dtyfp2

[dtyfp2]

The Burells

YLML

You stay awake with Sam, laying on the bed.

Ellie, the poor girl, had tried her best to stay awake but fell asleep in the chair. You couldn’t blame her, the night had been exhausting.

A few hours in and Sam seemed ok. His hands weren’t shaking, which you knew was the first sign.

“Sammy, some rest will help you heal. Try your best to get some sleep,” you sign.

“You’ll stay with me?” Sam signs back. You could tell he was fighting the exhaustion, he dozed off every now and then for a few moments but jolted awake.

“Always,” you promise. You press a kiss to his head and hold him in your arms.

Once his breathing evens, you allow yourself to get some sleep as well.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

When you wake, it’s because of the sun in your eyes. Sam wasn’t in your arms any longer, but sitting at the foot of the bed. Ellie wakes when you do.

“Is he ok?” She asks hopefully.

“I think so,” you answer as you climb off the bed. You come around to touch his shoulder, only to jump back when he attacks.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

He had turned.

“Sammy, no!” You yell as he attacks you. Ellie opens the door and runs out, and you fall through it as well as you fight Sam. He’s trying to bite you, oh my god, he’s trying to bite you.

“Henry!” You scream. Sam is roaring, like a monster, and you’re screaming. You’re on the floor, your back against the ground as you try to fight Sam. It’s half hearted at best, you’re crying so bad and you can’t bring yourself to completely shove him off. You can’t fight him. It’s Sam, your baby Sam.

“Sam, no!” You’re crying as you grab his hands.

Through all the commotion, a gun shoot rings and Sam falls off you.

“No!” You cry.

It was Henry. He holds the smoking gun.

You crawl over to Sam, crying over him. Like this, he almost looks like he’s sleeping. His eyes were still open, the infection had already marred his face, his face contorted in his final attempt to bite you.

“Henry, give me the gun,” Joel’s voice draws you from your tears. You look back and Henry is still holding the gun, looking back and forth between you and Sam’s body.

“Henry, please, put it away,” you beg through tears.

“What have I done,” Henry mutters to himself.

“You saved me,” you tell him as you get in front of his view of Sam.

“Ellie, go back inside and shut the door,” Joel instructs. Ellie does what she’s told, running and closing it behind her.

You slowly get up, hands up as you approach your brother.

“Henry, it wasn’t your fault. Put it down,” your pleading as you take tiny steps toward him. He’s pointing the gun at Joel now.

“What did I do? What did I do?” Henry keeps repeating.

“Henry please,” you sob.

“You take her with you,” Henry directs at Joel.

He points the gun at himself and shoots himself in the temple.

You make a noise you’ve never heard before. Screaming as you clammer over to him.

His brains are on the wall. It’s on the ground next to him. It’s all over your hands.

“Henry!” You shake his shoulders, screaming and crying as you look in between him and Sam.

Had you lost them both? You had lost them both. Oh my god, they were dead. You had finally gotten out of Kansas and they were dead. You wouldn’t make it without them. They were the only reasons you were still living.

This was all your fault. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for you.

You grab the gun and Joel jumps at you.

You place it at your temple and shoot it, it was the easiest thing you had done all your life.

Except the gun jams. And Joel tackled it away from you before you can shoot it again.

“No, it should’ve been me,” you wail as you cradle Henry’s head. You cry and you cry, and at some point Ellie comes out and cries too.

Joel picks Sam up and brings him over to you, and you grab each brother as if you could will them back to life. The paint was peeling from Sam’s face. Super Sam.

“Joel, please, I have to go with them,” you sob. You can barely see through your tears, you’re barely coherent.

Joel gives you a moment before looking around.

“We have to move,” he says regretfully. He places a hand on your shoulder, dragging you off your brothers. He pulls you into a hug. You scream and fight against him.

“No, I can’t leave them,” you wail.

“We’ll bury them. They deserve to be buried,” Ellie says softly as she wipes her face. Joel seems to agree, he goes off to find a shovel. Ellie goes with him, perhaps to give you a moment, or because she feels awkward with you alone.

You’re like a zombie.

Joel digs the grave.

He picks Henry up, and Ellie helps you with Sam. He lays Henry first and you gently lay Sam beside him.

“It isn’t too late to shoot me down there with them,” you tell Joel mindlessly.

“He wouldn’t want that. Last night, Henry agreed to come with us to Wyoming. Last thing he said was to take you with us. He would’ve wanted you to be safe, he wanted you to live-“

“It doesn’t matter what he wants, he’s gone,” your lip quivers.

“Hey, we need you with us. The three of us can protect each other, yeah? I need your help, ok? I want to get Ellie to safety but I need your help,” Joel tells you as he grabs your shoulders. He doesn’t need your help. You’re dead weight to him, but he tried to convince you nevertheless.

“Leave me, I’ll only slow you down,” you shrug his hands off.

“No, I’m not doing that. You’re one of us now, you’re coming with us,” he says, matter of factly.

There is a slight breeze in the air. You sit and watch as Joel buries your brothers. This would be the last time you’d ever see them, the last time you and your brothers would ever be together. The Burells, fuck fuck fuck.

You can’t watch.

You’ll regret that one day.

Ellie comes with all your things.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly.

“Me too,” you mumble. She sits beside you as Joel shovels and you wrap your arm around her. If you close your eyes, you can pretend she’s Sam.

When Joel finishes, she hands you Sam’s writing board.

“I’m sorry, I love you.”

[dtyfp2]

Prayers

YLML

“…Ellie, keep your head down,” you gasp as you pull her arm.

“I have to make sure Joel made it,” she fights with you.

“You’ll know when that maniac stops shooting at us. If you keep popping your head up, he’ll get you. Please, just keep your head down,” you plead with her. Your back is pressed against the car, one hand on Ellie, the other on Sam.

You sit in silence for a minute, not even daring to breathe. Henry reaches over and grabs your hand, giving it a slight squeeze to comfort you.

It stays silent until you hear a single gun shot. You hope and pray it was Joel doing the shooting. You don’t even have a minute to think, because you can hear an army of trucks pulling up.

“Run!” You think you hear Joel yell distantly.

“Come on,” Henry says as he grabs you and Ellie up. The four of you run. You hold onto Ellie while Henry holds Sam. The trucks are getting closer, one seemingly intent on running you and Ellie down. As Ellie runs, she points and shoots at the trucks. The bullets do nothing to stop the metal.

Joel shoots through the car and kills the driver which forces the truck off. Ellie had fallen while she ran, so you drag her back up and keep going.

Your heart beats so fast you’re worried it might just spontaneously stop. This is the end. You know this is the end. There’s so many trucks, so many people, there’s no way you’re making it out of this alive. You look for Henry and Sam, you had gotten split up through all the chaos.

The truck exploded behind you, which throws you to the ground. Henry comes running, he grabs both you and Ellie and goes back to his hiding spot behind the cars.

You grab Sam’s face, looking for any injury, but he looks ok.

You motion for him to keep quiet, and you keep a hand on two of the youngest.

“Dead end Henry. Why don’t you step out and save us some time,” Kathleen calls out. She doesn’t know where you are, but she knows you’re here. Henry glances at you and you shake your head. There has to be a way out. He looks at you and Sam, thinking. You want to tell him to stop, but before you can he speaks.

“I’ll come out! Just let the kids go,” Henry barters.

“No, sorry. The girl is with the man who killed Brian, and Sam and Odette are with you,” Kathleen answers. She doesn’t sound sorry.

“You don’t understand!” Henry yells. You wished you could explain everything, that Sam would have died without the medicine Fedra was offering.

“But I do. I know why you did what you did. But did you ever stop to think that he was supposed to die?” Kathleen asks.

“He’s just a kid!” You yell back, tears brim your eyes but you blink them away.

“Kids die, Odette. They die all the time. You think the whole world revolves around him? That he’s worth everything? Well this is what happens when you fuck with fate,” Kathleen taunts. Henry sighs deeply, his eyes closed for a second before he looks at you.

“Get ready to take him and run,” he tells you seriously.

“Kathleen, I’m sorry about your brother. If you want to hurt Henry the same way, take me instead. Kill me. Let them go,” you yell out, without even thinking.

“No,” Henry hisses.

“It’s my fault too,” your voice cracks as you grab his hand.

“Don’t be coy with me Odette, I know it was him. I’ll get you all eventually, you don’t think there’s a way out of this, do you?” Kathleen taunts.

“Get ready to take him and run,” Henry repeats again. You shake your head but Henry doesn’t have time to argue with you.

“It’s time Henry, enough!” Kathleen calls. You can hear the crunch of her footsteps, she was getting too close.

Before you can stop him, Henry stands with his hands up in surrender. Sam tries to follow but you drag him back down, motioning for him to be quiet.

