Corton

[Lord Howland Royce]

Brandon walked to Jard, "Good day, good man. I heard that your son was a friend of Samantha Corbray",

[The Drowned God]

Jard swivelled around, looking around the inn. He barely noticed Brandon. After a moment he looked at him. "Eh?" he asked, "m'boy? Yea... eh... he was here not a moment ago. Sent him up to get me an ale from Helga, but he just disappeared, with me coppers to boot."

[Lord Howland Royce]

"Well I ordered one ale too many," Brandon said with a smile, it wouldn't do to run after the boy. "Brandon Royce," he said introducing himself holding out his hand.

[The Drowned God]

With his ale problem solved, Jard seemed to lose interest in the case of his missing son. Hearing the name Royce, Jard bowed his head, rather than shake the man's hand. "How do you do, milord?"

[Lord Howland Royce]

Brandon scratched his chin, "I'm no lord, Jard. Was it Jard Helga called you?"

[The Drowned God]

Jard nodded, "aye, ser, that'd be me. You said you was interested in my boy? On account of him being friends with Lady Samantha? Well the Corbray men already talked to him about that, said he didn't know nothing. Course like as not he was lying through his teeth."

[Lord Howland Royce]

Brandon nodded, "I see. Well I hope you don't mind that I have a talk with him when he returns. No point wasting the ale running after him, he'll return sooner or later". Brandon swallowed a mouthful of ale. "So, what kind of work do you do Jard?"

[The Drowned God]

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, ser, might not see the boy again till the morrow, he's done that before a time or two."

"I'm a tanner, ser, in the case you can't smell it off me," Jard said, "sometimes Helga won't allow me in her place for the stink coming from me." He grinned.

[Lord Howland Royce]

Brandon chuckles, "Well as long as you can take an ale to go it wouldn't be much of a problem. Did you start the work by yourself or is it a family business of sorts?"

[The Drowned God]

"My family's been tanners for as long as anyone can remember. My pa taught me the how to do it, and his pa taught him, and his pa taught him. It's in our blood, what we was born to do. But try telling my boy that. I'm always telling him 'Dan,' Dan's my boy's name, 'Dan, you listen to me, stop thinking yourself above your station. You're a tanner's son, there ain't no call for you to be mixing with the like of Lady Samantha, you ain't got no right to it.'" Jard gulped down some ale and smacked his lips with satisfaction.

"And now look where he is? Running every damn time someone mentions the girl's name, Corbray men put the fear of gods into him in the case he was lying to them, said they'd string him up, and it'd be no less than he deserves if he is." He drank some more.

[Lord Howland Royce]

"Lords tend to get irrational when it concerns their family," Brandon said and drank some of the ale. "Look what happened when the dornishmen killed Irwyn's wife, Dondarrion's sister and mother and The Dawn Raider's wife. I do not think that Lord Corbray is a man to do any of the things they did though".

[The Drowned God]

Jard drank deeply from his tankard and finished it. "Lord Alyn's a good man, that's the truth, all the guardsmen up in Heart's Home say so."

"And what occupies your time when you're not searching for missing girls, Ser Brandon?" Jard seemed to be getting comfortable now, he leaned back in his chair and relaxed

[Lord Howland Royce]

"Not all that much to be true, I play some harp from time to time and play with Lord Roland Royce's children when I can. Though I think I ought to travel around in the Vale for a while. Though waiting for the summer would be the best."

[The Drowned God]

Jard chuckled, "that sounds nice, sounds real nice."

Jard rolled his eyes at the mention of summer. "If it ever comes that is. It's starting to occur to me that this might be the long winter finally arrived. You ain't an Other by any chance, are you?"

[Lord Howland Royce]

Brandon raised his eyebrows, "an Other? You don't mean the Great Other do you? and no I'm not the God of Night and Terror". He chuckles.