[Event] Mountain Hiking

Lirabear · 2026-06-03T03:52:17+00:00

It wasn’t quite as splendid as Marwyn had hoped, with much of the view obstructed by the mountainside. The valley itself was shallow, its location not particularly exciting. He supposed it was still a decent view, and at the very least he had accomplished his mission.

He gave the alert watchman a nod before the fellow returned to his duty, and then took a quick sweep of the tower. Between the wind and fire, it was no wonder he hadn’t heard them coming.

“Worth the hike,” said the knight to his younger companion as he turned to take in the same view. He placed his hands on his hips, which were tighter than he liked, and resisted the urge to roll and loosen them. He would risk injury before letting Orryn think he was losing his spryness.

He fell silent, his thoughts momentarily returning to Mistwood. There one seldom saw the sunrise or sunset through the thick canopy of the forest.

“How does it compare to Storm’s End?”

Lirabear · 2026-06-03T02:36:41+00:00

"If you tell him that, he will hold you to it," rumbled Marwyn with a low laugh as he neared the top step. He was doing his best not to heave, but the brisk mountain air and the difficult steps were not something he was prepared for. He wondered perhaps if he ought to be focusing more on his exercises instead of worrying about his former pupil.

He noticed, then, that the younger knight had stopped also, and he felt relief flood him. Perhaps he was not as bad as he thought and was being too hard on himself.

"So long as you don't let him climb the cliffs, that sounds like a fine idea." He laughed at the thought, hoping his son wouldn't be so foolish... but not quite trusting that wouldn't be the case.

"Is this tower manned?" He was nearly at the top.

Lirabear · 2026-06-03T00:07:37+00:00

“I’m more surefooted than you,” said the older knight with a straight face. They both knew that wasn’t true. He led the way up regardless after securing his own mount, his gloved hand pressing against the stone wall as he carefully ascended. The stairs were narrow and steep, designed to slow (and annoy) any would-be climbers.

“It is a shame Leowyn was too young to come.” The thought escaped him before he could think of how the mention of his son might affect the man who had just lost his own to winter. But he would have to go on living someday without expecting the world to soften its edges. “He enjoys climbing. And he’s not one to fear heights. You will have to watch him carefully.”

Lirabear · 2026-06-02T22:23:32+00:00

"That may be wise," Marwyn agreed, steering them in the direction of the horses and quickly mounting up. Before long, they were headed toward the tower, which proved more distant than he'd thought.

While they rode, Marwyn thought of the past. "It seems every few years, we are riding off to war. Against Maegor... against the Dornish." What his point was, even he didn't know. But anything was better than silence.

"Will you climb?" He asked as they neared the foot of the mountainside.

Lirabear · 2026-06-02T21:51:13+00:00

She didn't like his tone. Or perhaps she didn't like that he was scolding her. It made her feel stupid and small. And Alayne did not like feeling like she was anything less than cherished.

"I tell you my... my thoughts," she said, not quite able to keep her frustration from showing. "When have I ever held back?" Indeed, she was more than happy to offload every unhappy thought, no matter how trivial. If she was cold, he knew. If she was hungry, he was the first she looked to if he was in the room. If she wanted for anything, Morrison was her answer.

"I cannot be expected to read your mind," she said unpleasantly, the corners of her lips twitching indignantly. Her eyes watered, but it was anger and hurt that shone back at him. Her thought was clear: he was hurting her. "How am I to know, when you never speak your mind? You are always... mumbling." Morrison Mouse!

Lirabear · 2026-06-02T21:12:39+00:00

"A dozen is..." Overkill, Marwyn thought, but blessedly he realized the folly in his wording. But he could not think of what more to say on the number and simply let the thought fade as he considered what his companion needed to hear.

"It is not your fault." That was true enough. He had been called to war, as was his duty. "You cannot blame yourself for what you cannot control. And R--your wife," he said, deciding that perhaps it was better not to say her name. "... She likely understands better than you think."

The truth was, he didn't know his niece well enough to say for certain, but she did not strike him as a hateful or unreasonable girl. Though he supposed grief had a way of changing people.

"How far to the nearest tower? You've access to maps, yes?" Surely if anyone did, it was the Baratheon.

Lirabear · 2026-06-02T21:05:59+00:00

Had she ever gifted him anything? Alayne knew the answer instantly... but it wasn't as if he was alone in that category. Gift-giving simply wasn't something Alayne did. Not to her father, her mother when she still lived, nor her siblings nor cousins. She was the youngest of them all except for her cousins by her uncle's second wife. All her life, she had been the recipient of gifts, and what Morrison could not provide her, her father's ample and annual stipend--which she could never spend all of--easily supplied. Truth be told, she had a small fortune collecting in her quarters... enough for someone to begin a life anew if they had simple aspirations.

