Post by The Smith on Sept 24, 2013 23:21:47 GMT -5
Dacey Snow was sitting on one of the benches that surrounded the practice yard, seemingly observing an ongoing practice fight between two household guards. Her pale blue eyes were glazed, however, the dark circles under them indicating her lack of sleep. She had been feeling increasing restlessness ever since Edric joined his brothers at Stepstones, leaving the crippled Torrhen in charge of Winterfell and poor Dacey worrying about her safety. The occasional Bolton nightmares did not help, she had found.
"There you are," said Rylene Ryswell and sat down next to the blonde girl rather unceremoniously. Courtesies were wasted here in the North anyway.
Dacey, who had not seen the girl approach her, flinched a little. "Rylene," she said in a manner of greeting and turned the fragments of her attention back to the fighting men.
"Did not mean to scare you. I am not that scary. Am I?" the other girl inquired, pursing her lips at the sight of the guards, who were way too hairy to be considered good-looking. "Bored to tears, though. I do wish the Starks were back already; there would at least be something to look at."
When her companion did not reply, Rylene did a double take. "And what, pray tell, is eating at you today? " she wondered, knowing just enough about the bastard to take a good guess. "You know, I was thinking the other day; you could have the oddest personal sigil. A flayed direwolf. Would that not be funny-looking? "
That earned her Dacey’s attention as the girl turned her head, frowning slightly. "What is it that you want?"
"Why, to help you avoid becoming one, of course, " said Rylene pleasantly. "I could keep an eye on them. "
Dacey gave her a blank look.
"Oh, don’t play simple. I know about the bad blood between you and the Boltons, as does anyone around here with two ears and half a brain. Let me help you out. I have a friend who could keep an eye on them." Rylene shrugged. "Up to you."
"What do you want in return?" asked the blonde girl warily. If she had ever learned anything at, it was that there were no random acts of kindness.
"Your endless gratitude, " said Rylene and her lips curled into a sly smile. At Dacey’s skeptical expression she rolled her eyes. "Alright, I do need something done, but it is a very small thing. I am going to King’s Landing for a while, you see, but I would rather my folks did not find out about it. I want you to keep writing them letters under my name. You know your way around letters, I trust."
Dacey seemed to mull it over a minute. "If you are at King’s Landing, how will I know?"
"My friend will let you know," Rylene assured her. "Will you do it?"
Another moment or two passed.
"I will."
Rylene was pleased with the answer. She pulled a letter from her sleeve and took off a ring from her finger, one with the Ryswell crest on it. "This is what my handwriting looks like," she instructed, handing the folded piece of parchment over, "and make sure you seal it with this ring."
---
She met with Joss later that day where they always met: on the covered bridge that connected the Great Keep to the armory, right next to a window overlooking the practice yard. Joss was a clever young man, born and raised in a village near Winterfell, with a knack for finding the right people and digging out dirt on others in order to avoid actual physical work, which he despised.
"I want your our little friends to keep their ears to the ground in the east," she instructed the roguish young man, "see what our Dreadfort cronies are up to."
Joss nodded at the relatively easy request.
"Of course keep trying to identify the other players we have in the North," she added. Edric had been pretty adamant about rooting them out.
Rylene lowered her voice. "And.. there is this other thing. I know you already have all hands on deck, which is why I am giving you this," she handed over a pouch of coins that she’d ‘borrowed’ from Edric’s room the other day. It was not like he needed it at the moment. "Hire more. Find out if there are any remaining Mormonts we might have overlooked. It is just something I am curious about."
If he seemed somewhat bored earlier, he sure was motivated now. "Will do, milady," he said and accepted the gold. "Anything else?"
"Yes. Report to this sad-looking girl over there," she said, nodding at Dacey Snow, who was still sitting in the yard.
"The bastard?" asked Joss, spitting down the red leaf he had been chewing on.
"Yes. She is a friend."
---
A week had passed since the Ryswell girl had ridden south with a handful of guards and Dacey was having a hard time imitating the girl’s letter. She already got Rylene’s handwriting down, with all the unnecessary loops and hooks on every letter, but it was the actual letter she was having trouble with. Never in her life had she written a heartfelt letter to family, because she had never been considered part of one. Sighing, she dipped the quill in ink and dragged it across the blank parchment for what was likely be the hundredth time, forming the words Dearest Father.
