You'd be depressed too if you had Kelson's luck with women

[kingforboth]

Who: Kelson and you (open)
What: Jeyne is gone. Kelson is depressed.
Where: Island cliff. Pick an island any island
When: Sept 2-6
Warnings: Depression, talk of suicide, Red Weddings. Angsting under the cloudy sky.

Kelson was twisting the woman's wedding ring on his pinky finger, worrying it back and forth as he watched the water from up high on one of the islands cliffs. The water broke over the rocks over and over, reminding him of another time in his life when his luck with women ran short. When he had plunged over a disintegrating path into the water below, sucked under a waterfall, bashed with rocks and into an underground cavern. No wonder she had thought him dead and moved on.

But this had been different. He'd met a woman who had gone through something similar, an event he'd never thought repeated. No one could be that unlucky. They both had lost that day, scarred and broken a piece of their soul forever. He knew part of Jeyne's soul would forever be with Robb, just as part of Kelson's died in that church, covered in Sidana's blood.

He should have kissed Jeyne when he had the chance. And so Kelson watched the waves, twisting the tiny lion wedding ring on his pinky back and forth, back and forth.

Comments

North Island

[roseofthetyrells]

[she'd been making her way to the boat after a long day at the Sewing Shop when she saw him standing alone on the edge of a cliff. even from a distance, she could see the dejection in his demeanor. she wasn't sure what he was so upset about, but she couldn't let him just stand there, looking so forlorn.

so she approached him, sympathy writ plain on her features, hoping she could do something to ease his pain]

Kelson? Is there anything I can do?

Re: North Island

[kingforboth]

[Kelson ignored her until she said his name, hearing her footsteps and trying to figure out if he wanted company or not. He briefly folding his head in his hands, stopping the methodical twisting of Sidana's ring momentarily, before raising his head and turning toward her. He shrugged dejectedly, realizing this was the first time that someone hadn't guessed what he was depressed about. He'd never had to explain himself before. But Margaery hadn't known Kelson for years, she didn't know his thought patterns and depressive tendencies, couldn't yet read him like an open book.]

Not unless you can bring her back.

[roseofthetyrells]

[well, it's entirely too bad for him if he doesn't want company because now that she can see the look on his face, she's not going anywhere until she gets the answers she seeks. she can see that he's twisting a small ring around his pinky finger and wonders if perhaps it belonged to either the bride who'd been murdered or the woman he'd been lusting after. either way, he showed no inclination towards leaving it alone]

Bring who back?

[kingforboth]

[Margaery was correct on both accounts, Kelson had made the horrible mistake of giving the cursed ring to both women. With any luck he wouldn't make that mistake a third time. He kept twisting the ring, a nervous habit he didn't realize he had, given to the wife he had called his own for a whole thirty seconds. God, he should have been paying more attention. He didn't think anything would happen. It was a wedding for God's sake. Now he knew better.]

Jeyne. She's gone. She didn't come back with everyone else. And she wasn't on the boats.

[roseofthetyrells]

[if she knew that, she would advise him to throw the bloody thing into the sea. and there's no knowing what the future holds. if there was, there would be far fewer misadventures in life and far less uncertainty]

I'm aware.

[she says nothing further as she full well knows how cruel the Door can be]

[kingforboth]

[Kelson would be liable to jump in after it. Rothana threw the ring into the castle middens after thinking he was dead. He drained it to get it back. His attachment to that ring was deeply unhealthy, and steeped with regret.]

That's it? You're aware?

[Kelson's depression sinks back into anger as he looks at her, wondering what's behind that seemingly unfeeling remark.]

That's all you can say?

[roseofthetyrells]

[even more reason to be rid of it]

Yes. I'm aware.

[it's far from unfeeling. Jeyne is not the first person the Door has taken that Margaery has cared about and she knows that she will be far from the last. she releases a little frustrated sigh]

It's all I can say because there is nothing I can do about it. The Door is cruel. It takes people from us. It takes them all the time. Do you think, if I could bring her back, I wouldn't? If I could bring back the man I love, I'd falter for a second?

South Island

[outofthefire]

[Laura had been working a late shift at the Speakeasy. the Bakery in the morning and the Speakeasy in the evenings made for a long day, but Laura wouldn't have it any other way. it was easier to banish dark thoughts and urges when she worked herself to exhaustion every night.

so she was on her way to catch a boat back home when she saw Kelson standing at the edge of a cliff. that was weird. she knew Kelson could brood over things, but this looked broody even by his standards. so she went over to him and said]

Hey, Kelson. What's going on?

Re: South Island

[kingforboth]

[Kelson usually didn't banish the dark thoughts. He just forestalled them, momentarily focusing on something else until they tapped at him again. Remember me? It was a cycle, a cloud of perceived failures moving around in his brain until the stronger one broke free. Executions, murder, betrayal, failed love. It probably would be better if he had more to do, but Kelson was alone with his thoughts.]

Don't worry, I'm not going to jump.

[outofthefire]

[focusing on dark thoughts isn't healthy. even Laura knows that. and it's not like you can change the past, much as you might want to]

Even if you did, Hope would bring you right back. No easy way outs here.

[kingforboth]

[No, focusing on dark thoughts is not healthy. Kelson needed something to distract him. Or a way to work it out, to banish the thoughts of the death and killing and lost love. No one ever said being a good king was easy.]

It's a sin too.

