1.2

Drift 1.2

Ethan​

Ethan wished the keep's library held a larger collection of books. Having read every tome from the meager smattering of shelves already -including the dry treatises on forestry and agriculture- he was reduced to rereading his favorites. That was fine for the most part though as their copies of Beyond The Seven Kingdoms and The Nine Voyages enraptured him no matter how many times he read them. The exotic lands and deadly perils described by the maesters and adventurers within captured his imagination and set it ablaze like wildfire.

Not for the first time in his life, Ethan wondered if he too could one day sail across the Narrow Sea to visit the strange lands of Essos, to climb the steps of Volantis' Red Temple and traverse the ancient labyrinths of Lorath, to look up at the Titan of Braavos with his own two eyes or travel to the fabled cities of Yi Ti in the far east.

In short, he dreamed of adventure, and why couldn't he achieve his dreams? It was not unheard of for third or fourth born sons to go galavanting across the ocean on their galleons. In fact, there were several famous examples throughout history, not the least of which was Gerion Lannister from the Great House of the same name.

Of course, neither he nor his family possessed such a vessel nor did he have the means to acquire one, and while House Forrester was famous for producing the best ship building wood in the known world, his parents would never agree to wasting so much valuable wood on a personal project, even when they were more ardent supporters of their children's endeavors than most parents.

All things considered, being stuck in this corner of the Wolfswood wasn't so bad for a burgeoning explorer. The woods were full of hidden nooks and crannies just waiting for him to unearth them, although his mother was wont to deny he go too far beyond the boundaries of their house's territory without guard. However, the sights he could find were absolutely splendid, open valleys in the white hills to the west, the deep reaches of Stillwater Lake near Torrhen's Square -the Tallharts resided much closer to their family's seat than their bannerlords, the Glovers, up north- and of course, the Ironwood groves, his family's namesake.

None of that stopped him from planning to abscond in his own mind -perhaps he would study at the Citadel- but it kept him occupied for the time being. That, and his love of music and learning were happily provided for by his family. Ethan sometimes thought that his parents only encouraged his passion for the lute to keep him from running off.

Well, he also had the rest of his family to think about. Poor Talia would be distraught -or so he thought- if he were to leave her behind. No, he had loyalty to his family, and the day he left, it would be a celebration of his departure with the blessing of his mother and father. He'd return one day bearing souvenirs of his travels abroad to share with his siblings and their future children.

That was enough pondering for the day - an adventurer required action as well as planning. Ethan gently closed the old tome and dutifully returned it to its rightful place on the bookcase. He had already partaken of his midday meal after rigorous training by Ser Royland, their house's Master-at-Arms, earlier that morning. No doubt Talia would expect to accompany him on his afternoon excursion, so he set off to find his twin sister. Perhaps he'd pick up little Ryon along the way and make it a group outing.

The halls of the modest keep did not bustle as they might in King's Landing or Casterly Rock, but workers from the outlying villages tended to their daily chores, maintaining the building's cleanliness and appearance. Father had an excellent eye for talented individuals and paid accordingly, resulting in a keep cleaned with pride and attentiveness.

Ethan walked into the Castellan's solar where he found his mother conversing with Duncan over the ledgers. The middle aged man looked up from the papers at Ethan's arrival while his mother remained focussed on the pages. Ethan didn't let that fool him - not much got past Mother.

"I suppose you'll be wanting permission to go off on one of your little trips," Mother's lips quirked up in a bare hint of a smile.

She knew him so well.

"Talia would be ever so disappointed to go without her daily hike," he poked fun with the recurring joke.

"Mm, make sure you're back before supper," all said without breaking away from the ledgers.

"And don't go further than the grove," he finished for her.

"Quite."

Mother and Duncan resumed their quiet conversation, dismissing him from the solar.

Exiting the main keep, he spotted Talia out in the bailey practicing her bowmanship among the hunters and woodsmen.

He let out a whistle, mimicking the trills of the Woodlands Finch. She received the message, turning to the side to give him a wave and replacing the bow to its rack.

Having been unable to locate his youngest sibling thus far, Ethan called out, "Sister, have you seen little Ryon?"

"Damon is instructing him in horse riding. He shan't be joining us today."

Ah well, there'd always be next time. As was customary to their mutual hiking adventures, the two of them traded off destinations, and today was Talia's pick. She didn't have to think too long before deciding on Tall Hill, an unfortunately dull but stupendously accurate name for the tallest hill to the northeast of Ironrath. The pairing set off through the postern gate, cloaks latched tightly and Ethan's lute strapped to his back.

