288 AC
Ryam Awoke to Knocking on The Door, Rubbing the Sleep from His Eyes He Spoke "Enter", A Moment after a servant came in with a bucket of hot water and he was told that Lord Florent, His Grand Uncle , wanted Him clean and dressed well, quickly as there was to be a full family meal before midday.
Now to some other houses especially those of the north to have the entire family come for a meal would not be such a grand affair but in the Reach such an event could easily amass more people than the musters of small houses, Truly If only those with the name of Florent were to be there, There would at least be twenty people attending with an equal number of servants.
Ryam was named after his Grandfather as an attempt by his father Erren Florent to get back in to his Uncle's good graces after they had a particularly bad argument, What the argument was about Ryam did not know but seemingly after his naming the relationship was no longer as outwardly hostile as it had once been. While the relationship remained rocky Alester had remained kind to Ryam and his two older brothers.
Lord Florent was known to not gather the entire family together needlessly nor to waste the time of members who otherwise could be working or scheming.
Ryam was the third son of a third son and if house Florent was a less mercantile family then Ryam's best hope would have been to be a good enough knight to earn some land but because they were quite shrewd, he had lived a more comfortable life than some little lordlings would have in the Eyrie or the North. Even With Alester being more generous to Erren and his sons than was expected of him Ryam still worried about how he was to benefit the house long term, It was something that was always drilled into Ryam from a young age that House came first.
Ryam cleaned himself quickly then threw on a dull brown doublet, not wanting to be late again for a meal as he had the bad habit of doing that. As he walked down the halls of Brightwater Keep, he found himself entranced by its majesty. Obviously, it did not compare to that of Highgarden or the castle that was always on the mind of the young Florent, Harrenhall, but Brightwater struck a balance between it all, it did not jut out from the countryside like a slash through the hills nor did it look like a pauper's hall. In Ryam's mind it was the perfect mix of form and function, it clearly stood out showing the authority of house Florent over the land whilst still being decadent, adorned with blue and brown banners, silver sconces and polished steel.
It Was Home.
As Ryam Turned to enter the great hall he muttered a small prayer that it seemed he was quite early to the meal with only his cousin, Alekyne heir to Brightwater keep being present along with Ryam's own mother, Darla Whent the youngest sister to Shella and Minisa Whent.
Alekyne had inherited all The Intelligence of his lord father but also an arrogance because of it, Ryam had not long passed his twelfth name day whereas Alekyne was now ten and nine, thankfully because of this age difference most of the dislike Alekyne had towards Ryam came from words whereas Ryam's Eldest brother Axell had to deal with it in the Yard.
As much as it pained most of the "lesser" Florent sons, Alekyne was correct in his arrogance that he was the best swordsman amongst them.
Alekyne In a surprisingly genuine tone asked, "Do Either of You Know Why My Lord Father Called This Meal?",
Alekyne always liked knowing more than the rest of us of Lord Florents doings and schemes and Ryam knew it must grate him that this "meeting" was called without him knowing anything about it.
"I Only Found Out About It When I Was Awoken" Ryam said.
Darla began to talk "Erron and Myself had some brief talks with Alester in the past few moons but if they are the reason behind this meeting, I am unsure"
After they all said their piece a lull set in and small talk began as more and more members of house Florent filtered in until all were present with the notable exception of Lord Alester Florent himself, His seat on the table seemingly exuded the authority of its Lord even when he was absent.
The talk quickly quieted when two doors swung open carrying platters of freshly baked bread, with large saucers filled with golden butter, thick cut bacon still swimming in its own fat, eggs crisped in excess bacon fat and sausages made with fine herbs and spices.
Truly Lord Florent wanted to lead this meal with decadence as even more cooks came out and jugs of fresh water and chilled plates of the finest apples and oranges the Reach could produce. That Is When Lord Florent appeared.
In finer than usual garments, a rich white and blue velvet. The Man Was in his forties and had already begun to grey, his beard resembled salt and pepper whilst his head was gradually becoming more and more white. He had sharp eyes and tall ears, the signature trait of house Florent, He was a stoic man that spoke clearly and to the point. Any praise from him was High praise indeed.
He clapped his hands together to alert them to his presence "Come now and eat your fill of the finest our house has to offer and once we are all fed and watered, we will discuss why I called this meeting". With That Lord Alester took his seat at the head of the table, kissed his lady wife Melara Crane and began to eat.
The Mood had noticeably shifted in the hall, A few had worried there might be some great emergency or worry but for now that worry had evaporated and left a curiosity.
Ryam was sitting beside his father and was within talking distance to Lord Alester, small talk was not something both men did well or at all for that matter, so both stayed silent despite the glances and looks both gave each other.
Ryam leaned into his father
"Has anything wrong happened?" he whispered too loudly
Alester Florent then leaned into Erron Florent and stared down Ryam. "No".
Alester then returned to his orange.
Ryam felt the heat rise to his cheeks and felt embarrassed, it was entirely reasonable to ask but still he always felt talked down to by Alester even when Ryam knew otherwise.
Alekyne smirked at Ryam but Ryam felt the satisfaction of Alekyne being equally in the dark, after that the meal went quietly.
