Post by Madcat on May 14, 2009 11:41:40 GMT -5
Epilogue
Sor Sandor 'Bloodhound' Clegane, Sor Selmy Baristan, Lady Kathlynn Tully-Stark, Lord Berric Dondarrion, Stannis Baratheon, Varys, Sor Benjen Stark
The Bloodhound had killed a lot of people throughout his life, his first was at age 9 when he killed a servant of his father, in the great halls of Harrenhal Keep. He ran away from his home at age 12 after his brother Gregor Clegane killed his mother and burned his face, Gregor the Mountain Clegane was six years older then Sandor, and viciously crueler then the Bloodhound could ever be.
Sandor would then kill his way up in life, taking part in the Baratheon/Stark rebellion against the Targaryen and making a name for himself as a ruthless killer, gaining the less noble title of a babysitter with a free pass to do whatever he wanted.. as he was part of the Kings court, and would be one of the main reasons why the brothers in the North won the War in the River Lands.
And for that, he was knighted... and knights had a long long past of being able to get away with murder.. Marcus Lanister was the best example of it.
He killed Lady Lysa Tully-Arryn during the Eagles Nest battle, and destroyed the last chance of house Arryn to survive, and yet he was greeted with salutations for bravery in killing hoards of Undead monsters. The brothers had left to Dragonsport to take care of the Stannis problem.. in the meanwhile the Bloodhound volunteered to "persuade" the Lords of Eagles Nest to bow down to Cyrus Blake. He was good at persuading fat idiots to do the less painful choice.
-I come with news that may not kill you. - Said Bloodhound to Lord Justin Baelish, from Brimstone Keep.
-...make your words swift dog... less you wish them to be your last. - The Lord of Brimstone keep had a record for being hot headed, Sandor knew this, and there were little things hot heads wouldn't do to be superior to an opponent.
-Would hate those to be my last words, hell, would rather my last words be "fuck", at the age of 86, with my prick in some old ladies mouth. - The Bloodhound had to think over what he said, did give him a rather horrible vision.
-You're wasting my time, guards, remove this "Sor" from my chamber.
As the guards approached him, he swiftly removes an axe from his back and spins in fast and furious into the neck of the first guard, decapitating him instantly.
-Illyn's got nothing on me. - Said the Bloodhound, as the guards began to surround him.
-Have you gone utterly insane Dog? This is an act of WAR!
-Then move your armies, I dare you boy. Eagles Nest has always been the armies of the mountains, and now that the winged army has been destroyed by an army of monsters you really think that you're pitiful excuse for a house can stand up to Dragonsport, Casterly Mount and Winterfell?
The Lord clenched his jaw in anger, trapped.
-Killing me on the other hand, would be a much more notable sign of war then killing a house guard which high point in life was cleaning your ass after supper. Now get your knees oiled up, when Dragonsport calls, you better be there to aid it, and House Baelish may be the next one to rule Eagles Nest as a favor to King Cyrus. Are we clear?
-Yo..You're a monster.
-Are we clear or not?
The meting ended there for the Bloodhounds regret... House Royce from Sky Castle where much more eager on killing him, Sandor had to cut down a few guards and a knight to make Lord Royce listen carefully to what he was saying.. of course he had a boot on his face... But there would be no doubt they would help Cyrus... the weak always grabbed on to the strong, specially since there was an open spot on the "Ruling Eagles Nest" division.... Gotta love fat idiots.
The Bloodhound would leave Brimstone Keep alone to meet with his small group of men, cleaning his axe.
-Mission accomplished Sor?
-Guess so, pity, loved the mountains, somethin' in the air just makes you wanna fuck around.. know what I mean boy?
-Hrmm...
-Don't torture yourself with the answer... Arrow Bate doesn't need to be smart.
A man would join in the conversation handing over a letter with the royal seal on it, Sandor opened it and read it carefully.
-Right... get your asses moving to Dragonsport, seems like a wedding is in order.. East and the West are uniting.
-King Cyrus with Queen Tamalynn?
-...You'll do fine arrow bate boy, fine arrow bate.
Sor Sandor 'the Bloodhound' Clegane would be at the wedding, murderer/rapist around heroes.
