Maester Aemon

Rhae was pleased to see her older brother jump into action. He could be a bit annoying at times, because he always wanted to be right, but he was helpful and took being an older brother seriously. Whenever Rhae needed help with something, he was the first to offer and never sent her away to fend for herself, which she appreciated. As much as she clung to Daeron in their daily lives and adored the eldest, even the seven year old understood that he was not the most reliable member of the family and there were matters he couldn't help her with. For those she had Aemon. She also knew he was interested in medicinal plants and most likely more knowledgeable than herself.

Scrunching up her nose, she held the parchment closer to her face and tried to decipher the handwriting. "I need b..l..o..o..m..s, blooms. Calendula blooms." Whatever those were. Luckily Aemond seemed to be aware of the difference, because Rhae would have just plucked the whole plants and used that for her potion. She was not very precise yet at her age, but needed the brew to work, so that she never had to marry Aerion. He had threatened her with that prospect several times now, because she had the desired Targaryen looks, unlike their sister Daella, so to Aerion she was a better match. Rhae disliked no one in their family more than him, though, and needed to avert that crisis.

Walking swiftly as their little legs could carry them without running through the halls and drawing attention, they finally arrived at the garden. Aemon browsed through the flowers, humming to himself as he observed the blooms, wanting to make sure that he plucked the proper ones. While he did not carry shears with him, he did have a dagger that he used to cut the stems of the ones he thought would be appropriate to use.

After trimming a few, he frowned, displeased at the idea of their efforts being in vain. "I'm not sure if -," he started as he studied a few of the blooms in his free hand, "Who is this for again?"

"I suppose that's true," he murmured quietly as if deep in thought. "It would be unusual for Serwyn to be killed in his story." But the dragon... As a Targaryen child, the thought of the mystical creature that represented their house meeting its demise at the hands of a knight, tale or not, was disheartening.

a selection of dialogue prompts taken from the book eldest, #2 of the inheritance cycle / eragon series. feel free to change pronouns / details as needed.

❛ the songs of the dead are the lamentations of the living. ❜

❛ i'm glad i found you in time. ❜

❛ we'll have to hurry to get there in time. ❜

❛ i can't do this. ❜

❛ listen to me, i have one last command for you. ❜

❛ you must promise me. ❜

❛ you must do all you can to avert a struggle for power. ❜

❛ i will assist where possible. ❜

❛ this should not have happened. ❜

❛ they may still be alive. would you abandon them? ❜

❛ what do you expect me to do? ❜

❛ it makes no sense. ❜

❛ how can fate be this cruel? ❜

❛ we are wounded at the height of our triumph. ❜

❛ do not be ashamed to let your tears be seen. ❜

❛ good morning, little one. ❜

❛ i'm sorry, they are gone. ❜

❛ we may never know the truth. ❜

❛ you need to eat. ❜

❛ we can't waste time. ❜

❛ are you strong enough to go? ❜

❛ just stay close to me. ❜

❛ almost no one would oppose you. ❜

❛ that does not seem a wise path to take. i see only trouble in that direction. ❜

❛ there is someone here to see you. ❜

❛ we face a crisis that must be dealt with quickly and effectively. ❜

❛ it might be a trap. ❜

❛ it's a gamble you'll have to take. ❜

❛ what happens if i decide not to accept your offer? ❜

❛ who could bear such a shame? ❜

❛ that would be unwise. ❜

❛ it was worth a try. ❜

❛ i fear you have no choice now. ❜

❛ they're afraid of us. as well they should be. ❜

❛ we're all backed into corners. ❜

❛ is there anything else that must be discussed? for i am weary. ❜

❛ you have given me much to ponder. ❜

❛ will you please stay? ❜

❛ have i offended you? ❜

❛ i offer you my blade... and my fealty. ❜

❛ it's better to be sworn to an honest fool than to a lying scholar. ❜

❛ do not dishonor me. ❜

❛ you have my condolences. ❜

❛ where are we going? ❜

❛ things have certainly changed for us. ❜

❛ i never know what to expect from one day to the next — except sorrow and bloodshed. ❜

