Post by Florien Flowers on Apr 20, 2013 20:27:16 GMT -5
Lord Florien had once been a simple man of the Night's Watch but now, just a few weeks after leaving the Wall, but now he was Lord of Godsgrace in Dorne.
This incredibly step up in social standing had come courtesy of Prince Josmyn Martell. Florien and the recently crowned Prince of Dorne had served together on the Wall and become close friends after being sent out ranging together; Josmyn would have been killed by a wildling who had hidden in a tree had it not been for Florien's quick reactions. In the weeks after that incident, Josmyn had constructed a plan which not only allowed them to leave the Wall for Dorne but also lead to each of them gaining a considerable amount of power in the southernmost of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
Florien, after spending a few days at court in Sunspear, travelled to his new home at Godsgrace. He initially thought that he would be opposed by those loyal to the previous Lord but he was warmly welcomed by everyone that served at Godsgrace. Florien spent his first few weeks in Dorne learning about their customs and their ways but he was having trouble adjusting to some it; he favoured swords to spears and was not used to the heat of his new home. Aside from these relatively minor things, life at Godsgrace was perfect for Florien right up until the point that someone decided to publicly slander him.
The newly made Lord had been out, walking the streets of his new home, with an escort of guards when someone in a crowd of smallfolk decided they where going to make a scene.
"Foreigner!", he shouted, "Bastard! We don't want you as our lord! Bastard!".
Florien, who had always had a fiery temper, was quick to draw his sword.
"Guards! Get that man, bring him before me."
Two men from his escort did as they where told; they pushed their way through the crowd, grabbed the man that had screamed the insults at Florien and brought him before their lord. The insolent commoner spat on the ground before him which made him all the more furious. With one quick slash, Florien took off the mans head.
"Let this be a listen to anyone that believes they can speak to me like that. I am your Lord now, you will treat me due respect or you meet the same fate as this man."
The crowd did not react to the death of the man, they simply stared at Florien. The Lord decided that it would be best to return to his castle with his guards before someone decided to cause more trouble; taking lives brought him no joy but, sometimes, you simply had to make an example of a troublemaker if you wanted to stop others from following in his path. The fool that had decided that shout insults at Florien had made something clear to him; there were definitely people that did not want him as their lord.
The next few weeks where uneventful but enjoyable for Florien; he lived a comfortable life and Godsgrace. He spent his days sleeping, eating, working on his swordplay and bedding women. In comparison to the Wall, Dorne was paradise. Things, however, did not remain perfect for long and Florien was subject to an assassination attempt; late one night, someone somehow managed to bypass his guards and would have easily been able to kill the lord whilst he was sleeping had he actually been sleeping. Florien had awoken as the result of a nightmare. The assassin had been armed with a dagger and ill-prepared for actually conflict; he was overpowered by Florien and killed with his own blade. The next day, Florien assembled his guards.
"You're not very good guards. Someone tried to kill me last night and you where nowhere to be found. I shouldn't have to put up with incompetent fools like you and, for all I know, you willingly allowed my would be killer to pass you by. Aside from Athos, Garth and Dorian, I want all of you gone; now."
All but three of the guards left.
"You three are the only three I trust. Josmyn plucked you from Sunspear and gave you over to me because he trusted you to protect me. Who, from among the other guards, has spoke ill of me?"
"I have heard two of them speak badly of you, my lord," Athos said, "Roderick and Tytos."
"Aye, I've heard them too. Tytos said he'd love to see you dead," Garth's words alarmed Florien; one of his own guards, who had previously had access to him, had wanted to killl him.
"Tytos says many things he does mean; Roderick is the dangerous one," Dorian, the captain of the guards at Godsgrace said, "He hates you my lord. Before you arrived, he was captain but you took that from him."
"Arrest both of them," Florien ordered, "They must be questioned. It's possible that quite a few people may want me want me dead."
