Dalia
It was a hot day, perhaps the hottest of the summer so far, but luckily the Wild Suns had found a place for their camp on a shadowy… more valley between two hills, which made it at least somewhat bearable. Few miles south flowed the upper reaches of the river Vaith, and that's where the road would take them tomorrow.
Dalia walked quietly through the camp, observing her army, making sure the morale was still high. Lucifer had given Dalia around four hundred of his own troops, and those men were led by Ser Howar Uller, the second son of Lord Harrion Uller. Ser Howar claimed to know the Vaith well, which would certainly come useful, since Dalia herself hardly remembered what the city even looked like.
Dalia walked past the pavilion of Howar, but decided to keep going, as she knew Mizro, Khazor and the others were already waiting for her. Finally she made her way to the pavilion of the war council, and indeed her commanders were already … [view original content]
Dalia will spend the night with Kris. Well, this is certainly an interesting beginning for the relationship of these two characters And well, that is what this choice mostly affects - the relationship between Dalia and Kris. Can't wait to continue this storyline, we are getting closer and closer to the climax of Chapter 2.
Anywho, I have decided that the next part will be a Tomas PoV. I have started it, but I might not get it done tomorrow, as I have a couple uni projects that I have to deal with. However, you can expect the part within few days anyway. The last time we saw Tomas was when he was still in Sandship, after being captured by the Martell's. Nymeria decided to show mercy for him, and sent him to Ghost Hill with Forovos Norvoshi, to meet his nephew Levor, and negotiate peace between Martell's and Toland's. In this next part Tomas and Forovos arrive to Ghost Hill.
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Lastly, I have a portrait of the newest addition to the cast, Lord Kris Vaith:
Hello there handsome. I gotta say, this looks great. You've nailed the facial features and his eyes are on point. There does appear to be one, key feature which I noticed is missing. The fire tipped hair. Otherwise I think he looks amazing, and I can only applaud you for your brilliance
Voting is closed!
Dalia will spend the night with Kris. Well, this is certainly an interesting beginning for the relationship of these tw… moreo characters And well, that is what this choice mostly affects - the relationship between Dalia and Kris. Can't wait to continue this storyline, we are getting closer and closer to the climax of Chapter 2.
Anywho, I have decided that the next part will be a Tomas PoV. I have started it, but I might not get it done tomorrow, as I have a couple uni projects that I have to deal with. However, you can expect the part within few days anyway. The last time we saw Tomas was when he was still in Sandship, after being captured by the Martell's. Nymeria decided to show mercy for him, and sent him to Ghost Hill with Forovos Norvoshi, to meet his nephew Levor, and negotiate peace between Martell's and Toland's. In this next part Tomas and Forovos arrive to Ghost Hill.
-
Lastly, I have a portrait of the newest addition to the cast, Lord Kris Vaith:
Hello there handsome. I gotta say, this looks great. You've nailed the facial features and his eyes are on point. There does appear to be on… moree, key feature which I noticed is missing. The fire tipped hair. Otherwise I think he looks amazing, and I can only applaud you for your brilliance
Dalia will spend the night with Kris. Well, this is certainly an interesting beginning for the relationship of these two characters And well, that is what this choice mostly affects - the relationship between Dalia and Kris. Can't wait to continue this storyline, we are getting closer and closer to the climax of Chapter 2.
Oh damn, I got a baaad feeling for this I mean, not only is Kris going to get into an affair with a fanatic now, which I doubt is going to be good for him in any way, but said fanatic might actually end up valuing his company and deciding to stay by his side, therefore losing her only chance at actually doing something good and her only shot at redemption. Argh, it's actually amazing how quickly one of the key pillars of my strategy, keeping Dalia away from Gwendis, has changed now that Wesley has entered the stage. But the closer it gets and the more thought I have put into this, the more I feel like keeping them apart is actually the worst I can do if I wish to prevent the demon from taking over, especially with how heavily opposed I am to everything demon-related. I don't know if this fling with Kris is preventing a more happy outcome, but I know for sure that it is not making things any easier in an already complicated situation. And that means, whatever is growing out of this can't possibly be worth the price it might claim. Unless of course it might mean that Kris ends up following Dalia into this dangerous situation, providing yet another advantage against Wesley and the Wicked Witch of the Worst, which is totally going to be Aisha's new name. I guess that is another possibility and the one I hope for, because having Kris, an actually reasonable man in this situation, could prevent it from escalating horribly. But ah, I really don't think this tiny fling is worth the risk What if it does end up screwing things up? I bet I'm overanalyzing things, but at the same time, maybe this is what prevents further mistakes. If this one was a mistake, that is. I can't rule out that it might be beneficial for my goal, but to be fair, this is less likely than the opposite. I think a neutral outcome is the best I can hope for here.
Lastly, I have a portrait of the newest addition to the cast, Lord Kris Vaith:
This is a really nice portrait! Hell, I like it a lot Despite my deeply negative feelings about this choice, which I am sure is at best going to be neutral to the R'hllor/Great Other situation, but quite possibly a huge, terrible mistake, I do consider Kris to be an interesting character. He seems nice and reasonable and despite his more than questionable judgement when it comes to the objects of his attraction (he does know the saying about certain body parts that shouldn't be put into crazy, right?), I consider him a kinda alright guy from what I have seen so far, so I really hope he won't screw things up there. That would surely not improve my opinion on him, to say the least. But eh, for now I kind of like him.
Voting is closed!
Dalia will spend the night with Kris. Well, this is certainly an interesting beginning for the relationship of these tw… moreo characters And well, that is what this choice mostly affects - the relationship between Dalia and Kris. Can't wait to continue this storyline, we are getting closer and closer to the climax of Chapter 2.
Anywho, I have decided that the next part will be a Tomas PoV. I have started it, but I might not get it done tomorrow, as I have a couple uni projects that I have to deal with. However, you can expect the part within few days anyway. The last time we saw Tomas was when he was still in Sandship, after being captured by the Martell's. Nymeria decided to show mercy for him, and sent him to Ghost Hill with Forovos Norvoshi, to meet his nephew Levor, and negotiate peace between Martell's and Toland's. In this next part Tomas and Forovos arrive to Ghost Hill.
-
Lastly, I have a portrait of the newest addition to the cast, Lord Kris Vaith:
Dalia will spend the night with Kris. Well, this is certainly an interesting beginning for the relationship of these two characters And well, that is what this choice mostly affects - the relationship between Dalia and Kris. Can't wait to continue this storyline, we are getting closer and closer to the climax of Chapter 2.
Anywho, I have decided that the next part will be a Tomas PoV. I have started it, but I might not get it done tomorrow, as I have a couple uni projects that I have to deal with. However, you can expect the part within few days anyway. The last time we saw Tomas was when he was still in Sandship, after being captured by the Martell's. Nymeria decided to show mercy for him, and sent him to Ghost Hill with Forovos Norvoshi, to meet his nephew Levor, and negotiate peace between Martell's and Toland's. In this next part Tomas and Forovos arrive to Ghost Hill.
It is going to be neat I believe to see Dalia in a different light since it seems to me that she is often rather serious for the most part, so I am no doubt interested to see if Dalia's behavior changes in a moment such as the one forthcoming!
As for the upcoming Tomas PoV, I am very excited for this one! Levor Toland is actually one of the characters on the waiting to be introduced list that I am most excited to meet because he truly is such a wildcard in this situation. If I remember correctly, he is fourteen I believe and he has now been thrust into a role of great importance with his father being killed and he will also be the only king in the story created by a reader if Levor chooses to keep the title that is which is also awesome! A boy king who has just had his father killed is no doubt a dangerous thing since it really could go either way depending on his personality. Tomas has alot on his plate here no doubt trying to convince his nephew to bend the knee to the people who he most likely guesses killed his father or he could agree to bend the knee peacefully. Levor Toland is truly a mystery and I am very much looking forward to meeting him!
Now I have noticed on the main post that you have posted the book 2 chapter names so it is time to speculate
The Red Sands and the White- I would imagine that this definitely signifies the beginning of Nymeria's conquest of western Dorne. The big question here will be who she goes after first. Geographically, it would most likely be either the Fowler's or Yronwood's with it most likely being the Fowler's since I imagine the Yronwood's will be the last one tackled once Nymeria has gained enough power to try to conquer them. This is a very interesting prospect indeed, it has been shown that the Fowler's aren't even strong enough to fight off the Manwoody's on their own so it will be interesting to see just how much of a fight House Fowler puts up against the Martell's before deciding to bend the knee. That is if the Fowler's even fight the Martell's at all since this chapter could also very well mean that Nymeria goes for House Dayne and the Kingdom of Torrentine immediately since they allied with the Dryland's.
Broken Crown- This one I am not entirely sure about, I am assuming that would be the defeat of a one of the Dornish Kings but I am at a loss about which king it will be and that is largely because of chapter three's title.
The Dusk- With Dusk being the opposite of Dawn, this chapter is most likely the big showdown between House Dayne and House Martell! I am hyped for this one beyond belief even though it will probably be the chapter that the Kingdom of Torrentine falls in. Dusk is a time of partial darkness before the night sets in which you could consider the gap between the evening and the night which are apart of Vorian and Jamison's nicknames so I certainly don't see this title as a coincidence! Admittedly, the Martell-Dayne battles are something I am super hyped for and while I do root for Nymeria most of the time, I definitely will see her as the enemy when she leads her armies toward Starfall and while I know the Dayne's have to lose, I sure do hope that Vorian, Jamison ,Malcolm and House Dayne make Nymeria and House Martell earn their victory and quite frankly I believe House Dayne has the potential to do that and it will probably be Nymeria's hardest war yet! I have imagined different scenes of how these Martell-Dayne interactions will go in my mind and I am so so hyped for when this comes!
Overall, I am very excited for book two, It will no doubt be super epic when Vorian decides to call his banners to war since I know Vorian won't give up his crown without a fight! I can also imagine so many epic Jamison & Malcolm scenes with the Martell's in conversation and in battle! I could definitely talk even more about these book two titles and say that I am excited a few more times, but I figure I will quit now. Great choices for the titles
Voting is closed!
Dalia will spend the night with Kris. Well, this is certainly an interesting beginning for the relationship of these tw… moreo characters And well, that is what this choice mostly affects - the relationship between Dalia and Kris. Can't wait to continue this storyline, we are getting closer and closer to the climax of Chapter 2.
Anywho, I have decided that the next part will be a Tomas PoV. I have started it, but I might not get it done tomorrow, as I have a couple uni projects that I have to deal with. However, you can expect the part within few days anyway. The last time we saw Tomas was when he was still in Sandship, after being captured by the Martell's. Nymeria decided to show mercy for him, and sent him to Ghost Hill with Forovos Norvoshi, to meet his nephew Levor, and negotiate peace between Martell's and Toland's. In this next part Tomas and Forovos arrive to Ghost Hill.
-
Lastly, I have a portrait of the newest addition to the cast, Lord Kris Vaith:
Oh damn, I got a baaad feeling for this I mean, not only is Kris going to get into an affair with a fanatic now, which I doubt is going to be good for him in any way, but said fanatic might actually end up valuing his company and deciding to stay by his side, therefore losing her only chance at actually doing something good and her only shot at redemption.
Well, to be fair, I'd say Kris might actually be more dedicated to R'hllor than Dalia is Dalia is dedicated to her daughter, and R'hllor just kind of comes with the package. Kris on the other hand was born in the Red Temple of Volantis, and raised among Red Priests for years, before his father came to take him to Vaith. I'm not entirely sure if I'd call Kris a fanatic, but I would say he is closer to it than Dalia. And Dalia developing feelings for Kris is something that might indeed happen, and if it does, it would certainly influence her thoughts, perhaps tempting her to stay by his side instead of going with her daughter. That said, she is still a PoV, and most likely important things like this will come down to a choice.
This is a really nice portrait! Hell, I like it a lot Despite my deeply negative feelings about this choice, which I am sure is at best going to be neutral to the R'hllor/Great Other situation, but quite possibly a huge, terrible mistake, I do consider Kris to be an interesting character. He seems nice and reasonable and despite his more than questionable judgement when it comes to the objects of his attraction (he does know the saying about certain body parts that shouldn't be put into crazy, right?), I consider him a kinda alright guy from what I have seen so far, so I really hope he won't screw things up there. That would surely not improve my opinion on him, to say the least. But eh, for now I kind of like him.
I'm glad you like it! I would say Kris is a good man, which I hope to get to show soon enough in the story as well. Obviously he has his shortcomings and isn't perfect, but I'm pretty sure you'll like him only more as the story progresses. You are right though, he does seem to have a liking for... dangerous women
Dalia will spend the night with Kris. Well, this is certainly an interesting beginning for the relationship of these two characters And wel… morel, that is what this choice mostly affects - the relationship between Dalia and Kris. Can't wait to continue this storyline, we are getting closer and closer to the climax of Chapter 2.
Oh damn, I got a baaad feeling for this I mean, not only is Kris going to get into an affair with a fanatic now, which I doubt is going to be good for him in any way, but said fanatic might actually end up valuing his company and deciding to stay by his side, therefore losing her only chance at actually doing something good and her only shot at redemption. Argh, it's actually amazing how quickly one of the key pillars of my strategy, keeping Dalia away from Gwendis, has changed now that Wesley has entered the stage. But the closer it gets and the more thought I have put into this, the more I feel like keeping them… [view original content]
It is going to be neat I believe to see Dalia in a different light since it seems to me that she is often rather serious for the most part, so I am no doubt interested to see if Dalia's behavior changes in a moment such as the one forthcoming!
Oh yes, so far Dalia has only really shown a happier side of herself in a couple scenes with Desi, but Kris might just be someone who could make her smile a bit more
As for the upcoming Tomas PoV, I am very excited for this one! Levor Toland is actually one of the characters on the waiting to be introduced list that I am most excited to meet because he truly is such a wildcard in this situation. If I remember correctly, he is fourteen I believe and he has now been thrust into a role of great importance with his father being killed and he will also be the only king in the story created by a reader if Levor chooses to keep the title that is which is also awesome! A boy king who has just had his father killed is no doubt a dangerous thing since it really could go either way depending on his personality. Tomas has alot on his plate here no doubt trying to convince his nephew to bend the knee to the people who he most likely guesses killed his father or he could agree to bend the knee peacefully. Levor Toland is truly a mystery and I am very much looking forward to meeting him!
Yeah, Levor certainly is in a very interesting situation, and so I Tomas, sort of having to work against his own family. I won't reveal anything, but I'll say that this coming part will be the beginning of quite an interesting storyline for Tomas
Now I have noticed on the main post that you have posted the book 2 chapter names so it is time to speculate
Ah, you noticed my new titles! That is some good speculation. "The Red Sands and the White" is indeed a reference to Nymeria's power growing - it is actually a direct quote from her little speech to Mors in the prologue. "Broken Crown", well, it is quite self-explanatory in that it will feature fall of a monarch. Not going to reveal which one though And finally, yeah, "The Dusk" will be all about Martell v. Dayne Of course, the war will begin before that chapter, as I wouldn't have such an epic war for just one chapter, but that should be when it culminates. The Dusk is the title I'm the most satisfied with, and 100% sure I won't change it. I'm pretty sure the other two will remain the same as well, but we'll see
Dalia will spend the night with Kris. Well, this is certainly an interesting beginning for the relationship of these two characters And wel… morel, that is what this choice mostly affects - the relationship between Dalia and Kris. Can't wait to continue this storyline, we are getting closer and closer to the climax of Chapter 2.
Anywho, I have decided that the next part will be a Tomas PoV. I have started it, but I might not get it done tomorrow, as I have a couple uni projects that I have to deal with. However, you can expect the part within few days anyway. The last time we saw Tomas was when he was still in Sandship, after being captured by the Martell's. Nymeria decided to show mercy for him, and sent him to Ghost Hill with Forovos Norvoshi, to meet his nephew Levor, and negotiate peace between Martell's and Toland's. In this next part Tomas and Forovos arrive to Ghost Hill.
It is going to be neat I believe to see Dalia in a dif… [view original content]
Well, to be fair, I'd say Kris might actually be more dedicated to R'hllor than Dalia is Dalia is dedicated to her daughter, and R'hllor just kind of comes with the package. Kris on the other hand was born in the Red Temple of Volantis, and raised among Red Priests for years, before his father came to take him to Vaith. I'm not entirely sure if I'd call Kris a fanatic, but I would say he is closer to it than Dalia. And Dalia developing feelings for Kris is something that might indeed happen, and if it does, it would certainly influence her thoughts, perhaps tempting her to stay by his side instead of going with her daughter. That said, she is still a PoV, and most likely important things like this will come down to a choice.
Oh damn it, you're not making it easy on me to like him. I can already see him messing things up, by giving Dalia the choice to remain with him instead of going with Desi and I can see a majority choosing this option for some reason and then things end up seriously horrible. Maybe. Argh, I hate that I can't even properly hate this choice, because I am still not entirely sure if separating Dalia and Gwen is a good or a bad thing. I am leaning towards them meeting up to be a good thing right now, but I have surely been wrong before and it wouldn't be the first time I change my mind on something related to this storyline. But if I have to give an educated guess, it is that we will screw up a key choice there sooner or later and that Kris has at least the potential to be the catalyst in this choice and I fear for this choice to be one of the catalysts for such a choice we could mess up. This was surely not worth it, because Dalia developing feelings for Kris is the absolute worst that could happen in the Vaith storyline. Seriously, that choice was a huge mistake, because now we are risking it.
I'm glad you like it! I would say Kris is a good man, which I hope to get to show soon enough in the story as well. Obviously he has his shortcomings and isn't perfect, but I'm pretty sure you'll like him only more as the story progresses. You are right though, he does seem to have a liking for... dangerous women
Well, I hope I will like him. He is like an Anti-Dalia right now, a character whom I don't hate as a precautionary measure, but instead like him with a somewhat uneasy feeling, mostly due to this choice. Otherwise, as I must admit, I would have felt less uneasy with him, though I likely would have thought less about him in general. Unlike Dalia, he has more potential for me to be likable, but he still has potential to screw things up (if a lot less than Dalia), so, I remain a bit on the fence, even if it is the good side of the fence. And dangerous women, that is an understatement. I have not taken into consideration that he has been with the Vaith witch before, but this makes his type clear. It appears he is fundamentally attracted to characters whom I don't like or even outright hate. I cannot wait for his romantic triangle with the Wicked Bitch of the Worst and Albin Manwoody I'd include Worstley as well, but that guy is the worst and I don't want him to be involved in any sort of romantic triangle. He doesn't deserve love, he just deserves to get his balls sliced off with a cheese grater. So yeah, the Vaith witch, Dalia, that shows to me that Kris has a seriously screwed up taste in women. And at this point, without having met the Vaith witch, I cannot even say for sure that Dalia is an improvement. You see how I still don't like her? I try to downplay it, but I still don't like her
Oh damn, I got a baaad feeling for this I mean, not only is Kris going to get into an affair with a fanatic now, which I doubt is going to … morebe good for him in any way, but said fanatic might actually end up valuing his company and deciding to stay by his side, therefore losing her only chance at actually doing something good and her only shot at redemption.
Well, to be fair, I'd say Kris might actually be more dedicated to R'hllor than Dalia is Dalia is dedicated to her daughter, and R'hllor just kind of comes with the package. Kris on the other hand was born in the Red Temple of Volantis, and raised among Red Priests for years, before his father came to take him to Vaith. I'm not entirely sure if I'd call Kris a fanatic, but I would say he is closer to it than Dalia. And Dalia developing feelings for Kris is something that might indeed happen, and if it does, it would certainly influence her thoughts, perhaps tempting her to stay by… [view original content]
The Ghost Hill was in front of them, its chalk white walls shining in the sun, and its towers reaching for the sky. In the dungeons of Sandship Tomas had started to wonder if he'd ever see home again, but here he was. And with him was Forovos Norvoshi. The bald Braavosi keyholder observed the castle with a thin smirk on his face. "We are here, this is my home", Tomas said sternly, and Forovos nodded to him. "I know, Lord Tomas. It is an old and beautiful castle, it's not hard to imagine that it once belonged to kings", the Braavosi had a sharp look on his blue eyes as he spoke, and Tomas settled to giving him a small nod. And then he saw the riders coming down towards them – three of them, two carrying the black banners of House Toland.
As they got close enough, Tomas recognized the man leading them. He was Ser Manfrey Rowman, childhood friend of Tomas and Donovar. Clad in his dark armor, Manfrey looked at Tomas with grief in his blue eyes. "Welcome home, Tomas", he said calmly, and Tomas nodded to him.
"I heard what happened to Donovar... I feel ashamed that I couldn't be there to help him", Tomas spoke quietly, and Manfrey looked at him in sympathy. "It was not your fault, Tomas. Come now, your nephews are waiting for you", Manfrey glanced at Forovos as he spoke, but didn't ask anything about him. So, together they rode towards the white castle that stood on the hill above the Sea of Dorne.
As they entered from the gates, Tomas noticed the people in the courtyard staring at him. No doubt he was looking weak and miserable after his captivity. On top of that, the shame of failing his house weighed him down. As he gazed over the crowd he noticed someone he knew – Ser Garibald of Sevengrace, the young knight who had been with him when they raided the lands of Martell's. Tomas remembered he had sent Garibald to escort the messenger of Efran Sand to Ghost Hill. However, he did not see Dono Mopera in the courtyard.
Tomas dismounted his horse, and Ser Garibald approached him. "Lord Tomas, you survived", he said with a surprised tone. "I did", Tomas answered laconically, keeping his voice down. "Is Levor in his room?"
"His Grace is waiting for you in the throne room, my Lord" Garibald answered with a small but genuine smile on his face. However, Tomas didn't feel like smiling. His Grace... so they have already crowned him. "Let's go then" he grunted sternly. Tomas followed after Garibald, and Forovos followed after Tomas.
