Chapter 31
Dinner was good, it wasn't a feast, they didn't really have time for that, but there was some chicken and some vegetables, mead and wine, and some sweet pastries, that he didn't know the name of. Maenera ate with gusto and Daemon could see that she was steadily getting tipsy. The sweet mead she was consuming like water was starting to affect her. Daemon didn't saw her drink alcohol much, preferring water or orange juice instead of the watered wine they usually consumed throughout the day. She seemed relaxed. Her hair unbound, laughing and smiling, telling jokes, some of them only understood by her and Jon. Jon was of course having dinner with them, Maenera insisted. Lord Stark and Harwin sending uneasy glances in his direction now and again. Even her accent was getting thicker, more pronounced, her northern heritage rearing its head. She was an enigma to him, She had so many masks and layers, and he had the opportunity to see some of them. The loving sister, the nurturing aunt, the crazy seer, the immovable princess, but this was new. Daemon believed that this, right here, right in this moment, it was the closest to her true nature. Maybe. He didn't think he ever saw Maenera being so peaceful, maybe it was the fact that she was home, maybe it was because of Jon, he didn't know but what was certain was that he liked her that way. She looked younger, she didn't have the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"How about a song Princess?" Jon asked.
"I don't sing anymore, don't remember the words for them songs." Maenera responded trying to sound dismissive.
"Just one more song, your Grace. " Insisted Jon. Daemon didn't know why he insisted, but to be fair a lot of things didn made sense about the man (creature?).
"You always ask for just one more." Maenera said and Daemon could see her denials dying on her lips. Daemon was curios and by the looks of it Viserys was as well."Fine".
He was sure that if she didn't have so much mead in her she wouldn't have agreed. They were all concentrating on her, waiting for the song to start. She seemed to think about something for a few moments. Mayhaps trying to remember the words. At last her mouth opened and the verses of a song he didn't hear before began pouring from her lips.
High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones who had loved her the most
The ones who'd been gone for so very long
She couldn't remember their names
They spun her around on the damp old stones
Spun away all her sorrow and pain
Daemon could see from the way her eyes were moving from place to place that she was remembering a different time. He could almost see a skinny little girl, running around the room, his father chasing her, her mother in the doorstep following with her eyes, a kind smile on her face. The little girl laughing and crying out when father caught her in his arms and began tickling her. His father's stubble scratching at her soft cheeks as he kissed her. He remembered a similar incident when he was young, his mother still alive, mayhaps from there came the association.
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
They danced through the day
And into the night through the snow that swept through the hall
From winter to summer then winter again
'Til the walls did crumble and fall
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
He could feel her sorrow, the verses affecting her and the other in the room. It was a sad song, and he couldn't help but wonder if she saw herself as Jenny. Always surrounded by the ghosts of past, present and future. To always be able to see them,in dreams and visions but never able to touch, to speak. He tried to imagine her younger, like his brother described, dreaming at night and crying in the mornings, his father having the emotional range of a spoon, never being able to comfort her properly. Saying hurtful words unintentionally and the little girl beginning to resent him a little bit more each time. She didn't talk much about her mother, maybe she was trying to spare them from having to indirectly know their father's second wife, the woman that took the place of their mother. She didn't talk about Aelera, but from what he'd seen, the feelings of guilt were predominant in her feelings about the woman that gave birth to her, nothing else. Maybe he was melodramatic but he had the vague impression that no matter how normal she seemed, because of her childhood, she will always be a mad little girl dancing with her ghosts, unable to escape them. The thought was daunting, most of them grieved and moved on, but how could she when every time she slept the dead were following in her dreams?
High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones
Who had loved her the most
The song finished on a quiet sad note. In the candlelight Daemon could see the glimmer of tears in her eyes. His brother was looking with pity in her direction and Daemon wanted to gouge his eyes out. She was not to be pitted she was to be admired. She seemed to snap out quickly however. Turning to them with a mimicry of a smile that looked more like a grimace, and let out a forced laugh.
"Please, excuse me my Lords, it seems i had indulged in to much mead. I will see you in the morning." She said and got up from her chair leaving the room for the bedchamber.
The room was quiet, Jon seemed lost in his memories as well. One by one the men excused themselves and left for their chambers, only Daemon and Viserys remaining. It wasn't hard to gauge what his brother was thinking. Probably his thoughts following the same path his had taken. They stayed there at the table for some time with their cups of wine in hand, giving Maenera some privacy.
