Voting is closed! Also, looks like we've got 1K comments
Gwendis will tell Aisha what she saw. It certainly wasn't just some random nightmare, and Aisha should be an expert on this stuff, so probably a wise choice.
The next part will continue Myke's storyline. The last time we saw him he woke up at Waylan Trot's farm, having a lot of pain in his head from the riot that took place in Gravesend at the end of Myke's Chapter 1 storyline. Myke was told that he was saved by Raina Serviene and a young guardsman named Alan. The rioters had taken over Gravesend and killed Septon Kevan, but Ser Joran, Raina, Alan, Commander Brennin Kell, the traveling merchant Walter Oakley and his wife Autumn and sister Quinn had all survived and found their way to Waylan, who had kept them safe and fed for two weeks now. Joran made clear to Myke that he thinks it's useless to keep searching for Kortney, and they should rather help Brennin take back Gravesend. You voted for Myke to say that he'll keep searching for Kortney.
Happy 1000 comments! The past 1000 have been an amazing ride and this story keeps getting more and more incredible. It has become one of my favourite stories on here almost instantly and nothing has changed about that in the months that followed. Here's to the next 1000 and to the hopefully many that will follow
On another note, I noticed a pattern in Myke's storyline. In the last castle he was, which was Nightsong, he got tasked with finding the missing daughter of the ruler. Now, he arrives at Blackmont, where another noble daughter just ran off. He seems to be drawn to that sort of tragedy. Honestly, nothing against Myke, he's great, but that guy should stay the hell away from Skyreach, or else I have to be worried about Isabella as well XD
Voting is closed! Also, looks like we've got 1K comments
Gwendis will tell Aisha what she saw. It certainly wasn't just some random nigh… moretmare, and Aisha should be an expert on this stuff, so probably a wise choice.
The next part will continue Myke's storyline. The last time we saw him he woke up at Waylan Trot's farm, having a lot of pain in his head from the riot that took place in Gravesend at the end of Myke's Chapter 1 storyline. Myke was told that he was saved by Raina Serviene and a young guardsman named Alan. The rioters had taken over Gravesend and killed Septon Kevan, but Ser Joran, Raina, Alan, Commander Brennin Kell, the traveling merchant Walter Oakley and his wife Autumn and sister Quinn had all survived and found their way to Waylan, who had kept them safe and fed for two weeks now. Joran made clear to Myke that he thinks it's useless to keep searching for Kortney, and they should rather help Brennin take back Gravesend. … [view original content]
”No, Joran.” Myke said. His voice was calm and tired, but it still made clear that he meant what he said. “You can go your way… Help Brennin and the others, take back Gravesend. I understand you, and if the situation was different I’d do the same as you.” Myke paused, feeling the pain in his head again. “I’ve lost enough for three fucking lifetimes, Joran. It’s high time I find something. I’ll keep searching for Kortney, until my death if I have to.”
Silence lingered in the room, and the way Joran looked at Myke was filled with both anger and admiration. “You are one bullheaded bastard, Ser Myke of the Marches.” He spoke with a calm voice, a touch of amusement in his words.
“Don’t use that title.” Myke muttered, and Joran let out a chuckle. “Fuck you, Myke.” He replied with warm tone, a grin on his face. Myke flashed him a smile, though the pain quickly wiped it off.
“Are you sure you don’t want more of the medicament?” The farmer Waylan Trot asked with a concerned tone on his voice. Myke shook his head. “I’ve already wasted enough of it.” He replied weakly. “I wouldn’t mind something to eat though.”
“Well, we are having a dinner soon.” The farmer stated. “Feel like you could join us? Or will I bring you something here?”
Myke moved his feet out of the bed, trying to put some weight on them. “Yeah, I think I can join you.” He said with a sigh. However, as he stood up the pain in his legs got worse, so much that it made him cringe. Then the pain went away, only to be replaced by another wave of pain in his head – right where the hammer had hit him. For a moment his eyes were blurred by it, but he managed to stay on his feet. He took in a deep breath, and turned his gaze up. Both Waylan and Joran looked at him with concerned expressions.
“I’m fine.” Myke muttered, walking past the two and out of the room with slow steps.
-
The table in the main room of the house was hardly big enough for the big group residing at Waylan’s farm. Myke sat at the end of the table, and opposing him at the other end was Brennin Kell, the commander of Gravesend’s guard. Brennin had a brooding expression on his face, making him look even older than he was. Right next to Brennin sat Ser Joran and the lanky guardsman Alan. At the middle of the table sat Walter Oakley, around him his wife Autumn, and his sister Quinn. Closest to Myke sat Waylan and Raina, who had a fresh scar running down from her forehead to cheek, passing her left eye by an inch. The farmer’s family had already eaten, so they weren’t even at the table.
The food was simple onion soup, and there wasn’t much of it for all of them, but Myke was happy to get even this. He could see a bit less satisfied expressions on Walter’s and Quinn’s faces, but they too restrained themselves from complaining.
“It’s good to see that you are doing better now.” Raina said shyly to Myke. Myke nodded to her, taking another sip of the soup. “I heard that you saved me, Raina. Actually, I even remember it – it was the last thing I saw, you killing that bastard with the hammer.” Myke spoke with a serious tone on his voice. “I’d like to say that I’m thankful for what you did… You are a brave young woman.”
“No need for the praises, old man.” Raina said with a bright smile on her face. “You saved me there too. And I couldn’t have saved you without the help of Alan and the others.” Myke nodded with a small smile. “Well, I’m thankful for all of you.” He said quietly. For a while both Myke and Raina were silent, just listening to the conversations of others around the table.
“So, after going to Blackmont, will you continue to search Lord Caron’s daughter?” Raina suddenly asked, keeping her voice down so others didn’t hear their conversation. Myke gave her a small nod. “That’s still my mission.” He said with a small sigh. “What are your plans?”
“Well, originally I was supposed to join the army of the Blackmonts, but I’m pretty sure they have already marched to war.” Raina spoke with a pondering tone. “I was considering that I’d help Brennin take back Gravesend, but it seems like you might need some help for your mission.” Myke raised an eyebrow for this.
“You’d help me find Kortney?” He asked with a surprised tone. “I can’t really pay you much, and in all honesty it’s a pretty desperate mission.”
“I know.” Raina replied strictly. “But I also know how it feels to lose your family… I can’t fix my own family anymore, but perhaps I could help in fixing someone else’s.” The young woman spoke with passionate words, and Myke let out a warm little chuckle. “I have to say I’m surprised, Raina.” He said with a small smile on his face. “But if you really are sure about this, then I’d be happy to have you as my travelling companion.”
Raina looked at Myke with joy in her bright blue eyes. “We’ll make a good team, old man.” She chirped, taking a sip of the mead.
“Friends!” Joran suddenly spoke up with a loud voice, gathering everyone’s attention. “I would like to thank Waylan, for keeping us under his roof through this hard time.” He raised up his mug as he said this, and everyone around the table followed his example. “We all saw the madness at Gravesend, but I can promise you, those murderers will soon be sent to the deepest of the seven hells.” Joran spoke with stern and decisive tone, and an agreeing murmur could be heard around the table. “Now that Myke is up on his feet again, I would like to suggest that we’d continue our travel towards Blackmont tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.” Walter Oakley said calmly, and almost everyone nodded in agreement. Joran looked at Myke with questioning eyes, so Myke also gave him an approving nod.
“Towards vengeance!” Joran yelled, getting small cheers from the people around the table.
“Towards better tomorrow.” Myke said quietly, cringing from the pain in his head, and emptying his mug.
That was a great part! I'm kind of sad that there wasn't an option to convince Joran to continue to go with Myke, but at least he won't go alone, even if I'm not sure if Raina will make as good a companion as Joran. After all, she is far younger and therefore less experienced, even if she seems like she can hold her own in a fight. But I am also curious about this Gravesend stuff that seems to be coming. With Myke continuing his mission (which I am sure was the right thing to do), it seems like we'll see a new PoV there. After all, I got the impression that all of this has gotten a bit too much build-up to happen entirely off-screen, so my guess would be that this is either Naemon's next stop after returning from Starfall, or that we'll get to see a completely new PoV there.
Myke
”No, Joran.” Myke said. His voice was calm and tired, but it still made clear that he meant what he said. “You can go your way… Help… more Brennin and the others, take back Gravesend. I understand you, and if the situation was different I’d do the same as you.” Myke paused, feeling the pain in his head again. “I’ve lost enough for three fucking lifetimes, Joran. It’s high time I find something. I’ll keep searching for Kortney, until my death if I have to.”
Silence lingered in the room, and the way Joran looked at Myke was filled with both anger and admiration. “You are one bullheaded bastard, Ser Myke of the Marches.” He spoke with a calm voice, a touch of amusement in his words.
“Don’t use that title.” Myke muttered, and Joran let out a chuckle. “Fuck you, Myke.” He replied with warm tone, a grin on his face. Myke flashed him a smile, though the pain quickly wiped it off.
“Are you sure you don’t want more of the medicament?” The f… [view original content]
Myke
”No, Joran.” Myke said. His voice was calm and tired, but it still made clear that he meant what he said. “You can go your way… Help… more Brennin and the others, take back Gravesend. I understand you, and if the situation was different I’d do the same as you.” Myke paused, feeling the pain in his head again. “I’ve lost enough for three fucking lifetimes, Joran. It’s high time I find something. I’ll keep searching for Kortney, until my death if I have to.”
Silence lingered in the room, and the way Joran looked at Myke was filled with both anger and admiration. “You are one bullheaded bastard, Ser Myke of the Marches.” He spoke with a calm voice, a touch of amusement in his words.
“Don’t use that title.” Myke muttered, and Joran let out a chuckle. “Fuck you, Myke.” He replied with warm tone, a grin on his face. Myke flashed him a smile, though the pain quickly wiped it off.
“Are you sure you don’t want more of the medicament?” The f… [view original content]
No voting to close, but I have a couple other things to post
Firstly, I've been making some good progress with the next part (should be ready during the weekend). It's a Missy PoV, being her second part in this chapter. Last time we saw her at a court session in Kingsgrave, having a heated conversation with Larry the Kind, and seeing Ser Mordekhai Crusher (aka the Skeletal Knight) bringing the head of Shana Sand to King Albin. Larry invited Missy to join him and the other freaks who would later torture some deserters of the army that had been caught and brought to the cells of Kingsgrave. Missy however decided to stay away from the freaks, which gives me an opportunity to show more of another character in Kingsgrave...
Also, I have a new portrait, this time Garrison Fowler, aka the Blind King. And speaking of Fowlers, there hasn't been an Isabella part in a while, but there should be one very soon
Missy stood at the walls of Kingsgrave, looking at the valley opening in front of her. The rocky field outside the walls of the castle had no doubt seen tens if not hundreds of battles in the past centuries. Missy wondered if there would soon be another one. The army of the Manwoodys was apparently marching the Wide Way south towards the Skyreach, but Missy had heard whispers that the Blackmonts were involved in the war as well. That could lead to Prince Arvin falling back to Kingsgrave, bringing the war with him.
Missy let out a sigh – there was nothing she could do about the war, except support the Great King in these hard and stressful times. She felt the soft wind on her face, the sun was shining, and in this moment, Missy could feel relaxed. Guards walked past her now and then, without paying much attention to her.
Finally Missy turned around, looking back towards the castle and the courtyard. Her eyes traveled to the door of the torture chambers. Right now Larry, Tom, Mordekhai and other freaks were there, no doubt doing something nasty to the prisoners. Missy knew her relationship with the freaks would be even more sour now that she didn’t even agree to spend time with them, but she also knew that she didn’t need them. I have Albin, she thought, trying to feel confident. She wished she still had Queen Sofina at her side as well, but it would be too dangerous for them to keep contact. Zereth made that clear.
Missy made her way down to the courtyard, eyeing the few people she could see there. These were the quietest days that Missy had seen in her time at Kingsgrave. Few silent guards patrolled the yard and the walls, servants could be seen on their chores now and then. Missy looked at the door of the torture chamber again, but decided to stay away from it. She turned her eyes towards the barracks.
Missy wasn’t exactly wearing her finest gown, but she still looked out of place as she approached the guard barracks. She walked right past it though, making her way to the armory next to it. She slipped in, and saw all the spears, shields and armors on the walls. She grabbed one of the spears, taking a good grip on it.
Missy closed her eyes, remembering what she had been taught long ago. She moved the spear with grace, with a style that the soldiers here in Kingsgrave had no knowledge of. They had been taught to fight in formations, thrusting their spears towards the enemy lines while trying to hide behind their own shields. Missy however had been taught differently – she had been taught to dance with the spear, fighting alone with no shield, against one or several enemies. She had never reached the level of her teacher, but she still felt strong whenever she had a spear in her hand.
