Orryn
Tournament in Bitterbridge
"I can do that very well!". Arya quarreled and Ser Hugh continued to insist that she could not play the role of my squire.
"Let her Ser Hugh, if she wants to help she can". I replied, tired of all the bickering. "Avoid arguing with a girl who's barely ten days old".
"Hey!" Arya protested and Hugh had the decency to blush.
"Is that Lady Margaery's favor on your armor?" Shireen asked and I nodded in agreement.
There was a green scarf with the Flower of Tyrell embroidered on it, it was also very fragrant.
"Get ready Hugh, I'll have more than enough help around here."
"I will honor your name Orryn, yours and that of your grace. But I also intend to have Ser Hugh of the Vale's name sung at every tournament from now on!" Hugh said excitedly before leaving to get ready.
"I think he'll lose in the first round." Arya scoffed and I smiled. Of course Hugh wouldn't win the tournament, but he would put in a satisfactory performance.
"Go on my squire, check with Serwyn if 'Sugarfoot' is ready to ride."
"Right away!". Arya ran up excitedly and Shireen looked at me. I twisted my lips a little before smiling and waving to the entrance of the tent, she ran after Arya soon after.
Shireen left, but the tent flap remained open when Ciri entered. She looked at me in my new armor and smiled, though stiffly when she saw the favor on my arm.
"She suits you".
"Yes, it's a nice piece of armor I got from Uncle Robert." I said appreciatively before testing the movements of my shoulders.
"I was talking about your fiancée... Lady Margaery suits you."
"Oh...". I replied dully.
"I didn't come here for that, I came to wish you good luck." Ciri said, smiling again.
"Will you give me a favor too?".
"You can't use any other than Lady Margaery's, you know that, people will ask questions."
"I can't use it, but I can carry it here." I said, pointing to the left side of my chest. "Where it really matters."
Trying to hold back a smile, Ciri took off the ribbon that bound her silver hair. It was just an ordinary black linen ribbon. "If you're going to take it where it really matters, then tie it around your wrist, so that he never falters on the horse."
I smiled and hugged her, a tight hug due to the armor and probably uncomfortable for her too. "How is he?".
"He's getting stronger every day, I think he's going to look like you."
"When I pass that track, when I show off for the public, it will be for you and always for you. When I take down the other rider, it will be in honor of him, as much as I can't say it."
"Do it for yourself idiot, a war is coming and when you fight you must stay alive. Promise me Orryn, promise me that you will always think of yourself first. If you feel the worst is coming, forget all about honor and run!".
"Nah... I'm not worth that much. But if I think of you, think of Erryn, think of my family, I'll have something to go back, something to stay alive for." I replied, lifting her chin slightly before kissing her. "I admit I'll dream about you at night... your breasts have grown, you know that? They tempt the heart of a prince".
"Idiot." Ciri said with a laugh and tied the black ribbon around my wrist. She stayed in the tent when I went out to ride my already saddled and groomed brown stallion.
"Thank you Serwyn." I thanked the stableman and he nodded nervously.
"Come on, squire! Lead the reins of my horse". I spoke to Arya the way she liked, full of pomp. The girl hated the stories of knights and princesses that Lady Sansa loved so
much, but taking part in one of those stories was something else entirely. If she could play the knight, the girl would be happy to take part.
I entered the track when the herald introduced me, my reins being pulled by Arya. She wore a small gibbon with the Stark wolf on it. Many might mistake her for a boy, but it was obvious to everyone who mattered who she was.
I waved all around and heard applauses, much less than I remember hearing for the other great riders who competed that same day.
"Your helmet Prince Orryn!". Arya handed me my helmet with stag's antlers. I asked for a small silver crown, imitating a flame, to be added to it, and it went very well with the 'V' shaped visor.
"Tell Gendry I'll take my thanks personally after this tournament." I said, and Arya smiled as she climbed onto a platform to attach my helmet and hand me a shield. The Baratheon stag was wrapped in a heart of flame now, this was our new coat of arms.
I passed in front of the royal cabin, bowed to my parents and handed a flower to Lady Margaery before going to my side of the track. My opponent was a young knight from House Morringen.
I did exactly as Ser Justin had taught me, and focused everything on the narrow slit in my
helmet. 'Choose the horse you feel most comfortable on, Orryn, your aim is good, you just need to be one with the animal.
When the trumpet sounded, I spurted. With a third of the track I pulled the shield into position. Just before the halfway point I aimed the spear correctly and the impact came.
I felt the force behind the blow, I felt the spear break and the Morrigen knight fall from his saddle. I heard the splinters of the spear hit my helmet, Ser Justin always told me to close my eyes after aiming or I could be blinded in an accident. I didn't do that this time, I wanted to see everything.
I also felt the force of the impact of my opponent's spear hitting my shield, and I gritted my teeth as hard as I could to keep myself under Sugarfoot's back.
Slowed down, went around the track and waved to my opponent, who was already rising
from the ground. It was the honorable thing to do, and above all, the right thing to do, since I had forgotten his name.
