XX : Sail
He stirred in his bed when something warm he's been wrapping his hand around all night is disappearing.
Viserys' violet eyes shot open and saw his wife's naked back.
She turned and raised her eyebrows, a slight black mark appeared under her eyes making him realized she didn't get a good sleep last night.
Well, actually it's his fault.
"You're awake."
He groaned, flipping to his side and look at her.
"Why so early?"
"We have a journey this noon, remember?"
He blinked, then moved hus lips into an 'o' shape.
"Oh."
"But I still don't see the benefit of waking up when the sun is just half-risen." His fingers gestured to the window, where some part of the sky is still dark.
She gave him a rolled stroke of beautiful blue eyes.
"It's my habit, my Prince."
The Targaryen Prince pushed himself up from the bed, the blanket fell from his muscle-decorated chest to his waist.
"What did I told you to call me?"
She dimmed her eyes, thinking.
"Um..."
Viserys leaned in until her nose touched his. Those eyes widened a little bit, then dimmed back to normal.
"Say it." He whispered, his lips curled up into a small, playful smile.
The corner of her mouth jerked. It was just a slight change on her face but of course, he quickly noticed since he is so close to her.
"Viserys." Lylian finally said.
His smile grew wider as he kissed her cheek.
"Good morning, Lylian."
She smiled back a little bit.
A knock on the door made them flinched and snapped their head to the direction the voice came from in unison.
"My Prince, my Lady, I am to brought you to the bathing room."
"Just a moment." She pulled his grey pants from the floor and threw it to his perfect muscular chest, in which he caught it as gracefully as a prince would. While he is putting it on, she slipped into her white nightgown that hasn't been touched since last night.
She sprinted to the door as he pulled the white fabric shirt through his head. Her hands touched the knob and twisted it, pulling it in and revealing the young maid in front of the room.
"Show the way." She said.
The maid bow her head in response, stepped aside to let her and her husband have some space before leading them down the hallway.
After walking for a short distance, they reached a pair of big doors. The girl in the servantly plain dress pushed them open and stepped back, bowing her head.
Lylian nodded back and moved into the big marble hall behind the entrance, followed by Viserys and the maid that closed the door behind them.
He leaned in a little bit and asked in a curious tone,
"What is this place?"
"The Bathing Hall." She replied.
"The place where we enjoyed our bath in hot days and nights, it will be closed only during winter."
His violet eyes moved to the stairs as they walked up the marble-ish white surface.
"The Lords and Ladies can request a personal bathing room up here, in the second floor. While the elder maids or higher class servants would bath down there." Her finger pointed to the recent floor they've been walking on.
They walk pass a few more rooms through the corridor. Viserys ran his eyes along the marble arches and the pillars, secretly admiring the architecture style of the place.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" She asked, turning her head towards him.
"Indeed."
A faint smile slowly crept up onto her face as they stopped in front of one bathing room.
Quick but delicately, the maid stepped aside and opened the light fabric veil.
Lylian nodded at her and led him inside.
The marble room is big. What located on the center of the floor was a wide pool of water. The red petals of roses floated on the surface, obscuring the clearness of the liquid.
She touched the strap on her gown, motioning him to take off his cloths.
As he did that, she untied her white dress and walked down into the pool.
His violet eyes silently traced her milky skin, some bruises appears on her thighs, and her neck is decorated with a set of kissmark.
"You need to apply some herbs on that." Viserys pointed to her neck, dipping himself into the water.
Not too hot, not too cold, just the perfect temperature.
She raised her eyebrows, touching the nap of her neck automatically and shaped her lips into an 'O'.
"I'll look for it."
♝
"I knew it." Lylian snarled, looking at herself in the mirror.
"Your sister is very fond of you, it seems." Chuckled the Prince as he put on his new tunic, it was grey. And grey had became his favorite color.
Why? It's the same color as Zaephyr's scale.
The Lady rolled her blue eyes.
"Right. She really do loves me."
Her dress is made of a light, elegant beige fabric that falls down her curves and passed her ankle, adorned with pink, blue, gold and green thread.
Above all, the collar is wide and low until it almost reached her shoulders.
"Is there anything we can do to hide it?" She sighed.
"I can't understand her. Why is she so obsessed with making me embarrassed?"
"Ah...Family issues." Viserys hummed.
His wife gave him a deadly glare, in which he chuckled back.
