The Great Hall of the Dun Fort

[Sam]

Ser Grant paced nervously outside the maester's chambers. He had heard rumors of poison at the feast, and had heard the lamented screams of a woman echoing throughout the castle. He had immediately rushed his wife to the nearest maester, terrified that she or his child might be in danger.

[Deleted]

Lady Alyana was shuddering. "This is awful," she said, thinking of what would have happened to herself and her baby if she was in the Blackwoods' place. The castle's maester had assured them that Alyana was safe, but that did not help much. "Who could do something like this?"

[Deleted]

Apr 27, 2008 13:44:03 GMT -5 The Stranger said:

"mm..m..mi.milady, they ate a little bit of everything. We were carrying the trays like you asked us, and gave to anyone who called for it. The young Blackwood girl, I remember, liked the sweetened yams in particular." says the elderly lead servant on the wait staff.

"Bring me a tray of those yams. Did the other children eat them too?" Aranya was puzzled as to how only a few children had died, if there was poison. She was deeply thankful that her children and her wards had been confirmed as safe.

[The Stranger]

A dish of the yams is brought out. And the prisoner eats it hesitantly.

"Those are pretty good actually." He says after a few moments and no ill effects.

[Deleted]

Aranya watched him closely. "Eat all of them," she ordered.

As he ate, she turned back to the head cook. "What else did the children eat?"

[The Stranger]

"The shellfish, and the crabcakes, and the roasted boar. As well as the stewed mushrooms, the baked leeks casserole. Milady, among the seven of them they sampled everything once or more than once." The poor kitchen staff seems fraught with fear.

"Alright. bring on the crab cakes!" said the prisoner, through bites of candied yam.

[Deleted]

"There must be something those children ate that nobody else did," Aranya said, frustrated. "Did you give them sweet cider? They were not to touch the wine. Only Brynden and Daeron had a little wine."

She watched as the prisoner ate the crab cakes.

[The Stranger]

"mmm, you now how to throw a feast milady, let me tell you." says the Prisoner. Two pieces of aparagus stick out of his mouth grotesquely while he talks until Rolf hits him upside the head and the pieces go flying."

"Yes milady they had some Cider." says a young serving wench. She rushes to bring a bottle of the stuff, and the prisoner's eyes go wider still.

[Deleted]

"Just shut up and eat," Aranya said, watching him. "Why aren't you dead yet?"

"Give him the cider," she added to the girl, nodding.

[The Stranger]

"Just lucky I guess, Rh'llor protects." The prisoner swings cider from the bottle to wash down some of the lobster tail he had been sucking on.

A young novice enters the room for Maester Harrion.

"Maester, Maester, You're needed in the tower..." He says.

"What is this nonsense, I'm busy, can't you see that." He says irritably, his large frame shaking in consternation.

"Some ladies have come complaining of sickness milord. They say they feel a feverish burning, and their throats are very dry."

[Deleted]

"Shit," Aranya said. "Go, Harrion. I'm coming. I need to see him eat everything first." Terror gripped her. It had claimed the children first, then the adults...was it slow on her Selyse and Brynden? Was it inside her?

"Bring out the wines," she ordered. "He will taste every single red wine we drank, and the dessert wine too."

[Deleted]

"Wait," Aranya said slowly. If the effects were showing late, there was no point...

"Stop eating," she said. "You're already dead, and now I don't know which dish poisoned you."

[The Stranger]

"Oh c'mon, it could be in the wine, let me try that at least!" says the prisoner as Rolf wrestles a stuffed pastry out of his hand.

[Deleted]

Lady Alyana gripped Grant suddenly, moaning and clutching her swollen belly. "It's burning," she wept. "Grant, I'm burning...I'm burning" The intensity of the pain made her shake. Maester Harrion came running when the Conningtons' maid called him, and laid her on the bed, ripping her gown and feeding her something to make her vomit. Blood flooded the bed as her pregnancy miscarried, with Alyana screaming and weeping. But it was too late. She died, clutching Grant's hand tightly.


An hour later, Maester Harrion rushed, looking sick, to the Harlaw rooms, but was too late to save Gysella Harlaw.

[Deleted]

Aranya came when she heard Lady Harlaw and Lady Connington had died. She spoke quietly to Grant and Erik, trying to console them, and then took Maester Harrion aside. "Feed everyone lobelia to make them vomit," she said. "Now. Get some for yourself and me too."