A SONG OF PAST AND PRESENT
EPISODE 6 - NO PLACE LIKE HOME
OPENING CREDITS
1. Ext. Field in the North. Day.
Arya and Dany are walking towards Winterfell, that´s visible in the distance. Both of them are starting to look tired.
Arya:
We should have stolen a pair of horses on the way!
Dany:
How would you have brought them with us?
Arya:
I hate it, when you do that! Every time I get a great idea, you have to spoil it with your common logic!
Dany takes her "criticism" with a smile, something the old Dany never would have.
Dany:
Ah, just admit it, Arya! This adventure or whatever you want to call it, wouldn´t be the same if we hadn´t been together.
Arya:
Some adventure it´s been so far. We´re still nowhere closer to our end goal, than we were when we started. I don´t know about you, but I don´t want to spend the rest of my life living here, where the whole world has turned into an accurate description of my worst nightmare!
Dany:
Don´t you think it´ll be strange too, when we get back there and we´ll already know everything that will happen for the next 134 years?
Arya:
I hadn´t thought about that until now.
Dany:
I know that it might sound like crazy talk, but I´m not sure that I want to go back now, knowing what I know.
Arya:
You´re not going to leave me on my own to do this, are you?
Dany:
Arya, you´re the only friend I have in this world. I would never dream of turning my back on you.
They smile at one another.
Arya:
Hopefully the North hasn´t gone as insane as the rest of the kingdoms.
Dany:
If you don´t mind, I think that you should take the reins on this one. After all, we are in an area of the world, that you know a whole lot better, than I do.
Arya:
Then you don´t mind me telling you, that I´m counting on blind luck to get us inside the gates?
Dany:
If anyone can get us into Winterfell right now, in our unbelievable situation, it´s you. I believe in you, Arya.
Arya:
I´m glad to hear, that one of us does!
Arya doesn´t look all that hopeful, but Dany still believes in her.
2. Ext. Gates of Winterfell. Day.
Arya and Dany come up to the gates, where it´s ripe with activity, as guests from near and far are arriving and supplies (mostly in the form of ale) are being being brought to the old castle. They overhear a pair of vendors on a horse drawn cart that´s filled of with filled ale barrels, talking amongst themselves.
Vendor #1:
Thank the seven for a royal betrothal, when you need one! Am I correct?
Vendor #2:
I wouldn´t worry about my business, if I were you. Once the war comes ...
Vendor #1:
SHOULD the war come!
Vendor #2:
ONCE the war comes, they´ll need more ale than we´ll be able to produce for them. You can take my word for it, my friend.
The men ride their cart right through the gates without needing to show any papers, unlike how it was in Oldtown, which makes Arya and Dany relieved to see.
Arya:
Thank you, blind luck!
Dany:
Either that or someone planned for this to happen ...
Arya:
You´re being foolish.
Dany:
Am I? This all seems a little too convenient, if you ask me.
Arya:
For once, we had luck on our side! Enjoy it and follow after me!
Arya leads Dany inside of her childhood home.
3. Int. Tavis´ Quarters. Day.
Tavis has dressed himself in his finest garb, when his sister Jamilla comes in with a fine fur for him to wear over his shoulders. She puts it on him and looks him over.
Jamilla:
You look like a King.
Tavis:
Then how come it´s the last thing, I feel like?
Jamilla:
Are you having second thoughts again?
Tavis:
I don´t know anything about this girl, I´m going to marry, Jamilla. The only words we´ve said to another so far are welcome greetings.
Jamilla:
Don´t you think, she´s pretty?
Tavis:
Yes, it´s not that! It´s ...
Jamilla:
That she isn´t Esta, that´s your real problem?
Tavis nods and Jamilla looks sympathetic with him.
Tavis:
It feels like I´ll be mocking the gods, when I stand there and take another woman to be my wife, when they clearly made me and Esta, so that we could be together.
Jamilla:
And you´re avoiding your bride to be, because you feel like it isn´t fair on her either?
Tavis:
You know me too well, sister!
They smile sadly at one another.
