Festival of Roses

A terrible scream splits the night, spooking horses and setting the hounds to baying in their kennels. Guards shout and the their armour raises a clattering racket as they run from all corners, bringing lanterns.

Outside the Great Hall of Grassfield Keep, at the foot of the grand marble steps that separate the Keep from the surrounding grounds, a young woman lies lifeless and broken. Above her, other ladies-in-waiting are gathering, faces pale behind their rouge, hands covering mouths and eyes as they struggle to process the sight. The expressionless Septa Gwyn gathers the young women to her, like chicks to a mother hen.

Terrance was a light sleeper and he had only just turned in. The scream had easily caught his attention and worries over what it might mean and who it might be drew him to investigate. He arrived quickly and barely dressed, with only his dagger and hand axe on his belt and his lantern in hand.

Alicent heard the screams and ran out, wrapping a blanket around her over her smock to be proper covered. Properly-ish. She had only paused to put on a pair of shoes to avoid any mud left. The sight that greeted her arrival nearly made her heart stop. Falling, faster and faster. A dark shape. Alicent's eyes snap up to the building above, seeing if there was a dark shape somewhere above. A human shape. All the while her mind rejected the idea of what she knew. "This is impossible... things like this don't happen..." She murmured, even as he eyes searched high for anywhere the young woman could have fallen from.

Mari had almost fallen asleep when she heard the scream. Worry gripped her as she threw her travelling cloak over her night-clothes. "Kevith?!" she peeked out from her tent, to see her guardian standing in his place outside the three Tremaine pavillions.

"It came from the hall, m'lady, it's prob--" Kevith began to explain, but Mari rushed past him once she knew the destination.

"It could be Jyn!" she said in a slight state of panic as she hurried as quickly as the darkness let her, Kevith quickly catching up to match his stride to hers.

As they arrived on the scene, Mari's eyes hardened as she saw the dead woman, but unlike the many other ladies-in-waiting she wasn't struggling to cope with the scene. What happened here? she looked questioningly at everyone gathered, especially Terrance and Alicent as they were familiar faces. "What happened?" she asked in a firm tone, looking to the septa who seemed to be one of the few present of the local ladies who seemed to have her bearings.

Kevith looked suspiciously around for a likely hiding place for a culprit who would attack a woman.

Jynessa hurried out of her tent after her twin. She took a few moments to catch her breath when they were abreast and looked at her sister. "It was definitely not me, Mari," she murmured before giving Kevith an acknowledging look. She stayed close to the members of her House and gazed upon the body before them. "Who is she?" she murmured, partially to herself.

As Alicent searched, it was the Septa's cold eyes and stony countenance that she found, looking down at the broken form of the young woman. Her face was dispassionate as she soothed one of the girls, gently stroking her shoulder.

Kenway arrived, still in full armour, assessing the situation quickly. Guards began to form a cordon between the body and the onlookers, keeping them from pressing any closer, while Ser Kenway dispatched runners.

Caim arrived and, seeing what happened, moved instantly and protectively over to his sister, putting an arm around her blanket-wrapped shoulders. He was a foot and a quarter taller than her, only emphasizing how different they were.

Alicent was taken a little aback by Septa Gwyn's face. It was a little eerie how expressionless she was. Caim's arm took her by surprised, since she stepped back into it a little, away from the woman. She smiled a little, then moved, having him follow her as she headed over toward Mari and Jyn. "That girl... I don't know her, but..." She lowered her voice. "... I think she was pushed... I couldn't say why, but... I don't think it was an accident."

Sometime later Simon arrived to the scene, making his way to the Tremaine twins. "Ladies... what happened?" Having blurted out his question, he tried to make sense of the scene.