Kortney
Kortney looked straight into the eyes of Tom the Animal, feeling the rage take over her. This man had insulted and humiliated her… more countless times, and there he was, completely at her mercy. "Come on, you fuck-"
Kortney cut off the freak's words by lunging her spear through his heart. At first Tom's eyes widened in shock and pain, and Kortney felt satisfied. Then, something else took over those eyes – relief. Kortney pulled out the spear, and Tom's dead body collapsed to the floor.
He deserved much worse, Kortney thought bitterly, dropping the spear to the floor. In silence she left the corridor, feeling no remorse.
Kortney walked quietly around Kingsgrave, seeing dozens of bodies lying on the corridors and hallways. Those who had survived carried the bodies away, and quickly Kortney realized that Sofina had failed at her coup, even if she had managed to injure King Albin. When the soldiers asked whose side was Kortney on, … [view original content]
We know that any attempts to kill Albin will fail. Since, Nymeria is suppose to send him to the wall anyways. Plus, Myke is so close to rescuing her now. It would be terrible if he travelled so far, just for her to kill herself just before rescuing her.
Kortney
Kortney looked straight into the eyes of Tom the Animal, feeling the rage take over her. This man had insulted and humiliated her… more countless times, and there he was, completely at her mercy. "Come on, you fuck-"
Kortney cut off the freak's words by lunging her spear through his heart. At first Tom's eyes widened in shock and pain, and Kortney felt satisfied. Then, something else took over those eyes – relief. Kortney pulled out the spear, and Tom's dead body collapsed to the floor.
He deserved much worse, Kortney thought bitterly, dropping the spear to the floor. In silence she left the corridor, feeling no remorse.
Kortney walked quietly around Kingsgrave, seeing dozens of bodies lying on the corridors and hallways. Those who had survived carried the bodies away, and quickly Kortney realized that Sofina had failed at her coup, even if she had managed to injure King Albin. When the soldiers asked whose side was Kortney on, … [view original content]
Actually, the fates of the six kings is something where I'm willing to bend the canon a bit. Just wanted to say this if it changes your mind on the choice.
[Kiss Albin]
We know that any attempts to kill Albin will fail. Since, Nymeria is suppose to send him to the wall anyways. Plus, Myke is … moreso close to rescuing her now. It would be terrible if he travelled so far, just for her to kill herself just before rescuing her.
Whoa, that choice That has to be the bleakest, darkest choice in the entire story so far. Now, I love Kortney and I would never try to get a PoV killed, on account of there definitely going to be enough death even without me trying to add more to it. As a result, I see myself mostly as having to try and get the best possible outcome to a situation that would otherwise be hopeless, but I cannot deny that for a moment, the first option has been tempting to me. If she succeeds with it, this would be such a heavy break from the canon that it certainly holds some allure to it. At the same time, Kortney is one of my favourite PoV's and this is not worth her life. If you'd offer the same choice with a PoV I don't like all that much (or at all), such as Tomas or, god behold, Dalia, I'd break my one rule of never willingly getting a PoV killed in a heartbeat if it means Albin will be taken out. Alas, you do it with a PoV I actually like, damn this So, no, there is zero chance I will ever willingly sacrifice Kortney's life. Nah, no, that ain't true, I should never say never, but definitely not for Albin. If you'd offer the same choice with Kortney and Aisha, I'd do it without even hesitating, there is preciously few I'd not do to get rid of that bitch, because she's the worst. But Kortney is too dear to me to sacrifice her for Albin. Even worse, I kind of doubt she'd succeed. It's so, I really can't imagine there would be such a heavy break from the canon until it happens, even if I myself offered the same choice once as well. It's not that I don't think you're willing to kill Albin off, because I bet you are and I know he deserves worse than to wither away at the Wall. It's just... now would be so early. Chapter 3 is definitely just getting started, so Albin's death at this point, I really doubt it would happen. That would be like featuring the Red Wedding at the start of the episode. At the same time, the Season 6 finale kind of did it like this, but ah, I don't think this would work all that well in written form. So, the attempt would likely seal Kortney's fate, make it impossible for Myke to save her, or at least not without her losing more of herself and him maybe having to give up his life for her and Albin would still not die from it. So, no, the cost is too high and the benefit is too little. My one rule stands and Kortney will live.
Kortney
Kortney looked straight into the eyes of Tom the Animal, feeling the rage take over her. This man had insulted and humiliated her… more countless times, and there he was, completely at her mercy. "Come on, you fuck-"
Kortney cut off the freak's words by lunging her spear through his heart. At first Tom's eyes widened in shock and pain, and Kortney felt satisfied. Then, something else took over those eyes – relief. Kortney pulled out the spear, and Tom's dead body collapsed to the floor.
He deserved much worse, Kortney thought bitterly, dropping the spear to the floor. In silence she left the corridor, feeling no remorse.
Kortney walked quietly around Kingsgrave, seeing dozens of bodies lying on the corridors and hallways. Those who had survived carried the bodies away, and quickly Kortney realized that Sofina had failed at her coup, even if she had managed to injure King Albin. When the soldiers asked whose side was Kortney on, … [view original content]
Whoa, that choice That has to be the bleakest, darkest choice in the entire story so far. Now, I love Kortney and I would never try to get a PoV killed, on account of there definitely going to be enough death even without me trying to add more to it. As a result, I see myself mostly as having to try and get the best possible outcome to a situation that would otherwise be hopeless, but I cannot deny that for a moment, the first option has been tempting to me. If she succeeds with it, this would be such a heavy break from the canon that it certainly holds some allure to it. At the same time, Kortney is one of my favourite PoV's and this is not worth her life. If you'd offer the same choice with a PoV I don't like all that much (or at all), such as Tomas or, god behold, Dalia, I'd break my one rule of never willingly getting a PoV killed in a heartbeat if it means Albin will be taken out. Alas, you do it with a PoV I actually like, damn this
Indeed, kill the worst king in Dorne and pay it with Kortney's life, or save Kortney's life and pay it with Albin staying in power. That is a very dark choice, I must admit. And I'll also reveal that had Myke approached Kortney there wouldn't be this choice, because she would have much more hope for the future. That said, another effect of the choice would've been that Larry would've grown very suspicious, finding Kortney talking with an old guardsman that he doesn't recognize.
And like I have said, when it comes to the kings, I am willing to break the canon if you so choose. Here we have heavily injured Albin and Kortney right next to him with a dagger - could she really fail in this situation? Anyway, this is your choice as the readers, and I certainly see the benefits to both sides.
[Kiss Albin]
Whoa, that choice That has to be the bleakest, darkest choice in the entire story so far. Now, I love Kortney and I would n… moreever try to get a PoV killed, on account of there definitely going to be enough death even without me trying to add more to it. As a result, I see myself mostly as having to try and get the best possible outcome to a situation that would otherwise be hopeless, but I cannot deny that for a moment, the first option has been tempting to me. If she succeeds with it, this would be such a heavy break from the canon that it certainly holds some allure to it. At the same time, Kortney is one of my favourite PoV's and this is not worth her life. If you'd offer the same choice with a PoV I don't like all that much (or at all), such as Tomas or, god behold, Dalia, I'd break my one rule of never willingly getting a PoV killed in a heartbeat if it means Albin will be taken out. Alas, you do it with a PoV I actually l… [view original content]
Indeed, kill the worst king in Dorne and pay it with Kortney's life, or save Kortney's life and pay it with Albin staying in power. That is a very dark choice, I must admit. And I'll also reveal that had Myke approached Kortney there wouldn't be this choice, because she would have much more hope for the future. That said, another effect of the choice would've been that Larry would've grown very suspicious, finding Kortney talking with an old guardsman that he doesn't recognize.
Hm, this is making me really conflicted. I mean, no way I'm going to pick the kill Albin choice, because this is not worth Kortney's life. She tried so hard and got so far and in the end, that has to matter for something, right? I can see not speaking to Myke coming at a serious risk for Kortney though, whereas the other option sounds like it would have been more risky to Myke. Now at least, he's still in cover and has a chance to free her. Larry though... with Albin wounded and Tom dead, he might be the biggest threat to both, Myke and Kortney at this very moment. I am afraid one of them might not manage to leave Kingsgrave alive, with how the situation still manages to get more dangerous with every new part.
And like I have said, when it comes to the kings, I am willing to break the canon if you so choose. Here we have heavily injured Albin and Kortney right next to him with a dagger - could she really fail in this situation? Anyway, this is your choice as the readers, and I certainly see the benefits to both sides.
I know, and this is what makes this still somewhat tempting. I just don't know if this is one of these choices that lead to a changed canon or if it is bait. The fact that it happens so early in this chapter makes me believe it could be the latter, but I am really not sure. But even then, as said, this is not worth Kortney's life.
Whoa, that choice That has to be the bleakest, darkest choice in the entire story so far. Now, I love Kortney and I would never try to get … morea PoV killed, on account of there definitely going to be enough death even without me trying to add more to it. As a result, I see myself mostly as having to try and get the best possible outcome to a situation that would otherwise be hopeless, but I cannot deny that for a moment, the first option has been tempting to me. If she succeeds with it, this would be such a heavy break from the canon that it certainly holds some allure to it. At the same time, Kortney is one of my favourite PoV's and this is not worth her life. If you'd offer the same choice with a PoV I don't like all that much (or at all), such as Tomas or, god behold, Dalia, I'd break my one rule of never willingly getting a PoV killed in a heartbeat if it means Albin will be taken out. Alas, you do it with a PoV I actually like, damn this
… [view original content]
[Kiss Albin] If it weren't for Myke being there, the first choice would be an interesting way to end her storyline and take out Albin which would change everything with Arvin becoming King but with Kortney returning back to her old self and Myke in Kingsgrave to save her, I definitely don't want to kill her off here.
On a side note though, that is very interesting to know that the canon fates of the kings aren't set in stone here and it makes a ton of sense considering the story is set 700 years before the events and there theoretically would not be a guarantee that what was said to happen actually happened at least all the way So now I guess the sons of the various kings could actually become King potentially which is a pretty interesting thought!
Kortney
Kortney looked straight into the eyes of Tom the Animal, feeling the rage take over her. This man had insulted and humiliated her… more countless times, and there he was, completely at her mercy. "Come on, you fuck-"
Kortney cut off the freak's words by lunging her spear through his heart. At first Tom's eyes widened in shock and pain, and Kortney felt satisfied. Then, something else took over those eyes – relief. Kortney pulled out the spear, and Tom's dead body collapsed to the floor.
He deserved much worse, Kortney thought bitterly, dropping the spear to the floor. In silence she left the corridor, feeling no remorse.
Kortney walked quietly around Kingsgrave, seeing dozens of bodies lying on the corridors and hallways. Those who had survived carried the bodies away, and quickly Kortney realized that Sofina had failed at her coup, even if she had managed to injure King Albin. When the soldiers asked whose side was Kortney on, … [view original content]
Yeah, 700 years before Aegon's Conquest, and 1000 before the events of the books and show. So, I figured a few details could be wrong in the history books of Westeros However, there is also the chance that everything will go according to canon with the kings, and every one of them will be sent to the Wall. That is completely up to your choices. I'm mainly doing this just because I don't want to tie myself too tightly to the canon, which would prevent me from giving interesting choices like the one we're having right now with Kortney
[Kiss Albin] If it weren't for Myke being there, the first choice would be an interesting way to end her storyline and take out Albin which … morewould change everything with Arvin becoming King but with Kortney returning back to her old self and Myke in Kingsgrave to save her, I definitely don't want to kill her off here.
On a side note though, that is very interesting to know that the canon fates of the kings aren't set in stone here and it makes a ton of sense considering the story is set 700 years before the events and there theoretically would not be a guarantee that what was said to happen actually happened at least all the way So now I guess the sons of the various kings could actually become King potentially which is a pretty interesting thought!
Kortney
Kortney looked straight into the eyes of Tom the Animal, feeling the rage take over her. This man had insulted and humiliated her… more countless times, and there he was, completely at her mercy. "Come on, you fuck-"
Kortney cut off the freak's words by lunging her spear through his heart. At first Tom's eyes widened in shock and pain, and Kortney felt satisfied. Then, something else took over those eyes – relief. Kortney pulled out the spear, and Tom's dead body collapsed to the floor.
He deserved much worse, Kortney thought bitterly, dropping the spear to the floor. In silence she left the corridor, feeling no remorse.
