small dot in the horizon. They were now setting their camp on a small cave that they had stumbled upon – or perhaps Aisha had known it would be here.
Gwendis was dressed in a grey cloak and some simple clothes that Trentan had stolen from the barracks. Trentan himself had similar clothing, and Aisha wore a black cloak over her revealing outfit. Gwendis had to admit that she was worn out from the travel, though she hadn’t even been the one who carried their supplies. But even more than that she was starting to feel regret. She had left a short message for her father, trying to explain why she had left, but she was afraid it wasn’t enough to make him unders… [view original content]
God damn it... Gwendis' situation is really a mess. It's even worse than I thought and I got no one to blame but myself. Well, maybe Aisha as well, that scheming bitch. That said, I am not entirely sure if she is truly manipulating Gwendis, as I now got the impression that she genuinely believes her own disgusting lies. I mean, she seems genuinely enthusiastic when talking about Gwendis' dark future and that makes me doubt her sanity, not for the first time. Like, not only her sanity, but even further, I start to question the very essence of her mental health.
Yeah, the contrast is quite stark when compared to where her brother is right now. Aisha is intelligent and not above manipulating, but she also fully believes that she is doing a service to Gwendis by taking her down this path. What comes to her mental health, well, at least she seems like a stable personality, even if a bit cold. Let's just say there are much worse among the followers of the Great Other.
She is not the problem, as I must admit, at least most likely not. She is a fanatic, quite likely insane and I regret that I ever chose for Gwendis to grab her hand back then, because that kickstarted this whole thing. She is also manipulating Gwendis, but in turn, she is manipulated by that demon she worships and that demon is the real problem. It now seems to start manipulating Gwendis as well and no, under no circumstance do I want for Gwendis to become just like Aisha, to be the darkness, as that thing put it. I am afraid what kind of destiny it has in mind for her, as I doubt it will be anything even remotely pleasant and I must say, I hate Aisha for working for that thing and for helping it in manipulating Gwendis, to work for whatever ultimate goal it has.
Indeed, the dark god is behind most of Aisha's actions. It was what made her interested in Gwendis in the first place, and when Gwendis decided to grab her and saw what that vision, that really convinced Aisha to try and make Gwendis follow her. So yeah, grabbing the hand and seeing the vision was a major factor in Gwendis getting into the situation where she is now. And like you said, the dark god is starting to connect with Gwendis' mind now. It will obviously have its effect on her, but there will be choices in the future that determine how much does Gwendis let it manipulate her actions.
God damn it... Gwendis' situation is really a mess. It's even worse than I thought and I got no one to blame but myself. Well, maybe Aisha a… mores well, that scheming bitch. That said, I am not entirely sure if she is truly manipulating Gwendis, as I now got the impression that she genuinely believes her own disgusting lies. I mean, she seems genuinely enthusiastic when talking about Gwendis' dark future and that makes me doubt her sanity, not for the first time. Like, not only her sanity, but even further, I start to question the very essence of her mental health. But that doesn't change the fact that what she says are either lies, or a very twisted, speculative and questionable sort of truth. She is not the problem, as I must admit, at least most likely not. She is a fanatic, quite likely insane and I regret that I ever chose for Gwendis to grab her hand back then, because that kickstarted this whole thing. She is also manipulating Gwendis, but … [view original content]
Yeah, the contrast is quite stark when compared to where her brother is right now. Aisha is intelligent and not above manipulating, but she also fully believes that she is doing a service to Gwendis by taking her down this path. What comes to her mental health, well, at least she seems like a stable personality, even if a bit cold. Let's just say there are much worse among the followers of the Great Other.
I don't doubt that there are much worse followers of the Great Other. Actually, I am afraid Gwendis could encounter them. For a priestess of a twisted demon god, Aisha is remarkably affable, I have to give her that. She's not a cackling, vile witch, but then again, neither is Melisandre, who is a horrible person regardless of her good intentions. I also don't doubt that she believes she is doing Gwendis a favour, but hell, considering whom she serves, who knows what she considers a favour? She might consider death a favour, or maybe she thinks she's doing Gwendis a favour by corrupting her and by taking away everything that makes her such a good person. It takes a special kind of insanity, or perhaps monumental and baffling stupidity to believe that serving the Great Other, a god that literally stands for evil and death and doesn't even try to hide this, could lead to anything even remotely good and desirable. At least the other followers of the Great Other are probably aware of how evil they are and what evil they serve and they just don't care. Sociopaths and the like. The fact that Aisha sees her cause as rightful and good is deeply concerning and the second worst thing about her. The worst thing about her is that she is dragging Gwendis into all of this and I highly doubt that she is capable of protecting her. Actually, I am pretty sure that doing everything Aisha wants is going to get Gwendis killed, because that dark bitch and her demon are going to abandon her the moment she played her part and stopped being useful.
Indeed, the dark god is behind most of Aisha's actions. It was what made her interested in Gwendis in the first place, and when Gwendis decided to grab her and saw what that vision, that really convinced Aisha to try and make Gwendis follow her. So yeah, grabbing the hand and seeing the vision was a major factor in Gwendis getting into the situation where she is now. And like you said, the dark god is starting to connect with Gwendis' mind now. It will obviously have its effect on her, but there will be choices in the future that determine how much does Gwendis let it manipulate her actions.
Oh damn it. I knew back then that it was a bad idea to grab her hand, but I did so regardless, for whatever reason. Hell, I don't know why I always choose options for Gwendis that I know are the worst. I guess I doubt my initial thoughts just too much and end up picking the kind of choice I regret. I think I originally even mentioned that grabbing Aisha's hand could get her killed. But this is not good, having the demon connecting with her mind. I like Gwendis sane and morally good, so Aisha can fuck herself and her stupid demon, she ain't going to become like either of them. One Aisha is already horrible enough. Obviously, I will try my very best to keep the demon's influence on her at a minimum, as this could quite likely be what saves her life. Dalia and Desi probably won't have any hesitation to cut down a servant of the Great Other, but an innocent woman that actively tries to resist this evil influence might be spared. The only problem is that I can't just outright ignore everything the demon says, because that would probably make her an enemy of it and of Aisha and because there is the chance that some actions in favour of the demon are necessary to save Gwendis' life. It's hard, but in every coming choice, I have to consider if this will lead her down the path where she lives, or if this will lead her down the path where she dies and I also have to consider how much such a choice is going to allow Aisha's fucking demon to manipulate Gwendis. Even with this choice here, I can't be entirely sure. Argh, one of these days, I will be spectacularly wrong and it'll seal Gwen's fate, or, potentially even worse, will turn her into something like Aisha.
