Mychel

He placed another kiss on her full lips before he took her again.

On the morrow they would finish their journey back to Redfort, and he decided he would enjoy her as much as he could before they had to face his father.

Even though he was a fourth son, his father had forbidden him from marrying her. She was a bastard, that was true, but a king's bastard. Her birth didn't matter to him though, just that she was beautiful.

Since their wedding, she had worn more silks of a proper lady, and less of the leathers that she often wore, which had made her seem even more beautiful to him. But she looked best as she was now, when she was naked in bed with him.

After he spilled his seed within her, they laid next to each other for some time, until Mya spoke to him. "You should get some rest Mychel."

"On the morrow… Perhaps it would be best if you remain here for some time, while I speak to my father first," he said, thinking about how it would go. If his father had not approved of a match between them when he was a fourth son, he certainly would not approve now.

She shook her head though. "You worry too much."

"I worry when I should," he countered. "Telling father that I took our visit to Winterfell as a means to wed you is not like to please him."

"No… But this might," she said, moving his hand to her belly. "He may not like me, but when he learns that I am with child-"

"-You're with child Mya?" He said, stopping her before she could say any more, and she nodded, smiling.

Mychel smiled too, and he placed a kiss on her lips again. He drifted off to sleep happily, feeling her warmth as he did.

When he woke the next morning, he found that Mya was already dressed, and ready to leave, and quickly began to do the same. It was not long before he was ready for the day, dressed in proper garb.

Their ride to the castle took most of the day, and the sun was beginning to set in the west when they finally arrived. Thrice they had stopped to eat, and several more times to rest. He didn't want to ride Mya to exhaustion before they made it there, and when they finally could see the castle, they changed out of rider leathers into more proper garb to greet his father in.

Redfort had been the ancient seat of his house for thousands of years. It was said that the stone that it was built from used to be red once, though whatever traces of it's red had long faded. Though it wasn't red, the castle could lay claim to being the largest castle in the Vale, at least thrice the size of the Eyrie. It's walls had many towers, where their banners hung, a red castle on a white field. Inside there was a single main keep as well, surrounded by other smaller keeps and towers.

Mychel and Mya walked their way through the castle, him spotting people he hadn't seen in some time, though he didn't go to greet them. He needed to speak with his father first.

They walked together to the Main Keep, looking for his father. He checked several spots he thought he might find him, but in the end they found him in his solar, brooding silently over a letter in the dim candle light.

His father was a shorter man, and old, his hair that had once been red now completely grey. But there was a sadness to him now that Mychel had never seen before, even when he left. The gods were cruel to take my brothers before him, just as they had been cruel to take his wives.

"Mychel?" He asked his voice a mix of suspicion, wonder and confusion. "Why have you returned?"

For a moment he wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't truly gone North to join with Stark's host, so much as he had to be with Mya. "We weren't able to win the Starks to join us in removing Lady Lysa," he told his father.

Mychel couldn't tell what his father thought about that. He supposed it was a folly of sorts, hoping that they would, but it was a disappointment all the same.

"You didn't tell me that you were bringing her with you," Lord Horton replied, pointing to Mya. There was an anger on his father's face that Mychel had never seen before.

"I wed her," Mychel told him, deciding it best to simply tell his father, and not wait.

The words did not please him though. "Leave us," father ordered Mya, and she did as she was bid with no protest. Mya walked out of the hall, holding herself high as she did, and when she was gone, it was just Mychel and his father.

"I did not give you my leave to wed here," his father said once she was gone. "I forbid you from marrying her even."

"What is done is done," Mychel said. They had been wed in the Sept of Winterfell, even if it was a smaller ceremony than should have been customary, it had been done.

"No… I did not give you my leave… You are not wed unless I allowed it, and I didn't."

"She is with child, father," Mychel insisted. Mya may not have been highborn, but so far she had proven fertile at least, which he knew that his father had struggled with for some time.

"Then impregnated the bastard with one of your own. You ought to apologize to her for your folly then. And be quick about it, on the morrow, she will be sent away, while I find you a proper bride."

"Father-" He started to protest.

"-I forbid you from seeing her and you disobeyed me."

Mychel stormed out of the hall, trying to find Mya. He didn't know what he would do now.

It was Mya he wanted to see, to be with again. They were married, man and wife, from this day until the end of their days, surely father could not break that.