The three of you stay still, so still you could hear a pin drop. You can hear Kathleen cock her gun and your hand covers your mouth as you begin to cry. She was going to shoot your brother, she was going to shoot Henry.

“When she shoots, we run,” you manage to choke out. Ellie frowns but nods.

You can hear the exploded house crack a bit. You don’t dare to look. Was something moving the truck? It sounded like it was falling.

Your heart stops when you hear infected. You peek your head up and your mouth falls open at the way the infected are quite literally climbing up from the depths of hell.

Henry manages to make it back. Everyone turning their attentions back and shooting.

He grabs you all and motions for you to run. You all run. Henry holds Sam’s hand and takes off while you stick with Ellie. She falls and right when an infected tries to pounce, it’s shot.

It’s Joel, you realize, he’s watching over and shooting from above.

“Ellie, get up!” You yell as you grab her and continue on. The two of you manage to keep going, but you’ve lost your brothers again through all the commotion.

You spot a broken windshield and drag Ellie towards it. You push her in before climbing in after her. You hear something roaring behind you, you don’t dare look.

You and Ellie take a moment to catch your breath.

Wrong move.

An infected crawls in behind you. You manage to open the front door and you fall out, Ellie close behind you. Sam and Henry are in front of you, under a car and kicking at the infected crawling at them. Ellie hands you a spare knife and you both run towards them, stabbing at the infected. She grabs Sam and you pull Henry up.

“To the house!” Henry tells you all. You book it.

Kathleen stood you at one point, but an infected kills her. You run and run, past the bridge, and you keep going until you can’t hear the fighting anymore.

You end up in a little abandoned house.

A couple hours have passed.

Ellie and Sam are playing with the comic again, and you lie on the bed.

You had cut your thigh when jumping into the car. You didn’t really see it until you got to the house. Adrenaline was a crazy thing.

Henry and Joel bandaged it up for you and told you to get some rest.

When Henry tells you both to get some sleep, Sam pretends to sleep while Henry closes the door which forces you to smile.

He and Ellie start playing with the comic again until Sam taps her shoulder and writes something down. You sit up beside her as you wait to see what he says.

“Are you scared?” Sam asks you. You think about what to say to him for a moment.

“Yes, it’s ok to be scared. But you don’t need to worry, Henry and I will always take care of you. Henry isn’t scared of anything, he’ll take care of us,” you sign, speaking quietly so Ellie can hear and be included. Ellie writes something for Sam, asking if she looks scared.

You watch as Sam and Ellie talk for a bit, laughing when she brings up scorpions. Were there ever scorpions in Kansas city? She asks Sam if he’s scared and he writes something down.

“If you turn into a monster, is it still you inside?” He writes. Your lips press together, how could you ever begin to explain this to him?

“Sammy…” you sigh.

Before you can say anything else, he lifts up his pant leg and reveals a bit.

You gasp, hand covering your mouth. You can’t look at him, you can’t let him see how scared you were. This was a death sentence. After everything you and Henry did to save him from the Leukemia, he was going to die anyway.

You crawl over to the bed he’s sitting on and cradle him in your arms. What would Henry say? What would he do? You were afraid of telling Joel, he’d probably shoot Sam. Tears pour from your face as you try to cry quietly.

“Fuck,” Ellie mumbles. She takes a breath and shows her arm to you both. Bite marks. Healed bite marks.

“My blood is medicine,” she writes down.

“What does that mean?” You ask, hope brewing inside you.

“I’m immune to it,” Ellie says as she finds her knife. She cuts into her palm and presses it against Sam’s bite.

“My blood is medicine. You won’t turn,” Ellie tells you both.

“Oh my god,” you breathe a shaky sigh of relief. Sam winces as Ellie holds it tight, and you hold his hand as she does.

The three of you take glances between each other, a silent promise that you wouldn’t tell the two outside until Sam was healed.

“Stay awake with me,” Sam writes. You nod your head and press a kiss to his forehead.

You were afraid of the hope brewing inside.

Ellie promises to stay awake too and she leans in for a hug.

You hadn’t prayed to God in a while, you weren’t even sure he existed. But you prayed now. You prayed to all the gods you had ever heard or read about and hoped one was listening.

You prayed they wouldn’t be so cruel to take Sam away from you.

[dtyfp2]

New Friends

YLML

You cringe as glass cracks beneath your feet.

Henry gives you a pointed look, all you can do is mouth sorry.

We’re looking for the man and girl we had seen early. The man, at least, looked like he had lots of experience. You watched them kill those people earlier.

You don’t know what you expected. Maybe they’d help you get out, but right now you didn’t have much choice. Henry insisted he knew what he was doing, and well, you suppose he’s never been wrong before. It’s not like you’d be able to convince him otherwise anyway, he was too stubborn.

Once you reach a certain floor, your thighs burning from going up all those stairs by the way, Henry motions for you and Sam to be quiet.

He hands you the gun. He’d already told you the plan before, no need to say it all again.

He goes in first, and you grab Sam and hide him behind the wall.

“Don’t come out until Henry or I come to get you,” you sign. He nods, his tiny face looking scared. You felt horrible, you wish he didn’t have to be.

You hold the gun and continue into the room. Henry motions for the man and you nod your head.

The gun shakes in your hand as you point it at him. He kicks the girl awake, grabbing her the second she wakes and pointing the gun at her head.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” he tells her. She looks up at you, eyes wide.

“Please don’t shoot him. Joel, Joel! Wake up,” she calls. The man, Joel, rolls over groggily, but wakes up quickly when he sees the gun you have pointed at him. You try your best to look menacing, but you don’t think you do very well.

“Don’t look at her. Look at me. You don’t have to worry about what you want to say. We want to help you,” Henry says quickly.

“Ok,” Joel says wearily. You dare to spare a glance at Henry, what the hell are we supposed to do now? You hadn’t thought this far.

“Ok, um, I don’t know what the next step is. But if I lower my gun, we don’t hurt you so you don’t hurt us. Right?” Henry speaks, looking over at you. Joel glances at you, probably trying to size up if he can take the gun away from you, you hope he doesn’t. You take a step back just in case, gun still pointed at him. The gun isn’t even loaded, but you wonder if you’d even hit him if it was.

“That’s right,” Joel answers.

“That’s a weird fucking tone man,” Henry shakes his head.

“That’s just the way he sounds. He has an asshole voice. Joel, tell him everything’s alright,” the girl cuts in quickly. You would’ve laughed at that if this were any other situation.

“Everything is fine,” Joel says in the same monotone voice.

“Henry,” your voice shakes as you look at your brother. What if Joel was about to call your bluff.

“Dude,” the girl winces.

“Fuck, ok, we’re going to trust you. But if either of you try anything-“ Henry starts, shaking the gun slightly to make a point. The girl nods, and when Henry starts to lower the gun, you do as well.

“Can I sit up?” Joel asks, directly the questions at you. You look at Henry, and he nods so you do as well.

“Slow. Get up slow,” Henry instructs.

“Who are you?” Joel asks.

“My name is Henry, that’s my sister Odette. I’m the most wanted man in Kansas City. Although right now, my guess is you’re running a close second,” Henry explains.

“Who are you?” You ask, glancing between Joel and the girl.

“My name is Joel, that’s Ellie, we’re just passing through,” Joel answers.

“You’re not going to hurt us, right?” You ask Joel.

“I said I wouldn’t,” he answers back. Damn it, he had a way of making everything sound like a lie.

“He won’t, as long as you guys don’t either. We don’t want a fight,” Ellie says, though she’s directing it more so towards Joel.

You look at Henry, silently asking if you should get Sam, and he nods, motioning for you to go. You jog back to the door and grab Sam, who was sitting with his hands over his ears, which wouldn’t really do anything but you supposed it brought him so comfort.

“That’s our little brother Sam,” Henry tells the two as you come back. You let Sam know that we’ll be trusting the 2 new people, and hopefully they’ll help us get away. Sam nods, still holding your hand as you come in.

“He’s deaf?” Joel asks once he notices your signing.

“Yeah, so what?” You ask.

“Nothing,” he mumbles as he turns the little lamp on.

Everyone awkwardly sits around the light. Joel and Ellie on one side, you and your brothers on the other.

It stays awkward, no one knowing what to say until Ellie grabs something from her bag. Some food, you think it’s a type of beef jerky, but any food is welcome. It’s been over a day since you last ate, you gave like half of your latest portion to Sam too.

“Where’d you get this?” You ask, hoping to break some ice. You grab Sam’s hand before he can eat it, shaking your head first. You wait until Ellie eats some first, afraid there might be some poison in the food. But once she takes a bite, you let go of Sam’s hand.

