Chapter 25: Enemies
I was drinking in the hall with Ned I was letting him in on my plans for Benjen and for once he was not against me agreeing it was a good idea in fact I think he would rather that then be a lord but I still thought he was the right man for the job even if he did not. It was good to be on the same side with him again.
I look at the doors as they opened, and Elia comes through walking quickly towards us with intent and an angry piercing look in her eyes. Catelyn is with her. Cat has a sort of disappointed look in her eyes it was the sharp turn of her lip that showed her anger. They were coming right towards us. I finally decided Elia and Cat being friends was very very bad for us.
"Please tell me they are angry at you." I told Ned before taking a drink.
"I really hope not." My brother says quietly reminding me of the shy little boy I remembered before I left for the rills.
"Brandon!" Elia calls halfway to me. "We need to talk."
I sigh, I know enough about women to know that what it looks like when you are in trouble with one.
Ned gets up. "STAY." Is the only word Catelyn has to say as she crosses her arms to let him know he is not out of the fire either?
While Catelyn is content to have it out then and there, Elia who is much more private leads me to our rooms anytime I try to help her she swats my hand away saying. "I am fine!" or "Don't touch me!" I know whatever I have done is a grave mistake but for the life of me I cannot figure out what it is. I have tried my best to take great care of Elia in her state. She was risking her life to bring life to my child I wanted to do anything I could to make her happy and comfortable, and it was not just duty driven, I had not thought I could possibly love her more and now she was bringing my child into this world and she never looked so beautiful.
Once inside our room she leans on a table and rests her breath is a little rugged and her eyes look heavy.
"Lay down sweetheart rest, you can be angry with me as soon as you wake up. If you forget I will remind you." I tease hoping to get a little smile from her she usually likes my teasing but instead she glares at me, but it turns so sad it looks like she is going to cry.
"How could you separate that woman from her baby after what Robert did to me, after you saw me suffer without my son how could you be so cruel Brandon!" She screams and cries.
My eyes shut tightly. "I did not want you to know about that." I admit it was not something she needed to worry about right now, I knew how hard Elia's pregnancies were so I have been trying to be attentive and helpful and make things as easy as possible for my wife and punishing the guilty was hardly something I wanted to concern her with.
"You did not want me to know!" She repeats my eyes open to see how angry she is. "You did not want me to know? Much like Eddard will not tell Catelyn about Jon. Apparently we are fit to carry your children but not fit to be trusted with the truth." She says her accent is always thicker when she is angry or in the throes of passion, usually it is hard for me to focus on being angry when she is yelling at me because of thoughts of the latter reason. Her words however were piercing to me, I felt the boil of my blood but the anger was gone as quickly as it came when I looked at her, I did not know how to be angry with her while she was making my child with her body. For once my anger was under control because I could not truly bare being angry to her even if she was angry with me.
"Elia you are not being fair." I say calmly deciding to try and be reasonable, Elia does it all the time. She excels at it I might as well give it a try.
"I am not being fair, you have taken a woman and her son prisoner, you try to separate them, and I am not being fair?" She shouts.
"Roose Bolton tried to hurt you Benjen said so, he tried to hurt you, my brother was almost beaten to death and just think what he would have done with our baby!" I tell her in a growl he I could be angry with all my days.
"Roose Bolton is dead, you are blaming a small boy and his mother for what he is done, like My children and I were blamed for Rhaegar, how could you separate a mother from her baby after what happened to me!" Elia cries her voice trembles a little at the end and it makes my heart ache.
"Because I know how effective it is and I wanted her to bend the knee quickly." I say and watch her horrified expression and I understand it, it was terrible but necessary.
"How Could you! How could you do such a horrible thing! How can you be so horrible!" She half cries half screams.
"I cannot show any hesitation on this Elia, I must make sure everyone sees what happens to anyone who crosses the Starks, so our baby is safe all its life just by the memory of how horrible I was." I tell her simply no matter how hard it is to hear Elia think I am horrible. That I am making her cry.
"What about Aegon." Elia asks whipping her face.
"I want my legacy to protect him too." I promise I move closer to her she looks up at me hard.
