Tamara's muscles are sore and her feet are killing her, yet she has no choice but to keep moving. She's mad now that she was spoiled all her life. She was sitting around while maids took care of her every wish. If she walked too much in the garden they would massage her feet. If she scratched her arm, three doctors would have rushed to prepare unguents and pain medicine. And now? She's pretty sure her ankle is twisted, but what good would it be to complain? The others are in the same situation. It's not like they can carry her around. They need to move fast and stay hidden.Roland's arm is hurt after they encountered one of Tommen's rangers and had to take him down. One of the other guys is dragging his feet after a mountain lion bit him the other day. The beast smelled their food and attacked them out of nowhere.Tamara wipes her sweat and calls the dragon again. Yesterday, she couldn't hear it and they spent an entire day walking in the wrong direction. But today, the song it sings
"Loras?" Astrid calls his name, even though the shadow in front of her doesn't seem to hear her. The surroundings start to tremble and yet another coffin appears."I am your brother!" Tommen appears from behind, with a murderous look on his face. "You can't exile me! Not for this!""Why did you do it?" Loras' shadow finally moves. It's not him... Just another memory. Another heartbreaking piece of his past."I just came back from The South! I didn't even know she is your woman!" Tommen continues."Was... She was my woman. Now she's dead." Loras turns around with a swift move and takes out his sword, pressing it against his brother's throat."Maybe that's for the best, son."Since she came to the palace, Astrid has only seen one portrait of the late's king. As the end of his reign left a sour taste in everyone's mouths, no one bothers to remember him.But now, in this memory, he stands tall and with a somber gaze as he looks at his sons with a frozen expression."It was treason. The la
"There's a lot of things that require an explanation..." Astrid looks at her mate with a doubtful heart. She thought she knew him, but this... this was an entirely different person."I am aware. I shoved my past away, thinking that if I ignored it, it will disappear, but it became my weakness." Loras takes her hand. "I will explain everything. I will tell you what you want to know and a few things that you don't. But now, we have to get out of here.""You have to get out of here. I don't know where I should go, but...""Do you think I would leave you here? No, little one. You stuck your nose into my problems, now you're stuck with me forever." He gives her that blessed familiar smile and she relaxes a bit."And how do you plan to get out of here? And by the way, what even is this place?" She asks, looking around. The cloud around them started to evaporate. The curse is lifting."I am not sure. But my mother used to read to me from an old book. Childish legends and adventures. She used
"Are you sure it will work?" Tamara asks for the fifth time as Roland applies a herbal mixture to Astrid's wound. The man nods, too focused to answer anymore. Tamara sighs. She's not helping them. She should let them handle this, after all, what does she know about combat medicine? But she can't seem to calm down. Loras is agitated too and it doesn't help. The king is still not himself. His eyes are open, but his mind is not here, as he continues to repeat I killed her! I killed her! Tamara already tried to shake his shoulders, to scream at him some more. But to no avail. As long as Astrid won't open her eyes, he is just an empty shell. And she blames herself for this. She loves Astrid and knew her brother would fall for her too. But if she would have known he would become so obsessed with her, she would have let Sansa or Lyas kill her. This s not good for a king. Even if they try to hide it, the rangers are throwing him weird looks. Tamara can't blame them... "What are you even
The next few days pass like the wind and Astrid finds herself, not at all ready, in front of the war council again."The left battalion can attack from the forest, giving them higher ground, but they will be exposed to the rangers' attack from behind." James moves a soldier statute forward on the map that lies in front of them. A Kralich Maneuver. After complaining that she feels like the odd one out when in the council, Loras gave her a bunch of military and strategy books to read."What if we move the entire army more to the left, that way the left battalion can't be separated from the rest." Astrid gathers enough courage to ask and Loras gives her an approving nod."Then the middle part will be in between those hills, it will become a weak point." General Carson explains to her, but with a warm tone in his voice. Such a striking difference from the first time she met him."We can use that to our advantage. Create an illusion of a weak point. Make them strike there and surround them
The impact almost makes her fall, but she took precautions this time. Her boot is tied with ropes on Aine's back. Her dragon growls ferociously as Dracos opens his mouth to bite her neck.A second keeps her apart from disaster as she manages to turn Aine so her wing can hit Loras' dragon in the chest, pushing it away from them.The two dragons circle each other. Astrid looks down. Tommen's soldiers celebrate. The same thing happened before and it helped them win an easy battle. They start pushing, hitting the weak point in between the hills. The middle battalion being forced to slowly retreat, while the men look up in confusion and fear as their king attacks his own forces again.Dracos hits again, this time from the front. The two dragons spin in the air, entangled.Loras looks down at the two armies too and then at Tommen."A little more. Astrid, are you alright?" The king asks, seeing her struggle to hold on."I'll be fine. The tied boot was a great idea." She answers, out of breat
It's rare to see Loras hesitate. Not because of arrogance, but because he thinks about his decisions thoroughly before he starts acting towards them, so when the time comes, the outcomes never surprises him. Until now."The fact that you felt unseen. Unheard. That is not an excuse for this bloodbath. Yes, you betrayed me for my own faults, but those people who died for it, what blame do they have?" He points at the prisoners that are sitting on their knees, waiting to hear their fate."I am done with explanations, brother. You can use your imagination to fill the gaps in my story. Assume the worse and it will be fine." Tommen rolls his eyes like this stretch of his life is too bothersome to deal with."You are right. No explanation will excuse what you and your supporters did. Everyone will get their pay." Loras shakes his head, but his words seem to have triggered something inside Tommen, because the rebellious prince's facade cracks. He rises his head, a bit of panic in his eyes."S
It feels like forever since Astrid had stepped foot in the palace. The place was starting to feel like a home when she left, but now the walls seem cold, and the air is tense.The guards salute the king, but as they pass them, she sees them exchanging looks.A maid greets them at the harem entrance and tells Loras that Lady Sansa is waiting for him in her room."She should have been here to wait for the king. The entire harem should have been here!" Tamara comments and Loras signals her to calm down."It is quiet around. What happened?" Loras asks the maid that looks rather uncomfortable."Maybe Lady Sansa would be more fit to answer You majesty's questions...." She answers trying to take a step back,but Loras stops her."I asked you. Now answer!""Your Majesty..." She tries to avoid saying ore, but Loras throws her a warning look and she gets pale as a ghost. "The ladies of the harem were getting quite old... Lady Sansa decided to move them to the old palace until they could be marri