Emerson
Emerson rode down the Iron Street, where the sound of hammering from the forges of blacksmiths filled the air. He was on his way … moreto the Western Gate of the city of Godsgrace, also known as the Iron Gate. Emerson was soon going to be welcoming a royal guest, but his thoughts dwelled on Esperence and Morgan. He had kept his cousin’s secrets from Morgan, but he was still unsure if he could really trust her.
Next to Emerson rode his younger cousin Emmett, who had a serious and proud expression on his puffy face. He was always very proud to represent his house, especially since Morgan often prevented him from doing it, hiding him away in shame of his disabilities. However, now Morgan had specifically commanded both Emerson and Emmett to welcome the guests, and Emerson couldn’t help but think that the Lord may have intended it as an insult towards these visitors.
Soon Emerson, Emmett and the dozen city guardsmen that rode with them… [view original content]
Emerson
Emerson rode down the Iron Street, where the sound of hammering from the forges of blacksmiths filled the air. He was on his way … moreto the Western Gate of the city of Godsgrace, also known as the Iron Gate. Emerson was soon going to be welcoming a royal guest, but his thoughts dwelled on Esperence and Morgan. He had kept his cousin’s secrets from Morgan, but he was still unsure if he could really trust her.
Next to Emerson rode his younger cousin Emmett, who had a serious and proud expression on his puffy face. He was always very proud to represent his house, especially since Morgan often prevented him from doing it, hiding him away in shame of his disabilities. However, now Morgan had specifically commanded both Emerson and Emmett to welcome the guests, and Emerson couldn’t help but think that the Lord may have intended it as an insult towards these visitors.
Soon Emerson, Emmett and the dozen city guardsmen that rode with them… [view original content]
Haha, Jamison's really trying to be as much of a jerk as possible here and I love it It's clear to me that he and Emerson won't get along any better anytime soon. But it has certainly been intriguing to see him like this, to get a first-hand view on the effect he has on others.
[Go to Esperence's meeting]
Ah, this is a hard one. I am not sure if I am so curious about Esperence's meeting that I am willing to play her game, but I can't deny that I am curious. Since we will see Morgan's meeting through Jamison's PoV, this might be our only chance to learn more about Esperence's plans. And every hint can count there, because whatever game she is playing, I am not sure if I like it. Maybe this way, Emerson will have a chance to react if she plans anything dangerous rather than getting surprised by it. I'm sure we'll have more Emerson/Jamison interaction soon either way, so I don't think going to Morgan's meeting will be all that beneficial.
Emerson
Emerson rode down the Iron Street, where the sound of hammering from the forges of blacksmiths filled the air. He was on his way … moreto the Western Gate of the city of Godsgrace, also known as the Iron Gate. Emerson was soon going to be welcoming a royal guest, but his thoughts dwelled on Esperence and Morgan. He had kept his cousin’s secrets from Morgan, but he was still unsure if he could really trust her.
Next to Emerson rode his younger cousin Emmett, who had a serious and proud expression on his puffy face. He was always very proud to represent his house, especially since Morgan often prevented him from doing it, hiding him away in shame of his disabilities. However, now Morgan had specifically commanded both Emerson and Emmett to welcome the guests, and Emerson couldn’t help but think that the Lord may have intended it as an insult towards these visitors.
Soon Emerson, Emmett and the dozen city guardsmen that rode with them… [view original content]
The result is clear, Emerson will go to Esperence's meeting. This might indeed be a good way to get more knowledge on what exactly is Esperence planning, as well as perhaps winning her trust. Morgan however might not be entirely pleased, even if skipping the meeting with the Daynes won't be something that he would consider a major offense. Anyway, I'm quite pleased with this choice, simply because it gives me the possibility to show both of these meetings
I've been writing the next part and made some good progress, and it will be a Dalia PoV. As a reminder, Dalia Sand is the bastard daughter of King Lucifer Dryland, and the leader of the sellsword company Wild Suns, and her daughter Desirea is a priestess of R'hllor. They are marching towards Hellgate Hall to join the army of the Drylands. Last time we saw them they were in Brimstone Well, and Dalia sent Mizro the Sharp (father of Desirea) to bring the message that they are coming to King Lucifer. Now we'll skip to the moment that the Wild Suns arrive to the Hellgate Hall. The part will probably be ready tomorrow.
Dalia watched the ancient castle of Hellgate Hall, that stood next to the River of Brimstone, which ran very low here at the moment, due to the hot summer. An army had been assembled around the castle, and most of the banners displayed a black sun on a red field. It was the sigil of Dalia Sand’s father, but Dalia and the Wild Suns had it reversed.
Dalia rode to her daughter, who was protected by her two most loyal warriors from the Red Church – Vyran the Lion and Belan the Brave. Vyran was a seasoned and serious warrior on his mid-thirties, tanned man with dark hair and eyes, always sporting the fur of a lion that he once slayed. Belan was Vyran’s son, fourteen years old boy who had dedicated his life to protecting Desirea. Apparently there was some sort of prophesy related to it, but Dalia wasn’t particularly interested in it. Both Vyran and Belan gave Dalia a respectful bow as she approached them. Desirea turned her gaze to her mother, a touch of concern in her dark eyes.
“Is everything alright, Desi?” Dalia asked calmly, and Desirea gulped subtly. “I just hope they haven’t hurt father.” She replied quietly, and Dalia gave her a warm smile. “Lucifer wouldn’t hurt Mizro, don’t worry about it.” She comforted her, though in truth she couldn’t really be sure about it. It had been very long since the last time she had seen her father, and she doubted that the years had made King Lucifer softer. Hopefully they haven’t made him any worse than he already was.
“Look, commander, two messengers.” Belan spoke up, pointing towards the castle. Dalia turned around, and indeed, two men were riding towards them. As they got closer, Dalia recognized the other one – it was Mizro. However, the other one Dalia had never seen before. He was approximately the same age as Dalia, dressed in fine black clothes with white ornaments, heavily tanned skin, short black hair and full beard. This man had a charming smile on his face, and the look on his green eyes was quite engaging.
“You must be Dalia Sand.” The man stated as they arrived, and Dalia gave him a small nod. “Pleasure to meet you. My name is Lewyn Tiddle, heir to Tidmarsh.” He continued.
“I thought the Tiddles had gone extinct.” Dalia said with a raised eyebrow, and Lewyn let out a warm little chuckle. “Indeed, my father Bedwyck was merely a distant cousin of the earlier Lord, who died without an heir. So, your father, His Grace, granted my father the lordship.” Lewyn explained with his calm and smooth tone.
“I see.” Dalia replied with little interest in her voice. Then she turned her eyes to Mizro, who had a nonchalant expression on his face. “I take it you delivered the message to my father?” She asked sternly, and Mizro nodded to her. “I did indeed.” He simply answered.
“Your father is pleased to hear you have come to help him in these hard times.” Lewyn said, making Dalia raise her eyebrow. Pleased to have my army, no doubt, but what about me? Dalia decided not to ask this from Lewyn, and settled to giving him a smile and a nod. “I’m looking forward to meeting him.” She said dryly.
“And he looks forward to meeting you, my Lady.” Lewyn replied smoothly, and Dalia narrowed her eyes. This man was courteous and suave, that much was clear, but somehow he also gave a smarmy vibe to Dalia. She turned towards her daughter again.
“Would you like to come, Desi?” Dalia asked, but before she could answer Mizro spoke up. “I think it’s better if she stays with me.” He said, a meaningful look in his sharp blue eyes. “With you?” Dalia asked with slight confusion. “You are not coming to the castle then?”
“Someone has to stay and put up the camp.” He answered with a small smirk on his face. “Besides, I think I spent enough time with your father already.” Dalia wasn’t sure what Mizro meant with this, but she gave her a slow nod. “So be it.” She said with a sigh.
“Shall we go then?” Lewyn asked with his polite tone, and Dalia turned to look at him again. “Just a moment, I’ll go and fetch Marduk and Red Maggot.” Dalia could see Lewyn’s eyes widening as she mentioned the name of the Unsullied commander, and she flashed him an amused grin.
-
Lewyn led Dalia, Marduk and Red Maggot through the grey halls of Hellgate Hall with firm steps. Dalia could feel her heart starting to beat faster. This used to be her home, long ago. She noticed that the paintings and tapestries on the walls were still the same, mainly portraying the kings of old, legendary warriors and the beautiful queens with their infant princes and princesses. Dalia felt weak, and she had to admit it to herself – she was nervous to meet her father again. It had been so long, but in this moment the memories felt so fresh. And finally, they arrived to the door of the King’s office.
“We are here, my Lady.” Lewyn turned to say to Dalia, a calculating look on his eyes. Dalia nodded silently, and moved forward. She put her hand on the knob, and pushed the doors open.
Dalia’s eyes traveled through the large room, its wooden floor, fancy carpets, high ceiling and red pillars. This room had always been Lucifer’s favorite place in the castle, and Dalia’s least favorite. And there he was, sitting alone by a large table, only one large knight in black armor standing behind him, and a jug of wine in front of him on the table.
With decisive steps Dalia approached her father, who had a stern look on his brown eyes. Dalia didn’t show any weakness, and Lewyn, Marduk and Red Maggot followed in her coattails. “Welcome home, Dalia.” Lucifer finally said, as his eyes observed the woman that his daughter had become in the fifteen years they had been apart.
“Thank you, Your Grace.” She replied, keeping her voice stern. The King let out a sigh, and then a smile was finally formed on his face. “I was sure I would never see you again.” He said, and it was impossible to tell from his voice if he was sad or happy about having been wrong. “Leave us, a father and daughter should have their reunion in private.”
Lewyn Tiddle bowed immediately, and made his way towards the doors. However, Marduk and Red Maggot stayed right next to Dalia without moving an inch. “These men follow my orders, father.” She said with a hint of a smile on her face. “I’m sure you have noticed that I have gained a lot of power since we last met.”
“I have, and I’m impressed.” Lucifer replied calmly. “But I would still like to have a moment with you in private.”
Dalia nodded to her father in agreement, turning to Marduk and Red Maggot and signaling for them to exit the room with Lewyn. And so they did. As the door closed, the knight in dark armor still stood behind Lucifer. There weren’t many men who towered Dalia, but this was one of them. He carried a massive sword on his back, one that had no doubt chopped off many heads.
“Is your bodyguard staying?” Dalia asked with raised eyebrow, and Lucifer chuckled softly. “Pay no attention to Ser Blackheart, I assure you he won’t disturb us – his only duty in this life is to protect me, and to kill for me.” As he spoke, Lucifer gestured for Dalia to sit down. With uncertain steps, she walked to the table and took a seat opposed to her father.
“You look very much like your mother.” Lucifer said, a hint of grief in his words. Dalia hadn’t expected this – during her childhood Lucifer had hardly ever mentioned her mother. “I wouldn’t know.” She replied calmly, and a small smirk appeared on Lucifer’s face.
“It wasn’t my decision you know.” He said with a sigh. “To keep you away from your mother… It was my father who demanded it, and when he died you were already seven and I couldn’t find your mother anymore.” Now Dalia was sure about it – there was grief in her father’s words. “Why didn’t you ever speak to me about this?” She asked sternly.
“I saw no reason for it.” Lucifer answered quietly, turning his head down. “And Alessa was already a good mother to you.”
“She didn’t love me, not really.” Dalia replied nonchalantly. “I don’t blame her though, I wasn’t her daughter. And I was a hard child, I can admit that now.” For a moment they were both silent. Then Dalia decided to speak up again. “I heard Queen Alessa died a while ago, and she never did give you an heir.”
“You have heard correctly.” Lucifer’s voice was colder now, and he didn’t seem eager to speak of this matter. “I assume you are going to marry some young noble girl now, right?” Dalia asked casually, and Lucifer nodded.
“I have found a suitable bride… And in time I will have my heir.” The King spoke with stern words, and Dalia could hear that Lucifer hardly believed himself in what he said. “You already have a child.” She said quietly, and her father narrowed his eyes.
“I have a bastard.” He replied coldly. Dalia let out a chuckle, spreading out her hands. “A bastard with thousand men under her command.” She spoke with strength in her voice, and Lucifer let out a deep sigh. Silence lingered in the air, only broken by Lucifer tapping the surface of the table with his finger. Finally, when Dalia was already considering to speak up again, Lucifer cleared his throat.
“You need to prove yourself – prove to me that you are worth the crown of my ancestors.” He spoke sternly, turning his piercing stare to Dalia. “Give me Vaith, and you shall be granted the name Dryland, and I will name you my heir.”
“Vaith?” Dalia asked with mild confusion, after the initial surprise of Lucifer’s statement had passed. “Yes, Vaith.” Lucifer answered dryly. “They have shown signs of refusing to cooperate, and I can’t let that stronghold fall into the hands of the Martells.”
“So, you want me to conquer Vaith for you?” Dalia asked again, and Lucifer nodded. “I will march to Salt Shore with the bulk of my army, to unite with Lord Gargalen’s army. Meanwhile your company, strengthened with some five-hundred of my men, will assault Vaith, take control of it, and hand it over to me when I march there from Salt Shore. Do this, and I will legitimize you – I swear it, by the gods.”
“There is only one god.” Dalia replied calmly, and Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “I did hear that your bastard girl serves the Red God, but I’m surprised to see you showing such commitment.” He said with a smirk on his face. “However, this Kingdom follows the Faith of Seven, and that will be expected of you as well, if you ever wish to rule it.”
Dalia sighed. She had never been fond of the Seven Gods and the stories about them. Most of her life she hadn’t cared about any gods, but the priests of the R’hllor had managed to convince her – their god was real. She looked at her father, uncertain if she even wanted to argue about this with him.
[Don't argue about this][Say that you will always serve R'hllor]
Considering how things pan out anyways, this issue will probably not matter much in the end. Also, Dalia does not seem like she really wants to argue about this. It's a problem that can be sorted out later.
Dalia
Dalia watched the ancient castle of Hellgate Hall, that stood next to the River of Brimstone, which ran very low here at the moment… more, due to the hot summer. An army had been assembled around the castle, and most of the banners displayed a black sun on a red field. It was the sigil of Dalia Sand’s father, but Dalia and the Wild Suns had it reversed.
Dalia rode to her daughter, who was protected by her two most loyal warriors from the Red Church – Vyran the Lion and Belan the Brave. Vyran was a seasoned and serious warrior on his mid-thirties, tanned man with dark hair and eyes, always sporting the fur of a lion that he once slayed. Belan was Vyran’s son, fourteen years old boy who had dedicated his life to protecting Desirea. Apparently there was some sort of prophesy related to it, but Dalia wasn’t particularly interested in it. Both Vyran and Belan gave Dalia a respectful bow as she approached them. Desirea turned her gaze to her … [view original content]
A very... interesting part. I won't call a part with Dalia as the PoV great, not as long as it doesn't end with her death, but the writing was amazing as always and I definitely enjoyed Lucifer in it. While still a jerk, he seemed slightly less insufferable, if that's the right word. More familiar and even though he acted like the douchebag he is, I have no doubt that he holds at least some fondness for his daughter. Compared to how much I dislike Dalia, I must say I even love that guy. Compared to almost anyone else, I still don't like him. But at the very least, I am entertained by his arrogance.
[Don't argue about this]
Well, if she does not argue, this might mean that she is a little bit less willing to enforce her stupid faith with force and a little bit more willing to serve Lucifer. This is alright, I may dislike the guy, but I have no particular personal problem with him. But saying that she will always serve R'hllor would probably keep her closer to Desi and her fanatical religion of semi-evil (if still lesser than Aisha's religion of pure evil). I don't want that, I really don't want that. Dalia can live if she just stays the hell away from Gwendis, so maybe this will be a chance for her to do exactly this, either staying away or maybe even better, dying in Lucifer's war, or getting wounded so badly that she won't be a threat to anyone ever again. At the same time, despite my intense dislike, bordering on open hatred, which I feel for Dalia, I must admit that I am still not sure if she truly is the enemy in Gwendis' storyline. Aisha has been much more villainous, that treacherous snake, though to be fair, that is mostly because they actually interacted with each other, while Dalia had no chance to fully earn my hatred yet, aside from the fact that she exists and might pose such a threat in the future. But regardless of wether or not Dalia is the one I should direct my hatred at, I see it as a huge benefit to at least somehow lessen or outright undo her fanatism, because no matter what kind of a role she ultimately will have, I'd rather prefer it if she stays at least somewhat rational. Desi is already bad enough, the last thing we need is for her mother to be just the same. Maybe we can turn Dalia into a calm, rational and peaceful person who won't even consider killing Gwendis. Hey, maybe she's even going to abandon that little fanatic shit she calls her daughter.
Then again, if there will be a chance for Gwendis to break free from the control Aisha and her demon god try to impose on her, I'm still not sure if I shouldn't just root for Dalia to actually help her instead of trying my utmost to keep them apart. This surely is a really hard set of choices, for me in particular, but one thing is for certain, my dislike of Dalia grows the more thought I put into this, though my confusion about wether or not I am justified in my hatred grows at the same time. I can't be justified in hating both, Aisha and Dalia, yet right now I'm doing exactly that, so that means I have to be wrong in at least one case, right? Or maybe I am right with both, if Dalia is the enemy and Aisha is the one who manipulated Gwendis into joining this conflict, meaning that she's going to be partially responsible for whatever Dalia is going to do. Or Desi. Or the Great Other, who seems to be even worse than Desi. That makes me wonder, who is actually the good side in that conflict? Because certainly, neither Aisha nor Desi are anything even remotely good, whereas Dalia makes a crappy good guy, since well, she's Dalia. That means... Gwendis, maybe? Though she, as Aisha's pawn, doesn't really have any control to be the good one here. Hm, we must definitely have her break free of Aisha and her demon and maybe if that happens, Dalia can actually be useful. Maybe I won't like her ever, but perhaps she can at least be useful. Doesn't mean I won't try to at least weaken her, or at least her faith.
Dalia
Dalia watched the ancient castle of Hellgate Hall, that stood next to the River of Brimstone, which ran very low here at the moment… more, due to the hot summer. An army had been assembled around the castle, and most of the banners displayed a black sun on a red field. It was the sigil of Dalia Sand’s father, but Dalia and the Wild Suns had it reversed.
