Wife of the Wolf, Husband of the Sun.
Book 2
Chapter One-Hundred and Twenty-Nine
Her hip was begging for mercy as Elia ascended the steps and she had to keep her hand tightly clenched around her weirwood walking stick because the pain was so great that if she did not then she was certain that she would lose her balance and tumble down the steps, and she could not have that. There were far too many problems, she did not need to add that with a broken hip.
She had thought that she would be glad to be back within the halls of the Red Keep after those final few days in Winterfell, when Ned had returned from the Wall without his brother that had set her teeth on edge and when the reason for it had come out Lysa had lost any composure she had and Elia had needed to help Minisa take over the running of the castle after Lysa had returned to her chambers and refused to come out.
Honestly, she had not been as annoyed with her as she had been with Benjen. She had known that it would be hard on him, she knew that marriage and Winterfell was not what he wanted but she had hoped that he would find his contentment in his new role, but perhaps that had been unfair of her, he had been a young man, barely more than a boy, when they had arranged the marriage to Lysa.
On paper it solved so many problems, but people so rarely followed good sense. And now Benjen was at the wall, playing at his boyhood dream while his daughter and her new husband had been forced to take up the rule before their time.
Gods, she wanted to slap someone.
A hiss of pain slipped through her teeth as she put too much weight on the step and she might have fallen then if not for the mailed hand of one of her Queensguard coming up to gently take her arm. "Your Grace, are you alright?"
Elia forced a smile on her face and tilted her head up to look at the knight. "I am fine Ser Waymar, thank you for your concern."
"Only my duty, your Grace," the young man said with a smile, Waymar Royce was a comely young man and Elia could imagine that many young women through out the realm would gladly have taken him for a wife if not for the fact that he was born too late in his family to inherit anything as the third son of House Royce and sixth child overall, he had been planned to go to the Night's Watch but Elia had seen his skill with a blade at a tourney in the Vale three years ago and so had offered his father a place for his youngest child in the Queensguard.
Lord Royce had been more than happy to accept the offer for his son and Ser Waymar had been happy to hear it as well, he would still hold no lands and have no children but he had a position of high honour without needing to freeze to death at the Wall. Of course, that was before she had known anything about the horrors from beyond the wall but by then it was too late to turn back.
It was an elegant solution, and Ser Waymar was a good and noble man and Elia wished too at least make sure that she had given men of his ilk some rewards for their honour, she had done many terrible things and while she knew that she could never truly make up for it at least it was something, a good man risen high so others could hope to emulate him.
She hoped to find another good man to fill the place that Ser Jaime had left absent, she did not know for certain that he was not going to come back of course but she had given him a task that was surely insurmountable for just one man.
It still hurt her heart to think on it, but she had little choice. Daenerys Targaryen was a threat that had to be dealt with, and she hoped to do it before the girl made her way to Westeros. She had an army at her back and three dragons, if it came to war then it was not a war that Elia was certain that they could win and even if they could how many would be turned to ash before they reached that victory.
And Jaime, the awful truth of it was that she could not trust him. She knew that he loved her but if it came to it she could not be sure that she could rely on him if it was his sister that was on the other side, if it was his niece or his nephew. Or his son.
She was not blind, when it came to Tygett there was nothing of Rhaegar in him, it was not a matter of colouring, Rohanne looked more like a Stark in the colour of her eyes and hair but Elia could still see herself in the shape of her eldest daughter's mouth and the way her eyes squinted when she was annoyed at something one of her sisters had said or done.
Tygett was all a Lannister, every inch of him. And he was gone, his escort to Oldtown had been slaughtered and there was no sign of him. She had a terrible suspicion where he was and while she had no proof of it, nor any way to find out if her suspicion was correct, it twisted in her gut and seemed like the only answer that made any sort of sense to her.
Tywin Lannister must have taken him, perhaps with the aid of Mace Tyrell or one of his bannermen, which suggested to her that he did not have Aemon which meant that he and his mother must have fled to across the sea, either to join up with his aunt in Slaver's Bay or to find his own army to bring to Westeros to try and wrestle the throne from them.
