who: @jackarchibaldgrafton
to label the air that surrounded them as tense would be a serious understatement; the vale apartments within the city of kings landing were swarming with more knights of the vale, called upon from the reserve force they had left to camp some acres from the keep of hayford. graham royce had seen lord after lord, alongside the queen and the hand; there had been meetings of three, four, five, six or even ten people in a room as it became abundantly clear what it is they needed to do. graham royce was not one to avoid conflict, his sole condition being that the conflict was rooted in legitimacy and reason.
and so, when the sound of the chairs filled the room for what felt like the seventh time today, he briefly made eye contact with the master of ships, who had been delegated the responsibility of further amplifying the fortifications of their coast. for they had seen what tactics the lysene adopt in attack. that, and they would not risk the lysene taking advantage of their troublesome history with the mountain clans. "lord grafton." graham called, straightening from looking over the map on the sprawling table before him - he saw the man pause as he looked upon him. "i must ask you of something between us." graham indicated, wordlessly indicating to both of his brothers that he would speak with them privately.
there was something to discuss; specifically about the order and the direction that had been given explicitly by jaehaerys targaryen to ravella herself. one directly about axell. though graham knew and understood the nature of warfare, what it unleashed even in what seemed like the calmest of men, there was a gut feeling in his stomach that he sought to confirm. and what was perhaps worse, was the fact that this conversation came not with the threat of a consequence: but rather a fully understanding of the brother he felt as though he walked eternal separate paths with. "what has been the nature of our men in the making of our presence known upon the people of the sisters?" he asked.
