Raesel I

The air was always fresher the farther you were away from the Lord's Table, Raesel thought this must've been the freshest table in the whole of the hall. Not that you had to be particularly close to hear the arguing that was being passed between the lords of riverlands at least of the ones north of Riverrun. The lords of the east riverlands like Lord Fraedric Cox who complained loudly and often about the difference of men if they were to raise banners, the man did like his ifs. Lady Roote was bolder by half, when she proclaimed the Tully's had sent many men with the king's parties north, a few lords glanced at her with a mix of amusement and contempt. Theomar II Smallwood sat quietly at one end of the table and watched impassively as the others bickered, Beric had pointed him out the previous night when she had gone to his room. 'Theomar is the Vance's eyes and ears; if I can't convince him to put in a good word then I need to convince him we pose no threat to the Vances.' When she asked of his eye he waved a hand and grimaced 'I already tire of people asking, it was a small price to pay to make a point.' Raesel looked up at the lofty roof and their voices faded away as she thought of Beric, he was not the boy she once knew, he had always been bold, but he had been sickly and weak she was always coming to his rescue. Once some Frey boys or another had taken to pushing her around, it had not bothered her over much. When Beric flew at them in such a fervor it was almost comical how they turned on him and tore him apart before Beric laid a hand on them. By the time she scared the boys away Beric was back on his feet and smiled at her like they had defeated a dragon together.

"Let's grow up to be knights, you and me against all the bullies." Raesel had been a moody girl then withdrawn and afraid, but he made her feel safe even when she was the one saving him.

"Ladies can't be knights everyone knows that."

"You don't know enough stories, there's the beauty Brienne, and Nymeria, or the legend of the shadow wolf, and you should know the sand snakes. They say the sand snakes were only as beautiful as they were dangerous. The dragon queen was Aegon reborn I've heard." Beric once claimed he knew every hero there was from Durran Godsgrief to Symeon Star-eyes. The memory left an ache in her stomach, the familiar fear crept into the edges of her mind, she didn't want anything to change, and they could be knights only in her dreams. Raesel was brought out of her thoughts by a squeal that escaped the lips of the girl next to her, the girl no older than 15 looked pale as if close to fainting. Raesel placed a hand on the girls and summoned the most soothing look she could manage.

"Are you alright sweet girl, you look like you've seen a ghost." The girl looked like she was about to shrink into her dress when she realized she had made the sound out loud.

"I-i-i just…" She looked like she wanted to bore holes in the table with her eyes. "It's kind of magical isn't it we're here at the dawn of something special I can feel it. They're like heroes of legend aren't they; they are talking about open rebellion like it's nothing." The innocent smile on the girl's face nearly broke Raesel's heart, but the laugh came out of her throat before she thought about it.

"You must be a year younger than me, but you seem like a sweet child." When the smile vanished Raesel realized the words seemed a criticism. "No, that's good, I think you and Lord Frey would get along in many ways he's still a child." The girl's eyes widened till they were in danger of eating her eyebrows.

"You know B-b-beric!" The girl looked at Raesel like a hero herself.

"I was his father's ward, we were raised together." Raesel found herself liking the girl, and the small smiles she flashed. The thoughts suddenly came unbidden, she saw herself pinning the girl against a summer tree.

"What kind of man is he, I have asked many people, but nobody seems to know anything about him." The longings didn't vanish as quickly as the usually did and for the first time in years Raesel found she had no words. "Oh of course, just because you grew up in the same house doesn't mean you know anything about him, it was rude of me to assume."
"No!" her voice came out loud enough for a few people to look to her. "I mean that we are very good friends, we always were. You will have to be more specific though." The girl furrowed her brow as she thought. She lit up when she blurted her thought out.

"Is he mad?" She turned a pretty shade of pink as she realized what she said. "I mean-n-n is there any chance of all this will work." Raesel realised she'd never even considered if Beric could actually do what he always talked about, Beric's father could talk a horse out of its hooves.

"Well honestly I don't think he has a chance, but Beric would never start something he has no intention of seeing it through. He sees some way this all works, not even the maester's could beat him at Cyvasse. He may be mad but he sees something we simply can't, I don't think anyone can." If the girl's eyes were wide before, they had turned into plates on her face, Raesel hid the laugh behind a hand. "Or he's simply crazed, either way we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Raesel Dayne." The girl spun quickly and gave her the look; everyone gave her the same look when they heard her last name. The girl was frozen in place as she considered the hand like it may come up and kill her. When at last the girl grasped it Raesel smiled, perhaps she had more guts than she had originally thought.

"Alerah Smallwood, my father is up there but I'm guessing you already knew that." Alerah cocked her head as she smiled properly for the first time since the conversation began, Raesel thought that her heart might beat clear out of her chest.

"Your father might be the most important man in the room right now." The girl looked proud for a moment but she turned with a questioning look. "He will determine if the Vance's intervene or not, they are the most powerful house even if the Tully's are at their full strength." It seemed strange to Raesel her mouth opened but Beric's words were coming out. The voice echoes throughout the hall loud and a little bored.