“From Bill. He’s dead now,” she says simply. You side eye Henry, he doesn’t seem all that fazed and takes a bit as well. So do you. It hurts your stomach, you don’t think you could eat that much anyway.

Joel wraps up some of his leftovers and hands it over to Sam, a peace offering if you might. Sam signs back thank you.

“He says thank you. We know you must not have too much, so this means a lot,” you thank them.

“How old is he?” Ellie asks.

“He’s 8,” you translate as Sam signs.

“Cool,” Ellie nods.

“Look, you ate, we ate, we all ate without killing each other. Let’s get to the point,” Joel says as he wipes his hands clean.

“Well I’m betting you came up here to get a better view of the city, find a way out, right? When the sun comes up, I’ll show you one. I show you a way out, you help us get out, and we go our separate ways,” Henry tells them.

Joel thinks about it for a bit but nods.

“Fine. Ellie, go back and get some more shut eye,” Joel orders as he gets up.

“You two as well,” Henry nods, motioning for you to head over with Ellie.

“I’ll take first watch,” you shake your head.

“No, I’ll take it. You get some sleep. We’re safe up here, no one will find us, you don’t have to be scared, ok? Just try and get some sleep,” Henry tells you.

“Ok,” you hum. You know he’s right. You haven’t slept well the last few days, whether it was from fear or hunger. You go over to where Ellie is, and lay out your jacket for you and Sam.

“You trust Joel?” You ask her quietly. For some reason, you trusted her a lot more than him.

“With my life,” she answers. You nod and lie down, tucking Sam close and under your arm.

You can’t remember when you fell asleep, all you remember is waking up the next morning.

You feel gross and stiff, but some sleep is better than none.

“Did you get any sleep?” You ask Henry as you pack everything up.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” he nods. Your lips press together, you can’t tell if he’s lying or not.

You follow the group up a crap tone of more stairs, until you reach the top. Joel and Henry go to the class while you stick with Ellie and Sam.

“How old are you?” Ellie asks as she sits down.

“16, almost 17. How old are you?” You ask her.

“14,” she answers.

“Cool,” you imitate her, which forces a smile from her. She and Sam start flipping through some comic as you glance over at Henry and Joel. You can’t tell what they’re talking about, or how Joel is taking any of. Sam laughs as he flips through the book with Ellie and you can’t help but smile. It’s been so long since you’ve heard him laugh, it’s been a while since you have. You look over at Henry and he has a soft smile on his face too.

While he continues speaking with Joel, you rest your head on the table and watch over Sam. You didn’t really care too much about the comic, but you liked seeing Sam happy.

You had sacrificed so much so Sam could be.

You’d do it again in a heartbeat.

[dtyfp2]

Attic

YLML

You squeeze Sam’s hand so hard you worry you might crush it.

Your other hand has a hold on Henry’s jacket. You’re almost hiding behind him. His gun is drawn as he carefully walks through the old broken building.

You jump at the sound of a gun shot outside. You wonder if you would’ve known the person that just died. It doesn’t matter anyway.

Dr. Edelweiss appears before you, Henry and him having startled each other while you were distracted by the shouting outside.

The doctor guides you to an attic. Henry goes up first, to make sure it’s safe. When he motions for you all to follow, you push Sam up, urging him on faster before you go up behind him.

Sam scrambles into a corner, a corner you follow him into. You hold him tight against you, the last few days having you so on edge you don’t think you’ve ever felt fear like this before.

The doctor and Henry talk quietly as Henry takes out all the resources you have from his bag. He insisted on carrying it, so you could run faster if you needed to. He also held the gun, your hands shaking so bad you probably would’ve shot yourself instead.

“…are they scared?” You hear Dr. Edelweiss ask. You’re more scared than Sam you think, he’s already taken out his little drawing board and is playing with it while you’re just…sitting there. Your ears are ringing, you can barely hear a thing.

“Yeah, they saw a lot, nothing I can do about it now,” Henry answers as he counts the cans of food he brought. The doctor glances over at you and Sam. It’s obvious you’re scared, but your eyes follow Henry, you’re feeding off him.

“They’re scared, because you’re scared,” the doctor tells Henry.

He sighs deeply before approaching you both. He lays a hand on your knee before looking at the drawing Sam had made.

“Super Sam,” he signs in acknowledgment.

“What did he say?” Sam signs back.

“He said we’re safe here. No one is going to find us,” Henry signs, speaking lowly for you so you can hear it from his own mouth.

“Are you sure?” You ask him, not signing because you don’t want to scare Sam.

“100%,” Henry promises.

“Hey, look at me, look at my face. Do I look scared?” Henry signs. You can tell he’s faking, that beneath it all he’s terrified, but he does well enough masking it. If you pretend, you can’t even see it.

Sam shrugs in response.

“There’s one problem though. This place is ugly,” Henry continues, pulling out a bag of crayons from his back. He hands it to Sam, intending for him to colour the walls, to distract him from everything going on.

Sam is happy nevertheless, and hands both you and Henry a crayon before turning to colour along the walls. You colour too, mindlessly.

“Don’t be afraid, Odette, I’ll get us out of here,” Henry promises as he lays his hand on your shoulder.

“How? We have no ammunition left,” your hands shake at the realization.

“That doesn’t matter. We were never going to shoot our way out of here. I have a plan, ok? Just trust me, I have a plan, I just have to work out the kinks and we’re golden. You just distract Sam, try not to freak him out too much, and I’ll handle the rest,” Henry tells you, giving your shoulder a light squeeze.

“Okay,” you nod, sighing slightly as you frown. You feel horrible that Henry’s under all this pressure, you were half responsible for it all you suppose.

But Henry was your eldest brother, your big brother, and he always knew what to do-even when you didn’t.

[dtyfp2]

CAST

YLML masterlist

Taylor Russell as Odette Burrell

Young Mazino as Jesse

The rest of the cast as themselves

[dtyfp2]

Your Lips, My Lips

Cast

Preseason 1:

Season 1: Attic | New Friends | Prayers | The Burells

5 year gap:

Season 2:

[dtyfp2]

THE LAST OF US UNIVERSE

Main Masterlist

Your Lips, My Lips (a story)

[dtyfp2]

Old friends

Evermore

It’s cold in the water, but you suppose it’s better than nothing. You and Aemon had ridden ahead of the group to find a good place to settle for the night, and to ensure there was a good place to hold Logain.

You had found one, and luckily it was even near a small river. You had found a spot where the current slowed and decided to wash up, slipping into the deep pool.

Aemon comes as well to wash up, coming in a bit away from you. You find it amusing how far he washes, how he doesn’t dare look your way.

You splash water at him, laughing as it hits him and he turns around, eyebrows raised. You splash him again, and this seems to be enough to force a smile on him, and he splashes you back.

You use weaves of water to splash him harder, so hard he’s drenched.

“That’s cheating, is that how you want to play?” He teases as he inches closer.

“As long as I win,” you shrug back, splashing again. He laughs as he flings water your way, and you can’t help but scream as he grabs a hold of you.

“I always let you win, my lady,” he grins, his forehead pressing against yours. The fun is gone, and in its place…tension. You’re so close your noses touch, your hand raises to touch his cheek as his hand moves up to cup the back of your head. You close the distance, kissing him passionately. The water no longer feels cold.

He backs the both of you up, so your feet can touch the ground. His hands roam your back as you keep yours planted around his neck, instinctually your legs wrap around his waist and his hand guides you up.

You can’t help but gasp when you feel something poke at your leg below you. He apologizes but you make no effort to move away.

“It’s ok,” you tell him as you bite your lip nervously, which only drives him crazier. You dare to grab one of his hands that were holding you up, bringing it up to your lips so you can press a kiss against his fingertips, slowly running it down your chest before stopping at your breast.

“Gael-“

“I want you to…if you want to,” you say quietly, tilting your head so you can meet his gaze.

“I want to,” he affirms, leaning back up so he can continue to kiss you. His hand moves on its own accord, gently squeezing, as if to see what you liked.

His beard scratches at your skin when he moves to kiss your neck, but you find yourself yearning for it. It’s familiar, and you’re enveloped by his scent.

“Aemon-“

The whinny of approaching horses draws you both for your moment. You can’t help but sigh as he stops kissing you.

“You finish washing, I’ll go,” you tell him as you drop your legs from around him.

You press a kiss to his cheek before telling him to turn around so you could get dressed.

By the time you finish and start heading back to camp, the others are already setting up their things.

“Lan! Where did you come from?” You ask giddily, running over to him and enveloping him into a bear hug.

“Gael, you have become a woman grown since I last saw you,” he laughs as he returns your hug. Over his shoulder, a woman you don’t recognize stands. She looks angry, but you offer her a smile anyway.

“It’s not my fault you and Moiraine have been gone. Where is she?” You ask as you pull apart. His face darkens for a moment, the happiness he felt seeing you fading.