Kortney walked quietly around Kingsgrave, seeing dozens of bodies lying on the corridors and hallways. Those who had survived carried the bodies away, and quickly Kortney realized that Sofina had failed at her coup, even if she had managed to injure King Albin. When the soldiers asked whose side was Kortney on, … [view original content]
This one is clear, Kortney will kiss Albin, thus surviving to fight another day. And since you're probably curious, yes, I would've killed off both Albin and Kortney had you chose the other option. Arvin would've been crowned as the king, and taken up Albin's role in the story (only he would've been a bit more bearable than his father). In a way this was a scenario I would've been quite interested to explore, but on the other hand I'm kinda glad the canon wasn't broken this early Oh, and of course I'm glad to continue Kortney's story
Anyway, the next part will be a Naemon PoV, and it is almost ready. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'll get it done within a few hours And as a recap, Naemon traveled to town of Gravesend with his new squire Davos Dayne, Prince Malcolm Dayne, Ser Myle, Brennin Kell (the former commander of Gravesend's guard), Lord Alester Upton, and 300 Upton troops. Their mission was to defeat Karsan Taller and his rebellion, but when they arrived to Gravesend all they found was an abandoned town with a lot of bodies laying around. One lowborn man named Tim was willing to help Naemon to find Karsan, for a small payment. Alester suggested Naemon should just threaten the info out of Tim, but you voted for him to pay. Aand that's where we'll continue.
Oooh, nice, we actually managed to save the first PoV from death! I did not expect that, but hey, well done us Of course, I am a bit conflicted still, as it would have meant a slightly less horrible Manwoody king at the top, but Kortney is too awesome to die right here. I actually didn't think she'd die, neither Albin, as I thought she'd fail, only to receive a slower, more painful death later on. Though at the same time, I am not really sure how she could have failed. Maybe Zereth has noticed her intentions? That's what I thought, but I never thought she'd actually go through with this. Man, that would have been depressing, so as dark as her situation still is, it's great she continues to have a chance at survival. Hopefully, this also won't be the last time we get a chance to kill that fucker Albin. But well, this seems to be the most important choice we made so far. This gives me hope that we might actually manage to get most of the other PoV's through this chapter as well, even if quite a number of them, Kortney included, obviously remain in grave danger. There is still the fact that at least one of them is confirmed to die for sure and that is naturally making me nervous. But apparently, it's not Kortney, so that is a tiny silver lining
Voting is closed!
This one is clear, Kortney will kiss Albin, thus surviving to fight another day. And since you're probably curious, yes… more, I would've killed off both Albin and Kortney had you chose the other option. Arvin would've been crowned as the king, and taken up Albin's role in the story (only he would've been a bit more bearable than his father). In a way this was a scenario I would've been quite interested to explore, but on the other hand I'm kinda glad the canon wasn't broken this early Oh, and of course I'm glad to continue Kortney's story
Anyway, the next part will be a Naemon PoV, and it is almost ready. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'll get it done within a few hours And as a recap, Naemon traveled to town of Gravesend with his new squire Davos Dayne, Prince Malcolm Dayne, Ser Myle, Brennin Kell (the former commander of Gravesend's guard), Lord Alester Upton, and 300 Upton troops. Their mission was to defeat Karsan Taller … [view original content]
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
-
Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin took a seat next to Malcolm. Finally, after a few minutes of waiting. Lord Alester walked in, taking his seat next to Brennin Kell.
"You were too soft with the peasant, prince," were the first words the Lord of Sword's Edge uttered, but Prince Naemon decided to ignore them, instead turning his eyes to Ser Myle. "Ser Myle, my job for you is simple," he said, and his friend nodded, paying attention to his words. "You will ride back to Blackmont, and inform my father what we found here."
"Understood, my prince," he said with a calm and relaxed tone. Now, Naemon turned to Brennin Kell. "Commander Brennin, you know this city better than any of us. Which is why I will give its command for you, until Hugor returns to claim the lordship of Gravesend."
"I am honored, my prince," Brennin said sternly. "However, I cannot take care of this town alone."
"Indeed, you can't," Naemon agreed with a small nod, now glancing at Alester. "We will leave fifty of the Upton troops here to help you. Together you will bury the dead, and bring order back to this town."
"You are talking about my troops," Alester pointed out with a frown on his face, and Naemon turned to him. "They are your troops, that is true. However, they are here because King Vorian commanded them to help me with this mission – a mission that I am in charge of," Naemon spoke with an authoritative tone. For a moment it looked like Alester was going to protest, but in the end he just nodded. "Sure, fifty of my troops can stay here," he said with a small sigh. "However, they will return to Sword's Edge once this mission is over."
"Agreed," Naemon said sternly, turning his eyes away from Alester. "The rest of the troops, along with their lord, me, my squire, and Prince Malcolm will head towards the lands of House Oakswood. Does anyone object?" For a moment the room was silent, until Malcolm spoke up.
"I do not object, my prince. However, I would like to ask something," the Prince of Starfall said with his calm and polite tone, and Naemon nodded as to accept his request. "What exactly is our plan? Will we simply search the lands, or are we going to approach Lord Oakswood first?"
"Lord Raymun Oakswood has marched to war with Ser Kegan, most likely leaving his brother in charge," Naemon said with a sigh. Malcolm raised an eyebrow. "Is... that a bad thing?" He asked quietly.
"Lord Raymun is a man of honor, loyal to his king. However, his brother, Ser Edwyn, is mostly known for killing my great-uncle Beric in a tourney melee over ten years ago," Naemon explained grimly. "He was pardoned of course, accidents like that can happen in a melee. However, there were whispers that it wasn't an accident at all, that Ser Edwyn knew perfectly well what he was doing."
"But why?" Davos asked, his voice both fascinated and slightly horrified by this story. "Apparently Ser Edwyn had been in love with Beric's only daughter, Bessa Blackmont, the younger sister of Braddock. However, Beric had decided to rather marry his daughter to the Lord of Oakswood, Edwyn's older brother. It was an old grudge, and the melee was a perfect opportunity for Edwyn to settle it. As I said, he was pardoned, but Edwyn has never been seen in Blackmont after that."
"I can see why," Malcom said with a sigh. "Do you think we can trust him?" Naemon took a moment to consider his answer. "I don't know the man personally," he finally said. "However, after that melee he hasn't been getting to any trouble, and Lady Bessa should be able to keep him in check. So yes, I think we can safely go to Oakswood."
"I trust your judgement," Malcolm said with a small smile forming on his face. Then Alester spoke up. "The man will be outnumbered anyway, especially since his brother has taken their troops to war," the young lord remarked with a grin under his red beard.
"Hopefully he will cooperate without us having to resort to threats," Naemon said dryly, turning to Brennin Kell. "Can you write commander?" He asked nonchalantly, and the man nodded. "I've had to work with some letters during my days as the commander. Why?"
"If the ravens are still alive and able to fly, write and send a message to Oakswood, informing them of our arrival," Naemon commanded.
"Yes, my prince," Brennin replied obediently, as Naemon stood up from his chair. "Alester, inform your troops of our plans. Rest of you, get ready to continue our travel."
"Won't we rest the night here?" Alester asked with a raised eyebrow, and Naemon shook his head. "It's just an hour past noon," he stated calmly. "Better stay on the move."
-
About an hour after the meeting in the lord's mansion, Naemon led the two hundred and fifty Upton troops out of Gravesend's gates, beside him Davos, Malcolm and Alester. They took the small road towards west, which would take them to the mountains, and finally to the valley of the Oakswood's. Naemon hadn't travelled this road in years, and never with an army, but he estimated they'd reach Oakswood in two or three days.
By sundown they had already arrived to the mountains, where the road was getting much harder for an army to travel. They made their camp on the most suitable place they could find, though it was still far from ideal, with rugged terrain and hardly any weed or water for the horses.
Naemon sat silently on the hillside, while Davos was putting up their tent with a few soldiers. Naemon would've helped them, but it wasn't expected from the commander of the army, much less from the crown prince.
Soon Malcolm found his way to Naemon, and sat down next to him. "Do you expect we'll find this Karsan?" He asked calmly, and Naemon shrugged. "I hope we do," he said quietly. "Not because I want to kill him – I don't. However, if he remains free, he'll gather more and more support, and it will be only a question of time when what happened in Gravesend will be repeated."
"Indeed," Malcolm replied quietly. "People like Karsan Taller use the frustration and desperation of other people to grab more power for themselves. You'll be doing a service for your kingdom by taking him down."
"Perhaps," Naemon responded with a sigh. "But the people will still remain frustrated and desperate," he spoke with a bitter tone. He didn't have to struggle in his day-to-day life the way the common folk did, but he could at the very least share their frustration towards Benedict.
"You are still angry with your father," Malcolm stated calmly, and Naemon glared at him. "Of course I am," he barked, a frown on his face. "I understand," Malcom started, but Naemon cut him off with a joyless chuckle and shook his head.
"No, you don't," he said sternly. "Vorian Dayne is a man of honor, a great knight and a loving father. Do you realize how far Benedict is from that?"
"I do," Malcolm admitted with a slightly apologetic tone, and Naemon turned his eyes down, ashamed of his outburst. "I'm sorry," he muttered, keeping his gaze on his boots. "It's not your fault that my father is what he is. You were just trying to empathize."
"It doesn't matter who our fathers are, Naemon," Malcolm now said, a serious tone on his voice. "What matters is who we will be when we inherit their crowns. And I want us to be friends."
"We are," Naemon responded decidedly, turning his eyes to Malcolm again, and seeing a smile forming on the Dayne prince's face. "It's good to hear that from you," he said warmly, and Naemon gave him a small nod. From the corner of his eyes he saw Davos approaching them.
"Evening," the boy greeted them tiredly, sitting down next to them. "What were you talking about?"
"Nothing important," Naemon said quickly, and Davos gave him an understanding nod. For a moment they were all quiet, until Davos spoke up again. "This Ser Edwyn Oakswood... you said he killed Beric Blackmont in a melee. Were you there to see it?"
"I was," Naemon answered calmly, glad about the change of topic. "I mean, it was before my mother died so I was very young, probably six or seven. I didn't know my great-uncle that well, since he spent most of his time with the Blackadder's. However, I'll never forget the sight of Ser Edwyn's blade cutting his throat open. I'm pretty sure it was the first time I saw a man dying... something like that is hard to forget."
"I can only imagine," Malcolm commented quietly. "So, did Edwyn have a trial?"
"Yes," Naemon answered with a sigh. "I wasn't there to see it, but it was one of the first important choices my father made as the King of Blackmont. He had inherited the crown just a couple years prior. I don't know what was it that Ser Edwyn said to convince Benedict, but he was pardoned. It was a great source of gossip in the court back then, because everyone believed Edwyn had fully intended to kill Beric with his strike."
"If your father wanted to be merciful, why not just send Edwyn to the Wall?" Davos asked with some confusion, and Naemon chuckled. "He may have been a different man back then, but still, Benedict Blackmont and mercy don't belong in the same sentence. No, he must have had some other reason."
"Or perhaps he was just convinced that Ser Edwyn was truly innocent," Malcolm suggested, and Naemon shrugged lazily. "I suppose that's possible," he said.
"And if you had been in your father's place, what would you have done?" Davos asked with great interest in his voice. Naemon took in a deep breath, unsure what to answer. He may not have known what exactly happened in the trial, but he did know what happened in the melee. Ser Edwyn had murdered Beric Blackmont.
[Say you would've executed him][Say you would've sent him to the Wall][Say you would've pardoned him]
We don't know what trully happened, so its hard to come up with a decision. Still, it doesn't change the fact that Edwyn did kill a man in a tourney melee, its hard to simply pardon even if he didn't mean to do it.
Naemon
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship… more is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
-
Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin … [view original content]
It's tough choice, with the Wall potentially being the best option, but to be honest, I've had enough using a sentence to Wall as a panic button when you don't know what to do really. There were a few choices like that, and in the majority of it Wall was most popular option, ergo won in all. I feel it's not the purpose of this story being interactive - we should learn how to make hard choices, in my opinion we shouldn't be choosing "neutral" option all the time - it kills a lot of ways of developing a character, to one or other "side". Like I said - only my opinion, most likely unpopular and Wall will be chosen once again, but I wanted to share my point of view - maybe someone will be able to rethink it and maybe relate in some part?
Naemon
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship… more is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
-
Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin … [view original content]
There's so many character building choices for Naemon lately and that makes me quite afraid we push him into the wrong direction. I mean, I want a reasonable, fair Naemon, that cannot be a bad thing no matter what happens to him. But what quite concerns me is that this is the second time we get to choose how he'd react in the hypothetical case one of his family members is going to die and I grow increasingly restless that this could be foreshadowing. Like, I know of only one family member that could die at this point and it arguably is my main goal to prevent that, so choices like that make me very conflicted. Because if anything happens to Gwen, I'd want Naemon to go absolutely berserk, I'd want him to go full Ramsay on everyone involved on both sides, the ones that did the deed and the ones that failed to prevent it, I would like to take vengeance on all of their loved ones, friends and positive social contacts and the childrens of their friends and their extended families and their little dogs too while they watch on, to make them really, really suffer before they die. I wouldn't want the slightest bit of mercy for them, not even the mercy of a quick death. However, I don't want Naemon to be like this in general. In general, I would want him to be a kind, just, but also strong man, someone who can at least manage to not be a complete disaster at his job, be it prince and heir or anything, really. So, these character building choices always leave me with a slightly sour taste, because while I feel we push Naemon into a good direction to become a more capable person, this also makes it less likely he can serve me vengeance when it is needed. When it comes to that, I'd very much prefer a man such as Albin Manwoody, but solely for that task. So, while I have a general idea on the direction I'd like Naemon to take, I fear like this could bite me in particular in the ass when it comes to a hypothetical, maybe never happening, but still absolutely crucial possibility. Arguably though, I couldn't even complain if we manage to turn Naemon into a just, fair and benevolent man, because that is arguably one of my main priorities as well, if not the top one.
