"history is written by victors"
281 AC, King's Landing
"The reports are concerning, your majesty.", the new Hand of the King, Owen Merryweather, added before their council meeting ended. "There are sayings that a new band of outlaws had taken residence in the Kingswood. Soon enough we may need to take action against them."
"My birds says these reports are mere exaggerations, my king.", Varys challenged him. "To make them appear stronger than they are."
"They call themselves a 'brotherhood', is all we know about them your grace, truly.", Qarlton said with a disinterested tone. He was in a sour mood ever since Owen took the promotion he thought that he deserved. He would deny the sky was blue in order to deny Owen.
"I had gathered my reports from the smallfolk that live in the Kingswood, near to the villages that are under the radar of the Brotherhood.", Owen resisted. "A man in our king's council thought that he can rise up agains the king. Why is it such a wonder to imagine that a peasent can also dare that?"
"Because our king had gave the necessary punishment to that man.", Qarlton opened his hands. "How do you think you got that pin?"
"But Tywin Lannister relaxes in his old rock, isn't he?", Owen turned to the king. "Many think he requires a harsher punishment than this for his crimes, your grace. He thought he was equal to you."
"Tywin learnt that he was no more than a servant, a filth in my boots.", Aerys dismissed his efforts. "Maybe you need to do the same, Owen, and instead of daring me to tell what to do, finish your report."
"They have been attacking to the nobles in the area-"
"Only robbing them, nothing more.", Qarlton spoke once again. "There has always been thieves in the entire realm. The king cannot be expected to send armed forces everytime someone loses some gold."
"I fear,", Owen spoke to Aerys directly without minding the others. "this threat may grow bigger and dangerous for us, if we do not stop them now."
"I do understand that Lord Merryweather is new in his job, therefore longs for a glorious achievement but-"
"You will talk with more respect Lord Varys,", Owen warned him. "for that I am the King's Hand now and you work for me, not the other way around."
"We all fork for his majesty the king.", he answered with a humbleness.
"When will Lucerys return, you said?", Aerys sighed and asked to Gerold.
"From what I gathered, he needs to be here tomorrow."
"You should have gone with him.", he remarked. "It was your eldest grand-nephew's wedding. One day, he'll replace his father."
"I've been busy.", with keeping an eye on the queen.
"Do not worry, Ser Gerold,", Varys humoured. "if Ser Baelor took it after Lord Hightower, you will have many chances to attend his other weddings.", but Gerold did not find it amusing and just looked at him without blinking.
"If we return back to our problem-"
"I heard you all and I do not see a problem in here.", Aerys stood up. "Bunch of robbers, nothing more. If lords and ladies cannot even think about getting a knight or two along the way, it is not my fault that thye got attacked."
"But your grace-"
"I said enough, the council is dismissed."
Varys and Qarlton shared a look of victory as they stood up and left. Pycelle seemed like he wanted to say something to Owen but decided not to. There was only Gerold and him left inside of the room while the knight made a move to leave.
"My reports are not wrong, Gerold.", he said with a clenchec jaw. "We've been knowing each other for decades now, you know I do not take these matters lightly."
"The king made his decision."
"The king is being mislead by those whom he trusts more than me.", he turned his head towards him. "But not more than you."
Gerold shook his head with a sigh. This would become his problem anyways. "I'll look into it."
"At least there is one sane man in this council still."
*
281 AC, Sunspear
"My lord.", Doric was not expecting to see the commander of the armed forces he brought there with him.
"Amos.", he nodded to him. "Something happened?"
"I had received a direct order from Lord Hightower, my lord.", he explained with a straight face. Oberyn, who was drinking wine inside of the tent, raised his eyebrows.
"Why your lord writes to you and not to his brother."
Amos did not answer to him. "We are commanded to bring you back to Oldtown at once."
Doric frowned. "Did someone died?", he asked in an attempt of a joke though he knew this coulc be true.
"A fear of the plague, my lord.", he explained. "Some of the Essosian trade ships might or might not carry the sickness. Also Lord Hightower expects to see you at the castle before Ser Baelor leaves."
"Why does Baelor leaves the castle?", he did not attended to the wedding, since he attended to the first one. Escaping from Leyton's wrath seemed easier.
"Him and Lady Rhonda had decided to spend their honeymoon in the Bell Mansion that our lord gifted to Lady Rhonda at the wedding. We've been told to secure the area before they move there."
"Good choice. It would help him to escape your brohter's anger till it passes."
Doric sent him a look. "Alright than, we'll move in two-"
"I'm afraid that we'll have to move today, my lord.", he interrupted him and Doric straightened his shoulder. He understood that something was wrong. "Lord Hightower says immediately.", then he turned to Oberyn. "Two thousand soldiers will keep staying here and will be in direct touch with Prince Doran until the year ends."
"Did you inform him?"
"Yes, Prince Oberyn.", Amos' eyes found Doric's. "Guards informed him -the same guards who also informed him that Lord Hightower would wish to take Lady Uller,", Oberyn stood up abruptly. "as a guest."
"Why would-"
"Apparently he wishes to meet with the mother of his nephew, my lord."
*
281 AC, Driftmark
Lucerys had dropped both of his true-born sons at their ancestral home with strict orders of not to leave while took Aurane with him once again. Proving that he indeed had a favourite. He was angry at both Corlys and Jace for humiliating their house, he had ook Corlys' title of being the castellan and appointed a random household guard instead, drove everyone mad.
"I was closer to win, more than ever.", Corlys whispered hollowly, he was sitting on the bed inside of his and Ravella's chambers. His wife holding her belly -she was pregnant of three moons, while sending him disspointen look.
"You tried multiple times. How could you be this stupid to try again?"
"I did everything I should have done.", he raised his voice. "I thought about every step, every action, I did everything I could have done."
"Apparently you did not.", she snapped back. "You cost us the castellanship, I hope you will not cost us the lordship as well."
"Ravella-"
"Know this, Corlys, if you take one more step to risk our children's lives, I will have to do what I have to do."
"I came here to lean on my wife,", he stood up with betrayal. "and all I get in return is what? Threat?"
"Ours has never been a marriage of love, Corlys, let us not pretend.", she scoffed. "This is nothing more than a political alliance. I am just reminding you that once you fail to do your part in this agreement. I will have no choice but to take action."
"And did you fulfil your part?", he asked back. "I cannot see my son to strengthen my claim. You are the one who failed me first, if you want to talk about that."
"Here is your son.", she pointed out her belly. "And your daughter is in her room.", she pointed out the door. "I had provided a continuation to your line, whether this one turns out to be a boy or a girl. Ensured that Jace will never get his filthy hands on this island. What did you provided to me but humiliation?"
"The game is not over."
"Oh for fuck's sake.", she turned her back. "Do you still planning on keep playing? Until what? Someone wipes the floor with you?"
"I played big this time.", he assured her. "We'll win big. And we already have a-"
"Lythene Penrose is dead."
"I know.", he nodded with a smile. "And now the time has come for her mother. They will not dare to blame us."
"What did you do?", she turned to him with suspicion. "What can you do this big?"
"Apparently Doric Hightower was fucking a married Dornish woman for years and has a bastard son that the woman passed of as true born.", he sent her a wide grin. "Leyton will have no choice but-"
"You fool.", Ravella seemed overly pale all of a sudden and took a few steps back. "How can you be this stupid?"
"Why-"
"She murdered her own childhood best friend-"
"Lythene died of the plague.", he scoffed. "You all overestimate that little witch. She is not some mass murderer or a criminal mastermind. She only pushed Rhea off the window once. And then proceed to do nothing else."
"You had doomed us all.", she cursed him. "Just know that once they come for your head, I will give it to them gladly."
*
281 AC, Oldtown
Doric was entering the castle with two guards holding him. There was a tanned skin woman behind him, walking with her giant-like brother and a small child.
"Uncle,", Garth approached to him with a nervous look and sent a small glance to his company. "Lady Uller, Lord Uller,", his eyes found the small kid and then snapped back to Doric. "my father has been expecting you all."
