A Normal Day, and Taming Bears

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-Windhelm/Skagos, Military Academy Exterior, 277 AC, 1 Month Later-

"OOMPF-" Gasped a Warden (Common) as he was knocked down onto the ground again by Justus; his shoulder bashes were powerful.

"Boy, what did I tell you? Lesson one - 'this' is how you hold a longsword; stop using one hand; it isn't a fucking shortsword." Justus reprimanded.

"I-I'm sorry, Lord Warden." Apologized the defeated Warden.

"Listen," Justus began. "If you want to defend from above, do this."

Justus then demonstrated how he holds the longsword: flat and steady with his right hand while resting it on his left arm, pointing directly at the opponent. "And this is how you do it from the sides."

Justus then brings the longsword below with both hands on the handle and points it upwards towards the opponent. "It's simple when you get the hang of it, now show me how you zone-"

"JUSTUS!!" Liam called from inside the academy's interior; he's been helping around with managing the Wardens since Kelemen left for Bear Island, don't ask why. "I GOTTA TALK TO YOU FOR A MINUTE!!"

"Alright!" Justus replied; he turned to his Wardens (Common) before leaving. "Continue practicing until I get back."

"YES, LORD WARDEN!!" Saluted the Wardens (Common) before they resumed practicing.

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-Windhelm/Skagos, Military Academy Interior-

Justus strolled into the academy's interior and started looking for Liam. It didn't take long since Liam was the only Warden - besides the intelligence division (Event) - to use black iron as a material for their armor. "So, what did you want to talk about-"

"Diplomacy." Liam immediately stated. "We lack actual connection with the North and the South."

"What do you mean?" Justus inquired. "I thought we hit it off pretty well with the North already?"

"We are merely associated," Liam claimed. "Well, Kelemen's already making his moves to 'unite' our island to the North, if you know what I mean."

"What are you insinuating...?" Justus seems to be understanding what Liam was leading to. "That I-"

"Get married to a woman from the South? Yes and no." Liam replied. "There are many ways to become more involved in Westeros; For example, those Wardens you sent out to protect the realm? They are really showing results."

"Truly?" Justus asked genuinely.

"Of course, you sent out often bring back potential trainees, alliances, and information for the future," Liam explained. "People like Lord Arryn or Stark are interested in recruiting them into their armies."

"Ah, well, Wardens are more offensive than defensive personnel... maybe they would prefer a few Lawbringers?" Justus suggested. "They're more capable in terms of defending strongholds and such."

"I suppose we could do that instead," Liam replied. "But I think marriage with the South is a better option; you and Kelemen did say it was corrupted in many ways."

"Too many to count..." Justus agreed. "But... shouldn't I marry for love? I'm young and still have time for deciding things like 'that.'"

"Perhaps, but things are starting to get a little heated; the Lannisters and Targaryens are having a bit of a silent feud, and the Iron Islands-"

"Are acting like a bunch of pirates, I know..." Justus finished; he put his hand on his head, considering Liam's council. "I don't know..."

-Pause-

"Strange," Liam says out of nowhere.

"Hm?" Justus interjects.

"I just find it strange - you have never been with a woman before, have you?" Liam asked.

"Course not; I'm waiting for marriage!" Justus declared. "I ain't going to be some sort of womanizer like the king; I still believe in chivalry and honor!"

"Unlike some people." Liam comments.

"Aye, unlike some people," Justus said with a chuckle.

-Pause-

"I need a drink,"

"Eh? But... don't you still have to train your soldiers?" Liam remarked.

"They'll be fine; I do better after being hydrated anyway," Justus replied; he walked away to a door while Liam followed closely behind.

"Hold on, are you talking about alcohol or fucking water?" Liam pressed.

"Water, obviously; why would I drink alcohol without it being a special occasion?" Justus questioned. "I'm not some drunk; I'm the Lord of Skagos, for Gods' sakes."

Liam stopped in his tracks, unable to say or do anything. Many questions rang through Liam's head, but only one persisted. 'HOW IS THIS MAN NOT THE KING?!'

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-Bear Island, Winterhold Castle-

At a table, Kelemen ate lunch by himself. He was a little tired from working on improving Winterhold into a castle that could hold a candle to Windhelm. The island was relatively poor since it was densely forested, making construction hard to manage. Furthermore, the giant bear population seemed to be the central issue preventing any building in the first place. Kelemen quickly solved both of these in two ways.

First, he dealt with the bear population by taming them bears. It was hard work, but it all worked out in the end. The only downside was his disappointment after being ill-prepared for his first encounters with the bears...

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-Bear Island, Forest, 1 Week Earlier-

Kelemen was walking through a forest, completely alone and without telling anyone so they wouldn't go looking for him - there was also meat strapped to his chest, legs, and arms. Bears from nearby caves and rivers smelled the meat and quickly went to find where it was. Kelemen was a little scared that his plan wouldn't work, even more, scared when he heard the bears getting closer to his position. The first bear that showed up in front of Kelemen was a cub - the tiny cub looked at Kelemen curiously before slowly wandering over to him, snatching a small piece of meat from his knee.