"How will you ever explain to him that you agree he should have been separated from me?"
"Not Aegon!"
"Oh, so it's different because you don't love the Bolton boy?" Elia asked.
"Yes! No! I don't know…"
"That's not good enough Brandon." Elia says sadly.
"He won't be a boy forever Elia." I remind her.
"Neither will Aegon, hopefully Robert Baratheon is more forgiving then you are." Elia says angry tears stream down her face as she moves past me. "I have been her Brandon! I have cried the same tears not knowing if or when they will kill my son the pain and fear! A kind of fear you never get over!" She shouts her legs tremble and she reaches out for me no matter how angry she knows I will protect her I rush forward and catch her as she begins to fall and pick her up in my arms. There is a moment where her body reacts to mine before her mind can remember she is angry; she is relaxed and comfortable in my arms before making herself tense up and eyes narrow, I carry her over to our bed.
"Please rest darling think of our baby, be angry with me later." I ask softly.
"I love your baby." Elia tells me softly she reaches for my hand and I am shocked, but I give it to her she moves it to her stomach. "It's not even here but I love it." She says and I smile.
"I do to." I tell her I cannot help but smile thinking about our baby, I feel like I just found out but it's odd thinking back to a time when I did not have this love, I cannot imagine how I will feel when it's here it was only a bump on Elia's stomach.
She grabs my hand. "She loves her baby just as much." Elia reminds me.
"It is my duty to protect you and our baby and if that means terrifying everyone so much, they never mess with my family that is what I will do." I tell her. "What would you have me do? Show them they can cross me and live unscathed?"
"I would have you remember what I told you when you left." Elia says. Her hand holds onto mine firmly. "Spare the innocent." She reminds.
I pull the blanket up around her before I move away. "I will have Myla bring you something to eat, Nan can take care of the children and Maestor Luwin shall check you out just to be safe." I tell her turning and going to the door.
"Do you know her?" Elia askes from our bed stopping me in my tracks.
"I know her sister better." I say not to hurt Elia, but it was true. "I have seen her at feasts especially in the rills, but I never spent much time with her."
"Before I went to find you, I went after her to make sure they were accommodated, this whole big castle and you have them on a bed of straw. I had Brina fetch pillows and Blankets, but I hardly think they will be any more comfortable." She says annoyed.
"Would having them in a room with a feather bed make you feel better?"
"No treating a woman and her child like prisoners would make me feel better." Elia says I turn back to her to see her moving and struggling.
"Are you uncomfortable?" I ask going to her trying to help.
"It's called being pregnant." She says.
"Can I help?" I ask softly she is annoyed something tells me it's because I am worried about my baby while a boy sleeps on straw.
"Can I use your pillow?" She asks finally.
I nod getting it for her.
"I am going to put it between my legs." She warns looking at me to make sure it is alright. Making me chuckle.
"I might be jealous." I say quietly it was the wrong choice as the little peace we had was in danger by the glare she gave me.
"I have never been less attracted to you." She tells me she throws the pillow at me not with any real force and I catch it against my chest.
"Even when you first met me?" I ask to get her talking.
"You did annoy me at first and I was a little afraid of you, but I knew you were very nice looking… so yes this is worse." She decided.
"I was nice looking before we met." I correct as I carefully put the pillow between her legs.
"I like how you look; it's how you are acting I find disgusting." She tells me angry anyone else would say that to me I would be furious but for the first time in my life there was someone I could not be mad at if I tried.
"How did you find Bethany?" I ask she looks at me suspiciously.
"Why?"
"I value your opinion." I tell her with a shrug, and she tries her best not to smile.
"She is intelligent either quiet from shyness or strategically I do not know. She seems strong and loves her son. She is fairer than her sister." Elia says my face must have shown my disagreement, Barbery could be mean as a wipe but she was beautiful her sister paled in comparison. She was a little too tall with a large nose, thin black hair and thick eyebrows.
"She is fairer in personality surely you can agree." Elia says annoyed.
