Bronzegate

The guards admitted them readily, and Lord Buckler prepared a modest feast, serving them to a freshly killed boar in his Hall and offering a pair of guest apartments for the night. They each went to see the Maester separately, and Vira was given a vile potion that she was instructed to take over several days, while Maekar was forced to undergo an awful procedure that is too awful to describe. They were both instructed not to lie with anyone for at least a week, but were told they would be cured. Maekar threatens him with an awful fate, should rumors of their afflictions spread beyond his office. [Apprentice Intimidation]

After an extremely long bath, Maekare and Vira wound up snuggled beneath a down blanket in a feather bed covered in pillows. Maekar slid his arm around Vira, so that her head rested in the crook of his shoulder, the palm of his hand flat against her lower back. "I am sorry about all this, love," he said drowsily, having also been given a small amount of milk of the poppy for the pain. "The traitorspawn seemed demure and innocent; who could have thought she'd be walking around spreading the pox."

Vira had listened to Lord Buckler in shocked silence, and she was relatively quiet as they walked back to their chamber. She had not even guessed that the King was considering her for marriage to a trueborn Targaryen. Didn't King Maegor always call her "peasant" and demean her? How then could she be a fit consort for Rhaegar Targaryen, who was as aristocratic as they came? Vira did not yet understand enough of court intrigue to know that she was being used to insult Rhaegar. She wondered instead if she was being rewarded by the King.

But was it a reward she wanted? A month ago, Vira would have said yes with every fiber of her being. Vira had defined herself by her ambition, not so long ago. And yet now she was unaccountably annoyed and distressed at the idea of some other woman taking Maekar away from her. That poxy bitch Visenya! What if she lured Maekar into loving her? Why do you care? Vira asked herself. Aren't you and Maekar just having some fun? Was it just fun though? She was starting to feel possessive of him. She loved how he protected her, and how chivalrously he treated her, and talking to him for hours. It was wonderful, and deeply uncomfortable.

"I must offer my congratulations," Vira said in a strained voice, sounding anything but happy for him. At least it's not Rhaena, she comforted herself. Vira was jealous of Rhaena, for the love Maekar had borne her, though she was annoyed with herself for being jealous in the first place. "Maybe the King wouldn't have wed you to her if he had known she was the Clap Carrier."

They had slipped back into bed, spooning sleepily as they talked. Vira made him encircle her waist with an arm, her own arm nestled against his. She was pleased to hear Maekar describe Visenya as boring. "Yes, she seems like a vapid little thing," Vira said.



"I know nothing of him," Vira said. "Though I feel he will be a disappointment after you. Does he even have a dragon? Why would the King marry a common-born seed like me, who is as penniless as Visenya but far less well born, to Rhaegar Targaryen?"

Vira found herself blushing a little. But to hide her rush of emotions, she said playfully, "I would be so much more fun than that boring Visenya. We'd just have adventures every day and your castle would fall into neglect and disrepair. Eventually I'd probably make you sell it so we could fly away from Westeros and buy an entire island for ourselves, which we could populate with extremely pretty people to be our farmers, fishermen and servants. Where would we go?" she said, with mock seriousness. Vira did not want to think of her impending marriage to a stranger, or Maekar's own. It was much more fun to play make-believe, and not confront her feelings.

"That sounds like my kind of temple," Vira laughed, tingling pleasantly under his finger. If only she was well enough to take him in her arms and do what she fantasized of doing to him all the time, but she restrained herself. But she snuggled even closer. "A land where fucking is worship, and winter never comes, and nobody can tell you who to marry. Why didn't the Conqueror go there instead?"

"Seeing as I've seen you in your cups at Baelon's wedding, I can't imagine it would take much amber wine to get you going," she teased. She kissed him, and then turned around for them to spoon again, pulling his left arm around her as naturally and nonchalantly as if it were whole. She liked feeling his nose pressed in her hair, and she loved feeling his arm around her, even with the stump. Far from being repulsed by it, the sight of his stump made her feel tender. She caressed his stump gently, wiggling her butt against him (she couldn't help herself, though she knew they could not be more intimate).

"This will always be a mark of your bravery and chivalry," she said quietly, her gentle fingers still caressing his stump. "Visenya is lucky."

How strange it was lay in intimacy like this. Vira was accustomed to bedding men and leaving immediately when the act was done, but with Maekar she loved to cuddle and talk like this, almost as much as their pillow play.



Her heart was full, and her first instinct was to make a funny, flippant comment, to hide her emotion. Instead, she entwined their legs more tightly and squeezed his hand. "Then I will," she said in a quiet, tender voice, not trusting herself to say more.

///

The next morning, they were treated again by the maester, and bathed again before they broke their fast on a crusty, warm loaf of oatbread, blackberry preserves, mint tea, soft-boiled eggs and bacon. They were left to eat upstairs, for Lord Buckler apparently desired to spend as little time with his exalted poxy guests as possible, but Vira liked it this way. It was cozy, breaking her fast with Maekar in private, and the food was a relief from what they had been eating in the forest.

"Maekar," she said, taking a sip of her tea. "I want to find out more about this betrothed of mine. I don't know anything about him, and that worries me. I don't like being led blind into the dark, into the hand of a man I don't know. I have some...birds in King's Landing, who sing songs in my ear sometimes. Should I ask them about Rhaegar Targaryen?"

Vira nodded thoughtfully as she ate the eggs and bacon, wondering who she could trust. It would have to be Ben, who was a manager of the royal mint in King's Landing, and who would know how to get in touch with her maid. She didn't quite trust Bella completely with such a task, not yet.

She washed down the bacon with more tea before replying. "Would you help me write it, then?" she said gratefully. "Come, let's go over to the writing desk. If you're done eating," she added. "We can wait if you aren't."

OOC: Sorry I didn't see you sign out of chat, my sound was off!

She winked up at him. "I somehow think better when I'm sitting in your lap," she purred. And so she got up, gently eased Maekar into the chair, and then settled herself on his lap, without putting undue pressure on his groin because of his surgery.

Perched on Maekar's lap, she nibbled the quill and thought. "I think I want to say: Tell Yara to befriend or seduce Rhaegar's manservant, and offer him coin for all information on Rhaegar's comings, goings, and who he associates with. Does that cover it?"