"I want my sister.", Doric hissed, leant forward. "I need to speak to her."
Garth just sent him a measuring look. "My father ordered for your arrest."
Doric's eyes widened. "Leyton would never-"
"But he did.", he interrupted him. "You are to stay at the tower, until the council makes a final decision. And no, you do not have any rights to see anyone.", he took a step forward. "Especially not Atera."
"She is my sister!", he yelled.
"And it is her who doesn't wish to see you.", he pointed out the balcony with his head and Doric's brown eyes found Atera's cold figure in navy velvet and golden accessories.
Atera sighed with the scene before her and entered back to the room, opened her arms. "He will not apologize."
"An apology will not change anything. The decision has already been made.", Leyton answered, scowling while looking at the papers. "He will be sent to exile."
"I do not care what will happen to him.", she declared, she was too angry, too hurt. "But the child? The woman?"
"I had talked with Doran. Lady Uller's son will be declared as a bastard, and apparently her husband separated from her. Doran will keep his mouth shut and Lady Uller will not face with a serious reprimendation but she is not allowed to remarry or have a child -even if her husband dies. Her brother will become her heir."
"The boy?", she pressured. "Night's Watch? Citadel? Faith?"
"Ward.", he raised his head for the first time and allowed his sister to see the storm in his eyes. "To his uncle."
"Which one, he has three now."
"To Harmen Uller.", he answered with a tilt of head. "Doran writes, subtly of course, that I am rather untrustable with him."
"He thinks that we'll try to usurp the seat of Hellholt?", she could not blame him for thinking so but still, it was a rude thing to imply.
"The council thinks he'll better away as well.", he said with a distasteful tone. "But as we speak earlier, bastard or not, a nephew is a nephew, and this does not mean I'll love him less.", he snorted. "I even love Arvel's children."
"Speak of the devil,", she leaned forward. "I understand that first he stayed for my wedding and later for Baelor's but what is keeping him here right now?"
"I cannot sent both of my brothers to the exile at the same time.", he shook his head. "Between two, Doric is my priority."
"If we only knew.", she rubbed her face. "Then we could do something.", her eyes found Vortimer's expressionless face. "You told me not to worry."
"I told you I knew npthing of it."
"But then you found out, ahven't you?", she accused him, channeling her anger to him. "He confessed it to you.", she said with a realization. "Yet you chose to keep it to yourself."
"I wanted to protect him.", he said while Leyton turned to him as well.
"Just like you kept it to yourself that Baelor married.", she hissed, letting her anger show. "Your duty is not to protect them but-"
"My duty is nothing.", he stood up. "I am not a servant to the Hightowers, I am the Lord of the Red Lake.", he seemed almost angry. "You seem to forget that."
"Then what is the point of you.", she spat.
"Enough.", Leyton chose to interfere before things got ugly. "You didn't need to tell us, of course,", he turned to his friend. "but a head's up would be nice. Now I do wonder what else you are hiding. First my sister,", he took a deep breath. "then my son and now my brother..."
"You hid many things from we in the past too, still to this day, I never doubted that you had good intentions.", Vortimer turned to him with hurt. "But I always have been a better friend than you."
"I am not the one who slept with your sis-", Leyton stopped himself with a gasp in the mid sentence and even Atera turned to sent him a mocking look.
"You did not only had an affair with her for moons behind my back, you proceed to impregnate her and then you had to marry her.", he sent him a questioning look. "I slept your sister once and then I regret it."
"It's not like I remember it fondly.", Atera murmured between her lips and Vortimer sent her a look.
"Don't lie to yourself.", he said almost cockily and Leyton looked like he was going to vomit and Vortimer cleared his throat. "What I am trying to say is that I owe any of you anything. I am already doing a lot more than I should. I have been here for moons instead of going back to my castle. The least you can do is to show a little respect."
"Respect is something you should earn, not something you can have freely.", she snapped back at him and Leyton rubbed his face.
"I said enough, both of you.", his eyes focused on his sister. "Do not take your anger out of him. He did nothing."
"Yes, brother, he did nothing and that is the issue. I could do something if he would at least utter a word about it."
"What was I supposed to say, hm?", he asked. "Tell you that your brother has a bastard with a Dornish ruling lady that is also happen to be married and let you lose your mind when it was dire that you had to act rational?", he stood up. "Do not blame me for your brother's mistakes. Go and yell at him if you want or go and fix this."
"I am sick of fixing this family's mistakes!", she yelled and seemed surprised by her own anger. "I did not want to-", she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I agree with him.", she pointed out Leyton. "We all are adults in here and every action has a consequence of it. He needs to pay for his mistakes. He is lucky that he'll get away with only exile."
"Leyton himself did worse than him.", Vortimer tied his hands at his back and pointed out Leyton with his head. "Baelor did worse than him. Alerie did worse than him. Yet you protected all.", he tilted his head. "Why you do not protect Doric right now? Why are choosing to abandon him?"
"Vortimer.", Leyton warned him quietly, didn't like the colour loss in his sister's face. "I have said enough."
"And I did not listen.", he told him calmly. "Why, Atera?", she didn't answer and he took a step back. "Let me answer it for you; Rhea wasn't personal, High Septon wasn't personal, you don't care about Rhonda as long as she has children, and those three thousand men that got burnt alive wasn't personal. This,", he pressed. "is personal to you. That is why you are this angry, otherwise you would just go and fix the problem and be done with it. Everytime I think that you finally snapped out of that self-loathing, you prove me wrong."
"I don't know what-"
"Lythene had lied to your face for years, tried to get you executed, blamed you with kinslaying.", his tone was unforgiving. "Jace had cheated on you and tried to con you. Lucerys Velaryon blackmailed you into getting betroth, Walburga Cafferen blackmailed you into getting fucking married after she caused the death of your mother. Corlys does everything he can to bring you down and you let them, over and over and over again. You only take a stand when they mess with others and stop being your problem. Why is that?"
"Are you doing what?", she seemed shocked. "Scoling me for not killing people everytime someone takes a slight at me?"
"I just wonder if the person who did this was not Doric but Arvel, would you stay this calm?"
Of course she would not.
"I am not calm."
"But you are calm.", he shook his head. "You just try to act like you are angry but you are not. You are just heartbroken and want him gone because you are too afraid to face with your actual problems. So no, you are not sick of fixing this family's problems because you enjoy iy."
"Vortimer.", Leyton hissed.
"She wanted to hear the truth, no?", he asked with an obviously hurt face. "The rtuth is that you are a coward who is too afraid to face with your own problems so you will always be stuck with this family, forever trying to fix their problems so you can escape from yours."
"You had to do that?", Leyton asked while rubbing his face after Atera left the room abruptly.
"Somebody had to."
"You do not need to worry.", they heard Garth's voices approaching. "You are only here, as we promised, so that my father can talk with you. And nothing more."
"Better be that.", they heard Harmen's strong voice. "Or else this new found peace between the Reach and Dorne might get destroyed."
"You think it is that fragile?", Garth hummed.
"You don't?"
*
281 AC, Sunspear
"I want to speak with you, before you leave.", Andric stood in the door frame. "For the last time."
"The last time?", Cassella huffed, she was packing her stuff to return back to Sandstone. "In order to do something for the last time, you need to do it for the first time too.", she looked at him. "When did we ever speak, you and I?"
"Allow me to do it for the first time then.", she seemed conflicted at best but then stopped her movements and nodded, Andric entered the room and they seated to the chairs on the window side.
"I wanted to apologize.", he confessed with a low tone and Cassella's eyebrows raised. "It was you who ruined my life,", she scoffed and made a move to leave but Andric pinched his nose. "listen, please.", she took a deep breath and sat down back again. "It was you, as I said, the unwanted person in this story but I have come to realize that this was never your choice either.", his eyes were honest. "I had ruined your life as well over the years but not showing you emphaty."
"It is good that you finally understood what I have been trying to tell you for a decade now.", she said unimpressed, but there was a part in her, however small, that was touched by his confession.
"There is only one woman that I have loved my entire life and it is Larra.", he said but not to hurt Cassella -though she turned her head away nevertheless. "It will always be Larra. But I am sorry that it was not you."