"Barbarey was once meant a great deal to me and now she is also sleeping on a straw bed because she betrayed me out of spit." I remind. "I am going to leave so you can rest." I tell her.
"Find other sleeping arrangements tonight Brandon." Elia says she is doing her best to sound cold, but Elia is not naturally cold.
"I will, may I give the baby a goodnight kiss?" I ask and she nods I bend over kiss her belly a few times and whisper my love for it after all I am what I am to keep our baby safe.
I go to leave when I hear her.
"We are still married even if we are fighting you have to kiss me goodbye." She tells me and I smile this is a mercy my sweet wife is giving me and we both know it. "I don't feel like myself when I don't kiss you goodbye." I admit before kissing her I want a deep kiss to last but as soon as my lips start moving, she turns away.
I stand on the outside of her door for a while before barking orders to make sure Elia is as comfortable as possible.
As I walk past their room, I hear Catelyn yelling. "You cannot stand by and do-nothing Ned that is not the man I married you must tell him this is wrong!"
"Have you ever tried to tell Brandon anything?" Neds fights back I pass by quickly going into the lower hall where Benjen is standing leaning out the window and breathing deeply.
"What are you doing up?" I asked.
"Getting some much-needed air."
"You have had it lets go back to bed."
"I cannot stay in that bed any longer I will go mad." He tells me.
"If I take you on a breig walk will you stop bitching about being in bed." I ask and he grins widely.
"It is all together possible yet wildly unlikely. "He teases.
I help him on the stairs to his annoyance but the more we walk the better his walking is.
"Has Luwin mentioned any ravens for me?" Benjen asked.
"No are you expecting something."
"Well….I wrote Breana." He admits a blush appearing on his face.
"Elia thinks it might be a good idea for you to marry her?" I admit.
"What do you think?" He asks quickly.
"I am interested in what you think."
"I think the man who marries her will be so lucky but he will have more to offer then me."
"Her brother was thinking of marrying her to a second son."
"I am a third son."
"You are also about to be the master of arms at Winterfell." I tell him with a shrug.
"Really?"
"Oh yeah you are a good fighter, why do you think Ned and I stopped picking one you. We did not get nicer."
"I am young."
"You have experience."
"Experience failing." Benjen says letting his head hang down.
"So, do I we will learn best from failure." I promise.
"I could really marry her?" He asked hopefully.
"I want you to wait sew some oats and marry when you are 19 same as Ned but we can start on a betrothal. It is not easy being married Ben..." I promise.
"IS something wrong?" He asked worried.
"Don't worry about it."
"I am your brother Brandon talk to me." Benjen says and I smile.
"She is angry just like you were about how I have decided to keep our family safe." I tell him I would never forget how he looked at me with wisdom past his years. "Brandon you do not need to inspire fear, you already inspire so much love. Three important houses may have risen against you but the rest of the north rose for you they did not have to you could not force them to they did it because they love you and they will follow where you lead." He promises.
"How did you get so smart?"
"Elia probably." He said and I laughed he was soon tired but would not allow me to carry him so we went back to his room slowly taking breaks he was asleep before his head hit the pillow. It was a nice break from him complaining in this bed perhaps we would have to tire him out more often I thought before leaving.
I went to the tower cells I had them open a particular door for me. Bethany rose from her wooden chair and I watched her eyes fill with terror. "Domeric stay behind me." She tol her son back him up to the wall and standing Infront of him. "Don't take him!" She half demands half begs and I imagine those black eyes I love this distraught in kingslanding and felt great shame.
"I came to talk to you, close the door behind me." I tell the guard who does so. I sit she stays where she is protecting her son.
"Have you come for him? To end the Bolton line." She asked in a quiet shaky voice.
"My wife asked me to spare the innocent." I admit to her she is not eased by this at all.
"But men cannot listen to the frantic weak hearts of woman?" She says with distaste.
"Who told you that." I ask the boy makes a whinning noise.
"Lord Bolton almost constantly." She admits.
"My wife's heart is what makes her strong, Elia has an uncontested ability to love she is good, kind, and gentle. It is a Husband and Lords duty to make the hard choices accepting the credit and the blame for them." I tell her.
