Chapitre 103: Arthur 37
293AC
I scribbled down line after line of text detailing my survival, trip and current condition in as clear and concise a language as I could manage. It felt odd to leave Arianne hanging in the next room over, but the war had changed things dramatically for me, and meant that my planned reasonably relaxing return to Westeros had been traded off in favor of a frantic scramble to get the information of my survival and of my remaining military strength out to those who needed to know. Once they were put to dock and repaired at Dragonstone, the maiden fleet represented a not insignificant military force, particularly with the Marines I had brought with me. It would still likely be months before they could see use in the war, but I certainly wasn't going to hesitate in letting the Hand know of their existence and that he could communicate to Robert and my father the need to plan around them.
The last one finished, I handed the letter to the castle's Maester to fold and send out. The second raven going out this day after the two I had sent to Dragonstone, one to my mother and another to Gerald. The Frey had enough authority in my name to prepare the docks and the like for my coming arrival, and my mother and siblings needed to know I was alive for obvious reasons.
That all finally finished, I sighed, turning back towards the door where my future betrothed awaited.
"So these Lizards, you said they were the size of Horses?"
As I opened the door, I was surprised to see Asha on the other side, apparently engaged in pleasant conversation with Tyene and Arianne.
"Oh hello, Prince Arthur," Tyene said, turning towards me. "We were ju-"
"Arthur, come sit with me." Ariane cut her cousin off, and I glanced between them before dutifully sitting next to the teenager. As soon as I sat, Arianne immediately grabbed my elbow. "So," she said, and I felt a little danger in her voice. "When were you going to tell me that you had Asha here sleeping in your room during the voyage."
I glanced at her plainly, if she thought she had enough to throw me off my train of thought with that she was sorely mistaken. "Nothing untoward happened between us, Arianne. I only put her into bed because she was drunk."
"I wasn't that Drunk," Asha said, but I cut her off with a glare.
"You drank two full bottles of Arbor Red, and you aren't exactly a big woman," I stated, turning back to the Dornish princess. "I also was rather put off by her at the time due to her being covered in gore and corpse-gall."
Asha made a gagging sound, sticking her tongue, out but it quickly turned into laughter. "Asha already told us as much."
"She also said that you had her swear a blood oath to you." Tyene pointed out. "Some sort of magical ritual, Oh yes, and she said your Greyscale was cured by magic as well."
I turned my eyes to Asha, who suddenly looked rather bashful. "I'm sorry Arthur, but they just kept pestering me about it, and I didn't know how else to answer." A bit of the pirate captain came back into her tone in a moment though. "Besides, you should be honest with your lovers you know!"
Pinching my brow, my eyes turned to the Sand Snake, who was the only one in the room I honestly hadn't intended to share the information with. 'Then again, Arianne probably would have told her anyway.'
"Aren't you supposed to be a Septa in training or something like that?" I asked, a bit baffled by her apparent casual demeanor regarding my encounter with sorceries. "Shouldn't you be at least a bit upset by magic?"
The girl turned to me, raising an eyebrow, before gesturing with her hand over her mouth, sarcasm clear in her tone. "Oh my yes, you're some black-guard sorcerer who will tie Arianne to a post in a dungeon somewhere and work unspeakable magics onto her. Out, out heathen, do not touch my cousin." The shooing was light and playful, and the girl calmed down after just a moment. "Then again, Arianne would probably enjoy that."
The last phrase elicited a guffaw from Asha and a blush from Arianne. "Tyene…"
The Sand Snake only chuckled at the Princess' embarrassment "My mother was a Septa it's true, and while she was devout and pious, I have found myself less inclined towards the faith. Besides, everyone knows the Hightowers, Royce's and all their northerners practice magic, and everybody tolerates them. I don't see why I should shout my head off at a spell you didn't even murder anyone to cast."
I didn't quite like the way she said that last part, felt as if she might consider murdering someone for magic herself, but I quickly found my attention drawn elsewhere as Arianne wrapped a hand around my jaw, feeling her way down to my shoulder. "Arianne, what are you doing?"
"Just feeling where the greyscale was. Your skin is so smooth here now. There aren't even scars."
"There were right after it healed, it was an angry red like it had been burnt, and it itched like the Seven Hells, but they faded down into my skin over a few days."
"Hmmm," Arianne said lifting her hand from my shoulder and wearing a dangerously innocent smile on her face. "So, you're going to make our betrothal with a magic blood oath as well, right?"
In the gaping-mouthed silence that followed, I found that while my eyes could not leave Arianne's smiling face, I could still damn well hear Asha laughing.
My blood-sister would get hers in time though. She could bet on it.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone