[D7,LA]Friends?

[Daveth Coldbrook]

[Thread is for Yoren, Daveth &
Gwyneth]

With the treaty talks over, people scatter. Daveth spots the man he wanted to talk with, and moves to catch up with him.

"
Yoren. I wanted to talk with you. I'd ask how you were holding up, but I suspect I know all too well."
his voice is sympathetic. "
Spare me some time?"

[Yoren longshore]

"
Of course. I only have five men to prepare for departure tomorrow, I have plenty of time."
Yoren smiles at Daveth.

[Daveth Coldbrook]

"
I ... Well. There's not a particularly tactful way of saying this under the circumstances, but I heard that there were rumours that your house was bracing for further repercussions from your brother's actions with regards to moving the wildfire, that you were being tarred with the same brush.

"
If it is true that those lies exist, I would like to offer my support in dismissing them. I ... did not predict your brother taking his own life, but he quite clearly did so to protect you, and the rest of his family, from the consequences of his actions, and such last wishes should be respected."
he shakes his head, and speaks firmly. "
It is *not right* that House Longshore be further hurt by the actions of one who has already taken full responsibility. You and your kin are innocent."

[Yoren longshore]

Yoren looks genuinely surprised by that.
"
I did not even know that there was still talks of repercussions. I've not heard anybody apart from you talking about it. Although perhaps they are just hiding it behind my back... I don't know what I can say to that, but thanks for the warning."


Yorens sentences seems a bit scrambled, but that could be expected, given the combination of an uncomfortable theme, surprises, and both coming at the end of a long day.

[Daveth Coldbrook]

Daveth smiles, and relaxes slightly. "
Maybe it's nothing. I hope it is. But if it isn't, my offer remains open."
So, Lady Corrine was likely wrong. That wasn't the reason for his association with the Dulvers. "
It's been a difficult and trying time. I also wanted to make clear that ... despite the ill-feeling between houses Drakeson and Longshore, the offer that I made to you of attempting to heal your father's illness remains open, under the same terms as before. Although, I would prefer that it be delayed until such time as House Drakeson has calmed the waters - I have no desire to be wrapped up in those matters, and feel that my attempts there may muddy the waters if done before things are settled."

[Yoren longshore]

"
Thanks, I'll tell him once I arrive home. It might be that he refuses either way, but we can at least give him an option. And Regarding Baelon Waters: Know that I don't blame you, I'd advise you to tell your bannermen who is in charge, especially given their tendency towards violence. I'd like to remind you of Tristifer the fifth and who rules his lands now, but I bear you no ill will for it."

Yoren states while reaching over to pat the younger man on the back.

[Daveth Coldbrook]

"
I thank you for your kindness, but remind you that, whatever your feelings, Lord Drakeson is now Lord *Drakeson*, just as surely as, however much I may hate a hypothetical knight, that does not diminish that he *is* a knight. To openly ignore that fact diminishes the insulter more than it does the insultee."


He sighs slightly. "
Which does lead me on to my last piece of advice, unsolicited, and quite possibly unwelcome. But like I said, I believe I know well what you're going through. So, I wish to leave you with this wisdom I learned: with grief comes a kind of madness, in which many things seem just. But the madness is passing, and the deeds remain, and you will have to live with every single act you do for the rest of your life.

"
As a friend, I urge you to consider this well when you plot your course of future action. I spoke with Loreia. It is a madness to doubt the integrity of Ser Jorah. One I am glad she could make you see. But do not doubt that there may be other such mistakes lurking unseen.

"
You are a good man, Yoren. I do believe that. And I hope you remain such in the trying times ahead."

[Yoren longshore]

"
I never doubted the integrity of ser Jorah, however, I doubted his abilities to be a judge. From what I've heard he's headstrong, and unrelenting, both good qualities in a knight, but not always beneficial as a judge. He also knows the man, which will skew his judgement. He is also squeezed between several interests, as he has sworn an oath to stay loyal to you. Which will come first? His oath to you or his oath to the tribunal? I don't doubt his wanting to do what's right, I'm just not sure what he would deem to be right in the current circumstances. Just like I don't doubt the integrity of Loreia either, though I would not make her a mediator of this conflict. However, I will take her on her word if she says that Jorah is the right man for the job."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

Gwyneth was scanning the people as they disintegrated after the talks into individuals and little pockets to head off on their own agendas. Spying Daveth with Yoren, she wasn't quite sure what was going on at first. But then again...that was the very best time to go see, wasn't it? Besides, the Drakesons couldn't just turn a cold shoulder to the Longshores forever, whatever had passed between them. Better find out what was in Yoren's heart now, when there still might be time to deal with it.