“Nice moves.” Missy heard someone say behind her, and she turned around quickly, pointing her spear towards the tall man who stood at the door of the armory. Then she recognized him – it was the young Ironborn named Willem. “What are you doing here?” Missy hissed, and Willem let out a joyless chuckle.
“I could ask the same from you.” He said calmly. “I wouldn’t call this a place for a lady… Then again, you don’t seem like an ordinary lady.”
“That’s because I’m not.” Missy replied with a serious tone. “You however… You vowed to fight for the Great King, yet you have not marched to the war with his army.” A cold smirk appeared on Willem’s pale face.
“Me and Salladhor never came here to fight for Albin, I thought you had figured that out by now.” He said, taking a couple steps closer to Missy, who stared at him with narrowed eyes. “You mentioned Carsen earlier.” Missy remembered. “But like Tom told you, he’s not here anymore.”
“I know.” Willem said smoothly, his hungry eyes observing the body of Missy. “But before I continue to search for that son of a whore, I need to be sure about where he is now.” Missy let out a sigh, still clenching to the spear. Just in case.
“What in seven hells has Carsen even done to you?” Missy asked with a lazy tone. “It must have been something pretty bad, to make an Ironborn travel all the way to Dorne just to get revenge.” Willem nodded to this – his lips formed a small smirk, but his green eyes were dead serious. “It was pretty bad indeed, Missy.” He said quietly, almost whispering. “Carsen raped and murdered my sister.” Missy could see grief surfacing in Willem’s eyes, but it was soon replaced by anger. “My Lord Father didn’t give a shit about it, so it fell on me to avenge my sweet sister.”
“Your Lord Father… So, you are noble?” Missy asked quietly, and Willem nodded. “I am the bastard son of Lord Garvy Saltcliffe. I am Willem Pyke, or as some like to call me, the Drowned Bastard.” Missy could spot the deep-rooted anger in the young man’s words, and she gulped. “And why do they call you that?” She asked, keeping her voice calm.
“It’s quite a simple story.” Willem replied with a small sigh. “When I was six, my dear father tried to drown me into a bucket of water.” He said, anger oozing from his words. “He thought he succeeded, but couple minutes later I woke up from the floor, coughing and vomiting the water out of my lungs. Garvy thought that meant I was a tough one, and decided that I deserve to live. He still treated me like shit, but every time he hit me he remembered to mention that he respected how tough and resilient I was.”
“I’m… Sorry to hear this.” Missy said with uncertain words, but Willem shook his head. “No you are not, and I don’t care about that.” He spoke sternly. For a moment the armory was filled with an awkward silence. “There is something fascinating about you." Willem finally spoke up. "I can see the strength that you try to hide from the world. I think you are a wolf in sheep’s clothing, dear Missy.”
“You think you know me?” Missy asked with quiet but tense tone. The Ironborn bastard raised his eyebrow, studying Missy’s face with his eyes. “Perhaps not, but I know that you are more than just a broken girl, enslaved by a petty king.” He spoke with a calm and casual tone, and Missy moved the tip of the spear closer to him.
“You shouldn’t speak of the Great King in that manner.” She said nervously, but Willem didn’t show fear. Instead a small grin was formed on his face again. “I speak of him however the fuck I please, because I am free. And you know what, Missy? You could be free as well.” Willem took another step closer, pushing the tip of the spear away with his hand. “Would you like to be free?” He asked quietly, his intense gaze making Missy feel uncomfortable.
Well, this is mostly because I wish for Missy to be free. I don't want her to fully submit to Albin's reign over her. I think at some point she has to make it clear to herself that she does not belong to Kingsgrave. I do not know wether to trust Willem or not, but I am willing to trust him more than most, if not all other characters in Kingsgrave. After all, he is not really a part of Kingsgrave, he is an independent, without any genuine loyalty to Albin, so I don't think he has any motivation to reveal her true thoughts to him. Who knows, at best this even offers a chance for her to gain a new ally.
Missy
Missy stood at the walls of Kingsgrave, looking at the valley opening in front of her. The rocky field outside the walls of the cas… moretle had no doubt seen tens if not hundreds of battles in the past centuries. Missy wondered if there would soon be another one. The army of the Manwoodys was apparently marching the Wide Way south towards the Skyreach, but Missy had heard whispers that the Blackmonts were involved in the war as well. That could lead to Prince Arvin falling back to Kingsgrave, bringing the war with him.
Missy let out a sigh – there was nothing she could do about the war, except support the Great King in these hard and stressful times. She felt the soft wind on her face, the sun was shining, and in this moment, Missy could feel relaxed. Guards walked past her now and then, without paying much attention to her.
Finally Missy turned around, looking back towards the castle and the courtyard. Her eyes traveled to the door… [view original content]
Missy
Missy stood at the walls of Kingsgrave, looking at the valley opening in front of her. The rocky field outside the walls of the cas… moretle had no doubt seen tens if not hundreds of battles in the past centuries. Missy wondered if there would soon be another one. The army of the Manwoodys was apparently marching the Wide Way south towards the Skyreach, but Missy had heard whispers that the Blackmonts were involved in the war as well. That could lead to Prince Arvin falling back to Kingsgrave, bringing the war with him.
Missy let out a sigh – there was nothing she could do about the war, except support the Great King in these hard and stressful times. She felt the soft wind on her face, the sun was shining, and in this moment, Missy could feel relaxed. Guards walked past her now and then, without paying much attention to her.
Finally Missy turned around, looking back towards the castle and the courtyard. Her eyes traveled to the door… [view original content]
Missy
Missy stood at the walls of Kingsgrave, looking at the valley opening in front of her. The rocky field outside the walls of the cas… moretle had no doubt seen tens if not hundreds of battles in the past centuries. Missy wondered if there would soon be another one. The army of the Manwoodys was apparently marching the Wide Way south towards the Skyreach, but Missy had heard whispers that the Blackmonts were involved in the war as well. That could lead to Prince Arvin falling back to Kingsgrave, bringing the war with him.
Missy let out a sigh – there was nothing she could do about the war, except support the Great King in these hard and stressful times. She felt the soft wind on her face, the sun was shining, and in this moment, Missy could feel relaxed. Guards walked past her now and then, without paying much attention to her.
Finally Missy turned around, looking back towards the castle and the courtyard. Her eyes traveled to the door… [view original content]
[Yes] I am wanting to see Missy slowly start breaking away from Albin if possible. I think saying yes is the best choice largely because I believe Missy needs to have an ally in Kingsgrave and from the look of things, she could very well gain that here.
Missy
Missy stood at the walls of Kingsgrave, looking at the valley opening in front of her. The rocky field outside the walls of the cas… moretle had no doubt seen tens if not hundreds of battles in the past centuries. Missy wondered if there would soon be another one. The army of the Manwoodys was apparently marching the Wide Way south towards the Skyreach, but Missy had heard whispers that the Blackmonts were involved in the war as well. That could lead to Prince Arvin falling back to Kingsgrave, bringing the war with him.
Missy let out a sigh – there was nothing she could do about the war, except support the Great King in these hard and stressful times. She felt the soft wind on her face, the sun was shining, and in this moment, Missy could feel relaxed. Guards walked past her now and then, without paying much attention to her.
Finally Missy turned around, looking back towards the castle and the courtyard. Her eyes traveled to the door… [view original content]
Even though, I feel like Missy would not believe herself to be "imprisoned" at this point. It would be nice for her to have an ally at court. Plus the no and stay quiet options aren't going to win anyway.
Missy
Missy stood at the walls of Kingsgrave, looking at the valley opening in front of her. The rocky field outside the walls of the cas… moretle had no doubt seen tens if not hundreds of battles in the past centuries. Missy wondered if there would soon be another one. The army of the Manwoodys was apparently marching the Wide Way south towards the Skyreach, but Missy had heard whispers that the Blackmonts were involved in the war as well. That could lead to Prince Arvin falling back to Kingsgrave, bringing the war with him.
Missy let out a sigh – there was nothing she could do about the war, except support the Great King in these hard and stressful times. She felt the soft wind on her face, the sun was shining, and in this moment, Missy could feel relaxed. Guards walked past her now and then, without paying much attention to her.
Finally Missy turned around, looking back towards the castle and the courtyard. Her eyes traveled to the door… [view original content]
Missy will say yes, she wants to be free. As you said this could be a chance to make an ally, but it's also basically Missy admitting to herself that she is a slave of Albin, and that it isn't what she really wants. This might affect on her behavior on the future.
Next part will be Isabella PoV. This brings us back to Skyreach, which is currently preparing to war. The most important thing to remember from the last time we saw Isabella is that she chose to remain loyal to her father, accepting her betrothal to Naemon. Now we know of course that this betrothal didn't happen, but instead Benedict proposed Gwendis to marry Prince Desmor. Well, now we know that probably isn't going to happen either However, knowledge of Gwendis running from Blackmont has not reached Skyreach yet.
-
And this time I have a portrait of Willem Pyke, aka the Drowned Bastard
Isabella looked at her brother Desmor in the courtyard, sparring in his shining silver armor with one of the recruited soldiers. He made the soldier yield, and commanded the next one to try their luck. Isabella let out a sigh. For a while now she had wanted to have a conversation with her brother, about his coming marriage, but it seemed almost like he was avoiding her, always finding something else to do.
After a while Desmor finally stopped training the troops, and started walking towards the armory. Isabella ran to him with haste, stopping him just before he reached the doors.
“Desmor!” She said, still catching her breath, and her brother stopped with a sigh. “What is it, Bella?” He asked tiredly. Isabella considered her words for a couple seconds, and the expression on Desmor’s face grew more and more impatient.
“We… Need to talk.” She said clumsily, and the Prince raised an eyebrow. “What is there to talk?” He asked with a lazy and dismissive tone, but Isabella didn’t give up.
“About the marriage.” She said calmly. “I know it’s bothering you, and I know you are not going to talk about it to father, so talk to me.” Isabella had an almost pleading tone on her words, but her brother’s expression stayed cold.
“There are more important things to worry about.” Desmor muttered, avoiding eye contact with his sister. “War is on our doorsteps.” He stated, and Isabella nodded calmly. “It is, and your marriage to Gwendis holds key importance.” Though Isabella spoke these words softly, they still hardened the expression on Desmor’s face.
“Have you come to repeat me father’s lectures?” He asked with strict and angered tone. “Did he send you?”
“No.” Isabella answered strongly. “I am here because I know how you feel, I was in the same situation.” She tried to explain, but Desmor just let out a sigh and shook his head.
“I should be out there, holding the Wide Way against the Manwoodys, yet I must hide and wait here because of my key importance.” The Prince spoke with frustration, bitter gaze in his eyes.
“Ferris and Ser Russal will do fine on the Wide Way, besides we need men here too.” Isabella tried to comfort her brother, but he didn’t seem to care. “Was there something else?” He asked with cold and quiet voice. Isabella closed her eyes and shook her head quietly, and so her brother walked past her to the armory.
-
Isabella walked to the gardens, knowing her father would be there. As she arrived, she was welcomed by Ser Soren Ashford, who stood in guard of the entrance.
“My Princess.” Ser Soren greeted her with a small bow. “I assume you came to meet your father?” He asked with his friendly and polite tone. “Yes. He is here, right?” She asked, her voice a bit weary but still polite. Ser Soren gave her a firm nod and pointed towards the gardens, where Isabella could now see King Garrison sitting, with him a young woman and a small child. They were Prince Ferris’ wife Dana, and their three-year-old son, Prince Matthos.
“Thank you, Ser Soren.” Isabella said quietly, and walked past the knight, approaching her father. As Dana saw her coming a small friendly smile was formed on her face, though Isabella could still spot the anxiousness in her eyes. The father of her child had marched to war, so Isabella understood her fear completely.
“Bella!” Matthos yelled enthusiastically, which also brought a wide smile to Garrison’s face. “Good day, little prince.” Isabella greeted her nephew warmly, stroking his beautiful blonde hair. “Good day father, Lady Dana.” She said as she turned her eyes to Garrison and Dana again, and they both nodded to her.
“I am glad you decided to join us, Isabella.” Garrison said with his calm and soft voice. “During such stressful times it is good to spend time with family.” The King continued.
“If only Desmor would understand that.” Isabella said with a sigh. “I tried to speak with him but he seems so… Cold and frustrated.” Garrison nodded to his daughter’s words, calm expression on his face. “We all have our ways to deal with hard moments in our life.” He replied gently, empty look in his blind eyes. “You must give time for your brother, Bella.” As Garrison spoke, Matthos grabbed Isabella from the dress.
