Dianna stood at the prow of the Sea Reaper, stern look on her face, arakh and shield on her hands. Soon she would have to fight with these Ironborn, against the Dalt's. Who would've guessed, she thought sourly. The sun had set a while ago, and the only light was the full moon that shined behind the thin curtain of clouds. In front of the Sea Reaper sailed four of Efran's ships and Lady Vengeance. Only one small galley from Efran's ships came behind the Sea Reaper. "Sing with me, brothers!" Bjorn Harlaw yelled, standing right next to Dianna.
"Oh, awake, arise, rally, friends!
The warriors of Iron Isles!
Awake not to the snivels of your wives,
But to clash of swords and knives!"
At this point the whole crew had joined the singing, though to Dianna it sounded more like shouting than singing.
"Raise your shield, raise your axe!
We sail to war and pillage!
We break their necks, we break their backs,
We raid their every village!
Oh, Drowned God, see us now!
In your name we swing our blades!
Oh, just witness and admire how,
We go and steal the foemen's maids!"
As the song ended the whole crew burst into laughter, including Bjorn. However, the laughter ended quickly, as they saw the harbor of Lemonwood in the horizon. "We are here!" Bjorn yelled, and his men cheered. Dianna tried to gaze at the stern of the ship, to see Lysera, but too many of the Ironborn were on the way.
"Do not fear death, brothers!" Bjorn Harlaw yelled at the bow of the ship as they got closer to their destination, raising his bastard sword up towards the night sky. "The Watery Halls await you, the Drowned God awaits you! Prove to me tonight, that you are worthy of feasting with the gods!" Bjorn's crew cheered at his words, banging their swords and axes against their shields. Bjorn put on his horned helmet, and turned to look at Dianna. "Ready to fight, Captain Dianna?" He asked with a twisted grin on his face, and Dianna settled for giving him a small nod.
While the rest of the fleet attacked the four Dalt ships on the bay, the Sea Reaper and the smallest of Efran's ships headed towards the beach on the eastern side of the harbor. "Remember the grappling hooks!" Bjorn yelled as they landed on the beach. The man captaining the small galley was a bald man with bushy beard, armed with an axe – he blended in quite well with the Ironborn. Together the two crews started to run up the beach, and towards the walls. Dianna glanced backwards, seeing Hargan staying back at the ship with two other men and Lysera. On the bay the other ships had collided with the Dalt ships.
Soon they reached the walls, and started throwing the grappling hooks up. Quite obviously the defenses weren't the strongest possible on this part of the battlements, but the defenders still got down few of the grappling hooks, as well as shot down some of them with their crossbows. Dianna waited a while before starting to climb up, so that the first men had already climbed up and started to harass the defenders.
Climbing up the wall with the rope took some strength, more even than Dianna anticipated, but she wasn't weak. Soon she made her way up to the battlements, and took out her arakh and shield again. Some young boy in Dalt tabard rushed towards her. She parried the boy's first strike with her shield, but she had to admit that the strike was harder than she expected. And the boy was quite fast too, keeping Dianna parrying and retreating. Finally she saw an opportunity to strike back, but before she could, an Ironborn axe was embedded into the boy's neck from behind. The limp body of the boy fell on Dianna, and she had to deflect it away with her shield. The young Ironborn who had killed the Dalt soldier had a red tabard with a white bone hand on it. He smirked at Dianna, before turning away to attack the next Dalt soldier.
Dianna heard now the bells of the sept ringing, and as she looked down to the city she noticed they were actually quite close to the sept. Her thoughts were interrupted by another Dalt soldier attacking her, though this one she could finish off easily – the man was slow, and it took just two strikes from Dianna to find his neck with the blade of her arakh. Then Dianna saw Bjorn plowing his way through a line of enemy soldiers that were trying to keep them away from the stairs.
"To the city!" Bjorn screamed, while still slaughtering the defenders. His crew followed his command quickly, and helped him take down the few soldiers who were left to defend the stairs. So, they made their way down to the streets of Lemonwood. The wide street they arrived to would take them straight to the castle, and Dianna thought she could see Dalt soldiers moving at the end of that street. However, Bjorn led them to a smaller street that took them towards the town square. "To the sept!" He yelled enthusiastically, and his men followed. Though Dianna did see few of the Ironborn separating from the group, to raid the houses they were walking past. Soon they arrived to a crossroad, and going to left would once again take them towards the castle, but going right would take them to the town square and the sept, and that was where Bjorn was leading them.
Dianna glanced to the left, and now she was sure about it – there was a large force of Dalt soldier at the end of the street, but they were not advancing towards them. However, there was a smaller force defending the sept, and Bjorn's crew had already started the fight against them. This could be my chance, Dianna thought, glancing once again towards the Dalt soldiers on the other end of the street. My chance to change sides.
So, we are getting daily parts there. This is just the best ever
And as expected, the Battle for Lemonwood continues to be a huge highlight of this chapter and we haven't even seen the Battle for Vaith yet, which I assume has potential to be even more thrilling. That said, it will be hard to top these scenes. The Ironborn song has been particularly nice. Was that somewhere in the books, or have you written it all by yourself? Because I seriously enjoyed it. For some reason, it gave me some Vikings flashbacks. I had this association before, but Bjorn and Hargan do sort of remind me of Harald and Halfdan from the Vikings show. I am probably having watched that show too much because it is not the first time I make that association, but they also had their own catchy song and this scen just reminded me of it.
[Keep following Bjorn]
I see this as too early to defect, far too early. Efran's chances of winning in Lemonwood are way too good and I am pretty sure that he will win in the end. He wouldn't have attacked otherwise. So, if Dianna goes to the Dalt's now, she will lose alongside them. This in turn will ruin any chance she could ever have at winning Bjorn's trust. In the contrary, staying loyal to him here will likely impress him and make it more likely that he will keep her by his side, grant her more freedoms, maybe even accept her as one of his fighters, which will eventually mean that she will get a far better chance to win her and Lysera's freedom in the future. Maybe after the battle for Lemonwood is over. If Dianna manages to win Bjorn's trust, maybe she can even manipulate him into abandoning Efran and declaring for the faction with the brighter future, aka Nymeria.
Dianna
Dianna stood at the prow of the Sea Reaper, stern look on her face, arakh and shield on her hands. Soon she would have to fight wi… moreth these Ironborn, against the Dalt's. Who would've guessed, she thought sourly. The sun had set a while ago, and the only light was the full moon that shined behind the thin curtain of clouds. In front of the Sea Reaper sailed four of Efran's ships and Lady Vengeance. Only one small galley from Efran's ships came behind the Sea Reaper. "Sing with me, brothers!" Bjorn Harlaw yelled, standing right next to Dianna.
"Oh, awake, arise, rally, friends!
The warriors of Iron Isles!
Awake not to the snivels of your wives,
But to clash of swords and knives!"
At this point the whole crew had joined the singing, though to Dianna it sounded more like shouting than singing.
"Raise your shield, raise your axe!
We sail to war and pillage!
We break their necks, we break their backs,
We raid their eve… [view original content]
So, we are getting daily parts there. This is just the best ever
And as expected, the Battle for Lemonwood continues to be a huge highlight of this chapter and we haven't even seen the Battle for Vaith yet, which I assume has potential to be even more thrilling. That said, it will be hard to top these scenes. The Ironborn song has been particularly nice. Was that somewhere in the books, or have you written it all by yourself? Because I seriously enjoyed it. For some reason, it gave me some Vikings flashbacks. I had this association before, but Bjorn and Hargan do sort of remind me of Harald and Halfdan from the Vikings show. I am probably having watched that show too much because it is not the first time I make that association, but they also had their own catchy song and this scen just reminded me of it.
Haha, indeed, though I probably can't keep it up any longer, as I haven't yet started the next part and I'm very doubtful I'd get it done in one day Still, you can expect the pace to stay pretty fast. And next we will indeed move on to the Battle for Vaith, though the first part there won't be very action packed. What comes to the Ironborn song, yeah, it is my own work. I got inspiration for it by reading some Old Norse poetry Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it! And well, I watched all four seasons of Vikings earlier this year (what an idiot I've been for not watching that great show earlier!), so perhaps some inspiration from there has leaked into NW! Well, actually, I think the whole idea for including a song to this part did indeed come from the "My mother told me" song, which I absolutely love That said, the dynamic between Bjorn and Hargan is a bit different from the one between Harald and Halfdan, though there are some similarities to them as well.
So, we are getting daily parts there. This is just the best ever
And as expected, the Battle for Lemonwood continues to be a huge highlig… moreht of this chapter and we haven't even seen the Battle for Vaith yet, which I assume has potential to be even more thrilling. That said, it will be hard to top these scenes. The Ironborn song has been particularly nice. Was that somewhere in the books, or have you written it all by yourself? Because I seriously enjoyed it. For some reason, it gave me some Vikings flashbacks. I had this association before, but Bjorn and Hargan do sort of remind me of Harald and Halfdan from the Vikings show. I am probably having watched that show too much because it is not the first time I make that association, but they also had their own catchy song and this scen just reminded me of it.
[Keep following Bjorn]
I see this as too early to defect, far too early. Efran's chances of winning in Lemonwood are way too good … [view original content]
Dianna
Dianna stood at the prow of the Sea Reaper, stern look on her face, arakh and shield on her hands. Soon she would have to fight wi… moreth these Ironborn, against the Dalt's. Who would've guessed, she thought sourly. The sun had set a while ago, and the only light was the full moon that shined behind the thin curtain of clouds. In front of the Sea Reaper sailed four of Efran's ships and Lady Vengeance. Only one small galley from Efran's ships came behind the Sea Reaper. "Sing with me, brothers!" Bjorn Harlaw yelled, standing right next to Dianna.
"Oh, awake, arise, rally, friends!
The warriors of Iron Isles!
Awake not to the snivels of your wives,
But to clash of swords and knives!"
At this point the whole crew had joined the singing, though to Dianna it sounded more like shouting than singing.
"Raise your shield, raise your axe!
We sail to war and pillage!
We break their necks, we break their backs,
We raid their eve… [view original content]
Dianna
Dianna stood at the prow of the Sea Reaper, stern look on her face, arakh and shield on her hands. Soon she would have to fight wi… moreth these Ironborn, against the Dalt's. Who would've guessed, she thought sourly. The sun had set a while ago, and the only light was the full moon that shined behind the thin curtain of clouds. In front of the Sea Reaper sailed four of Efran's ships and Lady Vengeance. Only one small galley from Efran's ships came behind the Sea Reaper. "Sing with me, brothers!" Bjorn Harlaw yelled, standing right next to Dianna.
"Oh, awake, arise, rally, friends!
The warriors of Iron Isles!
Awake not to the snivels of your wives,
But to clash of swords and knives!"
At this point the whole crew had joined the singing, though to Dianna it sounded more like shouting than singing.
"Raise your shield, raise your axe!
We sail to war and pillage!
We break their necks, we break their backs,
We raid their eve… [view original content]
Dianna
Dianna stood at the prow of the Sea Reaper, stern look on her face, arakh and shield on her hands. Soon she would have to fight wi… moreth these Ironborn, against the Dalt's. Who would've guessed, she thought sourly. The sun had set a while ago, and the only light was the full moon that shined behind the thin curtain of clouds. In front of the Sea Reaper sailed four of Efran's ships and Lady Vengeance. Only one small galley from Efran's ships came behind the Sea Reaper. "Sing with me, brothers!" Bjorn Harlaw yelled, standing right next to Dianna.
"Oh, awake, arise, rally, friends!
The warriors of Iron Isles!
Awake not to the snivels of your wives,
But to clash of swords and knives!"
At this point the whole crew had joined the singing, though to Dianna it sounded more like shouting than singing.
"Raise your shield, raise your axe!
We sail to war and pillage!
We break their necks, we break their backs,
We raid their eve… [view original content]
Well, technically going to these Dalt soldiers would take Dianna a bit further from Nealia than going with Bjorn. The Dalt's that Dianna sees here are at the very eastern end of the city, protecting the gates of the keep, whereas Nealia is currently fighting at the western walls of the city, so at the very opposite side of the city from these soldiers.
Dianna
Dianna stood at the prow of the Sea Reaper, stern look on her face, arakh and shield on her hands. Soon she would have to fight wi… moreth these Ironborn, against the Dalt's. Who would've guessed, she thought sourly. The sun had set a while ago, and the only light was the full moon that shined behind the thin curtain of clouds. In front of the Sea Reaper sailed four of Efran's ships and Lady Vengeance. Only one small galley from Efran's ships came behind the Sea Reaper. "Sing with me, brothers!" Bjorn Harlaw yelled, standing right next to Dianna.
"Oh, awake, arise, rally, friends!
The warriors of Iron Isles!
Awake not to the snivels of your wives,
But to clash of swords and knives!"
At this point the whole crew had joined the singing, though to Dianna it sounded more like shouting than singing.
"Raise your shield, raise your axe!
We sail to war and pillage!
We break their necks, we break their backs,
We raid their eve… [view original content]
And Dianna will keep following Bjorn. In case Efran's forces end up winning this battle, it might indeed be a good idea not to change sides here. We'll see how it goes in the coming parts
Anyway, next we will have a Dalia part, which begins the Battle for Vaith. It won't be quite as action packed as these Battle for Lemonwood parts have been so far, but it should be quite interesting nonetheless. Anyway, in the last Dalia part the Wild Suns were approached by a small mysterious force, who claimed to be allies. It turned out they were an army of Volantene slaves, lead by Lord Kris Vaith and his mother, Mother Minesa, who also happens to be a Red Priestess. Well, Kris told Dalia and Desi that he escaped Vaith over a year ago, as he realized he was under the dark magic of his wife, Lady Myra Xho Vaith. Kris also had a son with Lady Myra, Nickon, who is now three-years-old, and he is extremely worried for the fate of the boy. His mother claimed that it would be best to simply kill the boy, as he has been tainted by the presence of the Great Other by now, but Desirea had a more optimistic view, as she thought the boy could very well still be saved. Anyway, Kris proved himself to be quite the charmer, and ended up suggesting to Dalia that they could spend the night together. You voted for Dalia to do just that, and that's where we will continue....
...right away! So, the part is ready, and I'm going to post it right after this post
The naked bodies of Dalia and Kris were tangled around each other, sweat on their skin, and hearts beating against each other. Dalia looked Kris into his deep green eyes, feeling like she could stare at them forever.
"Are we fools for doing this, Lord Kris?" She asked quietly, but the Lord of Vaith just chuckled softly. "We'd be fools not to, Princess Dalia", he answered smoothly. Dalia raised her eyebrow for this. "How so?" She challenged him with playful tone, and Kris took in a deep breath.
"Well, isn't it moments like these that we live for?" He asked with a smirk. "What else do we go through all the shit and hardships of life for, if not to feel the touch of someone special, someone we care about?"
"For our children", Dalia answered immediately, and Kris nodded in agreement. "That too, of course", he admitted. "But still, without moments like these, life just wouldn't be worth all the bad times", he continued with a sigh. Dalia raised now into a sitting position, keeping her right hand on Kris' chest, and her gaze focused on his eyes.
"You certainly are an interesting person, Kris Vaith", she purred, but Kris shook his head. "No, not really", he replied calmly. "I'm quite a simple man to be honest, I've just lived an interesting life."
"Well, tell me more about your life then", Dalia urged Kris, and he raised his eyebrow. "Now?" He asked with slightly baffled tone, and Dalia nodded. "Remember, we head towards a battle tomorrow, this might be your last chance", she remarked.
"I'd like to think it won't be... but alright, what do you want to hear?" He asked with a sigh, and Dalia gave him a smile. "Well, you could tell me about your childhood", she suggested, and Kris nodded.
"Alright then", he begun, thinking for a moment before continuing. "So, I was born in Volantis, at the Temple of the Lord of Light, a little over thirty-three years ago. You see, my father Lord Hames Vaith visited Volantis back then, and somehow he met there with my mother, Minesa, who was a young priestess in the red temple. I don't know how exactly did they meet, and what exactly happened between them, and truth be told I don't care to know. Nonetheless, somehow the two of them ended up conceiving me, but by the time I was born, Lord Hames had already left the city. My mother never talked much about him, just told me that I was born of pure light, and as a little boy I had no reasons to question her any further. I was treated well at the temple, even if everyday I had to listen the priests preach about R'hllor. Honestly, not much of their teachings stuck with me, as it was all so boring to me back then. And then, when I was five, Lord Hames returned to Volantis, and learnt about me. You can only imagine how scared I was as a little boy, seeing for the first time this big man with deep set anger in his eyes, claiming to be my father. I was hesitant to leave, as I thought my whole life would be in the red temple. However, my mother encouraged me to go, said that she had seen great things for me in the future." At this point Kris stopped, taking in a deep breath and letting out a small chuckle. "You've seen Volantis, so you can imagine what a shock it was for me to come from such a large city to Vaith – a small town in the middle of the desert. It took me years to get used to it, and to finally find love for my new home. I was legitimized and nurtured to become the heir for my father, though I had little understanding or interest for it. And the local septon was quite worried for my soul, as I had been raised among the followers of what he called a false god. And he tried to teach me, but if it's even possible, his teachings were even duller than those of the red priests. What truly helped me get used to living in Vaith was Henry, and his wife Abby. Henry taught me how to swing a sword, and how to ride a horse. He and Abby told me stories about the Kings of Dorne, stories I actually found interesting. With them I felt the love I had been missing since I separated from my mother. Was there something else you wanted to hear?" Kris ended with a calm question, and Dalia shook her head.
"That's enough for one night", she said calmly, "perhaps I'll tell you about my childhood some other night", she added softly.
"That's a promise", he stated with smirk, and Dalia laid down next to him. "Alright then, it's a promise", she admitted. "But now we both need some rest", she said smoothly, and Kris nodded, letting out a yawn. Soon they both fell asleep, next to each other.
Dalia was the first to wake up in the morning. She could already hear some noises from the camp around them – the army was getting ready to continue the march towards Vaith. Dalia got up and dressed up. She walked to the belongings of Kris, and there she saw something that caught her eye – Kris' sword. The hilt of it was quite simple, made of iron and wood, and the blade was in the scabbard. However, little bit of the blade could be seen, and it seemed to be... glowing. Out of interest, Dalia pulled out the rest of the blade, and it was truly beautiful. It had to be Valyrian steel, but on top of that it had a magical orange glow to it.
"I see you found my sword", she heard the tired voice of Kris from behind her, and turned towards him, still gazing at the blade. "It's beautiful", she had to admit, "Valyrian steel?" She added with questioning tone, and Kris nodded.
"Indeed... are you jealous?" He asked playfully, and Dalia shook her head. "Why would I be?" She asked, putting the sword down, and walking to her own weapons – two arakhs, with the blades painted black. She threw them in front of Kris and smirked. "I have two Valyrian steel weapons", she said smoothly, and Kris chuckled.
"These arakhs?" He asked, and Dalia nodded. "They don't look like Valyrian steel", he observed, and Dalia nodded again. "That's the point – they are painted black, to hide their true danger", she told him.
"Interesting idea", Kris said with a smirk. "Though personally I prefer my enemies to fear my weapon, rather than to underestimate it."
"So, where did you get that glowing sword of yours?" Dalia inquired, while Kris put down the arakhs and stood up to get dressed. "It's a gift from my mother", he answered nonchalantly. "She says it's more than merely a Valyrian steel sword, that the spirit of R'hllor himself is in it. She calls it the End of Night."
"Uh, a sword with a name, how fancy", Dalia teased, and Kris chuckled dryly, putting on his leather armor. As they both had their arms and armors on, they made their way out of the tent. Outside Henry was the first to approach them. The old man eyed them both with great interest.
"Had a pleasant night, aye?" Henry asked with a thin smirk. Dalia rolled her eyes and walked away from the scene, leaving Kris to answer to the old man's questions. She made her way to Desirea, who was ready to continue the journey, her bodyguards Belan and Vyran around her, as well as Mother Minesa and her small slave army. "Good morning mother", Desirea said with a slightly nervous tone as she saw Dalia approaching.
"Morning, Desi. Everything alright?" She asked with a friendly tone, and her daughter nodded to her, though the nod was clunky, and Dalia could see she was nervous. "Are you nervous about the battle?" Dalia asked calmly, and Desirea sighed. "Yeah... a bit", she admitted quietly.
"I understand. But remember, if you want, you can stay behind", Dalia said, but her daughter shook her head strictly. "No, I can't... I wish I could, but there is a servant of darkness lurking in Vaith, and I don't want to let it escape", she explained with a serious tone.
"Don't worry Lady Dalia, we will protect your daughter", Belan the Brave, a young boy of fourteen said decidedly, and his father Vyran the Lion nodded proudly.
"I will be by her side as well", Mother Minesa joined the conversation, and Dalia glared at her with narrowed eyes. I'm not sure if she's a good influence on my daughter. "I'm thankful, to all of you, though I'll be there to look after her as well", Dalia replied sternly.
"But won't you have to lead your troops?" Vyran asked with a raised eyebrow, and Desirea looked at her with questioning eyes as well. Dalia put her hand on Desi's shoulder, and answered. "My daughter is the first priority now", she said, looking at Desi with pride in her eyes. "Mizro and Khazor can take care of leading the troops."
-
Later, in the afternoon of that day they arrived to Vaith. Or rather they arrived to the northern coast of the river, seeing the city on the southern coast. There was a bridge near the city, but Dalia could see from afar that the enemy had sent a force to protect the bridge. No doubt those men on the bridge knew that they've been sent to death, because there was no way they would actually stop the army, just slow it down a bit.
Dalia had gathered to observe the situation with Kris, Mother Minesa, Henry, Mizro, Khazor and Ser Howar Uller. "Do you see that fishing village over there?" Kris asked, pointing at the small village at the northern coast of the river, directly opposed to the city of Vaith. Dalia nodded to Kris. "What of it?" Mizro asked sharply.
"We need to send men to hold it, otherwise they might bring forces over the river with boats, land them on that village, and proceed to flank us", he explained.
"So, who should we send there?" Dalia asked sternly. After a small moment of silence Ser Howar spoke up. "I can send some of my men there", he said calmly.
"Good", Kris replied with a thin smirk. "Make sure to also send some to the cliff next to it, just to watch over if there are any reinforcements coming from the east." Howar nodded dutifully to Kris' instructions.
"Now, the real problem is how do we get past that damn bridge, losing as little of our troops as possible", Dalia said grimly. Once again a small moment of silence followed, and this time it was broken by Mizro. "We could send the Unsullied to clear the bridge", he suggested. "We know they'll do the job, and they for sure won't break before the defenders do."
"We paid too much for them to waste them on some bloody bridge", Khazor hissed, but Mizro just chuckled. "What did we buy them for if not for battle?" He asked sarcastically. "I say not using them is the bigger waste of our coin. Besides, they're good at what they do. Sure, we might lose a dozen or so of them on that bridge, but that will still leave us plenty."
"If you want, the Mother's Favored are yours to use", Mother Minesa said suddenly, referring to her slave army. "They are just slaves, and by sending them you won't lose anything", she said, though Kris was visibly uncomfortable with the idea.
"Or we could use Iznein Ironheart and his Ghiscari raiders", Khazor suggested, but now Mizro shook his head. "Most of them are just pit fighters, not at all organized, and certainly not suited for a job like this", he said, and Khazor shot him a glare, and replied. "They fear death just as little as the Unsullied do, and they are good at breaking the lines of the enemy – and that's what we need right now."