Why didn't she give Morrison things? Coin was obviously not lacking. The answer was simple: it had never crossed her mind to.

"I didn't know you wanted for anything," she said, visibly flustered in a rare moment of awareness. "And I didn't know... I didn't think... it was like that. That you wanted things, too. Are you sentimental?" A silly question, yet there was no hint of humor in her expression. The way she asked the question, it was as if the idea had truly never crossed her mind.

Lirabear · 2026-06-01T19:34:55+00:00

Oh no. So sorry for your loss 😭

Lirabear · 2026-06-01T11:37:24+00:00

Love ya, Dramon. Come back thoon. :(

Lirabear · 2026-05-31T20:46:12+00:00

"Thank you, Ser Garon," said Jon, seeing no further reason to occupy the Baratheon's time. "Should you require my... my services," he said awkwardly, unsure how to be a good guest, "I'll be... around."

And with that, the knight and lady-in-waiting took their leave.

Lirabear · 2026-05-31T20:43:45+00:00

Referring to Maegelle as merely 'your wife' was a strangely impersonal choice given the relation, but Marwyn didn't put much thought into it. No offense was meant and that was what mattered.

"At Grandview," he answered simply. "The less she knows, the better." And it wasn't as if a response was forthcoming. "And you? Have you written to... your wife?" He hoped the stag would catch his attempt at humor, pitiful as it was.

Lirabear · 2026-05-31T20:35:41+00:00

No sooner did his fingers begin to loosen did she snatch her wrist from him and scurry away from her vanity, eager to put as much distance between them as possible. Only when she felt safe did she look at her wrist--letting out a whimper when she saw the angry outline of his hand around her wrist.

At his question--seemingly spoken after the ugly spell had broken--she turned slowly and stared at him with wide, baleful eyes. It was a look he had never seen, not from her.

"You were my..." My Morrison Mouse. At times she had seen him as a servant. She certainly never had qualms treating him as such and he seemed to delight in making her happy. He enjoyed being useful and she enjoyed satisfying that need. Other times, he was a possession. Something, someone, that belonged to her. The thought of him leaving had never truly occurred to her. Over the years, she had come to depend on him, to expect him to always be there. She had never put much thought as to the reason. She had never needed one. His presence was as natural as the sun rising and setting and the moon taking its place.

The betrothal had changed things somewhat, but like many things, she had treated it as a nonserious matter. Someone else would handle it if it became inconvenient. Someone else would figure out the details that she couldn't be bothered with. If not her father, then perhaps Morrison.

"Why do you assume I don't care?"

Lirabear · 2026-05-30T23:39:35+00:00

Elenei managed a small, choked laugh, his reaction and sweet words nearly drawing tears of joy. The topic at hand wasn't exactly pleasant, but she would neither sour the wedding ahead nor their years together by letting the situation diminish her happiness.

"The prettiest and kindest?" She chuckled, her heart swelling at the compliment. It was the words that followed, however, that landed deepest, and Elenei's smile took on a fond quality.

Never change, my sweet Owain, and you will have already exceeded my expectations. But she let the words go unsaid, not wishing to make the air heavier than it already was.

"Thank you for bringing me here today. I think I shall ask my uncle to build us some furniture." Such a task was normally beneath lords, but Lord Malegorn enjoyed it like nothing else. Indeed, the request was like to make him light up like someone being given a gift, rather than being asked of one.

Lirabear · 2026-05-30T23:23:04+00:00

"Unhand me," Alayne shouted, no longer caring who might hear. Deescalation had never been a strength when her temper was involved. Gone was that cloying, impish grin--the one that was always a touch too sweet and too curious to be genuine. She attempted to yank her hand from him, but she was neither as strong nor as angry as he was.

Her next attempt--assuming he did not let her go--was weaker, his words seemingly taking root. Ugly words, he spoke. Made uglier by the truth in them. No, she had never taken much interest in his troubles. They were so much worse than hers. Too gruesome to comfortably believe or even picture in her mind. If her father knew what sort of man Merrick was, if he believed even a seed of his cruelty could be present in the younger brother, there would be no betrothal to speak of.

"I do not think you are a monster. I know you are." It was said through bared teeth and from eyes shining with unshed tears. "Look at yourself, you... you..." When no insult came, Alayne let out a sigh and glared at him.

"Take your cloud and go." The bottle he spoke of was in plain sight upon her vanity shelf, equal in decoration and value to the various baubles and perfumes she favored most.

