####
Yeah, he did it.
He tripped Rhaella that day and then saved her. He did feel ashamed after that. It felt like he was misusing his powers. Sure, everything was fair in love and war, but it felt scummy. Like the time he used Earthbending in the horse race in the tourney.
But he couldn't deny the attraction he felt towards the Queen. The woman was like the most beautiful, yet also the most uncherished jar in the world. And what needed to be poured into that jar was a lot of talks, laughter, care, attention, and intimacy.
What he wasn't sure of was the question: did she even want him to be there? Should he be the one to fill that jar? He wanted to, but he also needed to get out of the Red Keep. Day two had gone by, and he still hadn't found Rhaegar anywhere. He didn't get the chance to ask Elia, and Rhaella was even more clueless than him.
Pang! Pang!
Once again, he heard that noise in his little bedchamber that night. He was getting ready to continue digging the tunnel, but delayed it to wait for Rhaella's usual call. He reckoned she was more comfortable opening up to him that way—instant exchange of words, without being face to face, or being audible.
He unrolled the first paper from the Queen upstairs.
[Elia told me why Ashara returned to Starfall. I imagine you had your reasons for refusing her. Still, I would like to hear them... if you care to share.]
Wylis frowned. That was one subject he didn't want to talk about. But it seemed the Queen was interested.
"Fuck it, I'll say what I have to say. Even I got no answer to this."
[Ashara is a jewel—graceful, gentle, and entirely too good for a hard-handed brute like myself. We met at Harrenhal, and though brief, it was... unforgettable. But forgive me, Your Grace—the match feels too swift. I have dreams yet unshaped, doubts yet unsolved. I am not ready to be bound, not while I still chase my place in this realm. Knighthood is but the beginning for me. And I fear binding myself now would be to halt a journey not yet begun.]
He didn't even know why he was saying all that to a practical stranger. But he poured his thoughts out of his system, hoping she would do the same. Rhaella had nobody else in her life to share words with anyway.
Cling-Clang!
Wylis sent the crumpled parchment up through the pipe. He wondered what Rhaella thought, how he was doing that.
Woosh!
A response came moments later.
[Yes… that I can agree with, Ser Wylis. When I was young, I was called bold, a terror to my septas. I had aspirations. Dreams, while none as valiant as yours, they existed. But then my Father, influenced by a woods witch, wed me to Aerys. Since that day, I've watched my own self wither. What you see now is what is left: a queen in name, a mother in truth, and a soul quietly buried within these walls.]
She was opening up. Wylis really liked that and genuinely wanted to know more about her. What went on in the Queen's mind? But it was getting too depressing, so he put some spice into his next question.
[I noticed that, my queen. Forgive the boldness… but it stirs my curiosity. Before this arrangement with His Grace—was there another who held your favor?]
[There was, Ser Wylis. Long ago, when I was young... naive, perhaps, and full of faith. A knight—Ser Bonifer Hasty, of the Stormlands. He was tall, solemn, and spoke always of the Seven. I remember how every word from him felt touched by prayer. I was drawn to that light. But dreams are not permitted queens. He was never more than a passing comfort... nothing that could last.]
Wylis read that with his brows high, as if reading some new gossip about the Queen. He really didn't know about this old romantic interest.
[I didn't know that. But, did he not try to win you?]
[How could he? A dagger cannot cut a mountain, Ser Wylis.]
[Forgive my boldness, I'm too much the romantic, but if fate had placed me in his stead, and I mean no slight to the man, truly. If I were the man who held your love, Rhaella Targaryen, I'd not have let the world keep us apart. I'd have snatched you away and vanished into legend. I'd have battled and burned Westeros for you.]
He knew it was cheesy, cringy, and goosebumps-inducing. But he really thought about it, and the answer was: he could. If he were a madman, he'd have used all the years of his lifespan to make himself inhumanly powerful, leaving only ten behind. Then, he'd have burned the world while siring bastards left and right with whatever woman he desired.
Westeros was in luck. Wylis was far too infatuated with knights and lords' culture. His sole motivation for training hard was to rise in nobility. As for bedding women and siring children, although he enjoyed it, it came second.
After a long pause, Queen Rhaella's response came.
[That… warms my heart as much as it scares me, Ser Wylis. You are young and reckless. Lady Ashara has left, and I fear His Grace won't tolerate such defiance. You must leave the Red Keep and ride North, quickly.]
Wylis was amazed by her concern. "Holy fuck, this woman just keeps surprising me. Two days in and she's already worried I might not make it home? She just met me two days ago."