"I guess this is up to you then, m'lady", Mizro said, looking at Dalia.
[Send the Unsullied][Send the Mother's Favored][Send Iznein's raiders]
Hm, I think I finally found a way where I can like Kris without having to feel uneasy about the influence he might have on Dalia. Thing is, by now I am pretty sure that she is needed to keep Gwendis safe from Aisha and Wesley. After how severely she has resisted the Great Other, these people are not her friends and she needs reliable allies, who can also keep her safe. Desi on her own cannot do this, but Dalia meanwhile? Well, she's probably one of the few that can crush Wesley in a fight. And, being the enemy of Gwen's enemy, she and her daughter are the best allies I can think of here. So, I obviously was highly concerned when Kris, a guy I find likable and quite interesting, just started something with Dalia that could keep her in Vaith instead of going with her daughter. However, then I realized something: Why should he even want this?
Here's the thing, Kris is a devoted believer in the faith of R'hllor. He knows of the importance of Desi's mission and of the danger the followers of the Great Other pose. Hell, he has fallen a victim to their schemes, so he might have a personal interest in making sure that their hold in Dorne remains as weak as possible. Now, I am very sure that either Myra, Valerie or both are going to escape from the battle, due to Jamison covering their retreat. Kris knows that both are dangerous and even if one of them dies, I am sure he has a personal interest into making sure the other one won't pose a threat anymore. So, I doubt that he will even want for Dalia to leave Desi to chase after these super dangerous people alone. Maybe he would even like to accompany her, to personally stop the cultists from causing any more harm. I'd like this a lot, since he gives me the impression of being a reasonable and level-headed guy. Since Mother Minesa is surely going to accompany Desi, everyone who is less of a despicable fanatic than she is will be highly welcome, to make sure Desi won't develop into a direction that makes me hate her again
Speaking of, I just noticed that, in theory, Mother Minesa could also be this person from Gwen's vision, the one that hates her and will try to destroy her. I am sure that having the god of evil in her head, as accidental as it happened, as unwilling as she is, will make Gwendis an enemy to Minesa and maybe that priestess will even legitimately hate her just because. That would make sense for GO-bro to show it to her, to make sure that she will remain wary of R'hllor followers. And it would explain why he risked making her mistrustful of his own cultists. Unless he legitimately doesn't want her worship, which wouldn't exactly be unthinkable for a god whose domain are evil and death. But that offers the question just what exactly he wants. I bet Desi could give some useful answers there. Same goes, ironically, for Aisha, but I am sure that neither has an unbiased opinion about the Great Other's goals.
Long story short, I think I have found a way where I can like Kris without feeling bad about it Now for the choice:
[Send the Mother's Favored]
I was hesitating between these and the Unsullied. Surely the Unsullied would take the bridge without any problems, although their losses might be more devastating than losing mere slaves. However, I am already thinking about the future here. Minesa does have a bad influence on Desi and I am sure she will accompany her on the remainder of her mission. If she offers god knows how many slave soldiers, her influence will be even more severely and I don't want to risk it. Keeping someone like Minesa as weak as possible in Desi's life can only be good for her development, which I am pretty sure would be good for Gwen and all of Dorne. We don't need a new fanatic in the making, not if we can get an actually reasonable red priestess instead.
Dalia
The naked bodies of Dalia and Kris were tangled around each other, sweat on their skin, and hearts beating against each other. Dali… morea looked Kris into his deep green eyes, feeling like she could stare at them forever.
"Are we fools for doing this, Lord Kris?" She asked quietly, but the Lord of Vaith just chuckled softly. "We'd be fools not to, Princess Dalia", he answered smoothly. Dalia raised her eyebrow for this. "How so?" She challenged him with playful tone, and Kris took in a deep breath.
"Well, isn't it moments like these that we live for?" He asked with a smirk. "What else do we go through all the shit and hardships of life for, if not to feel the touch of someone special, someone we care about?"
"For our children", Dalia answered immediately, and Kris nodded in agreement. "That too, of course", he admitted. "But still, without moments like these, life just wouldn't be worth all the bad times", he continued with a sig… [view original content]
Voting is closed!
And Dianna will keep following Bjorn. In case Efran's forces end up winning this battle, it might indeed be a good idea… more not to change sides here. We'll see how it goes in the coming parts
Anyway, next we will have a Dalia part, which begins the Battle for Vaith. It won't be quite as action packed as these Battle for Lemonwood parts have been so far, but it should be quite interesting nonetheless. Anyway, in the last Dalia part the Wild Suns were approached by a small mysterious force, who claimed to be allies. It turned out they were an army of Volantene slaves, lead by Lord Kris Vaith and his mother, Mother Minesa, who also happens to be a Red Priestess. Well, Kris told Dalia and Desi that he escaped Vaith over a year ago, as he realized he was under the dark magic of his wife, Lady Myra Xho Vaith. Kris also had a son with Lady Myra, Nickon, who is now three-years-old, and he is extremely worried for the fate of the … [view original content]
Here's the thing, Kris is a devoted believer in the faith of R'hllor. He knows of the importance of Desi's mission and of the danger the followers of the Great Other pose. Hell, he has fallen a victim to their schemes, so he might have a personal interest in making sure that their hold in Dorne remains as weak as possible. Now, I am very sure that either Myra, Valerie or both are going to escape from the battle, due to Jamison covering their retreat. Kris knows that both are dangerous and even if one of them dies, I am sure he has a personal interest into making sure the other one won't pose a threat anymore. So, I doubt that he will even want for Dalia to leave Desi to chase after these super dangerous people alone. Maybe he would even like to accompany her, to personally stop the cultists from causing any more harm. I'd like this a lot, since he gives me the impression of being a reasonable and level-headed guy. Since Mother Minesa is surely going to accompany Desi, everyone who is less of a despicable fanatic than she is will be highly welcome, to make sure Desi won't develop into a direction that makes me hate her again
Indeed, Kris certainly has a grudge against the followers of the Great Other, so it's not so far fetched that he'd actually want to join on the mission. That said, just like Dalia he also has other responsibilities, in his case the lordship of Vaith, so he'll probably be pretty torn on this. Anyway, Kris will be a big character no matter what direction he will take, that much I can promise. Though if the witch of Vaith indeed will escape, that would certainly make it very tempting for Kris to go with Desi, because he really wants to settle his score with the witch that weakened his mind for years.
Speaking of, I just noticed that, in theory, Mother Minesa could also be this person from Gwen's vision, the one that hates her and will try to destroy her. I am sure that having the god of evil in her head, as accidental as it happened, as unwilling as she is, will make Gwendis an enemy to Minesa and maybe that priestess will even legitimately hate her just because. That would make sense for GO-bro to show it to her, to make sure that she will remain wary of R'hllor followers. And it would explain why he risked making her mistrustful of his own cultists. Unless he legitimately doesn't want her worship, which wouldn't exactly be unthinkable for a god whose domain are evil and death. But that offers the question just what exactly he wants. I bet Desi could give some useful answers there. Same goes, ironically, for Aisha, but I am sure that neither has an unbiased opinion about the Great Other's goals.
Well, this is true, Mother Minesa pretty much hates anything that has to do with the Great Other, as exemplified with her willingness to kill a small child, and her own grandchild no less, just because he is "tainted by the GO". That said, she is a bit of hypocrite on that front, seeing how she completely ignores the fact that her own son was under the influence of GO for years, and seems to be just fine Anyway, it's likely that Minesa would have a disdain for Gwendis, though most likely she hates even more the servants of GO that are more immeresed into that stuff, like Aisha and Mordekhai.
I was hesitating between these and the Unsullied. Surely the Unsullied would take the bridge without any problems, although their losses might be more devastating than losing mere slaves. However, I am already thinking about the future here. Minesa does have a bad influence on Desi and I am sure she will accompany her on the remainder of her mission. If she offers god knows how many slave soldiers, her influence will be even more severely and I don't want to risk it. Keeping someone like Minesa as weak as possible in Desi's life can only be good for her development, which I am pretty sure would be good for Gwen and all of Dorne. We don't need a new fanatic in the making, not if we can get an actually reasonable red priestess instead.
Indeed, purely thinking from the perspective of what's best for the Wild Suns, it's of course the best solution to send the Mother's Favored, because it should result in zero losses for the company itself. And as you said, them dying would indeed weaken Mother Minesa, when it comes to just military power. Though it was mentioned earlier that they would free these slaves after the Battle for Vaith, so it's questionable if they would keep following Minesa anyway. However, these slaves are pretty lightly armored, and there is no guarantee at all on how well trained and how well organized they are, as we haven't yet seen them in action. Also, a fun fact, as these are slaves from Volantis, it is very likely that they were originally slaved by the Valyrians, meaning a big portion of them might be Rhoynar soldiers slaved during the Second Spice War And what comes to Desi, well, she lived her first 12-13 years in the Temple of Lord of Light, surrounded by all kinds of red priests, but managed to become a very decent person. So, based on that I guess we can assume she won't be easily manipulated to become a crazy fanatic.
Hm, I think I finally found a way where I can like Kris without having to feel uneasy about the influence he might have on Dalia. Thing is, … moreby now I am pretty sure that she is needed to keep Gwendis safe from Aisha and Wesley. After how severely she has resisted the Great Other, these people are not her friends and she needs reliable allies, who can also keep her safe. Desi on her own cannot do this, but Dalia meanwhile? Well, she's probably one of the few that can crush Wesley in a fight. And, being the enemy of Gwen's enemy, she and her daughter are the best allies I can think of here. So, I obviously was highly concerned when Kris, a guy I find likable and quite interesting, just started something with Dalia that could keep her in Vaith instead of going with her daughter. However, then I realized something: Why should he even want this?
Here's the thing, Kris is a devoted believer in the faith of R'hllor. He knows of the importance of D… [view original content]
Dalia
The naked bodies of Dalia and Kris were tangled around each other, sweat on their skin, and hearts beating against each other. Dali… morea looked Kris into his deep green eyes, feeling like she could stare at them forever.
"Are we fools for doing this, Lord Kris?" She asked quietly, but the Lord of Vaith just chuckled softly. "We'd be fools not to, Princess Dalia", he answered smoothly. Dalia raised her eyebrow for this. "How so?" She challenged him with playful tone, and Kris took in a deep breath.
"Well, isn't it moments like these that we live for?" He asked with a smirk. "What else do we go through all the shit and hardships of life for, if not to feel the touch of someone special, someone we care about?"
"For our children", Dalia answered immediately, and Kris nodded in agreement. "That too, of course", he admitted. "But still, without moments like these, life just wouldn't be worth all the bad times", he continued with a sig… [view original content]
Alright, obviously I'm not going to close the voting yet, but I have the two next parts ready, and they don't even have choices so I feel like there is no reason not to post them already. These two parts will conclude the storylines of the Blackmont siblings for Chapter 2, meaning they are Naemon and Gwendis PoVs. As I just said, neither of them will have choices, but they should still be very interesting parts.
For recap, last time we saw Naemon wasn't long ago, but just to remind, he had returned to Blackmont with Malcolm, Davos, Myle, Alester and the Upton forces. In his meeting with King Benedict it was revealed to him that Gwendis had left with Aisha, and had not been found, though Lyla was tracking them down. Later as Naemon was about to leave for his mission to defeat Karsan Taller's rebellion, he had one more chat with his father. It came down to Benedict straight up asking if Naemon could ever forgive him, and you voted for Naemon to answer "maybe". This part of his is very short, and just meant to wrap up his chapter 2 storyline.
What comes to Gwendis, Aisha took her and Trentan to some ancient cave, where they found an ancient altar, apparently connected to the Great Other. Aisha forced Gwendis to touch the altar, which led to her seeing a vision, where the GO warned her about someone who will seek for her help, but who will also hate her and want to destroy her. After this Aisha left Gwendis and Trentan, saying she was going to fetch their warrior, Mordekhai. Later that night Lyla, who had been tracking them, used the opportunity to her advantage, to save Gwendis from Aisha. However, Trentan woke up in the middle of this, and Aisha was ready to kill him, already putting her blade on his throat. However, you voted for Gwendis to beg Lyla to spare Trentan. That's where we'll continue, and oh man, this should be quite the epic finale!
"Maybe", Naemon said quietly, avoiding eye contact with his father. Benedict narrowed his eyes, looking at his son. "Maybe?" He said with a questioning tone, and Naemon nodded.
"Yes, maybe. If Gwendis comes back safely, and you make things right here, then I can consider forgiving you your mistake", he answered with a harsh tone. The King looked at his son quietly for a moment, until finally letting out a sigh and nodding. "So be it", he muttered, turning his gaze down. Naemon turned away from Benedict, walking to his horse and mounting it, right between Malcolm and Davos. Meanwhile Lord Alester was already cantering towards the open gates, leading his forces out of Blackmont.
"Are you ready, Prince Naemon?" Malcolm asked with a polite tone, and Naemon answered with a silent nod. So, they rode out of Blackmont, beginning their mission to defeat Karsan Taller's rebellion.
-
That evening they made their camp down to the valley, next to the river. Naemon sat by the river, the full moon glowing on night sky above him. The moonlight made the river glimmer in the dark, as it flowed slowly past Naemon, heading towards south, towards Torrentine. "Ser, is everything alright?" He heard the voice of Davos ask behind him.
"Yes, everything is alright, Davos, you don't have to keep asking that", he answered, a touch of frustration in his voice. Davos sat down next to him, a good seven feet away from him. "I... I'm sorry if I annoy you, ser", he said with apologetic tone, and Naemon shook his head.
"Don't be sorry", he said quietly, still gazing at the river in front of him. "There's no reason for me to be angry at you. You've been a good squire... I may not have been such a good knight."
"Nonsense", Davos replied with a little chuckle, and Naemon turned to look at him. "Before I was made you squire, I used to squire for Lord Alester's father... before he died that is."
"And was he a good knight?" Naemon asked with mild interest. Davos took in a deep breath before answering. "Well, in some ways he was", he answered with a small smirk on his face. "He was very loyal to King Vorian, would've died to protect him if need be. He was certainly brave, no question about that, but he did have his failings too... He had little interest for actually governing his lands, and he had some bad habits, including excessive drinking. Overall, he was a man suited for battlefield, but not for ruling."
"And what makes you think I'm any better than him?" Naemon asked quietly. Davos turned his gaze down, taking a moment before answering. "To me it seems like you genuinely care about the people you'll one day rule over. You might not think that you'd make a good ruler, but if you'll put your mind to it, I think you would make a great king. You're honorable, brave, but also caring", the young squire finally answered, and Naemon was for a moment left speechless.
"Well... I'm glad I've given such a great impression", he finally said quietly, his lips finally forming a small smile. "I hope I won't be a disappointment... to you or to the Kingdom of Blackmont." Davos nodded to his words, a small smile on his face. "I believe you will do just fine, ser", he said with a friendly tone, and Naemon chuckled softly.
"What are you two talking about?" Malcolm asked casually, sitting between them. "The future", Davos answered, and Malcolm nodded to him. "And from your smiles I'm assuming it looks bright", he quipped with a lighthearted tone.
"Let us hope so", Naemon replied with a sigh, and Malcolm turned to look at him. "As I said earlier, I'm very sorry about what happened with your sister", he said, his tone now much more serious.
"Let's not talk about that", Naemon said quietly, feeling a sting of pain just thinking about Gwendis. "I understand", Malcolm said, his tone apologetic. "Whatever happens, I believe we can build a great future together Naemon. As kings we'll continue this great alliance between Dayne's and Blackmont's."
Naemon nodded with a forced smile on his face. "And remember, Dawn Brings the Light", Malcolm continued.
"We Conquer Heavens", Naemon replied with a smirk, and Malcolm chuckled. "That we do", he said quietly.
No decision.
-
Gwendis
"No!" Gwendis yelled strictly, taking a step closer to Lyla and Trentan, a terrified expression on her face. Lyla looked at her with questioning eyes, her blade still on the throat of Trentan. The young man's eyes were closed, and he was clearly muttering silent prayers in panic.
"Please, Lyla, don't kill him", Gwendis pleaded, and Lyla let out a sigh. "Leaving him alive would be a mistake, my Princess", the assassin insisted sternly, but Gwendis shook her head.
"We can take him with us", she said desperately, and now Trentan's eyes were opened. "Yes, take me with you, I won't slow you down", the young thief begged for his life. With a frustrated sigh Lyla moved her blade away from Trentan's neck, giving a meaningful glare at Gwendis. "The boy better behave, next time I won't hesitate", she said quietly, and Gwendis saw Trentan gulping nervously.
"He won't be a problem, I promise", she said with relief in her voice. "Now, let's go before Aisha returns."
So, they begun their journey. Lyla led them down from the mountains, and as the sun rose in the morning, Gwendis realized she was taking them south.
"Where are we going?" She asked with a mildly confused tone. "Aren't you taking me back to Blackmont?" For a moment Lyla was quite, seemingly too concentrated on staying on the right track to pay attention to Gwendis' words.
"All in due time, princess", she finally said with a calm tone. "First we'll find Ser Kegan's army. That way you'll get a proper guard to escort you back home", she explained.
"Kegan's army... So they have already attacked Kingsgrave?" Gwendis asked, and Lyla nodded subtly. "Most likely they are right now setting up a siege around it", she said nonchalantly. Trentan walked next to Gwendis, nervous look on his eyes.
"Princess... when we get back to Blackmont, what will happen to me?" He asked with a shaky tone. It was a good question. If Benedict knew Trentan's role in all of this, he certainly would be mad at the boy, almost as much as he would be at Aisha. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you", Gwendis said softly. Whatever Trentan was, Gwendis at least saw him innocent when it came to Aisha's manipulations and games. "You'll get a job at the castle, or if you prefer, you can continue somewhere else."
"Thank you, my Princess", Trentan said, a touch of relief in his voice. "I'm not sure what I was thinking, working with Aisha. Well, I do know what I was thinking, I... loved her. But it has come clear to me recently that she might not be what I thought she was."
"I understand how you feel", Gwendis said with an empathic voice. "She fooled me too, made me think going with her was the only way for me to survive... I don't know what was I thinking, leaving all I knew behind, trusting the words of that witch." Trentan nodded to her, and they continued following Lyla in silence.
Before noon they arrived to a small hill, that provided a little shadow from the burning hot sun. "We'll rest here for a moment", Lyla informed them decidedly. "Just a moment though, we must stay on the move", she added as Gwendis and Trentan sat down.
"So, does Benedict still want to send me to Skyreach?" Gwendis asked casually from Lyla, who turned to look at her. "The King hasn't shared me his plans regarding you", she said coldly. "If I was your parent, I'd punish you for behavior like this... but I doubt Benedict will, you are his golden girl after all." With these words Lyla turned away from Gwendis, walking away from her and Trentan, apparently to scout the area.
Gwendis turned to look at Trentan, but saw that he had already fell asleep. Gwendis wasn't tired though. Sure, she hadn't got much sleep last night before Lyla had arrived, but the situation was just too hectic for her to be able to sleep. It seemed like she was going back home, which would have it's own problems, but on top of that she still felt the danger of Aisha looming above them. Surely she won't give up easily. The words uttered by Aisha's dark god also returned to Gwendis' mind. She will hate you, and in her hate she will try to destroy you. So far Aisha had at least claimed that she was only trying to help her, but perhaps this would be enough to drive her...
"Wake up!" Lyla yelled, waking Gwendis from her thoughts, and Trentan from his sleep. "We continue now, get up", she said strictly, and both Gwendis and Trentan obeyed her immediately. Without further conversation, they started to make their way up the hill in front of them. However, before they reached the top, two figures appeared there. One of them was a woman, dressed in a black robe that dwindled in the wind, as well as her black hair. Aisha, Gwendis recognized her immediately. However, even more concerning was the figure next to Aisha – it was a giant of a man, clad in heavy black armor that was adorned by a hundred metal spikes, and in his hands was a large sword with a dark blade. The visor on the man's helmet was shaped like a skull, and it prevented Gwendis' from seeing his face, but she could still see the red eyes glowing under it. This must be the warrior Aisha talked about... Mordekhai.
"Stay behind me", Lyla ordered, stepping in front of Gwendis. For a moment no one said anything, and Aisha and her warrior just stared at Lyla, Gwendis and Trentan.
"Did you think I didn't see this coming?" Aisha yelled, her voice unusually wrathful. "Oh, I saw this coming, long ago", she continued, her voice a bit softer now.
"You are a traitor, Aisha", Lyla said strongly, unsheathing her short sword, and holding a dagger in her other hand. "You abducted the King's daughter, the punishment is death." Aisha laughed at Lyla's words, shaking her head. "Oh, Lyla, what a fool you are", the Dark Priestess said with a vicious tone. "I do not serve any king. The one I serve is so powerful that Benedict Blackmont is a mere beggar in comparison."
"Enough of your nonsense", Lyla said angrily, taking a couple steps closer to Aisha and Mordekhai. The look on Aisha's eyes was cold and piercing as she stared at the assassin. "Mordekhai, kill her", she commanded with no emotion in her voice, and the massive man in black armor started to walk towards Lyla.
"You are a fool to challenge me, woman", Mordekhai said, and his booming voice sent shivers down Gwendis' spine. "The power of the Great Other is in me, I am his greatest warrior, champion of the dark."
"I don't care who you are!", Lyla yelled, charging to attack. Mordekhai swinged his massive sword, but Lyla had predicted this move, and dodged it with a barrel roll to the right. She managed to swing at Mordekhai with her sword, but the armor made sure that the big man probably didn't even feel it. Mordekhai turned towards Lyla with another swing, though Lyla had already backed away far enough that the sword didn't hit her.
Mordekhai let out a chilling laugh, proceeding to walk towards Lyla. He swinged again, but this time Lyla rolled to the left. Gwendis could feel her heart beating, as she anxiously watched the fight. She was no expert on these things, but even she realized that it would take just one mistake from Lyla, and Mordekhai's sword would split her in half.
She kept dancing around the big man, dodging his swings, waiting for an opportunity to strike. And soon the opportunity came, as Lyla managed to dodge one of the swings by rolling closer to Mordekhai. Then she hit the man to his sword hand with his short sword. Though Mordekhai's gauntlet spared him from further damage, he was forced to drop his massive sword. Following this, Lyla thrusted her dagger inside the dark helmet, straight into the left eye of Mordekhai. With a terrifying scream of pain the man in black armor fell first to his knees, and then on his back, the dagger still embedded into his eye socket.
As her warrior fell down, true fear could be seen in the eyes of Aisha. Lyla was still catching her breath from the intense fight, but soon she turned towards Aisha, pointing her with her sword. "Do you prefer to die trying to defend yourself, or will you kneel and stretch your neck for me without resistance?" The assassin asked with determination in her words. Aisha didn't find words, she looked frozen, utterly shocked by her defeat.
Lyla took another step towards Aisha, but then Gwendis noticed something horrifying – Mordekhai was still alive. The big man was making his way up from the ground, reaching for his sword.
"LYLA!" Gwendis yelled in panic. "BEHIND YOU!" This warning made Lyla turn, but Mordekhai was already standing up. And then something truly disturbing happened. Mordekhai grabbed the dagger that was in his eye, and pulled it out with a mere groan of pain. Lyla was clearly shocked by what she saw, but nonetheless she quickly repositioned herself for the fight.
