Page 452: Surprise Reunion
Surprise Reunion
Summary: Emrys and Einar meet again after 6 years.
Date: Oct/2012
Related Logs: Terrick Roost happenings, Flint happenings and You Are Not Your Brother.
Players:
Einar Pariston Emrys 
Courtyard, Four Eagles Tower
The Courtyard of Four Eagles Tower is floored with a fine grey stone that match the color and tone of the interior structure of the castle's yard. Plants have been potted and placed around the entrances to add some color, the greenery accompanied by several trellises of flowers that climb the support columns. The most prominent structure in the area is the set of large slab steps that lead up to the great oak doors of the Great Hall. Several hallways and accesses lead off into different sections of Four Eagles which makes this the hub of noble activity when court is not being held.
Thu Oct 18, 289

It's early morning at the Roost. There's a change of watch on the walls with the relieved me hurrying down for their breakfast and then bed. A few servants criss-cross the courtyard area about their tasks but on the whole the place is quiet.Having decided to get his daily archery practice in early before he needs to speak to various Terricks, Einar is heading down the steps from the keep into the courtyard with his crossbow slung on it's carrying strap over his shoulder. There's a quiver of bolts strapped to one leg although they're still covered by the leather flap designed to protect them from the elements. The young flint is looking well refreshed although out of respect for the household he's guesting with he's keeping any spring well out of his step as he descends and makes for the portcullis.

Pariston is following along behind Einar. Being the one to practice alongside the Flint lord. Not saying much though. Just moving along and tower over the others. Behind the shorter man. Himself opting to carry a bow over his shoulder and to his back. Along with a quiver.

With the coming of the dawn, so comes his own departure from the Roost. While the courtyard slowly fills with life, a rather spartan dressed man is seen coming out of the stables, a bit of straw hanging on dark leathers. Hands busy themselves with a sword belt, while a younger man in Terrick colors follows behind him with a taller horse of northern make. For his part the lord pays the boy no mind as he starts for a trough-sword secured, the man bends his head down to dip into the cold water, before he jerks out with a gasp. Hands wipe dripping hair back and smear water down his face before he farmer blows his snot to the earth. Rubbing bearded mouth with the back of his hand, Emrys looks on to the keep for a moment. His own stomach rumbling, but ignored as he creeps out to join his horse and the boy.

Einar is not overly concerned by the man exiting the stables. He's faintly familiar, in a way that a quick glance can't place, but he figures him to be one of the Terrick sworn or somesuch. "I imagine that Lord Justin will want a word," he offers to Pariston as they finally hit the cobbles and start across the courtyard. "I figure we'll need to be here a few days yet, in case they have any further questions or queries, we might even have to take some to see the scene. I'm not sure yet but hopefully we should be able to get back to the others soon enough." Now they're nearer the stables, the man gets a brief nod and a pleasant enough 'Good Morning," before he's forced to double take at the sight of the pin at his breast.

Pariston nods, though stay silent. Studying the other man as well. Himself not being more than a hunter. His identical twin having been a knight sworn to the Flints though. Continuing to nod to the lord's words. Wanting back to the others as well perhaps. Offering a bow to the man as well.

"Morning." the man replies in kind, though his attention is focused on his horse. And then back to the rumbling of his own stomach. Another scratch at it, as if Emrys can indeed paw the thing off and away. Still he is focused further on leaving-though when eyes set upon him, Ermys does look over his shoulder to Einar. A pause there, before he is turning and staring rather openly at Pariston and Einar. "You there. His accent harsh and a thing of woods and stone. A Northman. "Boy." motioned to the younger Einar. "Are you kith and Kin? " for the familiar style of dress is enough to tip Emrys off. "Or am I surrounded by Fish an birds?" meaning the rather prevalent choices for Riverlord heraldic devices.

Einar is not overly thrilled by the use of the term 'boy', having never quite looked his age it had been something he'd had to put up with for years, but not so much since he grew into his height. He's silent for a moment though, studying the man in front of him, trying to piece together where he saw that face last. He's making progress, but he still doesn't have a name to put to it when he realises that not saying anything for much longer will count very firmly as rude, so he decides to work at the problem from the other end. "I would say so," he offers with a warm, if still faintly confused smile. "I am Einar, son of Lord Tulketh who is Steward to the Blind Man's Tower. I had not looked to find yet more kin this far south, or were you with the Lady Nerys' entourage when they arrived?"

"Tulketh is my cousin lad. Which means you are the live son." unless for some reason, Einar has animated himself alive. And there Emrys does bring a slight smile up as he now turns to fully come and greet both men. One arm offered out in greeting-before he will likely seek to draw the poor lad into for an embrace. "And No. I've recently from pike with other Northmen. Though they made for the fingers. I came this direction." Perhaps out of not carrying to tarry on a boat long or for the cost. Still there is a glance and then a nod. "You've grown up, lad." meaning that Emrys does at least recognize Einar-Pariston is given a glance, but for Master Vis there seems to be no overt recognition of the face. "Why are you this far South?"

