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Post by Benjen Blackfort on Jun 28, 2016 7:32:49 GMT
The largest and tallest of Harrenhal's towers, made lopsided by the ferocious heat of dragonfire. One can nonetheless summit the top of the tower, if one feels like spending time atop it's fused and uneven stone surface. The Widow's Tower is the closest tower to Kingspyre Tower, connected by an arching stone bridge.
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Post by Benjen Blackfort on Jun 28, 2016 7:39:28 GMT
Ben rests on top of the Kingspyre tower, pausing to catch his breath. So many damned stairs in Harrenhal. First he had made his way to a storeroom to find some spare archery targets, then he had laboriously transported them upstairs (too many stairs) to the top of the Widow's tower. Then he made his way down that tower, across the bridge that connected it to Kingspyre, and then up so many more steps to the top of Harrenhal's highest tower. Still, he was pleased with his sudden whim. Harrenhal was so large it was still a long shot from one tower to the other, but the height advantage of Kingspyre tower should make the targets on Widow's hittable.
And Ben liked it up here. There was a spooky sense of loneliness so high up, as though Harren's ghost might emerge from the stonework at any moment. Ben set his bow down beside him as he contemplated his first shot.
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Post by Benjen Blackfort on Jul 5, 2016 8:04:17 GMT
After the events at the clay pit, Ben made his way to the top of the Kingspyre tower. He was frustrated with the outcome of the day and his own inability to change it. At the end of the day Benjen did not like killing people and did not like watching people die. And yet he had killed more than his fair share during the day, and there were plenty who had died fighting alongside him.
He took a long drink of his wineskin. Then he settled in, aiming his arrows carefully at the targets on the adjacent tower, then loosing them. It was calming, almost meditative.
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Jul 5, 2016 9:00:22 GMT
Edmure had climbed the many stairs to his chambers in the Kingspyre castle in a reflective mood. On impulse he decided to keep climbing, working out the nervous energy that the disagreement with his sister at the gate had created.
He climbed until he ran out of stairs. Not surprisingly he found himself on the roof. The view was breath-taking. At first he thought he was alone, until he heard the familiar whistle of arrows. He moved along the massive roof, until he saw the source of the sound.
"Benjen." he said recognising the man shooting arrows. "I didn't expect to see you up here."
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Post by Benjen Blackfort on Jul 5, 2016 9:09:42 GMT
"Motherf--" Benjen stopped himself from releasing his last arrow, spinning around. He had not expected to be interrupted; he had not expected anyone else to ascend this high, to be honest. "Oh," Ben said, letting his string go slack and replacing his arrow in his quiver. "Didn't expect to see you either, I guess."
In the vague hierarchy of Harrenhal, Ben understood Edmure was somewhere above him, but not the exact relation. In any event Ben wasn't much for bowing or scraping. "This is sorta my spot," Ben explained. "For archery. And thinking. What brings you up here, coz?"
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Jul 5, 2016 9:32:01 GMT
"Definitely not archery." replied Edmure. "I just kept climbing and found myself here. I can leave you to your spot if you wish."
He gave a short laugh, the troubles that were weighing him down momentarily lifting from his shoulders. "For a moment I thought I had discovered one of those ghosts that the locals keep telling me exist."
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Post by Benjen Blackfort on Jul 5, 2016 9:36:49 GMT
"Oh they exist, our ghosts of Harrenhal," Benjen grins. A smile and a laugh was what Benjen typically reverted to, no matter what ailed him. "But feel free to sit. I'm not going anywhere soon."
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Jul 5, 2016 9:44:39 GMT
Edmure took a seat, sitting cross-legged on the roof, across from his cousin.
"I remember we used to do this when we were children at Harroway Town. A long time ago now, Ben." he said, a slight tone of melancholy creeping into his voice. "A more care-free time."
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Post by Benjen Blackfort on Jul 5, 2016 17:21:16 GMT
"Roof wasn't as high there," Benjen deadpanned.
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Jul 5, 2016 23:41:26 GMT
Edmure gave another short laugh and looked around in mocking surprise. "So it is. View is certainly better from up here."
He leant back against a stone wall. "It's nice to see you haven't lost that sense of humor anyway. I had wondered whether Dorne had squeezed it out of you."
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Post by Benjen Blackfort on Jul 6, 2016 6:51:01 GMT
"Nah," Benjen said, perhaps a bit more awkwardly than he intended. "Dorne wasn't so bad." His time in captivity was not what kept him up at night; Ben had other demons responsible for that. "But shit's different now, I'll give you that. Seven hells, a king used to rule from this place. And now it belongs to our family." Ben shook his head and drank from his wineskin, then offered it to Edmure. "It's like the world's been tipped upside down."
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Jul 6, 2016 7:07:06 GMT
Edmure took the wineskin and drank from it. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and belched.
"Not bad." he said with an appreciative grin, handing it back to Benjen,. "Our world has been tipped upside down coz. And all because of a chance encounter at Redgrass. Not that I remember much of it."
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Post by Benjen Blackfort on Jul 6, 2016 7:18:05 GMT
"I remember a lot of noise and blood and men dying," Ben replied. He had been at Bloodgrass Field, though nowhere near Belric's fateful duel with Bloodraven. "But it's strange to think on, ain't it? Bel was always good at fighting, I hope he's good at ruling too."
He took the wine back when Edmure offered it, taking another drink. After a moment he looked at Edmure. "Was what Dacey said true?" he asked, changing the subject. "About you and that bear."
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Post by Edwyn Blackfort on Jul 6, 2016 7:34:41 GMT
Edmure sighed inwardly, but he respected his cousin's right to know.
"I can only to say to you what I said to my sister." he said slowly. "I fought for four years in the war between Targaryen and Blackfyre. I commanded men in battle. I led assaults on holdfasts. I fought before the walls of Riverrun. I had no reason to fear that bear any more than any of the other enemies of King Daemon I have fought over the last few years. The bear was big, but it wasn't bigger than the walls of Riverrun or any of the other holdfasts I took. Ask the others about the wounds I took in fighting that bear. Belric, Willem, the maester. Even Hoster. He saw, although he's unlikely to admit it."
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Post by Benjen Blackfort on Jul 6, 2016 7:51:45 GMT
"Mm," Benjen replied noncommittally. What Edmure said made sense, and Ben had no reason to suspect Edmure of cowardice. But then he had no reason to suspect Dacey of dishonesty either. Ben decided to drop the subject for now. "Poor Hoster," Ben said instead, seizing on Edmure's last statement. "He's a mean piece of shit, but he fought for us all the same. Wouldn't wish amputation even on an old cuss like him."
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