Re: [D7, ME]A simple offer (Closed-ish)

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Corrine giggles a little. Restrained, but definitely genuinely amused.

"
Mother was not thrilled, no, but I managed to spin her a yarn that made it more palatable. And, she will also be on the council, so that placated her somewhat."

[Baelon Drakeson]

"
Until Ben is released from his vow of service, he owes duty of fealty to Dunstan. That means that he is obligated to serve House Tullison's best interests, no matter how much he might also want to serve House Marsten's best interests. He is not a Marsten yet, and I think it best not to put him in a position where his divided loyalty would be tested - not because I don't trust him, but because he might then be forced to betray either your trust or his duty to Dunstan. Either would be painful to him and damaging to Marsten-Tullison relations. We knights are trained to put duty above all else, so if he a good knight, he would choose duty over love. If the matter became extreme enough, it is even possible that it could lead to the dissolution of your betrothal."


Baelon pauses, letting that point sink in.

"
It is not about Ben, nor abut you. It is what is best for House Marsten. If you want to rule this house, you need to be prepared to make hard decisions. Your decisions could put Ben's life on the line fighting against threats to House Marsten. You may someday even be ultimately responsible for his death, should tragic circumstances occur. That is the hard fact of rulership. If you cannot make those decisions, you should not rule - it would lead to even worse consequences."


He shakes his head.

"
That is not what we are here to talk about. Knight of the Gate... I would be lying if I said it was not something I had thought about... but why me? Why not Ben or Kevan? Or Dyana, for that matter?"

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Baelon's overly grim speech dissipates the good feeling that Gwyn had created, and Corrine frowns, though keeps her voice soft;


"
While I appreciate your counsel, Baelon, that was a little unnecessary. I know my responsibilities. All I was saying is that I thought you could have been more polite to Ben, that is all. If we are going to run Hartshorn together, we should try to be kind to one another."


Her eyes beseech him to let it be.

Please, leave the lecturing to my mother. I don't want to resent you as well.

"
But, let's talk about the future, rather than the past. My decision to offer you Keeper of the Gate, rather than Ben, Kevan, or Dyana, is that I believe you to be an ideal candidate. Simple as that. You are highly skilled and experienced in martial matters, but you are capable of the light, persuasive approach too. That is what I require for the role. You are trusted and capable. While the others also have these fine traits, I have other roles in mind for them. To offer you further flatteries would be disingenuous of me."

[Baelon Drakeson]

"
While I appreciate your counsel, Baelon, that was a little unnecessary. I know my responsibilities. All I was saying is that I thought you could have been more polite to Ben, that is all. If we are going to run Hartshorn together, we should try to be kind to one another."


Her eyes beseech him to let it be.

Baelon shrugs.
What has kindness have to do with ruling? Ben was blithely wandering into dangerous territory. I stopped that, and even said he was acting in accordance with proper conduct. If that is less than polite, they are in for a rude awakening later. Maybe I should be even a little rougher to try to thicken their skins a little. They'll need it.

"
But, let's talk about the future, rather than the past. My decision to offer you Keeper of the Gate, rather than Ben, Kevan, or Dyana, is that I believe you to be an ideal candidate. Simple as that. You are highly skilled and experienced in martial matters, but you are capable of the light, persuasive approach too. That is what I require for the role. You are trusted and capable. While the others also have these fine traits, I have other roles in mind for them. To offer you further flatteries would be disingenuous of me."

"
And I am not asking for flattery."

I have a light touch, but I need to be more polite? Interesting.
"
Indeed, the reason I asked is because the banner house offers may change things. Specifically, would my being Knight of the Gate and Gwyn and I being on your council be as good for House Marsten as strengthening your ties with House Coldbrook or House Tullison? That is a question that I will be weighing as well as what I feel is best for Gwyn and myself. Certainly, the two of us have much to discuss."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
I am happy to discuss anything you wish. Of course, you make a good point about strengthening bonds with other houses, so perhaps taking one of the banner house offers would serve us all best. If I may express a preference, my initial instinct leans towards Coldbrook, but it is a feeling, no more. Might I ask their specific terms, and whom else has been extended these offers?"

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
Things haven't gotten as far as specific terms yet,"
Gwyn said with a chuckle. She pressed her side against Baelon's arm, mutely reassuring him that she supported him, even if she wasn't verbally continuing the not-quite-argument on his behalf. "
Dunstan most likely will be expecting us to defend his lands against the clans. Daveth seems more interested in Baelon and my connections and diplomatic skills. At the moment, I agree his offer seems more tempting...but it's too soon to rule anything out yet, of course."


