ARGENT
§
§
After the bout, Meryn was carried off and deposited in one of the more comfortable guest rooms where he could fuss and no one would be able to hear him. Holly was left to check in on him every once in awhile. This left Argent with a bit of free time, so to speak, as he was no longer required to entertain the young Payne. So, he went about checking to see that everything was continuing to run smoothly for Jonys and Lysette which led him to the kitchens. He needed to check that the cold picnic lunch had been prepared appropriately, and he also took it upon himself to sample the food, making sure that it was up to par for a lady of The Arbor. While "checking" a particularly delectable turkey breast, Argent noticed a young, unfamiliar boy of perhaps seven or eight years snooping around the kitchens.
"Can I help you find something?" Argent asked politely, sidling up next to the boy.
"Oh! Um... I... My master requires herbs," the boy squeaked timidly.
"Your master? And who might that be?" Argent smiled.
"M-Master Payne."
Ah. So that meant that this poor little one was Colin Florent, Meryn's page. The poor boy was barely half a head taller than the table, and sending him on a mission with the vague idea of finding herbs was just the kind of cruelty that Meryn was quickly becoming known for.
"I'm sure that Holly is providing him with all of the herbs he needs," Argent started to slowly usher the boy out of the kitchens. The staff would probably be glad to no longer have Colin underfoot, and Argent himself did not particularly like the idea of one of Meryn's lackeys snooping around his home (regardless of how tiny and timid said lackey seemed).
"But, but my master said he wanted me to fetch him herbs..." Colin turned around, seeming more concerned about going back to Meryn empty-handed. Quite understandable.
"Yes, and it will be Holly who can fetch them for him," Argent re-directed the boy in the direction of the door leading outside.
"But... but... herbs!" Colin pleaded.
"Here. Take this," Argent swiped a sweetcake from the tabletop just as they were reaching the doorway, and placed it gently in Colin's palms. He kneeled down in front of the boy and ruffled his hair with a smile, "I'm sure your master will understand. Now, you just go ahead and eat that."
With that, Colin was finally shooed from the kitchens, and Argent returned to supervising the food preparation.
"Can I help you find something?" Argent asked politely, sidling up next to the boy.
"Oh! Um... I... My master requires herbs," the boy squeaked timidly.
"Your master? And who might that be?" Argent smiled.
"M-Master Payne."
Ah. So that meant that this poor little one was Colin Florent, Meryn's page. The poor boy was barely half a head taller than the table, and sending him on a mission with the vague idea of finding herbs was just the kind of cruelty that Meryn was quickly becoming known for.
"I'm sure that Holly is providing him with all of the herbs he needs," Argent started to slowly usher the boy out of the kitchens. The staff would probably be glad to no longer have Colin underfoot, and Argent himself did not particularly like the idea of one of Meryn's lackeys snooping around his home (regardless of how tiny and timid said lackey seemed).
"But, but my master said he wanted me to fetch him herbs..." Colin turned around, seeming more concerned about going back to Meryn empty-handed. Quite understandable.
"Yes, and it will be Holly who can fetch them for him," Argent re-directed the boy in the direction of the door leading outside.
"But... but... herbs!" Colin pleaded.
"Here. Take this," Argent swiped a sweetcake from the tabletop just as they were reaching the doorway, and placed it gently in Colin's palms. He kneeled down in front of the boy and ruffled his hair with a smile, "I'm sure your master will understand. Now, you just go ahead and eat that."
With that, Colin was finally shooed from the kitchens, and Argent returned to supervising the food preparation.
FLORIE
§
§
With the excitement of of the duel slowly fading, Florie found herself once more acting as household manager. She had noticed that she, Argent, and Ser Tobias had all gone in three different directions after Meryn had been attended to, and she entertained thoughts that they were both becoming a bit more serious about overseeing the success of the engagement party.
On what was supposed to be a brief errand outside, Florie found herself confronted with Lysette Redwyne.
"That was certainly an exciting match," Lysette said, apparently choosing her words carefully. Florie had enjoyed it immensely, despite its brevity, but decided that saying as much was dangerous, so instead she smiled and nodded.
"Meryn really is an excellent fighter. Your man must have... must have surprised him," Lysette continued. "At any rate, I don't want your champion challenging him to any more foolishness."
