Where Lords March and Dragons Fly
Thirtieth Day of the Fourth Month 294 AC
You would think that given a choice between her and Dawnfire, and the red-robed Amrelath, whose hooded gaze told any lord it fell upon that he might devour them out of boredom, most marcher lords would have the good sense to deal with Valaena. Alas, the hypothetical person who would think that, innocent of all the world's foibles, would be wrong for one simple reason, Amrelath's preferred human form, to the extent that the elder dragon could be said to have such a preference, happened to be male, and so it was to him that Lord Dondarion addressed all manner of questions about faith and Imperial law while the wyrm could hardly be bothered to unclench his jaw enough to give the merest reassurances.
In truth, Valaena rather suspected that the only reason the Ash-Risen had not pledged to make ashes out of Blackhaven and its environs is that he was wise enough to realize that the threat would only make the discussion take even longer to cool tempers. From the looks Nettles was giving that self-same lord, the young Velaryon rather suspected she would be no less inclined to fall on the side of blunt threats. Of course, that may have something to do with the bloody great tapestry showing the ruinous duel above God's Eye, which had been given pride of place in one of the antechambers for some damnable reason..
Be reasonable, he would have no way of knowing Nettles would rise from the dead to see the thing, the younger sorceress told herself. It was not that she did not understand the fears of such as Beric Dondarion about their way of life, about their faith, about the place of sorcery in the world, but was now really the place and the time to be interrogating them? What were they going to do, choose the flames if they did not like one of the answers.
She could see it now, 'I was going to dip my banners and get out of all this with my keep and my life, but if the Imperator does not regularly attend prayers in a sept I would rather we all just die'. Valaena tried not to smile at the absurdity, she really did, but the marcher lord's thought he had anything to negotiate with at this late hour chaffed. Her father had risked his life and hers by declaring for the king as one of the first lords outside of Dorne, and now she had to set here and have her
morals questioned by folk who had apparently been fine with the Lannisters in all their unchecked tyranny.
Funny how easily annoyance can turn to hot anger in one who is soul-bonded to a creature of flame. She cut off the keep's elderly septon before his next question, dressing young Lord Dondarion directly. "My lord, we have entered your home as guests, willing to offer some insight into what swearing an oath to the throne would be. We did not, however, fly to the skies above Blackhaven as guests, but as emissaries of the Imperator. Though we might carry the scroll of peace in one hand, we bear the sword in the other and we have been given leave by his majesty to use it."
She allowed the threat to hang in the air a long moment before adding with her best rendition of Princess Daenerys' unsettling little smile. "I have no doubt that you shall make the right choice, but there are other keeps to visit this night and other lords who might perhaps prove less amenable to reason. We cannot linger overlong."
"Yes, yes, of course, to Viserys Third of His Name, the fealty of House Dondarion as he is due," The young lord finally said, voice shaking ever so slightly.
***
"Finally," the elder crimson Wyrm hissed once they were back in the air, easily keeping up with the darkenbeast company. "I thought you would never still his tongue."
"You were intentionally stretching out the conversation to get them to anger me?" Valaena asked, more surprised than angry. "Why the hells would you do that?" Alright, maybe a little more angry. She did
not need a reminder that most lords were liable to measure her hips for childbearing before they noticed the hell forged chain set around them.
"You are dragon-souled as
that is dragon-bodied," he motioned towards Dawnfyre with the peculiar admixture of contempt and amusement he gave the beasts of Valyria. "You should know by now how to cut yourself free of the contentions of worms that crawl upon the ground."
Valaena nodded, perturbed. Not least because there was a part of her that found the words just a little flattering.
***
At first Harvest Hall, home of House Selmy, looked to be no greater challenge than Blackhaven had been. It was true Lord Artstan was a sour fellow, and from more than just being woken in the middle of the night, but he seemed willing enough to swear his oaths and spare his kin the deadly rain of dragonfire, when a girl who shared the pale features and blue eyes of the lord burst over the lord's shouts. "Wait, you have to get Cousin Reny out of the tower, you have to!"
Well, alright, maybe no more of a girl than me, she looks about three years my elder, though she certainly does not act it, Valaena thought.
"I'll have none of your nonsense now, Mertha!" Lord Artsan threatened, raising one hand in threat.
The girl cringed again, though she still had voice to rush out, "Remy wanted to go to the tourney in Sorcerer's Deep and swear to the dragon but my father found out about it and imprisoned him."
"Truth," Amrelath hissed from the corner, in draconic thankfully, for his next words were, "Also I suspect the two of them have lain together and hope to usurp the old man. If we kill him now, not only will there be a more loyal servant here, but also one likely to last longer."
"Not our call to make," the young dragon rider replied at once. She was not about to depose a lord, much less kill one, on her own say so, no matter how little of a damn her current companions gave. Still, if there was an actual loyal knight in this keep, she would at least have to order his release.
What do you do about House Selmy?
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OOC: I had actually forgotten House Semy were marchers until I did a wiki dive to make sure I was not missing any since the vote says 'marches'. Still, here they are with their own family drama. Keep in mind that the part about usurpation is said by Amrelath who has an inhumanly good sense motive yes, but he is also a True Red and that influences his perspective. Not yet edited.
