A fight quickly ensues out ahead between Ser Darron and the Flowers man, and a separate chase stirs amongst Gregoriy, Ser Dolins and Flowers’ squire. “Would you like me to send August into the mix, my Lord?” I ask Teddy. “Nah,” he rebuffs, “looks like they have everything under control.”. Carsen also remains, but draws his bow. After some awful blows, and a short disappearance of Darron, the Flowers men ride away and Ser Darron returns…empty handed.

The knight spins a tall tale of feeling some bad energy from the sword he fought Matthew Flowers for, and reports he threw it in a well in order to save the house from a curse, urging us to turn around and go home. His words drip with dishonesty, and I respond, seething, “you mean to tell me….that we traveled all this way…got Thomas killed…for you to throw away a precious, priceless House Jasper heirloom?!” I should feel shame for such an emotional outburst to a higher ranking member of the house, especially in front of the honorable lordling, but the knight’s behavior is so despicable I cannot help myself!

Fortunately, Lord Theodore supports my line of questioning, and he, Ser Carsen and I approach the well. As if by a miracle, the sword sits atop the water bucket only a few feet below the lip. Enraged, I raise it above my head and formally accuse the knight of his dishonesty towards his leader. All I can think of is sweet Thomas,_ this man’s own squire_, having died for nothing if Ser Darron had gotten his way and we had headed home empty handed. All of the blood shed, all of the suffering, for nothing?

I am not the only one who sees the crime in the knight’s behavior, and Lord Theodore insists we carry on, after wondering out loud if the knight has gotten too old for his post. For a moment, Darron mumbles about parting from the group, but quickly and visibly considers the implications for disobeying an order, especially following such a blatant lie to his lord. We trot, silently and in great tension, towards Golden Grove.