"If you tell anyone what you just heard, I will kill you. " the Kingslayer warned to his six-year-old nephew who was looking at him terrified, "Do you understand, boy? "
"Y..Yes," the boy responded, trembling, while his uncle grabbed him by his shirt with his right hand, while holding a dagger with his left hand surrounding the boy's neck.
After looking at him for a few seconds and being sure that the boy was not lying, he let him go and left.
The young prince stood still for a few moments and then headed to the spar yard. He took one of the training swords and began practicing with the castle's Master of Arms until he left and the young prince was left alone, beating the training dummy using the techniques that his father's Knights taught him. He continued hitting him for what seemed like hours without realizing that tears were welling up in his eyes.
"If what you want to achieve is kill him, I would say you already did it." said a familiar voice behind the prince.
"Uncle Tyrion" said Steffon looking his uncle the Imp of Castely Rock.
"That would be me," Tyrion said, smiling as he walked towards his nephew. "You're missing dinner and you know how your mother gets when that happens."
"Sorry, I got distracted practicing," Steffon replied, "I'll go right now."
Noticing his red eyes, his uncle looked at him worried, "Did something happen?"
"No," Steffon responded after looking at his uncle for a few seconds. "I was just remembering some things that mother told me before coming here. "
"Oh, well don't give too much thought to what she told you" said the dwarf as he patted him on the arm, despite being only six years old the prince was taller than most children his age. , Including his older twin brother Joffrey "Soon she will be gone and you will stay here with me and your sweet and dear grandfather Tywin Lannister"
The prince smiled at his uncle's humorous words, went to put the training sword in its place and followed him to the exit of the training yard but before leaving the yard completely the boy with black hair and blue eyes decided that he had wanted to ask his uncle something. The boy touched his uncle's shoulder, so that he could look at it.
"Uncle, can I ask you something," the boy whispered so that only his uncle could hear him.
"Surely, what is troubling your young but brilliant mind," Tyrion said, adopting the same quiet tone of voice as he smiled at his nephew once more.
"You would never lie to me, would you?"
"Of course not, you can ask me anything"
"It's about my mother and Uncle Jaime." Tyrion's smile faded from his face when he heard those words. "Do you know if they've done things they're not supposed to do?"
"Like what?" The tone of his uncle had become quite cold which was strange coming from him.
"Things that only married men and women do"
Again his uncle stared at him before answering "Of course not" he said once again in a cold tone "where did you hear such things?"
"I thought I heard something once..." before he could continue, his uncle put her hand on his mouth to shut him up while he stared into her eyes.
"Listen to me Steffon," Tyrion said, adopting a softer tone. "Whatever you think you heard, you didn't, do you understand?" The boy looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Well, just forget about it and remember that sometimes when you're... at a very young age you tend to imagine or hear things" he continued speaking but this time without looking him in the eyes.
"As you say, Uncle," the prince said with a serious face as he walked out of the training yard once and for all.
Upon reaching the dining room all eyes turned to see him.
"You're late, where were you?" his mother, Queen Cersei, asked him.
"I'm sorry, I was in the training yard," the prince answered without looking at her.
"It's rude to be late for dinner," Cersei continued as her son took a seat. "Especially when you're the guest of the Lord of the castle."
Steffon heard his brother Joffrey laugh at the reprimand his mother was giving him, the black-haired boy looked at him angrily, but before he could speak his uncle did.
"Leave the boy alone Cersei, he was just practicing his skill with the sword" the queen looked angrily at her brother for interfering in the conversation but the dwarf didn't care and continued "It's not like he went to a brothel to get drunk, "But of course he's not old enough to do that yet."
"Watch your words, monster," the queen spat, furious at her brother's words.
"Oh I'm a monster then..."
"Enough" exclaimed the voice of Lord Tywin, his two sons immediately fell silent upon hearing it. "Steffon," continued Lord Tywin, looking at his black-haired, blue-eyed grandson, "the next time one of the servants informs you that it is time for dinner, leave whatever you are doing and head here immediately. Do you understand?"
"Yes, grandpa," the boy answered, looking at his grandpa intently.
"Good," replied Lord Tywin, nodding.
The Lannister family continued eating dinner in relative silence, Steffon realized that his uncle Jaime was staring at him, the boy looked at him for a second and then continued eating dinner while he remembered what he heard that afternoon.
"My prince?" said a voice, breaking the boy out of his thoughts.
"Ser Barristan, forgive me," said the young prince, smiling at his father's Lord Commander of the King's Guard. "I was lost in memories."
"Do you feel good, my prince?"
"Yes," he said, nodding, "I was remembering the days when I began serving as my grandfather's ward at Castely Rock, it still amazes me that seven years have already passed."
"Time goes very fast when you are young," the knight responded, agreeing. "But when you get old sometimes it seems to never end." The prince laughed when he heard that. Despite his age, Ser Barristan still retained a good sense of humor, in the same way his skill with the sword was unmatched, few in Westeros could stand up to him.
The prince continued to look at the sea in front of him, currently he and Ser Barristtan were aboard The Fury, the main ship of the royal fleet.
After several moments of silence, the gentleman decided to ask again what he had been asking during the entire trip.
"Are you sure about this, my prince?" the knight asked, looking at him worried.
"Of course, Ser Barristan," Steffon replied, still looking at the sea. "I wouldn't be here if I weren't."
"The Dornish people have no love for your family. Even after 14 years, the wounds of the rebellion remain stronger than ever. "
"That's why I bring a gift," the prince replied with a smile, "something that Dorne has been longing for for years."
"Even with such a gift I doubt it will be enough," the knight commented, his concern still not leaving his voice.
"You must have faith in our prince Ser Barristan," said a voice with an exotic musical tone.
"My lady," Ser Barristan answered in a dry tone, looking suspiciously at the woman with hair, eyes and a red dress.
The woman just smiled, ignoring the look of distrust that the knight gave her. "Our prince will manage to make peace with the people of Dorne."
"Whatever you say, my lady," said the knight, nodding, then doing the same with the prince and leaving.
"He still doesn't trust me," said the woman dressed in red. The prince smiled at her and extended her hand to him, who happily took it.
"Give it time, Melisandre," said the prince, caressing his hands, which as always were warmer than normal. "You managed to gain the trust of my uncle Stannis, who is the most stubborn and inflexible man in the Seven Kingdoms," the woman in red laughed at that. " Ser Barrisstan just needs time and then he will see that you have his best interests in mind." She stopped to look at him before giving him a kiss on the cheek, the prince gave her a smile in return.
"My prince," Ser Barristan's voice interrupted them. "We are approaching the coast of Dorne.
"Good," the prince responded, releasing Melisandre's hand, turning to the rest of the men, he looked at them to order them, "Prepare to disembark."
"It's time," he said to Melisandre who nodded.
Then the prince, the knight of the Royal Guard and the woman dressed in red disembarked towards the Dornish beach.