"Does it occurred to you now, right before we have an annulment, to treat me like a human being? Did you understand the hell I've been living in when I finally leave it?", she asked and shook her head. She knew it took a lot of crossing lines for Andric to come here with honesty and she owed him so as well. "I only understand now that even if Larra would not be in the picture, we would be still ill suited."
"You think so?"
"Yes, I do.", she nodded. "Even a long before this entire mess, when we were friends, you were always one step away from me. You had your own personal space, your lines, invibile yet still strong. Please, do not understand it wrong, I am not trying to insult you.", she wanted to have one last -or first, civil conversation with him. "It is just your frame of mind.", she smiled. "It is what makes you, you. I always realized that how rarely you laughed. We would gather around, everyone would joke, everyone would laugh -you would only smile. It is because you are too clever.", Andric almost snorted to that. "I wanted to make you laugh, more than anything. Just one laugh and I would be the happiest person alive, it seemed like a blessing back then -make you laugh, make you surprised, I tried too hard to achieve that. And when I failed? I thought that I was making you unhappy which broke my heart."
"It was never about you back in the days."
"I know that now.", she took a deep breath. "I had spent a decade watching you with her.", she never spoke her name loudly while speaking with Andric. "Well, I guess I can say her name now.", she raised her eyebrows briefly and turned her head away. "Larra."
"You never said it before.", he remarked. "It was like you kept it as a secret weapon."
"I never wanted to give her much more power than she already had in our marriage.", she shook her head. "It seemed like a victory against you two. Which was silly but-"
"It was not silly.", he confessed it softly. "It didn't give me the right to humiliate you like this in public, our marriage being a play. You were always more sensible than I, always kept your business under the radar."
"Not because I cared about your feelings.", she snorted. "But because I didn't want to give you the satisfaction of shaming me."
"I would never.", he wanted her to know at least this. He never cared about her affairs.
"Back to the business,", she changed the subject. "over the years, seeing you with her, with your siblings, with your parents, with Doran and all; I have come to realize that it was just who you are. Your sense of happiness was never to joke around and laugh but to have a stable, peaceful life with your family."
"Yet you continued to do everything to upset me. To make me nervous, make me tense, make me angry.", he shook his head. "I do not want to point fingers but we both are equally flawed in this marriage."
"Did you ever think that why we wouldn't work? Why you haven't been able to let her go, even when she didn't want you?"
"I love her. I do not need another reason."
"You are always right, aren't you Andric?", she asked nonchalantly. "Serious, complete and faultless. You know sometimes there is just this feeling that you want to laugh in the middle of a funeral process. It is not because of a reason but that feeling just comes.", she looked directly at him. "That person is never you. You have your rules, your ideals, your habits. Change is a very hard thing to adjust for you. Even at our worst day; I had memorized our life together because nothing ever changed. I am not trying to imply that you do not love her, I am merely saying that she will not be able to break this cycle, she will never manage to change you. I merely hope that she will not get lost in it as I did."
"Larra is-", he chuckled. "she is not someone that goes by the rules. She is a challenge in my life and that is why I love her.", he nodded. "I have been living in a cocoon before I met Larra. As you said, same thing happened every day because that was what made me fell sane in the small life I had. Secure, undisturbed, bound to this role with duty and honour. My father,", he closed his eyes. "you know my father."
"Of course.", she muttered.
"There was no other way for me to survive in there if I did not created that cocoon for myself. It is what Arthur did as well. And it is what Ashara would do if she was not sent to the Water Gardens, it is what Allyria would do if she would grow up with our parents. It was just the way with them. They loved us but they had very different ways to show it. I did not created these lines that are unpassable simply because I am like this but because I had to. Larra broke so many of them that you didn't even realize.", he confessed it. "It is Arthur who you are describing; ever unchanging, always the same, stuck in the past forever, frozen in time. But I am doing better."
"You never game a chance to do the same.", she sighed and stood up. "Anything else you wish to say?"
"I just wish you happiness.", he stood up with her. "We both lost a decade but I hope that you too will find a way to recover it."
*
281 AC, Oldtown
"You are not allowed to enter here.", Alea said for the tenth time. "Lady Cafferen, please."
"Tell Atera that I am here and that I wish to speak.", the elderly woman said, entering the old chambers of Jenica Westerling -that was not used for over a decade now. "I only wish to speak, nothing more."
Some of the servants opened the curtains and let the sun enter the room. It was mostly empty now except that her bed and the small throne-like seat. It was not dusted since it was getting cleaned every other week but still it was obvious that it was unused for years.
"What she wants to speak with me?", she asked with a troubled breath. She was done with them but thye were not done with her, which was starting to get on her nerves. Haven't she lost enough? Haven't they lost enough? "What can she has to say to me?"
"I do not know.", Alea was walking next to her, they kind of made a peace. "But she is waiting for you in your mother's old chambers.", with that Atera stopped, sent a look to Alea and then fastened her steps.
"Why did you summon me, Lady Cafferen, why we are here?", she asked when she entered. Alea and Finnan were behind her, inside of the room, cautious if something would have happen. A word already reached to Leyton. She tried not to show how it affected her to be inside this room.
"Leave us alone with Atera.", Walburga said, voice heavy with grief, the mourning clothes too much. Alea and Finnan shared a look but after Atera's gesture they left. "Sit, Atera.", Walburga said and Atera took a deep breath, sat down, waited what she was going to say. "With the blessing of the Gods, I had lived both the seven hells and the seven heavens in this life. Tasted both love and the pain that comes from it, between these halls. I had witnessed death and betrayal. Till this day, I never regretted anything I have ever done."
Atera took an angry breath and turned her head away. "Do not insult her memory while you are sitting in this chamber."
"Whatever I have done, I done it for the good of my family.", she said, her breathing was unusually hard, as if she was having trouble to do so. "This is something you can understand."
"I can never understand parazites like you that would betray their own friend, sent an innocent woman to the block so that she could become a man's mistress.", she snapped. "I have much more self respect than this."
"But you,", she continued as if she never heard Atera. "had took both my brother and my daughter away from me. You had destroyed my family. I have been on this earth for almost five decades now and I had prevail in every battle I had joined. My hope has never been shattered. Even though I had lost before, my hope made me resist. But with my daughter, you had murdered my hopes as well."
"She died of plague.", she said with a cold face. "It has nothing to do with me."
"Do not insult her memory.", she repepated what Atera said to her just moments earlier. "We both know you did it, we both know you had your own reasons.", her vision blurred for a second as her breathing got faster and she opened her palm to show a ring to her. "This belonged to your mother.", Atera sent her a deadly look.
"What?"
"This was your mother's ring.", she repepated. "It was a gift from her best friend.", though she did not elaborate who that friend was. "I took it from her dead body."
"You fucking witch.", she stood up, her body shaking with rage, tears forming in her eyes. "Do you want me to kill you as well?"
"I had died with my daughter.", she was obviously not fine, her hand was shaking. "I lived this long to give you this back.", the ring fell to the floor. "You had won. Jenica had won in the end."
"Alea!", Atera yelled and took a few steps back with a look full of disturbance and hatred.
It was clear that she had poisoned herself.
"What happened?", she entered with a curious look and stopped in the door frame with shock.
"Call a Maester.", she ordered as she took a few steps back again, didn't want to watch this scene despite everything she had done to her.
"It is too late for me.", she started to caugh and blood started to came out of her mouth. "Ask to your brother.", she managed to say as she fell with her last breath. "Ask him who gifted this ring to her.", it was not more than a whisper. Curiosty won over logic and she approached to her, despite Alea's tries to pull her back and she kneeled in front of her. But she seemed dead, after sharing a look with Alea, she made an attempt to stand up but then Walburga suddenly held her hand, made both women flinch. "Learn the truth."
And with that, Walburga Cafferen died, admitting she had lost.
*
281 AC, King's Landing
"Kill the nobles,", Jonothor reported with a face of a soldier. "out reports has been saying that this is their motto."
