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Post by Laena Pyre on Mar 15, 2019 2:07:40 GMT 1
Laena's travels had eventually brought her to enjoy the hospitality of Kingsbridge. Predominantly for one single purpose: to talk with her brother Daeron.
She didn't want to stay overlong in Kingsbridge - seeing so many fine specimens of knighthood was weighing on her libido fiercely, and she didn't trust any of them not to gossip should she lose grip. But still, she'd waited to make sure she could have a private meeting with Ser Daeron - this meeting would likely not be pleasant for him, so she wanted no possibility of an audience.
His suffering should be hers alone to witness.
For in suffering is the true measure of a man found.
"Brother." She greets him. "As promised, I have both questions and answers."
Since it's your 'home turf', I'm letting you set the location where you'll feel comfortable discussing things privately.
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Post by Daeron Wildfyre on Mar 15, 2019 4:18:35 GMT 1
Daeron had managed to obtain the use of a small guest apartment within the Kingsbridge holdfast for Laena’s visit, but despite its privacy he thought it inappropriate and apt to cause rumors if he met with her alone in there, half-siblings or not. Instead he opted for the privacy provided by being out in the open on horseback around the castle grounds. Their movement meant it would be difficult for anybody to follow them unnoticed, and their distance from the castle meant that they would be seen and not heard. If nothing else it was a good opportunity for him to show off his new horse, an oddly brindled destrier he had recently acquired.
“Sister, my heart is glad to see that you have taken me up on your promise of a visit. Tell me of your travels. Are you well?”
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Post by Laena Pyre on Mar 15, 2019 13:08:46 GMT 1
She beams at him. "Yes, very well, thank you. The difference between my life now and my life back in Starkwood lands is as that between night and day. Just as I hoped, I am regularly experiencing new things - they may not always be *good* things, but the good has certainly significantly outweighed the bad so far." Her smile falls somewhat. "The only really bad thing is I miss my children even worse than I thought I would. But I was advised that it was unwise to subject them to such rigours while they were still so young, Landar particularly. And at least I know they're safe with my fullbrother.
"How about you?" She gestures towards his horse. "May I assume the tourney circuit has treated you well?"
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Post by Daeron Wildfyre on Mar 16, 2019 3:42:46 GMT 1
He beams at her comment, glad that she noticed.
"It has indeed. It helps that the heir to Highgarden rides a fine horse and wears fine armor; however, being drawn against Redtusk does tend to hold one back from the final rounds of the joust.
I am sorry to hear that you miss your children. I imagine that a trip home to visit with them is in your future? It does sound; however, that your travels have been productive. Have you found whatever it is you're looking for?"
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Post by Laena Pyre on Mar 16, 2019 17:41:17 GMT 1
She smiles at his joke. "I came one Redtusk away from being crowned Queen of Love and Beauty at a minor tourney, so I understand your pain.
"Not home." She corrects swiftly. "My home is where I lay my head, now. I'm hoping to meet with them at weddings and tourneys near Starkwood lands where the travel is not too strenuous for them. I don't want to go back to Starkwood lands proper. Even for a visit, it would feel too much like defeat.
"I have found some things I was looking for. But it's a journey, not a fixed destination. However, one of the things I found early on was some basic maths - namely that four does not equal five." She holds up a finger for each one. "Ser Horace of Oldtown, Master Jaremy of Longtable, Ser Robert Flowers, and the young ginger man. I was too concerned over your well-being at the time to pay close attention, but you let slip that there were *five* names, and you only gave me four. You're protecting someone, presumably for political reasons." Her voice is firm, but not harsh or accusatory. Not angry, just disappointed.
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Post by Daeron Wildfyre on Mar 17, 2019 0:32:55 GMT 1
He gives a furtive glance around the grounds to make sure that nobody was paying them extra attention.
So that's why she's really here. A simple visit this is not.
In what might have been a surprising turn of events, he confirms her suspicions outright.
"You are correct and you are incorrect. I am protecting the fifth person, but not for political reasons. Their participation was coerced and they have been.. removed from the game after I discerned the role sh.. they played. You need not worry about the last name further."