Dalia rode to her daughter, who was protected by her two most loyal warriors from the Red Church – Vyran the Lion and Belan the Brave. Vyran was a seasoned and serious warrior on his mid-thirties, tanned man with dark hair and eyes, always sporting the fur of a lion that he once slayed. Belan was Vyran’s son, fourteen years old boy who had dedicated his life to protecting Desirea. Apparently there was some sort of prophesy related to it, but Dalia wasn’t particularly interested in it. Both Vyran and Belan gave Dalia a respectful bow as she approached them. Desirea turned her gaze to her … [view original content]
Dalia
Dalia watched the ancient castle of Hellgate Hall, that stood next to the River of Brimstone, which ran very low here at the moment… more, due to the hot summer. An army had been assembled around the castle, and most of the banners displayed a black sun on a red field. It was the sigil of Dalia Sand’s father, but Dalia and the Wild Suns had it reversed.
Dalia rode to her daughter, who was protected by her two most loyal warriors from the Red Church – Vyran the Lion and Belan the Brave. Vyran was a seasoned and serious warrior on his mid-thirties, tanned man with dark hair and eyes, always sporting the fur of a lion that he once slayed. Belan was Vyran’s son, fourteen years old boy who had dedicated his life to protecting Desirea. Apparently there was some sort of prophesy related to it, but Dalia wasn’t particularly interested in it. Both Vyran and Belan gave Dalia a respectful bow as she approached them. Desirea turned her gaze to her … [view original content]
Dalia
Dalia watched the ancient castle of Hellgate Hall, that stood next to the River of Brimstone, which ran very low here at the moment… more, due to the hot summer. An army had been assembled around the castle, and most of the banners displayed a black sun on a red field. It was the sigil of Dalia Sand’s father, but Dalia and the Wild Suns had it reversed.
Dalia rode to her daughter, who was protected by her two most loyal warriors from the Red Church – Vyran the Lion and Belan the Brave. Vyran was a seasoned and serious warrior on his mid-thirties, tanned man with dark hair and eyes, always sporting the fur of a lion that he once slayed. Belan was Vyran’s son, fourteen years old boy who had dedicated his life to protecting Desirea. Apparently there was some sort of prophesy related to it, but Dalia wasn’t particularly interested in it. Both Vyran and Belan gave Dalia a respectful bow as she approached them. Desirea turned her gaze to her … [view original content]
I'm not closing the voting of the Dalia part yet, but I already have the next part ready. So, I think I'm going to post it now, and close the votings of these two parts at the same time
Anyway, the part that I'm talking about is a Gwendis PoV! It's been a while, but in her last part Gwendis had left Blackmont with the priestess Aisha and the young thief Trentan. Only Aisha knows where exactly are they heading, but they made their way to the mountains east of Blackmont. Gwendis had a small chat with Trentan, who seemed to have a bit smug attitude towards Gwendis now, perhaps bitter of how she blackmailed him earlier. Gwendis wondered why Trentan had even come with them, but he didn't want to talk about it. Gwendis also had a conversation with Aisha, but she remained quite mysterious about their mission, only revealing that if they want to confront their enemies they need a warrior, and apparently she knows one. After this, Gwendis had a dream with cold blue eyes in the darkness, and screeching voice telling her to embrace the darkness and blow out the flames. You voted for her to tell Aisha about this dream.
As said, the part is ready, so I'll post it right away
The wind touched gently the skin of the Princess of Blackmont. It was quiet, Gwendis had her eyes closed, and in this moment, she could imagine that she was sitting on her own balcony, watching the peaceful view beneath her. Safe. Her handmaidens would be chirping their innocent stories behind her, until her brother would come to knock the door. And Naemon would come and sit next to her, a grin on his face, bragging about how he had taken down another boar on a hunt. And Gwendis would turn to look him into the eyes – but they were not her brother’s eyes. They were cold as ice, deep, endless, and they stared straight into the soul of Gwendis. Embrace the darkness!
With a deep gasp Gwendis opened her eyes. And so, she was in the grim present again. Her clothes were dirty, as was her hair, and she was leaning against a hard, stony wall. They were high on the mountains – Aisha had been leading them to north. They had traveled via small and hard mountain paths, ones that probably hadn’t been used by anyone else in decades. Last night they had made their camp next to a crumbled tower, clearly hundreds of years old.
Gwendis was tired, more tired than she had ever been. It was not only the harsh traveling, but also the nights – they hardly gave her the rest she needed. The cold blue eyes haunted her dreams, always making their way into her thoughts. Aisha kept saying that it was a good sign, that she had a strong connection to her god, the Great Other. And even if her knowledge of the matter was next to none, Gwendis had to admit that Aisha was right – the connection was strong. This god, demon or whatever it was, it kept whispering to Gwendis’ ears, haunting her but also giving her strength whenever she felt like she was about to collapse. Whether this was a good thing or not, well, that was a completely different question.
Gwendis looked around, but she couldn’t see Aisha or Trentan anywhere. However, the bags were still next to where the campfire had been. At least they haven’t abandoned me. Gwendis stood up with a deep sigh. She didn’t know what to feel. Just a couple days ago her feelings had swung from regretful, to depressed, to fearful, to hopeful, and back to regretful again. Now all she felt was emptiness, and weariness. With lazy steps, she walked down the hill. Down there, a couple hundred feet down, was a small forest. Perhaps they’ve gone to find something to eat, Gwendis thought, and turned around towards the tower.
Gwendis stepped into the tower. Aside from the stairs being in a very bad shape, the ground floor was still more or less intact, but filled with nothing but dust and spider webs. Gwendis wondered when was the last time someone had been here, and why had they left. Perhaps it had been winter that had drove them away, a harsh one. Gwendis’ thoughts were interrupted, as she heard a noise from the upper floor. Something moved there. It could be just a mouse, or a bird. Gwendis was about to go and find out, but then she heard something much louder behind her - animalistic growling.
Gwendis spun around, and saw a mountain lion standing on the doorway. In panic, she drew the dagger that Aisha had given her, pointing it towards the beast. However, the mountain lion showed hardly any hesitation, and kept creeping closer to Gwendis.
“Go away!” She screamed, but her voice was weak, and it was almost like the animal was just laughing at her. Then, from the corner of her eye, Gwendis saw something strange. Aisha had appeared to the upper end of the stairs, completely naked, her purple eyes widened as she observed the situation. There the priestess of the Great Other was, with nothing concealing her gorgeous, slender but curvy body, and at least momentarily confusion completely overshadowed Gwendis’ fear.
“Here beast!” Aisha shouted, her voice booming unnaturally strong in the tower. And the mountain lion listened, it turned towards the stairs. Aisha walked them down with careful steps, keeping her gaze in the beast. “Go back where you came from, there is nothing for you here!”
The mountain lion kept growling, but it was weaker now, more fearful than ferocious. Finally, it started to back down, retreating towards the door, as Aisha kept walking towards it with firm and decisive steps. “GO!” The Dark Priestess screamed, and for a moment the icy blue eyes flashed in Gwendis’ mind again. Now the mountain lion turned around, and fled with its tail between its legs.
Still in slight panic, Gwendis ran to the stairs, and made her way up. There was another surprise waiting for her. Trentan was in the process of pulling up his pants as Gwendis saw him. Then Gwendis noticed Aisha’s clothes, which were in a bundle right next to Trentan's. Gwendis raised her eyebrows, unable to find words.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” Trentan barked, a frantic look on his green eyes. Gwendis let out a chuckle full of disbelief, still staring at the young thief. “You… and Aisha?”
“It’s none of your bloody business!” He yelled, grabbing the rest of his clothes and walking past Gwendis and down the stairs with every step oozing of anger. A couple seconds after Trentan had gone, Aisha walked back up, still naked. She looked at Gwendis with embarrassment in her eyes. “Could you… leave me for a moment, so I can dress up.” If Aisha’s words had been strong when she faced the mountain lion, now they were weak and timid, which was very uncharacteristic for her.
“Sure.” Gwendis answered with a nod, and made her way down the stairs. It was hard to grasp what had just happened. She had been nearly killed by a mountain lion, Aisha had drove off said mountain lion with nothing but her words, and then Gwendis had found out that Trentan was apparently fucking Aisha. What in seven hells is going on here?
Gwendis stepped out of the tower, seeing Trentan by where the campfire had been, dressing up the rest of his clothes. As she stood there, taking deep breaths, Gwendis started to finally calm down, thinking about what this all meant. She had wondered earlier what exactly had Aisha promised Trentan to make him follow her into the wild, but now it seemed clear. She had to wonder though, was this all just cold manipulation on Aisha’s part, or could she really have feelings for Trentan? Gwendis took a couple steps closer to the thief, receiving a cold glare from him. Clearly he doesn’t want to talk with me. Then again, perhaps it wasn’t him but Aisha that she needed to have a conversation with.
[Have a conversation with Trentan][Have a conversation with Aisha]
I think she should talk with Trentan. Gwendis needs to have a better relationship with him in order to trust each other in dangerous situations. Plus, this is an opportunity for her to learn about his past and the reason why he has been cold to her. Also, Gwendis has a point in thinking that Aisha might just be manipulating him. If that is the case she might want to express that to him. Gwendis and Aisha's relationship won't suffer if she chooses to talk to Trentan, mostly because Aisha needs her for something. However, this could be an opportunity for her to learn more about Trentan and begin to form a positive relationship with him. Maybe, one day becoming friends. Anyways, they would need to be friends and reliably trust eachother if they plan to do whatever Aisha wants, or they may eventually decide escape together, away from Aisha.
Gwendis
The wind touched gently the skin of the Princess of Blackmont. It was quiet, Gwendis had her eyes closed, and in this moment, she… more could imagine that she was sitting on her own balcony, watching the peaceful view beneath her. Safe. Her handmaidens would be chirping their innocent stories behind her, until her brother would come to knock the door. And Naemon would come and sit next to her, a grin on his face, bragging about how he had taken down another boar on a hunt. And Gwendis would turn to look him into the eyes – but they were not her brother’s eyes. They were cold as ice, deep, endless, and they stared straight into the soul of Gwendis. Embrace the darkness!
With a deep gasp Gwendis opened her eyes. And so, she was in the grim present again. Her clothes were dirty, as was her hair, and she was leaning against a hard, stony wall. They were high on the mountains – Aisha had been leading them to north. They had traveled via sm… [view original content]
Nope! No one's going to embrace anything there, especially nothing that is related to that greasy demon god scumbag that is totally freaking me out right now with the way it slowly threatens to control Gwendis. That thing can go and screw itself, yeah! Speaking about screwing and things related to that demon god, Aisha and Trentan caught me off guard completely. Like, Aisha and anyone would have caught me off guard, but Aisha and Trentan? Aside from the fact that I considered her absolutely frigid, I am more than surprised by her choice. I mean, Aisha's the kind of person I would have expected to seduce a king, or a mighty warrior or somone who is otherwise influential and useful to her evil goals, but a thief? A thief barely out of his teens on top. Since I highly doubt Aisha has genuine feelings for anything or anyone, it's clear to me that she is manipulating him, but I wonder why. Is it just his skill as a thief? He's not too impressive on that end, since Gwendis caught him rather easily.
So, what is it she actually sees in Trentan? He has been described as younger than Naemon, which would make him several years younger than her, maybe even close to a decade. I never saw her as a particularly lustful person and certainly not as a loving person, so it has to be some sort of a manipulation instead of her just giving in to urges or feelings. One thing that can be said about Aisha is that I consider her to be good at controlling herself, her urges and whatever is left of her humanity. Maybe it is the sex itself she needs, as part of some ritual. Maybe she's making demon babies right now, the thought is totally freaking me out! Or maybe she uses it as a deliberate part of her manipulations, that she uses her body paired with his youthful naivety to make him her willing servant, to the point where he mistakes her lies with love. She definitely is capable of that, given how ardently she tries to manipulate Gwendis into giving in to that twisted devil she worships. It just opens up the question what the special thing about him is that makes her manipulate him with such serious cruelty.
And while I'm not particularly fond of Trentan, on account of him being quite the jerk, I can only say, sweet Jesus, that poor guy! He just turned into a character I wholeheartedly pity. That's some Missy-level of suffering he goes through there and I have no doubt that he does not deserve such a cruel fate. Hopefully he can get away from Aisha just as well, he deserves better. Hell, anyone would deserve better, but aside from being a jerk, Trentan hasn't even done anything too bad, so I feel particularly bad for him.
[Have a conversation with Trentan]
This is a hard choice. Hell, every Gwendis choice is a hard choice for me, as evidenced by how much I write for it, but this is harder than the last one, although not even nearly as hard as the one before. To be fair, I doubt anything could be as hard as the one before. So, thing is, Trentan has shown that he isn't fond of Gwendis in the slightest. I doubt he even wants to talk and I doubt he's going to see what a serious mistake he's doing with that witch. Even then, I think Aisha is the one she needs to speak to. After all, we have chosen to talk to her before and they haven't had this talk yet, had they? Correct me if I'm wrong there, but I got the impression that Gwendis hasn't had her talk with Ausha about the demon god in the room yet. If so, then this is really important. On top of that, now might be a very good time, because Aisha is clearly somewhat weaker than usual, having just been caught in the act by Gwendis. At the same time, Tales brought up a good point and I can see good reasons for speaking to Trentan as well, so I might just end up changing my vote again, even if that rarely ended up as a good idea so far. I'd hate to add him to the list of enemies Gwendis has to overcome, but given his interactions with her so far, I don't see him warming up to her anytime soon. A part of me also still very much prefers if Gwendis stays as far away from that manipulative serpent as possible, so talking with Trentan might be better for her mental health. But well, if the talk with Aisha about that piece-of-shit demon in Gwendis' head hasn't taken place yet, I'd very much prefer for it to take place now, while she's more vulnerable than otherwise. Aisha is an enemy and she just left herself open. It might be a weird battle that's going on there, but given how outmatched Gwendis is against the witch, she has to take every chance she can get to gain the upper hand.
EDIT: After much consideration, and despite the fact that I have always chosen wrong when I change my vote, I have decided to do so again, because getting friends with Trentan might be a better idea than to gain a momentary advantage on Aisha. I'm actually no longer sure how much of an advantage this would have been, because Aisha can surely figure something out to manipulate Gwendis even further with this, so spending more time with her is not what I want there.
Gwendis
The wind touched gently the skin of the Princess of Blackmont. It was quiet, Gwendis had her eyes closed, and in this moment, she… more could imagine that she was sitting on her own balcony, watching the peaceful view beneath her. Safe. Her handmaidens would be chirping their innocent stories behind her, until her brother would come to knock the door. And Naemon would come and sit next to her, a grin on his face, bragging about how he had taken down another boar on a hunt. And Gwendis would turn to look him into the eyes – but they were not her brother’s eyes. They were cold as ice, deep, endless, and they stared straight into the soul of Gwendis. Embrace the darkness!
With a deep gasp Gwendis opened her eyes. And so, she was in the grim present again. Her clothes were dirty, as was her hair, and she was leaning against a hard, stony wall. They were high on the mountains – Aisha had been leading them to north. They had traveled via sm… [view original content]
The cold blue eyes haunted her dreams, always making their way into her thoughts. Aisha kept saying that it was a good sign, that she had a strong connection to her god, the Great Other.
I think wildling is implying here that Aisha had already discussed Gwendis's dream with her.
Embrace the darkness!
Nope! No one's going to embrace anything there, especially nothing that is related to that greasy demon god sc… moreumbag that is totally freaking me out right now with the way it slowly threatens to control Gwendis. That thing can go and screw itself, yeah! Speaking about screwing and things related to that demon god, Aisha and Trentan caught me off guard completely. Like, Aisha and anyone would have caught me off guard, but Aisha and Trentan? Aside from the fact that I considered her absolutely frigid, I am more than surprised by her choice. I mean, Aisha's the kind of person I would have expected to seduce a king, or a mighty warrior or somone who is otherwise influential and useful to her evil goals, but a thief? A thief barely out of his teens on top. Since I highly doubt Aisha has genuine feelings for anything or anyone, it's clear to me that she is manipulating him, but I wonder why. Is it just his skill as a th… [view original content]
Nope! No one's going to embrace anything there, especially nothing that is related to that greasy demon god scumbag that is totally freaking me out right now with the way it slowly threatens to control Gwendis. That thing can go and screw itself, yeah!
Haha, I'm afraid you and Gwendis will have to bear with this problem for a while now. There will of course be choices regarding it, that might affect on how much control will this thing have over Gwendis, but getting completely rid of it won't happen for a long time - if it will happen at all.
Speaking about screwing and things related to that demon god, Aisha and Trentan caught me off guard completely. Like, Aisha and anyone would have caught me off guard, but Aisha and Trentan? Aside from the fact that I considered her absolutely frigid, I am more than surprised by her choice. I mean, Aisha's the kind of person I would have expected to seduce a king, or a mighty warrior or somone who is otherwise influential and useful to her evil goals, but a thief? A thief barely out of his teens on top. Since I highly doubt Aisha has genuine feelings for anything or anyone, it's clear to me that she is manipulating him, but I wonder why. Is it just his skill as a thief? He's not too impressive on that end, since Gwendis caught him rather easily.
This is an interesting question indeed. Well, we know that Trentan did help them in gathering (read: stealing) supplies and such before they left Blackmont, but that wouldn't explain why Aisha is still continuing to seduce him. There is indeed almost a decade between them in age, but perhaps it's not completely impossible that Aisha does have some feelings for Trentan. Well, this all will be spoken about in Gwendis' next part, either with Trentan or with Aisha, so perhaps I won't talk about it more now
And while I'm not particularly fond of Trentan, on account of him being quite the jerk, I can only say, sweet Jesus, that poor guy! He just turned into a character I wholeheartedly pity. That's some Missy-level of suffering he goes through there and I have no doubt that he does not deserve such a cruel fate. Hopefully he can get away from Aisha just as well, he deserves better. Hell, anyone would deserve better, but aside from being a jerk, Trentan hasn't even done anything too bad, so I feel particularly bad for him.