“Do you know when will father come back?” He asked with an innocent look in his eyes, and Isabella could only quietly shake her head as an answer.
“We already talked about this, Matt.” Dana said to her son, a touch of grief in her words. “Father will come back soon enough. You don’t have to worry about him.” The little prince turned his eyes down, clearly missing his father.
For a moment the garden was silent, until something came to Isabella’s mind. “I’m surprised that Aunt Obara isn’t here with you… Where is she exactly?” She asked, and Garrison let out a quiet chuckle. “She left early this morning, with some haste. Apparently, she is worried about the safety of her keep and wanted to bring all her men back there to defend it.” Garrison paused and let out a sigh before continuing. “Before she left she once more tried to persuade me to propose you for the Yronwoods. I said no, of course.”
“I see.” Isabella said calmly, wondering why was Obara so hellbent on getting her married to the Yronwoods. “Speaking of proposals”, Garrison spoke up again, “Do you feel like you could have a conversation about your future marriage yet, or is the rejection of King Benedict still too fresh in your mind?” The King asked this with soft tone. “We could still perhaps try to form an alliance with the Daynes, or try to better our relationship with the Drinkwaters of Oasis Castle. What do you think, dear Bella?”
Isabella knew her father probably had again many ideas that could help his kingdom in this war, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to think about being married off yet. Then again, this could be a chance for her to bring up the possibility to marry Jamison.
[Say that you don't want to talk about it yet][Hear his suggestions][Suggest Jamison]
You know what, it is worth a try. The only reason I was against it the first time this came up was that I was afraid not going for Naemon would screw over House Blackmont. Now that neither Blackmont is going to marry a Fowler, there is no reason not to try and give Isabella what she wants. The Drinkwaters might be useful allies, but so would the Daynes and unlike last time this choice came up, this time no house is going to be in trouble by not getting an alliance with the Fowlers. Even better, an alliance with the Daynes might involve them even stronger in this war against Albin Manwoody, therefore strengthening House Fowler and Blackmont alike. And well, at the very least this could be Isabella's best chance to get what she truly wants and after learning a bit more about Jamison's feelings on her, I do ship them. So, I see no downside to the suggestion.
Isabella
Isabella looked at her brother Desmor in the courtyard, sparring in his shining silver armor with one of the recruited soldiers.… more He made the soldier yield, and commanded the next one to try their luck. Isabella let out a sigh. For a while now she had wanted to have a conversation with her brother, about his coming marriage, but it seemed almost like he was avoiding her, always finding something else to do.
After a while Desmor finally stopped training the troops, and started walking towards the armory. Isabella ran to him with haste, stopping him just before he reached the doors.
“Desmor!” She said, still catching her breath, and her brother stopped with a sigh. “What is it, Bella?” He asked tiredly. Isabella considered her words for a couple seconds, and the expression on Desmor’s face grew more and more impatient.
“We… Need to talk.” She said clumsily, and the Prince raised an eyebrow. “What is there to talk?” He asked … [view original content]
[Suggest Jamison] At this point, it is the best and potentially only chance for Isabella to suggest Jamison so I can't pass this up Jamison was no doubt at a political disadvantage the first time this choice came up since he is not the heir for his kingdom. Now however I definitely see Jamison as a better choice politically at least compared to the Drinkwaters who I am thinking are Blackmont bannerman but I am not entirely sure. Regardless of that even, Isabella does want to marry Jamison and it certainly does not hurt for her to at least try and make it happen. I am also really intrigued to hear what Garrison would have to say about the possibility of her marrying Jamison but overall I also see no harm in suggesting it to Garrison and who knows? It could happen!
Isabella
Isabella looked at her brother Desmor in the courtyard, sparring in his shining silver armor with one of the recruited soldiers.… more He made the soldier yield, and commanded the next one to try their luck. Isabella let out a sigh. For a while now she had wanted to have a conversation with her brother, about his coming marriage, but it seemed almost like he was avoiding her, always finding something else to do.
After a while Desmor finally stopped training the troops, and started walking towards the armory. Isabella ran to him with haste, stopping him just before he reached the doors.
“Desmor!” She said, still catching her breath, and her brother stopped with a sigh. “What is it, Bella?” He asked tiredly. Isabella considered her words for a couple seconds, and the expression on Desmor’s face grew more and more impatient.
“We… Need to talk.” She said clumsily, and the Prince raised an eyebrow. “What is there to talk?” He asked … [view original content]
The Drinkwaters of Oasis Castle are Fowler bannerman, and the Drinkwaters of Vulture's Roost are independent but have often been in alliance with Blackmonts (Ser Kegan is brother of the Lord of Vulture's Roost). But yeah, it could indeed be that alliance with the Daynes is a better option
[Suggest Jamison] At this point, it is the best and potentially only chance for Isabella to suggest Jamison so I can't pass this up Jamison… more was no doubt at a political disadvantage the first time this choice came up since he is not the heir for his kingdom. Now however I definitely see Jamison as a better choice politically at least compared to the Drinkwaters who I am thinking are Blackmont bannerman but I am not entirely sure. Regardless of that even, Isabella does want to marry Jamison and it certainly does not hurt for her to at least try and make it happen. I am also really intrigued to hear what Garrison would have to say about the possibility of her marrying Jamison but overall I also see no harm in suggesting it to Garrison and who knows? It could happen!
Isabella
Isabella looked at her brother Desmor in the courtyard, sparring in his shining silver armor with one of the recruited soldiers.… more He made the soldier yield, and commanded the next one to try their luck. Isabella let out a sigh. For a while now she had wanted to have a conversation with her brother, about his coming marriage, but it seemed almost like he was avoiding her, always finding something else to do.
After a while Desmor finally stopped training the troops, and started walking towards the armory. Isabella ran to him with haste, stopping him just before he reached the doors.
“Desmor!” She said, still catching her breath, and her brother stopped with a sigh. “What is it, Bella?” He asked tiredly. Isabella considered her words for a couple seconds, and the expression on Desmor’s face grew more and more impatient.
“We… Need to talk.” She said clumsily, and the Prince raised an eyebrow. “What is there to talk?” He asked … [view original content]
Isabella
Isabella looked at her brother Desmor in the courtyard, sparring in his shining silver armor with one of the recruited soldiers.… more He made the soldier yield, and commanded the next one to try their luck. Isabella let out a sigh. For a while now she had wanted to have a conversation with her brother, about his coming marriage, but it seemed almost like he was avoiding her, always finding something else to do.
After a while Desmor finally stopped training the troops, and started walking towards the armory. Isabella ran to him with haste, stopping him just before he reached the doors.
“Desmor!” She said, still catching her breath, and her brother stopped with a sigh. “What is it, Bella?” He asked tiredly. Isabella considered her words for a couple seconds, and the expression on Desmor’s face grew more and more impatient.
“We… Need to talk.” She said clumsily, and the Prince raised an eyebrow. “What is there to talk?” He asked … [view original content]
Isabella
Isabella looked at her brother Desmor in the courtyard, sparring in his shining silver armor with one of the recruited soldiers.… more He made the soldier yield, and commanded the next one to try their luck. Isabella let out a sigh. For a while now she had wanted to have a conversation with her brother, about his coming marriage, but it seemed almost like he was avoiding her, always finding something else to do.
After a while Desmor finally stopped training the troops, and started walking towards the armory. Isabella ran to him with haste, stopping him just before he reached the doors.
“Desmor!” She said, still catching her breath, and her brother stopped with a sigh. “What is it, Bella?” He asked tiredly. Isabella considered her words for a couple seconds, and the expression on Desmor’s face grew more and more impatient.
“We… Need to talk.” She said clumsily, and the Prince raised an eyebrow. “What is there to talk?” He asked … [view original content]
Myke
”No, Joran.” Myke said. His voice was calm and tired, but it still made clear that he meant what he said. “You can go your way… Help… more Brennin and the others, take back Gravesend. I understand you, and if the situation was different I’d do the same as you.” Myke paused, feeling the pain in his head again. “I’ve lost enough for three fucking lifetimes, Joran. It’s high time I find something. I’ll keep searching for Kortney, until my death if I have to.”
Silence lingered in the room, and the way Joran looked at Myke was filled with both anger and admiration. “You are one bullheaded bastard, Ser Myke of the Marches.” He spoke with a calm voice, a touch of amusement in his words.
“Don’t use that title.” Myke muttered, and Joran let out a chuckle. “Fuck you, Myke.” He replied with warm tone, a grin on his face. Myke flashed him a smile, though the pain quickly wiped it off.
“Are you sure you don’t want more of the medicament?” The f… [view original content]
Isabella
Isabella looked at her brother Desmor in the courtyard, sparring in his shining silver armor with one of the recruited soldiers.… more He made the soldier yield, and commanded the next one to try their luck. Isabella let out a sigh. For a while now she had wanted to have a conversation with her brother, about his coming marriage, but it seemed almost like he was avoiding her, always finding something else to do.
After a while Desmor finally stopped training the troops, and started walking towards the armory. Isabella ran to him with haste, stopping him just before he reached the doors.
“Desmor!” She said, still catching her breath, and her brother stopped with a sigh. “What is it, Bella?” He asked tiredly. Isabella considered her words for a couple seconds, and the expression on Desmor’s face grew more and more impatient.
“We… Need to talk.” She said clumsily, and the Prince raised an eyebrow. “What is there to talk?” He asked … [view original content]
Isabella will suggest Jamison as a husband candidate to herself, to Garrison. We'll see if this indeed is the chance for Isabella to marry her crush
Anyway, the next part is almost ready, I will most likely post it later today. It is a Dalia PoV, and continues the journey of the Wild Suns - a sellsword company that is on its way to help the Drylands in the war. If you have forgot, Dalia is the bastard daughter of King Lucifer Dryland. Last time we saw her, she and her army were sailing up the Brimstone, towards the town of Brimstone Well, where they were planning to come ashore and continue on foot. We saw a glimpse of Dalia's ex-lover Mizro the Sharp, who is also the father of their daughter Desirea, who we also saw. Desirea is thirteen years old child, but she is also a priestess of R'hllor. As we met her she was reading a book about the sorcerers of the Great Other. Dalia had a little conversation with her, and Desi asked if Dalia would promise to separate from her army if her daughter's mysterious mission demanded it. You voted Dalia not to promise that. With the new part we will continue from the Wild Suns arriving to Brimstone Well, and you'll get to see the commanders and captains of this army.
It was midday, the blazing Dornish sun was shining from the clear blue sky, and Dalia Sand stood on the docks of Brimstone Well, watching her army coming ashore. Desirea had already made her way to the town with her father Mizro. Beside Dalia stood her personal guard of twenty warriors of R’hllor, who were all clad in light black armors and crimson capes. She saw Captain Marduk, a hot-tempered and one-eyed man on his mid-thirties, bringing the horses to the shore with his men. Right next to him marched the disciplined force of over hundred Unsullied, led by their commander Red Maggot. A little behind them came the small unit of Ghiscari raiders in their light armors, many of them dual wielding arakhs or short swords. They were led by a former pit fighter named Iznein Ironheart.
On another direction Dalia saw Khazor the Sarnori with his elite guard of some thirty warriors clad in heavy steel armors and golden spider silk capes, armed with battle axes. Khazor himself was a tall and handsome man on his early thirties, always a stern look on his dark eyes. He wore an armor similar to his elite guard’s, except with some extra decorations. Behind the elite guard came rest of Khazor’s men – the Bloodfangs. They were around two hundred lightly armored men from Slaver’s Bay, Kingdom of Sarnor, Qohor and Norvos, wielding spears, swords and arakhs. A little less than two years ago when Dalia, Mizro and Khazor had decided to unite their forces after a hard battle in Volantis, Khazor had at first demanded the role of the leader of the company. Only after Mizro decided to back up Dalia did the Sarnori give up and settle with being a commander of only his own troops.
Next to Khazor’s troops marched the newest addition to the Wild Suns – a little over hundred Tyroshi sellswords. Their captain was a young man named Haridos Fyllah, and his warriors sported flashy and colorful armors, and mostly fought with scimitars and arakhs. They were skilled troops, though not the most disciplined.
Lastly Dalia could see captains Zara, Yohn Redfort and Jaqyllo coming ashore, bringing with them hundreds of pikemen, swordsmen and archers. The army was forming up to the docks, their eyes towards Dalia. Khazor made his way to her, the usual stern gaze in his eyes.
“What is the plan?” He asked with his deep voice. Dalia considered for a couple seconds before giving her answer. “We’ll stay the night here, and start our march towards Hellgate Hall tomorrow.” She spoke with calm but decisive tone, and Khazor gave her a small nod. “Inform the men to make a camp next to the town, and invite commanders and captains to the tavern – we’ll have a war council tonight.” Dalia ordered the Sarnori.
