HoMChronCorr2-2

From Brice Willum, to Lord Fenkirk Willum

To my Lord and Father, Fenkirk Willum,
Greetings, Father.

I hope Mother has had time to recount all the events of Lord Gulian Swann's wedding. It was eventful to say the least, and, sadly, the villainy displayed by Dimesia Velt impacted our House in its way. I'm sorry to have lost good men on their journey through the Boneway. I bore witness to much of the drama firsthand, so if there is anything Mother could not recount, please ask.

More to the point, however, it came to my attention through the time spent with Mother that there is concern about my future now that I have reached maturity. Since the late Lord Waltyr's passing, I have felt the weight of these concerns myself. I want to assure you that I am taking what steps I can to secure my future and the future of our House. Discretion prevents me from providing details, but I believe I may soon be able to seek a wife and begin building a family before returning to our lands.

In this endeavor, however, I must seek your guidance. Circumstances prevent me from having an adequate understanding of what matches might be desirable for our House. I have considered the possibility of matches here within the Marchwater, and there are several I believe could be quite strong. House Graben will soon be visiting the Kraedmyrs, which could prove fruitful. They have a reputation for eccentricity, but I am unconvinced of the truth of this smallfolk gossip. They are quite wealthy and well positioned, but time will tell if there might be a true match there.

More importantly, however, I have little understanding of which Houses of the Reach we might consider desirable for alliances of this nature. Mother suggested to me that you might have some in mind, so I thought it best to inquire. I'm uncertain how best to affect meeting such Houses, and for that, too, I ask your advice.

Lastly, I wanted to thank you for the magnificent gift of jousting armor. I'm afraid I'm not much of a rider, but Elyas represented our House with distinction in the tourney.

Please give my love to Mother. Being able to spend so much time with her was a rare delight. The hectic circumstances prevented me from spending much time with Eusemie and Mina on this trip, but I have secured with this letter two hair ribbons that I hope reach you in good shape. Please convey them with my love to the girls.

I remain your dutiful and loving son,
Brice Willum

Penned by my own hand

Response from Lord Fenkirk Willum, to Brice Willum

To Ser Brice Willum
Steward of House Graben and Heir of House Willum
My Son -

It gladdens me to hear from you, I admit freely. Your mother returned with many impressive tales of the goings-on at Lord Swann's wedding tourney. Had I but known there would be so much excitement, I surely would have found a way to be there myself. Still, hearing how it was your arrow that "won the melee" was delightful, even if I was dismayed that you yourself were not taking part in the melee.

There is concern for your future, of course. I am interested in these Kraedmyrs - Maester Heire has some interesting stories to tell about them, although I imagine they are the same sorts of stories the smallfolk you spoke of tell. Do relate to me how that visit goes, and what you think of them as friends, but more importantly as potential allies.

Along those lines, I shall certainly confer with your mother. She knows you far better than I, and tells me that what I had hoped for - your marriage to a daughter of House Graben - is for some reason out of the question. Because you write me as a man, I will address you as one in this matter. I had frankly hoped for an espungement of our dishonor by your marrying a Graben girl. When history looks back at our relationship with House Graben, any and all connections we have will be because you were their prisoner.

The perception of power is important, both in immediacy, but also in the eyes of history. We may have the finest of relationships with the Grabens, but history will always regard that as a result of the exertion of Graben influence over our House. If you marry a Graben girl, on the other hand, that is our House turning around and exerting the influence. Suddenly a story of an imprisoned boy who comes to love the family that imprisons him becomes a story of a boy prisoner who won the heart of a Graben girl, and became truly family with them.

Graben influence in our future is clearly unavoidable. I would simply have you take actions to ensure that history regards you and our House well for the presence of that influence. To be brutally frank, that is of far greater importance to me than additional alliances with other Houses through marriage. I have other children I can secure those alliances with.

It is my understanding that the eldest Graben girl - the one who looks suspiciously unlike her siblings, who was born in VERY short order after the marriage of Lady Isalaine to Lord Waltyr - has flatly refused to marry you. If you cannot win her, then so be it. Your mother tells me she is quite coddled and spoiled, given say in her role for her House in a way most unseemly in a foolish girl. I suspect she would not have made a good Lady Willum in such a case. I do understand, however, that she has a younger sister who is nearly of marriageable age, a sister with the Valyrian look to her.