Tall Hill was a favorite for the twins, peaking half a league before the treeline thickened into the Wolfswood proper, providing a panorama of stunning vistas in every direction - Ironrath and the low lying craggy hills to the south, hidden valleys revealed from up high to the west, grassy plains leading further east, and of course, the Wolfswood to the north. From their elevation, the town of Gadberry was in full relief at the edge of the woods, and the Pillars of the Old Grove could be seen jutting out from the surrounding forest just barely at the edge of the horizon, a sight that never failed to cause a stirring in his breast.

Chasing the wonders of the world is what drew him into all those fantastic tales, and they had one in their own backwoods.

They passed the afternoon mostly unspeaking, but a lack of speech did not necessitate silence. Talia's gentle humming accompanied Ethan's soft strumming carried on the winds for leagues out. He liked to think they performed for the Old Gods of the forest.

The hour grew late, and it was time to be off. He spared a glance for the pre-sunset horizon, clouds tinged orange and yellow that would soon fade into pinks and streaks of red.

Talia spoke up, "Do you see that as I do? Those flashes of light amongst the Ironwoods?"

Ethan followed his sister's pointing finger to the Old Grove, squinting into the distance. He wasn't certain- Yes! He could see it, faint blue lights pulsing like so many otherworldly fireflies

in the tallest treetops where the Pillars of Iron resided.

"I see it too. That's no flight of fancy."

Come nightfall, those lights would be seen by more than just them two. Villagers and crofters alike would catch sight of the strange lights, many likely to head off to investigate the phenomenon themselves. It was imperative Ethan inform his father as soon as possible and secure his position on the questing party - he didn't want to miss this developing situation after all.

The return trip was fraught with impatience and the desire to rush off ahead, but he would not leave his sister behind. Upon reaching the keep boundary however, he could contain his nervous excitement no more.

"I'll talk with you later, sister. You should get ahead of events and talk to Mother before she forbids you from joining us."

"'Us'?" That was as close to scandalized as he'd ever heard Talia's voice get, "What makes you think Father will grant you permission?"

"Finder's fee!" he called back over his shoulder, already halfway to the main keep.

He did believe he saw his normally reserved sister increase her gait out of the corner of his eye, perhaps in the direction of Mother's chambers.

It was as he entered the main hall that he overheard a gathering of smallfolk making their case to his father. Seven hells, he cursed. He'd been beaten to the punch, the news already delivered.

"It's just as Jered says milord. Glowin' blue lights all afloatin' in the Old Grove. They's seen it too over in Gadberry, they'll swear it up and down."

He decided he might as well speed the whole process along.

"He speaks true, Father," Ethan marched to the front of the petitioners, "Talia and I both saw the lights from Tall Hill, clear as day. It's unmistakable."

Gregor Forrester, Lord of Ironrath, developed a thoughtful expression on his lined face. Pride and warmth was never far from Father's face in times of peace, but now his visage held an edge, a hardness born from past conflict. He must have considered the matter very serious indeed.

The Lord's deliberation ended, and he rose to address the hall.

"At first light, Ser Royland and myself shall lead an inquisition into the nature of these lights. Until then, maintain a cautious distance outside the perimeter of the grove," he spoke commandingly with an assurance that his people would not disobey his orders.

Father summoned Ser Royland while Ethan sat down at the high table, not far away but still unable to overhear their conversation. Whatever Father decided, Ser Royland nodded at his words and marched over to a contingent of men-at-arms. A squadron broke off towards the stableside entrance - He had a feeling there would soon be guard postings blocking entrance to the Old Grove.

By supper time, every inhabitant of the keep, and likely every village for leagues around, was aware of the lights' existence. An atmosphere strained with nervous energy permeated the hall, palpable with apprehension. For some, that apprehension verged into fear of the unknown, correlating the mysterious glow with the most disturbing details from tales and legends, but others bubbled with cautious excitement, seeing promise of adventure and discovery.

Ethan belonged to the latter group. All throughout the meal, he kept his ears to the common tables, listening for news amongst the speculation, anything that he could use to convince his Lord father to bring him along on the expedition come morn. What he overheard didn't inspire confidence in his plan.

"I'm telling ye, them woods are burning. Ye can see the blue of the flames from 'ere."

"What a load of horseshite." "Nah, t'ain't the right hue for an Ironwood burn."

"The Children of the Forest come again."

"The Children are just stories, man."

"They're as real as you and me. There's much we've forgotten since our forefathers settled these lands."

"-swear I saw a face in the clouds, evil and sneering. Mark my words, the Old Gods are upset with us, and we'd best figure out why."

"Seriously Donald?"

"It's not the Old Gods, it's all some kind of trick by the Whitehills."

"All's I'm sayin' is, the guards wouldn't be out theres if theys weren't guardian' nothin'."

"So you're sayin' they're keepin' us from somethin' dangerous out there?"

"I can' rightly say, but it makes ye think, don't it?"