But again, he was flirting with her now, and she was responding positively. Perhaps two days were enough.
[I will, Your Grace. I plan to leave when I get a chance. And… ]
He measured his words there. Really careful with it. But he wanted to say it, offer it to her. He just wanted to be kind to a woman stuck in a situation of someone else's making. No sexual expectations. Just a helping hand.
[... And I can bring you with me, Your Grace. Walk beside me—away from this gilded cage. I may not be a sorcerer, but I know how to read a face. And yours… I've not once seen lit by a smile. If it's been stolen by these walls, let's go find it together—beyond them.]
Without thinking too much, he took the risk and just did it. He sent it upstairs and then waited, sitting on the floor, arms crossed, butt-naked as usual.
He counted in his head. From one to one hundred. Then once more.
Woosh!
Another parchment came, a big one. It felt different this time; the writing was a mix of slow and rushed. Much thought was put into it.
[I question still whether your kindness is offered freely, or with a purpose hidden beneath the words. Yet I have chosen to believe it true. Perhaps that is my final folly.
You are gallant, Ser Wylis, but blind to the danger you invite. Do not walk into this poison of politics. It will swallow you, no matter how sharp your blade is or how mighty your fist is. It will not spare you for good intentions. Forget about me, just leave and forge your life as you wish.
Turn away. Let me remain where I was always meant to be. I made peace with this prison long ago. I have my son, Viserys. I have grandchildren. Rhaegar walks a path darkened by dreams and riddles. I fear it, but he remains my child.
Do not try to awaken in me the hunger for hope. I buried that with my youth. Do not offer me dreams, Wylis. I am far too old to chase them, and too tired to pretend they could ever come true.
You are no king, no savior, no wielder of prophecy, no champion of magic. Just a good man. And good men die quickly in this realm. Guard yourself with silence and sense. Forget this tired queen. Go. You must go and live. Aerys will send hounds, but you must outrun them. Through you, perhaps, I have remembered the shape of dreams. That is enough.]
Wylis sighed, noticing a tiny, wet, dried drop at the bottom of the page. He looked up at the stone ceiling. He was a fucking champion of magic. He could punch a hole in that ceiling and barge into her room right at that moment.
But that would be forcing his will on her. He could only help those who wanted to be helped.
Struggling to decide what to say, he chose to end their long, late-night session.
[I understand, Your Grace. Rest well.]
He waited a while after that. Once sure that no more responses would come, he put his entire focus on digging a tunnel under Maegor's Holdfast. Having already dug down below the ground floor previously, he finally entered the underground jails.
It was actual digging at that point. He had to find spots on each floor to discard the dirt. And he had to make the tunnel big enough that he could crawl easily. It was a slow process, but Earthbending was useful.
All he had to do was focus on the connection he felt with the earth, and then use that to dig.
However, as he began nearing the second level of the underground jail, he paused and reviewed his strategy.
"Wait a moment. Why don't I just try to compress the earth in front of me away from me? I won't need to dig then."
It was easier said than done. He wasn't a master at Earthbending, after all. He required a lot of focus to compress the Earth. And it was a slow process. But still time-saving when he didn't have to discard the excavated earth and stones outside.
I'll be done in a day or two at this rate.
####
Winterfell,
Lyanna had had enough of it. The day the raven came from King's Landing and she found out that Wylis had been knighted by the King, her mind was set. She made preparations, packed clothing, and some food. She had some coin saved, not a lot, but enough to easily reach King's Landing.
Can't wait to see his face when he finds me.
She was in a good mood, excited to meet the person she had missed the most all that time. She wasn't aware how Wylis would react to the pregnancy, but she somewhat hoped that he wouldn't be against it.
Then, one morning, she went out of the castle, into Winter Town. Her excuse was to buy some clothes.
Finding an opportunity, she simply left. Half her face covered, heavy winter clothing draping her, she galloped her horse southward on Kingsroad. She wasn't scared of anything; it was adventurous.
If anything, she felt a rush.
And excitement.
She wanted to meet Wylis as quickly as possible. She wanted to hug the life out of him, the only man she could be openly herself with.
But there was also a small hint of fear. How would it all work out? She was aware of Wylis's dreams, and for that, Wylis couldn't afford to just disappear.
"Gods, I'm the biggest fool in the world, aren't I?"
______________________
Check out Wylis X Rhaella & Wylis X Cersei Creampie NSFW ART, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens
Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 5 long chapters of this story on Patreon. That's equal to 22-25 Webnovel chapters.
Old Free Art on Discord: https://discord.gg/W5FdB6WXaP