Ch. 4 - Night Blossoms

Cyril
§

Now that the marriage was no longer a secret, Cyril knew that Lady Vallya would hear of it. He had seen the unspoken worry in her family over whether this was close enough to seeing one of her children wed that it would be too much for her. In the evening, though, her health was no poorer. Cyril excused the girl who was Holly's replacement, and watched the lady of the house for a bit, thinking. As long as Vallya lived, his position was in jeopardy. He had, he thought, pledged to serve the house, but he had not been prepared for a member of his house to threaten him as she she had, and surely, the lady's growing instability was a threat to the house as a whole. He wasn't sure he agreed with his own reasoning, but it gave him the strength to do what he had been considering ever since the conversation that morning in the sept. Carefully, as Cyril mixed the lady's usual dose of arsenite, he added three pinches of sweetsleep powder, enough that, especially in this weakened state, Lady Vallya would not wake up. Cyril left her chambers and shut himself in his room, wondering at his own actions.

He had just murdered the lady of the house, and though he knew that in the coming battles it would be a mercy to her family, he could not feel entirely easy with his choice.

He was expecting the yells in the morning, and he came running with his kit to make a show of inspecting the lady for life. Then he sent grave word to Lord Garon that Vallya had passed, and waited as the family gathered outside her room. Garon drew his children and Toby inside, shut the door, and explained that he would be putting off Lord Osgrey, but not telling him yet of the secret marriage, because he did not wish to cast a shadow over Jonys's wedding. Florie knelt at her mother's bedside, and though she shed tears, her expression was distant. Cyril knew that the grief for Lady Vallya, for all in the room, would be no longer than was absolutely appropriate. And not even the suspicious Garon looked at him askance. Cyril knew he had succeeded. Nobody would know what he had done..

The month between then and the wedding passed quickly. Funeral arrangement were made, wedding plans were begun, and Florie made sure that discreet preparations for the coming winter were in place. Cyril kept to himself during that time, and if he was quieter than usual, nobody noticed. A few days before the end of the month, guests started arriving, and Blackbane was soon overflowing. There were Redwynes, Tyrells, Lannisters, and numerous smaller houses. Blackbane was as pleasantly decorated as it ever got, and the Felswards were soon busy fulfilling their obligations as hosts, as well as keeping their secrets well under wraps. Florie and Tobias didn't dare spend too much time together, and Cyril wondered how the knight's rather short temper would fare with this. The maester himself had a relatively easy job at this point, keeping a discreet eye on Jonys and helping where he could to get the wedding done with.

Florie
§

The festivities had begun in earnest, and the first of several nights of feasting had begun. Florie could not enjoy the feast, though. Too much was riding on this time. There were, frankly, too many chances for error. Florie had spent some time finding Zel a dark wig and training her to walk in skirts, and now Drez the serving maid was grumpily serving wine at the main table. At least, Florie thought dryly, the former highwayman wasn't doing anything overtly manly. Florie had Osgrey at her side, and she did her best to be gracious to him. But he kept casting dark looks at Toby, and she knew that he had picked up an undercurrent that made him suspicious. Florie did her best not to notice when, as soon as they had finished eating, Osgrey pulled Tobias aside. They both emerged looking courteous and none the worse for wear, which was a relief, but it meant that Osgrey then installed himself firmly at Florie's side. She would have made her pleasantries with him there and left well enough alone, but Florie saw Axel Florent trying to catch her eye across the room. She sent Zel over to see if he would pass a message to her, but he would not, so she was left trying to find something to occupy Osgrey. She eventually got him talking military things with her father and Jonys, and she slipped off and asked Zel to watch while she went to speak with Florent.

Florent looked her over and carefully brought up the fact that she had a fiance, and that the arrangement might complicate things. Florie held back a slightly hysterical giggle and said that things might not be as they appear. Florent frowned, uncomprehending, and Florie lowered her voice and explained her secret marriage to Tobias. Florent looked a little taken aback, and Florie wondered if he'd thought her willful nature was something he could control. He continued. on to tell her that he had indeed sent to Duskendale. He'd sent someone to say that he would also support opposition to the unfair levies, and that if Darklyn took a stand, so would he. He would, of course, withdraw that support and say he never sent anyone, but the message would hopefully be enough to stir Darklyn to ahction. Florie smiled prettily, curts.ied, and took her leave of him. It would be too dangerous to talk for very long.

