video; both courts

[survivra]

Are the women in this world and your own given as much opportunity to defend themselves as the men?

[ she doesn't wait for any answers, giving a humorless snort of laughter at the locket before continuing. it's not a directly related addition to her question, but it's certainly on the same train of thought: ]

Ridiculous that those already holding power are given the privilege of training to the highest levels of their skills, but those most in need of it are left to rely on the protection of others.

Comments

[bullhorned]

[A better person than most! Perhaps, when he was surrounded by other men. But not here. Gendry knew there were better men than he.]

He died. [... again. But to explain the details would require going into something he scarcely understood himself.] And another lived because of it. She was a highborn lady and her son had been a king. But her son had been betrayed and butchered. So, she led us from justice to revenge. The folk I brought to her likely deserved to hang. But there was no justice with her. There weren't no trials. Only the noose.

[He exhales.] Before I came here... there was a lady knight who came to the inn. She had with her some hedge knight and her squire, who was but a boy. Our inn was attacked by bandits. We would have been done for, as I was the only man there at the time. But she and her companions fought to protect the inn. She fought off the worst of them and when she was near dead, I did for her enemy to spare her life. It ought to have been a heroic thing, that. But it weren't. I only saved her for the noose. She and her squire and that hedge knight were all led to be hung because she had papers from my lady's foes. I did that. I led her there. Even the lad, who weren't all that much older than the orphans at the inn.

That's what I did. I killed them for helping us.

[survivra]

[ katsa's silent for a long time because there's an extremely profound, an extremely uncomfortable feeling she has of empathy for gendry. empathy is not a familiar emotion to katsa, especially regarding something like this, and in her confusion, she's shocked to discover her eyes are burning and the unusual feeling tightening in her chest and lumping in her throat. ]


Maybe you knew she'd hang. Maybe you didn't. But you fought for her, anyway.

[ what is there to say? what would she want someone to say to her? ]

I don't think we're too different, Gendry. What you do, though—in the moments you have to fight—I think it says better about you than you say.

[bullhorned]

[I fought when it suited me. But he notes there's something different in how she speaks now. Something strained. Gendry had managed to keep his emotions in check, all but for anger in himself. But now, having said it all, he's left feeling raw.]

Might be it does. But it don't say enough. It's things I mean to make up for. If I can.

[survivra]

You shouldn't forget the good things. We've the rest of our lives to tip the balance. That I have to believe.

[bullhorned]

As you say. [There are... things to think about, at least.] I hope you do well with your training.