Lord of the Crossing Game Thread (Turn IV)

[King Saul]

Stevron I:

Stevron Frey sighed tiredly, thinking of things, he was happy with the visit of his brother Emmon although he also asked himself if there was a bigger reason or not ...... Stevron looked briefly at his children and grandchildren ..... he knew that most of them were a disappointment or a problem, but he had to make sure that his father Lord Walder still relied on his planks, so many relatives did not make things easy on the future succession in the Twins ... he had to prepare yourself and your family for the future .

Stevron, going to his sleeping quarters, said to himself:

"It's time for me to think about some things ..."

[King Saul]

Ser Stevron's reflections were interrupted by the wobbling figure of Maester Brenett, introducing three visitors to the Twins eager to take up a moment of the heir's time. Two had ridden from Riverrun, and one from much further afield.

The Rivermen were recognisable to Ser Stevron at once - his good-son, Ser Dafyn Vance, a small and querulous man, and Lord Tully's master-at-arms, Ser Desmond Grell. It was immediately evident that Vance had come upon the Crakehall business, but Grell held his peace till he could gain a more private hearing.

The third guest was a Valeman with a gift, Ser Harlan Hunter of Longbow Hall, with a cask of his father Lord Hunter's excellent wine brought by a serving-man behind him. Ser Harlan, as he made haste to remind Ser Stevron, was a close kinsman of the heir's eldest grandson's wife. It seemed he had some matter of tolls and duties to discuss, wanting to pay House Frey in kind while the Hunter wine flowed unimpeded down the rest of the Trident. He was not the first Valeman to make such a suggestion, but the quickest to come in person...

Knowing he would not be like to attain his hopes at once, Ser Harlan proved full of gossip. It seemed he had broken his journey a day or two's ride since at the Bucket, a once derelict inn now glowing warm and bustling again - but apparently a hearth where dangerous men were easily found, the sort of men who offered to rid one of a foe for a handful of stags...and some of them frog eaters from the Neck into the bargain...

***

Ser Stevron thanked the Maester and addressed the three men:

"It's good to see you around here ... although I suppose each of you will want to have a private conversation with me right?"

Ser Stevron turned to his good-son Ser Dafyn Vance and then to his other guests:

"I'll talk to Ser Dafyn first if it's not a problem for you two to wait a little."

[King Saul]

[quote author=Garlan Gunter

But Ser Dafyn, unlike Ser Desmond Grell, scarcely seemed to mind the presence of witnesses, even, mayhaps, to welcome them.

"Don't you see, good-father, this is my - our - best, only chance! If I am to die anything other than a household knight at Atranta with an empty purse and too many children, some of those Crakehall lands are the only solution! Let the Westermen know I'm perfectly willing to change our name to Lydden, or Crakehall, or whatever they will, and to move to the West for good, if they only...do right by my lady Maegelle," he concluded with a pompous note and a release of foetid breath.

"As to my good-brother Jinglebell, of course, no one need take any notice of his claim, I hope you agree. He is hardly like to prove a great western noble, for all his, hur hur, endearing qualities..."


[/quote]

Ser Stevron envisage Sor Dafyn:

"I would appreciate it if you did not talk about my son in this way, Ser Dafyn, about this issue of the claims in the Westerlands  ..... I'm thinking about what's most advantageous in this case, I suppose Maegelle's claim is the best considering everything .. ...... but I'm still thinking, I can not give you a definitive answer yet, but I do not think you need to worry too much about this issue "

[King Saul]

Ser Dafyn grunted and retired, evidently assured he had received the most hopeful answer he was likely to extract for the time being, and mindful, also, of his good-father's rebuke. While Hunter stood at a distance making casual enquiries of the maester, Grell took the chance to rush up close to Ser Stevron in the shadowiest portion of the chamber.

"My lord of Frey, Lord Tully values your personal safety next to his own, and has reason to believe it may soon be under threat. I have come with a dozen of Riverrun's best men-at-arms, and silver for their fodderage and maintenance. My lord insists that you allow me and my men to guard your movements until we receive more favourable tidings."

"I would like to be surprised by this, but I am not ..... tell Lord Hoster that I am really thankful for his consideration of me and that if possible I will make up for it in the future .... this protection can be extended to my heirs? "

Quickly Ser Stevron whispers to Sor Desmond:

"Do you know which side of the family the threat comes from, and I do not think Black Walder will need to be protected, I'm sure my... dearest grandchild knows how to defend himself without protection."

[King Saul]

Grell's purple-veined features flushed darker as he leaned in to mutter a name close into Ser Stevron's ear - the very same name they were a moment later astonished to hear bellowed at the other side of the chamber, by the hearth where the maester and the Vale knight still lingered.

"It's Lame Lothar," Bastard Walder cried out in his harsh drill-yard's thunder of a voice; he had burst into the room mailed, as usual. "Perilous sick, they say, on a sudden, too sick for his duties. You'd best hurry along, maester. I don't like your prospects if the cripple bites it, he's dear enough to our lord father."

The maester bustled out leaving utter confusion in his wake, and on nowhere more clearly than the florid face of Ser Desmond Grell.

***

Sor Stevron looked at Ser Desmond Grell's expression and understood and whispered to him:

"Thank you for the information Ser Desmond, I think I understood by your expression who you are, thank Lord Hoster for me"

With that, Sor Stevron approached the Knight of the Vale to see what he had to say...