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Blackhaven

The heir of Wendbridge smiled broadly. "Our houses fight together in the tourney. We take all comers. Should we both make it to the end, those of us left standing fight until the others aren't...And should we make it that far, we'll both be winners. Gracious winners. And sharing winners. ...We would split the purse between our houses, evenly, dragon for dragon. ...No formal contract for such a thing, of course. One's word, in this matter, more than suffices." He offered another smile, this one a bit more sly. "But of course, it's not the gold, or the glory that interests us, so much as it is the opportunity to work alongside a fellow noble, storied house."

"Fire fights fire." Donnic remarked as he drained the last specks of ale from his goblet whilst keeping his low tone. "But if his horse should come afoul of a certain plant, i will expect the payment of the coin you have or my friend may be inclined to reveal the truth in passing to the knight. He doesn't like it when people don't pay and there is seldom little i can do to stop him. But if you would feel it's best, give me the coin now and i will pass it onto my friend who, may accidentally drop it near the horse. It would be ill for the health of myself or my friend to speak of any other ideas lest i get stabbed in the back to hide the face of the fire fighting his fire." He knew he would have to act fast and avoid being caught but it would certainly make things more interesting and getting some coin would be rather nice. That and not getting introduced to a sword would be decent.

The Inn

"Listen, I'm going to pay," said Ser Donal, raising one eyebrow in response to Donnick's roundabout reply. "If I don't, then feel quite free to tell Ser Alyn; I'd deserve it well. But you can trust my word. And although I trust yours too, I can't pay for a job unfinished. Just come to me as soon as it's done, and I'll have the money. Ten golden dragons, yours. I'll be sitting in the southernmost stand for the first hour and a half of the joust; after that, I'm up."

He leaned over to tell Donnick what he'd need to know. "Ser Alyn's camp isn't far from here. Just walk straight northwest, it's a red tent, and his arms are a grey cat standing on a brown table, over a field of green. His horse is black with brown spots, it's the only one there. You can find the plant if you walk up near the castle gate, I saw it growing there earlier. Is there anything else you need?"

Blackhaven

The Rosemont party shared a glance. "Well, it doesn't sound like there's much downside," mused Arren. Ser Aegon nodded: "Ups our chances of winning, just lowers the return if we do... I'll take that bargain."

"So, it appears that we're decided, then," said Aemon. "We'll ally with you, Ser Brandon."

"You wouldn't have it any other way, Rob." Edmund replied, digging around in his pockets for a moment before retrieving a single gold dragon and six silver stags, the other half of the payment.

He handed the coins and dirk, blade pointing down, to the merchant.

Ardan saw the exchanging going on ahead running up to watch the trade, tugging on the nearest piece of cloth. "What's that?" He asked, a hand on the pouch that still held the spider.

The Stalls

"Very well, then!" said the merchant. He eagerly scooped up the coins and the dagger, and handed over the box containing the game. "It is all yours. Enjoy!" He then turned away to attend to the other prospective customers that had been brought near by Edmund's performance.

Jeyne turned to see her cousin arrive, with his twin and two guards in tow. "Oh, hi there, little lord!" she said to Ardan, giving him a smile. "Well, it's a game that one plays controlling little pieces on a board. I'm not quite sure of the exact rules yet. Maybe you can play it with us! I know you've the mind of a master strategist," she joked.

She looked back at her brothers. "Well, if there's nothing else in particular we want to buy, then we should probably be getting back to camp. It must be near time for the joust!"

Edmund was the one who had been handed the box containing the game, not Robert. He didn't take it from him, Edmund could carry a box just fine. I hope none of the pieces are missing. Robert nodded in agreement with his sister's suggestion. "If you wish. We can always come back to the stalls later, can't see the events again if we miss them." said Robert, ready to depart. He didn't particularly care for the joust but Jayne seemed eager to see it and he didn't want her to be disappointed by missing it. "Is that alright to you?" Robert asked Edmund to see if he was also ready to leave.