She reached out to give Corrine's arm a squeeze.

"
And staying with Marsten, on your Council and as Keeper, that is very tempting too. And not just so I can give your mother a hard time."


The impish smile she wore did imply that was at least part of it for her though.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Corrine nodded, more comfortable with Gwyn's tone than Baelon's, and she gave a small smile.

"
I know you will both give your options proper consideration, and I am happy to discuss details whenever you wish. I just felt it important that you both know I am holding a place for you both in House Marsten's leadership."

[Baelon Drakeson]

"
That is good to know, thank you. As Gwyn said, there haven't been any terms - Dunstan is considering either myself or Ser Jon Cobb. Daveth indicated that he had initially been planning to offer the Coldbrook banner house to Ser Jorah Holt, but they have another plan in mind for him now. Other than that, details on both are somewhat lacking - what lands, what resources, and so on."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
I see,"
Corrine nods slowly. "
I find Jon Cobb an odd choice, but I'm sure Lord Tullison knows what he's doing."


She tapped her chin lightly in thought;


"
I wonder if the Coldbrook offer, assuming the lands and so on are satisfactory, might be better, since, unlike the Tullison offer, it does not have another candidate. Fighting off a spurned Wrecker does not seem ideal."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
Assuming he doesn't marry Isobel,"
Gwyn teases. "
Or Dyana."
The last sends her into a snicker.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
Assuming he doesn't marry Isobel,"
Gwyn teases. "
Or Dyana."
The last sends her into a snicker.

"
Heavens forbid,"
Corrine replies, with a shudder. I shall have to have words with him about his intentions. As much as mother &
I rarely see eye-to-eye, I do not want her taken advantage of or her heart broken again."

[Baelon Drakeson]

"
I will be facing the Wrecker either way - we have been placed together in tomorrow's melee. I am less concerned about him than I am about Ser Florian and Ser Medrick however, and the Knight of Stones is an unknown. Ser Jon and I have sufficient history that I think I can rely on him not coming after me first, and I suspect that his war wounds will have gotten the better of him by the time we would face one another, as they did during the joust."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

Something Baelon says sends Gwyn into another fit of merriment. She has to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"
Yes,"
she agrees, wiping tears from her eyes. "
The knight of stones. Such an unknown. And with such stones!"

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

The combination of Gwyn's infectious laugh, their shared knowledge of that particular secret, and Baelon's straight-facedness, makes Corrine giggle too, giving Gwyn a playful poke on the arm.

"
You're terrible!"

[Baelon Drakeson]

"
I take it the two of you know something I don't... which means I have a pretty good guess who the Knight of Stones is. I wish 'he' would have confided in me as well. Well, I shall be sure not to unmask 'him' publicly."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Corrine gives Gwyn a big-eyed 'oops' look, then looks to Baelon with amusement;


"
I'm sorry, Baelon, but you're being so gruff that it's quite comical."


She tries to stifle her giggling fit with both hands.

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
I was going to tell him anyway,"
Gwyn assures Corrine. "
As much as I don't want them getting hurt, how much worse would it be if they hurt each other? Besides, the Knight's at a disadvantage otherwise."


She gave Baelon a fond smile. "
Besides, she's right. You're adorable when you're grumpy."

[Baelon Drakeson]

"
Are you trying to make me more or less grumpy?"

Baelon glowers at Gwyn, but with a wry smile and a gentle squeeze of her hand betraying his true feelings.

"
Well, unless there is anything else for the three of us to discuss, we should probably head back inside."

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

"
Very well,"
Corrine nods, with an uncomfortable feeling that she got much of that discussion wrong.

Best to flee for a while. Let the dust settle. I've clearly made a bad impression.

[Benedict Marsten]

"
Ah."
Daveth brightens. "
That works out. I was going to ask you for some more background information on the clans, Ser Benedict, since I feel my information is sadly lacking in detail for a foe my house will be facing soon enough, if you'd be willing to discuss such a subject for a few minutes on an occasion such as this?"
Daveth asks, in an attempt to soothe any potential sting from Ser Baelon's words.

Ben looks back to give Corrine a sincere smile as he and Daveth depart from the group. Spinning back to his new pupil he gives a shrug and smirk. "
Eh, what can you do? Till its official then have his head chopped off."
Ben laughs abundantly and his normal crooked smile comes easily back to him.

"
So where to start?"
Ben scratches his head in thought.

