Chapter 10: As Low as Dishonor (3/5)
Raziel Baratheon:
I hear your voice on the wind,
And I hear you call out my name.
"Listen, my child," you say to me,
"I am the voice of your history,
Be not afraid, come follow me,
Answer my call, and I'll set you free"
The Crown Prince for the Iron Throne was taking a moment for himself in solitude in the garden of the Eyrie. Sitting in front of the statue of Alyssa Arryn, with his silver-stringed harp in hand, he sang a song as he played it. He had to ask Sandro to not allow anyone to enter the garden, otherwise he would be distracted
I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain,
I am the voice of your hunger and pain,
I am the voice that always is calling you,
I am the voice, I will remain.
The cold winds of the Vale had a very pleasant sound, a sound that Raziel could really get used to hearing. There was something alluring about that cold breeze from the Vale.
I am the voice in the fields when the summer's gone,
The dance of the leaves when the autumn winds blow,
Ne'er do I sleep throughout all the cold winter long,
I am the force that in springtime will grow.
The music flows through his fingers as he plays each string with a strange delicacy that he never understood where it came from. Mostly because hardly anyone in his family played music.
I am the voice of the past that will always be,
Filled with my sorrow and blood in my fields,
I am the voice of the future, bring me your peace,
Bring me your peace, and my wounds, they will heal.
The sound of birds complement Raziel's voice. It was a soft and serene voice that was perfect for singing.
I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain,
I am the voice of your hunger and pain,
I am the voice that always is calling you,
I am the voice.
The song ended. Raziel then stopped playing his harp for a bit. Appreciating the feeling of the wind in his hair, which was relatively long at the moment but his bangs were perfectly cut combined with longer hair on the back and sides, which according to everyone, it looks great on him.
It has been almost a month since his stay at the Vale started. Honestly, nothing interesting really happened. Raziel spent most of his time with either Robyn or Jon, but if the Prince had to be honest, only his interactions with Jon were pleasant because...
"Forgive me, My Prince?" Suddenly, Raziel's attention was called by one of the servants named Maddy. A fat woman with a wart beneath her eye.
"Oh hello, Maddy" Raziel put his harp down and stood up from his seat. "Is there something wrong?
"Lord Arryn requests your presence at the High Hall." She informed him.
Raziel raised a brow in response. Wondering what could Lord Arryn possibly want with him at that time, since this is usually when he's busy with the messages that he has to send. "Thank you for informing me." He politely thanked the servant.
"It was just my duty, My Prince." Maddy replied while bowing for him.
Before making his way to meet with The Hand of the King, Raziel decided to ask the woman a question. "Was the music any good?" He just learned to play that song in all honesty.
"It was lovely, and I assure you that I'm not just saying that to get on your good grace." Maddy admitted to him. "And I'm also certain that they think the same." She spoke while pointing towards him.
Raziel turned around and noticed several servants hiding their presence from him. I didn't notice that I had an audience. He thought in amusement. "Thank you for your honest opinion." He thanked the servant once again. "Could you take my harp back to my chambers?" The boy with blue eyes requested.
"Right away." She took the harp from his hands and left the Prince there.
The Prince then decided to make his way to the High Hall to see exactly what the Lord of the Eyrie wanted. Once he stepped out of the Garden, Sandor started to follow him again. On his way there, he had a few things on his mind.
Robyn had been whining a lot about Jon's refusal to tell him what is going on, which is exceptionally annoying. Raziel actually found out what was going on by secretly opening one of Jon's letters without breaking the seal. It was something he learned from children that are always on the secret passages in the Red Keep. Especially Brown, who was constantly in the secret passage in his room. I think Brown died, I didn't find him anywhere. The Children would often die and disappear on the walls, so it was a possibility. It really upset Raziel, but there was nothing that he could do about it now.
Apparently, Robyn's two uncles had disappeared and Jon Arryn is investigating while Bronze Yohn is apparently investigating something for Jon in return. Even after finding that out, Raziel decided to keep it quiet. Manly because Robyn would probably annoy Jon about it.
Passing through the Lower Hall, Raziel made a stop to grab some fruit that was on top of the table, filing his hand with blueberries. Eating it as he walked slowly towards his destination. Chewing each blueberry relatively slowly, he contemplated offering some to Sandor, but quickly decided not to because he knew that wouldn't accept it.
After a short walk, the Prince arrives at the High Hall where Jon was sitting on his throne carved of weirwood. It doesn't look as impressive as the Iron Throne, but it certainly looks more comfortable. I only sat on the Iron Throne once and my ass started to hurt after a minute. Raziel thought as he approached the man that he considered as a grandfather. Strangely, he noticed a strange cage next to him that harbored a bird inside. But Raziel was certain that it wasn't Jon's Falcon, and he doubts that he would replace it like that since it was a gift from his father.