Escorted by Manfrey, they walked through the hallway, and into the throne room. There Tomas saw Levor sitting on the ancient throne of the Toland's, golden crown on his head, clenching to the arms of the throne. Levor was still a young boy, with smooth clean face and nervous look on his green eyes. His brown hair reached his shoulders, and he was dressed in black, white and gold velvet. Right next to Levor stood someone Tomas hadn't expected – Argim Taler. Argim was a man on his early forties, a weak man with the face of a weasel and tongue of a snake. There he stood next to Levor, his dark hair combed back, and dressed in fine silken clothes like a true nobleman, but Tomas knew the truth – this man was an upstart schemer, risen to the court with stories and rumors that he had whispered to Donovar's ears. Donovar had been wise enough not to give this man too much influence, but now he stood right next to the throne, an arrogant smirk on his face.
"It's good to see you again, Uncle Tomas", Levor said calmly. Tomas bowed, as did Manfrey and Garibald. "Indeed, it is good to see you, Lord Tomas, but who is this man beside you?" Asked Argim with a raised chin.
"Lord Argim... I see the death of my brother is working out well for you", Tomas said sharply, taking a couple slow steps closer to the throne. Argim raised his eyebrows, as if he was shocked by Tomas' words. "Lord Tomas, I am not entirely sure what are you suggesting", he said with an almost offended tone, which made Tomas chuckle dryly.
"Uncle, Lord Argim has advised me and supported me loyally after..." Levor begun, but Tomas interrupted him. "You cannot trust him", he said strictly, looking his nephew straight to the eyes. For a moment no one said anything, until Argim decided to approach Tomas.
"Lord Tomas... You have a hard journey behind you, we understand, but that is no way to talk to your king", Argim put a lot of emphasis on the last word, narrowing his eyes as he spoke. "Besides, you didn't answer my question."
"I am merely a simple man of trade from the Free City of Braavos", Forovos spoke up with his calm and smooth voice, "Nymeria has sent me here to present her in these negotiations."
"And why would we listen to Nymeria, the murderer of our beloved king, when we can find allies much stronger than her?" Argim hissed. Tomas had to wonder who exactly was he talking about, but it seemed Forovos understood immediately what Argim implied. "If you believe you can throw yourself at the mercy of Yorick Yronwood and still keep your crown, you are sorely mistaken", the Braavosi stated calmly, but Argim just bridled. "And what does a Braavosi merchant know of this?" He asked arrogantly, taking a couple more steps closer to Forovos and Tomas, now being merely few feet away from them.
"I am a man who chooses his business carefully", Forovos said with unwavering calmness. "I didn't just choose to support Princess Nymeria out of a whim, I had my eyes on King Yorick as well. Yorick is a powerful man, there is no doubt about that, but he has no interest in sharing any of that power, and he seeks domination above all else."
"And isn't that what the Martell's seek as well?" Argim spat, and Forovos let out a sigh. "Nymeria seeks home for her people, and wants to create unity among the Dornish. And even if she wants power, she is a much more forgiving and fair leader than Yorick Yronwood", he answered, but Argim just shook his head and turned towards Levor.
"Your Grace, do not listen to this man, he is a filthy snake sent by Nymeria", Argim spoke, and Levor listened carefully. "Enough of this", Tomas grunted, now walking to his nephew. Argim tried to stand in his way, but he pushed him out of the way with little effort. As he reached the throne, Tomas looked the young king to the eyes, and he could see fear in them. "Levor, don't be afraid, I am here to guide you", he said softly, and Levor nodded with a gulp.
"You are here to repeat the words of Nymeria!" Argim barked behind Tomas. "Was the couple weeks you spent as their prisoner enough for the honorable Lord Tomas to forget his brother as well as his gods?"
Now Tomas turned towards Argim again. With fury in his eyes, he grabbed this weasel from the collar, seeing panic taking over his eyes. "Wh- what are you-"
"Quiet!" Tomas roared, staring at Argim with intensity on his green eyes, still holding him from the collar. "Who are you to accuse me of..."
"Let go of him, uncle!" Levor suddenly commanded, and Tomas turned to look at him with confused expression. Seeing the determinant look on his nephew's eyes, he let go of Argim, who quickly backed away from him.
"Levor, I urge you to listen to me now – we must find peace with the Martell's. Otherwise, the future of our house is in danger", Tomas spoke with pleading words, but Levor looked unconvinced. "So, you are saying I should just give up? Put down my crown and kneel to this foreign invader?" He asked with frustration. Tomas took a moment to consider his answer. This question was something that bothered himself greatly, but he also knew that opposing the Martell's would be too big of a risk to take now.
"You would still be a great lord, and now with stronger allies than ever before", Tomas finally answered, though there was a touch of uncertainty in his voice. For a moment the throne room was filled with silence, until finally Levor spoke up again. "I cannot believe what I'm hearing", he said bitterly. "Father wouldn't have wanted me to give up, he'd want me to avenge him."
"Donovar would want you to survive!", Tomas replied strictly. Levor turned his eyes away and clenched his teeth together, like he was about to cry. With a sigh, Tomas walked once again next to his nephew, and fell on his knees. He could see a tear running down Levor's cheek, and he put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "He would want you to live a good life", Tomas whispered, now focusing his eyes on the crown on the boy's head. Levor was crying, he had yielded to Tomas – this would be his chance to take the crown from his head. The crown that could doom him to an early grave.
[Remove the crown from Levor's head][Leave the crown on Levor's head]
I really enjoyed this part and it certainly brought out a different side of Tomas which was nice to see. When Tomas and his men were attacking the lands of the Martells, Tomas was primarily shown in a cold and ruthless manner but in this part you can also see that he cares about his nephew's safety and wants to do all he can to save him. It is pretty cool how in just the span of one part, he goes from arguably the most villainous PoV to being in the middle ground or even more leaning on the good side considering his intentions are good in that he truly does want to help his nephew. While I have never disliked Tomas, quite the opposite actually, this part gives me more motivation to root for him to succeed in his storyline moving forward!
As for the choice, I feel this part has given me enough of an idea on Levor that this is indeed the right choice to make. Levor is a scared boy pretty much forced into seeking revenge and while I am sure he wants it to some extent, the situation he has been forced into is not something he is anywhere near ready for. On top of that, Levor is no doubt being manipulated by this Argim guy who I am guessing may be some kind of spy from the Yronwood's to help destroy the Tolands from the inside or he is a Littlefinger like character who is trying to secure more power which is no doubt easier with a scared young boy as king. With Donovar dead and Tomas in captivity, Levor seemingly has had no true guidance from family or anyone truly loyal to him which has made it far easier for him to be manipulated into keeping his crown and wanting to avenge his father which is certainly not the right decision for him. With Tomas seemingly getting through to Levor, this seems as good a time as any to take the crown off of his head and hopefully he will soon bend the knee to Nymeria because if not, I don't see things ending well for Levor. With Tomas back in Ghost Hill, Levor has someone who truly cares about his well being there which is a great thing but I worry if Levor does not give up his crown soon, Forovos Norvoshi will make sure that Levor gives it up whether he wants to or not.
Tomas
The Ghost Hill was in front of them, its chalk white walls shining in the sun, and its towers reaching for the sky. In the dungeons… more of Sandship Tomas had started to wonder if he'd ever see home again, but here he was. And with him was Forovos Norvoshi. The bald Braavosi keyholder observed the castle with a thin smirk on his face. "We are here, this is my home", Tomas said sternly, and Forovos nodded to him. "I know, Lord Tomas. It is an old and beautiful castle, it's not hard to imagine that it once belonged to kings", the Braavosi had a sharp look on his blue eyes as he spoke, and Tomas settled to giving him a small nod. And then he saw the riders coming down towards them – three of them, two carrying the black banners of House Toland.
As they got close enough, Tomas recognized the man leading them. He was Ser Manfrey Rowman, childhood friend of Tomas and Donovar. Clad in his dark armor, Manfrey looked at Tomas with grief in his … [view original content]
Tomas
The Ghost Hill was in front of them, its chalk white walls shining in the sun, and its towers reaching for the sky. In the dungeons… more of Sandship Tomas had started to wonder if he'd ever see home again, but here he was. And with him was Forovos Norvoshi. The bald Braavosi keyholder observed the castle with a thin smirk on his face. "We are here, this is my home", Tomas said sternly, and Forovos nodded to him. "I know, Lord Tomas. It is an old and beautiful castle, it's not hard to imagine that it once belonged to kings", the Braavosi had a sharp look on his blue eyes as he spoke, and Tomas settled to giving him a small nod. And then he saw the riders coming down towards them – three of them, two carrying the black banners of House Toland.
As they got close enough, Tomas recognized the man leading them. He was Ser Manfrey Rowman, childhood friend of Tomas and Donovar. Clad in his dark armor, Manfrey looked at Tomas with grief in his … [view original content]
Huh... I actually kind of liked Tomas in this part. Perhaps that is because Argim is, by all means, the less likable of the two and this part mostly revolved around him actually doing something good for once. In general though, he's likely always going to remain the scumbag that slaughtered innocent people solely for living on the Martell lands. Ain't no coming back from that, at least not for a very long time. I won't say it's impossible for him to redeem himself, but this one was merely a first step. Sure, convincing Levor to surrender is a good thing, but he's doing it primarily out of self-preservation. Only time will tell where things are going for him, but it does seem that his storyline is far from over here. And Argim, I bet, is going to be serious trouble. Actually, he's not the only one. Forovos' presence means that things could get really ugly pretty quickly if Tomas doesn't act carefully. But in general, I could see Argim as being in far greater danger here, because I doubt he has any idea whom Forovos really is.
Tomas
The Ghost Hill was in front of them, its chalk white walls shining in the sun, and its towers reaching for the sky. In the dungeons… more of Sandship Tomas had started to wonder if he'd ever see home again, but here he was. And with him was Forovos Norvoshi. The bald Braavosi keyholder observed the castle with a thin smirk on his face. "We are here, this is my home", Tomas said sternly, and Forovos nodded to him. "I know, Lord Tomas. It is an old and beautiful castle, it's not hard to imagine that it once belonged to kings", the Braavosi had a sharp look on his blue eyes as he spoke, and Tomas settled to giving him a small nod. And then he saw the riders coming down towards them – three of them, two carrying the black banners of House Toland.
As they got close enough, Tomas recognized the man leading them. He was Ser Manfrey Rowman, childhood friend of Tomas and Donovar. Clad in his dark armor, Manfrey looked at Tomas with grief in his … [view original content]
I guess this might be the final step to securing the safety of House Toland. Hopefully, Argim won't make too much of a scene about this, or cause too much trouble going forward. If he does, he may find himself being Forovos's next victim.
Tomas
The Ghost Hill was in front of them, its chalk white walls shining in the sun, and its towers reaching for the sky. In the dungeons… more of Sandship Tomas had started to wonder if he'd ever see home again, but here he was. And with him was Forovos Norvoshi. The bald Braavosi keyholder observed the castle with a thin smirk on his face. "We are here, this is my home", Tomas said sternly, and Forovos nodded to him. "I know, Lord Tomas. It is an old and beautiful castle, it's not hard to imagine that it once belonged to kings", the Braavosi had a sharp look on his blue eyes as he spoke, and Tomas settled to giving him a small nod. And then he saw the riders coming down towards them – three of them, two carrying the black banners of House Toland.
As they got close enough, Tomas recognized the man leading them. He was Ser Manfrey Rowman, childhood friend of Tomas and Donovar. Clad in his dark armor, Manfrey looked at Tomas with grief in his … [view original content]
And Tomas will remove the crown form Levor's head. Taking a crown from your king's head is a bold action, family or not, but I would say this is probably the right thing to do here.
The next part will likely come later today, and it'll be a Naemon PoV. Last time we saw Naemon, he was in Sword's Edge with Ser Myle, Prince Malcolm Dayne, Davos Dayne, and the Upton's. After having a feast there, Lord Alester Upton's mother, Lady Alerah, came to ask Naemon if he could make sure Alester won't risk his life by doing something reckless on the mission, and Naemon promised to look after him. And on this next part, we'll be returning to Blackmont!
However, hopefully we'll get a new H&L before that!
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Also, I'm pretty sure Tomas is the last PoV without a portrait. Well, no more:
H&L time! This is a Malcolm H&L and it is set ten years before the story begins. We will see the Dayne family as they face a tragedy in their life and in turn, how they manage to cope with it. So with that said, here it is and hopefully you all enjoy it!
Malcolm Dayne - Family
Winter is not just coming, winter is here. The ominous words of House Stark rang truer than ever as the freezing winds from beyond the Wall and the seemingly never ending snows from the Lands of Always Winter reigned supreme over the whole of Westeros, with such a might that is unparalleled to anything that had ever been seen before. The Maester’s of Oldtown had sent ravens to every king and lord in Westeros proclaiming that winter was here, but surely even they were not prepared for this northern chill and the harsh conditions that came with it. Of course, Malcolm had heard and read plenty about the Long Night where winter ruled the Known World, but reading about an ancient winter that could well be nothing more than legend was very different from actually witnessing a harsh winter like this. Admittedly, the Kingdom of the Torrentine had it easier than places like the North and the Vale, but nonetheless it was actually snowing in Starfall. This was Malcolm’s first winter, but Uncle Garret had told him that winter usually just made the winds a bit crisper as they were situated on the coast. Even his father had never witnessed snow until now, which made Malcolm realize he could be one of the handful of Dayne's to ever see snows in Starfall. Considering that the Dayne's had ruled here for thousands of years, there was something truly special about this. What a way to celebrate my tenth nameday, Malcolm thought with a small smile on his face.
On this evening, Prince Malcolm was outside playing in the snow without a care in the world. It had snowed for a week straight, but it had been nowhere near cold enough to stick, at least until the night before and it carried over today through to the evening with the Starfall being covered with nearly one inch of snow. Malcolm figured it had to be some kind of record. Of course, as far as he knew, a new record had been made as soon as the first snowflake had touched the ground. Outside with Malcolm were Weslar Upton, the heir to Sword’s Edge, and his younger brother Markas. The two oldest Upton brothers were very much like Malcolm, in different ways. Weslar even at the age of fourteen was already proving to be a worthy heir of his father’s lands, while the twelve year old Markas despite his young age had proved honor was not a concept only shown by true knights and Northmen. While there were plenty of young children in Starfall serving as squires, Malcolm had to admit that these two were far different than most of them, because he considered these two true friends of his. While Malcolm got along and was friends with most of the other children, he also knew that as the crown prince he carried a burden they could simply not relate to. Malcolm knew he would never be a normal child, for he would be the next king and he had to show strength and maturity even at this young age. Regardless, King Vorian always made it a point to tell Malcolm to enjoy his childhood, for he'd only get one, and on this evening that was what Malcolm was doing.
Malcolm and the Upton brothers had been playing outside for hours at this point, playing a wide array of games like Lord of the Crossing, as well as briefly playing Monsters and Maidens until most of the girls went inside because of the cold. Now, all three of their faces were red, and they were starting to feel the effects of the cold themselves. Together they were sitting around a fire made by the Starfall household guard, but they were the only ones there as all of the guards were patrolling their area. “Well, this has been fun”, remarked Weslar as he put his hands and feet closer to the fire. “Who would have thought that we would actually get snow this far south? I heard father say that this is the first time that snow has reached Dorne ever since the Long Night. If I had to guess though, this is truly the first time ever that snow has reached Dorne, and hopefully the last time at that. The weather is miserable, I can’t really say I know how the Northmen stand it.” Markas raised an eyebrow to his older brother's words. “The Long Night was real, brother, and honestly this winter scares me", he said with a serious tone. "The last time that the winter was this cold, the White Walkers came south. Anyway, we are still lucky to be in Dorne – we are barely getting any snow as it is, all of it was melting before it hit the ground until last night. Still, this is not good. I can imagine if we are getting this much snow, the North is getting at least ten times as much. We should be grateful that we are here and not there.” Weslar put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, telling him “I know you're obsessed with the North and the honorable Night’s Watch that guards us from grumkins and snarks, but as I have told you time and again, the Wall is just an alternative to give criminals a purpose and low born sons an opportunity for leadership, nothing more. You and I are Upton's of Sword’s Edge, which means we have a real purpose – we are the last defenders before Starfall. We have a real job to do, unlike the Night’s Watch.” Malcolm noticed that Weslar's speech annoyed Markas greatly, but he only muttered “whatever” with quiet anger.
Figuring it was time to change the subject, Malcolm decided to join the conversation. “So, will you guys be staying here or are you heading back to Sword’s Edge?” He asked with genuinely interested tone. With a sigh, Markas disappointingly said, “We will be heading back to Sword’s Edge in a couple of days. Our little brother Alester will be the only one staying here. I feel sorry for him really, he told us and father that we were abandoning him, and he has barely said a word to any of us ever since we left Sword’s Edge.” Weslar rolled his eyes and with a chuckle reminded his little brother, “Alester is a nine year old boy, don’t worry too much about his anger. Father is doing him a great service, whether he realizes it or not. Someday he will be a knight of the Torrentine trained by the best knights in all of Dorne. He will contribute greatly to our house, even if he'll never be a leader. You and I are the first two sons, Markas, meaning we have a duty to learn to lead while we earn our knighthoods. Sad as it is, our father won’t be around forever." Malcolm gulped nervously at Weslar's words, but the Upton’s did not seem to notice, and now the heir to Sword’s Edge smirked. “Prince Malcolm, we haven’t seen him all day and I have to ask, where Prince Jamison is?" Weslar asked with touch of amusement in his words. "He has been far too quiet today which is very much unlike him." Shrugging his shoulders, Malcolm nonchalantly told them, "I am not really sure where he is right now. Earlier, father said that Jamison spent all morning training with Ser Laroy, but that is all I have heard about him all day. Thinking about it, you are probably right Weslar. A quiet Jamison is not always the best one, no matter how refreshing it is not to listen to his boasting and complaining.”
Well, we can say what we want about him, but that is dedication", Markas said with a surprised tone. "I mean, training out here today, considering most everyone has stayed indoors, especially that early in the morning when it had to be freezing.” Weslar nodded and chuckled. “Well, Jamison is our prince and I do respect him, but the kid can still be an arrogant little shit sometimes”, he said, which resulted in Malcolm and Markas busting out laughing uncontrollably, and it lasted for a moment before they were interrupted by Queen Arenna.
“Hello boys, I am sorry to interrupt your fun, but it is getting late and it's time for Malcolm to go inside. Also, Lord Samwell and Lady Alerah want you to head back to your chambers as well, they were worried sick about you two." With the chivalrous courtesy of two young lords, Weslar and Markas both bowed to their queen. “Of course, Your Grace, Markas and I will head back immediately.” With those words, Weslar and Markas patted Malcolm on the back and they began making their way back toward the guest chambers. Meanwhile Arenna and Malcolm walked toward the main castle.
Back inside the warmth of the castle the tiredness that Malcolm had felt only mildly outside, was now starting to come on full force. Malcolm was ready to go to sleep, which his mother easily noticed. Now with her hand resting softly on Malcolm’s shoulder, Malcolm looked at her and Malcolm could quickly tell from her face that something was not right. With a worried tone, Malcolm asked, “What is wrong mother? Is everything okay?” Queen Arenna bent down and hugged Malcolm tightly, letting out a sigh. “Your father wants all of us to come to his office. He has something that he needs to tell us”, the Queen explained. More and more questions came to Malcolm's mind, as he felt like his mother was not telling him everything, but he decided to wait because he knew he would find out what he needed to know soon enough.
Now arriving to King Vorian’s office, he walked into a very normal occurrence in their household. Vorian was berating his little brother Jamison over something while his half sister Nealia sat in the chair beside her father’s desk, watching it unfold with a smirk. “Why would you take Elissa Ladybright’s dress while she was taking a bath?" Vorian asked, clearly annoyed and astonished by Jamison's actions. "You completely disrespected her privacy, which is never an appropriate thing to do to a lady.” With a mischievous smirk on his face, and an arrogance that made him think he was the biggest person in the room even though he was clearly the smallest, Jamison looked up to their father and chuckled. “It is quite simple really, I went over to the Palestone Sword and was talking to Arthur Wythmail and Ser Brandon Sand, who were guarding the tower. They were both talking about how they wanted to see Elissa Ladybright without a dress, so I told them that I would do it before either of them ever would, and I won!” Jamison spoke with clearly satisfied tone, while Nealia rolled her eyes. Their mother blushed, and looked like she was not sure what to say. Vorian on the other hand was clearly aggravated with what he just heard. Right before he was about to speak though, Jamison chimed in again looking clearly confused, “I do have one question though, father, Elissa looked… different then what I do without clothes. Why is that?” Admittedly, Malcolm was confused by this as well since he was not entirely sure what Jamison meant, but he looked over at their mother, who muttered quietly, “Well that does explain why Elissa acted so odd around me earlier today.”
Nealia now decided to speak up, looking at Jamison. “You’re so stupid Jamison, you really don’t know why she looked….different?" She asked with a mocking tone, but Jamison quickly came back in defense. “Shut up Nealia!" He snapped. "What would you know about this anyway?” Nealia rolled her eyes and reminded Jamison, “I am a girl you know, so I believe I have more of an idea than you would.” At this point, Nealia and Jamison broke into an argument, with Malcolm not really even being able to understand what they were saying since they were talking so fast. Finally, Vorian silenced the room. “Enough!” he said with a stern voice. “This will not be discussed any longer, I did not bring you all in here just so we could argue… especially about this.”
Now with serious and disappointed words, Vorian began “Today, I received a raven from Blackmont. It says that my sister, and your aunt, Valaena has passed on from this world.” When Vorian finished talking, the room was in complete silence. Nealia turned her eyes down quietly, while Jamison’s face showed absolute anger. He put his head into their mother’s shoulder, who pulled her sons in closer with a soft sigh. Vorian himself was now visibly upset, so much that he had to take a pause, putting his hands into his face. Malcolm had sat quietly through the meeting so far, but now he knew what was truly wrong and he had to speak up. “Aunt Valaena died, but how? She was in perfect health, this makes no sense”, he said glancing at his father and mother, waiting for them to give the answers. Suddenly Malcolm realized he had hardly seen Gwendis and Naemon all day, and this certainly explained it. They had came to Starfall a while ago, and on any normal day they were always around having fun and playing games with the rest of them. Or in Jamison's and Naemon’s case, they were always getting into fights. “Where is Gwendis and Naemon? Are they okay?” Malcolm asked this with a very worried tone, but quickly his father reassured him. “Gwendis and Naemon are alright, don’t worry. I let them know about what had happened just a little bit ago, and right now your mother’s handmaiden Elissa is watching over them. They will be heading back to Blackmont as soon as the weather permits itself.” Vorian glanced over at Jamison as he said this.