"They did not kill anyone yet though, right?", Harlan asked with a throathy voice -almost in a breathless way and Gerold sent him a second of worrysome look. "Only robbing?"
"Aye."
"But it is only the beginning, make no mistake.", he shook his finger and turned to Gerold. "First they'll rub them, and buy the smallfolk with those golds, in the mean time will stall the fools in the king's council, making those prideful lords think that they are untouchable so they will keep them out until they become bigger and stronger -enough to become a real deal. And then their motto will come alive, they will start to kill the nobles they can, force the king to take action -action against the smallfolk because we do not know where they are. Aerys will hang and torture people in order to find their hiding spot, which will make them to welcome those outlaws even more. And the moment those outlaws becomes the people and the people becomes the outlaws, they will be invinsible. There is no king who fought with his own people and survived. We must put an end to them."
"I agree.", Gerold nodded. "We have seen this countless of times before, and this risk what forced us to take sometimes over the top measures. Tywin acted with brutality but I believe Owen thinks about giving them what they want."
"Those outlaws want everything.", Barristan shook his head. "There is no pleasing them. We must lead an attack."
"How can you attack to an enemy that you do not know anything about?", Gerold scolded him. "You are brighter than that, my friend."
Barristan sent him a mocking look. "While you were living the life of a lordling at Oldtown, I have been dealing with these kinds of outlaws at the Marchers, my friend. I know a thing or two about them."
"I don't think these are usual kinds of outlaws.", Gerold seemed almost thoughtful. "Call it an old man's hunch but I smell shit from miles away. There is something tricky in this. There is a reason why those fools at the council goes against taking an action."
"Chelsted is jealous, Varys has different motives. We keep an eye on both.", Jonothor said firmly. "But if it would become a public knowledge that the kingsguad does not trust to the king's council..."
"It is our job to not to trust them kid.", Barristan warned him. "We do not trust anyone near the king."
"Not even to the queen and the crown prince?", he asked,r ather daringly. He believed that trust and blind belief what made kingsguard kingsguard while everyone else thought they were more than lap dogs.
"Not even to the queen and the crown prince.", Gerold nodded. "Scheming queens and plotting heirs was not that far away in our history. It is our duty to not to be like The Kingmaker nor the Dragonknight.", Aemon was not a lovable figure under Gerold's rule. "Being that close to the queen or to the prince ruins our sacred code of impartiality. We have one duty above all the others; to protect the king."
"What will be our course of action then?", he asked snappishly.
This was why Gerold never even considered him to take the mantle once he dies, which was rather insulting, given that he considered Oswell multiple times and would even choose him if it were not for Arthur.
"We are told to do nothing but searching the area to get information is not doing something. We'll sent squires to play it cool and once we get the full picture of the situation, I'll report it to the king and we'll wait for orders."
"What do you think they will be?", Barristan asked with interest.
"If they come from the king, we will not be necessary at all.", he scoffed. "He'll probably prefer to send a battalion but if the orders would come from the Hand, then I expect him to tell us to show mercy."
"Mercy?", Jonothor frowned. "It is not our duty to show mercy to the traitors of the realm."
"Is it just me feeling this was because Oswell is gone and now I can hear other voices better, or are you becoming corrupted, Jonothor?", Gerold narrowed his ice blue eyes and watched the way the young man's face fell with shock.
"Take that back, Ser."
"I will only take that back when I see the boy I dropped the white cloak on his shoulders ever again.", he snapped. "Go back to your duties, and do not ever state your opinion again unless I ask to."
"But-"
"This is an order,", Barristan and Harlan shared a look. "from your commander.", after he left, Barristan asked for his own leave as well, left Gerold and Harlan.
"Did you make the list?", the old man asked. "The one that I told you to do?"
"Names that are worthy of replacing you once you die?", he sent him a look. "Of course I did."
"And?", he wanted him to continue. "Which names are on that unfortunate list?"
"Joining to the kingsguard is an honour."
"Yes, but there is no honour in being a kingsguard.", he remarked. "Let us not fool each other. There isn't a spot of purtiy and virtue on our hands with the kings like this and now, we muct choose on another to take the cloak. Another young man with big dreams and devotion to the honour, only to shatter it irreversibly.", he shook his hand. "Just like we did to Arthur."
"Arthur isn't our doing.", he corrected him. "I would never give the cloak to him if it were not the prince going behind my back. I am not some heartless monster and even a fool would know Arthur would not be able to carry the burden."
"But he did, didn't he?"
"And what did it cost him?", he looked at him with guilt, almost. "I had chosen men like Jonothor and Oswell in the past -men who already had a shattered image of knighthood. I myself was like this when I joined, Lewyn was never serious enough to begin with, Barristan, as honourable he still as, he had his own fair share of real world when he swore himself. Arthur was the difference, Arthur was the change. I would never take on as young as him, I had-", he sighed. "I would keep him away from the royal family altogether."
"Why is that?"
"It is painful, truly.", his eyes focused on the flames. "To look at that young man and only to see the horrible death of Ser Duncan."
"Arthur is not him. Rhaegar is saner than Aegon."
"Is he?", he sent him a look. "My uncle was a fine prince, my grandfather did everything to raise him well. Nobody expected him to snap but even before that, he has many sins that people overlook all the time. Rhaegar is not flawless."
"Nobody are."
"But he is a Targaryen. There is no guarantee when it comes to that. And Arthur is...", he poured himself a wine, he offered it to Harlan as well but he rejected, and he took a big sip from it. "He follows Rhaegar almost blindly. He trsuts him more than he should have. But he fell to the pit even the best of us did in the past, and he fell to it because of Rhaegar. Still, he learnt nothing.", he scoffed. "He is smart but not around him. Their closeness worries me."
"The king had tried to kill him.", Harlan averted looking at him. "As you said, we know what happens when a kingsguard becomes too close with a plotting crown prince."
"Rhaegar doesn't have the guts to start a civil war.", he shook his head. "I may not trust to his sanity as of now, a dragon's coin only falls when he closes his eyes, and Rhaegar stil has a lot of time for that. But I do trust his heart. It is not something you can change."
"The king will not stop, Gerold. Not when he married once more. Even Viserys might be under danger but Rhaegar's end has been written already. What do you think he will do once the target becomes his wife and daughter? Will he not wage war? What will we do then?"
"Nothing.", he ordered. "I will not let one more kingsguard to be the decisive force in a civil war between the Targaryens. We will choose no sides, we will not fight, we'll close our tower and wait."
"And let everyone else to die?"
"This is not our fight, you taught me this.", he sent a look to the man. "Or have you forgotten it?"
"No, I just hoped that you didn't listen.", he chuckled but quickly it turned to a cough. "Good luck keeping Lewyn, Arthur and Oswell away from siding with Rhaegar then."
"At least I have to try. Use force if I have to. I am sick of the brightests of kingsguards to die in pointless wars just because a king tried to defy the law he was bound to obey, or because a king loved his bastard more than his trueborn son, or because a king,", he turned to him. "saw his own son as an enemy. Kingsguard is not allow to choose but to obey, we took a vow, but if the worst happens and I am still the kingsguard, I will keep everyone away from the harm's way and lose my head for it when someone wins, if it is necessary. It is a better faith, to die as an oathbreaker, than to see your fellow brothers, men younger than you, fall when you keep standing."
"So you'll not try to fetch either one of your nephews for this spot?"
"Haven't you heard?", he scoffed. "Doric already is a father and Arys is the only heir to the Old Oak if something happens to that infant boy."
"Who else then?"
"No one important.", he assured him. "No one with a strong impulse or stubborn opinions. I have enough of them. I need someone to obey. Or I will have to make the ones I have obey -and I doubt it will be a fun experience."
*
281 AC, Oldtown
"Doric Hightower...", he entered the dungeons with his hands tied behind his back. "I never thought that I would see the day that I threw my own brother to the dungeons.", he was looking almost surprised as Doric tried to get up -his hand were actually tied with chains behind his back.
"Brother."
Leyton made a gesture so his guards left the room. "Did I have to see you here like a criminal?", he asked firmly, with disappointment.
