Politically Laenor is the best possible match, dragons and fleets and all that. However there will be difficulties with having a child from him, which is critical. Forest Frey is a confirmed romance option, values his oaths and is, or at least will become, the lord of a fief that's critical for any war that involves the North. However it may be difficult to square a marriage with him and our relationship with Alicent. Gwayne, like Laenor, would be easy to square our relationship with Alicent with, but doesn't come with any titles or lordships of his own. Might give us an in with the Hightowers, or at least with his father, incase our ties with Alicent and Otto aren't enough, but there would also probably be a difficulty in having a child with him as a non romance option, if not necessarily as much as with Laenor.
Mind, if we marry Elmo we'll get to have children with Muppets names, so that's a huge plus in his favor.
That's the thing about Gwayne politically -- we don't have ties to Otto (his dithering is probably symptomatic of his feeling ambivalent towards us, and ambivalence is notably quite far from an alliance), and probably won't absent a marriage to Gwayne.
That's the thing about Gwayne politically -- we don't have ties to Otto (his dithering is probably symptomatic of his feeling ambivalent towards us, and ambivalence is notably quite far from an alliance), and probably won't absent a marriage to him.
My read of Gwayne in the show is he's a generally decent man (as decent as nobles can get) who cares a lot for his family but is very much an upper class noble who looks down on Cole for his lesser birth (And taking his Father's seat, and being Kind of Dornish) and definitely has a sassy vibe.
Mind he's also portrayed as a kind of out of touch rich boy in the show. See his insistence on taking it easy and staying at inns when he Cole and his men are traveling, something which could have gotten them killed during wartime.
Speak for yourself. I still haven't given up on the dream of Kermit Targaryen, son of Elmo Tully and Rhaenyra Targaryen, first of his name, king of the Andals and of the Rhoynar and of the First Men, protector of the realm, whose long and prosperous rule shall ensure many a Kermit shall sit the Iron Throne in the years to come.
Part of you desperately wanted nothing more than to sweep Alicent out of her seat and gallop away. Take her to some quiet spot, where no one would find either of you for hours. It would have been fun. No. It would be glorious and romantic and wonderful. But it would have been too much. Too much risk for Alicent and too much risk to your plans. You had come second in the Melee and every man you had faced in the joust had been knocked off his horse. Four experienced riders, all knights, some with tourney wins to their name, all knocked to the ground by you. For a seasoned knight, that would have been a very good showing. For a mystery knight, that was feat that was only seen every generation or so. For one who had never fought in a tourney before, not even a Squire's tourney? All but unheard of, even before your gender was taken into account.
Maybe you could achieve greater glory if you dashed off and let the Silver Falcon's fame grow until Highgarden, but that was a maybe that carried a lot of risks. Ones you were not sure you were willing to take after how close things had been in your bout with Ser Criston. You had achieved the glory you sought and you had the masses on your side. As much as you wanted to run off with Alicent, you couldn't. You had plenty of time sweep her into your arms, but this right here was perhaps a once in a lifetime event.
You made sure Alicent had the crown properly atop her heard and then led your horse over to Lord Manderly, who was waiting on the side of the tourney field with his eldest son Medrick and a prize, a silver trident with a shaft made of carved ironwood. You dismounted your horse and approached the Lord of White Harbor.
"I won't deny my disappointment that it is some stranger coming to claim this victory and not my son," Lord Manderly said with a jovial smile, "but your victory good Ser has been an utter delight to bear witness to. The sight of Unwin Peake struggling in the dirt will give me comfort through the winter, no matter how long it should be."
"I'm not a knight," you said in a deep voice. "Not yet."
"Really?" Lord Manderly raised an eyebrow. "All that and you're not a knight? Well, that is quite impressive indeed. We should be able to fix that in a few moments, but first I need to know the name of the tourney's champion so I might properly reward them."
This was it. You grabbed your helmet and for a brief moment you paused as a long breath escaped your lips. Then you removed your helmet, showing your face for all to see.
The helmet had not been kind to your long hair and sweat had left it almost matted in places. Your face was covered in dirt and grim, only broken up by lines formed by heavy sweating.
The cheers of the crowd died in a strangled wave as the crowd realized who you were. Lord Manderly's eyes went seemingly impossibly wide in shock while Medrick looked very much like he would give anything to be anywhere else in Westeros at this very moment.
The silence seemed to stretch on forever before it was finally shattered by a deep, guttural laugh. Lord Manderly nearly doubled over as he laughed harder and harder until you could see tears rolling down his face.
"The heir to house Peake, humiliated by a child and unhorsed by a girl!" Lord Manderly exclaimed with delight. "And at my tourney no less! Oh, what a delight."
You were at once insulted and relieved by Lord Manderly's reaction.
The laughter broke the silence of the crowd. Some joined in Lord Manderly's laughter, others booed at you and hurled vile insults, but many cheered as well. You had hoped for more, yet this was still better than you feared.