“She was injured. She’s with Kerene now in the Green tent,” he tells you.

“I will go see, I’m a better healer than Kerene,” you assure him, offering him a comforting smile.

“Don’t let her hear you saying that,” he quips.

“Oi, Nynaeve, is that you?” You hear Aemon ask as he comes up behind you. You glance over at the girl with Lan, and she takes a shaky breath before daring to relax for a moment.

“Aemon, you are a sight for sore eyes. Where have you been?” She asks as she makes her way over to him. She smiles as she envelopes him into a hug, like the one you had just given Lan.

You wondered how they knew each other. You don’t remember him telling you about her, and you suddenly wonder if there was a reason.

“I heard you finally bonded the poor boy,” Lan mutters behind you.

“What else have you heard?” You question.

“That you have become an accepted, didn’t quite hear of you passed the final test though,” he comments as you raise your hand to show him your ring.

“Not yet, didn’t feel ready,” you admit to him.

“Nothing wrong with taking your time. And how was your accepted test? I heard you had a rough go,” he asks with a knowing look, almost fatherly.

“Maksim has a big mouth, doesn’t he,” you playfully roll your eyes.

“That he does, the biggest mouth in the White Tower,” he chuckles. You can’t help but laugh at the little nickname before saying your quick goodbye, jogging over to Kerene’s tent.

Inside, Moiraine is lying down with a wound near her shoulder. It had begun to fester, and there was a strange green poultice on top. Kerene was just getting ready to heal her once you came in.

“Let me do it, Kerene, you need your strength,” you tell the older woman, placing a hand on her shoulder as you take her place.

“She’s better at healing than you are, maybe it’s for the best,” Moiraine quips through ragid breaths.

“Always so funny, Moiraine,” you smile down at her, something she does her best to return.

You summon weaves of spirit, air, and water to heal her, imagining the blood and muscles and bones fusing back to one another. You add your own light in, to give her the energy boost she so desperately needed.

Moiraine sighs as she sits up, giving your hand a light squeeze in thanks.

“It’s good to see you again Gael, you grow in power and beauty every time I see you,” she smiles.

“I know,” you scrunch your nose, which earns a laugh out of her. You get the sense she and Kerene need to have a conversation so you leave the tent. Lan is catching up with Stepin but looks over when you exit, and you give him a thumbs up to assure him she was alright.

You look for Aemon, and you can see he’s still talking with, what was her name, Nynaeve? They’re a bit more secluded now, and it looks quite serious.

You’re sure he’ll tell you eventually, so you go to take over for Alanna and Liandrin. Moiraine and Kerene drop by, and Moiraine even offers to help shield, but you assure her you’ll be fine and to get her strength up before she helps.

Thats where you remain for the rest of the day, at least until nightfall. Around the time you start thinking that you’re hungry, Aemon comes in with some food and a solemn look. He drags the extra chair over so he can sit closer to you as he hands over a small bowl of soup.

He sits hunched over, one of his hands resting on your knee as you eat.

“What’s wrong?” You ask, your hand raising to rub his shoulder.

“Nothing, but everything at the same time,” he answers vaguely, reaching up to grab your hand.

“The woman Lan and Moiraine brought, her name is Nynaeve Al’Meara. She is from Emond’s field, same as I, she was the new wisdom when I left,” he begins to explain.

“Were you friends?” You ask. You wonder if he ever liked her. She was beautiful.

“Somewhat, she was a couple years older than me, always a little too serious, but Two River folk always look out for their own,” he smiles softly as he sits up. He pulls a small bag out of his pocket.

“Lan and Moiraine were in the Two Rivers. I had asked Lan, before he left, to grab a few things for me if he was ever in the area,” he says as he pulls a couple things out out. One was a book, a necklace, and a knife.

The book looked old, it was obvious repairs had been made to it. He hands it over to you, and the ink has faded so much it was practically unreadable.

“It was passed down, supposedly belonged to the last Sun Summoner. I don’t know how much you’ll get out of it though,” he says as he watches you flip through a few pages.

“It’s written in the old tongue!” You gasp as you lean forward. You turn to share your amazement with him, but find that he’s turning the necklace in his palm.

“Aemon?”

“This belonged to my mother. Before she died, she gave it to me and told me to give it to the woman I loved when I grew up, so she could continue to look after me,” he tells you, placing the pendant in your palm. It was metal forged, a little sun. It was worn through its years of use, but sentimentally beautiful nonetheless.

“Will you wear it?” He asks, his voice as vulnerable as you’d ever heard it. You turn to look at him, forcing him to look back at you. His eyes were a little red. You nod your head earnestly, words completely escaping you. You press a kiss to his cheek, in an effort to comfort him.

“Are you saying you love me, Aemon Dayne?” You ask, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yes, I love you, I thought I had made it obvious,” he chuckles as you smile bashfully. You hand him the necklace and motion for him to put it on for you. His hands linger on your shoulders as he does, and he leans down to press a kiss on the back of your neck.

“I love you too,” you tell him as he sits back down. He leans forward and presses a light kiss to your lips.

“And what about the knife?” You ask him, remembering the last of the three objects.

“It was my father’s, also the first blade I ever held. This one I’ll keep,” he tells you, allowing you to hold it. It was a simple blade, the strings frayed at the hilt.

“And what else is troubling you? Is Nynaeve alright?” You ask him, drawing back to reality a bit. Why had she come all this way?

“The mission Moiraine and Lan left for 2 years ago, they were off trying to find the dragon reborn. Apparently they were reborn 20 years ago. Moiraine thinks it’s one of my friends from the Two Rivers. They were travelling together to come to the White Tower, but they all got separated and lost. Moiraine and Lan have promised to find them, with resources from the Tower once we’re back,” he tells you.

“The dragon reborn?” Your mouth falls open as you turn to look at Logain.

“It’s not him, he’s 10 years too old at least,” Aemon shakes his head.

“Gael…I’m going to help look for them when we get back. I have to, it’s Rand and Perrin-“

“We will find them, together,” you promise him as you force yourself to put the shock aside.

“You don’t need to help me. This is my problem-“

“No, not anymore. When we first bonded you promised me that I’d never have to face my troubles alone, well the bond works both ways. You are my Soldat sol, your losses are mine, your responsibilities are mine, and mine are yours,” you shake your head as your hand raises to cup the back of his head.

“Where you go, I go, in this life and the next.”

[dtyfp2]

Capture

Evermore

“That is the largest army I have ever seen,” you comment as you huddle up with the others.

“As opposed to the many little armies you have seen?” Aemon quips, which earns him a playful shove.

“…is everyone clear with the plan?” Kerene asks, drawing your attention back to the mission. You nod and she stands, from her battle plans drawn in the dirt.

“Be safe. If you have to, abort, we can deal with him after. For now, we try to catch him off guard,” she reiterates.

Aemon goes to scout the way while the others go to surround the camp.

“What is it?” Kerene asks once she’s left alone with you.

“What if my shield isn’t strong enough to hold him. I’ve never shielded a man before, what if it’s different?” You ask her nervously.

“It is not so different,” she shrugs easily.

“You are strong, Gael, the strongest channeled the world has seen since the last dragon. Logain is a fraud, his power is minuscule compared to you, and you my dear, have only gotten stronger since the day you first arrived to the Tower,” she says comfortingly as she places a hand on your shoulder.

“If you can’t shield him, it’s perfectly alright, it’s not a failure on your part. The others and I will converge if he breaks through. Just try your best, that’s all anyone can ask you to do,” she soothes. You nod, trying to smile but failing.

You were to go in first, shield him while the others dealt with his army. Now, you were hidden in the forests, at the outskirts of his base camp. You’d have to use your light mirage weaves to get you close enough to him, this Logain Ablar, who claimed to be the dragon reborn.

Aemon comes back, deeming the oath clear. He takes your hand and stalks closer to the camp, his sword drawn and ready for any surprise.

“I don’t see any-“

You can’t help but gasp as he pulls you closer, his hand covering your mouth as he presses himself against a tree. You’re about to ask him what he was doing, but soon you hear the chatter of 2 men, obviously meant to be guarding the camp.

You can hear your heartbeat in your ears, and you fear it’ll be so loud they might be able to hear. You squeeze your eyes shut, as if that’ll help anything. You don’t dare move, your muscles turned to stone, afraid anything might set them off.

Now, you fear, the weight of the mission settling hard on your chest. You fear getting caught. You don’t know what you thought before, but it becomes real to you in that exact moment.

“They’re gone, come on,” Aemon whispers, pulling you up along with him as he continues on.

Come on, Gael, pull it together.

“His camp will be in the middle, time to mirage,” he says as you reach the edge of the camp. Carefully, you weave your strings of light, manipulating the light hitting one’s eye to make it seem like you weren’t even there.

