Plans and Schemes
Haelyx could see his father by law crying as he held a lifeless body. From where she stood she could see the almost decapitated head and the red hair. Her head bobbed and Haelyx's vision was blurry and tunnel-like.
she couldn't focus
She couldn't see who was dead
edmyn…
Edmyn!
-Wife…
Edmyn's voice was like a splash of cold water on Haelyx's head and everything around her calmed down. She noticed how her hands gripped the front of her dress and how she was breathing strangely.
Haelyx turned around and saw Edmyn who was lying on the ground, along with other wounded. The right side of his face was covered in bandages and his arm was held in place by some cloth and sticks in a rather crude cast.
But he was alive.
He was still breathing, his heart was beating and Haelyx could feel his warmth even without leaning against his chest.
He was alive, her husband was alive
Someone, she didn't know who, helped her to kneel beside Edmyn and she gently touched the bandages before caressing her husband's bare cheek. Haelyx just sobbed when she saw Edmyn injured and was thankful that he was alive. Because he would have come back to her since the battle
Oscar helped her up and walked them to the bedroom Haelyx had originally used so Edmyn could sleep peacefully.
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Haelyx helped the Maester change the bandages on Edmyn's face. The direwolf's claws had made shallower wounds than the Maester had originally thought. Edmyn looked at Haelyx and she just smiled.
Edmyn realized that Haelyx had healed him.
- If you're lucky you may not even have a scar, boy. When I saw the wound so inflamed at first I thought you would lose an eye. – The Maester patted Edmyn on the shoulder and Haelyx remembered that this man had come to Riverrun to help with the birth that gave Edmyn life. – Of course, the ear will not grow back
Haelyx winced as she saw half of Edmyn's ear gone. Now her husband's right ear was sharp and he was missing a part of the upper pinna of his ear.
-That is a proof of the great warrior that is my son. – Elmo Tully kissed the forehead of his son, surprising everyone
Haelyx thought that this man had seen Edmyn as an adult for years. But seeing him in bed must have brought back memories of when Edmyn was just a boy. That was why he had broken his usual dry demeanor.
Haelyx lay on the bed next to Edmyn and began to sing a poem from the time of the conquest while the milk of the poppy had its effect on the man. Edmyn went to sleep with the sound of his wife's voice accompanying him.
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There was a funeral for those who fell in the great battle against the wolves. A pack of almost fifty specimens with three direwolves…. Winterfell sent apologies. But that incident helped the heir to become the Guardian of the North and send his uncle and his cousins to the Wall after their attempts to usurp power.
Haelyx had to remain seated during the entire ceremony while Edmyn stood next to her.
The man Elmo had held in his arms was Edmyn's bastard brother. Haelyx had heard about him from the maids and she knew that Elmo kept coming to visit his mistress and his son several days a week. Blaina had absolutely forbidden this woman to live in Riverrun, despite Elmo's attempts to get it.
The solution was that the woman had her own house at the gates of Riverrun. It really was easier to get to that house from the parade ground than to the banquet hall. The woman was there while the Septon said a prayer for all those who died in the great battle.
Haelyx got up carefully and Edmyn helped her. Edmyn's arm was broken and bandaged but healing well. Haelyx watched as the families of the knights were given the wolf pelts. The large pelts of two direwolves found their way to Haelyx and she looked at them curiously.
Direwolves' fur was surprisingly soft after being thoroughly cleaned. They would be a nice addition to the blankets in the crib and the bed of her unborn child or a rug where the baby would play.
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Haelyx was sewing her baby's clothes. Boy's and girl's clothes, all embroidered with protective runes and covered with leaves, rivers and fish. Embroidery upon embroidery, layers of protection carefully hidden so no one would see
Edmyn entered the room and sat down next to Haelyx. He enjoyed watching her for a few seconds. She was so beautiful, so perfect, and somehow he had done something well enough in life for her to love him. Some God was certainly on his side to allow the most perfect being on earth to have decided that he was worthy of a love many would kill for.
He was still amazed by the look of love that she gave him. The absolute devotion in her eyes when they met. The loving whispers they shared, the secret kisses that shouldn't be so secret,...
He wanted to kiss her, lay her down on her bed and make her his in a sweet way to avoid damaging the beautiful life they had created together. His seed growing in her fertile womb and swelling her for all to see was his. That this Targaryen Princess was the wife of the Heir to the poorest and least powerful of the seven great Lords
Edmyn was no fool, he saw the longing looks the other Lords gave Haelyx. The lustful looks that ran through his wife's body since she was just a little girl. But she was Edmyn's, and he would fight to the death to keep her with him. That was why he, too, wanted to go to Avalon, to protect her from any lustful Lord who decided to test her, as Aegon had done before.
But something had happened and Edmyn believed that there was another place where he was needed more.