[He let out a sigh and momentarily stopped worrying the ring on his finger.]

What happens when people here disappear?

[outofthefire]

[well, she's willing to listen and try to help as much as she can. she's not sure how much good a damaged soul like hers could do, but she'll try]

That's what I've heard.

[now leave the ring alone]

They go back to their own worlds.

[kingforboth]

[And sadly, that made him worry the ring more, knowing the life she had to go back too. He looked down momentarily]

That wasn't the kind of life she wanted. But, I suppose so few of us get to live the life we expect, the life we want. I hope she finds happiness, in some small way.

[swiftlet]

After the ordeals of the last few days, Swift should probably be spending more time with Seel, but he's also not stupid enough to cling to the har, either. They just barely made it through the last game, they didn't need another fight already. So he's out, taking a walk, thinking. He's definitely got a lot to think about.

This place is sort of...austere. There's not much to look at, but it is lovely in a severe sort of way. Beautiful in the danger, maybe. That sounded familiar.

He's not surprised to find another person there, really. It's a wonderful place to be melancholy, feeding into the mood that as much he hates feeling, he doesn't want to come out of it quite yet. It feels good, sort of, to just stay there for a while.

He debates for a moment before calling out to the man--clearly he's lost in something--but eventually curiosity gets the better of him and he's fiddling with something on his hand.

"What's that?"

[kingforboth]

As long as Kelson didn't plummet over the cliff, he felt perfectly safe and could enjoy the view. He figured, at least, that sort of disaster only happened once per lifetime. God wasn't cruel, but perhaps life was. Either way, he hoped life had less cruelty in store for him. He'd been caught up in watching the water against the rocks, thinking about that other time he plummetted below. It had been a miracle he survived. He almost hadn't, with those skull fractures and that poison. That time, he felt sure, had a higher purpose. Pieces had come together, not perfectly, but they had come together. Perhaps something like that would happen here. Maybe there was a reason.

He looked up when Swift approached, recognizing him from their first meeting. " What's what?" Then he looked down at the ring and darkened. Oh.

"It's a ring. It belonged to my bride." He couldn't call Sidana his wife could he? They'd been married all of thirty seconds.

[swiftlet]

"What does that mean?" Another human word, maybe. Something they'd done away with. As much as he liked to think he knew quite a bit, there were still a lot of things he didn't know. Cobweb probably could have answered but he wasn't here right now and Swift was reluctant to ask Seel questions like that. Either he'd make Swift feel stupid for asking or he'd get too melancholy and nostalgic to answer.

"What's a bride?"

[kingforboth]

Kelson had never been asked to define such a word. He wasn't even sure where to begin. He looked up at Swift for a minute, trying to figure out how to form the words that were required before opening his mouth. At least this gave him something else to think about.

"A bride. She would have been my wife after the marriage ceremony. Do you not have something similar?"

[swiftlet]

"Sort of, I suppose, but I've never heard that word before." So it was human, then. Strange that they needed a whole word for it. It was odd that there was still so much that he didn't know, even having been here so long.

"What happened to her?"

[kingforboth]

What a question. If only Swift knew what he had just asked. Kelson started vigorously worrying the wedding band again, fingering the tiny lions on his pinky finger.

"Her brother slit her throat half an hour into the ceremony rather than see her wed to me."

[stonebird]

She saw him in the distance and something about his posture made her stomach clench with concern. Sansa was far more physically fit thanks to traveling across the islands on a frequent basis, so climbing up to the cliffs was no feat. Once she was on the top, she slowed her steps and watched him intently.

"Your Majesty? Kelson...?" her voice was almost too soft to carry, "Has something happened?"

[kingforboth]

Kelson turns when he hears her voice, momentarily stopping turning the ring on his pinky to look at her and then it continues. He glanced to the view again and then back to her, sighing, knowing that he'd been found.

"You know Jeyne is gone?"

[stonebird]

"I didn't realize. She and I don't - " Sansa's expression fell and she understood the cause of his melancholy. Poor Jeyne. She wasn't returning to ideal circumstances.

"I hope she returns swiftly." she walked to stand at Kelson's side, staring out at the horizon, "She is so kind. I'm honored to call her family."

[kingforboth]

"I wish I was able, but I was glad to be able to call her a friend. I hope she considered me one." Kelson honestly wasn't sure. He knew trust was a big issue for Jeyne, and not without reason.

Kelson tried not to look so dejected, but he couldn't help it. He missed her, and he mourned for the relationship they'd never have, where ever it went, as well as for the future she had not wanted.

[stonebird]

So it went deeper than friendship? Sansa glanced at him, but she knew it would be rude to stare. A broken heart was something she knew well and she had yet to find a remedy for it. Except...

"Be kind to yourself. What you feel for her, she felt too." she gave him a small smile, "She would be honored to have your affection, I think, though circumstances never played in your favor."

Welcome to Westeros. Nothing ever works out.

[kingforboth]

Too little too late, like the rest of his love life. He should have kissed Jeyne when he had the chance. Now, he'd forever regret not doing it. It had been the honorable thing to do though, hadn't it? He was still mourning his lost loves. Jeyne Robb.

"Circumstances never do seem to play in my favor." Did that come out more bitter and morose than he intended? Was the world actively maligned against him finding love, happiness and peace? Kelson was actively upset he had been forced time and time again to buy peace through blood.Why would love be any different?

Kelson threw a rock off the cliff in a teenage fit.