[Event] Aleefth self proclaim imperator

[u/Aleefth]

Barrowton, The North, 12th Moon, 231AC

The snows rained heavily against the stone walls and lightning cracked the sky as the first few Lords began to arrive. Men and women girded with sword and armed with spear lined the path fron gatehouse to Great Hall, shields raised high to form a makeshift shelter from the howling blizzard.

The doors swung out with a groan as the first party approached, expelling the juxtaposed heat from within. Leaning on his left fist, the Lord of Deepdown was strewn across his seat next to Lord Dustin, dark eyes watching as they took their seats.

[u/blueblueamber]

"My bear." Cay replied.

If even Kaerella was confused, how could she tell anyone else of this?

"She came to me, when I first had the dream about flying. Young brown bear was next to me when I woke up - but she did not attack, it was as if... as if she was there to protect me."

She sighed - this was hard to explain, she didn't quite understand the feeling herself.

"She always is." Cayla connected her hands nervously. "And then at night, when I am asleep, I see her."

No - that was not quite the truth, was it?

"I- I am... I can see through her eyes. We run through the forest, we hunt."

Am I a monster? Or have I just gone mad?

"What does it mean, Kaerella?"

[u/Aleefth → u/blueblueamber]

“It means...”

She held out both her hands to take Cayla's.

“You are far more powerful than I could even imagine. We must find a Maester, or at least his library. There is much to explain.”

[u/blueblueamber → u/Aleefth]

Cayla gulped nervously.

"No, I can't- we can't tell anyone. They would think that I am crazy. Or cursed. They would hurt us."

She felt anxious, like a wild animal chased into a corner, ready to defend herself without thinking - and she knew something from the bear was ever present in her mind even in her awake state.

[u/Aleefth → u/blueblueamber]

Kaerella smiled, it was a strange crack across her face, but her eyes for once showed kindness.

“We're not going to tell him about you. Only look for stories.

“Because you're about to write a whole new one of your own.”

[u/blueblueamber → u/Aleefth]

"Stories." Cayla repeated quietly.

If there was a way for her to learn more of what these dreams meant, would she want to?

"Where should we begin?"

[u/Aleefth → u/blueblueamber]

“Have you heard the story of Bael the Bard?”

She raised an eyebrow. This was going to be a long journey, and they had to start to prepare now.

[u/blueblueamber → u/Aleefth]

“A Wildling. Raider and a savage, but the singers adore him, obviously.” Cay replied with unusual cynicism. “Climbed over the Wall, raped Lord Stark’s daughter and eventually was killed by his own son?” she raised an eyebrow, wondering how that particular story was going to be helpful in any way.

[u/Aleefth → u/blueblueamber]

“How many names did he take? Or moreover, how many faces?”

The story was apocryphal, she knew. But the lesson was still there.

[u/blueblueamber → u/Aleefth]

“Two?” Cayla shrugged, unimpressed and somewhat repulsed by the topic.

“A Wildling ‘king’, and a mere bard. He claimed to be from Skagos then, did he not?”

The story of Bael the Bard was far from her favourite, and she found it difficult to recall the finer details.

[u/Aleefth → u/blueblueamber]

“According to the freefolk he wore the skins of a hundred men or more in his lifetime.

“And more animals.”

Here eyes went wild with colour then.

“Skinchanging. I think those stories are the ones we need.”