Jamilla:
It´s only a betrothal, Tavis. With the way the world looks right now, things could look so different in a month or two, that you won´t have to think about this anymore. For now, I think that there´s a girl somewhere here in this keep, who would really like to get the chance to know the man, she´s going to marry before she does and is probably as worried over all of these things, as you are. You know that it´s what Jon Snow would have done!
Tavis:
I suppose, I can´t argue with that logic. I guess, that I should go and find her then, shouldn´t I?
His sister nods and he leaves her. When she´s alone though, she looks as worried over the marriage ending in a disater, as her brother did.
4. Int. Lenora´s Chambers. Day.
Lenora is being "dolled up" for the proceedings to come by a pair of the handmaids, when Tavis comes in. She´s nervous, but also a little glad that he chose to come to see her. The two handmaids bow their heads to their prince and future king.
Tavis:
I´d like to speak to my future wife alone. You can wait outside, until we´re done.
The two girls hurry out of there and Lenora smiles shyly at him.
Lenora:
I wasn´t expecting you to come and see me like this.
Tavis:
If we´ll be spending the rest of our lives together, then I´d have to do it sooner or later, wouldn´t I?
He grabs a chair for himself and sits down across from her.
Tavis:
I can guess, that you´re very nervous over all of this, I know that I am.
Lenora:
It´s not just me then.
Tavis:
You´ve probably heard all kinds of stories about us Northeners, that aren´t true. Don´t think, we don´t know what you say about us down South.
Lenora:
Some of the things I heard gave me nightmares. Stories about Wildlings savagely killing people for their own amusement and people being flayed alive.
Tavis:
Wildlings still exist, but they never come this far south. My guess is that they´re as interested in seeing more of us, as we are in seeing more of them. As for the flaying, that was only the Boltons and they´ve been extinct since the battle of he bastards. You´re perfectly safe up here, I give you my word on it.
Lenora looks a little reassured and glad, that her new betrothed seems to be nice at least.
5. Ext. Keep in the Reach. Day.
Edward Baratheon is present along with a small part of his army, as yet another garrison surrenders after having been subjected to a heavy bombardment from his brother´s cannons. Many of those who are surrendering are missing limbs, that have been blown off from the artillery fire and it´s a lot easier to count those that have come out of it unharmed, than those who came out with major injuries. On most of their faces can be read a look of utter defeat, while a few look glad to have survived it. After the last enemy soldier has left the keep, a smaller one that had probably stood there for centuries, but now has been reduced to little more than rubble, he goes in to survey they damage.
6. Int. Keep in the Reach. Day.
Edward walks through the rubble, that´s strewn with dead soldiers or just their blown off body parts, if that´s all that remains of them, with a look of disgust on his face. This clearly wasn´t what he wanted and knowing what this weapon could do, if it´s turned on the civilian population scares him more then anything right now.
7. Int. Edward´s Tent. Day.
Edward is mulling things over, when Tilde comes in to join him.
Tilde:
My father has requested your presence in his tent.
Edward:
I already knew. You didn´t have to come here and tell me.
She smiles warmly at him and sits down next to him.
Tilde:
I think his plan was that if he sent me, then you would actually come to one of his tactical meetings for once.
Edward:
So I can listen to more of his boasting, while he deludes himself into thinking that he´s the second coming of King Robert? I´vr heard enough of it for one lifetime already!
Tilde:
What wrong, dear Uncle?
Edward:
What´s wrong is that we´re fighting a war wothout honor, Tilde! Don´t think that they´ll forget about it, should we actually win this war!
Tilde:
Who won´t?
Edward:
The people, he has to rule over! I´m not only talking about the nobles and the rich landowners either. At the end of the day, there will always be hundreds of times more small folk than nobles and outside of the Stormlands, by far the most of them don´t see your father as having a legitimate claim to the throne. If we take it this cowardly way, that´ll only add more fuel to their fire.
Tilde:
Would you rather see thousands of our soldiers lying dead on the battlefield?
Edward:
A cannon is a formidable weapon yes, but also a weapon that needs to be constantly fed with ammunition for it to have any effect at all.
