Darkheart Keep

Visenya rose as well, folding the cloth that she had wiped her tears with and adjusting her skirts similarly. The fine fabric was wrinkled and travel worn in some places, scraped and pilled in places by the leather saddle that was used when riding dragonback. She was strangely conscious again of the difference in their costume; her travel clothing again made her feel like a visitor, and interloper, for all the "my lady"s on her rival's tongue. "Try is all that can be done. One more question, though, before you go. Why are you so willing to accept me?"

It took a moment for Visenya to understand. Vira could not mean what she thought she meant...no, that was treason. But she was right. Maekar was powerful, and he could be more so, easily. She nodded. "That is true, and my hopes are arrayed beside yours. Ahead of yours, perhaps, since as his true wife, my children would take precedence. As an ally, I will certainly take you, and as a cousin." At last, Visenya smiled and reached out to take Vira's hand. "Perhaps, as you say, more will come later."

"That would be a beautiful and terrifying sight indeed," agreed Visenya, though a new dread began to grow in her stomach at the thought of going to war. Even on dragonback, death could reach you. Besides, she saw what war had done to her sister. War and the loss of Nenyan. She shivered, but kept her smile on her face.

"Perhaps we might have a visit of our own," she allowed. So this Vira knew of poisons as well. She was not just the pretty little peasant whore with eyes raised aloft that Visenya had thought her previously. She was not stupid, either, even though she had been raised in dirt. It would be useful for Visenya to learn what Vira knew of potions and such, and if she pretended to know not so much as the peasant, well... "I would be delighted to speak of herbs and things. I have cultivated some small knowledge myself, it turns out."

She gestured to the door. "Let us invite my lord inside."

Maekar stepped into the room, looking first to Visenya, and then to Vira. It was clear his betrothed had been crying, but her cheeks were dry and her expression calm; regal, if Maekar had been forced to choose one word to describe it. "My Lady Visenya," he murmured quietly, crossing the room to take a seat beside her and taking her hand gently in his. He smiled at Vira as he passed her, but did not otherwise acknowledge her, and he gazed at Visenya plaintively for a moment before speaking. "I am sorry for he burden I am placing on you, my lady. The burden I am placing on you both. It is borne only of my own selfishness and for that I must ask forgiveness of you."

"What must be borne, can be. Forgiveness will be harder." Visenya wiped at her face again, with the back of her sleeve, like a child would, before realizing what she was doing. "But I am sure in the fullness of time, anything is possible." She thought it strange, the way Maekar and Vira so pointedly ignored eachother in her presence. "You don't have to be so careful in front of me either. It isn't as though you're hiding anything from me. Smile at her, take her hand. It will be easier for everyone if there are no pretensions."

"Supper would be lovely, thank you, Vira." She herself managed to smile at Vira again before turning back to Maekar.

Maekar sat quietly with Visenya for a moment after Vira left, while they waited for their meal to arrive, though when she smiled at Vira, Visenya was able to see a wide smile cross Maekar's own face. "I- we, rather, have no wish to give you insult, nor to throw it in your face," he said in a quiet voice. "I wish to make you as comfortable as I can; speaking of which, I am sure we do not have all that you desire here in Darkheart, compared to what you must have enjoyed in the Red Keep. If you tell me anything that you desire, I will endeavor to see that you have it," he continued, taking Visenya's hand and kissing her fingertips gently.

"Shall we eat, my lady?" he asked, as a servant entered the room with the tray of food that Vira had sent them. "The cook here is quite fantastic."

Maekar did not have much of an appitite himself, though he sipped the ale thoughtfully. "I spent six hours going over the accounts with the Maester and the former Lord Toyne's steward and it was tedious, to say the least. Luckily, however, Darkheart is in good repair and has not suffered overly from the war," he said, pausing for a moment.

"Darkheart, combined with the rest of my estates, will bring be roughly two thousand dragons annually, though from that I still must pay my taxes to the King, and I must maintain my households, the Keep itself, as well as my men and their equipment and horses. Not to mention Cyrax and Silverwing," Maekar added. He named a figure for the monthly stipend Visenya would receive; it was not as high as she would have liked, but still many times more than the stipends she and her siblings recieved from the King to maintain their households currently. She might have to save for a month or two to afford a particularly expensive peice of jewelery, but she understood from the numbers he listed that her means would be relatively modest, yet more comfortable that she had been accustomed to living in the Red Keep.

"You and I are founding a new House together, and hence we must be careful with how we spend our incomes. However, we have inherited the family treasures of House Toyne - their paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and family jewelry. And the furs and silks of the ladies of House Toyne. I trust you are adept with a needle and can alter the gowns to suit you, should you wish to. In the vaults are necklaces with matching earrings and bracelets, pearls and gold and silver. They would look charming on you, and you are welcome to whatever you want."

"There are improvements to be made, and work to be done, to be sure," Maekar replied with a small frown. "Your needs shall be met, of that I assure you," he added, tactfully not mentioning the fact that her hand had been given to him, true, but without so much as a bent copper for her dowry, one of the purposes of which was to maintain the new wife's household and ensure that she was not left destitute if her husband died or cast her aside.

"Do not think that I am content to live out my life in Darkheart, never seeking to rise higher or to gain more," he continued in a quiet tone. "There will come a day where nothing on this earth that you desire will be denied to you, I swear it."

Maekar fell silent as the servants approached to clear away the remnants of their meal. He ordered one of them to go find Vira, and request that she join them once again, but when they had all departed, Maekar turned back to Visenya. "One day his grace the King will die," Maekar replied. "Likely not for many years yet, but 'all men must die,' as it is often said in Braavos. They also say that 'all men must serve', though I am told the meaning of this may be interpreted many different ways. Aegon will be his successor on that day, and I am sworn to serve the crown yet..." he trailed off for a moment, meeting Visenya's gaze, his own jaw taking a hard set. "Yet, it is not truly service to the crown, to stand by and watch as the man who wears it attempts to destroy everything his ancestors have created."

Maekar took the offered goblet gladly, and took a small sip of wine. "It is so," he agreed. "I was always taught that a house divided against itself cannot stand for long, and yet when the flesh of one arm grows putrid, sometimes it must be severed to prevent the infection from spreading further."

"I seek no strife, but my brother is no fit King and Westeros will surely suffer if he sits the Iron Throne," he added quietly.

The servant had finally found Vira and fetched her back, as Lord Maekar had instructed. She entered with a smile, and upon seeing Lord Maekar and Lady Visemya's finished dinner, instructed the servant to clear their plates and goblets away.

Vira had heard the last sentence Visenya said, but was clearly loathe to interrupt their conversation. She took a chair on Visenya's other side, as far away from Maekar as possible, and merely said amiably, "I can guess that Lord Maekar has explained the nature of his plans?"