Wylis awkwardly smiled. Such words weren't supposed to be uttered so carelessly. But again, it was Brandon Stark, the Wild Wolf; nobody could stop him from blabbering.
Soon, they sat down on the soft, cushioned seats. Brandon busied himself playing with Magnus, making silly noises and faces. Though he stopped when Magnus showed he was indeed Wylis's son by ripping a small patch of Brandon's beard.
"So, when are you headed to Winterfell?" Wylis asked.
"Why would I go there? I'm staying here from now on. Gotta keep my little sister safe."
Bullshit! At least make a believable lie.
"You don't have anywhere to go, do you?"
Brandon deflated with an exhale. "Aye, this wolf's got no den. Going back to Winterfell is like poking a hornet's nest. First, it'll make the command messy. Second, I'll find myself staring at Catelyn's tits, even without any unholy intentions."
At least he's honest about it. She… did have lovely pairs.
"I don't mind, Brandon. I trust you. It's the rest I cannot. If Ned comes by, he'll see straight through us. Benjen, he'd keep silent, but not Ned. His bloody honor and duty will come in his way, and he'll spill it all over in Robert's hall."
Though Wylis doubted that, Eddard did keep Jon Snow's heritage a secret. But he wasn't sure if he'd do the same for him. He could already sense that Eddard didn't like him for some reason.
"Just give me a decent house in town," Brandon suggested with a grin. "Whoever comes sniffing after me, I'll keep them there. That way, you'll have enough time before they come bothering the castle. And gods know Lyanna's not the last trouble you'll face."
"Aye, Elia is doing wel—"
"Wyliiiis~"
"Speak of the devil." Wylis beamed towards the door, and there came Rhaenys running, bathed and dressed fresh. She jumped into his arms to sit on his lap. "Can I play with Magnus?"
"Of course."
Rhaenys rushed to Lyanna and sat down beside her since the baby was on her lap. At that time, Elia also walked in with Aegon in her arms. She recognized Brandon and gave him a soft greeting before taking a seat.
"Aye, we'll have to start a rebellion if we get caught." Brandon sighed.
"We still got one more to save," Wylis added.
Lyanna's eyes lit up upon hearing him. "As you should! She's already suffered enough. It's time she finds some peace here."
Brandon looked confusedly between them. "Who?"
"Queen Rhaella's stranded on Dragonstone, with no one to shield her," Wylis said, his eyes flicking toward Elia. "If Robert finds her, he'll not spare her nor the children. Though her son… I'd wager he's beyond saving."
"He reflects his raising, my Lord," Elia voiced. "I… I would see her grace preserved. But Viserys will never cease in his hunger to undo your sanctuary. He fancies himself a dragon, considers it his birthright to lord over the realm and every being in it. He'll try to escape the castle to challenge the King, get caught, tortured, and spill everything."
Is she… asking me to kill the fucker?
Wylis sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'll have to somehow reform him, one way or another."
In silence, he scrolled the hidden screen of the Tyrant's Squire's shop. Soon enough, he found the skill named 'Brainwashing', priced at one year. There was also the full psychology mastery, but it cost three years, and Wylis didn't want to spend that much.
Hmm… I guess Rhaella can pay for it herself.
While he felt shitty about already planning to breed the ex-queen, he believed it was only a matter of time before it happened. They were intimate, mentally connected in a way that couldn't be explained. If she weren't the Queen, she'd have already given him a kid.
"He's a bloody twat, that one. When Aerys burned Father, he sat grinning like a fool." Brandon added, arms crossed. "But the woman did no wrong. If the rumors I heard are true, she was as much a victim of the Mad King as us."
Wylis thanked whatever gods were out there for giving him a friend who was somewhat of a lunatic but also mindful and understanding.
"That is true," Wylis remembered the marks on her body from that night. "It's settled then. I'll sail in a week to save her. Brandon, you'll join me. I'll need trustworthy men on the cog. We'll go with the intention to trade at King's Landing. On our way back, we'll have 'trouble' with our ship near Dragonstone. I'll move in the dark of the night and snatch her from the castle."
