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<span class="mu-i">’’Nowhere important and you know it Lucos’’</span> was the only reply offered, he stood and offered his hand to you, you felt it prudent to grasp it, his hand was like a vice as soon as you did and despite yourself a gasp escaped to the amusement of the surrounding men, Rickard wore a mean grin as you locked eyes with him but they softened when you refused to look away, with a final squeeze you were released and Rickard chuckled <span class="mu-i">’’This one’s got mean eyes’’</span> he tossed you the wineskin as he sat again <span class="mu-i">good to meet you Alyn, have some wine, it's no harbor gold but it's good enough</span> despite the throb in your hand you caught it and pulled the stop and drank, what followed was dark and strong, tasting sour and bad and you near choked on it, it was only sheer determination you didn’t spit it out, your vision swam from the struggle, but you felt strong hands on your back that helped bring the world back in focus.
The gathered men gave a small cheer as you bought the wineskin from your lips and Rickard nodded with an entertained look <span class="mu-i">’’Good showing boy, have a seat’’</span> as the men parted to give you a spot. The next hour was a warm affair, though you spoke little, your head swam from the wineskin and made straight thinking difficult, you were more used to mulled wine or a few cups at a time at the high table and whatever was in that wineskin was something you doubted even a table had seen. Rickard it turned out was a well seasoned sargent from crackclaw point though he spoke of places beyond with a certainty that made you doubt he’d marched with your father to such places and the men around him were largely under him though some served with others, there were the twins Adam and Aaryn of Crabtown who were only a few years older than you, pretty Petyr who was far from pretty you observed, Old Horren a greybeard of five and eight who wheezed with every word and Qorth who was from the east as far as any could surmise since his tongue had been taken long before anyone knew him though he gestured, grunted and clicked enough to make many a point obvious.
You had never met such a stranger collection of characters in your life, a statement of which caused no small amount of laughter that caused you to burn fiercely though you learned quickly any intended insult or jape was lost in the pleasure of their company talk was just like that here and that boredom of travel made it cheap, eventually you ventured about Dragonstone.
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