While I wouldn't perhaps compare it to Missy-level suffering (not yet at least), Trentan certainly has made a pretty questionable decision. It should be clear that sleeping with a witch is never a good idea, and it will be really interesting to see where will this lead. So, in other words, you are most likely right in feeling bad for poor Trentan.
Even then, I think Aisha is the one she needs to speak to. After all, we have chosen to talk to her before and they haven't had this talk yet, had they? Correct me if I'm wrong there, but I got the impression that Gwendis hasn't had her talk with Ausha about the demon god in the room yet. If so, then this is really important.
Well, Gwendis has mentioned (off-screen) about these things she keeps seeing and hearing, and Aisha has told her that it's a good thing (=strong connection to the Great Other). But I suppose you are right, they haven't had a real, deep conversation about it. Then again, I'm not really sure if Gwendis is able to get anything more out of Aisha regarding this matter.
On top of that, now might be a very good time, because Aisha is clearly somewhat weaker than usual, having just been caught in the act by Gwendis.
This is a good point, because it's really the first time in the story that we are seeing some real uncertainty from Aisha, and it could indeed be a good idea to use that to Gwendis' advantage. However, just before that we also saw a demonstration of Aisha's powers, and on that field she is still leagues above Gwen.
Embrace the darkness!
Nope! No one's going to embrace anything there, especially nothing that is related to that greasy demon god sc… moreumbag that is totally freaking me out right now with the way it slowly threatens to control Gwendis. That thing can go and screw itself, yeah! Speaking about screwing and things related to that demon god, Aisha and Trentan caught me off guard completely. Like, Aisha and anyone would have caught me off guard, but Aisha and Trentan? Aside from the fact that I considered her absolutely frigid, I am more than surprised by her choice. I mean, Aisha's the kind of person I would have expected to seduce a king, or a mighty warrior or somone who is otherwise influential and useful to her evil goals, but a thief? A thief barely out of his teens on top. Since I highly doubt Aisha has genuine feelings for anything or anyone, it's clear to me that she is manipulating him, but I wonder why. Is it just his skill as a th… [view original content]
The cold blue eyes haunted her dreams, always making their way into her thoughts. Aisha kept saying that it was a good sign, that she had a … morestrong connection to her god, the Great Other.
I think wildling is implying here that Aisha had already discussed Gwendis's dream with her.
Aisha was right – the connection was strong. This god, demon or whatever it was, it kept whispering to Gwendis’ ears, haunting her but also giving her strength whenever she felt like she was about to collapse.
It is apparent that Aisha has convinced her that her connection with her god is strong. Continuing to talk with her might cause her to fall into her trap more and give Gwendis more reasons to become devoted to Aisha's god. Which will mean she will be less likely to want to leave her. Talking to Trentan will give her the opportunity to find out more about him and why he acts the way he does around her. Learn about his past, etc... Also, as I mentioned before, it might be a good idea to try to begin to build a positive relationship between him and Gwendis. That way, if they become friends in the future, they can trust each other and possibly escape together.
Embrace the darkness!
Nope! No one's going to embrace anything there, especially nothing that is related to that greasy demon god sc… moreumbag that is totally freaking me out right now with the way it slowly threatens to control Gwendis. That thing can go and screw itself, yeah! Speaking about screwing and things related to that demon god, Aisha and Trentan caught me off guard completely. Like, Aisha and anyone would have caught me off guard, but Aisha and Trentan? Aside from the fact that I considered her absolutely frigid, I am more than surprised by her choice. I mean, Aisha's the kind of person I would have expected to seduce a king, or a mighty warrior or somone who is otherwise influential and useful to her evil goals, but a thief? A thief barely out of his teens on top. Since I highly doubt Aisha has genuine feelings for anything or anyone, it's clear to me that she is manipulating him, but I wonder why. Is it just his skill as a th… [view original content]
EDIT: Just like Liquid I went ahead and changed my vote after reading what Tales had brought up. Now, we can't be sure if conversation with Aisha could give some insight into her plans, something that we could use against her, or if Aisha would use the conversation against us. However I'm pretty sure that conversation with Trentan, while it won't be pleasant, can't really influence on us that much and it also can give us some insight into Aisha's plans.
Gwendis
The wind touched gently the skin of the Princess of Blackmont. It was quiet, Gwendis had her eyes closed, and in this moment, she… more could imagine that she was sitting on her own balcony, watching the peaceful view beneath her. Safe. Her handmaidens would be chirping their innocent stories behind her, until her brother would come to knock the door. And Naemon would come and sit next to her, a grin on his face, bragging about how he had taken down another boar on a hunt. And Gwendis would turn to look him into the eyes – but they were not her brother’s eyes. They were cold as ice, deep, endless, and they stared straight into the soul of Gwendis. Embrace the darkness!
With a deep gasp Gwendis opened her eyes. And so, she was in the grim present again. Her clothes were dirty, as was her hair, and she was leaning against a hard, stony wall. They were high on the mountains – Aisha had been leading them to north. They had traveled via sm… [view original content]
Hm, you bring up a very good, if very concerning argument there. It is clear to me that Aisha is trying to trick Gwendis into giving in to her demon, but now I have to consider that she'd even try to do it in such a seemingly unrelated talk. Trentan meanwhile... well, he's a jerk, but he definitely doesn't deserve being used by Aisha in such a way. I must say though, I am not sure if he even wants to talk, or if he'd open up to Gwendis, especially in this situation. Even worse, I doubt he's going to see that he is getting manipulated just like that. I guess at this point even Gwendis is barely able to see how that snake manipulates her, so if ever, it will probably be a long time until Trentan realizes what Aisha is truly like. That said, I agree that having a positive relationship between him and Gwendis is a good idea. Unlike Aisha, he's not evil, just a normal, if misguided guy. His interaction so far has shown that he really doesn't like Gwendis, but I'm sure he is theoretically capable of warming up to her, unlike a certain witch. And while I doubt Aisha will hesitate to kill her when she tries to escape, maybe Trentan will and maybe this will safe her life. Agh, why must such a small choice be so damn hard? Goddamn Aisha...
Aisha was right – the connection was strong. This god, demon or whatever it was, it kept whispering to Gwendis’ ears, haunting her but also … moregiving her strength whenever she felt like she was about to collapse.
It is apparent that Aisha has convinced her that her connection with her god is strong. Continuing to talk with her might cause her to fall into her trap more and give Gwendis more reasons to become devoted to Aisha's god. Which will mean she will be less likely to want to leave her. Talking to Trentan will give her the opportunity to find out more about him and why he acts the way he does around her. Learn about his past, etc... Also, as I mentioned before, it might be a good idea to try to begin to build a positive relationship between him and Gwendis. That way, if they become friends in the future, they can trust each other and possibly escape together.
Haha, I'm afraid you and Gwendis will have to bear with this problem for a while now. There will of course be choices regarding it, that might affect on how much control will this thing have over Gwendis, but getting completely rid of it won't happen for a long time - if it will happen at all.
Yeah, I was expecting it to try and settle in her head for the long haul. But I will definitely not choose anything that could give it any more control than it already has. Gwendis can deal with an unwanted guest in her head, as long as that unwanted guest doesn't try to take control. Currently, it seems to try and tire her to the point where she can't resist anymore, but I know, once I get the choice I will choose anything this thing and its witch don't want. Argh, just when Desi could do something useful for once, she's not there of course Then again, I am not sure if any help she could offer would be any more desirable than getting mind-controlled by Aisha's demon. Mayb Gwendis has to get rid of that thing on her own.
This is an interesting question indeed. Well, we know that Trentan did help them in gathering (read: stealing) supplies and such before they left Blackmont, but that wouldn't explain why Aisha is still continuing to seduce him. There is indeed almost a decade between them in age, but perhaps it's not completely impossible that Aisha does have some feelings for Trentan. Well, this all will be spoken about in Gwendis' next part, either with Trentan or with Aisha, so perhaps I won't talk about it more now
Problem is, while I have no doubt that Trentan has feelings for Aisha, I highly doubt they are mutual. I even doubt she's capable of having such feelings. Or any feelings. But even then, I have come to the point where I won't believe a word she says, ever. Unless she's honest about manipulating Trentan for something, even if it's just for cruel amusement. In that case, I'd be inclined to believe her, but I doubt there is another thing she can say in this situation that I would ever believe. I am convinced she is manipulating him like she manipulated Gwendis. Well, not in the same way, thank the Great Other, but whatever her game with him is, I doubt she has good intentions.
While I wouldn't perhaps compare it to Missy-level suffering (not yet at least), Trentan certainly has made a pretty questionable decision. It should be clear that sleeping with a witch is never a good idea, and it will be really interesting to see where will this lead. So, in other words, you are most likely right in feeling bad for poor Trentan.
Well, he doesn't know it yet of course, but I have no doubt that he's going to be put through as much emotional abuse as Missy if he continues sleeping with that two-faced snake. I wouldn't be surprised if she's using his life force for something, like draining him so that she can further her mission and then she's just going to discard him once he stops being useful. Perhaps the worst thing about this is that Trentan, being basically a teenager, has probably no idea just how much he is being used and manipulated by her. Realizing that has to be the worst for him.
Well, Gwendis has mentioned (off-screen) about these things she keeps seeing and hearing, and Aisha has told her that it's a good thing (=strong connection to the Great Other). But I suppose you are right, they haven't had a real, deep conversation about it. Then again, I'm not really sure if Gwendis is able to get anything more out of Aisha regarding this matter.
Oh, I see now. This is not good, not at all. I mean, I already knew it's a bad thing, but Aisha calling it a good thing really drives it home that this thing has to get out of Gwendis' head. Aisha can take it if she wants to, I'm sure she and her demon can get super happy. That said, I am now no longer sure if a deeper conversation with her will lead to anything good. She is most likely using this as an opportunity to further her manipulations, so that Gwendis might agree with her that having a demon of pure evil in her head is a good thing.
This is a good point, because it's really the first time in the story that we are seeing some real uncertainty from Aisha, and it could indeed be a good idea to use that to Gwendis' advantage. However, just before that we also saw a demonstration of Aisha's powers, and on that field she is still leagues above Gwen.
Well, that's a field where I'd very much like her to remain leagues above her. I prefer Gwendis without any creepy evil magic tricks, or creepy evil demon gods. Aisha can keep her powers, though I'd very much like for her to lose her life. Perhaps now could be a chance to gain some sort of an upper hand in their relationship, by using her uncertainty against her, or at least to kick her while she's done, because she deserves it. Then again, I am kind of suspicious about this whole thing. Why should she, the stone cold manipulator, all of a sudden feel uncertainty about something? I wouldn't be surprised if this is yet another trap of hers, to make Gwendis think that she's the strong one in their next conversation.
Hm, combined with the arguments Tales brought up, I must say that I am more and more thinking that staying the hell away from that bitch is the best course of action. It would have been the best course of action from the very beginning and every time I chose something that would favour Aisha, it ended up being a mistake. Seeing it from that perspective, I am starting to seriously doubt that now would be a good time to start having a talk with her. Because of that, I would like to change my vote to [Have a conversation with Trentan]
Nope! No one's going to embrace anything there, especially nothing that is related to that greasy demon god scumbag that is totally freaking… more me out right now with the way it slowly threatens to control Gwendis. That thing can go and screw itself, yeah!
Haha, I'm afraid you and Gwendis will have to bear with this problem for a while now. There will of course be choices regarding it, that might affect on how much control will this thing have over Gwendis, but getting completely rid of it won't happen for a long time - if it will happen at all.
Speaking about screwing and things related to that demon god, Aisha and Trentan caught me off guard completely. Like, Aisha and anyone would have caught me off guard, but Aisha and Trentan? Aside from the fact that I considered her absolutely frigid, I am more than surprised by her choice. I mean, Aisha's the kind of person I would have expected to seduce a king, or a mighty warrior or somo… [view original content]
Nope! No one's going to embrace anything there, especially nothing that is related to that greasy demon god scumbag that is totally freaking… more me out right now with the way it slowly threatens to control Gwendis. That thing can go and screw itself, yeah!
Haha, I'm afraid you and Gwendis will have to bear with this problem for a while now. There will of course be choices regarding it, that might affect on how much control will this thing have over Gwendis, but getting completely rid of it won't happen for a long time - if it will happen at all.
Speaking about screwing and things related to that demon god, Aisha and Trentan caught me off guard completely. Like, Aisha and anyone would have caught me off guard, but Aisha and Trentan? Aside from the fact that I considered her absolutely frigid, I am more than surprised by her choice. I mean, Aisha's the kind of person I would have expected to seduce a king, or a mighty warrior or somo… [view original content]
Gwendis
The wind touched gently the skin of the Princess of Blackmont. It was quiet, Gwendis had her eyes closed, and in this moment, she… more could imagine that she was sitting on her own balcony, watching the peaceful view beneath her. Safe. Her handmaidens would be chirping their innocent stories behind her, until her brother would come to knock the door. And Naemon would come and sit next to her, a grin on his face, bragging about how he had taken down another boar on a hunt. And Gwendis would turn to look him into the eyes – but they were not her brother’s eyes. They were cold as ice, deep, endless, and they stared straight into the soul of Gwendis. Embrace the darkness!
With a deep gasp Gwendis opened her eyes. And so, she was in the grim present again. Her clothes were dirty, as was her hair, and she was leaning against a hard, stony wall. They were high on the mountains – Aisha had been leading them to north. They had traveled via sm… [view original content]
I definitely see this as more of something where Dalia can simply cross that bridge if she gets to it. At this point, she has a big mission ahead conquering Vaith where there is a pretty solid chance that it will be a tough fight for Dalia and the Wild Suns so right now, I don't really see a need for Dalia to be stubborn about R'hllor. However, if she is able to complete her mission then it could definitely be sorted out later. On a side note though, it was pretty surprising in a good way how Dalia and Lucifer seemed to have a reasonably okay relationship considering I thought they would not get along very well at all.
Dalia
Dalia watched the ancient castle of Hellgate Hall, that stood next to the River of Brimstone, which ran very low here at the moment… more, due to the hot summer. An army had been assembled around the castle, and most of the banners displayed a black sun on a red field. It was the sigil of Dalia Sand’s father, but Dalia and the Wild Suns had it reversed.
Dalia rode to her daughter, who was protected by her two most loyal warriors from the Red Church – Vyran the Lion and Belan the Brave. Vyran was a seasoned and serious warrior on his mid-thirties, tanned man with dark hair and eyes, always sporting the fur of a lion that he once slayed. Belan was Vyran’s son, fourteen years old boy who had dedicated his life to protecting Desirea. Apparently there was some sort of prophesy related to it, but Dalia wasn’t particularly interested in it. Both Vyran and Belan gave Dalia a respectful bow as she approached them. Desirea turned her gaze to her … [view original content]
[Have a conversation with Trentan] Most of the points have already been mentioned but I will chime in anyway I am going with this choice largely because it would not hurt Gwendis to learn more about who is traveling with her and even if she does not find out much from Trentan, it is at the very least a start. I can definitely say that Gwendis is in a pretty wild situation and she needs to talk to people named something other then the Dark Priestess once in a while The jury is very much still out on Aisha's true plans and while I am still very much apart of the sending Gwendis to Skyreach team, I am also really curious about where this story line is going to go. Particularly I am wondering what exactly does this do for Gwendis by helping Aisha out since it would be hard for me to imagine Gwendis stepping back into governing a kingdom if it becomes well known that she was closely affiliated with someone who serves the Great Other. With all of that said, this is one of my favorite storylines and I am excited to see where Gwendis' storyline goes from here
Gwendis
The wind touched gently the skin of the Princess of Blackmont. It was quiet, Gwendis had her eyes closed, and in this moment, she… more could imagine that she was sitting on her own balcony, watching the peaceful view beneath her. Safe. Her handmaidens would be chirping their innocent stories behind her, until her brother would come to knock the door. And Naemon would come and sit next to her, a grin on his face, bragging about how he had taken down another boar on a hunt. And Gwendis would turn to look him into the eyes – but they were not her brother’s eyes. They were cold as ice, deep, endless, and they stared straight into the soul of Gwendis. Embrace the darkness!
With a deep gasp Gwendis opened her eyes. And so, she was in the grim present again. Her clothes were dirty, as was her hair, and she was leaning against a hard, stony wall. They were high on the mountains – Aisha had been leading them to north. They had traveled via sm… [view original content]
I wouldn't imagine her association with the dark priestess would ruin her chances of stepping in to rule the kingdom. Especially since her father, the king, was associated with her and others like her, yet his subjects are still loyal.
[Have a conversation with Trentan] Most of the points have already been mentioned but I will chime in anyway I am going with this choice la… morergely because it would not hurt Gwendis to learn more about who is traveling with her and even if she does not find out much from Trentan, it is at the very least a start. I can definitely say that Gwendis is in a pretty wild situation and she needs to talk to people named something other then the Dark Priestess once in a while The jury is very much still out on Aisha's true plans and while I am still very much apart of the sending Gwendis to Skyreach team, I am also really curious about where this story line is going to go. Particularly I am wondering what exactly does this do for Gwendis by helping Aisha out since it would be hard for me to imagine Gwendis stepping back into governing a kingdom if it becomes well known that she was closely affiliated with someone who serves the Great Other. With all of… [view original content]
You do have a valid point there. While there has been some trouble in the Blackmont kingdom with the smallfolk in particular, House Blackmont's bannerman have seemed to stay pretty loyal at least so far even with all of the shady characters that Benedict keeps around in Blackmont. When it comes to Gwendis potentially ruling someday, I would say that will mostly depend on if Aisha's plans and how Gwendis is involved in them affect Nymeria and House Martell directly and in a negative way.
I wouldn't imagine her association with the dark priestess would ruin her chances of stepping in to rule the kingdom. Especially since her father, the king, was associated with her and others like her, yet his subjects are still loyal.
So, first off, Dalia won't argue about religion with his father. It's a relatively small choice, but these choices are what shape the characters, so it does have it's relevance.