“Understood.” He replied sternly, and proceeded to command the troops. Dalia took one more look at her army, before making her way inside the town.
-
The town was quiet, apparently most of the people had been called to arms and marched to war. Only few guards could be seen here and there – mostly old men and young boys. The women and children watched from the windows of the houses made of sandstone as Dalia marched through the streets with her guard. Finally, she arrived to the tavern. Her guards stayed outside as she stepped inside.
Dalia could immediately spot Mizro and Desirea on one of the tables, as they were almost the only customers. Desi had a slightly gloomy look on her beautiful dark eyes, and Mizro who sat next to her was sipping ale with a calm expression on his face. After Dalia had not promised to separate from the army if Desi’s mission demanded it, the young Red Priestess had been on a quiet mood. Desi was a smart young girl and understood Dalia’s reasoning, but it was still clear that she wasn’t happy about her mother’s answer.
Dalia sat down to the table, and Mizro moved one of his two pints to her. “I got you covered.” He said with a smirk. “Thanks.” Dalia replied lazily, taking a sip of the ale. She turned her eyes towards her daughter, who kept her gaze on the surface of the table.
“Desi…” Dalia started with a touch of uncertainty in her words, but had to stop because she wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m okay.” Desirea said quietly after a moment of silence. Dalia nodded with a gulp, quickly glancing at Mizro, who only gave her a subtle shrug.
“Your mission… Do you know yet where exactly will it take you from here?” Dalia asked softly, and Desi let out a small sigh and shook her head. “The flames will tell me in time.” She said quietly, closing her eyes for a moment. “But for now I’ll follow the army to Hellgate Hall.” Dalia was happy to hear this, and she couldn’t help but smile. She dreaded the day that she might have to separate from her daughter. Hopefully that day will never come.
“We’ll leave in the morning, I assume?” Mizro’s tone was casual, and he looked at Dalia with questioning gaze. “Yeah.” The Wild Sun answered with a sigh. “And we’ll have a war council later today with the commanders.”
“And why is that?” Mizro asked with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, it’s not like there is much to council about marching to Hellgate Hall.”
“It’s mostly just to drink, have some fun, and raise the morale of our commanders.” Dalia answered with a small smirk, and Mizro chuckled. “I see.” He said smoothly. “And what about the troops?”
“I guess we could bring some ale to the camp as well.” Dalia replied lazily. “And whores, if there are any in this miserable little town.” She added, and Mizro nodded with a playful smile on his wolfish face.
-
In terms of food the tavern didn’t have much to offer, just some fish soup, bread, beans and olives, but at least there was plenty of ale for all of them. The long table was full of chatting and laughter, and Dalia was slowly starting to get drunk. She sat at the end of the table, and right next to her sat Marduk and Red Maggot. They were perhaps not the most cheerful of the company, and the Commander of the Unsullied hardly even drank, but even they seemed to be enjoying the night.
In the middle of the table was Khazor, around him Iznein Ironheart, Haridos Fyllah and Jaqyllo. Even if Khazor himself was almost completely sober, this section of the table was clearly the loudest. Iznein and Haridos kept debating on who would win in a duel, and Jaqyllo kept singing Braavosi drinking songs, while Khazor watched this all with his usual stern gaze.
At the other end of the table sat Mizro, next to him captains Zara and Yohn Redfort. Obviously, Dalia couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but they seemed to be on a cheerful mood as well. Desirea had already went to bed, and Dalia was thankful of that.
“They make good soup here.” Red Maggot stated calmly, a serious look in his light brown eyes. He was on his late twenties, trained to be a warrior from the age of three. He was not the strongest or fastest soldier on the Wild Suns, but probably the most loyal. If Dalia would now order him to cut his own throat, he would.
“I’ve had better.” Marduk replied, his words slurring a bit, the look on his one brown eye hovering around the room, and ale draining down his bushy beard. He was a former knight of House Durrandon, but some incident with other stag knights over five years ago had made him flee Westeros and start life as a sellsword. “The ale is good though!” He yelled, and Red Maggot raised an eyebrow.
“I never learn why everyone like it so much.” The Unsullied spoke with his broken Common Tongue, and Marduk let out a drunken little laugh. “You have a lot to learn, eunuch!” He barked, but Red Maggot just furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
“We all enjoy different things, don’t we?” Dalia joined the conversation, making both Marduk and Red Maggot turn their eyes toward her. “You are correct, General.” Red Maggot replied with submissive tone, while Marduk emptied another mug of ale.
“Sure, but man is not a real man if he doesn’t drink ale!” He yelled with a grin on his face, putting the empty mug back on the table with a thump. Dalia rolled her eyes and decided not to answer.
“By the way, was there any particular reason for this meeting?” Marduk asked, which brought something to Dalia’s mind. “Thanks for reminding, Marduk.” She said quietly, and stood up from her chair. “Everyone listen!” The Wild Sun boomed, and the room was quiet in matter of seconds.
“Tomorrow we start our march towards Hellgate Hall,” She started with calm but commanding tone, “But I need one of you to ride ahead of the rest of us, as a messenger, to let my father know that we come as allies.” Dalia let her gaze travel through the table, eyeing the more or less drunken faces. “Is there anyone here who would like to take this task?”
At first, only Mizro raised his hand, though the expression on his face told that even he wasn’t particularly thrilled of the mission. Then Khazor lazily raised his hand up, and finally Marduk did so too. “I’m ready for whatever mission my general commands.” He slurred, and Dalia smiled subtly. Looks like I have to make a choice.
Hm.... I don't know who is going to be the worst choice here. Obviously, I want to screw Dalia and her company over by picking the worst option for every single one of my choices for her, as this might open a way to save Gwendis' life, but here, I think that it could be beneficial for my goals if the Wild Suns actually get this alliance with Lucifer. First of all, this means they have a chance to die in the war against House Martell, which is very good. Second, if they are preoccupied with fighting, they won't be able to help Desi in her mission, which is obviously even better. They don't have to all die, as long as they just stay the hell away from Gwendis. So, I'm going to choose the one that I see as the best suited for initiating the first contact with Lucifer. Marduk has been described as hot-tempered, so he is more likely to clash with the similarly hot-tempered Lucifer, while Khazor is someone I don't trust exactly, not after it has been mentioned that he basically had to be forced to accept Dalia as his leader. Therefore, I see Mizro as the most reliable choice here. Hopefully, this will lead to problems for Dalia in the long run, because I want her to remain on the wrong side of this conflict for as long as possible. The less men she has to support Desi, the better.
Dalia
It was midday, the blazing Dornish sun was shining from the clear blue sky, and Dalia Sand stood on the docks of Brimstone Well, wa… moretching her army coming ashore. Desirea had already made her way to the town with her father Mizro. Beside Dalia stood her personal guard of twenty warriors of R’hllor, who were all clad in light black armors and crimson capes. She saw Captain Marduk, a hot-tempered and one-eyed man on his mid-thirties, bringing the horses to the shore with his men. Right next to him marched the disciplined force of over hundred Unsullied, led by their commander Red Maggot. A little behind them came the small unit of Ghiscari raiders in their light armors, many of them dual wielding arakhs or short swords. They were led by a former pit fighter named Iznein Ironheart.
On another direction Dalia saw Khazor the Sarnori with his elite guard of some thirty warriors clad in heavy steel armors and golden spider silk capes, arm… [view original content]
Dalia
It was midday, the blazing Dornish sun was shining from the clear blue sky, and Dalia Sand stood on the docks of Brimstone Well, wa… moretching her army coming ashore. Desirea had already made her way to the town with her father Mizro. Beside Dalia stood her personal guard of twenty warriors of R’hllor, who were all clad in light black armors and crimson capes. She saw Captain Marduk, a hot-tempered and one-eyed man on his mid-thirties, bringing the horses to the shore with his men. Right next to him marched the disciplined force of over hundred Unsullied, led by their commander Red Maggot. A little behind them came the small unit of Ghiscari raiders in their light armors, many of them dual wielding arakhs or short swords. They were led by a former pit fighter named Iznein Ironheart.
On another direction Dalia saw Khazor the Sarnori with his elite guard of some thirty warriors clad in heavy steel armors and golden spider silk capes, arm… [view original content]
Dalia
It was midday, the blazing Dornish sun was shining from the clear blue sky, and Dalia Sand stood on the docks of Brimstone Well, wa… moretching her army coming ashore. Desirea had already made her way to the town with her father Mizro. Beside Dalia stood her personal guard of twenty warriors of R’hllor, who were all clad in light black armors and crimson capes. She saw Captain Marduk, a hot-tempered and one-eyed man on his mid-thirties, bringing the horses to the shore with his men. Right next to him marched the disciplined force of over hundred Unsullied, led by their commander Red Maggot. A little behind them came the small unit of Ghiscari raiders in their light armors, many of them dual wielding arakhs or short swords. They were led by a former pit fighter named Iznein Ironheart.
On another direction Dalia saw Khazor the Sarnori with his elite guard of some thirty warriors clad in heavy steel armors and golden spider silk capes, arm… [view original content]
Dalia
It was midday, the blazing Dornish sun was shining from the clear blue sky, and Dalia Sand stood on the docks of Brimstone Well, wa… moretching her army coming ashore. Desirea had already made her way to the town with her father Mizro. Beside Dalia stood her personal guard of twenty warriors of R’hllor, who were all clad in light black armors and crimson capes. She saw Captain Marduk, a hot-tempered and one-eyed man on his mid-thirties, bringing the horses to the shore with his men. Right next to him marched the disciplined force of over hundred Unsullied, led by their commander Red Maggot. A little behind them came the small unit of Ghiscari raiders in their light armors, many of them dual wielding arakhs or short swords. They were led by a former pit fighter named Iznein Ironheart.
On another direction Dalia saw Khazor the Sarnori with his elite guard of some thirty warriors clad in heavy steel armors and golden spider silk capes, arm… [view original content]
Dalia
It was midday, the blazing Dornish sun was shining from the clear blue sky, and Dalia Sand stood on the docks of Brimstone Well, wa… moretching her army coming ashore. Desirea had already made her way to the town with her father Mizro. Beside Dalia stood her personal guard of twenty warriors of R’hllor, who were all clad in light black armors and crimson capes. She saw Captain Marduk, a hot-tempered and one-eyed man on his mid-thirties, bringing the horses to the shore with his men. Right next to him marched the disciplined force of over hundred Unsullied, led by their commander Red Maggot. A little behind them came the small unit of Ghiscari raiders in their light armors, many of them dual wielding arakhs or short swords. They were led by a former pit fighter named Iznein Ironheart.
On another direction Dalia saw Khazor the Sarnori with his elite guard of some thirty warriors clad in heavy steel armors and golden spider silk capes, arm… [view original content]
Nevermind this reply. I accidentally put my choice under Liquid's post and it wouldn't let me delete it. Only edit it. Anyways, my choice is where it is suppose to be now.
[Send Mizro]
Hm.... I don't know who is going to be the worst choice here. Obviously, I want to screw Dalia and her company over by picki… moreng the worst option for every single one of my choices for her, as this might open a way to save Gwendis' life, but here, I think that it could be beneficial for my goals if the Wild Suns actually get this alliance with Lucifer. First of all, this means they have a chance to die in the war against House Martell, which is very good. Second, if they are preoccupied with fighting, they won't be able to help Desi in her mission, which is obviously even better. They don't have to all die, as long as they just stay the hell away from Gwendis. So, I'm going to choose the one that I see as the best suited for initiating the first contact with Lucifer. Marduk has been described as hot-tempered, so he is more likely to clash with the similarly hot-tempered Lucifer, while Khazor is someone I don't trust exactly, not… [view original content]
Dalia
It was midday, the blazing Dornish sun was shining from the clear blue sky, and Dalia Sand stood on the docks of Brimstone Well, wa… moretching her army coming ashore. Desirea had already made her way to the town with her father Mizro. Beside Dalia stood her personal guard of twenty warriors of R’hllor, who were all clad in light black armors and crimson capes. She saw Captain Marduk, a hot-tempered and one-eyed man on his mid-thirties, bringing the horses to the shore with his men. Right next to him marched the disciplined force of over hundred Unsullied, led by their commander Red Maggot. A little behind them came the small unit of Ghiscari raiders in their light armors, many of them dual wielding arakhs or short swords. They were led by a former pit fighter named Iznein Ironheart.
