WARS TO COME, game of thrones

𝐕𝐈. tomb

𝟐𝟕𝟖 𝐀𝐂

Ned and Anrir looked at each other across the table. Ned's dark gray eyes twinkled slightly and Anrir had to look away with a smile, concentrating on his food again. Eddard looked older than a fifteen year old, he was now broader built than Anrir and already had a slight shadow of a beard. Anrir, meanwhile, was more delicate and slenderly built, with more prominent features and narrower eyes.

Almost all the meals they shared in the eyrie were like this. While Robert flirted with the maids and female guests and Anrir's father attended to his duties, Ned and Anrir exchanged ambiguous glances, grinning like fools and eagerly awaiting the hour of free time after the meal. Neither of them interfered with what was going on at the lunch table, so they went unnoticed and were able to pursue their crushes unnoticed. It went on like this for a year now; in their free time they hung out together, but only as long as Robert didn't notice. When there were three of them, they kept their distance, like normal friends. But in the evenings they were more than that, much more. Anrir grinned to himself.

"A letter has arrived from your parents, Robert. Your father has been sent to find a bride for Prince Rhaegar," his father just said to Robert and Anrir looked curiously in his direction. "All right," Robert shrugged, more focused on the ass of a passing maid. Ever since Robert had become a knight, he had gained a new, even greater self-confidence.

Anrir turned back to his meal and got it over with as quickly as possible. When Ned and he left for the library as usual, Robert decided - also as usual - not to accompany them. He avoided books as much as possible.

They took up their usual sheltered, sunny spot and instead of reading, they immersed themselves completely in intimate kisses, touching and amorous chatter, as if they were girls. They stayed together for quite a while, only gradually breaking away after a while and finally just sitting next to each other leaning against the wall under the high window. Ned had Anrir's hand in his lap, stroking the back of his hand and leaning against him. Sometime in the last few hours, his hair had come out of its braid and was now hanging in his face, tangled and rumpled by Anrir's hands. "You're pretty," Anrir whispered and pressed a soft kiss to Ned's cheek. "Don't talk about me like I'm a lady." "You are... My lady. Ned Riverfall, sounds good," Anrir grinned back teasingly. "Become a proper lord first, then we'll talk about it again," Eddard laughed softly, slapping Anrir lightly against the back of the head teasingly.

"Idiot. I can't help that. A lord without a house, sad indeed," grumbled Anrir, slightly jokingly but seriously. The relationship that had developed between him and Eddard over the past year was good for him. He felt seen and no longer wrong, no matter how torn Ned sometimes was about what they were doing. Around Ned, he didn't care that he was an orphan with no real possessions. But sometimes... Of course, he could never marry Eddard either way. But he still wished he had a real house. Just to share it with Eddard, to have a culture and a past. Right now, he only had Ned, so to speak. Of course, House Arryn was a part of him too, but it just wasn't the same. It felt borrowed.

He felt Ned's gaze on him and forced himself to smile. "That wasn't meant to be offensive," Ned spoke gently and squeezed Anrir's hand. "I know that. I'm not offended, don't worry. I'm just tired of only learning about my family and culture in books... And even that's only inaccurate." "Why haven't you ever been there?" "What do you mean?" "You can just ride there and see," Ned replied, shrugging his shoulders. "The fortress is locked," he reminded him quietly. "But not from outside eyes," Ned pointed out and Anrir tilted his head thoughtfully. "You're right..." he admitted, surprised that he had never really had this idea himself or that his father had offered it to him.

"Let's ride off," Anrir decided impulsively, "The guards will let us through and won't tell my father..." "I don't know... Seriously?" But Anrir had already gotten up and Ned followed him as faithfully as ever. They swapped their soft everyday cloth outfits for traveling clothes with coats, fur and leather. At Anrir's blandishments, the guards, who had known him all his life, let them both pass. The descent took half an eternity, but in the years they had lived in the eyrie , they were used to it. Nevertheless, Ned cursed with relief when they finally mounted their horses and headed north.