Chapter 74: The Rules of Courtship
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Richard POV
Elia did not release my arm after we left the private dining chamber.
Her hand remained tucked against the bend of my elbow as we walked through the sunlit corridors of the Old Palace. Behind us, the doors closed upon the rest of House Martell, though I doubted our departure ended their interest in what their princess intended.
Every person at that table had understood and so had I.
Elia Martell was officially after me.
She had attempted to disguise her intentions beneath invitations, recommendations, and unnecessary explanations concerning the strength of Dornish peppers, but there was little doubt remaining. She had invited me to dine with her family, served food upon my plate, watched my every reaction, and then asked me to spend the rest of the morning alone with her.
Two years had passed since she kissed me beneath the western sky. Two years had passed since I rejected her. It seemed her feelings had evidently survived every day between then and now.
Elia glanced toward me.
"You seemed quiet, is everything well?" she observed.
"Everything is well, I just have something on my mind." I answered.
"About what? Is it about breakfast?" She asked.
"Im thinking of that too, among other things of course."
A trace of unease entered her expression.
"Was Doran too severe with his questions?" Elia asked. "He does not mean to be discourteous. He merely prefers to understand everyone who enters his family's home."
"Your brother was reasonable," I assured her. "If a foreign lord arrived beneath my roof and immediately began spending time with someone I loved, my sister for example, I would also wish to understand him."
Elia's steps faltered.
I continued for another pace before stopping with her.
Her cheeks had begun turning red.
"I did not say that was what you were doing," I added.
"No," Elia agreed quickly. "Of course not."
We resumed walking. The color remained in her face. She was so obvious.
A pair of horses had already been prepared in the palace courtyard by the time we arrived. Elia's mount was a graceful sand-colored mare, while a dark Dornish stallion waited for me. Four Martell guards accompanied us, though Elia instructed them to remain far enough behind that we might speak without being overheard.
The journey to the Water Gardens took us along the coast. Sunlight gleamed upon the sea to our left, while dry hills and stretches of pale sand rose to our right. The morning breeze carried the scent of salt, dust, and flowering citrus.
Elia spent much of the ride telling me about the land.
She explained which villages supplied Sunspear with fruit, where the best horses were bred, and how the coast changed when the seasonal storms arrived. Whenever she forgot her nervousness, her voice became confident. She knew Dorne far better than many lords knew the lands they ruled.
The Water Gardens appeared before us near midday.
Pale marble walls rose amid groves of blood orange trees. Sunlight reflected from tiled pools and fountains, while water flowed through narrow channels cut into the stone. Children ran barefoot along the edges of the pools, laughing as they splashed one another beneath the watch of nurses and guards.
Elia's expression softened as soon as she heard them.
"We come here during the hottest part of the year," she explained once we had dismounted. "The sea breeze makes the heat much easier to bear."
"It is beautiful isn't it." She finished with a smile.
"It is beautiful." I agreed.
Pride brightened her face.
"I hope you really enjoy your time here." She ended.
She led me through the gardens, showing me the shaded courtyards, fountains, and pools fed by cool water. The children paid little attention to rank. Several recognized Elia and hurried to greet her, wet feet slapping against the marble.
Elia knelt to speak with them despite the risk to her gown.
They told her about a race held between two pools, an argument over a wooden boat, and a lizard one of the boys insisted was large enough to swallow a horse. Elia listened to every word as though each matter deserved the full attention of a princess.
I watched her laugh when the supposed monster proved small enough to fit within the boy's hands.
After this interaction, Elia led me toward a quieter section of the gardens. Orange trees surrounded a narrow pool where red petals floated upon the water. The guards remained beyond the nearby archway, close enough to intervene if necessary but unable to hear us.
Elia stopped beneath the shade of one of the trees.
For several moments, she said nothing. Her fingers moved restlessly against one another.
"You did not bring me here merely to show me the pools did you?" I asked with one of my eyebrows raised.
Elia looked at me worryingly.
"Was I being too obvious?" she whispered.
"Yes, indeed you were princess." I answered.
Her shoulders lowered slightly.
"I had hoped to appear more subtle." She said as her eyes wandered.
"You invited me to breakfast, filled my plate before I could do so myself, asked how long I intended to remain in Sunspear, smiled when I said at least a week, and then invited me to spend the morning alone with you," I explained. "If that is your idea of subtlety, Princess, then I fear you have lost your bearings."
