Love and Control - A Game of Thrones Fan Fiction

Chapter IV - Arienne

12 Years Later

For what must be the millionth time, I look to my left and right, checking that there is nobody watching. Not my conniving, jealous cousin Agathe, or my unpredictable, untrustworthy cousin Jorje. And definitely not my evil, bully of an aunt.

My result is the same as it was the previous times, there is nobody there. I am alone, here, standing on top of a rock, shivering and shaking, deliberating whether to go through with this or not.

From down below, in the crystal clear water, I hear someone shout my name up. "Arienne! Hurry up!" I know that voice too well, it's one of the only people that I do trust. My cousin, Zach. Other than Kyro, he's the only person that whilst I've lived here, for what has been most of my sad, uneventful life, who has been loyal and kind to me, no matter who is around him. And though it had gotten him some clipped ears on occasions for talking to me when I was supposed to be being punished, he'd always be there for me anyway.

What I, or we, were doing, was cliff jumping. It's a popular hobby in Syrspear, and Zach had been trying to get me to do it for years. Today was the day that I'd finally agreed to go with him.

I'd put on an old gown that I could discard after this, and my cousin and I had snuck out of the house, leaving Horas with strict instructions to tell no one of our departure. Nobody ever really cared about us anyway. We'd hardly be noticed.

We'd ran down to the beach and Zach had helped me to climb up the cliff face, something that proved incredibly difficult wearing a long, flowing skirt to protect my modesty. My cousin and I had played together many times when we were young, and before it had never bothered us. But now he was a tall, muscular man of 18, and I was a womanly, full grown female. It would be considered improper for us to see each other in the way that we would have done when we were 6.

He takes my hand and hauls me up, his dark, slightly long hair gets in his eyes, but he runs one of his large, roughened hands through it and pushes it back. Then, before I know it, he has jumped off and plummeted into the glistening water below. I gasp at him, wondering how he could do it so effortlessly when I myself was terrified.

That brings me back to the present time, standing on top of the rock, clenching and unclenching my hands, as if it would bring me the energy to jump. My dark curls blow gently in the breeze, and Zach shouts my name again.

"Arienne!"

It's not him who shouts, but is in fact another voice. It's male too, but I know exactly to whom it belongs and my stomach is filled with dread at having been caught.

Kyro.

He storms onto the beach below, furiously glaring up at me, and before he can duck underneath the water, he spots Zach too. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?! I LEAVE HOME FOR 6 MONTHS, AND FIND YOU CLIFF JUMPING? YOU COULD BE KILLED!"

I'm sort of grateful for him turning up, and as I slowly lower myself back down, Zach walks out of the water, his cotton shirt clinging to his skin, and his windswept dark hair slicked back with the salty water. "Oh be quiet, you're starting to sound like our mother." This was an insult to anyone, to be compared to the witch who had made my life hell for these past 12 years.

Kyro puts his hands on my waist and gently lifts me down from the rock. My feet land softly in the sand and I wrap my arms around him affectionately. "What are you doing here?" I ask sweetly, knowing that he would always answer me any question. He always says that he prefers me to either of his sisters.

My eldest cousin has been spending the last 6 months working on trade ships, visiting the far regions of Westeros and even beyond. I havn't seen him since he left us all those months ago, but his appearance has changed radically. His skin has darkened whilst his hair has lightened, almost now a shade of platinum blond. It's the opposite of Zach's, short and out of his eyes. At 27, Kyro ought to be married now, but he'd always managed to sneak his way out of it. That was until now. His father, my uncle, had allowed him to go on these journeys, on the condition that he find a bride when he returns. This displeased Kyro greatly.