God damn it... Gwendis' situation is really a mess. It's even worse than I thought and I got no one to blame but myself. Well, maybe Aisha a… mores well, that scheming bitch. That said, I am not entirely sure if she is truly manipulating Gwendis, as I now got the impression that she genuinely believes her own disgusting lies. I mean, she seems genuinely enthusiastic when talking about Gwendis' dark future and that makes me doubt her sanity, not for the first time. Like, not only her sanity, but even further, I start to question the very essence of her mental health.
Yeah, the contrast is quite stark when compared to where her brother is right now. Aisha is intelligent and not above manipulating, but she also fully believes that she is doing a service to Gwendis by taking her down this path. What comes to her mental health, well, at least she seems like a stable personality, even if a bit cold. Let's just say there are much worse among the f… [view original content]
Gwendis
The sun was starting to rise, but the sky was still dark. They had been on the move the whole night, and made their way to the mo… moreuntains east of Blackmont. From here Gwendis could see all the way to the river, and she could still spot Blackmont next to it, even if it was just a small dot in the horizon. They were now setting their camp on a small cave that they had stumbled upon – or perhaps Aisha had known it would be here.
Gwendis was dressed in a grey cloak and some simple clothes that Trentan had stolen from the barracks. Trentan himself had similar clothing, and Aisha wore a black cloak over her revealing outfit. Gwendis had to admit that she was worn out from the travel, though she hadn’t even been the one who carried their supplies. But even more than that she was starting to feel regret. She had left a short message for her father, trying to explain why she had left, but she was afraid it wasn’t enough to make him unders… [view original content]
Poor Gwendis... It definitely seems she is in a predicament. I am really interested to see just how Gwendis can really be of any help to Aisha since at this point, I am still not sure how Gwendis helping a follower of the Great Other will affect her in any positive way. With that said, I am intrigued to see just how Gwendis handles this new path for her life and it will be interesting to see if there is an opportunity for Gwendis to break free of Aisha at some point. When it comes to the choice, I think I am going to [Tell her what you saw]. Gwendis is no doubt intelligent and she knows that what she just dreamt was not some normal nightmare so I would say it is best for Gwendis to use Aisha like Aisha is using her to figure out all she can about what is going on so she can learn to understand it and hopefully use what she learns as a means to eventually get out of this situation.
Gwendis
The sun was starting to rise, but the sky was still dark. They had been on the move the whole night, and made their way to the mo… moreuntains east of Blackmont. From here Gwendis could see all the way to the river, and she could still spot Blackmont next to it, even if it was just a small dot in the horizon. They were now setting their camp on a small cave that they had stumbled upon – or perhaps Aisha had known it would be here.
Gwendis was dressed in a grey cloak and some simple clothes that Trentan had stolen from the barracks. Trentan himself had similar clothing, and Aisha wore a black cloak over her revealing outfit. Gwendis had to admit that she was worn out from the travel, though she hadn’t even been the one who carried their supplies. But even more than that she was starting to feel regret. She had left a short message for her father, trying to explain why she had left, but she was afraid it wasn’t enough to make him unders… [view original content]
Gwendis
The sun was starting to rise, but the sky was still dark. They had been on the move the whole night, and made their way to the mo… moreuntains east of Blackmont. From here Gwendis could see all the way to the river, and she could still spot Blackmont next to it, even if it was just a small dot in the horizon. They were now setting their camp on a small cave that they had stumbled upon – or perhaps Aisha had known it would be here.
Gwendis was dressed in a grey cloak and some simple clothes that Trentan had stolen from the barracks. Trentan himself had similar clothing, and Aisha wore a black cloak over her revealing outfit. Gwendis had to admit that she was worn out from the travel, though she hadn’t even been the one who carried their supplies. But even more than that she was starting to feel regret. She had left a short message for her father, trying to explain why she had left, but she was afraid it wasn’t enough to make him unders… [view original content]
Comments
People are writing some long and good explanations for their choices, but more I'm thinking about this, more I'm split between two choices.
So I think I'll do something I have never done (for a par that I have read in time that is), I'm actually going to stay out of the vote, because I love Gwendis, and I agree with Liquid that she will have business with Desirea, but I'm not too fond of Aisha, nor the followers of R'hllor. And I'm just not sure yet which side I want to support.
EDIT: Accidentally replied to Tales-from-telltale for no particular reason, meant to post this as a reply to the part itself
Voting is closed!
And Dalia doesn't promise to Desi that she'll follow her if the mission demands separating from the army. As some of you pointed out, this isn't a decision on wheter Dalia will follow Desi or not, she just doesn't promise it. And yeah, since everyone caught it already I might as well admit it, Desirea is indeed the enemy that Aisha seeks to destroy. And I can guarantee you that Desi's feelings on Aisha aren't any warmer. What comes to this choice, Desi might be a bit disappointed, but she is pretty mature for her age and definitely understands the position her mother is in.
Next we'll get another new PoV, this time from Godsgrace and House Allyrion. After this, there won't be additions to the PoV cast for a while, as there are almost too many already. However, a PoV from the independent Central Dorne houses (Gargalen, Vaith, Allyrion) is pretty important, as they'll have a crucial role in this coming war. And once again I avoid the need to do a recap
Anyway, I also have a new portrait for you guys, this time Efran the Bandit Lord:
Emerson
Emerson Allyrion stood silently in the crypt of Godsgrace, in front of him the tomb of the late Lord Mason Allyrion. Emerson knew now that this man had been his father, even if for the first fifteen years of his life he had been raised as the bastard of Mason’s brother – Lord Morgan Allyrion.
Emerson had known the truth for over a year now, and every day since learning it he had came down here to see his real father. It had been Lord Jorvian Gargalen who had spilled the truth for him, and Morgan had later admitted to it. By the laws of the land Emerson should be the heir, actually he should already be the Lord, but Morgan saw it differently. One day Emerson would find a way to take what belonged to him, he had to believe in that.
“What would you do, father?” He whispered, looking at the statue of Mason. Everything he had heard of this man had been positive – a good lord, brave man, and a wise leader. Everything that Morgan is not, Emerson thought, clenching his fists. Yet it had been Morgan who had raised him up, who he had seen as his father for most of his life. I will never call that man my father again.
Emerson kept looking at the statue of his father for a while longer, until finally he let out a deep sigh and turned away from it. Time to return to the world of the living. With quiet steps Emerson made his way out of the crypt, and as he stepped out to the courtyard the sun dazzled his eyes for a moment. He could see guards standing on the walls, servants bringing water from the well, and the sounds of the blacksmith on his work could be heard from the smithy. And then Emerson saw his cousin Emmett, the only remaining son of Lord Morgan, swinging his sword against a strawman. Emmett was a year younger than Emerson, and had always seen him as a brother, and still did. To most Emmett was just an ugly and chubby half-wit, but Emerson had come to learn over the years that there was much more to him than that.
“Morning, Emmett.” Emerson said with a calm and friendly tone as he approached his cousin, who turned to look at him with joy in his bright blue eyes, and his dirty blonde hair sweaty and messy from the training.