The Rosemonts

Edmund, Robert, Ardan, Jeyne, and Keegan, along with their guards Rickard and Ferg, made their way back to the Rosemont campsite, where they were soon met with the return of the group that had set out for the castle: Aemon, Arren, and Ser Aegon.

They each made the preparations that they wanted, and then set out to get in their seats for the joust.

Brandon

Having registered for the melee and archery competitions, and gained his first allies for one of them, Brandon made his return in success to the Wendbridge encampment. He made any preparations that he wanted to, and then went with whichever companions he chose to spectate at the joust.

Donnick

Donnick was able to retrieve the plant from the grounds outside the wall without issue. Then came the more precarious task of getting it to Ser Alyn's horse without being caught. He found the tent matching Ser Donal's description, and saw the horse standing there, tied to a post. He could hear talking inside the tent, and decided to act before any of its occupants came outside. He stole over to the horse, and held out the herb for it to eat. It was reluctant, and Donnick could hear rustling coming from the tent. At the last second, the horse made up its mind and slopped up the plant, giving Donnick just enough time to get out of sight before the people leaving the tent could spot him. He could now go report to Ser Donal in the grandstand.

The Grandstand

The Blackhaven tourney ground was a large, oval-shaped field of dirt and grass, bounded by a wooden fence. Along its eastern length ran the grandstand, an ascending series of wooden benches five rows high, all built upon a stone foundation. It was divided into three equal sections, each separated by a gap the width of a single person. Grandstand seating was only open to nobles, knights, members of well-regarded organizations, and any guests of the aforementioned. Commoners would be able to watch from around the fence that enclosed the field. The top row of the central stand was encompassed by the sheltered, spacious box where the lord, his family, and his guests of honour would sit.

The Rosemont party found themselves a section of bench in the southernmost section of the stands with a fine view of the grounds, the third row up. The stands were only now starting to fill up, so for the time being their only neighbours were a well-dressed, matronly woman behind them sitting between two children who looked just a bit older than Ardan and Kegan; a bearded, fierce-looking man a few feet to their right with a sheathed sword at his belt; and a short gray-haired man garbed in all black sitting immediately in front of them.

Upon gaining entry, Ser Brandon and his companions had their choice of where to sit. He recognized the three Rosemonts from the castle sitting with the rest of their party in the southern stand, and saw that they had a good deal of empty space to their left; but of course there were openings in almost every row of each stand, and doubtlessly many other potential connections to be made.

Donnick was let in on the fact that he was a guest of Ser Donal, despite the overseeing guard's disparaging remark on the fact that hedge knights were even allowed to have guests. Donnick was able to spy said knight sitting in the first row of the southernmost stand, a ways to the right of where the Rosemonts sat two rows up.

Robert went to take his seat and signaled for his family to follow him.

Donnick the Horse Feeder!

Donnick knew the job was [&@%!] easy and probably could have [&@%!] the horse and still get it done. Fortunately, he was not an animal humper. After feeding the horse some high quality grass and departing to the tourney, he intended to sit and watch his work at hand. He was informed prior to leaving the inn that he was a guest of Ser Dornal and naturally, joined him.

"I heard his horse ate well, recently." Donnick uttered to the hedge knight and half expected to get shafted on the payment. Naturally, information was a valued asset of his and he knew ways to use it. Sure, he was a thief but clever ones stole much more then and at the same, nothing.

Ardan sat down, his fingers itched to release the spider but where? His eyes glanced about, looking for a good direction to spread the spider... at least for the maximum amount of spooks from people

Ser Brandon raised a hand in greetings to the Rosemonts--whether they noticed him or not, he went to find a seat. Somewhere with a decent view, and many possible business connections would suffice.

Donnick

Fortunately for Donnick, Ser Donal was a (mostly) honest man, and at any rate he had enough good sense to know that it is not a good idea to scam a mercenary - even a 'mercenary'. He discreetly passed Donnick a pouch that clinked with the sound of metal, and if the thief opened it, he would find the promised sum of ten gold dragons: not a king's ransom by any means, but more than a fair compensation for a simple job such as this. Indeed, the high reward was a result of Donal's inexperience with this sort of thing. "But I'm sure you know," he said in warning, "It'll be quite obvious if the job hasn't been done, and if that's the case, you'll receive the corresponding reward from me after the joust."