You give him a nod when you’re down, and he takes your hand once more, carefully walking through the camp. It is night time, most are asleep, save for the guards and those up late drinking.

It smells bad. There is a conscious effort on your part to not gag.

You reach a large tent in the middle.

Aemon peaks his head inside.

“He’s asleep. You go, I’ll make sure one comes in. Be careful, Gael,” he whispers, his hand raising to cup your cheek.

“I will, you be careful too,” your murmur, leaning into his touch momentarily. He offers you an encouraging smile before letting you go.

Without taking a single breath, you slowly enter the tent.

You are surprised to see that he looks like a man. For some reason, you had expected something more…monstrous.

Nevertheless, you quietly begin weaving your shield, incorporating light itself. You believe you have time, until you can hear yelling and screaming and fighting outside.

Immediately, you throw your shield as Logain wakes. Outside, you hear Aemon fighting. Logain fights you, he’s strong, stronger than you thought he’d be. He’s clawing at the shield like an animal, and you begin to sweat.

“I am the dragon reborn, you cannot cage me!” He roars as you tighten the shield. By sheer strength, you could have gotten him.

But Aemon backs into the tent, his sword and face bloodied. He’s quick to approach Logain, and with his sword, cuts the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel. The distraction is enough for the shield to take full hold as he roars in pain. You use weaves of air to block his ears, so he cannot hear.

“You’re alright?” Aemon asks as he sheathes his sword, his gentle hands rising to check your face for marks.

“Yes, are you?” You ask, worry evident in your voice. You can’t tell if the blood is his or not. He nods, offering you a comforting smile as he presses a kiss to your temple.

The tent itself is thrown off its holdings, and you’re suddenly facing the elements themselves. There are small fires all around, it looks like most the army hadn’t put up much fight, running once the Aes Sedai attacked.

“Is he shielded?” Alanna asks as she runs over, throwing her own shield over yours. Her shield helped lessen your load, but you could tell she immediately felt its toll as she fell to her knees.

“He’s strong, Alanna. Only you, me, Liandrin, and Kerene have the strength to hold him, and the three of you will have to work in pairs. We can’t underestimate him,” you tell her as her shield falls and Ihvon runs to pick her up.

You focus your concentration as the others bring a cage for Logain, only just a man now. You almost feel sorry for him.

“You’re well?” Stepin asks as the others pick Logain up and put him away.

“Yes, piece of cake,” you joke, which earns you a laugh from him.

“I’m sure it was,” he chuckles as he goes to help lift the cage. Aemon is back at your side, guiding you through the woods as you hold your shield. The sun was beginning to rise and you sigh as the sun heats your face.

They set Logain up on a wagon, with two chairs attached at the back for whoever would be shielding him throughout the journey. You sit on the wagon first as the others prepare to go.

“If you cannot shield him, gentle him,” Aemon tells you as he kneels before you.

“But the Amyrlin wants-“

“I don’t care what the Amyrlin wants. Alanna couldn’t even keep her shield over yours. If you can’t keep him shielded, I want you to gentle him before he can hurt you,” Aemon says intently, his eyes shining a brighter blue against the blood and grime on his face.

“It’s not up to me-“

“I want you to swear it, Gael, you’re more important than your Amyrlin’s orders. Swear it to me,” he says quietly, so the others can’t hear. His hand is on your leg, and you can tell he worries.

“I swear it, if I can’t hold him-I’ll gentle him,” you promise him, pressing a hand to his cheek.

“But the others can hold him, Alanna was just caught off guard,” you assure him. He doesn’t seem to believe you, scoffing lightly as he stands and hops off, readying his own horse to go.

Alanna, Kerene, and Liandrin come back to test their weaves.

“Gael is right, only the 4 of us are strong enough to shield him, and the 3 of us will work in pairs. When you’re tired, Gael, let us know and we will take over, alright?” Kerene asks as she pats your head.

You nod in agreement and she offers you a small smile.

“You did well today, Gael, I’m proud of you.”

[dtyfp2]

A Quiet Life

Evermore

You know who it is without even having to turn around. Just by the sound of his footsteps, his silent curse as he trips, you know it’s Aemon.

In the month you had been travelling, the two of you were still learning the ins and outs of the warder bond. He said he felt good, stronger and faster…he looked stronger and faster.

“You should wake me if you leave camp,” Aemon grumbles as he sits beside you, leaning back against the log. The moon shines on his face, and you can’t help but smile as he keeps his eyes closed, as if to preserve his sleep.

“I know,” you hum as you lean against him.

“What are you thinking about?” He asks as his arm wraps around you.

“I don’t know. Tell me more about your life in the Two Rivers,” you muse, looking up at the stars.

“There isn’t much to tell you. My father and I lived up mountain to a small town called Emond’s field where we farmed and where he could train me away from people’s attention. Our closest neighbours were the Al’thors, they had a boy about my age as well. Our fathers fought together when we were young, and I played with him-his name is Rand. He and I were as close as brothers, we were in all but name. We’d visit town often. It was peaceful down there, there were always chickens walking around and we had some more friends we’d visit,” he tells you, a story he’s told you more than once but you liked listening to his life before you.

“What was it like up mountain?” You ask, closing your eyes as if you could imagine it.

“Quiet,” he says simply.

“I think that’s what I want-a quiet life I mean. I could farm, we could farm-“ you’re cut off by his laugh, something that earns him a playful slap.

“What is so funny?” you feign offence.

“Nothing, nothing I just can’t imagine your pretty little fingers getting roughed up by the dirt, is all,” he chuckles as he brings your hands up to his lips to kiss.

“I could! Well, you’d teach me, wouldn’t you?” You laugh as you sit up to face him.

“Yes, my lady, I would teach you,” he nods as he pulls you closer, so your head could rest on his chest.

“Or you could do all the work and I could just tell you what to do,” you muse out loud, your hand laying flat on his chest.

“You could do that,” he smiles. With your head on his chest, you can hear his steady heartbeat. It comforts you, almost lulling you to sleep.

“Will you take me to see it one day, when this is all over?” You ask softly, and just by your tone, Aemon can tell you’re close to sleep.

“I will,” he promises.

[dtyfp2]

Beginning of the End

Evermore

“,,,sounds serious,” Aemon comments, his arms crossed as he looks inside.

“All will be well, I’m sure,” you hum as you lean on the balcony barrister, listening as the wind sings around you while your hands fiddle with your new ring.

You were now an accepted, had been for a couple months now actually, but the ring still felt foreign to you.

It has now been almost 3 years since Aemon had joined you. In that time, he has trained much with the warders, he has filled out his frame and you think that he has gotten taller. In his years at the White Tower, he gets along well enough with the other warders, but still does not trust the Aes Sedai, you know he doesn’t and he tells you as much. But he never begrudges you or your trust of them.

“Maksim is getting antsy,” Aemon comments as he peers down at you.

“Maksim is always antsy, he is better off in the warders quarters training than up here waiting for Alanna,” you laugh as you turn around, looking inside where the warders wait for their Aes Sedai outside the Great Hall. The Amyrlin had called a meeting, a seemingly serious one at that.

The door finally opens and your Aes Sedai sisters come out, looking solemn at best.

“Gael, the Amyrlin wants to speak with you,” Kerene calls, motioning for you to come.

You glance at Aemon quickly before heading in, passing the other Aes Sedai who set off with their plans, informing their warders of their mission as they go. Alanna gives you a tight lipped smile as you pass her.

Once you’re inside, the door is shut behind you.

“Siuan, is everything alright?” You ask as you head toward her, sitting on the stairs beside her.

“There is a false dragon, down in Ghaeldan, and a war breed down where our reach doesn’t touch. I’ve dispatched nine Aes Sedai to capture this false dragon, and bring him to Tar Valon where he may face judgement,” she starts explaining. You listen intently, nodding as she speaks.

“You will join them, Gael. This false dragon is strong, per our reports, I fear we may need your strength, to shield him long enough to bring him here,” she continues.

“It will be good for you, to have this experience. The nine sisters are being overly cautious, I know, but they’re there for you as well, to keep you safe,” she says as she takes your hands in hers.

“I’ll do my best,” you say eagerly, to which she smiles. She can’t help but remember the child you once were, looking up at her with those same eyes.

“That’s all I could ever ask of you, dear Gael,” she says softly as she presses a hand to your cheek.

“You are the greatest of us, child, Kerene will lead the mission, she will guide you as well. You must listen to her,” she instructs.

“I will,” you promise.

“And you now have a choice to make, Gael, about the boy,” she tells you with a knowing look.

“What about him?” You ask obliviously.

“Will you take him with you?” She asks, as if to guide your thought.

“I’m sure he will insist on going,” you assume.