Tilde:
Not that my father talks much to me about these things, but from what I know we´re well supplied on ammunition for now.
Edward:
What then, when we aren´t anymore? He thinks that this is the miracle weapon that will win the war for him, not realizing that it´ll leave him at the mercy of another enemy. Perhaps I should go for once, to see if I can talk some sense into him.
Tilde:
I know that he would like that.
Edward looks sadly at her.
Edward:
How did you manage to still stay this innocent, dear niece? When the entire world as you know it, is being destroyed bit by bit with you there as a witness to all of it?
Tilde:
Because I still believe that deep down, my father wants to do what´s best for everyone. He´s just started to lose sight of it a little lately, is all.
Edward doesn´t look much, like he believes it as much, as he does.
8. Int. Gerard´s Command Tent. Day.
Gerard is having a meeting between his main commanders, when Edward comes in.
Edward:
I hope I´m not interrupting anything?
Gerard looks pleasantly surprised to see his brother.
Gerald:
I knew that my daughter wouldn´t let me down! How nice of you to come for once.
Edward:
Running an army takes up a lot of your time, as you can surely understand.
Gerard:
That I can. Please everyone else, leave us. I need to speak to my brother in private.
They do, leaving only the two brothers in there. Gerard leads Edward over to a table, where he has a map of the Reach laid out.
Gerard:
The Tully´s have started their own advancement from the North East. We´ve made plans to link up with them at Bitterbridge.
Edward:
Sounds like a decent enough idea, I suppose.
Gerard:
But not what you would have done?
Edward:
It matters not, what I would have done.
Gerard:
I´m asking you because you´re my brother and while I might not follow your suggestions, I do still value your opinion greatly.
Edward:
With all respect, I think that we would be moving too fast without securing our rear properly.
Gerard:
I take it that you´re referring to the loyalist rebels, that operate behind our lines?
Edward:
They´re already disturbing our supply lines and I´m afraid that it´ll only get worse, the fewer men we have to leave behind to keep control of our new land ownings.
Gerard:
More than you would know, which is why I think it´s time we did something about it.
Edward:
What do you have in mind?
Gerard:
Something that will make both lords and smallfolk alike think twice, before deciding to move against us.
Edward braces himself for what his brother has planned, knowing that he probably won´t like it.
9. Ext. Winterfell Courtyard. Day.
Dany is in the crowd watching, as the new royal couple come out to be presented to the people and is also trying nicely to turn a young nobleman down.
Dany:
I´m afraid that I´m already betrothed.
The young man seems to take the rejection well. Dany doesn´t notice it, but Jamilla approaches her and stands next to her, acting casual.
Jamilla:
They look like a natural fit, don´t they?
Dany looks a little surprised at being talked to like this, but also knowns that she needs to play it cool.
Dany:
Yes, they are. Like a proper royal couple.
Jamilla:
Did you come from far away to be here today?
Dany:
Yes, ehm ... We came all the way from Oldtown.
Jamilla:
That´s a long journey, just to be at a betrothal ceremony!
Dany:
Yes, I suppose so.
Jamilla looks her over and Dany can see that her act isn´t working.
Jamilla:
Allow me to introduce myself. Jamilla Stark, Princess of the North and sister of the groom.
That Dany looks surprised is enough to give Jamilla all of the evidence she needs.
Jamilla:
I also helped to assemble the guest list for this betrothal ceremony and I´m absolutely certain, that there weren´t anyone from Oldtown on it.
Dany:
We´ve only just moved there. Perhaps ...
Jamilla:
Why don´t we head inside, so you can tell me who you really are? Of course, you could try to run, but with this many guards around, I can all but guarantee you that you won´t get far.
Dany quickly considers her options and just nods slightly in reply to her.
