Elseryis' Room

Elseyris opened the door, surprised to find it was Yana who stood there, but she gave a friendly smile.

"Good day to you. Yana Snow, am I correct?"

"Certainly. Please, come in, have a seat," Elseyris said, stepping aside to let Yana in, gesturing to where a couple of comfortable chairs stood by the hearth.

"Thank you. I do not often get visitors bearing gifts," Elseyris chuckled, taking the flagon from Yana and cradling it in her lap.

"What did you wish to talk about?"

Elseyris tilted her head slightly;

"How do you think I regard the King? I am interested in your perception."

Elseyris looked into the fire as Yana spoke, then, after a few moments, turned her gaze back, the orange flames catching the burnished bronze flecks in her brown eyes;

"Have you ever been to war, Yana?"

Elseyris nodded slowly in understanding.

"Well, perhaps you will still understand what I am about to tell you. Almost a year ago, when Aegon was still the Crown Prince, he petitioned his father on my behalf to allow me to go to war and fight for the Realm. I swore a solemn oath to him, before the Gods, that I would serve and protect him to my last breath. As we traveled South, along the Roseroad, I became part of his personal guard, and we formed a strong bond as companions-in-arms. He was one of the very few who did not judge me by my father's actions, who valued me for who I am, and placed trust in me. I was wounded at the Battle of Oldtown, and I lost my dragon to Ser Hector the Dragonbane, but my devotion and duty to Aegon kept me going. We have been through a lot together. We care a great deal about eachother. He is my closest friend."

She looked again into the fire, her expression sad;

"After we got back from the war, his father made it clear that he did not approve of our closeness, given my parentage, and so we were not permitted to speak to eachother anymore. He went East, and I was confined again to King's Landing, unable to fulfill my sworn duty. I was married off to a monstrous man who was violent and abusive towards me. When I spoke to Aegon alone on the Orange Shore, bringing him the news of his half-brother's treachery, we had not seen eachother for several months, and he saw for the first time some of the damage my husband had done to me."

She indicated with a finger the deep scar below her jawline where Trajan had slashed into her throat, almost killing her.

"I have taken more wounds from my husband than I did in battle. Aegon was upset that he was unable to protect me from it. He wanted to comfort me."

She ran a hand through her hair, and the glinting light of the fire showed that her eyes had welled up a little.

"As for the wedding, well, it is difficult to explain. I suppose it made me think of all the things that should have been different in my life. I had long dreamed that I would marry a brave, kind man who loved me, but instead, I was forced to say words I did not mean, to a brutal man I despised, before gods I do not believe in."

She took a deep breath, fighting back her bubbling emotions, looking softly at Yana, wondering if anything she had said made sense.

Elseyris smiled wryly;

"I wanted to, but he knew it, so he ensured I had no weapons, and was careful not to sleep by me. He will see retribution before long though, now that I am free and armed again."

She paused a moment, briefly relishing a moment of imagining beating Trajan's face to a pulp.

"I hope this does not seem rude, but you are clearly a fair bit older than I am. Are, or were, you married yourself?"

"I know several married people who are certainly not tame," Elsey laughed. "But, in my limited experience, I'd say no marriage at all is better than a bad one."

She traced the rim of the tankard with her finger absent-mindedly.

"Might I ask the reason for your concern?"

"I apologise, I should have been clearer. I mean on whose behalf are you concerned? Whose interests do you represent?" Elseyris clarified, her expression softly inquisitive.

"You can be honest with me, I have been a whisperer myself. It will not keep me from answering your question."

"Interesting," Elsey intoned, but did not voice any further thoughts.

"We were intimate in the past, yes. But that has not been the case for some time. He made his choice, and I will respect it. After all, the Realm must come before any personal feelings between us. I now only serve him as the Lord Commander does, as a defender. If he and Rhaena do not show a united front, it is due to their own issues, not any interference from me, I assure you."

"Indeed. That is none of my business though, and I know better than to even offer counsel, lest I be seen as a meddler. I will simply do as I am commanded when the time comes to engage the King's enemies. All I truly care about is the King's safety, because I keep my oaths, and the Realm's safety, because it is my home."

Elseyris' expression had been sincere and solemn as she spoke, but just then, as she finished, she smiled a little, shaking her head.

"Perhaps I ought to have been a man. Then I could have just concentrated on being a soldier, only having to think of duty. Though, perhaps that is not as simple and uncomplicated a life as I might naively think," she mused.

"More than likely," Elseyris said, thoughtfully. "We must all do our best with what we have."

She glanced again into the fire, then back to Yana;

"I hope this has assuaged your concerns."