The Tourney at Ashford

Warryn made sure the servants cleared a table in one of the tents for the coming guests. Wine bread and salt was there, just in case.

Tal stood nearby in his breastplate, polished to a mirror-sheen, looking very much the part of the good knight. He nodded towards Warryn and smiled supportively.

"I'm sure they'll be friendly and cooperative Lord Warryn."

He'd told Warryn about the land dispute with the Whitehalls, though the well educated young knight probably knew more about it than Tal.

Ywain had made a solid effort to clean himself up mostly on account of the brawl earlier. Not that he seemed all that comfortable in silks and satin. "So we are meeting the Forresters, yeah?" he asked while making sure none had yet arrived, "Those are the Northmen aren't they?"

"Yeah, up north... can't say I know too much about them, but they're decent folk, and we need to start somewhere, eh?"

"Aye, well, I can at least understand Northerners," he said with a joking smile, "We can complain about the heat together."

The first of the Forresters to arrive was indeed dressed as though the weather was much warmer than most of the Southron lords considered it to be. As earlier at the tourney, she was dressed in a close-fitting sleeveless black wrap, belted at the waist and an airy layered grey skirt with a sheer shawl wrapped around her shoulders and upper arms. "Good evening," she greets those inside with a warm smile, waiting for her brother to catch up before she entered.

"Lady Forrester, welcome! Thank you for gracing our humble abode with your presence." He smiled at Tal. "You've met the irresistible Ser Corbraine. " He glanced at the other night. "And here we have dear Ser Ywain Kestrel, another good friend."

Marqus was also dressed for the intense Southron summer heat, or at least that's what it felt like even after the time he'd spent in the south. He gave her a grin before they entered.

"Good evening Ser Warryn, congratulations on your victory today! What a rush."

He waited for the introductions offered to his sister and gave the Knights a polite nod each. "Pleased to meet you too."

She enters fully after Marqus arrives, curtsying to those present. "Yes, congratulations Ser Warryn, on your victory today."

She looks toward Tal and Ywain with a smile, as well. "Ser Corbray, it's a pleasure to see you again. Ser Kestrel, it's good to meet you."

"Thank you both. Please, take a seat. Some wine, bread?" He asked, and gestured his friends to take a seat as well.

Marqus helped his sister with her chair in true chivalric fashion, before taking a seat himself. "That would be great, thank you." He looked over at Arwyn to see if she was going to drink some wine too.

Arwyn accepts Marqus' help, settling down with a nod and a warm smile. "Please, that would be lovely."

At the introduction he dips his head slowly to the pair while bringing his right hand up to cover his heart. Naturally he smiles softly too, though he looks more thoughtful than cheerful this evening.

As Marqus congratulates his lord his smile does, however, grow noticeably. A small nod was also forthcoming.

"The pleasure is mine Lady Forrester." He says politely at Arwyn's kind words before taking a seat as Warryn indicates. Ensuring he had a cup of wine he let it sit in front of himself as he became a supportive presence to those of higher importance than himself.

"Our boy on the lists!" the knight said with a jubilant tone, "Knocked 'im so finely it took his legs a moment to realize he was done."

"A pleasure," he said calming back down to more civil tones as they took their seats, "I hope you both had safe travels getting here?"

"Aye, great thanks. I've been at Kings Landing so it was an easy ride for me. Bit longer for Arwyn." He looked around, rather happy to be in the company of Knights.

"What about yourselves? See Warryn described Old Peake to me, and it sounds spectacular, but I don't know the Vale at all. Yet, at any rate."

"It's beautiful to behold yet not without its own problems. There is a certain lawlessness, as well as the threat of the Clans. Old Peake is safe, as are the roads and towns, but the wild can be very dangerous." He tapped the table. "It keeps us busy Lord Marqus." Nonetheless he smiled. "Still, it offers more opportunities for a knight to prove his valour and earn glory than these southron lands. Well, outside a grand tourney like this anyway."

Warryn made sure that the wine was topped off for everyone, flashing a smile to Arwyn as he did so.

"Aye... there's still some work to do." He didn't want to emphasize how bad things are. "But we're getting there slowly. But enough about us!" He sat down finally. It felt strange. His father did the negotiations, but now he was busy, and Warryn didn't feel that a meeting like this warranted involving him. Yet.

"We've heard of this land dispute. Why don't you tell us about that?"

Arwyn returns the smile warmly, listening to the banter between her brother and the others before starting in on the business stuff. "So... to give you a bit of background first. Before the Blackfyre Rebellion, there was a big dispute between various Northern Houses about who had the right to harvest ironwood from the Wolfswood. It nearly erupted into war before Barthogen Stark decided to resolve the situation by recreating House Forrester to manage them. A few careful marriages and agreements dissuaded most of the Houses who were still trying to make claims except House Whitehill. They lay claim to half our lands, and now they're busy saber-rattling at us and threatening to press their claim violently."

She exhales softly. "We would honestly prefer to dissuade them through diplomacy or making attacking us an unreasonable prospect rather than getting into a war."

Marqus was impressed with Arwyn's description of their situation. She had become quite the diplomat in his time away.

"Aye, and as I mentioned the other day, it's pretty convenient timing: sabre-rattling while most of our forces are off fighting for the Starks."

It was a good description to set the discussion. Tal looks to Warryn to ask the obvious next question. What do they need exactly?

Ywain nodded as he sipped his wine. "Hardly the most chivalric thing to do. It is a cowardly thing to stab someone in the back while they act as someone else's shield. Do you think they'll do it?"

"More cowardly than convenient." He glanced at his friend in arms. "I am certain in saying that none of us would be sad to pay a visit and teach them manners."

He smirked and took a sip of his wine. "Though I also understand if Lady Arwyn, my apologies, Forrester would prefer avoid bloodshed. It can be a mean thing." He laid his cup down, and broke another piece of bread.

"What would be the ways that House Wydman could help, do you have any ideas?"

Tal gave a firm nod of support. The tone of conversation was promising and Warryn was speaking well.

She smiles demurely, saying, "I would, of course, though I speak to my Lord father's preference, as well. We have martial ability at hand, but he served the Starks as a diplomat to the Southron Kingdoms before being set at the head of our House." She considers the question, folding her fingers delicately around her cup. "Essentially, we need pull of some kind. Either bringing one or two very influential people to the North for a year or so, or someone putting a lot of effort into speaking in our favor."

Warryn frowned. "I must confess, the latter is not something we can support with at the moment.. we're a young house ourselves." He kept a more neutral tone. "In regards to sending someone... that will have to be among our leadership, and that also presents a problem, as I am sure you can understand."

He smiled sheepishly. "We ourselves would appreciate someone with tactical acumen, or someone to provide materials necessary for warfare, or perhaps a few company of men." There, the cat was out of the bag.