She had hardly had time to turn around when she saw a disturbance near where her family had been standing. She rushed over and saw Jonys down on his hands and knees, reaching as if for something hanging in the air in front of him. Hallucinations were a new symptom, and they scared her, but Florie saw Toby and Cyril already at her brother's side, so she turned and went to Lysette and Bethany to brush it off as her brother having had too much to drink in his excitement. They were hesitant to accept her explanation, but none of the Felswards were showing any alarm over the incident, so as Toby and Cyril led Jonys out, Florie was able to divert their attention and continue making pleasantries. After a time, Zel found her and told her how once outside of the hall, Jonys had seemed better off, more lucid, and then had fallen asleep. Florie supressed a shudder. It could have been the closeness of the party, the heat and noise. She supposed that was what the others must think. But she could not help thinking that may be this was more of the curse, another dire warning of how they could not stay in Blackbane.

Tobias
§

Tobias sat outside with Jonys for a while, letting the young lord sleep off whatever had happened to him. The cool night air was nice, and Toby didn't have to make so much pretense of courtly manners he didn't really have, or hear people calling him "Lord Ore." He was just starting to relax when he heard a laugh, and he turned to see Ilyn and Meryn Payne. They traded a few nasty comments back and forth, and Toby's temper rose. Ilyn said that Toby's victory in the melees had been entirely due to Ser Orvus, and leaned in with a smile and said, "I will live to see your head on a spike."

Toby wanted very much to try and wipe the smirk off of Ilyn's face, but he just stared back at the man. "Only if I do not fight you again."

The Paynes turned and left, and Toby was just getting comfortable again when Garon strode up with Cyril in tow. Garon looked his son over, and ordered the maester to make more of his energizing tonic, despite the risks. Jonys had to make it through these couple of days, and with the semblance of health. No sooner had they prepared the dose and fed it to the slowly waking Jonys, when a number of young knights announced their intention to go to the Drunken Knave and toast Jonys's wedding. Jonys would have to be there too, so with a sigh, Toby helped him back into the hall to announce that he was going to bed, and then took him to the Knave. It was a fine old tradition, and should have been enjoyable, but Toby was too focused on keeping Jonys well enough for his wedding. When the young lord went to relieve himself, Toby waited a few minutes and followed, and found Jonys slumped. Jonys tried to argue when Toby told him it was time to go home, but Toby was taller and far stronger, so he just hefted Jonys over his shoulder and walked him back to Blackbane. They would both have to be ready for the hunt in the morning.

The morning dawned clear, and the hunting party headed for the woods. Florie was along, cheerfully sending her hawks off without any real hope that they'd bring anything back, and Toby saw that she was mostly watching for anything to go wrong. He trusted his wife to handle herself, so even though he wanted to stay close to her, Toby kept most of his attention on Jonys. The hunt had them scaring a deer, and it might have gotten away, but Tobias jumped from his horse and went after it. He killed it, albeit unconventionally, with a spear, and suddenly Toby was, to his embarrassment, the champion of the hunt. It clearly rankled Jonys, who started muttering about needing to make a kill of his own, and as it got late, he got more and more irritable. People were starting to talk about heading home when Jonys dragged Toby off a ways and said he needed to get a kill. Jonys had more skill than Florie, at least, and he managed to track something into some underbrush. He shot, and missed, and the angry bobcat he'd cornered came snarling out of the bushes. It set upon Jonys, and Toby did the only thing he could. He leapt into the fight and killed the bobcat, which had Jonys angrier than ever. But the damage was done, since the commotion had gathered a crowd, and it was too close to dark to do any other hunting.

That night at the feast, Meryn Payne stepped up to Toby to congratulate him, and the smile he wore wasn't quite his usual smirk. He said that they should put the past behind them, and start fresh as two gentlemen should. Toby raised his eyebrows, but said he would follow Meryn's example. He knew it was all a show, the question was, what for?

Drezielle
§

Zel had not enjoyed her time as a girl and had been relieved to go on the hunt in her usual boy's outfit. She had also resolved to spend her evening sneaking the halls, to see what secrets she could learn. She knew that they needed leverage, now more than ever. She was waiting anxiously for the feast to be over, when she saw her friends looking concerned. Two people had vanished from the festivities. Meryn and Lysette were nowhere to be seen. Florie rose and hurriedly excused herself, and gestured to Zel, ordering her off to check Meryn's room while she checked Lysette's. Zel found Meryn's empty, and found Florie in the hallway. Florie explained that she had just broken up an encounter between the two, and had a few choice words for Lysette's sense of propriety. Jonys was now with Lysette, saying goodnight to her, and any drama had been averted. They just had to make it through to the wedding in the morning, and then they could at last be done with that much, at least.