Florie kindly reminded Lysette that it was Meryn who instigated the challenge, though Lysette was hardly paying attention.
"Your hall is comely. Do you always have ribbons?" she blinked in a practiced expression of innocence.
"Depends on the occaision," Florie answered. The real answer was 'no, we had the insane notion of trying to impress you' but once again she opted for the more polite response. "What you should see are the orchards!"
Blackbane Hall and the surrounding area was renowned for its cider, and therefore had the most plentiful apple orchards. Florie was once again drawing attention to the more desirable things that their House offered, though Lysette replied by asking if Blackbane Hall had the various and assorted fruits that grew abundantly in The Arbor.
"In The Arbor we have oranges, peaches, and vast sprawling vineyards," Lysette drawled. Florie may have choked her right then had they not been interrupted by a small boy looking sadly at a sweetcake in his hands.
"Oh! That's Meryn's little page, Colin Florent! He's a sweet boy and he dotes on me," Lysette pressed a delicate hand to her heart.
"Well, hello there," Florie stooped a bit lower to look the boy in the eye. "What can we do for you?"
"I was looking for herbs in the kitchen for my master, but the man gave me this instead," Colin held the pastry up, seeming a little melancholy about the sweetcake not being herbs.
"Holly stores all of our medicinal herbs elsewhere. They wouldn't be in the kitchens anyway," Florie tried to soothe the boy. She gave him a reassuring smile and sent him off, now having to focus her attention on Lysette and keeping the woman happy.
I try to like picnics. I have always tried to like picnics. But mostly, it seems that at picnics, I'm supposed to sit on a blanket and not get my hair mussed while the boys do the really interesting things. That's why I enjoyed the hunting parties so much more. But a passion for hunting has brought more trouble than I ever thought. But first, the picnic. Lysette was happy in her litter, and we were all happy to leave her there while she nattered about the vineyards back home, and wondered at our lack of grapes. I didn't really listen to any of it, but then she insisted that I share the litter with her, and suddenly our poor servants were carrying two girls instead of one. And then she tried to insist we carry the picnic too. We finally got to the Round Shoulders, which is a really pretty waterfall and a pool beneath it, all surrounded by lush grass and shady trees. Toby went off to patrol the area like a good guard, and also no doubt to get away from the picnic, and the rest of us sat and did picnic things. It wasn't very long until my little dog Cotton was suddenly mad with barking off at something in the trees, and I spent some time trying to round him up. At least then I wasn't talking to Lysette. Then Argent ran off into the woods and came back swearing it was nothing.
When Toby came back, though, he had blood on his face, and I noticed before anyone else, and threw a piece of meat into the trees for Cotton and made pretense of needing Toby to help me fetch him back. As I cleaned up his face, he told me he had seen and killed a bear nearby, and was going to send its skin home with one of the guards. I decided that since Argent wouldn't tell me, I wasn't speaking to him. Besides, he had his hands full trying to be ingratiating to Lysette, a game I was heartily sick of. We finally headed home, and I insisted on walking the whole way this time.
Home was too quiet, though, and it was clear that something was very wrong. Father met us at the door, and gathered Argent, Toby, and me, and led us back towards the kennels. He talked about how when I was littler, he would have tried to shield me from this, but as it was, I should come. The sight he took us to is one that will haunt my nightmares. The first thing I registered was the least of the trouble. My two hunting hounds, Bramble and Swift, were both tied to a stake with their heads so close to the ground they could hardly move them. They were whining and muzzled. Then I slowly took in the rest, a mound of cloth and bloodied meat... and a little boot, the same boot I'd seen on Meryn's page. My father said that my animals had savaged the boy, and then, as I looked on horrified, Father began to rage at me, that he had told me not to try my will against the wild, that this was what my hunting had led to. When I asked where the kennel master, Dabnavar, was, he told us that Dabnavar had been locked in the Tomb for this. It made me sick, but I could not believe that my dogs would do such a monstrous thing without being pushed to it. If my dogs went mad, something drove them to it. But my father would hear none of it, and Argent urged me gently away, leading us to the Tomb. Poor Dabnavar was huddled in the tiny space, unable to sit or stand properly, and we learned only that the dogs had been in a fury, but that he had not been there when they attacked, he had only seen the aftermath. I promised to do what I could for him, and we walked back to where poor Colin's body was.