❛ all is not bad. we have won a great victory. it should be celebrated, not mourned. ❜

❛ i didn't expect it to happen. ❜

❛ what have you done? ❜

❛ we only did what we had to. ❜

❛ there's no cause to be angry. ❜

❛ you know nothing about me. ❜

❛ you have been gone for such a long time. ❜

❛ may the stars watch over you. ❜

❛ i won't be able to stay long. ❜

❛ the land is a special thing. care for it, and it'll care for you. ❜

❛ here, let me get you something to eat. ❜

❛ we can leave at dawn. ❜

❛ how was your day? ❜

❛ i returned home. ❜

❛ you have endured so much loss, and yet your strength has never failed you. ❜

❛ and what shall become of me? ❜

❛ there's no reason we should waste our years living apart when we feel like this. ❜

❛ i can't provide for you. ❜

❛ you seem to have a good understanding of people. ❜

❛ what alternative do i have? ❜

❛ who would be here besides us? ❜

❛ don't. you'll get us both killed. ❜

❛ we have to get back and warn everyone. ❜

❛ you have to hide. ❜

❛ we can get there first if we run. ❜

❛ what will you say if they ask for me? ❜

❛ come on now! put your back into it! ❜

❛ i am sorry for the trouble, but it can't be helped. ❜

❛ just make sure you aren't caught. ❜

❛ i thought i'd never find you. ❜

❛ you should be fine up here. ❜

❛ thanks for the help. ❜

❛ are you better today? ❜

❛ we all need our strength. ❜

❛ you have done so much since we last met. ❜

❛ you are generous beyond all expectations. ❜

❛ we cannot linger on pleasantries. ❜

❛ the worst thing a king can do is look foolish. ❜

❛ what makes you sure you can do this? ❜

❛ close your mouth — it's unbecoming. ❜

❛ such joy you have given me. ❜

❛ there will be drinking tonight, i wager! ❜

❛ you cannot sleep now. ❜

❛ now is the time to fulfill your promise. ❜

❛ we are about to change history. ❜

❛ we're throwing ourselves off a cliff without knowing how deep the water below is. ❜

❛ i give my life to you and our cause. ❜

❛ now is the time to prepare. ❜

❛ it is our turn to strike back. ❜

❛ there will never again be such an opportunity. ❜

❛ you have earned some powerful enemies today. ❜

❛ how did you learn magic? ❜

❛ that was a heroic deed. ❜

❛ you should be proud of your accomplishment. ❜

❛ whatever my fate may be, i don't aspire to rule. ❜

❛ what is a king, after all, but a man imprisoned by his duties? ❜

❛ it was nearly impossible to get the door open. ❜

❛ you had no reason to interfere! ❜

❛ you needed my help. ❜

❛ if i'd needed your help i would have called. ❜

❛ don't yell at me. ❜

❛ why couldn't you leave me alone? where was the harm? ❜

❛ i am yours to command. ❜

❛ guard it with your life; it would cause a great deal of harm in the wrong hands. ❜

❛ now is the time to gamble and dare what no one thinks we can accomplish. ❜

❛ you needn't fear, i am well defended. ❜

❛ i like to be where things are happening. ❜

❛ you're braver than i, staying here. ❜

❛ perhaps you should consider turning yourself in. ❜

❛ i don't want anyone to be hurt on my behalf. ❜

❛ it's a nasty situation all around. ❜

❛ something should be done. ❜

❛ am i somehow responsible for this? ❜

❛ you would do that for me? ❜

❛ it's this or run for it. ❜

❛ everyone's life is at stake. ❜

❛ a man can only endure so much abuse before he must strike back. ❜

❛ first we fortify, then we fight. ❜

❛ use it wisely. ❜

❛ we want to scare, not kill. break a few bones if you want, but don't get carried away. ❜

❛ that's the best brawl i've had in years. ❜

❛ who gave you the authority to make this decision? you've doomed us all! ❜

❛ live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall. there is only now. ❜

