CLOSED || GARLAN + PATREK || TRAINING YARDS ( @seagards )
For the first time since the gathered armies arrived in King’s Landing, Garlan felt well and truly alive. There was something about the feeling of live steel in his hands, about the strain of muscles and the dripping of sweat, that made him feel at peace in a way nothing else in this gods-forsaken city could. He’d been on edge for days, constantly aware of all the ways his family could get hurt here amongst more enemies than friends. It felt good to remind himself that he could do something about it, that he was not powerless. Swinging his sword in a downwards arc, he knocked the last of his opponents off his feet before removing his helmet and gazing around the training yard with a sigh.
Of course, not everything about their current situation was negative. When he was younger, before they all went to war and before his baby brother met his unfortunate and untimely end, Garlan had made the rounds of the kingdom to compete in tourneys. Though not one for fame himself, he had made many a friend in the process. The sight of Patrek Mallister reminded him of this, of the competitions of their youth, and he sheathed his sword and made his way through the fighting bodies to greet the other man. “My lord, I can only assume you are here for a rematch. After all these years, do you care to lose to me again?” Garlan teased, expression open and happy in a way it had not been outside of his family’s presence in so long. “It is good to see you, old friend. Are you well?”