And secondly, Gwendis will have a conversation with Trentan. Changed votes seem to be a trend in Gwendis' storyline - not that I have anything against that Anyway, this could be a chance to get to know Trentan a bit better, even if it might be a hard task for Gwen to make him talk. The next Gwendis part will probably be fairly soon
The next part however, will be a Nymeria PoV. Now, on Nymeria's last part she agreed with Mors on keeping the Valyrian guests - the young lady Eraehra Galnaris and her men - in Sandship. However, that's not the most recent appearance of Nym in the story. Her most recent appearance was in Tomas' last part, which took place a day after Nymeria's last part. Tomas was taken to face Nymeria, Mors, Varyn and Forovos in the council chamber. They offered him a chance to go to Ghost Hill with Forovos, and offer a peace treaty to his nephew (Donovar's son) Levor Toland, and Tomas accepted. We'll continue from there, but from Nymeria's PoV. I'm not 100% sure, but I do believe I'll get it done today.
”I’ll do it.” Tomas Toland finally said, his voice weak, and the look on his eyes even weaker. “For the sake of my family, I’ll do it.” Nymeria almost felt sorry for this shadow of a man. Almost. No matter how pitiful he was now, Tomas Toland had done terrible things, and deserved much worse than he had got.
“We are pleased to hear this.” Mors spoke up, a small smile on his face. “You have made a wise choice, and a brave one. I truly hope your nephew will also understand the importance of peace between our houses.” Tomas nodded quietly to the Prince. Finally, Nymeria turned her cold stare away from the Toland.
“Captain Sanyra, escort the guest to his new quarters.” The Princess spoke with emotionless tone on her voice, and Sanyra bowed to her. Then the captain approached Tomas Toland, grabbed him from his arm and pulled him up from his seat. “Would you follow me, my lord, or do I have to drag you?” She asked calmly, and Tomas furrowed his eyebrows. “Just lead the way, woman.” He barked, and Sanyra flashed him a smirk, before turning around and leading him out of the room.
When the door was closed, Nymeria turned her eyes to Forovos Norvoshi. The keyholder had his usual calm and sharp expression on his face. Nymeria had to give this man more merit now than she had before, though at the same time he seemed more dangerous in her eyes than before.
“Now we must pray that Tomas shall never learn that you arranged the murder of King Donovar.” She said dryly, and the loan peddler let out a small chuckle. “There will be no way for him to find out – unless one of you reveals it.” He responded, with no sign of nervousness or doubt in his words.
“I’m pretty sure we are not the only ones who know about it.” The Princess said with mild confusion. “No matter how rich you are, you can’t trust assassins to hold their tongue just because you paid them.”
“Trust me, my Princess, the assassin who killed King Donovar will not speak.” Forovos replied with a soft smile on his face. Nymeria wondered what made the man so sure of this, he wasn’t stupid after all. Could he have killed the assassin? Nymeria shrugged these thoughts off, moving on to the next issue.
“If you say so. However, I believe we have something else to discuss next.” The Princess said, and the smile on Forovos’ face got wider. “You are referring to the sellsword company, am I correct?” He asked, and Nymeria nodded as an answer.
“So, you already found a fitting company?” Prince Mors asked, slightly surprised. Nymeria had been quite surprised too when Forovos had returned to Sandship, calmly stating that he had arranged the assassination of King Donovar and found a sellsword company they could hire with the loan he had given them. “Indeed, they are almost thousand men strong, a company with good reputation, called the Fallen Dragons.” Forovos spoke smoothly, and Nymeria narrowed her eyes.
“Dragons?” She spoke this one word with deep-seated resentment and anger. Forovos raised his hands up in effort to calm her down. “I understand your history with the Valyrians isn’t the best possible, but I assure you, even if the leader of this company has the blood of Valyria, he isn’t in particularly good terms with the Freehold himself.” He explained, but Nymeria’s expression remained resentful.
“Who exactly is the leader of this company?” General Varyn suddenly spoke up, genuine interest in his stern voice. “His name is Valor Veltaris, though his men often call him Dragonheart.” Forovos answered after a moment of hesitation. A subtle smirk was formed on the general’s face. “I know the man.” He said calmly. “He was one of the Valyrian commanders in the battle of Volon Therys – he led their vanguard against us. Prince Garin crushed his troops when we took the city, but later we heard that Valor had managed to escape and join with the rest of the retreating Valyrian army.”
“So, you want me to hire a man who fought against my people?” Nymeria asked strictly, and Forovos let out a sigh. “Yes, he did fight against your people in the war.” He admitted with a casual tone. “However, when the Valyrians sent their three-hundred dragons to crush the Rhoynar resistance, to burn down your cities, and put in chains those who survived… That was when Valor Veltaris had enough.” Nymeria raised an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?” She asked, but her tone wasn’t angry anymore.
“It means that he abandoned the Valyrian army, running away with a small number of men loyal to him. They say it was the sight of women and children burning that was too much for Valor. ‘Fallen Dragon’ the other Valyrian commanders and dragonlords mocked him, calling him a coward and a traitor, but he didn’t care. Valor never returned to the Freehold, I suppose he knew that his noble family wouldn’t welcome him back after what he had done. So, instead he found his own sellsword company, giving it the name that the Valyrians had used to mock him. In the following couple of years the company has grown strong, gathering warriors from all over the world. Usually they are hired for extremely hard missions, often including battles against Dothraki hordes. Trust me, my Princess, you won’t regret having them on your side.” When Forovos ended his little story, he had a confident smile on his face. Nymeria let out a small sigh, burying her face into her hands. She had to admit that this company seemed capable, but hiring a Valyrian still bothered her.
“I understand that this must be hard for you, my Princess…” Forovos started, but Nymeria cut him off. “It’s not just me!” She snapped, turning to look at Forovos again. “Half my army are Rhoynar. Most of them have lost husbands, brothers or sons to the Valyrians, and now they should fight alongside them?”
“I understand, but as I said, the Fallen Dragons have warriors from every corner of the world, only few of them are actually Valyrians.” Forovos explained calmly, but Nymeria just bridled at him. “Their leader is a Valyrian. That alone will be too much for many.”
“Perhaps not, after they hear a speech or two from him – Valor is quite good at rallying men on his side. And besides, you can always keep the Fallen Dragons separated from your own troops if you’re worried about them not getting along.” Forovos replied casually. “You don’t have to trust only my word though, I have brought one of his men with me.” He continued, and Nymeria narrowed her eyes.
“You have smuggled a Valyrian into Sandship?” She asked, her voice quiet but oozing of anger. Forovos chuckled and shook his head. “No, this one is actually a Westerosi, and he came in as my bodyguard.” The smirk on the keyholder’s face was annoyingly smug, but Nymeria kept her cool.
“Well then, bring the man in.” She said sternly, and Forovos stood up, giving Nymeria a deep bow. As he walked out of the door, Nymeria turned her eyes to Varyn.
“You said you know the man.” She stated calmly, and Varyn let out a small sigh. “Hardly, just by a reputation.” He spoke with quiet but strong words. “During the war he was known as a ruthless commander who accomplished every task he put his mind to. When we marched to Volon Therys, the main defenses of the city were the vanguard lead by Commander Valor, and the three dragonlords riding their dragons. And believe me or not, in the war council before the battle, Prince Garin was more concerned about Valor Veltaris and his troops than the three fire breathing dragons in the sky.” For a small moment, there was a smile on the humorless generals’ face, but it quickly faded as he continued the story. “Well, the water wizards took down more than half of the vanguard and flooded the city, and the archers took down two of the dragons, and the last one escaped. Most of the enemy’s hundred-thousand men either drowned or retreated. I expected to face Valor on the battlefield as we moved in to crush what little remained of the vanguard. However, I never faced the man. Later I heard that he had been wounded and escaped.”
“So, he ran like a coward.” Nymeria stated dryly, and Varyn raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, my Princess, but I believe you yourself were the one who warned Prince Garin before the war that it would be a war that we couldn’t hope to win.” He said sternly, and Nymeria nodded. “I did, and it saddens me that I was right.” She replied.
“Indeed, and I expect Valor realized, while first looking at half of his troops drowning and then the rest of them being slaughtered, that it was a battle they couldn’t hope to win. So, he escaped.” Varyn spoke calmly. “And because he escaped, he could later return with new troops.” He added, and Nymeria sighed. “I suppose so.” She said lazily, and just at that moment, Forovos returned to the room. Right behind him came a tall man in a leather armor. He had dark brown hair and long face, strong jaw and a goatee. The look on the man’s blue eyes was relaxed, and his lips formed a charming little smile.
Forovos walked back to his seat, and the sellsword he brought gave a deep bow in front of the council table. “Pleasure to meet you, Princess Nymeria and Prince Mors.” He spoke with a casual and friendly tone. “My name is Olyvar Forrester, and Valor Veltaris has sent me here to represent the Fallen Dragons.”
“And why didn’t he come himself?” Nymeria asked strictly, and Olyvar let out a small chuckle. “Well, first of all, Valor believes that you and your people might have some… antipathy towards him. Secondly, he thought I, as a Westerosi, would be well suited for this meeting.” The way Olyvar spoke was so relaxed and carefree that it even annoyed Nymeria slightly. Doesn’t he realize that he is speaking to royalty?
“Your commander has murdered thousands of my people, so yes, there is some antipathy.” Nymeria replied, hardly even trying to veil her anger. “Murdered?” Olyvar raised his eyebrow as he spoke. “Personally, I never saw kills on battlefield as murders, but that’s just me.”
“Murder or not, burning men alive with dragons is cruelty.” The Princess replied, clenching her fists, and Olyvar nodded with a subtle smirk on his face. “I can agree with you on that, my Princess.” He said with his casual tone. “However, Valor never rode a dragon. And anyway, if it is cruelty to burn men alive, I must say that it is just as cruel to drown them alive.”
“Mother Rhoyne drowned the Valyrians because they did not belong there.” At this point Nymeria was furious, and Olyvar noticed it. “Forgive me, my Princess.” He said with genuine remorse. “I did not mean to rub salt on your wounds. And neither does Valor – he is done with the Freehold of Valyria, I can assure you that.”
“I thought I was done with the Valyrians as well, but it seems the gods keep reminding me of them.” Nymeria said with bitter tone. For a moment an awkward silence filled the council chamber, until Forovos cleared his throat.
“The war between the Rhoynar and the Valyrians has been over for years, it’s history.” The Braavosi spoke smoothly, his gaze traveling from each person in the room to the next. “I believe we must now concentrate on the future. The Rhoynish dynasty is gone, Prince Garin is dead. However, Princess Nymeria lives, and the new dynasty of Dorne is about to be born. Valyrians destroyed Garin’s dynasty, but perhaps this one, Fallen Dragon, could help you build yours.” Forovos looked Nymeria to the eyes as he spoke these last words.
“Perhaps.” Nymeria responded tensely. Now she turned her eyes to Olyvar Forrester again. “Does your commander have the ships to cross the Narrow Sea?” She asked, and a wide grin was formed on the Northerner’s face. “Yes, yes he does.” He answered.
“I believe hiring the Fallen Dragons is a good idea.” Mors joined the conversation. “However, I think we should consider on how will we use them.”
“What do you mean, my Prince?” General Varyn asked calmly. Mors took a couple seconds before he answered, thinking on how would he say what he had in mind. “Well, I suppose what we all had in mind now was that they’d sail across the Narrow Sea, land here in Sandship, and march to war. However, perhaps we could use them differently – they could sail to Salt Shore and conquer it. The Drylands and their allies think that we have no ships, so they are not prepared for an assault from the sea.”
“I’m not sure.” Varyn said with a pondering tone. “Would they really be enough to take Salt Shore?”
“We have taken cities before.” Olyvar stated with a confident tone, but Varyn still didn’t look completely convinced. “And if we can, we will of course support the attack from the land.” Mors added enthusiastically.
“What do you think, my Princess?” General Varyn asked, looking at Nymeria. The Princess gulped. She wasn’t really an expert on war, but if she wanted to become a conqueror, she would have to learn to make choices like this.
[Use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore][Bring the Fallen Dragons to Sandship]
Nymeria
”I’ll do it.” Tomas Toland finally said, his voice weak, and the look on his eyes even weaker. “For the sake of my family, I’ll d… moreo it.” Nymeria almost felt sorry for this shadow of a man. Almost. No matter how pitiful he was now, Tomas Toland had done terrible things, and deserved much worse than he had got.
“We are pleased to hear this.” Mors spoke up, a small smile on his face. “You have made a wise choice, and a brave one. I truly hope your nephew will also understand the importance of peace between our houses.” Tomas nodded quietly to the Prince. Finally, Nymeria turned her cold stare away from the Toland.
“Captain Sanyra, escort the guest to his new quarters.” The Princess spoke with emotionless tone on her voice, and Sanyra bowed to her. Then the captain approached Tomas Toland, grabbed him from his arm and pulled him up from his seat. “Would you follow me, my lord, or do I have to drag you?” She asked calmly, and Tomas… [view original content]
Nymeria
”I’ll do it.” Tomas Toland finally said, his voice weak, and the look on his eyes even weaker. “For the sake of my family, I’ll d… moreo it.” Nymeria almost felt sorry for this shadow of a man. Almost. No matter how pitiful he was now, Tomas Toland had done terrible things, and deserved much worse than he had got.
“We are pleased to hear this.” Mors spoke up, a small smile on his face. “You have made a wise choice, and a brave one. I truly hope your nephew will also understand the importance of peace between our houses.” Tomas nodded quietly to the Prince. Finally, Nymeria turned her cold stare away from the Toland.
“Captain Sanyra, escort the guest to his new quarters.” The Princess spoke with emotionless tone on her voice, and Sanyra bowed to her. Then the captain approached Tomas Toland, grabbed him from his arm and pulled him up from his seat. “Would you follow me, my lord, or do I have to drag you?” She asked calmly, and Tomas… [view original content]
Nymeria wondered what made the man so sure of this, he wasn’t stupid after all. Could he have killed the assassin? Nymeria shrugged these thoughts off, moving on to the next issue.
So she has absolutely no idea about Forovos? That is... interesting, if a little bit concerning, to think that he'd keep such an important secret from her.
[Use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore]
I choose this for the reasons that have been brought up in Nymeria's last part. The Rhoynar understandably don't like the Valyrians and while I think that keeping one Valyrian visitor close to Nymeria is a good idea and can work out, bringing and entire sellsword company to Sandship might be a bit too much for them already. On top of that, it is not a bad plan from Mors, to take Salt Shore by sea and not by land. That way, they can instantly prove their worth, not only to Nymeria but also to her men, who might still be sceptical about working with them, as seen with Varyn.
Nymeria
”I’ll do it.” Tomas Toland finally said, his voice weak, and the look on his eyes even weaker. “For the sake of my family, I’ll d… moreo it.” Nymeria almost felt sorry for this shadow of a man. Almost. No matter how pitiful he was now, Tomas Toland had done terrible things, and deserved much worse than he had got.
“We are pleased to hear this.” Mors spoke up, a small smile on his face. “You have made a wise choice, and a brave one. I truly hope your nephew will also understand the importance of peace between our houses.” Tomas nodded quietly to the Prince. Finally, Nymeria turned her cold stare away from the Toland.
“Captain Sanyra, escort the guest to his new quarters.” The Princess spoke with emotionless tone on her voice, and Sanyra bowed to her. Then the captain approached Tomas Toland, grabbed him from his arm and pulled him up from his seat. “Would you follow me, my lord, or do I have to drag you?” She asked calmly, and Tomas… [view original content]
So she has absolutely no idea about Forovos? That is... interesting, if a little bit concerning, to think that he'd keep such an important secret from her.
Indeed, Forovos is a slimy fellow, and as seen here he has no qualms about keeping secrets from the Martells. Then again, he was wise enough to tell them a half-truth, saying that he "arranged" the assassination of Donovar, just not revealing that he was the assassin himself. At the same time though, Nymeria definitely understands that Forovos is a dangerous man.
Nymeria wondered what made the man so sure of this, he wasn’t stupid after all. Could he have killed the assassin? Nymeria shrugged these th… moreoughts off, moving on to the next issue.
So she has absolutely no idea about Forovos? That is... interesting, if a little bit concerning, to think that he'd keep such an important secret from her.
[Use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore]
I choose this for the reasons that have been brought up in Nymeria's last part. The Rhoynar understandably don't like the Valyrians and while I think that keeping one Valyrian visitor close to Nymeria is a good idea and can work out, bringing and entire sellsword company to Sandship might be a bit too much for them already. On top of that, it is not a bad plan from Mors, to take Salt Shore by sea and not by land. That way, they can instantly prove their worth, not only to Nymeria but also to her men, who might still be sceptical about working with them, as seen with Varyn.
Well, this is a pretty tough choice but ultimately having the Fallen Dragons attack Salt Shore seems like the best choice here. Having a surprise naval attack when it is thought that House Martell have a nonexistent navy is an excellent idea and it seems to have a pretty good chance of succeeding. I don't know the capabilities of House Gargalen but it does seem unlikely that they can oppose a nearly 1,000 strong army of sellswords who have battled Dothraki hordes and everything else all over the world. On the other hand, it is kind of worrying since not only is Nealia currently there but Ser Rolan and Lyreon who are representing House Dayne are currently there as well. If I remember right about Nealia she is just passing through and I know that the Nightfalls are so there is a decent chance they are not even there by the time the Fallen Dragons arrive to invade Salt Shore. Along with that, if we chose the Fallen Dragons to arrive at Sandship first, Nymeria could choose to send them to Godsgrace and with Jamison there, I definitely do not want that. Great part!
Nymeria
”I’ll do it.” Tomas Toland finally said, his voice weak, and the look on his eyes even weaker. “For the sake of my family, I’ll d… moreo it.” Nymeria almost felt sorry for this shadow of a man. Almost. No matter how pitiful he was now, Tomas Toland had done terrible things, and deserved much worse than he had got.
“We are pleased to hear this.” Mors spoke up, a small smile on his face. “You have made a wise choice, and a brave one. I truly hope your nephew will also understand the importance of peace between our houses.” Tomas nodded quietly to the Prince. Finally, Nymeria turned her cold stare away from the Toland.
