Lord Valwert's Chambers

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Lord Valwert Grandison, as castellan of Storm's End, has his chambers in the main keep, below the lord's solar.

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Aranya and Selwyn had supper with Lord Valwert, Lady Becca excusing herself. Aranya eyed the old castellan over her soup, thinking that he looked rather healthier than he had when they'd ambushed him and then eaten in his hall.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

With Lady Becca departed, Lord Valwert looks sharply at Aranya. "Young lady, you seem to change company of men like I change shirts. Last I saw you, you were dressed as a lady stag and desired to storm this keep; now you come to my gate speaking words from Rhodri Royce. You are an extraordinary wench, I'll grant you that, but I have no idea what your game is."

"So tell me now."

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Aranya grinned at him, her eyes twinkling. She rather liked this old man. "That was before, when we thought there was King Aemon, Lord Dondarrion, and only two kings in a fight for the throne. I wanted to take the Stormlands without harm to Lord Rhodri and his family - because, you should know, they're my kin. Ser Edwyn Royce came to Longbow Hall one day, liked a lady named Alyssa Hunter, and sired me before he went off to make more bastards."

"I don't play the game the way you high lords play it. I work for Callen and that's the end of it." A nagging thought about her family came in, but she pushed it aside. "Rhodri knows that I am sworn to Callen, his own enemy, yet he trusts me enough to let me ride here with Selwyn. If Lord Rhodri trusts me, that ought to be good enough for you." She grinned again. "But I can dress in my blue silks, if you think that makes me more trustworthy. I'm sure I have them somewhere."

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

OOC: Blue?

IC: "I know something of divided loyalties, I'll admit. But yours is a strange tale. Write it down someday. Where do you go now?"

[Deleted]

OOC: That "lady stag" dress Valwert saw was blue.

"Best to ask Selwyn," Aranya winked.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"We'll seek the Stag. Do you know where he went?"

Lord Grandison huffs a bit. "He said he was taking a ship, but did not take Lord Poddington's as he said he would. I would suspect the Reach, word is already they are raising their banners in his name."

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Aranya and Selwyn exchanged a glance. "And there's been no more news of a pretender savaging the Reach? How safe are the children, and Lady Becca?"

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"The walls of Storm's End vouch for their safety."

[Deleted]

"Fine," Aranya said briskly. "But what news of this pretender?"

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"He has fallen silent. I suspect he was a ploy by the Quiet Dragon to turn people against King Callen, and 'died' when he did. Aedon charts a crueler course, and does not care what people thinks. He'll kill Callen as soon as he is able. If Callen could stomach it, he should take what strength he has to destroy Aedon while they dance about the city. He is the most dangerous foe. Then the Lightning King can be dealt with after."

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Aranya suspected that Callen would go after Aedon. "Aemon might have killed his pretender, to make sure it stayed a secret," she said doubtfully.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"Whatever knight or sellsword who was doing his bidding has likely melted back into anonymity. I don't think we'll ever know. Better to fight the enemies of the flesh and not phantasms, Aedon is the enemy of the flesh. Gah, vile kinslayer. I was no friend to dragons, but Aedon makes me miss Aegon the Unworthy."

[Deleted]

Aranya laughed at that. "Aedon makes me miss Maerys, and I disliked that one on first sight." She gazed at her meat for a moment, thinking. It seemed useless to go after the pretender now, but then what would they do? All her instincts urged her to go back to King's Landing, but there were so many people to protect - here in the Stormlands, Callen's troops, her family in the Vale, her family in King's Landing, Selwyn...suddenly she felt very tired.

[Lord Rhodri Arryn]

"We will go to Callen, and try our best to bring him and the Reachlords to bear on the Bloody Dragon. If a Kinslayer sits the Iron Throne, we are all ruined." Selwyn says.