Mordekhai rushed towards Lyla with a horrifying battle cry, and though Lyla tried, this time she wasn't fast enough. The sword cut through her chest, sending her to the ground with her eyes widened in shock. The wound was fatal, there was no way Lyla could survive it, but that wasn't enough for Mordekhai. He marched to Lyla, dropped down his sword, and grabbed her from the neck with both of his hand. The wound had weakened Lyla enough that she couldn't resist at all, and soon life disappeared from her eyes, as Mordekhai crushed her neck with all his power. Lyla Sand was dead, and Mordekhai dropped her lifeless body to the ground.
Now Aisha started to approach Gwendis and Trentan, whom both were frozen in shock and terror. Aisha had a calm and almost pleased look on her face as she arrived to them.
"As I said, I saw this coming", she said calmly, eyeing both Gwendis and Trentan. "However, I forgive you for this misstep, we are all bound to take some in our lives."
"Y-you just murdered Lyla", Gwendis said weakly, and Aisha let out a sigh. "She was an inconvenience, but I am saddened that she had to be killed. Anyway, I am thankful that you managed to save Trentan from Lyla's mindless violence."
"Mindless violence", Gwendis repeated with disbelief in her shaky words. If she wasn't so shocked about what had just happened, she'd almost be amused by the audacity Aisha was showing. The Dark Priestess just nodded to her. "Now, it is time to continue our mission", she said calmly, like nothing had happened. "Just follow after me and Mordekhai."
Dalia
The naked bodies of Dalia and Kris were tangled around each other, sweat on their skin, and hearts beating against each other. Dali… morea looked Kris into his deep green eyes, feeling like she could stare at them forever.
"Are we fools for doing this, Lord Kris?" She asked quietly, but the Lord of Vaith just chuckled softly. "We'd be fools not to, Princess Dalia", he answered smoothly. Dalia raised her eyebrow for this. "How so?" She challenged him with playful tone, and Kris took in a deep breath.
"Well, isn't it moments like these that we live for?" He asked with a smirk. "What else do we go through all the shit and hardships of life for, if not to feel the touch of someone special, someone we care about?"
"For our children", Dalia answered immediately, and Kris nodded in agreement. "That too, of course", he admitted. "But still, without moments like these, life just wouldn't be worth all the bad times", he continued with a sig… [view original content]
Indeed, Kris certainly has a grudge against the followers of the Great Other, so it's not so far fetched that he'd actually want to join on the mission. That said, just like Dalia he also has other responsibilities, in his case the lordship of Vaith, so he'll probably be pretty torn on this. Anyway, Kris will be a big character no matter what direction he will take, that much I can promise. Though if the witch of Vaith indeed will escape, that would certainly make it very tempting for Kris to go with Desi, because he really wants to settle his score with the witch that weakened his mind for years.
Hm, previously I thought if this would be a choice for Dalia, if she goes with her daughter or stays with her crush, but now I keep thinking, what if this is actually a choice for Kris to make, to go with the woman he has feelings for and after the woman that nearly ruined his life or to stay with his duties. I see this as more likely now than Dalia being all that torn about her future. I know that I surely want her by Desi's side now, but I also want Kris with her, because having an open-minded guy like him there can only be a good thing for the situation as a whole.
Well, this is true, Mother Minesa pretty much hates anything that has to do with the Great Other, as exemplified with her willingness to kill a small child, and her own grandchild no less, just because he is "tainted by the GO". That said, she is a bit of hypocrite on that front, seeing how she completely ignores the fact that her own son was under the influence of GO for years, and seems to be just fine Anyway, it's likely that Minesa would have a disdain for Gwendis, though most likely she hates even more the servants of GO that are more immeresed into that stuff, like Aisha and Mordekhai.
Thing is, I actually can understand Minesa in some capacity. Aisha and Worstley are horrible people and must be killed in equally horrible ways, so the assumption that all that had extensive contacts with the Great Other is a logical, if coldly pragmatic one. So Minesa is not entirely wrong there. However, she's wrong about Gwen, 'cause Gwen is a sweet, kickass cinnamon roll who is not going to be tainted by that demon despite how powerful she could become. Minesa is wrong about her, just like she is wrong about her grandson, though I doubt she will see the error of her ways.
Indeed, purely thinking from the perspective of what's best for the Wild Suns, it's of course the best solution to send the Mother's Favored, because it should result in zero losses for the company itself. And as you said, them dying would indeed weaken Mother Minesa, when it comes to just military power. Though it was mentioned earlier that they would free these slaves after the Battle for Vaith, so it's questionable if they would keep following Minesa anyway. However, these slaves are pretty lightly armored, and there is no guarantee at all on how well trained and how well organized they are, as we haven't yet seen them in action. Also, a fun fact, as these are slaves from Volantis, it is very likely that they were originally slaved by the Valyrians, meaning a big portion of them might be Rhoynar soldiers slaved during the Second Spice War And what comes to Desi, well, she lived her first 12-13 years in the Temple of Lord of Light, surrounded by all kinds of red priests, but managed to become a very decent person. So, based on that I guess we can assume she won't be easily manipulated to become a crazy fanatic.
So, we'd be sacrificing Rhoynar there? Awkward I am now more leaning in favour of the Unsullied then, though not necessarily enough to change my vote just yet. I'm doing that too often in either way. Anyways, this is right what you say and it shows that Desi has an admirable strenght of character. Then again, Minesa is clearly someone she respects and this makes it more important than ever that Dalia and maybe even Kris to prevent a bad influence on her.
Here's the thing, Kris is a devoted believer in the faith of R'hllor. He knows of the importance of Desi's mission and of the danger the fol… morelowers of the Great Other pose. Hell, he has fallen a victim to their schemes, so he might have a personal interest in making sure that their hold in Dorne remains as weak as possible. Now, I am very sure that either Myra, Valerie or both are going to escape from the battle, due to Jamison covering their retreat. Kris knows that both are dangerous and even if one of them dies, I am sure he has a personal interest into making sure the other one won't pose a threat anymore. So, I doubt that he will even want for Dalia to leave Desi to chase after these super dangerous people alone. Maybe he would even like to accompany her, to personally stop the cultists from causing any more harm. I'd like this a lot, since he gives me the impression of being a reasonable and level-headed guy. Since Mother Minesa is surel… [view original content]
Oh no, Lyla Oh god damn it, damn! I knew it was to early to celebrate, but neither did I expect things to go south this terribly quickly. And now Lyla is dead, Gwendis is still a prisoner, Aisha is still a hopeless fucking bitch and my heart is broken
Really, this is literally how I feel right now:
My ship, my beautiful ship At least Lyla died protecting Gwen and Trentan, but still, saddest death ever for me. It also means I need a new ship. Hm... how does Nymendis sound? Or Gwensperence? Yeah, might not be a good idea. Maybe I should actually ship her with Desmor, that one still makes at least a bit of sense Ah, don't mind me, I am legitimately in mourning. Lyla has been a bitch, but damn, she grew on me.
Now, Aisha, gods, Aisha, is there any moment in which she is not reaching a new low with every new part? That utter piece of turd should have done a single smart thing in her life and just let Gwen go. She didn't, she even murdered Lyla and by doing so, she sealed her own fate. She must die, she will die and the only thing I hope is that she will suffer before this happens. She really dropped her mask in this part, showing just what a vile creature she is. That right there is not only a bitch, but a stupid bitch, who is going to die screaming. Literalky the only good thing about her is that she does not harm Gwendis for now, but I fear it is only a matter of time until she crosses that line. And there is no saying what damage her schemes cause, mentally and emotionally. She is just the utter worst fucker ever.
Hell, not even Wesley is as bad as her. At least he is not invulnerable. Lyla, my beloved badass, almost had him, just a little bit more and that would have been it. Now he has lost an eye and I think this might make him more defeatable. Oh Dalia, where are thou? I think she can take him now, though he is obviously still a lot of work. That guy is literally a monster and I doubt the demon bitch can keep him safe. Neither do I think she wants it. I guess that whatever she has planned does not necessarily require Gwendis' physical health and it probably won't be long until she or Wesley will start with the torture, to get their broken, brainwashed servant. After all, that is the only type of relationship Aisha knows. That said, she is not as all-knowing as she claims to be. She was clearly afraid when Lyla overpowered Wesley. She misjudges Trentan's feelings for her and I think instead of a sex slave, she probably has an enemy now. That makes me believe that she is, in fact, dragging Gwen to her death. Argh, that utter fucking bitch, I don't think it is possible for anyone to hate anything as much as I hate her. No matter from what perspective I try to look at it, there is no angle, no situation or Point-of-View in which Aisha gas any sort of a positive or even just neutral aspect to her character. That is pure, irredeemable evil and I'll make her pay for what she did and undoubtedly will do in the next chapter.
And finally, I can only end Gwen's crazy, exciting and utterly terrifying Chapter 2 storyline with the most fitting video ever. I have the feeling I am going to post it a lot more, like, every time Wesley the Worstley opens his mouth.
Naemon
"Maybe", Naemon said quietly, avoiding eye contact with his father. Benedict narrowed his eyes, looking at his son. "Maybe?" He sa… moreid with a questioning tone, and Naemon nodded.
"Yes, maybe. If Gwendis comes back safely, and you make things right here, then I can consider forgiving you your mistake", he answered with a harsh tone. The King looked at his son quietly for a moment, until finally letting out a sigh and nodding. "So be it", he muttered, turning his gaze down. Naemon turned away from Benedict, walking to his horse and mounting it, right between Malcolm and Davos. Meanwhile Lord Alester was already cantering towards the open gates, leading his forces out of Blackmont.
"Are you ready, Prince Naemon?" Malcolm asked with a polite tone, and Naemon answered with a silent nod. So, they rode out of Blackmont, beginning their mission to defeat Karsan Taller's rebellion.
-
That evening they made their camp down to the va… [view original content]
Oh no, Lyla Oh god damn it, damn! I knew it was to early to celebrate, but neither did I expect things to go south this terribly quickly. And now Lyla is dead, Gwendis is still a prisoner, Aisha is still a hopeless fucking bitch and my heart is broken
Indeed, poor Lyla Well, at least she went down like a badass, almost killing one of the most terrifying fighters in this story. And yeah, things really look bad for Gwendis right now. But you know what they say, the second act is always when the heroes are at their lowest, so perhaps there is still hope for the future
My ship, my beautiful ship At least Lyla died protecting Gwen and Trentan, but still, saddest death ever for me. It also means I need a new ship. Hm... how does Nymendis sound? Or Gwensperence? Yeah, might not be a good idea. Maybe I should actually ship her with Desmor, that one still makes at least a bit of sense Ah, don't mind me, I am legitimately in mourning. Lyla has been a bitch, but damn, she grew on me.
Well, as unlikely ship as it was, I'll shed a tear for its sinking as well. And yeah, Lyla's death is potentially the most tragic so far in the story, rivaled only by Purple Ocelot and Ser Yandry. Those two were both off screen though, and generally a bit less tragic, so Lyla definitely takes the no. 1 spot... for now. And well, it could be that the Desmor ship has sailed at this point, but who knows Anyway, I'm glad to hear Lyla grew on you towards the end, that was the intent. She was her bitchy self to the very end, but she also showed some very respectable qualities. RIP Lyla
Now, Aisha, gods, Aisha, is there any moment in which she is not reaching a new low with every new part? That utter piece of turd should have done a single smart thing in her life and just let Gwen go. She didn't, she even murdered Lyla and by doing so, she sealed her own fate. She must die, she will die and the only thing I hope is that she will suffer before this happens. She really dropped her mask in this part, showing just what a vile creature she is. That right there is not only a bitch, but a stupid bitch, who is going to die screaming. Literalky the only good thing about her is that she does not harm Gwendis for now, but I fear it is only a matter of time until she crosses that line. And there is no saying what damage her schemes cause, mentally and emotionally. She is just the utter worst fucker ever.
Heh, we might've reached the peak on your Aisha hate now, though I'm more and more certain that there will be no return from this peak, no chance for Aisha to ever redeem herself in your eyes And I don't blame you, what she did in this part, it was most certainly evil. Surely she still thinks she is doing the right thing here, but there is just no way to spin this so that Aisha would've been the "good guy" here. We'll see how will she continue to evolve in Chapter 3, and whether she'll survive it, or die screaming
Hell, not even Wesley is as bad as her. At least he is not invulnerable. Lyla, my beloved badass, almost had him, just a little bit more and that would have been it. Now he has lost an eye and I think this might make him more defeatable. Oh Dalia, where are thou? I think she can take him now, though he is obviously still a lot of work. That guy is literally a monster and I doubt the demon bitch can keep him safe. Neither do I think she wants it. I guess that whatever she has planned does not necessarily require Gwendis' physical health and it probably won't be long until she or Wesley will start with the torture, to get their broken, brainwashed servant. After all, that is the only type of relationship Aisha knows. That said, she is not as all-knowing as she claims to be. She was clearly afraid when Lyla overpowered Wesley. She misjudges Trentan's feelings for her and I think instead of a sex slave, she probably has an enemy now. That makes me believe that she is, in fact, dragging Gwen to her death. Argh, that utter fucking bitch, I don't think it is possible for anyone to hate anything as much as I hate her. No matter from what perspective I try to look at it, there is no angle, no situation or Point-of-View in which Aisha gas any sort of a positive or even just neutral aspect to her character. That is pure, irredeemable evil and I'll make her pay for what she did and undoubtedly will do in the next chapter.
Well, Mordekhai is at least a more simple case than Aisha. Just have to have someone whose able to defeat him in combat and that's it. With Aisha though, it's unclear what kind of schemes she has in mind, and how exactly to counter them. That said, it was quite clear in this part that when it seemed like Mordekhai was defeated, Aisha was completely at Lyla's mercy. Well, maybe she would've still had some trick in her sleeve, but most likely she couldn't have saved herself. And yeah, whatever love Trentan had for Aisha, has probably turned to fear by now, and could potentially evolve into hate in the future. Nonetheless, he could definitely make an ally for Gwen.
And finally, I can only end Gwen's crazy, exciting and utterly terrifying Chapter 2 storyline with the most fitting video ever. I have the feeling I am going to post it a lot more, like, every time Wesley the Worstley opens his mouth.
Heh, Mordekhai isn't much of a talker, but still, I do feel like you'll indeed be tempted to use that video quite often in Chapter 3
Oh no, Lyla Oh god damn it, damn! I knew it was to early to celebrate, but neither did I expect things to go south this terribly quickly. A… morend now Lyla is dead, Gwendis is still a prisoner, Aisha is still a hopeless fucking bitch and my heart is broken
Really, this is literally how I feel right now:
My ship, my beautiful ship At least Lyla died protecting Gwen and Trentan, but still, saddest death ever for me. It also means I need a new ship. Hm... how does Nymendis sound? Or Gwensperence? Yeah, might not be a good idea. Maybe I should actually ship her with Desmor, that one still makes at least a bit of sense Ah, don't mind me, I am legitimately in mourning. Lyla has been a bitch, but damn, she grew on me.
Now, Aisha, gods, Aisha, is there any moment in which she is not reaching a new low with every new part? That utter piece of turd should have done a single smart thing in her life and just let Gwen go. She didn't, she even m… [view original content]
Dalia
The naked bodies of Dalia and Kris were tangled around each other, sweat on their skin, and hearts beating against each other. Dali… morea looked Kris into his deep green eyes, feeling like she could stare at them forever.
"Are we fools for doing this, Lord Kris?" She asked quietly, but the Lord of Vaith just chuckled softly. "We'd be fools not to, Princess Dalia", he answered smoothly. Dalia raised her eyebrow for this. "How so?" She challenged him with playful tone, and Kris took in a deep breath.
"Well, isn't it moments like these that we live for?" He asked with a smirk. "What else do we go through all the shit and hardships of life for, if not to feel the touch of someone special, someone we care about?"
"For our children", Dalia answered immediately, and Kris nodded in agreement. "That too, of course", he admitted. "But still, without moments like these, life just wouldn't be worth all the bad times", he continued with a sig… [view original content]
Man, this death makes me angry, I wish any of the characters I created were to kill this monster, but I can't be selfish, so I'll just wait to see who has the honor of crushing this guy.
Naemon
"Maybe", Naemon said quietly, avoiding eye contact with his father. Benedict narrowed his eyes, looking at his son. "Maybe?" He sa… moreid with a questioning tone, and Naemon nodded.
"Yes, maybe. If Gwendis comes back safely, and you make things right here, then I can consider forgiving you your mistake", he answered with a harsh tone. The King looked at his son quietly for a moment, until finally letting out a sigh and nodding. "So be it", he muttered, turning his gaze down. Naemon turned away from Benedict, walking to his horse and mounting it, right between Malcolm and Davos. Meanwhile Lord Alester was already cantering towards the open gates, leading his forces out of Blackmont.
"Are you ready, Prince Naemon?" Malcolm asked with a polite tone, and Naemon answered with a silent nod. So, they rode out of Blackmont, beginning their mission to defeat Karsan Taller's rebellion.
-
That evening they made their camp down to the va… [view original content]
Ah man of course my computer quits working right at the end of the chapter when the action is literally everywhere I usually don't like typing up much on my phone but I have to give it a shot here!
Naemon's part was pretty interesting with myself especially enjoying the talk between Malcolm, Naemon, and Davos. It was nice seeing the future of their houses conversing and how their part ended with such optimism and hope for the future. It also made a random worry come to my mind as well which I won't go real in depth on because it is long but it would change alot of things good or bad depending on perspective and you probably know what I'm hinting at anyway.
Now for Gwendis' part, well I was not expecting Lyla to die Lyla's death is without doubt the saddest death in the entire story for me up to this point especially since it was shown on screen and the way she died was especially sad as well. It is pretty much now confirmed in ny eyes that the Skyreach option was the way to go since I really am not sure how much longer Aisha will keep up her facade of being in the right and also not physically harming Gwendis which is possible especially with Mordekhai around. Speaking of Mordekhai, I feel this part showed something that I am especially happy about. This guy is far from invincible especially considering he basically got owned in the first fight he had with someone who can fight back and a little woman at that. I know Lyla is a skilled assassin but they usually fight in the shadows and she pretty much defeated him in a fair duel here which I imagine is a bit out of her element. It makes me especially hyped because I think it confirmed what I already believed anyway and that is that a skilled fighter like a Jamison or Naemon or someone like that could cut through this guy like cake. It also now more than ever has me wanting to see Naemon kill this guy since I feel Mordekhai would be the perfect person for Naemon to overcome his apprehensiveness to kill with. I know that probably won't happen but it is still an interesting thought nonetheless. Anyway, these were both great parts and excellent ways to end the Blackmont's storylines and I very much look forward to seeing just where Chapter 3 takes them.
Naemon
"Maybe", Naemon said quietly, avoiding eye contact with his father. Benedict narrowed his eyes, looking at his son. "Maybe?" He sa… moreid with a questioning tone, and Naemon nodded.
"Yes, maybe. If Gwendis comes back safely, and you make things right here, then I can consider forgiving you your mistake", he answered with a harsh tone. The King looked at his son quietly for a moment, until finally letting out a sigh and nodding. "So be it", he muttered, turning his gaze down. Naemon turned away from Benedict, walking to his horse and mounting it, right between Malcolm and Davos. Meanwhile Lord Alester was already cantering towards the open gates, leading his forces out of Blackmont.
"Are you ready, Prince Naemon?" Malcolm asked with a polite tone, and Naemon answered with a silent nod. So, they rode out of Blackmont, beginning their mission to defeat Karsan Taller's rebellion.
-
That evening they made their camp down to the va… [view original content]
Ah man of course my computer quits working right at the end of the chapter when the action is literally everywhere I usually don't like typing up much on my phone but I have to give it a shot here!
Pity indeed. And I know from experience that typing longer posts with phone really sucks, so I'm thankful that you went throught the trouble to share your thoughts about this part!
Naemon's part was pretty interesting with myself especially enjoying the talk between Malcolm, Naemon, and Davos. It was nice seeing the future of their houses conversing and how their part ended with such optimism and hope for the future. It also made a random worry come to my mind as well which I won't go real in depth on because it is long but it would change alot of things good or bad depending on perspective and you probably know what I'm hinting at anyway.
Yeah, Naemon's part was meant to be a bit calmer wrap up, contrasting starkly on how Gwendis' Chapter 2 ended. Naemon and Malcolm represent the future of their houses, which really makes their relationship and interactions interesting. Naemon is definitely still feeling down about Gwendis, and while Malcolm certainly sympathizes with that, he is also quite optimistic about the future of the Western Dorne, seeing that an alliance between him and Naemon would probably work better than the one between Vorian and Benedict. And well, I could guess that what you're hinting at might be related to the threat of the Martell's, and the fact that Nymeria's invasion could eventually drive Malcolm and Naemon to the opposite sides of the war. We'll see in the more distant future if that'll be the case
Now for Gwendis' part, well I was not expecting Lyla to die Lyla's death is without doubt the saddest death in the entire story for me up to this point especially since it was shown on screen and the way she died was especially sad as well. It is pretty much now confirmed in ny eyes that the Skyreach option was the way to go since I really am not sure how much longer Aisha will keep up her facade of being in the right and also not physically harming Gwendis which is possible especially with Mordekhai around. Speaking of Mordekhai, I feel this part showed something that I am especially happy about. This guy is far from invincible especially considering he basically got owned in the first fight he had with someone who can fight back and a little woman at that. I know Lyla is a skilled assassin but they usually fight in the shadows and she pretty much defeated him in a fair duel here which I imagine is a bit out of her element. It makes me especially hyped because I think it confirmed what I already believed anyway and that is that a skilled fighter like a Jamison or Naemon or someone like that could cut through this guy like cake. It also now more than ever has me wanting to see Naemon kill this guy since I feel Mordekhai would be the perfect person for Naemon to overcome his apprehensiveness to kill with. I know that probably won't happen but it is still an interesting thought nonetheless. Anyway, these were both great parts and excellent ways to end the Blackmont's storylines and I very much look forward to seeing just where Chapter 3 takes them.
Yeah, I kinda just realized after posting the part that Lyla is the first really big death of the story. I mean, we've had a few impactful death scenes, like Forovos killing Donovar or Missy killing Ronny, as well as some pretty tragic off screen deaths like Purple Ocelot and Yandry, but this one was definitely the most hard hitting death of NW so far. There should be some more of them coming, but I believe Lyla's death will remain at least in top 5 of the most shocking deaths in Book 1. And you're right, Mordekhai can definitely be defeated. Jamison for sure would take him down, even if it wouldn't necessarily be easy even for him, and he certainly couldn't afford to act cocky. Naemon too should be able to defeat Mordekhai, though his weakness is his lack of willingness to kill when it comes to duels to death like this one. However, as you said, Mordekhai could very well be one to make him forget about that. What comes to Lyla, she did have the right strategy, and she is quite fast and skilled. That said, you're right, she is more comfortable with working in the shadows and killing the enemy before they even notice her. That of course wasn't an option here, but she did well in an honest duel as well. And while this part confirmed that Mordekhai can be taken down, it also confirmed that he might not stay down. In other words, he is basically inhumanly durable to all kinds of damage, most likely thanks to some kind of dark magic. Slit his throat or straight up cut off his head though and even he should stay down Glad you enjoyed the parts!
Ah man of course my computer quits working right at the end of the chapter when the action is literally everywhere I usually don't like typ… moreing up much on my phone but I have to give it a shot here!