"Come on, it's not that big deal. You can go ask for some cosmetic cream from the maids and use it."
"I'm afraid Lucynda already solved that problem." She thinned her lips.
"There's no maid using any cosmetics today."
He frowned.
"How did you know?"
"At the bathing hall."
She's observative.
"Is it very surprising for people here to find the newly wed girl covered in kissmarks?"
"No. But all eyes are on us."
He crossed his arms and leaned himself against the table.
"Isn't it the good opportunity to show them the bond between us...and our house?"
She raised her brows.
"I mean...anyways we are married with a political reason. It could be rumored that you and I are not fond of each other, that can result the breaking of the allegiance, or worse, the war between your country and mine."
Her mouth gaped open with a slight curling upwards of her lips.
"Viserys, I just realized how smart you are."
The corner of his lips jerked.
"Time changed, as do a person."
"Poetic." She commented, gathering her brown long hair and flip them over her shoulder, briefly hiding the marks at her neck.
"Are your things packed?" He asked.
"Yes, I already sent them to the ship." She stood up and turned to him.
"It would be a shame if we let the nobles and your sister waiting."
"It would be." Viserys replied back and opened the door.
"Let's go then."
They walked alongside each other through the hallways. He noticed her eyes traced each details and each rooms they've passed as if she's burying them deep into her mind.
"You can come back whenever you want."
She nodded, her eyes still looking at the sandstone floor.
"Thank you."
Two figures stopped at the big door which is the main way to get in and out of the castle. Two pair of eyes met, and he offered her his strong arm, in which she grasped softly onto it.
The wooden entrance were pushed open.
His violet eyes glanced at the crowd that are standing straight and making a way for them in front of Oceanbreaks. They stared up the sandstone stairs to their Lady.
"They are here to send me." She whimpered, her voice trembled slightly.
He tightened his arm that she's holding.
"Well, at least you've got a ceremony when you left your home."
He left King's Landing when he's five, departing silently with a few guards, a small group of servants, and a pregnant mother. No one...not even his father or his brother Rhaegar, as he can remembered, stood at the port when the boat started sailing for Dragonstone.
There's a pair of horse next to the down the stairway, tied. He fling himself onto the back of the white onw while she mounted the black one.
As they started to move very slowly onwards, the crowd cheered out 'Gods bless the Lady' and 'Gods bless the Prince'. Some of them even reached out to touch her legs or her gown. Some of them did so to him, which cause him a little tensions since nobody had ever been so respective towards him.
Lylian smiled, she used only one hand to control the horse and reached the other one down to touch the hands of her citizen.
He bowed to them a little bit and smiled, pulling the leather rein to keep the animal in the way.
Finally, they arrived the port.
Elegantly, he slide himself down then walked to the ship with Lylian by his side. Two unsullieds ran in and took them.
The Lord Mayfair is there, with his wife Lady Serynna and his children Lucynda and Corin. His sister stood beside the wooden board in her leather dress, while Freya, Amarys, and Daemon is lining up next to her.
"My Prince." Alastor greeted.
"My Lord." He replied.
"My Lady." He turned to his wife's stepmother.
Then, his violet eyes casted upon the young girl and the boy.
"My Lady, my Lord."
Lucynda smiled sweetly. She dressed herself in the warm, pink-toned gown. Her dark hair was tied up into a braid crown. She courtesied and tried to lock her eyes with his.
He just nodded back and turned to Corin, who's helding his chin up like a proper little educated boy would do.
The boy's eyes were blue, a resemblance between him and his half sister.
"Is everything ready?" Asked the Prince, turning to his sister.
Daenerys nodded.
"Yes."
The Blackfyre siblings who are lining up facing the Mayfairs moved their cloak.
"Then we should get going." Freya said calmly, bowing her head slightly to the family of the Blossom Isles, in which they returned with the same bow.
The Prince and Princess of Gryffonsdale did the same and followed their sister up the ship.
Dany gave him an 'I'll-give-you-a-moment' look and walked passed the board.
He nodded and turned to Lylian.
"Go. Say farewell to your family."
She didn't make him say it twice. Her blue eyes met with Tristan Greengrass, the ward of her father. They walked in and shared an embrace. The young man's face filled with a mixture of sorrow and pride.
"I'm proud of you. So, so proud of you." He said finally.
Smiling, Lylian responded.
"Me too. You'll always be my friend, Tristan. You know that."
The future Lord of the Alder Island chuckled lowly and gave her a wink.
