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Post by Trystane Sand on May 22, 2019 20:43:10 GMT 1
Summerhall had been grim. The Ashford Meadows and Kingsbridge tourneys had been better, though those places had not been free of difficulties either. And, if Trystane was honest, the spectres of Ashara and his multiple defeats still hung over him, especially the duel against that foul dog, Eoric Applehouse. The physical wounds had healed well, but the other marks less so.
It was this hidden fragility that made Trystane grateful for the company of his friend, Ser Mikel, on the way back to Starkwood.
"So, now we get to go home for a bit, until we're so bored we need to flee," he jokes as they ride together. "I'm actually rather looking forward to it, after everything. I certainly didn't ease into life here gently. Are you looking forward to a bit of peace & quiet?"
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Post by Mikel of Harroway on May 25, 2019 7:21:32 GMT 1
Mikel smiles at Trystane's jest. "I always appreciate the peace and quiet when I find it. It has a restoring effect on me, and my only concern is that being prone to thought and reflection I get too lost in either and never find my way out." Mikel was riding a Rousey that he purchased after his duel with Ser Jonothor. As with his last few horses he referred to it only as horse or rousey, nothing too endearing. He rode armed and armored and despite Maester Ronnel's protests Mikel refused to keep his arm in a sling until they were safely back on their lands. "I could use the time to mend in any case. But how will I occupy myself while I do so? Perhaps with reading. Maybe visiting nearby villages. But mostly driving myself crazy about having to take it easy. Strange, isn't it? Sometimes all we want is a break and for it to go on and on. We even find any excuse we can to justify one. But then a real reason comes along and nothing could be worse." Mikel shook his head, obviously a situation he has dealt with before. "And what will you do with the peace and quiet once we return?" |
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Post by Trystane Sand on May 25, 2019 18:58:09 GMT 1
"I must say, now I'm curious about what sort of things you think and reflect on. Two things that most people don't usually expect of a warrior."
Trystane nods thoughtfully at Mikel's musing on the paradox of never wanting a break when it was actually needed.
"It is strange, I agree. The weeks I was recovering after Summerhall, I hated it. I felt feeble and useless. I wanted to get up and go riding or something, at the very least. But the first week I was kept pretty much in bed the whole time, and after that the maester insisted on 'only light activity'. The need to rest felt like a punishment. But I had to remember that it's the only way the wounds would heal properly. If I'd tried to push myself too soon, I would have compromised myself at Ashford Meadows and opened up the possibility of more permanent damage. It's frustrating to have to slow down when you're so used to physical activity all the time, but sometimes necessary. And I suppose there's that old saying - "The more bitter the medicine, the sweeter the recovery"."
He absent-mindedly strokes Bard's shaggy black mane. Unlike his friend, he named his horses and had an affection for them. Bard had been unswervingly loyal since he got him at his knighting, and had served him well. He'd almost felt guilty buying Flint, his new dapple grey courser, who ambled along behind them, but he needed to improve his chances at tourneys if he was going to build a good reputation in the Reach.
"First thing I'm going to do is have a deep, hot bath. As hot as I can bear. And I'm not coming out until nothing aches anymore," he chuckles, just imagining how relaxing that was going to be. "Then I'm going to sit by a roaring fire with a book and a whole bottle of wine to myself. Just read and quaff until it's time to sleep."
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Post by Mikel of Harroway on May 26, 2019 7:56:42 GMT 1
"I spent far too much time in idle thought during my life. It has been a difficult habit to get away from considering how long and how often I enjoyed using it to pass time as I traveled this road or that one. But somewhere in my travels I began to direct my thoughts, which I have found quite beneficial and while it was difficult to keep focused at first I have since become much more accustomed to it. Though to be certain the odd fantasies cannot help but slip in."
"Perhaps you might enjoy an example? If I may say so, after your duel against Ser Applehouse the pleasant, anyone walking by could feel what you were thinking and how you felt. You were basking in it, taking it in over and over again. Believe me when I say I have been there more times than I can count. But it never helped. So give your thoughts some direction and cease to consider your feelings about what had happened and instead think about how it happened. If you can figure that out you'll give yourself the answer to making it less likely to happen again."