On another direction Dalia saw Khazor the Sarnori with his elite guard of some thirty warriors clad in heavy steel armors and golden spider silk capes, arm… [view original content]
Dalia will send Mizro as a messenger to Hellgate Hall. The alliance will probably happen anyway, it's very unlikely that Lucifer would turn down 1000 men of reinforcements. However, this choice is sort of deciding what kind of first impression does Dalia give of her company.
The next part is probably around 50% done, and I might be able to post it today. It's a Nealia PoV, continuing from the sticky situation in abandoned warehouse at the docks of Salt Shore. Tryden had arranged a meeting with one of the Bandit Lord's men there, agreeing to only bring five soldiers with him - Nealia, Illor, Manda, Broden and Jacke. The Bandit Lord's man, Corren, however did not respect the agreement and brought more than a dozen men, many of them armed with crossbows. Corren proved himself to be a hard one to find common ground with, and acted like an asshole, going as far as groping Nealia. Nealia did not take that bullshit, and decided to punch Corren. We'll see now how does that go down.
-
Oh, and I also have two more portraits, related to the earlier part: Dalia's two most important commanders, Mizro the Sharp (on the left) and Khazor the Sarnori.
Corren moved his hand on the bottom of Nealia, expecting that he held a power over her, but she had had enough. Without giving a warning, Nealia threw a punch at this slimy bastard. Corren didn’t have much time to react, but he managed to let go of Nealia and start to step away from her. The punch still hit him on his jaw, making him stagger backwards. Nealia kept clenching her fists, ready to give this asshole more punches if that would be needed.
Corren turned his gaze back to Nealia, holding his jaw with his other hand. His eyes were oozing of rage, but at the same time a twisted smirk was formed on his face. “Feisty little bitch.” He spat, letting out a mad chuckle. “Feisty, but stupid.” He continued, his voice turning more grim now. Nealia didn’t answer, she just kept staring at Corren with anger in her eyes.
“Forgive me her behavior.” Tryden spoke up with cold and calm words. “She is royalty after all, not used to your kind of… men.” There was a slight touch of disgust in the way Tryden pronounced the last word. Corren turned towards him, still holding his jaw. “Well you better teach the bitch some manners.” He barked, turning his back to them. “You know, I could have her killed right now if I wanted.” He continued quietly, and Nealia reacted with unsheathing both of her swords. “You may bloody well try.” She hissed, which made Corren turn towards her again. The skinny man narrowed his eyes as he glared at Nealia, but it wasn’t him who made the next move.
Tryden grabbed Nealia from her left arm. “Enough.” He said strictly, a dead serious look in his brown eyes. “Go back there.” He said with quiet but commanding tone, making a gesture with his head towards the door where Manda, Jacke and Broden stood – all of them clearly tensed up of the situation. “And put your swords away.” Tryden added coldly, as he let go of Nealia.
Nealia gulped, her anger was being replaced by shame and embarrassment. What she had just done was reckless, and with worse luck it could’ve got them all killed. She sheathed her swords and let her gaze fall to the floor. “I’m sorry.” She mumbled as she turned away. She approached Manda, who was holding tight to her longbow.
“Well, well, looks like the bitch can behave after all!” Nealia heard Corren blustering, while she arrived next to Manda. She let out a sigh, trying to calm down. “I was ready to put an arrow through the fucker’s throat.” Manda whispered to her with her strong accent, which brought a small smile to Nealia’s face. It died quickly though, when Corren opened his mouth again. “Tryden, Tryden.” He said with mockery in his words. “You know you haven’t given me the best impression so far.”
“Let’s just get over with this bullshit.” Tryden replied with frustrated tone. “Your Bandit Lord needs help on his rebellion, we are here to offer it.” For a moment silence lingered in the dimly lit warehouse, until finally Corren let out a deep sigh. “I guess we could find some use for you.” He said with a lazy tone. “Though you must understand that I’m the one in charge, not you.”
“Sure, you are in charge.” Tryden agreed calmly, and Corren let out a chuckle, opening his arms theatrically. “Well this is a pleasant surprise!” He yelled with amused tone. “A Reachman bastard who actually knows his place… Perhaps you aren’t as bad as your reputation after all, Tryden Flowers.”
Tryden narrowed his eyes, but settled to giving a small nod. “So, what happens next?” He asked shortly, and Corren took a couple steps closer to him, an arrogant smirk on his face. “This meeting is over, bastard.” He said quietly. “Bring your men tomorrow to the east gates and we’ll start our journey together.” With these words the skinny man turned away, ordered his men to exit from the backdoor, and followed them out.
Only after Corren had closed the door behind him did Tryden turn, and Illor who still stood next to him followed his example. Without any words Tryden walked past Jacke, Broden, Manda and Nealia, not even giving a glance at any of them. Illor followed behind his leader, though he at least made a short but sympathetic eye contact with Nealia.
-
Nealia sat alone on the corner table of the tavern. She had emptied four mugs of ale – at this point she didn’t even care about the taste anymore. Her blurry gaze traveled through the taproom. Tryden and Illor sat at one of the tables, speaking to each other quietly, serious looks on their faces. Around another table was Broden, Jacke and at least five other men, making toasts and singing cheerfully. There were several tables with just as cheerful people around them. Then there was the table where Manda, Lien Yu and Ying Yu sat. They looked to be enjoying the night as well, even if Lien was the only one of them who kept laughing and speaking loudly. Manda sometimes smiled or chuckled to her jokes, while Ying kept her calm expression on. Nealia knew she could be with them, but she was too sad, she didn’t want to spoil their evening.
Nealia took a gulp from her fifth mug, and turned her gaze to the table, letting out a long and tired sigh. The Bastard Princess sat there in silence, closing herself from the world around her, until finally she heard a sweet voice calling her name. “Nealia!” It said, and slowly she raised her gaze, seeing Lien approaching her with a small smile on her face. “Nealia, you don’t have to sit here alone.” The YiTish woman said as she sat down next to her.
“Yes, I do.” She replied quietly. “I fucked up.” Lien let out a drunken little chuckle for this. “Don’t we all sometimes?” She asked with comforting tone, putting her arm around Nealia, and Nealia could feel heat raising to her cheeks. “Damn, I haven’t been this drunk in a while.” She mumbled, and Lien giggled for her.
“I heard what happened at the warehouse. You don’t have to be ashamed of it, many would’ve acted much worse than you on that situation.” Lien spoke quietly, and Nealia shook her head subtly. “Tryden is angry with me.” She said, not even sure how she should feel about it. Lien tightened her grip on her. “Who the fuck cares what he thinks.” She said, her full lips forming a warm smile. Nealia gulped, turning to look Lien straight to her mismatched eyes. There was something magical in that look – or more likely they were both just too drunk. They looked at each other for many long seconds, until finally Lien moved closer. Gently she pushed her lips against Nealia’s, and the Bastard Princess could feel her heart beating faster and faster. Perhaps this is what I need.
Well, this certainly came out of nowhere. Nealia and Lien have hardly interacted with each other. Anyways, continuing to kiss her might create some tension between Nealia and Lien's sister. Also, I've always shipped Nealia with Illor. So, based on those reasons, I'll say.... [Tell her to stop].
Nealia
Corren moved his hand on the bottom of Nealia, expecting that he held a power over her, but she had had enough. Without giving a w… morearning, Nealia threw a punch at this slimy bastard. Corren didn’t have much time to react, but he managed to let go of Nealia and start to step away from her. The punch still hit him on his jaw, making him stagger backwards. Nealia kept clenching her fists, ready to give this asshole more punches if that would be needed.
Corren turned his gaze back to Nealia, holding his jaw with his other hand. His eyes were oozing of rage, but at the same time a twisted smirk was formed on his face. “Feisty little bitch.” He spat, letting out a mad chuckle. “Feisty, but stupid.” He continued, his voice turning more grim now. Nealia didn’t answer, she just kept staring at Corren with anger in her eyes.
“Forgive me her behavior.” Tryden spoke up with cold and calm words. “She is royalty after all, not used to your k… [view original content]
True, and it's not really even meant as a very romantic moment or anything, they are just drunk XD What comes to shipping Nealia and Illor, I understand that, and Illor certainly is onboard with you on that. Nealia however, well, she doesn't swing that way
Well, this certainly came out of nowhere. Nealia and Lien have hardly interacted with each other. Anyways, continuing to kiss her might cre… moreate some tension between Nealia and Lien's sister. Also, I've always shipped Nealia with Illor. So, based on those reasons, I'll say.... [Tell her to stop].
Nealia
Corren moved his hand on the bottom of Nealia, expecting that he held a power over her, but she had had enough. Without giving a w… morearning, Nealia threw a punch at this slimy bastard. Corren didn’t have much time to react, but he managed to let go of Nealia and start to step away from her. The punch still hit him on his jaw, making him stagger backwards. Nealia kept clenching her fists, ready to give this asshole more punches if that would be needed.
Corren turned his gaze back to Nealia, holding his jaw with his other hand. His eyes were oozing of rage, but at the same time a twisted smirk was formed on his face. “Feisty little bitch.” He spat, letting out a mad chuckle. “Feisty, but stupid.” He continued, his voice turning more grim now. Nealia didn’t answer, she just kept staring at Corren with anger in her eyes.
“Forgive me her behavior.” Tryden spoke up with cold and calm words. “She is royalty after all, not used to your k… [view original content]
Well I am pretty surprised here as well since I figured that Illor and Nealia were close to getting together but I suppose if this is what Nealia wants then she may as well [Keep kissing her] I may change my vote though if I think of a way that this decision affects Nealia negatively.
Nealia
Corren moved his hand on the bottom of Nealia, expecting that he held a power over her, but she had had enough. Without giving a w… morearning, Nealia threw a punch at this slimy bastard. Corren didn’t have much time to react, but he managed to let go of Nealia and start to step away from her. The punch still hit him on his jaw, making him stagger backwards. Nealia kept clenching her fists, ready to give this asshole more punches if that would be needed.
Corren turned his gaze back to Nealia, holding his jaw with his other hand. His eyes were oozing of rage, but at the same time a twisted smirk was formed on his face. “Feisty little bitch.” He spat, letting out a mad chuckle. “Feisty, but stupid.” He continued, his voice turning more grim now. Nealia didn’t answer, she just kept staring at Corren with anger in her eyes.
“Forgive me her behavior.” Tryden spoke up with cold and calm words. “She is royalty after all, not used to your k… [view original content]
Comments
Voting is closed! Also, looks like we've got 1K comments
Gwendis will tell Aisha what she saw. It certainly wasn't just some random nightmare, and Aisha should be an expert on this stuff, so probably a wise choice.
The next part will continue Myke's storyline. The last time we saw him he woke up at Waylan Trot's farm, having a lot of pain in his head from the riot that took place in Gravesend at the end of Myke's Chapter 1 storyline. Myke was told that he was saved by Raina Serviene and a young guardsman named Alan. The rioters had taken over Gravesend and killed Septon Kevan, but Ser Joran, Raina, Alan, Commander Brennin Kell, the traveling merchant Walter Oakley and his wife Autumn and sister Quinn had all survived and found their way to Waylan, who had kept them safe and fed for two weeks now. Joran made clear to Myke that he thinks it's useless to keep searching for Kortney, and they should rather help Brennin take back Gravesend. You voted for Myke to say that he'll keep searching for Kortney.
The part should be ready today or tomorrow.
Happy 1000 comments! The past 1000 have been an amazing ride and this story keeps getting more and more incredible. It has become one of my favourite stories on here almost instantly and nothing has changed about that in the months that followed. Here's to the next 1000 and to the hopefully many that will follow
On another note, I noticed a pattern in Myke's storyline. In the last castle he was, which was Nightsong, he got tasked with finding the missing daughter of the ruler. Now, he arrives at Blackmont, where another noble daughter just ran off. He seems to be drawn to that sort of tragedy. Honestly, nothing against Myke, he's great, but that guy should stay the hell away from Skyreach, or else I have to be worried about Isabella as well XD
Myke
”No, Joran.” Myke said. His voice was calm and tired, but it still made clear that he meant what he said. “You can go your way… Help Brennin and the others, take back Gravesend. I understand you, and if the situation was different I’d do the same as you.” Myke paused, feeling the pain in his head again. “I’ve lost enough for three fucking lifetimes, Joran. It’s high time I find something. I’ll keep searching for Kortney, until my death if I have to.”
Silence lingered in the room, and the way Joran looked at Myke was filled with both anger and admiration. “You are one bullheaded bastard, Ser Myke of the Marches.” He spoke with a calm voice, a touch of amusement in his words.
“Don’t use that title.” Myke muttered, and Joran let out a chuckle. “Fuck you, Myke.” He replied with warm tone, a grin on his face. Myke flashed him a smile, though the pain quickly wiped it off.
