Not All Men Dance With Dragons

What Is Justice?

Criston Cole was not dealt with. Instead, he had been attacked by Harwin Strong mere moments after they had left the yard with the twins. It all went from bad to worse after that.

Ser Harwin was banished from his position in the City Watch. He was escorted back to Harrenhal by his father only for both of them to mysteriously burn to death. This left Larys as the heir of House Strong and an opening on the King's council. Otto was invited back to take Lord Lyonel's place which left them right back where they started.

And throughout all of that, Laena Velaryon died giving birth across the Narrow Sea in Pentos.

It was all just one slap in the face after the other.

The royal caravan from the ship they washed in on was prepared in advance by the Lord of Driftmark. While the other men were with Viserys or astride a horse of their own, Jorran remained an ever-present shadow to Nyla in their own carriage. Though, they all looked like shadows clad in their mourning clothes.

Nyla had Maelena half laying in her lap so she could rub the young girl's back. The rocking of the ship made her green in the face and only the hold of her mother or Borin could console her. Meanwhile, Trevas remained glued against Jorran's side. He was a sensitive child. Even more so after the event in the training yard that never seemed to be resolved.

Trevas feared his pale-haired cousins and though the dark-haired ones were closer in both age and temperament, they were not very close. Not to the point where he would play with their hands to keep themselves occupied like he was doing with the knight's.

Idly, the boy twisted the darkly colored ring on Jorran's finger. On a man that lacked any pomp or decoration, a piece of jewelry like that seemed out of place even to someone so young. He stared at it curiously and picked at the ruby with his nail.

"This looks like Father's rings."

The children knew that Jorran was important. That much was very well known to anyone who even graced Maerys' presence for a second. He caught Trevas' small hand between two of his fingers. "Sometimes, lords will bestow signets or symbols of their houses to their knights so that everyone knows who they serve. Black and red are the colors of your father's house so..."

"Because that is what he is to you? Your lord?" Trevas asked innocently.

Jorran narrowed his eyes at him slightly before nodding. "Yes."

"...but..." Trevas started but he dropped his eyes to their hands nervously. After a moment, he turned his gaze back up to the knight. "You still love us, don't you? Not just because Father told you to protect us..."

He fought with himself on what to say. Nyla's careful eyes were watching the interaction across the carriage but she made no move to stop Jorran from answering with what he felt was right.

He sighed, dropping his hand into Trevas' hair to muse the boy's curls. "I love you both dearly."

As the hours passed on, they found themselves standing on a cold, rocky cliff of Driftmark surrounding a stone coffin with the whole of the royal family standing alongside the Velaryons. With Laena's eulogy complete, they had it dragged out over the side and thrown to the waves but, from what they were told, there wasn't much left to bury anyway from the ashes her bones were recovered from.

"How long do you think this is going to take?" Borin asked quietly as the procession started heading back to the High Tide castle.

Maerys shot him a sharp look back and he would have hit him too if Maelena wasn't dozing off on the lord's shoulder. "...You didn't have to come."

Which was true. If he really didn't want to be there then the Velaryons would have understood, and probably wouldn't have even noticed the Belaerys' absence.