Marriage IV
Haelyx liked the baths in the castle of her beloved Kingdom, Avalon. They were fed in hot springs and the water fell into different ponds with different temperatures. It really was a shame to leave the Avalon palace to return to Riverrun, but soon they would not be back again.
They had decided to disappear when Haelyx was sixteen. By then the kingdom would be ready and the kingdom would need daily work to protect and manage it.
Edmyn had proved very helpful in that regard, and Haelyx was grateful for such a capable husband. Also now most of Riverrun's maids were under the Imperium Curse and under Haelyx's orders. And through it all, Edmyn wasn't afraid of Haelyx or her abilities.
He still loved her.
Haelyx blushed at the thought and heard a splash in one of the pools below. She leaned out and her eyes met Edmyn's.
-Wife, that pond is very hot.
-Not for a Targaryen. – Haelyx blushed. She was fourteen now, almost fifteen, and her mother-in-law was asking when she and Edmyn would start…. - Do you want me to come down with you?
Edmyn realized what Haelyx was saying and he blushed too.
-I would like it very much
Haelyx went down to the pond where Edmyn was while she felt her husband's gaze go over her. She moved closer to him and their lips met. Haelyx could feel the hardness of Edmyn's sex against her body and she let him guide her in the act of love.
That night and after four years they both consummated their marriage in the kingdom that both had founded.
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Oscar was furious. His brother and the woman he loved had gone on a trip to collect some barrels of wine and when they returned they were both much closer than usual. Kermit was also angered by Haelyx's closeness with Edmyn being suddenly augmented.
Their mother had laughed when she saw them, just as the boys' father had smiled and patted Edmyn on the shoulder, calling him a lucky man.
Oscar was not stupid. Haelyx and Edmyn had been married four years now, and the cribs were still empty. But he also knew that it was because Edmyn hadn't deflowered Haelyx yet. His brother didn't want his wife forced to give birth too young, he'd told them when they'd asked after going to the brothel and learning about sex.
-Women who give birth very young damage their bodies and do not live long or may have many children. I won't do that to Haelyx.
Oscar didn't understand it, all men wanted to have children soon and quickly, especially the heirs. And if Oscar were Haelyx's husband he wouldn't leave her unattended like Edmyn.
He had fallen in love with her when he first saw her. She's beautiful in an almost painful way, with curly white hair and the most beautiful purple eyes in the world. A girl barely younger than him. If it were age, she would have married him and not his brother, but Haelyx came to Riverrun as Edmyn's wife.
Oscar didn't know how he felt towards his older brother. He was a good brother, but his mother felt a certain distrust towards him for not being his blood son. Besides that Oscar wanted the title of lord of Riverrun that Edmyn would one day inherit.
And then Edmyn went and married a Targaryen princess and everyone was absolutely happy. Oscar convinced himself that she would be a spoiled child that they wanted to get rid of in the capital. But then he met her. She was everything Oscar had dreamed a good wife would be.
Oscar had been enraged when he heard the rumors of the loving marriage between his brother and Haelyx. And a part of him raged when he went to a tournament that Edmyn won and crowned Haelyx. She looked so happy with the lily of the valley crown. Oscar wanted to be the one to crown her
Oscar overheard the maids commenting that Edmyn and Haelyx were finally using the marital bed and got angry.
Kermit took him away from the practice dummy and took him to a brothel. Since Haelyx's arrival in Riverrun, the demand for whores with light blonde hair had been high. Especially the young ones. And even more so when Haelyx had grown to become a beautiful and attractive woman with large breasts, generous curves and wide hips.
-You've heard?
-Of course. That jerk was lucky to get married to her so quickly. That woman is a real beauty.
-You know, she was the wife of his older brother and a widower with only one daughter born. That way she will remain the wife of the heir and her daughter will be well cared for by her new husband.