Malcolm felt such a massive pit in his stomach about what he had just heard. Two cousins who he cared for deeply would have to deal with something that really seemed unimaginable to him. He could not understand why this happened, Aunt Valaena was such a good person, and she was so young as well, this should not have happened. Malcolm’s disappointing thoughts were interrupted by his little brother, whose words were not filled with the usual arrogance, but rather of shock and disappointment. “But…. how could the knights of Blackmont let this happen?" He asked strictly. "They have knights and a household guard just the same as we do, they are supposed to protect the Queen. It is their job, they swore an oath.” Vorian looked at Jamison with sadness and it seemed he truly did not know what to say. “The message they sent us states that Valaena died from a sudden illness. There is little that knights can’t do to protect from something like that, and even maesters and healers are sometimes powerless to help”, the King explained with sorrowful tone. Malcolm looked over at Jamison, and with sadness he said to his brother, “It must have just been her time to go.” Jamison looked over at Malcolm and suddenly Jamison’s sadness turned into anger. “Hold on! Naemon told me earlier that he heard his father was dabbling in black magic. I thought he was lying and just wanting attention, but maybe he is right. What if Uncle Benedict killed her?” Vorian tried to dismiss what Jamison just said, but with all of the courage the eight year old boy could muster, he would have none of it. “Uncle Benedict did kill her, why else would he send Gwendis and Naemon here and not have Aunt Valaena come down with them? He wanted them gone so he could kill her without their children around. Uncle Benedict is a monster, father you should kill him!" Jamison shouted, and Malcolm could just sense the anger and disappointment in his brother’s words. With a comforting tone, Malcolm reminded Jamison, “We have met Uncle Benedict before, he is a good man and he loved Aunt Valaena with all of his heart, there is no way he would do such an appalling thing. But father, I really don’t understand how she could have died either. She was so young. I mean, I remember when grandfather died, but he was old and I know that eventually everyone dies but there’s no way that it was her time yet! Something must have been up, I don’t think that Uncle Benedict killed her, but something odd had to have happened there.”
Malcolm looked at his father and for once it seemed that the calm and composed king was not composed nor was he calm. It was clear that he was shaken and upset just the same as everyone else is, probably even more so. With his voice nearly shaking, King Vorian told Malcolm, “They said she died of an illness, Malcolm, there is nothing more that can be done. As sad as it is to say, not everyone gets to live a long life. There are some people who die well before their time should be up, and unfortunately it seems that my sister will be one of those people.” At this point, Malcolm felt like crying, but he knew he had to stay strong like father. However, Malcolm glanced over at his little brother who was in their mother's arms, and tears rapidly streaming down his face. “Please father, please tell me, you would never hurt mother like that… that… demon hurt our aunt?" He pleaded with sobbing, and pushed his face into their mother’s arms and wrapped his arms around her. Vorian looked shocked of Jamison's words. “Of course not, my dear son, that would never happen”, he answered quietly.
At this point, the whole room had gone silent with feelings of anger, shock, and disappointment all in one. Malcolm looked around the room, seeing Vorian looking down at his desk nearly on the brink of tears, Arenna silently crying as she held little Jamison in her arms, and Nealia sat in her seat with a sad look on her eyes. Malcolm, who was sitting beside their mother, felt the tears coming to his eyes. Then, Vorian spoke up again. Holding back how clearly distraught he was, he calmly reminded his family, “For as much as Valaena means to all of us, her two children feel it far more than any of us ever will. They have lost their mother, there is a massive hole in their hearts now that can never truly be filled. For while we have lost a sister or an aunt, they have lost a loving mother, who brought them in this world and cared for them deeply. There is nothing we can say that can fix what has happened, but we must be there for them, as much as we can be. And we will make sure that they know we are here for them, always. As for Valaena, there is nothing that could bring her back now, but we still have our memories of her and while she won’t be here anymore, her memory will live on forever. As sad as it is to say, her death reminds us more than ever that family is a precious thing, and the presence of our loved ones is never something that we should take for granted.” With those words, he got up from his chair, and put his hand on Nealia’s shoulder, calling the rest of the family over to them. Malcolm, Jamison and Queen Arenna walked over to Nealia and Vorian and they all embraced with one big hug, an array of emotions going through them all. Malcolm felt horribly bad for Gwendis and Naemon, for the loss that they have suffered. He also prayed to the gods with all of his heart, for them to keep his family together, and to make sure it would be a very long time before Malcolm would become king.
Out of the corner of his eye, Malcolm glanced out of the window where a torch lit up the night sky. He saw the snow falling harder than ever, and the winds whipping at a rapid pace. However, through it all, he saw the large banner of House Dayne flapping strongly and enduring the storm. That image meant a lot to Malcolm, and he prayed that it would hold true. He hoped his family would be together and endure this storm, as well as all the storms that would come their way in the future. Malcolm knew that family was strongest when they stuck together, and now more than ever that was what they had to do. Yet no matter how dark the night would get, Malcolm trusted that the words of his house would come true in the end. Dawn Brings the Light.
Great H&L! It presents a very different angle to these characters, especially Malcolm and Jamison, seeing them as kids. Personally I also really enjoyed the inclusion of Alester's older brothers. Anyway, thanks once again for another great glance at our characters' pasts
H&L time! This is a Malcolm H&L and it is set ten years before the story begins. We will see the Dayne family as they face a traged… morey in their life and in turn, how they manage to cope with it. So with that said, here it is and hopefully you all enjoy it!
Malcolm Dayne - Family
Winter is not just coming, winter is here. The ominous words of House Stark rang truer than ever as the freezing winds from beyond the Wall and the seemingly never ending snows from the Lands of Always Winter reigned supreme over the whole of Westeros, with such a might that is unparalleled to anything that had ever been seen before. The Maester’s of Oldtown had sent ravens to every king and lord in Westeros proclaiming that winter was here, but surely even they were not prepared for this northern chill and the harsh conditions that came with it. Of course, Malcolm had heard and read plenty about the Long Night where winter ruled the Known World, but rea… [view original content]
Hey! Just wanted to say first that don't forget to read the new Malcolm H&L part above!^^ Actually, in this case I'd even recommend you read it before reading this next part
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Naemon
With three-hundred Upton soldiers behind him, as well as Lord Alester, Prince Malcolm, Ser Myle and Davos beside him, Naemon had finally reached home. Blackmont stood strong against the mountain, the vulture banners flickering on the walls. A subtle smile was forming on Naemon's face, as the gates were opened for them – soon he would see his sister again.
They rode into the courtyard, and Naemon gazed at every direction, but he didn’t see either Gwendis or Benedict anywhere. Slowly his smile vanished, there was something wrong – it wasn't like Gwendis to not be here to welcome her brother back. Another thing that bothered Naemon were the sad faces of everyone on the courtyard, not a single smile could be seen there.
As they dismounted the horses, Naemon saw Ser Thomos the Thunder approaching them. "Prince Naemon, Prince Malcolm, welcome to Blackmont", the knight greeted them with official tone, then turning his eyes to Alester and Davos.
"This here is Davos Dayne, my new squire", Naemon explained, putting his hand on Davos' shoulder, and Thomos nodded. "And I am Lord Alester Upton, here with my troops to help with your little problem", Alester introduced himself with an arrogant grin on his face.
"I see, you are both very welcome as well, Davos and Lord Alester", Thomos said politely, and finally turned towards Ser Myle. "Not to forget you, Myle, old buddy", he quipped, and Myle let out a small laugh. Thomos smiled for a small moment, but the smile vanished quickly as he turned to Naemon again. "Naemon... Something has happened while you were gone. Your father wants to speak with you... privately."
Naemon glanced at Malcolm, who gave him an approving nod. "Alright then, Myle, make sure our guests get comfortable quarters", Naemon commanded, and Myle bowed to him. "Yes, my Prince", he said with a thin smirk. Then, Thomos and Naemon walked away from the rest of the group, and Naemon shot a questioning glare at the knight. "What is this about?" He asked with a serious tone, but Thomos just let out a sigh. "It's better if your father explains it to you", he answered calmly. And so, they continued their way to King Benedict's office without further conversation.
As they arrived, Ser Thomos opened the door for Naemon, but stayed to guard the door outside himself. As the door closed behind him, Naemon stood alone in a room with his father. He had to wonder when had he last been alone with his father, but he couldn't remember. There the old man sat, behind his desk, a tired and depressed look on his eyes.
"Naemon", Benedict greeted him dryly, and Naemon answered with a simple nod. "Thomos said you wanted to talk about something... I assume you are angry that I brought help from the Dayne's", he said with stiff voice, and his father nodded subtly. "No, perhaps the Dayne's can prove to be useful. It's about your sister", he said with a grim tone. Naemon could feel shivers going down his spine, just imagining what could've happened while he was gone. If she is dead...
"Gwendis has gone missing", Benedict stated sternly, looking Naemon to the eyes now. There was deep grief and desperation in the King's eyes, and Naemon didn't know what to say. All he could do was look at his father with a shocked expression. "It has been almost a fortnight, and so far no one has found her."
"How?" Naemon asked strictly. "How could you let this happen?" Benedict let out a sigh, and took something from his drawer – a piece of paper. Naemon could see there was a short message written on it, and Benedict handed it to him. "Read it", he said quietly. "It's written by your sister."
Naemon took the paper to his hands, and he immediately recognized his sister's handwriting, even if this message was clearly hastily written.
Dear father and brother,
I know you can never truly understand or forgive me for leaving, and I don't blame you for it. I can hardly understand this myself. However, I have come to the conclusion that going to Skyreach and marrying Desmor Fowler would be the beginning of the end for me. Aisha has told me this, and I have seen her god – it is real. I'm not sure if I can truly trust her, but I know what I saw, and what I saw was death.
I truly hope I'll see you again one day, but if not, take care of each other, and love each other. You are family, remember that. I have to go now, don't come after me.
Yours sincerely, Gwendis
Naemon raised his eyes from the letter, feeling crushed. He put the paper on the desk and shook his head. "This is your fault... Your sorceress brainwashed her", Naemon said coldly, and Benedict turned his eyes away with a wounded look on them.
"Aisha worships a powerful god, a dark god. She showed me things, convinced me of her god's powers, but I could've never imagined she would drag my daughter into this." It could be heard from Benedict's words that he was genuinely regretful, but that was hardly enough for Naemon to forgive what he had done. "You have destroyed this family, father. There is no way around it. First mother, now Gwendis", he spoke bitterly, tears coming to his eyes.
"You are right... It is my fault", Benedict admitted quietly, gazing at the surface of the desk. "So, you finally admit it? You killed mother", Naemon's tone was intense, but his father shook his head furiously. "No!" He barked, clenching his fists. "I did not kill your mother... yet her death is still on my conscience."
"And why is that?" Naemon asked harshly. Benedict turned his eyes up, and Naemon could see they were glazed with tears. "It was a man named Syrenho who killed her, a sorcerer who had been in Blackmont for couple of months. He was good with potions, and the ones he made for me, they made me feel... powerful, more alive. I should've thrown him out when he started to say that Valaena was cursed, that I should kill her to avoid the wrath of gods. But I was selfish, I felt I needed his potions, so I ignored his words of madness. And so, Syrenho decided to act on his own, and poisoned your mother, my wife. I killed him of course, but nothing and no one could save your mother. And trust me, I tried everything." The King's voice broke down with his last word, and tears streamed down his face. Naemon had never seen his father like this, so weak, so broken.
"Why didn't you tell this to us earlier?" He asked with frustration and pain in his voice, and his father let out a sad little chuckle. "I don't know, perhaps I knew that you would judge me... And that I'd deserve it", he answered, his voice empty and lifeless. There they were, in silence, both of them broken by grief.
"What are you going to do now?" Naemon asked after a moment of silence, keeping his composure the best he could. Benedict looked him in the eyes, taking in a deep breath before answering. "My men have searched the lands and found nothing. But Lyla... Apparently she found a trail on the mountains, possibly left by Gwendis and Aisha. She has not yet returned, so I assume she is still following the trail... and if she won't find her, no one will."
"So, one of your snakes took away my sister, and now I'm supposed to trust that another one of your snakes will bring her back", Naemon replied coldly, feeling so much anger that he couldn't even look at his father anymore. "You can trust whatever you want, it makes no difference", Benedict replied dryly. "But now you have a mission ahead of you, I believe, a duty towards your kingdom."
"You're talking about the deserters and rebels?" Naemon asked, and Benedict nodded. "They are led by a man named Karsan Taller, who is currently holding the town of Gravesend", he explained, but Naemon had little interest for it. "And why would I care about this Karsan Taller, instead of going after my sister?" He asked sharply, and now the look on Benedict's eyes got harder.
"Because I am your King, and I command it", he said sternly, turning his eyes away from Naemon and standing up. Benedict walked to the window of the room, looking out and letting out a sigh. "I want to get Gwendis back, at least as much as you do, but you could never find her. For all we know she is hundreds of miles away, only gods know where. Lyla finding her is the only hope we have." Benedict turned towards Naemon again. "Meanwhile, it is time for you to prove your worth... Defeat Karsan Taller." They both stayed quiet for a while after Benedict's small speech. Naemon knew his father was right – he had no hope of finding Gwendis, as crushing as it was to admit it. Naemon wondered what would his sister want him to do now, and as he thought about it, he remembered how Gwendis had always wanted him to take more responsibility, to rise to a role of a leader. All that felt meaningless now though, and Naemon's mind was consumed by anger – anger towards Benedict, but also anger towards Gwendis. How could you leave me like this?
"I will march to Gravesend and defeat Karsan Taller", he finally said with stern and hollow voice. "But don't think I have forgiven you, father." With these cold words Naemon turned around, and walked out of the room, wiping the tears from his face.
-
The feast that night was anything but cheerful, and Naemon had hard time getting anything down his throat. He sat next to Malcolm and Davos, who had both been very quiet after Naemon told them what had happened.
"I still remember the day we first learned about Valaena", Malcolm said carefully, letting out a small sigh. "It was snowing in Starfall... probably the harshest winter in thousands of years, like the gods were weeping for her. All the same, I felt sorry for you then, from the bottom of my heart, and I still do." Naemon settled to nodding quietly for the Dayne prince's words. His eyes were fixed on his father, who sat at the high table with the sorcerer named Noctis right next to him. Has he still not learnt his lesson? Naemon clenched to his fork, thinking how he would drive out all the sorcerers from Blackmont once his father would die. Hopefully that day will come soon.
"So, what is the plan now, ser?" Davos asked quietly, and Naemon turned to look at him. Judging by the nervous look on the young boy's face, Naemon's expression wasn't the most pleasant one. "We will do our job, and root out the rebels", he answered calmly, turning his eyes back to Benedict again. For a moment their eyes met, and Naemon's gaze was filled with hate. His father quickly turned his eyes away.
"And your sister?" Davos asked nervously. Naemon took in a deep breath before answering. "There is nothing we can do to help Gwendis", he stated, his voice cold and emotionless, even if inside him was a storm of emotions. "So, better just concentrate on what we came here to do, understand?"
"I understand, ser", Davos confirmed with a gulp. Naemon saw Noctis standing up from the table, and walking towards the doors of the mess hall. A sudden urge took over him, he wanted to go and confront this man, to make him understand his days in Blackmont were numbered.
Hey! Just wanted to say first that don't forget to read the new Malcolm H&L part above!^^ Actually, in this case I'd even recommend you … moreread it before reading this next part
-
Naemon
With three-hundred Upton soldiers behind him, as well as Lord Alester, Prince Malcolm, Ser Myle and Davos beside him, Naemon had finally reached home. Blackmont stood strong against the mountain, the vulture banners flickering on the walls. A subtle smile was forming on Naemon's face, as the gates were opened for them – soon he would see his sister again.
They rode into the courtyard, and Naemon gazed at every direction, but he didn’t see either Gwendis or Benedict anywhere. Slowly his smile vanished, there was something wrong – it wasn't like Gwendis to not be here to welcome her brother back. Another thing that bothered Naemon were the sad faces of everyone on the courtyard, not a single smile could be seen there.
As they dismounted the hors… [view original content]
Oh god, the feels A wonderful H&L and all the way up there with my favourites. Naturally, it was an H&L I was greatly looking forward for ever since learning that you wish to write about this topic and it surely hit me right where it had to. The relationship between Malcolm and his family has always been something I enjoyed and seeing how they each reacted individually to the terrible news about their aunt's death was very well-done. It really showed that Gwendis and Naemon are not the only ones affected by this. Vorian lost his sister and Malcolm and Jamison their aunt. Speaking of, I especially liked Jamison's reaction here. It was a lot like the Jamison we know from the current parts, but at the same time, you did well with portraying him as a child here. It's the logical conclusion of his current behaviour that he was a very emotional child, whereas Malcolm has always been the more mature one and still is. I also enjoyed the bickering between Jamison and Nealia. Out of the entire Dayne family, I think they have the most complex relationship, maybe tied with Jamison and Malcolm's brotherly relationship, which we have seen a bit less about so far and I think that was another nice thing about this H&L. All in all, as I said, one of my favourites. Thank you for writing it
H&L time! This is a Malcolm H&L and it is set ten years before the story begins. We will see the Dayne family as they face a traged… morey in their life and in turn, how they manage to cope with it. So with that said, here it is and hopefully you all enjoy it!
Malcolm Dayne - Family
Winter is not just coming, winter is here. The ominous words of House Stark rang truer than ever as the freezing winds from beyond the Wall and the seemingly never ending snows from the Lands of Always Winter reigned supreme over the whole of Westeros, with such a might that is unparalleled to anything that had ever been seen before. The Maester’s of Oldtown had sent ravens to every king and lord in Westeros proclaiming that winter was here, but surely even they were not prepared for this northern chill and the harsh conditions that came with it. Of course, Malcolm had heard and read plenty about the Long Night where winter ruled the Known World, but rea… [view original content]
Ah... the part I have been waiting for. I knew it was coming, but Naemon's reaction and the entire part still hit me without me being fully ready for it. I knew his reaction would be hard to read and oh man, it was. Not for the first time, I have to ask myself what the hell has gotten into me to change my vote all these months back. Fucking Aisha... at the same time, Gwendis' letter has once more convinced me that Skyreach would have been similarly far from good. Maybe it wouldn't have been as bad as the Aisha route, but it's not an alternative either. If anything, Aisha has given her a fighting chance, even if I am absolutely convinced that this was not what the bitch intended to do. She wanted a brainwashed little puppet and while she has failed at that and hopefully will never succeed, Naemon is right that she certainly tried. Though maybe she involuntarily at least gave Gwendis a chance, something Skyreach wouldn't have given her, at least not in the same way. I still don't think we made the right choice, but that is also because the reaction of Naemon and Benny was a real gut punch for me, as I knew it would.
Now... another serious gut punch here was the reveal about Valaena's death. I left that one open in the submission because I wanted to be surprised and safe to say, you managed to do it. While reading CM3434's H&L, I once anew got convinced that it might have indeed been a severe illness, especially due to the harsh winter, but the reveal that she got murdered by a sorcerer makes things all the harder. It also worsened my opinion on Benedict again, at least a little bit, because he clearly hasn't learned a damn thing after one of his sorcerers murdered his wife. The whole Aisha debacle could have been avoided if he would have burned her to death the moment she offered her rotten service. It is aggravating how stubborn that guy can be, that he had to lose his wife and now potentially his daughter as well before finally even beginning to see reason. If he sees reason at all, I am not quite convinced of that yet. Naemon's reaction has been understandable, yet still brutal. I knew he'd be angry at Benedict, and rightfully so, but I never thought that he would be angry at Gwendis too and this makes her absence all the worse. Admittedly, he has a very good reason, though so had Gwendis in leaving Blackmont and her brief letter, while explaining some things, didn't quite set things right, on account of being so short. But that is yet another reason why she cannot remain with the bitch, on top of the sheer danger she is going to be in with every second she spends near her. Her action, as understandable as it was, has hurt so many, Benedict, Naemon, Desmor, probably others as well and setting things right, if she ever gets the chance, will be a serious task. Even the relationship between her and Naemon seems seriously at risk now, judging by his reaction. And I have the feeling that, at the very best, it will take years until they get reunited, years in which the wounds she has caused here could grow into serious grudges and resentment.
However, surprisingly there is a tiny, distant silver lining, the first one this situation offered! I knew I have speculated about this before, that Lyla would be sent after Gwendis, but it was nice to see that I was right! It is good that there is at least one ally for Gwen out there, as unexpected as she is. I never seriously thought that Lyla could be a good ally for her, but now it seems that she's the only one she has, at least as long as I am still unsure about Dalia and Desi. That said, I am a bit afraid that she could just drag Gwen back to Blackmont and condemn her to whatever fate awaits her at Skyreach, so I am not sure how much I should expect of her. Maybe she will see reason and she kind of seems to be a person that can understand and appreciate the value of freedom, I admittedly don't know enough about her to say anything for sure. She could, in theory at least, become a genuine ally, someone who actually helps Gwendis to survive this whole mess, beyond the mere danger that the witch-bitch and Worstley pose. Speaking of, I doubt Lyla is a match for him, but she is likely far more stealthy, so maybe she can just murder that monster in his sleep? Would be a fitting end for him, if he gets denied even the duel against Dalia. But as I said, I am not sure what to expect of Lyla, is she ends up helping Gwendis, or if she only drags her back to Blackmont, which wouldn't make things much better. I want to believe that Benny has learned his lesson about marrying Gwendis off against her will, but given that he still hasn't even learned his lesson about the sorcerers, I remain on the fence there. This is yet another factor to make the situation more complicated, something I have to keep in mind. That said, naturally I would love for Lyla to become a genuine ally to Gwendis! Fingers crossed there, though in the end, I have to wait and see if I can truly put my trust in her
[Stay at the table]
Okay, here's the thing... I am not sure if Noctis' days at Blackmont are numbered, given that he is still there even after all his colleagues did to ruin Benedict's family. Murdering his wife, potentially doing worse to his daughter, any other man would have thrown them out by now or would have purged them, but still, Noctis is there. He's like a cockroach, the evil version of Grand Maester Pycelle, the one guy who just keeps surviving. I am not sure if he's a genuine sorcerer, or a charlatan, though since he's still at the court, chances are he is the former. All I know is that he is creepy as fuck and that I don't see any point in provoking him. Gwendis is already in terrible danger due to a witch, there is no need for Naemon to draw the ire of another sorcerer. Noctis' time will come, I am sure of it, but until then, I would rather not have him as an enemy of Naemon if it can be prevented. Worst thing that could happen is that he goes full Syrenho on him and ends up poisoning him to make sure that he won't pose a threat anymore. Yeah, let's better not do this.
