Ch. 1 - Foundation

Tobias
§

Toby awoke much too early with Florie shaking him. He tried to pull the covers further over his head, to sleep more. But Florie called his name again and reluctantly, he blinked his eyes open and asked what the matter was. She said that petitioners had been arriving since the first night, and now there was a crowd of commoners who wanted to speak with their new lord. "You should talk to them, Florie," Toby said, a little panicked. "You're better at it."

"I can't," Florie insisted as she hurried to dress. "You are their lord. You have to talk to them."

Unhappily, Toby got dressed too. He didn't want this, didn't know how to be a lord. Knighthood, he knew, and fighting, and hunting. Not speeches and politics. He didn't know what was expected from him. Florie sent for Cyril and Zel, and they all went to the top of the tower, coaching Toby in what to say as they went. He just had to introduce himself, to reassure his people that the times of uncertainty were over, that the raiders were gone. At the top of the tower, with so many people staring at him, he nearly forgot everything he should say. But he managed a speech with all of those points in it, and he got through it. The people cheered, but it was clear he had not yet won them. They'd had too many years of poor rule to be swayed immediately. He said he would hold audiences, and hoped to just get the day over with.

He and the others settled in in the main hall of the tower, listening to various complaints. Many were easily dealt with, but a few stood out as larger problems. One was a long-standing land feud, and the way the three men involved talked of it, and the way others were paying attention to them, it was clear that if Toby could solve this, he would be better than the others. The next important matter was the Miller's daughter, who was just old enough to be into womanhood, and who came with two smaller children, her siblings. She explained that the raiders had killed her parents, and burned part of the mill, and although the mill was being rebuilt, the millstone had cracked in the heat of the fire. Toby didn't need her explanation to know that it was vital to the whole area that a new stone be found. One of the last petitioners was a big, bearded man who looked used to hard work, and he introduced himself as a farmer, and raised the issue that in the drought, animals had been killed and eaten, and he begged of his lord two new breeding animals. He could not give much, he said, but he had one thing. At his word, a boy shuffled forward. The man introduced him as his second son Mark, and said that for the animals, he would pledge the boy into Toby's service. Toby waited for Florie to nod almost imperceptibly, and agreed. The boy was young, not much older than Corwin, but it was clear from his now-lanky body that he would grow to be as towering as his father. A short while later, they were thankfully done with the petitioners, and now had to work out a course of action.

Cyril
§

Maester Cyril had taken notes as Florie asked, and heard all the petitioning. He saw the others acting for the first time as fully autonomous figures of authority, and saw Toby's discomfort. And he saw something else, something that didn't quite sit well with him. They were acting as lord and lady, and he was acting as an employee. There was no hint of the closeness they had all developed. It was like they had now put up walls that had not been there before, and worse, it seemed that if Florie was planning anything, she wasn't sharing it. She said nothing to him as they talked about finding a reliable way to split the disputed land, and Cyril went alone to the town smith to comission a chain that they could use to measure by. It was all so mundane, like the lofty goals of before had been forgotten. But he did his duty and kept silent. He watched as Tobias and Florie sent for a millstone from the town with the Felsward iron mines, then sent men to purchase a great number of breeding livestock. Tobias and Florie knew they would have to shore up their defenses, so they offered animals in return for sons being turned over to serve as soldiers.

A week went by, and it was filled with the simple minutiae of running Tynker and its lands. Then the measuring chain was ready, and they all travelled to the disputed farms. Cyril did his best to put aside his irritation at ordinary surveying, and to be patient with them. Toby and Florie were young, and clearly a little overwhelmed. Maybe now that they were on the road again, their greater goal would come back into focus. The land around Tynker got more beautiful the further into it they got. It was grassy and full of little streams and brooks, and would recover well into fine, fertile land. He could see the temptation here, that this place was a comfortable holding, if not prosperous now, then easy enough to make it so. He wondered if the others, frightened by ambition, would want to stop here.

Then they arrived at the farms, and Cyril's business was the tedious task of parceling out the land and hearing the suspicions of the farmers. Even though all the men agreed to the conditions set by their lord and lady, and agreed to abide by the new parceling, it was clear that each was seeking an advantage for himself. One of them invited the party to stay the night, and not knowing enough to be politic about it, Tobias agreed. That had the others muttering about favoritism, and one of them tried to get Cyril to favor him. Cyril met his attempts impassively, though. None of these men could offer him anything of import. He finished his task, a little disgusted at having to deal with such small matters. Maybe now, they could get something real done.