"Brother, let me explain-"
"What will you explain?", he asked with a scowl. "How you betrayed us?"
"I betrayed no one. I would never. It is not possible.", he shook his head. "I made a mistake, that I admit. And I will pay whatever my punishment is but do not be like this. Do not accuse me with things I did not commit."
"Then why are you here?", he asked with almost a loud voice. "Why you've been dragged here all the way from Sunspear by force? Why have I threw you to the dungeon if you did not commit treason? In case you didn't know, brother, laying with married women, siring bastards and then pay to pass them as trueborns are high treason due to you messing with the purified line of succession!", he raised his voice, the veins on his neck were visible. "Or have you learnt nothing?"
"Isn't this what youa re doing as well?", he couldn't help but ask. "Humfrey and Gunthor are bastards, yet you are posing them as true-born Hightowers. How can you blame me when you do the same thing?"
"Doric,", he took a step forwaed. "I already punched one brother, I would not mind punching the other."
"I-"
"It is truly wonder that you can even dare to look at my face."
"I have reason to shame, that I agree,", he bowed his head. "but I did not sully my name with treason, brother, please believe me."
"How did that happen?", he took a deep breath. "Explain at least."
Doric sighed and started to tell the entire story.
*
281 AC, Kingswood
"My lord, my lady, help me!", a woman cried out while sitting on the floor, on her knees, with a baby-like wrapped up thing on her chest. "I beg you!"
"What is wrong woman?", one of the minor Dornish lords asked, he was going to the capital as an ambassador, to give them the news about Doran's ascending. He had slowed his horse in order to speak to the woman, his wife next to him followed his suit.
"It's my baby.", she continued to yell. "He is sick."
But before the lord managed to say something, men started to come out of behind the trees and attacked them before they understood what was happening. Pulled them from the top of their horses.
"You Dornish bastards!", one of the men screamed as he stabbed his leg with a knife, made him scream with pain. Next to him his wife was trying to struggle, catch one of the men's swords to attack him back but they were holding them both.
"Bloodsucking cunts!", another one yelled as he pulled the earring from her ears, caused her to scream loudly and possibly cut the ear. "Take her things!", he yelled and a few women rushed to her side, laughing wickedly, as they oulled her jewelries out of her. One even dared to take the expensive coat on her.
While the others were attacking to the carriage, taking out the expensive gifts Doran has sent to Aerys, one was taking the horses who were overly nervous. One of the horses kicked one of the men and the Dornish lady who were laying on the floor in pain, laughed at that.
"You got what you deserved bastard.", a man appeared behind the trees then, sun was shining behind him so he was not that recognizable but the more close he came the more lady's face crossed with surprise. "You-", before she managed to finish her line, he slapped her across the face, caused a few teeths to drop to the ground.
"Let us see if you'll find this funny.", he started to unbuckle his belt and pull down his pants, and made a move to one of his other men to pin the man to the ground.
He was not going to attack her, no, he was going to attack her husband and make her watch, he had witnessed enough pain to know that being hopeless hurt more than the actual pain. King's council wasn't taking him seriously, he was going to make them to take him seriously. His eyes were on the bigger prize.
He wanted Arthur Dayne to come out to play.
*
281 AC, Oldtown
"I do understand you, weird enough, I truly do.", Atera couldn't bring herself to visit her brother but found her way to the woman's chambers. After a quick introduction, she had understood the lady had an iron will and she was not going to just threaten her and be done with it, just like she had done to Cerissa. "You've been rather young when the affair first started.", twenty or something, married to a man who was twice as her age and Doric was, she admitted with a vomiting feeling, every maiden's dream. She too had done things she shouldn't have done. "Inexperienced, wanted to a way out from your hell-like marriage and my brother was under reach."
"I do not think you do.", she said with a small -but obviously fake, smile. Her accent was thicker than all of the others she had heard. "I am aware of the mistake I have done.", she admitted. "I am aware since the moment my bleeding was late and I couldn't reach to moon tea without drawing suspicions. I had wanted the baby to be from my husband, I had prayed for it even, but the Gods did not answer my prayers.", she wasn't seeming nervous. She was a lady with her own rights, they could not do something to her -they would not do something to her either way. If one more Dornishmen or Stormlander would die within these walls, Oldtown would have to start a war with theö. "Neither stopped me from loving your brother."
"Love?", she wondered if this was a trigger word for her or not. Everytime someone mentioned it, someone tried to excuse their lethal mistakes with it, she just wanted to held them by the hair and hit to the nearest straight surface with their face until it turned bloody. "You loved him?"
"I still do.", she admitted. "We see each other anytime we could.", Atera slowly raised her eyebrows. Nobody mentioned this to her. "It is not just me, your brother loves me as well.", she made a small 'ah' sound and turned her away, she was literally biting her tongue too keep her tempeture calm. "But isn't this what love is?", she continued to speak -continued to make her angrier. "Walking to the fire, willingly. Forgetting the world next to him, feeling larger than life, being ready for every catastrophe? I am sure that you had felt this feeling before.", she added but she shouldn't have. This made Atera to turned at her with a hurt but more importantly anger.
"These are just words.", she forced herself to say. "And words are wind. You are a ruling lady of Dorne, you sit on the high council of Prince Doran, you are married.", she couldn't help but to raise her voice a little. "You are a noble born lady. For us, love is just a pretty rhyme on poems, themes of emotional songs and nothing more. How can you forget this?"
"It is not what we teach to our daughters in Dorne.", she pressed the words. "We do not brainwash them into turning into emotionless broodmares.", Atera stood up with disbelief. "We teach them to love and to be loved."
"Is that why you married a man who was two decades of your senior?", she hissed at her. "What a love story is this, I might get even tearful!"
"The conditions of my marriagre are none of your business.", she stood up as well.
"If you made my brother to be the third party in there, you also made it my business.", she didn't want to fight her as well, not when she was feeling the heaviness of loses in her soul. Her enemies, one by one, admitted that she had won before they died but she didn't feel like she had won something. "It is his head on the line, not yours, not your son's. He will leave with your brother, you will continue to hold your title and my brother will be exiled at best, if not executed.", she stated. "How come this is not my business?"
"You say love is not real, then pray tell, what was it that Daeron the Second felt towards his Dornish wife Myriah? Wasn't it their love that united two realms together as one? What was it that Duncan the Prince of Dragonflies felt towards Jenny of Oldstones? Why did he gave up his crown just to hold her once? What was that Daemon Blackfyre felt towards Daenerys? Wasn't it their love that started a war that lasted five generations? What was that Bloodraven felt towards Shiera Seastart? Haven't the realm bled for them?"
"Daeron and Myriah united the realm the moment they married.", she answered with denial. "Love was irrelevant in their story. Duncan was an imbeilce, a coward, a weakling who was not strong enough to handle the burden of being the king so he used her as an excuse, in order to chanel the people's angers to a woman. Daemon was an ambitious man who wanted what was never his, excused his 'love' in order to justify his cause, yet again, another woman got blamed for a man's greed. Bloodraven wanted his sister just because Bittersteel wanted her too and Shiera wanted neither of them.", she straightened her spine. "Another question?"
"You never loved someone, haven't you?", she asked with a snort and Atera seemed to be taken aback. "But if you do, one day, love someone, if you really love someone you will understand how ridiculous you sound right now. Because when you do that,", she raised her voice with fiercelessness. "you would even risk death for them."
*
281 AC, Sunspear
"Brother.", Doran was on the balcony, watching the sea with his grey eyes as Oberyn approached to him. "You wanted to see me?"
"What is wrong with Elia?", he asked without welcoming his brother.
"Nothing.", he answered before he thought. Two days had passed since their confrontation and Elia was refusing to leave her chambers, claiming she was ill.
"Oberyn,", he said with a controlled tone. "what have you done?"
"Nothing.", he repeated. "What can I possibly done to our sister?"
"I do not know, you are here to tell me."
"I did nothing, I swear.", he pleaded but before he managed to leave, Doran held him from his arm and pulled him back. "Brother, I-"
"If you put that girl even the half of the things Ashara went through,", he turned to him for the first time, storms were clouding his eyes. "I will not keep quiet this time, do you hear me?"