"Well done Orryn, three wins in a row!". Ser Justin said, patting me on the shoulder. He had competed in the tournament too and had progressed to the finals, just like me.
"I don't think I'll go any further, Ser Robar Royce isn't like the young knights I faced today." I commented and drank a jug of water, chewed a dried fish and dried my sweat. The strong sun felt like it would bake me inside my armor.
"I've peeled off your shoulder pad, Your Grace." Gendry said as he handed me back the piece of armor. "I also replaced the loose rivet."
"Thank you Gendry, and thank you once again for what you did to my helmet". I said, smiling at my 'cousin'. "And don't call me Your Grace, I'm not a king".
"Yes... my prince?". He said a little uncertainly.
"That'll do for now." I huffed before getting up. "Arya, the herald will announce us soon."
"Yes, I'm ready." She grumbled as she tried in vain to polish my breastplate.
"It's a shame... very good armor, but without any decoration." Gendry commented. I looked at him and thought for a moment.
"Can you make something beautiful but functional and not too flashy?".
"Yes, my prince." Gendry said excitedly and feigned innocence, it was obvious that this was what he really wanted.
"After the tournament I'll send you the armor. I give you complete freedom to decide what to do." I said as I gave my cousin's shoulder a firm squeeze.
When I entered the track for the tournament finals, I calmly waited for Sor Robar to show off. "Three gallops, raise the shield. Two more gallops, tilt the lance and at half gallop,make the thrust". I recited this metric over and over in my mind, my eyes focused on the knight of the Vale.
The third son of Bronze Yohn, the man who left his family for glory, a man I would not defeat.
When the trumpet sounded, I did exactly as I had planned, as I had repeated so many times. I only hit his shield. Ser Robar hit me in the shoulder.
It hurt. It hurt like hell, but I stayed on the horse.
"Here Orryn! Take the spear!". Arya shouted from atop her crate, without which, the girl wouldn't have been tall enough to hand me a spear.
When I got into position and picked up the spear, I was still dizzy from the last blow.
On the second run, I knew I couldn't do the same thing as before and tried to be bolder.
With a slightly later tilt I hit the edge of Ser Robar's shield, the spear broke and the resulting blow made the shield hit his helmet.
The spear of the more experienced knight hit my shield hard, but didn't do much damage.
A lot of applause came from this and when I picked up the next spear, I raised it to show off to the audience.
I accelerated the horse, boldness beating in my heart. I tilted the spear, turned my body inwards and thrust it at Ser Robar's chest, thrusting with all the strength my body could muster. It didn't go as I had planned.
Ser Robar raised his spear with the impact and the impact he planned, wherever he tried to hit, shifted to my helmet.
My head whipped back with the blow, the world spun and I knew I had hit something before I hit the ground.
I couldn't breathe, the air wasn't coming into my lungs. I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't get up.
Strong hands pulled me out of the sand and ripped off my helmet. A bucket of water was thrown in my face and I felt myself being shaken. Suddenly air rushed into my lungs and I gasped.
"He's all right!" Ser Borys shouted, or what I imagined to be his voice. "He's fine!".
A deafening roar came when I was released and managed to stand on my own two feet, still a little wobbly, but standing on my own two feet.
I started walking towards Sor Robar and almost fell halfway down. This time it was Hugh who held me up. "We should take you to the maester, that was a nasty hit Orryn!".
I shook my head, still unsure of what was going on. "That was good Ser Robar". I said to the knight, and in front of me the crowd shouted once more.
Ser Borys' hand squeezed me by the arm and I was practically dragged off the track.
I was treated by the maester on a bed, he looked at my head, he looked at my back, he looked at my neck and as breathless as I was, I could sense the urgency in his voice.
My mother and Shireen came in, both of them teary-eyed. "Why are you crying?". I asked confused.
"He'll be fine, the young prince is strong. Very strong indeed...". The maester commented with a gentle smile and this seemed to ease their worries a little.
"What... what happened?". I asked once again.
"Don't you remember?". Came my father's harsh voice. "You were thrown from your horse, the lance hit your helmet and you fell backwards into the dividing fence. Many knights have died or been crippled after such an accident."
"But the young prince is strong, he only suffered a few bruises, that's all." The maester assured again. "Just rest and everything will be fine in a few days."
"I must return to my duties immediately." I said, trying to get up, but my father's strong hand held me down on the bed.
"You've already wasted time showing off in this pointless tournament, don't waste any more time wanting to do your duties without being ready."
"I'm well enough, my lord." I spoke once more and my father's blue eyes stared at me.
"You'll be fine when the maester says you are." He replied with his jaw clenched tightly, and I could see he was disappointed in me. "But you should know that I don't intend to change the day of the march, so don't lie about your condition if you want to take part in it."
"Yes, sir." I said, ashamed of having disappointed my father.
Dinner was brought to my room and I stayed in bed. Shireen and my mother kept me company most of the time, except when Lady Margaery and Loras came to visit.
"I see you're all right Orryn, it was quite an accident." Loras told me sympathetically.