Hey! Just wanted to say first that don't forget to read the new Malcolm H&L part above!^^ Actually, in this case I'd even recommend you … moreread it before reading this next part
-
Naemon
With three-hundred Upton soldiers behind him, as well as Lord Alester, Prince Malcolm, Ser Myle and Davos beside him, Naemon had finally reached home. Blackmont stood strong against the mountain, the vulture banners flickering on the walls. A subtle smile was forming on Naemon's face, as the gates were opened for them – soon he would see his sister again.
They rode into the courtyard, and Naemon gazed at every direction, but he didn’t see either Gwendis or Benedict anywhere. Slowly his smile vanished, there was something wrong – it wasn't like Gwendis to not be here to welcome her brother back. Another thing that bothered Naemon were the sad faces of everyone on the courtyard, not a single smile could be seen there.
As they dismounted the hors… [view original content]
Wow two H&L's in a row dealing with the death of character's family members. I swear me and CM3434 didn't plan this. Anyways, I really enjoyed the part and seeing kid versions of these characters.
H&L time! This is a Malcolm H&L and it is set ten years before the story begins. We will see the Dayne family as they face a traged… morey in their life and in turn, how they manage to cope with it. So with that said, here it is and hopefully you all enjoy it!
Malcolm Dayne - Family
Winter is not just coming, winter is here. The ominous words of House Stark rang truer than ever as the freezing winds from beyond the Wall and the seemingly never ending snows from the Lands of Always Winter reigned supreme over the whole of Westeros, with such a might that is unparalleled to anything that had ever been seen before. The Maester’s of Oldtown had sent ravens to every king and lord in Westeros proclaiming that winter was here, but surely even they were not prepared for this northern chill and the harsh conditions that came with it. Of course, Malcolm had heard and read plenty about the Long Night where winter ruled the Known World, but rea… [view original content]
Ah... the part I have been waiting for. I knew it was coming, but Naemon's reaction and the entire part still hit me without me being fully ready for it. I knew his reaction would be hard to read and oh man, it was. Not for the first time, I have to ask myself what the hell has gotten into me to change my vote all these months back. Fucking Aisha... at the same time, Gwendis' letter has once more convinced me that Skyreach would have been similarly far from good. Maybe it wouldn't have been as bad as the Aisha route, but it's not an alternative either. If anything, Aisha has given her a fighting chance, even if I am absolutely convinced that this was not what the bitch intended to do. She wanted a brainwashed little puppet and while she has failed at that and hopefully will never succeed, Naemon is right that she certainly tried. Though maybe she involuntarily at least gave Gwendis a chance, something Skyreach wouldn't have given her, at least not in the same way. I still don't think we made the right choice, but that is also because the reaction of Naemon and Benny was a real gut punch for me, as I knew it would.
Well, trust me, it was hard to write as well, because it wasn't an easy task to put to words just how disappointed, angered and broken Naemon is in this moment. Another thing is that I personally don't have a similar resentment towards Benedict as Naemon (justifiably) does, so it was hard to write him being so harsh to him, especially since it's the last thing Gwendis would want. That said, I don't think Naemon could've realistically been any less pissed than he was here. Who knows, perhaps the relationship between Naemon and Benny can still be salvaged, but this wasn't a good start for it. And whatever the Skyreach route would've meant for Gwen herself, it certainly would've been an easier pill to swallow for Naemon.
Now... another serious gut punch here was the reveal about Valaena's death. I left that one open in the submission because I wanted to be surprised and safe to say, you managed to do it. While reading CM3434's H&L, I once anew got convinced that it might have indeed been a severe illness, especially due to the harsh winter, but the reveal that she got murdered by a sorcerer makes things all the harder. It also worsened my opinion on Benedict again, at least a little bit, because he clearly hasn't learned a damn thing after one of his sorcerers murdered his wife. The whole Aisha debacle could have been avoided if he would have burned her to death the moment she offered her rotten service. It is aggravating how stubborn that guy can be, that he had to lose his wife and now potentially his daughter as well before finally even beginning to see reason. If he sees reason at all, I am not quite convinced of that yet.
Indeed, Benedict being so open about that shows that he has truly been broken by the recent events, because in the past he would've been too proud to admit his mistake to Naemon like this. And yeah, Benedict still meddling with the sorcerers is like an alcoholic grabbing the bottle again and again after years of misery. It's really something he can't just drop, which obviously frustrates Naemon.
Okay, here's the thing... I am not sure if Noctis' days at Blackmont are numbered, given that he is still there even after all his colleagues did to ruin Benedict's family. Murdering his wife, potentially doing worse to his daughter, any other man would have thrown them out by now or would have purged them, but still, Noctis is there. He's like a cockroach, the evil version of Grand Maester Pycelle, the one guy who just keeps surviving. I am not sure if he's a genuine sorcerer, or a charlatan, though since he's still at the court, chances are he is the former. All I know is that he is creepy as fuck and that I don't see any point in provoking him. Gwendis is already in terrible danger due to a witch, there is no need for Naemon to draw the ire of another sorcerer. Noctis' time will come, I am sure of it, but until then, I would rather not have him as an enemy of Naemon if it can be prevented. Worst thing that could happen is that he goes full Syrenho on him and ends up poisoning him to make sure that he won't pose a threat anymore. Yeah, let's better not do this.
Indeed, as long as Benedict has the last say, Noctis' days in Blackmont aren't numbered. However, Naemon is now more anti-sorcerer than he has ever been, and perhaps for the first time he actually wishes he could be the King already, so he could get rid of them all. That is really the message Naemon would want to give to Noctis, but whether that is a smart thing to do is another thing.
Ah... the part I have been waiting for. I knew it was coming, but Naemon's reaction and the entire part still hit me without me being fully … moreready for it. I knew his reaction would be hard to read and oh man, it was. Not for the first time, I have to ask myself what the hell has gotten into me to change my vote all these months back. Fucking Aisha... at the same time, Gwendis' letter has once more convinced me that Skyreach would have been similarly far from good. Maybe it wouldn't have been as bad as the Aisha route, but it's not an alternative either. If anything, Aisha has given her a fighting chance, even if I am absolutely convinced that this was not what the bitch intended to do. She wanted a brainwashed little puppet and while she has failed at that and hopefully will never succeed, Naemon is right that she certainly tried. Though maybe she involuntarily at least gave Gwendis a chance, something Skyreach wouldn't have given her, at leas… [view original content]
Hey! Just wanted to say first that don't forget to read the new Malcolm H&L part above!^^ Actually, in this case I'd even recommend you … moreread it before reading this next part
-
Naemon
With three-hundred Upton soldiers behind him, as well as Lord Alester, Prince Malcolm, Ser Myle and Davos beside him, Naemon had finally reached home. Blackmont stood strong against the mountain, the vulture banners flickering on the walls. A subtle smile was forming on Naemon's face, as the gates were opened for them – soon he would see his sister again.
They rode into the courtyard, and Naemon gazed at every direction, but he didn’t see either Gwendis or Benedict anywhere. Slowly his smile vanished, there was something wrong – it wasn't like Gwendis to not be here to welcome her brother back. Another thing that bothered Naemon were the sad faces of everyone on the courtyard, not a single smile could be seen there.
As they dismounted the hors… [view original content]
Wow Wildling, when you said this was excellent timing for the Malcolm H&L, you were not kidding! I figured we would find out how Valaena died at some point and that when we did that it would be an emotional scene and without a doubt that was certainly the case. Seeing Naemon confront his father alone was a very powerful scene which made me proud of him but also made me feel bad for him because he truly has been through alot by his father and now Gwendis as well. He no doubt feels betrayed by Gwendis sadly and he most likely has even more hatred for his father then he already did. I suppose now all we can hope for is that Naemon will eventually find it in his heart to forgive Gwendis and maybe Benedict if he truly starts trying to change his ways. I will say though that there are two notable things that I gathered from this part. First off is that it seems Naemon is starting to handle that he will someday be King which is massive step in the right direction for him and that Lyla Sand is on the trail to find Gwendis I am certainly not getting my hopes up but I certainly would not be opposed to Lyla finding her and them both escaping back to Blackmont!
[Stay at the table]
Now for the choice, this was a tough one for me and one that I actually waited to vote on since I truly was not sure on what to choose. Initially, I had planned on having Naemon confront Noctis but had doubts on picking it and it seems that I was not alone on this. Naemon should definitely not make Noctis an enemy just yet especially with him still having Benedict's ear but eventually I do believe Naemon will have a chance to root the sorcerers out of Blackmont but at this point, he certainly should not make his intentions known, at least not yet. Anyway, I am very intrigued by Naemon's upcoming storyline in taking down the peasant rebellion led by Karsan Taller. It seems that Naemon will getting one of his first tastes of full fledged battle which will be cool but at the same time Naemon is very much put in a rough situation here. He is basically been assigned to take down these rebellious smallfolk which is a dangerous thing especially since I am not sure how popular Karsan is among the smallfolk. If he turns out to be popular than Naemon may have some trouble on his hands. Naemon is said to be very popular if not the most popular Blackmont though so I would say that the smallfolk not supporting Karsan Taller will probably rally to his side.
"And I am Lord Alester Upton, here with my troops to help with your little problem", Alester introduced himself with an arrogant grin on his face.
I have to admit that I cracked up when I read this line You write Alester so so well showing his almost comedic arrogance while also showing that he is indeed a dangerous man as well. You write all of these characters amazingly of course but I just had to mention how much I enjoyed this line
Hey! Just wanted to say first that don't forget to read the new Malcolm H&L part above!^^ Actually, in this case I'd even recommend you … moreread it before reading this next part
-
Naemon
With three-hundred Upton soldiers behind him, as well as Lord Alester, Prince Malcolm, Ser Myle and Davos beside him, Naemon had finally reached home. Blackmont stood strong against the mountain, the vulture banners flickering on the walls. A subtle smile was forming on Naemon's face, as the gates were opened for them – soon he would see his sister again.
They rode into the courtyard, and Naemon gazed at every direction, but he didn’t see either Gwendis or Benedict anywhere. Slowly his smile vanished, there was something wrong – it wasn't like Gwendis to not be here to welcome her brother back. Another thing that bothered Naemon were the sad faces of everyone on the courtyard, not a single smile could be seen there.
As they dismounted the hors… [view original content]
Oh god, the feels A wonderful H&L and all the way up there with my favourites. Naturally, it was an H&L I was greatly looking forward for ever since learning that you wish to write about this topic and it surely hit me right where it had to.
i am glad that you enjoyed it. It was my first attempt at trying to write something more on the sadder side and I was not sure how it would go but it seems that everyone enjoyed it which is certainly awesome Admittedly, I actually felt a bit sad for them while writing it as well
Speaking of, I especially liked Jamison's reaction here. It was a lot like the Jamison we know from the current parts, but at the same time, you did well with portraying him as a child here. It's the logical conclusion of his current behaviour that he was a very emotional child, whereas Malcolm has always been the more mature one and still is.
Yeah, I have to admit that writing Jamison as a child was one of my favorite parts to this H&L. I remember you mentioned that it would be interesting to see Jamison in a vulnerable light as a child and that was certainly something I tried to get across here. Up to this point, Jamison had been very sheltered and was very innocent in alot of ways. Hearing about his aunt's death along with the rumors of Benedict made him angry, scared and worried for his own mother's well being all in one. He wanted to do something about it but knew as a child he was in no position to do anything which upset him even more. At least in my mind, you could say that this moment along with other ones what shaped Jamison to be who he is in present time. As for Malcolm, you are completely right. Jamison and Malcolm are both quite different from one another especially in this sense.
I also enjoyed the bickering between Jamison and Nealia. Out of the entire Dayne family, I think they have the most complex relationship, maybe tied with Jamison and Malcolm's brotherly relationship, which we have seen a bit less about so far and I think that was another nice thing about this H&L. All in all, as I said, one of my favourites. Thank you for writing it
i loved writing the Jamison and Nealia argument as well. I imagine that they always bickered like this and it was fun to write it out especially in regards to what they were arguing about As for Jamison and Malcolm, I plan on writing an H&L with just them talking at some point but I haven't quite figured out the subject it would be on yet. It is no problem, I am glad you enjoyed my writing
Oh god, the feels A wonderful H&L and all the way up there with my favourites. Naturally, it was an H&L I was greatly looking forwa… morerd for ever since learning that you wish to write about this topic and it surely hit me right where it had to. The relationship between Malcolm and his family has always been something I enjoyed and seeing how they each reacted individually to the terrible news about their aunt's death was very well-done. It really showed that Gwendis and Naemon are not the only ones affected by this. Vorian lost his sister and Malcolm and Jamison their aunt. Speaking of, I especially liked Jamison's reaction here. It was a lot like the Jamison we know from the current parts, but at the same time, you did well with portraying him as a child here. It's the logical conclusion of his current behaviour that he was a very emotional child, whereas Malcolm has always been the more mature one and still is. I also enjoyed the bick… [view original content]
Yeah we indeed did not plan this I have to admit that I had thought about waiting til an H&L about another topic was submitted to write this since it was similar to Eraehra's H&L in that sense but I was so hyped to write this that I went with it! Thanks, I am glad that you enjoyed it
Wow two H&L's in a row dealing with the death of character's family members. I swear me and CM3434 didn't plan this. Anyways, I really enjoyed the part and seeing kid versions of these characters.
Wow Wildling, when you said this was excellent timing for the Malcolm H&L, you were not kidding! I figured we would find out how Valaena died at some point and that when we did that it would be an emotional scene and without a doubt that was certainly the case. Seeing Naemon confront his father alone was a very powerful scene which made me proud of him but also made me feel bad for him because he truly has been through alot by his father and now Gwendis as well. He no doubt feels betrayed by Gwendis sadly and he most likely has even more hatred for his father then he already did. I suppose now all we can hope for is that Naemon will eventually find it in his heart to forgive Gwendis and maybe Benedict if he truly starts trying to change his ways. I will say though that there are two notable things that I gathered from this part. First off is that it seems Naemon is starting to handle that he will someday be King which is massive step in the right direction for him and that Lyla Sand is on the trail to find Gwendis I am certainly not getting my hopes up but I certainly would not be opposed to Lyla finding her and them both escaping back to Blackmont!
Yep, it was very well timed indeed And Valaena's death is such a major part of the backstories of so many characters that it really was just a question of time when it would be revealed what exactly happened to her. Safe to say, the way she died is very tragic, a direct consequence of Benedict's mistakes, which is something that still troubles him deeply. Like he said, Valaena's death is on his conscience. And while Naemon is mostly angered at Benedict and the sorcerers, he is clearly a bit bitter towards his sister as well, though their relationship is certainly still salvageable, because Naemon understands that Gwen was manipulated to do what she did. And yeah, you can see some development here in Naemon's attitude towards his future as the leader of House Blackmont. Being a king is still not something he finds desireable, but he is now more determined than ever to clean the court from these sorcerers.
Anyway, I am very intrigued by Naemon's upcoming storyline in taking down the peasant rebellion led by Karsan Taller. It seems that Naemon will getting one of his first tastes of full fledged battle which will be cool but at the same time Naemon is very much put in a rough situation here. He is basically been assigned to take down these rebellious smallfolk which is a dangerous thing especially since I am not sure how popular Karsan is among the smallfolk. If he turns out to be popular than Naemon may have some trouble on his hands. Naemon is said to be very popular if not the most popular Blackmont though so I would say that the smallfolk not supporting Karsan Taller will probably rally to his side.
Well, we know already from Myke's earlier parts that Karsan isn't universally loved by the Blackmont smallfolk, but he does have a pretty strong support. Mainly this is just people disappointed in King Benedict, and Karsan is just charismatic and ambitious enough to gather all these disappointed people around him. That said, Naemon represents the future of Blackmont, so he might be able to convince some that things will be better once he takes the throne.
I have to admit that I cracked up when I read this line You write Alester so so well showing his almost comedic arrogance while also showing that he is indeed a dangerous man as well. You write all of these characters amazingly of course but I just had to mention how much I enjoyed this line
Haha, well, I'm glad you liked it! Naemon has had fairly large supporting cast after his visit to Starfall, which has resulted in Alester not getting that much time to shine. However, I'm positive he'll get some great moments on Naemon's mission to Gravesend
Wow Wildling, when you said this was excellent timing for the Malcolm H&L, you were not kidding! I figured we would find out how Valaena… more died at some point and that when we did that it would be an emotional scene and without a doubt that was certainly the case. Seeing Naemon confront his father alone was a very powerful scene which made me proud of him but also made me feel bad for him because he truly has been through alot by his father and now Gwendis as well. He no doubt feels betrayed by Gwendis sadly and he most likely has even more hatred for his father then he already did. I suppose now all we can hope for is that Naemon will eventually find it in his heart to forgive Gwendis and maybe Benedict if he truly starts trying to change his ways. I will say though that there are two notable things that I gathered from this part. First off is that it seems Naemon is starting to handle that he will someday be King which is massive step in t… [view original content]
Well, trust me, it was hard to write as well, because it wasn't an easy task to put to words just how disappointed, angered and broken Naemon is in this moment. Another thing is that I personally don't have a similar resentment towards Benedict as Naemon (justifiably) does, so it was hard to write him being so harsh to him, especially since it's the last thing Gwendis would want. That said, I don't think Naemon could've realistically been any less pissed than he was here. Who knows, perhaps the relationship between Naemon and Benny can still be salvaged, but this wasn't a good start for it. And whatever the Skyreach route would've meant for Gwen herself, it certainly would've been an easier pill to swallow for Naemon.
Yeah, as hard as it was, that was entirely in-character for Naemon, that much is clear. And to be fair, it was an entirely understandable reaction, not only towards Benedict, but towards Gwendis as well. With Skyreach, I must actually say that this route would have probably made me seriously paranoid, because the Aisha route at least clearly shows the dangers that might come up, whereas the Skyreach route, I guess, would have always given me this looming feeling that literally anything could go wrong. Aisha might be a genuinely abominable person, but she's the devil I know in this situation. But this just made me curious, how would Naemon have reacted if Gwen would have gone to Skyreach? I guess by the time of this part, she would have already been there and about to get married.
Indeed, Benedict being so open about that shows that he has truly been broken by the recent events, because in the past he would've been too proud to admit his mistake to Naemon like this. And yeah, Benedict still meddling with the sorcerers is like an alcoholic grabbing the bottle again and again after years of misery. It's really something he can't just drop, which obviously frustrates Naemon.
Hm, yeah, that is what I have thought as well, that he is basically addicted to this magic. We have seen that Great Other magic gets super addictive if done only once. It's basically magic krokodil. And given how many years Benedict outright abused all kinds of different magic, from Aisha's Great Other shit, to whatever Noctis and the others offered, to potions such as the ones he got from Syrenho, I can see how letting go of this is something he can barely do. Even worse is his current emotional state, because I guess just like an alcoholic, it's easy for him to basically drown his sorrows in magic. Still, while I might understand it, my respect for him has suffered under this revelation, especially as it is the second time an evil sorcerer ruined his family.
Indeed, as long as Benedict has the last say, Noctis' days in Blackmont aren't numbered. However, Naemon is now more anti-sorcerer than he has ever been, and perhaps for the first time he actually wishes he could be the King already, so he could get rid of them all. That is really the message Naemon would want to give to Noctis, but whether that is a smart thing to do is another thing.
I am absolutely sure it won't be a smart thing. For now, it is a threat he cannot back up. Even worse, Noctis might be willing to undertake special steps to assure that Naemon will never become king. I mean, it is doubtful if he ever becomes king either way, but in that case, Noctis might actively aim to kill him. We know that the previous threat to the sorcerer's at Blackmont was swiftly dealt with the moment she became uncomfortable and I doubt Noctis would have any moral objections to murder Naemon to secure his own position. And while it is good that Naemon tries to become more of a leader now, I am not sure if his ambitions here are a good thing, especially if the wrong people learn about them. Noctis certainly is one of the wrong people in that case.
But this just made me curious, how would Naemon have reacted if Gwen would have gone to Skyreach? I guess by the time of this part, she would have already been there and about to get married.
Indeed, Gwendis would've already gone to Skyreach at this point. Naemon would've been a bit disappointed, but nowhere near as angry and heartbroken as he is now. After all, he would've known where Gwen is, and could've gone visit her at some point. Now though, it seems unlikely to him that he'll ever see his sister again.
Well, trust me, it was hard to write as well, because it wasn't an easy task to put to words just how disappointed, angered and broken Naemo… moren is in this moment. Another thing is that I personally don't have a similar resentment towards Benedict as Naemon (justifiably) does, so it was hard to write him being so harsh to him, especially since it's the last thing Gwendis would want. That said, I don't think Naemon could've realistically been any less pissed than he was here. Who knows, perhaps the relationship between Naemon and Benny can still be salvaged, but this wasn't a good start for it. And whatever the Skyreach route would've meant for Gwen herself, it certainly would've been an easier pill to swallow for Naemon.
