div style="mso-element: para-border-div; border: none; border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"strongspan style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"Chapter 34/span/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"Davrollo had sent out Cristoff to scout Last Hearth while he "interviewed the locals," and the castle had no shortage of high vantages and ample handholds to reach them. Making sure no one else was in the vicinity, Cristoff began to scale the inside of the southern wall, as quick as he dared so as not to be spotted. Atop the roof of an unoccupied guard tower, he peered over the wall to the lands beyond. Up here, the winds were blowing more fiercely and Cristoff shivered, suddenly missing the more temperate climate of Asshai. Or even the dry heat of Dorne. As he turned north to gaze of the castle town, his gaze lingered further away, where the Wall stood proud, an unending bulwark of ice and ancien magics stretching from one side of his vision to the other. The individual castles that lay at points along it could just be made out from here, though to call them castles would be like saying a lake was an ocean. As his eyes settled on one of the outposts, a strange tingle went through him, from his teeth and all the way down to his loins; some form of unusual warmth and gone just as quickly. He shook his head quickly and dropped his gaze to the town below, getting a visual of the layout of its squat buildings and streets sprawled between them. Several of them were less poplated than others, Cristoff noted these for future reference; likely good meeting places where they would be less likely to be bothered, or escape routes should it come to that. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"Remembering that sudden feeling of warmth moments ago, a thought struck him. Closing his eyes, and filling his lungs with air through his nose to warm it, he concentrated and focussed his senses. Opening them, the world went from pale white and covered in snow to a stark shadow instead. Below, figures glowed red, armed, dangerous people to avoid. Others fell away, unimportant, civilians, innocents, stay your blade. Cristoff nodded to himself, then looked to his left, where the wall continued on, and could see two more red figures approaching. Guards, likely to spot him from this position, only, there was a third figure, glowing bright and golden. Cristoff stopped, noticing that the figure seemed to be struggling. Letting the air out of his lungs, he hadn't realised he'd been holding his breath. He ducked behind the fall of the roof as the guards approached. He could hear snatches of their conversation over the wind./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""-could just say that about our brother now eh? Your damn sister was lucky to have a real man in her."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"The man in the middle made to reply, but before he could say anything intelligable, Cristoff heard the sound of a mailed fist hit a gut, followed by a bout of spluttering and coughing. Another voice, though similar to the first continued,/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Think we ought to make an example of this one eh? Thinks he's better than us just 'cause he got a pretty little sister?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Yeah, an example of him, what happens when you fall off the walls into the snow from up here? You think it's soft? Or does it get all hard and packed? Why don't we send him down to find out?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"The other voice replied with a snigger, and the man in the middle groaned in pain. Cristoff had heard enough, and felt he should intervene. By now, the men were directly below him in the guard tower, about to push the third man over the edge. Cristoff swung himself in and landed softly behind them all, dashing forward to close the distance and flicking both blades out, he stabbed the exposed neck of one, and swung to slash the other's throat, but he somehow reacted in time to jump back with a start./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Hey, what're you doing?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"The third man looked up at Cristoff, then to the other guard, and dived at their legs, sending them both sprawling. Cristoff recovered and clamped a hand over the guard's neck, grabbing his wrist with the other, and twisting him into an upright position./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""That's what I should be asking you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""He's made our brother look a fool and gotten him imprisoned!" the guard managed with strained breath/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Horse shit! Your brother raped my sister!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"Cristoff frowned, and looked at the third man. He was young, fair-haired, with a bruised face and bloody nose, but his words seemed genuine and it didn't look like he was lying./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""So you thought you'd get some unjust revenge for your brother being punished then. That's now how this works." Cristoff leaned in close to the man's ear, "Tell me how the snow tastes, you foul wretch."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"Cristoff bodily threw the man with all his might across the stones, slick with ice, and he slid towards the edge and over it, head first. The man would have cried out, but for his bruised larynx. After a moment, Cristoff peaked over the edge./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""I suppose the snow is harder than it looks after all."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"He turned to the man, and offered a hand. The man looked up at him with a combination of confusion, fear, and awe. But he took the hand offered all the same./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Who are you, I've not seen you around here before, and you don't sound like a northman."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Doesn't matter who I am. These men were going to kill you for no good reason, I wouldn't let that happen if I could stop it."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"The man's face softened, as if an epiphany had come over him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""You have done me a great service, and saved my life stranger. Would that I had something to offer you as thanks."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""I need no payment, but I thank you all the same. Best deal with the other brother though." He pointed to the corpse of the other brother, still slumped over behind him. The man nodded, and tossed him over the edge to join his brother. Cristoff used this time to vault over the edge and hang, quickly making himself scarce. It would not do to involve himself too heavily here, this was only supposed to be a scouting mission, now he'd gone and taken two lives, possibly unneccessarily. But what was done was done, all he could do now is report back to Davrollo, and pray his actions were as just as he had hoped./span/p