Drezielle
§

Zel left the others to their politics, for the most part. She had helped Florie and Tobias purchase all the livestock they were repopulating the land with, in return for land promised to her. A good deal of it had been left empty due to attacks by the raiders, and after winter, it would once again be fine, fertile soil. It was a good trade, and a good fallback if, in the end, she was left with nothing else. She would, she knew, just keep going along, working things to her best advantage, as she'd always tried to do. She enjoyed the hospitality of the farmers they stayed with, and heartily approved of Toby's plan in the morning to breakfast with each of the three families. Toby, who was still enough of a boy to have an appetite for it, grinned his way through three breakfasts, and ended with all three families feeling better about the entire arrangement. Zel enjoyed this kind of diplomacy-- one that didn't involve complicated plans, and did involve lots of food.

They camped on their way back to Tynker, and that night, Corwin came to her tent. He looked anxious, and asked if she could sleep. Zel made sure all of her boys' clothing was well in place, and let him in, refraining from snapping that she had already been mostly asleep. Corwin was clearly anxious, and as he talked to her, it became clear that he was anxious that with Toby's new responsibilities, he would lose his place with his knight. Zel tried to reassure him, saying that there was no way Toby would forget about him, and that she was sure Corwin would stay by his side. The boy wasn't certain, still, but it was enough to get him to sleep.

The next day, back at Tynker, even with things there going well, there was tension. Toby was having to decide how many of Lord Felsward's forces to send back, and how many he could safely keep for longer, while they tried to gather their own forces. Florie was engrossed in overseeing her sept being built, and Cyril seemed unhappy. Wanting something to go a little better, Zel went and talked to Toby, bringing up Corwin's anxieties. They decided to take Corwin and the new boy, Mark, and train in the courtyard. It would also serve the purpose of giving Zel more familiarity with a sword without so much danger of exposing her gender. Toby seemed more comfortable this way, happier in the elements he was familiar with. But after a time, Cyril came to speak with Toby, and Zel saw his expression darken again as they talked.

Florie
§

Florie was praying at the site where the sept was being built, trying to gain the calm and focus that her prayers had come to bring her. Hands clasped, she stared at the empty spaces where the Seven would reside, and she whispered familiar words, asking for guidance. She noticed she was not alone, and she turned, seeing Cyril standing a bit behind her. He apologized for interrupting her at prayer, but she shook her head, and moved close to speak to him. He started talking of house matters, but it was clear something else was on his mind. Then he said something about whatever plots she was not sharing, and Florie saw what had been bothering him. She drew a breath, and said that there was nothing she had not shared with him and that she knew the danger this new home held, the danger of becoming complacent, of letting their goals slip out of reach. Cyril was a little relieved, she could tell, but he still held himself stiffly, still talked with a reservedness he normally kept for others. Florie tried not to be stung by it. Both of them had ambition that stretched well beyond their experience, and both of them knew just how much was at stake. Florie promised she would write to Florent, and would think about what to do. Then she asked him, haltingly, if he would speak with Toby, because he'd been bothered by something, and wouldn't tell her what. Cyril agreed to talk to him, but offered no comfort. Florie supposed that neither of them could afford it right now.

She slept fitfully that night, and felt the cold stealing in through the windows.

She was walking with her husband, through their new, lush lands. Fall was taking over, but it was not unpleasant, and there was still growth around them. In fact, up the side of a cliff face, there was a heartbreakingly beautiful rosebush, with the roses in full bloom. Florie pointed them out to Toby. She had to have one. Without a second thought, Toby climbed a way up the cliff to try and reach the roses. The cliff face was too sheer, though, and he couldn't make it up. Undaunted, he ran off and returned with armfuls of lumber and stones, and piled them against the cliff. They added little height, though, so he brought Corwin, who stood on his shoulders and reached in vain for the flowers. They both left, and returned with Cyril and Zel, who started helping to build a scaffolding of sorts, and they came back with men to help build. Every so often, Toby would climb the scaffold to see if it was high enough. It got dark, and it got cold. Florie could see frost starting to form on the sides of the scaffolding. It was entirely frost-rimed by the time Toby tried climbing again, and Florie couldn't tell him it was too dangerous. He reached, straining, as his fingers brushed the leaves of the bush. But the frost made him slip, and the scaffold was high. He could not catch himself, and he fell all the way down. Florie ran forward, and the others vanished, and she could only see Tobias's broken form. She knelt by him, sobbing, as snow began to fall.