"Sounds like you have planned the perfect evening. A warm bath sounds incredible after this ride." Mikel shifted in his saddle for a look around in each direction then settled back in. "We haven't spoken much since we set out ages ago, wasn't it?" He smiles. "Have any worth while experiences, meet any worthwhile people?" |
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Post by Trystane Sand on May 26, 2019 12:38:23 GMT 1
Trystane laughs out loud at the moniker he gives Ser Eoric.
“I do know what went wrong with Ser Eoric ‘the Pleasant’...”
Another snort of a laugh at the absurdity of it. He is genuinely tickled by it, but straightens his face to explain.
“I did ‘direct my thoughts’, as you say. And it was because I let his words inflame my anger beyond rationality. I did not consider our relative abilities in my challenge, only my desire to do him harm. It was a beginner’s mistake, and I am shamed to say not the first time I have done so. But I think the lesson has stuck this time. Learning what Ser Symon did had a sobering effect too. How can I help him to temper his worst impulses if I cannot do the same? So, now I intend to try and avoid letting people wake the dragon so easily.”
He had never referred to himself in relation to his Targaryen blood before leaving Dorne. He can’t quite recall when he started doing it, or exactly why. He suspects Laena might have been an influence there, with her advice to lean on that heritage and her talk of ‘True Dragons’. Which brought him to answering Mikel’s question.
“Well, firstly, I met a few of my half-siblings. Ser Daeron Wildfyre, Ser Aerion Flowers, Lady Ysilla and Lady Laena. Do you know her well, what with her having been a Starkwood?”
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Post by Mikel of Harroway on Jun 3, 2019 0:47:46 GMT 1
"I have had the pleasure of meeting Lady Laena. She is very intelligent and I imagine she will do well for herself in her travels." He kept out the wprd ambitious, and that he thought she could be nearly summed up by that one word alone.
"Ser Aerion is one of the first to have befriended me when I joined House Starkwood. I was quite thankful, his friendship made is easier to begin this chapter in my life."
"As to Ser Daeron, I did not meet him under the best circumstances and would rather not speak poorly of your newly met half brother. Perhaps I should say though that while it must be exciting to meet siblings you never knew of for the first time, becareful of them. Just as you would be of anybody, and then some." Stopping while it was clear he could still go on, Mikel changed the focus of his words to Ser Symon.
"At the Black Tourney Ser Symon thought his father killed. A known blackguard called Scorpionsbane hit Lord Ulbert who instantly went limp. Scorpionsbane made no move to assist him, and in a heartbeat Symon was there and killed the man. Now at Summerhall Ashara has been murdered, men came forward to say wretched things to grieving family, things which supported the muder of Ashara and I would say her murderers themselves. And Ser Symon met one in a duel and killed him."
"I do not fault him in either instance. Everyone is up in arms because Ser Daemons horse was killed by a blackguard, everyone wanted that mans head, yet they pretend Ser Symon was hot headed in his reaction when a Blackguard appeared to have killed his father?" Mikel shakes his head. "And for the man killed at Summerhall by his hand, why should I feel anything for him? He was held accountable for his words in a duel, and anyone who willingly walks into such a fight should know they might not walk out. Perhaps if the man was beaten and yielded, then Ser Symon cut his throat, I might say that should not have happened yet even them I could not say it was undeserved."
"It seems to me those looking for fault would rather find it in the skin of a party they are averse to then in the actions of those who brought it about. Actions have consequences, and Ser Symon has proven his love for his family, willingness and ability to fight. That is what I believe."
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Post by Trystane Sand on Jun 3, 2019 2:36:06 GMT 1
"You make good points, of course, as always, my friend. I don't blame Symon for his actions. I just worry that they will catch up to him and bring more grief to his parents. He's the last hope of the House, after all, especially now his sister is dead."
Trystane noticed how he spoke with some small amusement. How quickly he had grown attached to the Starkwoods, and how invested he already felt in their future.
"I'm unaccustomed to caring about a House, or indeed a family. But I care about this one. My mother aside, nobody else has ever welcomed me as warmly into their lives. I include you in that, Mikel."
