Meereen…
Edwyn leaned against the wall of his cell, staring out the square-shaped hole that served as a window. From what he could see, the sun was starting to set, which meant that it was almost nighttime. It had been almost a week since he and his guards had been arrested, so why had his fleet not attacked the city upon seeing the burning harbour? Something must have prevented them from coming, or, the more upsetting notion, the crews mutinied and left him and Lord Tarly to rot. Edwyn wondered just how long it would be before his father came in force to rescue him. After all, Rona knew everything about everyone, so he should have found out soon after the fact.
Or at least, Edwyn hoped he had.
His mind flashed back to the conquest of the North, in the final months of the Second War of Conquest. He and Lord Tarly had found 1, 000 of their men, along with Ser Ronald Storm of the Kingsguard, flayed and nailed to trees after his brother had been captured by the Boltons.
He shuddered at the horrible images in his memory. His father had wasted no time in going after Edric, riding Rhaegon straight to Winterfell. Edwyn only hoped that he would bring more than just himself, for Daenerys had Dragons of her own and a sizeable army.
As if on cue, he heard the clanging of keys as they were used to unlock his cell. The wooden door creaked open, revealing the Mother of Dragons in a blue dress.
Edwyn turned to face her, giving the Targaryen girl a mock bow. He had Targaryen blood through his father, but he did not want to think of just how distantly they were related. "Does this mean that I can expect to be released soon?"
"Not quite" she replied, stepping inside the cell.
Edwyn glanced at the Unsullied standing guard just outside. "I don't suppose you'll believe me when I say that I had nothing to do with the burning of your ships?"
"Don't you find it rather suspicious?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. "Mere hours after you, the son of the man who stole my throne, arrive with a fleet of ships, my harbour is suddenly burning."
"Coincidence."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Well, believe what you like" Edwyn said, crossing his arms. "I had nothing to do with it, which means I'm innocent. My ship was consumed in the same fire, if you recall. Why would I burn your ships, and somehow be stupid enough to burn my own?"
"The winds could have carried the flames over."
"I don't recall it being particularly windy that day." For a moment, neither of them spoke, and Edwyn eventually said "I would advise that you let me go."
"Of course you would" she said, her tone condescending.
"This isn't some idle threat, Daenerys Targaryen" he said, taking a step towards her. The Unsullied began to draw their swords, but she held up a hand. "My father has most likely heard of this by now, which means that he's on his way right now."
"I look forward to meeting him."
"You don't understand. He's not coming to buy or negotiate my freedom. He will bring everything he can to get me back. He's not just bringing armies and steel, but Blood and Fire."
Daenerys' eyes narrowed a little as she noticed the reversal of the Targaryen motto.
"I've seen what he does to his enemies, 'Your Grace'. If you want to keep your city-sized kingdom, then you would do well to release me and Lord Tarly before he burns your city to the ground. The Black Dragon is not to be trifled with."
She stared at him for a moment, then turned to leave. "Neither am I."
The cell door was closed and locked.
The Eyrie...
Jayne watched as her husband sparred with a knight from a minor house. He was in fine form, blocking and parrying every strike and savagely attacking in turn. She was reminded of how her brothers would spar with Ser Prester nearly every day since they could hold a sword. She could remember the two of them coming to eat supper covered in mud and sweat on multiple occasions.
Andar was what they would eventually become: strong, powerful, and dominating any battlefield. While they had been married for political reasons and did not love each other, Jayne was never bored by Andar's... physical prowess.
Staring at him as he brought his practice sword down, his muscles rippling in the muted, mid-day sun, caused a pleasing warmth to pulse through her body.
As Jayne shuddered, rubbing her legs together, Adrya approached from behind and asked "Are you too cold, m'lady?"
Jayne smirked, looking up at the falling snows. "That's fine. I'm alright."
In truth, she was still getting used to the cold. Having grown up in Ashford and spending many years in the Crownlands, she had become accustomed to warmer temperatures. Being high up in the mountains was considerably colder, especially with winter close at hand.
"May I join you, my lady?" someone asked as they sat down beside her.
Jayne turned and saw that the voice's owner was a thin man, with shoulder-length brown hair and a handsome face. Like all men of the Vale, he wore a white surcoat over steel armour, which was adorned with three black ravens, each holding a red heart.
The man bore an arrogant smirk, and he was sitting too close for Jayne's comfort. She forced herself not to fidget and said "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know your name. Lord...?"
