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Post by Maester Percival on Sept 11, 2016 2:48:29 GMT
Percival was lying in his bed in the dark when he heard the knock. He sighed and sat up. He stood slowly and walked across his dark room to where he kept the wine. Percival poured himself a cup of the stuff and emptied it on the walk to his door.
Percival flung open the door still only wearing his breeches. He looked between Edmure and his man as he poured himself another cup. He spoke softly with a twisted smirk. "You did not need to come all the way down here to apologize. I would have accepted a public letter just as well." Then he drank down his wine as he waited for Edmure to apologize. Finally one of these farm folks with a little respect.
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Sept 11, 2016 3:21:57 GMT
Edmure gave a wry smile through the dull pain of his chest.
"It's nice to know you actually have a tiny spark of a sense of humor Maester. I think we need to talk. On a number of matters. Perhaps if and when we reach an accord, you shall receive an apology."
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Post by Maester Percival on Sept 11, 2016 5:05:18 GMT
Percival emptied the wine cup in one long drink. He swirled the wine about his mouth as he thought. He swallowed it and spoke softly. "I was a bed. It is rather late for a conversation."
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Sept 11, 2016 6:23:15 GMT
"It may well be worth your while to listen what I have to say." replied Edmure, coughing slightly and pressing a hand to his broken ribs. "And it will be worth my while also."
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Post by Maester Percival on Sept 11, 2016 18:53:43 GMT
Percival sighed and spoke softly. "Of course. Please enter and make yourself at home." He turned walked into the room. He refilled the cup and offered it to Edmure. "Would you like some wine?"
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Sept 12, 2016 0:22:20 GMT
"Thank you." said Edmure, taking the cup from Percival and sipping it. He coughed after he did so, stifling a grimace as his chest tightened.
He sat gingerly on one of the chairs before regarding Percival thoughtfully for a moment.
"I suspect you do not regard our family highly, Maester." he said calmly in a low measured tone. "We are lowborn upstarts in your eyes. Raised high mostly due to a lucky chance meeting on Redgrass Field."
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Post by Maester Percival on Sept 12, 2016 19:05:49 GMT
Percival chucked as he walked to grab a second cup for himself. "There was a time when I held dear the belief that greatness was bred into a family line but that boy was a fool. At the Citadel, unlike every other institution in Westeros, it is merit that matters not birth. The man I respect most in the entire world right now was the son of a black Smith who is now an Arch Maester."
Percival paused to sip from his wine to wet his throat. The wine was too sweet. He frowned at the cup in his hand as he finished speaking, "So you do not have to worry, my low regard for your family is not due to your low birth."
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Sept 12, 2016 23:20:51 GMT
Edmure twirled the stem of his cup between his fingers.
"No? So what is it then? I'll admit that my family are not yet well-equipped to govern a castle on the scale of Harrenhal, but my brother was granted this castle on merit and not by the greatness of his birth. He...we..... served the King loyally and well during the war and were rewarded for that service. I understand my brother's shortcomings. My own shortcomings. We need help Percival. Help from the likes of yourself to govern this castle and these lands long and well."
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Post by Maester Percival on Sept 13, 2016 5:04:22 GMT
"Merit?" Asked Percival sardonically. "Aye, he has merit as a murderer. He certainly murdered a man the new king wanted dead. And Kings have to be seen rewarding those who murder in their names. How else will they trick all the other murderers to serve them?" The Maester sipped his wine and waved his arm about motioning toward the whole keep . "No matter that this keep is more a death sentence then a reward." He looked back at Eddy the sheep and shook his head slowly. "For all your brother's incompetence he does have some kind of merit. It is you who seems to be as useless as tits on a bull."
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Sept 13, 2016 5:30:12 GMT
Edmure laughed in response, until he coughed as his chest groaned in protest.
"I've heard worse Maester. Seems to be as useless as 'tits on a bull', is it? Do enlighten me. I'm intrigued."
He took a draught of wine to still the coughing with a wry smile still on his face.
" I serve my brother, as you do. I do it as best I may, within the bounds of the limited authority he grants me on occasion. I wouldn't say I agree with everything he says and does though. But what inferior agrees with everything his superior does?"
His face broke into a grin. "I don't act so 'put upon' as you do though."
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Post by Maester Percival on Sept 14, 2016 14:17:40 GMT
Percival looked up into Edmure's face with a bored expression and then after a long pause spoke. "If I must explain. I suppose Maesters are to be teachers . The phrase "tits on a bull" means completely useless. It is suppose to imply that tits would be useless on a male animal because they produce no milk. It is a metaphor and a cliche." Percival paused to sip from his wine. "That is why I am so surprised you needed the meaning explained to you. I would have thought your family quite knowledgeable of farm creatures."
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Sept 14, 2016 21:19:14 GMT
Edmure wondered how a man as clever and knowledgeable as Percival supposedly was, could at the same time be so stupid. While he wasn't particularly concerned what Percival really thought of him, he still had to ask.
"I know the saying Percival. That wasn't my question. I'll rephrase it more simply for you. You imply I'm as useless as 'tits on a bull'? Why do you think that?"
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Post by Maester Percival on Sept 15, 2016 14:15:32 GMT
Percival hid a small smile by turning his back to Edmure and walking away. He took a sip from his cup of wine. It was obvious what the man was doing. He was desperate and completely transparent. Sheep. He spoke but she not bother to turn back to Edmure. "Well you have lost the respect of the soldiers here. You have went out of your way to drag your family name through the mud. Even Belric does less harm to the name Blackfort and he is an enraged, savage goat fucker."
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Sept 15, 2016 23:17:00 GMT
Edmure burst out laughing, amused in spite of himself, before his ribs protested and he stopped abruptly.
"Lost the respect of the soldiers now Maester? Dragged my family name through the mud too? That is interesting to hear, although it does sound like you've been listening too much to my sister's sorry tale."
He sipped his wine smiling broadly. "So then maester. What advice would you give me to rectify the situation as you see it?"
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Post by Maester Percival on Sept 16, 2016 2:21:09 GMT
"Well the first thing I would recommend is to start acting like a man. You laugh away insults like they are nothing." Percival waved toward the man Edmure had brought with him. "This man will tell others that I treated you as my bitch and simply bent over and laughed. My own father beat me into a bloody mess for less when I was a child."
Percival sipped from his wine cup. "In addition you are a fool to let a claim for land to be decided by the battle of Champions. Do you know what kind of precedent you are setting? Win or lose, every other Lord will challenge your family for every grievance that crosses their mind. Almost any Lord will be willing to risk a single knight under their command if it means gaining an advantage for their house."
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