❛ wise? no, i simply learned to think. ❜

❛ those whom we love are often the most alien to us. ❜

❛ life is both pain and pleasure. if this is the price you must pay for the hours you enjoy, is it too much? ❜

❛ shall we dance? ❜

❛ you cannot miss what you never had. ❜

❛ how terrible to die alone, separate even from the one who is closest to you. ❜

❛ it is better to be taught to think critically than to be told on what to believe. ❜

❛ a good compromise leaves everyone angry. ❜

❛ the goal matters not, only the journey to it. ❜

❛ magic is the art of thinking, not strength or language. ❜

❛ a negative outlook is more of a handicap than any physical injury. ❜

❛ whatever you make, base it upon that which is most important to you. only then will it have depth and meaning, and only then will it resonate with others. ❜

❛ we only give credence to that which we can prove exists. ❜

❛ too many problems in this world are caused by men with noble dispositions and clouded minds. ❜

❛ avoid roasted cabbage, don't eat earwax, and look on the bright side of life! ❜

❛ understanding begets empathy and compassion even for the meanest beggar. ❜

❛ things that change and are lost, that is what's worth preserving. ❜

❛ he who stands like a pillar dies in battle. he who bends like a reed is triumphant. ❜

❛ fate has a cruel sense of humour. ❜

❛ power without moral direction is the most dangerous force in the world. ❜

❛ understanding breeds empathy. ❜

❛ the only certainty is that, eventually, all things shall pass. ❜

❛ ignorance, fear, hate: these are our enemies. deny them with all your might. ❜

❛ no one thinks of himself as a villain, and few make decisions they think are wrong. ❜

❛ life is both pain and pleasure. ❜

❛ determination is as common among men who are dull and foolish as it is among those who are brilliant intellects. ❜

❛ can someone truly be good if they never have the opportunity to act badly? ❜

❛ i won't tell you what to believe. ❜

❛ i have a new name for pain. the obliterator. because when you're in pain, nothing else can exist. not thought. not emotion. only the drive to escape the pain. ❜

"Aemon? AEMON?? Ah, there you are!" The nagging sound of Rhae's calls preceded her as she entered the room searching for her older brother. She was carrying a basket full of herbs from the garden, a piece of parchment clutched in one hand and a glass vial in the other. A girl on an important mission seeking the help of her most responsible sibling. "I was looking for you everywhere, because I need your help." Aemon was still breaking his fast when Rhae dropped into a chair next to him, placing her basket on the table and unfolding the parchment in her hand.

"I am trying to brew a potion, but I don't know what calendula looks like, so I could not find it in the garden. The maester says it should grow there, but he didn't want to help me find it. Does that word mean calendula?" Rhae was only seven and had begun learning her letters the previous year, but still sometimes stumbled over unfamiliar words. The handwriting on the parchment was not particularly neat. She had been gifted the recipe upon her visit at the Red Keep the previous month by a lovely woman named Shiera, who was perhaps a servant there, Rhae did not know for certain. It had been rather kind of her and she had even promised Rhae that if she failed to brew it correctly, she would make her one. Very kind. She had to be a good friend of her grandsire.

"I have everything else collected, I think. Can you help me find that plant and brew the potion? It is rather important." Her brother Aemon was not the most fun of her siblings, but certainly the most reliable one. He was three years her senior and therefore smarter and more experienced in all matters. If anyone could help her, it was him. As much as she adored her favorite brother Daeron, Rhae did not necessarily trust him with this. She assumed that a potion of this calibre required precision and Daeron was notoriously inebriated. "We can get it done before your lessons, if you eat up faster."

He glanced at his food and pushed his plate away. If he needed to eat anything one the way to his lessons, he would run by the kitchen and steal a piece of fruit. The timing would be perfect because the cooks would be in the gardens gathering vegetables and herbs for the midday meal. "I can help you find them," he said while wiping his hands. Aemon turned to his youngest sibling, "The maester is correct, the calendula is in the garden, but it is mixed with the marigolds along the pathways."