#aslan 001

did he suspect that there was a growing sense of tension and rivalry growing between house marbrand and house serrett? the answer was a resounding yes, with the prime example of the interaction to watch being that between the ruling lord of house serrett and the second son of ashemark - the court executioner. who, should lord ambrose serrett fulfil his duties in overseeing the rumours of dissent within lands belonging t o his family, would be busy sooner rather than later; it was barbaric to execute them all, and yet the most dominant of personalities and the key figures in the village, such as the septon, would need to be made an example of.

the rest would be place within confinement within the confines of lannisport, where there remained space for those who needed to repent: and how repentance was as savage as the court of the west itself these coming days. "lord marbrand." the lion spoke, as the man slipped from his horse; tyland was on his feet, considering he had just engaged in a discussion with the second son of silverhill. the queen's family, rather than his own; that needed to be earned. earned and deserved. he summoned the man to him, and remained stood at full height as the man moved into a bow.

"with me, my lord. you would have seen that once lord serrett returns, there will be further work to be done." executions, though also working with the master of laws to oversee what occurred to those who remained imprisoned. questioning, remained an important detail of each process - and there were facts to come to grips with. "it appears as though it were not rumour, but fact. your brother spoke to a landed knight earlier in the day during a rest break who confirmed the rumour, as we entered the gates of lannisport." aslan marbrand was an active member of the court, an increasingly present figure within the growing circle that surrounded the king: as was the way the court mechanism worked. at the centre was the king, and then came each outer ring growing more and more distant from him, and from influence.

ambrose serrett had also positioned himself in a ring around the court, knowing that he too needed to gain further prominence since the ascension and coronation of his sister as queen katherine, first of her name. it was not ambrose aslan worked closely with, but rather this older brother; often overlooking the method in which coin was handled in the richest realm of all the continent.

and it was only for so long would he feel content with watching, and understanding; playing the role of deputy. there was only so long any man could play such a role, and confine himself to such limits. adding another marbrand to the council would equate them to the influence the leffords had upon it - paired with being hand, they would outweigh the other factions in the westerland court. truthfully, tyland more often than not did not make the final decision in regards to who emerged victorious; that was often left to be seen as clear as night and day, the way the strongest in nature always proved victorious.

he would wait, and see; how was it aslan marbrand sought to implant himself upon the council when there were no vacant seats? each seat counted. "the prince is to remain in casterly for some time longer, and seeks to garner a full report of all the current punishable offences as well as the executions carried out over the last three months." the mention of arron was of no major significance to tyland himself, but to aslan marbrand - it was news that was not the most joyous to hear, considering it placed an obstacle between himself and dealing with a growing issue in regards to another who opposed both him and his brother the hand.

the wedding festivities of the thorn king held no special significance to amir of house manderly specifically; his connection with the oakhearts was not one that was entirely personal, but the wedding was significant for reasons that were more symbolic than personal. it were the first instance of any from the old way marrying into a royal family, and thus cementing their lineage in with the other royal families in westeros: politically, all knew princes and princesses were preferred to wed those equal to their own status. therefore, eventually, through the children of king cedric and queen illya, the blood of the old way would spread through the rest of the westerosi royalty.

whilst it were not something he were shouting about from the rooftops, there was something in the way they all had naturally gathered amongst one another. "there are some concerns regarding some houses." amir spoke, to the second son of ashemark who was sat across the table to him. he held bread in one hand, and his hand was around a goblet with the other. "those that did not travel with us…the king in the north does not intend to stay long."

the manderlys and the marbrands had a connection that went beyond the marriage of his oldest brother to the lady imane; it went back to days where the second sons of white harbor and ashemark would be in one another's company. almost shadows, each time the northerners would come back down to the south: one of the reason amir would look for as he crossed the threshold was always aslan marbrand. despite his nature being more erratic and volatile than his own, the man had been his closest friend for years; until the dragons danced, and house manderly followed their liege lords the starks of winterfell in supporting the claim of rhaenyra targaryen.

it was always there. at the back of their minds. he knew it was. both of them. "imane is not in the condition to travel, so she will stay here with my mother and sisters."

they had never talked about what had happened upon the battlefield. they never talked about that fateful day when they had crossed one another, and what happened next remained unspoken. forever unspoken, forever buried under the weight of memories; and yet still, it were obvious that it had changed something. for when the men saw one another now, it had not been the same for years - going beyond the practicality of wars. perhaps there always remained lingering feelings of regret, and lingering feelings of betrayal. it were hard to look upon one another again and claim the title brother, as though it had all been nothing. it had all been for nothing, for the targaryens ruled nobody but the stormlanders.