Post by Horas on Jan 19, 2009 15:29:57 GMT -5
Blair Royce was sitting with the queen and the other ladies-in-waiting, wishing she could leave. Her heart was elsewhere today, and now that she was in her last stage of pregnancy, she often grew tired more quickly.
Besides, since she had become suspicious that her husband was having an affair with Lady Bettley, she had been depressed and angry. Even her sweet daughter brought her little joy. And she was cold and distant to Brynden, who seemed puzzled by her behavior. Blair could not believe that he didn’t know how obvious he had made it at that family reunion dinner. His eyes were all over Lady Petra Bettley like fur on a dog – and she had eyes only for him as well. It made Blair sick to watch it.
After her initial rage and bitter despair, she consoled herself slowly. It was not so bad. She was still married to a rich and powerful man. She was the mistress of three castles. And if Brynden could play around, perhaps she needn’t be faithful to him either. Let him know what it feels like to be cheated on. And indeed, this thought cheered her a little.
Blair began to take more genuine interest in how she looked and how she dressed, and who were the men at court. Her appearance was important for another reason as well – she was a senior lady-in-waiting to the queen, who had taking a strong liking to her. Queen Selyse was a proud woman, Blair had realized, and she was obsessed with beautiful clothes. Queen Selyse’s court wore Far Reach fashions, which were indeed the most elegant and beautiful in the Nine Kingdoms. Not all of the ladies could afford clothes from Leony, the queen’s Oldtown dressmaker, but they managed to wear graceful Reach and Mander style gowns all the same. The queen insisted on it.
So today, Blair had dressed with care, determined not to let her pregnant belly detract from her appearance. The waistline of her red gown was up beneath her breasts instead, so that her skirt flowed out gracefully over her belly. Nellie curled her hair painstakingly and set it in a delicate gold hairnet. She went to the Red Keep in her litter, and arrived at the queen’s apartments in time to greet the queen.
The queen’s maids were responsible for bathing and dressing her, but after that Queen Selyse had the habit of sending for her most senior ladies afterwards to talk with them privately before meeting the other women. These two most senior ladies were Blair Royce and Marianne Yronwood.
Blair greeted Marianne Yronwood at the entrance to the queen’s bedchamber. Lady Marianne was a dignified, elegant Dornish noblewoman, the wife of Lord Antario of the Boneway, and she had been close friends with the queen long before Blair had ever met her. Blair was a little intimidated by Lady Marianne, but she now had mastered the art of faking confidence even when she did not feel it.
“Good day to you, Lady Marianne,” she said. “Are you well?”
“Well enough, Lady Blair,” Marianne responded with a pleasant smile. “And how are you getting on? It is your ninth month, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Blair smiled, touching her belly. “Our physician says we may expect a son. My lord husband is delighted.” Her next baby, she promised herself, would not come from Brynden Royce’s loins.
“They say Leanna Cressey is going to have a son,” Marianne said, with a touch of malice. “I saw your friend Archibald Cressey this morning. He is a most charming man. Why, if I were unmarried and much younger, I believe I might have fallen madly in love.”
Blair winced a little. Leanna Cressey had been a minor lady-in-waiting until she had become pregnant with the King’s bastard, and then Queen Selyse had immediately removed her from her companions. It was no secret that the King bedded many women – and many of the queen’s ladies – but most of them had aborted his bastards. Lady Leanna, however, was an ambitious woman, and it was clear that the queen disliked her. Curiously enough, the King remained devoted to Selyse - but it was clear that she could tolerate his philandering only up to a point.
Before Blair and Marianne could enter the bedchamber, however, the doors opened swiftly and Queen Selyse came out. She greeted them with a warm smile as they curtsied.
“My dear friends, it is good to see you,” she said with a smile. “Blair, please do carry Pepin for me, he has grown fat and I find it a bit uncomfortable.” She deposited her sleek black cat into Blair’s arms and led them to her other chambers, where she liked to read and do needlework. Blair sighed resignedly and carried Pepin along, but kept a sharp eye on the queen. She seemed rather eager today.