“Captain Sanyra, escort the guest to his new quarters.” The Princess spoke with emotionless tone on her voice, and Sanyra bowed to her. Then the captain approached Tomas Toland, grabbed him from his arm and pulled him up from his seat. “Would you follow me, my lord, or do I have to drag you?” She asked calmly, and Tomas… [view original content]
Nealia, Ser Rolan and Lyreon are indeed currently in Salt Shore, though especially in Nealia's case it's safe to say she'll be gone from there, actually before the Fallen Dragons even set sail. Ser Rolan and Lyreon, well, unless for some reason they decide to stay there for quite a long while they'll be out of the city as well.
[Use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore]
Well, this is a pretty tough choice but ultimately having the Fallen Dragons attack Salt Sh… moreore seems like the best choice here. Having a surprise naval attack when it is thought that House Martell have a nonexistent navy is an excellent idea and it seems to have a pretty good chance of succeeding. I don't know the capabilities of House Gargalen but it does seem unlikely that they can oppose a nearly 1,000 strong army of sellswords who have battled Dothraki hordes and everything else all over the world. On the other hand, it is kind of worrying since not only is Nealia currently there but Ser Rolan and Lyreon who are representing House Dayne are currently there as well. If I remember right about Nealia she is just passing through and I know that the Nightfalls are so there is a decent chance they are not even there by the time the Fallen Dragons arrive to invade Salt Shore. Along with that, if w… [view original content]
Nymeria
”I’ll do it.” Tomas Toland finally said, his voice weak, and the look on his eyes even weaker. “For the sake of my family, I’ll d… moreo it.” Nymeria almost felt sorry for this shadow of a man. Almost. No matter how pitiful he was now, Tomas Toland had done terrible things, and deserved much worse than he had got.
“We are pleased to hear this.” Mors spoke up, a small smile on his face. “You have made a wise choice, and a brave one. I truly hope your nephew will also understand the importance of peace between our houses.” Tomas nodded quietly to the Prince. Finally, Nymeria turned her cold stare away from the Toland.
“Captain Sanyra, escort the guest to his new quarters.” The Princess spoke with emotionless tone on her voice, and Sanyra bowed to her. Then the captain approached Tomas Toland, grabbed him from his arm and pulled him up from his seat. “Would you follow me, my lord, or do I have to drag you?” She asked calmly, and Tomas… [view original content]
Well when it comes to Nealia, I am glad she will be out of Salt Shore by then and as for what you have said about Ser Rolan and Lyreon, now I am seriously speculating about why they would possibly stay in Salt Shore longer then necessary and if it would be negative toward House Dayne. Primarily if somehow they or particularly Rolan are going to be traitors somehow
Nealia, Ser Rolan and Lyreon are indeed currently in Salt Shore, though especially in Nealia's case it's safe to say she'll be gone from the… morere, actually before the Fallen Dragons even set sail. Ser Rolan and Lyreon, well, unless for some reason they decide to stay there for quite a long while they'll be out of the city as well.
Martells will use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore from the sea. This does sound like a pretty good plan, especially since Lucifer and the Gargalens won't expect a naval attack. Anyway, we'll see later how well will this go for the Martells and the Fallen Dragons.
The next part will be a Verro PoV. I have started writing it, and I expect it to be ready tomorrow. The last time we saw Verro, he was promoted by Lord Efran from a lackey to a soldier, and he joined a raiding party that made it's way to the lands of House Bravespear - loyal bannermen of the Dalts. The group made their camp near a fishing village that they'd raid after resting the night. Verro watched at Nesila (a sellsword from Thunder Crew that Verro had a brief chat with earlier) sitting with her friends, and decided to go and talk with them in effort to make some new friends. This is where we will continue.
Verro stood up, and walked nervously towards Nesila and her friends – three men. One of them was a young and lean man with golden hair, other was bald and muscular, probably on his early thirties, and the last one was an ebony-skinned man with bushy black beard and a calm expression on his face. One by one they all turned to look at Verro, Nesila being the last one to turn her head.
“Oh look, it’s the lackey!” The young golden head said with a mocking tone. “He is a soldier now, Cullen.” Nesila remarked nonchalantly. “Sit down, Verro.” She added with bored tone, and with a nod Verro sat down next to her.
“So, you’re a Dothraki, aye?” The bald one asked casually, taking a sip from his flask. “I was born a Dothraki, yes.” Verro answered calmly. “But I’ve been many things after that… My life has been one big series of incidents and ship wrecks.”
“Oh, how sad, little lackey, I feel so sorry for you.” Cullen sneered, and Verro sent him a glare. “Never asked for you to feel sorry, did I?” He spat with mild irritation, and Cullen gave him a smug smirk. Nesila chuckled coldly, subtly shaking her head. “You shouldn’t take too seriously anything that blonde cunt says.” She muttered lazily.
“I didn’t…” Verro started angrily, but stopped as he saw Nesila raising her eyebrow. “I mean… After my youth as a Dothraki, I was capture by slavers, and taken to the fighting pits of Meereen.” He continued his story calmly.
“Ah, the fighting pits of Meereen.” Nesila repeated with a thin smile on her face. “What a fine tradition of the Ghiscari.” Verro couldn’t quite tell if Nesila’s words were sarcastic, but he sure hoped they were.
“And after being a pit fighter, you joined the crew of Captain Scar, right?” The bald one asked, and Verro nodded. “Wasn’t really my own choice, but yes, I ended up as part of his crew.” He answered with a sigh, remembering Donillos again. The only real friend I ever had. “Anyway, you seem to know my history well enough, but I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Axel.” The bald man stated calmly, grabbing the battle axe that was laying on the ground next to him. “I come from the Kingdom of Blackmont, and like to crack skulls with my axe – that’s all you need to know about me, boy.” The man had a twisted grin on his face, and he slid his fingers along the edge of his axe’s blade. Verro gulped subtly, and turned his eyes to the ebony-skinned man with a bushy beard.
“I suppose you want to hear my name too.” The man said with a strong accent in his deep and sober voice. Verro nodded quietly, and the man let out a sigh. “It’s Zaltha Qo. I am the second son of Prince Zontobol Qo, exiled from the Summer Isles – my home.” The man’s voice was tranquil, and he stared into nothingness as he spoke.
“Your father exiled you?” Verro asked curiously, and Zaltha turned his gaze to him. “My father did what he had to do. I had put our family in shame.” With these words the Summer Islander turned his dark eyes away from Verro.
“No use asking him what exactly did he do to shame his family.” Nesila stated dryly. “He never tells anyone.”
“Well, perhaps we should talk about something else then.” Verro suggested, glancing at each four of them. Zaltha kept looking away, clearly not interested in talking. Cullen stared at Verro with a malicious look in his green eyes, like he was trying to come up with another nasty insult to throw at him. Axel kept marveling at his own axe, and Nesila just looked bored. “There must be some topic we are all interested in.”
“We are all killers.” Axel stated with a grin, finally turning his eyes up from the axe. “And how can you be so sure about that?” Verro asked casually. “You hardly even know me.”
“Oh, so you are trying to tell me that someone who is a Dothraki, a pit fighter and a pirate isn’t a killer?” Axel had an amused tone on his voice, and Verro let out a sigh. “I’ve killed, when it’s been necessary.” He replied calmly. “So, in other words, you are a killer.” Axel said in triumphant tone.
“So, you want to talk about killing?” Verro asked with a deadpan expression, but Axel just chuckled. “You’re the one who wanted to talk, boy.” He remarked, and Verro rolled his eyes. Before anyone else could continue the conversation, Nesila suddenly stood up. “I think it’s about time for us all to get some rest.” She said with a serious tone. “We got plenty of killing to do tomorrow.”
-
The sun had risen, and the Narrow Sea was shining in its light, as the Bandit Lord’s gang of raiders rode towards the fishing village with their weapons unsheathed. Verro saw Efran and the leader of the Thunder Crew leading the attack, right behind them Zaltha Qo, Cullen and many others. Slightly to the left of Verro rode Nesila, a dead serious look on her eyes. Right next to Verro was Axel, thirst for blood shining in his brown eyes.
Verro grasped tightly to his sword, seeing the village getting closer and closer. It had been a while from his last combat, but he still knew his way around. Someone in the village was ringing a bell, to warn the people about the approaching raiding party. Verro could see few men in the village grabbing weapons to defend themselves, while all the women and children ran into the houses to hide away. He even spotted a couple running away from the village.
“FOR EFRAN!” Verro heard someone screaming behind him as they got closer to the village. “THUNDER CREW!” Shouted Cullen. As they rode through the small street to the center of the village, the few men who had taken arms against them were either rode over, or retreated from the street at the last moment.
Efran stopped at the center of the village, and the raiding party gathered around him. The Bandit Lord raised his Valyrian steel sword in the air. “Raid the houses!” He commanded with a grin on his face. “Take all gold and silver you can find, and bring every man who wants to surrender here!” The men cheered for their lord’s words, and dismounted their horses.
“Verro, come with me!” Axel yelled, and Verro followed after him. The men started to kick in the doors of the houses, rushing in with their weapons. Verro could hear the villagers scream, begging for mercy. He ignored it, and kept following Axel, who took him to a small house that was in good shape. “We go in here.” He said cheerfully, twiddling the axe in his hand. “In my experience the houses that are in good shape have the best treasures in them.” With these words, Axel kicked in the door and stepped in. Verro followed him, and it took a couple seconds before his eyes adjusted to the dark room they had just stepped in.
When Verro’s eyes adjusted, he saw a man with greying hair, and hiding behind him were a woman probably on her forties, and a girl on her early teens. The man looked nervous and angry, and he had a trident in his hands, which he pointed towards Axel and Verro. The woman and girl behind him looked scared, the girl was even sobbing.
“Oh, we found a real gem here, boy.” Axel said enthusiastically. “I’ll take the pretty girl, you can have the old one.” He said, but Verro didn’t answer. He had seen all this before, he had been part of it before, but he had never enjoyed it.
“Old man, you come with me to the center of the village.” Verro ordered calmly, but the fisherman shook his head frantically. “Don’t do anything stupid now, it’s better for everyone if you…”
“Fuck you!” The fisherman cut off Verro. “I’ll die before I let scum like you touch my family!” With these words the old man charged toward Verro with his trident. Verro reacted fast enough, parrying the thrust and slamming the trident to the floor. Before Verro could do anything more, Axel’s axe was already embedded deep into the old man’s skull. His wife and daughter both screamed in horror, but Axel just laughed. With a loud growl, he pulled his axe out of the man’s head, and so the limp body of the fisherman collapsed to the floor.
“There was no need, he was already unarmed.” Verro muttered, but Axel didn’t listen to him – he was already on his way to the young girl. The fisherman’s wife tried to stop him. “Leave her alone, she is too young!” She begged in panic. “Take me instead!” She pleaded, but Axel just smacked the older woman out of the way, and grabbed the young girl, pushing her against the wooden wall. “Don’t look so frightened, girl! We’re gonna have some fun together!”
Verro gulped, turning his eyes to the dead body of the fisherman. He heard how Axel started ripping off the girl’s clothes, and her crying filled the room. Then Verro saw the mother of the girl crawling on the floor, reaching for the trident. Verro’s eyes met with hers for a split second, but neither of them said anything. The woman grabbed the trident, and stood up. Axel had his back turned to her, and Verro knew bloody well what she had in mind.
Verro
Verro stood up, and walked nervously towards Nesila and her friends – three men. One of them was a young and lean man with golden h… moreair, other was bald and muscular, probably on his early thirties, and the last one was an ebony-skinned man with bushy black beard and a calm expression on his face. One by one they all turned to look at Verro, Nesila being the last one to turn her head.
“Oh look, it’s the lackey!” The young golden head said with a mocking tone. “He is a soldier now, Cullen.” Nesila remarked nonchalantly. “Sit down, Verro.” She added with bored tone, and with a nod Verro sat down next to her.
“So, you’re a Dothraki, aye?” The bald one asked casually, taking a sip from his flask. “I was born a Dothraki, yes.” Verro answered calmly. “But I’ve been many things after that… My life has been one big series of incidents and ship wrecks.”
“Oh, how sad, little lackey, I feel so sorry for you.” Cullen sneered, and Verro se… [view original content]
This was an interesting part. First of all, I think it really showed a side of Verro that hasn't been seen so far. The difference between him and that asshole Axel has been noticeable. It also showed a side of Efran that has only been hinted at so far. For all his affable behaviour, that man has absolutely no problem with raiding a completely innocent village. But it has been interesting to see Verro in the middle of it and his thoughts on the matter.
[Don't intervene]
I truly hope that she gets a chance to kill that guy. Sure, she's likely going to be killed for it as well, but I have no doubt that her chances of survival are slim either way, with Axel around. It would be for the best for everyone if that guy gets to die here, so that way, the woman can do one final good thing before dying, as opposed to just dying. I must say though, I have the bad feeling that she won't succeed and that Axel will manage to stop her. But it is a chance I am willing to take.
Verro
Verro stood up, and walked nervously towards Nesila and her friends – three men. One of them was a young and lean man with golden h… moreair, other was bald and muscular, probably on his early thirties, and the last one was an ebony-skinned man with bushy black beard and a calm expression on his face. One by one they all turned to look at Verro, Nesila being the last one to turn her head.
“Oh look, it’s the lackey!” The young golden head said with a mocking tone. “He is a soldier now, Cullen.” Nesila remarked nonchalantly. “Sit down, Verro.” She added with bored tone, and with a nod Verro sat down next to her.
“So, you’re a Dothraki, aye?” The bald one asked casually, taking a sip from his flask. “I was born a Dothraki, yes.” Verro answered calmly. “But I’ve been many things after that… My life has been one big series of incidents and ship wrecks.”
“Oh, how sad, little lackey, I feel so sorry for you.” Cullen sneered, and Verro se… [view original content]
Comments
[Go to Esperence's meeting]
We are already going to see the meeting with Morgan from Jamison's point of view. We should go see what Esperence is planning.
[Go to Esperence's meeting]
Haha, Jamison's really trying to be as much of a jerk as possible here and I love it
It's clear to me that he and Emerson won't get along any better anytime soon. But it has certainly been intriguing to see him like this, to get a first-hand view on the effect he has on others.
[Go to Esperence's meeting]
Ah, this is a hard one. I am not sure if I am so curious about Esperence's meeting that I am willing to play her game, but I can't deny that I am curious. Since we will see Morgan's meeting through Jamison's PoV, this might be our only chance to learn more about Esperence's plans. And every hint can count there, because whatever game she is playing, I am not sure if I like it. Maybe this way, Emerson will have a chance to react if she plans anything dangerous rather than getting surprised by it. I'm sure we'll have more Emerson/Jamison interaction soon either way, so I don't think going to Morgan's meeting will be all that beneficial.
Voting is closed!
The result is clear, Emerson will go to Esperence's meeting. This might indeed be a good way to get more knowledge on what exactly is Esperence planning, as well as perhaps winning her trust. Morgan however might not be entirely pleased, even if skipping the meeting with the Daynes won't be something that he would consider a major offense. Anyway, I'm quite pleased with this choice, simply because it gives me the possibility to show both of these meetings
I've been writing the next part and made some good progress, and it will be a Dalia PoV. As a reminder, Dalia Sand is the bastard daughter of King Lucifer Dryland, and the leader of the sellsword company Wild Suns, and her daughter Desirea is a priestess of R'hllor. They are marching towards Hellgate Hall to join the army of the Drylands. Last time we saw them they were in Brimstone Well, and Dalia sent Mizro the Sharp (father of Desirea) to bring the message that they are coming to King Lucifer. Now we'll skip to the moment that the Wild Suns arrive to the Hellgate Hall. The part will probably be ready tomorrow.
Dalia
Dalia watched the ancient castle of Hellgate Hall, that stood next to the River of Brimstone, which ran very low here at the moment, due to the hot summer. An army had been assembled around the castle, and most of the banners displayed a black sun on a red field. It was the sigil of Dalia Sand’s father, but Dalia and the Wild Suns had it reversed.
Dalia rode to her daughter, who was protected by her two most loyal warriors from the Red Church – Vyran the Lion and Belan the Brave. Vyran was a seasoned and serious warrior on his mid-thirties, tanned man with dark hair and eyes, always sporting the fur of a lion that he once slayed. Belan was Vyran’s son, fourteen years old boy who had dedicated his life to protecting Desirea. Apparently there was some sort of prophesy related to it, but Dalia wasn’t particularly interested in it. Both Vyran and Belan gave Dalia a respectful bow as she approached them. Desirea turned her gaze to her mother, a touch of concern in her dark eyes.
“Is everything alright, Desi?” Dalia asked calmly, and Desirea gulped subtly. “I just hope they haven’t hurt father.” She replied quietly, and Dalia gave her a warm smile. “Lucifer wouldn’t hurt Mizro, don’t worry about it.” She comforted her, though in truth she couldn’t really be sure about it. It had been very long since the last time she had seen her father, and she doubted that the years had made King Lucifer softer. Hopefully they haven’t made him any worse than he already was.
“Look, commander, two messengers.” Belan spoke up, pointing towards the castle. Dalia turned around, and indeed, two men were riding towards them. As they got closer, Dalia recognized the other one – it was Mizro. However, the other one Dalia had never seen before. He was approximately the same age as Dalia, dressed in fine black clothes with white ornaments, heavily tanned skin, short black hair and full beard. This man had a charming smile on his face, and the look on his green eyes was quite engaging.
“You must be Dalia Sand.” The man stated as they arrived, and Dalia gave him a small nod. “Pleasure to meet you. My name is Lewyn Tiddle, heir to Tidmarsh.” He continued.
“I thought the Tiddles had gone extinct.” Dalia said with a raised eyebrow, and Lewyn let out a warm little chuckle. “Indeed, my father Bedwyck was merely a distant cousin of the earlier Lord, who died without an heir. So, your father, His Grace, granted my father the lordship.” Lewyn explained with his calm and smooth tone.