As soon as most of the guests were in bed, Zel slid away and dressed in black so she could easily sneak through the dark halls of Blackbane. She listened at doors, mostly hearing nothing important. Then she got to the room the Paynes were in and heard the voices of Meryn and his father.

"I'll feel better than that knight come morning," Meryn was saying. Zel stopped, and pressed her ear more firmly against the door.

"Don't do anything foolish, lad," Ilyn's voice came, low and grave. "We're in their house."

"I won't do anything /foolish/ uncle," said Meryn, his voice holding laughter. It was enough of a warning sign for Zel. She left off her spying and ran for Toby's room. "Ser Tobias!" She hissed at the door. She heard only odd, muffled noises inside, so she went in. She wasn't prepared for what she saw. Toby was on the bed, looking barely conscious, and Maester Cyril knelt by his open bag on the floor, but was fumbling with the things inside of it. He looked relieved when Zel came in and tried to speak to her, but it seemed his tongue was swollen and she couldn't understand a word he said. He very carefully picked up a needle and motioned stabbing himself with it, and Zel realized what must have happened. They were poisoned.

Trying not to panic, Zel asked Cyril to show her how to make the antidote, since his fingers were shaking too badly to handle his own equipment. Slowly miming to her, Cyril showed her what to add together, what to burn and what to crush. When she was done, Cyril picked up a larger needle than he'd shown her before, and had her coat it in the antidote. She stuck him with the needle, and then Tobias, getting the antidote into their blood. Both improved after that, breathing more easily and looking less ashen. Toby kept saying Florie's name, and once Zel was satisfied that both men had gotten enough of the antidote to live, she went and got Florie, who rushed to her husband's side. The men explained once they were able that someone had put the poisoned needle in Toby's pillow, and Toby had managed to get to Cyril, but when Cyril found the needle to investigate the poison on it, he had stuck himself on accident. Zel and Florie watched them through most of the night, and by morning, Cyril and Toby were well enough to stand, at least. They could all go to the wedding, to see that it went over well.

The ceremony was beautiful, despite it all, and none of them missed the shock in Meryn's eyes when Tobias showed up apparently healthy. Zel watched Florie catch the young man's eyes, and she favored him with a very dangerous smile. Then the predatory look vanished from her face and she was the picture of joy and innocence. Jonys and Lysette were wed, and then as evening drew on, they were sent to their marriage bed together. At last, that much was done, and the Felsward household could breathe a little easier.

The revelry was in full swing, and Zel had followed Florie outside a ways so they could both get fresh air. Then she heard the sound of hoofbeats, quick and urgent, and she tugged Florie towards the gates. As the rider drew nearer to the torchlight, they could see his colors-- Targaryen red and black. This was a rider from King's Landing. He asked for the lord of the house, and a somewhat drunken Lord Garon soon joined them. The messenger said that there had been an uprising in Duskendale, and that the king had ridden out to negotiate, but the situation escalated too quickly, and the king had been taken hostage. Tywin Lannister had ridden out of King's Landing, and they feared more forces would be needed, so the banners were being called. Florie moved close to Zel and sent her to find Florent. Their needed opportunity was about to arrive.

Ch. 3 - Branches

Cyril
§

Dawn, Cyril imagined, came far too soon for the newlyweds. Still, while it was early and the sun was just barely cresting the horizon, Toby was at the door, saying that they were to all meet in the sept. The knight went off to relay the same message to Zel, and they all filtered into the little sept. Florie came last, looking a little tired but otherwise composed. She was dismayed to find that Corwin had attached himself to Toby and didn't seem to want to leave. At last, Toby called the boy over and told him to go to the kitchens to have a picnic prepared for later in the day. Corwin grinned at that and hurried off to have it done.