To Blair’s relief, it was a quiet enough morning. Queen Selyse was in a sunny mood, and told stories of the Stormlands that made her ladies laugh. Lady Rhae Mallister was full of compliments – she had once been the queen’s close friend, back when Selyse was a little girl, but the queen had kept her at arm’s length ever since Rhae broke her betrothal to Brynden and ran off with Ser Robb Mallister of Seagard. Since Selyse had become a princess, she had forgiven Rhae – but had not made her a close confidante yet.
Blair studied the other women as they chattered and brought the queen gossip. Stafford Mallister’s wife was a sour woman who barely spoke; it was probably because her marriage was so cold, Blair guessed. Then there was the distinguished Lady Redwyne, whose husband had a talent for running his lands at a profit. She was of old Graceford blood by birth, and was very highly respected at court. Blair was curious about her, for she had come after the rebellion of her own volition, to try and mend relations with the Iron Throne. Queen Selyse had admitted that she was very much impressed by Lady Redwyne’s intelligence and fortitude.
Lord Corbray’s daughter greeted Blair with a kiss on the cheek, and sat beside her. “Watch and see, my lady,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. “Layla has said that the queen had arranged something special for her today.”
“Really?” Blair asked interestedly. She did not recognize the name, and it struck her as odd that the queen would have something important to say to a unknown name. She scanned the faces in the room.
Corbray’s daughter giggled. “Lady Layla Falgrave, Lady Royce,” she said, nodding in the direction of the woman in question.
Blair gazed on a woman older than herself – indeed, she was probably a little older than the queen, who was in her early thirties. She was strikingly attractive nevertheless, with thick dark hair and imperious green eyes. She was impeccably dressed in a gown of turquoise silk and vair, with a necklace of costly black pearls around her slender pale neck.
Blair recognized her immediately. Layla was the elder daughter of Lady Aerie Falgrave, a great noblewoman whose reputation as a warrior and horsewoman rivaled that of Aranya Royce – and indeed, they had been close friends. Blair knew quite a bit about Aerie Falgrave. She was infamous. Like Lady Aranya, she had made her way in the world through the sheer force of her personality, though both women had been backed by the wealth and power of their Houses. Aerie Falgrave had almost become the first female member of the Kingsguard. She was King Callen’s executioner, and was known to be both refined and fierce – a little less wild and ferocious than Aranya, but a fearsome woman nonetheless. Selyse had once told Blair that her mother, Aranya, had referred to Lady Aerie affectionately as “that little bitch”, as if it was a compliment. Lady Aerie had been the widowed Lady of Greycopse for years, but now she was gone and Layla was mistress of those lands. Blair suspected that Layla Falgrave was at court partly because the queen’s mother and Layla’s mother had been such similar women and close friends.
“She doesn’t speak much,” Blair said to Corbray’s daughter. “I almost forgot she was at court.”
The girl smiled. “That is a mistake, Lady Royce, for she is one of the most sought after women in the Nine Kingdoms. Men have courted her since before she flowered into womanhood, for she has always been the heiress to Greycopse. But she has never married.”
“She has a little sister, does she not?”
“Yes, but they say that one is quite wild – not much of a lady. Bit more like her mother. I think her name is Cataline. They say the queen is quite fond of her, but the girl doesn’t want to come to court – she just likes to manage the Blackdusk horses and ride out on adventures.”
It was coming back to Blair now. Greycopse was almost as famous as Duskendale for its horses – indeed, the two castles were sister studs which bred the same lines.
Blair could trust Corbray’s daughter; she was a sweet girl, unlike most of the vipers at court, and she was a Valewoman. “Why do you think Lady Falgrave has never married?”
