Grey light filtered through the wall slits the next morning. The stone floor was ice-cold, but a steady fire in the hearth kept the chill at bay.
Roslin was asleep, under a heavy pile of furs. Near the door, the two hounds, Livy and Rivy, looked like giant rugs. Their ears flicked when boots thudded in the hallway, but they didn't bother getting up.
Alaric sat by the fire, warming his hands around a mug of hot cider. Dae sat across from him, focused on a map he was drawing. Alaric watched the flames for a moment before setting his drink down.1
"Dae," Alaric whispered, glancing at the bed to make sure Roslin was still out.
Dae looked up. His eyes were dark and completely still. "Master?"
"You deal with heads," Alaric said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Lies and illusions. I want to know what you can actually do."
Dae tilted his head. A small, cold smile touched his face. "The mind breaks easier than bone. What do you need?"
Alaric tapped a steady rhythm on the arm of his chair. "Can you put someone under? Not a nap, and not killing them. A deep sleep they can't snap out of for weeks. At least until I say so."
Dae set his quill down. "I can. It's hard to do from a distance, but if I can touch them or whisper to them while they sleep, I can lead their mind into a maze. They'll keep breathing, their heart will keep beating, but they won't wake up. Not until I let them out."
"And when they wake up? Will they be crazy?"
"Just confused," Dae said. "They'll feel like they've lost time to a bad fever."
"Good." Alaric looked toward the door. "Sometimes you win just by taking a piece off the board for a while."
Dae began rolling up his map. "One more thing. The Stark boy and the Greyjoy are in the courtyard. They're prepping horses for a hunt. Guards are going with them."
Alaric's lip curled. "A hunt. Huh.... You know what to do, right?"
"As you command." Dae bowed. As he stood, he stepped back into the shadows of the corner and seemed to vanish into the dark.
The only sound left was the wood popping in the fireplace. Alaric sank back into his seat and exhaled. Behind him, the blankets shifted. He turned to see Roslin peeking over the wool, her hair a mess in every direction.
"Good morning, Rose," Alaric said.
Roslin rubbed her eyes and sat up. She noticed Dae was gone and shivered as she left the warmth of the bed. Wrapping a fur over her shoulders, she walked across the cold stone and dragged her chair right next to Alaric's. She sat down, huddling near the heat of the fire.
"Hungry?" Alaric asked.
Roslin nodded. "Yes. What should I get? Or... what do you want me to cook?"
Alaric saw how eager she was to please and felt a pinch of guilt. He'd been so busy with the castle that he'd ignored her.
"Actually, Rose, I'm sorry," he said.
She looked up, startled. "Sorry? My lord, you don't have to—"
"I do," he said. "I told you yesterday I'd have Dae show you the kitchens. I forgot. I came in late and my head was elsewhere. I didn't mean to leave you stuck here." He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
"It's fine, my lord," she said, looking at her lap.
"It's important to me," Alaric said. He stood up and held out his hand. "Let's fix it now. I'll show you myself."
In the Pantry
They walked to the guest wing's pantry. The hallway was quiet and smelled of damp stone. Inside the pantry, a fire was already going, lighting up shelves of dried meat, jars, and baskets of vegetables.
Alaric shut the heavy door, cutting off the rest of the castle. He hopped onto a stone table in the middle of the room and sat there, legs dangling.
"All yours, Rose," he said. "Do whatever you want."
Roslin stood still, hands gripped together. She looked at the flour sacks and the pans, looking nervous. At the Twins, kitchens were loud and chaotic. Here, the silence felt heavy. She walked toward a basket of eggs, then stopped and looked back at him. "I don't know where they keep the butter. Or the herbs."
"Look in the jars on the bottom shelf," Alaric said.
Roslin knelt and found a block of butter wrapped in cloth. "Found it," she whispered.
She started moving faster, grabbing eggs, bread, and cheese. Her hands were shaking as she cracked an egg into a bowl, her breath coming in short, nervous puffs.
"Breathe, Rose," Alaric said.
Roslin froze. "Am I too slow? I can go faster—"