In a damp and dark cave in the woods, a group of people could be seen cowering and huddling together, the only sound that could be heard was their crying and the rattling of chains as they shifted around. At the mouth of a cave stood someone with a broad and dark smile, every once in a while, he would chuckle to himself as if he'd just heard something amusing. He wore a mix of dark leather and steel armour and on his back was a large quiver, though this quiver wasn't one where he kept arrows. In this quiver, there were numerous different swords, each one completely identical to the last.
Everyone in that cave was afraid of the man who watched them, at least everyone but one person. Ashara Dayne sat away from the group of cowering nobles, She berated herself for letting herself get captured but in the end, she thought it was worth it, It was because only because she had claimed to be Elia Martell that they even taken her in the first place, though they quickly found out that she was lying as the leader of this little group knew what the Princess looked like.
Ashara looked at the man who paced at the entrance to the cave, The people called him the Smiling Knight, no one not even the leader of their group called him by anything else, it was as if he had no true name at all. She had seen the man make quick work of Lord Crakehall, it was over before it began, and she'd only seen such swordsmanship from her brother and Daemon.
The Smiling Knight loved to look at her, since she had been captured his smile had not once faltered, it was as if it were stuck that way. She had not shown any fear since she had been captured so she had caught his special attention, though this had been limited to being stared at like an exotic animal.
The Smiling Knight walked over to the group of hostages, the nobles and Lord Crakehall all shifted back going as far as they could into the cave, the only one who hadn't moved was Ashara who had the same blank expression on her face that she had since she'd been kidnapped "You... woman, do I not frighten you ?" He asked as he crouched down in front of her.
Ashara looked at him with no visible emotion "You do not..." she simply said in return.
While this shouldn't have bothered the Smiling Knight it did, As a knight his reputation was paramount and if a simple woman wasn't afraid when she saw him it made him look like a joke "Oh? And why is that? Perhaps I ought to show you why people are afraid when they hear my name" He said with a malicious smile.
"Your leader isn't stupid enough to hurt any of us, that's why we are being kept here," She said with a deadpan expression.
However she began to smirk as she looked at the Smiling Knight "And who are you but the leader's mad dog he sets loose sometimes, I believe I'm more afraid of how I'll smell after not bathing for so long than I am of you"
*Crash*
The Smiling Knight with his smile still broad punched the cave wall behind Ashara, his aura ignited and flared
dangerously "Hahaha, you shouldn't mock me, girl, We may not be able to kill you but I could bring Ol' Ben in here and he could have his fun with you"
Ashara flared her own aura, while not even close to as big as The Smiling Knight's own aura it still surprised him how big it was "Anyone who plans to touch me whether with the hands or cock will lose it... that I vow" she said in a low dangerous tone.
The Smiling Knight's smile faulted for a moment, it wasn't as broad as it was previously, He understood the meaning behind Ashara's words and it sent a shiver down his spine. When people make their aura abilities they place restrictions to make them more powerful, the more strict the restriction the more powerful the ability will be, but this doesn't just apply to aura abilities. An aura user can make a contract with themselves sacrificing something for more power, however, people are usually not mad enough to do it because it is assuredly a fate worse than death. The Smiling Knight had only encountered someone who did this once and it was a squire of a knight that he had just killed. He almost killed the Smiling Knight, that was how much power he had gained, Had he more battle experience or experience with a sword then it's possible the Smiling Knight wouldn't be standing.
Needless to say, this was why Ashara's words sent shivers down his spine, she saw the look in her eyes and saw no hesitation, it tempted him to kill her right there and then and not risk her following through on her words. But no, he had his orders and Simon had not steered them wrong so far, he would just have to back down and make sure no one bothered her.
Ashara smirked as the Smiling Knight backed down and went to stand by the cave entrance, though as soon as he was out of sight she let the facade drop, she had to grip her hands to stop them from trembling 'Arthur, Daemon, please come soon...'
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"Seven hells!" Jaime shouted as he once again itched the back of his neck not used to the rags that he was dressed in.
Daemon couldn't help but chuckle "I'm afraid we have no comfortable linens for you to wear Lord Lannister"
"Fuck off!" Jaime said with a scowl, They both walked through the Kingswood, and as soon as Daemon had discovered that Ashara had been taken he grabbed Jaime and left. They were currently dressed as small folk as Daemon knew that the Brotherhood must've been getting help from the locals, so two knights dressed in armour looking for them would get them nowhere.
Daemon could probably get the information he wanted through intimidation, though he would leave that as a last resort. The people who live in these woods do have genuine grievances and it is not their fault that the Brotherhood take advantage of that, nor is it their fault that the King had placed them in this position in the first place.
