The Dragon & The Wolf

Purple & Grey

Arthur knew he had fucked up. When he had finally regained the control of his mind -and pulled his attention from Rhaenyra's eyes- he had realized he might have started a war. Killing a Dornish Prince was bad enough, but killing him the way he did was far worse. In a matter of weeks, rumors would start circulating in Dorne about the savage that devoured a living Martell, the people of Sunspear and around would demand vengeance. And if no war was to be declared, the Stark knew that meant that many assassins were already on their way to find his bed to slit his throat.

Arthur could handle an assassination attempt, or two for that matter, but he knew it would be a matter of time, perhaps two or three years, before one of the men sent to kill him manages to go unnoticed by his paranoia and season his goat milk.

And if by some miracle, he were to manage to survive longer that expected, then the assassins would start targeting his family, or Rhaenyra...

He considered surrendering himself to the Prince of Dorne to prevent that, he decided that he would, should he be given no other choice. Running away was not an option, he was no coward, and the Dornish would find vengeance in killing his uncle or his cousin anyway.

He sighed as he was laying in his bed in Storm's End. So many things were going inside his mind.

Shadow had remained by his side that night, the direwolf had been unusually quiet since its friend had ripped the throat of a man with his bare teeth. Arthur knew the beast felt guilty for what had happened. The northerner wasn't angry at it though, it wasn't the wolf's fault that their minds had almost merged during the past night, nor was it its fault that it had involuntarily warged inside its Stark friend when he had been asleep.

In all the years they had spent together, such a thing had never happened. Arthur had not even heard that it was possible for the animal to warg inside the mind of the skinchanger it had bonded with. Perhaps this was a thing that only direwolwes were capable of, or perhaps the bond between Shadow and him was stronger than it should have been... Perhaps Rhaenyra's presence and blood had triggered something that neither wolf nor man could explain.

His princess had a weird effect on Arthur. He considered her to be one of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen since he had met her, but never before had she... attracted him.

He had been embarrassed when he had regained his senses after killing the Dornish, she had seen him covered in blood with human flesh stuck between his teeth. He had expected her to spurn him away for this, but the only thing she did when he had isolated himself to clean the blood of his face, was ask him if he was okay. Arthur had not really answered this question, mostly because he had not been sure of the answer himself. Instead, he did his duty as an adviser, and advised the Princess to leave Storm's End as soon as possible in order to regain the safety of the Red Keep and inform her father, the King, of what had happened. If Rhaenyra had been frustrated by his answer, she did not show. The only thing she told him was to take care of himself, something he knew he would fail to do.

Lord Blackwood and his son Willem paid him a visit that night, to thank him for saving the heir to Raventree Hall and swear to repay him in anyway they could. Arthur simply accepted their thanks and told them to keep supporting Rhaenyra's claim to the Throne. He still asked Lord Blackwood to talk to the undecided Riverlords to push them into supporting his princess, and to inform him should a lord or several were to declare themselves for Aegon instead of the rightful heir. Lord Blackwood swore on his honor that he would do as he had been asked, and send him a raven should he be aware of any traitors.

Willem did as well, though, Arthur could see that his first kill was weighting heavily on the boy's heart. He shared a few words with him, and it was a more colored Willem that had left his chambers that night. At least someone would have a lighter mind tonight.