PRIDE & GUILT, cregan stark

005.

TWICE OVER.

            — chapter five.

Ser Harwin Strong was dead.

His Mother had come to him the next morning, and he'd been already been worried and exhausted, thinking of his Father, and told her sons of the news. Her hands had held Luke and Jace's own in hers, for they were younger and more prone to emotional outbursts, but they were never given the chance. They'd flinched at the way Monterys had ripped himself from his seat and fled the room.

The stone of an egg had never felt so haunting and it'd only been a day. He'd stared at it the entirety of the time his Mother had told them of a raven arriving, only that morning and not the night before — when his Father must of found out about the death of his sister — and told Princess Rhaenyra of how Ser Harwin Strong, alongside his Father, had died in the chambers.

Burnt.

Dead.

Ser Harwin was dead. Gone was the good, kind man that Monterys knew was his true Father. Gone was the man that had been the first to teach him of swordsmanship. Of honour and loyalty. The man who's blood ran through the Prince's veins.

Monterys had explored, but not as happily as he'd wished to. He'd gotten himself lost at the start of an opening, but the cave had led him to a beach, where he'd ran to the waters and sat down, digging his fingers into the sand. It was not long after his arrival that his dragon followed. Vraxes let out a roar when he landed but it only made Monterys weep more.

( He did not understand. He could never really understand. Death was not something you could wrap your head around.

To never see somebody you loved again? How was such misery possible? His Grandsire, the King, had explained to him once of his wife — Monterys' Grandmother, Queen Aemma — and her memory. Of her death. That it was apart of life and you'd be together once more when you joined them. But it seemed more of a punishment than apart of life. )

The sound of armour had made his head turn, spotting the red-cheeked KingsGuard that was Ser Erryk. He stared back at the boy for a moment, whose eyes were red and his cheeks stained with flooding tears, before Monterys moved his gaze back to the water.

"I have my dragon," Monterys called, hand coming up to wipe harshly at his cheeks. He did not want to cry for Ser Harwin. He was not kin, he could never be kin. "I don't need you."

It was a full ten seconds that Ser Erryk responded, voice softer. "I'll remain stood behind you, my Prince."

Monterys dropped his head, chin meeting his chest, and grieved.

Ser Erryk had remained behind him the whole time, including the walk back to his Mother. Vraxes had flew off into the sky, but he'd known something was wrong. He kept growling, and had even snarled — alarmingly to the Guard — when Monterys began to leave with Ser Erryk.

Rhaenyra had wrapped her first-born into her arms and shared her gratitude to Ser Erryk before closing the door.

His brothers were nowhere to be seen, and that was because they were in Luke's room, and Rhaenyra took the opportunity to tell Monterys everything else. Only when he'd whispered his request for the full-truth.