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Post by Laena Pyre on Mar 17, 2019 0:47:15 GMT 1
"Oh." Laena doesn't bother to hide her surprise at the response. Curtseys not being possible on horseback, she gives a small bow to her brother. "My apologies for assuming the worst of you." She doesn't comment on his obvious verbal slip.
"I have good information on the young ginger man. I will trade you my information on him, including his identity, for what you learned from the fifth individual - except for their identity, of course - so we are both working from as complete information as possible."
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Post by Daeron Wildfyre on Mar 17, 2019 1:58:04 GMT 1
He winces over his slip of tongue. He was getting better at these cloak and dagger games, but
He mulls over Laena's offer for a few minutes. He had sworn to protect his source, and while he had no plan to turn over any names he had to think if her information could allow Laena to identify her. After deciding that it should be safe he finally agrees.
"I will share what was shared with me, but I'd like to hear your information first."
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Post by Laena Pyre on Mar 17, 2019 2:49:35 GMT 1
Similarly, Laena considers his counter-offer for a few moments, before nodding. "Acceptable. You gave me this information first, so now I return the trust given."
Laena moves her horse a bit closer, and ensures absolutely no-one is within listening distance. "I investigated all four names you gave me. Three lead nowhere - colourful individuals, but with no ties I could find, despite how much effort I put in. But the fourth? The ginger man? He lead somewhere. He lead somewhere you won't like very much.
"His name is Harrot. And he's a very successful merchant for someone his age. Primarily because he has a patron - a well-connected lord who feeds him information in advance, and coin to make best use of it. For example, he made his initial fortune through exploitation of foreknowledge of exactly when King Daeron would abolish the high tariffs on Dornish goods.
"Once you know who this man is, identifying the Lord behind him is easy. The Lord does not hide his patronage of him, he even lets the merchant have a seat at his table if no-one more important is present to take it.
"So, there you have it. A man wholly under his lord's thumb, whose family lives in his lands, utterly beholden to the man for his good fortune, and even if you *could* somehow overcome all that and get him to testify, because he's just one of the smallfolk, his testimony is useless.
"He is the perfect tool is insulate the Lord from any blow-back from his schemes.
"Oh, and in his own merits, he is careful, cunning, and clever. Absolutely not to be underestimated."
Laena lets the silence hang for a few moments more, letting him digest what she's told him before she delivers the final blow. "And the name of the Lord behind this man?" She whispers the name so quietly, he has to read her lips as much as listen to understand, but she enunciates clearly enough to make it easy.
"Lord
"Gorman
"Peake.
"The man at the very heart of your revolution." She continues in a whisper. "Which means you now need to choose between your conscience and your cause. And I am utterly fascinated to see what you decide on."
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Post by Daeron Wildfyre on Mar 17, 2019 4:47:00 GMT 1
If Laena was looking for shock or surprise, she would have been sorely disappointed. For perhaps the first, and only, time in his life, Daeron was on par with his far more clever half-sister when it came to the flow of information. He almost permitted himself a half-grin.
"I suspected as much, but you confirm that Harrot and the ginger man are one in the same. It pained me to learn that Lord Gormon was pulling strings in such a manner. I thought the man an honorable lord, but upon learning the truth I was tempted to share my knowledge with everyone I knew. However, that was before I heard of the fate of Lady Helicent.
With her convenient 'disappearance' compounded with the death of Jon Hightower, it is clear that the king is waging a shadow war against those who disagree with him. In light of these revelations it grants Lord Peake cover for his own, immoral, shadow war against the king. I cannot say that I approve of either men's actions, but it does make it far more difficult to condemn them in a partisan manner.
As for what I will do now, I do not know. The age old debate on whether the ends justify the means becomes far more complicated when chivalrous ends are accomplished through unchivalrous means. Should they be seen as sacrifices for a greater good or as something that undermines what work is at hand?
I honestly cannot say. However, for now I will stay my course, though I will meditate on it further. I still believe my cause to be the right one, even though there are actors within my faction that are wrong, just as in every war there are good and evil men operating on both sides. If anything it means that I must redouble my efforts to create a more just realm in order to undo the harm that men such as Master Harrot and his agents have inflicted.
