United we stand – Divided we Fall
Volume I - Chapter 11
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Banefort, 196 A.C., eight moon, second fortnight
Lucas' POV
Once again, I was on the path back to Banefort. The day was bright and the temperature were noticeably more pleasant. It had been a bit over a month but Blacklock's and my presence had been required on the setting of the future tin mine a bit longer than Maester Jorgen had anticipated. The first results were very promising though.
After only a month and a half we had been able to dig and localize successfully the new vein. Our success laid mostly in my knowledge of geology and mathematic. I had used linear regression to pinpoint the best places.
Back on Earth, I would have used kriging calculation to determine the best place to start digging. But even for me, who had learnt this fifty years ago without any computer, it was for the time being too much of a challenge seeing as I didn't even have even a sheet of paper or a pen to begin with.
It had taken me a fortnight to collect all the samples and make the calculation. We had even been able to collect tin ore and melt it. I had two small ingots of tin to show the Maester. Our last meeting had made it clear that he liked to have proof of our results.
My attempt to have Captain Hook and Harmond together with Mina and myself hadn't worked like I had wanted. Maester Jorgen had shot my idea down, saying it would hinder the fishing boats more than anything.
Flashback:
"However", he told me, when I thought I had failed at convincing him "in light of your recent find, I will write to Ser Board, telling him I require … what were their names again?"
"Captain Hook, Maester Jorgen. And Harmond. They are both very skilled when it comes to boats. Thank you. Thank you a lot."
"Good. Let it not be said that House Banefort is ungrateful. Talent and loyalty will get you rewarded. When you are done recording where you find the tourmaline and where there might be gold, you will go back with Blacklock to the places where you discovered tin. I want you to come back in a moon for a full report.
I had asked for Mina to come with me to the future tin mines but this request had been refused. It wasn't a place for a girl, had answered Maester Jorgen. But I suspect it was to keep Mina at Banefort. Maester Jorgen knew I wouldn't leave Mina at the castle. My half-sister was his assurance that I wouldn't run away.
Upon learning she had some basic reading, counting and writing skills, he had assigned her to fewer manual labours. When I left, she was assisting the cellarer keeping the food supplies up to date. During the three days I spent at Banefort last time, most of it was used making sure she was prepared. Luckily, Mina understood very quickly.
It was quite a boon for Mina. She wasn't a child anymore, but neither had she really reached adulthood. Without any adult to take care of her, she had to work to earn her bread and stay in the castle. The first two moons, she had worked as a chambermaid, cleaning the chambers, scrubbing the floor… she had been exhausted when I had seen her last. Thinner too. Becoming the assistant to the cellarer, she would have a less physical job and would enjoy better food.
Mina had cynically analysed the Maester generosity as a way to make sure I would continue working for House Banefort, knowing she had a good place. It was logical, once you looked at it this way. Still, I was impressed with her ability to read someone's reasons as easily when I, at seventy, wasn't able to.
But truth be told, I had never been good with "social skills" to begin with.
I was travelling with Blacklock and two other apprentices, Whitton – his name a contraction of his surname White Tom due to his blonde hair that were almost white in the sun – and Joan.
As we were approaching the castle, we noticed that there was more activity than usual.
"Can you see what's happening?" Blacklock had a poor eyesight.
"No, people are gathering. It looks as if they are … dancing?" answered Whitton. We were too far to be sure.
Not knowing if this was a sign of something good or not we hurried despite the slope.
As we came to the drawbridge, it became clear the shouts were of happiness and there was even someone playing flute. Both Blacklock and myself asked people what all this was about.
"News came from the Reach" peeped a villager. "The rebels lost an important battle! The rebel forces are in disarray. Daemon Waters has been defeated!" she happily told us as she grabbed both of our arms.
Luckily, it was now completely healed.
Blacklock succeeded in extracting ourselves from the woman's arms and we went for the Maester's tower. Hopefully he would be able to tell us more and I would be able to see Mina soon.
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Banefort, 196 A.C., eight moon, second fortnight
Spring
Mina's POV
Mina was looking at her half-brother with concern.
He had changed so much in less than a year. Since the ceremony back on Blacktyde, the Kiss of Life, Lucas hadn't been the same. Her half-brother had become responsible, paid close attention to her, Captain Hook and Harmond and had gain knowledge that nobody had heard about.
Lucas had never cared for her before. He had been a little boy, unbothered by what happened around him. Then after the ceremony, he had put himself at risk by killing their father and seeing to their escape. He had taught her how to read and write, how to do basic calculation. Where he had learnt from was a mystery.