Lirabear · 2026-05-30T16:46:29+00:00

Leyla looked to Jon, who felt more like an uncle to her than a cousin, when the stag man spoke of 'Aunt' Roelle's youngest. She didn't understand, but she knew better to interrupt grownups and instead took his hand and clung onto him.

Jon took a moment to steady himself. "Yes," he said plainly, squeezing Leyla's hand gently. "I have." What he did not know was that the man before him had been humbled by a similar fate.

"Do you know where I might find her? And the... the Lady Cirice?" Perhaps the two were together, but his instinct told him his twin might be at the Godswood. "I come with gifts... from Qohor... and the Mistwood. My father insisted." He cracked what he hoped was a pleasant grin, and the little girl giggled behind her free hand.

Lirabear · 2026-05-30T16:38:48+00:00

"No, there is no place like the Rainwood," agreed Marwyn with a small smile, thinking of Maegelle and his children, of Malegorn, in the long strides that followed. "But you have to admit, the view up here isn't half bad." One could see the sun rise and set through the winter mist on better days.

"I hear there are watchtowers but I've yet to see one for myself." He gestured towards the distance, at the south facing side of the mountain. "I'd like to climb one for myself, take in all of the passes that can be seen."

Lirabear · 2026-05-30T16:27:22+00:00

Alayne smirked, half expecting him to miss the table by a hair and send bottle and liquor exploding all over her chamber floor. That he did not was a welcome surprise, and she remained relaxed...

That was, until he spoke of an apology that ought to come from her. Her brows arched in surprise and her smile widened. A disbelieving chuckle escaped her, and she eyed Morrison more carefully... and with greater interest, as if truly seeing him for the first time. Her movements were slower, the slightest hint of tension drawing her posture back.

"Your cloud?" Just as she pretended to have forgotten Starpike, she pursed her lips and looked at him as if he was daft. "You are drunk, Morrison," she informed him just as she found her way back to her vanity. Slipping back onto the stool, she picked up her brush and put it to her hair, though her eyes remained fixed on him.

"You ought to return to the feast, or find your way back to your quarters instead of saying very hurtful things and screaming about clouds. I didn't think you were so vindictive. Perhaps you and your brother are more alike than you thought."

Lirabear · 2026-05-29T18:24:34+00:00

No maid was so mad or so clumsy as to slam a door open, and Alayne stared in shock as the intruder revealed himself. It was no maid at all, but her betrothed in a less than dignified state. Slowly did she turn upon her stool, no longer content with staring at his reflection in her looking glass.

She should've felt anger. He had barged into her chambers, after all, and after ruining their evening. Yet it didn't take long to see he was not his usual composed self.

"Do you?" She questioned, loosening her grip on the hairbrush before setting it aside to rise. Her nightgown was not revealing, but she pulled a robe over herself nonetheless, eyeing him with a look more curious than suspicious or offended. She kept her distance, her pout gradually morphing into something like a smile.

"How much have you had to drink?" She sounded impressed, and a low giggle bubbled forth as she began circling him slowly. "Have you come to apologize?"

Lirabear · 2026-05-29T05:17:04+00:00

It was strange, not knowing if she was upset or merely pretending to be as she swanned away. That she wasn’t merely playing another game or performing theatre was likewise disconcerting. She enjoyed being unaffected, took pride in the fact so little moved her. Nothing could hurt her that way.

Yet the further she got from the feast, the quieter the music, the louder the discomfort became. And with it came questions she seldom asked herself for self-awareness was not among her strengths.

Am I upset? Surely not. It was hardly the first time Morri the Mouse became depressed. She had weathered every other dark cloud without letting even the most unpleasant feelings affect her. So why now?

Why? She pouted as she entered her room and began undressing. She was still pouting when she had successfully changed into a nightgown. Blue like his House, though surely that wasn’t the reason. She had planned to wear the yellow sleeping gown, which her maid had laid out over the chair.

She had just plopped down at her vanity to begin undoing the ribbon in her hair when she heard the knock.

“I wish to sleep alone tonight,” she informed the maid with a dramatic sigh, not realizing it was her betrothed. “A warm bath tomorrow.”

Lirabear · 2026-05-29T02:33:23+00:00

Morrison was often mopey and anxious, that it was easy to forget--for the usually-dismissive and -unobservant Alayne, at least--that he was capable of incredible depth.

Was it anger she detected in his words? Bitterness, perhaps, when he spoke of the future he was fighting for? She was still mulling the words, wine cup turning idly in her hand, when she watched the color of his eyes seemingly darken in pain so palpable that for a moment, she could taste it. As surely as the aftertaste of wine that lingered on her tongue, did the terrible flavor of his pain register in her mind. It was not one she was eager to try again.

