Through Morning's Eye

Twenty-Six: Brotherly Wisdom

Kristyne shoved past Aemond, eyes wide in disbelief at the person standing before her.

"Nice to see you too, Kris."

Ardyn pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, burying his face into her neck.

"You are not real, it is impossible. You have been dead for months, I can not believe this," He spoke frantically.

"No, it is truly me. It seems we have much to discuss." She nodded, keeping her arms wrapped around him.

"My Prince, I believe we should let them have their privacy," Moran spoke. Aemond looked between Moran and Kristyne before they both took their leave.

Kris pulled away from him before they made their way to the settee, sitting next to one another. "Tell me everything. Prince Aemond thought I should hear it all from you."

Kristyne sucked in a breath before recounting everything that had happened starting from when she fell off Arrax, which felt like a lifetime ago at this point. As she explained the abuse from the cells, she saw Ardyn's fists clench, but he seemed calmer as she described Aemond's actions getting her out and entrapping her once again.

"Kristyne, I hate to tell you this, but you might be safest here right under their noses."

"What?" She snapped.

"The tension between Qoren Martell and myself are at an all-time high intensity. He sends random patrols to make sure we are not partaking in this war."

"Then how are you here?"

"King Aegon sent Qoren an invitation to come and discuss a potential allyship. Qoren had no intention of following through but he wanted to travel and bring me along to taunt me. He is angry with me for my reaction to your seeming demise."

"I heard you were corresponding with Rhaenyra."

"It was more than corresponding by a raven. I was angry, Kristyne. I knew nothing good would come of you being Rhaenyra's plaything. She may have loved you as a daughter, but when her father and Jacaerys died, things changed."

"Ardyn, what did you do?" Kris frowned.

"Upon his arrival back to Dragonstone, Lucerys wrote to me. He wrote before he had learned of Jacaerys' death. He told me what happened and the blame he felt. He told me how Rhaenyra had been more upset about losing House Baratheon and their betrayal than losing you. So I disobeyed Qoren and set for Dragonstone."

"Ardyn," She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Upon my own arrival, I learned of the death of Jacaerys and I met Lucerys. You were right, he is a good kid. But he was bereft. If he was as jovial and energetic as you once described, then the death of you and Jace changed him. He was practically mute and full of anger and sadness."

She looked down at her hands, thinking about Luke. Her sweet little brother, now a broken man-grown.

"In my conversation with Rhaenyra, I grew heated. She spoke of her revenge for Jacaerys, and I demanded justice for you. She explained that she did search for you on her way to find her son's body, but it was a sweep over Shipbreaker Bay to see if you'd washed up on the shore. It was not enough for me. You were a Dayne as well, and we can not be killed without consequence. It was not right. I blamed Aemond, I wanted his head. But her anger was all at Daeron, Alicent, and Aegon. When she told me about Daemon's plans for Blood and Cheese, I called her a coward."

"I was fond of Daemon, he was a good teacher. But that was not right. He was an innocent little boy and Helaena did nothing wrong."

"Rhaenyra did mourn you, and your death affected her greatly. But she did not blame the Greens for your death. She blamed herself, she was upset she sent you on dragonback, but no one killed you. I blamed Aemond but that was purely because he was there. I figured he would have been involved somehow."