If there was ever a doubt if he could host contradictory facts within his mind, Daeron now proved that he could easily handle it. It was likely that he would call out the hypocrisy of any other man, but as he saw it there was not as much conflict as Laena might have suggested.
Now it was his turn to share what he knew.
"My source was simply an intermediary between Master Harrot and his various contacts and agents. They knew no names or helpful descriptions, and received no contact after the kidnapping of Ser Aladore."
He almost felt bad that he contributed nothing new or useful, but it did vindicate him in refusing to name Esmerelle.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Mar 17, 2019 14:59:24 GMT 1
Laena shakes her head firmly. "You're being naive. Lord Jon, maybe. He was powerful, and I believe he was at least sympathetic towards your cause, though if the King were to strike at a target that well protected, why not take down Lord Gorman and effectively destroy the entire rebellion in a single stroke? But Lady Helicent *dreamed* of being relevant enough that the king might notice her. Her entire persona was built around bitterness that she wasn't."
She shakes her head less emphatically this time. "No. You maybe heard a rumour that she was involved with the murder of Lord Bryce? Well, my investigation - which, you may recall, was my priority - very strongly supported that accusation, either alone, or, more likely, with an accomplice." She sighs. "Unfortunately, just as I was beginning to gather evidence so she could suffer the same justice as Lady Johanna ... she disappeared. While I don't know if another friend of Lord Bryce decided to skip the formalities of justice, or if her accomplice noticed what I was up to and decided to get rid of the one piece of testimony which might actually hurt them, I consider it all but certain her disappearance was related to her murder of Lord Bryce, rather than the King himself feeling threatened enough by an exceedingly petty lady of an exceedingly minor house to order an assassination." Her tone emphasises how ridiculous she considers she idea.
"You accuse the King because you *want* it to be the King, without a shred of evidence I'm aware of. To my mind, even with the Lord Jon matter, the Fossoways or the Caswells are *far* more likely suspects than the King - again, if he was going to assassinate somebody, there were better targets from his perspective. Now, if you *have* evidence pointing towards the King, I'd be interested to hear it. But so far, all I hear is a man stating what he *wants* to be true, to try and justify ignoring his conscience by creating a false equivalence."
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Post by Daeron Wildfyre on Mar 18, 2019 4:52:11 GMT 1
"If I were to kill a rival, I'd remove the one who leaves behind a fractured legacy. House Hightower commands immense wealth and power as does its bannermen, but it no longer has any real leadership or direction and now the vultures are squabbling over its corpse. Lord Gormon is a powerful and clever lord who gives much strength to our cause, but should he pass I have no doubts of where his successors stand. Moreover, our father sowed the seeds of rebellion, quite literally. Lord Gormon is just one of many men who are attempting to take advantage of a potential shift in power."
For the most part he has no comment on Lady Helicent's importance. He honestly knew little of the woman other than that she was an outspoken critic of the king, a veritable enemy of the queen, and that she was most certainly dead, either by the commands of the king or one of his servants.
However, when she points out his hypocrisies and flaws in his logic, he does not like it. Not at all. He wheels his horse around to cut in front of Laena giving her only a fierce glare, a reminder that he was a dangerous and unpredictable man before trotting around to return to her side. After a few minutes of tense silence he speaks up again.
"What would you do in my position? A member of my faction fails to live up to the ideals for which we fight, he is not the only one. But what does the balance between idealism and pragmatism demand? Blackfyre might challenge blackguards and rebuke those who fall short, but can he afford to cast aside every wrongdoer in his camp, especially if the opposing faction refuses to do the same?
If I were to participate in a Trial by Seven, I wouldn't bring just five other men to fight alongside me, especially if it meant that my sixth ally would join my foe."