“Brother!” Emmett said with a grin on his wide and puffy face, and Emerson replicated the smile. “How is the training going?” He asked politely, making Emmet scratch his head. “It’s going… well.” He answered clumsily, and Emerson nodded to him with the smile still on his face. “Would you like to train with me?” Emmett asked, his mouth forming a wide grin again.
“Not right now, Emmett.” Emerson answered calmly, and could see disappointment take over his cousin’s face. “Do you know where Esperence is?” Emerson asked, and after staying quiet for couple of seconds Emmett gave him a nod. “Sister is in the tower.” He mumbled, still a slightly sad expression on his face.
“We’ll train later, buddy.” Emerson said, patting Emmett on the shoulder. “I’ll go now, see you later.” He said, and his cousin answered with a small nod. Emerson turned away from Emmet, and made his way to the doors of the keep. Perhaps I should spend more time with him, he thought, with a sting of regret in his heart. He had been so caught up with his own problems lately that he had given hardly any attention to Emmett. And there are not many who are willing to give him attention.
However, now Emerson had to meet his other cousin, Esperence. He had heard something troubling related to her, and it was time to have a conversation about it. Emerson climbed up the stairs of the tower with determination in his steps, knowing where he’d find her.
As he arrived to the door of the room, he stopped and took in a deep breath. But before he could knock, the door was opened. In front of Emerson stood now a fairly muscular man, probably on his late twenties, with a short black hair, hazel eyes, and tanned skin. The man was dressed in casual clothing – a sleeveless dark green shirt, leather pants and boots. In his hand the man was holding a shiny dagger, and the way he looked at Emerson told that he was not afraid to use it.
“And who might you be?” Emerson asked sternly, clenching his fists. “The name is Edric. And how about you?” The man had an aggressive tone to his voice, but the conversation was quickly interrupted by the warm and confident voice of Esperence.
“It’s my cousin, Ed, let him in.” She said calmly, and Edric immediately stepped aside. Emerson walked in, seeing his cousin, and a woman around the same age as Edric sitting by the table. Emerson had no doubt that both Edric and this woman were goons of Esperence, but they had to be new ones, because he had never seen them before. This room was called the council of Esperence, because despite Morgan being the Lord, it was well known that Esperence held a strong grip on the power here.
Emerson looked at his cousin to the eyes. She was a beautiful young woman, sixteen-year-old just like Emerson. Despite being slightly chubby she was highly attractive, with her sky blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. The most attractive thing about her though had to be the confidence and charisma she carried herself with. The woman sitting next to her had a much colder look on her hazel eyes. Her hair was dark brown, her skin tanned, and her clothing very casual.
“Good morning, Emerson.” Esperence said, a slightly questioning look on her eyes. As Emerson didn’t answer, she proceeded to introduce the guests. “Well, you already met Edric, and this here is his twin sister, Lia.” Esperence explained casually. “They work for me, and that’s really all you need to know about them.”
“Could we speak in private?” Emerson finally spoke up, and Esperence raised her eyebrow. “Why is that?” She asked calmly, and Emerson let out a sigh. “I’ll tell you why, but I don’t want these goons listening.” He barked, and his cousin let out a little chuckle, while Lia stared daggers at him.
“Fine then.” She said. “Lia, Edric, we’ll talk more later.” The twins followed the command of Esperence with no objections, and walked out of the room. For a moment silence lingered in the air, until Esperence decided to stand up and speak up.
“What is it, Emerson?” She asked, her voice a bit more stern now. “I heard something about you.” He answered calmly, making Esperence raise her eyebrow again. “And what exactly did you hear?” She asked. Her voice was calm, but it was easy to hear that she was slowly starting to lose her patience.
“That you’ve been planning to make a connection with the Martells.” Emerson spat out. For a while Esperence stayed quiet, and Emerson could see that what he had heard seemed to be true indeed. “Who did you hear this from?” Esperence finally asked, but Emerson shook his head. “That is beside the point.” He replied quickly. “I want to know what in seven hells are you planning? Taking sides behind the back of the rest of the family… Esperence you are in over your head.”
“That’s what you think.” Esperence stated, rather than asked. “You were never raised to be a politician, Emerson, so I don’t expect you to understand, but siding with the Martells is a wise move.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Emerson answered sternly. “And whether it is or not doesn’t matter. This is too big of a thing for you to do behind Morgan’s back.” Esperence let out a small laugh as Emerson said this. “Oh, you are on Morgan’s side now? You if anyone should know he is not fit to rule or make any decisions for this house.”
“And you are?” Emerson asked coldly, but Esperence decided not to answer. “Look, I’m just asking you not to do anything reckless.” He continued with a softer tone, and Esperence nodded subtly.
“I know what I’m doing, Emerson, don’t worry about it.” She said, avoiding eye contact with him. Emerson was feeling worried. He had known for long that Esperence had an interest for politics, so much that she had even taken it to herself to gather some real power. However, now Emerson was starting to feel that his cousin’s hunger for power had grown so big that she might not even support him as the heir anymore. Perhaps I should talk to her about this.
[Tell her about your worries] [Don't talk about it]
My Allyrion's! Oh how you've got me excited now
Firstly I'd love to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this first part, and with it's simplicity I'm still feeling a lot of tension between Emerson and Esperence. So that's definitely a worry XD
Man, when it comes to the choice I just don't know. Esperence has indeed pulled up a lot of influence if she's managed to form her own small council, and she'd definitely be better as an ally than as an opponent for Emerson. Though perhaps he's right, maybe she is growing to adapted to her power. So part of me wants Emerson to speak about it, but then I think that reveals some weakness to him. It also kind of says that she is the strongest link in his chain of armour. It's still very early on, and we're pretty kept in the dark about a lot of things to make a solid conclusion on what choice will lead where. I think I'll vote for [Don't talk about it]. Though I'll see if I change that later on
[Tell her about your worries]
[Tell her about your worries]
Ay, great part! I already like this new PoV and his situation, that seems to hold all kinds of potential for a great storyline
[Tell her about your worries]
I think in this situation, it will be for the best to confront her with these worries as early as possible. Sooner or later, he has to bring this up. Right now, these worries might still be unfounded, but if he waits longer, then maybe he won't even get the chance to discuss them in such a way anymore. They are family and I think it is best to discuss such things as fast as possible. Then again, I might be wrong about it and I really hope I'm not going to screw anything up here. I don't know, maybe Esperence ends up feeling insulted and angered by this, even though I am willing to risk it. If they manage to have a serious talk about this, then it might end up being helpful for both.
[Tell her about your worries] Well safe to say I am really enjoying this new PoV! The whole idea that Emerson is the rightful lord of the house is super intriguing and it sounds like there is some interesting things going on within House Allyrion in general. I am going to go with Emerson telling Esperence about his worries since it seems upon first glance that she has gained some power for herself and if Emerson waits too long, it may be too late since Esperence is probably wanting to side with the Martells since it could lead to her getting to be the head of House Allyrion eventually.