"Excuse me?", he raised his eyebrows. "What are you tring to say?"
"This is not one of your usual affairs, Oberyn. A contract has been signed, a peace treaty. If I am on our mother's throne it is because of Elia and Lord Hightower. You are to marry his sister and I do not think anyone who is involved in this would take your insolence lightly. If you let this matter to be covered in shadows, this time I will hurt you quiet a bit."
"What will you do?", he straightened his spine, wanted to know how far his brother can take this.
"What I haven't done all this time.", he smiled but it didn't reach to his eyes. "And trust me, this time the good guys would win."
"Why you all speak as if I hurt Ashara?", he hissed. "As if I tortured her, touched her without her leave, hit her or something? I have nothing but loving to her and all the pain I caused to her was caused by you all!", he raised his voice. "What you haven't done all this time? If her and I are separated right now, it is because of you. If she is hurting, it is because of you, not because of me!"
"Sometimes I look at you and a sudden grief covers my whole being.", he commented with a smile.
"Grief of what?", he asked loudly. "You loved someone and married her despite the odds. I loved someone and I left her be for you. What grief you may have for me?"
"The grief of the happiness I felt the day you born.", he said calmly and Oberyn actually took a few steps back, face crossed with hurt as if Doran slapped him across the face. "Because the more you grow up the more that happiness turns into disappointment."
"You want to hurt me,", he nodded to himself. "why?"
"Because you obviously hurt our sister, brother.", he deadpanned. "I do not have to be a genius -which I am, to guess it is yet about Ashara once more.", he took a step tpwards him. "I stopped Arthur all those years ago, I came in between you and Elia to find a common ground between you two, I had convinced mother to take her decision back, I had dealt with Andric on your behalf just so you and her can knock some sense into each other. I will not do it again, Oberyn.", he declared. "If you are willing to go down this path once more, delibaretly, then know that you are alone. There will not be someone who will save you, and I am guessing you will not have someone to love you no matter what because you lost our sister as well.", he took another stepi. "One mistake, Oberyn, one mistake and you will realize how lonely you are. Do not push your luck."
*
281 AC, Oldtown
"Sister?", he stood up once she entered, his brain was working too fast to understand what her expressionless face was trying to tell him. "Thank you for coming. Please let me tal-", she slapped him by force, his head fell to the other side.
"You will not explain anything to me.", she declared with a quiet voice. "I will do all the talking.", she started to pace around. "You had met a married woman who was not happy with her marriage for reasons she cannot name. You had started an affair with her while staying under the same roof with her husband, befriended him, befriended her entire family. Kocked her up, had a son, you two passed him as a trueborn and then you kept having this affair, is that true?", Doric nodded without looking at her. "Tell me then, what is the difference between you and Jacen?"
The tone of her voice was as cold as the Shievering Sea, accusation on the other hand was heavy enough for him to wish to die with the most horrible ways.
"I-", he begun to speak but couldn't continue.
"A wrong is only wrong when it happen to us or it is wrong all the time?", she turned to him while still pacing, saw the way he threw himself back to the floor. "Why have I killed Rhea, Doric? Do you know it?"
"Leyton would have forgive her-"
"And I didn't want it because I thought she deserved to die what she had done.", she finished his sentence. "Of course, I did not simply think 'oh she should die because she committed infidelity
', her trying to kill me and Leyton's children and Leyton himself and trying to usurp our ancestral seat was the main reason behind my actions.", she nodded to herself. "Now you may think that what you have done is irrelevant to this subject because Eyrine is the Lady of Hellholt and bastard born he may be, her son is still her heir because the lines goes through her.", a small smile appeared on her lips as she leaned towards him. "Why on earth did the Dance of the Dragons happened you fool?", she hissed. "Why the war itself was inevitable even if Aegon would let Rhaenyra to take the throne?"
"Because her sons were bastards.", he mumbled but only the half of the words were hearable.
"Because her sons were fucking bastards!", she yelled loudly. "Why did the Blackfyre Rebellions started, Doric?", she asked again with a clenched jaw.
"Because a bastard tried to usurp the throne.", he said, hitting his head to the wall.
"Because a bastard fucking tried to usurp the throne!", she yelled once more. "Why our brother is losing weight and sleep with every passing day, Doric?"
"Because he doesn't know what to do with the bastards."
"Because he fucking doesn't know what to do with the bastards!", she shook her at his stupidity. "I know that you have little care for yourself and for your honour but that poor child... How could you two let this to be his fate? Always untrustable, always on the sidelines. Will never inherit the seat he deserves because he is a bastard."
"How did you all hear this?", he asked, trying to send back his tears.
"Why does it matter?", she asked with a loud voice. "Why it fucking matters? The important thing that it is known by all now. It will always be known by all. The boy already been declared bastard. Eyrine is lucky that she will keep everything else. You had doomed your own son."
"Sis-"
"Do not call me that.", she closed her eyes, silence was too loud. "How could you do this to me?"
"To you?", it was obvious he had no idea what she was talking about.
"My mother got excetuted for the suspicion of this.", she deadpanned and Doric gaped at her. "I spent a lifetime hearing the word 'bastard' whispering at my face. Even still, Corlys dared to call me as one, Tywin Lannister dared to call me as one just two moons ago. You know what this entire subject means to me. How could you do such a thing? How could you be this reckless? Aren't there any other women in the entire realm that you had to find a married one? Did you have to sire a bastard from her?"
"I lo-"
"If you say 'love',", she closed her eyes and raised her voice. "I swear this will be the last time that you see me. Use another excuse, this one is outdated."
"I do not have another explanation for you.", he closed his eyes. "I am sorry for the position I put myself into it but I do not regret it."
Atera leaned over him. "Then therefore you are no brother of mine.", she whispered and he opened his eyes with shock.
"If it is this easy to erase me, while Leyton stands despite everything, I do not need a sister like you.", he whispered back. "You can leave."
*
281 AC, Sunspear
"Why doesn't she wants to see me, I do not understand?", Rhaegar huffled like a five year old. Him sitting on the floor and playing with Rhaenys while still grimacing did not help to recover his image. "I did nothing."
"You listened to her private cınversations.", Arthur, the deadliest knight on the kingsguard, was also sitting on the floor and pouting.
"Because of you!", he blamed him and Arhtur rolled his eyes.
"She had summoned a seer, if I understood it right."
"A seer?", he frowned.
"An oracle.", he described it. "Elia believes in such things, that the future can be seen by the pure eyes. She summons one everytime she fells like she is in a threshold."
"Do you think she summoned one before she married me?"
"No.", he shook his head. "I would hear if so."
*
There was no one else inside of the room but Elia and the oracle. She was sitting on the couch with her hands clasped on her lap and the oracle was sitting on the floor with a bowl of water and multiple magical scents around it. The curtains were closed only the one behind Elia was open, so little sun was entering the room.
"Do you know why you are here?", she asked.
"You summoned me here so that I can explain your dreams to you.", she answered with a bow of head. "You are filled with grief my princess but do not ever forget, as I said to you before, dreams are like mirrors. Some would reflect us, some would show the future. Call it a blessing or a curse but you have the ability to sense the people's heart."
Elia closed her eyes and began to explain her dream. "I heard a terrible voice at first, I was in my bed, sleeping, I woke up with that, left my room quickly but there was no one there. With every step I took, I had felt the way the ground disappeared beneath me. The entire castle, Dorne itself, the world was shattered with no one else breathing. There were dark clouds in the sky. I had saw a pathway made of rubies. What does this all mean?", she asked, shievering, hugging to herself.
"Apocalypse, princess.", the woman answered with a horrified tone. "Apocaylpse will come to us all so soon."
"What are you trying to say?", she hissed at her. "No one can know when the world will end. Many civilazations has many theories. We do not even know which one of them is real."
"Everybody's deaths are their own personal apocalypses, my lady.", the woman explain. "The world will end, all the living will be cursed if something would happen to you. The world will get lost in the darkness.", she said while looking at the water. "You have the destiny to rule the realm but if you fall, the realm will fall with you."