“He is a good boy, he has the makings to be one of the greatest Warders in history. You must make your choice on whether to bond him or not. You are the Sun Summoner, it’s time to embrace it and all that comes with it. There is little else to teach you inside this tower, now you must learn from experience,” she tells you.

“I am still only an accepted-“

“That doesn’t matter now, Gael. If you want to bond the boy, I give you permission if you need it. You will leave tomorrow, Alanna will help you pack,” Siuan says as she stands. You stand as well, unable to help but embrace her.

“Do be safe, Gael. I look forward to hearing your many stories when you return,” she says softly as she hugs you back, her fingers playing with the ends of your hair.

“I’ll make you proud,” you say quietly.

“You already do,” she chuckles, pulling back a bit to hold your face in her hands.

“So grown you have become, before my very eyes,” she smiles.

“Go now, I won’t keep you from it any longer,” she says as she urges you to go. You offer her a smile as best you can before going, shutting the door behind you.

Outside, Aemon is the only one left. He sits on one of the benches, his arms crossed, sword swung across his back.

“Are you going with them?” He asks, obviously having heard of the mission.

“Yes, the Amyrlin has said she wants me to,” you nod. The two of you stare at each other for a while, so much to be sad but neither of you wanting to.

You clear your throat and start heading to your room to pack your things. Light, you didn’t even know what you’d need.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Aemon asks as he falls into step beside you.

“Won’t you go anyway if I do?” You retort, trying to make a joke but failing horribly.

“That’s not what I asked, Gael, do you want me to go?” He asks again.

You don’t answer, not because you don’t know the answer, but because you still harbour some guilt.

You open the door to your room and step inside, sitting on your bed as Aemon enters behind you, shutting the door behind him and leaning against the wood.

“Gael-“

“Aemon, let me just…do you want to go? I’m giving you one more chance here, you don’t have to stay, you can go live your life elsewhere, it doesn’t have to be tied to me! I can’t…you say that you’ve trained for this and that your family has waited for so long and that this is your purpose but it doesn’t have to be. I can’t help but feel so horribly wrong, like I have taken all choice away from you,” you try to explain, your voice shaking at the end as you stare at him with wide eyes.

His own anger melts at your words. He walks closer to you, kneeling in front of your bed while you try not to cry.

“I’m sorry, Gael, I thought I was letting you know of my devotion to you…to what you stand for, but I have made you feel like that I am only here to fulfill some duty my family swore to do over 3000 years ago. I promise, I am not. I made my choice, back before we first met, when I watched you for months. I could have left, forsaken you, but I didn’t, because of you and your heart. I don’t want to just follow you, I’m here to stand by your side. I want to go with you, I want to be your Soldat Sol. Before you, I had nothing to live for, nothing to die for; because of you…I have both,” he says softly as he takes your hands in his.

“Bond me as your warder, I’m ready. This is what I want. Is this what you want? Do you want me to be your warder?” He asks as you sink to the floor beside him.

“There’s no one I would want more,” you admit to him, tears prickling at your eyes.

“Then have me,” he says earnestly, his hands raising to cup your cheeks. In that moment, where you’re so close to him, the wind changes. His rough fingers are gentle when they wipe a tear.

He hesitates for a moment before leaning in to kiss you. It’s a gentle kiss, his lips just barely hover over yours, like he’s giving you the chance to stop him if you wanted. But you don’t. You lean in close the kiss. You don’t have any idea what you’re doing, but he does a good job of guiding it.

As you kiss, despite the mess of butterflies in your stomach, weaves of spirit and your light itself dance around you, slowly linking you both as one. It feels almost euphoric, like this is how it always should have been. Almost like you had been missing something all your life, only to have found it now.

The two of you separate after the bond is complete. It didn’t even hurt, you heard it but sometimes.

Neither of you know what to say next, about the bonding or the kiss. Luckily, you don’t have to know.

Alanna comes knocking at your door, drawing you from your thoughts. You stand and suddenly busy yourself with packing as Aemon opens the door.

“Aemon, what a surprise, will you be joining us tomorrow?” Alanna asks.

“I will be,” he answers plainly. Your hand raises to your lips, you had just been kissed.

“Good. Go find Maksima and Ihvon, they’ll help you pack your things,” she says. He glances back at you, giving you a look before going, leaving only you and Alanna.

“Is there anything you’d like to tell me, Gael Atreides?”

[dtyfp2]

Worthy

Evermore

“You cannot ignore the boy forever,” Alanna says as she opens the door to your room. She invites herself in, sitting across from you on the bed as she offers you half of her orange.

“I am not ignoring him,” you answer plainly as you close your book.

“You have been, but it’s alright, this is a big change for you. You should know, he’s fitting in well with the other warders, Maksim likes him, says he fights well,” Alanna tells you as you lean back into your pillows.

“That was a quick thaw,” you scoff, remembering that Maksim was ready to kill him only 1 month ago when he first joined you all.

“Have you had any visions lately, are they bothering you?” She asks you softly.

“No, but it’s not like I can ever remember them,” you answer back, only half telling the truth. But you had insisted upon it for so long, the others either believed you or left you to your secrets-for now at least.

You had returned to the tower only a few days ago, but you had barely said two words to Aemon since he joined you. To his credit, Aemon did not push but, you could feel him stare at you when you weren’t looking, he stared even when you did-unabashedly.

“He is quite handsome, don’t you think?” Alanna teases, and you can feel your cheeks go red in embarrassment.

“Alanna, I am not going to talk about boys with you!”

———————————

You mull over Alanna’s words after she leaves. She was right, you were ignoring Aemon. During your journey, you busied yourself with the ring, and once you came home you busied yourself with the library-rereading anything you could find about the last Sun Summoner, though there was scarcely anything.

You told yourself that no one asked him to come, but you knew your soul was drawn to him. You could feel it through your visions, could practically see it through them.

With a sigh, you gather your things and head to the Warder’s quarters.

You find Aemon training with some others in the center, it’s all in good fun but he has a few cuts and bruises. The warders have shed their tops to cool down and Aemon is no different. You try not to stare as you motion for him to follow you, which he does. He follows a few steps behind as you lead him outside, where there are less ears, where the wind sings in your eats, and besides…you like it in the garden.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been ignoring you, I’ve been…busy,” you start off as you sit on some grass.

“I’m okay waiting,” he says simply as he sits across from you.

“Why did you follow us for so long before?” You ask.

“I have been training to be your Soldat Sol since I was old enough to hold a blade, but I didn’t want to follow you blindly. I wanted to see if you were worthy of following,” he answers easily, as if he were an open book ready for your questions.

“And?” You ask, subconsciously sitting up straighter at his judgement.

“And…you visited the sick in every village you visited, you were kind even when the people weren’t. You are a good person, Sankta, and I am happy to serve you for you, not just because of some power you have,” he explains.

“You don’t have to…my name is Gael, you can call me Gael,” you tell him, feeling awkward at all the formality he used.

“Gael then,” he nods, as if he’s feeling the way your name feels on his lips. You don’t quite mind the way it sounds.

“Where are you from?” You ask him next.

“The Two Rivers, a little county called Emond’s Field,” he smiles softly, as if remembering the town.

“That’s where Manetheran once stood, isn’t it?” You ask, recalling the stories you had read as a girl. It was one of your favourites.

“Perhaps. They say the old blood runs deep in the people there,” he says easily as he lies down on the grass, closing his eyes as the sun shines on him.

“Does it?” You ask him curiously.

“I think so,” he chuckles as he peaks an eye open at you.

“What else do you know of the Sun Summoner?” You ask him, leaning closer subconsciously as you await his answer.

“I know that the last Sun Summoner was the most powerful female Aes Sedai during the age of legends, rivalling the Dragon in strength. She had her Soldat Sol, soldiers of the sun, who spread her word and peace, my family descended from the original Soldat Sol. I know that my family has waited for her soul to be born again, passing down her ring to remind each generation of their solemn oath and duty. I’m afraid I don’t know much more,” he tells you as he glances down at the ring you wear.

“You keep saying that this is your duty…but it doesn’t sound like you have much choice in it. You don’t have to stay, Aemon, you can go and be whoever you want to be, I won’t hold you to anything,” you tell him, suddenly feeling guilty that he has practically dedicated his entire life to you and you…were not ready to accept him, nor did you know if you’d ever be.

“I know, Gael, I am here because I want to be here. I believe in you, I want to follow you-“

“You barely know me,” you cut him off, still feeling awkward.

“Perhaps, but we will get to know each other,” he says as he leans up on one elbow. You decide to stop arguing with him, you couldn’t tell him what to do. You had told him to go if he wants to go, come if he wants to come…he could make his own decisions now.