Too many golden dragons unaccounted for and she could not have a sword she could not trust within the halls of the Red Keep, Jaime had to go. Dismissing him from his position would have simply given him back to Lord Tywin and that was not a victory that she was about to give the Old Lion and he did not deserve to have his head stricken off to ensure her safety, and he deserved better than to be poisoned.
And so came her final task for him, a great quest for a knight from the Queen that he was sworn to serve that would take him halfway across the world, an end fit for a song. Jaime didn't know that she had no expectations of him coming back of course, but this was just the way it had to be.
Elia and Ser Waymar and her Uncle Lewyn, who also had the honour of guarding her that day, came to the top of the staircase and while she could just walk into the room that was waiting for her at the top, she was the Queen after all, she held back and instead knocked on the door and then waited for a response.
She did not have to wait long as the door was pulled open and Elia had to do her best to hide her fear when the red woman filled her sight, every bit of her really was red. Her hair, but not like any red hair that Elia had ever seen, her eyes were red as well and her skin was paler than cream and yet that simply made everything else that was red about her standout that much more.
"Your grace," the priestess said her, her voice perfect and lightly accented with the tones of the east as she fell into an effortless courtesy, "always a delight to see you, may I assume that you are here to see your son?"
"Yes," Elia would not let her discomfort at being in the presence of the other woman show, she was the Queen after all.
But what good would a crown do against one such as her? The stories those who had returned from the brothel that night had chilled her blood, she had been grateful to her at first of course as the red woman had saved her son's life, or had given him another chance at it if the truth was to be told.
But ever since Torrhen had been even more obsessed with the woman, Elia had heard from his twin, his friends and her own contacts that even before the attack that Torrhen had been attached to the woman, that he truly seemed to love her, and that had been a headache on it's own as when he had returned from Dragonstone with the red priestess and named her as his paramour she had truly hoped that it was just because he found her beautiful and was being a fool about it.
But now her son did not seem willing or able to be without Melisandre of Asshai for even a single second, he had tried to bring her to Winterfell for Jon and Minisa's wedding and it had only been through both Elia and Eddard's unrelenting refusal that he had given in, and if he was just her son then Elia would have simply let him be but alas he was not, he was the heir to the throne and they were surrounded on all sides by enemies. She could not coddle him.
"He is at prayer at the moment, but I am certain that he would be more than happy to put them to the side for the moment for you," Melisandre said with the same smile that always sent a shiver down Elia's spine, it was not false or hostile but there was something wrong about it all the same, like it did not fit her face.
Elia followed, with a word to her guards to wait for her outside the chamber for her return. She had been in her son's chambers before, they were large and grand as befitted the heir to the throne and Prince of Dragonstone but now they seemed as unfamiliar to her as her own son did as of late, thick and heavy red velvet drapes kept the room in red tinted darkness, fires burned in coal braziers that her son had commanded be kept lit all through the night and most of the day and there was a strange scent in the air that she could not place.
They found her son kneeling in front of one of the braziers, naked from the waist up and praying in Valyrian. Elia knew enough of the old language to know it was a prayer and that was not what she wanted to hear, before the incident at the brothel Torrhen had never been religious, he had always shown his face in the sept when it was needed but he never went to it in times of crisis or whenever else he might need solace and he did not keep his father's religion either, Ned had told her he never saw their son in the godswood.
She supposed that it made a certain kind of horrible sense, what else could so easily make someone a believer than a miracle? And her son being brought back from death after being murdered was certainly that, it was more than any of the other gods that were worshipped in Westeros had ever done, at least it was something that could not denied as something that had come from that god.
And King's Landing was a powder keg because of it, those who worshipped the Seven and those who followed the Old Gods now had to contend with a quickly growing number of followers for the Lord of Light and Elia could feel that they were moments away from chaos in the streets.