She had asked Captain Hook about the Faith of the Seven when they had been at Drymoat, waiting in the dungeon for days, first to be heard by Ser Board, then when Lucas had left.
Lucas was still hopeless when it came to understand why people acted this way or that. But she now felt protective of him in a way she hadn't felt before. The many adventures they had over the course of the trip where part of the reason. His behaviour and his efforts to look after her made her look at him with new eyes. The quarrel between Harry and Lucas, where he ended with a maimed ear had cemented it.
The first two moons at Banefort had been as hard as her time on Blacktyde. She had had to work from dawn to sunset, she would fall asleep completely exhausted each night and had only one meal a day.
Since she helped the cellarer with doing the stocktake, she was less tired and she would eat three times a day. The cellarer, a man quite old from her point of view, couldn't read anymore due to his deteriorating eyesight. He had been suspicious of her at first, not believing she could write or even read. While Mina had never read books, she knew however how to read now thanks to Lucas and she could write – not elegantly, but it was enough for doing a stocktake.
Mina had always been good at reading people and understand what they really were after. Her upbringing on Blacktyde made sure she knew how to make people forget she was there. She had learned since she was a child to look at people and guess what their state of mind was.
Right now, her half-brother looked tired despite having just woken up, but at the same time he seemed a bit worried. She noticed how he seemed to zone out since he came back yesterday evening from the Maester's office.
Mina finished her piece of bread and asked Lucas.
"Tell me, what is it that have you worry so much? I thought Maester Jorgen and Blacklock were pleased with how well you work." She lowered her voice. "Are you not happy about your apprenticeship? You seemed happy about it the last time we spoke."
Her half-brother swallowed his last piece of bread before answering. Lucas had far more manners than before his meeting with the Smith. He had even instructed her how to behave "like a Lady". As if she would ever be near one in her life! But he had told her it didn't cost anything. At worst, she would look ridiculous, behaving like this while being only a servant.
"I'm pleased with the apprenticeship. I don't get along very well with the two other apprentices who treat me like a child – I have a child's body, I know, thank you very much – but Blacklock made it clear I didn't have to follow their orders. They weren't pleased about it."
Mina went silent again. His was making this face of his, the one he had when deep in thought.
"Come, Lucas, what is bothering you? Aren't you happy the Rebellion is about to end?"
He looked at her, this time turning to face her completely. His expression was serious.
"Maester Jorgen wants us to go back to the Stackspear's border and start looking for any traces of interesting ore on his lands."
Lucas hadn't told Mina about the possibility to find gold. It was better he didn't tell her – it was just too dangerous should she repeat it.
"I don't understand why he is so keen to see us depart as soon as possible. The last time we spoke, he wanted to wait for Lord Kendrick's return. He didn't say so, but I believe there is bad blood between both Houses."
Mina thought about it and told in a very low voice what she knew.
"I heard from the other servants that Lord Kendrick was looking for a spouse before he had to leave to fight against the Blackfyre and the rebellious Lords. Is there something of value in that area?"
Lucas seemed to understand immediately. She could almost see him analyse this piece of information through his 'cynical lenses', as he had dubbed them. At first, Mina hadn't understood what he meant until he explained what lenses were.
She had to concede, looking at people's actions or behaviour and categorizing them as either self-interest or fear-driven worked very well. Too well even. It made most people's actions looked deceitful.
Mina had added 'love' to the two former reasons, believing, even if it was less frequent, that it was a valid explanation to one's actions.
These three filters had helped her navigate through Banefort's unspoken social rules.
"If we confirm that there is indeed g… valuable ore on his lands, Lord Kendrick could ask a wealthier and more prestigious House for their daughter's hand. I get it."
Mina did as if she hadn't heard her half-brother say something else.
"I heard that House Banefort and House Stackspear are fighting over the valley that marks the border between their fiefdoms. Finding something of any kind of worth there would only make matters worse. And it could become dangerous for you." Now, she was worrying too.
Mina was about to get to her feet and head for the kitchen to begin her day's duty when Lucas told her the good news.
"Captain Hook and Harmond should come to Banefort today or tomorrow. Maester Jorgen told me yesterday evening that Ser Board had agreed to let them go."
She smiled at her brother. Despite his threats to have her tortured – a threat she believed the Maester wouldn't have had any remorse to let come true – the Maester had so far been generous regarding their treatment.
Mina was grateful for her new duties as the cellarer's assistant as well as Lucas' apprenticeship. It would help them integrate. With the two men arrival, she would feel safer, however. She had had to elude several groping hands and once a guard tried to corner her. She hoped the two fishermen's presence would calm them down.