Athos, Garth and Dorian vacated the room. Florien sat down by a table, poured himself a glass of wine and waited patiently for their return. It took over an hour but eventually his three trusted guardsmen returned to him with the two possible conspirators beaten and bound. In the time he had had to think things through, Florien had come up with a plan.
"Dorian, a word in private, please," Florien said, raising from his table and walking away from the other men.
"Yes, my lord?", the captain whispered, keeping his voice low.
"Of Tytos and Roderick, who will break more easily."
"Roderick is a hard, strong man and will not break. Tytos is much weaker."
"Question Roderick. When he does give us what we want, kill him. Be sure Tytos sees him die."
Dorian returned to the group and began to ask Roderick questions about his knowledge of the assassination attempt on Florien. The former captain of the guards refused to answer each of the questions, even when the guards tried to beat it out of him. Florien got to his feet, once all of the questions had been asked, drew his sword and thrust it through Roderick's throat. It was a brutal kill but, to break Tytos, it had to be.
"Question the other one now. If he proves as useless as this one, be sure he meets a similar fate."
"I'll tell you everything! Just don't kill me!", Tytos was a relatively young man and he was almost crying out of fear.
"Who ordered the assassination of Lord Florien?", asked Garth.
"It was Joran Mourne. He ordered it. He wanted me and Roderick to do it but we passed it on to another man."
"Joran Mourne? Who's Joran Mourne?", Florien asked.
"Joran Mourne is a rich trader. He was a close friend of the lord you replaced and much of his income came from trade with him."
"Where can we find Joran Mourne?" Athos said, looking at Tytos.
"He's at Sunspear... he has many friends at court, he has influence there."
"Dorian, kill this one. We've gotten what we need from him."
"But.. but I told you... I gave you informati-", Tytos didn't get a chance to beg for his life; Dorian slit his throat before he could utter an other word.
"Rest well tonight, men. Tomorrow, we return to Sunspear," Florien said happily. He was looking forward to meeting, and killing, Joran Mourne. Once his guards had left his bedroom, he climbed into bed and slept soundly.
Words: 1,261.
This incredibly step up in social standing had come courtesy of Prince Josmyn Martell. Florien and the recently crowned Prince of Dorne had served together on the Wall and become close friends after being sent out ranging together; Josmyn would have been killed by a wildling who had hidden in a tree had it not been for Florien's quick reactions. In the weeks after that incident, Josmyn had constructed a plan which not only allowed them to leave the Wall for Dorne but also lead to each of them gaining a considerable amount of power in the southernmost of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
Florien, after spending a few days at court in Sunspear, travelled to his new home at Godsgrace. He initially thought that he would be opposed by those loyal to the previous Lord but he was warmly welcomed by everyone that served at Godsgrace. Florien spent his first few weeks in Dorne learning about their customs and their ways but he was having trouble adjusting to some it; he favoured swords to spears and was not used to the heat of his new home. Aside from these relatively minor things, life at Godsgrace was perfect for Florien right up until the point that someone decided to publicly slander him.
The newly made Lord had been out, walking the streets of his new home, with an escort of guards when someone in a crowd of smallfolk decided they where going to make a scene.
"Foreigner!", he shouted, "Bastard! We don't want you as our lord! Bastard!".
Florien, who had always had a fiery temper, was quick to draw his sword.
"Guards! Get that man, bring him before me."
Two men from his escort did as they where told; they pushed their way through the crowd, grabbed the man that had screamed the insults at Florien and brought him before their lord. The insolent commoner spat on the ground before him which made him all the more furious. With one quick slash, Florien took off the mans head.
"Let this be a listen to anyone that believes they can speak to me like that. I am your Lord now, you will treat me due respect or you meet the same fate as this man."