She awoke in tears, and freezing cold besides. She pressed herself against Tobias, and he woke, staring at her in concern. She told him about the dream, and said she didn't want her ambition to make her lose him. "We just didn't do it right in your dream," Toby said, stroking her hair. "And I'm alive. See? I'm fine. I'll be fine."

In the morning, Florie was still cold, and she wrapped a cloak around herself as they ate breakfast with the others. Once she had a warm drink in her, she shared the dream with them too, and listened as the others discussed what it might mean. It showed, Cyril said, that they needed a plan, a firm one, that took them all the way to the end. And they all agreed that if they could not succeed by winter, they would not succeed at all.

Ch. 5 - Bad Faith, cont.

Cyril
§

Cyril's morning routine consisted of feeding the ravens in the rookery and checking for new messages, and usually, it was an easy task. The birds seemed on edge, though, probably because of the arrival of three newcomers, each bearing a message. One of the ravens was of poor temperament, and scratched him across the face as he retrieved the message. In a somewhat poorer temper, he unrolled the scrolls and read them. The first was a message from the Citadel. It was a routine message, checking to know if he had detected any signs of winter in his lands. The second was a notice from the High Septon. It addressed the dangerous new heresy being spread, and that for a period of three moons, any heretic could visit a sept, renounce the heresy, and be cleansed. After that, all heretics were to be put to death. Moreover, it was decreed that any remaining godswoods be felled and burned. The third scroll was a message bearing Targaryen colors, and it said that it had come to light that Lord Darklyn was a heretic, which meant that he was absolutely a traitor. Cyril tucked those away for delivery and as it was early yet, he penned his response to the Citadel first. No, he told them. There had been no signs of winter's approach.

When Cyril made his way to deliver the messages to Lord Felsward, Tobias and Florie were already present, and a dirty man who looked to be one of the smallfolk. The man was clearly petitioning, but it was not to Felsward he spoke. It was to Tobias. Cyril listened as he introduced himself as Lannon Rivers, from near Tynker Tower. He said there had been a band of Dothraki raiders going through the countryside. They killed, pillaged, and burned buildings and crops to the ground. Thousands, he said, and would Lord Ore come and put them down? Toby looked a little taken aback by it all, but he said he would, and Lannon took his leave. Garon turned to Toby and his daughter, and they talked about leaving for Tynker. Since they had not had time to amass forces of their own, Garon said he would send a hundred men and fifty archers with them to deal with whatever threat this was. That it was truly a group of Dothraki was inconcievable, but clearly, it was a frightening force. Cyril presented his messages then, and it did not escape his notice that as he relayed the septon's message, Toby looked a touch uneasy, and raised his fingers to a little leather string around his neck. Cyril had kept the heretical charm himself, as an academic matter, but it was tucked away in his things. He wondered how long Toby would secretly wear his.

After a little more discussion, it was decided that Cyril would accompany the two to their new home as well, since Jonys's medications were well in order, and Cyril had proved a valuable help to them before. He was relieved, because it put him close to his partners in crime, as it were. He got his things together and soon, the party was off. Zel traveled with them, since she was more theirs than Garon's, and one again, it was the four of them wandering off to deal with an unknown problem.

Drezielle
§

The group stopped at the same inn where they had first learned of trouble at Tynker, and once again, the feel of the place was tense and unhappy. The people they spoke to supported the story they had heard, that hundreds of Dothraki were attacking anything in their path. They did, however, get some new information--the last farmstead known to be attacked. So they left the men to camp and Zel rode with the others to investigate the Colton's farmstead. Their house and fields were nothing more than ash. This was not a Dothraki trait, and Zel was glad of that. Whoever these men were, they weren't to be feared the way real Dothraki would be. And here, there were signs of which direction the riders had gone, hoofprints and other indication of the passage of many horses. Zel offered to use her skills to scout, and meet the others back where they were camped.