“I see.” Dalia replied with little interest in her voice. Then she turned her eyes to Mizro, who had a nonchalant expression on his face. “I take it you delivered the message to my father?” She asked sternly, and Mizro nodded to her. “I did indeed.” He simply answered.
“Your father is pleased to hear you have come to help him in these hard times.” Lewyn said, making Dalia raise her eyebrow. Pleased to have my army, no doubt, but what about me? Dalia decided not to ask this from Lewyn, and settled to giving him a smile and a nod. “I’m looking forward to meeting him.” She said dryly.
“And he looks forward to meeting you, my Lady.” Lewyn replied smoothly, and Dalia narrowed her eyes. This man was courteous and suave, that much was clear, but somehow he also gave a smarmy vibe to Dalia. She turned towards her daughter again.
“Would you like to come, Desi?” Dalia asked, but before she could answer Mizro spoke up. “I think it’s better if she stays with me.” He said, a meaningful look in his sharp blue eyes. “With you?” Dalia asked with slight confusion. “You are not coming to the castle then?”
“Someone has to stay and put up the camp.” He answered with a small smirk on his face. “Besides, I think I spent enough time with your father already.” Dalia wasn’t sure what Mizro meant with this, but she gave her a slow nod. “So be it.” She said with a sigh.
“Shall we go then?” Lewyn asked with his polite tone, and Dalia turned to look at him again. “Just a moment, I’ll go and fetch Marduk and Red Maggot.” Dalia could see Lewyn’s eyes widening as she mentioned the name of the Unsullied commander, and she flashed him an amused grin.
-
Lewyn led Dalia, Marduk and Red Maggot through the grey halls of Hellgate Hall with firm steps. Dalia could feel her heart starting to beat faster. This used to be her home, long ago. She noticed that the paintings and tapestries on the walls were still the same, mainly portraying the kings of old, legendary warriors and the beautiful queens with their infant princes and princesses. Dalia felt weak, and she had to admit it to herself – she was nervous to meet her father again. It had been so long, but in this moment the memories felt so fresh. And finally, they arrived to the door of the King’s office.
“We are here, my Lady.” Lewyn turned to say to Dalia, a calculating look on his eyes. Dalia nodded silently, and moved forward. She put her hand on the knob, and pushed the doors open.
Dalia’s eyes traveled through the large room, its wooden floor, fancy carpets, high ceiling and red pillars. This room had always been Lucifer’s favorite place in the castle, and Dalia’s least favorite. And there he was, sitting alone by a large table, only one large knight in black armor standing behind him, and a jug of wine in front of him on the table.
With decisive steps Dalia approached her father, who had a stern look on his brown eyes. Dalia didn’t show any weakness, and Lewyn, Marduk and Red Maggot followed in her coattails. “Welcome home, Dalia.” Lucifer finally said, as his eyes observed the woman that his daughter had become in the fifteen years they had been apart.
“Thank you, Your Grace.” She replied, keeping her voice stern. The King let out a sigh, and then a smile was finally formed on his face. “I was sure I would never see you again.” He said, and it was impossible to tell from his voice if he was sad or happy about having been wrong. “Leave us, a father and daughter should have their reunion in private.”
Lewyn Tiddle bowed immediately, and made his way towards the doors. However, Marduk and Red Maggot stayed right next to Dalia without moving an inch. “These men follow my orders, father.” She said with a hint of a smile on her face. “I’m sure you have noticed that I have gained a lot of power since we last met.”
“I have, and I’m impressed.” Lucifer replied calmly. “But I would still like to have a moment with you in private.”
Dalia nodded to her father in agreement, turning to Marduk and Red Maggot and signaling for them to exit the room with Lewyn. And so they did. As the door closed, the knight in dark armor still stood behind Lucifer. There weren’t many men who towered Dalia, but this was one of them. He carried a massive sword on his back, one that had no doubt chopped off many heads.
“Is your bodyguard staying?” Dalia asked with raised eyebrow, and Lucifer chuckled softly. “Pay no attention to Ser Blackheart, I assure you he won’t disturb us – his only duty in this life is to protect me, and to kill for me.” As he spoke, Lucifer gestured for Dalia to sit down. With uncertain steps, she walked to the table and took a seat opposed to her father.
“You look very much like your mother.” Lucifer said, a hint of grief in his words. Dalia hadn’t expected this – during her childhood Lucifer had hardly ever mentioned her mother. “I wouldn’t know.” She replied calmly, and a small smirk appeared on Lucifer’s face.
“It wasn’t my decision you know.” He said with a sigh. “To keep you away from your mother… It was my father who demanded it, and when he died you were already seven and I couldn’t find your mother anymore.” Now Dalia was sure about it – there was grief in her father’s words. “Why didn’t you ever speak to me about this?” She asked sternly.
“I saw no reason for it.” Lucifer answered quietly, turning his head down. “And Alessa was already a good mother to you.”
“She didn’t love me, not really.” Dalia replied nonchalantly. “I don’t blame her though, I wasn’t her daughter. And I was a hard child, I can admit that now.” For a moment they were both silent. Then Dalia decided to speak up again. “I heard Queen Alessa died a while ago, and she never did give you an heir.”
“You have heard correctly.” Lucifer’s voice was colder now, and he didn’t seem eager to speak of this matter. “I assume you are going to marry some young noble girl now, right?” Dalia asked casually, and Lucifer nodded.
“I have found a suitable bride… And in time I will have my heir.” The King spoke with stern words, and Dalia could hear that Lucifer hardly believed himself in what he said. “You already have a child.” She said quietly, and her father narrowed his eyes.
“I have a bastard.” He replied coldly. Dalia let out a chuckle, spreading out her hands. “A bastard with thousand men under her command.” She spoke with strength in her voice, and Lucifer let out a deep sigh. Silence lingered in the air, only broken by Lucifer tapping the surface of the table with his finger. Finally, when Dalia was already considering to speak up again, Lucifer cleared his throat.
“You need to prove yourself – prove to me that you are worth the crown of my ancestors.” He spoke sternly, turning his piercing stare to Dalia. “Give me Vaith, and you shall be granted the name Dryland, and I will name you my heir.”
“Vaith?” Dalia asked with mild confusion, after the initial surprise of Lucifer’s statement had passed. “Yes, Vaith.” Lucifer answered dryly. “They have shown signs of refusing to cooperate, and I can’t let that stronghold fall into the hands of the Martells.”
“So, you want me to conquer Vaith for you?” Dalia asked again, and Lucifer nodded. “I will march to Salt Shore with the bulk of my army, to unite with Lord Gargalen’s army. Meanwhile your company, strengthened with some five-hundred of my men, will assault Vaith, take control of it, and hand it over to me when I march there from Salt Shore. Do this, and I will legitimize you – I swear it, by the gods.”
“There is only one god.” Dalia replied calmly, and Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “I did hear that your bastard girl serves the Red God, but I’m surprised to see you showing such commitment.” He said with a smirk on his face. “However, this Kingdom follows the Faith of Seven, and that will be expected of you as well, if you ever wish to rule it.”
Dalia sighed. She had never been fond of the Seven Gods and the stories about them. Most of her life she hadn’t cared about any gods, but the priests of the R’hllor had managed to convince her – their god was real. She looked at her father, uncertain if she even wanted to argue about this with him.
[Don't argue about this] [Say that you will always serve R'hllor]
[Don't argue about this]
Considering how things pan out anyways, this issue will probably not matter much in the end. Also, Dalia does not seem like she really wants to argue about this. It's a problem that can be sorted out later.
A very... interesting part. I won't call a part with Dalia as the PoV great, not as long as it doesn't end with her death, but the writing was amazing as always and I definitely enjoyed Lucifer in it. While still a jerk, he seemed slightly less insufferable, if that's the right word. More familiar and even though he acted like the douchebag he is, I have no doubt that he holds at least some fondness for his daughter. Compared to how much I dislike Dalia, I must say I even love that guy. Compared to almost anyone else, I still don't like him. But at the very least, I am entertained by his arrogance.
[Don't argue about this]
Well, if she does not argue, this might mean that she is a little bit less willing to enforce her stupid faith with force and a little bit more willing to serve Lucifer. This is alright, I may dislike the guy, but I have no particular personal problem with him. But saying that she will always serve R'hllor would probably keep her closer to Desi and her fanatical religion of semi-evil (if still lesser than Aisha's religion of pure evil). I don't want that, I really don't want that. Dalia can live if she just stays the hell away from Gwendis, so maybe this will be a chance for her to do exactly this, either staying away or maybe even better, dying in Lucifer's war, or getting wounded so badly that she won't be a threat to anyone ever again. At the same time, despite my intense dislike, bordering on open hatred, which I feel for Dalia, I must admit that I am still not sure if she truly is the enemy in Gwendis' storyline. Aisha has been much more villainous, that treacherous snake, though to be fair, that is mostly because they actually interacted with each other, while Dalia had no chance to fully earn my hatred yet, aside from the fact that she exists and might pose such a threat in the future. But regardless of wether or not Dalia is the one I should direct my hatred at, I see it as a huge benefit to at least somehow lessen or outright undo her fanatism, because no matter what kind of a role she ultimately will have, I'd rather prefer it if she stays at least somewhat rational. Desi is already bad enough, the last thing we need is for her mother to be just the same. Maybe we can turn Dalia into a calm, rational and peaceful person who won't even consider killing Gwendis. Hey, maybe she's even going to abandon that little fanatic shit she calls her daughter.
Then again, if there will be a chance for Gwendis to break free from the control Aisha and her demon god try to impose on her, I'm still not sure if I shouldn't just root for Dalia to actually help her instead of trying my utmost to keep them apart. This surely is a really hard set of choices, for me in particular, but one thing is for certain, my dislike of Dalia grows the more thought I put into this, though my confusion about wether or not I am justified in my hatred grows at the same time. I can't be justified in hating both, Aisha and Dalia, yet right now I'm doing exactly that, so that means I have to be wrong in at least one case, right? Or maybe I am right with both, if Dalia is the enemy and Aisha is the one who manipulated Gwendis into joining this conflict, meaning that she's going to be partially responsible for whatever Dalia is going to do. Or Desi. Or the Great Other, who seems to be even worse than Desi. That makes me wonder, who is actually the good side in that conflict? Because certainly, neither Aisha nor Desi are anything even remotely good, whereas Dalia makes a crappy good guy, since well, she's Dalia. That means... Gwendis, maybe? Though she, as Aisha's pawn, doesn't really have any control to be the good one here. Hm, we must definitely have her break free of Aisha and her demon and maybe if that happens, Dalia can actually be useful. Maybe I won't like her ever, but perhaps she can at least be useful. Doesn't mean I won't try to at least weaken her, or at least her faith.
[Don't argue about this]
[Don't argue about this]
I'm not closing the voting of the Dalia part yet, but I already have the next part ready. So, I think I'm going to post it now, and close the votings of these two parts at the same time
Anyway, the part that I'm talking about is a Gwendis PoV! It's been a while, but in her last part Gwendis had left Blackmont with the priestess Aisha and the young thief Trentan. Only Aisha knows where exactly are they heading, but they made their way to the mountains east of Blackmont. Gwendis had a small chat with Trentan, who seemed to have a bit smug attitude towards Gwendis now, perhaps bitter of how she blackmailed him earlier. Gwendis wondered why Trentan had even come with them, but he didn't want to talk about it. Gwendis also had a conversation with Aisha, but she remained quite mysterious about their mission, only revealing that if they want to confront their enemies they need a warrior, and apparently she knows one. After this, Gwendis had a dream with cold blue eyes in the darkness, and screeching voice telling her to embrace the darkness and blow out the flames. You voted for her to tell Aisha about this dream.
As said, the part is ready, so I'll post it right away
Gwendis
The wind touched gently the skin of the Princess of Blackmont. It was quiet, Gwendis had her eyes closed, and in this moment, she could imagine that she was sitting on her own balcony, watching the peaceful view beneath her. Safe. Her handmaidens would be chirping their innocent stories behind her, until her brother would come to knock the door. And Naemon would come and sit next to her, a grin on his face, bragging about how he had taken down another boar on a hunt. And Gwendis would turn to look him into the eyes – but they were not her brother’s eyes. They were cold as ice, deep, endless, and they stared straight into the soul of Gwendis. Embrace the darkness!
With a deep gasp Gwendis opened her eyes. And so, she was in the grim present again. Her clothes were dirty, as was her hair, and she was leaning against a hard, stony wall. They were high on the mountains – Aisha had been leading them to north. They had traveled via small and hard mountain paths, ones that probably hadn’t been used by anyone else in decades. Last night they had made their camp next to a crumbled tower, clearly hundreds of years old.
Gwendis was tired, more tired than she had ever been. It was not only the harsh traveling, but also the nights – they hardly gave her the rest she needed. The cold blue eyes haunted her dreams, always making their way into her thoughts. Aisha kept saying that it was a good sign, that she had a strong connection to her god, the Great Other. And even if her knowledge of the matter was next to none, Gwendis had to admit that Aisha was right – the connection was strong. This god, demon or whatever it was, it kept whispering to Gwendis’ ears, haunting her but also giving her strength whenever she felt like she was about to collapse. Whether this was a good thing or not, well, that was a completely different question.
Gwendis looked around, but she couldn’t see Aisha or Trentan anywhere. However, the bags were still next to where the campfire had been. At least they haven’t abandoned me. Gwendis stood up with a deep sigh. She didn’t know what to feel. Just a couple days ago her feelings had swung from regretful, to depressed, to fearful, to hopeful, and back to regretful again. Now all she felt was emptiness, and weariness. With lazy steps, she walked down the hill. Down there, a couple hundred feet down, was a small forest. Perhaps they’ve gone to find something to eat, Gwendis thought, and turned around towards the tower.
Gwendis stepped into the tower. Aside from the stairs being in a very bad shape, the ground floor was still more or less intact, but filled with nothing but dust and spider webs. Gwendis wondered when was the last time someone had been here, and why had they left. Perhaps it had been winter that had drove them away, a harsh one. Gwendis’ thoughts were interrupted, as she heard a noise from the upper floor. Something moved there. It could be just a mouse, or a bird. Gwendis was about to go and find out, but then she heard something much louder behind her - animalistic growling.
Gwendis spun around, and saw a mountain lion standing on the doorway. In panic, she drew the dagger that Aisha had given her, pointing it towards the beast. However, the mountain lion showed hardly any hesitation, and kept creeping closer to Gwendis.
“Go away!” She screamed, but her voice was weak, and it was almost like the animal was just laughing at her. Then, from the corner of her eye, Gwendis saw something strange. Aisha had appeared to the upper end of the stairs, completely naked, her purple eyes widened as she observed the situation. There the priestess of the Great Other was, with nothing concealing her gorgeous, slender but curvy body, and at least momentarily confusion completely overshadowed Gwendis’ fear.
“Here beast!” Aisha shouted, her voice booming unnaturally strong in the tower. And the mountain lion listened, it turned towards the stairs. Aisha walked them down with careful steps, keeping her gaze in the beast. “Go back where you came from, there is nothing for you here!”
The mountain lion kept growling, but it was weaker now, more fearful than ferocious. Finally, it started to back down, retreating towards the door, as Aisha kept walking towards it with firm and decisive steps. “GO!” The Dark Priestess screamed, and for a moment the icy blue eyes flashed in Gwendis’ mind again. Now the mountain lion turned around, and fled with its tail between its legs.
Still in slight panic, Gwendis ran to the stairs, and made her way up. There was another surprise waiting for her. Trentan was in the process of pulling up his pants as Gwendis saw him. Then Gwendis noticed Aisha’s clothes, which were in a bundle right next to Trentan's. Gwendis raised her eyebrows, unable to find words.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” Trentan barked, a frantic look on his green eyes. Gwendis let out a chuckle full of disbelief, still staring at the young thief. “You… and Aisha?”
“It’s none of your bloody business!” He yelled, grabbing the rest of his clothes and walking past Gwendis and down the stairs with every step oozing of anger. A couple seconds after Trentan had gone, Aisha walked back up, still naked. She looked at Gwendis with embarrassment in her eyes. “Could you… leave me for a moment, so I can dress up.” If Aisha’s words had been strong when she faced the mountain lion, now they were weak and timid, which was very uncharacteristic for her.
“Sure.” Gwendis answered with a nod, and made her way down the stairs. It was hard to grasp what had just happened. She had been nearly killed by a mountain lion, Aisha had drove off said mountain lion with nothing but her words, and then Gwendis had found out that Trentan was apparently fucking Aisha. What in seven hells is going on here?
Gwendis stepped out of the tower, seeing Trentan by where the campfire had been, dressing up the rest of his clothes. As she stood there, taking deep breaths, Gwendis started to finally calm down, thinking about what this all meant. She had wondered earlier what exactly had Aisha promised Trentan to make him follow her into the wild, but now it seemed clear. She had to wonder though, was this all just cold manipulation on Aisha’s part, or could she really have feelings for Trentan? Gwendis took a couple steps closer to the thief, receiving a cold glare from him. Clearly he doesn’t want to talk with me. Then again, perhaps it wasn’t him but Aisha that she needed to have a conversation with.
[Have a conversation with Trentan] [Have a conversation with Aisha]
[Have a conversation with Trentan]
Well, that was certainly unexpected.
I think she should talk with Trentan. Gwendis needs to have a better relationship with him in order to trust each other in dangerous situations. Plus, this is an opportunity for her to learn about his past and the reason why he has been cold to her. Also, Gwendis has a point in thinking that Aisha might just be manipulating him. If that is the case she might want to express that to him. Gwendis and Aisha's relationship won't suffer if she chooses to talk to Trentan, mostly because Aisha needs her for something. However, this could be an opportunity for her to learn more about Trentan and begin to form a positive relationship with him. Maybe, one day becoming friends. Anyways, they would need to be friends and reliably trust eachother if they plan to do whatever Aisha wants, or they may eventually decide escape together, away from Aisha.
