The guard roughly shoved me into a cold stone room, bare but for a small bed and washbasin. It felt so desolate. I wondered what made Shireen so isolated, what broke her so badly she was almost mad. She was a mere shell of a woman, though she wasn't but 9 years older than myself.
I dipped my hands into the washbasin. The water was cool and soothing. I splashed it into my face and looked into the small mirror. "Your name is Eyan Baratheon, rightful son of Joffrey Baratheon and -" tears threatened to choke me. "And Isabel Tyrell. You are the Prince of the Seven Kingdoms, destined to be King. Do not fail in your mission." I had repeated these words to myself every day since I fled King's Landing. I would not forget my identity and what I came here to do. I came here to avenge my mother's death and hopefully to bring peace to my father.
I knew that I was to meet with the Lady Shireen to discuss my chances of joining her army. I had to use this meeting to get close to her. If she could reveal anything about her past that could lead me to my mother's killer, I would do anything.
I washed my face and hair to try to look less dirty and more like my beautiful mother. There was no denying my Tyrell features, which is why I had to get far from Highgarden and anyone who may have met my mother or my uncle Loras. My hair was brown with a hint of red and it curled at the ends. I also had the classic Tyrell smirk, but I haven't smiled much since the day I lost my mother.
My mother's death was a constant reminder of why I've been running away from all the luxury of the life of Prince, why I was on this mission to avenge her. I knew my mother wasn't perfect, but why kill her?
My thoughts were interrupted by the guard coming back into my room and grunting, "The Lady Shireen wants to see you, boy."
I walked with him down the desolate halls of the Dragonstone. I noticed a hall more lit than all the others, with a lone door at the very end. It was guarded by four stern men with large swords and battleaxes. Whatever was beyond that door must be incredibly important to Lady Shireen, else why keep it heavily guarded?
Soon we had arrived at the Great Hall. Shireen was sitting at the end of a huge table, much like the one in the Great Hall of King's Landing. I feigned surprise, knowing that though Eyan Baratheon had seen greater things, but for peasant boy Colliff, it was the largest table in existence.
"Sit, Colliff. I'm not going to hurt you. Eat a proper meal, you worked hard today." I sat tentatively opposite her. The meal was quite meager. I suppose for a place as bare as Dragonstone, food was difficult to come by.
The room was silent for quite some time until Shireen spoke. "Colliff, I regret to say you did not win today's joust."
"What? Pardon, M'Lady, but you had to pull me off that man!"
"Indeed, you showed great swordsmanship, but in terms of the joust, you lost." My face fell. I did not travel all the way here to avenge my mother just to be stopped by a joust. "Don't look so glum, I will still allow you to join my forces, but only as a low rank. If you want to rise higher, you have to prove to me that you're a better warrior than I thought."
"Why do you need such a large force?"
"I'm going to take King's Landing."