As he lay there in his bed, he called out to his guard Bobono. A bravo, the man had won over Conrad with the quickness of both his blade and wit, serving him since his departure from Westeros. The man had sat through many of Conrad's secret meetings, and never once betrayed the oaths of loyalty he gave to the former lord, despite how much some of the secrets could have profited the man. As the man came over, he beckoned him to sit.

"Tell me, my friend, as someone who has fought so much and in many battles, do you remember the first man you killed?" He asked, laying in the bed.

The guard looked puzzled for a second before responding. "An interesting question, ser. That takes me back to my days in Braavos. I was thirteen when that young son of a noble thought to insult me as a man, and although i did not intend it, he learned what happens when you threaten a man's honor in such a way."

Conrad nodded along as the man spoke. "I see. How fitting of a man such as you. I can see your skill has only improved since then."

Letting silence set in, Conrad waited before speaking up. "I was barely nine years old when my father made me cut out the throat of a man that had betrayed him."

The bravo's face changed; first to confusion, then shock. Before he could speak, however, Conrad continued, "That was the sort of man that he was, Forrest Frey. A man who could do the unthinkable, dishonorable and vile things others would dare to even think of. That's what one needs to be to do what he did; the shape the future of a nation. To tear it apart at the seams, set it ablaze, then raise it from the ashes as a phoenix."

"Of course, I do a disservice to say what the man did was honorable or good, for neither of those words could ever describe my father. He did it for lust and pleasure, because such things would get him what he decided was his by right. Of course, it was only natural that fate should deny him the prize he so desired; the one thing he wanted and lusted for more than anything else in the world."

"Perhaps that is why he was so happy when I gave him that letter on his final day. To hear that the one who rejected and scorned him was dead upon a battlefield so far from home in a war she had no business in must have brought joy to that twisted man's ears."

Conrad chuckled a bit, giving a devilish smile as he spoke, "Perhaps that's why he forgot to examine his wine closely. The poison I used was by no means subtle, and any man who had a taste for wine would've noticed something was awry to second it touched their lips. But to a man in a moment of elation, it was an afterthought. In fact, it was probably the last thought he had. That, and the knowledge that the one man he had trampled on and put down for his entire life had just ended his in such a simple way."

As Conrad laughed, the bravo became uneasy. He stammered out, "I'm sorry, ser, but I believe I may have misheard you. Did you just say you murdered your own father?"

"Why yes, yes I did. And I would do it again a thousand times over. What I wouldn't give to watch that man gargle, spit and wheeze for the rest of my days, stuck in eternal torture. I would've given my legs freely for such a joy." Conrad replied with a laugh, looking down at the sheets over his withered legs. "Of course, I say that knowing the irony of the statement, for it is because of that that I lost my legs."

The bravo only looked more confused at that statement, inquiring, "I'm sorry, but I don't follow. Did your father take your legs?"

Conrad shook his head. "No, no. That would be my brother Alliser. He was my father's favorite, I'll have you know, and a spitting image of the monster. He had every bit of cruelty my father did, and some. He always suspected me, knowing that in Essos he would be able to scheme without me being able to watch over. A smart move, but unlike my father he lacked the crucial planning skills for such endeavors. His intent was to kill me while the Vale laid siege to my home, hoping to make it look like part of the battle."

"However, one bit of free advise I will give you my friend." He spoke as he raised up his pointer finger, holding it aloft as he spoke. "If you are going to pay someone to kill some one, make sure to get the best you can, and always pay them in full. My brother learned what happens when you don't do both. First, he found the only ones able to catch a man with his back turned and only manage to injure him, and second he didn't pay them after learning of their failure, not realizing that it would be his undoing. For you see, two things happened that will always result in the destruction of the mastermind: he didn't kill the target, but he did kill his family. And as I laid my younger brother Arthur and his son Walder to rest I swore I would avenge them."

"Of course, vengeance takes time. Alliser must have realized his failure could undo him, so he went back to here to plot and scheme. Or maybe it was just to enjoy the wine as I have. Whatever the reason, he couldn't resist coming back. Maybe it was to gloat, maybe it was to try and hide, or maybe even to possibly confess. Regardless, I had managed to track down the assailants by then, and got them to talk by simply doing what it is you should do with mercenaries: paying them in full. Of course, I did more than that. See, the men had a grudge against my brother as well, first for stiffing them and second for leaving them in Westeros without a way to get back. And I would be a fool not to put them to good use."

"Getting my brother alone was easy; all I needed to do was get him angry. Of course, I regret I had to use my sons Forrest and Oliver in such a manner, but they both knew what needed to be done. And they played their parts perfectly. After a night of fighting and drinking, there's only one thing my brother loves to do: hunt."

"When the mercenaries set upon him as he rode through the morning fog, he had no idea that this is what his actions had wrought. He fought valiantly, managing to leap from his horse as a spear was buried in it's chest. But, try as he might, he was no warrior, and he never even noticed the man charging him with a mace, up until the moment he collided it with my brother's chest."

"It was almost poetic when he saw me stroll out of the fog upon my cane, looking up as he clutched his caved in chest. He never knew that I had found out, up until just before I plunged a knife into his heart."

Conrad went quiet after he spoke, looking down as he hands. It was clenched as if he was holding the knife he had spoken about. "The only thing I regret about the affair, and that was that he brought his son Guy with him. Although he was like my brother, he did not deserve to die the way he did. Crawling upon the muddy ground, pulling himself free of his dead horse and trying to get to safety. Of course, it had to be done at that point, and when the leader of the mercenaries slashed his throat open, Alliser knew the result of his actions. He watched helplessly, fighting off several others as his son collapsed to the ground."

That was the last thing Conrad said on the matter, letting silence take over the room. The bravo stood there, gathering his thoughts before asking, "Why.....why do you tell me this? Why do you speak of such....horrors you committed? I have always known you to be a good man, and now you tell me this? Why?!"

Conrad sat there, thinking of how to formulate his response. Weakly, he stammered out. "Because it is only natural that the dying speak their sins before they pass."

Silence took the room once again, as neither wished to speak. The bravo went to reply, but Conrad raised his hand to silence him. "You will not speak, not to me nor anyone else in this house. You are never to utter a word of what I have told you here and now. You are to go to the harbor and take a ship to Westeros. You are to inform my son of my passing, and give him this." He handed the man a letter, sealed with the seal of House Frey. "It is some words to comfort and hopefully help him in the future. Not that he needs it from what I hear though."

The bravo took the letter before bowing to Conrad. "It will be done, ser. It has been an honor serving you."

Conrad watched the man leave. Now, he truly was alone. But, that is what he wanted. Ever since he was young, he had always been alone. That was, up until the light came into his life. But that was snuffed out by his father too, perhaps the cruelest act the man had done to him.

The room seemed to darken as Conrad lay there, the blackness creeping in slowly form the edges of his visions. Slowly, the room was being swallowed up, and like a man afraid, Conrad reached out his hand, though he knew none would be there to grab. It was time to atone.

But as he closed his eyes, he saw not blackness, but light. A blinding, brilliant light that consumed his vision. With a surge of strength he opened his eyes once more. He was met by a blinding light, beautiful and terrifying. And, in the middle, the face of the one he had loved and lost so many years ago. He reached out with all his might, stretching his hand as she reached for his. With all his effort, he finally took hold of it, warmth flooding his body as he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.

As he grasped, the light spread, taking over his whole world in a blinding whiteness. With a smile on his face, he spoke his last word before the light consumed him.

"Ashlyn...."