“I’m not sure,” the girl said doubtfully. “She’s very aloof and independent, you know. A bit too arrogant for my taste, but she has many friends. I think she wants to retain control of her lands – all of her proposals have come from powerful men with their own estates, and she would have to live in their castles and give up her control over her mother’s lands.”
Queen Selyse was smiling at Lady Falgrave. “My dear Layla,” she said. “I must say, that dress suits you. You look just like your mother.”
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Layla Falgrave said with a smile. “Marina helped me with the vair trimming.”
“I do miss her,” the queen said. “How old is her son now?”
“Four, Your Grace. I know that she wishes to return to court once her present pregnancy ends.”
“Tell her that I shall be delighted to have her back.”
Blair recognized the name; Marina was a peasant orphan that Lady Aerie had adopted, and she had become Marina Waters, giving her the status of a bastard of noble blood. She had been Selyse’s friend since they were girls. She left court for a time when she married a minor lord, but Blair had heard that she was a very nice, friendly woman who never had an unkind word to say about anyone.
“And tell Cataline that she should come too,” Lady Marianne said. “She has had enough of her precious horses, surely?”
“I have no doubt she will come, once she hears of Lady Layla’s engagement,” the queen said warmly. All of the queen’s ladies looked up in astonishment. Here was unexpected news indeed! All of them stared at Layla, including Blair.
“You’re engaged?” Lady Rhae cried. “Oh, happy day at last! I feared you would die an old maid. Who is the lucky man?”
Layla merely smiled. Blair noticed that not all of the women looked thrilled so much as avidly curious and envious. She guessed that many of them had hopes in the past of snaring Layla for their own sons or brothers – she was one of the most eligible women in Westeros.
“I have given my permission for Layla to marry the Master of Whisperers,” Queen Selyse said with a smile. “Thadeus Thatcher has long admired her.”
Blair gaped. Thadeus Thatcher? But he was a peasant! He had no lands, no lineage, no titles! This was the man who had won the hand of one of the most eligible noblewomen in the Nine Kingdoms?
The other faces in the room looked equally shocked. Beside Blair, the Corbray girl stared at Layla in open-mouthed disbelief. Lady Marianne Yronwood’s face was frozen in stiff disapproval. Lady Redwyne pressed her lips together.
“I am much pleased by Lord Thadeus,” Layla said, with the sweetness of someone who knows how her words have affected others. Thadeus Thatcher was no lord – he was called “Lord Thadeus” merely as a courtesy, since he was the King’s councilor. In truth, he was a commoner who had long been in the spy business. He was known to be quiet, cunning and subtle, and many at court feared him.
The talk slowly turned to other things, though Blair’s mind buzzed with the news. When the queen decided to partake her afternoon meal with only her closest ladies, the others left quite happily – no doubt, to discuss the strange proposal that Layla had accepted.
Queen Selyse invited Marianne and Blair to eat with her on her balcony, so that they could all enjoy the bright sunlight and warmth.
“If you don’t mind me asking, Your Grace,” Marianne said as they were served venison. “Why did you allow Layla Falgrave to marry Thatcher? He has no noble ancestry, and she is a descendant of House Blackwood and House Greyjoy, and the mistress of her own castle – and wealthy too, because of her horses.”
Blair was grateful that Marianne had asked the question – she did not feel that she was quite close enough to the queen to question her like that.
“Everybody was so offended, weren’t they?” Queen Selyse chuckled. “Did you see Lady Stokeworth’s face? She looked fit to burst! I know she was hoping to wed her brother to Layla. Ha! That no good scoundrel. He’s a Massey, but he’s also a drunkard and a fool. Layla would have had a hearty laugh if he had tried to court her.”
“But a Massey is still a better match than a peasant, is he not?” Marianne asked.
“You think so?” Selyse smiled. She looked at Blair. “What do you think, my dear sister?”