Toby found a scrap of the boy's clothes, and his eyes went wide, saying that it smelled as if it had been doused in animal musk. Argent, who got far closer to the body than I was willing to be, began to puzzle why there was so little blood. He and Toby spoke a minute, and both agreed that even in such a small boy, there was far more blood than was here. Slowly, the sick realization dawned on us that he could have been killed anywhere, and given to the dogs to cover up the true nature of his death. Which meant that someone in Blackbane hall was cold enough to have murdered a little boy. That began a somewhat frantic search around the hall for any sign that he had been killed elsewhere. Argent spoke to Meryn with little success, and we tried to find out where Colin had been from Mace and Mina Tyrell, the two other children in their travelling party, but they only said that Meryn had let him have the sweetroll, and that he had gone off to play. During dinner, we slipped away to check through the guest rooms, but that nearly got us into trouble. We barged straight in on Olenna Tyrell eating dinner alone. She asked us a number of uncomfortable questions, and we left, embarrassed and trying to cover as well as we could.
We checked everywhere. Finally, disheartened, we went in to check on Mother. She used to keep a little garden just outside, but it was now overgrown and untended. Still, the door was open to let in air in, and there was a scent that overrode the smell of the medicinal herbs and the sick-sweet scent that accompanied Mother all the time now. On the air, there was a strong smell of musk.
On what was supposed to be a brief errand outside, Florie found herself confronted with Lysette Redwyne.
"That was certainly an exciting match," Lysette said, apparently choosing her words carefully. Florie had enjoyed it immensely, despite its brevity, but decided that saying as much was dangerous, so instead she smiled and nodded.
"Meryn really is an excellent fighter. Your man must have... must have surprised him," Lysette continued. "At any rate, I don't want your champion challenging him to any more foolishness."
Florie kindly reminded Lysette that it was Meryn who instigated the challenge, though Lysette was hardly paying attention.
"Your hall is comely. Do you always have ribbons?" she blinked in a practiced expression of innocence.
"Depends on the occaision," Florie answered. The real answer was 'no, we had the insane notion of trying to impress you' but once again she opted for the more polite response. "What you should see are the orchards!"
Blackbane Hall and the surrounding area was renowned for its cider, and therefore had the most plentiful apple orchards. Florie was once again drawing attention to the more desirable things that their House offered, though Lysette replied by asking if Blackbane Hall had the various and assorted fruits that grew abundantly in The Arbor.
"In The Arbor we have oranges, peaches, and vast sprawling vineyards," Lysette drawled. Florie may have choked her right then had they not been interrupted by a small boy looking sadly at a sweetcake in his hands.
"Oh! That's Meryn's little page, Colin Florent! He's a sweet boy and he dotes on me," Lysette pressed a delicate hand to her heart.
"Well, hello there," Florie stooped a bit lower to look the boy in the eye. "What can we do for you?"
"I was looking for herbs in the kitchen for my master, but the man gave me this instead," Colin held the pastry up, seeming a little melancholy about the sweetcake not being herbs.
"Holly stores all of our medicinal herbs elsewhere. They wouldn't be in the kitchens anyway," Florie tried to soothe the boy. She gave him a reassuring smile and sent him off, now having to focus her attention on Lysette and keeping the woman happy.
TOBIAS
§
Tobias tried to bow out gracefully, but Jonys would have none of it. "I'd rather have the winner of the bout leading the armed guard than the loser," he said. Tobias couldn't refuse the lord, so he agreed. When Jonys made it apparent that he was going to make Florie and Argent come along too, Tobias hurried off to fetch Argent, who was none too happy to come, but at last consented, looking all the while like he was heading towards some sort of doom.§
Ser Tobias was well aware that after dashing the brains out of one of the more affluent guests of the party, he needed to retreat to a quiet place far away from any condemning looks. The armory seemed most appropriate for him, as it was a comfortable space and no one should be thereabouts - no one except himself. He was replacing his practice sword when someone walked in.
"I think we will be having our picnic now," Jonys said.
"I think we will be having our picnic now," Jonys said.
