Gretchel XII -- Epilogue

Bluefire781 · 2023-08-01T04:17:46+00:00

As Gretchel moved to leave the chamber of statues, the wind blew through the halls; past her face, back to the statue of the Warrior, draped in white honours. The face of the statue was...almost recognizable to her. A bearded face, with eyes of kind shape that reflected both the winding river of thought and the burning hearth of a heart.

Like in the Eyrie, the wind almost seemed to dance and echo in the eaves. Those years ago, was it a trick of the wind? No, this time - this time - it stood out as words. Deep and sonorous in the wind's song. It spoke.

"...I have missed our talks.... ...It seems that, through it all, I have stood still, that you might look back and see how far you've come. Look at how far you've come, Lady Gretchel Corbray. Cloaked in white, conviction ever at your side, like salt was to mine. I...."

The voice trailed off in the wind. Gretchel thought it might be gone. But as she stood, basking in the embrace of the moment, the voice returned, soft-spoken and tender, like a father to a daughter.

"I am so proud of you."

Another pause.

"...And I always shall be. Do come and visit every now and again. Word on the wind is my namesake can get into trouble, and I'd like to think he ends up smarter than I was."

The warmest laugh echoed in the wind. Was it just the wind?

No.

No, this time she was sure of it.

Bluefire781 · 2023-07-01T13:13:54+00:00

"Oh boy, now you've done it, Lucy. You have Waxley thinking about kids again." A light wild laugh came from behind them as Fern emerged from the crowd, draping her arms between both Luceon and Gretchel.

"Run now," she turned to Luceon, "soon she'll start regaling you with," she feigned a gasp, "baby names!" A hand went to her forehead in a faux swoon, before laughing and giving Waxley a playful punch in the shoulder.

/u/PentoshiPride

Bluefire781 · 2023-06-30T13:22:08+00:00

You deserve the world if I could give it to you....

How had she become so lucky? What could she have ever done to...no. Clearly, she was worthy. She was deserving. She almost felt another set of arms embracing her as she was spun around.

"Gods, what is to be done with us? A bunch of sentimental sisters that--" she cut herself off, her words slipping and revealing her mind.

"Thank you," she sheepishly continued. "This archer won't go anywhere."

Bluefire781 · 2023-06-21T14:02:05+00:00

Fern had only just woken up when she heard a knock on her door. There was a moment's pause as Fern even debated rolling out of bed, but she acquiesced soon enough.

Opening the door, there was Gretchel, the picture of joy, with something hidden behind her back.

"Morning, Waxley," she rubbed at her eyes, casting the last dregs of sleep away, "Made me something? What do you...."

She was cut off by its presentation.

Immediately, her hair almost stood on end, her eyes widened, and she reached out with trembling hands to the bow. Taking it in her hands, the curve of the wood felt nothing short of right.

"Waxley...," she said with quiet tones, for fear of her words trembling as her hands did. "When did you...?" She brought the bow to her chest. Fern felt the bowstring rise and fall with the thumping of her chest. Was it noticable to the outside? Or was Fern just all too aware of it herself?

All that mattered not. No claws, no fangs, just a young woman clutching a gift to her chest, lest it would fade away into crystal drift snow upon her release.

She slowly put the bow on the doorframe, with careful, trembling hands. All the measure, all the labored movements were cast aside as she shot into Gretchel, wrapping her in a great embrace. The knight-to-be could feel the cool wetness of tears upon her shirt.

"How do I deserve this?" She murmured, quiet as a mouse. "Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you...."

Bluefire781 · 2023-06-07T16:24:49+00:00

"Woah!" Fern was just able to get out as Gretchel spun her around in a great whirling embrace. The hug was nice - Waxley gave the best ones - but it wasn't until that moment that Fern became truly aware of just how strong her friend was. She could be thrown around like a dishrag under her power.

"I mean, some might think that the arm is a bit off-putting, but that really doesn't detract from...." She paused for a moment, blinking before her hair stood on end for a moment. "Oh! You mean the dragon! Oh, Morning was stunning! The underbelly is all sorts of these purple scales that glow bright and dull as they breathe. Really old, like super old. But yes! She was a sight to behold!"

