A Whisper of Darkness

CHAPTER 2
summerhall

Three months have passed. The plague did escape the Eyrie and creep into the Riverlands, and up to the North through the harbors, but it has not yet reached the south, which bore the brunt of the suffering in the last round. Still, ships from suspected ports and not allowed to dock in many southron harbors and the flow of grain and goods from the Riverlands has been slowed.

The would-be assassin of the king's uncle was executed publicly and brutally, and to absolve his family of the whispers of treachery, Tybalt Lannister proved his loyalty to his king by leading the troops of the Westerlands against the Ironborn in the battle of Lannisport, and afterward taking the white.

The king has removed the court from King's Landing and progressed through the Crownlands and into the Stormlands, but they are now arriving in their destination: Summerhall. In the southern reaches of the Stormlands, near the borders of the Reach and close to the end of the Boneway pass from Dorne. The summer palace of House Targaryen, it was rebuilt in 469 during the reign of Jaehaerys' grandfather, Daeron Targaryen, who is most remembered for the marvelous architecture he created. Summerhall is not a fortress, and is only lightly defended- this is the choice of its original builders for the Stormlands have enough fortresses, and the royal family little need of one with dragons flying overhead. Instead it is a castle built to amaze and delight.

Summerhall rises from a gentle hill, set in a warm and grassy plain between the mountains of Dorne and the forests of the Stormlords, with the green beauty of the Reach to the west. So too the castle itself is a mixture of those places: the flowers and music of Highgarden, the exotic flavors and breezy courtyards of Sunpear, and the mythic stone of the Stormlands meet within its form.

The palace is brilliant white stone, all peaks and spirals, and famed in a thousand songs. It is a wonder of arches, fountains, flowers and courtyards. Marble statues so real as to be mistaken for life, stained glass masterworks from Myr, intricate mosaics and brilliant tapestries: these are the wonders of Summerhall. No dark hallways, no rumors of hidden passages, nor dungeons so terrifying the thought of them may silence the tongue. That is not to say these things do not exist, but that their existence is so hidden as to be forgotten by those who reside within.

Here, the court of the Seven Kingdoms comes to rest. Rhaeys, Prince of Dragonstone, has ordered a joust be held to honor his nephew's visit, and all around the castle a sea of pavilions has sprung up as the lords and hedgeknights alike have joined the party to seek glory and renown. It is even rumored that Prince Rhaeys may grant his daughter's hand in marriage to the victor of the challenges.

modly:Chapter two begins in August, but don't worry about dates now- just put your posts in relation to other threads going on.