Chapter 40: Haunting Ghost
As I left Arthur with Arya, Ser Loras and the Hound accompanied me. I went to the White Sword Tower and gathered the rest of the Kingsguard for morning practice. I had organised their shifts so every one of the Kingsguard would be available for these practices rather than having some snooze them away. It wasn't as tricky as it sounds, considering there are twenty-four hours a day and, safe for their eight hours of sleep, the Kingsguard are available to me during most of them.
We went straight to the largest of the Red Keep's yards, starting with some light exercises before moving on to sparring. As per usual, it was only a short time until a sizeable number of courtiers moved to observe the routine practice. Sansa Stark was one of them, amongst Princess Arianne and Margaery Tyrell. Renly and Gendry were too.
The Hound seemed to be in his element today, consecutively besting Ser Mandon, Loras, Balon and Arys.
"Seems to me that you want a white cloak, Hound..." I remarked with a slight smile.
"I am no knight."
"I could make you one." I offered.
"Fuck that useless title."
"Fair enough." I chuckled at the Hound's response, shrugging my shoulders. "To me, you are a Kingsguard in all but name - white cloak or otherwise."
"Why don't you face your dog?" Arianne smiled as she observed from the raised stands, resting her head on her hand. "Many say that you are the strongest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms, despite your youth..."
'And the golden medal for women's instigating goes to...'
"I planned to regardless." I grabbed my warhammer and raised it on my shoulder. Since my old armour no longer fit me, I had taken Robert's armour as my own. I was definitely selling the Demon of the Trident roleplay. "Let's give them a show."
"Hardly a show." The Hound scoffed. "You are a little monster."
He chose to use a morningstar with a decently long chain, swinging it at me. I evaded its spiked ball with ease, even without hyper-focus. I waited for an opportunity to strike... using the plate of my left arm to deflect the next blow while raising my warhammer with the right.
Smash.
My warhammer struck right into the Hound's side, leading to him staggering back. His armour had been decently dented, and I knew he felt that blow.
"Fuck." Sandor cursed, stepping back. "Strong cunt, you held back, didn't you?"
"... Yeah." I nodded, feeling a slight bit of pain in my left arm. The blunt force of the Hound was no jest. "Why would I want to injure my own men?"
"Does that answer your question?" Sandor looked up at Arianne. I know he wanted to add something along the lines of 'dumb bitch' but restrained himself.
"Certainly does..." Arianne observed Sandor's armour from a distance. She pursed her lips as she looked at me and winked. "It seems that His Grace's large, strong, figure is not just for show..."
I continued to spar with Robert's warhammer, dancing with multiple Kingsguard at once. It was only then that I was truly challenged, having to abuse hyper-focus to avoid being sandwiched. Then I swapped to the sword and did the same. Since I was fighting against rotating teams, I naturally exhausted the most energy but got more experience out of it.
The session continued with several capable volunteers, like Ser Garlan, joining in. The Hound had noticeably improved at his throwing, and the rest had become decent archers. As for me... well. I decided to leave that for a hunt. The yard wasn't nearly large enough to test my effective range.
I showed Oberyn some lightning tricks, piquing his interest.
"Your magic is fascinating," Oberyn admitted, nodding as lightning sparked in my left hand. "It's more than little sparks, though... isn't it?"
"Oh, of course." I smiled, nodding. "Showing its full strength would spoil this beautiful afternoon sky, however. Mayhaps another day."
"As you wish." Oberyn shrugged.
By the end of the session, I was absolutely drained after the adrenaline rush. I definitely pushed myself to the limit today, from abusing hyper-focus to keeping pace during extensively long duels against many skilled combatants. I knew that tomorrow I'd wake up sore as shit.
I prepared a little feast for myself and those who had trained with me before heading to relax in the gardens under Margaery Tyrell's invitation. We walked through them rather casually before sitting on a beautiful balcony table showing some of the finer scenery of King's Landing.
She had servants bring all kinds of fruit from the Reach, the sight of which magically opened space in my previously full stomach. Melons, peaches, pomegranates, grapes, fireplums...
I found it difficult not to open my mouth and drool. Alas, I kept my composure.
"Don't be shy, Your Grace." Margaery sweetly smiled, tilting her head slightly as she looked directly into my eyes. "Eat as much as you like. I heard you had a particularly sweet tooth, despite being known for eating mainly meat."
"I love both." I nodded, eyeing the peaches. "Meat gives me strength, sweetness gives me joy."
"I see." She chuckled. "The fruits are most ripe in Highgarden, where some even say they are as sweet as the cadence of a poet's song."
"Oh... is that so?" I subtly grabbed a peach with my right hand and had my first bite. Yeah, it was fucking good. I wanted to munch through the whole thing. "Sounds quite tempting."
"I believe you'd more than love it—Highgarden, I mean." She raised her hand and held my gloved left hand. "With all the Kingdoms returned to the fold, it's only right that you should have some time to yourself. All that fighting with the mountain clans of the Vale... I doubt it was easy on the body nor the mind."
"I'm sure I would..."
I said, looking into her eyes. The lines blurred until I wasn't looking at Margaery, but rather... Alysanne. My hand clenched hers for a moment. My look turned into a stare before the illusion vanished before my eyes.
I let go, glancing away.
"But... there's something I want to do first." I took a deep breath, shaking my head. "Something I need to do."
"And that... would be?"