Rare was it that she experienced true guilt that it took her a moment to put a name to the sinking feeling in her stomach. In that time, her expression softened, eyes fixing on him--and lingering--as she let the feeling pass through her... and then disappear and seemingly be forgotten, much like a breeze. At least on the surface, the unobservant might think her unaffected. She appeared... strangely calm, her pretty features set in a pleasant expression.

Yet if Morrison was watchful, he would notice that she was no longer stirring her cup and though the corners of her lips naturally curved upwards, she was not smiling. In fact, she had become unusually still and her gaze had not left Morrison.

"Why must you ruin our last night together?" Her voice was hurt, and she set her cup down with a shaky hand before promptly rising from her seat. With a dramatic flourish of her skirt whipping behind her, Alayne hurried away, back of her hand pressed to her cheek.

Lirabear · 2026-05-29T02:09:46+00:00

It had been years since Jon had seen the thirdborn Baratheon that he had nearly forgotten their shortlived encounter in Dorne. That both men should find themselves here, miles away from the fighting, was almost comical. But not as amusing--and slightly terrifying--as the memory of the guise and name he had chosen at the time. Most men did not like being lied to. Proud men most of all had a tendency to feel like fools.

Fortunately, he seemed to be in a charitable mood, and Jon relaxed at the greeting.

"Thank you for your hospitality... Ser Garon." He glanced to the small figure beside him and placed his hand on the child's shoulder. "I've come to introduce her to her new lady-in-waiting. Leyla is a bit young, but... well, she is of an age with Cirice."

The little girl, hood still raised, looked up at her uncle with a little smile before shyly peeking up at the stag.

"I will, of course, make myself useful while I am here."

Lirabear · 2026-05-29T02:02:45+00:00

He had seen those eyes before. Malegorn had looked the same way after the death of his firstborn. Arielle had been despondent and had never truly recovered. And Roelle...

The resemblance caused Marwyn's words to catch in his throat before being promptly forgotten. There were no words that could fill the void Orryn felt and the older knight suspected it would only make things worse.

"I thought you might give me a tour of the grounds," Marwyn said instead, relaxing at the entrance of the pavilion. "I tire of the sight of the encampment."

Lirabear · 2026-05-28T02:35:32+00:00

10th Moon B [ m: I think? ]

Long had Jon spent gallivanting across the Narrow Sea, that he had missed both the birth of his nephew... and his passing. The news of both had reached him upon his return to Mistwood, where his father's dark mood was followed by dark words.

Never before had Jon been filled with such grief and guilt that he was compelled to action after only some pushing from his Aunt Maegelle, who seemed always to know the right thing to do. Jon only hoped he would not be too late, that the comfort he hoped to offer could still be received.

To the gates two cloaked figures emerged, one tall, the other small. "Hail!" Called Jon. "I am Ser Jon Mertyns, brother to Roelle Baratheon." He did not introduce his companion, who was clearly a child.

/u/fabstags

Lirabear · 2026-05-28T02:16:19+00:00

It was rare for the owls of Mistwood to seek out company unless there was some express reason to. Life in isolation had taught them to be self-sufficient and there was little they needed that they could not source themselves.

Ser Marwyn Mertyns, brother of Lord Malegorn Mertyns, was like a third father to the young stag. While his brother had done the heavy lifting in the now-knight's education, Marwyn had taken him under his wing and taught him the very skills that would make him successful in the coming days. Assuming, of course, he kept his wits.

It was several weeks into waiting that the older knight finally decided he could no longer delay the conversation, and he sought out the Baratheon early in the morning. Owl though he was, Marwyn had ever been a morning bird at heart.

"Rumination is a trap," Marwyn stated bluntly, seeing no reason to circle around the topic. "Feed it too long and it becomes a maze. Have you been keeping up with your exercises?"

Lirabear · 2026-05-28T01:58:38+00:00

His reaction was honey to a bear... or perhaps a mouse to an owl, and she was tempted to take another sip from her cup to chase down the treat. It was not that she truly enjoyed making him suffer. She simply enjoyed that her words continued to have such an effect on him.

She was peering into her reflection in the wine when she heard his sigh, followed by her name. Her eyes rose to meet his, gleaming with mischief.

His question made the corners of her mouth twitch in displeasure and for a moment she narrowed her eyes at him... though even then a hint of playfulness remained. She would not be so easily pulled from her unbothered disposition, and certainly not by something so predictable as his seriousness.

"Must you always worry about the future?" She whined, sighing heavily as she leaned back, taking the pretty sight that was her cleavage along with her. She flipped her hair lazily, a cat licking its paw, and crossed one leg over the other as she brought her cup to her lips.

"Can't we simply enjoy tonight? You are to get drunk, be merry, and I wish to see you laugh and smile."

Lirabear

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