/div
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"strongspan style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"Chapter 34/span/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"Davrollo had sent out Cristoff to scout Last Hearth while he "interviewed the locals," and the castle had no shortage of high vantages and ample handholds to reach them. Making sure no one else was in the vicinity, Cristoff began to scale the inside of the southern wall, as quick as he dared so as not to be spotted. Atop the roof of an unoccupied guard tower, he peered over the wall to the lands beyond. Up here, the winds were blowing more fiercely and Cristoff shivered, suddenly missing the more temperate climate of Asshai. Or even the dry heat of Dorne. As he turned north to gaze of the castle town, his gaze lingered further away, where the Wall stood proud, an unending bulwark of ice and ancien magics stretching from one side of his vision to the other. The individual castles that lay at points along it could just be made out from here, though to call them castles would be like saying a lake was an ocean. As his eyes settled on one of the outposts, a strange tingle went through him, from his teeth and all the way down to his loins; some form of unusual warmth and gone just as quickly. He shook his head quickly and dropped his gaze to the town below, getting a visual of the layout of its squat buildings and streets sprawled between them. Several of them were less poplated than others, Cristoff noted these for future reference; likely good meeting places where they would be less likely to be bothered, or escape routes should it come to that. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"Remembering that sudden feeling of warmth moments ago, a thought struck him. Closing his eyes, and filling his lungs with air through his nose to warm it, he concentrated and focussed his senses. Opening them, the world went from pale white and covered in snow to a stark shadow instead. Below, figures glowed red, armed, dangerous people to avoid. Others fell away, unimportant, civilians, innocents, stay your blade. Cristoff nodded to himself, then looked to his left, where the wall continued on, and could see two more red figures approaching. Guards, likely to spot him from this position, only, there was a third figure, glowing bright and golden. Cristoff stopped, noticing that the figure seemed to be struggling. Letting the air out of his lungs, he hadn't realised he'd been holding his breath. He ducked behind the fall of the roof as the guards approached. He could hear snatches of their conversation over the wind./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""-could just say that about our brother now eh? Your damn sister was lucky to have a real man in her."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"The man in the middle made to reply, but before he could say anything intelligable, Cristoff heard the sound of a mailed fist hit a gut, followed by a bout of spluttering and coughing. Another voice, though similar to the first continued,/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Think we ought to make an example of this one eh? Thinks he's better than us just 'cause he got a pretty little sister?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Yeah, an example of him, what happens when you fall off the walls into the snow from up here? You think it's soft? Or does it get all hard and packed? Why don't we send him down to find out?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"The other voice replied with a snigger, and the man in the middle groaned in pain. Cristoff had heard enough, and felt he should intervene. By now, the men were directly below him in the guard tower, about to push the third man over the edge. Cristoff swung himself in and landed softly behind them all, dashing forward to close the distance and flicking both blades out, he stabbed the exposed neck of one, and swung to slash the other's throat, but he somehow reacted in time to jump back with a start./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Hey, what're you doing?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"The third man looked up at Cristoff, then to the other guard, and dived at their legs, sending them both sprawling. Cristoff recovered and clamped a hand over the guard's neck, grabbing his wrist with the other, and twisting him into an upright position./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""That's what I should be asking you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""He's made our brother look a fool and gotten him imprisoned!" the guard managed with strained breath/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Horse shit! Your brother raped my sister!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"Cristoff frowned, and looked at the third man. He was young, fair-haired, with a bruised face and bloody nose, but his words seemed genuine and it didn't look like he was lying./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""So you thought you'd get some unjust revenge for your brother being punished then. That's now how this works." Cristoff leaned in close to the man's ear, "Tell me how the snow tastes, you foul wretch."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"Cristoff bodily threw the man with all his might across the stones, slick with ice, and he slid towards the edge and over it, head first. The man would have cried out, but for his bruised larynx. After a moment, Cristoff peaked over the edge./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""I suppose the snow is harder than it looks after all."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"He turned to the man, and offered a hand. The man looked up at him with a combination of confusion, fear, and awe. But he took the hand offered all the same./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Who are you, I've not seen you around here before, and you don't sound like a northman."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""Doesn't matter who I am. These men were going to kill you for no good reason, I wouldn't let that happen if I could stop it."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"The man's face softened, as if an epiphany had come over him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""You have done me a great service, and saved my life stranger. Would that I had something to offer you as thanks."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;""I need no payment, but I thank you all the same. Best deal with the other brother though." He pointed to the corpse of the other brother, still slumped over behind him. The man nodded, and tossed him over the edge to join his brother. Cristoff used this time to vault over the edge and hang, quickly making himself scarce. It would not do to involve himself too heavily here, this was only supposed to be a scouting mission, now he'd gone and taken two lives, possibly unneccessarily. But what was done was done, all he could do now is report back to Davrollo, and pray his actions were as just as he had hoped./span/p
/div