Pariston is silent but listening to the two men. Guessing that the unknown man was a noble as well, who else would refer to someone in that manner. He doesn't interrupt the two as his thoughts are confirmed.

And there it is Emrys is finally placed in Einar's mind and there's a moment of revelation on his features to mark it. A hand is offered for a handshake but if a hug is initialed he's not going to pull out of it. "I'm squired to Lord Anders," he explains, "and we marched south to help liberate this part of the Riverlands from the Ironborn." His expression drops ever so slightly as he adds, "we ended up stuck with the Frey-led army and couldn't join Lord Stark's forces." The glance to Pariston is noted and he offers the introductions, "This is Master Vis, an archer who marched with us but who has stayed to act largely as guard to my good-sister whom we rescued on our march south."

"Squired to Lord Anders?" Emrys replies with a queer enough grin. "Lad, men of our stock aren't knights. You don't need Ser in front of you to be a man, or a killing man." Still the rest of whatever rant would be about the seven anointed knighthood is passed off with a shrug, and a dry chuckle that doesn't reach past the trio of men. Instead he merely nods. "Bloody southrons need help for most things." as if that was self explanatory enough. "We went when Lord Stark called his banners an rode wit him. I was under the Flayed Man, then." he adds before rubbing at his jaw. "Just released." meaning Lord Roose had no more use for him, or his service ended on Pike. "Where are our Kin now?" asked before his gaze turns to the ever silent Vis for a moment "Connell's wife? And how is she? A Camden wasn't she?" Some dots take a little longer to connect.

Einar does not reply immediately to that, tilting his head slightly as he ponders just what to reply. A moment or two later he settles on the non-informative, "It's complicated." He's happier it seems to discuss the war itself. "After fighting here and at Seagard we ended up on Harlaw. Once that fell most moved onto Pyke but I missed out on that due to injury, got shipped back here instead while Anders took the men onwards." There's no sign of that he has any lingering after effects of said injury though, thankfully. "We're spread between here, Stonebridge and Highfield at the moment, although myself and Master Vis here will be returning to Highfield in the next few days. That is where Lady Cordelya is laying in." As for Tia, that gets the older man another nod, "Aye, she moved back after my brother's dead and was the only one that made it out when the Ironborn torched it. She's doing well though and will be marrying a Charlton Lord in a few weeks time."

"Complicated." the other man echoes with that self same crackle laugh. "What you mean t' say is. You're not entirely pleased with squirehood." a sniff there. 'And why should you be? Any man who was t' be a warrior learned from a master at arms. But he did not have to clean up after him." But Emrys quiets down to allow his kinsman to continue on with the discussion. After all he wants news, not to berate the lad on some choice whether voluntary or forced. "You missed nothing, but men dying in a pool of blood and waste on that island." he adds. "Never kid yourself about glory and war, lad. Some knights down here think the two are paramount." And with that he turns his head to spit. Sluice of the morning and some crupp in the throat is passed easily before he is looking back towards Einar.
"Ahh. Lady Corrie-that would be Anders wife aye?" he won't wait for much of a confirmation there on those things. "A Charlton Lordling eh?" Now that piques his interest. "And how do you feel about that good brother, knowing your position within the family has been usurped for someone of the south? Someone who does not understand or entertain our ways?" Never mind that Einar himself wishes or at one time wished to be a septon. Emrys looks beyond that.

"Not exactly no," Einar answer, studying the man in front of him for a moment, "I think though, that the full story might be something for when we can sit down with an ale." He's not sure just how much Emrys knows or does not know after all, and doesn't really want to go into his whole life story in the middle of the Terricks' courtyard. "I heard much the same from Anders" he admits with a nod, "and I can safely say that my own experiences at the Grey Garden would tally well enough with that. Long periods of doing nothing followed by short periods of blood and dying." His expression says clear enough that it's not something he's going to be in a hurry to do again unless there's a damned good reason. A nod confirms the link of Corrie to the family and then it;s onto Tia again, "I hardly feel it's my position within the family that's being usurped. My brother," he says, not naming him, "died heirless and Tia is not staking any claim on lands or titles. I am still currently my father's heir."

Emrys nods there his own scarred grin showing before it pulls back. "I understand that." he says with that same strangled accent of his youth. "About war or about knighthood?" the grin reappears there as he continues to twist that little point. "What happened at Grey gardens." comes the quicker question as his brow raises up. "I assume it was not your first time to kill a man." After all he came down here to liberate the southron from their Ironblooded aggressor. But then the information fills itself out. "Ah." admitted there with a nod to punctuate. "That is all war is. Blood and dying.." repeated softly.
It seems both men share that easy push away from war.
"Lad, are you not your brother's flesh and bone? It should be you quickening her with a child, as opposed to one of our friends here in the Riverlands. Heir or not. Duty to keep blood ties." Though with Tiaryn what is the point? Anything she had claim to or friendship to was gone when the Oaks were razed. Likely Emrys knows this, but continues on his course anyway.