"I love you too, Lylian."
She moved to Lucynda, who's looking back rather blandly.
"Take care, sister." His wife said gently.
"I know we haven't got along that much since we were young. But this I plead you, without me, all the accounts would be a little more complicated for you. Learn how to cope with it and the other works you must do instead of me. Father is not an old man yet, but he is not as young as he is when we were little girls anymore. You must help him, and your mother, and your brother. Take care of them as good as you think I would do. As for your mother, I didn't worry much. She can manage her own business. But Corin is still a child. He needs to be trained, and taught well. Keep his educations in your sight."
Her slim hand reached out to touch the girl's shoulder.
"Lucynda, I know you are smart. I want you to keep me in touch, ask me if there's something you don't understand or something you want to ask me. Sent a raven and report me at least once a month or if things doesn't seems to go the way it should. I have a book that will contain most of the informations you need to know in my chest, you'll find it in my bedchamber."
Lucynda blinked, and he thinks her eyes are shining with clear liquid.
The youngest Lady caressed her half sister's hand on her shoulder and swallowed, bending her head down to hide her tears. Her nose is red, as do the skin under her eyes. She took a shaky breath and nodded.
Lylian smiled and touched her younger sibling's cheek, patted it lightly and turned to her little brother.
Corin sniffed as his favorite sister bend down to his height. His blue eyes are red and, trying his best not to cried out loud.
"Hey," She put her hand atop his head.
"It's fine."
The boy's lips were shaking as he tried to say the word out.
"I'm going to be so lonely."
"No, you don't." Lylian protested softly.
"You have Trystan, and Lucynda, also Maester Gerald. You will not be that lonely."
"Promise me you'll come visit." He wiped his tears.
She smiled, helding out her little finger.
"Promise."
Corin intertwined his finger with hers.
She left her brother and walked to her father and stepmother.
"We wish you a happy life, daughter." Said the middle aged man.
"I will take a good care of your father, don't you worry." Serynna hugged her, in which his wife gave her a thin smile in return.
The father and his daughter faced each other, they talked quickly in a low voice.
Viserys turned to the little lord of house Mayfair while Lylian and Alastor are still chatting.
His pale hand slide under his cloak and pull out the leather strap that wrapped around a small dagger as he bend down to Corin's eye level.
"Here."
The boy took it and examined quickly before snapping his blue sparkling eyes back to him in an asking manner.
"When I first arrived in Essos, one of the Lords that smuggled me there gave me this dagger. It was a Valyrian Steel, made in Braavos. I never get a chance to use it, though. It lies untouched in my chest for almost two decades, and now I think it has found the owner it deserved." The corner of his lips curled up into a faint smile.
Little Corin took a deep breath, carressed the small weapon in his hands and replied,
"Thank you, my Prince."
"It's Viserys."
They smiled to each other.
He turned to Lylian, who had done talking with her father.
No need to say the word, she nodded and threw her arms around her father in a tight embrace. He hugged back.
"I love you, father." She whispered.
Alaster smiled and kissed her forehead.
"As do I, my little girl."
She gave him one last smile and walked away, helding back her tears as she reached the deck of the ship.
"Take care, my Lord." Viserys bowed at him.
"And you too, my Prince." Replied his father-in-law.
"Take care, and please look after my daughter. She's the last thing Myanna left for me."
The Targaryen Prince smiled as a response and followed his wife.
♝
Lylian is standing on the deck, staring back to the far away spot which was her home. Her eyes are red and she flinched when he stopped by her side.
"Viserys." She breathed out when she snapped her head and founded it was him who's standing right next to her.
"Hey." He replied lowly, turning in the same direction as hers.
The sea breeze blows her light brown strands of hair to her back. She bit her lower lip and lower her gaze to the water.
"I have never been this far from home."
He remained silent, and softly touched her fingers with his.
"I'm so worried about father. Lucynda have to learn how to deal with the parchments and accounts and I'm afraid she can't handle them. Corin is still a child, an innocent, sweet child. He hasn't began training his combat skills yet." Her voice cracks as she held up one hand and cover her mouth.
A shaky sigh escaped her lips. Viserys tossed her into his strong arms and stroke her soft hair.
"It will be fine." He whispered atop her head.
Lylian tearfully nodded in his chest.
"It will be fine."
"Thank you." She murmured as they break apart.
He gave her a gentle smile and kissed her forehead lightly.