10. Int. Crypts of Winterfell. Day.
Arya sneaks through a very old hidden entrance down into the crypts and looks delighted to finally feel like she´s at home again. Of course she has to check out what new statues have been added since she left and it´s fun for her to see that both Sansa and Jon deservedly got their own statues. A very strange moment for her though is when she sees her own and reads the inscription underneath it:
ARYA STARK
SAVIOR OF WESTEROS
Where it would usually be written which year they were born and died in, it just says:
HOPEFULLY STILL ALIVE
She smiles slightly at the inscription and doesn´t notice Tyra, who´s been hiding from Erik down there come out of her hiding place. Arya turns her head to face her and little Tyra makes wide eyes that she´s staring at the exact same girl, who should by all logic have died at least a hundred years ago. Arya looks a little embarrassed at being caught in this situation.
Arya:
Hello. What´s your name?
Tyra:
Tyra Arryn. Are you ...
She looks up at the statue and Arya follows her eyes in looking up at it. She stilll tries to play it off like it isn´t her though.
Arya:
You´re joking, right? Of course, I´m not Arya Stark! That would be impossible.
Tyra:
Arya Stark simply disappeared one day and no one ever found out what happened to her.
Erik comes down there looking for Tyra and Arya looks annoyed that she´s been busted by yet another kid.
Erik:
Found you! Who´s this?
Tyra:
I´m not certain, but I think it´s Arya Stark!
Erik:
No, it can´t be!
When he sees Arya however, there isn´t a doubt in his young mind, that he´s looking at a relative of his without needing to look up at the statue. Arya knows that the two kids have busted her and can´t really get mad at them anyway.
Erik:
You really are her, aren´t you?
Arya:
Yes, I am, but you can´t tell anybody!
Tyra:
How ...
Arya:
It´s a long story, that I´d love to tell you two sometime, one that I´m not even sure I believe! Right now, I need to get out of here, before the guards arrive.
Erik:
Don´t worry. They never come down here!
Arya:
Still, I´ve already been captured once this week and if it happened twice, that just wouldn´t look good!
Tyra:
Where would you go to?
Arya:
Somewhere. I´m not sure yet.
Erik:
You should at least talk to my sister Jamilla. She´d love to help you. You and your sister are heroes of hers.
Tyra:
It´s a better plan than "I´ll go somewhere, but I don´t know where yet", don´t you agree?
Arya can´t deny that the kids make sense in what they´re saying and goes along with it.
11. Int. Jamilla´s Quarters. Evening.
Jamilla is holding an open book in front of her that has drawn pictures of both Arya and Dany in it, while trying to comprehend what is happening. Dany and Arya are with her, as are the two kids.
Jamilla:
You´re Arya Stark, the hero of the long night and you´re the actual Dragon Lady herself, Daenaerys Targaryen, who used her dragon to burn down King´s Landing roughly a hundred and forty years ago?
Dany:
That more or less covers it!
Arya:
We understand, that it must be hard to take in.
Jamilla:
You can say that again!
Tyra:
It perfectly explains what happened to both of them though.
Erik:
She´s the real Arya Stark. I can feel it.
Jamilla:
You know that I value your intuition, little brother, but this time ...
Dany:
That´s a history book you have there, isn´t it? Ask us about anything that happened to either us and we´ll answer you correctly.
Arya:
Something only we would remember.
Jamilla looks through the pages to find a suitable question and lands on one, she seems to like. Not being able to find one, she just comes up with a question.
Jamilla:
What were the names of Arya´s brothers?
Arya:
Jon, Bran, Rickon and Robb.
Tyra:
Even I knew that!
Erik:
Ask her a harder one!
Arya and Dany smile at one another at how much the kids are loving this, while Jamilla finds another question for her.
Jamilla:
Here´s one, even I didn´t know until a few years ago. What was the name of Arya´s fencing teacher, when she lived in King´s Landing as a child?
Erik:
That I don´t know!
Tyra:
Me neither.
Arya:
Syrio Forel.
Jamilla and the kids both look impressed and like they´re starting to believe that it´s the truth, they´re speaking.
Jamilla:
Unfortunately for you, Daenaerys, there aren´t a whole lot of history books that follow your life, at least not here in Westeros.
Dany:
It doesn´t surprise me, that they would rather try to forget all about me ever coming here.
Jamilla (jokingly):
I suppose that if you took us to see your dragon, that would be enough evidence!
Dany and Arya look one another in the eye and both seem to like that idea.
