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Spun of Ashes, Spun of Fire
Always Safe
The faint echo of hooves alerted them to the approach of new arrivals long before they saw the riders. Scouts. Aelyx strained his eyes in the dark and felt the giant leap of his heart and the more sedate rhythm that followed. Before now, he had not realized how tensely he had expected the return of his own squire who had been one of the selected few.
There was a thick bandage on the boy's hand but when he grinned, his teeth gleamed strikingly wide. "They did not even send proper scouts. They are mad."
"Or very confident," Brynden said drily.
Ingel Sand nodded. "That's what I said, my lord. Mad."
You'd better come on time, Baelor. I just assured our men that you will – and I told you we'd hold until you arrive. Don't turn me into a liar.
The two bastards looked each other in the eye; amused, Aelyx noticed that his squire did not feel uncomfortable at all meeting Brynden's red eyes. The Prince of Dorne's son looked very sure in his own abilities and his place in the world, yet there was none of Daemon's zeal in him – or Brynden's, come to think of it. Of course, his father treated him quite differently to how Daemon and Brynden's father had treated them. His very hair, his olive face glowed with confidence, always. Aelyx narrowed his eyes and tried to imagine what Daenerys' children would look like when they grew up. They already promised to be Martells through and through, just like Ingel. Daenerys' silver hair and purple eyes would be lost… and the river of memories flowed again.
Daenerys and Alysanne. Both silver of hair and violet of eye, their facial lines so similar that sometimes, in the twilight, people could not tell them apart. Even Aelyx… As they grew up, the jests turned more ribald, their friends wondering how Baelor could tell his bride apart at the bedding. Baelor did not take them in a bad way but sometimes Aelyx saw something in his sister's eyes that told him her laughter was not quite sincere, that to her, it meant more than a careless jape that the speaker certainly had not had in mind. Baelor, the poor sod, had no idea. He truly did not feel more than the casual admiration of his betrothed's beauty and the warm affection that he had always accorded her. He expected their wedding with joy because that was what he had always known to be his future and everyone was joyful . That was it. Sometimes, Aelyx wondered if Alysanne would tell him one day, after they were wed, and other times he knew she would never let her secret be known to him.
"All of Daena's passion and fortunately, a good deal of my lady mother's prudence there," his aunt Elaena told him when he finally confided his fears to her. "Never fear, Aelyx. Alysanne will be far happier than your mother."
Aelyx was not quite sure. How could she be, knowing that Baelor did not love her as much she loved him? Was this the passion their mother had once felt for King Aegon or worse, that Dornish lord? No one could say. And of course, Aelyx did not think that he would like to be burdened with the weight of such love either but sometimes he wished that Baelor would notice, as much as it would hurt Alysanne's pride.
There was so much that Baelor did not notice.
Like the resentment that was slowly growing within Aelyx, a feeling that, he was sure of it, caused him more shame than the intensity of Alysanne's love caused her. Passion for one's betrothed was not ladylike but at most, it would call for a few japes at Alysanne's expense. What he felt was decidedly ignoble, unreasonable and something that he could never tell a soul. Baelor and the rest of them – they had never been anything than warm and inclusive and he loved them, was closer to them than anyone else, save for his male cousins, Aunt Elaena's boys. Of course, he could not tell Jon and Viserys either. They were all friends and Aelyx' envy and resentment felt like a dark vein spoiling the beauty of an otherwise perfect emerald.
He was something… middle. He was not a bastard like the Great Bastards – what was this great about them anyway? He was born a prince and everyone acknowledged this but he had such a little part compared to Baelor and even Aerys, bookish Aerys who was only interested in his scrolls. Baelor would be King and Aerys, his Hand one day. Alysanne would be Queen, Daenerys – the Princess of Dorne where women were respected and given power openly. Which left Aelyx with Rhaegel and Maekar. The babes!
