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Post by Lucas of Brindlewood on Jul 9, 2016 0:34:59 GMT
Willem looked half amused, half disdainful at her comment about his father. "Reconciliation? No, I'm looking for nothing from the man. I have survived and advanced myself my entire life without his wretched influence, why should I need any form of interaction with him now? I stay out of his way, and so long as he stays out of mine I am happy enough."
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 9, 2016 0:44:57 GMT
"You wish to avoid him, but have come to the only place in Westeros where that might be a problem," she said. "Though the castle is big enough for you to mostly succeed, I imagine."
These news... however old, were of course disturbing. "I trust Belric knows all this?" she asked.
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Post by Lucas of Brindlewood on Jul 9, 2016 0:50:02 GMT
"Seemed to me I shouldn't condemn the rest of my relatives for Hoster's crimes." Willem replied, not being completely honest about his reasons for being there but trying to hide it. "I've answered every question Lord Belric has put to me about my past. My connection to the family was one of them. I promised I wouldn't kill Hoster. I'm a man of my word."
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 9, 2016 22:15:29 GMT
"Fair enough," she said, even though she'd just been in a similar situation herself and that had ended so well. She didn't want to meddle in this particular affair and so didn't really have anything else to say.
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Post by Lucas of Brindlewood on Jul 9, 2016 23:53:03 GMT
"Nothing fair about it." Willem replied, although his tone indicated he had understood what she meant. "It is what it is though."
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 10, 2016 17:11:25 GMT
Dacey nodded, agreeing. His last words seemed to apply for a number of things. "Well, you've heard my side of the story," she said after seeing Willem had made no move to leave. "Was there anything else?" she inquired.
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Post by Lucas of Brindlewood on Jul 10, 2016 19:11:25 GMT
Dacey nodded, agreeing. His last words seemed to apply for a number of things. "Well, you've heard my side of the story," she said after seeing Willem had made no move to leave. "Was there anything else?" she inquired. "I remain unclear what happened with Edmure and...your carpet." He gestured at the bear pelt on the floor. "I assume that is the same bear?" "The story that you told at the gate doesn't match up very well with the account of events that Edmure gave me, my lady. I was wondering if you might perhaps be willing to tell it again with more detail so I can figure out what actually happened."
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 10, 2016 21:22:54 GMT
"The very same," she said and sighed, suddenly a little tired. "The story I told at the gate was for Belric and Edmure. But you told me about Hoster so I will tell you about Edmure."
She closed both the windows before speaking up again.
"I don't enjoy telling it so I will make it brief," she said evenly. In her eyes, Edmure's cowardly actions had brought dishonor on their entire family. "When the bear attacked, Edmure shoved one of our men in front of it. Now, he tells me he was "forcing them into a fight", but neither of them were fleeing before his act. Jormun and I held our ground as the bear engaged us. Edmure, however, ran after the men, turning back only when two of the horses had been stolen and one of them had been shot. I don't know his reasons for running, but I know that he did run, in full plate and a shield in his hand no less. When he returned to us, the beast had dealt wounds to both Jormun and me."
"When I later asked him about it, he started going on about the war and that failed siege for some reason, asking me why he would be scared of a bear after fighting the loyalists." She glanced at the massive hide and gave half a shrug. "I don't know. Never met a loyalist that size. Perhaps he did."
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Post by Lucas of Brindlewood on Jul 11, 2016 5:23:07 GMT
"The very same," she said and sighed, suddenly a little tired. "The story I told at the gate was for Belric and Edmure. But you told me about Hoster so I will tell you about Edmure." She closed both the windows before speaking up again. "I don't enjoy telling it so I will make it brief," she said evenly. In her eyes, Edmure's cowardly actions had brought dishonor on their entire family. "When the bear attacked, Edmure shoved one of our men in front of it. Now, he tells me he was "forcing them into a fight", but neither of them were fleeing before his act. Jormun and I held our ground as the bear engaged us. Edmure, however, ran after the men, turning back only when two of the horses had been stolen and one of them had been shot. I don't know his reasons for running, but I know that he did run, in full plate and a shield in his hand no less. When he returned to us, the beast had dealt wounds to both Jormun and me." "When I later asked him about it, he started going on about the war and that failed siege for some reason, asking me why he would be scared of a bear after fighting the loyalists." She glanced at the massive hide and gave half a shrug. "I don't know. Never met a loyalist that size. Perhaps he did." Willem wasn't sure how publicly confronting Edmure at the gates as people watched the wounded being tended to amounted to Dacey intending the conversation to be a discrete one between her and her brothers, but he kept that to himself. "Had you ever seen Edmure do such a thing before, my lady?" Willem asked. "As you've said, it seems rather odd for a man to fight in a war for years and then betray his own men and flee leaving his own sister in danger at the sight of a bear. Although I must agree with you that this one is bigger than any red I have ever met." Willem had met a lot, but he kept that to himself. Might as well see if Dacey could be trusted based on how she reacted to what he'd told her about Hoster before he divulged more personal secrets to her.
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 11, 2016 8:36:40 GMT
"I had not," she said, although truth to be told, she'd not seen excessive amounts of Edmure during the war as they'd often been stationed in different places. She'd not have believed it if she'd heard it at the time, though. "Very odd. Imagine my surprise," she said dryly, most likely still a little bitter about it.
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Post by Lucas of Brindlewood on Jul 11, 2016 16:23:26 GMT
"I had not," she said, although truth to be told, she'd not seen excessive amounts of Edmure during the war as they'd often been stationed in different places. She'd not have believed it if she'd heard it at the time, though. "Very odd. Imagine my surprise," she said dryly, most likely still a little bitter about it. Either Dacey was a good liar or she was telling the truth. The lack of excuses and bragging about her past made her version more compelling to Willem than Edmure's. "Well thank you for sharing that with me, my lady." Willem responded, rising as he spoke. "It was quite, uh, informative. I'm sure I've taken up quite enough of your time though, so unless there is anything I might be able to do for you, I will excuse myself."