"Either?" Einar answers with an untroubled shrug, "both? Not a huge amount I must admit, mostly just sitting around keeping them under siege. The Harlaw Lord there and the Mallister general decided to duel it out and the Ironman would have won had the Mallister second not intervened." He's not naming names until he gets a read on his cousin's response to such actions. "Caused an uproar in the defenders and the lines clashed. Luckily we had the numbers to push them back and after a brief period when the lord was holding out in only his keep they surrendered. Then there was a bit more sitting around before the main forces headed to Pyke." Exciting stuff, when you leave out the days on end of damp and fish. He'll leave out his own particular feelings where Tia is concerned and so states simply instead, "I believe Anders did consider such a match, but did not decide to pursue it."

"Ah the siege. Bloody well hate those. Though they're better on the outside than on the in. Disease either way you go." Emrys notes, with a scratch of his chin again, hand brought up to inspect, before he's rubbing it along the sleeve of his surcoat. A raise of his brow given the report on Harlaw-and there a darkening look passes. "Bloody hell, I thought the Mallisters were supposed to be honorable." the man says softer, as if some eagle may be lurking. "Must have died with their lord Jason." a man known from the Rebellion. "Easy way to break a siege, I guess. But there is no honor in that." he adds. "You should at least fight honorably, even if it means you're fated to die." His belief there. Still he does not push the lad further on the Camden. Instead, Emrys offers a nod as he crosses his arms over his chest. "I doubt he would." though the tone betrays nothing by it. "There's no advancement for you or the house in it. Just honoring one's deal. And that died with Connell. After all there's not anything to get from ash."

"I missed the most part of the duel," Einar admits, "we'd managed to end up with picket duty at the far side of camp, just in case they were going to use it as a distractions to sally out from somewhere and attack our rear. AS such I only know what I've been told but by the time we were called to join the fight the duelists on both sides were well out of the way and it was an all out battle." He's largely undecided still as to what he thinks of the events though, he's largely for keeping to your word but has since got to know both the Mallisters in question, and got on with them well enough. He moves on though, so as not to get stuck on thinking all that over again. "House Charlton, or whatever they have decided to call themselves now, have control of what was the Camden lands, so in someways she is staying at home. We have plans for some of the land though, Anders is set on building a port this side of the finger and has a long standing friendship with Lord Aleister which should help in that. We're wanting to speed trade with the cap up so we don't have to rely on the road south, or sail as far as Seagard and then the road north from there."

"Eh, still no man should interfere in a duel unless it is clearly a trap. Your kinsman dying is no reason. He should not have tried to duel if he wasn't prepared to die." Emrys says flatly, before he is reaching up to scratch the side of his nose. Though the newest bit of information seems to pique the older Flint's interest as bot brows raise there. "Do they? And no one tried to claim the land before him?" Emrys likely has no thoughts where it concerns Aleister, or his House-still the rest is cause for more questions. "A port town? Would it have to pay tribute to a Riverlander? Or would they pay tribute to us?" Always a curious question when it comes to all of this. Still likely, that is information reserved for Lord Anders and Lord Aleister. "I heard there were troubles south an all. Surely if we have the sea we can maneuver better and not worry for the petty squabbles of rivermen." And there he falls silent. "I have heard my sister now resides down in Stonebridge. What of this do you know?"

"I must confess that the business here has kept me out of whatever negotiations there have been," Einar answers openly, "I would imagine though that Anders would not be planning on building and running a town that paid nothing back to us." It's actually one of those things he should probably ask Anders when he gets the chance again. As for the comment about Stonebridge, that requires a few moments of mentally restructuring the family tree in his head before he can place the individual concerned. "The Lady Anathema? Yes, I believe her and her husband have taken over the Stewardship after the recent troubles there, although I'll confess that I have not had time to pay them a visit since their investiture. Events first at Highfield and now here have kept me busy. I believe though, that Lady Nerys, Anders' sister was planning on heading that way from Highfield."

There is a brief nod before Emrys is turning and whistling to the lad with his horse, beckoning the two over to where he is. "Then I should see her, and let her know I'm not yet dead." As if there was any concern for Lord Emrys. He is no pivotal piece on the board-thus how he is able to move as he does. "If anything It'll be good to hear what she thinks of the troubles and maybe can give me insight into Anders' friend that I might not possess." Which he really doesn't possess at all. Still a screwed grin is given the young lord before the elder is reaching for his reigns and hoisting himself up. A flash of teeth there as a chuckle does come lose in his mounting. "I am glad, Einar that you're alive. And that you saw the Dragon and came out well enough." A tap to his head before he is nodding. "I will try to be where ever Lady Corrie is, for Anders' whelp. But first, I will to Stonebridge. If you run into the Lord-you may tell him I have returned and will seek him soon enough."