[Say you would've executed him]
So, originally, I was going to choose the Wall option. However, I must admit I agree with MicroAce. Sometimes we have to make hard choices, we cannot take the middle choice forever, especially if it is giving us what we desire. I would like to keep Naemon somewhat willing to pick a harsh option, as it means I might get a shot at vengeance if the situation truly comes up. At the same time, I must admit I really don't want Naemon to become a ruthless butcher in general, a Maegor the Cruel, it's just that making him completely unwilling to push out harsh punishment if needed is not what I want. Arguably, the Wall would be a reasonable compromise and I do not mind it winning. Edwyn commited a crime, intended or not and he deserves punishment. It actually seems likely to me he intened to kill Beric, so I believe for intentional murder of a Blackmont, death is the only option. Sending him to the Wall would be my choice if he truly would have done it by accident. People in our world face up to ten years for manslaughter. Pardoning him though, I would not do it. He killed a Blackmont and there must be a punishment for that.
Naemon
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship… more is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
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Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin … [view original content]
Heh, I get what you mean. People often tend to gravitate towards the neutral choices, as to play it safe, which is why I often don't even give a neutral option - if it just makes sense in the context of the decision. Here though, the Wall is a completely valid choice, so I can't omit it. And actually I don't even want to, because in this case I wouldn't say the neutral option kills the development of Naemon, it's just a more subtle development than "I want to be merciful" or "I will have no mercy". It's more like, "I'm ready to make compromises", to put it simply. After all, these characters aren't black and white, so it makes sense there are grey options in choices like this
[Say you would've pardoned him]
It's tough choice, with the Wall potentially being the best option, but to be honest, I've had enough usi… moreng a sentence to Wall as a panic button when you don't know what to do really. There were a few choices like that, and in the majority of it Wall was most popular option, ergo won in all. I feel it's not the purpose of this story being interactive - we should learn how to make hard choices, in my opinion we shouldn't be choosing "neutral" option all the time - it kills a lot of ways of developing a character, to one or other "side". Like I said - only my opinion, most likely unpopular and Wall will be chosen once again, but I wanted to share my point of view - maybe someone will be able to rethink it and maybe relate in some part?
There's so many character building choices for Naemon lately and that makes me quite afraid we push him into the wrong direction. I mean, I want a reasonable, fair Naemon, that cannot be a bad thing no matter what happens to him. But what quite concerns me is that this is the second time we get to choose how he'd react in the hypothetical case one of his family members is going to die and I grow increasingly restless that this could be foreshadowing. Like, I know of only one family member that could die at this point and it arguably is my main goal to prevent that, so choices like that make me very conflicted.
Yeah, there have been a lot of character building choices for Naemon. The reason for it is that his Book 1 storyline is mainly centered around his character development, as well as building his relationships with his supporting cast. All of this will come to play in the next book. And well, it would take a lot of time and character development for Naemon to not feel extremely vengeful towards the murderers of his sister. He is figuring out what kind of knight (and future king) he wants to be, but he isn't training to be like a Buddhist monk Something extreme would have to happen for him to stop caring about Gwen.
So, originally, I was going to choose the Wall option. However, I must admit I agree with MicroAce. Sometimes we have to make hard choices, we cannot take the middle choice forever, especially if it is giving us what we desire. I would like to keep Naemon somewhat willing to pick a harsh option, as it means I might get a shot at vengeance if the situation truly comes up. At the same time, I must admit I really don't want Naemon to become a ruthless butcher in general, a Maegor the Cruel, it's just that making him completely unwilling to push out harsh punishment if needed is not what I want. Arguably, the Wall would be a reasonable compromise and I do not mind it winning. Edwyn commited a crime, intended or not and he deserves punishment. It actually seems likely to me he intened to kill Beric, so I believe for intentional murder of a Blackmont, death is the only option. Sending him to the Wall would be my choice if he truly would have done it by accident. People in our world face up to ten years for manslaughter. Pardoning him though, I would not do it. He killed a Blackmont and there must be a punishment for that.
Indeed, the execution is certainly a hard choice here. Well, it would be if this choice wasn't completely hypothetical That said, we aren't just shaping Naemon with these choices, but also Davos, and with this choice Naemon is basically telling him that criminals don't deserve mercy. That obviously won't suddenly turn Davos into a cruel and merciless killer, but he is sure to remember this lesson. What comes to Edwyn though, no punishment is coming for him. He was pardoned by the King over ten years ago, and this choice is Naemon just saying what he would've done in his father's place. We'll meet Edwyn soon, and probably hear more about what exactly happened in that melee and the trial following it, but no execution or exiling to the Wall is about to happen, no matter what you choose here
There's so many character building choices for Naemon lately and that makes me quite afraid we push him into the wrong direction. I mean, I … morewant a reasonable, fair Naemon, that cannot be a bad thing no matter what happens to him. But what quite concerns me is that this is the second time we get to choose how he'd react in the hypothetical case one of his family members is going to die and I grow increasingly restless that this could be foreshadowing. Like, I know of only one family member that could die at this point and it arguably is my main goal to prevent that, so choices like that make me very conflicted. Because if anything happens to Gwen, I'd want Naemon to go absolutely berserk, I'd want him to go full Ramsay on everyone involved on both sides, the ones that did the deed and the ones that failed to prevent it, I would like to take vengeance on all of their loved ones, friends and positive social contacts and the childrens of their fr… [view original content]
Naemon
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship… more is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
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Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin … [view original content]
Yeah, there have been a lot of character building choices for Naemon. The reason for it is that his Book 1 storyline is mainly centered around his character development, as well as building his relationships with his supporting cast. All of this will come to play in the next book. And well, it would take a lot of time and character development for Naemon to not feel extremely vengeful towards the murderers of his sister. He is figuring out what kind of knight (and future king) he wants to be, but he isn't training to be like a Buddhist monk Something extreme would have to happen for him to stop caring about Gwen.
Well, that is at least a slight relief. I mean, my main goal is to prevent that he even needs to take revenge, but if the worst case happens, him refusing to take a revenge I deem appropriate would be the only thing to make it worse. Gives me hope that no matter what happens in that storyline, at least Aisha won't walk away from it. But well, I guess if we play the cards right, that might not be necessary at all and this is the outcome I am aiming for. I do enjoy these character building moments, but the one thing that always makes me a bit nervous when it comes to them is that they have very few immediate consequences, but are instead almost always part of longer, slower developments that might be hard to stop if it becomes apparent they go into a wrong direction. But with Naemon, I kind of doubt they do that. I'm quite happy with the way he develops so far, even if I do have another concern recently. If he truly steps up and becomes a leader, what would that mean for a possible return of Gwendis in later books? He has always been satisfied with playing second fiddle to her, but now their roles are switched, he's doing the responsible stuff and she is the one that has done something completely irresponsible and stupid by running off with Aisha (who is the worst by the way, I haven't mentioned it in at least 24 hours). Would he truly be happy with just standing back once more? No matter what, it seems that Naemon's development into a guy that takes charge and makes the hard decisions is an inevitable result right now, so I wonder what this means for his possible relationship with Gwendis in Book 2 or Book 3.
Indeed, the execution is certainly a hard choice here. Well, it would be if this choice wasn't completely hypothetical That said, we aren't just shaping Naemon with these choices, but also Davos, and with this choice Naemon is basically telling him that criminals don't deserve mercy. That obviously won't suddenly turn Davos into a cruel and merciless killer, but he is sure to remember this lesson. What comes to Edwyn though, no punishment is coming for him. He was pardoned by the King over ten years ago, and this choice is Naemon just saying what he would've done in his father's place. We'll meet Edwyn soon, and probably hear more about what exactly happened in that melee and the trial following it, but no execution or exiling to the Wall is about to happen, no matter what you choose here
Ah, I am aware of that. I never thought for him to actually issue a different sentence. This is hypothetical of course, so I doubt anything will happen to Edwyn because of that, but still, I believe he should have received a harder sentence. But well, I would not be surprised if some of this has been Valaena's doing, she's arguably been a softening influence on Benedict. I look forward for his side of the story, but still, accidental or not, I would have punished him, either hardly or mildly, but not completely without and think this is not a bad direction for Naemon and Davos to develop to as well.
There's so many character building choices for Naemon lately and that makes me quite afraid we push him into the wrong direction. I mean, I … morewant a reasonable, fair Naemon, that cannot be a bad thing no matter what happens to him. But what quite concerns me is that this is the second time we get to choose how he'd react in the hypothetical case one of his family members is going to die and I grow increasingly restless that this could be foreshadowing. Like, I know of only one family member that could die at this point and it arguably is my main goal to prevent that, so choices like that make me very conflicted.
Yeah, there have been a lot of character building choices for Naemon. The reason for it is that his Book 1 storyline is mainly centered around his character development, as well as building his relationships with his supporting cast. All of this will come to play in the next book. And well, it would take a lot of time and charac… [view original content]
[Say you would've sent him to the Wall] Executing a man for an accidental death isn't what a wise ruler would do, besides, Benedict possibly wanted to be benevolent, even if it involved the death of his uncle.
House Blackadder and Oakswood are interesting names for original houses, I wonder what other minor houses serve the other kings.
Naemon
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship… more is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
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Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin … [view original content]
Naemon
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship… more is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
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Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin … [view original content]
Naemon
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship… more is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
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Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin … [view original content]
Naemon
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship… more is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
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Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin … [view original content]
Haha, I've taken Oakswood and Blackadder straigth from CK2's GoT mod They sound very GoT-ish to me, so I decided to put them in good use with this story.
What comes to other original houses, we already have Upton's, Nightfall's and Southpoint's for King Vorian, Bloodspill's for the Martell's, Granit's and Bravespear's for the Dalt's, Tiddle's for King Lucifer and Marcant's for King Yorick. And more are sure to be introduced later
[Say you would've sent him to the Wall] Executing a man for an accidental death isn't what a wise ruler would do, besides, Benedict possibly… more wanted to be benevolent, even if it involved the death of his uncle.
House Blackadder and Oakswood are interesting names for original houses, I wonder what other minor houses serve the other kings.
Yeah, I'd probably pick the Wall too in normal circumstances, but I was waiting for the moment for saying what I have to say, and it looked like one. Of course characters aren't black and white only, but giving us such neutral choices places them directly in between and it's hard to build up a strong, adamant character to-be-remembered. As I said - it's nothing wrong with your story, I just got a little bit annoyed by the Wall being the panic button and colourless, neutral option in most cases similar to this one.
Heh, I get what you mean. People often tend to gravitate towards the neutral choices, as to play it safe, which is why I often don't even gi… moreve a neutral option - if it just makes sense in the context of the decision. Here though, the Wall is a completely valid choice, so I can't omit it. And actually I don't even want to, because in this case I wouldn't say the neutral option kills the development of Naemon, it's just a more subtle development than "I want to be merciful" or "I will have no mercy". It's more like, "I'm ready to make compromises", to put it simply. After all, these characters aren't black and white, so it makes sense there are grey options in choices like this
The last line of the part convinced me where Naemon said wholeheartedly that Edwyn murdered Beric Blackmont so I figure Naemon definitely believes he is guilty and I think this is the best option for giving out a harsh punishment while also not executing someone without all of the facts. With this primarily being a character building choice, I feel this is a good choice to mold Naemon into a king who would serve justice when needed but also fair in that he wouldn't kill since he doesn't seem to know the whole story here so i figure this is a solid compromise.
Naemon
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship… more is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
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Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin … [view original content]
And Naemon will say that he would've sent Ser Edwyn to the Wall, had he been in his father's position over ten years ago. We should meet the guy in Naemon's next part, and see if getting to know him personally will change Naemon's opinion, one way or the other.
Aand, the next part is actually done already It's a Gwendis PoV, and I'm going to post it right after this. To recap, last time we saw Gwendis continuing her travel with Aisha, Trentan and Ser Mordekhai, after Lyla Sand (who tried to bring Gwen back to Blackmont) was brutally killed by the aforementioned false knight Mordekhai. He lost his left eye to Lyla in their duel though. Anyway, Gwendis had another vision from Great Other, where she saw a storm by the sea, and a glimpse of the followers of R'hllor they are going to have to face. She also had a little chat with Trentan, and by the end of it she had a chance to either suggest they escape together when the opportunity comes, or that they stick together and survive whatever comes. You chose the latter. As said, the part will be posted immediately after this message
"We need to stick together, Trentan," Gwendis said softly, looking the young thief to the eyes. "Aisha and her false knight, they don't care about us, not really. They only want to use us, and when we've fulfilled our purpose, we won't be worth anything to them. Right now, you are the only one I can trust, and I'm the only one you can trust."
