Over the next few days Loras spent considerably less time with Renly than he'd have liked. The princess Arianne seemed to constantly desire his attention and Renly didn't dare say no to her. This left Loras with virtually nothing to do. He knew that if Tym was still here he wouldn't be having this problem, but he also knew that dwelling on that thought was going to get him nowhere. No matter how much he missed Tym, there was nothing he could do to bring him back. There were other squires that he knew, who also travelled with Renly's host, but he didn't like any of them half as much as he'd liked Tym. They all spent too much time talking about women and visiting whores. Loras had no interest in joining them.
However, after days of boredom, he found himself accepting the offer of going to a whorehouse with the other squires. After an awkward explanation, he wound up locked in a room just chatting with a girl. She could have only been slightly older than Loras, anyway, and he had to admit that she was very beautiful. This had no effect on him, of course, but he knew she must be popular. She had pale white skin and the darkest of black hair. It made a pleasing contrast.
'So,' she started after a few moments. 'you do know that we have boys here, as well, don't you?' She asked calmly. Loras felt his own pulse rate soar, but he tried to keep his expression neutral.
'Why are you telling me this?'
She turned to face him with a knowing smile. 'You're only here so your friends won't laugh at you.' She said. 'I'm just letting you know. No one else has to know, you can tell them you were with me.'
He swallowed hard and shook his head. 'No.'
She shrugged. 'Have it your way, then.' She observed him for a moment, her eyes piercing slightly. 'Unless, of course, you've never…'
'Don't.'
'You haven't, have you?'
'I've… I've done some things.'
'But not that.'
'No, not that.'
She rearranged her dress slightly as she stood up. 'You could talk to someone, if you wanted to? One of the boys? I'm clearly no use to you, but if you wanted to ask something?'
'I…'
'No one will mind, I promise.'
'I suppose…'
'I'll send one of my friends, is that alright? You can trust him and he'll be very kind to you.' She told him. Loras stared at the floor. He desperately didn't want to do this at all, but he supposed he couldn't just leave now. He knew that if he left early the other squires would find out, and whatever conclusions they drew would not be good ones. On the other hand, he wondered if he could actually learn something here, use the opportunity to gain a bit of insight.
'I'll explain it to him.' The girl continued. 'You won't have to tell him anything about yourself, you can just chat or ask questions or whatever you want. He's very understanding.'
And so Loras waited while the girl left the room to fetch her friend. He tried to feel calm about the whole arrangement, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was doing something he shouldn't be. He knew he wasn't, he certainly wasn't going to do anything and he might only ask a few questions if he could bring himself to face saying those sorts of things to a stranger. But he still felt guilty, regardless of his efforts to convince himself otherwise.
After a few minutes the door opened again. A boy walked inside, closing the door quietly behind him. Loras wouldn't have liked to take a guess at his age, but if he was forced to he'd have thought him to be around his own age – which only made him more nervous. This boy was slightly taller than he was, but skinnier, with light hair and dark eyes. He smiled easily.
'No need to look so nervous.' He said with half a smirk. 'I don't bite.' He paused for a moment. 'Unless you're paying me to, of course.'
Loras tried to laugh at that, but he had a feeling it didn't come over as carefree as he'd intended.
'I'm Daeron.' The boy introduced himself. Loras remained silent. 'I know, you're not going to tell me who you are. I understand.' He continued casually. 'No one ever tells me.'
'Is Daeron your real name?' Loras asked. He knew the name, of course, but he struggled to believe that a boy whore would honestly be named after a Targaryen king.
'It is.' He answered. 'I'm told my mother liked to think she had Targaryen blood somewhere along the way. It's ridiculous, obviously, but apparently she believed it.'
'Doesn't that get awkward?' Loras questioned. 'I mean, Daeron the First started the Conquest of Dorne… thousands died…'
'You mean does it put Dornish men off that I'm named after the king who was responsible for the deaths of their possible ancestors? No. It doesn't.' He said with a small laugh. 'They come here for discretion. Even in Dorne, where these things are freer than the majority of Westeros, it's still not the done thing to admit you went to a brothel to see a boy. My name is the least of their worries.' He sighed and pulled the chair across the room from the dressing table. He placed it in front of Loras – not too close – and sat down, adjusting his tunic slightly at his shoulder.
'Although,' Daeron continued. 'I suppose it has to be slightly more acceptable, since it's common knowledge that Oberyn Martell likes his fair share of both men and women.'
Loras felt his eyes widen. Clearly Daeron noticed this, too, as he laughed. 'You didn't know?' He asked, as Loras shook his head in response. Then something else came into Loras' mind. Renly was convinced that Oberyn Martell knew about their relationship, and if Prince Oberyn himself enjoyed the company of men…
'He gave a gift to someone I know.' Loras said before he could stop himself. 'I didn't know what it was for, but if… like you said… you might know what it's for.'