"Oh, I'm not a lord" the man said. "Not yet. Ser Lyn Corbray, Captain of the Guard."
"Of course. Forgive me. I'm still growing accustomed to life in the Eyrie. I have yet to become familiar with many of the Vale's ancient and noble Houses."
She knew exactly who he was. The daughter of the Black Dragon had taken her lessons to heart, memorizing nearly all of the Houses of the Vale. Jayne had recognized the sigil of House Corbray, and there was only one member of that House with a Valyrian Steel sword. As a general rule, she adopted a naïve, partially submissive persona around men as arrogant and vain as Lyn Corbray. They often overplayed their hand when they believed they had the superior position, which would come in handy should the need arise for Jayne to put him in his place.
The Eyrie's Captain of the Guard smirked, placing a hand on her knee. "It's quite alright, my lady. Not all of us can be expected to be perfect." As Jayne suppressed her revulsion at his casual disrespect, he looked over at Andar. "Your husband is in fine form this morning."
"Yes, he is" she agreed. "Certainly one of the greatest warriors in the Vale, by all accounts."
"Some accounts are truer than others. After all, we are only flesh and blood. All men must die sometime." He then stood and bowed to her. "My lady."
As he walked away, she allowed herself to sneer in disgust.
Later, once the sun set, Jayne removed her clothes as Adrya poured her a bath. The handmaiden looked up at her as she bared her naked body, staring as she poured the last of the water. The young woman looked down at herself and asked "Is there anything wrong?"
Adrya shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with you, m'lady."
Jayne proceeded to step into the tub, relishing the feeling of the water on her skin. She laid her arms on the side and leaned her head back. Adrya then began to wash her hair, gently rubbing her hands through the dark brown locks. "Such beautiful hair" she whispered.
Groaning in appreciation, Jayne replied "Thank you. My mother used to say the same thing."
"I'm sure she's proud of you, m'lady."
"She was. Before she died."
The handmaiden froze. "I'm—I'm so sorry, m'lady. I meant no offense."
Jayne smiled, reaching back and placing a hand on hers. "It's alright. She would not want me to sulk like a child. She was a very strong woman, and taught me that any woman could shake the very mountains if they are determined. Men might rule the world, but great men often have a great woman by their side, whispering in their ear."
"She sounded very wise" Adrya said, proceeding to rub scented oils into her hair.
Jayne groaned, appreciating how good the other woman's hands felt as they rubbed her scalp. "She was. I always admired her; she and my father married for love, long before they were nobility. Growing up, I dreamed of doing the same, finding the perfect boy to steal my heart away and marry me like the girls in the tales."
Adrya stopped what she was doing for a moment, then resumed.
"But, it was not meant to be" the young woman said in a disappointed tone. "From the moment my father began to rise in station, I knew that I would have to marry someone for political reasons one day. It never became easier, and it certainly didn't prepare me for when it actually happened."
With her hair finished, Jayne ran a hand over her pregnant belly, which was now slick with water. She had an entire future ahead of her that she had to adjust to, and it was not something that grew easier as the days past.
A few moments later, Adrya grabbed a sponge. Jayne sat up, and her handmaiden began to wash her with soap. "I'm sure that you and Lord Andar will grow to have a happy marriage."
"Perhaps."
"You sound sad, m'lady."
Jayne smiled at her. "It's just… Andar is a fine husband, better than most, but I have always craved a deeper connection. I always imagined myself and my future husband falling deeply in love for the rest of our lives, but right now I don't see that happening."
"If there is ever anything I can do to make you happy, m'lady, then please let me know."
"Thank you for listening. It means a great deal to me."
She turned to look at Adrya. Her handmaiden stared into her eyes, smiling, and at that moment, she leaned forward and gently kissed her. Jayne opened her eyes with shock and pulled away. The young woman opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Adrya looked completely ashamed of herself, then said "Please forgive me, m'lady. I don't know why I did that." She then stood and quickly walked out the door.
Jayne stared at the door for several moments, unsure of how exactly she should be feeling. The young woman gently ran two fingers over her lips, and the one thing she knew was that she had not minded the unexpected physical contact.
Life in the Eyrie was certainly proving to be interesting.
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Hail King Cerion: In the Game of Thrones, there are no truly innocent characters… except for Hodor. *Sniffle* Hodor.
guest: I'm still deciding on how I ultimately want this story to end, so it's not impossible. ;)