Dany:
In that case, why don´t we go and pay and my dragon a visit?
The two little ones look super exited at getting to see a real life dragon for themselves, while Jamilla is quite a bit more cautious at the thought of it.
Jamilla:
You ... brought it here?
Arya:
How do you think, we got here?
Jamilla:
You´re sure, he won´t just eat us at first sight?
Dany:
Don´t worry, he´s pretty friendly, once you get to know him!
Tyra:
Can we, Jamilla?
Erik:
Please!
The two kids look at her pleadingly and she gives in, seeing as it was herself that suggested it in the first place.
Jamilla:
I´m going to regret this!
Erik and Tyra look thrilled. Jamilla not so much.
12. Dream Sequence.
Edward is having a nightmare about all of the horrors he´s already seen on his journey with images of Tilde as various victims only doing more to mess with his mind.
13. Int. Edward´s Tent. Evening.
Edward, who´s fallen asleep in chis chair, is awoken by Tilde, who´s also brought some dinner for him with her.
Tilde:
You can´t keep trying to fight a war on an empty stomach. Don´t think that I haven´t noticed, how little you´ve been eating lately.
Edward starts to come to and looks a little glad, that she cares so much about him.
Edward:
You sound like my mother used to, before she passed away.
Tilde:
Eat! You need to build up your strength, if you´re going to win this war for us.
Edward:
Alright, I will. But only because you asked me to.
He starts eating his dinner, while she watches him.
Tilde:
What did my father want to talk to you about?
Edward:
You don´t want to know, believe me!
Tilde:
But I do. Don´t you think it´s enough that he keeps me in darkness, without you needing to do it as well?
Edward takes another bite and swallows it, before looking her in the eyes.
Edward:
You´re certain?
Tilde:
Whatever it was, I can take it! I´m not a child, that needs to be protected from knowing too much anymore.
Edward:
He wants me to take fifty of our most loyal soldiers with me at dusk tomorrow to ride to the village, we passed a few days ago. We are to leave no one alive there. Neither man, woman or child.
Tilde looks like she doesn´t want to believe in what he´s saying.
Tilde:
You must have misunderstood him!
Edward:
I wish, I had! But there were no ways of.
Tilde:
My father is a good and just man! he wouldn´t ever ...
Edward:
He wants to use their bodies to send a message to anyone, who opposes us, that the same thing will happen to them, if they decide to rebel. Wake up, Tilde! What he´s turned into is something no better, than what sits on the throne already.
Tilde:
You don´t mean that!
Edward:
How is it better, if we too need to slaughter the small folk to get them to respect us? Can you answer me that?
Tilde can´t find an answer for him and has to sit down to take it in.
Edward:
I didn´t follow him, so he could use me to kill unarmed villagers. Yet I have no choice either, or I would be committing an act of treason against him and thereby our family as a whole.
Tilde tries to come up with something, as he takes another bite. Their conversation looks like it´s taken his appetite away though.
Tilde:
Would I be committing treason too, do you think, if I were to ride ahead before you and give them fair warning, that you´re coming?
Edward looks at the same time glad that she wants to help, but at the same time a little dismissive.
Edward:
I suppose, it would be a grey area. Anyway, it´s too dangerous, with all of the rebels in the area.
Tilde:
Rebels that will be looking for you, not I. None of them are going to care about a civilian clad woman, who´s riding by herself.
Edward:
Do you even remember where it lies?
Tilde:
I´ll find it. Let me help you to stop this massacre from happening, Uncle. Just this once or I don´t know how I could live with myself, knowing that I could have stopped it and didn´t.
Edward looks into her eyes and sees the resolve in them, which makes him smile slightly to himself.
Edward:
You really are a Baratheon to the bone, aren´t you?
Tilde smiles at his praise of her.
Edward:
Ride as fast as you can, so that you can be back before first light.
Tilde:
I will do this. You have my word.
She looks resolved to get it done.
14. Ext. Field a little away from Winterfell. Night.
Jamilla, Erik, Tyra, Dany and Arya come up to where they left Drogon, but he´s not there.
Dany:
He´s probably flown off to find himself some dinner. I´m sure, that he´ll be back soon.
