Burn Together ❖ Daemon Targaryen

Chapter 15

The tense silence between Rhaellanne and Ser Roderick was palpable and Rhaellanne could tell from the regretful expression on his face that he was afraid of what he was going to say. Rhaellanne bit her lip and crossed the room to sit in one of her armchairs by the fireplace and she gestured for him to take the other

Ser Roderick paused in fear, but he unclipped his sword holster and placed it down on the table before he did take the seat opposite hers

"You can tell me anything" said Rhaellanne "After all, you are probably the closest friend I have at court. These past few years you seem to be the only person who has never left me"

"Thank you," he replied "I am just not sure how you will take this"

"Roderick, I would never judge you for anything" she smiled "You have done nothing but protect me ever since we met. You cannot seriously think that now I would turn my back on you"

He sighed. "I know. Okay. To begin, I need you to know that Guards talk. When the Baratheons came to visit for your sister and Laenor's wedding, we met their guards while on duties and during the dinner and the days afterwards. And when the conspiring to marry you to Genald began, they began to talk"

She tilted her head in confusion "About what?" 

"They spoke of his...cruelty" he said nervously "They told us about how Genald would hit his servants and staff if things were not done to his standard. They said that one year, while on a hunt they could not find any deer to bring back, and in a rage Genald killed one of his own soldiers and declared he should be eaten. They said that he would fuck any women who were ever working for him, and that one got pregnant, but he lied and said she had tried to kiss him him so the family cast her out and left them penniless."

Rhaellanne scoffed, "And Alicent really thought I would marry a man so horrible"

"I can't say if she knew, but hearing that made me afraid for you" he continued "At your cousin's engagement dance I heard how he spoke to you and I knew that if this wedding went ahead then not only were you at risk of being hurt or abused or raped, but your actual life would be in danger. When the King made me your sworn protector, a young you looked up at me and asked me if I would be your best friend and I said yes because ever since then, I knew that I would do anything to protect you, Rhaellanne. And as you grew, you became a close friend, like a best friend, and I could not allow you to be in a position like that"

With her heart beating out of her chest, Rhaellanne whispered, "What are you saying?" 

Ser Roderick sighed and ran his hand through his brown hair. "When the Queen proposed this idea of a tourney, I heard Genald boasting about it to his own guards, saying that he could win it if he could compete and how he wished he was allowed. So I came up with an idea. The other guards were in on it too, except for Ser Criston now that he is the Queen's puppet. We made sure to supply Genald with alcohols of all sort across the day and during the tourney so that he would drunkenly decide to compete and I knew you would allow it"

"So who was the knight that killed him?" asked Rhaellanne, shock filling her

"Please know that I only did this out of care for you" he began and she nodded nervously. "When the tourney was decided, I wrote to Daemon. I knew that if I asked one of the other guards to do it then if they were caught they would be stripped of their titles and possibly executed, but Daemon was more than willing to help. Every time he has left court he has asked me to write to him if you need me, and I felt that you did in this, so he came back and under a false name, competed in the tournament. So when Genald demanded to joust, Daemon would be his opponent"

"You did all this for me?" she breathed. Ser Roderick and her had always been friends, much closer than any other guard and royal in the Keep, and she knew he would protect her, but she had never expected for him to do this for her