Princess Joanna's apartments - 598 AC

[Marie]

"Then who? Give me another clue. Please, Becca. I'm very curious about this mystery lover of yours."

[The Stranger]

Becca shook her head, "It's your turn. Tell me another secret, and I'll give you another hint."

[Marie]

Joanna thought for a moment.

"I met someone interesting a little while ago. Someone you don't know."

[The Stranger]

Becca sniffed the air, "interesting... like a lover?"

[Marie]

"No," Joanna laughed. "One of our cousins. You haven't emt him. None of us had until recently."

[The Stranger]

"Than what's his name? I like to know the names of family," Becca asked, "I swear, you ration words like they were silver stags Joanna. People will start to get the impression your unfriendly."

[Marie]

"Well, you started this game of secrets," Joanna argued. "His name is Benjen Blackfyre. His father was cousin to our mothers. My mother used to speak of him but I don't know if yours ever did. Benjen grew up at Greywater Watch because his mother was a Reed."

[The Stranger]

"Oh.. He's the son of Maekar with the one arm, who died in the Arbor? Yeah.. Father may have mentioned it once or twice, but he didn't say much, which usually meant he didn't have anything good to say about the person."

[Marie]

Joanna giggled.

"Cousin Maekar was probably not that well liked, but he was loyal to my mother. But anyway, Benjen is his son. He's very handsome and charming. I think you'd like him. mother used to say Cousin Maekar was very..grim. Benjen was very smiley when I met him."

[The Stranger]

"Oh... I bet he was," Becca quipped. "Anyway, that's hardly interesting gossip, nor should it count as a secret."

[Marie]

"Why not? It concerns someone we didn't know until now - you still don't know him . What kind of secret are you looking for, precisely?"

[The Stranger]

Becca sighs, "Fun secrets! 'Not, guess what? Some Crusty old uncle you didn't know had a crusty old kid.'"

[Marie]

Joanna giglged again.

"Benjen is nothing like that! I'd have made him my lover if I weren't a married woman."

[The Stranger]

Becca gave Joanna a look down her nose.

"Clearly Joanna my dear, your heart isn't in this game, so I shall stop tormenting you, I should be off to my needle point, or whatever it is I do when I'm not harassing my relatives." She stood up.

[Marie]

"Wait," said Joanna. |"I don't mind playing but you aren't exactly encouraging me to play. You guard your secrets even better than I do, Becca."