She approached them from the side, so both could see her coming.

"
Gentlemen,"
said Gwyn, favoring each with a welcoming smile, as if they were attending at her personal invitation. "
I'm so glad to see you talking."
She focused on Yoren then and went on, "
Whatever else happens, I extend my sincere condolences on your loss, Yoren. Regardless of any impact on the investigations or my House, losing family in such a senseless way is a terrible thing. If I can help put your suffering at ease, please do let me know."

[Daveth Coldbrook]

"
Putting aside that technically his oath was to my father, I tell you this clearly, to set your mind at ease: The very *moment* I order Ser Jorah to do something corrupt or dishonest, he will walk away from House Coldbrook, and not look back. And, while I firmly believe in Lord Baelon's innocence, should Ser Jorah, on being presented with the facts, decide otherwise, I will accept that. For I *am* biased, and I recognise that, and I trust Ser Jorah not to be.

"
House Coldbrook is founded on duty and honour, and Ser Jorah knows that it is never a violation of his oath to us to adhere to those principles, wherever that path may lie. If it lies against us, then it is our fault for acting such in the first place."


When Lady Gwyneth arrives, he gives a small bow of respect. "
Lady Gwyneth."
but lets her take over the conversation. He'd basically said what he needed to, anyway.

[Yoren longshore]

"
It's not about his moral compass."
Yoren hesitates for a bit, trying to find the best words, before continuing: "
The problem lies in his... mental accumen, one might say."


When Lady Gwyneth arrives Yoren bows: "
Thank you my lady, I appreciate the gesture."
Yoren looks a bit awkward, uncertain about how to best act in this particular situation.

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

Gwyn let her eyes flick from Yoren to Daveth, then back again. Her mouth popped into a little 'O' of dismay.

"
I'm not...interrupting something, am I? Important talk, negotiations...ah, if so I must apologize again. I've barely had two minutes to click together since all this started, but I've been meaning to talk to you for several days now so I just jumped at the first chance I got."


"
Well, it can wait a bit longer, I suppose, if you're in the middle of something."

[Yoren longshore]

"
No, we're done talking, you weren't iterrupting anything important, only conjectures and hypotheticals."
Yoren nods to her again, reassured in the fact that he wasn't the only one a little on edge.
"
What was it you wanted to talk about?"

[Daveth Coldbrook]

Daveth simply silently nods, reassuringly, that yes, she wasn't interrupting anything important. Still, unless she indicated that she'd prefer privacy, he intended to stay and listen to their conversation.

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
We met last year at the Tourney,"
Gwyn said. "
We didn't exchange many words, but I was rather impressed with your education and temperance. I rather like those who buck the traditions of their people and find their own path, and I regretted not finding more time to speak with you before."


She paused, then said, "
I hoped to see if good will was still possible between us, with all that's happened."


There was a time for hedging, and a time to just come out and say it. With any luck, her estimation of Yoren, and this moment, was correct.

[Yoren longshore]

"
Can we see good will? I honestly don't know. I fear that that is largely out of both of our control. Duty compels me. I need to show that people cannot push Longshores around. Duty compells you, you have to stand for your husbands action. I suspect that neither of us wishes to go against our duty."


Yoren smiles apologetically to Gwyneth: "
Regardless of who your father in law is, Longshores will pay back in kind. It will be harder for us, but we have to show the world that you cannot kill a Longshore on a whim. It sets a dangerous precedent."


Yoren considers: "
I'd like to know you better, but you need to know that there is limits to what I can do for you."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
Are you so sure of your duty?"
Gwyn asks. "
As tempting as it must be to find someone to blame, Athelsten killed himself. To all appearances, in an attempt to hide what he knew, or at least to evade arrest. Are you sure defending that is worth the risks of what you're contemplating? As of now, Longshore could easily disavow him. There would be no consequences to that to the House. I realize that...on a personal level that decision might be difficult, but as one who would be Lord, I would argue your first duty is the well being of your House."


"
Dragging it into an ugly and avoidable confrontation because of your misplaced anger...is that your duty?"

[Yoren longshore]

Yoren seems sad, but his only comment is: "
You started it, someone will have to end it."


"
I let someone who touched my family of the hook once. As a consequence of that this happens. What do you think will happen if I let somebody off again? Your husband only dared to do what he did because he didn't think we'd reply in kind. He probably wanted an easy target, somebody he didn't like. He needed twenty men to prove himself."