Sor Selmy Baristan was also there... and he had witnessed a lot in his life... being born with no real noble blood, the Baristan family were a humble family of merchants from Tempest Keep that flourished in Solarspear, and that is where Selmy was born. Selmy was always a humble person with a very strict moral code... taught to him by his father, and would fall in love with axe fighting after witnessing a carnival in Solarspear where men would fight each other in dances and blade swings, captivating the eye of hundreds watching, Selmy himself would practice with Axes from that day on, wanting to be a part of the carnival, despite his fathers disapproval. At age 8 he would join the dancing blades in the Carnaval, as the miraculous boy, and at age 10 he would enter a particular gruesome fight where two knights from Highgarden walk in on the carnival drunk, and would end up raping one of the servant girls there, Selmy would get in the way, and injure both knights enough to make them leave... and Selmy would fear for the consequences to come. The knights reported Selmy of assault against a Sor, and thus he was to be killed, the Highgarden Lord on the other hand saw exceptional skill on the young boy beating two knights, and decided to name him a squire from the Highgarden Legendary Knight, Sor Clevis Hightower, and to be parted from his parents for ever.
After six years of training, Selmy would become the youngest person ever to be knighted, being a Sor at age 16. (not counting Marcus Lanister, who was knighted at 15.) And would be part of the Tyrell family Guard, until Aerys Targaryen requested the fine presence of the best Knight in Westeros in his court room, the Tyrell accepted and so Sor Selmy would be a Royal Guard at age 45, after many years of serving House Tyrell. he would be the general leading Aerys army against the rebels, and single handedly managed to keep the Baratheon and the Lanisters at bay, only being struck down by Robert Baratheon after sustaining many blows. After the war, Robert Baratheon would give Selmy a second chance to life if he would bow down to him and serve him as his faithful Knight... and that is when Selmy became the Knight of Baratheon.. then a Knight of the Lanisters... and finaly... a Knight of the Stark.
And that is where he was now.. at least he thought he was.. Winterfell had changed so much in such a short period of time... the city was destroyed by Krur and an army of abominations... but Ithuriel called forth the power of the Land and the undead army was converted and purified... turned into Elves, Orcs and Ogres, the city itself shifted from stone bricks into trees and mountains, creating mazes on the rock and immense beauty with waterfalls and flower beds... even the whole north changed after the Attack of Krur... Ithuriel turned the Frozen North into a vast and dense forest, rich in colors and animals.. and amongst all this beauty was the wedding ceremony between Cyrus Blake and Tamalynn Stark.
Many that were killed by Krur during the attack came back to life as Elves, such was the case of Sor Rodrik Cassel, Lady Kathlynn Tully-Stark and Meister Luwin, and Selmy knew all these people, even if only briefly.
-Quite a mess in the Ceremony, hrmm?- Meister Luwin approached him with a kind smile, between all the elves, Luwin was the only one who still seemed old.
-Quite.. no one expected Theon to shoot Ithuriel, Sor Sandor neutralized him and Asor Neeja removed Aerys curse on him.. any words on Theon's recovering?
-Not good I fear... the old medicine and magic seem to not be able to aid Theon... seems his future is as dark as his past.
Selmy nodded, despite barely knowing Theon he had heard much of the Greyjoy boy, born the only heir to the Giant Squid tyrant Lord Balon Greyjoy, and held political prisoner by the Starks as a way to control the North.
-The Gods will be kind to him, I am sure.
Luwin smiled and added a short word before leaving.
-And what gods would those be?
Selmy himself was never a religious man, placed faith in the Warrior, from the Seven Gods, but never did pray much to it, nor did he consider the possibility of being other gods... until he heard of Azhai... Krur... and Grundah.
-Freezing your balls off out here Selmy? At your age you shouldn't torture them if you have any hopes of having heirs to the great Baristan name. - A Dog like laughter from behind as the gigantic Bloodhound walked towards him in drunk steps, once again a hero for neutralizing Theon before any more damage was done.
-Not many chances of that, my axe is my wife, made vows to serve my lord, and not myself.
-Tricky business that, boy, wouldn't wanna go to bed with an axe... I have this issue with wanting to be on top you see...
-Got anything important to say Sandor?
-You seemed awfully quiet on the wedding between the hot wolf and the dark wolf, loyalty problems? - The Bloodhound would grin... the awful distorted and burnt grin he always did.
-It's a known fact I hold no real Love for Cyrus, but my opinion does not matter.
-Matters to me, boy, because I gotta be the one keeping his back clean long enough to be whipped by Tamalynn.. and you're the only fucker here that can put up a fight.
-Again... got anything important to say Sandor?
-Keep your axe in your bed, and keep your nose clean, Dragonsport ain't your home no more, boy.
