Chapter Four
A/N: Thank you to TMI Fairy, magnus374 and Guest for reviewing.
A cool breeze whistled through the air, the breath of the Seven, as the smallfolk called it. 'It seems they do not have the same fury toward the Westerlands as they do the capital.' Rhaegar considered, watching the small ripples on the otherwise still water. It was not difficult to imagine elements of King's Landing the Gods might consider unsavoury when they were present in every which direction he could care to look.
Rhaegar had always found the seaside calming, something in the consistency of the waves he supposed. No matter the weather, no matter the size, the waves would reach the shore over and over again. Even his father could not command them to do otherwise.
His father's commands, for once in his life, offered Rhaegar hope, that he might escape the terrible situation he found himself facing. His mother was fully in favour of the idea, thrilled at the prospect of two such noble families being joined at last in blood. That was the argument she always used when questioned, but the prince suspected she was more thrilled at the prospect of a royal child being born only half Targaryen.
Rhaegar remembered the blazing argument he had had with his mother, prior to their departure to Casterly Rock. He had screamed at her, refusing outright to marry a child, a maid not yet flowered, but she had dismissed all his concerns as nonsense. There was no argument to be had, the queen had claimed. The marriage would go ahead.
The prince sighed once again at the thought of that pretty, intelligent young girl. Lady Cersei was an innocent, strange enough for a daughter of Tywin Lannister, still believing in the tales of Florian and Jonquil as a code by which to live her life. Such an innocent would never survive life in King's Landing, no matter much he would try to shield her. It would be her destruction.
Rhaegar turned his attention to the city sat a little way along the coast. Lannisport was enough of a distance away from the castle that the bustle of trade would not interrupt the nobles' lives, but close enough that its lord could observe its activities. Knowing Lord Tywin, he imagined it was a compromise of great benefit.
Even from this distance, young men could be seen loading and unloading ships in the harbour, young women selling flowers or tending children. He envied them, truthfully. Those young people were a law unto themselves, only limited by their ambition. They would wed for love, bear children who would play and laugh and grow to have the same freedoms their fathers had enjoyed. They would never know the burden of responsibility, the helplessness of a forced alliance, the pain of knowing their children would be consigned to the same fate. It was a petty comparison to make, Rhaegar knew- the smallfolk had their share of troubles, a far greater share than the nobles- but he could not help himself.
The tourney would last another week, followed by a fortnight on the road back to King's Landing. That gave the prince three weeks to convince his father of his argument and deduce how to do the same for his mother. All he needed was to borrow time until he could think of a better plan: it was easier not to think of the enormity of the task.
Suddenly, a figure appeared on the road to the city. It was a girl, judging by the size of her, and from the cut and fabric of her dress she was a lowborn, probably a kitchen maid. Rhaegar's mind had always worked so slowly, taking the time to appreciate details and stitch together the tapestry of events. The girl must have moved a hundred feet before he realised she was running.
Rhaegar stood from his perch on the rock, making his way across the beach towards the path. The girl was stumbling, her head jolting over her shoulder every few moments to make sure she was not being followed, a gesture that must have hurt her greatly judging by the weight of her hood. Someone must be following her, perhaps she had stolen something- Rhaegar cursed himself again. His father had always taught him to assume the worst of the common people. And he was not his father.
He had barely crossed a few feet of the beach before the girl disappeared into the shadow of the castle. In her haste she even ran to the main water gate, not to the servants' entrance around the base of the rock. She would pay for such a transgression with a whipping, but if she was in the kind of danger she seemed to be, Rhaegar imagined that would be a decent price to pay.
'Who could have frightened her so?' Rhaegar wondered, and his mind at once went to Cersei. The girl must have been the same age as Lannister's daughter, perhaps a year or so apart, and yet their lives could not have been more different. Lady Cersei could call in her father's guards to protect her from any threat, no violent master or groping drunk could come within ten paces before being struck down. This girl had nothing.
Rhaegar considered calling out to the girl, offering her his protection, but he did not know who could be listening. Oftentimes trying to help in these situations could do more harm than good. Instead, the prince returned to his chambers and readied himself for bed. The tournament would continue on the morrow and the crowds would surely question why the invincible prince went tumbling to the dirt in his first morning ride. The last thing he wanted was to give his father a reason to turn against him.
As Rhaegar drifted off to sleep, his last thought was of two young girls. The girl who had run from Lannisport, her innocence marred by a difficult life, and his future bride, whose innocence was soon to follow the same path.
A/N: I know this chapter's a bit slow, but I wanted to show Rhaegar's thoughts on the match with Cersei. More drama to come in the next chapter, promise! Please review!