He gives Mikel a genuine smile, then looks ahead again.
"I do feel a pull to connect with my half-siblings, but as you say, they are a varied bunch," he sighs.
"Look, I won't press you for the details of your quarrel with Daeron, but I won't admonish you or think any less of you if you do choose to share it. I was actually advised recently by Laena not to ignore someone's negative qualities just because I like them. So, if you think I should know, you can tell me. I trust your judgement."
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Post by Mikel of Harroway on Jun 3, 2019 4:16:15 GMT 1
"I appreciate your kind words and am happy to have made you feel welcome. I have enjoyed getting to know you and am pleased to hear you see yourself as a part of House Starkwood now, we are all the more for it."
"You are right. House Starkwood does not need any more negative attention, especially when considering how most people - even those friendly - tend to percieve the house."
"One morning at during the Black Tourney everyone was awoken to dispairing news,the Florent heir, Aladore, had been abducted. Everyone tried to help in their own way, some of us came together towards the afternoon to collectively try to work things out. From our efforts it appeared that one man had been responsible for directing an attack and an abduction earlier in the tournament, and now this abduction of Aladore. And that Ser Daeron briefly had custody over him, but released him."
"It turned out that the night of the abduction Ser Daeron had noticed a man behaving suspiciously and followed him. He seized him on his suspicion but then released him when the man offered to pay for his freedom. The next morning it was discovered that Ser Aladore was taken sometime in the night, and that man was believed to have been the one to orchestrate it and the other incidents I mentioned."
"To me that says he either thought the man guilty but let him go for the payment, or thought him innocent and made him pay for his freedom."
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Post by Trystane Sand on Jun 3, 2019 13:20:36 GMT 1
"That is troubling indeed."
Trystane's stomach sank a little, the story unsettling him in what it inferred about his brother.
"Did Daeron say anything to explain himself? Was Aladore found?"
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Post by Mikel of Harroway on Jun 3, 2019 23:50:04 GMT 1
"He was found the next day and rescued. Ser Daeron did tell everything to Lord Florent. I imagine Ser Roland had a hand in that, but I could not say for sure as I waited outside their pavilion woth Ser Cleyton while the companions spoke privately. Though I had gone with Daeron for that confession."
"There was a lot of talk about why it had happened and who had directed the man who Daeron had briefly taken custody of to make these things happen. Everyone had a theory, and they tended to fall along political lines. Whichever party you counted yourself among, you blamed the opposite."
"I would say that generally such talk is idle, but this seems different. Its like everyone wants to play a role, or believes they are fit to, in shaping whatever comes next." Mikel didnt feel the need to point put the obvious, that those with kings blood would be especially likely to feel compelled to play a part.
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Post by Trystane Sand on Jun 4, 2019 0:24:01 GMT 1
"I'm glad the lad was found," Trystane says simply, at first. He shifts in the saddle a little as he contemplates Mikel's words.
"Dedication runs deep on both sides, doesn't it. And who wouldn't try to affect the outcome of a conflict they are invested in, if it seemed like it could help your side win? We are passionate creatures by nature. Trying to better our fates by attaching them to the fates of others is inevitable. Only the cold, mercenary types can maintain neutrality for any length of time, and even then, when things get sufficiently aggravated, they'll end up called in by whomever can afford them anyway."
He snorts a little at his pontification, shaking his head.
"I suppose I mean that, while we can't know for certain what Daeron said to justify his actions, he likely thought he was doing the right thing for what he thinks is the right side, or for something or someone he wanted to help or protect. Even if you don't trust him individually, the Companions have a well-earned reputation for honour. I don't think he would abandon all that just for political gain. I'm not even sure what the gain was. Money seems like too little to sway someone like him, though I do believe everyone has a price."