Naemon's part was pretty interesting with myself especially enjoying the talk between Malcolm, Naemon, and Davos. It was nice seeing the future of their houses conversing and how their part ended with such optimism and hope for the future. It also made a random worry come to my mind as well which I won't go real in depth on because it is long but it would change alot of things good or bad depending on perspective and you probably know what I'm hinting at anyway.
Now for Gwendis' part, well I was not expecting Lyla to die Lyla's death is without doubt the saddest death in the entire story for me up to this point especially since it was shown on screen and the way she died was especially sad as well. It is pretty much now confirmed in ny eyes… [view original content]
Indeed, poor Lyla Well, at least she went down like a badass, almost killing one of the most terrifying fighters in this story. And yeah, things really look bad for Gwendis right now. But you know what they say, the second act is always when the heroes are at their lowest, so perhaps there is still hope for the future
I was actually surprised how well she held her own there. And one thing is for sure, him losing an eye will weaken Wesley somewhat. He has a blind spot now and a skilled fighter could use that for their favour. I guess if Lyla were to fight against him once again in his current condition, she would even win. Or at least she could take his other eye, I bet not even he can recover from that. And yeah, I guess you are right. I knew Lyla was a bit of a false hope, as she came too early for me to buy it, but she is not the only hope I have. Though I guess there can't be any help to be expected from House Blackmont now, given that Benny has put his hopes into Lyla. So... if there is a chance for Gwendis, I think it's Desi and Dalia. Man, that is seriously ironic, given how I originally felt about them. That, or she escapes on her own, with a mixture of her own cunning and help from Trentan, though I see this as less likely, given what she is up against. Or maybe a mixture of it all. Dalia provides a distraction, if only as a side effect of confronting Aisha, Wesley gets to fight her, while Trentan distracts Aisha (preferrably by violently stabbing her into the guts), which leaves Gwendis to run for her life. Ah, as dark as things look right now, I will remain hopeful until I actually learn what the witch-bitch wants from Gwen. I realized that there has to be a reason she is so stubborn in forcing her into servitude, meaning there must be a very particular use for her. But this is surely the darkest and lowest point she has been in her storyline so far.
Well, as unlikely ship as it was, I'll shed a tear for its sinking as well. And yeah, Lyla's death is potentially the most tragic so far in the story, rivaled only by Purple Ocelot and Ser Yandry. Those two were both off screen though, and generally a bit less tragic, so Lyla definitely takes the no. 1 spot... for now. And well, it could be that the Desmor ship has sailed at this point, but who knows Anyway, I'm glad to hear Lyla grew on you towards the end, that was the intent. She was her bitchy self to the very end, but she also showed some very respectable qualities. RIP Lyla
It was the best ship to ever sail. If it would have sailed, that is But ah, it has indeed been a very unlikely one, though that has been part of the appeal. I know, neither could actually stand the other in the slightest, but just imagine the sheer amount of snark such a relationship could have produced Now, Gwesmor might be similarly unlikely, but well, in the end it is still more possible, on account of both of them still being alive. Man, just writing that actually hurts, I already miss Lyla A giant mega bitch she has been, yeah, but unlik many other giant mega bitches, she wasn't actually evil and the loyalty she has shown to Benedict was as surprising as it was respectable.
Heh, we might've reached the peak on your Aisha hate now, though I'm more and more certain that there will be no return from this peak, no chance for Aisha to ever redeem herself in your eyes And I don't blame you, what she did in this part, it was most certainly evil. Surely she still thinks she is doing the right thing here, but there is just no way to spin this so that Aisha would've been the "good guy" here. We'll see how will she continue to evolve in Chapter 3, and whether she'll survive it, or die screaming
That is the peak? Oh, I think it can still get worse. Though I guess if this is the peak, the least that will happen is that she won't get any better from here on anytime soon, if ever. And yeah, I really see no way for Aisha to redeem herself. The best she can hope for is that I'll end up seeing her as not as bad as some of the other characters, which is already going to take a lot from her. I just cannot grasp how anyone could continue to see themselves as being in the right. If she would have just let Gwen go, that would at least prove that she understands that she cannot force anyone to share her sick beliefs, but well, her actively chasing after her proves that she lacks even this simple insight. The thought process behind her decisions is baffling and with this particular one, she has surely sealed her own fate. If she would have allowed Gwendis to leave, I would have actually stopped actively trying to kill her with my choices, but now I keep thinking that merely burning her alive is too kind for her. Though I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up surviving Chapter 3. If Gwen herself survives this as well, this witch could come back to haunt her in a later chapter.
Well, Mordekhai is at least a more simple case than Aisha. Just have to have someone whose able to defeat him in combat and that's it. With Aisha though, it's unclear what kind of schemes she has in mind, and how exactly to counter them. That said, it was quite clear in this part that when it seemed like Mordekhai was defeated, Aisha was completely at Lyla's mercy. Well, maybe she would've still had some trick in her sleeve, but most likely she couldn't have saved herself. And yeah, whatever love Trentan had for Aisha, has probably turned to fear by now, and could potentially evolve into hate in the future. Nonetheless, he could definitely make an ally for Gwen.
To be fair, in thse regards, Aisha is also pretty simple to take down. Someone who gets past Wesley has very good chances to get past her as well, given that she is not much of a fighter. If Lyla would have actually killed Wesley, she would have more than likely managed to kill Aisha as well. Though I guess this is less of a case of her being unable to defend herself and more a case of her not having seen this coming. She's clearly not all-knowing, but I believe that she does get some glimpses of possible futures. I actually believe that she saw Gwendis' death in Skyreach and that she saw her trying to escape, just like she saw Lyla's death at the hands of Wesley. However, I guess she is not really realizing that such futures can be changed, even if she herself changed Gwen's future by taking her away from Blackmont. So, it was really satisfying to see her dropping her insufferable, smug bitchiness when things did not go her way. She's a lot more tolerable when she is afraid for her life With Trentan, he gave me a really positive opinion in this part. I was a bit afraid he could lead Aisha to Gwen and Lyla, but I misjudged him there and it now seems that he will indeed become a good ally for Gwen. Maybe, if not outright helping her to survive against Aisha, he could at least help her against a possible encounter with Dalia, by testifying that she is a good person and therefore preventing Desi from ordering her death.
Heh, Mordekhai isn't much of a talker, but still, I do feel like you'll indeed be tempted to use that video quite often in Chapter 3
Indeed I shall! I mean, Wesley indeed is not much of a talker, but he's still not completely mute. And to be fair, even then I'd find a way to post this video. Seriously though, I did not know this video exists when I came up with his new name, but I am more than ever sure that I chose correctly
Oh no, Lyla Oh god damn it, damn! I knew it was to early to celebrate, but neither did I expect things to go south this terribly quickly. A… morend now Lyla is dead, Gwendis is still a prisoner, Aisha is still a hopeless fucking bitch and my heart is broken
Indeed, poor Lyla Well, at least she went down like a badass, almost killing one of the most terrifying fighters in this story. And yeah, things really look bad for Gwendis right now. But you know what they say, the second act is always when the heroes are at their lowest, so perhaps there is still hope for the future
My ship, my beautiful ship At least Lyla died protecting Gwen and Trentan, but still, saddest death ever for me. It also means I need a new ship. Hm... how does Nymendis sound? Or Gwensperence? Yeah, might not be a good idea. Maybe I should actually ship her with Desmor, that one still makes at least a bit of sense Ah, don't mind me, I am legitimately in mourning… [view original content]
Dalia will send the Unsullied to take the bridge. Well, it's not exactly a spoiler that the Unsullied are famed for their discipline and high morale, so most likely they'll do a good job taking that bridge, allowing the Battle for Vaith to truly begin
Anyway, what comes to the next part, well, I have one short Tomas part ready, which will conclude his storyline in Chapter 2. However, as I said it's very short, so I'd like to finish Nymeria's Chapter 2 finale as well and post them together. My progress with that one has been a bit slower though, but hopefully I'll be motivated enough tomorrow to finish it.
Last time on Tomas' storyline he removed the crown from his nephew Levor Toland's head, beginning to guide him towards working with the Martell's. Meanwhile the shady councillor Argim Taler, who apparently had tried to get Levor to ally with the Yronwood's after Donovar's death, ran away from Ghost Hill. Ser Garibald of Sevengrace informed Tomas about this, and he decided to send men after Argim. Nymeria on the other hand returned from her visit to Redclif, with her Lord Ormond Bloodspill and his youngest son Cason Bloodspill. In Sandship two guests were waiting for Nym - Ser Martyn Santagar, the young head of House Santagar, and Ser Benjamin Told, a knight working for a mysterious man named Edd Prally. Ser Martyn bent the knee to Nymeria and Mors, and Ser Benjamin brought with him a message from Esperence Allyrion, telling that Godsgrace's gates would be opened for Nymeria without resistance. After meeting these guests Nymeria held a council meeting. At the end of this meeting she had to decide who will she leave to Sandship, to hold the castle, as well as keep an eye on Ormond. She decided to leave this duty for Farrah of Ghoyan Drohe, the Commander of the Royal Guard.
As said, I hope I'll get the Nym part ready tomorrow
"Commander Farrah, you will stay in command of Sandship when our army marches to Godsgrace", Nymeria said with a decisive tone. The look on Farrah's eyes was surprised. "My Princess... are you sure that is a good idea?" She asked with confusion.
"Yes, I know this is different from your usual duty, commander, but there is the risk of Sandship being attacked while we are gone, so I need someone I can trust to stay here", she answered calmly, giving a meaningful look at Farrah. "I understand", Farrah said now, bowing to Nymeria.
The Princess stood up, gazing at her husband. "Is there something more we should discuss?" She asked, but no one answered. "Fine then, in few days we will march to war, prepare yourselves", Nymeria said, looking now at Mors and Varyn, whom both nodded to her. Then she walked out of the council chamber.
-
Later that evening Nymeria was having dinner with Mors alone in their chambers. The servants had brought them wine and fine meals, but their mood was nervous, almost tense. The war was about to truly begin, and Nymeria could see from Mors' eyes that he was just as anxious about the thought as she was.
"If we can take Godsgrace, and the Fallen Dragons will take Salt Shore... Our hold on the Central Dorne will be strong", Mors said with some uncertainty in his voice.
"Are you afraid we won't succeed?" Nymeria asked quietly, and Mors let out a sigh. "I don't know", he answered truthfully, taking a gulp of wine. "It's just.... strange. Recently I've felt that I have had all the luck in the world, ever since you came into my life. And now, I'm starting to fear when will that luck run out."
"Only gods know, I suppose", Nymeria stated calmly, which made Mors shrug. "Well, there is no use asking from them", he replied dryly, "they seldom answer."
"And we don't need their answers", Nymeria said with a determined tone on her voice, looking her husband to the eyes. "Remember, we will find our own path, we will forge our own destiny. It's all in our hands, we just have to... trust ourselves." A small smile was formed on Mors' face, and he nodded to Nymeria.
"You're right, Nym", he admitted with a small sigh. "You're right... we can't give up now."
"Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", Nymeria said with a smirk. "Those are the words of your house, right?"
"Our house", Mors corrected with a nod. "Our house", Nymeria confirmed softly, looking to the eyes of the man who had welcomed her and her people with open arms, raised them all back to dignity and offered them an opportunity to find a home in this foreign land. The man I love, she thought with a smile. Then something came to her mind.
"The Valyrian lady... she is still here, right?" She asked, and Mors raised his eyebrow, clearly surprised by the question. "Oh, yes, I believe she is in the library right now", he answered, a questioning look on his eyes.
"Good... I need to have a conversation with her", Nymeria said decidedly, and the expression on Mors' face was somewhat concerned. "My dear, this young lady, she is in no way responsible to what the Valyrian's did to your people", Mors said carefully, and Nymeria gave her an agreeing nod.
"You are correct", she said with a sigh. "And that is exactly why I need to talk to her." Mors seemed still a bit confused, but nodded to Nymeria anyway. The Princess emptied her cup, and walked to Mors. "I'll be back soon", she said quietly, quickly kissing her husband to the lips and walking out of their chambers.
As she walked towards the library, for some reason she felt nervous, almost anxious, about facing this young woman. But she had to do it, she had to talk to her. Nymeria was escorted by Ser Boran Sargen, and at the doorway to the library the bodyguards of the Valyrian lady were standing in guard.
The one who was clearly Valyrian, Jaelor, tensed up as Nymeria and Boran approached them, but the Ghiscari one, Grazhen, seemed much more relaxed.
"We are here to see Lady Eraehra", Nymeria said calmly, and Jaelor narrowed his eyes, a suspicious look on them. "And what exactly do you want from her?" He inquired, which mildly irritated Nymeria.
"May I remind you that we are in my castle, stand aside", she commanded strictly, but the Valyrian guard didn't move and inch, now even taking his hand to the hilt of his sword. Ser Boran did the same, stepping between Jaelor and Nymeria.
"I only want to talk to her", Nymeria cleared with a sigh, and now the Grazhen stepped next to Jaelor, putting his hand on his shoulder. He said something to the man in Valyrian, which finally convinced Jaelor to step aside, letting Nymeria and Boran inside the library. Of course, both Jaelor and Grezhan followed them in.
Quickly they found Eraehra, sitting by a table with her scholar Maemar, a fairly small book opened in front of them. They noticed them coming, and turned they gaze towards them. Jaelor said something to Eraehra in Valyrian, and the young lady answered to him with a calm and smooth tone on her voice. After that she turned to Nymeria again.
"Good evening, Lady Eraehra", Nymeria greeted politely, taking a seat opposed to the Valyrian lady. "What are you reading this time?" She asked calmly.
"Princess Nymeria, this is an unexpected honor", she said with a calm and polite, even if slightly confused, tone. "I was just reading about Anders Martell, the grandfather of Lord Mors", Eraehra answered Nymeria's question. "Apparently Anders and his brothers crushed a rebellious house called Redclif. At the end of the war the castle of Redclif was left without a lord, so Anders named his friend and trusted warrior named Orwyn, and that was how House Bloodspill was born."
To her surprise, Nymeria found this information actually quite interesting. She hadn't really thought about the history of House Bloodspill, and it was a surprise to him that they had been established just two generations ago.
"Looks like you are starting to know more about the history of Dorne than I do", Nymeria said dryly, and Eraehra's lips formed a small smile. "Don't you think it would be important to know the history of the land you wish to rule?" Asked Maemar, the old man sitting beside Eraehra. Though his tone was completely polite, the question still annoyed Nymeria a bit. "Mors has taught me the basics", she said with a sigh. "Sadly I haven't had much time to learn about the details."
"I understand, your highness", Maemar replied with a humble tone. Then Eraehra spoke up again. "What did you want to talk about, my Princess?" She asked with a kind voice, and Nymeria forced a smile on her face.
"The past", she said calmly, trying her best to keep all bitterness away from her voice. Eraehra nodded. "I assume you mean the Second Spice War", she said quietly, and Nymeria nodded.
"That war, as well as all the wars between our people that came before it... It's not easy to forgive", the Princess said, gulping. "But I know you had no part in it, and I can't blame every Valyrian for what happened. And I also want to acknowledge that many of your people died as well, many good men, leaving behind widow's and orphans." Nymeria could see that her words moved Eraehra, who had to take a moment before answering.
"You know, before my ship wrecked here, I had a disdain for the Rhoynar", she said with uncertainty. "So many years of hearing about the terrors committed against the Valyrian soldiers by your people, losing my brother... Let's just say my feelings towards you weren't far from what yours probably were towards me." Eraehra paused, clearly holding back tears. "But I've found respect for you and your people while I've been here, and I'm ready to put the past behind."
"As am I", Nymeria said softly, offering her hand for the Valyrian. After a small moment of hesitation, Eraehra grabbed Nymeria's hand and they looked each other in the eyes. As they let go of each other, Eraehra spoke up again.
"As much anger as I had towards the Rhoynar, I was also disgusted by what the dragon lords did after they had already won", she said with a serious tone. "Slaughtering and enslaving innocents... I hope you will be kinder towards the people whose lands you will conquer, Princess Nymeria."
"I will", she promised wholeheartedly. "I will."
No decision.
-
Tomas
Tomas stood on the balcony of his chambers at the northern tower of Ghost Hill, looking at the Sea of Dorne in front of him as the sun was setting to the west. The sun made the sea glimmer in gold. What a beautiful sight, Tomas thought calmly, leaning on the railing and feeling the smooth wind on his skin.
As he looked at the cliffs next to the sea, the memories from his childhood rushed to his mind. On those cliffs he always played monsters and maidens with Donovar and the girls of the court. Back then they were just two young and innocent boys. What they grew up to be was something else. Tomas let out a sigh, wondering what would Levor and Mateo grow up to be. The important thing is that they will grow up, I will make sure of that.
Suddenly Tomas heard knocking on the door of his chambers. Slowly he turned around, leaving the beautiful sight behind him, and walking back inside and towards the door. Before he reached it, the door was knocked again. "I'm coming!" Tomas yelled with mild irritation. In a couple seconds he made it to the door and opened it. Out there Ser Garibald was waiting for him, a dutiful expression on his face.
"Ser Tomas, Argim was caught on the road towards the Tor, and brought back here", he informed with a formal tone. "He has now been brought down to the dungeons", he added, and a small smile was formed on Tomas' face. "Did Levor notice?" He asked calmly, and Garibald shook his head.
"Good", Tomas said, walking out of his chambers and past Garibald. Together they made their way down from the tower, and all the way to the dungeons of Ghost Hill. In front of one of the cells were standing two guards, and the door of that cell was open. "Is he in there?" Tomas asked as he got closer, and the guards nodded to him. Without anymore words Tomas made his way inside the cell, which was illuminated with a single torch. Argim Taler was shackled to the wooden pole in the middle of the room, a sour look on his weasel face.
"You have no right to imprison me, Lord Tomas", the man hissed, but Tomas stayed silent, giving only an intense glare at Argim. "When Levor hears of this..."
"He doesn't need to hear of this", Tomas cut him off with a cold tone, taking another step closer to Argim. "I'll give you a chance to confess without making things complicated, Argim... Do you work for King Yorick Yronwood?"
"I have no idea what are you talking about", Argim insisted with a pretentious tone. Tomas took in a deep breath, taking another step closer to Argim, now being a mere two feet away from him. "Father forgive me for what I'm about to do", he said quietly, and Argim chuckled mockingly. "Oh, Lord Tomas, always consorting with the gods. Have you considered that perhaps they don't give a rat's ass about you and your doings?" He said this with the intent to mock Tomas, but for Argim's surprise a smirk was formed on Tomas' face.
"Perhaps, Lord Argim, you are right about this... Most likely the gods don't care what I'll do to you", with these words he threw a hard punch on Argim's face. For a moment Argim kept his face down, spitting out blood. After a moment he turned his head up again, a pained and angered expression on his face.
"Do you work for Yorick Yronwood?" Tomas repeated the question. "I will tell you nothing", Argim hissed, and so Tomas kicked him in the guts, making him scream in pain. Tomas chuckled, trying to look Argim to the eyes, but he was avoiding eye contact.
"You worthless rat... You have been manipulating my brother, and then my nephew, spying this house for the enemy", Tomas ranted, but Argim just laughed. It was a pathetic and weak laugh, but it still irritated Tomas. "You have no reason to laugh now, Argim Taler", he said with a threatening tone, and finally Argim raised his gaze to look Tomas into the eyes.
"Oh, but I do", he whispered with a sly tone. "Because sooner or later you will either bend your knee to Yorick... or you will die." This made Tomas throw another punch on Argim's face. Now Argim coughed in pain, keeping his eyes on the floor, looking like he was only barely conscious.
"Perhaps that's enough, Lord Tomas", Ser Garibald said with a concerned tone, but Tomas ignored him. He lowered himself to a crouch, so he was on Argim's level, and took his head to his hands, forcing Argim to look at him. Tomas took out his dagger, and put the blade an inch away from Argim's neck. "Tell me, what are Yorick Yronwood's plans regarding Ghost Hill", he demanded. There was fear in Argim's eyes, real fear, but he stayed silent. "Speak!" Tomas shouted, and now he saw the annoying grin forming on Argim's face.
"I will not betray my king", he said quietly, "so kill me if you have to."
Nymeria
"Commander Farrah, you will stay in command of Sandship when our army marches to Godsgrace", Nymeria said with a decisive tone. T… morehe look on Farrah's eyes was surprised. "My Princess... are you sure that is a good idea?" She asked with confusion.
"Yes, I know this is different from your usual duty, commander, but there is the risk of Sandship being attacked while we are gone, so I need someone I can trust to stay here", she answered calmly, giving a meaningful look at Farrah. "I understand", Farrah said now, bowing to Nymeria.
The Princess stood up, gazing at her husband. "Is there something more we should discuss?" She asked, but no one answered. "Fine then, in few days we will march to war, prepare yourselves", Nymeria said, looking now at Mors and Varyn, whom both nodded to her. Then she walked out of the council chamber.
-
Later that evening Nymeria was having dinner with Mors alone in their chambers. The servants ha… [view original content]
While I don't think he's gonna budge any time soon, maybe he has other uses, and unless someone releases him, he's not gonna go anywhere soon. [Keep Argim imprisoned]
Nymeria
"Commander Farrah, you will stay in command of Sandship when our army marches to Godsgrace", Nymeria said with a decisive tone. T… morehe look on Farrah's eyes was surprised. "My Princess... are you sure that is a good idea?" She asked with confusion.
"Yes, I know this is different from your usual duty, commander, but there is the risk of Sandship being attacked while we are gone, so I need someone I can trust to stay here", she answered calmly, giving a meaningful look at Farrah. "I understand", Farrah said now, bowing to Nymeria.
The Princess stood up, gazing at her husband. "Is there something more we should discuss?" She asked, but no one answered. "Fine then, in few days we will march to war, prepare yourselves", Nymeria said, looking now at Mors and Varyn, whom both nodded to her. Then she walked out of the council chamber.
-
Later that evening Nymeria was having dinner with Mors alone in their chambers. The servants ha… [view original content]
Nymeria
"Commander Farrah, you will stay in command of Sandship when our army marches to Godsgrace", Nymeria said with a decisive tone. T… morehe look on Farrah's eyes was surprised. "My Princess... are you sure that is a good idea?" She asked with confusion.
"Yes, I know this is different from your usual duty, commander, but there is the risk of Sandship being attacked while we are gone, so I need someone I can trust to stay here", she answered calmly, giving a meaningful look at Farrah. "I understand", Farrah said now, bowing to Nymeria.
The Princess stood up, gazing at her husband. "Is there something more we should discuss?" She asked, but no one answered. "Fine then, in few days we will march to war, prepare yourselves", Nymeria said, looking now at Mors and Varyn, whom both nodded to her. Then she walked out of the council chamber.
-
Later that evening Nymeria was having dinner with Mors alone in their chambers. The servants ha… [view original content]
You know, everything inside of me screams to just kill him, to make sure that he won't be a danger anymore. That guy is a traitorous weasel and he just pretty much admitted to his guilt. Tomas would be more than justified to kill him, especially considering that a schemer of his determination is a risk, even if kept in a cell. Who knows, maybe he manages to contact Levor, to convince him that this is all a mistake and that Tomas is the real traitor here. At the same time, I keep thinking that he surely knows more. House Yronwood has big plans, this much is clear now and I think it could be essential for us to get a glimpse of what they are about. This could be important for House Toland, but also for others, as Argim might know about plans for other houses as well, most importantly the Martell's.