"Will he win?", she asked, her vision was blurry, she was breathing astly. "Rhaegar? Will he win?"
"When the next king got crowned, the previous one will be dead already."
*
281 AC, Oldtown
"How do you feel, sister?", Leyton was rubbing her back as she cried. "Do you want me to call a Maester?"
"No.", she said between her cries and tried to wipe her face. "I am so sick of being like this."
"You are so sick of being a human?", he chuckled softly. "Let it all out and you will better."
"I don't feel better when I cry.", she answered. "I turn red, my face gets swalloned, my eyes burn and I feel like I need to sleep for days -not to mention the headache."
"That happens to all human beings.", he was trying to have a cheerful mode. "It is just a ohysical reaction of your emotions."
She sent him a look and wiped her face entirely. "I feel better now thanks to your wise remarks."
"You are welcome.", he winked at her but pulled her to a hug nevertheless. "You know what I have to do, right?"
"I do.", she closed her eyes. "I cannot believe truly Arvel stays and he leaves."
"He will not stay here for long, I promise you.", he kissed her hair as she wrapped her arms around his torso and leaned her head to his chest. "And I will not abandon Doric entirely. Prince Oberyn sent a letter last night, wants to know where he will go so he can follow him there."
She snorted. "Great, it means my wedding will be even later thanw e thought."
"Doric will be there when the time comes, I promise you.", he said again. "He is not leaving us for good. Just so I can shut people off and maybe he would learn a lesson or two."
"Did you see the boy?", she asked. "What is his name?"
"Uther.", Leyton shook his head. "Not a suitable name for a four-year-old child but well..."
"Could be worse.", she snorted then it turned into a laugh. "It could be a lot worse. It could be Humfrey or Gunthor.", she raised her head to sent him a look and Leyton rolled his eyes.
"I did not name them."
"You named me.", she smiled. "But it is rather normal to stop trying after reaching to perfection.", he tickled her lightly -she was a very ticklish person, so she let out a small scream and stood up with loud laughter, which died slowly. "You know that Alea will come with me when I go to Dragonstone tomorrow, right?", she asked softly.
"I do.", nothing in his eyes or face was giving away a thing but from the way he leaned his back to the couch and ating a pearl rather harshly, she knew even if he knew it, he didn't like it.
"She can stay here, if she wants to.", she shrugged. "And I am sure she would if you ask her to stay."
"No.", he was smiling but his face was firm. "It is better for us both if she leaves."
"Why?", Leyton sent her a cynical look. "Do not get me wrong, I have not become the greatest supporter of this affair but one does wonder, why?"
"I cannot marry her.", he opened his hands. "I cannot give her children. I cannot provide her anything. There is nothing I can offer her but to become my mistress and frankly, I have passed that age. I will not humiliate myself or her or my children with such a move. I need to focus to my children. Leyla hates me-"
"-she does not hate you.", she rolled her eyes.
"-Baelor is the pain in the ass-"
"-he always were."
"-Denyse is on the verge of getting married. Desmond Redwyne has sailed here to ask for her hand, I venture."
"-she cnnaot stay here forever anyways.", she shrugged.
"-Lynesse and the boys-"
"-are irrelevant,", she stopped him with a grin. "regarding this sucbect."
"They lost their mother.", he deadpanned.
"I am aware.", she said with the same expression and voice. "This has nothing to do with Alea."
"She deserved better than me."
"Did you try to ask this to her?"
"I don't have to.", he stood up, fixed his sleeves. "I have decided already."
*
281 AC, Sunspear
"You came here to talk as well?", Cassella snorted with the sight of Larra. "Or shall I begin?"
"You are the one who owe me an explanation, not vice versa.", she said and sat to the bed, patted her side and Cassella snorted once more, sat next to her.
"I was so alone, so hopeless when I first met Andric.", she began to tell. "My brother is a loving man but he doesn't even see me when it comes to his ambitions. He did not like losing the Voice of Torrentine to Andric and my father had spoke with my aunt Lorenza and they arranged a marriage and I had to accept -I did love him, yes, but I had to accept it. It was not by a choice.", she let out a small humourless chuckle. "Not that you would understand being alone while being surrounded by people."
"You can be sure that I know it more than enough."
"When your life got messed up, your entire world darkens. You think to yourself; it cannot be worse than this, but it does. Always something worse happens. I never deserved any of these, despite you may think differently. My only fault was to love too much.", she turned to her but Larra did not turn her.
"I didn't deserve anything that happened to me as well, Cassella.", she said slowly. "It is not a crime, to love someone, it never is. You are not at fault in loving Andric as well. But love should be a pure feeling. Love should not cause pain to anyone.", she sighed and turned to meet with her eyes. "I did not deserve anything that happened to me because of your love.", Cassella averted her eyes. "I didn't deserve to lost a husband or a child.", Cassella closed her eyes tightly. "My crime was to love a man too. But I never weaponized it until you asked for it. I never used ti against you. I had let Andric go, it was not my fault either that he didn't. You cast the first stone. It wasn't only you whose life got messed up, got destroyed. You, your brother and Lorenza -you all ruined my life as well."
"When I saw you two for the first time,", she began to speak a few minutes later. "you and Andric, I had do off the deep end, I had seen red that instant.", she admitted. "Do you know why?", Larra did not answer. "Because I didn't know about you two."
"I did not come here to talk about these things again, what happened in the past-"
"-did not stay in the past.", she interrupted him. "I always knew he didn't want to marry but we were at least happy at the beginning. Yes, he did not touch me, yes he was not acting like my husband but we were at peace, we were friends. I hoped one day we could be lovers as well. But Andric kept on living in the past, with you. He refuse to adjust to the new reality and you didn't want him to as well. Even when you let him go, even when you lost everything, you never wanted him to get over you. We never had the chance to move on, to have a future because he was stuck with you. Hence I hated you more and more every day.", she sent her a look. "It wasn't my love that caused you all those pain, it was my hatred."
"What give you the right to torture me for Andric's crimes?"
"But it was yours, can't you see?", she turned to her with disbelief. "You had broke something in him, he can never have a fresh start with someone because you are imprinted into his soul."
"Do you know the difference between us?", she raised her voice a little. "When Andric married you and I heard that, I blamed only him not you, never you because he was the one who gave me a promise. He was the one that owed me something. Not you. I never thought that you had broke something in him.", she mocked. "You never were my problem until you turned yourself into my problem. Your problem should have been with Andric too. You claim that you want to have a fresh start, that you want to fix your mess of a life, I can assure you, no one wants this for you more than me.", she stood up. "You are a creature of hatred, this doesn't mean you can move on. I did.", she deadpanned. "And it is why you all kept attacking me; because I hold my own during the storm, did not fell or break or bend. I want you to prevail in this life as well, even now, Cassella, even now,", she hissed. "you are not my enemy."
"If you weren't exist-"
"But I did exist.", she yelled with tiredness. "I was the one that existed ever since the beginning. I cannot be the surprise in this scenario, can I?"
"How many times I must tell you that I didn't know?", she stood up. "I didn't know you existed when I married him, when I loved him. You were a surprise to me."
Larra shook his head. "A woman feels.", she said with a sad voice. "We both know you felt it as well, despite what you claim now. I just wish you happiness in this life.", she turned her back. "You can be sure that both him and I will have ours."
*
281 AC, Oldtown
"I,", he began to speak as the family and the council members gathered in the castleground. "Leyton of House Hightower, Lord of Oldtown, hereby sending you into exile in the Disputed Lands, you are not to return to the city until I command you so as your eldest brother and lord.", he managed to say it all with a straight face and Doric stood there with two guards and a horse of his own.
"As you order my lord.", he bowed his head. "Do not let my son to become a stranger.", he whispered to Leyton as both their eyes found the child who was looking from the balcony.
"If you loved her this much,", Leyton swallowed. "why haven't you said so?"
"How could I?", he shook his head. "It would mean death for us all."
"I did everything I could."
"And for that, I will be forever grateful.", he nodded and turned his back.