"I understand that now," Trentan replied with a gulp. "Aisha listened to me when I told her about my past, my struggles. She also opened up to me about her struggles, but... now I have to wonder if everything she told me was a lie, a story to manipulate me to empathize with her. One thing I know for sure, the Aisha who I spent hours with talking about our pasts... it's a different person from the Aisha that murdered Lyla Sand with no remorse."
Gwendis was unsure what to say to this. It was hard for her to imagine Aisha opening up and talking about struggles of her own. For Gwendis the Dark Priestess had always been a distant and cold person, one seemingly incapable of understanding human emotions. However, Gwendis had no reason to doubt Trentan's words, and there had to be a reason the young man had fallen in love with Aisha in the first place.
"Some people are just good at hiding their true self," Gwendis finally said quietly, and Trentan gave her an awkward little nod. From the corner of her eyes Gwendis saw Aisha approaching, and turned her eyes to her.
"You should rest," Aisha said nonchalantly as she got closer. "We have many miles ahead of us tomorrow."
Gwendis nodded to the Dark Priestess, and without a word she laid down, turning her eyes away from Aisha. For once her words made sense – Gwendis would certainly need the rest. As she closed her eyes, she only hoped the Great Other wouldn't come to her dreams this night.
-
After a decent night of sleep, they had headed northeast, away from Greenbelt. According to Aisha they wanted to avoid too much attention, and by the Greenbelt were just too many farmhouses and villages. Here in the mountain paths it was much less likely they would run into anyone – as long as they avoided the Yronwood mines.
The sun was slowly starting to set again, as the small group led by Aisha arrived to a cliff, which was looking over a road down on the valley. "The road to Kingsgrave," Mordekhai Crusher muttered quietly. It was the first time Gwendis heard the man talking that day. Mostly he just kept his distance, and glared at them with his one good eye, glowing under his helmet.
As they were about to turn away from the cliff to find a place to make a camp, they started hearing something from the distance. Quiet thumping noises, clanking and chatter. Looking to the east, they could see a cloud of dust in the distance, and soon they could see it was the vanguard of an army. The banners were still too far to recognize, but they were marching from the lands of House Yronwood, and towards the lands of House Manwoody.
"King Yorick," Mordekhai growled, anger in his words. Aisha looked at her warrior sternly. "Your duty is not with your cousin, Mordekhai," she reminded him quietly. "You have something much more important to do than fighting Albin's wars."
"I know my duty, woman," Mordekhai said with a menacing tone, walking away from the cliff. Gwendis, Trentan and Aisha remained there, watching the army marching closer. Soon they could see the colors of the banners they were carrying. There were sandy yellow ones, which undoubtedly belonged to House Yronwood, and then there were bright yellow ones, and Gwendis guessed they belonged to House Wyl.
"Are they marching to Kingsgrave?" She asked quietly, and Aisha nodded. "This is the road to Kingsgrave, so I would imagine that's where they are going," she answered with little interest in her voice. Of course, she had made clear she had no interest in the wars of the Dornish kings, but for Gwendis they still meant something. She knew Ser Kegan had marched to Kingsgrave with the Blackmont army. There was certainly an alliance with the Fowler's, but Gwendis at least had heard nothing about the Yronwood's being involved. Maybe they are going to help Albin, she realized to her horror, now starting to see clearly the sigils on the banners. It would make sense, for what little Gwendis had heard of Yorick Yronwood she knew that he wasn't satisfied with the power he already had. And what better way to increase your power than taking over a war-torn kingdom?
"Come, Gwendis," Aisha said nonchalantly. "These wars are none of our concern." Gwendis ignored the words of the priestess, her eyes fixed on the advancing army. With a sigh Aisha turned and walked away after her false knight, leaving Gwendis and Trentan alone at the cliff.
"Are they a threat to your family?" Trentan asked carefully, and Gwendis turned to him. "Would you care if they were?" She asked quietly. Awkwardly Trentan turned his eyes away, taking a moment to answer. "I... I wouldn't really care if they were a threat to your father," he admitted finally. "But if they are a threat to him, they are a threat to all the people of the Kingdom of Blackmont, and there are many good people there."
"They are not a threat for now," Gwendis answered Trentan's question with a sigh. "Though they may be in the future. Everyone has been so focused on the Mad Albin that they have forgotten the real threat... Yorick Yronwood."
"Is he a bad man?" Trentan asked curiously, which made Gwendis chuckle. "Hard to say," she answered with a pondering tone. "I don't know him personally. However, the Yronwood's have a habit for conquering. Every century there is an Yronwood king who decides to expand his kingdom, to prove everyone that he is truly worth the title of a High King of Dorne. Some of them even succeed, but a few generations later they tend to lose what they have gained. Kingdoms that large are hard to keep together, especially when your vassals are hellbent to being independent. The words of House Manwoody are literally 'No King Above Me'… try to be a king above someone like that."
"I didn't know all that," Trentan said with an interested look in his eyes. "About the Yronwood's and Manwoody's, I mean. You know, no one's ever taught me history or heraldry."
"And I doubt you would've had much need for them in your line of work," Gwendis pointed out playfully, which made Trentan chuckle. "Perhaps you could teach me something in return," Gwendis suggested, the army of Yronwood's and Wyl's marching now right under them.
"Me?" Trentan asked with an embarrassed tone. "I don't think there is anything I could teach to a princess," he said humbly, but Gwendis shook her head dismissingly. "Nonsense!" She insisted with a smile. "I think you said yourself earlier that I can't understand the life of the lowborn. I want you to tell me, teach me something about the common folk."
Trentan scratched his head, trying to come up with something. "Well... I think something you noble folk should understand is what happens when summer gets to its hottest and dryest. You probably notice that the rivers run completely dry if the summer lasts more than one or two years. Farmers usually have some stocked up because of this, but you have to use that sparingly. This means smaller harvest, and less crops to sell on the market, since the farmers still have to feed their families. Then the soldiers of the noble families come, demanding the same amount as always, even if the farmer can only produce half of what he could on the spring. Do you think that is fair?" By the end of his little rant Trentan sounded a bit angry, and Gwendis shook her head for his question.
"No, of course not," she answered. "The noblemen should be willing to live with less when there is less to harvest," she said decidedly. "However, there are often wars, and the armies need to be fed as well." Trentan frowned for this, and Gwendis raised her hands in a calming manner. "All I'm saying is that it can be complicated for those making the decisions. They aren't responsible of only their own lives, but for the whole kingdom."
"Then they should be more responsible with their actions," he stated with a sigh, and Gwendis gave him an agreeing nod. "They should," she said calmly. "Anyway, it looks like I'm not going to be deciding about things like that in a while... perhaps never." The expression on Trentan's face turned to much softer now, and he stepped closer to Gwendis.
"Don't lose your hope, princess," he said, offering his hand. As Gwendis grabbed it, Trentan continued. "Like you said earlier, we have to stick together, whatever comes. Aisha says there is an enemy we have to face. Well, fuck it! Let's face this enemy then, beat it, and go back home!"
Gwendis smiled at Trentan's words. She had to admire the positive determination he was showing, even if she suspected it wouldn't be that simple. Even if they could defeat whatever Aisha was taking them to, she doubted they could just go home after that. There would always be a new enemy, a new purpose for Aisha to use them. And if not, what would stop her from killing them like she had done with Lyla. But still, perhaps it would be better that Trentan would stay hopeful.
Gwendis
"We need to stick together, Trentan," Gwendis said softly, looking the young thief to the eyes. "Aisha and her false knight, they… more don't care about us, not really. They only want to use us, and when we've fulfilled our purpose, we won't be worth anything to them. Right now, you are the only one I can trust, and I'm the only one you can trust."
"I understand that now," Trentan replied with a gulp. "Aisha listened to me when I told her about my past, my struggles. She also opened up to me about her struggles, but... now I have to wonder if everything she told me was a lie, a story to manipulate me to empathize with her. One thing I know for sure, the Aisha who I spent hours with talking about our pasts... it's a different person from the Aisha that murdered Lyla Sand with no remorse."
Gwendis was unsure what to say to this. It was hard for her to imagine Aisha opening up and talking about struggles of her own. For Gwendis the Da… [view original content]
"The road to Kingsgrave," Mordekhai Crusher muttered quietly.
"King Yorick," Mordekhai growled, anger in his words.
"I know my duty, woman," Mordekhai said with a menacing tone, walking away from the cliff.
Oi, what's that? Two and a half sentences in a single part? Are we in a chipper mood today, Crusher? Well, guess what!
Bloody one-eyed twat. I hope Aisha just drops dead already, so I can hate him the way he deserves. As it is, she doesn't even have to do anything bad, or even appear much in this part to make my hatred for her increase. It already suffices that she's alive and my dearest Lyla is not. Alas, I aim to correct this terrible mistake, even if getting Gwendis out of there alive holds priority even over any vengeance I wish to take upon that witch. By the way, I am very happy that lately I am actually capable of giving daily reminders that Aisha is the worst, even if she's not as terrible as Gwen being dead. She still is the worst of course, but Wesley is a strong contender as well. As much as I enjoy posting my wonderful Picard gif whenever he says just about anything, I cannot deny that the content of his brief attempt at communicating his useless thoughts is concerning. The Wyl's march on Kingsgrave, no doubt making things way harder on the Blackmont-Fowler alliance. This also means, bad times coming up for Myke and Kortney. Here's hoping though that the chaos of a three-way battle between Manwoody, Wyl and Fowler/Blackmont offers them a chance to escape.
And ah, I love that this is actually a Gwen part in which I don't have to fall into a rant at how terrible and evil Aisha is, on account of her doing very little in this part. I like it. I love it! More Gwendis and Trentan interaction, less Aisha saying/doing/implying something that makes it clear that she's the worst, most stupid and useless and evil... I'm ranting again, but you know what I mean Trentan finally seeing Aisha's stupid face for what it is has been amazing. It is a good thing he's around. And the advice he gave Gwen, it is certainly useful. If she somehow makes it out of there alive, this will actually be helpful. Maybe the part where she ran away with Rosemary's grown up baby will always remain a bad idea, but I actually start to believe there could be a chance that this does not end in a complete disaster. And if she survives, Trentan might have done more for the people he cares for than he would ever dare to hope, because he has actually given Gwendis essential advice if she ever makes it back to a position of power in Blackmont. Can't believe how far that guy has come, he's now actually someone I like, after he finally came fully around, even if I still am slightly annoyed by how naive he has been to see Aisha as a human being.
[Agree with Trentan]
You know, Trentan is a motivational genius. He's literally Davos Seaworth levels of pep talk. This is the first time since... well, probably since Lyla appeared to save the day (or so I thought), maybe even before that, that I have a positive feeling that not everything might be lost. Of course, I don't want Gwen to actually defeat this enemy. We know, the enemy is the less horrible side in this war and I'm saying this even though they have the likes of Dalia and Mother Minesa. Survival can only be possible if she either sides with them or remains neutral enough that both sides ignore her until the fight is over. But being negative and defeated, that is not the attitude that gets her out of this alive. It won't be that simple, we know it and Gwen has to get away from Aisha without defeating that enemy, but damn it, she has to be positive. She has to keep her hopes up that there will be a chance to escape for good, a chance to make sure that every one of these horrible monsters will be dealt with, a chance for her to actually survive and grow from the experience instead of breaking. Trentan needs to feel the same hope if he wishes to truly get her and himself out of this alive. I believe his role in my goal will be more essential than just being a motivator. He can make a difference and arguably, he already is. It might be cheesy, but I feel that positive thoughts will make it less likely that the Great Other manages to take Gwendis over like he did with Aisha.
Gwendis
"We need to stick together, Trentan," Gwendis said softly, looking the young thief to the eyes. "Aisha and her false knight, they… more don't care about us, not really. They only want to use us, and when we've fulfilled our purpose, we won't be worth anything to them. Right now, you are the only one I can trust, and I'm the only one you can trust."
"I understand that now," Trentan replied with a gulp. "Aisha listened to me when I told her about my past, my struggles. She also opened up to me about her struggles, but... now I have to wonder if everything she told me was a lie, a story to manipulate me to empathize with her. One thing I know for sure, the Aisha who I spent hours with talking about our pasts... it's a different person from the Aisha that murdered Lyla Sand with no remorse."
Gwendis was unsure what to say to this. It was hard for her to imagine Aisha opening up and talking about struggles of her own. For Gwendis the Da… [view original content]
[Agree with Trentan] Gwen has to stay positive here, if she let herself get overcome with doubts there's a good chance she'll fail when she finally gets an opportunity to escape.
Gwendis
"We need to stick together, Trentan," Gwendis said softly, looking the young thief to the eyes. "Aisha and her false knight, they… more don't care about us, not really. They only want to use us, and when we've fulfilled our purpose, we won't be worth anything to them. Right now, you are the only one I can trust, and I'm the only one you can trust."