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Post by Mikel of Harroway on Jun 21, 2019 17:27:24 GMT 1
"Never hurts to have a little extra. It happening in a way that seems like one which nobody will discover makes it that much easier. Maybe there was more motivation to it, as you suggest, I would only be guessing as to the why behind what had happened." He said all he knew of it but it wouldn't help any for him to speculate. "All this political muck in the air, is anything like that happening in Dorne? Not so much between the King and who some people prefer over him but perhaps between staying a part of the seven kingdoms and breaking away from them?" The thought hadn't just occurred to Mikel but it seemed like a good time to ask. "Furthermore, how do the Dornish fight? Ser Davos has humored me and went into great detail of the variety of ways fighting is conducted across the Narrow Sea, and I was so caught up in it I hadn't thought to ask how the Dornish prepare to fight and wage their battles?" Somehow, though he preferred peace, his mind always came back around to fighting. |
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Post by Trystane Sand on Jul 3, 2019 0:31:13 GMT 1
[ooc - I, the player, know very little about the answers to those questions, so have taken some license.]
"Dorne doesn't have a civil war bubbling under the surface at the moment," Trystane begins. "Though it might get pulled into this one anyway, once it actually happens, what with the Queen being a Martell. But so far, since the peace was established, it has been relatively stable in Dorne. There's always the usual inter-House bickering and scheming, but up here it seems to be on a whole different scale."
He ponders for a moment how much of his perception of Dorne's political climate may be informed by his own lack of engagement with it, or coloured by his mother's attempts to shelter him and Ser Owyn Dalt's tendency towards idealism.
"I didn't take much part in politics though, to be honest. I tend to be wary of discussing it in general, especially with those I don't know well. Too easy to have it go wrong. I'm not much good at scheming, and trying to discuss politics makes it show rather blatantly."
He rolls his shoulders, conscious of tension in his back and neck from the lengthy ride. Talking about home adds the ache of nostalgia to the dull ache in his shoulders.
"As for how we fight, well, there's a few similarities with what Ser Davos has said about his time in Essos. You see a lot more spearmen in Dorne than up here. Less full plate too. You'd sweat your bollocks off wearing the stuff at high summer, though there's a fair few of us that do it anyway, mostly for tourneys because there's now a bit more of a mix of Dornish and Westerosi knights. The drier climate makes it a little bit easier to keep rust off your steel, but many trade off armour for freedom of movement. I think that's why spears are more popular. When you're less heavily armoured, you want to keep your enemy further away. Something like that. It's all about being light and fast."
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Post by Mikel of Harroway on Jul 22, 2019 3:39:26 GMT 1
"I remember Ser Dagos and Ser Balon Blackbriar squaring up for a trial by arms at the Black Tourney. It wasn't much of a fight, Ser Balon yielded when he could not figure out a way past Ser Dagos spear. It was very disappointing, Ser Dagos seemed quite confident in his ability and the way in which he conducted himself, and carried himself, suggested his confidence was true instead of false. I wish I could have seen what he was capable of doing with a spear." Losing himself in thoughts of spears Mikel came back to the conversation moments later. "A spear and a short sword strike me as an intelligent method of arming. A skilled spearman could work outside the reach of a swordsmen, and if that swordsmen should close and render the spear disadvantaged, the spear could be dropped and the short sword drawn then after closing the distance his sword is at a disadvantage." Again his mind raced, considering a variety of factors until he came back to the conversation. "Why do you prefer the sword?" Mikel wasn't sure if Trystane preferred the sword, but he fought Eoric with one and only seemed to keep a sword close at hand.
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Post by Trystane Sand on Jul 23, 2019 16:28:01 GMT 1
"It wasn't initially my choice. I was alright with a spear, just not good enough to be worth specialising. My knight, Ser Owyn, wanted me to focus on the more versatile weapon as well. There are fights where a spear and shortsword is a suicidal choice. You need room to move, so in a pitched battle or in a small space, it's no longer an advantage. And forget about being useful with a shortsword if you and your opponent are both mounted and he has a longsword. Easier for the other guy to shank you if you're right up close. Still, I'd have liked to have gotten better with the spear. If you'd be up for it, perhaps we could train together."
Trystane cannot help but wonder if his duel with Eoric or his fight on foot with Titus might have gone more in his favour if he'd used a spear instead, but then thinks on how the very event that saw him knighted would have probably not gone so well had he not been using a sword.
I'm afraid this might be a rubbish explanation because it was actually about not having enough xp to be good enough at spears to be worth it. Sorry.
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