Nymeria
"Commander Farrah, you will stay in command of Sandship when our army marches to Godsgrace", Nymeria said with a decisive tone. T… morehe look on Farrah's eyes was surprised. "My Princess... are you sure that is a good idea?" She asked with confusion.
"Yes, I know this is different from your usual duty, commander, but there is the risk of Sandship being attacked while we are gone, so I need someone I can trust to stay here", she answered calmly, giving a meaningful look at Farrah. "I understand", Farrah said now, bowing to Nymeria.
The Princess stood up, gazing at her husband. "Is there something more we should discuss?" She asked, but no one answered. "Fine then, in few days we will march to war, prepare yourselves", Nymeria said, looking now at Mors and Varyn, whom both nodded to her. Then she walked out of the council chamber.
-
Later that evening Nymeria was having dinner with Mors alone in their chambers. The servants ha… [view original content]
Nymeria
"Commander Farrah, you will stay in command of Sandship when our army marches to Godsgrace", Nymeria said with a decisive tone. T… morehe look on Farrah's eyes was surprised. "My Princess... are you sure that is a good idea?" She asked with confusion.
"Yes, I know this is different from your usual duty, commander, but there is the risk of Sandship being attacked while we are gone, so I need someone I can trust to stay here", she answered calmly, giving a meaningful look at Farrah. "I understand", Farrah said now, bowing to Nymeria.
The Princess stood up, gazing at her husband. "Is there something more we should discuss?" She asked, but no one answered. "Fine then, in few days we will march to war, prepare yourselves", Nymeria said, looking now at Mors and Varyn, whom both nodded to her. Then she walked out of the council chamber.
-
Later that evening Nymeria was having dinner with Mors alone in their chambers. The servants ha… [view original content]
While killing him seems like the safest choice, Argim definitely has some useful knowledge that can't go to waste and while he says he won't talk, I also believe Tomas can get the information out of him very soon.
Nymeria
"Commander Farrah, you will stay in command of Sandship when our army marches to Godsgrace", Nymeria said with a decisive tone. T… morehe look on Farrah's eyes was surprised. "My Princess... are you sure that is a good idea?" She asked with confusion.
"Yes, I know this is different from your usual duty, commander, but there is the risk of Sandship being attacked while we are gone, so I need someone I can trust to stay here", she answered calmly, giving a meaningful look at Farrah. "I understand", Farrah said now, bowing to Nymeria.
The Princess stood up, gazing at her husband. "Is there something more we should discuss?" She asked, but no one answered. "Fine then, in few days we will march to war, prepare yourselves", Nymeria said, looking now at Mors and Varyn, whom both nodded to her. Then she walked out of the council chamber.
-
Later that evening Nymeria was having dinner with Mors alone in their chambers. The servants ha… [view original content]
And Tomas will keep Argim imprisoned. Killing him would've certainly been the safe way, in terms of making sure he will do no more harm to House Toland. Of course, it's possible that killing him would've had some negative consequences for Tomas himself. And as some of you pointed out, it would've been a waste, since now Tomas basically knows that Argim works for Yorick, so he must know some pretty interesting things about the plans of the Yronwood's. And it shouldn't be impossible to get some of that information out of him.
In the next parts we'll return to the Battle for Lemonwood. I have a Verro and Nealia PoV under work atm, and I'll try to get them done today. However, it could be that it'll go for tomorrow. Anyway, I feel like very detailed recaps aren't needed, but just as a reminder: Verro decided to go with Nesila to ram the gate of the harbor, and Nealia decided to follow Lien to help Efran's forces take over the battlements next to the western gate of the city, while the rest of the Rose Company ran down to the city.
Alright, I decided to leave the Nealia part for next time, but here is the Verro part:
-
Verro
With a longboat carried over their heads, Verro, Nesila and a dozen more soldiers approached the harbor gates with the ram. Verro could hear the crossbow bolts thudding against the bottom of the longboat above them, as well as some landing close to their feet.
Verro clenched his teeth, determined to keep going. Soon they reached the gate, and begun to ram it. "Hii-oh!" They yelled to keep the rhythm. "Hii-oh!" The head of the ram crashed against the wooden gates again and again, slowly starting to tear them apart. Meanwhile, large rocks were dropped on them, though the longboat did its job protecting them, as did the men carrying it. One of the soldiers carrying the longboat was taken down by a bolt to the guts, but soon another took his place.
"Hii-oh!" They kept ramming the gates, hearing the wood cracking more every time the head of the ram impacted with the gates. Distantly Verro could hear sounds of fighting from the battlements above them – Efran must've led his forces up there by now.
After a few minutes the gate finally gave in, and they could advance inside the gatehouse. Next they would have to ram their way through the inner gate. Inside the gatehouse was completely dark, but they manage to stumble their way to the gate and started ramming it once again. "Hii-oh!"
However, soon something was poured on them through the murder-holes on the ceiling of the gatehouse. A sizzling noise could be hear as the substance hit the longboat above their heads. Boiling oil, Verro realized immediately. Most of the oil flowed to the ground next to them after splashing against the longboat, but small amounts of it drained through the small dents and holes on the bottom of the boat. None of it hit Verro, but the painful screams were enough to tell that not all were so lucky. In fact they even had to put down the ram for a moment, as some of the soldiers were in too much pain and shock to hold it up. Luckily they still managed to hold the boat above their heads, even if some of its carriers had also been injured by the boiling oil. Verro doubted the defenders would use the same trick twice, and he was right. However, now bolts started to rain down from the murder holes. Most of them hit the longboat or missed them completely, but some managed to hit the soldiers that had already been injured by the oil and were now laying on the ground.
"Fuck!" Nesila cursed loudly. "We have to keep ramming the gate! Get to work!" She commanded, and even if many of them were injured, they indeed continued their work. "Hii-oh!" They shouted as the ram once again started to crash against the wooden surface of the gate. With having lost few of the soldiers and being tired from the outer gate, their pace was inevitably getting slower. All the time bolts were shot down on them, but they kept ramming with determination. "Hii-oh!"
Finally, after a time that felt painfully long, the gate gave in, opening them a way into the city. As the gate opened, they threw the longboat away, drawing their swords and shields. They were welcomed by a line of crossbowmen a couple dozen feet from the gates, who immediately shot towards them. Many of them died, though few managed to protect themselves with their shields. Verro himself took a bolt to his upper right leg, and fell down in pain right next to the gates. This is the end, Verro was sure about it. However, as he glanced back towards the gatehouse and the harbor behind it, he could see their forces now pouring in with full force. They charged past the fallen ones, and attacked the defenders on the other side of the street. Meanwhile, with an enormous pain on his right leg, Verro crawled to Nesila, who was laying beside a soldier who had got a bolt to the neck. Nesila had got one on her upper right chest. She was taking deep breaths, clearly in pain. However, her thick leather armor had considerably reduced the damage, and the bolt had made it just a few inches in her flesh. Nesila ripped the bolt away, pressing the small wound with her hand. Verro saw few others of the ram crew getting up and following after the attacking force, though most of them stayed down, either already dead or about to die.
The fighting was going on just a couple dozen feet away from them, and Verro knew the situation could change at any moment. "Nesila, we can't stay here", he muttered, standing up and cringing at the pain on his leg.
"Can you even walk?" Nesila asked with an exhausted look on her face, and Verro nodded affirmatively. However, as he took his first step it came clear he had underestimated the injury, and the pain made him fall on his knees. "Come on", Nesila said, offering her hand. Verro grabbed it, and the Myr woman pulled him up with a groan. Nesila supported Verro, and together they hobbled to the closest house. Nesila kicked the wooden door in, and dragged Verro inside. All the time they could hear the intense sounds of the battle all around them. It was a weird feeling, in this dark and empty house they were at the same time in the middle of the battle, but also completely outside of it.
"Sit there", Nesila said with a calm tone, lowering Verro next to the wall. "Hold on to your sword and keep an eye at the door – I'll go see if there is anything in this house that could work as a bandage." With these words Nesila walked deeper into the house, leaving Verro alone next to the door. He took in a deep breath, trying to calm down. However, the constant screams from the outside, and the considerable pain on his leg made it very hard.
For many long minutes Verro sat there alone, all kinds of thoughts running through his mind. What if they would lose the battle, and the Dalt soldiers would find him from here? Would they show mercy? Probably not, he thought bitterly. Clashing of swords from the battlements could still be heard, but it sounded like the battle on the streets had moved deeper into the city by now. Finally, Nesila came back. In her hands was some kind of cloth, that much Verro could see in the dark.
Nesila crouched next to Verro, looking him in the eyes. "You told me you want to start a new life after this is over, right?" She asked with a tense tone, and Verro nodded. "Good, think about that new life, all the new opportunities."
Verro was slightly confused by this, and he wasn't sure what kind of opportunities would there actually be for him... And then he realized it had just been a trick from Nesila to make him focus on something else while she pulled out the bolt from his leg. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but scream at the extreme pain he felt as the bolt violently exited his flesh. Nesila put her other hand on Verro's wound, and the other one on his mouth.
"Shut up, please", she hissed, breathing heavily. "It's bleeding quite badly", with these words she moved the other hand to press the wound as well. "Get on your back", she commanded strictly, and after a moment of confused hesitation Verro obeyed. As he laid back, he clenched his teeth together to prevent himself from screaming again. Meanwhile, Nesila raised his leg up, to subdue the bleeding.
Verro closed his eyes, feeling lightheaded. He wasn't sure if it was an effect of the blood loss, or if it was just due to the numbing pain. After a moment Nesila started to wrap the cloth around Verro's leg as a bandage. "The wound has to be cleaned after the battle", Nesila muttered, slowly lowering the leg down. Verro raised to a sitting position again, still feeling a bit dizzy. "If I'll survive that long", he said with quiet and grim words, and Nesila frowned at him.
"Is that how you say 'thank you' in Dothraki?" She asked dryly, and a grin was now formed on Verro's face. "What's so funny?" The Myr woman snapped.
"We... don't have a word for 'thank you' in Dothraki", Verro replied, the weak grin still on his face. Nesila rolled her eyes. "Bloody savages", she muttered, and Verro chuckled painfully.
"You were pretty impressive earlier... first on the ship and then at the gates", Verro complimented quietly. "You'd make a fine savage, I think." Nesila raised her eyebrow for this, and let out a soft chuckle. "Thanks, I guess", she said as she stood up, looking towards the door now.
"Well, I think I should go now", she said with a sigh, unsheathing her sword again. "You just rest here until the battle is over – you don't want to ruin your leg permanently." Verro had to agree with that, he didn't want to ruin his leg, but at the same time he felt unsure about this. Staying hidden here while others fought would feel like cowardice. And if they'd lose... Verro would rather die fighting.
Alright, I decided to leave the Nealia part for next time, but here is the Verro part:
-
Verro
With a longboat carried over their h… moreeads, Verro, Nesila and a dozen more soldiers approached the harbor gates with the ram. Verro could hear the crossbow bolts thudding against the bottom of the longboat above them, as well as some landing close to their feet.
Verro clenched his teeth, determined to keep going. Soon they reached the gate, and begun to ram it. "Hii-oh!" They yelled to keep the rhythm. "Hii-oh!" The head of the ram crashed against the wooden gates again and again, slowly starting to tear them apart. Meanwhile, large rocks were dropped on them, though the longboat did its job protecting them, as did the men carrying it. One of the soldiers carrying the longboat was taken down by a bolt to the guts, but soon another took his place.
"Hii-oh!" They kept ramming the gates, hearing the wood cracking more every time the head o… [view original content]
Shit, this is not going as planned I thought this would be a relatively easy victory for Efran's forces. As much as I want these guys to fail, Verro, Nealia and the Rose Company are among my favourites, so Efran's failure will have negative consequences on them and that I don't want. So, while I want the man himself to fail miserably, I would like for as many of his underlings as possible to leave his side first. I bet such a chance will come up after the battle for Lemonwood, where Verro, Tryden and the Rose Company and Bjorn and his raiders might all abandon him. First however, they all have to survive this fight and I have the feeling that there might be some painful casualties along the way. All we can do is to make sure that Verro won't end up as one of them. His leg is pretty messed up now and as Nesila said, he might ruin it permanently if he continues the fight now. And well, he surely risks a lot more than just his leg if he goes out there so heavily wounded. So, I think that staying will be safer for him and better for his physical health. The big fear I have there is that Nesila won't make it out alive with him staying back, but that is a risk I'll have to take. I do kinda ship it though Really don't want her to die, so I hope she will make it out regardless. As always though, I am open for arguments for the other option, it's just that right now, I see staying as the better option for Verro himself.
Alright, I decided to leave the Nealia part for next time, but here is the Verro part:
-
Verro
With a longboat carried over their h… moreeads, Verro, Nesila and a dozen more soldiers approached the harbor gates with the ram. Verro could hear the crossbow bolts thudding against the bottom of the longboat above them, as well as some landing close to their feet.
Verro clenched his teeth, determined to keep going. Soon they reached the gate, and begun to ram it. "Hii-oh!" They yelled to keep the rhythm. "Hii-oh!" The head of the ram crashed against the wooden gates again and again, slowly starting to tear them apart. Meanwhile, large rocks were dropped on them, though the longboat did its job protecting them, as did the men carrying it. One of the soldiers carrying the longboat was taken down by a bolt to the guts, but soon another took his place.
"Hii-oh!" They kept ramming the gates, hearing the wood cracking more every time the head o… [view original content]
Shit, this is not going as planned I thought this would be a relatively easy victory for Efran's forces. As much as I want these guys to fail, Verro, Nealia and the Rose Company are among my favourites, so Efran's failure will have negative consequences on them and that I don't want. So, while I want the man himself to fail miserably, I would like for as many of his underlings as possible to leave his side first.
Oh, this certainly was never going to be an easy battle for Efran. He has made his forces about as strong as possible with the wealth he had from his years as a pirate, but it's still not exactly the most organized or well trained army out there. Still, right now they are overwhelming the defenders, and it's very likely they'll take over the city before dawn - the castle itself could be a bit harder task.
I bet such a chance will come up after the battle for Lemonwood, where Verro, Tryden and the Rose Company and Bjorn and his raiders might all abandon him. First however, they all have to survive this fight and I have the feeling that there might be some painful casualties along the way. All we can do is to make sure that Verro won't end up as one of them.
Well, a big portion of Efran's forces has no real loyalty towards him, so whether he wins or loses this battle it'll certainly be a challenge for him to keep enough troops around him to continue the war, which most likely won't end to this battle. Even if Efran takes over Lemonwood, it's doubtful that the Dalt vassals would accept him as their new liege, and then there is the very real threat of Nymeria getting involved. Bjorn has pretty much zero interest for the war after this battle, as being part of it wouldn't benefit him in any way. Many of the sellswords might stay on Efran's side, in case they still get payed, but Tryden is a very smart and opportunistic man, and he might see the danger in continuing to support Efran and start to consider other options. So yeah, however this battle goes, the future of the Bandit Lord is very uncertain.
[Stay hidden]
Shit, this is not going as planned I thought this would be a relatively easy victory for Efran's forces. As much as I want… more these guys to fail, Verro, Nealia and the Rose Company are among my favourites, so Efran's failure will have negative consequences on them and that I don't want. So, while I want the man himself to fail miserably, I would like for as many of his underlings as possible to leave his side first. I bet such a chance will come up after the battle for Lemonwood, where Verro, Tryden and the Rose Company and Bjorn and his raiders might all abandon him. First however, they all have to survive this fight and I have the feeling that there might be some painful casualties along the way. All we can do is to make sure that Verro won't end up as one of them. His leg is pretty messed up now and as Nesila said, he might ruin it permanently if he continues the fight now. And well, he surely risks a lot more than just his … [view original content]
I'm not sure fighting with his leg that injured would be a good idea. I'm afraid that if he goes with Nesila, he would slow her down and put both of them in danger. I'm hopeful this choice will keep both of them alive.
Alright, I decided to leave the Nealia part for next time, but here is the Verro part:
-
Verro
With a longboat carried over their h… moreeads, Verro, Nesila and a dozen more soldiers approached the harbor gates with the ram. Verro could hear the crossbow bolts thudding against the bottom of the longboat above them, as well as some landing close to their feet.
Verro clenched his teeth, determined to keep going. Soon they reached the gate, and begun to ram it. "Hii-oh!" They yelled to keep the rhythm. "Hii-oh!" The head of the ram crashed against the wooden gates again and again, slowly starting to tear them apart. Meanwhile, large rocks were dropped on them, though the longboat did its job protecting them, as did the men carrying it. One of the soldiers carrying the longboat was taken down by a bolt to the guts, but soon another took his place.
"Hii-oh!" They kept ramming the gates, hearing the wood cracking more every time the head o… [view original content]
Alright, I decided to leave the Nealia part for next time, but here is the Verro part:
-
Verro
With a longboat carried over their h… moreeads, Verro, Nesila and a dozen more soldiers approached the harbor gates with the ram. Verro could hear the crossbow bolts thudding against the bottom of the longboat above them, as well as some landing close to their feet.
Verro clenched his teeth, determined to keep going. Soon they reached the gate, and begun to ram it. "Hii-oh!" They yelled to keep the rhythm. "Hii-oh!" The head of the ram crashed against the wooden gates again and again, slowly starting to tear them apart. Meanwhile, large rocks were dropped on them, though the longboat did its job protecting them, as did the men carrying it. One of the soldiers carrying the longboat was taken down by a bolt to the guts, but soon another took his place.
"Hii-oh!" They kept ramming the gates, hearing the wood cracking more every time the head o… [view original content]
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Dianna
Dianna stood at the prow of the Sea Reaper, stern look on her face, arakh and shield on her hands. Soon she would have to fight with these Ironborn, against the Dalt's. Who would've guessed, she thought sourly. The sun had set a while ago, and the only light was the full moon that shined behind the thin curtain of clouds. In front of the Sea Reaper sailed four of Efran's ships and Lady Vengeance. Only one small galley from Efran's ships came behind the Sea Reaper. "Sing with me, brothers!" Bjorn Harlaw yelled, standing right next to Dianna.
"Oh, awake, arise, rally, friends!
The warriors of Iron Isles!
Awake not to the snivels of your wives,
But to clash of swords and knives!"
At this point the whole crew had joined the singing, though to Dianna it sounded more like shouting than singing.
"Raise your shield, raise your axe!
We sail to war and pillage!
We break their necks, we break their backs,
We raid their every village!
Oh, Drowned God, see us now!
In your name we swing our blades!
Oh, just witness and admire how,
We go and steal the foemen's maids!"
As the song ended the whole crew burst into laughter, including Bjorn. However, the laughter ended quickly, as they saw the harbor of Lemonwood in the horizon. "We are here!" Bjorn yelled, and his men cheered. Dianna tried to gaze at the stern of the ship, to see Lysera, but too many of the Ironborn were on the way.
"Do not fear death, brothers!" Bjorn Harlaw yelled at the bow of the ship as they got closer to their destination, raising his bastard sword up towards the night sky. "The Watery Halls await you, the Drowned God awaits you! Prove to me tonight, that you are worthy of feasting with the gods!" Bjorn's crew cheered at his words, banging their swords and axes against their shields. Bjorn put on his horned helmet, and turned to look at Dianna. "Ready to fight, Captain Dianna?" He asked with a twisted grin on his face, and Dianna settled for giving him a small nod.
While the rest of the fleet attacked the four Dalt ships on the bay, the Sea Reaper and the smallest of Efran's ships headed towards the beach on the eastern side of the harbor. "Remember the grappling hooks!" Bjorn yelled as they landed on the beach. The man captaining the small galley was a bald man with bushy beard, armed with an axe – he blended in quite well with the Ironborn. Together the two crews started to run up the beach, and towards the walls. Dianna glanced backwards, seeing Hargan staying back at the ship with two other men and Lysera. On the bay the other ships had collided with the Dalt ships.
Soon they reached the walls, and started throwing the grappling hooks up. Quite obviously the defenses weren't the strongest possible on this part of the battlements, but the defenders still got down few of the grappling hooks, as well as shot down some of them with their crossbows. Dianna waited a while before starting to climb up, so that the first men had already climbed up and started to harass the defenders.
Climbing up the wall with the rope took some strength, more even than Dianna anticipated, but she wasn't weak. Soon she made her way up to the battlements, and took out her arakh and shield again. Some young boy in Dalt tabard rushed towards her. She parried the boy's first strike with her shield, but she had to admit that the strike was harder than she expected. And the boy was quite fast too, keeping Dianna parrying and retreating. Finally she saw an opportunity to strike back, but before she could, an Ironborn axe was embedded into the boy's neck from behind. The limp body of the boy fell on Dianna, and she had to deflect it away with her shield. The young Ironborn who had killed the Dalt soldier had a red tabard with a white bone hand on it. He smirked at Dianna, before turning away to attack the next Dalt soldier.
Dianna heard now the bells of the sept ringing, and as she looked down to the city she noticed they were actually quite close to the sept. Her thoughts were interrupted by another Dalt soldier attacking her, though this one she could finish off easily – the man was slow, and it took just two strikes from Dianna to find his neck with the blade of her arakh. Then Dianna saw Bjorn plowing his way through a line of enemy soldiers that were trying to keep them away from the stairs.
"To the city!" Bjorn screamed, while still slaughtering the defenders. His crew followed his command quickly, and helped him take down the few soldiers who were left to defend the stairs. So, they made their way down to the streets of Lemonwood. The wide street they arrived to would take them straight to the castle, and Dianna thought she could see Dalt soldiers moving at the end of that street. However, Bjorn led them to a smaller street that took them towards the town square. "To the sept!" He yelled enthusiastically, and his men followed. Though Dianna did see few of the Ironborn separating from the group, to raid the houses they were walking past. Soon they arrived to a crossroad, and going to left would once again take them towards the castle, but going right would take them to the town square and the sept, and that was where Bjorn was leading them.
Dianna glanced to the left, and now she was sure about it – there was a large force of Dalt soldier at the end of the street, but they were not advancing towards them. However, there was a smaller force defending the sept, and Bjorn's crew had already started the fight against them. This could be my chance, Dianna thought, glancing once again towards the Dalt soldiers on the other end of the street. My chance to change sides.
[Keep following Bjorn] [Go to the Dalt's]
So, we are getting daily parts there. This is just the best ever
And as expected, the Battle for Lemonwood continues to be a huge highlight of this chapter and we haven't even seen the Battle for Vaith yet, which I assume has potential to be even more thrilling. That said, it will be hard to top these scenes. The Ironborn song has been particularly nice. Was that somewhere in the books, or have you written it all by yourself? Because I seriously enjoyed it. For some reason, it gave me some Vikings flashbacks. I had this association before, but Bjorn and Hargan do sort of remind me of Harald and Halfdan from the Vikings show. I am probably having watched that show too much because it is not the first time I make that association, but they also had their own catchy song and this scen just reminded me of it.