“Are you sure you don’t want more of the medicament?” The farmer Waylan Trot asked with a concerned tone on his voice. Myke shook his head. “I’ve already wasted enough of it.” He replied weakly. “I wouldn’t mind something to eat though.”
“Well, we are having a dinner soon.” The farmer stated. “Feel like you could join us? Or will I bring you something here?”
Myke moved his feet out of the bed, trying to put some weight on them. “Yeah, I think I can join you.” He said with a sigh. However, as he stood up the pain in his legs got worse, so much that it made him cringe. Then the pain went away, only to be replaced by another wave of pain in his head – right where the hammer had hit him. For a moment his eyes were blurred by it, but he managed to stay on his feet. He took in a deep breath, and turned his gaze up. Both Waylan and Joran looked at him with concerned expressions.
“I’m fine.” Myke muttered, walking past the two and out of the room with slow steps.
-
The table in the main room of the house was hardly big enough for the big group residing at Waylan’s farm. Myke sat at the end of the table, and opposing him at the other end was Brennin Kell, the commander of Gravesend’s guard. Brennin had a brooding expression on his face, making him look even older than he was. Right next to Brennin sat Ser Joran and the lanky guardsman Alan. At the middle of the table sat Walter Oakley, around him his wife Autumn, and his sister Quinn. Closest to Myke sat Waylan and Raina, who had a fresh scar running down from her forehead to cheek, passing her left eye by an inch. The farmer’s family had already eaten, so they weren’t even at the table.
The food was simple onion soup, and there wasn’t much of it for all of them, but Myke was happy to get even this. He could see a bit less satisfied expressions on Walter’s and Quinn’s faces, but they too restrained themselves from complaining.
“It’s good to see that you are doing better now.” Raina said shyly to Myke. Myke nodded to her, taking another sip of the soup. “I heard that you saved me, Raina. Actually, I even remember it – it was the last thing I saw, you killing that bastard with the hammer.” Myke spoke with a serious tone on his voice. “I’d like to say that I’m thankful for what you did… You are a brave young woman.”
“No need for the praises, old man.” Raina said with a bright smile on her face. “You saved me there too. And I couldn’t have saved you without the help of Alan and the others.” Myke nodded with a small smile. “Well, I’m thankful for all of you.” He said quietly. For a while both Myke and Raina were silent, just listening to the conversations of others around the table.
“So, after going to Blackmont, will you continue to search Lord Caron’s daughter?” Raina suddenly asked, keeping her voice down so others didn’t hear their conversation. Myke gave her a small nod. “That’s still my mission.” He said with a small sigh. “What are your plans?”
“Well, originally I was supposed to join the army of the Blackmonts, but I’m pretty sure they have already marched to war.” Raina spoke with a pondering tone. “I was considering that I’d help Brennin take back Gravesend, but it seems like you might need some help for your mission.” Myke raised an eyebrow for this.
“You’d help me find Kortney?” He asked with a surprised tone. “I can’t really pay you much, and in all honesty it’s a pretty desperate mission.”
“I know.” Raina replied strictly. “But I also know how it feels to lose your family… I can’t fix my own family anymore, but perhaps I could help in fixing someone else’s.” The young woman spoke with passionate words, and Myke let out a warm little chuckle. “I have to say I’m surprised, Raina.” He said with a small smile on his face. “But if you really are sure about this, then I’d be happy to have you as my travelling companion.”
Raina looked at Myke with joy in her bright blue eyes. “We’ll make a good team, old man.” She chirped, taking a sip of the mead.
“Friends!” Joran suddenly spoke up with a loud voice, gathering everyone’s attention. “I would like to thank Waylan, for keeping us under his roof through this hard time.” He raised up his mug as he said this, and everyone around the table followed his example. “We all saw the madness at Gravesend, but I can promise you, those murderers will soon be sent to the deepest of the seven hells.” Joran spoke with stern and decisive tone, and an agreeing murmur could be heard around the table. “Now that Myke is up on his feet again, I would like to suggest that we’d continue our travel towards Blackmont tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.” Walter Oakley said calmly, and almost everyone nodded in agreement. Joran looked at Myke with questioning eyes, so Myke also gave him an approving nod.
“Towards vengeance!” Joran yelled, getting small cheers from the people around the table.
“Towards better tomorrow.” Myke said quietly, cringing from the pain in his head, and emptying his mug.
No decision
That was a great part! I'm kind of sad that there wasn't an option to convince Joran to continue to go with Myke, but at least he won't go alone, even if I'm not sure if Raina will make as good a companion as Joran. After all, she is far younger and therefore less experienced, even if she seems like she can hold her own in a fight. But I am also curious about this Gravesend stuff that seems to be coming. With Myke continuing his mission (which I am sure was the right thing to do), it seems like we'll see a new PoV there. After all, I got the impression that all of this has gotten a bit too much build-up to happen entirely off-screen, so my guess would be that this is either Naemon's next stop after returning from Starfall, or that we'll get to see a completely new PoV there.
Nice part.
No voting to close, but I have a couple other things to post
Firstly, I've been making some good progress with the next part (should be ready during the weekend). It's a Missy PoV, being her second part in this chapter. Last time we saw her at a court session in Kingsgrave, having a heated conversation with Larry the Kind, and seeing Ser Mordekhai Crusher (aka the Skeletal Knight) bringing the head of Shana Sand to King Albin. Larry invited Missy to join him and the other freaks who would later torture some deserters of the army that had been caught and brought to the cells of Kingsgrave. Missy however decided to stay away from the freaks, which gives me an opportunity to show more of another character in Kingsgrave...
Also, I have a new portrait, this time Garrison Fowler, aka the Blind King. And speaking of Fowlers, there hasn't been an Isabella part in a while, but there should be one very soon
Missy
Missy stood at the walls of Kingsgrave, looking at the valley opening in front of her. The rocky field outside the walls of the castle had no doubt seen tens if not hundreds of battles in the past centuries. Missy wondered if there would soon be another one. The army of the Manwoodys was apparently marching the Wide Way south towards the Skyreach, but Missy had heard whispers that the Blackmonts were involved in the war as well. That could lead to Prince Arvin falling back to Kingsgrave, bringing the war with him.
Missy let out a sigh – there was nothing she could do about the war, except support the Great King in these hard and stressful times. She felt the soft wind on her face, the sun was shining, and in this moment, Missy could feel relaxed. Guards walked past her now and then, without paying much attention to her.
Finally Missy turned around, looking back towards the castle and the courtyard. Her eyes traveled to the door of the torture chambers. Right now Larry, Tom, Mordekhai and other freaks were there, no doubt doing something nasty to the prisoners. Missy knew her relationship with the freaks would be even more sour now that she didn’t even agree to spend time with them, but she also knew that she didn’t need them. I have Albin, she thought, trying to feel confident. She wished she still had Queen Sofina at her side as well, but it would be too dangerous for them to keep contact. Zereth made that clear.
Missy made her way down to the courtyard, eyeing the few people she could see there. These were the quietest days that Missy had seen in her time at Kingsgrave. Few silent guards patrolled the yard and the walls, servants could be seen on their chores now and then. Missy looked at the door of the torture chamber again, but decided to stay away from it. She turned her eyes towards the barracks.
Missy wasn’t exactly wearing her finest gown, but she still looked out of place as she approached the guard barracks. She walked right past it though, making her way to the armory next to it. She slipped in, and saw all the spears, shields and armors on the walls. She grabbed one of the spears, taking a good grip on it.
Missy closed her eyes, remembering what she had been taught long ago. She moved the spear with grace, with a style that the soldiers here in Kingsgrave had no knowledge of. They had been taught to fight in formations, thrusting their spears towards the enemy lines while trying to hide behind their own shields. Missy however had been taught differently – she had been taught to dance with the spear, fighting alone with no shield, against one or several enemies. She had never reached the level of her teacher, but she still felt strong whenever she had a spear in her hand.
“Nice moves.” Missy heard someone say behind her, and she turned around quickly, pointing her spear towards the tall man who stood at the door of the armory. Then she recognized him – it was the young Ironborn named Willem. “What are you doing here?” Missy hissed, and Willem let out a joyless chuckle.
“I could ask the same from you.” He said calmly. “I wouldn’t call this a place for a lady… Then again, you don’t seem like an ordinary lady.”
“That’s because I’m not.” Missy replied with a serious tone. “You however… You vowed to fight for the Great King, yet you have not marched to the war with his army.” A cold smirk appeared on Willem’s pale face.
“Me and Salladhor never came here to fight for Albin, I thought you had figured that out by now.” He said, taking a couple steps closer to Missy, who stared at him with narrowed eyes. “You mentioned Carsen earlier.” Missy remembered. “But like Tom told you, he’s not here anymore.”
“I know.” Willem said smoothly, his hungry eyes observing the body of Missy. “But before I continue to search for that son of a whore, I need to be sure about where he is now.” Missy let out a sigh, still clenching to the spear. Just in case.
“What in seven hells has Carsen even done to you?” Missy asked with a lazy tone. “It must have been something pretty bad, to make an Ironborn travel all the way to Dorne just to get revenge.” Willem nodded to this – his lips formed a small smirk, but his green eyes were dead serious. “It was pretty bad indeed, Missy.” He said quietly, almost whispering. “Carsen raped and murdered my sister.” Missy could see grief surfacing in Willem’s eyes, but it was soon replaced by anger. “My Lord Father didn’t give a shit about it, so it fell on me to avenge my sweet sister.”
“Your Lord Father… So, you are noble?” Missy asked quietly, and Willem nodded. “I am the bastard son of Lord Garvy Saltcliffe. I am Willem Pyke, or as some like to call me, the Drowned Bastard.” Missy could spot the deep-rooted anger in the young man’s words, and she gulped. “And why do they call you that?” She asked, keeping her voice calm.
“It’s quite a simple story.” Willem replied with a small sigh. “When I was six, my dear father tried to drown me into a bucket of water.” He said, anger oozing from his words. “He thought he succeeded, but couple minutes later I woke up from the floor, coughing and vomiting the water out of my lungs. Garvy thought that meant I was a tough one, and decided that I deserve to live. He still treated me like shit, but every time he hit me he remembered to mention that he respected how tough and resilient I was.”
“I’m… Sorry to hear this.” Missy said with uncertain words, but Willem shook his head. “No you are not, and I don’t care about that.” He spoke sternly. For a moment the armory was filled with an awkward silence. “There is something fascinating about you." Willem finally spoke up. "I can see the strength that you try to hide from the world. I think you are a wolf in sheep’s clothing, dear Missy.”
“You think you know me?” Missy asked with quiet but tense tone. The Ironborn bastard raised his eyebrow, studying Missy’s face with his eyes. “Perhaps not, but I know that you are more than just a broken girl, enslaved by a petty king.” He spoke with a calm and casual tone, and Missy moved the tip of the spear closer to him.
“You shouldn’t speak of the Great King in that manner.” She said nervously, but Willem didn’t show fear. Instead a small grin was formed on his face again. “I speak of him however the fuck I please, because I am free. And you know what, Missy? You could be free as well.” Willem took another step closer, pushing the tip of the spear away with his hand. “Would you like to be free?” He asked quietly, his intense gaze making Missy feel uncomfortable.
[Yes] [No] [Stay quiet]
[Yes]
Well, this is mostly because I wish for Missy to be free. I don't want her to fully submit to Albin's reign over her. I think at some point she has to make it clear to herself that she does not belong to Kingsgrave. I do not know wether to trust Willem or not, but I am willing to trust him more than most, if not all other characters in Kingsgrave. After all, he is not really a part of Kingsgrave, he is an independent, without any genuine loyalty to Albin, so I don't think he has any motivation to reveal her true thoughts to him. Who knows, at best this even offers a chance for her to gain a new ally.
[Yes]
[Yes]
[Yes] I am wanting to see Missy slowly start breaking away from Albin if possible. I think saying yes is the best choice largely because I believe Missy needs to have an ally in Kingsgrave and from the look of things, she could very well gain that here.
[Yes]
Even though, I feel like Missy would not believe herself to be "imprisoned" at this point. It would be nice for her to have an ally at court. Plus the no and stay quiet options aren't going to win anyway.
Voting is closed!
Missy will say yes, she wants to be free. As you said this could be a chance to make an ally, but it's also basically Missy admitting to herself that she is a slave of Albin, and that it isn't what she really wants. This might affect on her behavior on the future.
Next part will be Isabella PoV. This brings us back to Skyreach, which is currently preparing to war. The most important thing to remember from the last time we saw Isabella is that she chose to remain loyal to her father, accepting her betrothal to Naemon. Now we know of course that this betrothal didn't happen, but instead Benedict proposed Gwendis to marry Prince Desmor. Well, now we know that probably isn't going to happen either
However, knowledge of Gwendis running from Blackmont has not reached Skyreach yet.