For planning that openly, Wylis had reasons. Lyanna and Elia had no cause to object, and by involving Brandon, he was making the oldest son of House Stark a partner in crime, which was pretty much treason.
"Something exciting at last!" Brandon boomed.
And clearly, Brandon didn't mind.
####
Dreadfort, the North,
Lord Roose Bolton sat in his solar, his hand flat against his forehead, annoyance coursing through him. He read the little parchment that had arrived through the raven, bringing rather troublesome information.
"Who was it? Who spilled?"
"All of them, M'lord. Brennard knew about us. So did the Avery brothers. They all got caught," said Walton, also known as Steelshanks Walton, the captain in Roose Bolton's service. "The word must have reached Lord Wyman."
Roose sneered, crumpling the paper. "Why else would he set sail for Ramsgate? This… complicates matters."
"M'lord… If I may."
Roose gave a simple nod.
"M'lord, why do you wish to kill him? He's a new upstart lord, a nobody. He has no noble lineage, just a stableboy who can swing a blade. He's no threat to us or anyone."
"Yet, Walton. That is the word. I watched him at the Trident. A dozen men fell before him, one after the other, and he never faltered. He's a monster in his nascent stage. If we do not cut him down now, nothing will contain him."
Walton sighed and remembered the battlefield. "Should I go there myself, M'lord?"
"And die? He is the finest blade in the realm, Walton. We retreat. We will bide our time. Place eyes in Ramsgate, watch every move. Let them bring word of his weakness. He breeds as if it were a sickness. Already one bastard. The realm's champion is not as clean as they think."
"It shall be done, M'lord."
Soon, the captain left his solar, and Roose leaned back in the chair, frowning. It was only a matter of time before the entire North learns about what he did, and soon the entire realm. Wylis was currently the realm's darling, champion of the smallfolk. It was bad for him, but he didn't care about impressions. What worried him was that Eddard Stark would now become vigilant.
"How did he catch the Avery brothers so fast?"
####
Dragonstone,
Everything was lost. It was hopeless to expect a miracle now. Elia Martell and her children were murdered, and she believed her end would be the same. Robert Baratheon seemed keen on butchering anyone with Targaryen blood.
In silence, she lay in the bed, alone in the bedchamber, a small life growing in her womb. It would have been a lie if she denied having conflicting thoughts. Unholy prayers, hoping the babe would be stillborn, because having silver hair and violet eyes was a mark of death now. She didn't want her newborn to suffer the ill-fate.
I…
Often, more than she liked to acknowledge, she thought of Wylis. The memory of his was enough to warm her heart and make her smile. While it was hard to gain outside information in Dragonstone with the naval blockade, ravens still slipped in sometimes.
Lord Wylis now.
She remembered all the words they'd exchanged through little parchments. Remembering those, she realized that Wylis had accomplished everything he wanted to. He became a lord, just as he had said.
Yet, a pang of guilt coated her heart. The guilt of refusing him that night. Refusing to go with him, take Viserys with her. Now, she felt she should have accepted his offer. She hated herself for doubting Wylis when he said he'd kill Aerys. He had done that now.
She hated herself for fearing Aerys, letting the beastly man cloud her judgment. Scarred her so much that she chose her own confined hell over freedom with Wylis.
"Forgive me."
She muttered, and drops of tears slid from her eyes while he stared at the ceiling. Her hand caressed her belly, regretting ever taking the Moon tea. She was scared; she thought her birdcage was her sanctuary, never realizing it was her hell.
Finally, she closed her eyes and imagined Wylis, his warmth, his arms wrapped around her, covering her. That night, that memory was burned in her thoughts. How safe she felt in his embrace.
As if not a single creature in the world could pass him to touch her.
"I wish… I had left with you."
She didn't realize she was speaking her inner thoughts out loud.
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