The escort Aurelius had chosen consisted of six of Starfall's most experienced men-at-arms, led by Ser Davron Allyrion, a grizzled veteran who'd served House Dayne for over twenty years and looked like he'd been carved from old leather and bad temper. They were armed with sword and spear, armored in mail and leather, and looked exactly like the kind of men you'd want at your back when riding into uncertain circumstances—or the kind you'd cross the street to avoid if you met them in a dark alley.
"My lady," Ser Davron said, approaching Ashara with the measured stride of a man accustomed to command and thoroughly unimpressed by noble dramatics. "The men are ready. We can make good time if we push hard, but it'll be a rough journey with the babe."
"Cregan travels well," Ashara assured him, her voice carrying that particular confidence that made people believe her even when she was making things up. "And he's tougher than he looks."
I'd better be* thought the child in question. *This doesn't sound like the sort of trip that comes with luxury accommodations and regular meal stops. More like the kind that ends with everyone involved in a very dramatic sword fight.*
As they prepared to mount up, Aurelius pulled his sister aside for a private word. His expression was troubled, and he kept glancing toward the eastern horizon as if he could see all the way to their destination through sheer force of will.
"Ashara," he said quietly, his voice carrying that particular note of unease that meant he was genuinely worried rather than just being dramatic for effect. "I have a bad feeling about this. Not just the usual worry about dangerous travel—something deeper. Something that feels like... like standing at the edge of a cliff in a storm, waiting for the lightning to strike."
"I know," Ashara replied, surprising him with her honesty. "I feel it too. Like we're about to step into a story that's already been written, and we don't know whether we're the heroes or the cautionary tale."
Definitely the cautionary tale* thought baby Cregan with grim certainty. *Though possibly the kind where everyone learns something valuable about themselves right before everything goes completely to hell.*
"What if it's a trap?" Aurelius pressed, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. "What if someone is using Arthur to lure us away from Starfall? What if this is all some elaborate scheme to—"
"Then we'll deal with that too," Ashara interrupted, her smile fierce and beautiful and absolutely terrifying. "We're Daynes, brother. We've been dealing with impossible situations since before the Conquest. This is just another challenge."
Famous last words* thought baby Cregan. *Though I have to admire the confidence. Very much in the family tradition of facing certain doom with perfect hair and excellent posture.*
They rode out as the sun reached its zenith, a small column of riders heading east toward the Torrentine and whatever mysteries awaited them at the Tower of Joy. Behind them, Starfall's pale towers caught the light like captured stars, while ahead lay only questions and the promise of answers that might change everything.
Ashara rode with Cregan secured in a specially designed basket that allowed her to keep him close while maintaining control of her mount. The baby seemed remarkably content with the arrangement, his violet eyes taking in the passing landscape with that unnatural intensity that always made her slightly uneasy.
He understands far more than any child his age should* she thought, not for the first time. *Sometimes I catch him looking at me like he's trying to solve a puzzle. Like he knows something I don't. What thoughts go through that little head of his?*
If she could have heard those thoughts, she might have been more than slightly uneasy.
Hold on, Aunt Lyanna* baby Cregan was thinking as the landscape rolled past. *Help is coming. And maybe, just maybe, we can prevent this from ending in complete tragedy. Though knowing my luck, I'm probably riding toward another spectacular disaster involving people I care about making heroically stupid decisions.*
The irony wasn't lost on him that he was heading toward a meeting with his aunt Lyanna and his newborn cousin—assuming, of course, that everyone managed to survive the experience.
King's Landing, 283 AC - The Red Keep
The Iron Throne was remarkably uncomfortable.
Jaime Lannister sat slumped on the twisted metal monstrosity, his golden hair dark with sweat and his usually pristine white cloak stained with blood that wasn't entirely his own. The blade that had killed King Aerys lay across his knees—still warm from the Mad King's final, burning breath.
The throne room was eerily quiet now, the silence broken only by the distant sounds of the city burning outside and the occasional drip of blood from various wounds onto the stone floor. Robert's rebels had breached the gates hours ago, and King's Landing was being systematically sacked by soldiers drunk on victory and the promise of plunder.
"Burn them all,"* Jaime muttered, repeating Aerys's final command with bitter accuracy. *"Burn them all." Even at the end, even with defeat staring him in the face like an unwelcome dinner guest, all he could think about was taking everyone else down with him. Mad to the very last.*
The wildfire caches hidden throughout the city would have turned King's Landing into a funeral pyre for half a million souls. Men, women, children—all of them reduced to ash and bone because a madman couldn't bear the thought of losing his throne to a man with a bigger hammer.
Well, he's lost it anyway* Jaime thought with the kind of bitter humor that came from having the worst day of one's life. *Just without taking the entire city with him. I suppose that counts as a victory of sorts. Small victories, but I'll take what I can get.*
The great doors of the throne room were still barred from the inside, but he could hear voices approaching—Robert's men, most likely, come to claim their prize and find themselves a new king to serve. Soon they'd break down the doors, find him sitting here with a dead king at his feet, and the real questions would begin.