"You called me for me?" Raziel called his attention as he observed the nice looking cage.
Jon, who was sipping a cup of water, signaled the Prince to come closer. The High Hall was empty, which was strange, since Raziel was sure that Robyn was with Jon. So he was now wondering where he was. After a few steps, Raziel got closer to Jon and finally got a good look at the bird that was inside the cage. "Wow." It was his reaction.
Inside the cage, there was a magnificent looking Eagle, with strange, lustrous and unique looking deep golden colored feathers around it's entire body. "What kind of eagle is this?" The boy with blue eyes asked as he looked at the Eagle's Hazel eyes. He has seen a few eagles before but none like the one in front of him.
"This is a very rare kind of eagle, exceptionally hard to find, to breed and to train." Jon explained to him. "It's nicknamed Golden Eagle due to it's gold colored feathers." A painfully obvious, but suitable name. As the Eagle did indeed seem to be made of gold. "It's often regarded as the ideal bird for Hawking."
"I see," Raziel replied without taking his eyes off the magnificent bird. "Are you going to replace your Falcon with him?" He asked.
"Never!" Jon instantly replied. "My Falcon is a cherished gift from your father, and I refuse to part ways with it."
"Then what are you going to do with him?" Raziel asked, before he ate his last blueberry.
"Well, I was wondering if you would like to have it." Jon told him with a smile.
Raziel widened his eyes and quickly swallowed the blueberry. "Really?" He asked in deep shock.
"You always enjoyed playing with my Falcon, so I thought that it would be ideal for you to have a bird of your own." Jon explained. "Not to mention that a well trained bird has a lot of uses."
Raziel smiled and hugged Jon. "Thanks Jon."
Jon smiled back and returned the hug.
Once they separated, Raziel quickly decided to look at his new pet and tried to come up with a name for it. Immediately he was able to come up with several different names, but he really needed one that suited this magnificent looking Eagle that was now his. After thinking for two to three minutes he had an idea. "Artys, I'm gonna call you Artys."
"Hah!" Jon seemed amused by the name he chose. "The name of the founder of House Arryn?" He pointed out.
"Well, I did got him from the Defender of the Vale." Raziel imitated Jon's amusing expression. "So it's only suitable that I give him a Valemen's name." He explained the logic behind his choice.
Jon smiled at him before he looked at his bird. "Since you now possess a bird of your own, would you be interested in lean falconry?" The Hand of the King asked the Prince.
Raziel was certainly interested, he didn't really have a chance to practice his skills as a hunter, since there wasn't a spot to hunt around the Eyrie, unless you descend to the Gates of the Moon. So his response was to nod very enthusiastically to Jon.
"I'll have to make a small visit to the Gates of the Moon tomorrow, you and Robyn could accompany you for a little hunt then." Jon proposed to him as he drank a bit more water. "Robyn doesn't really have a bird though, so he'll sadly have to watch."
"Robyn told me he used to have a hawk, but it died." According to him, it was because Robyn accidentally shot it with an arrow. But Raziel wondered how exactly someone accidentally hits something with an arrow. "But he told me he doesn't really enjoy hawking."
"Hmm..." Jon seemed a bit disappointed, which Raziel understood since Falconry was Jon's favorite pass-time. "A shame, but he can still follow us tomorrow if he likes."
Raziel just nodded at Jon, then he opened the cage and took a few steps back. "Come at me, Artys." He ordered the Golden Eagle.
"Raziel, wait!" Jon tried to warn him, probably afraid that the Artys was going to escape. But to the Warden of the East's shock. The young Golden Eagle just flew out of the cage, but instead of escaping, he went straight towards the Prince and Jon made a shocked expression when he saw it. The magnificent Eagle took a spot on Raziel's forearm like it belonged there.
"Great job, Artys." Raziel spoke enthusiastically as he affectionately caressed his new pet. And the bird seems to enjoy his touch. The Prince then looked at the Hand of the King, who still had a shocked expression on his face. "What's wrong Jon?" He asked his old mentor.
"Raziel... This Eagle..." Jon seemed to be trying to find the right words but Raziel interrupted.
"His name is Artys." He corrected Jon.
"Okay, Artys... Is not domesticated." Jon informed Raziel. "You just made a wild bird obey you." He seemed to be shocked by that, but Raziel didn't see anything special in it.