Nope! No one's going to embrace anything there, especially nothing that is related to that greasy demon god scumbag that is totally freaking me out right now with the way it slowly threatens to control Gwendis. That thing can go and screw itself, yeah! Speaking about screwing and things related to that demon god, Aisha and Trentan caught me off guard completely. Like, Aisha and anyone would have caught me off guard, but Aisha and Trentan? Aside from the fact that I considered her absolutely frigid, I am more than surprised by her choice. I mean, Aisha's the kind of person I would have expected to seduce a king, or a mighty warrior or somone who is otherwise influential and useful to her evil goals, but a thief? A thief barely out of his teens on top. Since I highly doubt Aisha has genuine feelings for anything or anyone, it's clear to me that she is manipulating him, but I wonder why. Is it just his skill as a thief? He's not too impressive on that end, since Gwendis caught him rather easily.
So, what is it she actually sees in Trentan? He has been described as younger than Naemon, which would make him several years younger than her, maybe even close to a decade. I never saw her as a particularly lustful person and certainly not as a loving person, so it has to be some sort of a manipulation instead of her just giving in to urges or feelings. One thing that can be said about Aisha is that I consider her to be good at controlling herself, her urges and whatever is left of her humanity. Maybe it is the sex itself she needs, as part of some ritual. Maybe she's making demon babies right now, the thought is totally freaking me out! Or maybe she uses it as a deliberate part of her manipulations, that she uses her body paired with his youthful naivety to make him her willing servant, to the point where he mistakes her lies with love. She definitely is capable of that, given how ardently she tries to manipulate Gwendis into giving in to that twisted devil she worships. It just opens up the question what the special thing about him is that makes her manipulate him with such serious cruelty.
And while I'm not particularly fond of Trentan, on account of him being quite the jerk, I can only say, sweet Jesus, that poor guy! He just turned into a character I wholeheartedly pity. That's some Missy-level of suffering he goes through there and I have no doubt that he does not deserve such a cruel fate. Hopefully he can get away from Aisha just as well, he deserves better. Hell, anyone would deserve better, but aside from being a jerk, Trentan hasn't even done anything too bad, so I feel particularly bad for him.
[Have a conversation with Trentan]
This is a hard choice. Hell, every Gwendis choice is a hard choice for me, as evidenced by how much I write for it, but this is harder than the last one, although not even nearly as hard as the one before. To be fair, I doubt anything could be as hard as the one before. So, thing is, Trentan has shown that he isn't fond of Gwendis in the slightest. I doubt he even wants to talk and I doubt he's going to see what a serious mistake he's doing with that witch. Even then, I think Aisha is the one she needs to speak to. After all, we have chosen to talk to her before and they haven't had this talk yet, had they? Correct me if I'm wrong there, but I got the impression that Gwendis hasn't had her talk with Ausha about the demon god in the room yet. If so, then this is really important. On top of that, now might be a very good time, because Aisha is clearly somewhat weaker than usual, having just been caught in the act by Gwendis. At the same time, Tales brought up a good point and I can see good reasons for speaking to Trentan as well, so I might just end up changing my vote again, even if that rarely ended up as a good idea so far. I'd hate to add him to the list of enemies Gwendis has to overcome, but given his interactions with her so far, I don't see him warming up to her anytime soon. A part of me also still very much prefers if Gwendis stays as far away from that manipulative serpent as possible, so talking with Trentan might be better for her mental health. But well, if the talk with Aisha about that piece-of-shit demon in Gwendis' head hasn't taken place yet, I'd very much prefer for it to take place now, while she's more vulnerable than otherwise. Aisha is an enemy and she just left herself open. It might be a weird battle that's going on there, but given how outmatched Gwendis is against the witch, she has to take every chance she can get to gain the upper hand.
EDIT: After much consideration, and despite the fact that I have always chosen wrong when I change my vote, I have decided to do so again, because getting friends with Trentan might be a better idea than to gain a momentary advantage on Aisha. I'm actually no longer sure how much of an advantage this would have been, because Aisha can surely figure something out to manipulate Gwendis even further with this, so spending more time with her is not what I want there.
I think wildling is implying here that Aisha had already discussed Gwendis's dream with her.
Haha, I'm afraid you and Gwendis will have to bear with this problem for a while now. There will of course be choices regarding it, that might affect on how much control will this thing have over Gwendis, but getting completely rid of it won't happen for a long time - if it will happen at all.
This is an interesting question indeed. Well, we know that Trentan did help them in gathering (read: stealing) supplies and such before they left Blackmont, but that wouldn't explain why Aisha is still continuing to seduce him. There is indeed almost a decade between them in age, but perhaps it's not completely impossible that Aisha does have some feelings for Trentan. Well, this all will be spoken about in Gwendis' next part, either with Trentan or with Aisha, so perhaps I won't talk about it more now
While I wouldn't perhaps compare it to Missy-level suffering (not yet at least), Trentan certainly has made a pretty questionable decision. It should be clear that sleeping with a witch is never a good idea, and it will be really interesting to see where will this lead. So, in other words, you are most likely right in feeling bad for poor Trentan.
Well, Gwendis has mentioned (off-screen) about these things she keeps seeing and hearing, and Aisha has told her that it's a good thing (=strong connection to the Great Other). But I suppose you are right, they haven't had a real, deep conversation about it. Then again, I'm not really sure if Gwendis is able to get anything more out of Aisha regarding this matter.
This is a good point, because it's really the first time in the story that we are seeing some real uncertainty from Aisha, and it could indeed be a good idea to use that to Gwendis' advantage. However, just before that we also saw a demonstration of Aisha's powers, and on that field she is still leagues above Gwen.
Yes, this indeed refers to the fact that they have talked about it off-screen
It is apparent that Aisha has convinced her that her connection with her god is strong. Continuing to talk with her might cause her to fall into her trap more and give Gwendis more reasons to become devoted to Aisha's god. Which will mean she will be less likely to want to leave her. Talking to Trentan will give her the opportunity to find out more about him and why he acts the way he does around her. Learn about his past, etc... Also, as I mentioned before, it might be a good idea to try to begin to build a positive relationship between him and Gwendis. That way, if they become friends in the future, they can trust each other and possibly escape together.
[Have a conversation with Trentan]
EDIT: Just like Liquid I went ahead and changed my vote after reading what Tales had brought up. Now, we can't be sure if conversation with Aisha could give some insight into her plans, something that we could use against her, or if Aisha would use the conversation against us. However I'm pretty sure that conversation with Trentan, while it won't be pleasant, can't really influence on us that much and it also can give us some insight into Aisha's plans.
Hm, you bring up a very good, if very concerning argument there. It is clear to me that Aisha is trying to trick Gwendis into giving in to her demon, but now I have to consider that she'd even try to do it in such a seemingly unrelated talk. Trentan meanwhile... well, he's a jerk, but he definitely doesn't deserve being used by Aisha in such a way. I must say though, I am not sure if he even wants to talk, or if he'd open up to Gwendis, especially in this situation. Even worse, I doubt he's going to see that he is getting manipulated just like that. I guess at this point even Gwendis is barely able to see how that snake manipulates her, so if ever, it will probably be a long time until Trentan realizes what Aisha is truly like. That said, I agree that having a positive relationship between him and Gwendis is a good idea. Unlike Aisha, he's not evil, just a normal, if misguided guy. His interaction so far has shown that he really doesn't like Gwendis, but I'm sure he is theoretically capable of warming up to her, unlike a certain witch. And while I doubt Aisha will hesitate to kill her when she tries to escape, maybe Trentan will and maybe this will safe her life. Agh, why must such a small choice be so damn hard? Goddamn Aisha...
Yeah, I was expecting it to try and settle in her head for the long haul. But I will definitely not choose anything that could give it any more control than it already has. Gwendis can deal with an unwanted guest in her head, as long as that unwanted guest doesn't try to take control. Currently, it seems to try and tire her to the point where she can't resist anymore, but I know, once I get the choice I will choose anything this thing and its witch don't want. Argh, just when Desi could do something useful for once, she's not there of course
Then again, I am not sure if any help she could offer would be any more desirable than getting mind-controlled by Aisha's demon. Mayb Gwendis has to get rid of that thing on her own.
Problem is, while I have no doubt that Trentan has feelings for Aisha, I highly doubt they are mutual. I even doubt she's capable of having such feelings. Or any feelings. But even then, I have come to the point where I won't believe a word she says, ever. Unless she's honest about manipulating Trentan for something, even if it's just for cruel amusement. In that case, I'd be inclined to believe her, but I doubt there is another thing she can say in this situation that I would ever believe. I am convinced she is manipulating him like she manipulated Gwendis. Well, not in the same way, thank the Great Other, but whatever her game with him is, I doubt she has good intentions.
Well, he doesn't know it yet of course, but I have no doubt that he's going to be put through as much emotional abuse as Missy if he continues sleeping with that two-faced snake. I wouldn't be surprised if she's using his life force for something, like draining him so that she can further her mission and then she's just going to discard him once he stops being useful. Perhaps the worst thing about this is that Trentan, being basically a teenager, has probably no idea just how much he is being used and manipulated by her. Realizing that has to be the worst for him.
Oh, I see now. This is not good, not at all. I mean, I already knew it's a bad thing, but Aisha calling it a good thing really drives it home that this thing has to get out of Gwendis' head. Aisha can take it if she wants to, I'm sure she and her demon can get super happy. That said, I am now no longer sure if a deeper conversation with her will lead to anything good. She is most likely using this as an opportunity to further her manipulations, so that Gwendis might agree with her that having a demon of pure evil in her head is a good thing.
Well, that's a field where I'd very much like her to remain leagues above her. I prefer Gwendis without any creepy evil magic tricks, or creepy evil demon gods. Aisha can keep her powers, though I'd very much like for her to lose her life. Perhaps now could be a chance to gain some sort of an upper hand in their relationship, by using her uncertainty against her, or at least to kick her while she's done, because she deserves it. Then again, I am kind of suspicious about this whole thing. Why should she, the stone cold manipulator, all of a sudden feel uncertainty about something? I wouldn't be surprised if this is yet another trap of hers, to make Gwendis think that she's the strong one in their next conversation.
Hm, combined with the arguments Tales brought up, I must say that I am more and more thinking that staying the hell away from that bitch is the best course of action. It would have been the best course of action from the very beginning and every time I chose something that would favour Aisha, it ended up being a mistake. Seeing it from that perspective, I am starting to seriously doubt that now would be a good time to start having a talk with her. Because of that, I would like to change my vote to [Have a conversation with Trentan]
Do you know what I hate even more than Aisha? Double Posts!
Well... I did not expect that at all. But well... seeing all that hate towards Aisha now is making me like that:
[Have a conversation with Aisha]
[Don't argue about this]
I definitely see this as more of something where Dalia can simply cross that bridge if she gets to it. At this point, she has a big mission ahead conquering Vaith where there is a pretty solid chance that it will be a tough fight for Dalia and the Wild Suns so right now, I don't really see a need for Dalia to be stubborn about R'hllor. However, if she is able to complete her mission then it could definitely be sorted out later. On a side note though, it was pretty surprising in a good way how Dalia and Lucifer seemed to have a reasonably okay relationship considering I thought they would not get along very well at all.
[Have a conversation with Trentan] Most of the points have already been mentioned but I will chime in anyway
I am going with this choice largely because it would not hurt Gwendis to learn more about who is traveling with her and even if she does not find out much from Trentan, it is at the very least a start. I can definitely say that Gwendis is in a pretty wild situation and she needs to talk to people named something other then the Dark Priestess once in a while 
The jury is very much still out on Aisha's true plans and while I am still very much apart of the sending Gwendis to Skyreach team, I am also really curious about where this story line is going to go. Particularly I am wondering what exactly does this do for Gwendis by helping Aisha out since it would be hard for me to imagine Gwendis stepping back into governing a kingdom if it becomes well known that she was closely affiliated with someone who serves the Great Other. With all of that said, this is one of my favorite storylines and I am excited to see where Gwendis' storyline goes from here 
I wouldn't imagine her association with the dark priestess would ruin her chances of stepping in to rule the kingdom. Especially since her father, the king, was associated with her and others like her, yet his subjects are still loyal.
You do have a valid point there. While there has been some trouble in the Blackmont kingdom with the smallfolk in particular, House Blackmont's bannerman have seemed to stay pretty loyal at least so far even with all of the shady characters that Benedict keeps around in Blackmont. When it comes to Gwendis potentially ruling someday, I would say that will mostly depend on if Aisha's plans and how Gwendis is involved in them affect Nymeria and House Martell directly and in a negative way.
Voting is closed!
So, first off, Dalia won't argue about religion with his father. It's a relatively small choice, but these choices are what shape the characters, so it does have it's relevance.
And secondly, Gwendis will have a conversation with Trentan. Changed votes seem to be a trend in Gwendis' storyline - not that I have anything against that
Anyway, this could be a chance to get to know Trentan a bit better, even if it might be a hard task for Gwen to make him talk. The next Gwendis part will probably be fairly soon 
The next part however, will be a Nymeria PoV. Now, on Nymeria's last part she agreed with Mors on keeping the Valyrian guests - the young lady Eraehra Galnaris and her men - in Sandship. However, that's not the most recent appearance of Nym in the story. Her most recent appearance was in Tomas' last part, which took place a day after Nymeria's last part. Tomas was taken to face Nymeria, Mors, Varyn and Forovos in the council chamber. They offered him a chance to go to Ghost Hill with Forovos, and offer a peace treaty to his nephew (Donovar's son) Levor Toland, and Tomas accepted. We'll continue from there, but from Nymeria's PoV. I'm not 100% sure, but I do believe I'll get it done today.
Nymeria
”I’ll do it.” Tomas Toland finally said, his voice weak, and the look on his eyes even weaker. “For the sake of my family, I’ll do it.” Nymeria almost felt sorry for this shadow of a man. Almost. No matter how pitiful he was now, Tomas Toland had done terrible things, and deserved much worse than he had got.
“We are pleased to hear this.” Mors spoke up, a small smile on his face. “You have made a wise choice, and a brave one. I truly hope your nephew will also understand the importance of peace between our houses.” Tomas nodded quietly to the Prince. Finally, Nymeria turned her cold stare away from the Toland.
“Captain Sanyra, escort the guest to his new quarters.” The Princess spoke with emotionless tone on her voice, and Sanyra bowed to her. Then the captain approached Tomas Toland, grabbed him from his arm and pulled him up from his seat. “Would you follow me, my lord, or do I have to drag you?” She asked calmly, and Tomas furrowed his eyebrows. “Just lead the way, woman.” He barked, and Sanyra flashed him a smirk, before turning around and leading him out of the room.
When the door was closed, Nymeria turned her eyes to Forovos Norvoshi. The keyholder had his usual calm and sharp expression on his face. Nymeria had to give this man more merit now than she had before, though at the same time he seemed more dangerous in her eyes than before.
“Now we must pray that Tomas shall never learn that you arranged the murder of King Donovar.” She said dryly, and the loan peddler let out a small chuckle. “There will be no way for him to find out – unless one of you reveals it.” He responded, with no sign of nervousness or doubt in his words.
“I’m pretty sure we are not the only ones who know about it.” The Princess said with mild confusion. “No matter how rich you are, you can’t trust assassins to hold their tongue just because you paid them.”
“Trust me, my Princess, the assassin who killed King Donovar will not speak.” Forovos replied with a soft smile on his face. Nymeria wondered what made the man so sure of this, he wasn’t stupid after all. Could he have killed the assassin? Nymeria shrugged these thoughts off, moving on to the next issue.
“If you say so. However, I believe we have something else to discuss next.” The Princess said, and the smile on Forovos’ face got wider. “You are referring to the sellsword company, am I correct?” He asked, and Nymeria nodded as an answer.
“So, you already found a fitting company?” Prince Mors asked, slightly surprised. Nymeria had been quite surprised too when Forovos had returned to Sandship, calmly stating that he had arranged the assassination of King Donovar and found a sellsword company they could hire with the loan he had given them. “Indeed, they are almost thousand men strong, a company with good reputation, called the Fallen Dragons.” Forovos spoke smoothly, and Nymeria narrowed her eyes.
“Dragons?” She spoke this one word with deep-seated resentment and anger. Forovos raised his hands up in effort to calm her down. “I understand your history with the Valyrians isn’t the best possible, but I assure you, even if the leader of this company has the blood of Valyria, he isn’t in particularly good terms with the Freehold himself.” He explained, but Nymeria’s expression remained resentful.
“Who exactly is the leader of this company?” General Varyn suddenly spoke up, genuine interest in his stern voice. “His name is Valor Veltaris, though his men often call him Dragonheart.” Forovos answered after a moment of hesitation. A subtle smirk was formed on the general’s face. “I know the man.” He said calmly. “He was one of the Valyrian commanders in the battle of Volon Therys – he led their vanguard against us. Prince Garin crushed his troops when we took the city, but later we heard that Valor had managed to escape and join with the rest of the retreating Valyrian army.”
“So, you want me to hire a man who fought against my people?” Nymeria asked strictly, and Forovos let out a sigh. “Yes, he did fight against your people in the war.” He admitted with a casual tone. “However, when the Valyrians sent their three-hundred dragons to crush the Rhoynar resistance, to burn down your cities, and put in chains those who survived… That was when Valor Veltaris had enough.” Nymeria raised an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?” She asked, but her tone wasn’t angry anymore.
“It means that he abandoned the Valyrian army, running away with a small number of men loyal to him. They say it was the sight of women and children burning that was too much for Valor. ‘Fallen Dragon’ the other Valyrian commanders and dragonlords mocked him, calling him a coward and a traitor, but he didn’t care. Valor never returned to the Freehold, I suppose he knew that his noble family wouldn’t welcome him back after what he had done. So, instead he found his own sellsword company, giving it the name that the Valyrians had used to mock him. In the following couple of years the company has grown strong, gathering warriors from all over the world. Usually they are hired for extremely hard missions, often including battles against Dothraki hordes. Trust me, my Princess, you won’t regret having them on your side.” When Forovos ended his little story, he had a confident smile on his face. Nymeria let out a small sigh, burying her face into her hands. She had to admit that this company seemed capable, but hiring a Valyrian still bothered her.
“I understand that this must be hard for you, my Princess…” Forovos started, but Nymeria cut him off. “It’s not just me!” She snapped, turning to look at Forovos again. “Half my army are Rhoynar. Most of them have lost husbands, brothers or sons to the Valyrians, and now they should fight alongside them?”
