#blue jenner

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"I was hoping you might stay with me."

"Princess... I'm an old raider twenty years past my best, and my best was none too pretty."

"Doubtless. When I first saw you I thought you were as worn as an old prow beast."

Jenner scratched at the side of his grizzled jaw. "A fair judgement."

"A fool's judgement." Skara's voice cracked, but she cleared her throat and took a breath and carried on. "I see that now. The old prow beast is the one that's braved the worst weather and brought the ship home safe, even so."

— Half A War by Joe Abercrombie

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‘How would you stop me, old man?’ Blue Jenner didn’t back off, just raised his lined hands. ‘I’d say “whoa, there, lad, old fool like me fight a young hero like you? I don’t think so!” And I’d back right down soft as you like.’ ‘Damn right,’ growled Raith. ‘Then I’d nip to my crew and get six big fellows. Middle oars, you know, used to pulling but light on their feet. And when it got dark two of ’em would wrap you up real nice and warm in your blanket.’ And he gave the blanket over Raith’s shoulder a little brush with the back of his hand. ‘Then the other four would bring out some stout timbers and beat that pretty package till it had nothing hard in it. Then I’d deliver the slop left over back to Grom-gil-Gorm, probably still in the blanket ’cause we wouldn’t want to get mess all over Princess Skara’s floor, and tell the Breaker of Swords that, sadly, the boy he lent us was a shade too prickly and it didn’t work out.’

Half a War by Joe Abercrombie