[Keep following Bjorn]
I see this as too early to defect, far too early. Efran's chances of winning in Lemonwood are way too good and I am pretty sure that he will win in the end. He wouldn't have attacked otherwise. So, if Dianna goes to the Dalt's now, she will lose alongside them. This in turn will ruin any chance she could ever have at winning Bjorn's trust. In the contrary, staying loyal to him here will likely impress him and make it more likely that he will keep her by his side, grant her more freedoms, maybe even accept her as one of his fighters, which will eventually mean that she will get a far better chance to win her and Lysera's freedom in the future. Maybe after the battle for Lemonwood is over. If Dianna manages to win Bjorn's trust, maybe she can even manipulate him into abandoning Efran and declaring for the faction with the brighter future, aka Nymeria.
Haha, indeed, though I probably can't keep it up any longer, as I haven't yet started the next part and I'm very doubtful I'd get it done in one day
Still, you can expect the pace to stay pretty fast. And next we will indeed move on to the Battle for Vaith, though the first part there won't be very action packed. What comes to the Ironborn song, yeah, it is my own work. I got inspiration for it by reading some Old Norse poetry 
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it! And well, I watched all four seasons of Vikings earlier this year (what an idiot I've been for not watching that great show earlier!), so perhaps some inspiration from there has leaked into NW! Well, actually, I think the whole idea for including a song to this part did indeed come from the "My mother told me" song, which I absolutely love 
That said, the dynamic between Bjorn and Hargan is a bit different from the one between Harald and Halfdan, though there are some similarities to them as well.
[Go to the Dalt's]
[Keep following Bjorn]
[Go to the Dalt's] I guess there Nealia will meet with Dianna, as following Bjorn would take action to the city?
Well, technically going to these Dalt soldiers would take Dianna a bit further from Nealia than going with Bjorn. The Dalt's that Dianna sees here are at the very eastern end of the city, protecting the gates of the keep, whereas Nealia is currently fighting at the western walls of the city, so at the very opposite side of the city from these soldiers.
Anyway, welcome back!
[Keep following Bjorn]
Voting is closed!
And Dianna will keep following Bjorn. In case Efran's forces end up winning this battle, it might indeed be a good idea not to change sides here. We'll see how it goes in the coming parts
Anyway, next we will have a Dalia part, which begins the Battle for Vaith. It won't be quite as action packed as these Battle for Lemonwood parts have been so far, but it should be quite interesting nonetheless. Anyway, in the last Dalia part the Wild Suns were approached by a small mysterious force, who claimed to be allies. It turned out they were an army of Volantene slaves, lead by Lord Kris Vaith and his mother, Mother Minesa, who also happens to be a Red Priestess. Well, Kris told Dalia and Desi that he escaped Vaith over a year ago, as he realized he was under the dark magic of his wife, Lady Myra Xho Vaith. Kris also had a son with Lady Myra, Nickon, who is now three-years-old, and he is extremely worried for the fate of the boy. His mother claimed that it would be best to simply kill the boy, as he has been tainted by the presence of the Great Other by now, but Desirea had a more optimistic view, as she thought the boy could very well still be saved. Anyway, Kris proved himself to be quite the charmer, and ended up suggesting to Dalia that they could spend the night together. You voted for Dalia to do just that, and that's where we will continue....
...right away!
So, the part is ready, and I'm going to post it right after this post 
Dalia
The naked bodies of Dalia and Kris were tangled around each other, sweat on their skin, and hearts beating against each other. Dalia looked Kris into his deep green eyes, feeling like she could stare at them forever.
"Are we fools for doing this, Lord Kris?" She asked quietly, but the Lord of Vaith just chuckled softly. "We'd be fools not to, Princess Dalia", he answered smoothly. Dalia raised her eyebrow for this. "How so?" She challenged him with playful tone, and Kris took in a deep breath.
"Well, isn't it moments like these that we live for?" He asked with a smirk. "What else do we go through all the shit and hardships of life for, if not to feel the touch of someone special, someone we care about?"
"For our children", Dalia answered immediately, and Kris nodded in agreement. "That too, of course", he admitted. "But still, without moments like these, life just wouldn't be worth all the bad times", he continued with a sigh. Dalia raised now into a sitting position, keeping her right hand on Kris' chest, and her gaze focused on his eyes.
"You certainly are an interesting person, Kris Vaith", she purred, but Kris shook his head. "No, not really", he replied calmly. "I'm quite a simple man to be honest, I've just lived an interesting life."
"Well, tell me more about your life then", Dalia urged Kris, and he raised his eyebrow. "Now?" He asked with slightly baffled tone, and Dalia nodded. "Remember, we head towards a battle tomorrow, this might be your last chance", she remarked.
"I'd like to think it won't be... but alright, what do you want to hear?" He asked with a sigh, and Dalia gave him a smile. "Well, you could tell me about your childhood", she suggested, and Kris nodded.
"Alright then", he begun, thinking for a moment before continuing. "So, I was born in Volantis, at the Temple of the Lord of Light, a little over thirty-three years ago. You see, my father Lord Hames Vaith visited Volantis back then, and somehow he met there with my mother, Minesa, who was a young priestess in the red temple. I don't know how exactly did they meet, and what exactly happened between them, and truth be told I don't care to know. Nonetheless, somehow the two of them ended up conceiving me, but by the time I was born, Lord Hames had already left the city. My mother never talked much about him, just told me that I was born of pure light, and as a little boy I had no reasons to question her any further. I was treated well at the temple, even if everyday I had to listen the priests preach about R'hllor. Honestly, not much of their teachings stuck with me, as it was all so boring to me back then. And then, when I was five, Lord Hames returned to Volantis, and learnt about me. You can only imagine how scared I was as a little boy, seeing for the first time this big man with deep set anger in his eyes, claiming to be my father. I was hesitant to leave, as I thought my whole life would be in the red temple. However, my mother encouraged me to go, said that she had seen great things for me in the future." At this point Kris stopped, taking in a deep breath and letting out a small chuckle. "You've seen Volantis, so you can imagine what a shock it was for me to come from such a large city to Vaith – a small town in the middle of the desert. It took me years to get used to it, and to finally find love for my new home. I was legitimized and nurtured to become the heir for my father, though I had little understanding or interest for it. And the local septon was quite worried for my soul, as I had been raised among the followers of what he called a false god. And he tried to teach me, but if it's even possible, his teachings were even duller than those of the red priests. What truly helped me get used to living in Vaith was Henry, and his wife Abby. Henry taught me how to swing a sword, and how to ride a horse. He and Abby told me stories about the Kings of Dorne, stories I actually found interesting. With them I felt the love I had been missing since I separated from my mother. Was there something else you wanted to hear?" Kris ended with a calm question, and Dalia shook her head.
"That's enough for one night", she said calmly, "perhaps I'll tell you about my childhood some other night", she added softly.
"That's a promise", he stated with smirk, and Dalia laid down next to him. "Alright then, it's a promise", she admitted. "But now we both need some rest", she said smoothly, and Kris nodded, letting out a yawn. Soon they both fell asleep, next to each other.
Dalia was the first to wake up in the morning. She could already hear some noises from the camp around them – the army was getting ready to continue the march towards Vaith. Dalia got up and dressed up. She walked to the belongings of Kris, and there she saw something that caught her eye – Kris' sword. The hilt of it was quite simple, made of iron and wood, and the blade was in the scabbard. However, little bit of the blade could be seen, and it seemed to be... glowing. Out of interest, Dalia pulled out the rest of the blade, and it was truly beautiful. It had to be Valyrian steel, but on top of that it had a magical orange glow to it.
"I see you found my sword", she heard the tired voice of Kris from behind her, and turned towards him, still gazing at the blade. "It's beautiful", she had to admit, "Valyrian steel?" She added with questioning tone, and Kris nodded.
"Indeed... are you jealous?" He asked playfully, and Dalia shook her head. "Why would I be?" She asked, putting the sword down, and walking to her own weapons – two arakhs, with the blades painted black. She threw them in front of Kris and smirked. "I have two Valyrian steel weapons", she said smoothly, and Kris chuckled.
"These arakhs?" He asked, and Dalia nodded. "They don't look like Valyrian steel", he observed, and Dalia nodded again. "That's the point – they are painted black, to hide their true danger", she told him.
"Interesting idea", Kris said with a smirk. "Though personally I prefer my enemies to fear my weapon, rather than to underestimate it."
"So, where did you get that glowing sword of yours?" Dalia inquired, while Kris put down the arakhs and stood up to get dressed. "It's a gift from my mother", he answered nonchalantly. "She says it's more than merely a Valyrian steel sword, that the spirit of R'hllor himself is in it. She calls it the End of Night."
"Uh, a sword with a name, how fancy", Dalia teased, and Kris chuckled dryly, putting on his leather armor. As they both had their arms and armors on, they made their way out of the tent. Outside Henry was the first to approach them. The old man eyed them both with great interest.
"Had a pleasant night, aye?" Henry asked with a thin smirk. Dalia rolled her eyes and walked away from the scene, leaving Kris to answer to the old man's questions. She made her way to Desirea, who was ready to continue the journey, her bodyguards Belan and Vyran around her, as well as Mother Minesa and her small slave army. "Good morning mother", Desirea said with a slightly nervous tone as she saw Dalia approaching.
"Morning, Desi. Everything alright?" She asked with a friendly tone, and her daughter nodded to her, though the nod was clunky, and Dalia could see she was nervous. "Are you nervous about the battle?" Dalia asked calmly, and Desirea sighed. "Yeah... a bit", she admitted quietly.
"I understand. But remember, if you want, you can stay behind", Dalia said, but her daughter shook her head strictly. "No, I can't... I wish I could, but there is a servant of darkness lurking in Vaith, and I don't want to let it escape", she explained with a serious tone.
"Don't worry Lady Dalia, we will protect your daughter", Belan the Brave, a young boy of fourteen said decidedly, and his father Vyran the Lion nodded proudly.
"I will be by her side as well", Mother Minesa joined the conversation, and Dalia glared at her with narrowed eyes. I'm not sure if she's a good influence on my daughter. "I'm thankful, to all of you, though I'll be there to look after her as well", Dalia replied sternly.
"But won't you have to lead your troops?" Vyran asked with a raised eyebrow, and Desirea looked at her with questioning eyes as well. Dalia put her hand on Desi's shoulder, and answered. "My daughter is the first priority now", she said, looking at Desi with pride in her eyes. "Mizro and Khazor can take care of leading the troops."
-
Later, in the afternoon of that day they arrived to Vaith. Or rather they arrived to the northern coast of the river, seeing the city on the southern coast. There was a bridge near the city, but Dalia could see from afar that the enemy had sent a force to protect the bridge. No doubt those men on the bridge knew that they've been sent to death, because there was no way they would actually stop the army, just slow it down a bit.
Dalia had gathered to observe the situation with Kris, Mother Minesa, Henry, Mizro, Khazor and Ser Howar Uller. "Do you see that fishing village over there?" Kris asked, pointing at the small village at the northern coast of the river, directly opposed to the city of Vaith. Dalia nodded to Kris. "What of it?" Mizro asked sharply.
"We need to send men to hold it, otherwise they might bring forces over the river with boats, land them on that village, and proceed to flank us", he explained.
"So, who should we send there?" Dalia asked sternly. After a small moment of silence Ser Howar spoke up. "I can send some of my men there", he said calmly.
"Good", Kris replied with a thin smirk. "Make sure to also send some to the cliff next to it, just to watch over if there are any reinforcements coming from the east." Howar nodded dutifully to Kris' instructions.
"Now, the real problem is how do we get past that damn bridge, losing as little of our troops as possible", Dalia said grimly. Once again a small moment of silence followed, and this time it was broken by Mizro. "We could send the Unsullied to clear the bridge", he suggested. "We know they'll do the job, and they for sure won't break before the defenders do."
"We paid too much for them to waste them on some bloody bridge", Khazor hissed, but Mizro just chuckled. "What did we buy them for if not for battle?" He asked sarcastically. "I say not using them is the bigger waste of our coin. Besides, they're good at what they do. Sure, we might lose a dozen or so of them on that bridge, but that will still leave us plenty."
"If you want, the Mother's Favored are yours to use", Mother Minesa said suddenly, referring to her slave army. "They are just slaves, and by sending them you won't lose anything", she said, though Kris was visibly uncomfortable with the idea.
"Or we could use Iznein Ironheart and his Ghiscari raiders", Khazor suggested, but now Mizro shook his head. "Most of them are just pit fighters, not at all organized, and certainly not suited for a job like this", he said, and Khazor shot him a glare, and replied. "They fear death just as little as the Unsullied do, and they are good at breaking the lines of the enemy – and that's what we need right now."
"I guess this is up to you then, m'lady", Mizro said, looking at Dalia.
[Send the Unsullied] [Send the Mother's Favored] [Send Iznein's raiders]
Hm, I think I finally found a way where I can like Kris without having to feel uneasy about the influence he might have on Dalia. Thing is, by now I am pretty sure that she is needed to keep Gwendis safe from Aisha and Wesley. After how severely she has resisted the Great Other, these people are not her friends and she needs reliable allies, who can also keep her safe. Desi on her own cannot do this, but Dalia meanwhile? Well, she's probably one of the few that can crush Wesley in a fight. And, being the enemy of Gwen's enemy, she and her daughter are the best allies I can think of here. So, I obviously was highly concerned when Kris, a guy I find likable and quite interesting, just started something with Dalia that could keep her in Vaith instead of going with her daughter. However, then I realized something: Why should he even want this?
Here's the thing, Kris is a devoted believer in the faith of R'hllor. He knows of the importance of Desi's mission and of the danger the followers of the Great Other pose. Hell, he has fallen a victim to their schemes, so he might have a personal interest in making sure that their hold in Dorne remains as weak as possible. Now, I am very sure that either Myra, Valerie or both are going to escape from the battle, due to Jamison covering their retreat. Kris knows that both are dangerous and even if one of them dies, I am sure he has a personal interest into making sure the other one won't pose a threat anymore. So, I doubt that he will even want for Dalia to leave Desi to chase after these super dangerous people alone. Maybe he would even like to accompany her, to personally stop the cultists from causing any more harm. I'd like this a lot, since he gives me the impression of being a reasonable and level-headed guy. Since Mother Minesa is surely going to accompany Desi, everyone who is less of a despicable fanatic than she is will be highly welcome, to make sure Desi won't develop into a direction that makes me hate her again
Speaking of, I just noticed that, in theory, Mother Minesa could also be this person from Gwen's vision, the one that hates her and will try to destroy her. I am sure that having the god of evil in her head, as accidental as it happened, as unwilling as she is, will make Gwendis an enemy to Minesa and maybe that priestess will even legitimately hate her just because. That would make sense for GO-bro to show it to her, to make sure that she will remain wary of R'hllor followers. And it would explain why he risked making her mistrustful of his own cultists. Unless he legitimately doesn't want her worship, which wouldn't exactly be unthinkable for a god whose domain are evil and death. But that offers the question just what exactly he wants. I bet Desi could give some useful answers there. Same goes, ironically, for Aisha, but I am sure that neither has an unbiased opinion about the Great Other's goals.
Long story short, I think I have found a way where I can like Kris without feeling bad about it
Now for the choice:
[Send the Mother's Favored]
I was hesitating between these and the Unsullied. Surely the Unsullied would take the bridge without any problems, although their losses might be more devastating than losing mere slaves. However, I am already thinking about the future here. Minesa does have a bad influence on Desi and I am sure she will accompany her on the remainder of her mission. If she offers god knows how many slave soldiers, her influence will be even more severely and I don't want to risk it. Keeping someone like Minesa as weak as possible in Desi's life can only be good for her development, which I am pretty sure would be good for Gwen and all of Dorne. We don't need a new fanatic in the making, not if we can get an actually reasonable red priestess instead.
Oh, since I forgot earlier, I actually have a map for Vaith as well. Here ya go:
Indeed, Kris certainly has a grudge against the followers of the Great Other, so it's not so far fetched that he'd actually want to join on the mission. That said, just like Dalia he also has other responsibilities, in his case the lordship of Vaith, so he'll probably be pretty torn on this. Anyway, Kris will be a big character no matter what direction he will take, that much I can promise. Though if the witch of Vaith indeed will escape, that would certainly make it very tempting for Kris to go with Desi, because he really wants to settle his score with the witch that weakened his mind for years.
Well, this is true, Mother Minesa pretty much hates anything that has to do with the Great Other, as exemplified with her willingness to kill a small child, and her own grandchild no less, just because he is "tainted by the GO". That said, she is a bit of hypocrite on that front, seeing how she completely ignores the fact that her own son was under the influence of GO for years, and seems to be just fine
Anyway, it's likely that Minesa would have a disdain for Gwendis, though most likely she hates even more the servants of GO that are more immeresed into that stuff, like Aisha and Mordekhai.
Indeed, purely thinking from the perspective of what's best for the Wild Suns, it's of course the best solution to send the Mother's Favored, because it should result in zero losses for the company itself. And as you said, them dying would indeed weaken Mother Minesa, when it comes to just military power. Though it was mentioned earlier that they would free these slaves after the Battle for Vaith, so it's questionable if they would keep following Minesa anyway. However, these slaves are pretty lightly armored, and there is no guarantee at all on how well trained and how well organized they are, as we haven't yet seen them in action. Also, a fun fact, as these are slaves from Volantis, it is very likely that they were originally slaved by the Valyrians, meaning a big portion of them might be Rhoynar soldiers slaved during the Second Spice War
And what comes to Desi, well, she lived her first 12-13 years in the Temple of Lord of Light, surrounded by all kinds of red priests, but managed to become a very decent person. So, based on that I guess we can assume she won't be easily manipulated to become a crazy fanatic.
[Send the Unsullied]
I think that they are the most likely to take the bridge.
Alright, obviously I'm not going to close the voting yet, but I have the two next parts ready, and they don't even have choices so I feel like there is no reason not to post them already. These two parts will conclude the storylines of the Blackmont siblings for Chapter 2, meaning they are Naemon and Gwendis PoVs. As I just said, neither of them will have choices, but they should still be very interesting parts.
For recap, last time we saw Naemon wasn't long ago, but just to remind, he had returned to Blackmont with Malcolm, Davos, Myle, Alester and the Upton forces. In his meeting with King Benedict it was revealed to him that Gwendis had left with Aisha, and had not been found, though Lyla was tracking them down. Later as Naemon was about to leave for his mission to defeat Karsan Taller's rebellion, he had one more chat with his father. It came down to Benedict straight up asking if Naemon could ever forgive him, and you voted for Naemon to answer "maybe". This part of his is very short, and just meant to wrap up his chapter 2 storyline.
What comes to Gwendis, Aisha took her and Trentan to some ancient cave, where they found an ancient altar, apparently connected to the Great Other. Aisha forced Gwendis to touch the altar, which led to her seeing a vision, where the GO warned her about someone who will seek for her help, but who will also hate her and want to destroy her. After this Aisha left Gwendis and Trentan, saying she was going to fetch their warrior, Mordekhai. Later that night Lyla, who had been tracking them, used the opportunity to her advantage, to save Gwendis from Aisha. However, Trentan woke up in the middle of this, and Aisha was ready to kill him, already putting her blade on his throat. However, you voted for Gwendis to beg Lyla to spare Trentan. That's where we'll continue, and oh man, this should be quite the epic finale!
Naemon
"Maybe", Naemon said quietly, avoiding eye contact with his father. Benedict narrowed his eyes, looking at his son. "Maybe?" He said with a questioning tone, and Naemon nodded.
"Yes, maybe. If Gwendis comes back safely, and you make things right here, then I can consider forgiving you your mistake", he answered with a harsh tone. The King looked at his son quietly for a moment, until finally letting out a sigh and nodding. "So be it", he muttered, turning his gaze down. Naemon turned away from Benedict, walking to his horse and mounting it, right between Malcolm and Davos. Meanwhile Lord Alester was already cantering towards the open gates, leading his forces out of Blackmont.
"Are you ready, Prince Naemon?" Malcolm asked with a polite tone, and Naemon answered with a silent nod. So, they rode out of Blackmont, beginning their mission to defeat Karsan Taller's rebellion.
-
That evening they made their camp down to the valley, next to the river. Naemon sat by the river, the full moon glowing on night sky above him. The moonlight made the river glimmer in the dark, as it flowed slowly past Naemon, heading towards south, towards Torrentine. "Ser, is everything alright?" He heard the voice of Davos ask behind him.
"Yes, everything is alright, Davos, you don't have to keep asking that", he answered, a touch of frustration in his voice. Davos sat down next to him, a good seven feet away from him. "I... I'm sorry if I annoy you, ser", he said with apologetic tone, and Naemon shook his head.
"Don't be sorry", he said quietly, still gazing at the river in front of him. "There's no reason for me to be angry at you. You've been a good squire... I may not have been such a good knight."
"Nonsense", Davos replied with a little chuckle, and Naemon turned to look at him. "Before I was made you squire, I used to squire for Lord Alester's father... before he died that is."
"And was he a good knight?" Naemon asked with mild interest. Davos took in a deep breath before answering. "Well, in some ways he was", he answered with a small smirk on his face. "He was very loyal to King Vorian, would've died to protect him if need be. He was certainly brave, no question about that, but he did have his failings too... He had little interest for actually governing his lands, and he had some bad habits, including excessive drinking. Overall, he was a man suited for battlefield, but not for ruling."
"And what makes you think I'm any better than him?" Naemon asked quietly. Davos turned his gaze down, taking a moment before answering. "To me it seems like you genuinely care about the people you'll one day rule over. You might not think that you'd make a good ruler, but if you'll put your mind to it, I think you would make a great king. You're honorable, brave, but also caring", the young squire finally answered, and Naemon was for a moment left speechless.
"Well... I'm glad I've given such a great impression", he finally said quietly, his lips finally forming a small smile. "I hope I won't be a disappointment... to you or to the Kingdom of Blackmont." Davos nodded to his words, a small smile on his face. "I believe you will do just fine, ser", he said with a friendly tone, and Naemon chuckled softly.
"What are you two talking about?" Malcolm asked casually, sitting between them. "The future", Davos answered, and Malcolm nodded to him. "And from your smiles I'm assuming it looks bright", he quipped with a lighthearted tone.
"Let us hope so", Naemon replied with a sigh, and Malcolm turned to look at him. "As I said earlier, I'm very sorry about what happened with your sister", he said, his tone now much more serious.
"Let's not talk about that", Naemon said quietly, feeling a sting of pain just thinking about Gwendis. "I understand", Malcolm said, his tone apologetic. "Whatever happens, I believe we can build a great future together Naemon. As kings we'll continue this great alliance between Dayne's and Blackmont's."
Naemon nodded with a forced smile on his face. "And remember, Dawn Brings the Light", Malcolm continued.
"We Conquer Heavens", Naemon replied with a smirk, and Malcolm chuckled. "That we do", he said quietly.
No decision.
-
Gwendis
"No!" Gwendis yelled strictly, taking a step closer to Lyla and Trentan, a terrified expression on her face. Lyla looked at her with questioning eyes, her blade still on the throat of Trentan. The young man's eyes were closed, and he was clearly muttering silent prayers in panic.
"Please, Lyla, don't kill him", Gwendis pleaded, and Lyla let out a sigh. "Leaving him alive would be a mistake, my Princess", the assassin insisted sternly, but Gwendis shook her head.
"We can take him with us", she said desperately, and now Trentan's eyes were opened. "Yes, take me with you, I won't slow you down", the young thief begged for his life. With a frustrated sigh Lyla moved her blade away from Trentan's neck, giving a meaningful glare at Gwendis. "The boy better behave, next time I won't hesitate", she said quietly, and Gwendis saw Trentan gulping nervously.