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 11, 2016 23:53:47 GMT
Dacey nodded after Willem had thanked her, indicating that it had been no bother. His offer was a little surprising, but Dacey wrote it off as politeness. There just hadn't been a lot of that going around at war, and what she'd witnessed at King's Landing had been of a different kind altogether.
"Not at the moment, no. Take care," she told him.
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The Raven
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Post by The Raven on Jul 12, 2016 1:38:15 GMT
***
Dacey's husband is wearing the finest blue livery she has seen him in since before the war. He is still handsome in her eyes, but the war has drained him of much of the energy that had drawn her to him. Still, he cuts a striking figure in the Great Hall of Pinkmaiden. Dacey rubs her swollen belly. Their child is kicking like a mule. Dacey coos and presses the hand of her daughter to it, who in turn lays her ear against her mother's stomach.
"Will it be another brother, mummy?" She asks, staring up at Dacey with a sense of wonder only a child can possess.
"It certainly feels like it, my jewel."
Dacey keeps Magdalyn's hand in hers as Lord Petyr Harlton approaches the table. An old man, he is still a spry and wily commander. It is rare though to see him outside his famous fortress at Castlewood. "My Lord Piper... I hope the Seven find you in good health..."
Dacey's beloved stands up and walks the table to greet his father's oldest friend. "Lord Harlton! Please, join us! It has been too long since you have joined us for dinner."
"Thank you. Though I must say, I have come on more martial affairs. This business in Atranta..."
"After dinner. Let Smallwood not ruin our appetites."
He helps the elderly Harlton take his seat, then returns to his place beside Dacey. He takes her soft hand in his, kisses and gently squeezes it to tell her all would be fine, and turns his attention back to the feast.
***
Dacey is holding her lover's cold hard hands in the sept. Even with his head caved in, Dacey knows her Bruce's body like her own. Knows these hands...
The maester behind her murmurs, "Lady Roote... I have recieved word your brother has returned to the town."
Dacey wipes tears from her eyes. "Of course. He'll want to toast his friend's valor and fuck another whore in his memory. Then he'll expect me to host the entire Blackfort family..." She kissed Bruce's fingers. "Why did you leave me so soon? When we had just found eachother? We deserved more than a year of bliss!"
"My lady..."
"How did he die?"
"A patrol found his body laying near a creek. They reported seeing several knights of House Piper riding in the other direction."
"Damn the Pipers. And damn my brother for allowing his best knight die alone in shit. Look at him... He was so handsome..."
Dacey touches her palm to his ruined armor, whispered farewell, and left him in the sept.
***
Dacey struggles to remember how she ended up in the mud. Her armor is thick and heavy, and she can feel herself sinking into the mud. Dacey is lucky her visor moves up so readily.
There. Her horse. Her son Tallahar had trained that horse for her and now it was dying, three arrows in its neck, bleeding into the mud. Dacey can just see its chest rising slowly.
"A fine shot, milord. But I think that one still has life in him..."
"Quite."
Dacey manages to turn around just fast enough to have the arrow strike her beneath the arm. She yells and tries to pull her sword from its sheathe, but another strikes her in the shoulder. Only now, attempting to pivot towards her foe, does she realize that her leg beneath the mud is sprained from the initial fall. She looks up at her killers and their livery. Most of the dozen riders are in the blue of House Piper, except for the obvious archer on horseback, who wore a brilliant green . He hands his bow to a footsoldier and opens his visor, revealing a young face. Seven, he's only Edmure's age.
"I yield!" Dacey cries out. "My name is Ser Bruce Blackfort and I serve Lord Lucamore Roote! He will pay for my ransom!"
"Ever heard of a House Blackfort?" The man in green asked one of the others.
"No, milord."
"Well... toss your sword, Ser Bruce."
Dacey manages to grasp her weapon and hurl it onto the embankment. One of the armored strangers dismounts and offers his hand. "Let's get you out of there. An excuse as any to head back to camp and get some fresh food. Lord Piper is supposed to be entertaining Lord Blackwood, so there will be a fine feast."
Not thinking of food, Dacet grasps the other knight's arm and feels herself pulled out of the muddy creek.
"My Lord Smallwood!" Dacey hears an oncoming rider cry out. "More men from Harroway's Town coming from the East!"
"Well now..." He gestured to one of the guards helping Dacey up. "Sorry, Ser Bruce Blackfort. You may be worth the ransom but not my bloody time."
"Wait!" Dacey attempted to scream once more that she yielded, to remind this Smallwood of his knightly honor, that she had a family and lover waiting for her, but her captor's mace brooked no arguments.
***
Dacey awakes covered in sweat, the sheets nearly torn between her clenched fingers.
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Vex
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Post by Vex on Jul 13, 2016 21:29:49 GMT
She looked at the door almost immediately to make sure it was still latched, for some reason feeling like someone had been in her room. The dream had been as disorienting as it had been disturbing.
Slowly, she slid down to the floor and leaned her back against the bed, her eyes fixed on the soft glow of embers in the fireplace as she tried to make sense of it all, knowing that any effort to get more sleep that night would be a waste.
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Post by Maester Percival on Jul 15, 2016 1:48:52 GMT
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One early day, just before dawn Percival arrived at Dacey's door. He lifted his hand and slowly began to slam it over and over against her large wooden door. He had no intention of stopping until it was answered.
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