Jamilla:
How soon?
Dany:
Soon! He´s a dragon, they tend to mostly do what they want!
Arya:
Plus, you can forget that he wasn´t expecting to have company coming over tonight.
Erik and Tyra smile at Arya´s little joke. Jamilla looks impatient though.
Jamilla:
We can´t stay out here for too long, or they´ll come looking for us. In fact, we should probably start heading back to Wnterfell immediately.
Erik:
Not now!
Tyra:
We want to see the dragon!
Jamilla looks at them a little sternly.
Jamilla:
Well, we can´t always get what we want, can we? Maybe it´s time that you two learned that because ...
Just as she says that, Drogon lands behind her and Erik and Tyra make wide eyes at what they´re seeing. Jamilla turns her head and stares right into Drogon´s enormous eyes, making her instantly panic.
Jamilla:
Dear Sevens, that is a real live dragon!
Dany:
I told you!
Jamilla instinctively starts to pull the two kids back from Drogon, who looks more curious about these new visitors than anything else.
Jamilla:
I never thought I´d actually live to see one, even less up this close!
Erik:
He´s amazing!
Tyra:
Can we pet him?
Arya and Dany can´t help finding the request of the kids a little amusing, all things considered.
Arya:
Seeing as he´s not a dog or a cat, I think that he would find it a little strange.
Dany:
I can take you on a ride on him though, if you so wish.
The kids look at Jamilla pleadingly, but here´s where she has to put her foot down.
Jamilla:
No, absolutely not! I´m not having either of you two falling off a dragon to your death!
Dany:
Perhaps you would like to try it yourself then, princess Jamilla?
Jamilla:
Me?
Arya:
Yes, you! So you can see that there´s nothing to be afraid of. If you hold on hard enough, that is!
Jamilla´s sense of adventure suddenly comes up in her, to the children´s delight.
15. Ext. Sky. Night.
Dany and Jamilla are flying on Drogon and are only lit up by the light of the full moon, that´s out on this night. Jamilla is a little nervous, but also can´t hide that the childish side of her is enjoying it.
Dany:
Are you scared?
Jamilla:
Not really. But I suppose it would be different, if we had to fight against another dragon and it´s rider, up here among the clouds.
Dany:
It sounds like you´ve studied my family a great deal.
Jamilla:
As much as is permitted up here. Even though we were at peace with the Targaryen regime for the most part, you still can´t say the name Targaryen without someone spitting on the ground to show their disgust.
Dany:
I take it, that I have no small part is this?
Jamilla:
The War of the Five Kings changed a great deal of things in the North and not only because we became a sovereign nation afterwards. Since then we´ve embraced peace in a way that those living here in the olden days, never would have thought possible. Most of them seem to have forgotten, that if it hadn´t been for you, then it´s unlikely that anyone up here would have survived the long night. All that would have been left now would have been the dead, mindlessly walking the earth with no purpose left.
Dany:
I´m glad to hear that at least a few of you remember the good I did too.
Jamilla:
Don´t get me wrong, your last name alone would still put you as number one on most people´s death list. But on the other hand, if they can accept that a Stark can marry a Lannister, who´s to say?
Dany:
That girl was a Lannister? You´re kidding me, right?
Jamilla:
Not in the slightest. The world sure is changing fast. Who´s to say what it´ll look like a year from now?
Dany smiles slightly to herself, as she steers them down towards the ground.
16. Ext. Field a little away from Winterfell. Night.
Dany and Jamilla land again, while the kids look at it with excitement in their faces. The way they look now also clearly takes Arya back to that much more innocent time in her own life.
Erik:
Now can we try it?
Jamilla:
No! Not until you´re much older, the both of you!
The kids sulk a little, but still accept her final verdict, as Dany and Jamilla climbs off Drogon.
Arya:
What happens now?
Jamilla:
I can probably get you work at the keep, although it won´t be anything like what you´ve been used to, I´m afraid.
Dany:
You´d be surprised what we have and haven´t tried over these past few weeks.
Arya:
Not to mention that we´d be arrested, the moment we tried to set foot in any of the other kingdoms!