***
The morning wasn't good for Maenera from the look of it. She could barely open her eyes, and the murderous glare that she shot at the windows were answer enough. Daemon of course had a smirk on his face and so did Harwin. Viserys refrained trying to keep a straight face. Ser Harold as usual was trying to ignore all of them and have his breakfast. The only one who looked sympathetic at her plight seemed Lord Stark.
"Rough morning, sister?"asked Daemon loudly making Maenera groan.
"Daemon be nice." Viserys said but a small smile could be seen forming.
"Oh, fuck off, Viserys, you did the exact same thing the first time I got drunk. Which was your fault if I remember correctly."
"Don't blame it on me, I told you to slow down after your third cup." Viserys defended himself.
"You knew I would take that as a challenge!"
"It is not my fault that you are stubborn. Ser Harold help me here, you were there."
"It was both your faults, you both got drunk just before the tourney. Prince Baleon was livid, and so was Queen Alysanne." Well that wasn't helpful. Lord Stark and ser Harwin were quietly snickering now.
"Could all of you just shut up! My head is ready to burst!" Maenera exclaimed and made the men around her burst into laughter.
"There, there sister. It gets better." Viserys patted her shoulder in a mockery of sympathy.
"Go to hell, Viserys." Maenera said.
" When are we leaving?"
"As soon as your Graces, are ready. We have two more days on horseback. Hopefully we will arrive at Hornwood just before the night fall on the second day." Lord Stark was the one to answer his sister.
Both Daemon an Maenera looked just about done with horse riding. It was clear they were used to be on the back of a dragon. Viserys didn't minded much. After so many years without a dragon he got used to it. Not that he traveled much, but still, it was easier for him.
The morning seemed to go faster after that. All of them in a hurry to leave, the soldiers reading the horses and Maenera leaving to find something, or so she said. Jon made them all some pouches with fresh food for the road and refilled their wine skins. Jon made sure that his sister was nowhere in sight and approached him and his brother, in his hands a bundle.
"Dragon King, little Prince." He said. Viserys liked to think it was some form of respect there somewhere, but it was doubtful. The man never bowed to them, never addressed them as "your Grace" or "my King". He had to ask Daemon about that, he didn't seem too bothered by the lack of proper address and that meant that he knew something Viserys didn't. "It would be beneficial if you would take this with you." Jon said pushing the bundle in Viserys arms.
"What is it?"
"There are two books, one written by my hand, that is for the little Prince, and the second written by the Princess Aerea, that is for the Dragon King."
"What are we supposed to do with them?" Asked Viserys confused. Why would he want to read a book written by Maenera's mother.
"Read them of course." The man as were simply.
"Shouldn't Maenera have this?" Daemon was the one asking.
"As I said, the books are for the Little Prince and the Dragon King." He insisted then started walking away.
"That man gets stranger and stranger with each conversation." Daemon said and Viserys couldn't do anything but agree.
***
After two days Hornwood could be spotted in the dying light. Finally. Daemon didn't know how much he could have taken being on that fucking horse. His sister seemed to be in better spirits for some time. After a heartfelt goodbye to Jon, and after extracting a promise from the man about letter exchange she seemed better. This morning something soured her mood again. The night before she had a dreadful sleep, tossing and turning all night long in her bedroll. Not even his or Viserys' proximity could calm her. Ignoring her mood she seemed fine, a little dark under her eyes but other than that she adorned her princess mask again. Daemon was sure that they were about to receive bad news. It wasn't something dangerous otherwise his sister would have told them, but there wasn't any good news to be found in Hornwood.
The gates opened, people knelt, pleasantries were exchanged, the usual. Daemon ingnored all of that. His eyes were on his sister, she seemed to look around for something, or someone. She didn't find who she was looking for. Even after they made it inside she was still looking at at people, trying to find whatever she was missing.
His brother didn't seemed to be in the mood for too many pleasantries either because when Lord Hornwood talked about the feast he organized, his brother asked if all of them could speak somewhere more quietly first. Once again Daemon was dragged again in another Lord's solar.
Viserys and Lord Stark seemed to dance around the subject of why exactly they were there. Maenera didn't have such problems and she took the reins of the conversation.
"Lord Hornwood, Lord Bolton will be as soon as he arrives tried and sentenced for the crimes he committed. That's why we are here." What was curious was that the man didn't seemed particularly surprised by this turn of events.