Rylene advances to Noteworthy Intrigue
Dacey advances to Apprentice Forgery
"There you are," said Rylene Ryswell and sat down next to the blonde girl rather unceremoniously. Courtesies were wasted here in the North anyway.
Dacey, who had not seen the girl approach her, flinched a little. "Rylene," she said in a manner of greeting and turned the fragments of her attention back to the fighting men.
"Did not mean to scare you. I am not that scary. Am I?" the other girl inquired, pursing her lips at the sight of the guards, who were way too hairy to be considered good-looking. "Bored to tears, though. I do wish the Starks were back already; there would at least be something to look at."
When her companion did not reply, Rylene did a double take. "And what, pray tell, is eating at you today? " she wondered, knowing just enough about the bastard to take a good guess. "You know, I was thinking the other day; you could have the oddest personal sigil. A flayed direwolf. Would that not be funny-looking? "
That earned her Dacey’s attention as the girl turned her head, frowning slightly. "What is it that you want?"
"Why, to help you avoid becoming one, of course, " said Rylene pleasantly. "I could keep an eye on them. "
Dacey gave her a blank look.
"Oh, don’t play simple. I know about the bad blood between you and the Boltons, as does anyone around here with two ears and half a brain. Let me help you out. I have a friend who could keep an eye on them." Rylene shrugged. "Up to you."
"What do you want in return?" asked the blonde girl warily. If she had ever learned anything at, it was that there were no random acts of kindness.
"Your endless gratitude, " said Rylene and her lips curled into a sly smile. At Dacey’s skeptical expression she rolled her eyes. "Alright, I do need something done, but it is a very small thing. I am going to King’s Landing for a while, you see, but I would rather my folks did not find out about it. I want you to keep writing them letters under my name. You know your way around letters, I trust."
Dacey seemed to mull it over a minute. "If you are at King’s Landing, how will I know?"
"My friend will let you know," Rylene assured her. "Will you do it?"
Another moment or two passed.
"I will."
Rylene was pleased with the answer. She pulled a letter from her sleeve and took off a ring from her finger, one with the Ryswell crest on it. "This is what my handwriting looks like," she instructed, handing the folded piece of parchment over, "and make sure you seal it with this ring."
---
She met with Joss later that day where they always met: on the covered bridge that connected the Great Keep to the armory, right next to a window overlooking the practice yard. Joss was a clever young man, born and raised in a village near Winterfell, with a knack for finding the right people and digging out dirt on others in order to avoid actual physical work, which he despised.
"I want your our little friends to keep their ears to the ground in the east," she instructed the roguish young man, "see what our Dreadfort cronies are up to."
Joss nodded at the relatively easy request.
"Of course keep trying to identify the other players we have in the North," she added. Edric had been pretty adamant about rooting them out.
Rylene lowered her voice. "And.. there is this other thing. I know you already have all hands on deck, which is why I am giving you this," she handed over a pouch of coins that she’d ‘borrowed’ from Edric’s room the other day. It was not like he needed it at the moment. "Hire more. Find out if there are any remaining Mormonts we might have overlooked. It is just something I am curious about."
If he seemed somewhat bored earlier, he sure was motivated now. "Will do, milady," he said and accepted the gold. "Anything else?"
"Yes. Report to this sad-looking girl over there," she said, nodding at Dacey Snow, who was still sitting in the yard.
"The bastard?" asked Joss, spitting down the red leaf he had been chewing on.
"Yes. She is a friend."
---
A week had passed since the Ryswell girl had ridden south with a handful of guards and Dacey was having a hard time imitating the girl’s letter. She already got Rylene’s handwriting down, with all the unnecessary loops and hooks on every letter, but it was the actual letter she was having trouble with. Never in her life had she written a heartfelt letter to family, because she had never been considered part of one. Sighing, she dipped the quill in ink and dragged it across the blank parchment for what was likely be the hundredth time, forming the words Dearest Father.
Rylene advances to Noteworthy Intrigue
Dacey advances to Apprentice Forgery
Hope you all are well and happy.