On a side note, I am pretty excited to see this meeting that is coming between Jamison and House Allyrion since it could very well throw a wrench into Esperence's plans or just make things more difficult for Jamison. Either way, this meeting between Jamison and House Allyrion is definitely something that I am looking forward to
[Tell her about your worries]
Voting is closed!
This one is clear, Emerson will tell Esperence about his worries. I would've probably chose this myself as well, and it will certainly make for an interesting conversation between the two.
Anyway, the next part will be a comeback of Nealia Sand and (some of) her supporting cast after a pretty long break. In the first chapter Nealia, bastard daughter of King Vorian Dayne, joined the sellsword company called the Rose Company, lead by Tryden Flowers. With Tryden, Nealia got to meet King Lucifer Dryland, who hired the company and told that their job was to help the Bandit Lord to bring havoc to the east. Nealia also got to know Illor the Braavosi, one of Tryden's closest henchmen. The two even exchanged their histories while they chatted on the walls of Hellgate Hall. Nealia also briefly got to know Manda Za from the Summer Isles, and the YiTish twin sisters Lien Yu and Ying Yu. Nealia's storyline will pick up from the Salt Shore.
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This time I have two new drawings for you! It's the mother & daughter power couple: Dalia Sand and her daughter Desirea.
Nealia
They stood at the docks of the Salt Shore, the vast Summer Sea opening on their left. There were six of them – Tryden Flowers, and five of his soldiers – as had been agreed. The five soldiers Tryden had brought with him were Nealia, Illor, Broden, Manda Za and a Stormlander named Jacke – a bulky man on his early thirties.
Nealia had unsheathed one of her swords, Manda had an arrow nocked on her bow, and Illor, Broden and Jacke all had their swords unsheathed. Tryden was the only one who kept his weapon sheathed.
“That’s the building.” Tryden said calmly, looking at an abandoned and run down warehouse. There was no one at the door, nor anywhere near the building, but a red cross had been painted above the door. “You sure we aren’t walking into a trap?” Broden asked, a hint of nervousness in his words.
“Are you pissin’ your pants, Broden?” Jacke asked with his coarse voice, a mocking grin on his face, and Broden sent him an angry glare. “Boys, boys.” Tryden said calmly, a small smile on his face. “Take it easy, the Bandit Lord has no reason to betray us – he needs us. However, we can’t assume him to trust us, not yet. So, keep your calm in there.” With these words, Tryden started to walk towards the door with determined steps. Illor was the first one to follow his boss, and Jacke followed soon after him. Finally, with muffled curses, Broden followed Jacke. Manda and Nealia glanced each other, and started walking at the same time.
Tryden kicked the door open, and walked into the shady warehouse with no hesitation, his men following after him. Nealia stepped in before Manda, who followed while drawing her arrow. There were only couple windows bringing light into the building, but it was still easy to see that the Bandit Lord’s men hadn’t kept their side of the agreement – there were at least a dozen armed soldiers there. One of them stood right in the middle, two warriors right behind him.
“Illor, Nealia.” Tryden said quietly, before starting to approach the man in the middle. It was clear what he meant, so Illor and Nealia followed him, while the others stayed on the back.
“Welcome, Reachman bastard.” Said a shrill voice, coming from the man who stood in the middle. He was probably on his thirties – a skinny man with a long and greasy black hair, a narrow face with long nose and a stubble beard.
“I’m honored.” Tryden replied with a dry tone. “And I see that you didn’t keep your end of the agreement to bring only five men.” The skinny man let out an annoying little laugh for this, clapping his hands together. “Oh no, I didn’t.” He answered smugly. “But I’m happy to see that Tryden Flowers is a man of his word.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised.” Tryden said calmly, an underlying threat in his words. “For example, I can promise you that if we wouldn’t come to an agreement here, it would be your men lying dead on the ground in the end – not mine.”
“Uh, some intimidation, I see. Such a classic way to start a new friendship.” The skinny man quipped, and made a small gesture with his hand. Nealia counted seven men raising up their crossbows from the man’s signal. “However, if you want to make threats, you need to have something to back them up with.” He spoke more seriously now, before signaling his men to lower their crossbows again.
“I can see you are not Efran Sand.” Tryden stated coldly. “So, who are you?”
“Oh, you are right, my friend – I haven’t introduced myself!” The man spoke with an amused tone. “Let’s fix that. My name is Corren, and I’m the boss here.” He said, and Tryden let out a joyless chuckle. “I thought the Bastard’s Bastard was your boss.” He remarked slyly, and Corren took a step closer with a twisted grin on his face. “Just as much as Lucifer Dryland is yours.” He replied with a quiet but tense tone. For a moment that felt frighteningly long the two man just stood there staring at each other, until finally Tryden decided to speak up.
“King Lucifer sent us to help Efran Sand.” He stated calmly. “I assume that help will be needed. Am I right with my assumption?” Corren chuckled for Tryden’s question. “I’m not sure how much help you and your shitty company can really offer, Reachman bastard, but first you are going to have to prove that we can trust you.” Corren glanced around as he spoke, eyeing at Illor and Nealia. First he walked to Illor.
“What do we have here… A foreign bastard, aye?” He sneered as he studied Illor’s face. “I am from Braavos.” Illor replied, keeping his calm. “You’re a boring one.” Corren spat, walking away from him. He gave another look at Tryden as he walked past him, and then he arrived in front of Nealia.
“And who is this silver-haired bitch?” He asked with a disgusting grin on his face. As Nealia stayed quiet, Corren turned to look at Tryden. “You cut her tongue out?” He asked with a chuckle.
“Her name is Nealia Sand, and she is the only daughter of King Vorian Dayne.” Tryden explained with a stern look in his eyes. “Oh my!” Corren yelled as he turned to look at Nealia. “We have a royal cunt here, boys!” He shouted, and some of his men gave him a small laugh. Corren now took a couple steps closer to Nealia, looking at her with narrowed eyes.
“You have a problem?” Nealia asked with anger in her words, and Corren shook his head. “No, no, no… No problem whatsoever.” The skinny man moved his hand to Nealia’s waist as he said this, making her tighten her grip on the sword.
“You know, you are a lucky girl to have daddy Tryden look after you here… Just imagine all the things we’d do to you if you’d be here alone, bitch.” As Corren spoke with his slimy voice, he moved his hand to Nealia’s bottom. I’ve had enough, Nealia thought, her blood boiling of anger – she wouldn’t tolerate any more of this bullshit.
[Tell him to stop] [Punch him] [Stab him]
[Tell him to stop]
The other two options may cause some unnecessary and possibly dangerous complications.