Oscar thought about what they had just said. It was not uncommon for a woman to be widowed when she had only one daughter or no children and married one of her husband's brothers. Oscar valued it for a few seconds. Without Edmyn, he would be closer to being the next Lord of Riverrun and he could get Haelyx.
But then he thought of the happiness that lit Haelyx's face when she looked at Edmyn and he felt like the worst person in the world.
If Edmyn died Haelyx would be devastated. And Oscar didn't want to see her broken, he wanted to see her so happy that the world lit up around her.
- Damn, I'm getting old.
-Don't say that, you're only sixteen years old.
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Three months after Haelyx and Edmyn first bonded, Haelyx's moonblood had not come, she realized a week after her name day. Even so, she decided not to say anything, her pregnancy was still very early and it was possible that she was wrong
Edmyn had gone to do some errands for Lord Grover and she was pacing the keep with her hands clasped in front of her belly.
-Good sister.
-Good brother. – Haelyx felt uncomfortable with Kermit. Oscar was in love with her. He was very visibly in love with her, but Kermit was different from his brothers. Kermit liked beautiful women and he only lusted after Haelyx. And it didn't help that he was a handsome boy, though not as handsome as Edmyn.
According to rumors among the maids, Kermit was having an affair with a married woman. And she was not the first. But the family had covered up a lot as Kermit had been found with the wife of one of the flag bearers in bed. Not even the husband of the lady in question knew about it and everyone suspected that the son who came to the family after waiting for him for a long time was Kermit's bastard.
-Are you bored without my brother? – He had a crooked and seductive smile
-Not really, I was thinking about weaving a tapestry and I was wondering where one would look better. So I was looking for a good place.
- I think you need my company. I know of many places where a decorative tapestry would be suitable.
Haelyx shuddered, knowing that Kermit wanted to take her to hidden places to try to seduce her. Haelyx had to find a proper way to get rid of Kermit.
-Haelyx
-Oscar. --- Haelyx smiled. Over the years her relationship with Oscar had changed into a deep friendship. He was still in love with her but he also understood that she didn't love him back, or so Haelyx wanted to think. Even so, she knew that Oscar would never harm her and he would never make her do anything to her against her own will.
-There is a problem in the kitchens and they have asked me to notify mother or you, and I have found you first
-A problem? New supplies were arriving today, there must be something wrong. I'll go fix it. – Haelyx turned to say goodbye to Kermit who visibly frowned. – Thank you for the invitation, but other matters require my immediate attention.
Haelyx left in a hurry. If there was a problem with the supplies, it had to be solved as quickly as possible to avoid the castle having problems. As she turned down a hallway she could have sworn she heard the sound of Kermit's angry voice and a soft reply from Oscar.
Haelyx walked to the kitchens where she and the cooks were surprised to see each other. Apparently there was no problem with the delivery of supplies.
-I think young Oscar got confused. We were complaining that one of the barrels is full of squid and those are always difficult to clean, but it's not a problem.
Haelyx realized that Oscar hadn't been wrong at all. He must have seen her in trouble with Kermit and had gone to help her.
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-I want to tell Oscar about Avalon
Haelyx got up and looked at Edmyn. He had his hands on Haelyx's belly and was whispering to his baby.
-Oscar? Why do you want to tell him?
-If something happens to me, Oscar will be the best person to take care of you. The one I trust the most. Also, he wants to found a mercenary company in Essos. Why not better in Avalon?
Haelyx nodded and let Edmyn continue stroking her belly.
-- We'll tell him tomorrow.
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Oscar….. He didn't take the news of Avalon very well. Or magic. The poor boy had a panic attack from which he took thirty minutes and three cups of tea with strong liquor to recover. Many of the slaves knew how to make their own liquor, some of it better than their master's.
Since they bought the slaves, other inhabitants had joined them. Like most of the real witches in the world and several people who had nowhere else to go. In addition, after returning their genitals to the immaculate and creating civil weddings, the number of marriages had increased and the first births were registered in the hospital.