“I understand, but as I said, the Fallen Dragons have warriors from every corner of the world, only few of them are actually Valyrians.” Forovos explained calmly, but Nymeria just bridled at him. “Their leader is a Valyrian. That alone will be too much for many.”
“Perhaps not, after they hear a speech or two from him – Valor is quite good at rallying men on his side. And besides, you can always keep the Fallen Dragons separated from your own troops if you’re worried about them not getting along.” Forovos replied casually. “You don’t have to trust only my word though, I have brought one of his men with me.” He continued, and Nymeria narrowed her eyes.
“You have smuggled a Valyrian into Sandship?” She asked, her voice quiet but oozing of anger. Forovos chuckled and shook his head. “No, this one is actually a Westerosi, and he came in as my bodyguard.” The smirk on the keyholder’s face was annoyingly smug, but Nymeria kept her cool.
“Well then, bring the man in.” She said sternly, and Forovos stood up, giving Nymeria a deep bow. As he walked out of the door, Nymeria turned her eyes to Varyn.
“You said you know the man.” She stated calmly, and Varyn let out a small sigh. “Hardly, just by a reputation.” He spoke with quiet but strong words. “During the war he was known as a ruthless commander who accomplished every task he put his mind to. When we marched to Volon Therys, the main defenses of the city were the vanguard lead by Commander Valor, and the three dragonlords riding their dragons. And believe me or not, in the war council before the battle, Prince Garin was more concerned about Valor Veltaris and his troops than the three fire breathing dragons in the sky.” For a small moment, there was a smile on the humorless generals’ face, but it quickly faded as he continued the story. “Well, the water wizards took down more than half of the vanguard and flooded the city, and the archers took down two of the dragons, and the last one escaped. Most of the enemy’s hundred-thousand men either drowned or retreated. I expected to face Valor on the battlefield as we moved in to crush what little remained of the vanguard. However, I never faced the man. Later I heard that he had been wounded and escaped.”
“So, he ran like a coward.” Nymeria stated dryly, and Varyn raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, my Princess, but I believe you yourself were the one who warned Prince Garin before the war that it would be a war that we couldn’t hope to win.” He said sternly, and Nymeria nodded. “I did, and it saddens me that I was right.” She replied.
“Indeed, and I expect Valor realized, while first looking at half of his troops drowning and then the rest of them being slaughtered, that it was a battle they couldn’t hope to win. So, he escaped.” Varyn spoke calmly. “And because he escaped, he could later return with new troops.” He added, and Nymeria sighed. “I suppose so.” She said lazily, and just at that moment, Forovos returned to the room. Right behind him came a tall man in a leather armor. He had dark brown hair and long face, strong jaw and a goatee. The look on the man’s blue eyes was relaxed, and his lips formed a charming little smile.
Forovos walked back to his seat, and the sellsword he brought gave a deep bow in front of the council table. “Pleasure to meet you, Princess Nymeria and Prince Mors.” He spoke with a casual and friendly tone. “My name is Olyvar Forrester, and Valor Veltaris has sent me here to represent the Fallen Dragons.”
“And why didn’t he come himself?” Nymeria asked strictly, and Olyvar let out a small chuckle. “Well, first of all, Valor believes that you and your people might have some… antipathy towards him. Secondly, he thought I, as a Westerosi, would be well suited for this meeting.” The way Olyvar spoke was so relaxed and carefree that it even annoyed Nymeria slightly. Doesn’t he realize that he is speaking to royalty?
“Your commander has murdered thousands of my people, so yes, there is some antipathy.” Nymeria replied, hardly even trying to veil her anger. “Murdered?” Olyvar raised his eyebrow as he spoke. “Personally, I never saw kills on battlefield as murders, but that’s just me.”
“Murder or not, burning men alive with dragons is cruelty.” The Princess replied, clenching her fists, and Olyvar nodded with a subtle smirk on his face. “I can agree with you on that, my Princess.” He said with his casual tone. “However, Valor never rode a dragon. And anyway, if it is cruelty to burn men alive, I must say that it is just as cruel to drown them alive.”
“Mother Rhoyne drowned the Valyrians because they did not belong there.” At this point Nymeria was furious, and Olyvar noticed it. “Forgive me, my Princess.” He said with genuine remorse. “I did not mean to rub salt on your wounds. And neither does Valor – he is done with the Freehold of Valyria, I can assure you that.”
“I thought I was done with the Valyrians as well, but it seems the gods keep reminding me of them.” Nymeria said with bitter tone. For a moment an awkward silence filled the council chamber, until Forovos cleared his throat.
“The war between the Rhoynar and the Valyrians has been over for years, it’s history.” The Braavosi spoke smoothly, his gaze traveling from each person in the room to the next. “I believe we must now concentrate on the future. The Rhoynish dynasty is gone, Prince Garin is dead. However, Princess Nymeria lives, and the new dynasty of Dorne is about to be born. Valyrians destroyed Garin’s dynasty, but perhaps this one, Fallen Dragon, could help you build yours.” Forovos looked Nymeria to the eyes as he spoke these last words.
“Perhaps.” Nymeria responded tensely. Now she turned her eyes to Olyvar Forrester again. “Does your commander have the ships to cross the Narrow Sea?” She asked, and a wide grin was formed on the Northerner’s face. “Yes, yes he does.” He answered.
“I believe hiring the Fallen Dragons is a good idea.” Mors joined the conversation. “However, I think we should consider on how will we use them.”
“What do you mean, my Prince?” General Varyn asked calmly. Mors took a couple seconds before he answered, thinking on how would he say what he had in mind. “Well, I suppose what we all had in mind now was that they’d sail across the Narrow Sea, land here in Sandship, and march to war. However, perhaps we could use them differently – they could sail to Salt Shore and conquer it. The Drylands and their allies think that we have no ships, so they are not prepared for an assault from the sea.”
“I’m not sure.” Varyn said with a pondering tone. “Would they really be enough to take Salt Shore?”
“We have taken cities before.” Olyvar stated with a confident tone, but Varyn still didn’t look completely convinced. “And if we can, we will of course support the attack from the land.” Mors added enthusiastically.
“What do you think, my Princess?” General Varyn asked, looking at Nymeria. The Princess gulped. She wasn’t really an expert on war, but if she wanted to become a conqueror, she would have to learn to make choices like this.
[Use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore] [Bring the Fallen Dragons to Sandship]
[Use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore]
[Use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore]
So she has absolutely no idea about Forovos? That is... interesting, if a little bit concerning, to think that he'd keep such an important secret from her.
[Use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore]
I choose this for the reasons that have been brought up in Nymeria's last part. The Rhoynar understandably don't like the Valyrians and while I think that keeping one Valyrian visitor close to Nymeria is a good idea and can work out, bringing and entire sellsword company to Sandship might be a bit too much for them already. On top of that, it is not a bad plan from Mors, to take Salt Shore by sea and not by land. That way, they can instantly prove their worth, not only to Nymeria but also to her men, who might still be sceptical about working with them, as seen with Varyn.
Indeed, Forovos is a slimy fellow, and as seen here he has no qualms about keeping secrets from the Martells. Then again, he was wise enough to tell them a half-truth, saying that he "arranged" the assassination of Donovar, just not revealing that he was the assassin himself. At the same time though, Nymeria definitely understands that Forovos is a dangerous man.
[Use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore]
Well, this is a pretty tough choice but ultimately having the Fallen Dragons attack Salt Shore seems like the best choice here. Having a surprise naval attack when it is thought that House Martell have a nonexistent navy is an excellent idea and it seems to have a pretty good chance of succeeding. I don't know the capabilities of House Gargalen but it does seem unlikely that they can oppose a nearly 1,000 strong army of sellswords who have battled Dothraki hordes and everything else all over the world. On the other hand, it is kind of worrying since not only is Nealia currently there but Ser Rolan and Lyreon who are representing House Dayne are currently there as well. If I remember right about Nealia she is just passing through and I know that the Nightfalls are so there is a decent chance they are not even there by the time the Fallen Dragons arrive to invade Salt Shore. Along with that, if we chose the Fallen Dragons to arrive at Sandship first, Nymeria could choose to send them to Godsgrace and with Jamison there, I definitely do not want that. Great part!
Nealia, Ser Rolan and Lyreon are indeed currently in Salt Shore, though especially in Nealia's case it's safe to say she'll be gone from there, actually before the Fallen Dragons even set sail. Ser Rolan and Lyreon, well, unless for some reason they decide to stay there for quite a long while they'll be out of the city as well.
[Use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore]
Well when it comes to Nealia, I am glad she will be out of Salt Shore by then and as for what you have said about Ser Rolan and Lyreon, now I am seriously speculating about why they would possibly stay in Salt Shore longer then necessary and if it would be negative toward House Dayne. Primarily if somehow they or particularly Rolan are going to be traitors somehow
Voting is closed!
Martells will use the Fallen Dragons to attack Salt Shore from the sea. This does sound like a pretty good plan, especially since Lucifer and the Gargalens won't expect a naval attack. Anyway, we'll see later how well will this go for the Martells and the Fallen Dragons.
The next part will be a Verro PoV. I have started writing it, and I expect it to be ready tomorrow. The last time we saw Verro, he was promoted by Lord Efran from a lackey to a soldier, and he joined a raiding party that made it's way to the lands of House Bravespear - loyal bannermen of the Dalts. The group made their camp near a fishing village that they'd raid after resting the night. Verro watched at Nesila (a sellsword from Thunder Crew that Verro had a brief chat with earlier) sitting with her friends, and decided to go and talk with them in effort to make some new friends. This is where we will continue.
Verro
Verro stood up, and walked nervously towards Nesila and her friends – three men. One of them was a young and lean man with golden hair, other was bald and muscular, probably on his early thirties, and the last one was an ebony-skinned man with bushy black beard and a calm expression on his face. One by one they all turned to look at Verro, Nesila being the last one to turn her head.
“Oh look, it’s the lackey!” The young golden head said with a mocking tone. “He is a soldier now, Cullen.” Nesila remarked nonchalantly. “Sit down, Verro.” She added with bored tone, and with a nod Verro sat down next to her.
“So, you’re a Dothraki, aye?” The bald one asked casually, taking a sip from his flask. “I was born a Dothraki, yes.” Verro answered calmly. “But I’ve been many things after that… My life has been one big series of incidents and ship wrecks.”
“Oh, how sad, little lackey, I feel so sorry for you.” Cullen sneered, and Verro sent him a glare. “Never asked for you to feel sorry, did I?” He spat with mild irritation, and Cullen gave him a smug smirk. Nesila chuckled coldly, subtly shaking her head. “You shouldn’t take too seriously anything that blonde cunt says.” She muttered lazily.
“I didn’t…” Verro started angrily, but stopped as he saw Nesila raising her eyebrow. “I mean… After my youth as a Dothraki, I was capture by slavers, and taken to the fighting pits of Meereen.” He continued his story calmly.
“Ah, the fighting pits of Meereen.” Nesila repeated with a thin smile on her face. “What a fine tradition of the Ghiscari.” Verro couldn’t quite tell if Nesila’s words were sarcastic, but he sure hoped they were.
“And after being a pit fighter, you joined the crew of Captain Scar, right?” The bald one asked, and Verro nodded. “Wasn’t really my own choice, but yes, I ended up as part of his crew.” He answered with a sigh, remembering Donillos again. The only real friend I ever had. “Anyway, you seem to know my history well enough, but I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Axel.” The bald man stated calmly, grabbing the battle axe that was laying on the ground next to him. “I come from the Kingdom of Blackmont, and like to crack skulls with my axe – that’s all you need to know about me, boy.” The man had a twisted grin on his face, and he slid his fingers along the edge of his axe’s blade. Verro gulped subtly, and turned his eyes to the ebony-skinned man with a bushy beard.
“I suppose you want to hear my name too.” The man said with a strong accent in his deep and sober voice. Verro nodded quietly, and the man let out a sigh. “It’s Zaltha Qo. I am the second son of Prince Zontobol Qo, exiled from the Summer Isles – my home.” The man’s voice was tranquil, and he stared into nothingness as he spoke.
“Your father exiled you?” Verro asked curiously, and Zaltha turned his gaze to him. “My father did what he had to do. I had put our family in shame.” With these words the Summer Islander turned his dark eyes away from Verro.
“No use asking him what exactly did he do to shame his family.” Nesila stated dryly. “He never tells anyone.”
“Well, perhaps we should talk about something else then.” Verro suggested, glancing at each four of them. Zaltha kept looking away, clearly not interested in talking. Cullen stared at Verro with a malicious look in his green eyes, like he was trying to come up with another nasty insult to throw at him. Axel kept marveling at his own axe, and Nesila just looked bored. “There must be some topic we are all interested in.”
“We are all killers.” Axel stated with a grin, finally turning his eyes up from the axe. “And how can you be so sure about that?” Verro asked casually. “You hardly even know me.”
“Oh, so you are trying to tell me that someone who is a Dothraki, a pit fighter and a pirate isn’t a killer?” Axel had an amused tone on his voice, and Verro let out a sigh. “I’ve killed, when it’s been necessary.” He replied calmly. “So, in other words, you are a killer.” Axel said in triumphant tone.
“So, you want to talk about killing?” Verro asked with a deadpan expression, but Axel just chuckled. “You’re the one who wanted to talk, boy.” He remarked, and Verro rolled his eyes. Before anyone else could continue the conversation, Nesila suddenly stood up. “I think it’s about time for us all to get some rest.” She said with a serious tone. “We got plenty of killing to do tomorrow.”
-
The sun had risen, and the Narrow Sea was shining in its light, as the Bandit Lord’s gang of raiders rode towards the fishing village with their weapons unsheathed. Verro saw Efran and the leader of the Thunder Crew leading the attack, right behind them Zaltha Qo, Cullen and many others. Slightly to the left of Verro rode Nesila, a dead serious look on her eyes. Right next to Verro was Axel, thirst for blood shining in his brown eyes.
Verro grasped tightly to his sword, seeing the village getting closer and closer. It had been a while from his last combat, but he still knew his way around. Someone in the village was ringing a bell, to warn the people about the approaching raiding party. Verro could see few men in the village grabbing weapons to defend themselves, while all the women and children ran into the houses to hide away. He even spotted a couple running away from the village.
“FOR EFRAN!” Verro heard someone screaming behind him as they got closer to the village. “THUNDER CREW!” Shouted Cullen. As they rode through the small street to the center of the village, the few men who had taken arms against them were either rode over, or retreated from the street at the last moment.
Efran stopped at the center of the village, and the raiding party gathered around him. The Bandit Lord raised his Valyrian steel sword in the air. “Raid the houses!” He commanded with a grin on his face. “Take all gold and silver you can find, and bring every man who wants to surrender here!” The men cheered for their lord’s words, and dismounted their horses.
“Verro, come with me!” Axel yelled, and Verro followed after him. The men started to kick in the doors of the houses, rushing in with their weapons. Verro could hear the villagers scream, begging for mercy. He ignored it, and kept following Axel, who took him to a small house that was in good shape. “We go in here.” He said cheerfully, twiddling the axe in his hand. “In my experience the houses that are in good shape have the best treasures in them.” With these words, Axel kicked in the door and stepped in. Verro followed him, and it took a couple seconds before his eyes adjusted to the dark room they had just stepped in.
When Verro’s eyes adjusted, he saw a man with greying hair, and hiding behind him were a woman probably on her forties, and a girl on her early teens. The man looked nervous and angry, and he had a trident in his hands, which he pointed towards Axel and Verro. The woman and girl behind him looked scared, the girl was even sobbing.
“Oh, we found a real gem here, boy.” Axel said enthusiastically. “I’ll take the pretty girl, you can have the old one.” He said, but Verro didn’t answer. He had seen all this before, he had been part of it before, but he had never enjoyed it.
“Old man, you come with me to the center of the village.” Verro ordered calmly, but the fisherman shook his head frantically. “Don’t do anything stupid now, it’s better for everyone if you…”
“Fuck you!” The fisherman cut off Verro. “I’ll die before I let scum like you touch my family!” With these words the old man charged toward Verro with his trident. Verro reacted fast enough, parrying the thrust and slamming the trident to the floor. Before Verro could do anything more, Axel’s axe was already embedded deep into the old man’s skull. His wife and daughter both screamed in horror, but Axel just laughed. With a loud growl, he pulled his axe out of the man’s head, and so the limp body of the fisherman collapsed to the floor.
“There was no need, he was already unarmed.” Verro muttered, but Axel didn’t listen to him – he was already on his way to the young girl. The fisherman’s wife tried to stop him. “Leave her alone, she is too young!” She begged in panic. “Take me instead!” She pleaded, but Axel just smacked the older woman out of the way, and grabbed the young girl, pushing her against the wooden wall. “Don’t look so frightened, girl! We’re gonna have some fun together!”
Verro gulped, turning his eyes to the dead body of the fisherman. He heard how Axel started ripping off the girl’s clothes, and her crying filled the room. Then Verro saw the mother of the girl crawling on the floor, reaching for the trident. Verro’s eyes met with hers for a split second, but neither of them said anything. The woman grabbed the trident, and stood up. Axel had his back turned to her, and Verro knew bloody well what she had in mind.
[Stop the woman] [Don't intervene]
[Don't intervene]
This was an interesting part. First of all, I think it really showed a side of Verro that hasn't been seen so far. The difference between him and that asshole Axel has been noticeable. It also showed a side of Efran that has only been hinted at so far. For all his affable behaviour, that man has absolutely no problem with raiding a completely innocent village. But it has been interesting to see Verro in the middle of it and his thoughts on the matter.
[Don't intervene]
I truly hope that she gets a chance to kill that guy. Sure, she's likely going to be killed for it as well, but I have no doubt that her chances of survival are slim either way, with Axel around. It would be for the best for everyone if that guy gets to die here, so that way, the woman can do one final good thing before dying, as opposed to just dying. I must say though, I have the bad feeling that she won't succeed and that Axel will manage to stop her. But it is a chance I am willing to take.