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At the same time, in the Maester Tower.
Master Jorgen stared again in disbelief at the parchment in front of him.
He had received it half a fortnight ago. It contained, for one, Lord Kendrick's piece of mind regarding the gold that had been found on his lands.
Lord Kendrick was expressing his displeasure at learning from another Lord, the head of House Lydden, Lauros, that gold had been discovered on his lands and that he hadn't been made aware of. The last part of the message were instructions to 'as quickly as possible' begin to look where it came from and to start mining it as soon as possible.
He wanted to shout at Lord Kendrick for his stupidity. Why was the ruling Lord of House Banefort nothing more than a spoiled brat? Why! Seven help him!
The Maester stopped himself. There was nothing he could do about this. He had had to follow his Lord's direct orders. Even if he would come to regret it later.
How had Lord Lauros Lydden learnt about the gold nugget? He hadn't told anyone about this, not wanting this to happen. But it hadn't been enough.
Who was to blame for this, he thought for the hundredth time since Lord Kendrick instructions arrived a fortnight ago?
Blacklock and Lucas were smart enough to know this was not something they should speak about. They had both sworn yesterday on the names of the Seven that they hadn't. Who else had known…? Was it possible… was he stupid enough?
"Guard!" he bellowed.
One of the on-duty guards opened the door. His eyes had dark rings. How late was it? He had used all his logs already… quite late then. He looked upward and to his disbelief, he saw the first rays of sunshine enter his tower. By the Father, he hadn't gone to sleep!
"You called, Maester Jorgen?" asked the guard, unsure if he should interrupt the man's thoughts. But he had called for him.
"Bring me Tom, my assistant."
The guard stared at him.
"The hour of the nightingale is almost over, Maester. He is likely still sleeping."
"I don't care if he is sleeping, eating or whatever. Bring him here! Now!" he shouted.
No wanting to be the focus of the Maester's ire, the guard left without a word. The time it took for the guard to come back with his drowsy assistant, Maester Jorgen was ready to get to the bottom of it.
"Take a sit." The Maester didn't bother with niceties. From the fear showing on his assistant's face, he knew he was pissed. Was that culpability too? He would know.
"Tom… do you remember what I insisted on, two moons ago when you came back with Blacklock and Lucas. When they showed us … what they found?" He was staring at the lanky young man.
"Yes… yes, Maester. You said it would change things for… for Banefort."
He was definitely nervous.
"And… what else did I make very clear?"
"You emphasized strongly that we shouldn't talk about it."
"Exactly. Now, there was a leak. And I'm going to find who breached his word. He who has divulged the existent of this nugget will face Lord Kendrick's ire. If he is lucky, he will be sent to the Wall." He let his threat in the air several heartbeats, before going on.
"Only two other people beside both of us knew about it. So, let me ask you a question. I want you to think hard before you answer, because shall you lie to me, the Wall will look like the Father's golden hall."
Tom nodded his understanding. His face was now as white as fresh snow and his forehead was covered in sweat. The short-sighted man leant towards his assistant.
"Did you speak to anybody else about the gold."
The man's panting respiration lasted several heartbeats before Tom slumped in the chair.
"I'm sorry, Maester. I'm truly sorry. I told her it was a secret. She swore she wouldn't tell a soul."
Maester Jorgen didn't feel any elation at having found who had leaked the information. But now, at least, he had someone he could incriminate.
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Septry of Salivarett, Banefort's land, 196 A.C., ninth moon, end of the first fortnight.
Hour of the owl
Elder Brother Morett was regaining his cell with the other brothers after the prayer to the Stranger. It was the last prayer of the day previous day and it marked the passage to the next, like the Stranger was the end of one's life on Planetos before one's departure for the seven heavens or the seven hells.
Elder Brother was a long distant cousin of the Banefort family. When he was young, it had been clear from a young age that he wasn't made for martial life.
He wasn't deemed bright enough either to go to the Citadel and become a Maester – he had never been able to learn a foreign language and he still disliked any form of calculation.
Thus, he had be made a Brother of the Faith. He had become proctor after ten years. The penultimate winter, he had become the Elder Brother when his predecessor passed away.
He knew his life had been far more peaceful and easier than it would have, had it been a knight or even a Maester. His eyesight was no more what it used to be and he felt often tired for no reason. But his mind was still wholesome and could continue to lead his fellow Brothers.
Under his care, the septry had been renovated. It wasn't big, but he felt proud to have improved the buildings and embellished the sept.