Jamilla:
You would be safe up here, for now at least. With the rumblings over the war reaching us sooner rather than later growing louder every day though, I can´t guarantee you anything as far as the wider perspective goes.
Dany:
Right now, we´ll take anything, you can offer us and thank you for it.
Jamilla nods in understanding. The kids look glad, that Dany and Arya won´t be going anywhere, as do Arya and Dany themselves.
17. Int. Gerard´s Tent. Morning.
Gerard is staring at his brother in disbelief over what he´s hearing.
Gerard:
What do you mean, the village was empty?
Edward:
All of the villagers had left and taken their animals with them. There wasn´t a soul there or we would of course have carried out your orders, as you had given them to me.
Gerard:
You didn´t tell any of the soldiers beforehand, did you?
Edward:
Not a word, as you requested. If I may be so bold, we´re inside a tent! These aren´t stone walls! Everyone standing outside of it can hear everything that´s being said in here.
Gerard clearly doesn´t like that his brother is right, but has to accept it.
Gerard:
You know what this means, don´t you?
Edward holds his breath, fearing the worst, as his brother looks him in the eyes.
Gerard:
It means that the enemy has spies placed within our army. Before we find out who they are, I want all attack orders to only go through the senior officers and not to be given to anyone else, until the very last minute, where they have to be. Is that clear?
Edward looks a little relieved and gives him a slight nod.
Edward:
It´ll set the plans into motion right away.
Gerard:
We´ll find out who they are and punish them appropriately, but until then I want you to personally make sure, that this order is followed to the letter. The last thing we need at this crucial stage is having our enemies knowing all about our plans. I´ll also need to find a new place to hold meetings.
Edward:
Will that be all?
Gerard:
For now, yes. I apologize that I made you get up at dawn, to ride such a long way for nothing.
They smile slightly at one another.
Edward:
You know what I´ve always been like. Getting up early in the morning has never been a challenge for me.
Gerard:
You are the most loyal general and brother, I ever could have wished for. Now go and do my bidding, before any more of our secrets get spilled.
Edward:
There is one that I wouldn´t mind, if it does. We´ve talked about it before.
Gerard looks annoyed that Edward brought it up.
Gerard:
There´s no point in telling her. It´ll only confuse her.
Edward:
We both agreed that when she became old enough ...
Gerard:
We would tell Tilde the truth, that it was you who slept with her mother, only you used my name, so that your claim for knighthood wouldn´t fall into danger. Of course, I remember! She thinks that she´s my daughter and there´s no reason to change that. Not right now, with everything else we have happening every day. That is my decision as head of the family and I expect you to accept it.
Edward clearly doesn´t agree, but gives his brother a small nod to show that he´ll accept the decision, before leaving him. Gerard still doesn´t look entirely sure that he won´t tell Tilde anyway though.
18. Ext. Army Camp. Morning.
Tilde is loading up her things on a cart, since she´ll be leaving for now. Edward comes over to her to say his goodbyes.
Edward:
I heard that you´re going on a diplomatic mission up North.
Tilde:
Hopefully I won´t run into any trouble on the way.
Edward:
If you do, just show them some of that Baratheon strength, that runs through your veins. That´s sure to scare even the biggest army away!
She smiles at him.
Tilde:
I´ll miss you.
Edward:
Don´t you think, I´ll be missing you too? Who else around here am I going to turn to, when I need some clever conversation, that doesn´t immediately turn into one over how many women, we´ve all bedded?
She giggles.
Tilde:
You all lie, when they ask you, don´t you?
Edward:
Most of them do.
Tilde:
Since you´re such a man of honor and you don´t have any children, I don´t suppose I need to ask you, do I?
Edward:
Actually ...
Edward sees the chance to tell her but manages to stop himself for the greater good.
Edward:
Stay safe, Tilde. I don´t want this to be the last time, we see one another.
She gives him a reassuring smile and a hug, before mounting her small cart, that only has one horse to pull it.
Tilde:
It won´t be.
She drives her cart away, as Edward watches her leave.
CLOSING CREDITS