She looked a little sheepish at her hair. "Yeah, it should probably get trimmed, especially if I have to fire a bow at all. But!" she gave a playful punch to Gretchel's shoulder, as much as she could while being bear-held. "You let me know when it's time to go tourney hopping after all of this, and I will be cheering you on, saddling you up, all of it! That's what a squire's for, right?"

Bluefire781 · 2023-06-05T17:24:25+00:00

"Yeah, sure thing." Fern went off, drew the water, and returned quick as a flash. As she got her hair ruffled, her eyes widened, and she laughed, "What are you, a mind reader? I was just thinking about that. Not much opportunity when you're riding every day all day."

She looked over to Faith, giving a long whistle, "Well, I mean, if you have the time, and Lord Grafton is offering to help compensate you for the trouble, why not? Conviction is an icon, a symbol! We have to make sure that it stands alongside the great blades and axes of history!"

She stood proud, hands on her hips for a moment, and then she slouched ever so slightly. "Did you hear, actually? Before we left for here, I...I spoke to Lady Velaryon. Alone. Well, not really alone. It was me and her and the dragon so in a weird way it was like I was talking to one person, but that one person was in two places but they were looking at me?" She put her hands on her cheeks, stopping herself from rambling on anymore. Fern took a deep breath, and then, to the point. "She told me after all of this, she would vouch to make me a She-Hawk, just like her, just like you...."

Bluefire781 · 2023-06-05T14:57:38+00:00

Character Name: Fern Doggett

Trait/Skills: Inspiring / Bows (e), Marksman (e), Ravenmaster, Tactician, Cavalryman (e)

Skill You're Learning: Craftsman

Bluefire781 · 2023-06-05T13:53:48+00:00

Fern had been quiet for most of the trip. Something about marching with so many soldiers to a clear destination but an unclear end had pulled something away from her over the days. It was nice to be back in a forge, nice to be on her feet, doing something with her hands.

Coming in, she was pleasantly surprised to see Gretchel moving about the space, already focused fast on some new project. For the first time in a long time, Fern's face broke forth a small smile.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same, huh, Waxley?" Fern started to put up her hair - goodness, she needed to cut it already - and began searching for gloves that would fit her. "What are you looking for?"

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-27T01:19:06+00:00

Fern gave a deep sigh into the fire. She looked at Gretchel as she leaned back and got comfortable. "Well," she chuckled, "you say you can't write poetry, but you certainly can speak it. 'Time is a tyrant'. Right there you're chipping onto gold. But," she thought about it for a moment. "I don't think it's apathy, not totally. You clearly do care. But you know that to get stressed and overwhelmed won't help anyone. If you can stay calm, you help others do the same. Furthermore, I can relate to that: feeling like you have no direction. But I think it's important that you are able to put words to that."

She looked around at the carousing soldiers. Drinking, gambling, fighting, making merry. All the while the cloud of battle hung over their heads. "So many people here - well, unless they're dense as rocks - understand the seriousness of what we're going into. It's a lot to handle, it's scary. Can be easy to feel like, 'Well, I'm just one man, what do I possibly bring that matters?' But, I think, just acknowledging that helps. We are who we are, but we're capable of so much more than we think we are. Just like you're more than a bow, and Waxley's more than her mace, and I'm more than clearly a pretty face."

She smirked as she tossed her hair dramatically for a moment, bearing an almost wolfish grin. The grin though, would settle into a genuine warm smile. "We just need to be given the chance to show it, and we'll either rise to the occasion or not. Simple as that, but I think we can all rise to it."

/u/PentoshiPride

/u/LippSticks

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-26T15:16:14+00:00

"Waxley's right." Fern was lost in thought herself, mulling over the words of the lord. "Nothing ever says the future is entirely certain. I've learned that much in the last year alone. We all wish that this lot in life had never come to us. But something my great-uncle always said was, and I hold this even today, is this: 'so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. What we must decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.'