Yeah, as hard as it was, that was entirely in-character for Naemon, that much is clear. And to be fair, it was an entirely understandable reaction, not only towards Benedict, but towards Gwendis as well. With Skyreach, I… [view original content]
Well, we know already from Myke's earlier parts that Karsan isn't universally loved by the Blackmont smallfolk, but he does have a pretty strong support. Mainly this is just people disappointed in King Benedict, and Karsan is just charismatic and ambitious enough to gather all these disappointed people around him. That said, Naemon represents the future of Blackmont, so he might be able to convince some that things will be better once he takes the throne.
Very true, if I remember correctly, most of Karsan's supporters came from deserters of the Blackmont army and people who did not care for Benedict in general. With that said it will be interesting to see what Naemon thinks about this whole mission moving forward since there is a strong possibility he will probably have to kill some of his own kingdom's smallfolk which seems like something that would be very hard on him. At the same time though, with Naemon being chosen to stop this rebellion this may actually lead to a path where minimal blood is spilled since he is the most beloved Blackmont. I just realized something about Gwendis though which is indeed interesting and a theory that I have but in this case I better put a spoiler tag even though i will probably be wrong I seen in the main post that Ser Kegan with the Blackmont armies and Prince Ferris and the Fowler armies are on the Manwoody lands just like Gwendis is. So now, I have a feeling that we may potentially see a Gwendis and Ser Kegan or Prince Ferris meeting amd whether that means Gwendis has a chance to return home or it is a way to show how vicious Mordekhai is, that would be an intriguing scene to say the least!
Haha, well, I'm glad you liked it! Naemon has had fairly large supporting cast after his visit to Starfall, which has resulted in Alester not getting that much time to shine. However, I'm positive he'll get some great moments on Naemon's mission to Gravesend
That is understandable with Malcolm and Davos there as well, it is no doubt hard to include all of the supporting characters but even still you are doing a great job. As for Alester in Gravesend, I am sure he will make his presence felt
Wow Wildling, when you said this was excellent timing for the Malcolm H&L, you were not kidding! I figured we would find out how Valaena… more died at some point and that when we did that it would be an emotional scene and without a doubt that was certainly the case. Seeing Naemon confront his father alone was a very powerful scene which made me proud of him but also made me feel bad for him because he truly has been through alot by his father and now Gwendis as well. He no doubt feels betrayed by Gwendis sadly and he most likely has even more hatred for his father then he already did. I suppose now all we can hope for is that Naemon will eventually find it in his heart to forgive Gwendis and maybe Benedict if he truly starts trying to change his ways. I will say though that there are two notable things that I gathered from this part. First off is that it seems Naemon is starting to handle that he will someday be King which is massive step in t… [view original content]
And Naemon will stay at the table. You could say this is the rational choice here, as confronting Noctis would've been a very impulsive action from Naemon. That said, by ranting to Noctis Naemon could've vent out a bit, whereas now he is just bottling up his anger. Obviously one rant to a sorcerer wouldn't have been enough to release Naemon from all of his frustration and stress, but it would've been a small relief for him.
The next part, which should be ready today or tomorrow, will be a Gwendis PoV. Last time on her storyline, Gwendis, Aisha and Trentan made it to the lands of Manwoody. There Aisha took them to some kind of ancient cave, and deep inside that cave was a stony altar. Aisha implied that the First Men used to worship the Great Other there. At the end of the part Aisha urged Gwen to put her hand on the altar, and Gwendis did feel a temptation to do it. However, you voted for her to refuse to do it, and the next part will continue directly where the last one ended.
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Anyway, I have something else to announce as well! It has been one year now since I begun this story, so happy birthday Nymeria's War! Man, I thought I'd be done with Book 1 by now, but I'm not complaining, it has been fun. And now, I present to you an amazing anniversary gift for this story from @LiquidChicagoTed, a TvTropes page for Nymeria's War! It's not 100% ready yet, but there is a lot to go through already, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it Once again, huge thanks to Liquid for this!
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Oh, one more thing - a portrait that is long overdue, King Benedict Blackmont:
And now, I present to you an amazing anniversary gift for this story from @LiquidChicagoTed, a TvTropes page for Nymeria's War! It's not 100% ready yet, but there is a lot to go through already, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it Once again, huge thanks to Liquid for this!
A very huge thank to Liquid for this! This Tropes page is amazing, and I can't imagine just how much time has been poured into this to have so much detail. While I had heard that this was coming, I must admit I am surprised it is already here! I would also like to wish this story a very happy 1 year anniversary, it's been an epic journey so far, and it will continue to be so as far as my naive eye can see I'd also like to point out, I'm honoured that Emerson's name falls under the Awesome McCoolname trope XD
Onto Benedict, well with his last part... Man, this image displays some feels. That's a broken man right there, and I love it! You've displayed him amazingly, and the imagery is so similar to the one I painted in my mind. The only difference is I never pictured him with blue eyes, but black? Perhaps that's because he's so surrounded in this Great Other darkness Anyway, the next thing I love is that crown, and the hieroglyph-like engravings around it. Is that the Old Tongue? Or some Great Other mind-spell gibberish? Just checking, for scientific research...
Voting is closed!
And Naemon will stay at the table. You could say this is the rational choice here, as confronting Noctis would've been … morea very impulsive action from Naemon. That said, by ranting to Noctis Naemon could've vent out a bit, whereas now he is just bottling up his anger. Obviously one rant to a sorcerer wouldn't have been enough to release Naemon from all of his frustration and stress, but it would've been a small relief for him.
The next part, which should be ready today or tomorrow, will be a Gwendis PoV. Last time on her storyline, Gwendis, Aisha and Trentan made it to the lands of Manwoody. There Aisha took them to some kind of ancient cave, and deep inside that cave was a stony altar. Aisha implied that the First Men used to worship the Great Other there. At the end of the part Aisha urged Gwen to put her hand on the altar, and Gwendis did feel a temptation to do it. However, you voted for her to refuse to do it, and th… [view original content]
The markings on the crown are indeed supposed to be Old Tongue runes, indicating it's a very old crown from the age of the First Men And what comes to the eyes, I have described them as blue in the story before, though that was a long time ago so I don't blame you for forgetting
And now, I present to you an amazing anniversary gift for this story from @LiquidChicagoTed, a TvTropes page for Nymeria's War! It's not 100… more% ready yet, but there is a lot to go through already, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it Once again, huge thanks to Liquid for this!
A very huge thank to Liquid for this! This Tropes page is amazing, and I can't imagine just how much time has been poured into this to have so much detail. While I had heard that this was coming, I must admit I am surprised it is already here! I would also like to wish this story a very happy 1 year anniversary, it's been an epic journey so far, and it will continue to be so as far as my naive eye can see I'd also like to point out, I'm honoured that Emerson's name falls under the Awesome McCoolname trope XD
Onto Benedict, well with his last part... Man, this image displays some feels. That's a broken man right there, and I love it! You've displayed him amazingly, an… [view original content]
The markings on the crown are indeed supposed to be Old Tongue runes, indicating it's a very old crown from the age of the First Men And wh… moreat comes to the eyes, I have described them as blue in the story before, though that was a long time ago so I don't blame you for forgetting
That said, by ranting to Noctis Naemon could've vent out a bit, whereas now he is just bottling up his anger. Obviously one rant to a sorcerer wouldn't have been enough to release Naemon from all of his frustration and stress, but it would've been a small relief for him.
Hm, this is something I haven't even considered. I am not sure if this would have been a good thing though. Anger can be a powerful motivator, maybe even the most powerful. If he bottles this up, maybe he'll come to the point where he will flat out murder Noctis, which will be a far more effective way of dealing with him than just threatening him. Threatening that guy without anything to back it up is probably a stupid idea, so yeah, I think we made the right choice.
The next part, which should be ready today or tomorrow, will be a Gwendis PoV.
Me right now:
Oh boy, this is going to be one part I am anxiously awaiting. Needless to say, you got me scared, as always. I doubt Aisha is going to rise in my favour anytime soon. In fact, I am afraid that one of the coming Gwendis parts is going to prove me right about her nature. Not that I need much more proof. I hate her so much that I can't even come up with a witty name for her, like I did with Worstley. The only thing I fear is that she starts to live up to my mental image of her in the near future. I also fear that the recent silver linings that seem to have come up, such as Lyla, Desmor and his army, Ferris and Kegan or potentially Desi, will all go seriously sour depending on what the witch-bitch tries next. All I know is, she certainly won't try to convince Gwendis with actual arguments or explanations, because she doesn't have any.
Anyway, I have something else to announce as well! It has been one year now since I begun this story, so happy birthday Nymeria's War! Man, I thought I'd be done with Book 1 by now, but I'm not complaining, it has been fun.
Happy anniversary! This story has always been one of my absolute favourites and over the past year, it only grew and grew in my favour. You have crafted an amazing storyline here, one that constantly leaves me in awe with every turn and twist. Hell, it takes a lot to make me genuinely emotional about a story, but as you can probably see by my passionate rants against Aisha, you succeeded at that. Thank you for one year of Nymeria's War and may there be many years to follow! I certainly cannot wait to see how the different storylines will have developed in a year from now. All I know is, I'll still be reading the story with utmost excitement. I must also say, it seems you have the same problem I have when it comes to guessing just when Book 1 of the story is over. By now, I wanted to be done with Book 3 of FoT, at least in my initial assumption But well, I am not complaining either. Nymeria's War is real quality work and the longer it grows, the more I have to read, which is wonderful.
And now, I present to you an amazing anniversary gift for this story from LiquidChicagoTed, a TvTropes page for Nymeria's War! It's not 100% ready yet, but there is a lot to go through already, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it Once again, huge thanks to Liquid for this!
You are welcome It was a lot of fun putting it up and I hope everyone will find it enjoyable. I should also mention, due to me basically writing it down in one month, that it is probably not perfect or without errors. It's a public project and though I created the page, anyone can add stuff or correct my mistakes (I think there are some which you mentioned, but which I haven't managed to correct in time). I should also mention that not all of the credit belongs to me. I did most of the work, safe for the character page, which was set up by one reader whom I am not sure if he already has an account here, but he deserves credit nonetheless. His username on Tv Tropes is eduardoalamo22 and he helped a lot with the character page, allowing me to focus on the other sub-pages and the main page. As a result, I have put less attention on the character page (which is the main reason why the FoT tropes page is still not entirely ready) and only recently started to add my own stuff to his work. This means, it is the only page that is not yet complete, though with Nymeria's folder on the sub-page, you can at least see where I hope to take it eventually. This is goign to be more work, but needless to say, I shall remain working on it for as long as the story goes
Oh, one more thing - a portrait that is long overdue, King Benedict Blackmont:
Ah, Benny. Surely one of the most complex characters in the story. I am not sure if I should adore or loathe him for this duality of loving his children almost as much as I do while simultaneously being a weak-willed magic addict who is constantly risking the well-being of his entire family. All I know is, this is a perfect portrait of him
Voting is closed!
And Naemon will stay at the table. You could say this is the rational choice here, as confronting Noctis would've been … morea very impulsive action from Naemon. That said, by ranting to Noctis Naemon could've vent out a bit, whereas now he is just bottling up his anger. Obviously one rant to a sorcerer wouldn't have been enough to release Naemon from all of his frustration and stress, but it would've been a small relief for him.
The next part, which should be ready today or tomorrow, will be a Gwendis PoV. Last time on her storyline, Gwendis, Aisha and Trentan made it to the lands of Manwoody. There Aisha took them to some kind of ancient cave, and deep inside that cave was a stony altar. Aisha implied that the First Men used to worship the Great Other there. At the end of the part Aisha urged Gwen to put her hand on the altar, and Gwendis did feel a temptation to do it. However, you voted for her to refuse to do it, and th… [view original content]
I seen in the main post that Ser Kegan with the Blackmont armies and Prince Ferris and the Fowler armies are on the Manwoody lands just like Gwendis is. So now, I have a feeling that we may potentially see a Gwendis and Ser Kegan or Prince Ferris meeting amd whether that means Gwendis has a chance to return home or it is a way to show how vicious Mordekhai is, that would be an intriguing scene to say the least!
This is indeed a very interesting theory! I haven't even noticed that so far. I see it as not all that likely, but it is reassuring that there are allies relatively close. Though I think Aisha had led Gwen deeper into the Manwoody territory, whereas the Fowler-Blackmont army is mostly chasing after the fleeing Manwoody's and are likely closer to the Wide Way than to the deeper Manwoody Lands. If I had to place my bets on someone, I consider a possible meeting with Desmor as far more likely (and actually even more intriguing), given that he is going to the eastern edges of the Fowler lands and therefore not on the Wide Way, at least as far as I know. But ah, I like that theory and it is one I haven't though of before. Though I am not sure if Ferris and Kegan are all that good for Gwen, given that neither of them would likely even hesitate to bring her to Skyreach, which I am still a bit unsure about.
Anyway, I have something else to announce as well! It has been one year now since I begun this story, so happy birthday Nymeria's War! Man, I thought I'd be done with Book 1 by now, but I'm not complaining, it has been fun. And now, I present to you an amazing anniversary gift for this story from @LiquidChicagoTed, a TvTropes page for Nymeria's War! It's not 100% ready yet, but there is a lot to go through already, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it Once again, huge thanks to Liquid for this!
Well first off, Congrats on one year of Nymeria's War and hopefully many more to come with it! I can honestly say that this story has been phenomenal every step of the way with it very much being a wild ride with so many twists and turns just like the book and tv series it is based on. It also is the story that got me hooked on this whole interactive GoT story thing which admittedly, I really did not know existed until I joined these forums I can say nothing but great things about this story and I will definitely follow this story until the end. Thank you for choosing to write this outstanding story for all of us!
Now on to this TV Trope page, this is clearly amazing! I assume that this was the surprise that you and Liquid had mentioned earlier and well this was certainly worth the wait! There is so much detail in this and it is so fun looking through all of these tropes! It seems there is plenty of exploring to do on this and I certainly plan on reading through the whole thing. Admittedly, it was pretty cool to see Jamison is called the ace Great job to Wildling, Liquid, and eduardoalamo for bringing this great idea to life and I am very much excited to read the whole page and the ones with it all of the way through
Oh, one more thing - a portrait that is long overdue, King Benedict Blackmont:
I feel like I am always repeating myself by saying that these portraits are amazing so I am going to try to mix it up You have captured perfectly just how much of a troubled soul Benedict is with the look on his face very much telling a story about who he is. I would also like to point out how well you draw out these similarities between parents and children. Jamison looked very much like Vorian facially in his drawing and even though they have different hair colors, it is clear that Jamison is Vorian's son and that certainly does not change here. It is quite clear here that Benedict is Gwendis and Naemon's father with them both taking after him in many ways. Again, great work as always Wildling
Voting is closed!
And Naemon will stay at the table. You could say this is the rational choice here, as confronting Noctis would've been … morea very impulsive action from Naemon. That said, by ranting to Noctis Naemon could've vent out a bit, whereas now he is just bottling up his anger. Obviously one rant to a sorcerer wouldn't have been enough to release Naemon from all of his frustration and stress, but it would've been a small relief for him.
The next part, which should be ready today or tomorrow, will be a Gwendis PoV. Last time on her storyline, Gwendis, Aisha and Trentan made it to the lands of Manwoody. There Aisha took them to some kind of ancient cave, and deep inside that cave was a stony altar. Aisha implied that the First Men used to worship the Great Other there. At the end of the part Aisha urged Gwen to put her hand on the altar, and Gwendis did feel a temptation to do it. However, you voted for her to refuse to do it, and th… [view original content]
This theory just came out of the blue for me as well and while I can certainly admit that it is probably a long shot, there is a chance for it nonetheless. If I remember correctly in the last Gwendis part, it was said that they were not very far from Kingsgrave with them actually being able to see it from where they stood so they are very much deep into the Manwoody Lands. The Fowler-Blackmont army on the other hand, their location is something that I am taking a guess on but I don't think it is that far out of the realm of possibility either. The Ser Russal PoV that showed the Battle on the Wide Way happened a least a couple months ago if not further back and with it being mentioned in the Isabella and Missy parts that they are chasing the Manwoody army back to Kingsgrave with plans to eventually besiege it, I believe that their army has to be very close to Kingsgrave by now with them probably arriving within the next Missy part or maybe within the next Gwendis part or two. However with all of this said, I am not sure it will happen either because if the Fowler-Blackmont army were to find Gwendis, I don't see there being any way whatsoever that Aisha could stop them from taking her even if Wesley is with them at this point Also this idea that you have about Desmor is an idea that I had not thought of and would probably be an even more interesting scene if it played out! I don't know for sure about Ferris but I don't think Kegan would take her to Skyreach straightaway since I am sure he would want to show Benedict and Naemon if he is still there that Gwendis is alive and well. As for the Skyreach storyline, I don't think it would be anywhere near as dangerous as this Aisha one is and admittedly I still wish that choice would have won but either way it would certainly be an interesting encounter is Gwendis came across the Blackmont armies to say the least
I seen in the main post that Ser Kegan with the Blackmont armies and Prince Ferris and the Fowler armies are on the Manwoody lands just like… more Gwendis is. So now, I have a feeling that we may potentially see a Gwendis and Ser Kegan or Prince Ferris meeting amd whether that means Gwendis has a chance to return home or it is a way to show how vicious Mordekhai is, that would be an intriguing scene to say the least!
This is indeed a very interesting theory! I haven't even noticed that so far. I see it as not all that likely, but it is reassuring that there are allies relatively close. Though I think Aisha had led Gwen deeper into the Manwoody territory, whereas the Fowler-Blackmont army is mostly chasing after the fleeing Manwoody's and are likely closer to the Wide Way than to the deeper Manwoody Lands. If I had to place my bets on someone, I consider a possible meeting with Desmor as far more likely (and actually even more intriguing), g… [view original content]
Comments
[Spend the night with Kris]
Voting is closed!
Dalia will spend the night with Kris. Well, this is certainly an interesting beginning for the relationship of these two characters
And well, that is what this choice mostly affects - the relationship between Dalia and Kris. Can't wait to continue this storyline, we are getting closer and closer to the climax of Chapter 2.
Anywho, I have decided that the next part will be a Tomas PoV. I have started it, but I might not get it done tomorrow, as I have a couple uni projects that I have to deal with. However, you can expect the part within few days anyway. The last time we saw Tomas was when he was still in Sandship, after being captured by the Martell's. Nymeria decided to show mercy for him, and sent him to Ghost Hill with Forovos Norvoshi, to meet his nephew Levor, and negotiate peace between Martell's and Toland's. In this next part Tomas and Forovos arrive to Ghost Hill.
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Lastly, I have a portrait of the newest addition to the cast, Lord Kris Vaith:
Hello there handsome. I gotta say, this looks great. You've nailed the facial features and his eyes are on point. There does appear to be one, key feature which I noticed is missing. The fire tipped hair. Otherwise I think he looks amazing, and I can only applaud you for your brilliance
Oh man... I forgot that detail completely. Would you mind if he gets the fire tipped hair later in the story?
Oh damn, I got a baaad feeling for this
I mean, not only is Kris going to get into an affair with a fanatic now, which I doubt is going to be good for him in any way, but said fanatic might actually end up valuing his company and deciding to stay by his side, therefore losing her only chance at actually doing something good and her only shot at redemption. Argh, it's actually amazing how quickly one of the key pillars of my strategy, keeping Dalia away from Gwendis, has changed now that Wesley has entered the stage. But the closer it gets and the more thought I have put into this, the more I feel like keeping them apart is actually the worst I can do if I wish to prevent the demon from taking over, especially with how heavily opposed I am to everything demon-related. I don't know if this fling with Kris is preventing a more happy outcome, but I know for sure that it is not making things any easier in an already complicated situation. And that means, whatever is growing out of this can't possibly be worth the price it might claim. Unless of course it might mean that Kris ends up following Dalia into this dangerous situation, providing yet another advantage against Wesley and the Wicked Witch of the Worst, which is totally going to be Aisha's new name. I guess that is another possibility and the one I hope for, because having Kris, an actually reasonable man in this situation, could prevent it from escalating horribly. But ah, I really don't think this tiny fling is worth the risk 
What if it does end up screwing things up? I bet I'm overanalyzing things, but at the same time, maybe this is what prevents further mistakes. If this one was a mistake, that is. I can't rule out that it might be beneficial for my goal, but to be fair, this is less likely than the opposite. I think a neutral outcome is the best I can hope for here.
This is a really nice portrait! Hell, I like it a lot
Despite my deeply negative feelings about this choice, which I am sure is at best going to be neutral to the R'hllor/Great Other situation, but quite possibly a huge, terrible mistake, I do consider Kris to be an interesting character. He seems nice and reasonable and despite his more than questionable judgement when it comes to the objects of his attraction (he does know the saying about certain body parts that shouldn't be put into crazy, right?), I consider him a kinda alright guy from what I have seen so far, so I really hope he won't screw things up there. That would surely not improve my opinion on him, to say the least. But eh, for now I kind of like him.
Of course not
In fact, I just had an idea... I'll PM it to you 
It is going to be neat I believe to see Dalia in a different light since it seems to me that she is often rather serious for the most part, so I am no doubt interested to see if Dalia's behavior changes in a moment such as the one forthcoming!
As for the upcoming Tomas PoV, I am very excited for this one! Levor Toland is actually one of the characters on the waiting to be introduced list that I am most excited to meet because he truly is such a wildcard in this situation. If I remember correctly, he is fourteen I believe and he has now been thrust into a role of great importance with his father being killed and he will also be the only king in the story created by a reader if Levor chooses to keep the title that is which is also awesome! A boy king who has just had his father killed is no doubt a dangerous thing since it really could go either way depending on his personality. Tomas has alot on his plate here no doubt trying to convince his nephew to bend the knee to the people who he most likely guesses killed his father or he could agree to bend the knee peacefully. Levor Toland is truly a mystery and I am very much looking forward to meeting him!