"Huh, I guess it might not be so bad." Kelemen bent over and pet the small animal before it scampered off somewhere. "Well, hopefully, the adults are just as-"

A loud growl suddenly came from behind Kelemen; he turned to see what it was, and low and behold, it was a crowd of bears. Kelemen did nothing but regret every terrible choice in his life that led to this moment - the bears looked very hungry. Then, slowly, he backed up to gain some distance between himself and the bears. "Easy now, we can be civil about this...!"

The bears seemed to realize what Kelemen was doing and started charging at him together. Kelemen screamed loudly and echoed throughout the forest - nearby, a lumberjack heard it and put it off as some sort of animal noise.

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-5 Minutes Later-

"It's like I said, I think we should start getting a steady supply of rum, right?" Said a Lawbringer (Common), leaning against his halberd.

"I mean, you think Lord Lawbringer would approve?" Replied a Warden (Common).

"Sure, he has Lady Mormont to impress, eh?" Jested the Lawbringer (Common). "Gotta be able to provide to Bear Island so the Mormont would approve of-"

"OPEN THE GATES!!" Screamed Kelemen - the meat strapped on him was torn off and left only scratches on his armor. "OPEN THE DAMN DOORS!!"

"Who the-" Murmured the Warden (Common), a little surprised at this screaming man. "OH SHIT, ITS LORD LAWBRINGER!!"

"OPEN THE GATES THEN-" Ordered the Lawbringer (Common). "OH SHIT!! ARE THOSE BEARS?!"

The door quickly opened and closed - Kelemen narrowly escaped the beasts. The guards quickly came to see if their lord was alright; he definitely was not. "Ugh... the plan... backfired..."

The Lawbringer and Warden (Common) looked at each other before turning back to their wheezing and fatigued-looking lord. "Why do you smell like steak?"

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-Present-

"Ow..." Kelemen said as he rubbed the bear scratches on his back slowly. "Never gonna tame another species for a long time..."

When he did dominate the bears of Bear island (ha), he strolled into the Mormont Keep and offered them as a gift, showing his gratitude for allowing his house to remain on the island. They were shocked, to say the least, about Kelemen somehow taming the most predatory creature on their island, but they were delighted that the sigil of their house was now under their control. Kelemen advised that they had certain features added to the bears, making them easily recognizable as tamed as there were still bears around the island that was disobedient to Kelemen's charms (steak and 'playing').

Anyway, Kelemen moved on to the second issue: dense forests. Thankfully, taming the bears (1/3 of the island's bears, to be exact) made it easier for trees to be cut down so that room was available to create buildings for businesses or lodging. Moreover, Kelemen's many projects for creating glasshouses and wineries helped boost and add diversity to House Mormont's economy significantly; Bear Island's population was strong, hardy, loyal, and no-nonsense, so naturally, once Kelemen gave them all of these contributions, he secured a permanent alliance with the island's people.

"Thank Christ I got it all done quickly," Kelemen sighed. "Now Justus can't complain that I'm just over here for pleasure!"

Speaking of pleasure, he has been courting Dacey for a bit throughout his time on Bear Island; he has taken her on long walks, toured Winterhold, and danced at feasts after successful bear hunts (Mormont tradition I made up). Whenever he did visit House Mormont's keep, Kelemen noticed that their interior hall was made of massive logs, surrounded by an earthen palisade; he thought it resembled a gigantic lodge in the woods. On the gate of its exterior entrance, there is a carving of a woman in a bearskin with a child in one arm suckling at her breast and a battleax in the other.

"I wonder how Dacey is doing...?" Kelemen thought while eating his lunch. "Man, I wish courtship was easier..."

Suddenly, the table he was sitting at exploded, and wood shrapnel was thrown everywhere. Then, quickly, Kelemen instinctively went for his halberd and got into a battle stance to prepare for the worst. However, he instead got a woman in a robe, and she was holding what could appear to be a kitten. "What's up?"

"WHO ARE YOU!!" Kelemen said while pointing at the woman. "TELL ME!!"

"Ah, I guess Charlie didn't tell you?" She said while letting out a little laugh, stroking the kitten in her arms.

"Meow.." Replied the kitten.

"Ahem, my name is Tiana, but you know me as-"

"Charlie's girlfriend?" Kelemen answered. "Why are you here?"

"Yes... and I'm here to give you some advice," Tiana begins. "About women."

"... what?"

"The types of women you meet in this world have categories, tiers if you will," Tiana explains. "Right now, the girl you're seeing is 'Warmommy material' or whatever you call it."

"Uhm, I don't know if I-"

"You'll probably have to be a bottom or whatever, so get ready to be mounted."

"WHAT-"

"That's about it, see ya!" With that, Tiana disappears and leaves Kelemen alone, confused, and with a broken mahogany table.

-Pause-

"That table was a gift from Dacey..." Kelemen solemnly acknowledges; he sighs before going towards the next room. "Ah! I almost forgot!"

Kelemen walks towards a small box on the ground; he finds the bear after its mother was killed in a thunderstorm. "I wonder what I'll call you..."

"Huff..." Snorted the tiny black bear cub in the box; he was the same one found in the forest on Kelemen's first encounter with the bear population.

"Actually, I think I'll call you..."

-Pause-

"Quandale Dingle."

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