[Daveth Coldbrook]

A smile at Ser Benedict's jest. "
Well, actually, before we start with the main business, I notice that this is the second time I've seen you today without Lady Ellie beside you. Is she well?"

[Benedict Marsten]

"
Yes she is well. She is around here somewhere. The upcoming wedding has caused her to be a bit busy. She will be accompanying Lady Corrine and I to Hartshorn, so preparations must be made and she has taken most upon herself despite my best efforts to help."


He clasps Daveth on the shoulder reassuringly. "
But thank you for asking. If you do not see her tonight, I will be sure to tell I her you asked for her. It will make her evening I am sure."

[Daveth Coldbrook]

Daveth can't suppress a grin and chuckles. "
You let your younger sister have access to the wedding preparations?"
he shakes his head, grin still firmly in place. "
Never mind this morning, it is now, my friend, that I *truly* see how brave you are."


His face turns slightly more serious. "
When you do speak with her, remember this: when Garret marries, it'll probably be at my urging. Actually, I'll probably have orchestrated the whole thing. But still, when he instinctively turns to her for advice rather than me, it will still wound me, unfair as that is."
a half-smile. "
I trust you understand? We younger siblings have to look out for each other."


His tone turns more professional. "
Still, I wasn't joking about wanting more information on the clans. At the moment, my information is shockingly sparse. So, let's start with some basics, if you don't mind? Do we have a common language? Do they follow the Seven? Do they let their womenfolk fight? How big does a 'Clan' tend to be? Is there any cooperation between the clans, or is there any higher authority they all answer to, be it secular or religious? What sort of tactics do they use in combat? Do they fight each other, either between clans or within their clans? Anything you know along those lines could be useful."

[Benedict Marsten]

"
She is simply working on things on my behalf. Such as letters to our parents and seeing her things from Mountains Reach are moved to Hartshorn. Also so odds and ends that need to be tidied up before our separation from House Tullison. Though I am sure she will have her hand in the actual preparations."
He shakes his head.

"
I understand completely what you are saying. I am not sure I will have to worry much. I think at times Ellie spends more time with Lady Corrine than I. I do believe the two conspire to advice me how ever they see fit. So she has not lost me, but gained support."
Ben can not help but laugh, knowing full well he is probably right.

A moment of thought and Ben launches into his responses to Daveth's reasonable questions. "
They speak a crude common and it is possible they have their own dialects. They are ... descendants of the First Men, so the Old Gods or some twist on them would be the best bet. There woman folk can surely fight, they all most be able to fight they way they live, but they are not primarily warriors. Clan is generally close to the size of a small town or hamlet. At this point they war amongst themselves when as well they have united in the past. Survival is generally the only thing able to unite them. Hit and run, guerilla warfare. They are smart enough to know they stand no chance out on a battlefield. They are outmatched in arms, armor, and training. House Tullison has found it best train soldiers to fight like the Clans, light and fast. Like I said they do fight when resources are low. Internally the fight as well, because they believe every mans voice should e heard and that tends to lead to numerous conflicts. I hope that gives you a start. Those are the best answers I can give you."

[Daveth Coldbrook]

Daveth nods. "
That is useful, thank you. I'll make sure to pass that onto Ser Jorah, so he can discuss it with the other military strategists and factor it into our preparations."


Daveth frowns in thought. "
Actually, my apologies to keep asking things of you, but if you are willing, there is a personal favour I would seek of you. You, as a military man, are about to leave your existing house and join a new one. A fairly rare occurrence. And any move to a new house is a difficult time for the best of us. If you would be willing, when you're in a position to, I would be interested to have you write to me of your experiences joining a new house - particularly things you wished you'd done that would have made the transition easier, or things you're particularly grateful you did do. Things along those lines."
a quirk of a smile. "
I understand if you consider the request too personal, but I felt it worth asking."
a small shrug and smile. "
Maybe the information won't be of anything but academic interest, but as the saying goes, I'd rather have it and not need it than not have it and want it."


"
Anyway, back to the clans. Has evidence of any godswoods been found in their settlements? Do they understand the idea of a peace deal and would they adhere to it?"
he looks thoughtful for a few seconds. "
Uhhh. I think that's it for the vaguely reasonable questions. Everything else I think probably falls under 'scholarly curiosity', rather than 'actually useful information'."
a chuckle "
And I'm trying to properly distinguish between the two. Understanding the internal structure of a clan would be interesting, but I doubt it would prove useful. Nor do I believe, no offence intended, that you'd be the ideal person to ask. Maybe a maester somewhere has written a book on the subject."

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