"I need to put someone dear to me to rest," I said with a strained smile, looking into the narrow sea. Then I turned back to her. "How about I show you my home first, lady Margaery? It's not nearly as wonderful as Highgarden, with its strong winds, mighty rain and booming lightning... but it has its own charm. Of course, I won't force your hand-"
"Oh, I'd love to, Your Grace." She smiled with a sparkle in her eyes. "Storm's End has a long history and is one of the mightiest castles in the Realm."
I doubt she was that excited to see Storm's End...
"Besides, being in your company, no matter the place, is a great honour." Margaery added, smiling once more. "I'd gladly accompany you wherever you wish."
'Even to my bedchamber?' I thought to myself. 'Silly thought... that's precisely where you want to be. With a crown, especially.'
"That's settled, then." I nodded, taking a few more, bigger, bites of the peach. Before I knew it, only the seed remained. I flicked it into the distance and grabbed another. "Hum-"
As I was engrossing myself in the sweetness of Reach peaches, two soft hands graced my shoulders and massaged them. By the distinct smell alone, I could tell who it was.
"You must be sore from your arduous training, Your Grace..." She said in her husky voice, which was alluring in a way. "Let this princess help you unwind a little."
My heartbeat quickened a little.
Admittedly, I didn't mind a massage. It felt pretty good. Even though I sincerely doubted Arianne's end-game was just to become my masseuse, I decided to loosen up a little and enjoy the moment - while eating my second peach.
"I could do much more if you found a suitable place to lay down, Your Grace."
"I don't believe His Grace requires your services," Margaery remarked, keeping her smile. "Besides, it's rather rude of you to interrupt our private conversation."
"Why, I am just serving the King," Arianne answered. "If he wishes for me to leave, he only needs to say the word."
I exchanged looks with Margaery and then saw Raiden Shogun looking at me.
Women...
I just want to enjoy my peaches.
"Aren't you popular these days, Your Grace?" Dorian pulled up, chuckling. "The company of two beautiful ladies with such prominent names... any ordinary man would be green with envy."
"Ah, Dorian." I smiled. "You're still around?"
"What... you wanted me to leave so swiftly?" Dorian pretended to look sad. "Am I not wanted?"
"No, quite the opposite. Do you need something from me?"
"I was just wandering around. Though, I did want to speak with you one last time before I departed..." Dorian smiled, glancing at Arianne. "However, you look beyond comfortable, Your Grace. I'd hate to drag you away from your paradise."
What a save...
I stood up.
"Sure." I looked at Margaery and then at Arianne. "We can continue at a later time."
"You only need to say the word." Arianne smiled, not looking upset at all.
...
Dorian took me to one of my favourite spots, the tallest of the Red Keep's towers, which overlooked all of King's Landing.
"Women..." Dorian chuckled, glancing at me. "Are you still a maid, Your Grace?"
"... Yeah." I shrugged. "What of it?"
"So much attention at such a young age... isn't it enticing? You are getting to about that age when boys start becoming more like men, eh."
"A little." I admitted. "It is becoming more than a little enticing recently."
"I see... not even Robert had that many highborn ladies dropping themselves at his feet." Dorian laughed. "You are one charming lad with no Cersei Lannister to keep them away, I suppose. The little wolf is hardly a deterring factor."
"What are you getting at?" I raised a slight eyebrow.
"Arianne, for one, will not stop at anything until you two are in the same bed together..." Dorian seemed to warn me. "That's how she is, Oberyn tells me. A relentless princess who tends to get what she wants. Of course, you could indulge her... no doubt, she would make you feel joy you didn't know existed."
"I see..." I acted like I didn't know. "What am I to do about it?"
"What would you want to do about it?" Dorian questioned, grinning slightly. "If you want, you could serve these eager ladies like your father would."
"Heh..." I chuckled. "Wouldn't I be just like my father, then? Having bastards left and right?"
"Look at how having a bastard turned out for him..." Dorian remarked, shrugging. "Without you, the Realm would be in pieces."
"... Mayhaps. Even so, I am no Robert Baratheon." I shook my head, looking at Dorian with a more serious expression. "When I do it... I want it to be special."
"How romantic and sweet!" Dorian mused, resting his head on his hand. His mocking grin was all too clear.
"Shut up." I rolled my eyes.
"In which case, Arianne is not the woman for you." Dorian chuckled. "She has been through quite the number of... swords. That princess is more of a lustful creature than a loving one."
"I knew someone who would've been..." I sighed, looking at the sea. "Though, mayhaps I wasn't the person for her to begin with."
"Alysanne?" Dorian asked, nodding. "Yes, you two were lovely. Alas... she is not with us. I'm afraid that the crown on your head will not make the pursuit of love all that easy. Indeed, many ladies will flock to you - but not for the right reasons. The Rose of Highgarden is one such example. Besides, you have your duty to fulfil... is that not so?"
"... Yeah." I looked up at the sky, which was full of stars. "Duty."
"It's all up to you, in the end... Kings have been plenty selfish and indulgent in the past. Mayhaps you could make them fall for you, truly."
"I only want one, Dorian. One with whom I can share my entire heart, soul, and life." I replied, speaking with my chest. "Just one."
"If you picked up a lyre and sang, Rhaegar would cry tears of shame from his grave..." Dorian laughed. "Though, I think I can find a suitable lover for you."
"..." I chuckled. "Not you too."
"It shall be one of my gifts." Dorian's eye flashed violet. "Eh... I said I wouldn't spoil any of the surprises, didn't I? How careless of me-"
"I don't need you to find a lover for me." I raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine."
"Ah, I shall find you the most brilliant of girls. Do not fret..."
"..."
Since he insisted, there was no changing his mind. Who in Seven Hells would he even bring to me? Admittedly, I was a bit curious. Dorian was always unpredictable.
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