Now I have noticed on the main post that you have posted the book 2 chapter names so it is time to speculate
The Red Sands and the White- I would imagine that this definitely signifies the beginning of Nymeria's conquest of western Dorne. The big question here will be who she goes after first. Geographically, it would most likely be either the Fowler's or Yronwood's with it most likely being the Fowler's since I imagine the Yronwood's will be the last one tackled once Nymeria has gained enough power to try to conquer them. This is a very interesting prospect indeed, it has been shown that the Fowler's aren't even strong enough to fight off the Manwoody's on their own so it will be interesting to see just how much of a fight House Fowler puts up against the Martell's before deciding to bend the knee. That is if the Fowler's even fight the Martell's at all since this chapter could also very well mean that Nymeria goes for House Dayne and the Kingdom of Torrentine immediately since they allied with the Dryland's.
Broken Crown- This one I am not entirely sure about, I am assuming that would be the defeat of a one of the Dornish Kings but I am at a loss about which king it will be and that is largely because of chapter three's title.
The Dusk- With Dusk being the opposite of Dawn, this chapter is most likely the big showdown between House Dayne and House Martell!
I am hyped for this one beyond belief even though it will probably be the chapter that the Kingdom of Torrentine falls in. Dusk is a time of partial darkness before the night sets in which you could consider the gap between the evening and the night which are apart of Vorian and Jamison's nicknames so I certainly don't see this title as a coincidence! Admittedly, the Martell-Dayne battles are something I am super hyped for and while I do root for Nymeria most of the time, I definitely will see her as the enemy when she leads her armies toward Starfall and while I know the Dayne's have to lose, I sure do hope that Vorian, Jamison ,Malcolm and House Dayne make Nymeria and House Martell earn their victory and quite frankly I believe House Dayne has the potential to do that and it will probably be Nymeria's hardest war yet! I have imagined different scenes of how these Martell-Dayne interactions will go in my mind and I am so so hyped for when this comes! 
Overall, I am very excited for book two, It will no doubt be super epic when Vorian decides to call his banners to war since I know Vorian won't give up his crown without a fight! I can also imagine so many epic Jamison & Malcolm scenes with the Martell's in conversation and in battle! I could definitely talk even more about these book two titles and say that I am excited a few more times, but I figure I will quit now.
Great choices for the titles 
Well, to be fair, I'd say Kris might actually be more dedicated to R'hllor than Dalia is
Dalia is dedicated to her daughter, and R'hllor just kind of comes with the package. Kris on the other hand was born in the Red Temple of Volantis, and raised among Red Priests for years, before his father came to take him to Vaith. I'm not entirely sure if I'd call Kris a fanatic, but I would say he is closer to it than Dalia. And Dalia developing feelings for Kris is something that might indeed happen, and if it does, it would certainly influence her thoughts, perhaps tempting her to stay by his side instead of going with her daughter. That said, she is still a PoV, and most likely important things like this will come down to a choice.
I'm glad you like it!
I would say Kris is a good man, which I hope to get to show soon enough in the story as well. Obviously he has his shortcomings and isn't perfect, but I'm pretty sure you'll like him only more as the story progresses. You are right though, he does seem to have a liking for... dangerous women 
Oh yes, so far Dalia has only really shown a happier side of herself in a couple scenes with Desi, but Kris might just be someone who could make her smile a bit more
Yeah, Levor certainly is in a very interesting situation, and so I Tomas, sort of having to work against his own family. I won't reveal anything, but I'll say that this coming part will be the beginning of quite an interesting storyline for Tomas
Ah, you noticed my new titles!
That is some good speculation. "The Red Sands and the White" is indeed a reference to Nymeria's power growing - it is actually a direct quote from her little speech to Mors in the prologue. "Broken Crown", well, it is quite self-explanatory in that it will feature fall of a monarch. Not going to reveal which one though 
And finally, yeah, "The Dusk" will be all about Martell v. Dayne 
Of course, the war will begin before that chapter, as I wouldn't have such an epic war for just one chapter, but that should be when it culminates. The Dusk is the title I'm the most satisfied with, and 100% sure I won't change it. I'm pretty sure the other two will remain the same as well, but we'll see 
Oh damn it, you're not making it easy on me to like him. I can already see him messing things up, by giving Dalia the choice to remain with him instead of going with Desi and I can see a majority choosing this option for some reason and then things end up seriously horrible. Maybe. Argh, I hate that I can't even properly hate this choice, because I am still not entirely sure if separating Dalia and Gwen is a good or a bad thing. I am leaning towards them meeting up to be a good thing right now, but I have surely been wrong before and it wouldn't be the first time I change my mind on something related to this storyline. But if I have to give an educated guess, it is that we will screw up a key choice there sooner or later and that Kris has at least the potential to be the catalyst in this choice and I fear for this choice to be one of the catalysts for such a choice we could mess up. This was surely not worth it, because Dalia developing feelings for Kris is the absolute worst that could happen in the Vaith storyline. Seriously, that choice was a huge mistake, because now we are risking it.
Well, I hope I will like him. He is like an Anti-Dalia right now, a character whom I don't hate as a precautionary measure, but instead like him with a somewhat uneasy feeling, mostly due to this choice. Otherwise, as I must admit, I would have felt less uneasy with him, though I likely would have thought less about him in general. Unlike Dalia, he has more potential for me to be likable, but he still has potential to screw things up (if a lot less than Dalia), so, I remain a bit on the fence, even if it is the good side of the fence. And dangerous women, that is an understatement. I have not taken into consideration that he has been with the Vaith witch before, but this makes his type clear. It appears he is fundamentally attracted to characters whom I don't like or even outright hate. I cannot wait for his romantic triangle with the Wicked Bitch of the Worst and Albin Manwoody
I'd include Worstley as well, but that guy is the worst and I don't want him to be involved in any sort of romantic triangle. He doesn't deserve love, he just deserves to get his balls sliced off with a cheese grater. So yeah, the Vaith witch, Dalia, that shows to me that Kris has a seriously screwed up taste in women. And at this point, without having met the Vaith witch, I cannot even say for sure that Dalia is an improvement. You see how I still don't like her? I try to downplay it, but I still don't like her 
Tomas
The Ghost Hill was in front of them, its chalk white walls shining in the sun, and its towers reaching for the sky. In the dungeons of Sandship Tomas had started to wonder if he'd ever see home again, but here he was. And with him was Forovos Norvoshi. The bald Braavosi keyholder observed the castle with a thin smirk on his face. "We are here, this is my home", Tomas said sternly, and Forovos nodded to him. "I know, Lord Tomas. It is an old and beautiful castle, it's not hard to imagine that it once belonged to kings", the Braavosi had a sharp look on his blue eyes as he spoke, and Tomas settled to giving him a small nod. And then he saw the riders coming down towards them – three of them, two carrying the black banners of House Toland.
As they got close enough, Tomas recognized the man leading them. He was Ser Manfrey Rowman, childhood friend of Tomas and Donovar. Clad in his dark armor, Manfrey looked at Tomas with grief in his blue eyes. "Welcome home, Tomas", he said calmly, and Tomas nodded to him.
"I heard what happened to Donovar... I feel ashamed that I couldn't be there to help him", Tomas spoke quietly, and Manfrey looked at him in sympathy. "It was not your fault, Tomas. Come now, your nephews are waiting for you", Manfrey glanced at Forovos as he spoke, but didn't ask anything about him. So, together they rode towards the white castle that stood on the hill above the Sea of Dorne.
As they entered from the gates, Tomas noticed the people in the courtyard staring at him. No doubt he was looking weak and miserable after his captivity. On top of that, the shame of failing his house weighed him down. As he gazed over the crowd he noticed someone he knew – Ser Garibald of Sevengrace, the young knight who had been with him when they raided the lands of Martell's. Tomas remembered he had sent Garibald to escort the messenger of Efran Sand to Ghost Hill. However, he did not see Dono Mopera in the courtyard.
Tomas dismounted his horse, and Ser Garibald approached him. "Lord Tomas, you survived", he said with a surprised tone. "I did", Tomas answered laconically, keeping his voice down. "Is Levor in his room?"
"His Grace is waiting for you in the throne room, my Lord" Garibald answered with a small but genuine smile on his face. However, Tomas didn't feel like smiling. His Grace... so they have already crowned him. "Let's go then" he grunted sternly. Tomas followed after Garibald, and Forovos followed after Tomas.
Escorted by Manfrey, they walked through the hallway, and into the throne room. There Tomas saw Levor sitting on the ancient throne of the Toland's, golden crown on his head, clenching to the arms of the throne. Levor was still a young boy, with smooth clean face and nervous look on his green eyes. His brown hair reached his shoulders, and he was dressed in black, white and gold velvet. Right next to Levor stood someone Tomas hadn't expected – Argim Taler. Argim was a man on his early forties, a weak man with the face of a weasel and tongue of a snake. There he stood next to Levor, his dark hair combed back, and dressed in fine silken clothes like a true nobleman, but Tomas knew the truth – this man was an upstart schemer, risen to the court with stories and rumors that he had whispered to Donovar's ears. Donovar had been wise enough not to give this man too much influence, but now he stood right next to the throne, an arrogant smirk on his face.
"It's good to see you again, Uncle Tomas", Levor said calmly. Tomas bowed, as did Manfrey and Garibald. "Indeed, it is good to see you, Lord Tomas, but who is this man beside you?" Asked Argim with a raised chin.
"Lord Argim... I see the death of my brother is working out well for you", Tomas said sharply, taking a couple slow steps closer to the throne. Argim raised his eyebrows, as if he was shocked by Tomas' words. "Lord Tomas, I am not entirely sure what are you suggesting", he said with an almost offended tone, which made Tomas chuckle dryly.
"Uncle, Lord Argim has advised me and supported me loyally after..." Levor begun, but Tomas interrupted him. "You cannot trust him", he said strictly, looking his nephew straight to the eyes. For a moment no one said anything, until Argim decided to approach Tomas.
"Lord Tomas... You have a hard journey behind you, we understand, but that is no way to talk to your king", Argim put a lot of emphasis on the last word, narrowing his eyes as he spoke. "Besides, you didn't answer my question."
"I am merely a simple man of trade from the Free City of Braavos", Forovos spoke up with his calm and smooth voice, "Nymeria has sent me here to present her in these negotiations."
"And why would we listen to Nymeria, the murderer of our beloved king, when we can find allies much stronger than her?" Argim hissed. Tomas had to wonder who exactly was he talking about, but it seemed Forovos understood immediately what Argim implied. "If you believe you can throw yourself at the mercy of Yorick Yronwood and still keep your crown, you are sorely mistaken", the Braavosi stated calmly, but Argim just bridled. "And what does a Braavosi merchant know of this?" He asked arrogantly, taking a couple more steps closer to Forovos and Tomas, now being merely few feet away from them.
"I am a man who chooses his business carefully", Forovos said with unwavering calmness. "I didn't just choose to support Princess Nymeria out of a whim, I had my eyes on King Yorick as well. Yorick is a powerful man, there is no doubt about that, but he has no interest in sharing any of that power, and he seeks domination above all else."
"And isn't that what the Martell's seek as well?" Argim spat, and Forovos let out a sigh. "Nymeria seeks home for her people, and wants to create unity among the Dornish. And even if she wants power, she is a much more forgiving and fair leader than Yorick Yronwood", he answered, but Argim just shook his head and turned towards Levor.
"Your Grace, do not listen to this man, he is a filthy snake sent by Nymeria", Argim spoke, and Levor listened carefully. "Enough of this", Tomas grunted, now walking to his nephew. Argim tried to stand in his way, but he pushed him out of the way with little effort. As he reached the throne, Tomas looked the young king to the eyes, and he could see fear in them. "Levor, don't be afraid, I am here to guide you", he said softly, and Levor nodded with a gulp.
"You are here to repeat the words of Nymeria!" Argim barked behind Tomas. "Was the couple weeks you spent as their prisoner enough for the honorable Lord Tomas to forget his brother as well as his gods?"
Now Tomas turned towards Argim again. With fury in his eyes, he grabbed this weasel from the collar, seeing panic taking over his eyes. "Wh- what are you-"
"Quiet!" Tomas roared, staring at Argim with intensity on his green eyes, still holding him from the collar. "Who are you to accuse me of..."
"Let go of him, uncle!" Levor suddenly commanded, and Tomas turned to look at him with confused expression. Seeing the determinant look on his nephew's eyes, he let go of Argim, who quickly backed away from him.
"Levor, I urge you to listen to me now – we must find peace with the Martell's. Otherwise, the future of our house is in danger", Tomas spoke with pleading words, but Levor looked unconvinced. "So, you are saying I should just give up? Put down my crown and kneel to this foreign invader?" He asked with frustration. Tomas took a moment to consider his answer. This question was something that bothered himself greatly, but he also knew that opposing the Martell's would be too big of a risk to take now.
"You would still be a great lord, and now with stronger allies than ever before", Tomas finally answered, though there was a touch of uncertainty in his voice. For a moment the throne room was filled with silence, until finally Levor spoke up again. "I cannot believe what I'm hearing", he said bitterly. "Father wouldn't have wanted me to give up, he'd want me to avenge him."
"Donovar would want you to survive!", Tomas replied strictly. Levor turned his eyes away and clenched his teeth together, like he was about to cry. With a sigh, Tomas walked once again next to his nephew, and fell on his knees. He could see a tear running down Levor's cheek, and he put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "He would want you to live a good life", Tomas whispered, now focusing his eyes on the crown on the boy's head. Levor was crying, he had yielded to Tomas – this would be his chance to take the crown from his head. The crown that could doom him to an early grave.
[Remove the crown from Levor's head] [Leave the crown on Levor's head]
[Remove the crown from Levor's head]
I really enjoyed this part and it certainly brought out a different side of Tomas which was nice to see. When Tomas and his men were attacking the lands of the Martells, Tomas was primarily shown in a cold and ruthless manner but in this part you can also see that he cares about his nephew's safety and wants to do all he can to save him. It is pretty cool how in just the span of one part, he goes from arguably the most villainous PoV to being in the middle ground or even more leaning on the good side considering his intentions are good in that he truly does want to help his nephew. While I have never disliked Tomas, quite the opposite actually, this part gives me more motivation to root for him to succeed in his storyline moving forward!
As for the choice, I feel this part has given me enough of an idea on Levor that this is indeed the right choice to make. Levor is a scared boy pretty much forced into seeking revenge and while I am sure he wants it to some extent, the situation he has been forced into is not something he is anywhere near ready for. On top of that, Levor is no doubt being manipulated by this Argim guy who I am guessing may be some kind of spy from the Yronwood's to help destroy the Tolands from the inside or he is a Littlefinger like character who is trying to secure more power which is no doubt easier with a scared young boy as king. With Donovar dead and Tomas in captivity, Levor seemingly has had no true guidance from family or anyone truly loyal to him which has made it far easier for him to be manipulated into keeping his crown and wanting to avenge his father which is certainly not the right decision for him. With Tomas seemingly getting through to Levor, this seems as good a time as any to take the crown off of his head and hopefully he will soon bend the knee to Nymeria because if not, I don't see things ending well for Levor. With Tomas back in Ghost Hill, Levor has someone who truly cares about his well being there which is a great thing but I worry if Levor does not give up his crown soon, Forovos Norvoshi will make sure that Levor gives it up whether he wants to or not.
[Remove the crown from Levor's head]
[Remove the crown from Levor's head]
Huh... I actually kind of liked Tomas in this part. Perhaps that is because Argim is, by all means, the less likable of the two and this part mostly revolved around him actually doing something good for once. In general though, he's likely always going to remain the scumbag that slaughtered innocent people solely for living on the Martell lands. Ain't no coming back from that, at least not for a very long time. I won't say it's impossible for him to redeem himself, but this one was merely a first step. Sure, convincing Levor to surrender is a good thing, but he's doing it primarily out of self-preservation. Only time will tell where things are going for him, but it does seem that his storyline is far from over here. And Argim, I bet, is going to be serious trouble. Actually, he's not the only one. Forovos' presence means that things could get really ugly pretty quickly if Tomas doesn't act carefully. But in general, I could see Argim as being in far greater danger here, because I doubt he has any idea whom Forovos really is.
[Remove the crown from Levor's head]
I guess this might be the final step to securing the safety of House Toland. Hopefully, Argim won't make too much of a scene about this, or cause too much trouble going forward. If he does, he may find himself being Forovos's next victim.
The voting is closed!
And Tomas will remove the crown form Levor's head. Taking a crown from your king's head is a bold action, family or not, but I would say this is probably the right thing to do here.
The next part will likely come later today, and it'll be a Naemon PoV. Last time we saw Naemon, he was in Sword's Edge with Ser Myle, Prince Malcolm Dayne, Davos Dayne, and the Upton's. After having a feast there, Lord Alester Upton's mother, Lady Alerah, came to ask Naemon if he could make sure Alester won't risk his life by doing something reckless on the mission, and Naemon promised to look after him. And on this next part, we'll be returning to Blackmont!
However, hopefully we'll get a new H&L before that!
-
Also, I'm pretty sure Tomas is the last PoV without a portrait. Well, no more:
H&L time!
This is a Malcolm H&L and it is set ten years before the story begins. We will see the Dayne family as they face a tragedy in their life and in turn, how they manage to cope with it. So with that said, here it is and hopefully you all enjoy it! 
Malcolm Dayne - Family
Winter is not just coming, winter is here. The ominous words of House Stark rang truer than ever as the freezing winds from beyond the Wall and the seemingly never ending snows from the Lands of Always Winter reigned supreme over the whole of Westeros, with such a might that is unparalleled to anything that had ever been seen before. The Maester’s of Oldtown had sent ravens to every king and lord in Westeros proclaiming that winter was here, but surely even they were not prepared for this northern chill and the harsh conditions that came with it. Of course, Malcolm had heard and read plenty about the Long Night where winter ruled the Known World, but reading about an ancient winter that could well be nothing more than legend was very different from actually witnessing a harsh winter like this. Admittedly, the Kingdom of the Torrentine had it easier than places like the North and the Vale, but nonetheless it was actually snowing in Starfall. This was Malcolm’s first winter, but Uncle Garret had told him that winter usually just made the winds a bit crisper as they were situated on the coast. Even his father had never witnessed snow until now, which made Malcolm realize he could be one of the handful of Dayne's to ever see snows in Starfall. Considering that the Dayne's had ruled here for thousands of years, there was something truly special about this. What a way to celebrate my tenth nameday, Malcolm thought with a small smile on his face.
On this evening, Prince Malcolm was outside playing in the snow without a care in the world. It had snowed for a week straight, but it had been nowhere near cold enough to stick, at least until the night before and it carried over today through to the evening with the Starfall being covered with nearly one inch of snow. Malcolm figured it had to be some kind of record. Of course, as far as he knew, a new record had been made as soon as the first snowflake had touched the ground. Outside with Malcolm were Weslar Upton, the heir to Sword’s Edge, and his younger brother Markas. The two oldest Upton brothers were very much like Malcolm, in different ways. Weslar even at the age of fourteen was already proving to be a worthy heir of his father’s lands, while the twelve year old Markas despite his young age had proved honor was not a concept only shown by true knights and Northmen. While there were plenty of young children in Starfall serving as squires, Malcolm had to admit that these two were far different than most of them, because he considered these two true friends of his. While Malcolm got along and was friends with most of the other children, he also knew that as the crown prince he carried a burden they could simply not relate to. Malcolm knew he would never be a normal child, for he would be the next king and he had to show strength and maturity even at this young age. Regardless, King Vorian always made it a point to tell Malcolm to enjoy his childhood, for he'd only get one, and on this evening that was what Malcolm was doing.
Malcolm and the Upton brothers had been playing outside for hours at this point, playing a wide array of games like Lord of the Crossing, as well as briefly playing Monsters and Maidens until most of the girls went inside because of the cold. Now, all three of their faces were red, and they were starting to feel the effects of the cold themselves. Together they were sitting around a fire made by the Starfall household guard, but they were the only ones there as all of the guards were patrolling their area. “Well, this has been fun”, remarked Weslar as he put his hands and feet closer to the fire. “Who would have thought that we would actually get snow this far south? I heard father say that this is the first time that snow has reached Dorne ever since the Long Night. If I had to guess though, this is truly the first time ever that snow has reached Dorne, and hopefully the last time at that. The weather is miserable, I can’t really say I know how the Northmen stand it.” Markas raised an eyebrow to his older brother's words. “The Long Night was real, brother, and honestly this winter scares me", he said with a serious tone. "The last time that the winter was this cold, the White Walkers came south. Anyway, we are still lucky to be in Dorne – we are barely getting any snow as it is, all of it was melting before it hit the ground until last night. Still, this is not good. I can imagine if we are getting this much snow, the North is getting at least ten times as much. We should be grateful that we are here and not there.” Weslar put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, telling him “I know you're obsessed with the North and the honorable Night’s Watch that guards us from grumkins and snarks, but as I have told you time and again, the Wall is just an alternative to give criminals a purpose and low born sons an opportunity for leadership, nothing more. You and I are Upton's of Sword’s Edge, which means we have a real purpose – we are the last defenders before Starfall. We have a real job to do, unlike the Night’s Watch.” Malcolm noticed that Weslar's speech annoyed Markas greatly, but he only muttered “whatever” with quiet anger.
Figuring it was time to change the subject, Malcolm decided to join the conversation. “So, will you guys be staying here or are you heading back to Sword’s Edge?” He asked with genuinely interested tone. With a sigh, Markas disappointingly said, “We will be heading back to Sword’s Edge in a couple of days. Our little brother Alester will be the only one staying here. I feel sorry for him really, he told us and father that we were abandoning him, and he has barely said a word to any of us ever since we left Sword’s Edge.” Weslar rolled his eyes and with a chuckle reminded his little brother, “Alester is a nine year old boy, don’t worry too much about his anger. Father is doing him a great service, whether he realizes it or not. Someday he will be a knight of the Torrentine trained by the best knights in all of Dorne. He will contribute greatly to our house, even if he'll never be a leader. You and I are the first two sons, Markas, meaning we have a duty to learn to lead while we earn our knighthoods. Sad as it is, our father won’t be around forever." Malcolm gulped nervously at Weslar's words, but the Upton’s did not seem to notice, and now the heir to Sword’s Edge smirked. “Prince Malcolm, we haven’t seen him all day and I have to ask, where Prince Jamison is?" Weslar asked with touch of amusement in his words. "He has been far too quiet today which is very much unlike him." Shrugging his shoulders, Malcolm nonchalantly told them, "I am not really sure where he is right now. Earlier, father said that Jamison spent all morning training with Ser Laroy, but that is all I have heard about him all day. Thinking about it, you are probably right Weslar. A quiet Jamison is not always the best one, no matter how refreshing it is not to listen to his boasting and complaining.”