[Stab him]
Ah... I know, such an aggressive option is not what I usually pick. However, I have carefully thought about it. First of all, Corren seems like a piece of shit, so it wouldn't be sad for him. I'm not even sure if Nealia is going to stab him fatally. If she is not, which I kind of got the impression of, then this is going to be the best kind of warning she could give him and his men. Nealia would, quite clearly, show him that she means business. It's clear to me that he needs a warning and just telling him to stop would definitely look weak and possibly even be seen by him as a reason to target her even more severely. Who knows where that could lead to if she does not stop him now. I am not sure how much of a punch Nealia can actually throw, but this option seems as the worst of the three, as she'd likely only anger him, without severely wounding him, achieving nothing in the process. No, I think if she wounds him badly here, then she'd send the message that she's not one to be messed with.
That is something I'd really love to see. That said, I can see the reason for telling him to stop as well and wouldn't be particularly unhappy if that option ends up winning instead, even if I don't really see it as better than stabbing him.
And well, I also had to think of how utterly badass this would look, for her to just casually stab him after he did not listen to her warnings
[Stab him]
As funny as it is to say, this is probably the best option for her. Like Liquid said, telling Corren to stop would probably make Nealia even more of a target and punching Corren would most likely just make him mad. Taking Corren by surprise and stabbing him would definitely show that Nealia is not someone that he can mess with.
[Punch him]
I think this is best middle option to pick - not to sound either weak nor to bleed him out just yet.
[Punch him]
In his crotch, prefferably.
Are you guys forgetting that Corren brought a dozen soldiers with him? This includes seven archers with crossbows. Tryden only has five. Punching or stabbing Corren could lead to a fight between both groups and there is a high chance that the Rose Company could end up losing some of its members. Not to mention, them losing any chance of working with Efran and fulfilling Lucifer Dryland's mission.
@Stigz_52 , @Nightmare1
I summon you to break the tie!
Preferably, both of you can vote to tell him to stop. That way there is a less likely chance of Lucifer's mission for the company being ruined and some of our comrades don't end up dying.
Well, I've had a read, and man. Corren is an absolute fucker. I have to agree with Tales in most areas here, Corren has the upper hand. He's got ranged men with crossbows, and that's twelve instant shots if things go to shit. Basically two for each of Tryden's squad. In the grand scheme of things, telling Corren to fuck off would be the best approach to this, and if the votes were weighed a bit differently then that is what I'd have gone with. Alas, the votes are either to punch or stab this fucker, and as Tales has well pointed out, these could lead to problems. Well, at least stabbing the guy definitely could. I personally think Corren might find some enjoyment from receiving a hit from Naelia, he seems sick enough. Also, a punch is not as vital as thrusting your sword through his chest.
So I'm going to go with [Punch him]. No, I don't particularly like it, and I'm a bit disappointed with how the votes swung here. However, I think this is the best compromise without potentially getting them all shot.
Alright, we got the vote, so better close quickly before it's a tie again
Voting is closed!
And Nealia will punch Corren. The guy definitely deserves a good punch, no doubt about that. Stabbing him was the extreme wildcard choice here and I was very surprised to see that it almost won. It certainly would've led to a dangerous situation, but there would've been some positives to it as well. Telling him to stop would've been the safest choice, but as some of you pointed out it might have given a bit weak impression for Corren. So, we are going with the compromise, how Corren and his men react to that will be seen in the next Nealia part.
But next we will go back to Starfall and Naemon's storyline. His first part in this chapter consisted mostly chatting with Malcolm, about things like the Daynes trying to help the Drylands win the war against Martells. We were also introduced to Davos Dayne, the fourteen-year-old cousin of Malcolm and Jamison - and actually cousin of Naemon as well. He was training in the courtyard with Ser Myle, who had hard time besting him. At the end Malcolm proposed a sparring match, and Naemon agreed.
I've written probably about half of the next part now, it will most likely be ready tomorrow.
My apologies for inability to help break the tie, have been busy with new video for YT, i too would have said punch him if you are interested.
Oh, forgot these on the earlier post. I once again have two new drawings, this time the newest PoV Emerson Allyrion, and his cousin Esperence Allyrion
Wow! I did not expect to see these so soon! As always, I have to commend you with these, as you've definitely depicted both of them as I imagined. Emerson definitely has that look about him which I fully saw in him when I made him, so you've captured him with expertise here. Esperence is also very well done, and I'm overall very happy with these two, as I'm happy with all of your fantastic portraits!
Naemon
”Alright then.” Naemon said, taking a couple light swings at the air to get a good grip to the sword. He turned towards Malcolm, who had taken a defensive position, and nodded to him with a smile. Naemon moved for an attack. He struck three times, but they were easy swings, and Malcolm had no trouble parrying them.
“Come on, Naemon, no need to hold back.” He said with almost amused tone, before proceeding to counterattack. Naemon was almost caught off guard, and the couple first strikes of Malcolm were surprisingly hard for him to deflect. After that Naemon found his composure again, blocked Malcolm’s swing that came from the left, and managed to force the Prince of Starfall to a defensive position again.
Naemon took in a deep breath, before moving for an attack again. He moved his sword with skill and speed that gave a hard time for Malcolm to keep up, but he did – for now. Naemon read the movements of his opponent, seeing that he always had harder time blocking the strikes that came from his left. Let’s finish this, Naemon thought with confidence. He tricked Malcolm into thinking he had a chance to turn the tides, but as he tried to strike, Naemon surprised him with a strong swing from downwards. The shrill sound of the steel hitting against steel made Malcolm grit his teeth, and before he knew it Naemon was giving hard hitting strikes from the left. Malcolm managed to parry the first, but it broke his grip on the sword. Naemon used this opportunity and grabbed Malcolm’s blade with his left hand, and slammed him to the ribs. “Yield!” Malcolm groaned, and Naemon stopped, taking a couple steps back.
“Ouch.” The Crown Prince mumbled laconically, dropping his sword and holding his ribs. Then he let out a small laugh. “Well, that was fun… Aside from the pain.”
“You were better than I expected.” Naemon said with a smile, making Malcolm raise an eyebrow. “Not very high expectations, huh?” He asked, though he didn’t sound angry at all.
“Oh, I didn’t mean…” Naemon started, but Malcolm cut him off. “I get it, don’t worry.” He said with a chuckle. “My brother is better than me in this, which leads to people underestimating me – I guess they forget that I was also trained by Vorian Dayne. But in the end, it’s an advantage to be underestimated, so I’m not complaining.” Naemon gave him a nod, letting out a small sigh. “I wish I had been trained by Vorian.” His voice was something between dreamy and brooding. Malcolm shrugged, picking up his sword from the ground. “Looks like you’ve learned just fine without him.” He stated calmly.
Naemon turned towards Myle and Davos, who both had wide grins on their faces. “That was a great duel, Ser Naemon.” Davos complimented with a polite tone, but before Naemon could answer he saw Alester Upton walking towards them with one of his soldiers. “What does he want…” Naemon muttered, which made Davos and Myle also turn to look at the Lord of Sword’s Edge.
