[D2/EN] Rendezvous in the Godswood [Closed]

[Garret Snow]

The godswood was open and inviting, crisscrossed by dozens of small streams. The birds had fallen silent, and the entire godswood had an air of peace and tranquility. Garret breathed deep, allowing the stillness to wash over him. He had noticed that no matter where one went in Riverrun the rush of the waters of the Tumblestones and the Red Fork could be heard. But here in the godswood, the roar of the water faded to a gentle hum, buffered by the redwoods and pines that rose towards the starry night sky.

It did not long to reach the Heart Tree, a slender weirwood with a gentle face carved into its bone-white bark. The tree grew next to a small reflecting pond that shimmered like black glass under the blanket of stars overhead. Garret leaned against the Heart Tree, resting his palm against the smooth surface. The wind blew through the leaves of the trees, stirring them to a faint rustle.The wind had a chill that Garret felt even through the warm fur and wool cloak draped over his shoulders. He smiled at the cold.

The old gods were here with him. This was their place.

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

Gwyneth picked her way carefully through the trees at the edge of the godswood. There was a trail leading in, but it had gotten rather dark and it took her a moment or two to find it. Far from the enameled paths of the sept, the trail leading to the Old Gods was little more than a game path, kept from being overgrown not by careful tending but simply by the occasional application of tramping feet. She supposed a great many of those feet were in gigantic Northmen boots though, so that probably helped. She'd worn a plainer wool dress in forest green, with a thick shawl drawn around her shoulders. In her right hand was a curious thing that looked a little like a rolled-up scroll, or perhaps a leather case meant to hold such a thing. Gwyn held it tightly, occasionally glancing down at it as if to make sure it was still there.

Then the trees suddenly receded, giving way to a clearer area with a large pond in it. And alongside that pond grew a mighty sentinel;
a tree whose bark gleamed white in the moonlight, and shadows made strange shapes in it. Was that a face there? Gwyn thought it was. It gave her a shiver to see it there. It didn't really look carved as much as if it had simply grown there in the tree naturally.

It's just a tree, she thought firmly. It doesn't frighten me. But...I suppose I can understand a little better now why so many were cut down by people who didn't know better at the time. They are...eerie.

Ah, and there, by the side of that eerie, leafy giant was the silhouette of a man.

Gods above this was daring. And possibly foolish. But she went ahead.

"
Why Ser Garret,"
she said warmly, "
here you are. I have been wondering all this time what you wanted with me here, of all places. And now at last, I'll find out."

[Garret Snow]

Her voice seemed to take the chill from the air, and Garret turned with a smile to greet her. "
Lady Gwyn. You look lovely in the moonlight, if I may be so bold. A godswood suits you, I think"


There was enough light from the moon and stars to see her clearly. He took a single step away from the Heart Tree, careful to keep his movements from being too sudden. "
I am glad you chose to join me. So many new faces, so many new names to learn, I find myself occasionally craving the stillness and peace of a godswood."
He laid his hand against the pale bark of the Heart Tree. "
I cannot say why, but I never feel alone in places like this. Even when I am not joined by such charming company"
He added with a grin.

Moving away from the tree, Garret took a seat on the ground. The dried leaves and soft moss made for a natural cushion, and he made a motion to invite her to join him. "
Do you ever find yourself feeling alone, my lady?"

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

Gwyneth glides forward, but stays on her feet. She's not sure how to respond to the question, so she looks up instead...taking in the starfield overhead.

"
That's a bit of a trap, isn't it?"
she says after a moment. "
If I say yes, then that's an invitation to get closer. If I say no, I'm cold and unfeeling."
She chuckles and shakes her head. "
Everyone feels lonely sometimes, Ser. It is no great insight into my mind or heart for me to admit that. You have your godwoods, perhaps, to help. I have my ways as well."


"
It is...strange maybe that this place feels lonely to me, and friendly to you. But it is a strange place."

[Garret Snow]

Garret couldn't help buy laugh out loud. "
My lady, I fear I'm not match for your wits. Though I think perhaps you may have spent too long speaking with people with hidden meanings. You'd like my brother Daveth."