Zel bid farewell to the others and rode Smoky along the path the riders had taken. She studied the tracks, counting. There might be as many as a hundred of them, and they were all headed southwest, which, overland, was the direction of the gorge where Tynker Tower sat. It was not a promising sign. And as the tracks continued in the direction of the tower, Zel started moving more cautiously. She didn't want to accidentally catch up with this group, whomever they might be, and find herself dead. It was a good thing that she tied Smoky and started scanning the trees, because sure enough, there were lookouts. She was stealthier, though, and was able to spot them before they could spot her. She moved along slowly, and found the lookouts posted at steady intervals, their placement suggesting what they had feared. The bulk of the group must be at the tower. Unable to get any closer with ease, Zel returned to her horse and rode back to meet the others.

They debated that evening about what to do, and whether their forces were enough to retake the tower. None of them believed that a horde of Dothraki had really come to settle here, but it was clear these men were a formidable force. The tower was defensible, but it also made retreats difficult. They decided that if they attacked quickly and relentlessly, they could make it into the tower, and prevent their enemies from using their numerous horses to their advantage. With this in mind, they rode towards the tower.

Tobias
§

Toby sent Zel ahead of them to see if they could spot lookouts. They wouldn't be able to keep the passage of their small army secret for very long, but any extra time would be advantageous for them. When Zel found a lookout, she took Cyril along since he was the better marskman, and Cyril felled the first easily. They found another, a little further along, and Toby's first indication that something had gone wrong this time was Cyril's scream of pain. Toby spurred his horse over the hill he'd sent them off to, and found Zel dragging Cyril back out of range. He had an arrow sticking through his shoulder, the tip coming all the way out the other side. He was bleeding and pale, and now they had been spotted, so there was precious little time to move. Zel helped Cyril back onto his horse, and Toby couldn't stay to worry. He had to lead them to the tower.

Tobias was far more used to single combat than to leading an army, but he was still confident in doing so, and their plan was as solid as they could make it. With Cyril injured, Zel would hang back to watch over him and Florie, and Toby would be in the middle of it. He hadn't even wanted Tynker Tower, but like it or not it was his now, and all the dubious honors that came with it. Like it or not, he had to protect it now. He had men coming up through the valley, with archers at the sides. He wanted to move in on the tower quickly, so that the bandits wouldn't have time to get on their horses to ride against Toby's unmounted forces. The company moved in and the fight was on. The men certainly were not Dothraki, not even close. They were ordinary thugs, and they fell quickly.

At the top of the tower next to a tattered banner made of multicolored strips of cloth, and a man rose up next to the banner and called for a halt, and that they surrendered. With the battle raging strong around him, Toby almost pressed on as if he had not heard, and called his men back. "Come down from there!" he yelled to his opponent. Several minutes later, the leader of the bandits emerged, and he, unlike the others, looked as if he might be Dothraki, though the two men who stepped forward with him certaily were not. He introduced himself as Maves Dothrak, and he eyed Toby for a few moments before speaking.

"So you would be Lord Tynker," he said.

"Ore," Toby responded.

Maves puzzled a moment, anger and confusion warring in his features. "Or what?"

"Lord Ore," Toby corrected. "But this is my tower."

Tobias considered what to do. This would be an awful lot of men to put to death, but he didn't want them anywhere nearby. He pulled back a bit as Florie and the others rode forward, and they spoke in low voices about the merit of sending these men away and unleashing them on someone else. They decided that it would be best to send them north, out of these lands, and to where they might be a further distraction, drawing eyes away from the south. He told Maves that he and his two lieutenants could ride out, and that the rest of their men would be on foot. They would travel north, and would not attack until they were out of Felsward lands.

Florie
§

Florie, after the hastily hissed discussion over what to do with these men, rode a little closer to watch Maves as Toby gave his order. Boldened by seeing a smaller force ahead of him than he initially had, Maves started to argue. She listened to a little bit, and to a few insults traded back and forth between Maves and Zel, and finally, she'd had enough. Who was this man to presume that his ugly banner actually meant something to them? Didn't he see that to leaving with his life and the life of his men was a mercy? She speared him with a look, and repeated her husband's instructions, her voice smooth and cold. He tried to say that it was like asking a wild animal, or even a trained one, not to hunt, but he was looking at her with a different expression now. She smiled coldly and said that any animal could be brought to heel. She repeated the instruction, and said that he would travel until he was someone else's sorrow. Florie heard the quiet that her voice had brought, and saw something like fear in Maves's eyes.