Well, we can say what we want about him, but that is dedication", Markas said with a surprised tone. "I mean, training out here today, considering most everyone has stayed indoors, especially that early in the morning when it had to be freezing.” Weslar nodded and chuckled. “Well, Jamison is our prince and I do respect him, but the kid can still be an arrogant little shit sometimes”, he said, which resulted in Malcolm and Markas busting out laughing uncontrollably, and it lasted for a moment before they were interrupted by Queen Arenna.
“Hello boys, I am sorry to interrupt your fun, but it is getting late and it's time for Malcolm to go inside. Also, Lord Samwell and Lady Alerah want you to head back to your chambers as well, they were worried sick about you two." With the chivalrous courtesy of two young lords, Weslar and Markas both bowed to their queen. “Of course, Your Grace, Markas and I will head back immediately.” With those words, Weslar and Markas patted Malcolm on the back and they began making their way back toward the guest chambers. Meanwhile Arenna and Malcolm walked toward the main castle.
Back inside the warmth of the castle the tiredness that Malcolm had felt only mildly outside, was now starting to come on full force. Malcolm was ready to go to sleep, which his mother easily noticed. Now with her hand resting softly on Malcolm’s shoulder, Malcolm looked at her and Malcolm could quickly tell from her face that something was not right. With a worried tone, Malcolm asked, “What is wrong mother? Is everything okay?” Queen Arenna bent down and hugged Malcolm tightly, letting out a sigh. “Your father wants all of us to come to his office. He has something that he needs to tell us”, the Queen explained. More and more questions came to Malcolm's mind, as he felt like his mother was not telling him everything, but he decided to wait because he knew he would find out what he needed to know soon enough.
Now arriving to King Vorian’s office, he walked into a very normal occurrence in their household. Vorian was berating his little brother Jamison over something while his half sister Nealia sat in the chair beside her father’s desk, watching it unfold with a smirk. “Why would you take Elissa Ladybright’s dress while she was taking a bath?" Vorian asked, clearly annoyed and astonished by Jamison's actions. "You completely disrespected her privacy, which is never an appropriate thing to do to a lady.” With a mischievous smirk on his face, and an arrogance that made him think he was the biggest person in the room even though he was clearly the smallest, Jamison looked up to their father and chuckled. “It is quite simple really, I went over to the Palestone Sword and was talking to Arthur Wythmail and Ser Brandon Sand, who were guarding the tower. They were both talking about how they wanted to see Elissa Ladybright without a dress, so I told them that I would do it before either of them ever would, and I won!” Jamison spoke with clearly satisfied tone, while Nealia rolled her eyes. Their mother blushed, and looked like she was not sure what to say. Vorian on the other hand was clearly aggravated with what he just heard. Right before he was about to speak though, Jamison chimed in again looking clearly confused, “I do have one question though, father, Elissa looked… different then what I do without clothes. Why is that?” Admittedly, Malcolm was confused by this as well since he was not entirely sure what Jamison meant, but he looked over at their mother, who muttered quietly, “Well that does explain why Elissa acted so odd around me earlier today.”
Nealia now decided to speak up, looking at Jamison. “You’re so stupid Jamison, you really don’t know why she looked….different?" She asked with a mocking tone, but Jamison quickly came back in defense. “Shut up Nealia!" He snapped. "What would you know about this anyway?” Nealia rolled her eyes and reminded Jamison, “I am a girl you know, so I believe I have more of an idea than you would.” At this point, Nealia and Jamison broke into an argument, with Malcolm not really even being able to understand what they were saying since they were talking so fast. Finally, Vorian silenced the room. “Enough!” he said with a stern voice. “This will not be discussed any longer, I did not bring you all in here just so we could argue… especially about this.”
Now with serious and disappointed words, Vorian began “Today, I received a raven from Blackmont. It says that my sister, and your aunt, Valaena has passed on from this world.” When Vorian finished talking, the room was in complete silence. Nealia turned her eyes down quietly, while Jamison’s face showed absolute anger. He put his head into their mother’s shoulder, who pulled her sons in closer with a soft sigh. Vorian himself was now visibly upset, so much that he had to take a pause, putting his hands into his face. Malcolm had sat quietly through the meeting so far, but now he knew what was truly wrong and he had to speak up. “Aunt Valaena died, but how? She was in perfect health, this makes no sense”, he said glancing at his father and mother, waiting for them to give the answers. Suddenly Malcolm realized he had hardly seen Gwendis and Naemon all day, and this certainly explained it. They had came to Starfall a while ago, and on any normal day they were always around having fun and playing games with the rest of them. Or in Jamison's and Naemon’s case, they were always getting into fights. “Where is Gwendis and Naemon? Are they okay?” Malcolm asked this with a very worried tone, but quickly his father reassured him. “Gwendis and Naemon are alright, don’t worry. I let them know about what had happened just a little bit ago, and right now your mother’s handmaiden Elissa is watching over them. They will be heading back to Blackmont as soon as the weather permits itself.” Vorian glanced over at Jamison as he said this.
Malcolm felt such a massive pit in his stomach about what he had just heard. Two cousins who he cared for deeply would have to deal with something that really seemed unimaginable to him. He could not understand why this happened, Aunt Valaena was such a good person, and she was so young as well, this should not have happened. Malcolm’s disappointing thoughts were interrupted by his little brother, whose words were not filled with the usual arrogance, but rather of shock and disappointment. “But…. how could the knights of Blackmont let this happen?" He asked strictly. "They have knights and a household guard just the same as we do, they are supposed to protect the Queen. It is their job, they swore an oath.” Vorian looked at Jamison with sadness and it seemed he truly did not know what to say. “The message they sent us states that Valaena died from a sudden illness. There is little that knights can’t do to protect from something like that, and even maesters and healers are sometimes powerless to help”, the King explained with sorrowful tone. Malcolm looked over at Jamison, and with sadness he said to his brother, “It must have just been her time to go.” Jamison looked over at Malcolm and suddenly Jamison’s sadness turned into anger. “Hold on! Naemon told me earlier that he heard his father was dabbling in black magic. I thought he was lying and just wanting attention, but maybe he is right. What if Uncle Benedict killed her?” Vorian tried to dismiss what Jamison just said, but with all of the courage the eight year old boy could muster, he would have none of it. “Uncle Benedict did kill her, why else would he send Gwendis and Naemon here and not have Aunt Valaena come down with them? He wanted them gone so he could kill her without their children around. Uncle Benedict is a monster, father you should kill him!" Jamison shouted, and Malcolm could just sense the anger and disappointment in his brother’s words. With a comforting tone, Malcolm reminded Jamison, “We have met Uncle Benedict before, he is a good man and he loved Aunt Valaena with all of his heart, there is no way he would do such an appalling thing. But father, I really don’t understand how she could have died either. She was so young. I mean, I remember when grandfather died, but he was old and I know that eventually everyone dies but there’s no way that it was her time yet! Something must have been up, I don’t think that Uncle Benedict killed her, but something odd had to have happened there.”
Malcolm looked at his father and for once it seemed that the calm and composed king was not composed nor was he calm. It was clear that he was shaken and upset just the same as everyone else is, probably even more so. With his voice nearly shaking, King Vorian told Malcolm, “They said she died of an illness, Malcolm, there is nothing more that can be done. As sad as it is to say, not everyone gets to live a long life. There are some people who die well before their time should be up, and unfortunately it seems that my sister will be one of those people.” At this point, Malcolm felt like crying, but he knew he had to stay strong like father. However, Malcolm glanced over at his little brother who was in their mother's arms, and tears rapidly streaming down his face. “Please father, please tell me, you would never hurt mother like that… that… demon hurt our aunt?" He pleaded with sobbing, and pushed his face into their mother’s arms and wrapped his arms around her. Vorian looked shocked of Jamison's words. “Of course not, my dear son, that would never happen”, he answered quietly.
At this point, the whole room had gone silent with feelings of anger, shock, and disappointment all in one. Malcolm looked around the room, seeing Vorian looking down at his desk nearly on the brink of tears, Arenna silently crying as she held little Jamison in her arms, and Nealia sat in her seat with a sad look on her eyes. Malcolm, who was sitting beside their mother, felt the tears coming to his eyes. Then, Vorian spoke up again. Holding back how clearly distraught he was, he calmly reminded his family, “For as much as Valaena means to all of us, her two children feel it far more than any of us ever will. They have lost their mother, there is a massive hole in their hearts now that can never truly be filled. For while we have lost a sister or an aunt, they have lost a loving mother, who brought them in this world and cared for them deeply. There is nothing we can say that can fix what has happened, but we must be there for them, as much as we can be. And we will make sure that they know we are here for them, always. As for Valaena, there is nothing that could bring her back now, but we still have our memories of her and while she won’t be here anymore, her memory will live on forever. As sad as it is to say, her death reminds us more than ever that family is a precious thing, and the presence of our loved ones is never something that we should take for granted.” With those words, he got up from his chair, and put his hand on Nealia’s shoulder, calling the rest of the family over to them. Malcolm, Jamison and Queen Arenna walked over to Nealia and Vorian and they all embraced with one big hug, an array of emotions going through them all. Malcolm felt horribly bad for Gwendis and Naemon, for the loss that they have suffered. He also prayed to the gods with all of his heart, for them to keep his family together, and to make sure it would be a very long time before Malcolm would become king.
Out of the corner of his eye, Malcolm glanced out of the window where a torch lit up the night sky. He saw the snow falling harder than ever, and the winds whipping at a rapid pace. However, through it all, he saw the large banner of House Dayne flapping strongly and enduring the storm. That image meant a lot to Malcolm, and he prayed that it would hold true. He hoped his family would be together and endure this storm, as well as all the storms that would come their way in the future. Malcolm knew that family was strongest when they stuck together, and now more than ever that was what they had to do. Yet no matter how dark the night would get, Malcolm trusted that the words of his house would come true in the end. Dawn Brings the Light.
Great H&L!
It presents a very different angle to these characters, especially Malcolm and Jamison, seeing them as kids. Personally I also really enjoyed the inclusion of Alester's older brothers. Anyway, thanks once again for another great glance at our characters' pasts 
Hey! Just wanted to say first that don't forget to read the new Malcolm H&L part above!^^ Actually, in this case I'd even recommend you read it before reading this next part
-
Naemon
With three-hundred Upton soldiers behind him, as well as Lord Alester, Prince Malcolm, Ser Myle and Davos beside him, Naemon had finally reached home. Blackmont stood strong against the mountain, the vulture banners flickering on the walls. A subtle smile was forming on Naemon's face, as the gates were opened for them – soon he would see his sister again.
They rode into the courtyard, and Naemon gazed at every direction, but he didn’t see either Gwendis or Benedict anywhere. Slowly his smile vanished, there was something wrong – it wasn't like Gwendis to not be here to welcome her brother back. Another thing that bothered Naemon were the sad faces of everyone on the courtyard, not a single smile could be seen there.
As they dismounted the horses, Naemon saw Ser Thomos the Thunder approaching them. "Prince Naemon, Prince Malcolm, welcome to Blackmont", the knight greeted them with official tone, then turning his eyes to Alester and Davos.
"This here is Davos Dayne, my new squire", Naemon explained, putting his hand on Davos' shoulder, and Thomos nodded. "And I am Lord Alester Upton, here with my troops to help with your little problem", Alester introduced himself with an arrogant grin on his face.
"I see, you are both very welcome as well, Davos and Lord Alester", Thomos said politely, and finally turned towards Ser Myle. "Not to forget you, Myle, old buddy", he quipped, and Myle let out a small laugh. Thomos smiled for a small moment, but the smile vanished quickly as he turned to Naemon again. "Naemon... Something has happened while you were gone. Your father wants to speak with you... privately."
Naemon glanced at Malcolm, who gave him an approving nod. "Alright then, Myle, make sure our guests get comfortable quarters", Naemon commanded, and Myle bowed to him. "Yes, my Prince", he said with a thin smirk. Then, Thomos and Naemon walked away from the rest of the group, and Naemon shot a questioning glare at the knight. "What is this about?" He asked with a serious tone, but Thomos just let out a sigh. "It's better if your father explains it to you", he answered calmly. And so, they continued their way to King Benedict's office without further conversation.
As they arrived, Ser Thomos opened the door for Naemon, but stayed to guard the door outside himself. As the door closed behind him, Naemon stood alone in a room with his father. He had to wonder when had he last been alone with his father, but he couldn't remember. There the old man sat, behind his desk, a tired and depressed look on his eyes.
"Naemon", Benedict greeted him dryly, and Naemon answered with a simple nod. "Thomos said you wanted to talk about something... I assume you are angry that I brought help from the Dayne's", he said with stiff voice, and his father nodded subtly. "No, perhaps the Dayne's can prove to be useful. It's about your sister", he said with a grim tone. Naemon could feel shivers going down his spine, just imagining what could've happened while he was gone. If she is dead...
"Gwendis has gone missing", Benedict stated sternly, looking Naemon to the eyes now. There was deep grief and desperation in the King's eyes, and Naemon didn't know what to say. All he could do was look at his father with a shocked expression. "It has been almost a fortnight, and so far no one has found her."
"How?" Naemon asked strictly. "How could you let this happen?" Benedict let out a sigh, and took something from his drawer – a piece of paper. Naemon could see there was a short message written on it, and Benedict handed it to him. "Read it", he said quietly. "It's written by your sister."
Naemon took the paper to his hands, and he immediately recognized his sister's handwriting, even if this message was clearly hastily written.
Dear father and brother,
I know you can never truly understand or forgive me for leaving, and I don't blame you for it. I can hardly understand this myself. However, I have come to the conclusion that going to Skyreach and marrying Desmor Fowler would be the beginning of the end for me. Aisha has told me this, and I have seen her god – it is real. I'm not sure if I can truly trust her, but I know what I saw, and what I saw was death.
I truly hope I'll see you again one day, but if not, take care of each other, and love each other. You are family, remember that. I have to go now, don't come after me.
Yours sincerely, Gwendis
Naemon raised his eyes from the letter, feeling crushed. He put the paper on the desk and shook his head. "This is your fault... Your sorceress brainwashed her", Naemon said coldly, and Benedict turned his eyes away with a wounded look on them.
"Aisha worships a powerful god, a dark god. She showed me things, convinced me of her god's powers, but I could've never imagined she would drag my daughter into this." It could be heard from Benedict's words that he was genuinely regretful, but that was hardly enough for Naemon to forgive what he had done. "You have destroyed this family, father. There is no way around it. First mother, now Gwendis", he spoke bitterly, tears coming to his eyes.
"You are right... It is my fault", Benedict admitted quietly, gazing at the surface of the desk. "So, you finally admit it? You killed mother", Naemon's tone was intense, but his father shook his head furiously. "No!" He barked, clenching his fists. "I did not kill your mother... yet her death is still on my conscience."
"And why is that?" Naemon asked harshly. Benedict turned his eyes up, and Naemon could see they were glazed with tears. "It was a man named Syrenho who killed her, a sorcerer who had been in Blackmont for couple of months. He was good with potions, and the ones he made for me, they made me feel... powerful, more alive. I should've thrown him out when he started to say that Valaena was cursed, that I should kill her to avoid the wrath of gods. But I was selfish, I felt I needed his potions, so I ignored his words of madness. And so, Syrenho decided to act on his own, and poisoned your mother, my wife. I killed him of course, but nothing and no one could save your mother. And trust me, I tried everything." The King's voice broke down with his last word, and tears streamed down his face. Naemon had never seen his father like this, so weak, so broken.
"Why didn't you tell this to us earlier?" He asked with frustration and pain in his voice, and his father let out a sad little chuckle. "I don't know, perhaps I knew that you would judge me... And that I'd deserve it", he answered, his voice empty and lifeless. There they were, in silence, both of them broken by grief.
"What are you going to do now?" Naemon asked after a moment of silence, keeping his composure the best he could. Benedict looked him in the eyes, taking in a deep breath before answering. "My men have searched the lands and found nothing. But Lyla... Apparently she found a trail on the mountains, possibly left by Gwendis and Aisha. She has not yet returned, so I assume she is still following the trail... and if she won't find her, no one will."
"So, one of your snakes took away my sister, and now I'm supposed to trust that another one of your snakes will bring her back", Naemon replied coldly, feeling so much anger that he couldn't even look at his father anymore. "You can trust whatever you want, it makes no difference", Benedict replied dryly. "But now you have a mission ahead of you, I believe, a duty towards your kingdom."
"You're talking about the deserters and rebels?" Naemon asked, and Benedict nodded. "They are led by a man named Karsan Taller, who is currently holding the town of Gravesend", he explained, but Naemon had little interest for it. "And why would I care about this Karsan Taller, instead of going after my sister?" He asked sharply, and now the look on Benedict's eyes got harder.
"Because I am your King, and I command it", he said sternly, turning his eyes away from Naemon and standing up. Benedict walked to the window of the room, looking out and letting out a sigh. "I want to get Gwendis back, at least as much as you do, but you could never find her. For all we know she is hundreds of miles away, only gods know where. Lyla finding her is the only hope we have." Benedict turned towards Naemon again. "Meanwhile, it is time for you to prove your worth... Defeat Karsan Taller." They both stayed quiet for a while after Benedict's small speech. Naemon knew his father was right – he had no hope of finding Gwendis, as crushing as it was to admit it. Naemon wondered what would his sister want him to do now, and as he thought about it, he remembered how Gwendis had always wanted him to take more responsibility, to rise to a role of a leader. All that felt meaningless now though, and Naemon's mind was consumed by anger – anger towards Benedict, but also anger towards Gwendis. How could you leave me like this?
"I will march to Gravesend and defeat Karsan Taller", he finally said with stern and hollow voice. "But don't think I have forgiven you, father." With these cold words Naemon turned around, and walked out of the room, wiping the tears from his face.
-
The feast that night was anything but cheerful, and Naemon had hard time getting anything down his throat. He sat next to Malcolm and Davos, who had both been very quiet after Naemon told them what had happened.
"I still remember the day we first learned about Valaena", Malcolm said carefully, letting out a small sigh. "It was snowing in Starfall... probably the harshest winter in thousands of years, like the gods were weeping for her. All the same, I felt sorry for you then, from the bottom of my heart, and I still do." Naemon settled to nodding quietly for the Dayne prince's words. His eyes were fixed on his father, who sat at the high table with the sorcerer named Noctis right next to him. Has he still not learnt his lesson? Naemon clenched to his fork, thinking how he would drive out all the sorcerers from Blackmont once his father would die. Hopefully that day will come soon.
"So, what is the plan now, ser?" Davos asked quietly, and Naemon turned to look at him. Judging by the nervous look on the young boy's face, Naemon's expression wasn't the most pleasant one. "We will do our job, and root out the rebels", he answered calmly, turning his eyes back to Benedict again. For a moment their eyes met, and Naemon's gaze was filled with hate. His father quickly turned his eyes away.
"And your sister?" Davos asked nervously. Naemon took in a deep breath before answering. "There is nothing we can do to help Gwendis", he stated, his voice cold and emotionless, even if inside him was a storm of emotions. "So, better just concentrate on what we came here to do, understand?"
"I understand, ser", Davos confirmed with a gulp. Naemon saw Noctis standing up from the table, and walking towards the doors of the mess hall. A sudden urge took over him, he wanted to go and confront this man, to make him understand his days in Blackmont were numbered.
[Confront Noctis] [Stay at the table]
[Stay at the table]
Oh god, the feels
A wonderful H&L and all the way up there with my favourites. Naturally, it was an H&L I was greatly looking forward for ever since learning that you wish to write about this topic and it surely hit me right where it had to. The relationship between Malcolm and his family has always been something I enjoyed and seeing how they each reacted individually to the terrible news about their aunt's death was very well-done. It really showed that Gwendis and Naemon are not the only ones affected by this. Vorian lost his sister and Malcolm and Jamison their aunt. Speaking of, I especially liked Jamison's reaction here. It was a lot like the Jamison we know from the current parts, but at the same time, you did well with portraying him as a child here. It's the logical conclusion of his current behaviour that he was a very emotional child, whereas Malcolm has always been the more mature one and still is. I also enjoyed the bickering between Jamison and Nealia. Out of the entire Dayne family, I think they have the most complex relationship, maybe tied with Jamison and Malcolm's brotherly relationship, which we have seen a bit less about so far and I think that was another nice thing about this H&L. All in all, as I said, one of my favourites. Thank you for writing it 
Ah... the part I have been waiting for. I knew it was coming, but Naemon's reaction and the entire part still hit me without me being fully ready for it. I knew his reaction would be hard to read and oh man, it was. Not for the first time, I have to ask myself what the hell has gotten into me to change my vote all these months back. Fucking Aisha... at the same time, Gwendis' letter has once more convinced me that Skyreach would have been similarly far from good. Maybe it wouldn't have been as bad as the Aisha route, but it's not an alternative either. If anything, Aisha has given her a fighting chance, even if I am absolutely convinced that this was not what the bitch intended to do. She wanted a brainwashed little puppet and while she has failed at that and hopefully will never succeed, Naemon is right that she certainly tried. Though maybe she involuntarily at least gave Gwendis a chance, something Skyreach wouldn't have given her, at least not in the same way. I still don't think we made the right choice, but that is also because the reaction of Naemon and Benny was a real gut punch for me, as I knew it would.