And the thing that might begin that chaos was if anyone learned that the heir to the throne, the future king, was one of those worshippers. Ned had been barely tolerated as ruler of the realm as someone who followed the old gods by the majority of the people and yet the Seven Swords were proof that there were plenty who were violently opposed to that rule simply because of who her husband decided to pray to.
How much worse would it get now?
"Mother," her son spoke gently and rose to his full height, a half dozen red gashes on his chest that did not bleed and yet did not close and it was another reminder that her son had not been saved, he had been brought back from the beyond and that thought made her want to scream. "It is always a delight to see you."
Elia said nothing, simply went over to Torrhen and wrapped her arms around him. Gods, when had he gotten so tall? He was warm at least, it did not feel like she was hugging a corpse, that was something at least. "I thought that I would come and tell you myself that there had been a raven from Sunspear, Arya had arrived and is already settling in, she seems to be enjoying it."
It had still hurt to let go of her, as it had been with Brandon when he had been sent to the Vale and Sansa when she had been sent to Bear Island, she knew it had to be done of course and it should have been done earlier but neither she and Ned had been willing to let any of their children go until they had no other choice.
"I am glad to hear it," Torrhen said with a smile and the sight of it warmed Elia's heart, it had always been a worry for her that her older children and the younger ones would not be as close and it was a worry that she had always doubly had when it came to Torrhen as he had been sent to Dragonstone, and yet it turned out that she need not have worried as all their children had so much love in their hearts for one another, petty jealousies aside.
"And yet, I cannot help but think that is not the only thing you have come to tell me, you could have told me that over breaking our fast, there is something else mother." Elia could have responded with the fact that he had not attended any meals with their family since he had died so coming to tell him might be the only way he could know but she did not say that as in truth he was right.
"It is high past time you were settled, you father and I have discussed it and we are arranging for you to be wed to Lady Desmera Redwyne," Elia watched her son as the news sunk in, the surprise came first and then the confusion and then the anger came right after it.
"I confess that I am surprised by this mother, you have not spoken of any attempt to marry me to anyone since my promise to Lady Margaery was reigned on."
Elia supposed that was fair, his betrothal to Margaery Tyrell had been planned and set in motion since he was a child after all and yet it had never actually gotten to that stage as she and Ned had rejected the official offer from Lord Mace, politely of course and there had been plenty of concessions given to the Reach in terms of taxes in order to sooth the sting but she imagined that none of the Tyrells had forgotten it.
"I am well aware of that my love, and yet I hoped that I have raised you with enough wisdom to know that you were going to have to be married at some point and Lady Desmera is a fine match for you and will make a finer queen," and the news that Lord Redwyne had consented to the match would hopefully cause Lord Mace some pain that his friend had turned on him and Lady Olenna to stew in rage that her birth family had defied her.
Paxter Redwyne might have been Mace Tyrell's oldest friend but he was also a powerful lord in his own right, and what was friendship when the thought of a grandson as king was a possibility? The man had agreed to it, along with the loosening of some taxes when it came to the importing of his wine, and Elia had been more than happy to agree even if the thought of there being more of that yellow piss the men of the reach called wine out in the world made her shiver.
Torrhen was frowning and he never looked more like his father than he did in that moment, "I will not send Melisandre away."
"You must."
"In Dorne there is nothing wrong with having a paramour, Uncle Oberyn has one and he is a man at that."
"We are not in Dorne," Elia pointed out and then sighed. "And you have enemies enough as it is, you do not need to give anyone anymore reason to do so." She bite her bottom lip. "Would you at the very least consider sending her to Dragonstone? Many lords and princes have lovers, but most of them had the decency to keep them out of sight."
"I will not-
"I accept that," Elia had almost forgotten that the subject of their conversation was still there, there was an almost amused smile on her face and that made Elia feel like something was running over her spine. "I would certainly not wish to cause any distress between you and your future wife my prince, I shall return to the island and will wait on your pleasure."
Something was wrong. Elia could feel it, like she had somehow given Melisandre of Asshai what she had truly wanted all along and yet Elia could not retract the offer now or Torrhen would refuse to go along with it, he might even flee back to Dragonstone of his own will and the last thing that any of them needed was there to be division within the family itself.
