court of lies | robert's rebellion

the winter solstice

"the sad truth is that the truth is sad"

282 AC, Dragonstone

A few moons ago...

"I am sorry, what?", Elia blinked feverishly after such a confession.

"Ned and I married.", Ashara repeated. "At Harrenhal."

She needed a couple of milenums to be able to process this information. Ashara has always been the wildcard, the free soul who always went after her heart's desire rather than following the solid rules and ancient traditions but this? When she first met Oberyn and their affair escalated, Elia feared for her friend for she knew sooner or later, Oberyn would break her heart. None of them were expecting the price she paid would be much enough to lose a parent. And years followed that, her obsession only grew and it was barely a year ago when she caught them both once more, at her own mother's funeral nonetheless.

And then she met a guy and married him after barely knowing him for a fortnight? Why on earth she did not have a middle? Why she always had to be the extreme one? Why she couldn't be normal, just once?

"You cannot be this surprised.", Ashara was fearing of her reaction but still defended herself. "El?"

Elia closed her eyes and clenched her jaw, she had enough of irresponsible children around her. She stood up, trying to take a deep breath that did not reached to her lungs, started to pace around, ran her hands through her hair.

"I already knew there was something between you two, the entire realm knows it by now but this?", she was in shock. "A marriage?", she raised her voice. "Between all the stupid things you can do Ashara, I would have not guess this!", she shook her head. "You had a terrible father."

Ashara's eyes widened in shock. "Elia-"

"What?", she yelled. "He was so busy with his patriotism and his region that he actually forgot to teach something to you and to Andric and to your other brother!", it was an insult, even saying his name out loud. "It is why you all are this fucked up.", Ashara's mouth opened, Elia seemed more than unhinged at the moment. "There is a thin line between being brave and being foolish, all the Daynes I know fall to the second category. Your right to choose, your freedom ends when someone else's start, Ashara, why you have to be this selfih all the time? Why can't you think of no one but you? Why you have to make everything harder?", she was walking back and forth, pulling her hair back in stress, ylling for the entire island to hear. "You were dying for your love for my brother one day, fucking him in the funeral of my mother and then mere moons later you married a man you knew for what? Half a fortnight? In secrey nonetheless? You were pregnant, Ashara!. You were pregnant and we all begged you to marry him so you could remain with me yet you refused. Why?", she demanded.

"Elia, I-"

"You what?", she snapped, stopped walking and looked at her with an angry face. "You what?", Ashara did not answer. "You will lose all your titles, your lands, your holdings, your rooms in Sunspear and in Water Gardens and here.", she declared. "You will lose your position with me. I will not have the wife of the man who wants to kill me and my entire family as my lady!"

"Where I will live then?", she frowned. "How will I live if you would abandon me as well?", she forgot all about the plan she needed to talk about, too focused to Elia's reaction.

"That no longer can be my concern.", she raised her chin.

"Because I am a traitor now?", she asked with heartbreak. "I married the man I love long before even your useless husband crowned his sister and yet I am a traitor now? A pariah? Why is it a crime to love someone?"