-
And this time I have a portrait of Willem Pyke, aka the Drowned Bastard
Isabella
Isabella looked at her brother Desmor in the courtyard, sparring in his shining silver armor with one of the recruited soldiers. He made the soldier yield, and commanded the next one to try their luck. Isabella let out a sigh. For a while now she had wanted to have a conversation with her brother, about his coming marriage, but it seemed almost like he was avoiding her, always finding something else to do.
After a while Desmor finally stopped training the troops, and started walking towards the armory. Isabella ran to him with haste, stopping him just before he reached the doors.
“Desmor!” She said, still catching her breath, and her brother stopped with a sigh. “What is it, Bella?” He asked tiredly. Isabella considered her words for a couple seconds, and the expression on Desmor’s face grew more and more impatient.
“We… Need to talk.” She said clumsily, and the Prince raised an eyebrow. “What is there to talk?” He asked with a lazy and dismissive tone, but Isabella didn’t give up.
“About the marriage.” She said calmly. “I know it’s bothering you, and I know you are not going to talk about it to father, so talk to me.” Isabella had an almost pleading tone on her words, but her brother’s expression stayed cold.
“There are more important things to worry about.” Desmor muttered, avoiding eye contact with his sister. “War is on our doorsteps.” He stated, and Isabella nodded calmly. “It is, and your marriage to Gwendis holds key importance.” Though Isabella spoke these words softly, they still hardened the expression on Desmor’s face.
“Have you come to repeat me father’s lectures?” He asked with strict and angered tone. “Did he send you?”
“No.” Isabella answered strongly. “I am here because I know how you feel, I was in the same situation.” She tried to explain, but Desmor just let out a sigh and shook his head.
“I should be out there, holding the Wide Way against the Manwoodys, yet I must hide and wait here because of my key importance.” The Prince spoke with frustration, bitter gaze in his eyes.
“Ferris and Ser Russal will do fine on the Wide Way, besides we need men here too.” Isabella tried to comfort her brother, but he didn’t seem to care. “Was there something else?” He asked with cold and quiet voice. Isabella closed her eyes and shook her head quietly, and so her brother walked past her to the armory.
-
Isabella walked to the gardens, knowing her father would be there. As she arrived, she was welcomed by Ser Soren Ashford, who stood in guard of the entrance.
“My Princess.” Ser Soren greeted her with a small bow. “I assume you came to meet your father?” He asked with his friendly and polite tone. “Yes. He is here, right?” She asked, her voice a bit weary but still polite. Ser Soren gave her a firm nod and pointed towards the gardens, where Isabella could now see King Garrison sitting, with him a young woman and a small child. They were Prince Ferris’ wife Dana, and their three-year-old son, Prince Matthos.
“Thank you, Ser Soren.” Isabella said quietly, and walked past the knight, approaching her father. As Dana saw her coming a small friendly smile was formed on her face, though Isabella could still spot the anxiousness in her eyes. The father of her child had marched to war, so Isabella understood her fear completely.
“Bella!” Matthos yelled enthusiastically, which also brought a wide smile to Garrison’s face. “Good day, little prince.” Isabella greeted her nephew warmly, stroking his beautiful blonde hair. “Good day father, Lady Dana.” She said as she turned her eyes to Garrison and Dana again, and they both nodded to her.
“I am glad you decided to join us, Isabella.” Garrison said with his calm and soft voice. “During such stressful times it is good to spend time with family.” The King continued.
“If only Desmor would understand that.” Isabella said with a sigh. “I tried to speak with him but he seems so… Cold and frustrated.” Garrison nodded to his daughter’s words, calm expression on his face. “We all have our ways to deal with hard moments in our life.” He replied gently, empty look in his blind eyes. “You must give time for your brother, Bella.” As Garrison spoke, Matthos grabbed Isabella from the dress.
“Do you know when will father come back?” He asked with an innocent look in his eyes, and Isabella could only quietly shake her head as an answer.
“We already talked about this, Matt.” Dana said to her son, a touch of grief in her words. “Father will come back soon enough. You don’t have to worry about him.” The little prince turned his eyes down, clearly missing his father.
For a moment the garden was silent, until something came to Isabella’s mind. “I’m surprised that Aunt Obara isn’t here with you… Where is she exactly?” She asked, and Garrison let out a quiet chuckle. “She left early this morning, with some haste. Apparently, she is worried about the safety of her keep and wanted to bring all her men back there to defend it.” Garrison paused and let out a sigh before continuing. “Before she left she once more tried to persuade me to propose you for the Yronwoods. I said no, of course.”
“I see.” Isabella said calmly, wondering why was Obara so hellbent on getting her married to the Yronwoods. “Speaking of proposals”, Garrison spoke up again, “Do you feel like you could have a conversation about your future marriage yet, or is the rejection of King Benedict still too fresh in your mind?” The King asked this with soft tone. “We could still perhaps try to form an alliance with the Daynes, or try to better our relationship with the Drinkwaters of Oasis Castle. What do you think, dear Bella?”
Isabella knew her father probably had again many ideas that could help his kingdom in this war, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to think about being married off yet. Then again, this could be a chance for her to bring up the possibility to marry Jamison.
[Say that you don't want to talk about it yet] [Hear his suggestions] [Suggest Jamison]
[Suggest Jamison]
You know what, it is worth a try. The only reason I was against it the first time this came up was that I was afraid not going for Naemon would screw over House Blackmont. Now that neither Blackmont is going to marry a Fowler, there is no reason not to try and give Isabella what she wants. The Drinkwaters might be useful allies, but so would the Daynes and unlike last time this choice came up, this time no house is going to be in trouble by not getting an alliance with the Fowlers. Even better, an alliance with the Daynes might involve them even stronger in this war against Albin Manwoody, therefore strengthening House Fowler and Blackmont alike. And well, at the very least this could be Isabella's best chance to get what she truly wants and after learning a bit more about Jamison's feelings on her, I do ship them. So, I see no downside to the suggestion.
[Suggest Jamison] At this point, it is the best and potentially only chance for Isabella to suggest Jamison so I can't pass this up
Jamison was no doubt at a political disadvantage the first time this choice came up since he is not the heir for his kingdom. Now however I definitely see Jamison as a better choice politically at least compared to the Drinkwaters who I am thinking are Blackmont bannerman but I am not entirely sure. Regardless of that even, Isabella does want to marry Jamison and it certainly does not hurt for her to at least try and make it happen. I am also really intrigued to hear what Garrison would have to say about the possibility of her marrying Jamison but overall I also see no harm in suggesting it to Garrison and who knows? It could happen!
The Drinkwaters of Oasis Castle are Fowler bannerman, and the Drinkwaters of Vulture's Roost are independent but have often been in alliance with Blackmonts (Ser Kegan is brother of the Lord of Vulture's Roost). But yeah, it could indeed be that alliance with the Daynes is a better option
[Suggest Jamison]
[Suggest Jamison]
[Suggest Jamison]
Great part!
[Suggest Jamison]
My bad, my phone did not show this page. Sorry bout that.
But still, great part!
Thanks
Also, nice to see new readers! Welcome, welcome.
Haha, funnily enough I didn't even notice at first that your earlier comment wasn't to this part
Yeah, my phone just didn't wanna show me the rest of the pages. XD
Voting is closed!
Isabella will suggest Jamison as a husband candidate to herself, to Garrison. We'll see if this indeed is the chance for Isabella to marry her crush
Anyway, the next part is almost ready, I will most likely post it later today. It is a Dalia PoV, and continues the journey of the Wild Suns - a sellsword company that is on its way to help the Drylands in the war. If you have forgot, Dalia is the bastard daughter of King Lucifer Dryland. Last time we saw her, she and her army were sailing up the Brimstone, towards the town of Brimstone Well, where they were planning to come ashore and continue on foot. We saw a glimpse of Dalia's ex-lover Mizro the Sharp, who is also the father of their daughter Desirea, who we also saw. Desirea is thirteen years old child, but she is also a priestess of R'hllor. As we met her she was reading a book about the sorcerers of the Great Other. Dalia had a little conversation with her, and Desi asked if Dalia would promise to separate from her army if her daughter's mysterious mission demanded it. You voted Dalia not to promise that. With the new part we will continue from the Wild Suns arriving to Brimstone Well, and you'll get to see the commanders and captains of this army.
Dalia
It was midday, the blazing Dornish sun was shining from the clear blue sky, and Dalia Sand stood on the docks of Brimstone Well, watching her army coming ashore. Desirea had already made her way to the town with her father Mizro. Beside Dalia stood her personal guard of twenty warriors of R’hllor, who were all clad in light black armors and crimson capes. She saw Captain Marduk, a hot-tempered and one-eyed man on his mid-thirties, bringing the horses to the shore with his men. Right next to him marched the disciplined force of over hundred Unsullied, led by their commander Red Maggot. A little behind them came the small unit of Ghiscari raiders in their light armors, many of them dual wielding arakhs or short swords. They were led by a former pit fighter named Iznein Ironheart.
On another direction Dalia saw Khazor the Sarnori with his elite guard of some thirty warriors clad in heavy steel armors and golden spider silk capes, armed with battle axes. Khazor himself was a tall and handsome man on his early thirties, always a stern look on his dark eyes. He wore an armor similar to his elite guard’s, except with some extra decorations. Behind the elite guard came rest of Khazor’s men – the Bloodfangs. They were around two hundred lightly armored men from Slaver’s Bay, Kingdom of Sarnor, Qohor and Norvos, wielding spears, swords and arakhs. A little less than two years ago when Dalia, Mizro and Khazor had decided to unite their forces after a hard battle in Volantis, Khazor had at first demanded the role of the leader of the company. Only after Mizro decided to back up Dalia did the Sarnori give up and settle with being a commander of only his own troops.
Next to Khazor’s troops marched the newest addition to the Wild Suns – a little over hundred Tyroshi sellswords. Their captain was a young man named Haridos Fyllah, and his warriors sported flashy and colorful armors, and mostly fought with scimitars and arakhs. They were skilled troops, though not the most disciplined.
Lastly Dalia could see captains Zara, Yohn Redfort and Jaqyllo coming ashore, bringing with them hundreds of pikemen, swordsmen and archers. The army was forming up to the docks, their eyes towards Dalia. Khazor made his way to her, the usual stern gaze in his eyes.
“What is the plan?” He asked with his deep voice. Dalia considered for a couple seconds before giving her answer. “We’ll stay the night here, and start our march towards Hellgate Hall tomorrow.” She spoke with calm but decisive tone, and Khazor gave her a small nod. “Inform the men to make a camp next to the town, and invite commanders and captains to the tavern – we’ll have a war council tonight.” Dalia ordered the Sarnori.
“Understood.” He replied sternly, and proceeded to command the troops. Dalia took one more look at her army, before making her way inside the town.
-
The town was quiet, apparently most of the people had been called to arms and marched to war. Only few guards could be seen here and there – mostly old men and young boys. The women and children watched from the windows of the houses made of sandstone as Dalia marched through the streets with her guard. Finally, she arrived to the tavern. Her guards stayed outside as she stepped inside.
Dalia could immediately spot Mizro and Desirea on one of the tables, as they were almost the only customers. Desi had a slightly gloomy look on her beautiful dark eyes, and Mizro who sat next to her was sipping ale with a calm expression on his face. After Dalia had not promised to separate from the army if Desi’s mission demanded it, the young Red Priestess had been on a quiet mood. Desi was a smart young girl and understood Dalia’s reasoning, but it was still clear that she wasn’t happy about her mother’s answer.
Dalia sat down to the table, and Mizro moved one of his two pints to her. “I got you covered.” He said with a smirk. “Thanks.” Dalia replied lazily, taking a sip of the ale. She turned her eyes towards her daughter, who kept her gaze on the surface of the table.
“Desi…” Dalia started with a touch of uncertainty in her words, but had to stop because she wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m okay.” Desirea said quietly after a moment of silence. Dalia nodded with a gulp, quickly glancing at Mizro, who only gave her a subtle shrug.
“Your mission… Do you know yet where exactly will it take you from here?” Dalia asked softly, and Desi let out a small sigh and shook her head. “The flames will tell me in time.” She said quietly, closing her eyes for a moment. “But for now I’ll follow the army to Hellgate Hall.” Dalia was happy to hear this, and she couldn’t help but smile. She dreaded the day that she might have to separate from her daughter. Hopefully that day will never come.
“We’ll leave in the morning, I assume?” Mizro’s tone was casual, and he looked at Dalia with questioning gaze. “Yeah.” The Wild Sun answered with a sigh. “And we’ll have a war council later today with the commanders.”