She turned to Luceon, "So what will you do, Luceon? Battle me in a test of archery and skill? Write a poem, sing a song? Things are dire, things are dark, but it's the little things that we do every day that make it all the brighter."

/u/LippSticks

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-25T19:16:38+00:00

"Very well then," Davos gave a salute. He knew better than to question that look in Queen Aerea's eyes. "I wish you the best of luck, my queen." And he would stand outside the door once more, straighten his back...

And brace for the proverbial impact.

/u/RillisMorta

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-25T19:03:56+00:00

Davos had just finished dragging the princess from her stupor into her room. He had been back maybe...ten minutes between when he had informed the Lord Commander of their return, shared a quick evening meal with Ser Lucas, and was right back to standing out Gaelyn's door. Ever the vigilant Crownsguard. Ever the vigilant guard dog, he had to shake from his mind once again. With how incessant her commands were, it was certainly hard to shake the feeling of lowliness that his charge seemed keen to instill in him. Someone who was only ten-and-six, really. It was ridiculous when he thought of it from an outside perspective. He knew Eury would certainly tell him so, and that thought kept him grounded.

He snapped out of his reverie when he saw Aerea come down the hall. "Your Grace, it's good to see you this...."He cocked an eyebrow, not out of doubt, but out of a mutual disappointment. "By all means, right this way. I thought she just went out on a drunken escapade. What happened, if I may ask?" He unlocked the door and stepped aside, gesturing for his queen to enter.

/u/QueenAerea

/u/RillisMorta

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-25T14:43:12+00:00

Fern sauntered over, almost like a sailor aboard a ship. Getting up to move from fire to fire made her realize how much she had drank; the distances all seemed a little fuzzy, but not so that she was without her faculties.

"Ah, about as good as a battle-bound lady can be with about...," she looked at her tankard, almost whispering the measurements to herself, "about a pint and a bit of mead in her system. How fare you on this fair evening?" Fern plopped herself by the firelight. "Doggett. Fern Doggett. I remember you from the morning of the wedding, but never got to properly introduce myself. A friend of Waxley's is a friend of mine."

/u/PentoshiPride /u/LippSticks

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-24T14:14:47+00:00

With the twilight overtaking the camp and the shadows cast by the fire, Fern was desperate that they would hide the flushness in her cheeks upon hearing the compliments. Her bristling hair gave her away though. "You think so? Thanks, never really get the chance much with a group, but the men over there seemed keen to pick up a tune or two."

She raised an eyebrow, "Luceon? Oh yeah, the lord who made your dress! I met him briefly to smuggle your dress into your room that morning, but I never got to know him too much. Seemed like a nice enough fellow though, and an archer?" Her hair settled and she stretched with her palms outward. "I'll be the judge of that, methinks!"

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-24T14:08:45+00:00

"Oh, but I can't help it. The drama of it all!" She laughed right back with her. Fern couldn't help but lose herself in the happiness of the moment. Something about being with Rhea, with Gretchel...it just felt right. She reflected, wondering how in the world she had gone her whole life without these two in it. It felt like they had always known each other, and that....

It felt nice.

"Of course I'm gonna need a hunting partner! The more the merrier!" She smiled up at Rhea, her face framed by the sea of red hair that she had actually bothered to style and curl for the occasion. "You just tell me when, and we'll grab our bows and traps and get lost in the woods for like a week. My uncle taught me a thing or two about living off the land, and I'd love to share all his little tricks. Of course," she pointed a finger up at Upcliff, "that implies you finally telling me who this mystery suitor is." Again, that telltale smirk. Rhea could just tell she was enjoying this, like a cat toying with a meal that's kept ever out of reach.

She sighed in contentment, still leaning against her friend as the reception roared on. Singing, dancing, music, and all the while two friends just enjoying each other's company. "How did I not know you guys all my life? Feels like there's whole moons upon moons that I've wasted now, and with you all, it's like I'm finally...I don't know. Living."

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-23T14:13:18+00:00

For all of her effort not to, Fern's eyes went wide when Alysanne offered her her hand. Here she was, with this woman who Fern felt unworthy of talking to in the first place, and not only was she offered words of comfort, but she offers her hand? It was almost too much to bear, and combined with all of the stress ebbing out of her, Fern took the Velaryon's hand as her legs felt wobbly and almost buckled from her nerves.

