The Roseroad

[The Smith]

OOC: This is all very funny as the last descendants of the Arryn bastards still hold the Eyrie and maintain it.

[Percy Rivers]

OOC: The last descendents were not well known enough, and Callen making Rhodri an Arryn is more a punishment than a reward. Besides the Royces and Arryn families are closely intertwined. They probably have as much Arryn blood in them as the Arryn bastards holding the Eyrie...unless the bastards have been heavily inbreeding, and if that's the case I'm glad with my decision.

[Deleted]

OOC: And Rhodri's Arryn blood is legitimate, which gives him a better claim.

And I have twenty-one excellent knights in the Eyrie right now, so those Arryn bastards had better be nice.

[The Smith]

OOC: They are! They let you up :-P

[Deleted]

OOC: Okay, fine.

[Deleted]

The great army of Callen Baratheon marches swiftly up the Roseroad, drawing nearer and nearer to King's Landing at a pace that would alarm their foes.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

Every night at camp, Rhodri Royce, like a man young again, trains with his sworn men, Ser Felwick Gower and Ser Giles Grandison. He is learning more about the sword since he can never fight with his spear the same way again. Rhodri sleeps little each night, spending hours trading blows with the two men, one a powerful brawler and the other a skilled swordsman.

Selwyn watches from the tent he shares with Aranya.

[Percy Rivers]

OOC: I'm heading to bed now, see you all tommorow!

[Deleted]

Aranya stirred sleepily next to him, and then awoke and propped herself up by her elbow. She followed Selwyn's gaze and leaned over his shoulder. "He's not bad with a sword," she murmured. Then she grinned. "Do you want to train with him?"

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

Selwyn stepped out of the tent, clad only in his breaches. The two had spent seventeen years as sparring partners, but not crossed weapons in near five years. He crossed to the open ground the men were using to spar, and hefted one of the blunted weapons. Rhodri was a better swordsman now than the last time Selwyn had seen him use one, but the spear, of course, had always been his chosen weapon.

While Rhodri was defending himself against a powerful push by Gower, Selwyn charged in unannounced, swinging his wooden sword at Rhodri's shoulders from behind.

Lord Rhodri spun, using a fluid movement to cut Gower at the knees, knocking the big man down, and raised his sword to deflect Selwyn's. He then caught his kinsman in his bare ribs, not sparing in the power of the blow.

"It may be a different weapon, brother, but the instincts are the same," Rhodri says. "Come, and try me again."

The two dance the dance of blades for hours, stripped to their waists, sweating in the cold night. The bruises may sting, but it hardens the muscles and prepares the body for injury.

[Deleted]

Aranya grew bored of watching and fell asleep, only to wake up minutes later, run to the bushes and vomit into them. She washed her mouth in a nearby stream, disgusted, and went to bed to the sound of wooden swords clashing. Music to her ears.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

After hours spent collecting the most interesting bruises, Selwyn ducks back into the tent. When he tries to wake Aranya for some play, he's surprised to hear her mumble something about throwing up and her disinterest. Disappointed, he catches what sleep he can with what is left of the night.

Rhodri walks up to a hillside where he can see the moon clearly, unwraps some of the bandages on his stump, and stares at the point where his flesh ends. Skin was starting to heal over, but it was still intensely red and scarred. With the skin exposed, Rhodri lays on his back to watch the night sky.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

FYI: I've cleaned up the text a bit and submitted what happened to Rhodri as an official scenario. I think it deserves posterity.

[Deleted]

OOC: Yeah, it probably does

The next day the camp packs up and rides hard for King's Landing again. Aranya feels as if her stomach has settled, and hopes that the brief bout of illness has passed. And if it hasn't, she doesn't care. No illness has ever prevented her from doing what she has to do.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

Rhodri rides apart, a bit. His shield is covered in cloth, and he wears no surcoat.