court of lies | robert's rebellion

the feast

"What's that mean?", she raised an eyebrow. "Sit still and look pretty or we will kill you. Is that it, uncle? Is that why everyone acts like this is great opportunity, is the idea of my possible death amuses you this much or are all of you blinded with greed?"

Lucerys clenched his jaw and Lewyn took a deep breath. "It is your right to demand answers from the prince, and he has to give them to you. Don't mind Lucerys' words-", he sent him a nasty look. "-you know he lacks affection. What he, and I now, tried to meant is that you should hide your unhappiness with the situation. Parading it throught the tourney would not help. Be cold with Rhaegar if you wish, but when around people, you must play your part, I am sorry honey but it is how it is."

"You want me to pretend like someone else and laugh through embarrassment, is that so?", Elia asked with disbelief. "You out of all people are telling me this? I am a princess!", she raised her voice. "I do not have to endure such a blatant respect."

"Your mother was a princess too, a ruling one, not as a courtesy and yet we all know what your father had done to her.", Lucerys deadpanned. "Titles mean nothing to powerful men."

"Is this a subtle warning then, uncle?", she was taken aback. "You had sold me to a murderer, is that so? I must behave or Rhaegar will have my head?"

"No, not Rhaegar.", Lucerys shook his head. "But Aerys would."

*

"Do you wish to talk about what had happened?"

Leyton was leaning towards the wall, servants and maids were going in and out, preparing the room for Malora and her sister. She was going to share it with Denyse. And now she was trying to organize the tubes and herbs inside of her wooden box.

"Grandfather desperately wanted to know if Atera came or not, and I had given him an answer."

"No, that's not what happened.", he shook his head. "Try again."

"The princess was looking like an oblivious doe-eyed maiden and I had opened her eyes."

"Malora.", now that was a warning.

Everybody in his family were acting like they had gone mad. Baelor was more meek than usual, Garth more bloodthirsty than usual, Alerie more hysterical than usual, Rhea more squeamish than usual and Atera ...just more than usual. He didn't need Malora to go crazy too. Sure she lacked emphaty and compassion and was known for not having a filter but what happened was an intentional political crisis.

"I didn't do anything bad.", she defended herself. "I don't know why you are acting like it."

"I am not angry.", and he truly was not, just tired. "But what you had done will cause me a lot of headaches honey, I just want to know the reason of it."

"Atera acts weird.", he heard those words from every family member -even from the little Lynesse, that he knew this was coming from the way her face grimaced. "And I don't want people to treat her like an evil witch who plots for the death of the crown prince. You know what everyone still thinks about the Hightowers when they got involve with the Targaryens."

"She doesn't need you to defend her, she has a mind of her own and a tongue that works.", he reminded her. "Also she is too prideful to defend her in a situation like this. You know she likes when people talk about her."

"She likes when people fear her not when they victimezed her. And now that she is a Hightower, things will only got escalated. They are trying to use her and you to fire a civil war in the realm, father."

"I am very well aware of it but thank you for pointing out. This is why we are here, this is why we all came this crowded. To show everyone that we don't have a problem, there is no hard feelings."