"Get used to the outfit Jaime, The small folk will recognise you're not one of them if you keep itching" Daemon stated.
"I don't know how they derive any comfort from these blasted rags," Jaime said as he tried to pull them away from his body.
Daemon shrugged "It's the way things are for most people, they are just thankful they have something for when winter arrives"
"How are you so damn comfortable in these things," Jaime asks once again pulling the rough woollen colour away.
"I am Lord Daemon Silver now but don't forget not that long ago I was Daemon Rivers, I grew up in the Riverlands forests" He replied.
Jaime nodded "I remember you told me when you came to the rock"
"Speaking of the Rock, how are your family? Tyrion must be around eleven name days now" Daemon asked
Jaime's face falls slightly and he seems less energetic than before "Things have been... different since our mother died, Cersei hated Tyrion before but was accepting of him for our mother's sake. Tyrion is a smart lad, he is already smarter than I ever was at that age or even now" Jaime explained
"I hope I'll see him again," Daemon said wistfully as they walked under the shining sun. They continued walking for a while, It was a hot day and they both sweat under the intense heat, though Jaime was having a worse time of it as he was not used to the clothing they had to wear.
"Why couldn't we at least take horses" Jaime asked with annoyance in his voice.
"Most small folk don't have horses, for them if they want to travel they walk, and I don't want to risk our cover being blown just so we can't sit on our arses" Daemon replied.
"Why not set ourselves up as merchants then? It wouldn't be so strange for them to make their way through the Kingswood" Jaime asked
"Ah! A merchant who leaves Kings Landing to sell his goods in the surrounding villages" Daemon said with amusement in his voice.
"No need to be a cock! I just hate how long this will take us" Jaime replied.
Daemon stopped walking and looked at Jaime "Very well, let us get there faster, try to keep up" Daemon said before he started running. Jaime silently cursed as he ran after him.
Jaime and Daemon ran for the next four hours, something that was pretty easy. However even Jaime struggled to run for this long, he was out of breath, sweat soaked into his clothes and there was a wet sheen across his entire face. In complete contrast Daemon looked as if he'd just started warming up, he had a light sweat going but was otherwise unaffected.
"The village is just over that ridge, we'll walk from here," Daemon said as he slowed down giving Jaime a chance to catch his breath. They both walked and were greeted with a small village just off the road in the Kingswood, There were many of these in the woods but this one was a little bigger than the rest. Jaime was surprised at how poorly maintained the place was, a lot of the wooden houses were in poor condition and some had partially collapsed but were still in use by the villagers.
Daemon put his hand on Jamie's shoulder before he could approach the village, he then reached down and got a handful of dirt before smearing it on his face and hair "What in hell are you doing!" Jaime said as he pushed him off.
"You're too clean, villagers won't believe for one second that you're one of them... actually you should stay quiet the entire time we are there" Daemon stated as he kneeled and smeared some dirt across his own face and hair.
He had several rabbits that he had acquired while they ran through the Kingswood tied to his belt, offerings of food will gain you fast friends in most places "Jaime, stay on the outskirts and keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour, let me know if you see anyone leaving the village"
Jaime nodded his head in slight relief, he wasn't the best mummer, In fact, anything not relating to his martial abilities could be said to be below average.
Daemon approached the village while Jaime went off in his own direction to find a place to keep a lookout. Villagers started to come out of their houses as they saw Daemon approach, They were naturally suspicious of strangers though when they saw the rabbits he had on his belt they licked their lips and looked with obvious hunger and envy.
"Hail stranger!" One of them shouted, a tall man with greying hair and a large beard, he had the build of someone who had worked his entire life, though it was clear that he was quite underfed, which could be said of all the people in this village.
"Hail, I am looking for the leader of this village," Daemon asked as he held his hands up to appear non-threatening.
"You've found him, I am Halmar, what business do you have with us" Halmar said with suspicion still in his voice.
"Well met Halmar, I am Daemon Rivers, I was with a group of people but was separated, I'm not used to life in the wilderness so I hoped you'd allow me refuge for tonight, I'd be more than happy to share what I managed to catch" Daemon explained.
While his story was full of holes, the food on his belt went a long way in convincing people that he spoke the truth "Well met Daemon, we would be glad to offer you refuge and we thank you for offering to share your food, as you can see our village has fallen on hard times"
"It seems to be the common story nowadays" Daemon replied getting a nod from the old man as he led him into his home.
(AN: So Daemon and his temporary squire are making inquires as to the where the brotherhood could be. This'll end well.)
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