"Wait.", Atera ordered before he left, he hasn't seen her, she probably came just now. When he turned his back, before he managed to capture a glimpse of her, she hugged him tightly and his own hands wrapped around her almost immediately. "Have a safe journey.", she whispered and Doric kissed her hair.
"I am so sorry."
"No you are not.", she smiled as they broke the hug and she took a step back, her eyes were almost red due to tears.
As Leyton wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to himself, Doric mounted his horse and sent one last look to the city he born and grew up in.
And then left, for never to return back.
*
"Do you remember what I had said to you the first time I left for Dragonstone?", the next day they were at the harbour, this time to send Atera away.
"That the next time you'll see me will be at my funeral.", he snorted even though it was not amusing.
Atera turned to her. "I will kill you if you ever put me through all of this again or dare to die, do you understand me?", both their faces got softened. "Your death would break my heart."
"And yours would shatter my very soul.", he answered back and pulled her to a hug. "Swear to me that you will be careful."
"I am going to serve to the princess, not to a war."
"Irrelevant.", he scoffed. "This isn't an excuse to be careless. Swear to me."
"I swear.", she laughed into his chest. "I will be careful, I promise."
"Good.", he nodded and let her go. "Write to me every day.", Atera laughed at that. "Three times in a day, if you can. Do not become a stranger."
"Never.", she shook her head. "And you, write to me. I want to know everything."
Leyton nodded but then pulled her towards him through her hands. "I am aware that the stay of the prince had a reason.", he whispered and Atera tilted her head. "I am aware the shifting seasons and the waves in the ocean. I would tell you not to get involved with it but I know it is why you are going there. Know that, what is it you will try to do, you will always have me by your side.", he raised her head by helding her chin. "Not by the prince's side but yours. Is that understood?"
"It is.", she nodded. "Thank you, for everything."
"No I thank you.", he kissed her hands. "And I apologize you again."
Moving on, she went to Baelor and straightened her spine. "Nephew."
"Aunt.", he smiled cheekily. "Have safe travels and try not to die."
Atera's eyes found Rhonda as she made a curtsy. "I hope your children will born with safety, try not to get yourself disinherited until it happens.", she winked at him as Baelor snorted and moved to Alerie, before she managed to say something, the Lady of Highgarden pulled her for a hug.
"It was nice,", she said with a shaky voice and Atera knew she was crying. "to have a little more time after so many years we had away from each other."
"We will see each other again.", she broke off the hug and kneeled to the floor and opened her arms so Willas and Garlan could hug her.
"Do you promise?", Garlan asked with a pout and she kissed both of their cheeks.
"I promise.", she wrinkled her nose and stood up. "I'll be there at your mother's birth. And at your aunt Mina's wedding.", she winked at Paxter.
"After I gave birth.", Alerie raised a finger of warning to Paxter. "Not before."
"As you wsh my lady.", he bowed to her.
When she stood in front of Mace, she did not expected him to hug her. "We should do this once in a while.", he said as they rboke up. "It felt like my childhood."
She snorted. "You are returning to Highgarden as well?"
"My mother played enough.", he raised his eyebrows. "It is my turn."
"Good luck with that."
Paxter too hugged her and whispered to her ear. "Do not worry, Jacaerys Velaryon will be dead before the year ends.", he kissed her hair and she winked at her.
When it was Denyse's turn, they hold hands. "I know why you were upset the other day.", Atera whispered and even though Denyse turned her head away she continued. "It is because Desmond did not return back to your letters but pray tell, honey, how can he when he is on his way to here?"
"You are not joking?"
"I never joke.", she widened her eyes as well when Denyse' did out of shcok. "Maybe I'll come here for your wedding first.", then she moved to Garth, who just had arrived. "My favourite nephew.", she said loudly as she sent a look to Baelor -he rolled his eyes, and Garth leaned on to kiss her cheek. When she moved to Leyla, she just sent her a scolding look. "He is your father, not your enemy."
"And it is none of your business.", she raised her head.
"I would do anything, despite all the thing she had done, anything,", she pressed. "to have one last conversation with my own father.", she declared and Leyla turned her head away though she saw the way her grey eyes narrowed with sadness. "Yours could be dead too. Life is too short to hold grudges within the family. The only way to heal is to talk.", but Leyla did not reply and she moved to Alysanne, they too shared a hug. "Sword lessons?"
"I am bored.", she rolled her eyes. "Dragonstone?"
"I am bored as well.", she winked and then froze on the spot when she saw Lynesse.
"You've been avoiding me.", she said coldly.
"I was, yes.", she was not going to lie at this point, she could feel Leyton's worried gaze behing her back. "I do not regret what I have done but she was your mother still."
"If you would just talk to me you would know that I do not blame you.", she was talking without blinking. "She was my mother, yes, but she never was my mother.", she shook her head.
"And the boys?"
"Gunthor is too young to understand but Humfrey does. We do not hate you.", she deadpanned. "But I think it is a good thing that you are leaving."
"I think so as well.", she lastly moved to Vortimer and raised her eyes. "I thought you were not speaking to me."
"I am an adult.", he straightehed his spine and tied his hands behind his back. "I can say 'goodbye' to you."
"You will return to Red Lake?"
"My job in here is done.", he nodded. "Leyton is well and can handle matters himself. I am not needed."
"Write me a letter or two, will you?", she said cheekily and Vortimer laughed. "I might read it,", she leaned forward seductively. "at lonely nights.", she winked and Vortimer snorted loudly.
"We'll see about that."
Before she enter the ship, Leyton held her by the arm. "Where is Malora?"
"We said 'goodbye' at the casltle.", she explained with a forced smile. "She has a headache."
"Very well then.", he nodded and pulled her into one last hug and placed a kiss to her forehead. "I know what you are taking to that island with you.", he whispered to her ear as she got tense. "Now that if something happens, it will be oyur fault."
"I love you too, brother.", she pulled herself back and kissed his cheek, then with Finnan's help, she entered the ship.
She could feel the gaze between Leyton and Alea -she knew they shared every night together this last week and said their goodbyes but she still had half a mind to leave her there. But Leyton was right it would only complicate the matters and none of them needed it such a scandal right now. But there still was something that bothered her, something that kept her my busy and it was not the dragon eggs she was secretly -well not so secretly now that Leyton knew of it, carrying to Dragonstone. But what Malora said to her before she left.
"You have two paths in front of you.", she said when Atera turned her back.
"Please don't.", she warned her but Malora's hands were on top of the glass candle and eyes were white.
"One to love and one to rule."
"Malora-"
"You will either end up in stars or in the sun.", she continued nevertheless. "Your choice will shape the future. The realm will either get united or get shattered apart. And three will fall. One by friend, one by foe, and one by the enemy."
"Which three?", she knew she shouldn't but asked nevertheless. She felt a shiever as Malora's empty white eyes looked at her as if she was seeing her soul.
"The dragon, the fallen star and the bat of the haunted castle."
*******
I just don't know when I'll fix those typing errors at this point *facepalm. Soon, I hope.
We finally, FINALLY, left Oldtown. In my original draft, this part completely did not exist but I just needed a storyline to get rid of all of those side characters and show you all that Atera is not a saint. It might be boring for some of you, but the chapters have been clearly short than the rest and it was rather boring for me as well. Writing like 20 chapters in one place without changing it was tiring but I believe we covered everything perfectly. (My only regret is not diving deep into Garth and Daven's relationship but I am planning to make short spin-offs for all the Hightowers, so it is still not too late.
Two to go to finish this part completely and part four, by far, is my favourite part. I ended their drafts just a few days ago (also the Harrenhal drafts (part five) are also done) and the storylines I came up with are just chef's kiss, literally. You will be shocked while reading them because we will meet with different sides of our characters and Atera, unlike the last two parts, will not exactly be the main character but all of Rhaegar's inner circle (even Myles and Richard) will have their own time to shine.
Lastly, please do not forget to follow me on TikTok (@songofsapphire) in order to get spoilers about future chapters and insights into characters. I publish every time I publish a chapter here.