Lessons Learned (D1 LA)

[Arwyn Forrester]

"Yourselves, as well," she nods and smiles, taking her leave.

/exit

[Kevan Dunn]

"Your thoughts, Maester?" Kevan asked once she was truly gone.

[Maester Oswell]

"I think you could both do a lot worse than each other." Oswell commented softly, just to be safe.

"She seems intelligent, easy enough on the eyes although there's a spirit there that makes me wonder. If she married into House Dunn, I'm not sure how content she'd be to sit put in the Burrow by your side. There's a restlessness that would make her an excellent emissary, travelling to different houses to work on behalf of House Dunn."

"An excellent asset, but possibly not the most ideal arrangement for the wife of Lord Dunn - when the time comes. If your father lives a long life, may the Seven make it so, then the pair of you could travel together until you were called upon to rule. Maybe that period would satisfy her wanderlust?"

[Kevan Dunn]

"Like you said, an excellent emissary. I'd need a wife for something like that rather than for knitting, mollycoddling children and counting pigs in a deep, dark hall in the Burrow." He mused. "I want my children to have that restlessness, curiosity of the world and confidence in their judgement. So what I saw in her was something I'd really not like to see diminished over the years." He rubbed his neck. "Do you think a passive wife would be a greater boon, and I am naive about this all?"

[Maester Oswell]

"Ha. You're asking an old man like me about what would be best for you? All I offer is the wisdom that on a cold night, when your wife is away in the frigid North or the storm lashed islands of Dragonstone that your marital bed will seem pretty lonely."

"Now an old lech like me in your situation would just grab the nearest serving girl, but you're cut from a finer cloth than that I think. I just want to make sure you've considered all the possible outcomes here."

[Kevan Dunn]

"Hrpmphf." Kevan scratched his stub on the chin with a suddenly unenthusiastic expression. "Fair point, Maester. A man can surrender to a cold bed only ever so often."

[Maester Oswell]

"Now bastards aren't exactly uncommon in any of the Seven Kingdoms, just something to consider. Or if my Lord had the necessity to dip his wick there are certain...arrangements that can be made to prevent any unwanted side-effects of such dalliances."

Oswell glanced up into the tops of the trees as a cool breeze caressed his face out of nowhere. "No questions, no judgements."

[Kevan Dunn]

"Mhmhpf." Kevan began with a slight scowl, but then it eased. "I guess... there are no ideal arrangements." He finally concluded after a thought. "And if my wife is good and fair with me I suppose I can take some temporary sacrifices that are now hard to imagine. Are wives from the North not particularly offended by dalliances and bastards?"

[Maester Oswell]

"You've heard your father speak of the honor and ideals of the Northern Houses haven't you? Of all the Seven, I'd imagine they're the most opposed to such extra marital flings." The Maester cautioned.

"But it depends on the individual, if you are able to offer something that they truly desire then it's possible that any individual may turn a blind eye to certain previously unpalatable activities."

[Kevan Dunn]

"At the same time I would like my marriage to be something more then a bundle of transactions." Kevan sighed. "I think I could love her." He squeezed the wheelchair handle. "It is a difficult matter."

[Maester Oswell]

"Love always is." Oswell replied simply.

[Kevan Dunn]

There was a moment of silence filled with unspoken recognition of this fundamental truth.

"What shall we do about my father's absence? It is an inconvenience today, it may be a problem tomorrow, but an insult on the day after that. I do hope he will arrive tomorrow ."

[Maester Oswell]

"There are dangerous roads in the Reach these days. Who's to say why he may have been delayed. His health is delicate these days, so of course he needed to travel slower and sent his capable son ahead to expose him to the duties of leadership."

Oswell muses for a while.

"Unless blaming potential banditry would cast the houses of the Reach in a light of incapability."

[Kevan Dunn]

"It's a delicate balance to strike but our capability and reputation in the Reach are what makes us predisposed toward dealing with violent threats. Perhaps rather than the narrative of weakness or that of blaming, we could be suggesting that father is just doing his paramount duty on the way here? It's likely that bandits impeded his journey and he simply found it very important to deal with them. After all, who knows where they could have come from." Kevan mused, thinking.

[Maester Oswell]

"Valid point. Local banditry though," Oswell adds. "Not too Southern."

[Kevan Dunn]

"I am certainly not going to blame the Dornish for things they haven't done. But then, we don't have a clear idea what has caused the recent spike in banditry that has been plaguing the Reach and tying us down." He moved to face Oswell. "I know my father's flaws but on the other end opposite to his paranoia is naivete, and I'd like to walk more in the middle."

[Maester Oswell]

"Just be aware that sometimes a decision must be made. This is something your father understands and that you must as well before the burden of leadership falls across your shoulders." Oswell holds the young man's eyes with his own as he elaborates further.

"A man who tries to walk two paths finds himself split in half, sometimes a leader needs to take a position and stick to it. Your father preaches war with Dorne, he is unflinching and constant in his position. When the time comes for you to drive the fortunes of your House. You can either maintain his position, or renounce it, you are probably seeing the writing on the wall regarding some of the treaties from which we derive our funding already."

"If we try and walk a middle road we will be torn asunder. Preach war and renew old alliances or declare peace and change the course of how we are perceived and how we function. Sometimes we can't have the best of both worlds."

[Kevan Dunn]

"You are right, Maester, of course. But I am not the one calling the shots yet. Nor is it clear at this point which direction is more feasible to bring about the well-being of my family. I know you are the one advocating peaceful adaptation and carving a new path, and on some level I think you are right. But dismissing my father's stance or countering it now leads us to the exact point you think should be avoided - ambiguity and conflict over where the family is going." Kevan insisted. "Besides, I don't even have the stature to assert myself against him even if I wanted, without spurs and spouse that could bring a Dunn heir to this world."

[Maester Oswell]

"And while your father reigns, long may his health endure, his word is law - as it should be. I just advocate preparation for when the inevitable transition takes place."

[Kevan Dunn]

"His word is law indeed. Hence we can't make direct moves that favour Dorne's legitimacy. Me in particular."

[Maester Oswell]

Oswell nods and shuts his mouth, he can read between the lines.

No direct moves, gotcha boss

[Kevan Dunn]

Kevan nodded. "I would also like to add some diplomatic sensibilities to how we conduct ourselves, and try not to be out of synch with the other lords of the Reach, our potential allies elsewhere and the royal house. I saw you raising a toast for Prince Maekar, but I also consider Kailyn giving one to Prince Baelor being a good move. I don't think firm partisanship benefits us at this point, but if you have other thoughts, I want to hear them."

[Maester Oswell]

"Lord Loras's daughter Kaelyn was the one who honored Prince Baelor, that is true. I personally was quite pleased when Kaliya raised her cup to Prince Maekar after I though."

"It's a shame that your words were drowned out by the crowd, I never heard who you were supporting milord."

[Kevan Dunn]

"The fault is mostly my own, I should be prepared to assert myself in situations like this. My choice would be the one my father would have made had he been there. Varied voices are good only as long as it is not between the lord and his heir. Or so is my thinking on this." Kevan quietly commented.

[Maester Oswell]

"But then this is why you are here, to learn these things yes? Sometimes the curve is steep, but you will prove yourself I am sure. Is it thus then that the lord to be will represent his father's wishes while the rest of us should be cultivating varied options so as not to offer any real offense to the other parties?"