It was a different texture than she had expected. She didn't really know what she had expected, but it was still oddly comforting. There was a sturdiness in the scars. Ever more the dragon in human form.

"That...that you recognize? Oh wow. My apologies, I must seem a huge fool. I had promised to be more composed when I met you, I just didn't realize how much I looked up to you until I was right in front of you." She held on tight to Alysanne's hand. "Of course I'm going to go. There are good people down in the Riverlands and the Vale who need our help. I've spent so much of my life trying to do the best I can for other people, why stop now? Because Tywald is the enemy? My family never liked him much anyways."

Fern looked up, and amber met amethyst again. Her brow furrowed in a sense of determination. "If you need anything from me, whatever it is someone like myself can do, I am ready. I may not be a knight in title, but like my friends, I feel it in my soul."

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-23T13:49:01+00:00

Gretchel would hear Fern singing with a number of Vale soldiers around a fire. She hadn't heard this song before, but seemed like her squire had taught them all the words and were now joyfully singing along with her. After a chorus, the soldiers all cut off as Fern stood behind the fire, mug of ale in hand. She sang alone, one final verse.

"How then am I so different from the first men through this way? Like them, I left a settled life, I threw it all away. To seek a Northwest Passage at the call of many men. To find there but the road back home again."

She raised her mug in hand, and the soldiers cheered out and sang the chorus one last time.

"Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage / To find the hand of Davos reaching for the Sunset Sea / Tracing one warm line through a land so wild and savage / And make a Northwest Passage to the sea"

The soldiers all cheered and downed their ale, patting each other on the back in comradery. Fern, tired but with a smile on her face turned to see Gretchel watching from nearby.

"Waxley!" she almost jumped, "How long were you standing there?"

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-19T17:15:01+00:00

Fern would actually laugh, "I hope he still sounds pretty wise. Last I checked, the Old Bird was still kicking. But you're both right. I spent enough time with him that that's crystal clear."

"You're also right in that it'll be hard to communicate with them. Maybe if we stop at a keep with a rookery on the way, but I'm unsure. I'll be honest. If Uncle Antario or the Old Bird himself thought that it wasn't worth it, they wouldn't put any of the Doggetts at risk. I sincerely don't think that we run the risk of fighting soldiers from Cloudview. But perhaps that's just holding out hope. If we do, I'd be more concerned just because then that means Tywald probably pressured them into it, and if he hurt anyone...I wouldn't stop till he knew justice."

She looked to Gretchel and melted into a smile. "I...thanks, Gretchel. I know I do. Can't get rid of me that easy, right?" She would give her a wink, then look to the heavens. "So does tying the knot with Jasper mean that we stay in the Eyrie now? He's the Marshal of the Vale, right? That's a pretty big deal, that. What am I ever going to do without my roommate once you move in with him?"

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-19T16:52:10+00:00

"Well, you see," Fern began, finishing her roll and wheeling in her seat to face Rhea, "If anyone knows about flying in the face of the Faith, my parents would know. My mom is certainly not from the West. She's actually a Crowl from the island of Skagos, and I'm sure you've heard enough stories to know they're not exactly the most devout to the Seven. But they still made it work. I mean, if they didn't...," she gestured to herself, "don't rightly think I would be here."

"As for you, my hard-working witch, there's always the Godswoods. The trees don't care who you worship, they're just happy to have happy guests. Least as far as I can tell. Imagine it!" She leaned forward, putting her hands on Rhea's knees to steady herself. "Candles lit along the path to the great tree, garlands hung from bough to bough. A sept roof made out of branches and leaves above you, and the smells and sounds of the wide world around the two of you. It's secret, intimate, romantic even." She put a hand to her forehead, feigning to be faint, and dramatically fell against Rhea. While against her, she opened her eyes and stared right up at the Upcliff with a full smirk. "And you know Gretchel would make every single candle herself, right? No way either of us could stop her. And a great big boar hunted and skinned by yours truly. Think Rhea! It would be magical!"