Before he could enter his cell – one of the perks of being the Elder Brother was a cell all by himself – Brother Sundon came to him and whispered – the Brothers were forbidden to speak outside of the service, some activities or when it was about pressing matters, like now it seemed.
"Three men, one severely injured and a child seek asylum in the septry. They say they were attacked by Stackspear's soldiers this evening."
The septry was on a plateau around five miles north of the border between the lands of House Banefort and House Stackspear. According to a very old treaty, the border should have been the river at the bottom of the valley. It had been for centuries before a branch river came into existence and the two Houses began fighting over the land between both arms of the river. The soil was fertile thanks to the alluvium, which was uncommon in the Haures. It had become a bone of contention between House Banefort and House Stackspear. From time to time, incidents happened.
The Septry being the closest building in the vicinity, it was no surprise that injured people sought medical help at Salivarett.
Elder Brother Morett went with the Brother in charge of healing to the room where guests and visitors were welcome.
He found the four of them seated on the ground. They looked exhausted and in a bad state, especially the man who was bleeding from a wound at the shoulder and was holding his left arm – or what was left of it.
The second man seemed uninjured but utterly spent. The other was a young man-at-arm. He had small cuts but was mostly uninjured. The boy was bleeding from an injury above his left eye and his clothes were in tatter, but he wasn't severely harmed.
The man-at-arm and the boy got to their feet but the two other men were too exhausted or too severely injured.
"Welcome to the Septry of Salivarett. May I know what happened to you?" he asked the man-at-arm.
Surprisingly, it was the youngest, the boy who stepped forward and began explaining.
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Banefort, 196 A.C., tenth moon, first fortnight.
End of Spring
Ser Parrick couldn't contain himself when the man-at-arm was done telling him back what happened at their border with House Stackspear, then at Salivarett's Septry. He shouted and banged his fist on his desk.
"By the Seven!"
Maester Jorgen looked quickly to the castellan before thinking back on what the man-at-arm had just told them. They had just lost the two junior miners and a guard in a stupid skirmish. Luckily, Blacklock and Lucas had survived, even if the former was injured and had lost the usage of his left hand. All of this because Tom's friend hadn't been able to keep her trap shut.
Maester Jorgen and Ser Parrick, were in the Lord's solar. The castellan, an older uncle of Lord Kendrick who limped thanks to an injury sustained during a battle in Dorne was ruling in Lord Kendrick's name while his nephew was waging war in the Reach.
Lord Kendrick had sent instruction for gold and weapon. He had put a damper on their enthusiasm regarding the end of the Rebellion.
It wasn't coming to its end as quickly as they had hoped. Daemon Waters – or Blackfyre, as he was now posthumously named - had admittedly been slain during the battle on the Redgrass Field, together with his twins Aegon and Aemon. But the rebel army wasn't annihilated, however.
Ser Aegor Rivers was able to retrieve the Valyrian sword Blackfyre. Then with the help of Lord Bracken's heavy cavalry covering their retreat, the rebels had fled in the mountains south of Highgarden, in the Dornish Marches where most of the Lords who had declared themselves in favour of Daemon Blackfyre came from. The same Lords who had seen the peace with Dorne as treachery and defeat.
In this region, Aegor Rivers had the Marcher Lords' indulgent help. The loyalist army had sustained heavy losses in several well planned ambushes. The mountainous relief made horses almost worthless in most of them and the rebels knew every nook and cranny of the region.
His contingent was in need of more weapons to replace those that had been lost or damaged. They needed gold to buy new horses, food and so on.
The Maester and the castellan had been discussing what to do concerning Tom. They were still trying to find the informant that had leaked to Lord Lydden the likely existence of gold on his Lord's lands. The girl had been interrogated – without restraint – to find if she had been the informant and to whom she had spoken. But the damned girl had told so many people about it that they couldn't undertake the same method with her conversation partners.
In the end, they decided that they had done all they could and that Lord Kendrick would deal with it when he would come back. Nobody liked when one household servant was providing other Lords key information.
But right now, another problem was needing their attention.
"What are they doing now?" he asked the guard.
"Blacklock is still resting at the Septry. The removal of his injured hand led to an infection. The boy" the guard did the Seven-pointed star sign to ward off bad luck "called it a gang-green or something like this. He removed another piece of Blacklock arm. Himself! And then, he burnt the poor man's stump!