The crowd did not react to the death of the man, they simply stared at Florien. The Lord decided that it would be best to return to his castle with his guards before someone decided to cause more trouble; taking lives brought him no joy but, sometimes, you simply had to make an example of a troublemaker if you wanted to stop others from following in his path. The fool that had decided that shout insults at Florien had made something clear to him; there were definitely people that did not want him as their lord.
The next few weeks where uneventful but enjoyable for Florien; he lived a comfortable life and Godsgrace. He spent his days sleeping, eating, working on his swordplay and bedding women. In comparison to the Wall, Dorne was paradise. Things, however, did not remain perfect for long and Florien was subject to an assassination attempt; late one night, someone somehow managed to bypass his guards and would have easily been able to kill the lord whilst he was sleeping had he actually been sleeping. Florien had awoken as the result of a nightmare. The assassin had been armed with a dagger and ill-prepared for actually conflict; he was overpowered by Florien and killed with his own blade. The next day, Florien assembled his guards.
"You're not very good guards. Someone tried to kill me last night and you where nowhere to be found. I shouldn't have to put up with incompetent fools like you and, for all I know, you willingly allowed my would be killer to pass you by. Aside from Athos, Garth and Dorian, I want all of you gone; now."
All but three of the guards left.
"You three are the only three I trust. Josmyn plucked you from Sunspear and gave you over to me because he trusted you to protect me. Who, from among the other guards, has spoke ill of me?"
"I have heard two of them speak badly of you, my lord," Athos said, "Roderick and Tytos."
"Aye, I've heard them too. Tytos said he'd love to see you dead," Garth's words alarmed Florien; one of his own guards, who had previously had access to him, had wanted to killl him.
"Tytos says many things he does mean; Roderick is the dangerous one," Dorian, the captain of the guards at Godsgrace said, "He hates you my lord. Before you arrived, he was captain but you took that from him."
"Arrest both of them," Florien ordered, "They must be questioned. It's possible that quite a few people may want me want me dead."
Athos, Garth and Dorian vacated the room. Florien sat down by a table, poured himself a glass of wine and waited patiently for their return. It took over an hour but eventually his three trusted guardsmen returned to him with the two possible conspirators beaten and bound. In the time he had had to think things through, Florien had come up with a plan.
"Dorian, a word in private, please," Florien said, raising from his table and walking away from the other men.
"Yes, my lord?", the captain whispered, keeping his voice low.
"Of Tytos and Roderick, who will break more easily."
"Roderick is a hard, strong man and will not break. Tytos is much weaker."
"Question Roderick. When he does give us what we want, kill him. Be sure Tytos sees him die."
Dorian returned to the group and began to ask Roderick questions about his knowledge of the assassination attempt on Florien. The former captain of the guards refused to answer each of the questions, even when the guards tried to beat it out of him. Florien got to his feet, once all of the questions had been asked, drew his sword and thrust it through Roderick's throat. It was a brutal kill but, to break Tytos, it had to be.
"Question the other one now. If he proves as useless as this one, be sure he meets a similar fate."
"I'll tell you everything! Just don't kill me!", Tytos was a relatively young man and he was almost crying out of fear.
"Who ordered the assassination of Lord Florien?", asked Garth.
"It was Joran Mourne. He ordered it. He wanted me and Roderick to do it but we passed it on to another man."
"Joran Mourne? Who's Joran Mourne?", Florien asked.
"Joran Mourne is a rich trader. He was a close friend of the lord you replaced and much of his income came from trade with him."
"Where can we find Joran Mourne?" Athos said, looking at Tytos.
"He's at Sunspear... he has many friends at court, he has influence there."
"Dorian, kill this one. We've gotten what we need from him."
"But.. but I told you... I gave you informati-", Tytos didn't get a chance to beg for his life; Dorian slit his throat before he could utter an other word.
"Rest well tonight, men. Tomorrow, we return to Sunspear," Florien said happily. He was looking forward to meeting, and killing, Joran Mourne. Once his guards had left his bedroom, he climbed into bed and slept soundly.
Words: 1,261.