“Afternoon, sers.” Alester said with a calm and friendly tone. “My Prince.” He added, giving a small bow for Malcolm.
“Good afternoon, Lord Alester.” Malcolm replied with a forced smile on his face. “I can get you a dulled sword if you want to spar.” He continued, but Alester shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m not really in the mood for swordplay right now.” He said, quickly glancing at Naemon. “Just wanted to tell that the feast will begin soon.”
“Already?” Malcolm asked with a raised eyebrow, and Alester nodded to him. “So your father told me, my Prince.” He answered calmly, and then turned towards Naemon. “Also, after the feast there will be a meeting between King Vorian, Naemon, Malcolm and me.”
“About the war?” Naemon asked with a serious tone, and a small smirk appeared on Alester’s face. “Indeed.” He replied, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Naemon. “My troops will play a key role on this, so I definitely want to hear what you’ve got to say for the King.”
“Understandable.” Naemon said dryly. “Now, if you excuse me, I’ll go change something more suiting for a feast.” With these words he left the courtyard.
-
The feast was nothing short from grandiose. From the number of courses and wines, to the finely ornamented tablecloths and silver dishes, to the musicians filling the hall with beautiful songs, everything was glamorous. It had been awhile since Naemon had last took part in a great feast like this, and he certainly enjoyed it. He was on the royal high table, and right next to him on his left sat King Vorian and Queen Arenna, and on his right was Prince Malcolm.
“It’s a pity your sister can’t be here.” Arenna said softly, taking a sip of her wine. “Perhaps you could both visit together when the war is over.” Naemon gave the Queen a smile. “Yes, I’m sure she’d enjoy it.” He answered with a polite tone, and Arenna nodded to him.
“And your father is welcome too, of course.” Vorian added, and now Naemon had harder time smiling. “Benedict… He doesn’t really like to travel much anymore.” He found a diplomatic way to put it, and Vorian chuckled softly. “I see.” He said with a smile. “Well, he is welcome nonetheless.”
“Gwendis definitely would’ve loved to come with me.” Naemon changed the subject back to his sister. “She is just always so busy, now more than ever.” He explained, and Vorian nodded with a calm look on his purple eyes. “There is a lot of Valaena in Gwendis, and not only in her appearance.” Suddenly hearing his mother’s name was a bit uncomfortable for Naemon, but he managed to keep his composure. “She is a remarkable young woman, destined for great things.” Vorian spoke with genuine admiration in his words. “As are you of course, future King of Blackmont.” He added with a grin, and Naemon chuckled awkwardly.
“I don’t know about that.” He said, gulping subtly. “I’m afraid that I’m not ready for that role… It should’ve never been my role.” Vorian patted Naemon on the shoulder with a short but warm laugh. “Do you think I was ready to be a king when my father died?” He asked with a soft tone on his voice. “For many years I was still more a knight than a king, but I’ve learned, and you will too. Trust me, Naemon.” Naemon answered with a small nod, feeling slightly more confident. “Besides, hopefully you still have many years before you have to step into that role.”
“Hopefully.” Naemon replied quietly, letting out a sigh. For a moment they were all quiet, just listening to the joyful sounds of the feast around them.
“There is something I’d like to offer for you, Naemon.” Vorian spoke up, his voice calm and serious. Naemon looked at the King with a questioning gaze, and he continued. “You have met my nephew Davos. A talented boy, determined to become a great knight one day.” As Vorian said this he turned to look at Naemon with a small smile forming on his face. “He looks up to you, just like he looks up to me and Jamison. When you become a king, there will be a whole kingdom looking up to you.”
“So the offer…” Naemon started, and Vorian cut him off with a nod. “I’m asking if you’d take him as your squire.” He said with a warm smile. “I understand if you don’t want to, but it would be good for both of you. You’d learn to lead, and Davos would have a great mentor in knighthood.” Naemon was left speechless at first – this offer came to him as a complete surprise. Naemon had never really considered about having a squire, but if he’d have one, Davos Dayne certainly wouldn’t be a bad choice.
[Accept the offer] [Decline the offer]
I really enjoyed that part. The scene between the Daynes and Naemon during the feast was wonderful. It's clear they are family and no matter how long they haven't seen each other, it is very nice to see that they care about each other. It's indeed a shame that Gwendis can't be with them
But well, I also liked Malcolm a lot in this part, as well as Vorian. If that spot wouldn't be already taken by Benedict, I'd even say he is my favourite king right now. He is definitely the nicest king we have met so far.
[Accept the offer]
This sounds great! Besides the fact that Vorian's arguments make a lot sense, I see this as an important step into the right direction for Naemon. No matter if he ever becomes king or lord or anything like that, Naemon has to learn how to take responsibility for more people than just himself. He is a knight and regardless of the direction his live will go into, sooner or later someone will expect of him to take a squire. When it comes to potential candidates for such a position, Davos is definitely a good choice, as Naemon himself already mentioned. He seems like an alright guy, someone who already knows the basics and who would probably make it easy for Naemon, who himself doesn't have the most experience when it comes to having a squire.
[Accept the offer]
[Accept the offer]
[Accept the offer]
[Accept the offer]
Well this was a really fun part! It was really cool getting to see how well Naemon gets along with Malcolm, Vorian and the Dayne side of his family in general. I am also a massive fan of the encouraging talk that Vorian had with Naemon since from the look of things, Naemon will eventually have to lead his house so maybe that talk will lead to Naemon learning to accept his potential future role.
[Accept the offer]
When it comes to the choice, what Vorian said makes perfect sense. Naemon needs to learn how to lead and Davos needs a talented knight to teach him so it really fits perfectly here. I see no negatives to Naemon accepting Davos as his squire so this is definitely the choice to make here.
Voting is closed!
And Naemon will accept the offer, taking Davos as his squire. As I expected, there isn't really a good reason to decline, unless for some reason you really don't like Davos
Anyway, next we will continue with Gwendis. Her last part was a game changer in her storyline, as after just having a moment of forgiveness with her father, Gwendis was confronted by Aisha, who told her that going to Skyreach would lead to the death that she had seen in her vision. Aisha offered an alternative path of going with her, and you voted for Gwendis to choose it. The new part is almost ready, and it will start with Gwendis already out of Blackmont.
Gwendis
The sun was starting to rise, but the sky was still dark. They had been on the move the whole night, and made their way to the mountains east of Blackmont. From here Gwendis could see all the way to the river, and she could still spot Blackmont next to it, even if it was just a small dot in the horizon. They were now setting their camp on a small cave that they had stumbled upon – or perhaps Aisha had known it would be here.