Brandon

Brandon found a good spot for him and his men in the south stand, not directly next to the Rosemonts, but one row down and a bit to their right. There was a diagonal avenue for him to speak with them if he wished without talking over anyone else. At his own right sat a tanned fellow who wore fine clothes but also a sword at his belt, while behind Brandon's group a woman he recognized as the current heir to House Rosby was getting seated alongside a guard. To Brandon's right and directly in front of him were two well-dressed men presently engaged in conversation regarding the affairs of the Iron Bank of Braavos.

The Rosemonts

If Ardan wanted to maximize the chance of the spider not being traced back to him, it was clear that the best direction was in front of him. There was a good crowd of people now gathered along the two rows below, and their attentions were mainly fixated on the field ahead, including the man immediately in front of Ardan (the grey-haired man who'd been there early). Of course, the seats behind them were more or less full too, and the noblewoman sitting behind Ardan was not looking down at him at the moment. As for his sides, Jeyne sat on his left, and Robert on his right.

The Field

Upon the grass, the proceedings were beginning. Lord Dondarrion gave an opening welcome, and after the joust format was described (it would be an elimination-style tournament with seven rounds, and the winner of each matchup would receive the armour of the loser), the first round was set to begin, and did so with a strong matchup. It pitted Lord Ormund Baratheon against one Ser Lancel Blanetree, a well-regarded knight in the service of House Tully. It was four tilts and three broken lances before Lord Ormund emerged victorious, the fight earning a strong cheer from the crowd. The day of jousting had started off with a bang, and was in full swing.

Donnick the thief, scumbag, dishonourable and damn proud of it.

"Was that a threat? Because if so, try not to murder me in front of everyone. It would ruin the tourney and i have a reputation as an upstanding man to maintain. Blood on my coat would ruin the look and you've given me a good gift so why i would seek to not do my part? And surely it is a bit of a risk on my part to hope that ser whatsit's name kills you if i were the type to screw over people? Too much effort, too many factors but the job is simple and easy." Donnick told the knight in a low voice.

Everybody is friends with the Iron Bank...until they come to collect, that is. Completely disinterested in their conversation, Ser Brandon turned about, and bowed generously to the heir of Rosby. "Lady Rosby, you do us all a great honor to grace us with your radiant presence." He was more interested in testing the waters than actually courting or conversing--he expected few, even of fellow vassal houses, to see House Wendbridge as an equal or rival. Upstarts, upjumped sellswords, if they even know us at all. ...Let's find out.

Ser Brandon graciously applauded the victor of the first round of the joust. We'll see how House Wendbridge fares against the likes of him.

Ardan took the bag of spider and placed it on his lap. "Come on.." He murmured quietly opening it slightly, coaxing the spider out with a finger, opening it wider with each wiggle of a finger. "Go.. cause havoc.. make a mess of this.." He encouraged the spider before placing the bag down in front of him. Well dropping it was a more fitting term.

Donnick

"Alright, yes, I understand," said Ser Donal, glancing around with a frown. "Well, I've certainly helped you get quite the seat to watch the joust, haven't I? You may as well enjoy it, I'll be having to go soon to prepare for my own turn."

Ser Brandon

"Oh, you flatter me, ser," said the lady brightly, blushing just the slightest. "Ah, but where have we met before? I'm sure I've seen your face, and those golden armbands... oh, the Golden Company! Are you from that keep out on Crackclaw Point?"