"I understand that now," Trentan replied with a gulp. "Aisha listened to me when I told her about my past, my struggles. She also opened up to me about her struggles, but... now I have to wonder if everything she told me was a lie, a story to manipulate me to empathize with her. One thing I know for sure, the Aisha who I spent hours with talking about our pasts... it's a different person from the Aisha that murdered Lyla Sand with no remorse."
Gwendis was unsure what to say to this. It was hard for her to imagine Aisha opening up and talking about struggles of her own. For Gwendis the Da… [view original content]
Gwendis
"We need to stick together, Trentan," Gwendis said softly, looking the young thief to the eyes. "Aisha and her false knight, they… more don't care about us, not really. They only want to use us, and when we've fulfilled our purpose, we won't be worth anything to them. Right now, you are the only one I can trust, and I'm the only one you can trust."
"I understand that now," Trentan replied with a gulp. "Aisha listened to me when I told her about my past, my struggles. She also opened up to me about her struggles, but... now I have to wonder if everything she told me was a lie, a story to manipulate me to empathize with her. One thing I know for sure, the Aisha who I spent hours with talking about our pasts... it's a different person from the Aisha that murdered Lyla Sand with no remorse."
Gwendis was unsure what to say to this. It was hard for her to imagine Aisha opening up and talking about struggles of her own. For Gwendis the Da… [view original content]
Gwendis
"We need to stick together, Trentan," Gwendis said softly, looking the young thief to the eyes. "Aisha and her false knight, they… more don't care about us, not really. They only want to use us, and when we've fulfilled our purpose, we won't be worth anything to them. Right now, you are the only one I can trust, and I'm the only one you can trust."
"I understand that now," Trentan replied with a gulp. "Aisha listened to me when I told her about my past, my struggles. She also opened up to me about her struggles, but... now I have to wonder if everything she told me was a lie, a story to manipulate me to empathize with her. One thing I know for sure, the Aisha who I spent hours with talking about our pasts... it's a different person from the Aisha that murdered Lyla Sand with no remorse."
Gwendis was unsure what to say to this. It was hard for her to imagine Aisha opening up and talking about struggles of her own. For Gwendis the Da… [view original content]
Yeah, that is something that I've been planning to do for a while now. I'm just not sure if I should finish Book 1 first and do the summaries for all three chapters, or if I should start doing them for the first two chapters already.
Gwendis
"We need to stick together, Trentan," Gwendis said softly, looking the young thief to the eyes. "Aisha and her false knight, they… more don't care about us, not really. They only want to use us, and when we've fulfilled our purpose, we won't be worth anything to them. Right now, you are the only one I can trust, and I'm the only one you can trust."
"I understand that now," Trentan replied with a gulp. "Aisha listened to me when I told her about my past, my struggles. She also opened up to me about her struggles, but... now I have to wonder if everything she told me was a lie, a story to manipulate me to empathize with her. One thing I know for sure, the Aisha who I spent hours with talking about our pasts... it's a different person from the Aisha that murdered Lyla Sand with no remorse."
Gwendis was unsure what to say to this. It was hard for her to imagine Aisha opening up and talking about struggles of her own. For Gwendis the Da… [view original content]
Oi, what's that? Two and a half sentences in a single part? Are we in a chipper mood today, Crusher? Well, guess what!
Heyy, you finally got to use your gif again! Well, Mordekhai still didn't do much talking, and his lines were mostly spoken for Aisha instead of Gwendis. He will do some talking to Gwendis too in the future
As much as I enjoy posting my wonderful Picard gif whenever he says just about anything, I cannot deny that the content of his brief attempt at communicating his useless thoughts is concerning. The Wyl's march on Kingsgrave, no doubt making things way harder on the Blackmont-Fowler alliance. This also means, bad times coming up for Myke and Kortney. Here's hoping though that the chaos of a three-way battle between Manwoody, Wyl and Fowler/Blackmont offers them a chance to escape.
Indeed, seeing another army marching towards his home kinda pissed off Mordekhai, even if he still sees following Aisha more important. And you're right, Yorick sticking his nose into this conflict is sure to make things harder for the Blackmont-Fowler alliance. If there is a battle coming though, it might indeed offer the perfect chance for Myke and Kortney to escape.
And ah, I love that this is actually a Gwen part in which I don't have to fall into a rant at how terrible and evil Aisha is, on account of her doing very little in this part. I like it. I love it! More Gwendis and Trentan interaction, less Aisha saying/doing/implying something that makes it clear that she's the worst, most stupid and useless and evil... I'm ranting again, but you know what I mean Trentan finally seeing Aisha's stupid face for what it is has been amazing. It is a good thing he's around. And the advice he gave Gwen, it is certainly useful. If she somehow makes it out of there alive, this will actually be helpful. Maybe the part where she ran away with Rosemary's grown up baby will always remain a bad idea, but I actually start to believe there could be a chance that this does not end in a complete disaster. And if she survives, Trentan might have done more for the people he cares for than he would ever dare to hope, because he has actually given Gwendis essential advice if she ever makes it back to a position of power in Blackmont. Can't believe how far that guy has come, he's now actually someone I like, after he finally came fully around, even if I still am slightly annoyed by how naive he has been to see Aisha as a human being.
Oh yes, this part was surprisingly positive, lighthearted even, for being a Gwendis part Well, it wasn't completely devoid of Aisha's gloomy presence, not to mention Mordekhai, but once again it mostly concentrated on the odd friendship of Gwen and Trentan. Just imagine how bleak these parts would be if you let Lyla kill him. And he does seem to be giving some useful advice to Gwendis as well, making her all the more capable ruler - if she ever gets back to such position. Going with Aisha has most certainly had its positives as well, now Gwen just has to survive all this and find a way back to where she was before all this. And if nothing else, this dangerous journey has given Gwendis a friend, something she didn't have much in Blackmont, aside from her brother
"The road to Kingsgrave," Mordekhai Crusher muttered quietly.
"King Yorick," Mordekhai growled, anger in his words.
"I know my… more duty, woman," Mordekhai said with a menacing tone, walking away from the cliff.
Oi, what's that? Two and a half sentences in a single part? Are we in a chipper mood today, Crusher? Well, guess what!
Bloody one-eyed twat. I hope Aisha just drops dead already, so I can hate him the way he deserves. As it is, she doesn't even have to do anything bad, or even appear much in this part to make my hatred for her increase. It already suffices that she's alive and my dearest Lyla is not. Alas, I aim to correct this terrible mistake, even if getting Gwendis out of there alive holds priority even over any vengeance I wish to take upon that witch. By the way, I am very happy that lately I am actually capable of giving daily reminders that Aisha is the worst, even if she's not as terrible as Gwen being… [view original content]
Gwendis
"We need to stick together, Trentan," Gwendis said softly, looking the young thief to the eyes. "Aisha and her false knight, they… more don't care about us, not really. They only want to use us, and when we've fulfilled our purpose, we won't be worth anything to them. Right now, you are the only one I can trust, and I'm the only one you can trust."
"I understand that now," Trentan replied with a gulp. "Aisha listened to me when I told her about my past, my struggles. She also opened up to me about her struggles, but... now I have to wonder if everything she told me was a lie, a story to manipulate me to empathize with her. One thing I know for sure, the Aisha who I spent hours with talking about our pasts... it's a different person from the Aisha that murdered Lyla Sand with no remorse."
Gwendis was unsure what to say to this. It was hard for her to imagine Aisha opening up and talking about struggles of her own. For Gwendis the Da… [view original content]
Heyy, you finally got to use your gif again! Well, Mordekhai still didn't do much talking, and his lines were mostly spoken for Aisha instead of Gwendis. He will do some talking to Gwendis too in the future
So many gifs I can use. I hereby name Jean-Luc Picard as my noble spirit animal! That being said, I am quite terrified by the prospect of Wesley having any sort of talk with Gwendis I mean, I must admit that Wesley is likely the most dangerous when he is not talking at all, because I doubt he's the kind to hold an evil monologue before killing someone, but still, there is no way such a talk can lead to anything good. At best, it makes Gwendis only more certain that helping out these awful Great Other people is a bad idea. At worst, well, if Wesley comes to the same conclusion, who knows what he's going to do to assure her loyalty
Indeed, seeing another army marching towards his home kinda pissed off Mordekhai, even if he still sees following Aisha more important. And you're right, Yorick sticking his nose into this conflict is sure to make things harder for the Blackmont-Fowler alliance. If there is a battle coming though, it might indeed offer the perfect chance for Myke and Kortney to escape.
Ah, if only he'd decide to save his home instead. That being said, I am legitimately terrified that he can get pissed off at all. I thought he was beyond such emotions, but if he can get pissed off, then that does not bode well for Gwen and Trentan. One thing that was particularly chilling was his reaction to Yorick. It seems he is actually capable of emotions such as true hatred and the sheer amount he seems to have for Yorick is really unsettling. And well, when it comes to a battle at Kingsgrave, I'd still say that a battle without the involvement of the Wyl's would serve an even better chance for them to escape. After all, if Yorick plans to force Albin under his control, I doubt the Wyl's will be all too eager to assist during Myke's and Kortney's escape, whereas the Blackmont/Fowler troops are their allies.
Oh yes, this part was surprisingly positive, lighthearted even, for being a Gwendis part Well, it wasn't completely devoid of Aisha's gloomy presence, not to mention Mordekhai, but once again it mostly concentrated on the odd friendship of Gwen and Trentan. Just imagine how bleak these parts would be if you let Lyla kill him. And he does seem to be giving some useful advice to Gwendis as well, making her all the more capable ruler - if she ever gets back to such position. Going with Aisha has most certainly had its positives as well, now Gwen just has to survive all this and find a way back to where she was before all this. And if nothing else, this dangerous journey has given Gwendis a friend, something she didn't have much in Blackmont, aside from her brother
Words cannot express how relieved and surprised I was, albeit I am afraid there's no way things stay like that for long. Truly though, without Trentan I am sure this would have been just dark. Likely, Gwendis herself would be in a much worse place mentally, as Trentan seems to give her some stability. She might actually make it through this, but certainly not without him. And if she does, if Benedict takes her back and she might actually survive it all, then Trentan has pretty much guaranteed that the future Lady of Blackmont knows what she has to do to prevent situations such as the one that happened under Benedict. A friend, aye, I guess that is also a nice thing, but that in itself is not worth the sheer danger she put herself in. I guess this route is not entirely negative, but I must point out, that's not thanks to Aisha. She's the negative element in this version of Gwen's storyline. The positive element, the only one so far, is Trentan, but he is sort of overshadowed by Aisha and Wesley. Still, it is a silver lining and as cautious as I will remain until this is all over, this might just mean we have not fucked up beyond return with our votes so far, maybe even quite the contrary It is definitely not going to be easy though, but who knows, maybe we actually have made some pretty solid choices for Gwen in the last chapter.
Oi, what's that? Two and a half sentences in a single part? Are we in a chipper mood today, Crusher? Well, guess what!
Heyy, you fin… moreally got to use your gif again! Well, Mordekhai still didn't do much talking, and his lines were mostly spoken for Aisha instead of Gwendis. He will do some talking to Gwendis too in the future
As much as I enjoy posting my wonderful Picard gif whenever he says just about anything, I cannot deny that the content of his brief attempt at communicating his useless thoughts is concerning. The Wyl's march on Kingsgrave, no doubt making things way harder on the Blackmont-Fowler alliance. This also means, bad times coming up for Myke and Kortney. Here's hoping though that the chaos of a three-way battle between Manwoody, Wyl and Fowler/Blackmont offers them a chance to escape.
Indeed, seeing another army marching towards his home kinda pissed off Mordekhai, even if he still sees following Aisha m… [view original content]
Comments
[Kiss Albin] I don't think Kortney is desperate enough to kill herself just yet, even if it is to take Albin down with her.
[Kiss Albin]
We know that any attempts to kill Albin will fail. Since, Nymeria is suppose to send him to the wall anyways. Plus, Myke is so close to rescuing her now. It would be terrible if he travelled so far, just for her to kill herself just before rescuing her.
Actually, the fates of the six kings is something where I'm willing to bend the canon a bit. Just wanted to say this if it changes your mind on the choice.
[Kiss Albin]
Whoa, that choice
That has to be the bleakest, darkest choice in the entire story so far. Now, I love Kortney and I would never try to get a PoV killed, on account of there definitely going to be enough death even without me trying to add more to it. As a result, I see myself mostly as having to try and get the best possible outcome to a situation that would otherwise be hopeless, but I cannot deny that for a moment, the first option has been tempting to me. If she succeeds with it, this would be such a heavy break from the canon that it certainly holds some allure to it. At the same time, Kortney is one of my favourite PoV's and this is not worth her life. If you'd offer the same choice with a PoV I don't like all that much (or at all), such as Tomas or, god behold, Dalia, I'd break my one rule of never willingly getting a PoV killed in a heartbeat if it means Albin will be taken out. Alas, you do it with a PoV I actually like, damn this 
So, no, there is zero chance I will ever willingly sacrifice Kortney's life. Nah, no, that ain't true, I should never say never, but definitely not for Albin. If you'd offer the same choice with Kortney and Aisha, I'd do it without even hesitating, there is preciously few I'd not do to get rid of that bitch, because she's the worst. But Kortney is too dear to me to sacrifice her for Albin. Even worse, I kind of doubt she'd succeed. It's so, I really can't imagine there would be such a heavy break from the canon until it happens, even if I myself offered the same choice once as well. It's not that I don't think you're willing to kill Albin off, because I bet you are and I know he deserves worse than to wither away at the Wall. It's just... now would be so early. Chapter 3 is definitely just getting started, so Albin's death at this point, I really doubt it would happen. That would be like featuring the Red Wedding at the start of the episode. At the same time, the Season 6 finale kind of did it like this, but ah, I don't think this would work all that well in written form. So, the attempt would likely seal Kortney's fate, make it impossible for Myke to save her, or at least not without her losing more of herself and him maybe having to give up his life for her and Albin would still not die from it. So, no, the cost is too high and the benefit is too little. My one rule stands and Kortney will live.
