'A Gathering of Shadows' - the Sept (theseven) wrote in agos, @ 2008-04-25 02:31:00 |
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Entry tags: | episode |
'THE FEAST' Day 1
The Red Keep in all its ancient, majestic glory stood tall at its usual place atop Aegon's High Hill. The weather was fair, the aging castle's crimson bricks painted strikingly against a refreshing blue sky, though storm clouds gathered some distance away over the horizon north of the Trident. The change in climate was sudden, much like the cliff which surrounded the royal palace.
Oblivious and untouched by the downpour a day's ride away, the grounds of King's Landing were lavishly decorated in all the colours of Westeros, with the white and the grey of the sigil of the House Stark being the most prominently displayed of them all. Even Flea Bottom appeared slightly less dismal than was usual, though there was no questioning that its pitiful state set it worlds apart from the glamour that overwhelmed the rest of the city.
Distinguished men and women famed in the lands of the north and the south, by the prestige of birth or by noble achievements, climbed the winding path carved around the precipitous hill. Most arrived in horsedrawn carriages, while others chose by volition or by circumstances to saddle and mount one of his or her own.
Those who completed their long, often exhausting journey at last were rewarded with the warm and efficient reception on the part of royal envoys and designated receivers of the court. Each guest was provided with their own private accommodation in one of the many chambers housed in the structure, the arrangements made in such a way that kins were kept together in an area and even floors of their own.
The steady flow of incoming traffic waned by the evening, though activity on the road did not cease completely. Modest, private eight-course meals were served in en-suite dining halls for weary, unwinding guests. Intimate friends of the Starks were extended a special invitation to congregate at the Queen's Ballroom in Maegor's Holdfast following dinner for casual pleasantries.
Most, however, expected to turn in not long following evenfall in anticipation of the coronation ceremony scheduled in the early hours of the morning.