Rosemonts

The spider, agitated and frustrated from all its time spent trapped in the pouch, now had the perfect opportunity to release all of that pent-up energy. And it did so vigorously. It virtually exploded out of the pouch, forward towards the row ahead. It scurried up the back of the grey-haired man in front of Ardan, and came to a brief rest on the man's shoulder. A shriek of surprise from the woman sitting to his left caused him to stand up in alarm, and he instinctively swept the spider off. It tumbled back down, but was not stopped. It continued in a chaotic zigzag down towards the base of the stands like a man on a mission - well, an arachnid on a mission - and everywhere it went it drew yelps of apprehension and surprise. A whole swath of spectators had jumped to their feet one after the other, and people sitting elsewhere turned their heads and stared in confusion. Keegan cackled in delight from the other side of Jeyne, poking his head behind her to give Ardan a thumbs-up and a wide grin. The spider disappeared into the grass at the foot of the stands, its mischief managed.

As the commotion subsided, and the agitated spectators sat back down, the grey-haired man turned around with a sly look. His face was weathered and worn, but he had bright eyes and a piercing gaze. "Well, I wonder how that little nasty got there," he said, raising a knowing eyebrow at Ardan.

Ser Aegon caught on, and furrowed his brow in anger. "My young lord, was that you who set that thing loose?" he barked at Ardan. He turned to the man, saying, "Good ser, I apologize profusely. That whelp and his brother are nothing but trouble."

"Oh, it's quite alright," said the man with a smile. "But you know, if you do wish to apologize for the embarrassment you caused me... perhaps there's a favour some of you could do for me. You see, my companion has quite strangely disappeared." He gestured to the spot to the right of him, where a darkly tanned man wearing fine garments of yellow and brown had been sitting before the release of the spider. It was now vacant. "I would ask of you nothing more than a quick search. He can't have gone far."

Ser Aegon grunted. "Alright, then. My lord Ardan, since this is to make up for your actions, you'll be going. But not without supervision. Er... lord Edmund? Lord Robert? Would you mind going with him to look for a few minutes, and make sure he stays out of trouble? I'd send my men, but... I think that might only encourage him to mischief more."

As chaos swept through the stands, the House Wendbridge party (save for Ser Brandon) found themselves reaching for steel. When it was clear there was no threat, however, the knights sat themselves back down.

Ser Brandon smirked as he overheard the commotion, and returned his attention to the Lady Rosby. "Just so, my lady. Pinebarren suits our needs well enough, though it is certainly outshone by the charm and fertility of Rosby...both the holding, and its noblewomen." He flashed a dangerous smile, and his eyes darted once towards the space next to Lady Rosby, subtly implying (if she noticed) a desire to sit with her.

Robert rolled his eyes when his younger cousin caused the ruckus. How long has he had that thing? And why did he even get a spider to throw at people? He sighed and stood up, he didn't really want to go looking for the man's companion but just agreeing was the path of least resistance, he could get back to his seat and relative peace sooner. "Very well, we'll go find your companion." said Robert. He looked at Ser Aegon. "Defend our family's honour and seats while we're away."

Edmund had been enjoying the joust despite his envy of the talented riders. At the end of the joust between Lord Ormund and Ser Blanetree, he resolved, not for the first time, to devote more time to his martial training when he returned home.

Edmund must have jumped three feet after the woman screamed in fright. He'd looked wildly around for the cause of the disturbance, fully expecting it to be something dreadful and dangerous. However, as the situation calmed down and he realized what had happened, a million apologies began running through his brain. He opened his mouth once. No, twice. Maybe three times before he finally spoke.

"We're deeply sorry, my lord. Of course, we'll go." Edmund took Ardan by his small hand, very much relieved.

Ardan pouted. He thought he put on his best innocent face, but evidently not. "Nooo I dun wanna!" The little boy said, shaking Edmund off him as best he could. "Didn't do it!" He decided to feign innocence. Who could believe the old fart over the little lord?

Donnick a thief rewarded.

"Or i could have easily gotten myself a similiar seat using the magic of crowns." Donnick told the knight. "But that's not to say that i don't appericate such a gift. I do as most knights would rather [&@%!] on us peasents then give us gifts." He remarked whilst watching the going ons of the tourney.

"It's not nice to tell lies, Ardan." Edmund stooped to look his cousin in his mismatched eyes, "And even if you didn't do it, which we both know isn't true, helping is the nice thing to do. You do want to be nice, right?"