Hospitals and divorce, as well as schools, were things not normally seen. In some places there were healing houses, which were primitive hospitals, in other several small lords got together so that a teacher would teach all his children at the same time. But nowhere else in the world was the termination of a marriage or the adoption of children who automatically became legitimate allowed.
Divorce was fair enough for women, to prevent men from being able to marry and divorce by despising their wives. Plus, it also made up for the fact that women were treated as less than bargaining chips or scum in most of the world.
Divorce was possible by mutual agreement, infidelity, or sterility on the part of either spouse. For sterility to be declared, both spouses had to be examined by one of the witches, they could determine if your seed or your soil was fertile.
The husband was to pay her ex-wife a pension and provide her with a comfortable place to live if she could not return to her birthplace and did not wish to stay with her ex-husband. In the event that there was a child, they were obliged to share a house until the youngest child reached the age of seventeen.
Although those were only the part for the nobility and the merchants of great tradition, the part for the commoners was much simpler.
Edmyn and Haelyx explained all these things to Oscar while he watched them in silence.
-I… I need to think about it, I need to assimilate all this
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Haelyx watched as Edmyn and Oscar talked a lot over the next few days. A part of her was a little jealous because of the closeness of both brothers. But she smiled when Oscar came to her room one night. She cast a privacy spell and he looked at them.
-I want a title and land, I would like to work to help you. I know I'm more capable than Kermit, but I'm a third child. I can't even dream of being a lord. And our house... ----- Oscar sighed. The Tully house was the poorest of the seven great houses. There was a keep with a few lands that Kermit would inherit if Edmyn became lord, but Oscar's only hope was to become a knight and fight for his brother or other lords.
-Actually we were going to create four duchies that would defend Four portions of the territory. The North, where we are against the continent, I was going to call it the Gryffindor dukedom. The South, where the lands are beautiful marshes, was to name the Duke of Slytherin. To the West the terrain is rugged, but it is where we have found most of the libraries and deposits of precious stones and metals, the Ravenclaw dukedom. And to the East the lands are great plains and very fertile, perfect for cultivation, the Hufflepuff dukedom. In the years that we have been there, the climate has always been generous in that region. – Haelyx smiled as Edmyn gave Oscar an explanation of the organization of the nobility that Haelyx had created. Though Haelyx was only imitating the organization she remembered from his life as Harry.
-Okay, that system is more organized than the one of the seven kingdoms. Are there already nobles?
-Yes, except for the four dukes there are a few empty positions. Honestly, so many talented people came that we didn't know how to manage them.
-Talented people?
-Second and third children like you. People more valid to govern than their older brothers but who were expelled for that same reason. Having too much talent.- Edmyn smiled at that in an indecipherable way
-They were expelled for having too much talent?
Haelyx nodded.
-Between my uncle and my father. Which of the two would you say would be the better King?
-Daemon. --- The answer was automatic and Oscar looked at them stunned when he realized that
-My uncle is so afraid that my father will take away his power that he banished him many times and my uncle took away every position in which he achieved a minimum of power and did better than him. He was so afraid that he tied him to a woman he hated and prevented him from marrying the woman he truly loved, the crown princess. -Haelyx looked out the window. – My uncle is not the only one who has done that. If the heir does not excel, the other children are a danger to that heir unless the father favors them. And when the father dies, the heir is in charge of discarding the most outstanding brothers. Those kids are now coming to Avalon.
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Haelyx's belly was big in her seventh month of pregnancy. She was embroidering clothes for her unborn son. Winter was approaching again and Edmyn had gone out with a few men to hunt down some wolves that were attacking the herds of animals they would need to survive.
It was rare to see wolves in the riverlands, but apparently this pack had given trouble in Winterfell before and they had managed to scare them away while hunting them. The pack must have numbered fewer than twenty wolves, but it was still worrisome. Edmyn had laughed at Haelyx's concerns and said that he would bring a wolfskin for the unborn child.
Haelyx had put the soldiers accompanying Edmyn under empire so that they would prioritize saving the life of her husband.
