"Where the fuck were you?" Harwin whispered, his words coarse and chilling.
"To use some of your favorite words ... it's none of your business. However, I don't keep secrets from you. I'm awesome like that. So ... I'm staying in Alicent's chambers until further notice. Forever if I don't find a place I like better to stay." Aislynn remarked as she marched out.
"Wine, wine, all the fucking wine-" Aislynn hissed as she pushed open Arthurs door. "Excuse you? You three get together without me?" aislynn demanded looking between John, Arthur and Alicent.
"- I-" Arthur held back a laugh. "- mean... well, sort of." he agreed.
"Yes, but it's not like..." John assured.
"Okay, if you had been nearby, we would have included you." Alicent offered.
"Sassy, look at you, Ali." Aislynn remarked.
"Okay, this is the only time they are nice to me when we are drinking and they are drunk." Alicent teased when Tommy came in.
"Lies." Arthur corrected.
"What's going on?" Tommy questioned.
"You all just hang out without me and Tom and get drunk? Is that what I'm hearing?" Aislynn questioned incredulously. "We are clearly the best two." Tommy nodded in agreement.
"I thought I saw you with Harwin." Alicent whispered like it was a sin.
"Just yelling at him." AIslynn assured. "Come on, drinks!" Aislynn declared as she poured herself a glass.
"So what were you gals gossiping about?" Tommy mused.
"Marriages and bullshit." Arthur remarked.
"Yikes, maybe I dont want to drink with you three, is that what you did to my Ali?" Aislynn pondered. "No, no, you drink to forget the idiots in your life, not talk more about them."
"Unless you are bitching about them." Tommy added and Aislynn snapped her fingers pointing at Tommy.
"Damn right. Drink up brother we are a few behind." Aislynn handed him a glass.
Aislynn loved these moments where they could just pretend that nothing else mattered. No husbands, no wives, kids fast asleep and it was just like they were kids again sneaking into Ottos wine cellar and their mother catching them hiccupping up wine.
"I knew that you were down here." John recalled. "She always knew."
"Gypsy magic." Aislynn agreed.
"She saw it in her crystal ball." Arthur decided.
"I miss her." Alicent whispered leaning into Aislynn. "You ever wonder what might have happened? How our lives would have been different if we had Mum looking out for us?" Aislynn sighed, she hadnt used to but she wanted her mother here, she wanted her mother when she was married, when she decided she hated her husband, when she birthed her children. She wanted her for all the highs and lows.
"What doesnt kill you." Tommy whispered.
"Makes you pissed off and get right back up to kick ass." Aislynn agreed.
That night Aislynn might have been a tad drunk after drinking with her siblings until the wee hours of the morning. So when she saw Criston all handsome, her heart already ripped open with ale and wines. She looked at him and thought I love this man, she had fallen in love with Criston Cole. But falling, falling, the down fall of it all. That was the hard part of falling in love.
"I guess they call it falling because you end up on the ground." Aislynn remarked softly when Criston led her back to her chambers. He took her hand once the door closed and turned her to him.
"Don't think I fell for aislynn." criston declared bringing a hand to her cheek.
"Wow great pep talk Criston." aislynn rasped suddenly very sober.
"I didn't fall. I rose in it." Criston assured her.
"Gods I love you." Aislynn breathed back, it came out before she thought to keep her mouth shut but it was true.
"YOu love me?"
"I love you." Aislynn agreed as he kissed her.
"I love you."