--- I think we should go to court
Haelyx's hands stopped and she put the clothes she was making aside from her to look at her husband.
-Is it because of my uncle's illness?
-Yeah. It would not be strange that you, a worried niece, were to take care of him in his last hours. According to spies, he has less than a year to live.
-The spies are wrong. ---- Haelyx shook her head. – My uncle is strong, he is resistant, he is a dragon of the Targaryen house. He will last more than a year and more than two. But I don't think he'll make it past three years
edmyn smiled
-You always deny being a Targaryen, of the whole family. But I love how your family pride always comes out when your uncle is the subject of our discussion. That makes me feel a little jealous
Haelyx blushed. Her uncle Viserys had been her first love. If she had been older she would have married him. She was sure that she could have made Queen Alicent disappear without much effort. But unfortunately, her uncle did not share his brother's fondness for nieces.
Haelyx had assumed that before the sixth year of her life, after hearing her uncle say that he would never remarry even if Alicent died. Her uncle said that he was too old for a new wife.
But Haelyx had not been unhappy about her marriage, on the contrary, she loved Edmyn. Partly it was because her husband reminded her of her uncle. But a part of her compared him to a character in a story Harry Potter had read.
Edmyn was like Sir Galahad of the Knights of the Round Table. He is not the most handsome, not the most skilled with the sword, but the perfect gentleman that every woman would long for next to him.
-Well, every girl can have her first love idealized in her mind. – Haelyx smiled mischievously before kissing Edmyn on the cheek. – But it is my beloved husband who surprises me the most, always being more than what I could ever expect from any other person.
Edmyn kissed Haelyx and tried to pick her up to take her to bed when a pinprick in her arm made him scream. Haelyx touched her husband's arm, worried about him, and Edmyn felt something warm slide through his flesh and calm the pain.
-The bone is still fine, somewhat fragile. You shouldn't carry weight. – Haelyx concentrated her magic on her husband's flesh to reduce the swelling
Edmyn felt something warm inside him as well and tried to use it to reach the warm feeling Haelyx was giving him. When something warm from her touched the warm sensation Haelyx stopped and shuddered.
-Edmyn?
Edmyn acted on instinct and intertwined that part of himself with Haelyx. She was shuddering, but not in a bad way. Her hands tightened around him and she looked up at him with an expression Edmyn had only seen in the bedroom.
-Why do you have magic?
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Haelyx leaned against Edmyn's body as she explored the inside of her husband with her magic. She was careful and methodical as Edmyn gasped beneath her at the pleasure of the magic coursing through the man's body.
Ginny had done this with Harry many, many times. Usually as a foreplay to sex. The magic of the wife and husband intertwining was a very intimate and pleasurable experience for both of them. Sometimes they just needed to hold hands to get ready for intercourse. Ginny had loved playing Harry with that knowledge.
Haelyx straightened up with a smile.
-You have magic. At least one medium-sized magic core. – Haelyx kissed Edmyn's cheek
-So I can do magic like you? ---– Haelyx made a face
-No, not like me. Magic must begin to be practiced between the ages of eleven and seventeen. That way you reach your full potential. But you're older. As you are now you can use magic, but not all the spells you should
-And why not? Couldn't the ancient magic knowledge you received due to the ancient Valiryo spell help me?
Haelyx shook her head.
When she had said that she could do magic and that she knew about it Edmyn had asked her why. Haelyx had told her that she had received the memories of an extremely powerful ancient sorcerer who lived many years ago.
Edmyn was the one who had assumed that he was a sorcerer from the old Valirya and the spell. Not that Haelyx could deny it or explain it away in a way that wouldn't make everything even more confusing. So he left it like that
-No, to do magic you need two things. A magical core and channels within the body to carry magic. Without channels you won't be able to do magic, even if you have a core. And without the core you can't do magic, even if you have the channels. The downside is that the canals start out very small and can only grow during adolescence. During the period of time in which the body passes from childhood to adulthood. That is why you will never be able to do great magic, because your channels are very small.
-That's bullshit. The idea of being the sorcerer kings has gone to hell.
- Do not think that, my love. --- Haelyx leaned down and kissed Edmyn. – Even if you can't use great magic, you can use many magic that will surprise people. And you're not worth it just because you have magic. It's your heart that counts.
Edmyn smiled and pulled Haelyx to him as he kissed her and she returned with warmth and sweetness.
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Oscar looked at his older brother while he walked calmly.
They had almost lost him. Almost.
A part of him was relieved to see that he was a better person than he thought. He had been very worried about it, if he was being honest. Well, more than very worried. he had been terrified
Terrified of being a bad person.
But at that moment, when his brother had been hurt and he was transporting him home. At no time did he think that if Edmyn died he would be able to keep Haelyx. He didn't even think about it until a few weeks later after a visit to a brothel.