- Are you expecting a girl?
Haelyx looked up to see her good mother looking at her with a smile.
-I have already finished the clothes for a boy, I wanted to have clothes for a girl too.
- Have you thought of a name?
Haelyx blushed.
-Edmund if it is a boy and Iolanthe if she is a girl.
- Iolanthe? Is it a Targaryen name?
-It is Valyrio, very old. It hasn't been used much since the fall of the Empire. - – Haelyx smiled at his good mother. – The name of the last Queen of the Valyrian Freehold. – And that was true, the name of the last Valyrian Queen and the last Peverell. Haelyx wondered if they were somehow connected.
Haelyx heard the sound of hoofbeats and she staggered to her feet from the extra weight of hers. Her good mother supported her and together they went to the hall to receive the gentlemen. Both were commenting on how nice some wolf skins would be to spend the cold winter in Riverrun.
As they were approaching the gates the piercing scream of Elmo Tully reached them clearly and Haelyx's veins filled with ice. Kermit and Edmyn had gone with the soldiers.
She didn't know when she started to run as best she could but she made it to the living room to see her good father pick up Edmyn's body.
His neck was torn, nearly decapitated. Someone had had the decency to close her husband's eyes but Haelyx yelped at the sight. Her knees gave out and she saw the ground come up to her face.
Strong arms of hers held her and Haelyx did not know who was taking her. Everything was spinning and everything hurt. She couldn't stop screaming. A liquid was forced into her mouth and Haelyx was gripped by a heavy drowsiness.
Water splashed over her face and she looked up to see Oscar carrying her in his arms, leading her away from the horror of the room. Oscar was crying
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Haelyx found out what happened after two days.
The pack of wolves was not made up of twenty specimens, it was made up of more than fifty. And there were three direwolves. Edmyn had downed two of the direwolves, the second had jumped on his neck, and Edmyn had plunged his sword into the animal's heart.
The skin of the direwolves would be given to Haelyx.
The surviving knights, a quarter of those who went to fight, offered their condolences to Haelyx, many looking with pity at the swollen belly of the only fifteen-year-old. And Riverrun was plunged into a sorrow so thick that the air could be cut off.
Kermit was frustrated that he had not been able to save his older brother, despite the fact that he too had received serious injuries in combat.
There was also speculation about Haelyx's son. If he was a boy he would be the new heir to Riverrun and if the baby was a girl, she would be a lady of the Tully family. But there was also the issue that she was, after all, a Targaryen princess. And she was now single.
Haelyx's good mother started talking about Kermit's virtues and Haelyx knew that she wanted her to marry him. They wanted the connection to the Targaryens.
But Haelyx would not allow that. Haelyx was now working to go home to Avalon before his eighteenth name day. And for that she needed Oscar
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It wasn't hard to find Oscar. He was in the Sept where Edmyn's body had been stored in ice. Haelyx patted the coffin and then sat next to Oscar spelling out a spell that would make it seem like they were talking about happy memories of her and Edmyn.
- Will you still follow me to Avalon?
-Of course
- In that case I need your help. We have to gather various things and I have to go to the Red Keep for at least two years. And I need…. I need you to watch my baby until I can go to Avalon.
-Why do you have to go there? Why not go straight to Avalon?
-The seven kingdoms consider Avalon as a hostile nation. I have to see exactly the forces of our enemy and cause some chaos, protect our Kingdom by attacking this Kingdom like a poison from its heart. And I won't be able to do it with my baby around
-My hands are your hands, your wishes are my orders. How can I help you, my Queen? – Oscar's look was one of absolute devotion and Haelyx explained her plan to him. Slowly and counting the reason for each step. She wanted him to understand, she wanted him to understand why she would do what he was going to do. She wanted be different, not like Dumbledore or Otto Hightower with their plans so close to their chest so no one knows all the steps to the final goal
And, the most important thing, she trusted Oscar with her life