"His action has most probably saved Blacklock's live, guard! Don't go spreading tales about him." Maester Jorgen found himself protecting Lucas's reputation. He didn't like where this type or hearsay could lead. Tomorrow, people would say he had drunk from the miner's bleeding stump if he didn't put an end to this right now.
He continued, threatening the man:
"If I hear anyone speak of what happened there, Tom's punishment will look lenient. Do I make myself clear?"
Reluctantly, the guard nodded. It was no secret that Tom was being incarcerated in the unhealthiest cell pending Lord Kendrick's return. He would be either sent to the Wall or banished. But Maester Jorgen didn't want Lucas to be charged with black magic. They needed the boy's knowledge. He was a godsent – even if Maester Jorgen didn't believe it literally.
The guard was sent away with a wave of Ser Parrick's hand. The castellan and himself stood silent for a moment before he spoke.
"I will have them continue working at the new tin mining site. We already lost an experienced miner, no need to lose more; we were lucky that the two most valuable were able to escape with their life. We should send four or five new guards to protect them. We cannot afford another similar incident. They should stay at the new tin mine. The miners have now recently reached the vein. Blacklock and Lucas are needed for the mineral processing. Our Lord will understand that we cannot survey at the border."
Maester Jorgen read once again the short message Lucas had sent with the guard.
Blacklock lost left hand. G. most probably on Stackspear's lands or at the border. Whitton and one guard killed. Joan was either killed or captured. Awaiting instructions.
He had told Ser Parrick Lucas' comment about the gold. The beginning of a plan had formed in his mind but he wanted to ponder it.
Ser Parrick nodded his agreement to his previous comment, making him focus once again on the meeting.
The two men worked well together, having lived more than a decade together at Banefort. Each knew his duty well and they were of a similar mindsets.
"Indeed. But we need the few men-at-arms who remained here at Banefort should the scums from the Iron Islands try something. I'll ask Ser Roger to send four of his guards to Salivarett to escort our men to the new mine and to increase his patrols along the border. We cannot look weak." He added after a pause.
"It's most unfortunate one of the miners who knew about the survey's real nature got taken or killed. If they didn't kill him, he might very well have tell the Stackspear's men everything he knew to save his life. Including that there were looking for gold at our border. This will reopen and increase the hostilities with House Stackspear."
The Maester nodded. He would write and send a raven to inform his Lord about this before sunset.
"I'll send one of the two ex-thralls to join Blacklock and Lucas. The boy didn't lie: the older one is very skilled. He will help them build the necessary outhouses needed for the tin mine. The younger one will continue building fishing boats. We absolutely need more food."
"Do it. On another topic, I'll have the master-at-arms train new men."
"With which weapon? And which gold? We followed Lord Kendrick's orders, there isn't anything left in the coffers, as much as it pains me to say it. We already requested an aid from our vassals. We can't do it twice."
Ser Parrick seemed ready for his objection, though.
"Request scutage from the villages that didn't send men." Seeing his interrogative eyebrow, he added "there are already precedent where monetary help was asked from the communities who only sent goods but no men to help in the war effort. We had to resort to scutage too during the Dornish wars." The last was said with a lot of venom and resentment. Ser Parrick had never come to terms with Baelor's decision to make peace with Dorne. But he was no traitor to his Lord or his King for all that.
With that said, the two men concluded with a few minor topics before each attended to his business.
Later, as Maester Jorgen was pondering how he should inform his Lord of the 'hitch', an idea came to his mind.
He could use this to take revenge on Lord Lydden spying.
The greedy lord had offered his daughter's hand with a small dowry, expecting without a doubt that young Kendrick would believe this to be a golden opportunity to raise House Banefort's station by wedding into one of the Westerlands main House.
The young lord had without a doubt already accepted Lord Lauros' offer, not even asking himself why the girl wasn't already wed or why Lord Lauros would offer him her hand in the first place.
With his Lord hundreds of miles away and unable to give him advise, if one considered Kendrick's impulsiveness, this was not surprising.
However, Lord Lauros' scheme would backfire on him… if he learnt about the absence of gold after the wedding had taken place.
Lucas had used the Septry's seal. No one else knew about it. He could arrange for Lucas to come back only after the wedding. This way, he could deny any knowledge of having known that, in the end, there was no gold on House Banefort's lands.
He reasoned with himself that this was not really revenge, merely taking advantage of a setback and turning it into something more profitable.
Yes, this would do, he decided, and he began penning the missive to his scatterbrain of a Lord.
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Answers to reviews
freeraynman : thanks for your review!
Ormuzj: It's indeed not always easy to balance realism and storytelling necessities. The first chapters helped me fine a measure of balance.