"My lords and ladies I have heard your wise counsel, but I have not gathered you to talk about if we march. I ask where we shall march. Lord Cox if you embark on this journey with house Frey than every battle will be uphill; they will always have more men than us. Lady Roote I above all respect your bold words, but it matters not even if they sent half their men it will barely be even numbers. Lord Bracken spoke true when he said we have to win the hearts of the smallfolk. We march for Harrenhall and The Red Duchess we will wipe her out, her scourge on our land as been an affront that's lasted too long. She is a monster, but she holds too many hostages, if we were to free them." Beric's bandages covered half his head, but by the time he paused where his eye had been soaked through with blood. It looked like a rose had sprouted from his face. Ser Smallwood finished.

"That's a lot of houses who suddenly owe us a debt. How can we guarantee their safety, if they do come to harm that's a lot of houses with a grudge." Beric wild smile reminded her of the big red wildling that had once come through the twins; he was a bawdy man who had one night struck down three others laughing the whole time.

"I can think of a few things." The messenger sprinted through the open door; Beric had insisted that any man with the mind for it was welcome to sit in. Beric placed a hand on his little squire and grimaced.

"My lords it seems I have news. I hope you will excuse me as I retire to my chambers to read the words, we will meet at dinner and conclude our talks." Beric didn't wait for the response as he made a welcoming gesture to the messenger. "Get the man some meat and mead, Greyjoy gets his letter will you?" The boy scampered to the messenger, he looked so much like a hound, but Beric had sworn by the boy, once more he saw something others didn't. Alerah placed a hand on Raesel's shoulder.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, but my father is leaving, maybe we can talk another time. It was a pleasure to meet you." Raesel managed a small nod, and a curtsy as the girl vanished into the people leaving.

It took awhile for the crowd to disperse, and when they did Raesel made her way to the small door that led to the smaller chambers that Beric had claimed for his office. He had posted two Frey guards outside the door adorned in the new colors he had selected for house Frey, the black and white was split with red. The black field was against a white moon The Twins were red taking up most of the banner.

"Raesel Dayne to see Lord Frey." One guard turned and opened the door allowing her passage, but the look was there somewhere beneath his training, poor girl it said.

"Sit down." Beric motioned at the seat across from him, and waited for the door to close. The moment it did he jumped up and hugged her tightly to him. "Sorry I have appearances to keep, and sorry we haven't had much time to talk." He held her at arm's length. "You're looking lovely, what can I do for you." He led her to the large comfy chair by the fire.

"It's lovely to see you too; I just wanted to be here. I know how quickly you tire of the bickering of lords." She sat in the big comfy chair and considered him. "You don't seem to be particularly in a bad mood." Beric called for his squire to bring two glasses of wine.

"How could I be in low spirits, those lords may annoy me, but it's happening my father's dream and now mine. I can taste it." He sat on the stones of the fireplace and placed his back against hearth. "He spent so long getting those men on board, and now I get to enjoy the fruits of his labors, I'm no good at the whole charming thing anyway." He wrinkled his nose and shut his eyes, but the small smile still pulled the corners of his lips up.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, but how on earth are you going to take Harrenhal, from the back of the room you certainly sounded mad." Raesel smiled down at her tall friend, but he didn't even open his eyes.

"I have a… Friend in Harrenhal, he owes me his life. I feel certain he'll pay me back now." Beric finally opened his eyes but he did not meet her name, apparently there was something very interesting on the roof. "I want to get you out of here. One way or another, the country will be stained with the blood I spill. Here I can't guarantee your safety; I want you to be safe." He finally turned his dark blue eyes on her. "You might be my only friend who knows… Well who I am, I want to do right by you." In his eyes she saw the little shift, he was drowning in himself, and soon enough there would be no Beric the boy.

"You can't be rid of me that easily, you taught me to dream. I owe you more than I can repay, if it means cutting down Jon Targearyen myself I will see this through." They both laughed at that, Raesel was always stronger than the other girls, but Jon's sword skills were the stuff of stories. "I know you hate the question, but are you really okay." She gestured with the goblet at his left side.

"There's nothing I can do about it. It hurts." He paused uncomfortable as he got. "A lot."

"You don't have to put a brave face for me, the path you're going down, you'll be required to lie to everyone, but I'm offering my services as a friendly ear." Beric shifted back against the stones.

"What did I do to deserve a friend like you? I don't think Smallwood will speak on our behalf, certainly if we fail to strip her out of Harrenhal. So next step is to take a cursed castle from an undead priestess." The smile spread across his face. "And they called me crazy for calling it the second age of heroes."

"So you really think she's back from the dead, does that mean her red god is real?" Raesel studied how he tensed slightly.

"Well, they say our king was brought back from the dead." He sounded unconvinced. "She certainly wants us to believe that she is some kind of magic, but if you have to tell everyone your magic then…" He shrugged. "Anyway there's no way to know what god brought her back or for what reason. God's mean nothing to me, they did nothing as my family tore itself apart, they did nothing as my sister was taken from us, hell they did nothing when that coward poisoned my father. The smallfolk need their gods though, so if anyone asks I spend every afternoon praying in the sept, or the godswood if they're northorn." Raesel was the only one to laugh this time. The boy, Victarion appeared out of nowhere, she hadn't even heard him open a door.

"My lord, my lady, I have another letter, it is of some importance."