Carliene Stark

Chapter 33

Carliene

"Do I have your word that this is not an escape?"

We had left the large rock behind us, following the muddy road ever downwards through a grassy plane. There was far too much worry in Ser Eurons voice and I turned to him almost amused. The road was deserted apart from the occasional farmed of merchant heading towards the castle.

I pulled down my hood and smiled. "You have my word" I agreed half annoyed.

His featured softened as he turned his attention back to the road, still his forehead lay in wrinkles. "What are we doing in Lannisport?"

I shrugged. "It's the biggest harbour city in Westeros"

"No it isn't" he disagreed confused.

I straightened in my saddle. "Isn't it? Largest town then?"
Euron shook his head.
"Well it was largest or biggest of something" his confused look discouraged me. Maybe I didn't have my facts all that straight. "It's a wealthy town though" I finally finished.
"What are we doing there?" he question again more sternly.

I couldn't tell him the truth. If he knew about the night terrors of a town infested with pox, he would either call me mad or refuse to take me there out of fear of the sickness. But I needed to know. I needed to know if my dreams were more than just dreams. "I heard of a merchant who is supposed to have anchored there a few days ago. He sells the finest linen, straight from Lys" I lied. I didn't even know if Lys traded linen, but i hoped Euron wouldn't know either.

The knight sighed and seemed to relax, obviously having swallowed the soup I had just served him. I found that his gullible naivety was one of his best traits.

We rode on mostly in silence, the Lannister guard following at a horse-length distance. The pace was almost frustratingly slow, but I supposed that Ser Euron and the guards had the attitude of having all the time in the world. They weren't used to a life on the road or on the run.
Neither was I anymore as it turned out, since the sun had not even reached its highest peak and my back already hurt from being on horse back for the entire morning.

"Its a two day ride" Ser Euron spoke up unprovoked. He seemed to relax with every league we distance ourselves from the rock. I studied him, wondering of maybe he was not so different from myself, he was also under someone's thumb. Held to expectations and caged up in a castle.

As his nerves calmed his talkative demeanour returned. "There is an Inn were we can spend the night"

I nodded.

"I know the innkeeper there, I helped him once with a couple vagabonds, which is actually quite a good story.." he went on cheerfully.

I smiled to myself. Only listening with one ear as my mind wandered. He reminded me a bit of the young knight in Winterfell, who I had talked into giving me a few sword lessons. That boy also loved to talk about himself, though I could not at all remember his name.

For a while I found myself wondering what had happened to that boy.

Ser Euron fell into a deep state of chatter, telling me bout his childhood and the knights he had trained. I was sure that after our journey I would know him better than his own mother.

"I used to play with the twins when I was little you see" he stated. "Back when their mother was still alive, we were actually pretty close"

"What was she like?" I asked, just for the sake of saying something.

"Lady Joanna?" he looked across the plays to the sea, glistering behind a tree hill to our left. "You know, I can't really remember" he admitted. "She was fair of course, but then I guess all royal ladies are fair"