Looking around the godswood, he let out a sigh. The air was crisp and clean, and he could taste pine, earth and sap when he inhaled. "
It is a strange place. And a friendly place. But perhaps a place can be both. Or a person for that matter."


(OOC: [url=Awareness Test][/url]: 4d6k3 17

For the first time, Garret took notice of the object clutched in her right hand. "
What do you have there, my lady?"

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

She looks down at the object in her hand and smiles fondly.

"
My far-seer. It's got Myrish glass in it. I'm told captains use it to spy ships in the distance...but I use it to look up. It was a gift."


Gwyn looked over at Garret and beckoned him with a sweep of her arm. "
Get up and come see."


She then lifted the tube to her right eye and closed her left, and pointed it up into the sky.

[Garret Snow]

He returned the smile, pushing himself back up to his feet with a wince. His ribs still ached from his encounter with Dunstan Tullison. I suppose that's why the knights wear so much armor, he mused to himself. But pain or no pain, he would not let it keep him from enjoying this opportunity. Never falter.

Moving towards her, Garret stood to Gwyn's side as she looked into the sky. As she passed the far-seer to him, he brought the tube to his eye and looked to the sky. His breath rushed out in amazement at the brilliant starscape the far-seer presented. The stars seemed to hang mere inches from his face, and Garret pulled the far-seer away his face just to confirm that they still were in the sky. He had never seen anything like it.

Turning back towards Lady Gwyn, still grinning like an excited boy, Garret offered the far-seer back to her, "
Breathtaking, Lady Gwyn. Truly a beautiful sight. Thank you for sharing such a wonder with me"
.

As he handed the far-seer back to her, his gloved hands brushed her for an instant. He had not intended the contact, but he felt the touch nevertheless. "
You said this was a gift. Might I ask from whom?"

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
My father brought it back from one of his trips,"
Gwyn answered, looking down at the instrument again. The incidental brush of hands she didn't seem to notice, or react to. "
He said I could use it to see him coming next time."


Her smile at that was a little sad, a little wistful.

"
You can't see the ocean from Hartshorn of course, but I was little, and it made me feel better to have something I could do."
She looked up and nodded skyward. "
The stars I discovered by accident one night when I awoke and couldn't get back to sleep, so I took out the seeing glass even though it was too dark for it to be useful. I looked outside just to feel better, and...well, you saw."


"
It's like there's a whole different sky behind the one we see, just waiting for someone to look a little deeper."

[Garret Snow]

He nodded at her words, silent for a moment. He could feel the sadness in her voice as she mentioned her father. "
A different sky. I've been looking at the same stars for so many years, and then in one night I learn that there are new ways to see."


Standing there next to her, looking towards the sky, he found himself speaking without meaning to, "
I was ten-and-two when my mother died. I barely knew my father, but when he was made Lord Coldbrook we were called to live with him. He intended to marry my mother, but the fever took her quickly. For months after her death, I would walk the halls of Grenward at night, when the castle was asleep. To this day I do not know why. I had heard the servants speak of the "
Ghost of Grenward"
, and perhaps I thought I might catch a glimpse. Perhaps it would be her spirit and I would get to see her again. My brother Daveth told me it was folly but maybe I just thought as you did, that if I looked deep enough, I might find something that others could not see"


Garret turned back to her and smiled, "
I am glad you decided to come here tonight, Lady Gwyn. You have shared something close to your heart, and you must let me return the favor. Perhaps you would meet me here again, tomorrow night? I cannot promise that I have anything that could impress quite the same as your far-seer. But all the same, such a debt must be repaid"
Garret affected a voice of exaggerated nobility, finishing with a gallant bow.

OOC: Intrigue to convince her to come back tomorrow?

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
Are you a Lannister now?"
Gwyneth asked teasingly. She smiled and looked away from Garrett, back at the sky, if without the far-seer this time.

"
I find I quite like the view from here,"
she muses. "
I will almost certainly return tomorrow at this time to see it again."


Her eyes returned to the earth, to Garret. "
It's been a pleasure meeting you, Garret Snow. You've my thanks for showing me this place."