“And why is that?” Mizro asked with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, it’s not like there is much to council about marching to Hellgate Hall.”
“It’s mostly just to drink, have some fun, and raise the morale of our commanders.” Dalia answered with a small smirk, and Mizro chuckled. “I see.” He said smoothly. “And what about the troops?”
“I guess we could bring some ale to the camp as well.” Dalia replied lazily. “And whores, if there are any in this miserable little town.” She added, and Mizro nodded with a playful smile on his wolfish face.
-
In terms of food the tavern didn’t have much to offer, just some fish soup, bread, beans and olives, but at least there was plenty of ale for all of them. The long table was full of chatting and laughter, and Dalia was slowly starting to get drunk. She sat at the end of the table, and right next to her sat Marduk and Red Maggot. They were perhaps not the most cheerful of the company, and the Commander of the Unsullied hardly even drank, but even they seemed to be enjoying the night.
In the middle of the table was Khazor, around him Iznein Ironheart, Haridos Fyllah and Jaqyllo. Even if Khazor himself was almost completely sober, this section of the table was clearly the loudest. Iznein and Haridos kept debating on who would win in a duel, and Jaqyllo kept singing Braavosi drinking songs, while Khazor watched this all with his usual stern gaze.
At the other end of the table sat Mizro, next to him captains Zara and Yohn Redfort. Obviously, Dalia couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but they seemed to be on a cheerful mood as well. Desirea had already went to bed, and Dalia was thankful of that.
“They make good soup here.” Red Maggot stated calmly, a serious look in his light brown eyes. He was on his late twenties, trained to be a warrior from the age of three. He was not the strongest or fastest soldier on the Wild Suns, but probably the most loyal. If Dalia would now order him to cut his own throat, he would.
“I’ve had better.” Marduk replied, his words slurring a bit, the look on his one brown eye hovering around the room, and ale draining down his bushy beard. He was a former knight of House Durrandon, but some incident with other stag knights over five years ago had made him flee Westeros and start life as a sellsword. “The ale is good though!” He yelled, and Red Maggot raised an eyebrow.
“I never learn why everyone like it so much.” The Unsullied spoke with his broken Common Tongue, and Marduk let out a drunken little laugh. “You have a lot to learn, eunuch!” He barked, but Red Maggot just furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
“We all enjoy different things, don’t we?” Dalia joined the conversation, making both Marduk and Red Maggot turn their eyes toward her. “You are correct, General.” Red Maggot replied with submissive tone, while Marduk emptied another mug of ale.
“Sure, but man is not a real man if he doesn’t drink ale!” He yelled with a grin on his face, putting the empty mug back on the table with a thump. Dalia rolled her eyes and decided not to answer.
“By the way, was there any particular reason for this meeting?” Marduk asked, which brought something to Dalia’s mind. “Thanks for reminding, Marduk.” She said quietly, and stood up from her chair. “Everyone listen!” The Wild Sun boomed, and the room was quiet in matter of seconds.
“Tomorrow we start our march towards Hellgate Hall,” She started with calm but commanding tone, “But I need one of you to ride ahead of the rest of us, as a messenger, to let my father know that we come as allies.” Dalia let her gaze travel through the table, eyeing the more or less drunken faces. “Is there anyone here who would like to take this task?”
At first, only Mizro raised his hand, though the expression on his face told that even he wasn’t particularly thrilled of the mission. Then Khazor lazily raised his hand up, and finally Marduk did so too. “I’m ready for whatever mission my general commands.” He slurred, and Dalia smiled subtly. Looks like I have to make a choice.
[Send Mizro] [Send Khazor] [Send Marduk]
[Send Mizro]
Hm.... I don't know who is going to be the worst choice here. Obviously, I want to screw Dalia and her company over by picking the worst option for every single one of my choices for her, as this might open a way to save Gwendis' life, but here, I think that it could be beneficial for my goals if the Wild Suns actually get this alliance with Lucifer. First of all, this means they have a chance to die in the war against House Martell, which is very good. Second, if they are preoccupied with fighting, they won't be able to help Desi in her mission, which is obviously even better. They don't have to all die, as long as they just stay the hell away from Gwendis. So, I'm going to choose the one that I see as the best suited for initiating the first contact with Lucifer. Marduk has been described as hot-tempered, so he is more likely to clash with the similarly hot-tempered Lucifer, while Khazor is someone I don't trust exactly, not after it has been mentioned that he basically had to be forced to accept Dalia as his leader. Therefore, I see Mizro as the most reliable choice here. Hopefully, this will lead to problems for Dalia in the long run, because I want her to remain on the wrong side of this conflict for as long as possible. The less men she has to support Desi, the better.
[Send Mizro] MIzro seems like the safest choice here to make sure that Lucifer knows that Dalia and the Wild Suns are coming as allies.
[Send Mizro]
[Send Mizro]
[Send Mizro]
Not sure, but after reading what Liquid said. I guess I'm in.
Another great part!
Nevermind this reply. I accidentally put my choice under Liquid's post and it wouldn't let me delete it. Only edit it. Anyways, my choice is where it is suppose to be now.
[Send Mizro]
Probably the one who is the best choice for making this alliance happen.
Voting is closed!
Dalia will send Mizro as a messenger to Hellgate Hall. The alliance will probably happen anyway, it's very unlikely that Lucifer would turn down 1000 men of reinforcements. However, this choice is sort of deciding what kind of first impression does Dalia give of her company.
The next part is probably around 50% done, and I might be able to post it today. It's a Nealia PoV, continuing from the sticky situation in abandoned warehouse at the docks of Salt Shore. Tryden had arranged a meeting with one of the Bandit Lord's men there, agreeing to only bring five soldiers with him - Nealia, Illor, Manda, Broden and Jacke. The Bandit Lord's man, Corren, however did not respect the agreement and brought more than a dozen men, many of them armed with crossbows. Corren proved himself to be a hard one to find common ground with, and acted like an asshole, going as far as groping Nealia. Nealia did not take that bullshit, and decided to punch Corren. We'll see now how does that go down.
-
Oh, and I also have two more portraits, related to the earlier part: Dalia's two most important commanders, Mizro the Sharp (on the left) and Khazor the Sarnori.
Nealia
Corren moved his hand on the bottom of Nealia, expecting that he held a power over her, but she had had enough. Without giving a warning, Nealia threw a punch at this slimy bastard. Corren didn’t have much time to react, but he managed to let go of Nealia and start to step away from her. The punch still hit him on his jaw, making him stagger backwards. Nealia kept clenching her fists, ready to give this asshole more punches if that would be needed.
Corren turned his gaze back to Nealia, holding his jaw with his other hand. His eyes were oozing of rage, but at the same time a twisted smirk was formed on his face. “Feisty little bitch.” He spat, letting out a mad chuckle. “Feisty, but stupid.” He continued, his voice turning more grim now. Nealia didn’t answer, she just kept staring at Corren with anger in her eyes.
“Forgive me her behavior.” Tryden spoke up with cold and calm words. “She is royalty after all, not used to your kind of… men.” There was a slight touch of disgust in the way Tryden pronounced the last word. Corren turned towards him, still holding his jaw. “Well you better teach the bitch some manners.” He barked, turning his back to them. “You know, I could have her killed right now if I wanted.” He continued quietly, and Nealia reacted with unsheathing both of her swords. “You may bloody well try.” She hissed, which made Corren turn towards her again. The skinny man narrowed his eyes as he glared at Nealia, but it wasn’t him who made the next move.
Tryden grabbed Nealia from her left arm. “Enough.” He said strictly, a dead serious look in his brown eyes. “Go back there.” He said with quiet but commanding tone, making a gesture with his head towards the door where Manda, Jacke and Broden stood – all of them clearly tensed up of the situation. “And put your swords away.” Tryden added coldly, as he let go of Nealia.
Nealia gulped, her anger was being replaced by shame and embarrassment. What she had just done was reckless, and with worse luck it could’ve got them all killed. She sheathed her swords and let her gaze fall to the floor. “I’m sorry.” She mumbled as she turned away. She approached Manda, who was holding tight to her longbow.
“Well, well, looks like the bitch can behave after all!” Nealia heard Corren blustering, while she arrived next to Manda. She let out a sigh, trying to calm down. “I was ready to put an arrow through the fucker’s throat.” Manda whispered to her with her strong accent, which brought a small smile to Nealia’s face. It died quickly though, when Corren opened his mouth again. “Tryden, Tryden.” He said with mockery in his words. “You know you haven’t given me the best impression so far.”
“Let’s just get over with this bullshit.” Tryden replied with frustrated tone. “Your Bandit Lord needs help on his rebellion, we are here to offer it.” For a moment silence lingered in the dimly lit warehouse, until finally Corren let out a deep sigh. “I guess we could find some use for you.” He said with a lazy tone. “Though you must understand that I’m the one in charge, not you.”
“Sure, you are in charge.” Tryden agreed calmly, and Corren let out a chuckle, opening his arms theatrically. “Well this is a pleasant surprise!” He yelled with amused tone. “A Reachman bastard who actually knows his place… Perhaps you aren’t as bad as your reputation after all, Tryden Flowers.”
Tryden narrowed his eyes, but settled to giving a small nod. “So, what happens next?” He asked shortly, and Corren took a couple steps closer to him, an arrogant smirk on his face. “This meeting is over, bastard.” He said quietly. “Bring your men tomorrow to the east gates and we’ll start our journey together.” With these words the skinny man turned away, ordered his men to exit from the backdoor, and followed them out.
Only after Corren had closed the door behind him did Tryden turn, and Illor who still stood next to him followed his example. Without any words Tryden walked past Jacke, Broden, Manda and Nealia, not even giving a glance at any of them. Illor followed behind his leader, though he at least made a short but sympathetic eye contact with Nealia.
-
Nealia sat alone on the corner table of the tavern. She had emptied four mugs of ale – at this point she didn’t even care about the taste anymore. Her blurry gaze traveled through the taproom. Tryden and Illor sat at one of the tables, speaking to each other quietly, serious looks on their faces. Around another table was Broden, Jacke and at least five other men, making toasts and singing cheerfully. There were several tables with just as cheerful people around them. Then there was the table where Manda, Lien Yu and Ying Yu sat. They looked to be enjoying the night as well, even if Lien was the only one of them who kept laughing and speaking loudly. Manda sometimes smiled or chuckled to her jokes, while Ying kept her calm expression on. Nealia knew she could be with them, but she was too sad, she didn’t want to spoil their evening.
Nealia took a gulp from her fifth mug, and turned her gaze to the table, letting out a long and tired sigh. The Bastard Princess sat there in silence, closing herself from the world around her, until finally she heard a sweet voice calling her name. “Nealia!” It said, and slowly she raised her gaze, seeing Lien approaching her with a small smile on her face. “Nealia, you don’t have to sit here alone.” The YiTish woman said as she sat down next to her.
“Yes, I do.” She replied quietly. “I fucked up.” Lien let out a drunken little chuckle for this. “Don’t we all sometimes?” She asked with comforting tone, putting her arm around Nealia, and Nealia could feel heat raising to her cheeks. “Damn, I haven’t been this drunk in a while.” She mumbled, and Lien giggled for her.
“I heard what happened at the warehouse. You don’t have to be ashamed of it, many would’ve acted much worse than you on that situation.” Lien spoke quietly, and Nealia shook her head subtly. “Tryden is angry with me.” She said, not even sure how she should feel about it. Lien tightened her grip on her. “Who the fuck cares what he thinks.” She said, her full lips forming a warm smile. Nealia gulped, turning to look Lien straight to her mismatched eyes. There was something magical in that look – or more likely they were both just too drunk. They looked at each other for many long seconds, until finally Lien moved closer. Gently she pushed her lips against Nealia’s, and the Bastard Princess could feel her heart beating faster and faster. Perhaps this is what I need.
[Keep kissing her] [Tell her to stop]
Well, this certainly came out of nowhere. Nealia and Lien have hardly interacted with each other. Anyways, continuing to kiss her might create some tension between Nealia and Lien's sister. Also, I've always shipped Nealia with Illor. So, based on those reasons, I'll say.... [Tell her to stop].
True, and it's not really even meant as a very romantic moment or anything, they are just drunk XD What comes to shipping Nealia and Illor, I understand that, and Illor certainly is onboard with you on that. Nealia however, well, she doesn't swing that way
Hmm, I did not see that coming at all. Really... oh well, I need time to decide about vote. xD
Well I am pretty surprised here as well since I figured that Illor and Nealia were close to getting together but I suppose if this is what Nealia wants then she may as well [Keep kissing her] I may change my vote though if I think of a way that this decision affects Nealia negatively.