Cleaning House (around 5-6/126)

[Theomore Tullison]

Cleaning House.

To Theomore's pleasant surprise, the Tower of The Fallen Stars had not seen the neglect he had feared, knowing who it was that had held it for but one out of the last ten years or so. The Furious Frey had cared little and less for it's governance, but not so Lord Frey at the time, who had appointed a skilled steward and merely installed his nephew as commander and figurehead. And only in the latter role did he have much uses, as evident with Hamish and "Benjen's Boys!", revering a dead man who's valiant deeds started and ended with cleaving some scrawny Tyroshi soldier in half with his sword. Simply removing them would require a pretext that the Freys had yet to come up with, though it could be that they simply figured that Theomore would do that job for them, and do it better, he himself would have had that very thought in Lord Forrest's stead. The one thing one would expect the Furious Frey to actually pay attention to was the very thing in most dire need of changes. Perhaps not as surprising though. Since everything else had been handled by Ser Albett Frey, a man who had hoped to be a maester, yet his father had wanted a knight, a path that ended in his very first melee as he faced Brokenbones, but Ser Albett had always preferred the library over the yard, and so it was that he was named steward to the one bannerman that needed it the most.

It was a good arrangement for everyone, while Ser Benjen and his boys were feasting, drinking, whoring and -according to rumor- committed darker deeds, Ser Albett had tended the lands, turned what was once a watchtower at the eastern edge of the lands of House Lucas into a formidable keep, he had planted flax and put the smallfolk to weave it into linen when there was less work to do in the field, he had set bees to provide wax and turn it into candles prized by the septs with the wealth to afford these. The coin thus generated Ser Benjen had spent on his various excesses, like an overgrown child being handed a purse of coin and spending it all on fleeting fancies. Ser Albett, Theomore decided at once, was to be taken good care of. A chamber was set aside to serve as his office, two pages knowing their letters and numbers were assigned to assist him and Theomore procured such books and scrolls as a maester with a gold link had recommended to him. And to go above and beyond, he introduced Ser Albett to the daughter of one of Maidenpool's sworn swords, pleasing to look upon, and with a sharp mind, while Theomore did not expect love, they should be happy together and make a good team in his service. Ser Albett was rather taken with her, and the Lady Lyanna did not have much choice, as her father had been rather too smitten with Ser Theomore's jousting prowess and Lord Walys did not see reason to interfere, especially as Theomore offered to host the wedding and cover all expenses.

A matchmaker like the Lady Corrine, Theomore mused during the ceremony, wondering if the path of righteousness mayhaps would have made him reach as high as he had without all the pain. He did have the talents to do that, too. He should have liked to find out, but he was trapped by the expectations of others now, Ser Theomore was a man that could do what others would not, a man that would do what needed to be done. It gave him powerful friends, and enemies, too. But if the latter were to move against him, the former would take the opportunity to lash against them in retaliation, not because of something as silly as kindness or honor, but an interest in having his work continue, and because his enemies were lords and knights and ladies that his friends would very much like to see brought low. He could not stop, he could not look back. He could not run away anymore either, not after Floreta's moon blood had missed a moon. "Too bold for me, ser", he remembered those words, had she been willing to risk it, he would have ran away with her, consequences be damned. But they both belonged to others now.

Instead, there was only the option of moving forward, if his child was to grow up knowing it's father, he would need to play this game, and he would need to keep winning. The septon was right that he had much to atone for, and there would be more still, could he ever set it right? The septon would say yes, the septon would say that there was a third way, the septon would say there is always hope and opportunity. Theomore would like him to be right. Theomore knows him to be wrong. There was too much red behind him, and there will be too much red ahead. And to either side of the path lay the abyss that would result in leaving wife and unborn child behind, one way or the other. And the day Theomore would abandon his family would be the day he would give up what little virtue that remained in his heart. The other paths, the other choices he could have taken had split away like a forked lightning cracking in the darkness a long time ago. Now there was only the option of moving forward. There was the game. And there was family. He could not have one without the other. Mother have mercy and Stranger offer comfort for those who must pay for the choices he had made.