Not for the first time she wished that she could just kill the woman, she had tried already. Elia had asked Tyene to prepare a poison and place it in the priestess's cup during a feast while the family was away in the North for the wedding and when Elia had returned she had found that not only was the red woman still alive but Tyene was utterly terrified.
"I prepared the poison auntie, one that would bring on a quick and painless death just as you bid me, and I put it in her goblet and I watch her drink it dry. She did not die, it should have killed her within moments of drinking but it didn't!" Elia had tried to comfort her, to suggest that perhaps she had placed the poison in the wrong cup or that she had gotten the amount of herbs wrong but even to her own ears the excuses had sounded weak and Tyene refused to try again.
"You do not have to go," Torrhen insisted and Elia had to fight back a sigh as she saw the love in his eyes when he looked at her, she had already been his paramour when they had come together from Dragonstone, how much more devoted to her was he now that she had brought him back to life?
"I think that I must, my prince," the red woman smiled at him then and cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing over it. "I shall prepare to leave on the morrow."
And that would seem to be that, Elia was not prepared to push her luck and she had much more that needed to be attended too and so she took her leave then, but once she was outside asked her Uncle to go and make certain that a ship was prepared to carry Melisandre to Dragonstone while she had Ser Waymar escort her to her husband's solar to wait for his return.
She sent for a pitcher of dark ale with half a lemon squeezed in it and placed it on Ned's desk and it seemed that was the right decision as when Ned came back he slammed the door of the solar, stalked over to the desk without say anything to her and pour a mug of the ale and swallowing it down before pouring himself another one before he finally looked at her.
"Well?" Elia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The high septon was perfectly courteous," Ned spat with barely disguised venom that Elia knew was a sign that his patience was nearing it's end. "He spoke of what an unexpected pleasure it was to see me within the sept of Baelor and while he of course understood my concern that I had he could not, in good faith, allow me to disturb Septa Lyarra's confinement lest it disturb her commune with the gods, he said much the same when I asked about Rhaenys."
"Elia, I don't think that they are there," Elia sighed heavily, she feared much the same and yet there was no way to prove it yet. It had been difficult to make friends among the faith.
"I think you're right, what do you want to do?"
Ned finished his second cup and placed it down on the table, his eyes had hardened to the colour of ice. "I want to take direct control of the city watch and storm the sept, I want to see with my own eyes that our daughter and Rhaenys are both in there and safe and if they are then I will be the first to apologise to the high septon and if they are not then I want to punish them as traitors should be punished, with their heads on spikes but not before they tell me what they've done with them."
Her love sighed then and poured himself a third cup. "And this is the part where you tell me why I should not do that."
Elia sighed heavily and poured herself her own cup of ale, she much preferred wine in most circumstances but right now she would take any drink in a storm. "I feel just as you do my love, but if we are wrong then we've just attacked the Faith for no reason and how many enemies will we have made in a single action, how bad will the riots in the streets be? The faith were a terrible enemy to Maegor the Cruel and he had a dragon and yet he could never fully get ride of them."
"I will not do nothing love, they have our daughter."
"I am not asking you too," Elia rose to her feet. "But there are other battles that need to be fought, Tygett is missing as well now and Aemon could be at his aunt's side or raising an army of his own and the fact that Rhaenys seems to be missing as well and none of this can be ignored. But if we make the wrong move too early then this could end with our daughter's head being sent to us in a box, I will not risk that."
Ned sighed heavily and nodded. "So what do we do?"
"We hunt our enemies down, someone must have seen something or heard something if Lyarra and Rhaenys have been moved. Even just a raised voice, we find that person and we might just find them. We then get them back here, both of them, and they can tell us both in their own words what happened," Elia moved to step around the desk and cupped Ned's face, pressing her lips gently to his. "And when we know that, what happens next is very simple."
"And what is that?"
"We make them them pay for it."
End of Chapter One-Hundred and Twenty-Nine
Sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoyed it!
With a ton of love and warmest regards,
DiscordantSymphony