"He won't be a problem, I promise", she said with relief in her voice. "Now, let's go before Aisha returns."
So, they begun their journey. Lyla led them down from the mountains, and as the sun rose in the morning, Gwendis realized she was taking them south.
"Where are we going?" She asked with a mildly confused tone. "Aren't you taking me back to Blackmont?" For a moment Lyla was quite, seemingly too concentrated on staying on the right track to pay attention to Gwendis' words.
"All in due time, princess", she finally said with a calm tone. "First we'll find Ser Kegan's army. That way you'll get a proper guard to escort you back home", she explained.
"Kegan's army... So they have already attacked Kingsgrave?" Gwendis asked, and Lyla nodded subtly. "Most likely they are right now setting up a siege around it", she said nonchalantly. Trentan walked next to Gwendis, nervous look on his eyes.
"Princess... when we get back to Blackmont, what will happen to me?" He asked with a shaky tone. It was a good question. If Benedict knew Trentan's role in all of this, he certainly would be mad at the boy, almost as much as he would be at Aisha. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you", Gwendis said softly. Whatever Trentan was, Gwendis at least saw him innocent when it came to Aisha's manipulations and games. "You'll get a job at the castle, or if you prefer, you can continue somewhere else."
"Thank you, my Princess", Trentan said, a touch of relief in his voice. "I'm not sure what I was thinking, working with Aisha. Well, I do know what I was thinking, I... loved her. But it has come clear to me recently that she might not be what I thought she was."
"I understand how you feel", Gwendis said with an empathic voice. "She fooled me too, made me think going with her was the only way for me to survive... I don't know what was I thinking, leaving all I knew behind, trusting the words of that witch." Trentan nodded to her, and they continued following Lyla in silence.
Before noon they arrived to a small hill, that provided a little shadow from the burning hot sun. "We'll rest here for a moment", Lyla informed them decidedly. "Just a moment though, we must stay on the move", she added as Gwendis and Trentan sat down.
"So, does Benedict still want to send me to Skyreach?" Gwendis asked casually from Lyla, who turned to look at her. "The King hasn't shared me his plans regarding you", she said coldly. "If I was your parent, I'd punish you for behavior like this... but I doubt Benedict will, you are his golden girl after all." With these words Lyla turned away from Gwendis, walking away from her and Trentan, apparently to scout the area.
Gwendis turned to look at Trentan, but saw that he had already fell asleep. Gwendis wasn't tired though. Sure, she hadn't got much sleep last night before Lyla had arrived, but the situation was just too hectic for her to be able to sleep. It seemed like she was going back home, which would have it's own problems, but on top of that she still felt the danger of Aisha looming above them. Surely she won't give up easily. The words uttered by Aisha's dark god also returned to Gwendis' mind. She will hate you, and in her hate she will try to destroy you. So far Aisha had at least claimed that she was only trying to help her, but perhaps this would be enough to drive her...
"Wake up!" Lyla yelled, waking Gwendis from her thoughts, and Trentan from his sleep. "We continue now, get up", she said strictly, and both Gwendis and Trentan obeyed her immediately. Without further conversation, they started to make their way up the hill in front of them. However, before they reached the top, two figures appeared there. One of them was a woman, dressed in a black robe that dwindled in the wind, as well as her black hair. Aisha, Gwendis recognized her immediately. However, even more concerning was the figure next to Aisha – it was a giant of a man, clad in heavy black armor that was adorned by a hundred metal spikes, and in his hands was a large sword with a dark blade. The visor on the man's helmet was shaped like a skull, and it prevented Gwendis' from seeing his face, but she could still see the red eyes glowing under it. This must be the warrior Aisha talked about... Mordekhai.
"Stay behind me", Lyla ordered, stepping in front of Gwendis. For a moment no one said anything, and Aisha and her warrior just stared at Lyla, Gwendis and Trentan.
"Did you think I didn't see this coming?" Aisha yelled, her voice unusually wrathful. "Oh, I saw this coming, long ago", she continued, her voice a bit softer now.
"You are a traitor, Aisha", Lyla said strongly, unsheathing her short sword, and holding a dagger in her other hand. "You abducted the King's daughter, the punishment is death." Aisha laughed at Lyla's words, shaking her head. "Oh, Lyla, what a fool you are", the Dark Priestess said with a vicious tone. "I do not serve any king. The one I serve is so powerful that Benedict Blackmont is a mere beggar in comparison."
"Enough of your nonsense", Lyla said angrily, taking a couple steps closer to Aisha and Mordekhai. The look on Aisha's eyes was cold and piercing as she stared at the assassin. "Mordekhai, kill her", she commanded with no emotion in her voice, and the massive man in black armor started to walk towards Lyla.
"You are a fool to challenge me, woman", Mordekhai said, and his booming voice sent shivers down Gwendis' spine. "The power of the Great Other is in me, I am his greatest warrior, champion of the dark."
"I don't care who you are!", Lyla yelled, charging to attack. Mordekhai swinged his massive sword, but Lyla had predicted this move, and dodged it with a barrel roll to the right. She managed to swing at Mordekhai with her sword, but the armor made sure that the big man probably didn't even feel it. Mordekhai turned towards Lyla with another swing, though Lyla had already backed away far enough that the sword didn't hit her.
Mordekhai let out a chilling laugh, proceeding to walk towards Lyla. He swinged again, but this time Lyla rolled to the left. Gwendis could feel her heart beating, as she anxiously watched the fight. She was no expert on these things, but even she realized that it would take just one mistake from Lyla, and Mordekhai's sword would split her in half.
She kept dancing around the big man, dodging his swings, waiting for an opportunity to strike. And soon the opportunity came, as Lyla managed to dodge one of the swings by rolling closer to Mordekhai. Then she hit the man to his sword hand with his short sword. Though Mordekhai's gauntlet spared him from further damage, he was forced to drop his massive sword. Following this, Lyla thrusted her dagger inside the dark helmet, straight into the left eye of Mordekhai. With a terrifying scream of pain the man in black armor fell first to his knees, and then on his back, the dagger still embedded into his eye socket.
As her warrior fell down, true fear could be seen in the eyes of Aisha. Lyla was still catching her breath from the intense fight, but soon she turned towards Aisha, pointing her with her sword. "Do you prefer to die trying to defend yourself, or will you kneel and stretch your neck for me without resistance?" The assassin asked with determination in her words. Aisha didn't find words, she looked frozen, utterly shocked by her defeat.
Lyla took another step towards Aisha, but then Gwendis noticed something horrifying – Mordekhai was still alive. The big man was making his way up from the ground, reaching for his sword.
"LYLA!" Gwendis yelled in panic. "BEHIND YOU!" This warning made Lyla turn, but Mordekhai was already standing up. And then something truly disturbing happened. Mordekhai grabbed the dagger that was in his eye, and pulled it out with a mere groan of pain. Lyla was clearly shocked by what she saw, but nonetheless she quickly repositioned herself for the fight.
Mordekhai rushed towards Lyla with a horrifying battle cry, and though Lyla tried, this time she wasn't fast enough. The sword cut through her chest, sending her to the ground with her eyes widened in shock. The wound was fatal, there was no way Lyla could survive it, but that wasn't enough for Mordekhai. He marched to Lyla, dropped down his sword, and grabbed her from the neck with both of his hand. The wound had weakened Lyla enough that she couldn't resist at all, and soon life disappeared from her eyes, as Mordekhai crushed her neck with all his power. Lyla Sand was dead, and Mordekhai dropped her lifeless body to the ground.
Now Aisha started to approach Gwendis and Trentan, whom both were frozen in shock and terror. Aisha had a calm and almost pleased look on her face as she arrived to them.
"As I said, I saw this coming", she said calmly, eyeing both Gwendis and Trentan. "However, I forgive you for this misstep, we are all bound to take some in our lives."
"Y-you just murdered Lyla", Gwendis said weakly, and Aisha let out a sigh. "She was an inconvenience, but I am saddened that she had to be killed. Anyway, I am thankful that you managed to save Trentan from Lyla's mindless violence."
"Mindless violence", Gwendis repeated with disbelief in her shaky words. If she wasn't so shocked about what had just happened, she'd almost be amused by the audacity Aisha was showing. The Dark Priestess just nodded to her. "Now, it is time to continue our mission", she said calmly, like nothing had happened. "Just follow after me and Mordekhai."
No decision.
[Send the Unsullied]
Hm, previously I thought if this would be a choice for Dalia, if she goes with her daughter or stays with her crush, but now I keep thinking, what if this is actually a choice for Kris to make, to go with the woman he has feelings for and after the woman that nearly ruined his life or to stay with his duties. I see this as more likely now than Dalia being all that torn about her future. I know that I surely want her by Desi's side now, but I also want Kris with her, because having an open-minded guy like him there can only be a good thing for the situation as a whole.
Thing is, I actually can understand Minesa in some capacity. Aisha and Worstley are horrible people and must be killed in equally horrible ways, so the assumption that all that had extensive contacts with the Great Other is a logical, if coldly pragmatic one. So Minesa is not entirely wrong there. However, she's wrong about Gwen, 'cause Gwen is a sweet, kickass cinnamon roll who is not going to be tainted by that demon despite how powerful she could become. Minesa is wrong about her, just like she is wrong about her grandson, though I doubt she will see the error of her ways.
So, we'd be sacrificing Rhoynar there? Awkward
I am now more leaning in favour of the Unsullied then, though not necessarily enough to change my vote just yet. I'm doing that too often in either way. Anyways, this is right what you say and it shows that Desi has an admirable strenght of character. Then again, Minesa is clearly someone she respects and this makes it more important than ever that Dalia and maybe even Kris to prevent a bad influence on her.
Oh no, Lyla
Oh god damn it, damn! I knew it was to early to celebrate, but neither did I expect things to go south this terribly quickly. And now Lyla is dead, Gwendis is still a prisoner, Aisha is still a hopeless fucking bitch and my heart is broken
Really, this is literally how I feel right now:
My ship, my beautiful ship
At least Lyla died protecting Gwen and Trentan, but still, saddest death ever for me. It also means I need a new ship. Hm... how does Nymendis sound? Or Gwensperence? Yeah, might not be a good idea. Maybe I should actually ship her with Desmor, that one still makes at least a bit of sense 
Ah, don't mind me, I am legitimately in mourning. Lyla has been a bitch, but damn, she grew on me.
Now, Aisha, gods, Aisha, is there any moment in which she is not reaching a new low with every new part? That utter piece of turd should have done a single smart thing in her life and just let Gwen go. She didn't, she even murdered Lyla and by doing so, she sealed her own fate. She must die, she will die and the only thing I hope is that she will suffer before this happens. She really dropped her mask in this part, showing just what a vile creature she is. That right there is not only a bitch, but a stupid bitch, who is going to die screaming. Literalky the only good thing about her is that she does not harm Gwendis for now, but I fear it is only a matter of time until she crosses that line. And there is no saying what damage her schemes cause, mentally and emotionally. She is just the utter worst fucker ever.
Hell, not even Wesley is as bad as her. At least he is not invulnerable. Lyla, my beloved badass, almost had him, just a little bit more and that would have been it. Now he has lost an eye and I think this might make him more defeatable. Oh Dalia, where are thou? I think she can take him now, though he is obviously still a lot of work. That guy is literally a monster and I doubt the demon bitch can keep him safe. Neither do I think she wants it. I guess that whatever she has planned does not necessarily require Gwendis' physical health and it probably won't be long until she or Wesley will start with the torture, to get their broken, brainwashed servant. After all, that is the only type of relationship Aisha knows. That said, she is not as all-knowing as she claims to be. She was clearly afraid when Lyla overpowered Wesley. She misjudges Trentan's feelings for her and I think instead of a sex slave, she probably has an enemy now. That makes me believe that she is, in fact, dragging Gwen to her death. Argh, that utter fucking bitch, I don't think it is possible for anyone to hate anything as much as I hate her. No matter from what perspective I try to look at it, there is no angle, no situation or Point-of-View in which Aisha gas any sort of a positive or even just neutral aspect to her character. That is pure, irredeemable evil and I'll make her pay for what she did and undoubtedly will do in the next chapter.
And finally, I can only end Gwen's crazy, exciting and utterly terrifying Chapter 2 storyline with the most fitting video ever. I have the feeling I am going to post it a lot more, like, every time Wesley the Worstley opens his mouth.
Indeed, poor Lyla
Well, at least she went down like a badass, almost killing one of the most terrifying fighters in this story. And yeah, things really look bad for Gwendis right now. But you know what they say, the second act is always when the heroes are at their lowest, so perhaps there is still hope for the future 
Well, as unlikely ship as it was, I'll shed a tear for its sinking as well. And yeah, Lyla's death is potentially the most tragic so far in the story, rivaled only by Purple Ocelot and Ser Yandry. Those two were both off screen though, and generally a bit less tragic, so Lyla definitely takes the no. 1 spot... for now. And well, it could be that the Desmor ship has sailed at this point, but who knows
Anyway, I'm glad to hear Lyla grew on you towards the end, that was the intent. She was her bitchy self to the very end, but she also showed some very respectable qualities. RIP Lyla 
Heh, we might've reached the peak on your Aisha hate now, though I'm more and more certain that there will be no return from this peak, no chance for Aisha to ever redeem herself in your eyes
And I don't blame you, what she did in this part, it was most certainly evil. Surely she still thinks she is doing the right thing here, but there is just no way to spin this so that Aisha would've been the "good guy" here. We'll see how will she continue to evolve in Chapter 3, and whether she'll survive it, or die screaming 
Well, Mordekhai is at least a more simple case than Aisha. Just have to have someone whose able to defeat him in combat and that's it. With Aisha though, it's unclear what kind of schemes she has in mind, and how exactly to counter them. That said, it was quite clear in this part that when it seemed like Mordekhai was defeated, Aisha was completely at Lyla's mercy. Well, maybe she would've still had some trick in her sleeve, but most likely she couldn't have saved herself. And yeah, whatever love Trentan had for Aisha, has probably turned to fear by now, and could potentially evolve into hate in the future. Nonetheless, he could definitely make an ally for Gwen.
Heh, Mordekhai isn't much of a talker, but still, I do feel like you'll indeed be tempted to use that video quite often in Chapter 3
[Send the Unsullied]
Man, this death makes me angry, I wish any of the characters I created were to kill this monster, but I can't be selfish, so I'll just wait to see who has the honor of crushing this guy.
Ah man of course my computer quits working right at the end of the chapter when the action is literally everywhere
I usually don't like typing up much on my phone but I have to give it a shot here!
Naemon's part was pretty interesting with myself especially enjoying the talk between Malcolm, Naemon, and Davos. It was nice seeing the future of their houses conversing and how their part ended with such optimism and hope for the future. It also made a random worry come to my mind as well which I won't go real in depth on because it is long but it would change alot of things good or bad depending on perspective and you probably know what I'm hinting at anyway.
Now for Gwendis' part, well I was not expecting Lyla to die
Lyla's death is without doubt the saddest death in the entire story for me up to this point especially since it was shown on screen and the way she died was especially sad as well. It is pretty much now confirmed in ny eyes that the Skyreach option was the way to go since I really am not sure how much longer Aisha will keep up her facade of being in the right and also not physically harming Gwendis which is possible especially with Mordekhai around. Speaking of Mordekhai, I feel this part showed something that I am especially happy about. This guy is far from invincible especially considering he basically got owned in the first fight he had with someone who can fight back and a little woman at that. I know Lyla is a skilled assassin but they usually fight in the shadows and she pretty much defeated him in a fair duel here which I imagine is a bit out of her element. It makes me especially hyped because I think it confirmed what I already believed anyway and that is that a skilled fighter like a Jamison or Naemon or someone like that could cut through this guy like cake. It also now more than ever has me wanting to see Naemon kill this guy since I feel Mordekhai would be the perfect person for Naemon to overcome his apprehensiveness to kill with. I know that probably won't happen but it is still an interesting thought nonetheless. Anyway, these were both great parts and excellent ways to end the Blackmont's storylines and I very much look forward to seeing just where Chapter 3 takes them.
Pity indeed. And I know from experience that typing longer posts with phone really sucks, so I'm thankful that you went throught the trouble to share your thoughts about this part!
Yeah, Naemon's part was meant to be a bit calmer wrap up, contrasting starkly on how Gwendis' Chapter 2 ended. Naemon and Malcolm represent the future of their houses, which really makes their relationship and interactions interesting. Naemon is definitely still feeling down about Gwendis, and while Malcolm certainly sympathizes with that, he is also quite optimistic about the future of the Western Dorne, seeing that an alliance between him and Naemon would probably work better than the one between Vorian and Benedict. And well, I could guess that what you're hinting at might be related to the threat of the Martell's, and the fact that Nymeria's invasion could eventually drive Malcolm and Naemon to the opposite sides of the war. We'll see in the more distant future if that'll be the case
Yeah, I kinda just realized after posting the part that Lyla is the first really big death of the story. I mean, we've had a few impactful death scenes, like Forovos killing Donovar or Missy killing Ronny, as well as some pretty tragic off screen deaths like Purple Ocelot and Yandry, but this one was definitely the most hard hitting death of NW so far. There should be some more of them coming, but I believe Lyla's death will remain at least in top 5 of the most shocking deaths in Book 1. And you're right, Mordekhai can definitely be defeated. Jamison for sure would take him down, even if it wouldn't necessarily be easy even for him, and he certainly couldn't afford to act cocky. Naemon too should be able to defeat Mordekhai, though his weakness is his lack of willingness to kill when it comes to duels to death like this one. However, as you said, Mordekhai could very well be one to make him forget about that. What comes to Lyla, she did have the right strategy, and she is quite fast and skilled. That said, you're right, she is more comfortable with working in the shadows and killing the enemy before they even notice her. That of course wasn't an option here, but she did well in an honest duel as well. And while this part confirmed that Mordekhai can be taken down, it also confirmed that he might not stay down. In other words, he is basically inhumanly durable to all kinds of damage, most likely thanks to some kind of dark magic. Slit his throat or straight up cut off his head though and even he should stay down
Glad you enjoyed the parts! 
I was actually surprised how well she held her own there. And one thing is for sure, him losing an eye will weaken Wesley somewhat. He has a blind spot now and a skilled fighter could use that for their favour. I guess if Lyla were to fight against him once again in his current condition, she would even win. Or at least she could take his other eye, I bet not even he can recover from that. And yeah, I guess you are right. I knew Lyla was a bit of a false hope, as she came too early for me to buy it, but she is not the only hope I have. Though I guess there can't be any help to be expected from House Blackmont now, given that Benny has put his hopes into Lyla. So... if there is a chance for Gwendis, I think it's Desi and Dalia. Man, that is seriously ironic, given how I originally felt about them. That, or she escapes on her own, with a mixture of her own cunning and help from Trentan, though I see this as less likely, given what she is up against. Or maybe a mixture of it all. Dalia provides a distraction, if only as a side effect of confronting Aisha, Wesley gets to fight her, while Trentan distracts Aisha (preferrably by violently stabbing her into the guts), which leaves Gwendis to run for her life. Ah, as dark as things look right now, I will remain hopeful until I actually learn what the witch-bitch wants from Gwen. I realized that there has to be a reason she is so stubborn in forcing her into servitude, meaning there must be a very particular use for her. But this is surely the darkest and lowest point she has been in her storyline so far.
It was the best ship to ever sail. If it would have sailed, that is
But ah, it has indeed been a very unlikely one, though that has been part of the appeal. I know, neither could actually stand the other in the slightest, but just imagine the sheer amount of snark such a relationship could have produced 
Now, Gwesmor might be similarly unlikely, but well, in the end it is still more possible, on account of both of them still being alive. Man, just writing that actually hurts, I already miss Lyla 
A giant mega bitch she has been, yeah, but unlik many other giant mega bitches, she wasn't actually evil and the loyalty she has shown to Benedict was as surprising as it was respectable.
That is the peak? Oh, I think it can still get worse. Though I guess if this is the peak, the least that will happen is that she won't get any better from here on anytime soon, if ever. And yeah, I really see no way for Aisha to redeem herself. The best she can hope for is that I'll end up seeing her as not as bad as some of the other characters, which is already going to take a lot from her. I just cannot grasp how anyone could continue to see themselves as being in the right. If she would have just let Gwen go, that would at least prove that she understands that she cannot force anyone to share her sick beliefs, but well, her actively chasing after her proves that she lacks even this simple insight. The thought process behind her decisions is baffling and with this particular one, she has surely sealed her own fate. If she would have allowed Gwendis to leave, I would have actually stopped actively trying to kill her with my choices, but now I keep thinking that merely burning her alive is too kind for her. Though I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up surviving Chapter 3. If Gwen herself survives this as well, this witch could come back to haunt her in a later chapter.
To be fair, in thse regards, Aisha is also pretty simple to take down. Someone who gets past Wesley has very good chances to get past her as well, given that she is not much of a fighter. If Lyla would have actually killed Wesley, she would have more than likely managed to kill Aisha as well. Though I guess this is less of a case of her being unable to defend herself and more a case of her not having seen this coming. She's clearly not all-knowing, but I believe that she does get some glimpses of possible futures. I actually believe that she saw Gwendis' death in Skyreach and that she saw her trying to escape, just like she saw Lyla's death at the hands of Wesley. However, I guess she is not really realizing that such futures can be changed, even if she herself changed Gwen's future by taking her away from Blackmont. So, it was really satisfying to see her dropping her insufferable, smug bitchiness when things did not go her way. She's a lot more tolerable when she is afraid for her life
With Trentan, he gave me a really positive opinion in this part. I was a bit afraid he could lead Aisha to Gwen and Lyla, but I misjudged him there and it now seems that he will indeed become a good ally for Gwen. Maybe, if not outright helping her to survive against Aisha, he could at least help her against a possible encounter with Dalia, by testifying that she is a good person and therefore preventing Desi from ordering her death.
Indeed I shall! I mean, Wesley indeed is not much of a talker, but he's still not completely mute. And to be fair, even then I'd find a way to post this video. Seriously though, I did not know this video exists when I came up with his new name, but I am more than ever sure that I chose correctly
Voting is closed!
Dalia will send the Unsullied to take the bridge. Well, it's not exactly a spoiler that the Unsullied are famed for their discipline and high morale, so most likely they'll do a good job taking that bridge, allowing the Battle for Vaith to truly begin
Anyway, what comes to the next part, well, I have one short Tomas part ready, which will conclude his storyline in Chapter 2. However, as I said it's very short, so I'd like to finish Nymeria's Chapter 2 finale as well and post them together. My progress with that one has been a bit slower though, but hopefully I'll be motivated enough tomorrow to finish it.
Last time on Tomas' storyline he removed the crown from his nephew Levor Toland's head, beginning to guide him towards working with the Martell's. Meanwhile the shady councillor Argim Taler, who apparently had tried to get Levor to ally with the Yronwood's after Donovar's death, ran away from Ghost Hill. Ser Garibald of Sevengrace informed Tomas about this, and he decided to send men after Argim. Nymeria on the other hand returned from her visit to Redclif, with her Lord Ormond Bloodspill and his youngest son Cason Bloodspill. In Sandship two guests were waiting for Nym - Ser Martyn Santagar, the young head of House Santagar, and Ser Benjamin Told, a knight working for a mysterious man named Edd Prally. Ser Martyn bent the knee to Nymeria and Mors, and Ser Benjamin brought with him a message from Esperence Allyrion, telling that Godsgrace's gates would be opened for Nymeria without resistance. After meeting these guests Nymeria held a council meeting. At the end of this meeting she had to decide who will she leave to Sandship, to hold the castle, as well as keep an eye on Ormond. She decided to leave this duty for Farrah of Ghoyan Drohe, the Commander of the Royal Guard.