Somewhere in the distance you could swear you heard Unwin Peake cursing, though that may have been willful imagination.
"I heard tale of your defeat of Breakbones, but I had always assumed Strong was going easy on you," Lord Manderly remarked. "Seven hells! You knocked the Tully and Baratheon heirs off their horses like they were children. Wildlings don't fight half as fiercely as you do girl."
Ser Raylon, in full Kingsguard armor, finally reached your side, having raced over from where Alicent sat when you lifted your helmet. Even through his helmet you could feel his intense stare on you before he bowed deeply.
"You have surpassed my wildest expectations, princess," he spoke, his voice full of pride for your accomplishment. "Your performance today was nothing short of exceptional. I am honored to have had the privilege of training you, Lady Rhaenyra"
"I'm the one who should be bowing," you replied, though a bit too sore and armored to do the deed. "Without you, I never would have made it this far."
You were a decent warrior before Raylon, and you did have a natural talent for the blade, but without him, it would have taken years longer if not more to reach where you were now.
"I suspect the King will either praise your sworn shield here when you return or mount his head on a spike," Lord Manderly remarked with some amusement.
"A price I am prepared to pay if need be," your sworn shield replied, deadly serious and without a shred of fear. "I have helped shape our future queen into a fierce warrior, who is as deadly as her dragon."
You were grateful Syrax wasn't around to hear that. You weren't sure if she would take offense to that or not.
"Aye, that you did," Lord Manderly agreed before turning to his son. "Medrick? Present the princess her prize."
Medrick looked between you and his father nervously, clutching the ornate trident tightly.
"But... she's a woman..." Medrick stammered.
"Aye, and she won," Manderly stated dryly. "Fair and square. If my great-grandfather allowed wildling women to fight at a tourney, surely we can give the crown princess her prize."
Medrick nodded and nervously handed you the trident. The crowds cheers began to grow louder as he did.
"Thank you," you breathed, your body trembling in hope of what was to come.
"I'll have the prize money sent to your carriage train later. Seems a bit of a waste though," Lord Manderly grinned before a more serious expression emerged. "Now I know I promised to make you a knight..."
"You did," you said quite eagerly.
"I can't," Lord Manderly sighed, crushing your hopes in instant. "If your father agrees that your victories here are worthy of such an honor, he'll be upset that some Northern Lord took the privilege of being the one to knight his own daughter away from him. If he doesn't agree, I'll have made a very powerful enemy indeed. There's only one person in the Seven Kingdoms who can knight you and that's your father."
You looked down at your armored feet, feeling as though the wind had just been sucked out of your victory.
"But, I can do something for you," Manderly went on. "As soon as we are done, I'll send a raven to your father. I will tell him the truth of your deeds, that in all my years I have never seen any boy your age fight half as well as you have today. I will say that the skills, bravery and valor you have shown today have more than earned you the honor despite being a girl. Frankly, by everything I've heard of your deeds on your Progress, refusing you a knighthood at this point would be an insult not only to you but to everyone you've fought."
"Thank you, Lord Manderly," you said earnestly as you clutched your trophy. It wasn't what you had hoped for, but Lord Manderly's endorsement could prove quite helpful.
You have revealed yourself as the Silver Falcon. This will have consequences.
The Realm is fully aware of your Prowess.
You have earned the Hatred of House Peake.
The feeling is mutual.
Winnings: 3,500 Gold Dragons
Relationship with Alicent Hightower Improved
Relationship with Raylon Tarly Improved
New Status: Near Unquestioning Loyalty
King Viserys's reaction will be revealed in a future turn.
Achievement Unlocked
An Enemy Within
-You have earned the hatred of a noble house of note in Westeros.
You left quickly after your talk with Lord Manderly, both to avoid the masses who had become quite energetic about your victory, for better and worse, and to get some badly needed rest and time to recover. Removing your armor revealed your shoulder was a mess of bruises that reached down to your chest. You would spend the rest of that day and most of the next simply resting.
Ser Raylon handled acquiring the prize money and handling the remaining ransoms for you. Apparently Cole's whole attitude had changed drastically from you match. He seething with barely contained anger and contempt the entire time he spoke with Raylon and nearly refused to buy back his armor at one point. Peake was apparently even worse. Ser Raylon refused to go into details but apparently Unwin had said some things so vile that the two men very nearly came to blows.
In public, Alicent played the part of the confused and frustrated friend and handmaiden. Arguing she had been roped into this by you, that you had only asked for her favor early on to help create a persona as a Mystery Knight and the only reason you had crowned her was that you could not crown any man you had affection for without running the risk of causing great insult. For the most part it sounded like people believed it. In private, Alicent was positively beaming, wearing her flower crown with pride as she remarked at how dashing you were out on the field. She also confessed she had been terrified during your fight with Ser Criston, admitting that she very much hoped your father made you a knight soon as she found the idea of you entering another tourney a tad worrisome. Beyond that concern, she was nothing but smiles and red cheeks when she talked to you in the days after the tourney.