The rest of it was a matter of organization, and seeing that the raiders didn't try anything as they left along the canyon. Then Florie shook herself, and began work on the more mundane matters of seeing the extent of the repairs needed in the tower, getting the men working towards fixing the place up to be livable. They took Cyril in and Toby tended to his wound, and the next week was busy with repairs and recovery. By that time, Florie was was anxious. There was no sept at Tynker, and she was feeling its loss keenly. She knew the others didn't understand her need, didn't quite see things as she did. But she knew she needed that space, so she had the men start work on creating a small sept for her in the tower. It would have to be enough.

Ch. 5 - Bad Faith

Drezielle
§

Zel watched the wedding guests leave, and soon enough on the day after the wedding, Blackbane was mostly empty. That evening, only the Florents and Osgrey Meriweather remained. Zel kept to herself, knowing that if she was needed, she should be ready. In the morning, she awoke to Florie at her door. She groggily let her friend in and listened as Florie explained that Osgrey had been to her room that morning to press his suit, and she had barely put him off, and had sent him along ahead of her to speak to her father. Florie knew that it might be dangerous for her to follow, so she wanted Zel to go listen at the door. Zel threw on her wig and skirts so that she could go and appear to be cleaning near Lord Garon's door, and listened in as he revealed the truth to Osgrey. Osgrey grew angry, saying Garon had broken his word, and Garon responded that when he had, his daughter was no longer his to give. Zel listened as Garon defended Toby and Florie, and tried to find a way to keep friendly with Longtable, but Osgrey would have none of it, and Zel had to scurry out of the way as he stormed out. Garon stepped out, and sent her to find Flowers. She readily agreed, and changed hurriedly, and was sent again to gather the others.

Garon brought them into the room and shut the door, telling Florie and Toby that he had made their marriage known to Osgrey, and he had ridden off in anger. He paused, his features grim. Osgrey, he continued, must not make it back to Longtable. Cyril and Toby showed surprise, and so did Florie, but less so. Zel had thought, as she was sure the others had, that the scheming in Florie's nature had mostly come from her mother. Clearly, her father was not to be underestimated either, and it was chilling to listen to Garon describe how he would be sending them to kill Osgrey, and that it must be done outside of their land, and be made to look like a bandit attack. He told Florie that she would be going as well, because she needed to see what she had wrought.

Zel hurried to help with the preparations. They would have to ride carefully, to catch up with Osgrey but without his knowledge that they were on the road as well. They planned some as they prepared, and decided that once they were a day or so away, Zel would begin to ride ahead overland to see how far they were from Osgrey. Zel was happy to be riding again, and she tried not to think too hard about their errand.

Cyril
§

Cyril rode close to Toby and Florie as they left Blackbane. He listened as Toby recounted how Lord Florent had spoken with him before he left, and how they had agreed to use Tynker Tower as a safer place to send and recieve messages. They had also talked about needing to make a decisive but still secret strike against Highgarden. They all agreed to this, of course, but none of them were sure yet how to go about it. It was not far enough into the season for the caterpillars to have caused much damage, and their resources were small. Still that problem would have to wait. The more immediate issue was what to do to kill Florent. They rode and as evening drew on, they sent Zel ahead. She reported that Florent had left the road to spend the night at a small holding, and they could ride past and be ahead of Florent in the morning.

The next day, they worked to set an ambush. Florie was exhausted, no doubt in part due to it being the first night since the wedding guests arrived that she and Toby had not been forced to separate. Cyril had politely ignored them, but it was no mystery what the two had spent too much of their night on. They rode a little ways, but not yet out of Felsward lands. After some discussion, they decided that they could safely dispatch their target here, and then take him up to the river that bordered their lands and dump him in. The plan they came up with would be enough to stop a few people, let alone one man. There was a curve in the road that bordered a hill, and Toby would armor up and wait just around the curve. Cyril would be up the hill a bit, in the trees, waiting with his arrows. Florie would be safe beside him, and his job would be to shoot the horse and make it stumble. Zel would be in the brush on the other side of the road, throwing daggers ready, and she would be there to aid as needed and prevent retreat. They sent Corwin a little way up the path in the other direction, to keep watch for other travelers.

They waited. Florie was still and silent next to Cyril, and he could only guess at what she felt about this. And then there was no more time to wonder, as the sound of hoofbeats announced Osgrey's approach. Cyril watched, sighting carefully, waiting until the horse had passed the spot they had designated, and then he let loose an arrow. It hit the horse in the flank, and the animal began to rear in panic and pain. He quickly got another arrow and let it fly as Zel came from the bushes and threw one of her knives at the animal. The horse fell, and Osgrey tumbled to the ground.