As said, I hope I'll get the Nym part ready tomorrow
Nymeria
"Commander Farrah, you will stay in command of Sandship when our army marches to Godsgrace", Nymeria said with a decisive tone. The look on Farrah's eyes was surprised. "My Princess... are you sure that is a good idea?" She asked with confusion.
"Yes, I know this is different from your usual duty, commander, but there is the risk of Sandship being attacked while we are gone, so I need someone I can trust to stay here", she answered calmly, giving a meaningful look at Farrah. "I understand", Farrah said now, bowing to Nymeria.
The Princess stood up, gazing at her husband. "Is there something more we should discuss?" She asked, but no one answered. "Fine then, in few days we will march to war, prepare yourselves", Nymeria said, looking now at Mors and Varyn, whom both nodded to her. Then she walked out of the council chamber.
-
Later that evening Nymeria was having dinner with Mors alone in their chambers. The servants had brought them wine and fine meals, but their mood was nervous, almost tense. The war was about to truly begin, and Nymeria could see from Mors' eyes that he was just as anxious about the thought as she was.
"If we can take Godsgrace, and the Fallen Dragons will take Salt Shore... Our hold on the Central Dorne will be strong", Mors said with some uncertainty in his voice.
"Are you afraid we won't succeed?" Nymeria asked quietly, and Mors let out a sigh. "I don't know", he answered truthfully, taking a gulp of wine. "It's just.... strange. Recently I've felt that I have had all the luck in the world, ever since you came into my life. And now, I'm starting to fear when will that luck run out."
"Only gods know, I suppose", Nymeria stated calmly, which made Mors shrug. "Well, there is no use asking from them", he replied dryly, "they seldom answer."
"And we don't need their answers", Nymeria said with a determined tone on her voice, looking her husband to the eyes. "Remember, we will find our own path, we will forge our own destiny. It's all in our hands, we just have to... trust ourselves." A small smile was formed on Mors' face, and he nodded to Nymeria.
"You're right, Nym", he admitted with a small sigh. "You're right... we can't give up now."
"Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", Nymeria said with a smirk. "Those are the words of your house, right?"
"Our house", Mors corrected with a nod. "Our house", Nymeria confirmed softly, looking to the eyes of the man who had welcomed her and her people with open arms, raised them all back to dignity and offered them an opportunity to find a home in this foreign land. The man I love, she thought with a smile. Then something came to her mind.
"The Valyrian lady... she is still here, right?" She asked, and Mors raised his eyebrow, clearly surprised by the question. "Oh, yes, I believe she is in the library right now", he answered, a questioning look on his eyes.
"Good... I need to have a conversation with her", Nymeria said decidedly, and the expression on Mors' face was somewhat concerned. "My dear, this young lady, she is in no way responsible to what the Valyrian's did to your people", Mors said carefully, and Nymeria gave her an agreeing nod.
"You are correct", she said with a sigh. "And that is exactly why I need to talk to her." Mors seemed still a bit confused, but nodded to Nymeria anyway. The Princess emptied her cup, and walked to Mors. "I'll be back soon", she said quietly, quickly kissing her husband to the lips and walking out of their chambers.
As she walked towards the library, for some reason she felt nervous, almost anxious, about facing this young woman. But she had to do it, she had to talk to her. Nymeria was escorted by Ser Boran Sargen, and at the doorway to the library the bodyguards of the Valyrian lady were standing in guard.
The one who was clearly Valyrian, Jaelor, tensed up as Nymeria and Boran approached them, but the Ghiscari one, Grazhen, seemed much more relaxed.
"We are here to see Lady Eraehra", Nymeria said calmly, and Jaelor narrowed his eyes, a suspicious look on them. "And what exactly do you want from her?" He inquired, which mildly irritated Nymeria.
"May I remind you that we are in my castle, stand aside", she commanded strictly, but the Valyrian guard didn't move and inch, now even taking his hand to the hilt of his sword. Ser Boran did the same, stepping between Jaelor and Nymeria.
"I only want to talk to her", Nymeria cleared with a sigh, and now the Grazhen stepped next to Jaelor, putting his hand on his shoulder. He said something to the man in Valyrian, which finally convinced Jaelor to step aside, letting Nymeria and Boran inside the library. Of course, both Jaelor and Grezhan followed them in.
Quickly they found Eraehra, sitting by a table with her scholar Maemar, a fairly small book opened in front of them. They noticed them coming, and turned they gaze towards them. Jaelor said something to Eraehra in Valyrian, and the young lady answered to him with a calm and smooth tone on her voice. After that she turned to Nymeria again.
"Good evening, Lady Eraehra", Nymeria greeted politely, taking a seat opposed to the Valyrian lady. "What are you reading this time?" She asked calmly.
"Princess Nymeria, this is an unexpected honor", she said with a calm and polite, even if slightly confused, tone. "I was just reading about Anders Martell, the grandfather of Lord Mors", Eraehra answered Nymeria's question. "Apparently Anders and his brothers crushed a rebellious house called Redclif. At the end of the war the castle of Redclif was left without a lord, so Anders named his friend and trusted warrior named Orwyn, and that was how House Bloodspill was born."
To her surprise, Nymeria found this information actually quite interesting. She hadn't really thought about the history of House Bloodspill, and it was a surprise to him that they had been established just two generations ago.
"Looks like you are starting to know more about the history of Dorne than I do", Nymeria said dryly, and Eraehra's lips formed a small smile. "Don't you think it would be important to know the history of the land you wish to rule?" Asked Maemar, the old man sitting beside Eraehra. Though his tone was completely polite, the question still annoyed Nymeria a bit. "Mors has taught me the basics", she said with a sigh. "Sadly I haven't had much time to learn about the details."
"I understand, your highness", Maemar replied with a humble tone. Then Eraehra spoke up again. "What did you want to talk about, my Princess?" She asked with a kind voice, and Nymeria forced a smile on her face.
"The past", she said calmly, trying her best to keep all bitterness away from her voice. Eraehra nodded. "I assume you mean the Second Spice War", she said quietly, and Nymeria nodded.
"That war, as well as all the wars between our people that came before it... It's not easy to forgive", the Princess said, gulping. "But I know you had no part in it, and I can't blame every Valyrian for what happened. And I also want to acknowledge that many of your people died as well, many good men, leaving behind widow's and orphans." Nymeria could see that her words moved Eraehra, who had to take a moment before answering.
"You know, before my ship wrecked here, I had a disdain for the Rhoynar", she said with uncertainty. "So many years of hearing about the terrors committed against the Valyrian soldiers by your people, losing my brother... Let's just say my feelings towards you weren't far from what yours probably were towards me." Eraehra paused, clearly holding back tears. "But I've found respect for you and your people while I've been here, and I'm ready to put the past behind."
"As am I", Nymeria said softly, offering her hand for the Valyrian. After a small moment of hesitation, Eraehra grabbed Nymeria's hand and they looked each other in the eyes. As they let go of each other, Eraehra spoke up again.
"As much anger as I had towards the Rhoynar, I was also disgusted by what the dragon lords did after they had already won", she said with a serious tone. "Slaughtering and enslaving innocents... I hope you will be kinder towards the people whose lands you will conquer, Princess Nymeria."
"I will", she promised wholeheartedly. "I will."
No decision.
-
Tomas
Tomas stood on the balcony of his chambers at the northern tower of Ghost Hill, looking at the Sea of Dorne in front of him as the sun was setting to the west. The sun made the sea glimmer in gold. What a beautiful sight, Tomas thought calmly, leaning on the railing and feeling the smooth wind on his skin.
As he looked at the cliffs next to the sea, the memories from his childhood rushed to his mind. On those cliffs he always played monsters and maidens with Donovar and the girls of the court. Back then they were just two young and innocent boys. What they grew up to be was something else. Tomas let out a sigh, wondering what would Levor and Mateo grow up to be. The important thing is that they will grow up, I will make sure of that.
Suddenly Tomas heard knocking on the door of his chambers. Slowly he turned around, leaving the beautiful sight behind him, and walking back inside and towards the door. Before he reached it, the door was knocked again. "I'm coming!" Tomas yelled with mild irritation. In a couple seconds he made it to the door and opened it. Out there Ser Garibald was waiting for him, a dutiful expression on his face.
"Ser Tomas, Argim was caught on the road towards the Tor, and brought back here", he informed with a formal tone. "He has now been brought down to the dungeons", he added, and a small smile was formed on Tomas' face. "Did Levor notice?" He asked calmly, and Garibald shook his head.
"Good", Tomas said, walking out of his chambers and past Garibald. Together they made their way down from the tower, and all the way to the dungeons of Ghost Hill. In front of one of the cells were standing two guards, and the door of that cell was open. "Is he in there?" Tomas asked as he got closer, and the guards nodded to him. Without anymore words Tomas made his way inside the cell, which was illuminated with a single torch. Argim Taler was shackled to the wooden pole in the middle of the room, a sour look on his weasel face.
"You have no right to imprison me, Lord Tomas", the man hissed, but Tomas stayed silent, giving only an intense glare at Argim. "When Levor hears of this..."
"He doesn't need to hear of this", Tomas cut him off with a cold tone, taking another step closer to Argim. "I'll give you a chance to confess without making things complicated, Argim... Do you work for King Yorick Yronwood?"
"I have no idea what are you talking about", Argim insisted with a pretentious tone. Tomas took in a deep breath, taking another step closer to Argim, now being a mere two feet away from him. "Father forgive me for what I'm about to do", he said quietly, and Argim chuckled mockingly. "Oh, Lord Tomas, always consorting with the gods. Have you considered that perhaps they don't give a rat's ass about you and your doings?" He said this with the intent to mock Tomas, but for Argim's surprise a smirk was formed on Tomas' face.
"Perhaps, Lord Argim, you are right about this... Most likely the gods don't care what I'll do to you", with these words he threw a hard punch on Argim's face. For a moment Argim kept his face down, spitting out blood. After a moment he turned his head up again, a pained and angered expression on his face.
"Do you work for Yorick Yronwood?" Tomas repeated the question. "I will tell you nothing", Argim hissed, and so Tomas kicked him in the guts, making him scream in pain. Tomas chuckled, trying to look Argim to the eyes, but he was avoiding eye contact.
"You worthless rat... You have been manipulating my brother, and then my nephew, spying this house for the enemy", Tomas ranted, but Argim just laughed. It was a pathetic and weak laugh, but it still irritated Tomas. "You have no reason to laugh now, Argim Taler", he said with a threatening tone, and finally Argim raised his gaze to look Tomas into the eyes.
"Oh, but I do", he whispered with a sly tone. "Because sooner or later you will either bend your knee to Yorick... or you will die." This made Tomas throw another punch on Argim's face. Now Argim coughed in pain, keeping his eyes on the floor, looking like he was only barely conscious.
"Perhaps that's enough, Lord Tomas", Ser Garibald said with a concerned tone, but Tomas ignored him. He lowered himself to a crouch, so he was on Argim's level, and took his head to his hands, forcing Argim to look at him. Tomas took out his dagger, and put the blade an inch away from Argim's neck. "Tell me, what are Yorick Yronwood's plans regarding Ghost Hill", he demanded. There was fear in Argim's eyes, real fear, but he stayed silent. "Speak!" Tomas shouted, and now he saw the annoying grin forming on Argim's face.
"I will not betray my king", he said quietly, "so kill me if you have to."
[Kill Argim] [Keep Argim imprisoned]
[Keep Argim imprisoned]
While I don't think he's gonna budge any time soon, maybe he has other uses, and unless someone releases him, he's not gonna go anywhere soon.
[Keep Argim imprisoned]
[Keep Argim imprisoned]
[Keep Argim imprisoned]
You know, everything inside of me screams to just kill him, to make sure that he won't be a danger anymore. That guy is a traitorous weasel and he just pretty much admitted to his guilt. Tomas would be more than justified to kill him, especially considering that a schemer of his determination is a risk, even if kept in a cell. Who knows, maybe he manages to contact Levor, to convince him that this is all a mistake and that Tomas is the real traitor here. At the same time, I keep thinking that he surely knows more. House Yronwood has big plans, this much is clear now and I think it could be essential for us to get a glimpse of what they are about. This could be important for House Toland, but also for others, as Argim might know about plans for other houses as well, most importantly the Martell's.
[Keep Argim imprisoned]
I guess it is possible that he might get more information out of him. Hopefully, Levor won't find out. Argim might be able to manipulate him again.
By the way, I really liked that Nymeria part. It is good that Nymeria and Eraehra are putting the past of their people behind them.
[Keep Argim imprisoned]
While killing him seems like the safest choice, Argim definitely has some useful knowledge that can't go to waste and while he says he won't talk, I also believe Tomas can get the information out of him very soon.
Voting is closed!
And Tomas will keep Argim imprisoned. Killing him would've certainly been the safe way, in terms of making sure he will do no more harm to House Toland. Of course, it's possible that killing him would've had some negative consequences for Tomas himself. And as some of you pointed out, it would've been a waste, since now Tomas basically knows that Argim works for Yorick, so he must know some pretty interesting things about the plans of the Yronwood's. And it shouldn't be impossible to get some of that information out of him.
In the next parts we'll return to the Battle for Lemonwood. I have a Verro and Nealia PoV under work atm, and I'll try to get them done today. However, it could be that it'll go for tomorrow. Anyway, I feel like very detailed recaps aren't needed, but just as a reminder: Verro decided to go with Nesila to ram the gate of the harbor, and Nealia decided to follow Lien to help Efran's forces take over the battlements next to the western gate of the city, while the rest of the Rose Company ran down to the city.
-
And here is a portrait of Argim Taler:
Alright, I decided to leave the Nealia part for next time, but here is the Verro part:
-
Verro
With a longboat carried over their heads, Verro, Nesila and a dozen more soldiers approached the harbor gates with the ram. Verro could hear the crossbow bolts thudding against the bottom of the longboat above them, as well as some landing close to their feet.
Verro clenched his teeth, determined to keep going. Soon they reached the gate, and begun to ram it. "Hii-oh!" They yelled to keep the rhythm. "Hii-oh!" The head of the ram crashed against the wooden gates again and again, slowly starting to tear them apart. Meanwhile, large rocks were dropped on them, though the longboat did its job protecting them, as did the men carrying it. One of the soldiers carrying the longboat was taken down by a bolt to the guts, but soon another took his place.
"Hii-oh!" They kept ramming the gates, hearing the wood cracking more every time the head of the ram impacted with the gates. Distantly Verro could hear sounds of fighting from the battlements above them – Efran must've led his forces up there by now.
After a few minutes the gate finally gave in, and they could advance inside the gatehouse. Next they would have to ram their way through the inner gate. Inside the gatehouse was completely dark, but they manage to stumble their way to the gate and started ramming it once again. "Hii-oh!"
However, soon something was poured on them through the murder-holes on the ceiling of the gatehouse. A sizzling noise could be hear as the substance hit the longboat above their heads. Boiling oil, Verro realized immediately. Most of the oil flowed to the ground next to them after splashing against the longboat, but small amounts of it drained through the small dents and holes on the bottom of the boat. None of it hit Verro, but the painful screams were enough to tell that not all were so lucky. In fact they even had to put down the ram for a moment, as some of the soldiers were in too much pain and shock to hold it up. Luckily they still managed to hold the boat above their heads, even if some of its carriers had also been injured by the boiling oil. Verro doubted the defenders would use the same trick twice, and he was right. However, now bolts started to rain down from the murder holes. Most of them hit the longboat or missed them completely, but some managed to hit the soldiers that had already been injured by the oil and were now laying on the ground.
"Fuck!" Nesila cursed loudly. "We have to keep ramming the gate! Get to work!" She commanded, and even if many of them were injured, they indeed continued their work. "Hii-oh!" They shouted as the ram once again started to crash against the wooden surface of the gate. With having lost few of the soldiers and being tired from the outer gate, their pace was inevitably getting slower. All the time bolts were shot down on them, but they kept ramming with determination. "Hii-oh!"
Finally, after a time that felt painfully long, the gate gave in, opening them a way into the city. As the gate opened, they threw the longboat away, drawing their swords and shields. They were welcomed by a line of crossbowmen a couple dozen feet from the gates, who immediately shot towards them. Many of them died, though few managed to protect themselves with their shields. Verro himself took a bolt to his upper right leg, and fell down in pain right next to the gates. This is the end, Verro was sure about it. However, as he glanced back towards the gatehouse and the harbor behind it, he could see their forces now pouring in with full force. They charged past the fallen ones, and attacked the defenders on the other side of the street. Meanwhile, with an enormous pain on his right leg, Verro crawled to Nesila, who was laying beside a soldier who had got a bolt to the neck. Nesila had got one on her upper right chest. She was taking deep breaths, clearly in pain. However, her thick leather armor had considerably reduced the damage, and the bolt had made it just a few inches in her flesh. Nesila ripped the bolt away, pressing the small wound with her hand. Verro saw few others of the ram crew getting up and following after the attacking force, though most of them stayed down, either already dead or about to die.
The fighting was going on just a couple dozen feet away from them, and Verro knew the situation could change at any moment. "Nesila, we can't stay here", he muttered, standing up and cringing at the pain on his leg.
"Can you even walk?" Nesila asked with an exhausted look on her face, and Verro nodded affirmatively. However, as he took his first step it came clear he had underestimated the injury, and the pain made him fall on his knees. "Come on", Nesila said, offering her hand. Verro grabbed it, and the Myr woman pulled him up with a groan. Nesila supported Verro, and together they hobbled to the closest house. Nesila kicked the wooden door in, and dragged Verro inside. All the time they could hear the intense sounds of the battle all around them. It was a weird feeling, in this dark and empty house they were at the same time in the middle of the battle, but also completely outside of it.
"Sit there", Nesila said with a calm tone, lowering Verro next to the wall. "Hold on to your sword and keep an eye at the door – I'll go see if there is anything in this house that could work as a bandage." With these words Nesila walked deeper into the house, leaving Verro alone next to the door. He took in a deep breath, trying to calm down. However, the constant screams from the outside, and the considerable pain on his leg made it very hard.
For many long minutes Verro sat there alone, all kinds of thoughts running through his mind. What if they would lose the battle, and the Dalt soldiers would find him from here? Would they show mercy? Probably not, he thought bitterly. Clashing of swords from the battlements could still be heard, but it sounded like the battle on the streets had moved deeper into the city by now. Finally, Nesila came back. In her hands was some kind of cloth, that much Verro could see in the dark.
Nesila crouched next to Verro, looking him in the eyes. "You told me you want to start a new life after this is over, right?" She asked with a tense tone, and Verro nodded. "Good, think about that new life, all the new opportunities."
Verro was slightly confused by this, and he wasn't sure what kind of opportunities would there actually be for him... And then he realized it had just been a trick from Nesila to make him focus on something else while she pulled out the bolt from his leg. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but scream at the extreme pain he felt as the bolt violently exited his flesh. Nesila put her other hand on Verro's wound, and the other one on his mouth.
"Shut up, please", she hissed, breathing heavily. "It's bleeding quite badly", with these words she moved the other hand to press the wound as well. "Get on your back", she commanded strictly, and after a moment of confused hesitation Verro obeyed. As he laid back, he clenched his teeth together to prevent himself from screaming again. Meanwhile, Nesila raised his leg up, to subdue the bleeding.
Verro closed his eyes, feeling lightheaded. He wasn't sure if it was an effect of the blood loss, or if it was just due to the numbing pain. After a moment Nesila started to wrap the cloth around Verro's leg as a bandage. "The wound has to be cleaned after the battle", Nesila muttered, slowly lowering the leg down. Verro raised to a sitting position again, still feeling a bit dizzy. "If I'll survive that long", he said with quiet and grim words, and Nesila frowned at him.
"Is that how you say 'thank you' in Dothraki?" She asked dryly, and a grin was now formed on Verro's face. "What's so funny?" The Myr woman snapped.
"We... don't have a word for 'thank you' in Dothraki", Verro replied, the weak grin still on his face. Nesila rolled her eyes. "Bloody savages", she muttered, and Verro chuckled painfully.
"You were pretty impressive earlier... first on the ship and then at the gates", Verro complimented quietly. "You'd make a fine savage, I think." Nesila raised her eyebrow for this, and let out a soft chuckle. "Thanks, I guess", she said as she stood up, looking towards the door now.
"Well, I think I should go now", she said with a sigh, unsheathing her sword again. "You just rest here until the battle is over – you don't want to ruin your leg permanently." Verro had to agree with that, he didn't want to ruin his leg, but at the same time he felt unsure about this. Staying hidden here while others fought would feel like cowardice. And if they'd lose... Verro would rather die fighting.
[Stay hidden] [Go with Nesila]
[Stay hidden]
[Stay hidden]
Shit, this is not going as planned
I thought this would be a relatively easy victory for Efran's forces. As much as I want these guys to fail, Verro, Nealia and the Rose Company are among my favourites, so Efran's failure will have negative consequences on them and that I don't want. So, while I want the man himself to fail miserably, I would like for as many of his underlings as possible to leave his side first. I bet such a chance will come up after the battle for Lemonwood, where Verro, Tryden and the Rose Company and Bjorn and his raiders might all abandon him. First however, they all have to survive this fight and I have the feeling that there might be some painful casualties along the way. All we can do is to make sure that Verro won't end up as one of them. His leg is pretty messed up now and as Nesila said, he might ruin it permanently if he continues the fight now. And well, he surely risks a lot more than just his leg if he goes out there so heavily wounded. So, I think that staying will be safer for him and better for his physical health. The big fear I have there is that Nesila won't make it out alive with him staying back, but that is a risk I'll have to take. I do kinda ship it though 
Really don't want her to die, so I hope she will make it out regardless. As always though, I am open for arguments for the other option, it's just that right now, I see staying as the better option for Verro himself.
Oh, this certainly was never going to be an easy battle for Efran. He has made his forces about as strong as possible with the wealth he had from his years as a pirate, but it's still not exactly the most organized or well trained army out there. Still, right now they are overwhelming the defenders, and it's very likely they'll take over the city before dawn - the castle itself could be a bit harder task.
Well, a big portion of Efran's forces has no real loyalty towards him, so whether he wins or loses this battle it'll certainly be a challenge for him to keep enough troops around him to continue the war, which most likely won't end to this battle. Even if Efran takes over Lemonwood, it's doubtful that the Dalt vassals would accept him as their new liege, and then there is the very real threat of Nymeria getting involved. Bjorn has pretty much zero interest for the war after this battle, as being part of it wouldn't benefit him in any way. Many of the sellswords might stay on Efran's side, in case they still get payed, but Tryden is a very smart and opportunistic man, and he might see the danger in continuing to support Efran and start to consider other options. So yeah, however this battle goes, the future of the Bandit Lord is very uncertain.
[Stay hidden]
I'm not sure fighting with his leg that injured would be a good idea. I'm afraid that if he goes with Nesila, he would slow her down and put both of them in danger. I'm hopeful this choice will keep both of them alive.
[Stay hidden]