Indeed, kill the worst king in Dorne and pay it with Kortney's life, or save Kortney's life and pay it with Albin staying in power. That is a very dark choice, I must admit. And I'll also reveal that had Myke approached Kortney there wouldn't be this choice, because she would have much more hope for the future. That said, another effect of the choice would've been that Larry would've grown very suspicious, finding Kortney talking with an old guardsman that he doesn't recognize.
And like I have said, when it comes to the kings, I am willing to break the canon if you so choose. Here we have heavily injured Albin and Kortney right next to him with a dagger - could she really fail in this situation? Anyway, this is your choice as the readers, and I certainly see the benefits to both sides.
Hm, this is making me really conflicted. I mean, no way I'm going to pick the kill Albin choice, because this is not worth Kortney's life. She tried so hard and got so far and in the end, that has to matter for something, right? I can see not speaking to Myke coming at a serious risk for Kortney though, whereas the other option sounds like it would have been more risky to Myke. Now at least, he's still in cover and has a chance to free her. Larry though... with Albin wounded and Tom dead, he might be the biggest threat to both, Myke and Kortney at this very moment. I am afraid one of them might not manage to leave Kingsgrave alive, with how the situation still manages to get more dangerous with every new part.
I know, and this is what makes this still somewhat tempting. I just don't know if this is one of these choices that lead to a changed canon or if it is bait. The fact that it happens so early in this chapter makes me believe it could be the latter, but I am really not sure. But even then, as said, this is not worth Kortney's life.
[Kiss Albin] If it weren't for Myke being there, the first choice would be an interesting way to end her storyline and take out Albin which would change everything with Arvin becoming King but with Kortney returning back to her old self and Myke in Kingsgrave to save her, I definitely don't want to kill her off here.
On a side note though, that is very interesting to know that the canon fates of the kings aren't set in stone here and it makes a ton of sense considering the story is set 700 years before the events and there theoretically would not be a guarantee that what was said to happen actually happened at least all the way
So now I guess the sons of the various kings could actually become King potentially which is a pretty interesting thought!
Yeah, 700 years before Aegon's Conquest, and 1000 before the events of the books and show. So, I figured a few details could be wrong in the history books of Westeros
However, there is also the chance that everything will go according to canon with the kings, and every one of them will be sent to the Wall. That is completely up to your choices. I'm mainly doing this just because I don't want to tie myself too tightly to the canon, which would prevent me from giving interesting choices like the one we're having right now with Kortney 
[Kill Albin and yourself]
Voting is closed!
This one is clear, Kortney will kiss Albin, thus surviving to fight another day. And since you're probably curious, yes, I would've killed off both Albin and Kortney had you chose the other option. Arvin would've been crowned as the king, and taken up Albin's role in the story (only he would've been a bit more bearable than his father). In a way this was a scenario I would've been quite interested to explore, but on the other hand I'm kinda glad the canon wasn't broken this early
Oh, and of course I'm glad to continue Kortney's story 
Anyway, the next part will be a Naemon PoV, and it is almost ready. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'll get it done within a few hours
And as a recap, Naemon traveled to town of Gravesend with his new squire Davos Dayne, Prince Malcolm Dayne, Ser Myle, Brennin Kell (the former commander of Gravesend's guard), Lord Alester Upton, and 300 Upton troops. Their mission was to defeat Karsan Taller and his rebellion, but when they arrived to Gravesend all they found was an abandoned town with a lot of bodies laying around. One lowborn man named Tim was willing to help Naemon to find Karsan, for a small payment. Alester suggested Naemon should just threaten the info out of Tim, but you voted for him to pay. Aand that's where we'll continue.
Oooh, nice, we actually managed to save the first PoV from death! I did not expect that, but hey, well done us
Of course, I am a bit conflicted still, as it would have meant a slightly less horrible Manwoody king at the top, but Kortney is too awesome to die right here. I actually didn't think she'd die, neither Albin, as I thought she'd fail, only to receive a slower, more painful death later on. Though at the same time, I am not really sure how she could have failed. Maybe Zereth has noticed her intentions? That's what I thought, but I never thought she'd actually go through with this. Man, that would have been depressing, so as dark as her situation still is, it's great she continues to have a chance at survival. Hopefully, this also won't be the last time we get a chance to kill that fucker Albin. But well, this seems to be the most important choice we made so far. This gives me hope that we might actually manage to get most of the other PoV's through this chapter as well, even if quite a number of them, Kortney included, obviously remain in grave danger. There is still the fact that at least one of them is confirmed to die for sure and that is naturally making me nervous. But apparently, it's not Kortney, so that is a tiny silver lining 
Naemon
Naemon picked two more silver coins from his purse, and handed them for Tim. The man smirked, and bowed for Naemon. "Your lordship is very kind," he said cheerfully, putting the coins in his pocket. "Now, talk," Naemon urged sternly, and the man nodded obediently.
"Karsan and his men headed to west, towards the lands of House Oakswood," he explained calmly. "About two-hundred men followed him, and he planned to recruit more when he arrived to Oakswood's lands."
Naemon turned towards his own men. Davos, Malcolm, Myle and Brennin looked at him calmly, whereas Alester had a slightly angered look in his eyes. "We'll have a meeting in the lord's mansion in half an hour," he informed calmly, and the men nodded to him silently.
-
Naemon sat at the head of the simple wooden table, and Davos and Malcolm already sat next to him. Soon after them Ser Myle and Commander Brennin walked in. Ser Myle sat down next to Davos, and Brennin took a seat next to Malcolm. Finally, after a few minutes of waiting. Lord Alester walked in, taking his seat next to Brennin Kell.
"You were too soft with the peasant, prince," were the first words the Lord of Sword's Edge uttered, but Prince Naemon decided to ignore them, instead turning his eyes to Ser Myle. "Ser Myle, my job for you is simple," he said, and his friend nodded, paying attention to his words. "You will ride back to Blackmont, and inform my father what we found here."
"Understood, my prince," he said with a calm and relaxed tone. Now, Naemon turned to Brennin Kell. "Commander Brennin, you know this city better than any of us. Which is why I will give its command for you, until Hugor returns to claim the lordship of Gravesend."
"I am honored, my prince," Brennin said sternly. "However, I cannot take care of this town alone."
"Indeed, you can't," Naemon agreed with a small nod, now glancing at Alester. "We will leave fifty of the Upton troops here to help you. Together you will bury the dead, and bring order back to this town."
"You are talking about my troops," Alester pointed out with a frown on his face, and Naemon turned to him. "They are your troops, that is true. However, they are here because King Vorian commanded them to help me with this mission – a mission that I am in charge of," Naemon spoke with an authoritative tone. For a moment it looked like Alester was going to protest, but in the end he just nodded. "Sure, fifty of my troops can stay here," he said with a small sigh. "However, they will return to Sword's Edge once this mission is over."
"Agreed," Naemon said sternly, turning his eyes away from Alester. "The rest of the troops, along with their lord, me, my squire, and Prince Malcolm will head towards the lands of House Oakswood. Does anyone object?" For a moment the room was silent, until Malcolm spoke up.
"I do not object, my prince. However, I would like to ask something," the Prince of Starfall said with his calm and polite tone, and Naemon nodded as to accept his request. "What exactly is our plan? Will we simply search the lands, or are we going to approach Lord Oakswood first?"
"Lord Raymun Oakswood has marched to war with Ser Kegan, most likely leaving his brother in charge," Naemon said with a sigh. Malcolm raised an eyebrow. "Is... that a bad thing?" He asked quietly.
"Lord Raymun is a man of honor, loyal to his king. However, his brother, Ser Edwyn, is mostly known for killing my great-uncle Beric in a tourney melee over ten years ago," Naemon explained grimly. "He was pardoned of course, accidents like that can happen in a melee. However, there were whispers that it wasn't an accident at all, that Ser Edwyn knew perfectly well what he was doing."
"But why?" Davos asked, his voice both fascinated and slightly horrified by this story. "Apparently Ser Edwyn had been in love with Beric's only daughter, Bessa Blackmont, the younger sister of Braddock. However, Beric had decided to rather marry his daughter to the Lord of Oakswood, Edwyn's older brother. It was an old grudge, and the melee was a perfect opportunity for Edwyn to settle it. As I said, he was pardoned, but Edwyn has never been seen in Blackmont after that."
"I can see why," Malcom said with a sigh. "Do you think we can trust him?" Naemon took a moment to consider his answer. "I don't know the man personally," he finally said. "However, after that melee he hasn't been getting to any trouble, and Lady Bessa should be able to keep him in check. So yes, I think we can safely go to Oakswood."
"I trust your judgement," Malcolm said with a small smile forming on his face. Then Alester spoke up. "The man will be outnumbered anyway, especially since his brother has taken their troops to war," the young lord remarked with a grin under his red beard.
"Hopefully he will cooperate without us having to resort to threats," Naemon said dryly, turning to Brennin Kell. "Can you write commander?" He asked nonchalantly, and the man nodded. "I've had to work with some letters during my days as the commander. Why?"
"If the ravens are still alive and able to fly, write and send a message to Oakswood, informing them of our arrival," Naemon commanded.
"Yes, my prince," Brennin replied obediently, as Naemon stood up from his chair. "Alester, inform your troops of our plans. Rest of you, get ready to continue our travel."
"Won't we rest the night here?" Alester asked with a raised eyebrow, and Naemon shook his head. "It's just an hour past noon," he stated calmly. "Better stay on the move."
-
About an hour after the meeting in the lord's mansion, Naemon led the two hundred and fifty Upton troops out of Gravesend's gates, beside him Davos, Malcolm and Alester. They took the small road towards west, which would take them to the mountains, and finally to the valley of the Oakswood's. Naemon hadn't travelled this road in years, and never with an army, but he estimated they'd reach Oakswood in two or three days.
By sundown they had already arrived to the mountains, where the road was getting much harder for an army to travel. They made their camp on the most suitable place they could find, though it was still far from ideal, with rugged terrain and hardly any weed or water for the horses.
Naemon sat silently on the hillside, while Davos was putting up their tent with a few soldiers. Naemon would've helped them, but it wasn't expected from the commander of the army, much less from the crown prince.
Soon Malcolm found his way to Naemon, and sat down next to him. "Do you expect we'll find this Karsan?" He asked calmly, and Naemon shrugged. "I hope we do," he said quietly. "Not because I want to kill him – I don't. However, if he remains free, he'll gather more and more support, and it will be only a question of time when what happened in Gravesend will be repeated."
"Indeed," Malcolm replied quietly. "People like Karsan Taller use the frustration and desperation of other people to grab more power for themselves. You'll be doing a service for your kingdom by taking him down."
"Perhaps," Naemon responded with a sigh. "But the people will still remain frustrated and desperate," he spoke with a bitter tone. He didn't have to struggle in his day-to-day life the way the common folk did, but he could at the very least share their frustration towards Benedict.
"You are still angry with your father," Malcolm stated calmly, and Naemon glared at him. "Of course I am," he barked, a frown on his face. "I understand," Malcom started, but Naemon cut him off with a joyless chuckle and shook his head.
"No, you don't," he said sternly. "Vorian Dayne is a man of honor, a great knight and a loving father. Do you realize how far Benedict is from that?"
"I do," Malcolm admitted with a slightly apologetic tone, and Naemon turned his eyes down, ashamed of his outburst. "I'm sorry," he muttered, keeping his gaze on his boots. "It's not your fault that my father is what he is. You were just trying to empathize."
"It doesn't matter who our fathers are, Naemon," Malcolm now said, a serious tone on his voice. "What matters is who we will be when we inherit their crowns. And I want us to be friends."
"We are," Naemon responded decidedly, turning his eyes to Malcolm again, and seeing a smile forming on the Dayne prince's face. "It's good to hear that from you," he said warmly, and Naemon gave him a small nod. From the corner of his eyes he saw Davos approaching them.
"Evening," the boy greeted them tiredly, sitting down next to them. "What were you talking about?"
"Nothing important," Naemon said quickly, and Davos gave him an understanding nod. For a moment they were all quiet, until Davos spoke up again. "This Ser Edwyn Oakswood... you said he killed Beric Blackmont in a melee. Were you there to see it?"