"Barbery is going to try to seduce you to be freed." She says she cannot look at me when she says it, she truly was shy like Ned was when he was a boy.
"Why are you telling me this."
"Because I would do anything for my sons freedom but I do not have the gifts of which to seduce you, nor the money to bribe you now that the rills has fallen, all I have to off is begging and groveling but I doubt you are the sort of man who enjoys that." Bethany says in a whisper.
"I am not."
"Would you allow Barbery to seduce you for my son's life?"
"Afraid not. I am married." I tell her and she nods.
"No, I suppose you would not that's why she rose against you for spurning her."
"Why did you rise against me, in defense of you sister?" I ask.
"I did nothing against you my lord and neither did my son, see Barbery is a widow and runs the Dustin house in her husband's name, I have no choices no voice I live to serve Roose he made that very clear." She says softly.
"Now you are a widow too, would you and your son swear fidelity pledges to the starks?" I ask and watch her eyes widen with hope.
"Yes! YES! We will wont we Domerick." Bethany says desperately.
"Yes mama." The boy says he is close to Aegon in age with dark hair and moon colored eyes so pale they are almost reflective.
"Your sister will have to answer for her crimes as your father and brothers have will that be a problem."
"They all made their choices this is the first time I have ever been given one, let us live lords Stark and I swear to you we will be your most loyal banner I will tell all who listen what a strong kind man you are!" She promises as loud as I have heard her speak.
"When the boy is older, he will be fostered at Winterfell." I decide.
"An honor." She assures.
"Let's find you and the little lord more fitting chambers." I tell her.
We talk and discuss the best course of action for some time before supper I dine at my desk to look over the books one less thing to worry Elia about and when I finally go to tell her what happened I find her sprawled across the bed finally sound asleep. I do not want to wake her, and I cannot get in bed without moving her, so I do infact go to sleep elsewhere. There are plenty of beds in Winterfell, but a maid would have to make one for me and I do not wish to bother them as they have taken such good care of Elia and the children lately.
I open the door to the nursery the three boys are tucked in their bed happily asleep I sit on the chair near the bed and kick my feet up on the bed. Aegon's eyes open and he sits up.
"It's only me." I promise.
Aegon Yawns and stretches he puts his wolf between Jon and Robb before getting out of bed and goes to the wardrobe and comes running to me with a knitted blanket.
"Thank you." I say as he crawls onto my lap.
"I sleep with you." He says.
"Okay let's get you good and covered." I tell him wrapping the blanket around him. "Night night." Aegon says softly. My eyes flutter and I find myself yawning.
I am in the throne room in the red keep but instead of my normal place in chains I am behind the crowd I push past them to see in all my dread and horror Benjen has the noose around his neck and is trying desperately to reach the sword screaming and coughing up blood as he strains to get it. He's my baby brother but he looks older with longer hair. "RICKARD!" Benjen yells I look over to see not my father but a young boy chained to a pyre he looks like me but with black eyes and my hear stills as he screams I want to run to him but I cannot move.
"YOU CANNOT DO THIS YOU CANNOT DO THIS BENJEN HOLLARS!"
"Uncle Benjen Don't let them burn me please!" The boy cries as the priest goes over with a jar of wildfire.
"YOU CANNOT DO THIS HE IS YOUR BROTHER AEGON!" Benjen screams I look up in horror as the man on the throne laughing is not the made king but Aegon, he is older and laughing like a mad man but he is handsome Aegon my Aegon with madness in his eyes and a laugh that chills me to my bone even when both Benjen and Rickon are dead he laughs.
I jump when I wake up and Aegon falls to the floor with a thud before he starts to cry.
Alright yall who is right Brandon or Elia? Did that Ending throw you off? Let me know all your thoughts and feelings reading your comments is the best part of my week! Thank you everyone for reading my story and sticking around so long I really appreciate it!
P.S I am starting a new Elia fanfic I am still paying attention to the poll I promise so if you want to help decide who I should write a story about go vote! If your choice is not up there pm me, I do not do OC's though since Elia is basically an OC with how little we know about her! Thanks again!