Gwendis was dressed in a grey cloak and some simple clothes that Trentan had stolen from the barracks. Trentan himself had similar clothing, and Aisha wore a black cloak over her revealing outfit. Gwendis had to admit that she was worn out from the travel, though she hadn’t even been the one who carried their supplies. But even more than that she was starting to feel regret. She had left a short message for her father, trying to explain why she had left, but she was afraid it wasn’t enough to make him understand.
“Are you alright, Gwendis?” Aisha asked with her calm and emotionless voice – clearly it was easy to see from Gwendis’ face that she was feeling down. She gave the priestess a small nod, walked past her to the cave, and sat down. Right after her Trentan walked in and sat down on the other side of the cave, glaring at Gwendis.
“Is there a problem?” She asked, perhaps more harshly than was necessary, but Trentan just shook his head. “No, just wondering how it is for you now… Not being above everyone anymore.” It was clear there was some bitterness in the young thief’s voice.
“You are angry at me, huh?” Gwendis’ tone was mildly amused. She had blackmailed the thief earlier, but she couldn’t really say that she felt bad about it. “Do I have to remind you that you were the one who tried to steal from me in the first place?”
“Nothing wrong in stealing from those who have too much.” Trentan replied strictly, making Gwendis sigh. “Whatever.” She said with a bored tone. “You did your job getting us out and stealing us supplies, why don’t you just go? What has Aisha even promised you?”
“Not your business, princess.” Trentan sneered, and Gwendis rolled her eyes. “Well, I hope whatever she promised is worth it.” Gwendis said lazily. “She is not the safest person to be around.”
“Yet you are running away with her.” Trentan remarked coldly. Gwendis stayed quiet, she had no will to continue this conversation. She constantly felt like she had made a terrible mistake, and then she tried to convince herself that this was her only way to survive, until she again started to doubt herself – it was an endless circle of regret and fear.
Trentan stood up with a sigh, and walked out of the cave, leaving Gwendis alone. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, but she couldn’t stop thinking about how Benedict would react to this, or Naemon. It would be horrible for them both, she knew it. I had to do this, she convinced herself again, remembering the path to death that she had seen in the vision.
“What are you thinking about?” She heard Aisha’s tranquil voice asking, and she opened her eyes. “I’m thinking that I’ve made a mistake.” Gwendis answered truthfully, and after eyeing her for a moment Aisha sat down next to her. “You haven’t.” The priestess said with confidence in her words. “You have chosen the path that will not only save you, but make you whole, fulfill your destiny.”
“Stop!” Gwendis spat angrily. “You keep saying things like that, but still I’m clueless of what exactly are you talking about. Is that how you want it to be? That I’m in the dark and you keep promising me light, yet never really show it.” As she stopped talking, Gwendis felt like breaking down to tears, but she kept herself together with sheer will.
“Too much light can blind you, Gwendis.” Aisha answered calmly. Gwendis let out a joyless chuckle and shook her head. “I trusted you, Aisha.” She said with quiet but frustrated words. “I trusted that this is the right thing to do… I need you to tell me, what in seven hells are we actually doing?” For a while Aisha stayed silent, until finally she let out a sigh.
“You remember what I told you about the enemies of my god gathering, right?” She asked, and Gwendis nodded. “Enemies that I know nothing about.” She remarked, and Aisha nodded subtly. “I don’t know much more than you do.” She said quietly, now looking Gwendis to the eyes. “After all, it was you who told me that the time to face them has come.”
“What?” Gwendis asked with a truly confused tone. “The vision, it was yours, not mine.” Aisha spoke with a small touch of admiration in her words. The way she looked at Gwendis made her feel uncomfortable, but she couldn’t say anything. “I was just the one who unlocked it for you. You have a gift, Gwendis, and you can use that gift to serve the greatest of gods.” Aisha paused, taking in a deep breath before continuing. “When my path first led to Blackmont, I thought the god had led me there to guide King Benedict into serving him, but I was wrong. Benedict wasn’t the one that my god was seeking – it was you.”
Gwendis gulped, she was not sure how to react to this. “So, now you want me to use this gift to destroy your enemies?” She asked with an uncertain tone on her voice. “I will help you, and you will help me.” Aisha replied calmly, once again avoiding to answer the question.
“But… I have no idea how to use this… gift.” Gwendis muttered, feeling anxious. What have I gotten myself into?
“There is no rush, Gwendis.” Aisha spoke with calming tone, a very small hint of a smile on her face. “Like I said, too much light will only blind you, so we will take it slow. And for now, I know where we must go, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“And… Where must we go?” Gwendis asked quietly, making Aisha let out a sigh. “If we are going to face our enemy, we need a warrior.” Aisha answered, turning her eyes away from Gwendis now. “I know someone, and I know where we should find him.”
Aisha stood up to look outside the cave. “I think we can stay here for couple hours.” She changed the subject with calm and calculating words. “Better get some sleep now.” She added, turning to look at Gwendis again.
“Aren’t you worried that my father’s men will find us?” The Princess asked, but Aisha just shook her head slowly. “Don’t worry about it, princess.” The priestess answered smoothly. “It will take a while before they notice that you are gone.”
Gwendis laid down, knowing that Aisha was right. And she still wasn’t sure whether she’d be sad or happy if her father’s men would ride in and bring her back home. With these thoughts, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
-
The cold blue eyes stared at her from the darkness. Embrace the darkness, a screeching voice echoed in the dark void, and Gwendis felt her heart beating. Be the darkness, the voice got louder, and Gwendis couldn’t escape it. Blow out the flames or die, the words filled the dark world, consuming Gwendis. And then she woke up.
Cold sweat was running down her forehead as she looked at the stony ceiling of the cave. She sat up, her heart still beating wildly. The sun was shining outside the cave, and Aisha walked in, looking at Gwendis with a questioning look on her eyes.
“What is it, Gwendis?” She asked quietly. “Did you see something?” The priestess looked at her with eyes full of curiosity, and Gwendis gulped. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to discuss this with Aisha. Perhaps I should just forget it.
[Tell her what you saw] [Say that it was just a nightmare]
God damn it... Gwendis' situation is really a mess. It's even worse than I thought and I got no one to blame but myself. Well, maybe Aisha as well, that scheming bitch. That said, I am not entirely sure if she is truly manipulating Gwendis, as I now got the impression that she genuinely believes her own disgusting lies. I mean, she seems genuinely enthusiastic when talking about Gwendis' dark future and that makes me doubt her sanity, not for the first time. Like, not only her sanity, but even further, I start to question the very essence of her mental health. But that doesn't change the fact that what she says are either lies, or a very twisted, speculative and questionable sort of truth. She is not the problem, as I must admit, at least most likely not. She is a fanatic, quite likely insane and I regret that I ever chose for Gwendis to grab her hand back then, because that kickstarted this whole thing. She is also manipulating Gwendis, but in turn, she is manipulated by that demon she worships and that demon is the real problem. It now seems to start manipulating Gwendis as well and no, under no circumstance do I want for Gwendis to become just like Aisha, to be the darkness, as that thing put it. I am afraid what kind of destiny it has in mind for her, as I doubt it will be anything even remotely pleasant and I must say, I hate Aisha for working for that thing and for helping it in manipulating Gwendis, to work for whatever ultimate goal it has. I was always unsure how to react to this situation, but now, I am pretty much convinced that ever trusting her in the slightest was a severe mistake. The last thing I want for Gwendis, besides death of course, would be to become some vile, twisted madwoman, convinced that the bad things she does are actually good things. Like, for example fighting the enemies of the Great Other. So, yeah, I am really afraid that this will lead her down a path to become like Aisha, or maybe even worse. Hopefully there will be a way for her to keep her humanity in all of this, to stay alive without becoming the monster Aisha and her demon want her to be.