"I was," Naemon answered calmly, glad about the change of topic. "I mean, it was before my mother died so I was very young, probably six or seven. I didn't know my great-uncle that well, since he spent most of his time with the Blackadder's. However, I'll never forget the sight of Ser Edwyn's blade cutting his throat open. I'm pretty sure it was the first time I saw a man dying... something like that is hard to forget."
"I can only imagine," Malcolm commented quietly. "So, did Edwyn have a trial?"
"Yes," Naemon answered with a sigh. "I wasn't there to see it, but it was one of the first important choices my father made as the King of Blackmont. He had inherited the crown just a couple years prior. I don't know what was it that Ser Edwyn said to convince Benedict, but he was pardoned. It was a great source of gossip in the court back then, because everyone believed Edwyn had fully intended to kill Beric with his strike."
"If your father wanted to be merciful, why not just send Edwyn to the Wall?" Davos asked with some confusion, and Naemon chuckled. "He may have been a different man back then, but still, Benedict Blackmont and mercy don't belong in the same sentence. No, he must have had some other reason."
"Or perhaps he was just convinced that Ser Edwyn was truly innocent," Malcolm suggested, and Naemon shrugged lazily. "I suppose that's possible," he said.
"And if you had been in your father's place, what would you have done?" Davos asked with great interest in his voice. Naemon took in a deep breath, unsure what to answer. He may not have known what exactly happened in the trial, but he did know what happened in the melee. Ser Edwyn had murdered Beric Blackmont.
[Say you would've executed him] [Say you would've sent him to the Wall] [Say you would've pardoned him]
[Say you would've sent him to the Wall]
We don't know what trully happened, so its hard to come up with a decision. Still, it doesn't change the fact that Edwyn did kill a man in a tourney melee, its hard to simply pardon even if he didn't mean to do it.
[Say you would've sent him to the Wall]
[Say you would've pardoned him]
It's tough choice, with the Wall potentially being the best option, but to be honest, I've had enough using a sentence to Wall as a panic button when you don't know what to do really. There were a few choices like that, and in the majority of it Wall was most popular option, ergo won in all. I feel it's not the purpose of this story being interactive - we should learn how to make hard choices, in my opinion we shouldn't be choosing "neutral" option all the time - it kills a lot of ways of developing a character, to one or other "side". Like I said - only my opinion, most likely unpopular and Wall will be chosen once again, but I wanted to share my point of view - maybe someone will be able to rethink it and maybe relate in some part?
There's so many character building choices for Naemon lately and that makes me quite afraid we push him into the wrong direction. I mean, I want a reasonable, fair Naemon, that cannot be a bad thing no matter what happens to him. But what quite concerns me is that this is the second time we get to choose how he'd react in the hypothetical case one of his family members is going to die and I grow increasingly restless that this could be foreshadowing. Like, I know of only one family member that could die at this point and it arguably is my main goal to prevent that, so choices like that make me very conflicted. Because if anything happens to Gwen, I'd want Naemon to go absolutely berserk, I'd want him to go full Ramsay on everyone involved on both sides, the ones that did the deed and the ones that failed to prevent it, I would like to take vengeance on all of their loved ones, friends and positive social contacts and the childrens of their friends and their extended families and their little dogs too while they watch on, to make them really, really suffer before they die. I wouldn't want the slightest bit of mercy for them, not even the mercy of a quick death. However, I don't want Naemon to be like this in general. In general, I would want him to be a kind, just, but also strong man, someone who can at least manage to not be a complete disaster at his job, be it prince and heir or anything, really. So, these character building choices always leave me with a slightly sour taste, because while I feel we push Naemon into a good direction to become a more capable person, this also makes it less likely he can serve me vengeance when it is needed. When it comes to that, I'd very much prefer a man such as Albin Manwoody, but solely for that task. So, while I have a general idea on the direction I'd like Naemon to take, I fear like this could bite me in particular in the ass when it comes to a hypothetical, maybe never happening, but still absolutely crucial possibility. Arguably though, I couldn't even complain if we manage to turn Naemon into a just, fair and benevolent man, because that is arguably one of my main priorities as well, if not the top one.
[Say you would've executed him]
So, originally, I was going to choose the Wall option. However, I must admit I agree with MicroAce. Sometimes we have to make hard choices, we cannot take the middle choice forever, especially if it is giving us what we desire. I would like to keep Naemon somewhat willing to pick a harsh option, as it means I might get a shot at vengeance if the situation truly comes up. At the same time, I must admit I really don't want Naemon to become a ruthless butcher in general, a Maegor the Cruel, it's just that making him completely unwilling to push out harsh punishment if needed is not what I want. Arguably, the Wall would be a reasonable compromise and I do not mind it winning. Edwyn commited a crime, intended or not and he deserves punishment. It actually seems likely to me he intened to kill Beric, so I believe for intentional murder of a Blackmont, death is the only option. Sending him to the Wall would be my choice if he truly would have done it by accident. People in our world face up to ten years for manslaughter. Pardoning him though, I would not do it. He killed a Blackmont and there must be a punishment for that.
Heh, I get what you mean. People often tend to gravitate towards the neutral choices, as to play it safe, which is why I often don't even give a neutral option - if it just makes sense in the context of the decision. Here though, the Wall is a completely valid choice, so I can't omit it. And actually I don't even want to, because in this case I wouldn't say the neutral option kills the development of Naemon, it's just a more subtle development than "I want to be merciful" or "I will have no mercy". It's more like, "I'm ready to make compromises", to put it simply. After all, these characters aren't black and white, so it makes sense there are grey options in choices like this
Yeah, there have been a lot of character building choices for Naemon. The reason for it is that his Book 1 storyline is mainly centered around his character development, as well as building his relationships with his supporting cast. All of this will come to play in the next book. And well, it would take a lot of time and character development for Naemon to not feel extremely vengeful towards the murderers of his sister. He is figuring out what kind of knight (and future king) he wants to be, but he isn't training to be like a Buddhist monk
Something extreme would have to happen for him to stop caring about Gwen.
Indeed, the execution is certainly a hard choice here. Well, it would be if this choice wasn't completely hypothetical
That said, we aren't just shaping Naemon with these choices, but also Davos, and with this choice Naemon is basically telling him that criminals don't deserve mercy. That obviously won't suddenly turn Davos into a cruel and merciless killer, but he is sure to remember this lesson. What comes to Edwyn though, no punishment is coming for him. He was pardoned by the King over ten years ago, and this choice is Naemon just saying what he would've done in his father's place. We'll meet Edwyn soon, and probably hear more about what exactly happened in that melee and the trial following it, but no execution or exiling to the Wall is about to happen, no matter what you choose here 
[Say you would've executed him]
Well, that is at least a slight relief. I mean, my main goal is to prevent that he even needs to take revenge, but if the worst case happens, him refusing to take a revenge I deem appropriate would be the only thing to make it worse. Gives me hope that no matter what happens in that storyline, at least Aisha won't walk away from it. But well, I guess if we play the cards right, that might not be necessary at all and this is the outcome I am aiming for. I do enjoy these character building moments, but the one thing that always makes me a bit nervous when it comes to them is that they have very few immediate consequences, but are instead almost always part of longer, slower developments that might be hard to stop if it becomes apparent they go into a wrong direction. But with Naemon, I kind of doubt they do that. I'm quite happy with the way he develops so far, even if I do have another concern recently. If he truly steps up and becomes a leader, what would that mean for a possible return of Gwendis in later books? He has always been satisfied with playing second fiddle to her, but now their roles are switched, he's doing the responsible stuff and she is the one that has done something completely irresponsible and stupid by running off with Aisha (who is the worst by the way, I haven't mentioned it in at least 24 hours). Would he truly be happy with just standing back once more? No matter what, it seems that Naemon's development into a guy that takes charge and makes the hard decisions is an inevitable result right now, so I wonder what this means for his possible relationship with Gwendis in Book 2 or Book 3.
Ah, I am aware of that. I never thought for him to actually issue a different sentence. This is hypothetical of course, so I doubt anything will happen to Edwyn because of that, but still, I believe he should have received a harder sentence. But well, I would not be surprised if some of this has been Valaena's doing, she's arguably been a softening influence on Benedict. I look forward for his side of the story, but still, accidental or not, I would have punished him, either hardly or mildly, but not completely without and think this is not a bad direction for Naemon and Davos to develop to as well.
[Say you would've sent him to the Wall] Executing a man for an accidental death isn't what a wise ruler would do, besides, Benedict possibly wanted to be benevolent, even if it involved the death of his uncle.
House Blackadder and Oakswood are interesting names for original houses, I wonder what other minor houses serve the other kings.
[Say you would've sent him to the Wall]
Since there would be no way of knowing if he purposefully killed him, I think this is the best choice.
[Say you would've executed him]
[Say you would've sent him to the Wall]
Haha, I've taken Oakswood and Blackadder straigth from CK2's GoT mod
They sound very GoT-ish to me, so I decided to put them in good use with this story.
What comes to other original houses, we already have Upton's, Nightfall's and Southpoint's for King Vorian, Bloodspill's for the Martell's, Granit's and Bravespear's for the Dalt's, Tiddle's for King Lucifer and Marcant's for King Yorick. And more are sure to be introduced later
Yeah, I'd probably pick the Wall too in normal circumstances, but I was waiting for the moment for saying what I have to say, and it looked like one. Of course characters aren't black and white only, but giving us such neutral choices places them directly in between and it's hard to build up a strong, adamant character to-be-remembered. As I said - it's nothing wrong with your story, I just got a little bit annoyed by the Wall being the panic button and colourless, neutral option in most cases similar to this one.
[Say you would've sent him to the Wall]
The last line of the part convinced me where Naemon said wholeheartedly that Edwyn murdered Beric Blackmont so I figure Naemon definitely believes he is guilty and I think this is the best option for giving out a harsh punishment while also not executing someone without all of the facts. With this primarily being a character building choice, I feel this is a good choice to mold Naemon into a king who would serve justice when needed but also fair in that he wouldn't kill since he doesn't seem to know the whole story here so i figure this is a solid compromise.
Voting is closed!
And Naemon will say that he would've sent Ser Edwyn to the Wall, had he been in his father's position over ten years ago. We should meet the guy in Naemon's next part, and see if getting to know him personally will change Naemon's opinion, one way or the other.
Aand, the next part is actually done already
It's a Gwendis PoV, and I'm going to post it right after this. To recap, last time we saw Gwendis continuing her travel with Aisha, Trentan and Ser Mordekhai, after Lyla Sand (who tried to bring Gwen back to Blackmont) was brutally killed by the aforementioned false knight Mordekhai. He lost his left eye to Lyla in their duel though. Anyway, Gwendis had another vision from Great Other, where she saw a storm by the sea, and a glimpse of the followers of R'hllor they are going to have to face. She also had a little chat with Trentan, and by the end of it she had a chance to either suggest they escape together when the opportunity comes, or that they stick together and survive whatever comes. You chose the latter. As said, the part will be posted immediately after this message 
Gwendis
"We need to stick together, Trentan," Gwendis said softly, looking the young thief to the eyes. "Aisha and her false knight, they don't care about us, not really. They only want to use us, and when we've fulfilled our purpose, we won't be worth anything to them. Right now, you are the only one I can trust, and I'm the only one you can trust."
"I understand that now," Trentan replied with a gulp. "Aisha listened to me when I told her about my past, my struggles. She also opened up to me about her struggles, but... now I have to wonder if everything she told me was a lie, a story to manipulate me to empathize with her. One thing I know for sure, the Aisha who I spent hours with talking about our pasts... it's a different person from the Aisha that murdered Lyla Sand with no remorse."
Gwendis was unsure what to say to this. It was hard for her to imagine Aisha opening up and talking about struggles of her own. For Gwendis the Dark Priestess had always been a distant and cold person, one seemingly incapable of understanding human emotions. However, Gwendis had no reason to doubt Trentan's words, and there had to be a reason the young man had fallen in love with Aisha in the first place.
"Some people are just good at hiding their true self," Gwendis finally said quietly, and Trentan gave her an awkward little nod. From the corner of her eyes Gwendis saw Aisha approaching, and turned her eyes to her.
"You should rest," Aisha said nonchalantly as she got closer. "We have many miles ahead of us tomorrow."
Gwendis nodded to the Dark Priestess, and without a word she laid down, turning her eyes away from Aisha. For once her words made sense – Gwendis would certainly need the rest. As she closed her eyes, she only hoped the Great Other wouldn't come to her dreams this night.
-
After a decent night of sleep, they had headed northeast, away from Greenbelt. According to Aisha they wanted to avoid too much attention, and by the Greenbelt were just too many farmhouses and villages. Here in the mountain paths it was much less likely they would run into anyone – as long as they avoided the Yronwood mines.
The sun was slowly starting to set again, as the small group led by Aisha arrived to a cliff, which was looking over a road down on the valley. "The road to Kingsgrave," Mordekhai Crusher muttered quietly. It was the first time Gwendis heard the man talking that day. Mostly he just kept his distance, and glared at them with his one good eye, glowing under his helmet.
