Seven Dreams One Kingdom

43-Arya/Dillyn

The torches that lined the stone walls of the Red Keep flickered, casting a subdued glow on the chilly, damp corridor. Dillyn, the royal food taster, weaved through the labyrinthine passageways with an air of practiced nonchalance that masked the underlying tension beneath his cheerful exterior. The evening's festivities, marked by Queen Cersei's opulent, yet wasted supper, had drawn to a close, and now the youthful and slender Dillyn traversed the castle's concealed nooks.

As he neared his chamber, a delicate disturbance of the quiet caught the keen ears of Dillyn. A gentle rustle, a murmur, disturbed the tranquillity of the night. His steps slowed, and his eyes scanned the shadows clinging to the stone walls.

A muffled sound, originating from the other side of the wall, reached his ears. For a moment, he continued on his path toward his chamber. However, Dillyn, renowned for his buoyant demeanour, carried within him a kernel of curiosity that urged him to diverge from his intended route. Seizing a moment of quiet, he slipped into a hidden alcove, his movements masked by the dancing torchlight.

From his hiding spot, he observed the origin of the sound—a hidden passageway woven into the fabric of the Red Keep, built during the reign of King Maegor. Dillyn knew that a covert door lurked behind the nearby tapestry depicting the sombre tale of the Rains of Castamere.

Dillyn attuned his senses to the soft echoes of disappearing footsteps. Seizing the moment, he emerged from his concealed sanctuary and, with stealth befitting a cat, approached the tapestry.

With caution, he drew back the weighty fabric, revealing the concealed entrance to the corridor. The torchlight spilled into the darkness beyond, illuminating a hidden passage. Without a moment's hesitation, Dillyn stepped through the doorway, bidding farewell to the familiar confines of the Red Keep and embracing the intriguing depths that lay ahead.

He moved with silent grace along the concealed passageway, his every step a study in stealth. Further down the labyrinth, the echoes of another presence, a phantom disguised beneath a dark, hooded cloak, resonated through the hidden corridors. Unfazed, Dillyn trailed with a keen interest, his footfalls as muted as the whispers of a breeze.

Through the dark, hidden passages of the Red Keep, Dillyn glided with the subtlety of an enchanted murmur. The only light was from the torch of the stranger ahead of him. The flames weaved ephemeral patterns on the damp stone walls, draped him in a cloak of mystery as he pursued the figure wrapped in a dark, hooded mantle. A silhouette advanced with a distinct sense of purpose, each step enshrouded in an aura of enchanting secrecy.

The large figure navigated the passageways with assured familiarity. Draped in a hood, the figure concealed their features, leaving Dillyn to ponder the motives concealed beneath the mysterious guise.

The air in the secret tunnels carried the aroma of the salty sea and damp stone everywhere. They continued deeper, the hidden passageway growing colder, the footsteps echoed against the walls. A flickering torchlight, akin to a mischievous sprite, divulged nothing about the hooded figure's intent or allegiance.

Twenty minutes had unfolded, as the hooded figure and Dillyn continue along the hidden corridors of the Red Keep. They arrived at the dungeons, where the stone walls merged with metal bars to form the cells. The hooded figure descended the stone steps, Dillyn followed, treading, so not to be heard.

Deeper they tiptoed into the bowels of the Red Keep, where the flickering torchlight pierced the surrounding darkness. The sleeping prisoners, gaunt and clustered in corners, rested on tattered straw mats. Hunger etched lines on their faces, and dirt clung to their emaciated forms. Pitiful cries of dreams and the occasional whimper underscored the eerie stillness of the dungeon.