Tobias
§

Tobias waited out of sight, listening as his companions took Osgrey from his horse. Then he rode out. Osgrey had only a moment for recognition to set in, and no time at all to react, to even draw his sword. Toby swung at him as he rode by, and Osgrey's head fell from his shoulders and rolled on the ground.

They all came down to the path to help clear the scene. They carried the body to a campsite they'd selected nearby, where they hung it up for the blood to drain like an animal they had hunted. Grisly as it was, it was necessary if they were to carry the body to the river without being in danger of discovery. It was a long, tense night, and in the morning, they rode the rest of the way to the river, dumped the body in, as well as his sword, shield and armor. The body would soon be unrecognizable, and the metals would quickly rust at the bottom of the river. Westeros could be a dangerous place, everyone knew. Nobody would be able to suspect them for Osgrey's disappearance. The journey back to Blackbane was relatively quiet, with each of them wrapped in their own thoughts.

Once back, they all went directly to Garon to report. He confirmed with them that Osgrey had been seen travelling home, and that the killing had gone swiftly and efficiently. Toby reported the facts quietly and gravely, and as he did, he saw Garon watching Florie. Her features were set and, Toby had to admit to himself, a little cold. He knew they should not be surprised. This was not the first death she had seen, and her resolve to see her actions through had never wavered. Still, it was disturbing to see, and clearly even more disturbing to Garon, who told her roughly that Osgrey had been a good man, and that she should pray to the Maiden for forgiveness. She dipped her head in acquiesence, and left quietly, with her father staring unhappily after her. Then Garon turned his attention back to the group. He spoke with Toby about the need to act while the eyes of the kingdom were turned on Duskendale, and how unready they really were. Toby agreed, and they concluded that if at all possible, they must find a way to put their influence on the Duskendale situation again, to extend it as long as possible. With this to think about, they concluded the meeting. Garon sent Cyril off to tend to Jonys, and then he looked at Zel for a while, and charged her to think about what she was to the house, as she would need a title. She departed in another direction, and after they had all departed, Tobias went to join his wife in the sept.

Florie
§

Florie knew she should feel an appropriate grief about Osgrey. She knew that she should feel horror that they had killed a man in order to keep themselves from condemnation and suspicion. Somewhere in herself, these feelings did flicker through, but they were locked away. Her father had ordered her to pray to the Maiden for forgiveness, and she did. She prayed too that the Seven would continue to guide her footsteps, as they had so far. This newfound coldness in her must have its place. And, she knew, there were personal prices to be paid for her ambition and her will. Certain softer feelings could not stay in the same place as her resolve.

Later, once again in her own bed with Tobias beside her, Florie should have slept soundly. But even under the covers, even next to her husband's warmth, she was freezing cold. With that cold came uneasiness, and she knew that if she kept tossing and turning, Toby would wake, so she let him sleep and she got out of bed, shivering, and went to walk the halls. For some reason, she hadn't thought to put on slippers for some reason, and the stones were frigid under her bare feet. She passed by an open door, and realized an even colder draft was coming from within. She realized it was her mother's room. She stepped in, and realized that the door to the garden was open, that autumn chill was seeping into the hall this way. Florie hurried forward to close the door, and saw that the moonlight made the overgrown roses look black and frosted over. The whole garden looked eerie and cold. Florie's hand touched the door, but she stopped, staring, as she realized that she was not alone. There was a figure sitting on her mother's garden bench, and no soo$945 ner had she registered this that she realized from size and build that it was Colin Florent. Dark blood still oozed from his neck wound. As Florie watched in horror, he turned his ruined face to her.

She awoke with a muffled sob, disoriented as she realized that her walk through the hall and all that followed had been a dream. Just a dream. But she was still freezing, her body as cold as if she had been out of bed. Unable to bear the feeling alone, she shook Toby awake, curled into him and mumbling that she'd had a bad dream. He comforted her, and built up the fire to warm the room. He asked what the dream had been, and she couldn't tell him. In the firelight, safe beside him, her alarm seemed silly. She knew it would sound so. So she said it was about the coming winter, and left it, and Tobias held her close, and sang an old ballad to her, and she started to feel warm again. She made him promise that they would leave soon to conduct their affairs from Tynker Tower. She wanted to be free of Blackbane and its cursed and bloodied stones. At last, with these assurances, Florie slept again.