Sergio Delinaal's Festivals of the Four Winds

"My dear Elsey, you make me blush!" Bertram smiled happily at the compliment.

"My father was a vicious man who eventually bonded Balerion, you must have seen the old bastard if you are close to my nephew." He grew thoughtful at hearing Kesi describe the terror she had experienced, "Dragons are truly a fearsome sight to behold, raw unadulterated power. One wonders just how Targaryens can believe that they truly control it." He waved off the thought with another sip of brandy, "Father dearest had offered a gold dragon for the scalp of a Warrior's Son and a silver stag for the scalp of a Poor Fellow during the Faith Militant Uprising, and had multiple wives at any given time... Many of whom he ordered to be executed. Between all these things and many more, including the execution of three Grand Maesters, earned him his title."

Bertram rarely spoke about his father, he was a brutal king during a brutal time, however he enjoyed talking to these women, and the fact that they actually seemed interested in what he had to say encouraged him to continue.

"As I had stated before, it was probably lucky for me to have been sent away, the likelyhood that I would survive in King's Landing was not very ensuring. Royalty has a habit of death. I often heard people comment that I was too much and too little like my father to do me any good. I had the same dashing looks," He flashed a bright smile, "And none of the homicidal rage." He winked at the ladies, "And my handsome head likes to stay right where it is."

Kesi twisted her bracelet around her wrist, she was unaware that she was doing it, like all other times that she touched the silverware that she always wore.

"There is being nothing so fearful." She agreed. Her voice grew softer. "Even to those with nothing to be fearing. But maybe that is being when it is worse? When there are people doing nothing that are getting hurt worse? I have seen aftermath of dragons that you are all loving and it is truly something that I am never wishing to be seeing again."

Kesi looked down at Elseyris's hand then moved slightly so that she wouldn't be touched.

"It is not mattering what is wished, I am being sure that it will be happening many times again." She said, taking her own glass and emptying it.

"What I find to be worse is that such atrocities would happen whether there were dragons or not. Wars would not end, cruelty would not end." Bertram could see that once again the conversation could not keep from being turned to darkness.

"I believe that kindness begets kindness and cruelty begets cruelty. Unfortunately there are too few of the former and too many of the latter in positions of power and authority."

He looked at Kesi fidgeting again with her bracelet and Elsey trying to help.

"I apologize for the uncomfortable conversation. It appears that no matter what the subject there is very little but pain and misery in King's Landing."

"Is being true." Kesi sighed. "But then there are days when it is not being so bad, just like in every city. I know that some days in Qarth were being darker then night but some being brighter then day. Is way of being a people is it not?"

"Will you be telling us about your travels in East? I have been to many cities, but I am being used to there, it must have been being shock for someone coming from Westeros to be in East."

Kesi watched for a moment trying to take in what was wrong with Elsey, then her gaze rested on the small stone dragon around her neck. she was caught for a moment, having promised that she wouldnt step in no matter what happened but Elsey had been a friend to her.

She knelt beside Elseyris and snapped the necklace off of the girl, accidently dropping the tooth somewhere on the floor but that wasnt her concern at that moment, she knew what was likely to happen.

"Elsey?" She asked, holding the stone dragon away from Elseyris.

"You fell." Kesi answered shortly, and she hid the pendant on her so that she could destroy it later. "And a promise was being broken."

"Promise is not mattering." Kesi answered, summoning a smile. "Neither is other one, you should be forgetting it Elseyris please."

"Do not be worrying Elseyris." Kesi said, but she was frowning. "I must be going really, it was not being best idea for me to be coming."

She got up herself and left abruptly.

"The real question is, how are you feeling? I am fine, I was worried that something might have happened to you," Bertram was obviously concerned, "Would you like some water? Or perhaps more brandy?" Offering her two full glasses, one of each.

He had seen Kesi's reaction to Elsey collapsing and while he did not know why Kesi removed the jewelry, he noticed how immediate the reaction had been.

"What a curious turn of events, it seems we have scared our blue-haired beauty away." He finished his drink, deducing that it could not be poisoned or they would all be feeling ill. "It is a good thing she was here, I had thought that it was perhaps just the alcohol. Do you get these fainting spells often?"

"More than sufficient!" He exclaimed. "Believe me, Elsey, even spending time with one beautiful woman was more than I had expected for tonight. I am glad you are feeling better."

Bertram filled his glass yet again with the delicious brandy which was quickly reaching the end of its bottle.

"We may need some more at this rate!" He laughed, shaking the almost empty decanter. "I must say, that your taste and skill at drinking is very impressive!"

Bertram lounged next to Elsey on the cushions.

"I know what you mean, it is a delicious habit." He placed the bottle of rum on the ground near them both.

"I hope you have been enjoying yourself so far?"