The Manse of the Late Ollo Tregario

[brigida]

"Well, I wouldn't want to combat your inclination," she said scathingly, as she rolled her eyes.

[Horas]

Horas ignores the barb, looking back into the fire.

[brigida]

Tristeza followed his gaze in the silence, and sunk back into her thougths as the quiet stretched on.

[Horas]

The silence seems to suit Lord Blackwood, and he says nothing else. The mood of reconciliation that prevailed a mere few minutes ago seems to have been sapped from the room.

[brigida]

Tristeza breathed a deep breath as she gazed into the deep flames, and thought of death--it occupied almost every moment of her undistracted thought. It had become the norm; a fact she did not much care for.

"It is said that Alezander Irwyn is the new Hand to the King." she said quietly, after the silence had lasted several long moments.

[Horas]

Horas nods. "Lord Roland did not give his reasons for resigning, but I suspect it has to do with Sunspear being restored to our son."

[brigida]

Tristeza nodded thoughtfully, "he will be instrumental in our son's life, as Hand to the King--he will almost certainly be vitally instrumental...I have...given serious consideration to terminating the contract under this circumstance," she muttered, almost with shame.

[Horas]

"I do not doubt our son shall grow up to hate both of us," Horas says, "Perhaps I shall have a chance to explain the truth to him some day. Lord Irwyn can be a brutal man, but I do not think he will harm Horas, nor treat him poorly."

[brigida]

Tristeza frowned sadly, "I cannot bear to think that he would hate me..." she said, making no comment about the boy's father, "and yet...I cannot bear not to offer him this opportunity to be apart of his own history...Every other option feels so selfish..."

[Horas]

"The opinions of others matter little compared to the truth," Horas says. "You are doing the correct thing for the boy. He may realize that some day, and thank you for it."

[brigida]

Tristeza nodded, "I hope so..." she said quietly, her eyes intent upon the fire still.

[Horas]

"When must you go to King's Landing?" Horas asks.

[brigida]

"I will meet with Lord Benfry immediately upon the culmination of this meeting," she said, with a strange hollow sound to her voice. She sounded almost confused by her own answer, "This will be the last time we see eachother," she added, with more certainty.

[Horas]

"I would be there with you at the end, if I could," Horas says, his voice melancholy. "Aerie shall ensure that it is swift and painless, small comfort though that may be."

[brigida]

Tristeza nodded, looking into the fire at an image not visible to any but her. Her eyes were tight, and her mouth seemed a rigid line across her stoney face; she did not move for a long moment. When she blinked, she found her eyes moist, and wondered silently why this was; she experienced a profound disconnect between her feelings and her thoughts; she was apparently unable, for a moment, to discern the state of herself, or even where she was--this was the terror setting in; this was her last good-bye.