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Post by Laena Pyre on Mar 18, 2019 15:28:35 GMT 1
"Lord Gorman may be just one man among many seeking to take advantage of the instability our existence causes for his own advantage, however he is the most dangerous. You know that the idea of the rebellion actually happening went from a suspicion to a certainty over the course of the Black Tourney. And you know that's because of the many black deeds perpetuated over the course of the tourney. And now you know precisely who was behind most of those black deeds. Bittersteel may be the revolution's mouth, but Lord Gorman is its mind. His heir may have his power, but the chances of him having the same talent and influence is basically nil - that takes years of hard experience to earn. He is likely the only irreplaceable part of the revolution. Even Ser Daemon himself could be replaced, and likely will be if he's not tractable enough - martyrs are always valuable, particularly when people are so willing to believe the King guilty of ordering an assassination without any evidence."
When he glares at her, she stiffens her back and glares right back. A glare that said 'You may strike me down right now, but if you do, you had best make sure you finish the job, because if you don't, I will claw my way back from the hells and fucking *end* you'.
And then the moment passes.
"I can see how you cannot see a moral difference between the two factions. Lord Gorman - the de facto head of your faction - had a septa murdered, ordered kidnappings - including of a child - and tortures, and tricked a major house into following his cause over a crime he himself committed. Meanwhile, on the other side, Lady Mya - a lady of no particular importance beyond her house - has said some mean things. Unless you can point to specific other people on her side needing censure for specific acts?
"But should Ser Daemon rebuke Lord Gorman as he did Ser Balon and Ser Otho? No." She shakes her head. "That's the kind of act which would get him 'Assassinated by the King' and turned into a martyr, for no benefit.
"Ultimately, what I would do in your position is irrelevant. I am not you, and this is a *personal* choice. It's up to you if you feel it is right to make Lord Gorman the most powerful man in the realm - because you can be sure he will make sure Ser Daemon - or whoever ends up as the new King - will be utterly under his thumb by the time your revolution is done. For one thing, you've sworn the Knight's Oath, and I haven't - remind me of the words of that oath, by the way? - and I keep hearing how knighthood is what you revolutionaries are fighting for." She draws in a breath, as if she just realised something. "Oh, and of course, making that choice mandates that you deliberately conceal your findings from your Lord Starling, who you swore loyal service to, as well."
She smirks. "But by following the revolutionaries, you do likely have a better chance of getting land should you win. And we dragons are naturally covetous. I won't judge you for it - were I offered land, my loyalties could perhaps be bought, since I'd like a legacy to pass down to my children. I just want you to make your choice with eyes unclouded by lies, and in doing so, reveal your truest self."
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Post by Daeron Wildfyre on Mar 18, 2019 17:16:14 GMT 1
There is no man more accursed than the kinslayer. There is no man more accursed than the kinslayer. There is no man more accursed...
He permitted to speak her part uninterrupted, but throughout it all kept repeating his mantra. Did it still hold true when one was related to half of the realm, especially if the link connecting them all was Aegon the Unworthy? For too long a moment he pondered the fantasy. She was unarmed, unarmored, and alone. The practical act would be easy enough, but the consequences would be impossible to avoid, too many witnesses, questions, and loose ends to tie up.
The moment passed. He didn't feel ashamed of his thoughts, but relieved that his allegiance to the cause wasn't so fragile that he felt the need to murder every single person who spoke an uncomfortable truth. Laena's words combined with the evidence that he had gathered independently fingered Lord Gormon as the patron of the Hooded Man and the instigator of some of the worst crimes committed at the Black Tourney; however, Lord Peake's crimes did not mean that the Blackfyre cause was any less just or noble, just that it required men better than Lord Gormon in his brother's inner circle. Men such as himself, especially if Laena was correct in thinking that Ser Daemon would be forcibly martyred by his allies. Now more than ever his brother needed him. Mental gymnastics know no bounds.
"Thank you sister. I will reflect on your words and take the actions which I know to be right. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here at Kingsbridge"
His thanks is stiff and unconvincing, but he at least has the social graces to act politely. However, it is clear that this conversation is over as he begins to move his horse back towards his quarters, not bothering to keep pace with Laena.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Mar 18, 2019 18:22:19 GMT 1
Laena lets Daeron storm off. "I'll be watching with great interest, brother." She calls to his back.
Rather than follow in his wake back, Laena continues her ride, enjoying the new sights, and weaving new plots to entertain herself.
[/scene]
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