He discerned nothing but baseless conjecture, which is exactly what he should have expected. If any of the smallfolk held the grove's secrets, they wouldn't be sharing it where their Lord could overhear how they snuck past the blockade and disobeyed his orders, and if anyone did have insider knowledge, he was sure they would have shared that with Father already and swiftly sworn to secrecy on the matter.

He simply didn't see how he could broach the topic of the expedition without upsetting Father. He needed more information from the best source he had available.

Finishing the last of his chicken roast and draining the dregs from his cup of watered wine, he made to stand up, "Might I be excused for the night, Father?"

"Certainly."

Ethan turned around to leave when his father spoke up.

"And Ethan, no sneaking out tonight to see the Grove. If the expedition returns with no sign of danger, I will permit you to visit. Then and only then, am I clear?"

Disobedience would not be brooked here, and he would be a fool to go against the wishes of his Lord father.

"Understood," he nodded for emphasis.

"Good. Now try to be respectful and don't bother our guests overmuch," His father's eyes regained a mirthful twinkle.

It looked as if Ethan's plans had been dashed after all. No matter, he'd see what could be gleaned from the primary petitioner, Jered, whom he was passingly familiar with. The middle aged man served as an Ironwood craftsman for two decades, ending his trade when his wife took ill. After her passing, he took his children and moved out to the edge of the Old Grove, a mere stone's toss away. If anyone could be said to have knowledge of the lights, it would be Jered.

In the environment cultivated by his parents, it wasn't seen as wrong for the highborn children to interact respectfully with the smallfolk. In fact, building camaraderie and working relations was encouraged, and so Ethan's presence was hardly spared a second glance as he took his spot in the small crowd at the back of the hall.

He arrived in the middle of the conversation, a throng surrounding the man at a table with far too few seats to hold their number.

"-noticed sooner?" came the trail end of one person's question.

"Well, like I said, the lights didn't start up all at once. They were winkin' into existence one tree at a time, and it wasn't easy to make out in the daylight. I was thinkin' to meself 'that can't possibly be right'. Like I said, I couldn't believe me eyes, thought it was a trick of the light." Jered's story finally revealed more clues to the mystery.

A stout woman scoffed, "And you didn't think to check that the grove wasn't on fire?"

"Not rightly," he replied, "At first I thought the Pillars were ablaze, but the color wasn't near right enough for that, and it didn't seem bright enough to me. Still, I was thinkin' Lord Forrester ought to be informed so he could send experienced men in. Ain't no reason for me foolish self to go get killed by whatever was causin' that glow."

"And what was it that was causing those lights to appear?" a young man asked, voice full of unrepentant curiosity.

"I just told ye, and I told ye a thousand times, I don't know." he seemed exasperated.

An apron wearing woman, one of the kitchen cooks, spoke, "Ye didn't take Lara and the little 'uns along with ye? Ye didn't think it too dangerous to leave 'em?"

"Well, I can't rightly leave the animals untended, and besides, the lights don't come near to the edge of the grove. It's only the Pillars of Iron that got all lit up, none of the timber woods, and they're miles off from the pens. I know Lara can be-," he paused, "-difficult. But I told her not to dip a finger beyond the pens, or there'd be seven hells to pay."

"And you believed that'd keep the lass in check?" the cook raised her eyebrow, sternly thrusting her finger in his face.

Jered paled a bit as he spluttered, "Well- I- She's- She'd better be there when I get back, or she'll most regret it."

Ethan checked out as the conversation shifted to various women who knew this "Lara" reprimanding a father for his lack of caution regarding his children.

The earlier comment about the trees lighting up one at a time intrigued him though. By the early evening, the entirety of the Pillars had been aglow, indicating a timeline of sorts. The lights couldn't have been there last night, or others would have seen them clearly against the dark background. Therefore, the earliest the lights could have appeared was that morning, and if Jered spoke true, then that meant the trees weren't fully lit by the time he left his farm at midday. Worryingly, the spacing out of events implied intent. Was someone or something deliberately lighting the Pillars?

He needed more information, so he would have to ask, "Excuse me, Jered, you mentioned that the trees didn't light up all at once, but rather it was all spaced out. How far apart would you say the lightings occurred?"

Jered looked surprised he was there, as if seeing him for the first time, "Ah, Lord Ethan, that's how it is, yes. I can't say how much time passed between each as I wasn't keepin' track of the time. All I know is that I saw an unlit tree suddenly begin flashin' all at once. And when I got distracted for a bit and turned back, there was another dark Pillar flashin' that I could have sworn wasn't but a moment before. Apologies that I can't be of more help."

"No need, my good man. I'm merely as curious as the rest of us."

Ethan learned nothing more insightful after that, and he eventually left for his room. He had trouble finding sleep that night, tossing and turning and constantly re-envisioning that haunting sight from Tall Hill. When dawn came, Father led a charge of men through the northern gate, while Ethan remained behind.