If you have any care for what I wish, as your lord and father, I would have you direct your attentions to securing her affection. Do not fail me in this, Brice.

You are certainly welcome for the jousting armor, of course, my son. I do know that you are not much of a rider - frankly, I'd hoped that such a lordly gift might engender in you an understanding of the importance that being a proper knight is to the future lord of House Willum. I extended to you this token in hopes of good esteem and a bright future between us. Pray that in the future, when you are Lord Willum, you do not so casually give away the gifts of lords so cavalierly. It renders insult, my son.

I do not blame you in that lack, of course. Had I known how poorly House Graben regarded the ancient traditions of true knighthood in the tradition of the Andals, I would have demanded that you be sent to foster with another House of the Marchwater Vale. The knight who accompanied your mother and sisters home, a knight of House Seraen, seemed quite an exemplary knight. Clearly I ought to have demanded you be sent to reside with them.

I know we do not know one another, Brice. Our defeat at Storm's End ensured that. If I seem very harsh or demanding to you, it is only because I am now trying to impart to you those things that are important to our House, things I have been denied the chance to teach you lovingly, while you grew up at Threeswords. I could not impart them to you while you were a boy given to learning, so I must now impart them to you as a man capable of reason. Take what I have said here to heart.

Thank you for your letter, my son.

~Lord Fenkirk Willum Lord of Threeswords

Writ by the hand of Maester Heire. If I may be forgiven for being so bold, Lord Brice, I send you my personal regards as well, and hopes for your bright future.

From Brice Willum, to Lord Garland Kraedmyr

To the Lord of Gryphmont, Lord Garland Kraedmyr,
Greetings.

I was pleased to learn from Lady Isalaine of the invitation extended to House Graben. I hope you do not consider it impetuous for me to contact you myself, even though Lady Isalaine has assured me she has accepted the invitation.

I found your family most charming when I met them at Lord Gulian's tourney, so I look forward to finally meeting you and yours in a more intimate setting. I've been curious about our neighbors since hearing tales of your family as a boy at Marrowmont, and the limited time I was able to spend with the Ladies Orya and Ashei only increased my curiosity.

Though I will be visiting your House under the banner of House Graben, as a mature man of my own House, I hope we can find some grounds for a friendship between the Kraedmyrs and Willums. The day will come when I am Lord of my House, and I hope to carry some friendships from the Vale with me to the Reach. I would be well pleased to find if we share some common hopes for the future.

You'll understand, I hope, that the political realities of my situation prevent anything more than nurturing such friendships for the future, but as my fellows from the Reach might say, the mightiest of trees can sprout from the smallest of seeds when the ground is fertile.

With All Regard,
Brice Willum
Ward of House Graben
Heir of House Willum

As penned by the hand of Maester Tolbric

Response from Lord Garland Kraedmyr, to Brice Willum

Brice

If I do consider it impetuous, know that is a good thing. I appreciate a touch of daring and willfulness, in truth. I do hope that your visit will live up to the stories you heard about Gryphmont as a boy, although I also pray that my family fails to live up to the stories you inevitably heard about us as well!

Regarding the future and friendships, know that I would like nothing more. We shall see what the future holds in such regards for all of us.

As far as the visits go, I should like to extend our formal invitation to House Graben and to yourself to visit Gryphmont in three months time, if that is amenable. We are busy (as I'm sure we all are) with the harvest season at present. Better still, in that time is our local Silver Festival, a local tradition that celebrates the hard work of our miners and showcases the finest silver works of our local artisans. Call me proud, but I should very much like to leave on House Graben the sort of impression such a fest will carry.

If you would be so kind as to communicate that invitation to Lady Isalaine, I should be deeply grateful.

Know that Orya sends her regards.

~Garland Kraedmyr of Grypmont

As scribed by the hand of Maester Ambrosine

From Brice Willum, to Yonas Blackwood

To Ser Yonas Blackwood of Raventree,
I send Greetings.

It was a true pleasure to make your acquaintance at the Marchwater Tourney. There are few I've met who can sympathize with my unusual relationship with my own family, and it was a great comfort to share my concerns. Even if our meeting raised its own discomforts in other ways.