"You don't seem surprised." Daemon remarked.
"Sooner or later all men have to answer for their crimes." Was the response the Lord gave him.
"What crimes do you think he committed?" Asked Viserys but the man stayed silent.
"Daryn! The King asked you a question." Lord Stark barked.
"Where should I start?" The man began and suddenly he seemed older somehow." The man is a monster, the rapes, the murders."
"If you knew of this why didn't you say anything?"
"With what evidence to back my claim, my King? Half of the people are too scared to talk, the rest are just as bad. The few servants that managed to slip through the cracks and tell us, are just that, lowly servants. How could anyone put their words in balance with that of a Lord?"
"You have witnesses?" Lord Stark asked.
"A few girls and their babes, they were the only ones to survive. But they are not in great shape. One of them tried to kill the child and then herself. We took the child away from her, thinking that might help her. It didn't. She jumped from the Keep's walls a week later. We had some Bolton servants, coming here trying to escape, all of them had chunks of skin missing from their bodies. They succumbed to their wounds, some faster that others. The ones that managed to survive the road here told us that a lot of them died on the road."
"Tell us more about the girls, those that survived." Viserys insisted. The Lord looked pained.
"They are mutilated. You can't see them if they are covered, their faces are intact. They said that he liked them pretty. The bodies are where the problems lay. Cuts, bruises, skin missing, his name craved on their ribs. I didn't look it's just what the maester told me." The man looked a little green.
"And?" Asked Maenera.
"Isn't it enough?"
"Answer the question." Daemon said.
"One of the girls that survived... She was cut badly..." The man said looking ready to vomit. He didn't understand. Why was about this girl that made him react like that? Why was it so bad that he could barely speak of it?
"Where was she cut?" Maenera asked.
"Princess I beg of you..."
"Where?!"
"Her... Privates. After she gave birth he cut her so badly down there that the maester said there is nothing else, just a hole. It healed badly as well, the maester said that she in constant pain." It was their turn to take a green hue. Daemon couldn't, didn't want to imagine that. It was a known thing that he was a woman lover. He heard before about mutilated boys. The unsullied, some boys in Lys pleasure houses, but until now he didn't heard of girls being cut there. It was horrific.
"I still do not understand why didn't you came to me with all of this..." Said Lord Stark.
"You are my liege Lord, and I will follow you to the depths of hell if you asked me to, but with this? The word or a few lowborn girls could never compare to the word of a Lord. To drag them into the open, plaster their shame for all to see, put them in danger just on the slight possibility that Lord Bolton might be punished, wasn't worth it."
"What about the rest of the girls under his rule? The rest of the people? You not saying anything left them at his mercy." Viserys said with vitriol.
"I did the best I could, my King. May the Gods have mercy on my soul for leaving the rest to their fate, but what would you expect us to do? Declare war on him? For hurting girls and servants? He is not the only Lord that does it, yet nothing is done. Everybody knows about them. They like small children, they rape girls young enough to be their granddaughters, they murder their servants because they are displeased, nobody is doing anything, the rest of the world close their eyes and treat them like honorable Lords!" The northern stubbornness reared its head it seemed. He was not wrong, however.
"Well that stops now!" Viserys exclaimed."I want the names of all these so-called Lords. I want their names and their crimes. We are done closing our eyes. And know this, everybody who knows and does not report it, trying to protect them will be tried right along with them. " The dragon awoke in Viserys it seemed. It wasn't that hard to imagine what was going on in his head. What if one of those Lords married Rhaenyra? Or Maenera? Or even little Laena. She wasn't family but she was kin. Daemon wouldn't want this fate on anyone.
"I would like to speak with the girls." Maenera said after Viserys finished his speech.
"I will send for them to be brought, Princess." Lord Hornwood responded.
"No, not here. If you already have some rooms for me, send them there. It would be better if I talked with them alone, maybe with Ser Harold as a companion. The girls should not be surrounded by so many men when they are asked about traumatic memories."
The idea was a good one. It will be bad form to bring traumatized girls in a room with six men and make them tell their stories. Maenera alone would be good, but having another witness would be better. Ser Harold Westerling is the best choice. He is the oldest out of all of them and he was a kingsguard. All people in Westeros knew that the kingsguard was celibate. That and the fact that because of his age Ser Harold looked more fatherly than any of them, without his armor he didn't look so intimidating.
"It will be done Princess."
"Good"