The Dragon and The Falcon

Chapter 3

"And just where have you been, Lady Jeyne?" An older woman's voice rang through the castle when she saw the lady sneaking back to her chambers. Jeyne straightened up with her hands behind her back and a sheepish grin on her face.

"Out socializing with our people, Lady Mira." Jeyne was biting the inside of her cheek as the lady approached her. Mira was one of her mother's handmaidens before Jeyne was even born. She was the closest to Lady Daisy before she passed and had stayed to serve Jeyne and her father.

"You're a terrible liar, child." Mira smirked as she crossed her arms to look down at the girl. She raised a stern eyebrow. "Where were you?"

"I'm helping someone. He's wounded and doesn't have anyone to help him." Jeyne sighed, looking to the ground. She didn't particularly like the boy much, but she still felt guilty for putting him there in the first place.

"Then send a maester." Mira narrowed her eyes. "Your father wouldn't approve of you leaving the castle for something like that at your age, especially in his current condition."

"I am perfectly capable of tending to a wounded child, Lady Mira, and my father would most certainly agree." Jeyne grabbed the handle of her door and slammed it behind her in Mira's face.

Jeyne made fast work digging through her chambers for the supplies she needed. She had to get back to the boy before he took off.

It was a mix of not wanting to get caught, but also she did worry about his wound.

Both of them.

"Who goes there?!" Aemond grabbed his dagger when he heard leaves crunching outside. It had barely been 2 hours, but he was on edge. He couldn't sleep one bit. He kept picturing someone coming after him. Someone with a knife of their own.

"Calm down, it's just me." Jeyne waltzed in, removing her hood without even looking over at him. She slammed her bag onto the table, grinding her teeth together as she thought more of what Lady Mira had to say.

Send a maester.

Your father wouldn't approve.

Especially in his condition.

The words played over and over in her head and she mumbled them mockingly under her breath, making faces to herself with her back to the boy.

"Something happen? You seem quite irritated, to say the least." He caught the way her head shook from side to side as she muttered to herself, but then she turned around.

"Why were you in the woods?" She glared.

Now it was his turn to crumble. But instead of tears, he just sank back further onto the cot, looking away from her.

"Right. Enjoy your isolation then." She rolled her eyes, heading towards the door in a huff.

"I got left here." He mumbled. She paused, looking at him with confusion. "My d...my knight left me for dead in the middle of the woods. I don't even know where I'm at right now."

"You're in the Riverlands." She said and he met her eyes finally. "About an hour north of the Eyrie, I'd wager."

"Shit..." He muttered to himself. His mother and father were going to kill him.

"Are you not from here?" She asked.

He bit the inside of his cheek and just nodded.

"Where are you from?"

"South..."

"Where south? That's a pretty broad area." She noted how nervous he was to tell her, or the way he refused to look back up at her. She sighed when he didn't answer. "If you do not wish to tell me, that's fine, ok? Once you're healed enough, I'm sending you on your way back to wherever you came from."

"How?"

"I'll drag you back myself with you strapped onto my horse, if I must." She grabbed something out of her bag, handing him another vial.

"What's this?"

"In case you have trouble sleeping. You will. Trust me, I've seen my father sport a similar wound, but he wasn't as fortunate as you were to have me there to fix it." She was so proud of herself for the work she'd done for him, even if the boy wasn't appreciative of it. She knew she did good work, even if he wouldn't admit it.

"Did he...?"

"Not yet, but I'd imagine I don't have much longer with him, all things considered. Do you need anything at all before I go? I won't be back until dawn." She was trying to remain casual and speed up their interactions so she could get home.

Until she saw the fear in his eye when she mentioned she'd leave. But he wouldn't admit it out loud to her. He was too proud, too arrogant.

She looked out the door, seeing how dark it already was and groaned. "Though I suppose I could stay since it is already late."

"Fine." He snatched the vial, downing its contents quickly. She rolled her eyes once more and plopped down onto the chair, pulling out a book from her bag. He looked over and tried to catch a peak at the title of the book. "What are you reading?"

"I didn't say I'd stay and talk." She mindlessly flipped through the pages with her feet propped on the edge of his cot, never once looking back up at him.

He stared at her with annoyance riddled all over his face, but he'd never truly admit that deep down, he was thankful for her. More than he'd ever been to anyone in his life. She was a stranger and only tried showing him kindness and compassion, while he did nothing but stomp all over her.

"Thank you." He finally said after so many moments of silence.

She peaked up from her book, skeptical of his sudden apology, but she could tell by the look on his face he meant it. She cleared her throat and returned to her book. "Don't mention it."

He drifted off to sleep at last with the last image in his head of a girl smiling to herself as she read her book of choosing for the evening.

Histories of Old Valyria.