The Bloodhound would turn around, leaving in wobbly steps. Selmy would turn to look at him leave.
-What about your axe Sandor?
The Bloodhound would stop, laughing, and continue going away to join the party, leaving Selmy alone once again.
-I'll keep an eye on your axe... boy.
Selmy turns to face the night, focused.
They had left a few days ago, but not her... not Kathlynn Tully-Stark. They had all left to Casterly Mount as Renly Baratheon had once again popped from Tempest Keep threatening the north, and since Stannis gave up the crown, Highgarden Houses joined Renly, and together they had a large enough army to face the entire north. Armies where in motion, and soon there would be more wars in the South... Kathlynn remembers the South well, she was born in Riverrun, and raised with her brother and sister Lysa and Brynden, back in the time where Westeros was in peace, and in control of Aegon Targaryen, father of Aerys.
Kathlynn would remember those days in joy, remember the gallant boy James Stark sword fighting with Robert Baratheon and Brynden Tully under the tutelage of a young Jon Arryn in the great halls of Eagles Nest, while she and her older sister Lysa where discussing who they would wed.
-I hear James had a crush on you Kathy.- Said Lysa with a twisted innocent smile.
-Oh don't be foolish.. he is much older then me.. and to be a knight! Knights can't marry.
-Well... just because Brandon is the eldest son doesn't mean he has to rule Ice Castle, Brynden doesn't want to be an heir to Riverrun either.
The girls looked over the three boys fighting, in ten years Lysa Tully would marry Jon Arryn despite their considerable age difference, and Brandon would be the heir of the Ice Castle after Eddard Stark would pass away, but King Aerys demanded James Stark to be a knight in his court while his baby brother Benjen would be a Knight of Ice Castle.
Kathlynn also remembered James' Sister Lyanna, without a doubt the prettiest girl in the North, and promised to be Robert Baratheons Wife in tempest keep, and so that was how the Tully, the Stark, the Baratheon and the Arryn were all connected, all houses friendly to each other and in places of power.. the old days.
On that same year, Kathlynn would marry James, and the Stark boy would never accept Knighthood, and on that Same year... Ithuriel was born.
Things went horribly wrong after Aerys gained the crown of his father Aegon, he was surrounding himself with the most powerful arms in Westeros such as Selmy Baristan, Marcus Lanister, Illyn Payne, Renly Baratheon, and was trying to get two more Knights... James Stark from Ice Castle and Clevis Hightower from Highgarden.
Both the lords from Ice Castle and Highgarden rejected the kings request, and such made Aerys very angry, he would request a council with Eddard Stark. This would lead to the horrible day in which Aerys would torture Eddard, Brandon and Lyanna for their negligence, as well as murdering Clevis Hightower. This act was the main reason for the war of thrones. Hearing the death of his wife to be, Robert Baratheon Raged war on Aerys, and he would gain the Stark and the Highgarden support, as well as some of the Lanisters, even though those were more subtle. James Stark took control of the North with his brother Benjen by leading the Ice Castle army against the Greyjoy controlled Winterfell... The Baratheon and the Lanisters gained control over Dragonsport, Highgarden fought Dorne... that was just eight years ago.
Now, Kathlynn stayed in Winterfell with a handful of men and Varys.. the Spider. He would approach her from the shadow, immensely tall and thin, with a very unusual hair style and a face full of piercings.
-I'm sure your children will be fine Lady Kathlynn.
-And I'm sure you're quite pleased with yourself Spider, reaching position of Kings Hand after so long of lurking in the shadows.
Kathlynn didn't trust Varys, he was there when Aegon died, when Aerys died, when Robert died, when James died... And even Varys seemed surprised with her reaction.
-Did I offend my Lady in any way? I am most sorry if I did.
-You're a bad omen Varys, everything you touch dies.. and here you are touching our house..
-To be fair... your house died before I got here...
She slapped him.
-...But it was reborn. That is what I meant.- Varys tried to quickly explain himself.
-And I wouldn't be surprised if you had a hand in it as well.
She turned away, the less she had to look at Varys the better, but as she spiraled down a staircase, Varys was once again there looking up at her.
-How...?
-I did wish to speak to you My Lady, and now let us skip the slapping part, I will be brief, as I have much to do and orcs are waiting for me.
-What do you want?
Varys slowly walked up to her, his white glare always intimidated her... likely intimidated anyone.
-The Future is uncertain my Lady... for several reasons, but Winterfell will need its rulers, and you will need a strong arm by your side again.