Yoren gives a short pause, before continuing his assesment.: "
He proved to be quite the brave man I would say. Now he expects to be let off. Perhaps Corrine will give him a glare, but he knows that none of them really cared about Athelstan. Nobody else will show him that he did wrong. Nobody else will show him the scales and the sword, nobody else will go blindfolded. My house will be weaker from Athelstans loss, Baelon will feel that loss too."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

Gwyn stares at him, trying to comprehend.

"
What exactly do you think happened out there?"
she asks. "
That Baelon hunted Athelsten down with his men and shot him? I hear what you're saying, but it doesn't seem to connect to reality. You're talking as if Athelsten was murdered. Is that what you've been told?"

[Yoren longshore]

"
He was dead before he jumped. He could either die free or live in captivity. Baelon has no right of pit and gallows here, and if Corrine decides to send him to Gorman, to leave him to justice, then we will see how far his father can reach. If even Gorman has to comply."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
Baelon wasn't trying to exercise a right of pit and gallows,"
Gwyn counters. "
He was trying to arrest a suspect in a crime for questioning. Athelsten was not by any means dead before he jumped down the pit. And if he feared a life of captivity, that only meant he was guilty of something that would cause him to be imprisoned for life! Do you even hear what you're saying?"


She paused, then added, "
And what has Gorman Tully got to do with any of this?"

[Yoren longshore]

"
Do you have to be guilty to be held captive? If someone captures you completely out of the blue, do you expect to be treated fairly? You call it arrest, I call it kidnapping. Arrest implies legal authority, which Baelon had none of. It's closer to kidnapping, as that only implies using force of arms."


Pausing, he gives Gwyneth a chance to interject that what they did was done eith legal authority, before he continues: "
It's easy to treat someone wrongly when they're incapable of defending themselves, someone has to stand up for those that cannot stand up for themselves, if not these violations will only continue."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
Yoren, you're not making sense,"
Gwyn says, honestly taken aback. "
Kidnapping is taking someone in secret and hiding them away. Baelon was arresting Athelsten in full view of others. It's not as if he was intending to keep Athelsten himself. He was acting on the authority of his status as investigator...Athelsten had been tampering with evidence, Yoren. He admitted it with his own mouth before throwing himself down the mineshaft. We had ample evidence of his actions prior to Baelon's actions to justify it."


"
You're attacking straw men, Yoren. You have a fictional account of Baelon in your own mind that you're now attacking. But it's not real. And now you want to drag your entire House into that imaginary war. Baelon has no ill will towards Athelsten. I wouldn't claim he has a high opinion of him, but he didn't care about him one way or the other. Even in making the arrest, he was only acting to protect Corrine and the investigation from a man who'd in the past shown himself to be dangerously unpredictable, and whom we had evidence of interfering. Even then, he took pains not to injure him in the taking, and had no intention of doing anything other than handing him over to the investigating Houses for interrogation."


"
Athelsten died not because of my husband, but because of himself. The sooner you come to terms with that, the more pain you will spare yourself...and possibly your House."

[Yoren longshore]

"
Kidnapping is only to hold someone against their own will unlawfully, I'd say that is quite close to what Baelon did, wouldn't you? Your justification means nothing without law, you can find justification for all ill deeds, Maester Arran has his own justification for his actions."


"
Baelons evidence also has never been shown, unless you count a few scraps of cloth. No wildfire has been proven to be moved, no witnesses, I'd say that unless Baelon is still hiding evidence there is no way to pin him to anything, only wild conjectures and lies. Wickedness is not always punished in this realm, but I'll have to pray that your man will not have to face all his misdeeds in his next, I'm afraid his mind is not strong enough to deal with that."


Yoren delivers the threat calmly, as if it's a fact of life.

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
The evidence to hold Athelsten for questioning was simply people who saw him poking around the mines. Which is why it was so important that he be brought in for questioning,"
Gwyn says, but already she can sense the closing circle. Yoren had made up his mind. Simple appeals to reason weren't going to penetrate.

"
We can criticize Baelon's techniques in trying to capture Athelsten, but what he was trying to do was both lawful and correct."
She pauses for a moment. "
I suppose nothing I say will change your mind on that though. I'm sorry, Yoren. Maybe if I'd found time to approach you sooner..."


"
You'll do as you must then, I suppose. As shall we."


She looks around. "
I wonder if the Blackwoods and Bracken's troubles started over something as senseless."

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