"When you place everything together like that, it does sound rather obvious," Elia admitted with a nervous chuckle.
"It was also obvious before I placed everything together."
She lowered her gaze .
I could have allowed her to retreat from the conversation. Two years earlier, to maintain the status quo I might have done exactly that. Silence would have preserved the connection without requiring anything from me.
I no longer needed to do so.
"If I understand correctly, you mean to court me, don't you?" I asked.
Elia's head rose sharply. Her lips parted, though no words emerged.
I waited for an answer. She must be the one to say it.
"Yes." she finally admitted.
The single word was scarcely louder than the water moving through the pool.
Elia drew in a breath and forced herself to continue.
"I know what we agreed upon two years ago," she said. "You told me that you felt as I did, but that the difference between us made anything beyond companionship impossible. I tried to accept that… I truly did… But I just can't."
Her hands had begun trembling.
"Then I saw you again, Galahad…" Elia continued. "You were no longer merely a knight. You had become a lord, and the reason you gave me two years ago no longer stood as far between us. Perhaps you feel differently now. Perhaps you still wish for us to remain only companions. But my feelings have not disappeared simply because two years have passed. I still wish for more…"
She looked directly into my eyes.
"I wish to court you, Galahad. If you are willing to allow it." There was fear in her expression, but she did not look away.
Looking at her I looked back to two years ago.
I had completely fooled Elia. I had pursued her friendship for the same reason I cultivated friendship with Lannisters and every influential lord willing to receive me. Connections were after all another form of armor and even power.
Alone my abilities like my claws, strength, and healing made me nearly unstoppable in battle. But I figured out that raw power alone was not enough for me. I had no desire to remain an unknown creature feared in alleys and upon battlefields. Which at first was one of the reasons why I created the lionheart family. It was to spread my influence through the westerlands and someday the whole world.
Later on though I wanted more. I wanted land, prestige, and a name that would create respect and admiration. I wanted the nobles and lords of the realm to see the perfect image I had created for them: Galahad, the gifted knight, honorable, courteous, and worthy of their trust.
The attention I had shown her had not been entirely false. Though I had spent two years telling myself otherwise, I had enjoyed her company and admired her intelligence.
Yet neither had been the reason I first approached her, for before I saw Elia, I had seen House Martell.
When her feelings became unmistakable, I had hidden behind the difference in our stations. The obstacle had been real, but it had also been convenient. Remaining companions allowed me to preserve my connection to her family while sparing me from confronting an affection I could not return.
Everything has changed since then though.
I was no longer a landless young man gathering powerful names. I had lands, wealth, ships, soldiers, and authority of my own. My station remained far beneath Elia's, but I no longer required House Martell's favor to survive.
I did not need to act anymore.
If I remained beside Elia now, it would be because I wanted her company. If I accepted her courtship, it would be because I wished to discover what might grow between us.
Alicent came to mind.
We had known each other since childhood, back when home was whichever alley kept the rain off us. I protected her because no one else would. After enough years, I stopped thinking of it as a choice. Her safety mattered to me. So did her happiness.
When she confessed her feelings, at first I did not love her the way she loved me. Even so, I chose to be with her. I cared for her too deeply to turn her away, and after everything we had survived together, I could not bear to be the one who broke her heart.
Love came later.
There had been no single moment when it happened. We continued sharing our days, our plans, and our worries. Somewhere along the way, I began looking for her whenever I entered a room and missing her whenever she was gone. By the time I understood what had changed, I no longer stayed because I felt responsible for her. I stayed because I wanted her beside me.
Alicent had taught me that love did not always need to come first.
Sometimes all it needed was a chance.
"I will accept your courtship." I answered.
Elia stared at me.
"You will?" She asked in disbelief.
"I will. But I have one condition." I answered.
The hope upon her face gave way to apprehension.
"What is your condition?" Elia asked.
"You will not court me alone," I answered. "For I also intend to court you in return."
For several heartbeats, she merely looked at me.
"You wish to court me?" she asked in further disbelief.
"Yes." I answered again.
For once, Elia appeared unable to find an answer.
"I will not promise feelings I do not yet possess," I continued. "I care for you, and I am willing to discover whether that care can become something more. But I will not stand aside while you attempt to win my affection and I offer nothing in return." I gave my explanation.
Elia's eyes began to shine.