“What makes you the Sun Summoner anyway? How are you different than any of the other women here?” He asks you as he sits back up.

“There are 5 weaves every Aes Sedai can conjure-air, water, fire, spirit, and earth…” you begin to explain, conjuring singular strands of each element.

“I have a 6th weave, one of light itself. It is stronger than the other 5, but I’m still learning how to use it properly,” you tell him, the weaves disappearing as you finish. He nods in understanding, seemingly satisfied his curiosity.

“Do you have a family, people you left behind to come here?” You ask him. He sighs as he lies back down, as if debating his answer.

“My mother died when I was a boy, sweating fever. My father…he was sick before I left. I wanted to wait until he got better to leave, but he was insistent I go. He always had an ear out for rumours about the Sun Summoner, we heard the slightest rumour out of one of the villages you visited where you healed someone, and he said I should go…because it was our family’s duty, and that our duty was bigger than him,” he answers softly.

“I’m sorry,” you say quietly. You could read in between the lines, hear what he hadn’t said-his father was now dead, and he with him when he passed.

“It’s not your fault,” Aemon says simply, his eyes still closed as the sun beats down on him.

“What about you? Where is your family?” He asks.

“Gone too, trolloc attack on our little village…if you could even call it that. I first touched the one power during that attack, it’s how they found me when I was a girl. They brought me here and I have been here ever since. The women here have raised me, loved me even, their warders played with me…and I love them back. Some I’m closer to than others, of course, but they have all watched me grow up, healed my scraps and bruises, helped me if I needed it,” you tell him, unusually open, so open you wonder if you have blabbered on too much. You wonder if it’s because he is Soldat Sol.

His eyes had opened as he looked at you while you spoke. Somewhere, sometime while you spoke, he had taken your hand in his. He offers you a soft smile as he squeezes your hand.

You try to hide your blush as you pull back your hand. You rarely had playmates your own age, let alone a boy.

“We should go back inside, I still have some chores to do,” you tell him as you stand, fluffing out your modest gown as you do.

“I will help you then, what is it you must do,” he asks as he also gets up, trailing after you as you walk away.

“You cannot help me, Aemon, it would be unbecoming if it looked like I was receiving special treatment,” you laugh as you tell him.

“But you are the sun summoner, you should have special treatment,” he says, as if it were really that simple.

“Special treatment got me out of this tower where you found me. Every Aes Sedai goes through her chores when she first comes to the White Tower and I will be no different,” you explain to him as you both enter the tower again.

“Thank you for offering though,” you say genuinely as you turn to face him, so not to completely shut him down.

“Will you find me again tomorrow then? We can continue talking in the gardens if you’d like,” he asks, grabbing your hand to stop you before you could disappear away.

You consider it, though you don’t immediately pull your hand away.

“If I have time,” you relent. Your answer seems to please him, because he smiles a sweet smile. It’s a smile you swore you’ve seen before, in this life or the last.

“Of course, my lady, only if your time permits,” he nods, almost mockingly.

You pull your hand back and continue walking away, not able to help your own smile. You look back once, only to find he watches you go, and offer him a small wave before turning the corner.

The next day, you make such an obvious effort to finish your chores that Alanna notes she hasn’t seen a more dedicated novice in all her years.

[dtyfp2]

Aemon

evermore

You often rode ahead of the group, as you travelled from city to city, from town to town.

Not too far ahead, of course, Lan never let you so far out of his sight. More often than not, Maksim was paired off with you usually, a warder for every channeler of the one power.

You enter into a little town for the night. You still hadn’t gotten used to the strange stares you all got, it’s like they were afraid of you. They were afraid of you. Maksim said that the further we got from Tar Valon, the less people knew of the Aes Sedai, strange rumours born of fear and the unknown blossomed among the people, but he also said they knew enough not to try anything. Nobody ever bothered you for the night or two you spent in their establishments, nor did you bother them.

“Is something the matter?” You ask, a feeling of unease settling in your stomach as you climb off your horse. Maksim, Ihvon, and Lan all seemed on edge, they kept looking around as if something would jump out at them.

“Just being careful, nothing for you to worry about,” Lan tries to ease your discomfort with a smile, though he keeps a hand on your shoulder and is basically ushering you inside.

You weren’t one to argue, you had promised them all that you wouldn’t cause trouble and you had promised Siuan that you’d listen to them, so you followed Lan inside until a scream stopped you.

You hadn’t noticed until now how dejected the people around you looked. Some stopped at the scream to look toward a small, beaten down cottage, some others simply closed their eyes and continued on.

“Someone’s hurt,” you frown as you start moving toward the building.

“Gael, these people don’t trust us. It’s best not to interfere,” Lan stops you as he grabs your arm.

“But I can’t do nothing,” you rebut as you pull your arm from his grasp.

Moiraine and Alanna share a look, but nod nonetheless.

“Lan, Maksim, you go with her,” Moiraine orders the warders. It is best, at least, that Moiraine and Alanna don’t come, they look every bit the Aes Sedai they are. You have seen people cower at the sight of their rings. You, however, had no ring, if you were alone nobody would ever know you were an Aes Sedai.

You approach the little cottage. You can hear the shuffling of footsteps inside. You glance back at Maksim and Lan, your confidence suddenly waning. With a sigh, Maksim steps forward and knocks on the door.

An old lady opens the door, she looks as though she hadn’t slept.

“I..I was wondering if I offer my assistance. I have trained at the White Tower, I excelled in healing. I know someone’s hurt in there, I want to help if you’ll let me,” you tell her nervously, hands wringing as you fear she may shut the door in your face.

She seems unsure, but she steps aside and lets you in. You glance back at the warders, and motion for them to stay outside. Perhaps they would trust you more alone.

Inside, it smells…rancid. It takes everything in you not to make a face or gag. There’s a mess of herbs on a table. Further inside, lays a girl, no older than 10. She’s writhing on the bed, beaded sweat dripping down her face, soaking the pillow and sheets beneath her.

“She has a fever, she’s had one for a week now and we can’t bring it down. The poor girl, her muscles are so stiff we can hardly move her,” the older lady explains, helpless to do anything besides wipe her sweat.

You step forward, a little closer to peer over the child.

You had seen this once before in the tower; breakbones fever. it had not yet progressed so far that her bones broke, but she was definitely getting there. It was a horrid way to go, the yellow ajah who you learned with said that it was barely curable outside of Tar Valon. Many died slowly, painfully, horrifically.

“I can help, may I?” You ask the older woman.

“Please, she’s my granddaughter, she’s the only thing I’ve got left,” she pleads, worry etched onto every crevice of her face. You feel a pang of sympathy in your chest, she looked so frightened, more so than you’d ever seen anyone.

You close your eyes and call upon weaves of spirit and light itself, a weave of white and bright yellow light encircle your wrist as you gently criss-cross the pattern. You lay a hand over the child as the healing weaves enter her.

Instantly, she stops shivering.

You take a breath as you open your eyes again.

“She will get better, madam, but she is tired and will need rest. Her fever will break, the worst of it is over,” you assure the elderly woman, your sympathy encouraging you to reach out and lay your hand over hers.

“She will live?” She asks you, a glimmer of hope in her eye.

“She will, she will be up and running before you know it,” you promise her. The old woman runs a hand through her hair and embraces you suddenly.

“Thank the light,” she whispers quietly.

“It was light itself that brought you to my door, thank you, child, how could I ever repay you?” She asks as she rushes to her granddaughters side.

“No need, I am only happy to help,” you reply as you stand, beginning to feel as though you are intruding. You watch for a moment, as a grandmother dotes on her grandchild and feel a pang in your chest.

You could hardly remember your own mother now. You could barely remember what she looked like, the sound of her voice, the warmth of her embrace when she held you.

Quietly, you stand and take your leave, breathing in deeply as you step outside.

“All is well?” Lan asks as you shut the door behind you.

“She will live,” you answer, as Lan places a hand on your shoulder and squeezes.

“Because of you, Gael, she will live because of you,” he remind you. You smile softly at that, silently thanking him for his care.

“What has happened here?” You ask as you look around. The screaming had now stopped, but the people were still dejected, homes were destroyed and there was scarcely any children around.

“Trollocs, I’d assume. Moiraine has put up some shields, but we shouldn’t stay here long,” Maksim says as you walk back to the inn.

“Will we write back to the White Tower and ask them to send an Aes Sedai to help?” You ask as you are lead to your room.

“We will, try not to worry about it, Gael. We will rest here tonight and move on in the morning, try to get some sleep,” Lan says as you step into your room. You nod in agreement and he wishes you a good night before closing the door.

You toss and turn for a while, but the wear and tear of the journey finally catches up to you at one point, and you finally find sleep.

—————————————

When you awake, surely not more than a few hours later, it is from screams of terror.