Blair hesitated, but then spoke. “He is a member of the small council and is becoming a wealthy man,” she acknowledged. “But a commoner is still a commoner, even if he pretends to nobility.”
“Like those Irwyns,” Marianne snorted. “At least the Greenstones are bastard nobility.”
“My own mother was a bastard, Lady Marianne, and the Greenstones are my kin,” Selyse said, and her tone of voice made Marianne look up.
“Of course, Your Grace, I didn’t mean…”
“Besides, the Falgraves are not so proud a House as you seem to think. They are only two generations old, Marianne! Most families consider them upstarts, the same as House Spicer or House Irwyn. Lord Seth was a minor Greyjoy and so practically a foreigner in the Reach, and Lady Aerie was a Blackwood – also a foreigner to the Reach. They are by no means a well established, grand Reach family like the Oakhearts or Tarlys, or even compared to the more minor Reach houses. The only difference is that Lady Aerie Falgrave was famous and much respected – or infamous, depending on who you ask. And Lord Falgrave was a respected man – but the family is not considered one of the great houses of the Reach. Layla and Cataline are adult women and they have not become as powerful as their mother was, though Cataline takes after her in many ways – even more than Layla.”
“That is true,” Blair said thoughtfully. “But House Falgrave has grown quite wealthy in recent years – Layla has stayed clear of wars and maintained peaceful relations with her neighbors.”
“Yes, and she has stayed clear of marriage too,” Marianne said. “She’s a strong-willed girl, always has been. She wanted to retain control over her castle. Why then, would she agree to marriage now, and to someone without lands or power?”
“Thadeus Thatcher has power,” Queen Selyse said. “He’s been the King’s councilor for two years and has gained influence over the king, and wealth of his own. Before he became Master of Whisperers, he worked for Lady Elena Plumm. Even if he ever leaves the small council, he will be a powerful man as long as he controls his network of informers and watchers, but I doubt he will leave the small council for some time yet. Besides his personal wealth, he is extremely intelligent. I think Layla responded to that – and also the fact that, when he marries her, Thatcher will yield to Layla in all matters concerning the management of her estate. He is not interested in controlling her wealth or her castle – his whole energy is focused on his job as Master of Whisperers. Layla can use a powerful friend. All he cares about is gaining the title Lord Thatcher of Greycopse. He has been a loyal and useful councilor to the King, and the King has seen fit to reward him. So when Thatcher asked permission to court Lady Falgrave, the King granted it.”
Blair knew what that meant. Queen Selyse wielded great influence over the king – this was her idea, then.
“I begin to see why Layla would consider a good marriage,” Marianne said thoughtfully. “And I am growing less surprised. Layla was always a hard one to predict.”
“She’s more subtle than her mother,” Selyse chuckled. “Or mine, for that matter. She’s better hurry up with the nuptials. Greycopse needs an heir, and Layla is in her mid-thirties. It’s a dangerous age for a woman to have her first baby, but she will have to grit her teeth and do it. I don’t see Cataline wedding and bedding any time soon.”
“Are you going to find a groom for her too, Your Grace?” Marianne asked slyly.
The queen laughed. “I am too wise to try,” she said. “Lady Cataline would rebel at once and run away from home, I suspect. I will leave the matchmaking to her older sister.” But there was a gleam in her eye that made Blair suspect that Cataline might soon receive wedding proposals of her own, Layla or no Layla.
“I’m thinking of getting my son married to a Dornish girl within the next couple of years,” Marianne said. “I’ve gotten quite a lot of proposals for him already. Half of Dorne is chasing after House Yronwood, now that you have gone and nabbed Prince Horas for yourself.”
“I’m sorry. Did you want him for your son, my lady?” And they all laughed.
They ate lunch with peaceful chatter after that, and Blair found that she was quite enjoying herself. Perhaps she would grow used to court life after all – and even enjoy getting her revenge on Brynden.
Result:
- Thadeus Thatcher is engaged to Layla Falgrave