Runestone 599 AC

[Marie]

The seat of the senior branch of House Royce. The present lord is Jon Royce.

[Marie]

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Joanna arrived at Runestone with her entourage. She was still not happy about being summoned thus but had been putting on a cheery front. She entered the great hall and sat in her accustomed place while she waited for her husband to arrive. Meanwhile, her servants bustled about getting the children up to their rooms, while others dragged off Joanna's belongings.

[The Stranger]

Her husband was already seated in the Great Hall, and he watched Joanna silently for a while as she approached and sat.

[Marie]

Joanna called for wine. The castle servants ran to obey her. Seh turned to hr husband.

"Hello, Jon."

[The Stranger]

Jon's gaze was penetrating. Joanna had never seen her husband quite as angry as he appeared to be today.

"Don't hello Jon me Joanna, what the hell is wrong with you?"

[Marie]

She looked at him innocently. All she had said were two words and she would not be yelled at for those.

"Nothing is wrong with me," she said calmly. "That's no way to greet your wife, anyway."

[The Stranger]

"Its a damn good way to greet your wife when she's been cavorting naked through the streets of King's Landing like a common harlot!" Jon snapped, "You're smarter than me Joanna, so you aren't allowed to play dumb."

[Marie]

Joanna's temper flared. She was regretting that decision now but she ahd no wish to admt it with Jon yelling at her.

"What would you have me do? Fall on my knees and beg your forgiveness?"

[The Stranger]

"It would be a pretty good fucking start! "Jon yelled back, "But I was looking for an explanation. What the hell is wrong with you? You're the mother of my children, and you're flouncing around King's Landing the moment I leave? What am i supposed to think about that?"

[Marie]

"Do you think I wanted to do it?" Joanna yelled. "Of course I bloody didn't, but I lost a bet. Had I won, I'd have achieved one of the goals I've had since I was a little girl and you would have shared in my triumph. But I didn't win. I lost. Would you have me refuse to honour my promises?"

[The Stranger]

"You disgraced yourself over a bet? With who? For what? Jon replied sharply.

[Marie]

"For a dragon," Joanna said, exasperated. "There is nothing else that would have made me behave thus, I swear it. But how many times have you known me to wake up in the night after dreaming of dragons and then realising that it's not real?"

[The Stranger]

"Gods be good Joanna. You embarrass yourself, me, your children, your whole family, because Daemon dangled a dragon in front of you? I know better than to think he'd give you a dragon, no matter what the bet, and I'm a fucking idiot compared to you."

[Marie]

"Well, I-"

Her voice caught and she almost burst into tears. Anger faded to be replaced by sorrow.

"Did you never want anything so badly that you would do anything to get it, even if the things you had to do were distasteful to you?"

[The Stranger]

"Yes... marry you! And it required bowing and scraping to the Lord Hand, and putting up all the baggage and nonsense of your brothers and cousins!" Jon said. His voice was still hard edged, but he'd lowered his voice to speak calmly now.