But business first, my friend. I've begun to arrange accommodations for whichever bowyer you would send to us from your guild, but any information you can provide to make his welcome warmer would be appreciated. Also, if he has any special needs or requests for himself or any others that will accompany him, I will do my best to meet them. Has he a family or other attendants, apprentices or the like, that we will need to see to?

If you see fit to accompany him on his arrival, I assure you the warmest welcome. In fact, I welcome the chance to further our friendship, and the Graben lands have charms of their own well worth seeing. Wayman's Rest is an important trade center for the vale, so if you have not visited, it might be worth your time. The Grabens' bannermen, House Wachstrom, maintain the only Godswood in the vale, which I thought might interest you. My own bow, Heartstrum, is made from weirwood harvested there.

And on that subject, though your tale of the wood witch was discomfiting, I still feel a strange fascination with such matters. If there are any other incidents, I would appreciate learning of them.

I wonder, do you have many dealings with Northern Houses?

Warm Regards,
Brice Willum
Ward and Steward of House Graben

Penned by my own hand

Response from Yonas Blackwood, to Brice Willum

Ser Brice:

I pray this letter finds you in good spirits and health! It was wonderful to receive this missive from you, my friend. I treasure our time together - that simple meal in the market tents, as it rained outside - as the best part of my time at Lord Swann's fine tourney.

I have gone to Lord Tytos with your request, and in token of good business and potential friendship, he has agreed. We have agreed upon one of Raventree's master bowyers, and the man - Robard Whitebough by name, the son of Ser Jasyn Whitebough, one of House Raventree's finest knights - has expressed an interest. He comes with his family, a wife and three children, as well as three apprentices in addition.

I am deeply grateful for your interest and your request through me, good Brice. Lord Tytos has given me charge of overseeing setting up Robard in Marrowmont and has intimated that should this endeavor be successful and profitable for the House that I may be given charge of establishing other such future relationships.

As such, I gratefully accept your invitation, and eagerly look forward to gazing upon this Godswood. Many Houses maintain old Godswoods in their domains, but most of the actual weirwood hearttrees have long been cut down - even the hearttree of the Red Keep in King's Landing is simply a great oak.

If I may impose further, though, Lord Tytos has expressed an interest in sending along others of the House. In particular, he is sending his son and heir Brynden, along with his oldest daughter Amara, to accompany me and formally represent House Blackwood in this undertaking. Amara herself is knowledgeable in far more stories of the sorts I related to you, as well.

As for Northern Houses, we do occasionally deal with some of those Houses in the Neck and slightly north of it betimes, although rarely. I have had business that has taken me there before, certainly.

I look forward to returning to the majesty of the Stormlands once more, and thank you again for your friendship.

Warmest Regards, and by my hand
Ser Yonas Blacktree

From Brice Willum, to Loras Tyrell

To Ser Loras Tyrell of Highgarden,
I send Greetings.

Ser Loras, I write to express my pleasure at our burgeoning friendship following the Marchwater Tourney. Now that you'll be in close contact with Lord Emeryk, whom I regard as a brother, I hope our friendship can grow. Emeryk, frankly, has his peculiarities, but his heart is good, which I hope you will come to appreciate on your own.

When last we spoke, I asked that you send good word to your father regarding my brother Elyas. I'm afraid I must ask you to refrain from such praise now. Elyas has decided to seek his own fortune as a hedge knight rather than rely on the shield of his own family, so I feel it best I not seek support on his behalf for now. Please do not take this as a retraction of my support for my brother, nor should you overlook the valor he displayed at the tourney, but he and I have come to an impasse over certain personal matters. We have decided to strike our own paths in this regard. I hope that time will heal this breach.

I'm most appreciative of the support you've shown me. As I mentioned, I have so little contact with my fellows from the Reach that I cherish any friends I find while I bide my time in the Stormlands. I hope one day to welcome you to my own House's lands, but in the meantime I shall content myself to count you among my friends in the Stormlands. And most certainly Lord Renly has greeted me with his own warmth, which is a comfort in and of itself. Should all go well, we may meet again in King's Landing. I look forward to this occasion.

If I may ask a simple favor, my brother has chosen to make his own name in the world, but if you in your travels should learn of his whereabouts, I would be glad to hear of it.

Warmest Regards,
Brice Willum

Penned by my own hand