Seven Dreams One Kingdom

32-Arya

Arya/No One/Borys/Nellys/Dillyn

Borys and Nellys had kept to their duties religiously. The gossip in the kitchens was kept to a minimum. Nothing more than which staff were pregnant and who was courting who. Nellys wasn't learning much other than that the staff were terrified to gossip. Some of them were being paid to spy on others, although Nellys couldn't work out who the spies were. They were made aware of announcements of visitors and if they needed to feed them anything special. In fact, Nellys wasn't much good to her so far. Only to make her more tired by doing so many shifts. Four hours of sleep every night wasn't enough. The day Nellys decided she'd had enough was the day she found out about Qyburn and his spy method.

Nellys was called to his study to see him in person, which considering her status was a surprise, unless of course, she was one of his spies, which meant she had been doing a terrible job. At least she knew where the room was as she spent every few days stood outside it for twelve hours. In all that time, Borys had never witnessed anyone from the kitchens entering through the main door which he guarded. That meant there was another entrance for the little birds who passed on their knowledge. She coughed and knocked on the door.

"Come in." came Qyburn's voice from the other side of the door. Nellys walked inside and made her way down some steps to the Hand, or Maester of sorts. She couldn't make her mind up. "Sit." he commanded in his soft voice, so she did as she was told. Qyburn turned to her. "You're cough has worsened it seems."

"A little, mi'lord." Nellys nodded.

"Let me have a listen to your chest." he got his horn out to listen to her lungs. Nellys took in a deep breath, held it, then let it out. She did it another three times before he stood up and frowned. "Have you been taking the tincture I gave you?" he asked.

"I ran out of clearwine to mix it with mi'lord." Nellys managed to think of a reason to not take it. Whatever the man was up to, it sounded like he was experimenting on the old woman.

"It will have gone bad by now." he turned around and took a small box from his drawer. "We must make sure we don't have you coughing in the food. If you cough, you can't listen, people will know you are around." he pulled out a pouch and gave her three silver stags. "Go buy yourself a good bottle of clearwine. Remember one pinch per nip." he told her. "I want you back next week to see if it is clearing up again. I thought we'd gotten rid of it last time. But it seems you might need to keep taking my tincture after all." he sighed.

"Thank you mi'lord." Nellys smiled.

"Oh and Nellys, before you go. When you pick up the clearwine, ask Jaeson at the Wagon, if he's had any of the Tarly soldiers in. her grace is suspicious of Lord Tarly's defection from Lady Olenna. It seems rather...abrupt."

"Of course mi'lord. I'll do anything for you and her grace. Don't want none of them Targaryen's getting a sniff in."

Qyburn laughed at her turn of phrase. "No we don't Nellys. Now run along. Don't forget to take your tincture every morning." he told her.

Nellys coughed. "I won't mi'lord." she bowed her head and slowly climbed the stairs, feeling a little breathless along the way.

Nellys had no intention of taking the medicine Qyburn had prescribed her. However she was interested in finding out what the Tarly soldiers were saying at the inn. Therefore she made her way straight there after she'd finished with Qyburn. Of course, she had no idea who Jaeson was, she just hoped he knew her.

Once inside the inn called the Wagon, she made her way to the bar, where a young woman, with dirty blond hair and crooked teeth greeted her. "Hello Nellys, you here for a bottle of clearwine?" she asked.