Oscar smiled to himself. He loved his brother more than he loved Haelyx. That was good. It was time to get to work seriously forgetting his sister-in-law. The bad thing about that was that he didn't just like Haelyx for his looks, but also for his personality and his heart. But he also couldn't see her dating anyone other than her perfect big brother. He had always known that they were a perfect match.
- -- Why is growing up so damn hard?
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- Go to the capital?
-Yes, the king is sick. The power of the nobility is concentrating. And Haelyx is still a Targaryen by birth, so if there's a conflict she'll have to choose sides.
Grover Tully smashed his fist against the wood of the table, drawing the attention of Elmo and Edmyn. Lord Tully's expression was stormy and furious as he looked at his grandson and great-grandson.
-Which side should be chosen? Aegon must inherit the iron throne. I accepted Rhaenyra because she was the only child at the time. But now there are three more fit boys for the throne. Even if Rhaenyra were to succeed to the throne, she would give it to her husband or one of her sons, as befits a well-bred woman. Giving her power to her husband is the most natural thing for a lady who gets a title. These women who want to claim titles will only bring misfortune….
Elmo and Edmyn winced. Grover Tully did not understand that Haelyx had fought very hard to remain neutral during her time at Court. But Elmo knew that Edmyn was right. Haelyx would have to choose a side, very soon, at least if they stayed in Westeros.
The greens or the blacks.
-Even so, the other great houses have sent a representative to the Court. The best thing is that Edmyn and Haelyx also go there. The Tullys are no less than the other families.
The conversation continued and Edmyn remained silent for the most part of it. He would miss these conversations, but he had to go. At least his brother would make a good Lord Tully. he was sure of that
Edmyn knew that soon his family would be in conflict. His great-grandfather obviously supported the Greens. But his father supported blacks. He would normally say that his great-grandfather was going to win the fight, but his father had been Lord Tully for all intents and purposes for many years. The soldiers, the standard-bearers, the nobles, …. Most of them answered only to Elmo Tully.
What's more, many people were surprised to see his great-grandfather walking by and several swore they had been at his funeral. A part of Edmyn thought that his grandfather liked to take those walks to scare people and become one of the legends of ghosts that populated the land of rivers.
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Haelyx took her daughter in her arms.
Her hair was damp with sweat and so glued to her skin that it was like yet another protective layer. The young woman's legs felt like jelly and she didn't think she would be able to use them any time soon. And that place would never feel the same again.
She knew that instinctively, she wouldn't feel the same way after a baby was born to her.
But all of that, all of the pain that she had been through and still was through her body, was secondary to Haelyx's mind.
She was looking at her daughter, her perfect little being. She so perfect.
-It's as if… I love her, love at first sight. My beautiful girl, how can I love you so much if you were only just born? How can my heart be so full when your lungs have started working so recently?
The oldest midwife smiled looking at the young mother and her daughter. This was something she loved about her work, the look of pure love and surprise that some mothers gave their children. She knew that the child would be well cared for.
It was to see a bond being created. Until that moment mother and child had been united by the cord of life. But now, without the cord, another bond was created, infinitely stronger than the last. The longest, most resistant and strongest. A bond that would make the mother protect her son above all else.
-My girl, my sweet Iolanthe. Princess of my heart. If you asked me I would burn the whole world for you. But I hope you're a sweet and kind lady so I don't have to deal with all the yelling and the smell of burning meat. Those things are disgusting. I hope you only ask me for flowers, songs and smiles, my sweet girl. My little dragon princess. – Haelyx said those words with blind adoration while she caressed the face of her newborn daughter.
The midwives and the Master shuddered. Everyone knew that the Targaryens had a certain point of madness, especially Daemon Targaryen. The Rebel Prince liked nothing more than getting drunk, fucking and fighting. But the Snow Princess hadn't shown any sign of her father's bloodlust until now.
It was not uncommon for a person's murderous instincts to kick in when they found something they would die to protect. The Snow Princess, Daughter of the Storm, had found what she would die to protect.
Haelyx had been called the Snow Princess for some time, without the knowledge of the lady in question. The nickname had been given by one of the squires who stayed in Riverrun that winter. The young man said that the beauty of the landscape covered by freshly fallen snow and without a single mark on the smooth surface could only be compared to the Dragon Princess that was in Riverrun.
She is beautiful, perfect, without a single flaw, innocent, brilliant, elegant and worth contemplating. With her white hair spreading like a blanket of snow around her and her beautiful smile.
Ever since the young squire had uttered those words in the heat of a drunken stupor in the tavern of his hometown, Haelyx had been called that by most common people.
The Daughter of the Storm was a nickname that had accompanied Haelyx since her birth. The girl came into the world in the worst storm in over a hundred years. The only girl born in that storm that made it seem as if the gods themselves were venting their fury against the mountains of the Valley.