[Tell her what you saw]
Now, I think I have made it clear that I hate Aisha. I hate her god, I hate her agenda, I hate her lies and schemes and the fact that she doesn't even realize that her actions are evil and that this makes her evil, even if she probably used to be a decent person before she came under the thrall of the Great Other. At the same time, I can't just ignore everything she and her demon say, I can't just consider it as lies, as I think it contains a very twisted form of the truth instead. Whatever it was that Gwendis saw, it certainly wasn't just a nightmare and completely ignoring it won't be good. Of course, completely ignoring Aisha from the very beginning would have been a wise thing, but now it is already too late and her help might be necessary to prevent Gwendis from becoming an instrument of evil (you know, the kind of instrument that would be happily destroyed by Dalia and Desi). As unlikely as it is that Aisha is ever going to do a thing that will benefit Gwendis in the slightest, perhaps her knowledge can still help. Gwen has to know what she is dealing with, so we have to know how it can be stopped, how she can stay out of that whole mess, or at the very least, how she can prevent Desi's warrior from killing her. At the same time, I have noticed that Aisha talks about recruiting a warrior as well and this scares the crap out of me, because it probably means that both sides are now officially dangerous to Gwendis. As much as I'd like to, just pissing Aisha off without getting the necessary protection from someone else is just as likely to kill Gwendis as fully giving herself in to this dark future Aisha has in mind and to draw the ire of Dalia in the process. It seems being neutral, not pissing off either side, could be the wisest course of action for now, but god damn it, I just wish Gwendis would just run the hell away from these crazy fanatics and their pointless fight. I don't want her to be a pawn of the Great Other, but fully becoming a pawn of R'hllor is not an option either, as that would almost certainly cause her death at the hands of Aisha's warrior instead. It is, by far, the thing I am the most conflicted about, as I simply do not know in the slightest how to proceed in a way that is not going to lead to Gwendis' death.
[Tell her what you saw]
Yeah, the contrast is quite stark when compared to where her brother is right now. Aisha is intelligent and not above manipulating, but she also fully believes that she is doing a service to Gwendis by taking her down this path. What comes to her mental health, well, at least she seems like a stable personality, even if a bit cold. Let's just say there are much worse among the followers of the Great Other.
Indeed, the dark god is behind most of Aisha's actions. It was what made her interested in Gwendis in the first place, and when Gwendis decided to grab her and saw what that vision, that really convinced Aisha to try and make Gwendis follow her. So yeah, grabbing the hand and seeing the vision was a major factor in Gwendis getting into the situation where she is now. And like you said, the dark god is starting to connect with Gwendis' mind now. It will obviously have its effect on her, but there will be choices in the future that determine how much does Gwendis let it manipulate her actions.
I don't doubt that there are much worse followers of the Great Other. Actually, I am afraid Gwendis could encounter them. For a priestess of a twisted demon god, Aisha is remarkably affable, I have to give her that. She's not a cackling, vile witch, but then again, neither is Melisandre, who is a horrible person regardless of her good intentions. I also don't doubt that she believes she is doing Gwendis a favour, but hell, considering whom she serves, who knows what she considers a favour? She might consider death a favour, or maybe she thinks she's doing Gwendis a favour by corrupting her and by taking away everything that makes her such a good person. It takes a special kind of insanity, or perhaps monumental and baffling stupidity to believe that serving the Great Other, a god that literally stands for evil and death and doesn't even try to hide this, could lead to anything even remotely good and desirable. At least the other followers of the Great Other are probably aware of how evil they are and what evil they serve and they just don't care. Sociopaths and the like. The fact that Aisha sees her cause as rightful and good is deeply concerning and the second worst thing about her. The worst thing about her is that she is dragging Gwendis into all of this and I highly doubt that she is capable of protecting her. Actually, I am pretty sure that doing everything Aisha wants is going to get Gwendis killed, because that dark bitch and her demon are going to abandon her the moment she played her part and stopped being useful.
Oh damn it. I knew back then that it was a bad idea to grab her hand, but I did so regardless, for whatever reason. Hell, I don't know why I always choose options for Gwendis that I know are the worst. I guess I doubt my initial thoughts just too much and end up picking the kind of choice I regret. I think I originally even mentioned that grabbing Aisha's hand could get her killed. But this is not good, having the demon connecting with her mind. I like Gwendis sane and morally good, so Aisha can fuck herself and her stupid demon, she ain't going to become like either of them. One Aisha is already horrible enough. Obviously, I will try my very best to keep the demon's influence on her at a minimum, as this could quite likely be what saves her life. Dalia and Desi probably won't have any hesitation to cut down a servant of the Great Other, but an innocent woman that actively tries to resist this evil influence might be spared. The only problem is that I can't just outright ignore everything the demon says, because that would probably make her an enemy of it and of Aisha and because there is the chance that some actions in favour of the demon are necessary to save Gwendis' life. It's hard, but in every coming choice, I have to consider if this will lead her down the path where she lives, or if this will lead her down the path where she dies and I also have to consider how much such a choice is going to allow Aisha's fucking demon to manipulate Gwendis. Even with this choice here, I can't be entirely sure. Argh, one of these days, I will be spectacularly wrong and it'll seal Gwen's fate, or, potentially even worse, will turn her into something like Aisha.
[Tell her what you saw]
Poor Gwendis... It definitely seems she is in a predicament. I am really interested to see just how Gwendis can really be of any help to Aisha since at this point, I am still not sure how Gwendis helping a follower of the Great Other will affect her in any positive way. With that said, I am intrigued to see just how Gwendis handles this new path for her life and it will be interesting to see if there is an opportunity for Gwendis to break free of Aisha at some point. When it comes to the choice, I think I am going to [Tell her what you saw]. Gwendis is no doubt intelligent and she knows that what she just dreamt was not some normal nightmare so I would say it is best for Gwendis to use Aisha like Aisha is using her to figure out all she can about what is going on so she can learn to understand it and hopefully use what she learns as a means to eventually get out of this situation.
[Tell her what you saw]
She may have some insight into what the vision means.