"I'm good with animals..." He said but decided to add something. "Except with horses." Raziel looked down sadly as it really annoyed him that he coudn't ride because horses hated him for some reason. So he either had to travel on a carriage or ride with someone else on the same horse.
"Yes, I never understood the reason." Jon seemed to have got over his shock over how easy Raziel made Artys obey him. "A Hrakkar and Golden Eagle are certainly much more difficult to domesticate than a horse is."
"Not for me." Raziel said with a smile, before taking a good look at Artys. "I'm gonna introduce Artys to Symeon." He informed the Hand of the King.
"Alright, but be careful with him." Jon instructed him.
Raziel just nodded and started to move with Artys still on his forearm.
Jon Arryn:
The Lord of the Eyrie was very pleased that the Crown Prince for the Iron Throne liked his gift and was certainly looking forward to the time they will spend together tomorrow. But the truth is that he needed to go there in order to prepare to make a trip to Gulltown. It has been several weeks since his secret investigation about the disappearance of the sons of Yohn Royce. On the same night that Jon was told about it by Yonh, he wrote a letter to some trusted relatives from the small cadet branch of House Arryn located in the city of Gulltown. They have been investigating the place quietly in the last few weeks, looking for any clues that could explain the disappearance of Robar and Waymar Royce. Almost two days ago, they managed to uncover something, but they insisted that Jon needed to hear that in person. So he decided to make a small visit to Gulltown under the guise of visiting his relatives there.
Yohn Royce has been giving him several reports about his search for this other entrance to the Vale that Jon trusted him to investigate. But sadly, he hasn't found anything yet. They did consider the possibility of it, being actually just a mistake. Because even Nestor Royce himself brought this concern to him. The whole idea still seemed unlikely. Until an attack occurred and several mountain clansmen killed more than half of Yohn's search party. Causing the Bronze Yohn to pretty much intensify the search and bring much more of his own man to search.
Another one of Jon's concerns, is this annoying insistence for a meeting that he has been from the Lord and head of House Baelish of the Fingers. The Defender of the Vale sadly ignored those requests, not on purpose, but he had other things to worry about. But feeling bad about it, Jon actually suggested that the two actually meet at Gulltown to discuss whatever it is he wants to discuss. Although, it was the least of Jon's concerns, if he must be sincere.
Drinking a cup of water, Jon relaxed a bit on his weirdwood throne. Wondering how exactly the situation will turn out. He was worried about what exactly is going on in Gulltown, and sadly, he couldn't come up with any theory about what could have possibly led to the disappearance of Yohn's sons. But he knows that only a madman would risk being on the receiving end of Bronze Yohn's wrath. So whatever it was, it had to be serious. Sadly, the time that this investigation is taking lowers the chance of actually finding his sons alive and Jon certainly doesn't want to break this kind of news to him.
Having had enough of sitting around, Jon decided to go for a walk. Passing through the walls of his ancestral home, Jon couldn't believe how long he has been away due to his duties as Hand of the King. Sadly, Jon honestly doesn't know how long he will last in the position, but he would be glad if he just lived long enough until Raziel is a grown man. As the Lord of the Eyrie is certain that Raziel will take an active role in the ruling of the Seven Kingdoms, because he might become one of the very few people that his father genuinely listens to it. The poor old man could only hope.
Arriving at the Maiden's Tower, Jon decided to take a look at the lovely view of the balcony on the tower. Taking a good look at the Vale, Jon reminisces all of the times that he looked at this wonderful view on his lifetime. So, lovely... It feels like it was yesterday that I was standing on this balcony while hearing Robert's and Ned's laughter. He thought nostalgically. Jon leaned on the balcony a little more to appreciate the view.
"Oh, great-uncle Jon." His time of leisure was interrupted by the voice of his great-nephew's voice, who had just approached the balcony.
"Hello Robyn." The boy seemed frantic about something. "Is there something bothering you?" Jon asked his grand-nephew.
Robyn seemed reluctant to ask, but he got over quickly and just spoke. "My uncle Andar, wrote me a letter of concern about the amount of men that my grandfather requested him to send." Jon immediately had an urge to slap his forehead at Andar Royce's imprudence of worrying his nephew with such information. "What is going on?" The boy asked him.
"Your grandfather is trying to find a supposed second passage to the Vale." Suddenly, a third voice was heard. Which was Raziel's, who has just entered the room accompanied by his pets. Symeon was walking besides him and Artys was on his shoulder..
"Wh-" Robyn immediately turned around to ask the Prince about it, but he was distracted by the sight of the Golden Eagle on his shoulder. "Where did you find a Golden Eager?!" Justifiably, he was surprised as Golden Eagles were very rare.