He found her just outside of the keep, waiting for him. She is worth more than her name. Stone her name was, the name given to highborn bastards in the Vale, but he didn't care for that.

"Mychel… What happen?" She asked when she saw him, but Mychel only took her arm, and began to walk with her. He wanted to run away from the castle. We could live together. I could give up my claim like Prince Duncan the Tall did. We could run away with one another and live amongst the common folk, where his father would never find them. Domeric would give us refuge at the Dreadfort for a certainty. He knew it was folly though. His father would not allow him to leave and would track them down if they did.

After some time he realized he was leading her to his bedchambers. The one he had when his brothers still lived.

He wasn't sure if it was still his bedchamber, but when he opened the door he saw all of his things remained.

She closed the door behind him, and they sat together on the bed. "What happened Mychel?" She asked again.

"Father… He said that he did not allow the wedding… He's going to send you away, as though our marriage didn't happen," Mychel told her. He ran his hand through her coal black hair, before placing his hand on her skin.

She placed his hand on her belly. "What of our son?" She asked, her voice sounding a little nervously.

"He said that our son would be a… a..." He couldn't bring himself to say the word, not in front of her.

"A bastard like me?" She asked. He could see there was a tear in her eye, the first time he had ever seen her cry.

He wanted to assure her that it would be alright, that he would care for their son, and keep her close, but he couldn't. Father would no doubt send her far away, where he wouldn't be able to find her, and forbid him from ever returning.

Mychel couldn't stand the thought of losing her and their son together. Domeric was gone and his brothers were dead already. They were all he wanted. "We could run away," he offered.

Mya only shook her head. "No Mychel… You're the heir to Redfort… I was always below you but now. I'm sorry… We should never…" She started to cry a little.

If he was crying too, he didn't know, but he pulled her on top of him, and placed a kiss on her forehead. It was a sad kiss, but it was all he could give her at this point.

Mychel wished he could do more to ease their woes, but it seemed there was nothing. "Would you be able to raise our son?" She asked, nervously.

He knew that the words must have been difficult for her, that she would want to raise her son too, but here at Redfort he would be the Lord's Grandson, while with her he would just be a bastard's bastard. He shook his head. "My father says that he will send you away on the morrow." Somewhere that I won't be able to find you ever most like. "I'm sorry…"

Mya nodded. "When your father finally dies I will return," she promised.

Mychel couldn't stand the thought and shook his head. "He's my father…" He said. Though he wouldn't allow Mychel to stay married to her, he was still his father.

If this was to be their last night together, he didn't want to focus on what would come after. He started to undress her, pulling off the red silk dress that she wore.

When she was out of her dress, he started to undress himself too, but she took his hands. "No…" She whispered.

He looked over her. She seemed more womanly now, her breasts were bigger, and he noticed that her belly was even a little swollen that he hadn't noticed before. But when he looked into her deep blue eyes he could still see a sadness there.

"I want you to promise me Mychel… Promise me that you will come and find me."

"I promise Mya… I promise that I will find you," he said. "By the gods I will find you."

He wasn't certain how well he would be able to keep his promise, but he didn't have a choice. She is my wife, no matter what father says.

Mya kissed him, and began to unlace his breeches. Before long he was naked too, and he fucked her in his own bed. Something about it seemed to make it feel better than everywhere else they had been together, but it felt more bitter too.

She shuddered when he spilled his seed in her, and then began to push him off of her. Mychel laid beside her in the bed, wondering why the gods had been so cruel to make her be below his station, and why his father was so cruel to separate them.

It was not just her that he was losing, but their son too, which made it even more painful.

When he fell asleep, his dreams were of Mya. In truth, he wasn't sure that he was dreaming that night, but he must have fallen asleep at some point though.

When he woke the next morning, she was gone.

Mychel thought to look for her at first, but he knew it would be hopeless. She wasn't likely in the castle anymore, and was on her way to some place much further off. Instead, he simply wept for the wife and son that had been taken from him.

Author Notes:

So before anyone asks about how with Mychel in the Vale this impacts Alyssa's POV status, she'll still be sparsely used. She has one POV chapter rather deep into this one, but that's about it.

And yeah…. Horton isn't quite being the best pappy here, but then again, his three eldest sons are dead, and his only (born) grandchild is currently a hostage of the Lannisters in King's Landing.

Hope you enjoyed it, and of course, thank you for all your interactions.