It had taken a month for the ship to reach Sunspear. At first, they had sailed in the Blackwater Bay towards Driftmark, the ancient seat of House Velaryon; then the ship had turned South, sailing past Tarth and Shipbreaker Bay. Laerio, the captain of the ship, felt safe only when they had passed Cape Wrath and the island of Estermont, reaching the remains of the Broken Arm.
For the entire trip, the Princess had been very silent. She spent most of the days in her cabin with the children, playing with Rhaenys or telling her stories while Aegon slept in her arms. The captain did not allow any of them to set foot on earth, the ship never stopping. It had been carefully prepared, with supplies of fresh water and food for the whole trip, the whole crew knowing it would be too dangerous to stop in any city before they reached Dorne. Everyone prayed that they did not encounter storms, so that they would not be forced to interrupt the voyage to repair the ship.
They were lucky, however. The worst weather they had got was some rain, but no proper storms, and good enough wind for them to make a pretty quick pace. Jaime was not an expert of travels by ship, but he knew the risks that could bring. The southernmost place he had been before this trip had been the Kingswood, but he could not say this voyage had been planned.
As they approached Dorne, the sun became hotter and hotter, stronger than what he was used to in King's Landing. The Princess seemed to like the heath, taking the occasion to sit outside for some hours with her children, but she did not look happy. Of course. She lost her husband, and now she is on the run. Her life is in danger, and so are her children. In silence, he sat by her side, and she did not seem to object.
For a moment, he dared to look at her, the way he had never dared to when she was a Princess, and he a knight of the Kingsguard. Everyone said she was beautiful, but he had never really realized it until he saw her now, dressed in the simple linen they had given her. With her hair undone and without jewels on her neck and wrists, he could see the woman behind the Princess. She is different from Cersei. Where the lioness was fair, Elia was dark, a woman grown where his sister had still the freshness of a maiden. The thought made him uncomfortable, and he pushed it away. He missed Cersei, and that was the only regret he had. For a moment, he wondered if he would ever see her again, his other half.
"Why?" The Princess asked, after moments of silence, her hands combing the wisp of silver blonde hair on Aegon's head as the newborn slept in her lap. A few meters away, Rhaenys sat with the kitten in her arms, petting the poor animal until Balerion would meow and claw at the little girl. Small wonder the child had marks all over her hands.
For a moment, he was confused by her question, but then he understood what she meant. He sighed slightly, shaking his head, and before his eyes he could still see his King lying dead on the ground at the feet of the Iron Throne.
"It had to be done." Jaime's reply was too evasive for her tastes, and Elia furrowed her brow.
"Why?" She asked again, her voice growing a bit sterner as she asked the question a second time.
"It was a promise between me and the Prince." The promise to keep his family safe and well, to protect them from Aerys' folly. I have kept it.
"Rhaegar made promises to me as well." Her answer was impulsive, and Jaime could hear a note of anger in her voice as she spoke. He decided to ignore it, lowering his eyes and not knowing what to say. Promise of love, of happiness and respect. The promise to come back to her, when the war would be over.
"He… saw things, he said. Visions, things like that." She continued, her eyes now looking far away, to the blue of the sea. "Do you think he knew…?" She did not complete the sentence, but Jaime knew what she wanted to ask. Did he know that he was going to die at the Trident? Did he know that the Stark girl would cause a war? He shook his head.
"I do not know." He replied, sincerely, and she nodded in a sign that she understood. She did not ask anything more, and Jaime was thankful for that.
"I am very grateful for what you did for us, Ser Jaime." He did not know what to say to that. It had been rushed, and a decision made on the spur of the moment, but he did not regret it… he was silent, not knowing what to say, and Laerio intervening only got him away from an embarrassing situation.
"That is Sunspear." The captain pointed with his index finger to the coast, and Elia rose to her feet more quickly than Jaime would have thought. In the distance, he could distinguish a thin line that was the coast, and on the left side of a river there was the city. Sunspear's outline was elegant, all tall, slender towers that reminded Jaime of fingers. The bright points that he saw were the domes, reflecting the light of the sun as they approached the dock, Elia told him.