Florie's Journal, Excerpt
§
§
I try to like picnics. I have always tried to like picnics. But mostly, it seems that at picnics, I'm supposed to sit on a blanket and not get my hair mussed while the boys do the really interesting things. That's why I enjoyed the hunting parties so much more. But a passion for hunting has brought more trouble than I ever thought. But first, the picnic. Lysette was happy in her litter, and we were all happy to leave her there while she nattered about the vineyards back home, and wondered at our lack of grapes. I didn't really listen to any of it, but then she insisted that I share the litter with her, and suddenly our poor servants were carrying two girls instead of one. And then she tried to insist we carry the picnic too. We finally got to the Round Shoulders, which is a really pretty waterfall and a pool beneath it, all surrounded by lush grass and shady trees. Toby went off to patrol the area like a good guard, and also no doubt to get away from the picnic, and the rest of us sat and did picnic things. It wasn't very long until my little dog Cotton was suddenly mad with barking off at something in the trees, and I spent some time trying to round him up. At least then I wasn't talking to Lysette. Then Argent ran off into the woods and came back swearing it was nothing.
When Toby came back, though, he had blood on his face, and I noticed before anyone else, and threw a piece of meat into the trees for Cotton and made pretense of needing Toby to help me fetch him back. As I cleaned up his face, he told me he had seen and killed a bear nearby, and was going to send its skin home with one of the guards. I decided that since Argent wouldn't tell me, I wasn't speaking to him. Besides, he had his hands full trying to be ingratiating to Lysette, a game I was heartily sick of. We finally headed home, and I insisted on walking the whole way this time.
Home was too quiet, though, and it was clear that something was very wrong. Father met us at the door, and gathered Argent, Toby, and me, and led us back towards the kennels. He talked about how when I was littler, he would have tried to shield me from this, but as it was, I should come. The sight he took us to is one that will haunt my nightmares. The first thing I registered was the least of the trouble. My two hunting hounds, Bramble and Swift, were both tied to a stake with their heads so close to the ground they could hardly move them. They were whining and muzzled. Then I slowly took in the rest, a mound of cloth and bloodied meat... and a little boot, the same boot I'd seen on Meryn's page. My father said that my animals had savaged the boy, and then, as I looked on horrified, Father began to rage at me, that he had told me not to try my will against the wild, that this was what my hunting had led to. When I asked where the kennel master, Dabnavar, was, he told us that Dabnavar had been locked in the Tomb for this. It made me sick, but I could not believe that my dogs would do such a monstrous thing without being pushed to it. If my dogs went mad, something drove them to it. But my father would hear none of it, and Argent urged me gently away, leading us to the Tomb. Poor Dabnavar was huddled in the tiny space, unable to sit or stand properly, and we learned only that the dogs had been in a fury, but that he had not been there when they attacked, he had only seen the aftermath. I promised to do what I could for him, and we walked back to where poor Colin's body was.
Toby found a scrap of the boy's clothes, and his eyes went wide, saying that it smelled as if it had been doused in animal musk. Argent, who got far closer to the body than I was willing to be, began to puzzle why there was so little blood. He and Toby spoke a minute, and both agreed that even in such a small boy, there was far more blood than was here. Slowly, the sick realization dawned on us that he could have been killed anywhere, and given to the dogs to cover up the true nature of his death. Which meant that someone in Blackbane hall was cold enough to have murdered a little boy. That began a somewhat frantic search around the hall for any sign that he had been killed elsewhere. Argent spoke to Meryn with little success, and we tried to find out where Colin had been from Mace and Mina Tyrell, the two other children in their travelling party, but they only said that Meryn had let him have the sweetroll, and that he had gone off to play. During dinner, we slipped away to check through the guest rooms, but that nearly got us into trouble. We barged straight in on Olenna Tyrell eating dinner alone. She asked us a number of uncomfortable questions, and we left, embarrassed and trying to cover as well as we could.
We checked everywhere. Finally, disheartened, we went in to check on Mother. She used to keep a little garden just outside, but it was now overgrown and untended. Still, the door was open to let in air in, and there was a scent that overrode the smell of the medicinal herbs and the sick-sweet scent that accompanied Mother all the time now. On the air, there was a strong smell of musk.
No comments:
Post a Comment