Despite the formality of her address, there was no missing the mischief in her eyes. "
I should return to the Marsten tents before they send trackers out for me...until we meet again then, ser."


(OOC - No intrigue needed, if that's both their aims. )

[Garret Snow]

(OOC: And scene!)

[Garret Snow]

OOC: Continuing from D1 in this thread to save space

The rain from earlier in the day had finally cleared, but the godswood was still cold and water hung from the tree branches like tiny drops of glass. The air itself tasted like water, and dark, wet earth and the cloudy skies overhead cast the godswood into almost total darkness . Garret pulled his cloak tighter to keep out the damp. He set his lantern down on the mossy ground, casting a warm orange glow around the clearing where the Heart Tree grew, causing the carved weirwood face to twist into a strange pattern of light and shadow. Following his less than stellar showing in the Pageant, Garret had spent the remainder of the day training with a lance and nursing his hurt pride with wine.

Adjusting his stance, Garret moved the leather pouch from one hand to the other. It had taken a good deal of convincing for Daveth to loan him the item, but his little brother had come through as always. Peering into the darkness, Garret awaited his companion for the evening.

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

(OOC - Sorry, had a little creative blockage here for a little while. )

Gwyneth's arrival is announced by a pleasant little tune being hummed, heard through the plap plap of drips from the tree leaves all around. She pushes into the heart tree's clearing and pulls the hood of her cloak back with some relief evident on her face. Her dress is a sky blue at her shoulders that fades to a much darker blue at the hem, with a scattered swirl of starlike white embroidery on it. She makes a lazy twirl as she walks over to him, and her impromptu song ceases.

"
Well met by moonlight, ser,"
says Gwyn. "
How fare you?"


Her tone is light and pleasant, but there's no hiding the touch of concern in it. She was there at the pageant, and knows too well how wounds of pride can sting worse and longer than those of the flesh.

[Garret Snow]

(OOC: Creative blocks happen to the best of us. No worries )

"
Lady Gwyneth,"
Garret bowed at the waist as she entered the clearing. His mood brightened as she drew closer, and his memories of the day's difficulties seemed father away, "
There are days when you are the hammer,and days when you are the nail, my lady. House Coldbrook's words are "
Never Falter"
. Good advice on a rainy day"
He added with a smile, gesturing around them to the dripping leaves and branches of the godswood.

"
You are looking well, my lady. Have you been enjoying the tourney thus far?"

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

"
Never falter,"
repeated Gwyneth approvingly. "
Not as ambitious as 'Let the Heavens Reign' for a noble House, but much easier to apply to one's personal life."


She reached out and flicked a leaf with a fingertip, sending a little spray of droplets sailing away like tiny gemstones.

"
I am well enough. The tournament is off to a fine start, and today has been...very productive. I met your guardswoman, Loreia, at the market today. A very interesting woman. Your House is full of surprises. It makes an otherwise somewhat dreary day a little brighter."

[Garret Snow]

"
You met Loreia?"
, Garret chuckled at the thought of the two women together. "
Aye she's 'interesting' alright. More than one man has underestimated her and ended up face-down in the training yard. Present company included,"
The memory curled his lips in a wide smile. Garret had learned that day that it was never wise to judge someone by looks alone. "
We still spar at times, and she gives me all I can handle."


"
I suppose Loreia is more an oddity here in the south. The women of Bear Island have had to defend hearth and home from the ironborn for generations, and could not always rely on the men to do the fighting. Fierce women make for a fierce house, wouldn't you agree? From what I hear, House Marsten has no shortage of fierce women."

[Gwyneth Drakeson]

Gwyn laughed at that. "
Maybe too much of a good thing then,"
she quipped. For a brief pause she looked silently upward, letting there be a break...and then got to business.

"
Ser Baelon talked to me about the idea of a grand alliance of Houses that you gentlemen hatched between yourselves. The Tullisons, Marstens and Coldbrooks uniting against the clans and so on. It sounds very noble to hear him speak of it...but I'm curious to know your thoughts."

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