Now... another serious gut punch here was the reveal about Valaena's death. I left that one open in the submission because I wanted to be surprised and safe to say, you managed to do it. While reading CM3434's H&L, I once anew got convinced that it might have indeed been a severe illness, especially due to the harsh winter, but the reveal that she got murdered by a sorcerer makes things all the harder. It also worsened my opinion on Benedict again, at least a little bit, because he clearly hasn't learned a damn thing after one of his sorcerers murdered his wife. The whole Aisha debacle could have been avoided if he would have burned her to death the moment she offered her rotten service. It is aggravating how stubborn that guy can be, that he had to lose his wife and now potentially his daughter as well before finally even beginning to see reason. If he sees reason at all, I am not quite convinced of that yet. Naemon's reaction has been understandable, yet still brutal. I knew he'd be angry at Benedict, and rightfully so, but I never thought that he would be angry at Gwendis too and this makes her absence all the worse. Admittedly, he has a very good reason, though so had Gwendis in leaving Blackmont and her brief letter, while explaining some things, didn't quite set things right, on account of being so short. But that is yet another reason why she cannot remain with the bitch, on top of the sheer danger she is going to be in with every second she spends near her. Her action, as understandable as it was, has hurt so many, Benedict, Naemon, Desmor, probably others as well and setting things right, if she ever gets the chance, will be a serious task. Even the relationship between her and Naemon seems seriously at risk now, judging by his reaction. And I have the feeling that, at the very best, it will take years until they get reunited, years in which the wounds she has caused here could grow into serious grudges and resentment.
However, surprisingly there is a tiny, distant silver lining, the first one this situation offered! I knew I have speculated about this before, that Lyla would be sent after Gwendis, but it was nice to see that I was right! It is good that there is at least one ally for Gwen out there, as unexpected as she is. I never seriously thought that Lyla could be a good ally for her, but now it seems that she's the only one she has, at least as long as I am still unsure about Dalia and Desi. That said, I am a bit afraid that she could just drag Gwen back to Blackmont and condemn her to whatever fate awaits her at Skyreach, so I am not sure how much I should expect of her. Maybe she will see reason and she kind of seems to be a person that can understand and appreciate the value of freedom, I admittedly don't know enough about her to say anything for sure. She could, in theory at least, become a genuine ally, someone who actually helps Gwendis to survive this whole mess, beyond the mere danger that the witch-bitch and Worstley pose. Speaking of, I doubt Lyla is a match for him, but she is likely far more stealthy, so maybe she can just murder that monster in his sleep? Would be a fitting end for him, if he gets denied even the duel against Dalia. But as I said, I am not sure what to expect of Lyla, is she ends up helping Gwendis, or if she only drags her back to Blackmont, which wouldn't make things much better. I want to believe that Benny has learned his lesson about marrying Gwendis off against her will, but given that he still hasn't even learned his lesson about the sorcerers, I remain on the fence there. This is yet another factor to make the situation more complicated, something I have to keep in mind. That said, naturally I would love for Lyla to become a genuine ally to Gwendis! Fingers crossed there, though in the end, I have to wait and see if I can truly put my trust in her
[Stay at the table]
Okay, here's the thing... I am not sure if Noctis' days at Blackmont are numbered, given that he is still there even after all his colleagues did to ruin Benedict's family. Murdering his wife, potentially doing worse to his daughter, any other man would have thrown them out by now or would have purged them, but still, Noctis is there. He's like a cockroach, the evil version of Grand Maester Pycelle, the one guy who just keeps surviving. I am not sure if he's a genuine sorcerer, or a charlatan, though since he's still at the court, chances are he is the former. All I know is that he is creepy as fuck and that I don't see any point in provoking him. Gwendis is already in terrible danger due to a witch, there is no need for Naemon to draw the ire of another sorcerer. Noctis' time will come, I am sure of it, but until then, I would rather not have him as an enemy of Naemon if it can be prevented. Worst thing that could happen is that he goes full Syrenho on him and ends up poisoning him to make sure that he won't pose a threat anymore. Yeah, let's better not do this.
Wow two H&L's in a row dealing with the death of character's family members. I swear me and CM3434 didn't plan this. Anyways, I really enjoyed the part and seeing kid versions of these characters.
Well, trust me, it was hard to write as well, because it wasn't an easy task to put to words just how disappointed, angered and broken Naemon is in this moment. Another thing is that I personally don't have a similar resentment towards Benedict as Naemon (justifiably) does, so it was hard to write him being so harsh to him, especially since it's the last thing Gwendis would want. That said, I don't think Naemon could've realistically been any less pissed than he was here. Who knows, perhaps the relationship between Naemon and Benny can still be salvaged, but this wasn't a good start for it. And whatever the Skyreach route would've meant for Gwen herself, it certainly would've been an easier pill to swallow for Naemon.
Indeed, Benedict being so open about that shows that he has truly been broken by the recent events, because in the past he would've been too proud to admit his mistake to Naemon like this. And yeah, Benedict still meddling with the sorcerers is like an alcoholic grabbing the bottle again and again after years of misery. It's really something he can't just drop, which obviously frustrates Naemon.
Indeed, as long as Benedict has the last say, Noctis' days in Blackmont aren't numbered. However, Naemon is now more anti-sorcerer than he has ever been, and perhaps for the first time he actually wishes he could be the King already, so he could get rid of them all. That is really the message Naemon would want to give to Noctis, but whether that is a smart thing to do is another thing.
[Stay at the table]
This is probably the safest option for Naemon. There is no need to create an enemy before he has the power to do anything to him.
Wow Wildling, when you said this was excellent timing for the Malcolm H&L, you were not kidding! I figured we would find out how Valaena died at some point and that when we did that it would be an emotional scene and without a doubt that was certainly the case. Seeing Naemon confront his father alone was a very powerful scene which made me proud of him but also made me feel bad for him because he truly has been through alot by his father and now Gwendis as well. He no doubt feels betrayed by Gwendis sadly and he most likely has even more hatred for his father then he already did. I suppose now all we can hope for is that Naemon will eventually find it in his heart to forgive Gwendis and maybe Benedict if he truly starts trying to change his ways. I will say though that there are two notable things that I gathered from this part. First off is that it seems Naemon is starting to handle that he will someday be King which is massive step in the right direction for him and that Lyla Sand is on the trail to find Gwendis
I am certainly not getting my hopes up but I certainly would not be opposed to Lyla finding her and them both escaping back to Blackmont!
[Stay at the table]
Now for the choice, this was a tough one for me and one that I actually waited to vote on since I truly was not sure on what to choose. Initially, I had planned on having Naemon confront Noctis but had doubts on picking it and it seems that I was not alone on this. Naemon should definitely not make Noctis an enemy just yet especially with him still having Benedict's ear but eventually I do believe Naemon will have a chance to root the sorcerers out of Blackmont but at this point, he certainly should not make his intentions known, at least not yet. Anyway, I am very intrigued by Naemon's upcoming storyline in taking down the peasant rebellion led by Karsan Taller. It seems that Naemon will getting one of his first tastes of full fledged battle which will be cool but at the same time Naemon is very much put in a rough situation here. He is basically been assigned to take down these rebellious smallfolk which is a dangerous thing especially since I am not sure how popular Karsan is among the smallfolk. If he turns out to be popular than Naemon may have some trouble on his hands. Naemon is said to be very popular if not the most popular Blackmont though so I would say that the smallfolk not supporting Karsan Taller will probably rally to his side.
I have to admit that I cracked up when I read this line
You write Alester so so well showing his almost comedic arrogance while also showing that he is indeed a dangerous man as well. You write all of these characters amazingly of course but I just had to mention how much I enjoyed this line 
i am glad that you enjoyed it. It was my first attempt at trying to write something more on the sadder side and I was not sure how it would go but it seems that everyone enjoyed it which is certainly awesome
Admittedly, I actually felt a bit sad for them while writing it as well 
Yeah, I have to admit that writing Jamison as a child was one of my favorite parts to this H&L. I remember you mentioned that it would be interesting to see Jamison in a vulnerable light as a child and that was certainly something I tried to get across here. Up to this point, Jamison had been very sheltered and was very innocent in alot of ways. Hearing about his aunt's death along with the rumors of Benedict made him angry, scared and worried for his own mother's well being all in one. He wanted to do something about it but knew as a child he was in no position to do anything which upset him even more. At least in my mind, you could say that this moment along with other ones what shaped Jamison to be who he is in present time. As for Malcolm, you are completely right. Jamison and Malcolm are both quite different from one another especially in this sense.
i loved writing the Jamison and Nealia argument as well. I imagine that they always bickered like this and it was fun to write it out especially in regards to what they were arguing about
As for Jamison and Malcolm, I plan on writing an H&L with just them talking at some point but I haven't quite figured out the subject it would be on yet. It is no problem, I am glad you enjoyed my writing 
Yeah we indeed did not plan this
I have to admit that I had thought about waiting til an H&L about another topic was submitted to write this since it was similar to Eraehra's H&L in that sense but I was so hyped to write this that I went with it! Thanks, I am glad that you enjoyed it 
Yep, it was very well timed indeed
And Valaena's death is such a major part of the backstories of so many characters that it really was just a question of time when it would be revealed what exactly happened to her. Safe to say, the way she died is very tragic, a direct consequence of Benedict's mistakes, which is something that still troubles him deeply. Like he said, Valaena's death is on his conscience. And while Naemon is mostly angered at Benedict and the sorcerers, he is clearly a bit bitter towards his sister as well, though their relationship is certainly still salvageable, because Naemon understands that Gwen was manipulated to do what she did. And yeah, you can see some development here in Naemon's attitude towards his future as the leader of House Blackmont. Being a king is still not something he finds desireable, but he is now more determined than ever to clean the court from these sorcerers.
Well, we know already from Myke's earlier parts that Karsan isn't universally loved by the Blackmont smallfolk, but he does have a pretty strong support. Mainly this is just people disappointed in King Benedict, and Karsan is just charismatic and ambitious enough to gather all these disappointed people around him. That said, Naemon represents the future of Blackmont, so he might be able to convince some that things will be better once he takes the throne.
Haha, well, I'm glad you liked it!
Naemon has had fairly large supporting cast after his visit to Starfall, which has resulted in Alester not getting that much time to shine. However, I'm positive he'll get some great moments on Naemon's mission to Gravesend 
Yeah, as hard as it was, that was entirely in-character for Naemon, that much is clear. And to be fair, it was an entirely understandable reaction, not only towards Benedict, but towards Gwendis as well. With Skyreach, I must actually say that this route would have probably made me seriously paranoid, because the Aisha route at least clearly shows the dangers that might come up, whereas the Skyreach route, I guess, would have always given me this looming feeling that literally anything could go wrong. Aisha might be a genuinely abominable person, but she's the devil I know in this situation. But this just made me curious, how would Naemon have reacted if Gwen would have gone to Skyreach? I guess by the time of this part, she would have already been there and about to get married.
Hm, yeah, that is what I have thought as well, that he is basically addicted to this magic. We have seen that Great Other magic gets super addictive if done only once. It's basically magic krokodil. And given how many years Benedict outright abused all kinds of different magic, from Aisha's Great Other shit, to whatever Noctis and the others offered, to potions such as the ones he got from Syrenho, I can see how letting go of this is something he can barely do. Even worse is his current emotional state, because I guess just like an alcoholic, it's easy for him to basically drown his sorrows in magic. Still, while I might understand it, my respect for him has suffered under this revelation, especially as it is the second time an evil sorcerer ruined his family.
I am absolutely sure it won't be a smart thing. For now, it is a threat he cannot back up. Even worse, Noctis might be willing to undertake special steps to assure that Naemon will never become king. I mean, it is doubtful if he ever becomes king either way, but in that case, Noctis might actively aim to kill him. We know that the previous threat to the sorcerer's at Blackmont was swiftly dealt with the moment she became uncomfortable and I doubt Noctis would have any moral objections to murder Naemon to secure his own position. And while it is good that Naemon tries to become more of a leader now, I am not sure if his ambitions here are a good thing, especially if the wrong people learn about them. Noctis certainly is one of the wrong people in that case.
Indeed, Gwendis would've already gone to Skyreach at this point. Naemon would've been a bit disappointed, but nowhere near as angry and heartbroken as he is now. After all, he would've known where Gwen is, and could've gone visit her at some point. Now though, it seems unlikely to him that he'll ever see his sister again.
Very true, if I remember correctly, most of Karsan's supporters came from deserters of the Blackmont army and people who did not care for Benedict in general. With that said it will be interesting to see what Naemon thinks about this whole mission moving forward since there is a strong possibility he will probably have to kill some of his own kingdom's smallfolk which seems like something that would be very hard on him. At the same time though, with Naemon being chosen to stop this rebellion this may actually lead to a path where minimal blood is spilled since he is the most beloved Blackmont. I just realized something about Gwendis though which is indeed interesting and a theory that I have but in this case I better put a spoiler tag even though i will probably be wrong
I seen in the main post that Ser Kegan with the Blackmont armies and Prince Ferris and the Fowler armies are on the Manwoody lands just like Gwendis is. So now, I have a feeling that we may potentially see a Gwendis and Ser Kegan or Prince Ferris meeting amd whether that means Gwendis has a chance to return home or it is a way to show how vicious Mordekhai is, that would be an intriguing scene to say the least!
That is understandable with Malcolm and Davos there as well, it is no doubt hard to include all of the supporting characters but even still you are doing a great job. As for Alester in Gravesend, I am sure he will make his presence felt
Voting is closed!
And Naemon will stay at the table. You could say this is the rational choice here, as confronting Noctis would've been a very impulsive action from Naemon. That said, by ranting to Noctis Naemon could've vent out a bit, whereas now he is just bottling up his anger. Obviously one rant to a sorcerer wouldn't have been enough to release Naemon from all of his frustration and stress, but it would've been a small relief for him.
The next part, which should be ready today or tomorrow, will be a Gwendis PoV. Last time on her storyline, Gwendis, Aisha and Trentan made it to the lands of Manwoody. There Aisha took them to some kind of ancient cave, and deep inside that cave was a stony altar. Aisha implied that the First Men used to worship the Great Other there. At the end of the part Aisha urged Gwen to put her hand on the altar, and Gwendis did feel a temptation to do it. However, you voted for her to refuse to do it, and the next part will continue directly where the last one ended.
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Anyway, I have something else to announce as well! It has been one year now since I begun this story, so happy birthday Nymeria's War!
Man, I thought I'd be done with Book 1 by now, but I'm not complaining, it has been fun. And now, I present to you an amazing anniversary gift for this story from @LiquidChicagoTed, a TvTropes page for Nymeria's War! It's not 100% ready yet, but there is a lot to go through already, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it 
Once again, huge thanks to Liquid for this!
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Oh, one more thing - a portrait that is long overdue, King Benedict Blackmont:
A very huge thank to Liquid for this! This Tropes page is amazing, and I can't imagine just how much time has been poured into this to have so much detail. While I had heard that this was coming, I must admit I am surprised it is already here! I would also like to wish this story a very happy 1 year anniversary, it's been an epic journey so far, and it will continue to be so as far as my naive eye can see
I'd also like to point out, I'm honoured that Emerson's name falls under the Awesome McCoolname trope XD
Onto Benedict, well with his last part... Man, this image displays some feels. That's a broken man right there, and I love it! You've displayed him amazingly, and the imagery is so similar to the one I painted in my mind. The only difference is I never pictured him with blue eyes, but black? Perhaps that's because he's so surrounded in this Great Other darkness
Anyway, the next thing I love is that crown, and the hieroglyph-like engravings around it. Is that the Old Tongue? Or some Great Other mind-spell gibberish? Just checking, for scientific research... 
The markings on the crown are indeed supposed to be Old Tongue runes, indicating it's a very old crown from the age of the First Men
And what comes to the eyes, I have described them as blue in the story before, though that was a long time ago so I don't blame you for forgetting 
Ah I see, I'll keep that in mind
Ohhhhh, yes well I certainly did forget 
Hm, this is something I haven't even considered. I am not sure if this would have been a good thing though. Anger can be a powerful motivator, maybe even the most powerful. If he bottles this up, maybe he'll come to the point where he will flat out murder Noctis, which will be a far more effective way of dealing with him than just threatening him. Threatening that guy without anything to back it up is probably a stupid idea, so yeah, I think we made the right choice.
Me right now:
Oh boy, this is going to be one part I am anxiously awaiting. Needless to say, you got me scared, as always. I doubt Aisha is going to rise in my favour anytime soon. In fact, I am afraid that one of the coming Gwendis parts is going to prove me right about her nature. Not that I need much more proof. I hate her so much that I can't even come up with a witty name for her, like I did with Worstley. The only thing I fear is that she starts to live up to my mental image of her in the near future. I also fear that the recent silver linings that seem to have come up, such as Lyla, Desmor and his army, Ferris and Kegan or potentially Desi, will all go seriously sour depending on what the witch-bitch tries next. All I know is, she certainly won't try to convince Gwendis with actual arguments or explanations, because she doesn't have any.
Happy anniversary! This story has always been one of my absolute favourites and over the past year, it only grew and grew in my favour. You have crafted an amazing storyline here, one that constantly leaves me in awe with every turn and twist. Hell, it takes a lot to make me genuinely emotional about a story, but as you can probably see by my passionate rants against Aisha, you succeeded at that. Thank you for one year of Nymeria's War and may there be many years to follow! I certainly cannot wait to see how the different storylines will have developed in a year from now. All I know is, I'll still be reading the story with utmost excitement. I must also say, it seems you have the same problem I have when it comes to guessing just when Book 1 of the story is over. By now, I wanted to be done with Book 3 of FoT, at least in my initial assumption
But well, I am not complaining either. Nymeria's War is real quality work and the longer it grows, the more I have to read, which is wonderful.
You are welcome
It was a lot of fun putting it up and I hope everyone will find it enjoyable. I should also mention, due to me basically writing it down in one month, that it is probably not perfect or without errors. It's a public project and though I created the page, anyone can add stuff or correct my mistakes (I think there are some which you mentioned, but which I haven't managed to correct in time). I should also mention that not all of the credit belongs to me. I did most of the work, safe for the character page, which was set up by one reader whom I am not sure if he already has an account here, but he deserves credit nonetheless. His username on Tv Tropes is eduardoalamo22 and he helped a lot with the character page, allowing me to focus on the other sub-pages and the main page. As a result, I have put less attention on the character page (which is the main reason why the FoT tropes page is still not entirely ready) and only recently started to add my own stuff to his work. This means, it is the only page that is not yet complete, though with Nymeria's folder on the sub-page, you can at least see where I hope to take it eventually. This is goign to be more work, but needless to say, I shall remain working on it for as long as the story goes 
Ah, Benny. Surely one of the most complex characters in the story. I am not sure if I should adore or loathe him for this duality of loving his children almost as much as I do while simultaneously being a weak-willed magic addict who is constantly risking the well-being of his entire family. All I know is, this is a perfect portrait of him
This is indeed a very interesting theory! I haven't even noticed that so far. I see it as not all that likely, but it is reassuring that there are allies relatively close. Though I think Aisha had led Gwen deeper into the Manwoody territory, whereas the Fowler-Blackmont army is mostly chasing after the fleeing Manwoody's and are likely closer to the Wide Way than to the deeper Manwoody Lands. If I had to place my bets on someone, I consider a possible meeting with Desmor as far more likely (and actually even more intriguing), given that he is going to the eastern edges of the Fowler lands and therefore not on the Wide Way, at least as far as I know. But ah, I like that theory and it is one I haven't though of before. Though I am not sure if Ferris and Kegan are all that good for Gwen, given that neither of them would likely even hesitate to bring her to Skyreach, which I am still a bit unsure about.
Well first off, Congrats on one year of Nymeria's War and hopefully many more to come with it! I can honestly say that this story has been phenomenal every step of the way with it very much being a wild ride with so many twists and turns just like the book and tv series it is based on. It also is the story that got me hooked on this whole interactive GoT story thing which admittedly, I really did not know existed until I joined these forums
I can say nothing but great things about this story and I will definitely follow this story until the end. Thank you for choosing to write this outstanding story for all of us! 
Now on to this TV Trope page, this is clearly amazing! I assume that this was the surprise that you and Liquid had mentioned earlier and well this was certainly worth the wait! There is so much detail in this and it is so fun looking through all of these tropes! It seems there is plenty of exploring to do on this and I certainly plan on reading through the whole thing. Admittedly, it was pretty cool to see Jamison is called the ace
Great job to Wildling, Liquid, and eduardoalamo for bringing this great idea to life and I am very much excited to read the whole page and the ones with it all of the way through 
I feel like I am always repeating myself by saying that these portraits are amazing so I am going to try to mix it up
You have captured perfectly just how much of a troubled soul Benedict is with the look on his face very much telling a story about who he is. I would also like to point out how well you draw out these similarities between parents and children. Jamison looked very much like Vorian facially in his drawing and even though they have different hair colors, it is clear that Jamison is Vorian's son and that certainly does not change here. It is quite clear here that Benedict is Gwendis and Naemon's father with them both taking after him in many ways. Again, great work as always Wildling 
This theory just came out of the blue for me as well and while I can certainly admit that it is probably a long shot, there is a chance for it nonetheless. If I remember correctly in the last Gwendis part, it was said that they were not very far from Kingsgrave with them actually being able to see it from where they stood so they are very much deep into the Manwoody Lands. The Fowler-Blackmont army on the other hand, their location is something that I am taking a guess on but I don't think it is that far out of the realm of possibility either. The Ser Russal PoV that showed the Battle on the Wide Way happened a least a couple months ago if not further back and with it being mentioned in the Isabella and Missy parts that they are chasing the Manwoody army back to Kingsgrave with plans to eventually besiege it, I believe that their army has to be very close to Kingsgrave by now with them probably arriving within the next Missy part or maybe within the next Gwendis part or two. However with all of this said, I am not sure it will happen either because if the Fowler-Blackmont army were to find Gwendis, I don't see there being any way whatsoever that Aisha could stop them from taking her even if Wesley is with them at this point
Also this idea that you have about Desmor is an idea that I had not thought of and would probably be an even more interesting scene if it played out! I don't know for sure about Ferris but I don't think Kegan would take her to Skyreach straightaway since I am sure he would want to show Benedict and Naemon if he is still there that Gwendis is alive and well. As for the Skyreach storyline, I don't think it would be anywhere near as dangerous as this Aisha one is and admittedly I still wish that choice would have won but either way it would certainly be an interesting encounter is Gwendis came across the Blackmont armies to say the least 