Ryam mostly just talked casually with his two elder brothers and occasionally one of his cousins would jump in for a bit.
Truly all the Florent family held absolute respect for Lord Florent and a few of them had feared what this meal might entail but for the time being it seemed all was well, so it was just one big happy family enjoying a meal together.
Once the food had dwindled and the drinks were drained Lord Alester called for the table to be cleared and for wine to be brought out once again only the finest of the Reach vintages.
The conversations died out and now Lord Alester had all of their attention. "We are quite the Large family, even amongst families of the Reach. Such numbers can easily be a strength and a weakness.
There is more mouths to feed and that number only grows the more we allow it and no one needs an Heir and five spares"
He spoke callously but not wrongly Ryam Thought. Ryam was very aware of his situation. Even if Ryam was the third son of Lord Florent himself most houses wouldn't afford him the level of luxury he lived in.
"So, each member will be doing more for the good of the house, much like Selyse and Rhea who I have secured great marriages to both the royal house Baratheon and the second largest house in the Reach, The Hightower's, we must branch out and gain friends and allies to better the House"
Now it started to make a lot of sense to Ryam as to why the feast was so lavish, seemingly because for some members of the family here it would be the last time they ate a great meal inside of Brightwater keep.
"Squiring, Wards, Betrothals and Fostering" Lord Florent Continued
"We are a strong house and right now we are supposed to be a counterbalance to keep the Tyrells in check should they get any notions of supporting House Targaryen again but at this moment we could scarcely muster half the men they can alone, We have a duty to the Reach, To Our Founder Florys The Fox, To King Robert Baratheon and To Ourselves To grow in strength"
"I have Plans for all of House Florent and I will see them Followed, I Will meet with each of you in the coming days to discuss your futures"
With That Lord Alester Left the hall and now the words sunk into most of the young Florents they would be sent away for at least until they reached maturity and for those being betrothed it could be the last time they saw this place as their home.
Ryam and His brothers had a quick talk with their parents over what their fates were to be and, whilst they admitted they had sent ravens out to some other houses they weren't sure where they were going to be sent.
The Talks had started with Axell, Ryam's Eldest Brother. He Was given the choice of being the eventual Master at Arms of Brightwater keep for Alekyne or to be sent to House Crane And Have Its Heir Martin Crane Squire to him in the hopes of further bonding House Crane And House Florent Beyond just the marriage of Alester Florent To Melara Crane, It was also said clearly that if The Eldest daughter Of House Crane, Was to be amiable to Axell he was to pursue her. Axell Rather than having to serve Alekyne for the rest of his life chose the latter option.
Rychard Florent had always been the most bookish of the three young Florents and had once before floated the idea of joining the Citadel to becoming a Maester to Lord Florent but at that time he was uncertain of what to do with the boy so forbid him. Now it seemed like the best option for the boy but robbed the potential of a marriage proposal from house Florent so he was told straightforwardly that he was now to foster with House Tarly and if at the end of that Randyll Tarly did not find him worthy of any of his two daughters, he would be allowed to join the Citadel, This was then followed up by if he intentionally upset or purposefully distanced himself from either of the girls Rychard would spend the rest of his life without the support of House Florent.
Ryam Florent was now to enter The Lord's Chamber. He had only twice been inside the room, once when he had been late to the evening meal four days in a row and the other when Ryam had asked why he had been named after his grandfather. Ryam had thought he was to be scolded or punished but instead Alester had sat him down and spent hours talking about his brother, how they fought, how they laughed and how most of all they discussed. Alester Florent was an Intelligent man but according to him Ryam Florent was a Genius who always had another way of looking at things and served as Alester's Right Hand Man.
Ryam was greeted neither warmly nor coldly as was the style of Lord Alester though he was offered a cup of wine which confused Ryam and he had always been told he had to be two and ten before he could drink any, worried that this was already a test Ryam Politely declined. If this was a test Alester had no response to his answer.
"Truly to find anything for you was tough"
"You are in line to inherit nothing and by your own parents' admission you do not have a sword arm as good as Axell nor a mind as sharp as Rychards"
To most that would be insulting but Ryam knew that was just how Alester was and to be frank Ryam couldn't disagree with what he had said.
"We have done what we can to strengthen ourselves within the Reach with your brothers though even with the standing of house Florent your hand in marriage would not mean much unless we were to offer you much below our Standing"
Ryam appreciated he was not to be sold off to anyone to better the house but still irked that it was not *his* standing but *our* standing. Whilst Ryam's prestige was able to be sacrificed when needed House Florents was never.
"Though Thankfully your mother had kept in contact with her nephew and nieces after the death of her sister, smart women that she is so with the connection already there and a few promises and some gold you are to squire for your cousin"
His Mother rarely talked about her side of the family so as embarrassing as it was Ryam wasn't sure who he was being told he was squiring for as he was fairly sure House Whent was Only His Aunt left at this stage.
"You Will conduct yourself impeccably and train like your life depended on it as it very well might, you are to be an envoy of house Florent to House Tully and the of The Riverlands When you are squiring for Edmure Tully, Heir of Riverrun"