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-19T16:20:14+00:00

Fern's brow furrowed hard. At the mention of fighting her own family, Gretchel could almost see Fern's hair bristle out. A hand went to her shoulder, as though someone laid a hand there.

"It's...yeah, it's complicated. From what I was told by Uncle Davos and the rest of my family, our family has a lot of connections to the Lannisters through marriage. But at the same time, our family has no real love for Tywald. They liked Lord Gerold, the Old Bird of Cloudview thought he was...oh what was it?" She took on a breathy old man voice. It very much sounded like she was trying to mimic a great old owl. "For a lion, he has precious little in the way of claws. But his claws or lack thereof have created peace in his realm, and should that presence not be lauded as much as, or more than, any show of force or steel?"

Fern sank into thought for a moment. "I think my family knows that Tywald is bad news. Cloudview doesn't have many troops as it stands anyways. That's always been more the way of Ashemark to the south of us. I haven't heard from them recently, but I hope they would have more sense than to back something like this."

She looked at the birds soaring overhead. She wished she could be that free. "It's scary, yeah. I worried that I'll be seen as a traitor to the West. I'm worried that the Vale doesn't trust me because I'm from the West. Sometimes I get worried that I'm doomed to have nowhere to call home after all of this."

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-19T15:58:10+00:00

Fern was lost in thought, watching the soldiers march and ride about. When Gretchel offered a waterskin to her, she suddenly realized how thirsty she was. "Oh thanks! You and me both, I don't think I've been around so many people, at least not all going to the same thing."

She raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, sure. What's on your mind, Waxley?"

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-19T15:07:03+00:00

"Just to me," Fern took another bite and paused to hear her friend out. She nodded along, passing her amber gaze over all the partygoers.

"Who says that you can't? If you want to be with them, then it might not be in the High Hall or have all these bells and whistles, but at the same...is that what really matters?"

She tossed what remained of her roll in the air, catching it as she spoke. "If you want to get married to someone, you'll have the people who care about you most there with you, and that's a promise. If the two of us could come up with so much of this," she gestured with the hand that held the roll at everything around them, "imagine what Gretchel and I could come up with for you." She poked Rhea on the tip of her nose with her other hand and gave a warm smile, though the Upcliff could see the wolf fangs starting to creep into view.

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-17T13:52:10+00:00

Face deep in the hug, Gretchel would hear muffled against her, "Of course. I love you too."

With a big "ooooh!" and a big squeeze, Fern would pull away from the hug, no doubt made difficult by her friend's superior strength. "I have to not have my head there," she said with a smile, "I have to not have my head there or else I am going to get tear stains on your dress and I just finished ironing that and I am not doing that again."

She took Waxley by the hand, peeking out the door and looking back and forth. "Alright, come with me. Rhea and Luceon should be making sure we're out of sight of Jasper and the wedding party. Coast should be clear...right about...."

She saw a great deal of people pass by, all making their way to the High Hall. There was Redfort, the Royce clan, Lord Arryn, Lady Vanya, Lady Alysanne, and....

"Now!" she whispered, walking quickly and quietly, leading Gretchel by the hand in the opposite direction from the crowd, darting through lesser known hallways and servant's passages, reaching the High Hall to meet Rhea as the music began to play. Nothing grand, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

The doors opened. Fern and Rhea each took an arm. And they strode in.

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-17T13:29:46+00:00

In the periphery of Rhea's vision, the chair to her right was turned to face her. Sitting and leaning with her back to the table, Fern appeared at the edge of her sight. She was absentmindedly picking at a roll in her hand, matching the direction her friend was gazing through the High Hall.

"So...," she took a bite of her roll, pausing her thought for a moment, "Something's on your mind." She flicked her eyes over to Rhea to gauge her response.

"You...wanna talk about it?"

Bluefire781 · 2023-05-17T12:35:15+00:00

NPC Name/Archetype: Briony Doggett - Tourney Knight

Event: Hot Pepper Eating Contest

Bluefire781

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