Florie drew closer to the rest of them and said that she had been thinking hard about what they should do. On their own, she said, they would have little enough to offer Florent. They needed lands and men and funds, things that Blackbane gave them access to, but that would be severely diminished if they were to leave. Cyril saw the other two looking the same way he felt. To stay here would mean telling Lord Felsward the truth. And if he reacted badly... they might not even make it out of Blackbane. They began arguing, keeping their voices hushed, but footsteps in the hall announced Jonys. He swaggered in, and snorted at their apparent piety. Toby politely invited him on the picnic, but Jonys seemed restless, and declined, but told Florie that her father wished her presence. Jonys turned, and they were about to let him go when Florie called him back. She gave her brother a long look and said that she knew they had never been as close as she and Argent, but now they only had one another. Gruffly, he told her not to talk about Argent like he was dead, but Florie just pressed on. She asked him what he would do if he could aspire to greater than the Arbor. Taken aback, Jonys said he didn't know what she meant. Toby hissed her name in warning, but she didn't pay attention. Cyril took a step back to distance himself from the situation, watching Florie try to angle her brother into admitting some ambition. But Jonys was not rising to the bait, so Florie at last let him go with a frustrated little huff.

No sooner had they started arguing again about the wisdom of the decision Florie wanted to make when Lady Felsward appeared in the doorway, looking better than she had recently, but with a strange expression on her face. "Maester," she said, "If I might have a word with you."

"Of course, my lady," Cyril said, and moved out to the hallway with her. She said she had heard that Lord Garon had spoken with him about answering only to him when administering medications, but that she wanted Cyril to know that the lord needn't be troubled by small things, and that Cyril should continue to minister to her on her orders. Cyril started to talk about how he had made a promise to the lord of the house, and Vallya stepped in even more and closed bony fingers hard around his wrist. "If you cannot do this for me, then the letter I have already written will be sent to the Citadel. The letter describes how you took advantage of me in my weakened state and had your way with me. They will recieve the letter, and then your body. Do I make myself clear?"

Chilled, Cyril stammered agreement, and took a moment to compose himself before returning to the others.

Florie
§

Florie knew she could not keep her father waiting for long, but she wanted at least one of the others to see what she saw, that to leave as fugitives would be, ultimately, to admit defeat. She knew she wasn't convincing them, but she knew, too, that they would not break from her decision. So she went to see her father.

She barely heard Garon when he started to talk. He was saying something about how he knew that this wasn't what she had expected, but Longtable would be a good place, and how he hoped to visit his grandchildren there. Florie touched the seven-pointed star she wore around her neck, gathering strength and resolve. Then she looked her father straight in the eyes and said there was something she needed to tell him. She started off with how he must have known something was suspicious about Colin Florent's death. She pressed on and past his incredulity as she named her mother the murderer, and described the letter that Florent had sent. And then the fight started in earnest. Florie had to convince her father that her course of action had been the best, had been divine will. She had to show him that she was every bit a capable woman and not a little girl peevishly defying her father. She had to keep from crying.

Garon tried to bring Argent into it, how they both missed him terribly and about how much harder it would be to bring him back this way. The thought stung her, but Florie rallied, telling him with a sad smile that he didn't know Argent as she did, and that he had left with full knowledge of the treason, had shown ambition even greater than hers, and how his move was in part a bid to protect the Gardener bloodline. That had her father stunned, and so she finished out that she had agreed to aid Florent. Very carefully, Garon said that he loved his daughter and would not abandon her, and that her treason would have to be his. He would get her out of this, he said, and before she could protest, asked if she had moved against Highgarden. So she told him about the caterpillars. He put a hand over his face and said that surely she had not moved against King's Landing. Florie swallowed hard, and said she had sent word to Florent that an uprising could likely be stirred up in Duskendale. She saw a thread of something she had never expected to see in her father's eyes when he looked at her. It was horror. It only increased when, her voice shaking, she said there was one more thing he had to know.

"I married Tobias, Father, in secret."

Garon stared at his daughter. "In a sept?"

"Yes."

"With... witnesses?"

"Maester Cyril and Zel Flowers, yes."

"And..." Her father's expression was very near rage. "Consummated?"

Florie wanted to crumple, but she didn't let her gaze waver. "Yes."

"Then go," Garon said, voice low, "And fetch your husband and your witnesses."

Florie looked at her father and saw, angry as her father might be, that she had been successful. Battle won, she dared not question him now.