"I will seek your company, learn what brings you happiness, and give you the same opportunity to decide whether I am worthy of you," I told her. "Whatever grows between us should be the work of us both, not just yours."
"I decided you were worthy two years ago, now you still are." Elia whispered.
"Even so, I believe I still have more to prove to you princess." I said with a smile.
A smile slowly appeared upon her lips in response to my words.
"And if your feelings do not change?" she asked.
"Then I will tell you," I promised. "And if yours changes, you can tell me as well."
"My feelings will not." She promised.
"You cannot know that." I replied.
"I have wanted you for two years already. I believe I know my own heart." She said adamantly.
"Even so, the promise now belongs to both of us." I stated.
Elia considered that before nodding.
"I agree." She smiled.
"Then our courtship begins today." I respond with a smile.
Her joy nearly stole my breath.
"Neither of us knows how this is supposed to work," Elia admitted. "Usually, only one person does the courting."
"Then we will determine the rules together." I answered.
She considered the matter with exaggerated seriousness.
"Very well, then. Our first rule is that you must spend time here with me every day while you remain in Sunspear." She declared.
"That seems reasonable," I said. "Then my first rule is that you must allow me to choose what we do tomorrow."
Elia's eyebrows rose, surprise brightening her expression.
"You have already begun making plans?" Elia asked.
"I said I would court you," I replied with a faint smile. "Did you expect me to wait?"
Her cheeks reddened again, but this time she held my gaze. The nervousness remained, though delight had begun to overcome it.
"Good," Elia said warmly. "Then we are off to a promising start."
We were.
Beyond the archway, armor shifted as one of the guards changed position. Another walked several paces along the outer path before stopping. The children had carried their games toward the eastern pools, their laughter faint behind the marble walls and running water.
No one was approaching.
A carved stone screen stood near the pool, partly hidden beneath the branches of an orange tree. From the archway, it concealed the narrow space behind it.
I took Elia's hand and led her there. She followed without protest, though she looked from our joined hands to my face with growing curiosity.
"What are you doing?" Elia asked.
"Making certain your guards do not see what I intend to do next," I answered.
Elia's lips parted, and her breath caught. She glanced toward the screen before looking back at me.
"How can you be certain they will not come looking for us?" she asked, lowering her voice.
"I can hear all four of them," I assured her. "They are still beyond the arch, and no one else is close enough to interrupt us."
Some of the tension left Elia's shoulders.
"Of course you can." she murmured, sounding both relieved and amused.
Two years ago, beneath the western sky, Elia had caught me unprepared and kissed me.
This time, I would not leave the first move to her.
I stepped closer and placed a hand against her cheek. Elia became still beneath my touch, though she did not retreat. Her eyes remained fixed upon mine, nervous but expectant.
"We should mark the beginning of our courtship properly," I said softly.
"And how do you intend to do that?" Elia asked. Her voice trembled slightly, though the anticipation in it was unmistakable.
I leaned toward her, stopping just before our lips touched. She had every opportunity to pull away.
Instead, Elia's fingers caught the front of my coat, and she lifted her face toward mine.
I kissed her.
Elia remained still for a heartbeat. Then her eyes closed, her fingers tightened in my coat, and she kissed me back.
I had intended it to be brief. Elia pressed closer before I could withdraw, and I found that I was in no hurry to end it. I slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her again, slower this time.
The kiss lasted far longer than I had planned.
When I finally drew back, Elia remained close enough that her uneven breath touched my lips. Her eyes stayed closed for another moment before slowly opening.
A shy, pleased smile appeared upon her face.
Elia's fingers remained twisted in my coat. When she looked up at me, her breathing had not yet steadied.
"May I make another rule?" she asked.
"What rule did you have in mind?" I replied, unable to keep the amusement from my voice.
Her shy smile turned mischievous.
"We must kiss like that at least twice each day," Elia declared.
"That seems a rather demanding rule," I teased.
"Do you object?" she asked. Her voice was bold, but her fingers tightened against my chest as she waited for my answer.
"Not in the least," I assured her.
Her shoulders eased.
"Then it is settled," Elia said with satisfaction.
She continued to hold my coat, and I made no effort to free myself. For several breaths, neither of us spoke.
At last, Elia glanced down at the fabric she had wrinkled. She carefully smoothed it before slipping her hand around my arm once more. Her cheeks remained flushed, but she carried herself with a confidence that had not been there before.
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Chapter 75 coming later today…