The Brightest Sun

Chapter 40

She had felt somewhat odd, being discreetly escorted into the Water Gardens in the dead of the night - as if she were once more a young girl playing with her friends - yet all sense of amused nostalgia fled at the sight that greeted her.

Doran - for who else could it possibly be - sat in a wheeled chair, face lined with relief as tears pooled in his dark eyes. He was no longer the young man who had turned the other way when Elia had mustered the energy to find herself in some mischief; who had brought books and scrolls, sitting patiently in his spare time with the young girl as she learned her letters and then learned the ways of their court.

He was the Prince of Dorne, leader to his people, and Elia felt her heart break as she eyed him in his chair.

He looked older, so very much aged beneath the strain of his position, the lines of his face prominent. He covered his legs with a blanket, some past injury he refused to show - Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken, she thought with sad reminiscence - but the smile he wore remained the same.

Vaguely, she noticed the others leave the room, only herself and Doran remaining, and she moved closer to him, kneeling beside the chair as she gripped his outstretched hand.

"I had feared you lost to us," he said softly, leaning forward in wonder as he smiled. "Never have I been so glad to be mistaken."

"Would that you could tell your younger self that," Elia chuckled, tears spilling as she pressed her forehead to his shoulder.

"Perhaps I would have fainted from shock," he jested softly, arm wrapping around her shoulder as he pressed his cheek to her head.

"I've missed you, Doran."

"And I you, sister," he said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Oberyn?" she asked, half expecting her boisterous younger brother to come crashing through the doors, arms extended as he attempted to swing Elia about in a hug,

"On business in the Prince's Pass, though I will have him recalled immediately," Doran told her. "He shall be so very glad to see you."

Elia shook her head, aching to see Oberyn once more but knowing it would be best if he were not rushed. "Let him finish his business first. I would rather we not have too many curious eyes turned to Dorne."

Doran smiled, a hint of teasing in his tone as he said, "Still so very concerned over keeping Dorne's secrets safe from unwanted eyes."

She had chosen to remain in the Wizarding World, years ago when the thought of losing what she had had been too much to bear, and though she did not regret choosing her children, a part of Elia began to heal, heart lighter at the thought of being reunited with her brothers once more.

They would speak at length in the morning, she knew, once they were rested and had the presence of mind to discuss certain matters.

For now, Elia remained in her brother's arms, so very glad to see him alive.

They had found themselves in her bed, Maia's face buried in the crook of Aegon's neck as Elia woke to find herself surrounded by her children. It had been years since they had last done this - well before Maia's birth, she remembered - and her heart ached at the missing member of their family.

He'll be fine, she reminded herself, seeing Aegon's face relaxed in his sleep.

He'd thought himself clever and able to hide his worries, but she had seen through his mask immediately, knowing how her son brooded over his actions.

He would remain like that until he saw for himself that his father was safe, and Elia prayed it would not be long until they were reunited.

"Mum?" Rhae whispered, voice groggy with sleep.