It did not take long for them to reach the quay, and Jaime was not surprised that there was no crowd to welcome them. They could not exactly celebrate the arrival of the Princess, and all of them needed to reach the safety of the palace as fast as possible. Laerio supervised as they set foot on earth, as if he was afraid there would be an army to welcome them. Elia had the prudence to cover her head with a scarf, and made Rhaenys disguise herself as well while the mother carried Aegon.
When they set foot on earth, a man Jaime did not know approached them, but Laerio did not seem wary of him, as if the two knew each other. The stranger was a tall man, with broad shoulders and fair of hair, and did not wear any armor. Yet, on his back he carried an axe that would be as tall as Jaime.
"Areo… Prince Doran told me he would send you." Laerio greeted, a cheerful note in his voice, but the other man's face was stern. His eyes were fixed on Elia and the children, and he ignored the captain to walk towards them. He bowed his head respectfully towards the Princess, who smiled at him.
"Princess." Elia apparently did not share the love for formalities, and wrapped her free arm around the man in a hug. He returned it, but after a few moments pulled back, looking at unease.
"We must go, Your Grace. It is not safe here." The Princess nodded, while Rhaenys looked at the man from a safe distance, the cat still curled up in her arms. At a gesture of Areo's hand, a small group of men came forward, bringing a palanquin, which Jaime supposed was destined for Elia and the children.
"Ser Jaime, this man is Areo Hotah. A… dear friend." Elia was the one to introduce the two, as Laerio made sure that his crew brought down everything that would be needed. Areo did not seem particularly surprised by Jaime's presence, but looked at him as if he did not approve of something. After a moment, he took the scarf from his neck and offered it to the knight.
"Cover your head. The sun is strong, and you do not want others to see your face." Jaime did not approve of others giving him orders, but after a moment of hesitation he used the fabric to cover his hair and face, mumbling a "thank you".
"I leave you here. You are safe now." Laerio looked proud of what he had done, even more so since the trip had been a dangerous one. They took a few minutes to thank the man and say their farewells, but then Areo urged them on. It was not safe to stay there, and the King's eyes reached as far as Dorne.
Some of the men helped Elia and the children into the palanquin and closed the curtains, while others took what little luggage they had with them. Jaime could have sworn he heard someone chuckle after seeing the sack his armour was in, but pretended not to care, simply not knowing what would be so amusing.
Areo and Jaime walked side by side to reach the seat of house Martell, but the other man was silent. His eyes scrutinized the street they were walking in, making sure that no one would get too near to the palanquin, and Jaime was thankful for the help. His own sword was in its sheathe, and the knight was ready to use it, though he found it unlikely.
"Who are you exactly?" Jaime asked after a few minutes of walking side by side. The man's silence was beginning to unnerve him.
"Areo Hotah. Captain of Prince Doran's guards." The other explained briefly. That explained everything. Now, Jaime felt much more at ease.
Author's note
About the line of succession thing: I checked the facts about Baelor and Aerys, and according to A Word of Ice and Fire, both Baelor's father and Baelor's sons died in the epidemy after Baelor's own death. This means that Aerys I became king, even if he was a second son, but it does not tell clearly who would have been heir if Baelor's sons had lived. I based myself on what would be plausible in my eyes, and I made people call Elia "Queen Regent" because she would be the Regent of the King, hence having the power of a Queen, though I am not very sure of it.
As for Jon Arryn, I did not mean to make him sound evil or anything like that. I just think he is a smart man, and he simply realizes that Elia and the children have to die because they are a threaten to Robert's throne. He does not like it, he does not appreciate it, but it has to be done. He knows that Lannisters are ""evil"", and that is exactly why he suggests Robert to marry Cersei - this way, Tywin would be an ally and not an enemy. As for making Elia look like a martyr, it would still be more dangerous to have her alive, since according to Dornish law she has a claim to the Throne by marriage. Better a martyr than another civil war, in his eyes.
Barristan, in that scene in the last chapter, was putting his duty before his own moral compass. He does not approve, but at the same time he does not feel it is his place to go against the new King.