Continue with the Love Path

The storm is behind you, but the road does not ease. Every day the wagons groan, the men curse, and the sky hangs heavy with clouds. The escort moves slow, and no one is cheerful.

By the second week, tempers fray. Bread is going stale, pork smells rancid. A quarrel nearly breaks out over rations until you step in, break the loaf in half, and hand both pieces out without a word. The fire goes quiet.

Across the flames, Catelyn watches. No smile, but her eyes soften.

[+5 Trust | +5 Affection]

Lady Catelyn: Trust: 40 | Affection: 20

Septa Mordane: Suspicion: 15%

On the twentieth day, the forest closes in. The air grows still. The attack comes suddenly from rough men with rusted blades rushing from the trees.

Chaos erupts. Ser Rodrik roars, guards form up, but the bandits strike hard. One makes for Catelyn’s horse but you’re there first steel meets steel, and you throw him down into the mud. Another swings for Mordane, and you cut him across the arm before he can touch her.

When it ends, three bandits lie dead. The rest scatter into the dark.

Catelyn’s breath trembles. She looks at you, pale but steady. “You kept your oath,” she whispers.

Mordane’s lips press thin. She wants to scold, but the memory of you cutting down the man who threatened her is too fresh. Her words die.

[Bandit Attack Survived]

Lady Catelyn: Trust: +10 | Affection: +15

Septa Mordane: Temptation: +10 | Piety -10

Lady Catelyn:Trust: 50 | Affection: 35

Septa Mordane: Temptation: 20 | Piety: 70

A Quiet Night

That night, the camp is hushed. The men eat little, thinking of the dead. You sit on watch near the fire.

Catelyn steps out of her tent, cloak drawn tight. She stands near you for a while, saying nothing, then finally speaks:

“You fight like a knight, yet you call yourself a mercenary. Which is true?”

“Both,” you answer simply. “But knights serve lords. I serve the people beside me.”

Her eyes linger longer than before. Mordane clears her throat sharply, stepping from the shadows. “My lady, you should not encourage talk.”

But Catelyn ignores her. “You kept your oath today,” she says again. “That is more than some knights can claim.”

[+5 Trust | +10 Affection]

Lady Catelyn: Trust: 55 | Affection: 45

Septa Mordane: Temptation: +5 | Piety -5

Septa Mordane: Temptation: 25 | Piety: 65

Catelyn leaves soon after, but her last look at you is not the look of a lady to a hired sword. It is warmer.

Mordane lingers. “You place dangerous ideas in her head,” she says. “And in mine.” She mutters quietly and turns before you can answer.