Her brother Gwayne was less than happy about you involving his sister in your plans, but once you told him about the things Unwin had said about her, his attitude quickly changed, even remarking his wish that Unwin had suffered a more painful defeat than the one you inflicted. Gwayne informed you that while some in White Harbor were saying things he dared not to repeat about you, for most of the smallfolk in the city you had become quite the popular figure thanks to your defeat of Unwin. The people had even given you a variety of nicknames and titles, the most popular of which was...
Choose a Title
[] [Title] Rhaenyra The Silver
[] [Title] Rhaenyra The Dragon Knight
[] [Title] Rhaenyra The Bold
[] [Title] Rhaenyra The Falcon
[] Write-in (Subject to QM Approval)
Once you were rested and your shoulder stopped screaming at you at last, it was time to depart. And here was where you had to take your leave of most of your group for the time being. The North was the largest of any kingdom and Winterfell was quite a ways away from White Harbor, to say nothing of Castle Black. Traveling there by carriage would have added another month, perhaps even two to the Progress for very little gain. So, it was decided that while your retinue would begin traveling towards the Twins to the south, you would head to Winterfell on Dragonback, cutting months down to a matter of days. You would have to travel light, but thankfully Syrax had grown to the point she could easily hold two people. The only question was who would you take with you?
Who Will Travel With Rhaenyra to Winterfell and Castle Black?
[] [Travel] Alicent Hightower
Even beyond her lack of desire to fly on Syrax, Alicent has refused to go North with you on the grounds that while the two of you had convinced people crowning her was simply a platonic gesture, the two of you traveling together alone on dragon back so soon afterwards would just raise too many questions.
[] [Travel] Ser Raylon Tarly
The thought of traveling by dragon seems to have done the impossible and made your sworn shield visibly uneasy. Nevertheless, Ser Raylon has assured you he would be more than willing to travel with you if requested.
[] [Travel] Gwayne Hightower
Gwayne has said he will gladly travel with you north and act as your temporary shield for a time. Though you get the feeling there's more to this than simply honor and good manners.
[] [Travel] Steffon Redfort
Steffon just wants to ride on a Dragon
[] [Travel] Rhea Royce
Despite being married to Daemon for years, apparently your uncle never once allowed Rhea even near his dragon, much to her frustration. She also thinks Winterfell might provide her a good chance to pick out a new husband. QM's Note: Yeah being knighted by Manderly himself was not an option, knighting Rhaenyra is simply too big a deal for anyone to feel comfort doing it instead of Viserys. Make no mistake Rhaenyra's actions at the tourney, combined with previous actions during the Progress, have presented about the best argument you could hope for making Rhaenyra a knight. Dice and drugs have really been in favor so far. I was originally going to cover Viserys' reaction in this update but I was convinced it created an awkward flow, so we're gonna wait a little bit to hear what the King has to say about the Tourney. If you're wondering why I mentioned the money, there's stuff you'll be able to do with it in time. Image chosen because the Knight of the Laughing Tree is pretty close to what I imagine The Silver Falcon looked like.
Feels the most fitting, both due to our mother and the mystery name we used.
[X] [Travel] Gwayne Hightower
We really need to talk about a few things and this is a golden opportunity where we are have absolute privacy to do so.
[X] [Travel] Rhea Royce
While I'd prefer Gwayne, I'm approval voting Rhea since she is firmly in our corner, so her making alliances in the North will help us too. Also, we wanted to hunt together and Winterfell would be great opportunity for that.
@Teen Spirit , also you don't seem to have updated the Prowess text/etc. Though you could just be waiting to do a full rework, so don't worry if that's the case!
@Teen Spirit , also you don't seem to have updated the Prowess text/etc. Though you could just be waiting to do a full rework, so don't worry if that's the case!
Next time we fight Cole, we should talk about how insecure of his manhood he Is. He defeated Rhaenyra fair during the Kingdguard trials and the Meele. And he was next to winning in the Joust
And yet, if losing against the heir of the Iron Throne boils his blood, well...
PS: Next Time Rhaenyra writes a poem for her Fair Maiden Is going be sweet enough to cause caries
[X] [Title] Rhaenyra The Falcon
Voting for it cause of sentimental reasons, also cause it would have certainly been the ephithet we would have gotten if we'd kept being the Silver Falcon and I wanna pay homage to that, but I'm also a bastard and think that if Viserys hears Rhaenyra is being called a Falcon like an Arryn it will remind him more of Aemma and he'll be more lenient.
[X] [Travel] Gwayne Hightower
Long overdue conversation about Alicent we need to have.
[X] [Travel] Rhea Royce
We've been neglecting her and since she's our ally, her gaining more allies is a good thing for us too.