-I could never...
-The Past does not matter. You need to think for the future of your house... as your children will not be yours for long.
She wanted to slap him again, but didn't.
-The gods would never bless that decision...
-I'm sure they will find it in their hearts to understand it.
And for the first time, Varys gave her a warm and humane smile that was so unlike him, before he walked up the stairs.
Kathlynn wouldn't see Varys again for quite a long time.
Lord Berric Dondarrion had everything ready for the brothers in Casterly Mount, he was a man with a flamboyant need to be extravagant and opportunist, and a serving a castle amongst Kings and a Queen... well.. was an opportunity Berric couldn't pass.
Berric was born in Tombastel Dorne, and like many from Dorne, he would need to do everything he could to survive, becoming a pirate is the Tyroshi favorite occupation, only because in sea there are less chances of a stranger backstabbing you, and you would also have a crew protecting you.
Pirates in Dorne were the closest thing for families in many cases, the crew would have a wide range of gender and race and they would all interact with each other as if related, they only had to all follow the orders of the captain.. because for pirates, the Captain is their only King.
Berric would serve many years as a pirate, until the day his group entered a sea battle with a Hightower vessel and the captain got blown apart by a cannon shot, Berric would replace him and take control of his family. Wishing to get away from Dorne and Highgarden, he decided to travel to easier grounds where pirating was less common, and so he went to the River Lands and gained a name for himself as the River Pirate, being the main bandit in that region. The success he had was unparalleled, the River Lands was basically a vast region of river made islands and shrouds, easy to hide or quickly disappear... until the year he crossed a wandering man crossing the river.
Berric remember it like it was yesterday, a large individual in a small horse, fully armed and fierce looking, Berric knew the type, and the amount of gear he had would be worth a fortune. Nothing he crew couldn't handle.
The man didn't react while he was being surrounded by twenty individuals, his dark horned helmet barely even moved to the fact of him being surrounded.
-Yer belongin's, or yer life mersanary. - Berric said that line almost three times a day... they never learned.
-What? No drink first? I don't put out on the first date.
-...Ya dare mock us boy? Ya know who we be?
-Funny looking for one, but you're Tyroshi... thus target practicing.
That was crossing the line, Berric didn't have a habit of killing anyone.. but that man was making a fool of him in front of his men.
-Brotha's, kill da boy.
Almost like he was possessed, the Huge metal figure just slashed forward, spinning his axe in the first target, nearly slicing him in half.
The rest of the fight ended incredibly fast, he kept using human shields to cut his way past Berric, to which he simply used his metal boot to brake his knee before hitting his head with the side of his axe, knocking him down and keeping the axe by his throat.
-Now... what about you give me your belongings before I get your life?
After that day, Berric would send all his men after him, wanting him dead by all costs, the dream of having him dead ended after the Throne War.. when he became the worlds most dangerous babysitter.
Now Berric was a Lord of Lanisport... thanks to the man he wanted dead.... the lovely irony. The meeting he had with the Young Kings and Queen left him with a soar throat... as he was to move his armies to the south... and he wouldn't even have his man leading it.. he had the damn Bloodhound babysitting him.. the man that broke his knee to the point where he had to cut it off.
He was organizing his men with Sor Herth Santagar, before the Bloodhound walked in.
-So... how many are willing to die?
-Greetin's So' Sandor.
-Costs ya to say it doesn't it? Come'on.. say it again.
Berric would never give him the pleasure.
-Lanisport 'as ten t'ousand at ya disposal, we should divide da armies in 'alf far ye ta command on 'alf, and So' Santagar to control da ot'er 'alf.
-Don' like that idea, I'll command all twenty thousand.
Both Herth and Berric stared blankly at him.
-Ye will lead twenty t'ousand men ye don' know?
-Hell yeah, Love you Tyroshi, can never have enough of you.
-Done deal, ya wish be our command So' Sandor.
The Bloodhound would laugh and leave before Herth turned to face Berric.
-Ye out o' ye mind friend? He will kill us all.
-Na boy, he be gettin' 'imself killed... when a man gets him surrounded by enemies... it be easier ta kill him, he gots na one ta look at his back.
Herth would shrug before leaving.
-Knowin' da Bloodhound.. da be wha' he wants ya ta do.
Berric stared at him leaving... knowing he was probably right.
Lord Stannis Baratheon would be in Drakeston organizing his naval fleet... ((more to be added soon))