"Jon gave him to me earlier today." Raziel answered him. "Is it right, Artys?" He asked his other pet, who just made a sound in response.
"Artys?" Robyn noted the name, and looked at Jon, who just raised his shoulders, still amused with the Prince's choice for a name. "Whatever, what do you mean by the second passage to the Vale?!" That was the most important question that Robyn had.
Jon had an urge to ask, how exactly does Raziel know about that. But he decided to answer his great-nephew's question first as he could tell that he was worried.
Daenerys Targaryen:
Maidenvault was not exactly a pleasant place at night, the darkness was pretty overwhelming, but Daenerys was used to it. Especially since she has candles to keep the room lightened. Currently, she was reading a book that Raziel sent for her, The Chronicles of Longsister that he found at the Vale. Raziel has been sending her letter about the Vale, he seems to be having a good time there, which makes her happy. But he has been sending a few complaints about the Heir of the Vale that made it clear that Raziel didn't like him, but he didn't specify why. The girl with pale silver-gold hair didn't want to annoy her best friend with questions so she just decided to wait until he told her about it. He always tells her everything.
A smile appeared on her face as the sudden memory of their kiss and the night that he slept with her before his departure really made her happy and she slept so peacefully because of it that she was planning on requesting him to do it again when he returns. Subconsciously hoping that he stayed a little more next time. The letters that he has been sending her were always exciting, mainly because he always described everything with perfect details. Currently, Raziel is staying at the Vale with the Hand of the King. She can only imagine what is like in there through the letters unfortunately.
As she was concentrating on the book however, she heard the main door of the room she was in opening. A bit frightened due to how late, Daenerys quickly got over once he saw who it was.
"Hello Daenerys." It was none other than the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
Daenerys quickly put her book down and stood up from the bed and bowed to the Queen respectfully. "Hello my Queen."
Four or five days after Raziel's departure, Daenerys started to receive very surprising visits from a strikingly beautiful woman. She didn't know who she was at first, but she was being so nice to her that she didn't really question who she was. Then this woman kept returning again and again and again, until she actually asked Ser Barristan if he knew who she was. Only to be shocked to discover that the gentle woman that has been visiting her, was actually Raziel's mother. After the revelation, she actually felt a little stupid about it because after finding out about her, the resemblance between the Queen and Raziel was obvious.
The Queen, who was wearing a beautiful red nightgown, approached her. "I just came to wish you good night, but you're apparently busy." She then inspected the book that she was reading. "Was it a gift from Raziel?" Daenerys nodded at her in response. She was stunned by the woman's beauty, but she always thought Raziel was beautiful so it made sense that he inherited it from his mother. Suddenly, the Queen sat on top of her bed and invited her to sit next to her, which she happily obliged. "I just came here to check on you," The Queen told her with a very strange smile. "Have you eaten correctly?"
"Yes, your Grace." Daenerys answered her politely.
"Good," She gently touched Daenerys face, the Queen's hands had the same softness that Raziel has. "I was beginning to worry that my great blustering oaf of a husband has been mistreating without our knowledge." She stated.
"Our?" Daenerys noted that part.
"Mine and Raziel's knowledge of curse." The Queen told her as she rubbed her cheeks with her thumbs. "I don't want my cub branded as a Kingslayer because that drunken brute decided to take his petty frustrations on you."
Daenerys widened her eyes in response to that. "Wait?" She decided to ask. "Why would he be branded as a Kingslayer?"
The Queen smiled at her with the same strange smile. "My perfect little cub is very protective of the people he loves." She informed the girl with pride in her voice. "If he ever did something with you or me, my cub would certainly slice his throat in his sleep." Strangely, Raziel's mother seems pleased with the fact that it's actually a possibility.
Daenerys on the other hand was horrified with the idea that Raziel would kill his own father for her. She's happy that he cares about her that much but she knows that Raziel loves his father and that he would regret doing such a thing for the rest of his life. She didn't know much about the King, only what Raziel told her about him, but it was very little since Raziel probably thinks that talking about him would offend her since he did kill her brother during the Rebellion. But Daenerys understands that what her brother and father did was unforgivable. Ser Barristan did say that Robert Baratheon was a good knight but a bad king, for he had no right to the throne he sat on.
"Is there something bothering, child?" The Queen's voice broke Daenerys's thoughts.
"No, your Grace." Honestly, she was happy for the visits but Raziel's mother actually disturbed Daenerys at times. There was just something off about the reason that she stared at Dany.
"Oh well, I must get going now." The Queen informed her before patting her head standing up from the bed. "Enjoy your book, I'll pay you another visit tomorrow."
"Thank you, your Grace." Daenerys told her respectfully.