Tobias
§

Anxious, but not really knowing what to do, Tobias went to the kitchens to see how the picnic was coming along. At least, he resolved, if they had to take off running at moment's notice, there would be food ready. Cyril and Zel joined them, and they chatted for a bit, trying to avoid the uncomfortable topics on all their minds. After a time, Florie stepped into the kitchens, as pale as Toby had ever seen her. She gave the others a cursory glance, then stepped up in front of Toby. "My lord husband," she said, very softly. "My father requests our presence."

Toby felt like the bottom of his stomach dropped out of existence. So that was it. She had told Lord Felsward. He looked at the others, and saw Cyril and Zel looking like maybe they might run out right there. "I'll protect you," he told them in a low voice, deciding that the lord deserved to be heard out in any case. Reluctantly, they came along, Florie leading the way. Once they were in the room with Garon, he barred, the door, checked outside the windows, and looked them over. He confirmed that they all knew what his daughter had done, and said heavily that Tobias was an orphan, foundling, a good squire and loyal knight, and had become something he never thought he would be-- a son. It seemed a dubious honoring at best to Toby. After years of wishing that Garon would see the boy he had raised as his own, now it was a forced thing. But Garon had turned his attention already onto Zel, saying that Highwayman Flowers would have to be bound into Felsward service. Zel looked relieved, saying that she agreed, and had not collected pay at any rate while in their keep. The only thing left was to send her letter of resignation, which Florie had already promised to draft. Garon grunted his acknowledgement and looked to Cyril. "That chain around your neck is short, Maester," he said, slowly and carefully. "And I /will/ bring you to heel on it." Cyril just dipped his head graciously, as if they weren't all terrified. Garon stepped back and said darkly that now he must back his daughter's treason, and now that he was aware they would once again answer to him as their lord. Everyone nodded, and Garon sent the others out, saying he would speak with Lord Ore alone.

Tobias tried not to be nervous as he faced Lord Felsward. Garon gazed at him for a minute, then assured that Toby had married Florie out of love, and that the knight would be certain to protect her. She had, Garon said, extended herself beyond her father's ability to protect her. Therefore, her new husband would have to.

"What will you say?" Toby asked quietly after the silence had stretched for a time.

Garon looked up at him. He looked tired, and now less angry than resigned. "To Longtable?"

"To the world."

"I will tell them the truth. That you have wooed her since she was five, and there is no separating you."

Toby nodded, and the conversation drifted a bit. Then Garon started to talk about honesty, and no more secrets, and Toby knew he must out with the last thing he had been withholding. Slowly and carefully, he talked about how years ago, he had taken the beating for Argent over the laming of Lord Felsward's best horse. And the he said how Argent had repaid that debt, by taking the blame for Toby had done to Collard Greyfell. After this, he promised that was all. There were no more secrets.

Drezielle
§

Zel watched Florie pace back and forth near the kitchens. It said something about how agitated her friend was, since for all she made shows of it, Florie was not given to idle fretting over the things she had wrought. The maester was with them, but he seemed lost in his own thoughts, the lines of his face drawn tighter than usual. Zel, for her part, could hardly believe they had made it to this point with nobody sentenced to death or imprisonment. Where everyone else was still on edge, Zel permitted herself relief. They would be through this, and she would serve the Felswards or the Gardeners, whatever they ended up calling themselves. She would have a place here, and maybe, just maybe in the future, something much grander.

She stopped Florie, tired of her restlessness, and drew her aside. She told Florie she had been thinking, and that Florie had been right. She could not always have a man beside her, especially a man who was not her husband, and Zel knew Florie might need her help more often. Reluctantly, Zel continued, saying that she would like Florie to assist her in sometimes being a girl. Florie's strained features broke out in a grin at that, and she readily agreed, promising to teach Zel some more womanly behaviors. They were talking of what would need to be done to keep Zel's two personas separate, since besides dresses she would at least need a wig, when purposeful footsteps sounded in the hall. They turned to look, and Zel saw Toby, his expression difficult to read. But then he pulled Florie to him and kissed her. Zel coughed and looked away, only to see the kitchen servants staring as if the couple had just sprouted tails.

"We are to go on that picnic," Toby said when he pulled away. "Now."

Florie laughed, and helped strongarm the other two into going. Corwin was delighted, and helped speed them along. Toby explained as they walked through the orchards that Garon would be telling Longtable of the wedding, and it was best for them all to be gone while he did so. Zel watched the young couple walking ahead of her and couldn't help but wonder-- with news of the wedding in the open, and the bond accepted by Lord Garon, what would become of Lady Vallya?