Maelys & Elseyris

When the door was opened, Elsey grinned broadly to see her uncle standing there, and threw her arms around him.

"Uncle! It is good to see you again! Come in, have a seat! Can I fetch you a drink?"

She ushered him in.

"Quiet, mostly," responded Elsey, carefully. "War is, of course, hell, but peace has left me rather at a loose end, especially now that Nenyan is gone."

The mention of her dragon left her expression a little sad, though Maelys could tell she was putting on a brave face, possibly just for herself, but more likely because of Trajan's presence.

"He fought bravely, as any dutiful soldier would have," said Elsey, stoically. "It is a pity that I am not able to tame another dragon, I miss that bond a great deal, but the King did not see fit to grant me permission to go to Dragonstone."

She shrugged, but Maelys knew Elsey well enough to see the disdain in her eyes, though her face was carefully turned away from Trajan's watchful eyes.

"Congratulations on your new appointment. I hope it is treating you well."

Elsey laughed joyfully as she caressed the gift and it's well-sewn inscription, then beamed at Maelys.

"Thank you! It is a wonderful gift. I shall treasure it! That is quite the badge of honour you have placed upon it!"

She smiled playfully, and leaned over to hug him.

"I missed you, Uncle. There were times, while I was away, times when I thought I might not make it back. I would have hated to not be able to see you again."

He detected a slight quaver in her voice. She clearly had much emotion bubbling under the affable exterior she presented. It had never been easy for Elsey to suppress her true self, and it was worryingly obvious now, as she struggled to cover her strained voice and quivering lower lip.

The tightness of her uncle's embrace made Elsey's eyes well up even more, and she allowed silent tears to roll down her cheeks. She was too tall by a fair bit now, but she shifted over and curled up into his arms anyway.

"Thank you," she said quietly, bringing her voice down to a whisper, doing her best to keep Trajan from hearing anything in detail, as she turned her face away from him and closer to Maelys' ear;

"The horrors of the battle still haunt me in my dreams. And waking life scares me too. You may already know of the... betrothal. I feel so very lonely, despite never being alone anymore."

"That would be very nice indeed," Elsey smiled, dabbing her eyes gently with her sleeve. Once she had dried her eyes, she looked purposefully into his;

"We'll be alright. We'll do it together. We are survivors."

She was saying it as much for herself as him, if not more.

"Are you going to be staying long? Will you be here for the weddings?"

"Well, I don't think anyone else has been given the job, feel free to ask him. It would be nice to have you by my side, rather than be all alone."

She smiled earnestly at him, then rested her head on his shoulder.