Was this what his lady mother had expected when she had wed his father? Certainly not! The only person who did not avoid his question told him so in no uncertain means. "I am quite sure her plans were to give birth to as many sons as possible in quick succession and then fight King Aegon over the succession," Daeron said calmly. "Had your father not died so… suddenly, our roles might have been reversed. "
From what Aelyx had heard of his father, he very much doubted it. Even King Viserys had not loved and desired Daena and she had not wanted him either. As sad as it was to think that he had only been a means to an end, right now what felt more offensive was the fact that Daena's plans had failed!
The sight of everyone fawning over little Maekar's prowess in the practice yard was the last drop. Aelyx started spending more time in Daemon and Aegor's company and Baelor and Aerys did not care enough to try and lure him back. Now, staring out at the lights in Daemon's camp, he felt the familiar horror crawling up his back at the thought of what might have happened if Aegor had not overplayed his hand too soon. Just a month or two in their new friendship… Would he have been with these fire camps? Against Daeron, against Maekar and Brynden, against Baelor who was undoubtedly making his way to them in the night? Who could say…
"He's going to take part in the melee," Aegor said all those years ago when they had been preparing for the tourney marking the second anniversary of Daeron's ascension to the Iron Throne. "This is a great chance to make people see the truth. I mean, he's the best at court with a spear, like a true Dornishman…"
"Not this good," Daemon said harshly and Aelyx felt doubly annoyed with his willful blindness and Aegor's insults. The three of them were getting along because, basically, Aegor and Daemon refrained from criticizing Baelor and his brothers too harsh in Aelyx' presence.
"Are you talking about the Prince of Dragonstone?" he asked icily and wondered why he cared. It was unfair to him as well!
Aegor grunted. "Dark-haired, dark-skinned, preferring Dornish weapons? Yes, it must be him. And it's time that we put him in his place. There have always been accidents at melees…"
Aelyx jumped from his chair and glared at Aegor, unable to believe his ears. "Are you talking of murder?" he asked bluntly and now, Daemon looked at Aegor with disbelief. "What about you?" Aelyx demanded. "What did you think he was talking about?"
"About unhorsing him, of course," Aegor snapped. "Who has said anything about murder at all? With a good plan, it won't be hard to make him panic and shame himself at the melee. He should be ashamed walking this Dornish face around, if you ask me!"
"Fortunately, I am not!" Aelyx snapped back and Daemon rose.
"I am not taking part in squire games," he said icily. "It's unworthy for a knight to take part in such schemes… and have you forgotten that I am not taking part in the squire competition any more?"
Aelyx breathed a sigh of relief, although he felt it was just a delay of what was to come.
At this melee, he kept close to Baelor and told Jon to do the same. He could feel the hatred in Aegor's eyes when the little group that he had summoned reconsidered before approaching Baelor now. And when, after the melee, he sat up at his usual place at the high table, with Baelor and the others talking animatedly from all sides, for the first time in a very long while he felt that this was where he belonged.
The King's eyes, resting on him ever so often, told him that perhaps his maneuvers had not been so secret, after all. Baelor also gave him a look once or twice. Even Aerys… But no one asked, for which he was grateful.
His Aunt Elaena was not so delicate, though. She cornered him as soon as she caught him alone. All five feet and a half of shaking fury, she demanded to know what had taken place today. If Aelyx did not know his cousin, he would have thought that Jon had rushed to his lady mother to tell her of Aelyx' plea as soon as the two had parted.
"It's nothing," he said.
"So it's nothing, is it?" Elaena snapped with a voice that made the hounds lying before the fireplace cower and whine but Aelyx merely looked at her and waited for her to compose. He was not a tattler, no matter what, and at the end Elaena did lower her voice. "Tell me this… Was there some plan against Baelor? By the way you and Jon never left his side today, I think there was."
Silently, Aelyx nodded. "I was not a part of it, though," he said.
"Did Baelor ask you what happened? No? What are you going to do if he does?"
He shrugged. "The same thing I'm doing now, I suppose."
She relaxed quite visibly. "Then, you're safe. Never lie to Baelor. As long as you tell him the truth, you'll always be safe."
Please come on time, Baelor. Please let me have told you and our host the truth.
