The True and The Brave

𝔉𝔬𝔲𝔯: 𝔅𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥 𝔬𝔣 𝔏𝔦𝔣𝔢

[AN: Again, I am terribly sorry I do not update as often as I did before, there are just some personal matters —like finding a job in the meanwhile— that I had to attend to. To keep it short, I had my Nesta Archeron playlist while writing this so for that reason it will be inspired by her. For all of you who relate to Nesta (a character in ACOTAR who is too heavily hated and bashed), I see you, remember that we have therapy soon on how to self-love and accept the love we deserve.]

Laenor had been overjoyed when Lord Stark had finally told them they could return to Kings Landing. Overjoyed because he could see his parents again, and be in the gentle arms of his mother that promised all the warmth the North seemed to lack. Of course, he grew close with Brandon Stark, the upcoming Stark Lord, but he was not besotted with him as his sister was. That he absolutely knew. 

Alys had been sniffling on his shoulder all night. The spirit of the North agreed with her. It was only temporary, he had tried to reassure her, but to no avail, her sisters cried in his arms for the duration of the night. Aenys was too little to be preoccupied with such afflictions, but his sister was feeling the burden of a broken heart, and he would go to all lengths to mend it. 

Kings Landing was not their home— not really. They had grown up in a house that reminded them of their true and most noble house; Driftmark. Laenor's bowels turned inside out thinking about his impending future. An iron throne waited for him when he first lands Seasmoke. He did not want to rule over all of Westeros, he wanted to fly his dragon into the crystalline waves, sail into the horizon with his grand-uncle, and watch as the sun yields to the water when it sat.  

For the first time in a long while he tried to think of his home, and all that could come to his mind was the sounding of distant washing waves and the smell of salt. He could not think of his life cooped up in a Keep. Even his own parents hated it enough to raise them somewhere else. 

"Alys, we must go. Our parents need us. I am sure that you will see Brandon again soon. My father would let him court you properly if you asked him. But it is our parents who need us. They've been fighting this war alone, and they kept us safe in here. Without them, you wouldn't have met him. Alys..please"

He tried to appease the girl, and those were the selfish words he had been keeping all evening. Alys straightened, her lilac eyes furrowed and released in realization. She nodded her head, wiping her tears away. 

"I know, Laenor, they need us. My mother is friends with Lord Stark, I know that after all this", she motioned at the troops that had been arranged to go South, "my mother would gladly appease my desires. It does not hurt less, though. Come on, we have to see if Aenys has packed everything too"

Laenor smiled sadly at his sister, "I know it hurts. I wish I could stay here unmoored by the burden that is to come, sister"

Alys furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and it dawned that they had to act like perfect little princesses, but her brother, he had to act like the crown heir. And suddenly, Alys had found another reason why she had hated returning to Kings Landing. 

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Aemond had freed the city. He could not lie and say it was not gratifying how people screamed his name as if he were a deity passing through. They hollered his name, along with Aemma's. However, no deity perched itself on his shoulder as he carried Blackfyre on his hands. In front of the Sept of Baelor sat his grandfather. 

Aemond paled at the sight. Aemma stood beside him, her face a gentle breeze, trying to comfort him. The head of Maester Orwyle near his feet. They were all necessary executions. They had tried to beggar the realm, but luckily for them, they had the joint golden dragons that Driftmark saved by pillaging triarchy ships.