As they were about to turn away from the cliff to find a place to make a camp, they started hearing something from the distance. Quiet thumping noises, clanking and chatter. Looking to the east, they could see a cloud of dust in the distance, and soon they could see it was the vanguard of an army. The banners were still too far to recognize, but they were marching from the lands of House Yronwood, and towards the lands of House Manwoody.
"King Yorick," Mordekhai growled, anger in his words. Aisha looked at her warrior sternly. "Your duty is not with your cousin, Mordekhai," she reminded him quietly. "You have something much more important to do than fighting Albin's wars."
"I know my duty, woman," Mordekhai said with a menacing tone, walking away from the cliff. Gwendis, Trentan and Aisha remained there, watching the army marching closer. Soon they could see the colors of the banners they were carrying. There were sandy yellow ones, which undoubtedly belonged to House Yronwood, and then there were bright yellow ones, and Gwendis guessed they belonged to House Wyl.
"Are they marching to Kingsgrave?" She asked quietly, and Aisha nodded. "This is the road to Kingsgrave, so I would imagine that's where they are going," she answered with little interest in her voice. Of course, she had made clear she had no interest in the wars of the Dornish kings, but for Gwendis they still meant something. She knew Ser Kegan had marched to Kingsgrave with the Blackmont army. There was certainly an alliance with the Fowler's, but Gwendis at least had heard nothing about the Yronwood's being involved. Maybe they are going to help Albin, she realized to her horror, now starting to see clearly the sigils on the banners. It would make sense, for what little Gwendis had heard of Yorick Yronwood she knew that he wasn't satisfied with the power he already had. And what better way to increase your power than taking over a war-torn kingdom?
"Come, Gwendis," Aisha said nonchalantly. "These wars are none of our concern." Gwendis ignored the words of the priestess, her eyes fixed on the advancing army. With a sigh Aisha turned and walked away after her false knight, leaving Gwendis and Trentan alone at the cliff.
"Are they a threat to your family?" Trentan asked carefully, and Gwendis turned to him. "Would you care if they were?" She asked quietly. Awkwardly Trentan turned his eyes away, taking a moment to answer. "I... I wouldn't really care if they were a threat to your father," he admitted finally. "But if they are a threat to him, they are a threat to all the people of the Kingdom of Blackmont, and there are many good people there."
"They are not a threat for now," Gwendis answered Trentan's question with a sigh. "Though they may be in the future. Everyone has been so focused on the Mad Albin that they have forgotten the real threat... Yorick Yronwood."
"Is he a bad man?" Trentan asked curiously, which made Gwendis chuckle. "Hard to say," she answered with a pondering tone. "I don't know him personally. However, the Yronwood's have a habit for conquering. Every century there is an Yronwood king who decides to expand his kingdom, to prove everyone that he is truly worth the title of a High King of Dorne. Some of them even succeed, but a few generations later they tend to lose what they have gained. Kingdoms that large are hard to keep together, especially when your vassals are hellbent to being independent. The words of House Manwoody are literally 'No King Above Me'… try to be a king above someone like that."
"I didn't know all that," Trentan said with an interested look in his eyes. "About the Yronwood's and Manwoody's, I mean. You know, no one's ever taught me history or heraldry."
"And I doubt you would've had much need for them in your line of work," Gwendis pointed out playfully, which made Trentan chuckle. "Perhaps you could teach me something in return," Gwendis suggested, the army of Yronwood's and Wyl's marching now right under them.
"Me?" Trentan asked with an embarrassed tone. "I don't think there is anything I could teach to a princess," he said humbly, but Gwendis shook her head dismissingly. "Nonsense!" She insisted with a smile. "I think you said yourself earlier that I can't understand the life of the lowborn. I want you to tell me, teach me something about the common folk."
Trentan scratched his head, trying to come up with something. "Well... I think something you noble folk should understand is what happens when summer gets to its hottest and dryest. You probably notice that the rivers run completely dry if the summer lasts more than one or two years. Farmers usually have some stocked up because of this, but you have to use that sparingly. This means smaller harvest, and less crops to sell on the market, since the farmers still have to feed their families. Then the soldiers of the noble families come, demanding the same amount as always, even if the farmer can only produce half of what he could on the spring. Do you think that is fair?" By the end of his little rant Trentan sounded a bit angry, and Gwendis shook her head for his question.
"No, of course not," she answered. "The noblemen should be willing to live with less when there is less to harvest," she said decidedly. "However, there are often wars, and the armies need to be fed as well." Trentan frowned for this, and Gwendis raised her hands in a calming manner. "All I'm saying is that it can be complicated for those making the decisions. They aren't responsible of only their own lives, but for the whole kingdom."
"Then they should be more responsible with their actions," he stated with a sigh, and Gwendis gave him an agreeing nod. "They should," she said calmly. "Anyway, it looks like I'm not going to be deciding about things like that in a while... perhaps never." The expression on Trentan's face turned to much softer now, and he stepped closer to Gwendis.
"Don't lose your hope, princess," he said, offering his hand. As Gwendis grabbed it, Trentan continued. "Like you said earlier, we have to stick together, whatever comes. Aisha says there is an enemy we have to face. Well, fuck it! Let's face this enemy then, beat it, and go back home!"
Gwendis smiled at Trentan's words. She had to admire the positive determination he was showing, even if she suspected it wouldn't be that simple. Even if they could defeat whatever Aisha was taking them to, she doubted they could just go home after that. There would always be a new enemy, a new purpose for Aisha to use them. And if not, what would stop her from killing them like she had done with Lyla. But still, perhaps it would be better that Trentan would stay hopeful.
[Agree with Trentan] [Say it won't be that simple]
[Agree with Trentan]
Oi, what's that? Two and a half sentences in a single part? Are we in a chipper mood today, Crusher? Well, guess what!
Bloody one-eyed twat. I hope Aisha just drops dead already, so I can hate him the way he deserves. As it is, she doesn't even have to do anything bad, or even appear much in this part to make my hatred for her increase. It already suffices that she's alive and my dearest Lyla is not. Alas, I aim to correct this terrible mistake, even if getting Gwendis out of there alive holds priority even over any vengeance I wish to take upon that witch. By the way, I am very happy that lately I am actually capable of giving daily reminders that Aisha is the worst, even if she's not as terrible as Gwen being dead. She still is the worst of course, but Wesley is a strong contender as well. As much as I enjoy posting my wonderful Picard gif whenever he says just about anything, I cannot deny that the content of his brief attempt at communicating his useless thoughts is concerning. The Wyl's march on Kingsgrave, no doubt making things way harder on the Blackmont-Fowler alliance. This also means, bad times coming up for Myke and Kortney. Here's hoping though that the chaos of a three-way battle between Manwoody, Wyl and Fowler/Blackmont offers them a chance to escape.
And ah, I love that this is actually a Gwen part in which I don't have to fall into a rant at how terrible and evil Aisha is, on account of her doing very little in this part. I like it. I love it! More Gwendis and Trentan interaction, less Aisha saying/doing/implying something that makes it clear that she's the worst, most stupid and useless and evil... I'm ranting again, but you know what I mean
Trentan finally seeing Aisha's stupid face for what it is has been amazing. It is a good thing he's around. And the advice he gave Gwen, it is certainly useful. If she somehow makes it out of there alive, this will actually be helpful. Maybe the part where she ran away with Rosemary's grown up baby will always remain a bad idea, but I actually start to believe there could be a chance that this does not end in a complete disaster. And if she survives, Trentan might have done more for the people he cares for than he would ever dare to hope, because he has actually given Gwendis essential advice if she ever makes it back to a position of power in Blackmont. Can't believe how far that guy has come, he's now actually someone I like, after he finally came fully around, even if I still am slightly annoyed by how naive he has been to see Aisha as a human being.
[Agree with Trentan]
You know, Trentan is a motivational genius. He's literally Davos Seaworth levels of pep talk. This is the first time since... well, probably since Lyla appeared to save the day (or so I thought), maybe even before that, that I have a positive feeling that not everything might be lost. Of course, I don't want Gwen to actually defeat this enemy. We know, the enemy is the less horrible side in this war and I'm saying this even though they have the likes of Dalia and Mother Minesa. Survival can only be possible if she either sides with them or remains neutral enough that both sides ignore her until the fight is over. But being negative and defeated, that is not the attitude that gets her out of this alive. It won't be that simple, we know it and Gwen has to get away from Aisha without defeating that enemy, but damn it, she has to be positive. She has to keep her hopes up that there will be a chance to escape for good, a chance to make sure that every one of these horrible monsters will be dealt with, a chance for her to actually survive and grow from the experience instead of breaking. Trentan needs to feel the same hope if he wishes to truly get her and himself out of this alive. I believe his role in my goal will be more essential than just being a motivator. He can make a difference and arguably, he already is. It might be cheesy, but I feel that positive thoughts will make it less likely that the Great Other manages to take Gwendis over like he did with Aisha.
[Agree with Trentan] Gwen has to stay positive here, if she let herself get overcome with doubts there's a good chance she'll fail when she finally gets an opportunity to escape.
[Agree with Trentan]
[Agree with Trentan]
I'm sort of hesitant about this choice, but I'll go with it for now. It definitely won't hurt for them to have some optimism.
Will you write short summaries of finished chapters for newcomers?
Yeah, that is something that I've been planning to do for a while now. I'm just not sure if I should finish Book 1 first and do the summaries for all three chapters, or if I should start doing them for the first two chapters already.
[Agree with Trentan]
Heyy, you finally got to use your gif again!
Well, Mordekhai still didn't do much talking, and his lines were mostly spoken for Aisha instead of Gwendis. He will do some talking to Gwendis too in the future 
Indeed, seeing another army marching towards his home kinda pissed off Mordekhai, even if he still sees following Aisha more important. And you're right, Yorick sticking his nose into this conflict is sure to make things harder for the Blackmont-Fowler alliance. If there is a battle coming though, it might indeed offer the perfect chance for Myke and Kortney to escape.
Oh yes, this part was surprisingly positive, lighthearted even, for being a Gwendis part
Well, it wasn't completely devoid of Aisha's gloomy presence, not to mention Mordekhai, but once again it mostly concentrated on the odd friendship of Gwen and Trentan. Just imagine how bleak these parts would be if you let Lyla kill him. And he does seem to be giving some useful advice to Gwendis as well, making her all the more capable ruler - if she ever gets back to such position. Going with Aisha has most certainly had its positives as well, now Gwen just has to survive all this and find a way back to where she was before all this. And if nothing else, this dangerous journey has given Gwendis a friend, something she didn't have much in Blackmont, aside from her brother 
[Agree with Trentan]
So many gifs I can use. I hereby name Jean-Luc Picard as my noble spirit animal! That being said, I am quite terrified by the prospect of Wesley having any sort of talk with Gwendis
I mean, I must admit that Wesley is likely the most dangerous when he is not talking at all, because I doubt he's the kind to hold an evil monologue before killing someone, but still, there is no way such a talk can lead to anything good. At best, it makes Gwendis only more certain that helping out these awful Great Other people is a bad idea. At worst, well, if Wesley comes to the same conclusion, who knows what he's going to do to assure her loyalty 
Ah, if only he'd decide to save his home instead. That being said, I am legitimately terrified that he can get pissed off at all. I thought he was beyond such emotions, but if he can get pissed off, then that does not bode well for Gwen and Trentan. One thing that was particularly chilling was his reaction to Yorick. It seems he is actually capable of emotions such as true hatred and the sheer amount he seems to have for Yorick is really unsettling. And well, when it comes to a battle at Kingsgrave, I'd still say that a battle without the involvement of the Wyl's would serve an even better chance for them to escape. After all, if Yorick plans to force Albin under his control, I doubt the Wyl's will be all too eager to assist during Myke's and Kortney's escape, whereas the Blackmont/Fowler troops are their allies.
Words cannot express how relieved and surprised I was, albeit I am afraid there's no way things stay like that for long. Truly though, without Trentan I am sure this would have been just dark. Likely, Gwendis herself would be in a much worse place mentally, as Trentan seems to give her some stability. She might actually make it through this, but certainly not without him. And if she does, if Benedict takes her back and she might actually survive it all, then Trentan has pretty much guaranteed that the future Lady of Blackmont knows what she has to do to prevent situations such as the one that happened under Benedict. A friend, aye, I guess that is also a nice thing, but that in itself is not worth the sheer danger she put herself in. I guess this route is not entirely negative, but I must point out, that's not thanks to Aisha. She's the negative element in this version of Gwen's storyline. The positive element, the only one so far, is Trentan, but he is sort of overshadowed by Aisha and Wesley. Still, it is a silver lining and as cautious as I will remain until this is all over, this might just mean we have not fucked up beyond return with our votes so far, maybe even quite the contrary
It is definitely not going to be easy though, but who knows, maybe we actually have made some pretty solid choices for Gwen in the last chapter.