Arya still had not forgiven the Prince.
As Iona approached King's Landing - that was the last of her concerns. To the Prince's delight (and not having much other choice with his unrelenting badgering about it), she rode on his horse, clinging onto him.
Her arms were tight around his waist, and the closeness of the pair made the crowds gasped as the horse trotted towards the Red Keep. This was unheard of, and quite frankly inappropriate for an unmarried couple. Iona and Joffrey could not care less about their opinions.
These people would one day be their people, and they would have to accept their ways and rules. With such high statuses, they could do as they so desired.
They revelled in the gasps and attention that they got. Joffrey leant back into Iona, and she held him tighter.
She made sure to smile warmly at the people as she passed.
In their weeks of travelling, Iona had grown very fond of the Prince, and had learnt how he worked and behaved. It would be soon that she would start to sort him out.
For now, she was mesmerised with the city. This was so much better than she could have ever imagined. Everything was so beautiful and grand. This was her home now.
Slowly, under the lead of the hound who rode not so far in front of them, they came to a stop. In front of the red Keep there were no crowds - they had all been cleared for the Royal family's safety. Quickly checking if anyone was looking, Iona placed a light but lingering kiss on his neck, almost on his collarbone. Joffrey froze but quickly relaxed and climbed off the horse, to assist his Lady. She took his hand, revelling in the look he gave her. Together they left, and Joffrey was allowed to escort her to her chambers - with an escort of course.
That escort, was as expected, the Hound.
"Mother has asked for my presence in the Throne room. I shall call for you later, my love."
She smiled graciously and watched his retreating back. She sat on her new bed as servants carried trunks of items in.
Over the last few weeks, he had insisted on calling her 'love', to show his affection for her to the world. Sansa was not pleased by it.
Though Iona did not show it, she loved it.
When the last trunk was put down, before they could start unpacking, she called for them to leave.
Her room had been placed not far from Joffrey's - and there was an obvious reason for that. There was an issue though... How would they access each others rooms without getting caught?
Iona had her bets on secret passage ways. Making sure the door was shut and locked, she began to explore. The walls were decorated with tapestries, and behind each and everyone of them, she pushed and shoved the walls.
Pushing against the penultimate wall, she felt a little give. She pushed and shoved as hard as she could, and finally the door opened. It led into passage ways just as she had predicted. They were too dark to be able to do anything.
Instead of going back for a light, like a normal person would, she titled it an adventure, and used her hands to feel along the walls. Taking careful, small steps she edged her way around.
On their way through the castle, Joffrey had pointed out his room. All she had to do was figure out how to get to it from the exit she'd taken. Running over the directions she had taken in her head (this skill had developed from her hunting), she was able to guide herself through the doors until she found a door.
She tugged on it relentlessly for a few minutes before it finally came free.
Please, let this be his.
She tentatively walked in, not closing it behind her in case she had to make a quick escape.
The room entertained a four poster bed, and on the wall opposite was a mounted crossbow. She was quite positive that this belonged to Joffrey.
Taking a risk, she sat on the edge of the bed - awaiting his return. She could not be sure that he would come back to his room - and she was not sure that it was his, but she sat calmly upon it anyway.
After what felt like hours, the door opened and Joffrey strolled in, and Iona sent a silent prayer to the Gods.
At first he did not notice her, but when he did, he froze - not realising who it was.
"How did you get in here?" He approached her calmly, taking her hands in his.
"If I tell you, will you promise not to overreact?"
He said nothing but tilted his head.
"I found a secret passageway that leads from your room to mine. I thought that we could use it to..."
"A secret passageway? In the walls?"
"Yes. Looks as if no one has used them in years. They are ours to use."
She could see the worry in his eyes but said nothing.
"You know, my Prince - that it is so warm, here in the south, that I could not bring myself to wear small clothes under my gown today." Iona noted innocently.
He swallowed, and choked slightly. "Oh."
Iona enjoyed his innocence. It was easy to forget that he was just a boy. Then again, she was just a Lady. However, by the sounds of it, she had been much more exposed to the sexual world than him.
For the sake of a complete marriage, she had remained a virgin, but she had also wandered through brothels or stumbled into them during adventures.
It was normal to her - it was not something to hide; at the end of the day, it was a natural thing.
She put a hand on the back of his neck and tugged him down towards her. She shuffled back, bringing him with her until he was resting above her.
Lightly, she reached up and placed a kiss upon his lips. As she pulled away, she saw that his eyes were still closed.
That was better than what she had expected.
It was not long before Joffrey leant down to kiss her again - this time more passionately and heavily.
She played with the hair at the nape of his neck and pulled away to speak, smirking and breathless.
"Was that worth the wait?"
As Joffrey opened his mouth to speak, there was a knock on his door.
Hastily he called, "Wait! Do not enter."
Her eyes wide, but grinning, she clambered from underneath him.
"You said you would call for me. I will be waiting in my chambers." She called, and with a fleeting glance, she disappeared back into the passageways.
