"This was always going to happen. She's been dead since the beginning."
- Aeschylus
It is a child's dream to outwit fate, to somehow escape the great ending that awaits us all.
But Orianne Fernwood would burn the world if it meant a moment longer w...
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There were very few times in his life that Arthur doubted his vows to the Kingsguard.
Yes, he was young when he first donned the white cloak, but to serve the realm in such a way was more than he'd ever been able to do at home. Starfall would always be his true home, the place his dreams so often turned to, but he would never be able to rise there. Among the knights of King's Landing, hailing from all over the seven kingdoms, Arthur could do something meaningful.
It didn't hurt that he was friends with the crown prince.
Arthur and Rhaegar had met some years prior, getting closer after Arthur was knighted. The Prince was an interesting person, more often melancholy than anything else. He had no genuine desire to lead or wield a weapon, instead preferring his books and songs. If Rhaegar would make a good King, Arthur knew not, but he would undoubtedly be better than his father.
The first time Arthur stood guard outside Queen Rhaella's chambers when Aerys made his nightly visit, he recalled his first time feeling true doubt about becoming a Kingsguard. To listen to someone be abused in such a horrible way and be expected to do nothing nearly broke him. But instead of bursting in and tearing that wretched man off the Queen, he stood still and ground his teeth, clenching his hands so hard his palms began to bleed.
It was a weight he carried with him every day.
That was why, on those rare days he was free from duty, he preferred to spend them outside the keep, more often than not, with his little sister.
Ashara's presence in the Red Keep was both a blessing and a curse.
It was, of course, wonderful to have his sister so close. She was the sun on a dark day, able to brighten even the worst of situations. But she also tended to attract trouble, almost always of her own making. Arthur had told her many times King's Landing was nothing like Dorne and ignoring that could be detrimental. Ashara could take care of herself, or so she liked to say, but he couldn't help the worry that flooded his being when he saw that glint of trouble in her violet eyes.
So, Arthur preferred to be at her side whenever he had the chance. There was little trouble she could get in when he watched over her. That's why he found himself walking alongside her one sweltering afternoon.
Thankful to be free of his heavy armor, Arthur locked his arm in Ashara's, strolling through the gardens, a smile on his face as he listened to Ashara's latest gossip.
"-and then she insulted Elia," Ashara scoffed, "of course, that's no surprise. Cersei Lannister is quite certain that Elia stole Rhaegar away from her."
Arthur let out a deep laugh in response at the notion of Elia Martell stealing anything from anyone, much less Cersei Lannister, "She's just a child, Ashara, one who was promised a crown and is upset it's be given to another."
"Well then, it's her father's fault for raising such a spoiled brat," Ashara said, voice firm and steely like it always was when someone dared to insult her dearest friend.