The Queen just smiled at her in response before she left the room, leaving Dany alone once again.
I don't know why but... I have a feeling that she's not actually being nice to me out of kindness. Dany suspected before she lay on her bed once again and grabbed her book. I should probably shake this feeling off of me, I mean, she's Raziel's mother... How can the mother of the most wonderful boy I know be bad? She thought as she started to read her book again.
Cersei Lannister:
The girl is starting to trust me more with each visit. The Queen of the Seven Kingdoms thought proudly as she made her way back to her chambers after her visit to the Targaryen hostage. It was an ingenious idea. I need to get the stupid girl on my side, so when my perfect cub finally ascends the Iron Throne, we will have the last member of House Targaryen on our side. Completely establishing my cub's rule. Cersei thought in complete pride. Who knows, my cub could even father a bastard on her. She was amused with the idea for a very particular reason. That fat drunken buffoon hates the Targaryens so much, I can only picture him cursing on the seven hells that he will go once I get rid of him, for having a grandson who is also the nephew of Rhaegar Targaryen. A smirk formed on her face because of that image. Oh, and Mad Aerys... "A man does not marry his heir to his servant's daughter."... You told my father that once, well, how would you like it if the son of this servant's daughter turns your little daughter into his whore. Cersei laughed a bit at the irony of everything.
With the stupid guards following behind her, the Queen finally made her way back to her lonely chambers. Entering by herself, Cersei made her way back to her bed. But as soon as a minute passed after she lay down, a sigh escaped her lips. The truth was, the Queen hasn't had a good night of sleep since Raziel left with Jon Arryn. Cersei was so used to sleeping with her cub, that she has difficulty falling asleep without him around. She missed everything, his face, his voice, his smell, his kisses, his touches, the feeling on his lips on her tits, everything.
She was also very frustrated. As without her son there, Cersei has no way of satisfying her... Carnal needs. She tried to satisfy her physical needs with some men in court that she barely bothered to learn the names of, but she only came out of it more unsatisfied because they simply paled in comparison to her son, so Cersei had them all secretly killed. Her frustration only increased due to the quarrels between Robert and Stannis.
After Jon Arryn left Stannis Baratheon to act as Hand of the King in his absence, Stannis has been quite vocal with Robert about certain subjects that Robert didn't really care about. Subjects like a very delusional proposal to outlaw brothels, which baffled Cersei that he actually thought his brother, the man known as The Whoremonger King would actually approve it. He grinds his teeth much more regularly than before as a result.
The frustrated Queen decided to grab something that she hid under her pillow before she went to meet the Mad King's daughter. A small shirt that Raziel wore before his departure. Which still had his smell on it. A smell that she wasted no time in sniffing. So sweet... She thought as she smelled deeply, with the image of her perfect son appearing on her mind, causing her body to heat up. Raziel... The image of her cub and his smell were causing Cersei's body to yearn for him. Suddenly, she felt something, down there. The woman with golden blond curls decided to reach in between her legs and check. Only to feel the wet sensation on her fingers. She sighed instantly. Only you, my perfect cub. It was her reaction to that, as the mere thought of her son was capable of making her wet. Inspecting her wet fingers, the Queen only had one response to it. Fuck it. She lifted the skirt of her nightgown until her cunt was exposed, then she smelled her son's shirt once again before her right hand found it's way to her cunt. "Ahhh-" She bit her son's shirt hard to keep moans from escaping her mouth as she caressed her cunt with her right hand. Her left hand then found it's way to her left tit, after pulling down one of the sides of the nightgown to expose it.
Roughly caressing her cunt with her hand and pinching her left nipple hard, all while biting her son's shirt hard. Cersei kept on having a fantasy of everything Raziel would do to her once he grew a bit more. Those thoughts actually made her more excited and more wet as a result. She imagined all the ways that he would take her, all the places that he would do it and the immense pleasure that he would give her. A strange fantasy of grown Raziel taking her on top of the Iron Throne started to occupy her mind. Just the thought of Raziel sitting on the Iron Throne as he's meant to be is enough to make her entire body go numb. Strangely, her climax arrived out of nowhere and Cersei had to bite the shirt as hard as ever to keep herself from making any noise. What?! That was her reaction. So quickly... It was Cersei's reaction to how easily she climaxed. With all the men she had since Raziel left, not a single one of them was capable of getting her close. Come back soon Raziel, your mother can't live without your touches. She thought as she pulled her fingers out of her cunt and inspected them. So wet... She thought as her fingers were covered in her juices. Taking a deep breath, the Queen smiled at her son's shirt and sniffed one last time before finally going to sleep.