"I was afraid you had seriously injured yourself Prince Orryn." Lady Margaery said before sitting down on the side of the bed and taking my hand. "I was very young, but I remember Willas' accident. He was just a squire too, trying to show off for his father." She said sadly and shook her head. "Willas fell and the horse crushed his leg. I cried for days after seeing such a scene."
"It was a sad day indeed Orryn. When I saw the spear hit you in the face and the way you fell... I feared the worst but I dared not disbelieve. You Baratheons are tough." Loras joked.
"I think you should change the coat of arms of our house. Instead of the crowned stag, you should use a mule's head. Perhaps the only animal more stubborn than a Baratheon." I laughed lightly, and although the pain was small, it was still there. The maester assured me that I hadn't broken any ribs in the meantime.
"I always thought you were more of a stubborn boar." Loras said, scratching his chin. "But to headbutt a spear, that I've never seen."
I laughed, Lady Margaery laughed and Loras himself laughed at the joke. Catching my breath and wiping a tear from the corner of my eye, I smiled brightly.
"I'll kick your ass Loras, as soon as I can hold a sword once more. I swear I'll kick your ass."
"Orryn, Orryn. You don't want to suffer another defeat in front of so many men, do you?".
"I think the prince is a very good fighter, Loras, with enviable skill." Lady Margaery said with a mischievous smile.
"Then I'm sure you've never seen me fight." I laughed, knowing it was her joke.
"We should leave, it wouldn't be right to interrupt the prince's rest like this." Loras said, getting up and patting my leg, which was hidden in the fur blanket.
"Be well Prince Orryn, I'll pray for you." Lady Margaery said, leaning over to kiss my forehead. Her scent was wonderful and the way she leaned over, the way she exposed the cleft of her cleavage was enough to make me swallow, to make me fantasize.
"Thank you for your concern, surely the gods will hear your prayers and help this poor stubborn prince." I smiled and the two brothers left.
There wasn't really anything else I could do after dinner, I couldn't sleep but I kept my eyes closed... thinking.
The door opened and it must have been late at night. Only a flickering candle illuminated the room.
"You know I recognize your light steps, don't you?".
"And I knew you were awake, I always knew that Orryn." Ciri smiled and lay down next to me on the bed.
"I'm resting, I should have gone to bed by now."
"What were you thinking?" Ciri asked as she put her head on my shoulder. I moved closer to the edge of the bed so she would be comfortable.
"I didn't say I was thinking of anything...".
"I always know when you're thinking, even with your eyes closed. You clench your teeth… you don't grind them like your father, but you clench them all the same."
"I was remembering my childhood... my friends, how I met you.".
"I was your first friend Orryn." Ciri said amused.
"No it wasn't, I certainly had more friends". I said, throwing an arm around her.
"You had a pet rock Orryn, a rock! The servants thought you had been touched by the moon."
"Ser Goose of Dragonstone was not a simple rock!" I said, straightening up in bed. "He was a beautiful piece of Dragon Glass worked into the shape of a goose."
Ciri laughed and even had to cover her mouth. "It was a bloody dragon sculpture that failed and was discarded. You found it on the beach and took it".
"There was also Seasmoke." I said, trying to change the subject.
"The goshawk you got from your father. He wasn't very playful, was he?". Ciri teased me once more. "But I remember seeing your wooden knights in your room, you had so many...".
"I got one every time my father came back from the capital. He did the same with Shireen's dolls."
"So I felt sad for the young gentleman, playing with wooden knights, with a rock 'Goose' and a Goshawk in the cage. So I thought I'd give you the kittens from the kitchen...".
"And the rest is history... after we started playing, you always ran away when someone started approaching, always afraid. So I asked my father to bring me some friends...".
"He brought you Duram. The whiny, chubby Duram Bar-Emmom".
"And he really became my friend. You've become more than that. I replied, kissing his neck.
Ciri turned to me, her two hands pushing my chest so that I lay down completely. "How much more have I become Orryn?".
"Do you want me to tell you one more time?". I whispered as she sat on me.
"Yes, tell me one more time." Ciri mumbled as she nibbled on my ear.
"You've become the woman I love. The woman I would do anything for. You became the mother of my son."
Ciri hid her face in the crook of my neck and kept quiet. "I almost died when I saw you fall like that. I was so worried... but I couldn't come directly, not without arousing suspicion."
"I never need to hear any explanations from you. I know what's going on here too. I said, putting my hand on his chest and feeling his heartbeat.
Ciri gave a mischievous smile and pulled my hand under her skirt. "Do you know what goes on here too?".
I could feel the wetness between her legs and began to caress her with my middle finger and thumb. Just the way she liked it.
"I know what's going on and what I have to do with you".
"Not today. You're resting, so I'll do it for you." Ciri joked as she guided my erection into her. "I'm doing everything today, Orryn, just don't let me down."
"Have I ever left you unsatisfied?". I joked, trying to stand up, but Ciri's hands pushed me down once again, she could be strong when she wanted to be.
"Do you really want to know that?".
I snorted at the sight of her smile and pulled her to me. Her lips were against mine while one of my hands kneaded one of her breasts.
Ciri started to move... she knew very well what to do.