'I also might need to know what it was.' Daeron said, raising one eyebrow. Loras laughed for a second before he continued.
'It was a vial of oil…'
Daeron tried to keep back a smirk, and failed. Loras remained completely in the dark about what it was Daeron found amusing all of a sudden.
'What's it for?' Loras continued his question.
Daeron cleared his throat. He gave Loras a look that told him this might be something quite intimate. Loras felt colour rising in his cheeks, which only made Daeron smirk more. Loras watched him raise two fingers in an upward motion.
'I don't understand…' Loras said slowly.
Daeron rolled his eyes at him. 'Think about it for a moment.'
'What?'
'What might you need to do something with a man that you might not if you were doing it with a woman?'
Loras swallowed hard, the clues suddenly making sense. He stared back at Daeron, who simply nodded.
'So it's for…'
'Yes.'
Loras nodded, unsure of what to say next. He bit his lip and tried to think of something else to say, but all he had were more questions that he desperately didn't want to ask. But he didn't know anyone else who'd know the answers.
'Does it hurt?' Loras asked quietly, staring at the floor.
'A bit, the first few times.' Daeron answered without embarrassment or hesitation. 'Just as long as you don't rush it, it's fine.'
'And it's… is it… good?'
Daeron chuckled at that, flashing a dark sort of smile. 'Oh, it's good.'
Meanwhile, Renly was trying to stop his mind wandering too much as Princess Arianne led him through yet another garden filled with elaborate water features. He found it all very beautiful, of course, but he knew nothing would ever be as beautiful as the gardens he saw in Highgarden.
'And over here,' Arianne continued. 'this statue was built for the Sword of Morning.' She drifted over to a towering figure of Ser Arthur Dayne. Renly couldn't help but think of how much Loras would love to see this, but he knew it would be inappropriate to say so. Instead, he expressed how impressive he thought it was, and that seemed to be enough to please the princess. He glanced across at her surly looking guard. He followed her everywhere, spear in hand, sword sheathed across his back. He never smiled and at that moment he was giving Renly a very curious stare. Renly swallowed and quickly averted his gaze.
'So, my lord,' Arianne started again. 'how have you enjoyed your stay in Dorne so far?'
'It's been very pleasant.' Renly lied seamlessly. 'It's made a lovely change from the rain of the Stormlands, to say the least.'
Arianne giggled, no doubt presuming it to be a flirtatious gesture. Renly tried to smile. 'Do you think you'll return here?' She asked, a hint of shyness betraying her tone.
'Well…' Renly started. He didn't want to give her false hope, of course, but at the same time he didn't want to upset her. Especially with that guard keeping such a close eye on her. 'I shall have to see about that. I'll be very busy when this trip is over, you understand. I'm to join the small council, so my presence will be needed in King's Landing most of the time…'
Her expression dampened significantly. 'Of course, my lord.' She said stiffly. She barely said a word as they walked back to Sunspear. He was more than relieved when she bid him farewell for the day and departed in another direction. He let out a sigh and paused for a moment, dragging his hair off his face.
'Lord Renly.'
He almost jumped out of his skin.
'Prince Oberyn.' Renly said, trying not to let surprise creep into his voice. He didn't want to Red Viper to think he could make a habit of sneaking up on him like that.
'I trust you had an eventful day with Arianne?'
'Certainly.'
'I'm sure.' Prince Oberyn agreed, though his meaning was very clear. Renly fought the urge to shift under his gaze. 'I regret that we can't chat more at the moment, but I find myself very busy today. Could you grant me a quick favour, my lord?'
'That very much depends what it is.' Renly said warily.
'Wise.' Prince Oberyn answered with a slick smirk that Renly distrusted very much. 'If you see a young man come down this way, he'll be wearing a Martell brooch, could you tell him to meet me in the library? Our plans have changed.'
'Oh, um… of course.'
'Thank you, Lord Renly.' The prince looked as though he was about to turn and leave, when he remembered something else to say. 'Did you work out what that gift I gave you is for?'
'Not yet.' Renly replied. 'You could just tell me.'
'Oh, I believe I just did.' He answered mysteriously. 'And do tell that young man, if you see him.' And this time he did turn to leave. Renly watched him go, wondering what under the Seven he could possibly have meant by that last statement. How was he telling him anything at all? All he'd done was ask a strange favour…
Renly found the young man in question a few minutes later, and it only took him a few seconds to figure out what his relationship with the Dornish prince was. Renly had been in enough brothels when he was younger to know what boy whores looked like, how to recognise one. He'd had to find ways to occupy himself when Robert used to drag him along with him on his many trips to the whorehouses of King's Landing. He'd spent most of it talking to the girls, but he'd seen the boys, too.
When he opened the door to his chambers, Loras was already there. He was sat at the table, the vial of oil placed in the centre. Loras looked up at him, eyes slightly wide. Renly shut the door and stared back at him.
'I know what it's for.' They said simultaneously.