You jump out of bed and look outside your window, horrified at the sight of trollocs ravaging the already barren village. The Warders are already outside fighting.

You run outside, heart beating so loud in your ears you can hardly hear.

“Gael!”

Lan throws a knife, and it lands into a trollocs head behind you. He runs over as your hand covers your mouth. You hadn’t heard it, hadn’t seen it, you were nearly killed.

“Gael, I know you’re afraid, but you must be strong. Let us take care of the trollocs, you get everyone else into the woods and hide with them. I’ll find you when this is all over, alright?” Lan says as he holds your face in his hands, as if to shake your daze away.

“Gael, are you listening to me?” He asks when you don’t respond.

“Yes, the woods, hide,” you nod, repeating what he says.

“Do not be afraid. You are strong, you know how to fight, protect yourself if you must. Take this,” Lan says as he puts the knife into your hands. The hilt feels rough in your palm, it feels foreign. You have no idea how to use it, but you take it anyway.

He nods and draws his sword, he tells you to go before running back into the village.

You turn around and look down at the trolloc. It is monstrous and ugly.

The last time you had seen one like this, it was eating your mother. You’ve had nightmares about them for as long as you could remember, and now they are here.

You push the horror from your mind as you look around, some people were running, others trying to fight.

“Get into the woods!” You yell, ushering people away behind you. You conjure your own weaves of pure light and attack some of trollocs, crushing them as they rage.

“Into the woods!” You yell again, picking up a woman who had fallen and pushing her in the right direction.

“Help! Help me,” you hear a voice cry out. Immediantly, you turn and look, finding a young woman on the ground, clutching her knee.

You run and fall by her side. She has fallen horribly, and her knee has been cut open.

You conjure the weaves to heal her injury, completely focused until she looks up behind you and screams, a blood curdling scream that makes your blood run cold.

Before you can even turn around, you feel something hit your back, and can hear the swing of a blade as a fight ensues.

You spare a look back. It is a Myrdaal, and a man you do not know fights him. Blade to blade. It was obviously the he has training, and you swear he swings a heron marked blade.

You finish healing the woman and help her up, running with her into the woods. The two of you find some of the other villagers behind a hill and you all hide together. You watch as Moiraine and Alanna’s weaves spiral up into the dark sky, and come back down with lightning to strike at creatures of the night.

You wouldve thought it be beautiful in any other situation.

You wait with the villagers for a while longer, until the roars and lightning stop. You use your weaves to keep them warm, daring to peak over the edge.

“Is it over?” Someone dares to ask after a moment of silence.

“I will go check, I’ll come back if it is,” you volunteer as you climb over the hill and run back to the village, desperate to see if your friends were alright.

Back in the village, you find them all huddled in a circle, with someone on their knees before them.

“What’s going on?” You ask, going to stand by Moiraine and Alanna. The boy they had in front of them as the one who had saved you, and Lan points his sword at the boys throat.

You hadn’t had the opportunity to look at him well before, but he was fairly…handsome, with eyes as blue as Moiraine’s cloak. At least, you think, his face is bloodied from battle…and you think Maksim hit him.

“Lan, stop it, he helped me before,” you tell him as you take a step forward, only to be held back by Moiraine who gives you a pointed look.

“We have been followed ever since we left Illian, he has been following us for weeks-“

“Months,” the boy corrects cockily as he spits some blood at Lan’s feet.

“What is your name, who sent you?” Maksim asks, equally as infuriated as Lan.

“My name is Aemon, I am here for the Sun Summoner,” he answers as he looks at you.

Maksim hits him again, grabbing him by the collar as he forces him to stand.

“How do you know who the Sun Summoner is, who else knows?” Maksim seethes as you look back at Moiraine. No one was supposed to know of your existence, not yet at least. Ihvon always joked you were the best kept secret in the White Tower, and now someone was here and knew what you were.

“Get off me, I am Soldat Sol. I answer to no one but Sol Koroleva,” the boy, Aemon, snarls as he shoves Maksim away.

“You little-“

“Wait!” You stop Lan and Maksim.

“What do you know of Soldat Sol?” You ask as you get in between Aemon and the warders. You had come across the word when you were younger, you searched all throughout the libraries of the White Tower for any hint of who you were, but hardly came up with anything. You had, however, come across the word Soldat Sol in your readings, but the book was in fathers and you could only make out a few sentences.

“I am Soldat Sol, Sankta, I am the last of my kind. Since the time of the last Summoner, my family has waited and trained, waiting to be called upon to serve whenever the wheel spun out your soul again,” he explains, though you can hardly keep up.

“How do I know what you say is true?” You ask, glancing behind him at Moiraine who seems equally intrigued.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small ring.

“This belonged to the last Summoner. I do not know what it does, but my family has passed this down for two thousand years,” he says earnestly. He places the ring in the palm of his hand and holds it out for you. Lan steps in front of you and takes the ring from his palm before handing it over to you.

“What is it?” Maksim asks you as Moiraine and Alanna come to look.

“It’s a Sa’angrel, I can feel it, can’t you?” You ask Moiraine as you hand the ring over to her. You glance back at Aemon for a moment before focusing back on Moiraine.

“I can’t feel anything,” she shakes her head as Alanna takes a look, only to say the same thing.

“What is it that you want, boy?” Moiraine asks as she hands the ring back to you. You can feel your power strength as you hold the ring, you feel tenfold more powerful. What if he was telling the truth? What if this ring was used by the last Sun Summoner to channel her power?

“I have come to serve you, Sankta, bond me as your warder,” he finally says.

“You want to become a warder, I disarmed you in seconds,” Maksim scoffs.

“I let you disarm me,” Aemon bites back.

“Stop it, that’s enough,” you cut them off.

You think for a moment, looking down at the ring in your palm before sliding it onto your finger.

“I have no need for a warder yet-“

“Then I will travel to Tar Valon and continue my training until you are ready,” he says quickly, cutting you off before you could say no. You sigh and glance at Moiraine and Alanna, who both nod as if giving you leave to make your own decision.

“I cannot promise I will ever be ready…but you can come if you’d like,” you relent. You had so many more questions you wanted to ask him, you wanted to know all he knew about what you were.

“We leave now, gather your things.”

[dtyfp2]

Mission

evermore

“Do you know why I have called you here, Gael?” Siuan Sanche, the Amyrlin Seat asks as you enter her private chambers. She sits and motions for you to sit across from her. Behind her, Moiraine stands. You can’t decipher the look on her face.

”I do not,” you admit as you sit, your hands folding in your lap as you wait expectantly.

“I hear you have progressed well in your studies…some of the sitters believe they have nothing left to teach you. Perhaps they do, perhaps they don’t, but I think you still have lots to learn,” Siuan talks aloud, as if rhetorically, as if to no one at all.

”I agree, I feel as though I have only scratched at the surface of what I can do. I will keep trying my best,” you answer, glancing up at Moiraine, as if to see if your answer was good enough. Luckily, it seems to be, she offers you a slight smile.

“But I don’t know how much more you’ll learn, all cooped up in here. I know you want to go out, to explore the world,” Siuan continues, loosening up as the conversation goes.

“I don’t think I’ve complained…very much,” you smile, blushing at bit.

“You have, my dear, we all know it,” Moiraine finally speaks, amusement clear in her voice as she laughs.

“We know it can’t have been easy, Gael, you haven’t stepped a foot outside the White Tower since you came all those years ago. You are a good girl, strong, smart, and willed. You have earned some more freedom, which is why I am sending you off with Moiraine and Lan. They will travel to Illian, it will be a quick mission, but something to satisfy your wish to step outside these walls,” Siuan tells you, her own smile growing to mirror yours.

“I can really go?” You gasp as you stand, looking up at Moiraine for confirmation.

“Yes, Lan might’ve been more excited than you, when he learned you’d come with us,” Moiraine laughs as you run in to hug her.

“But, Gael, you are the Sun Summoner. You are the greatest Aes Sedai since the last dragon, your strength and power knows no bounds. You are too valuable. Which is why I have tasked Alanna Sedai to join you both,” Siuan continues, grabbing your hands to sit you back down, drawing back to reality some what.

”You must promise to be careful, Gael, and if there is any danger you must turn back and return to the Tower where we can keep you safe,” Siuan says, the latter part more so directed at Moiraine.

“I will be careful, Siuan, I promise. I will not disappoint you,” you promise her, letting go of Moiraine to hold Siuan’s hand instead.

“You could never disappoint me, child,” Siuan smiles softly as she pats your cheek, in almost a maternal way, the way she has been for nearly 10 years now.

“You leave tomorrow, I suggest you start packing,” Siuan smiles as she leans in to press a kiss to your cheek.

“Thank you, Siuan, you will not regret this,” you promise her once more, leaving quickly before she can change her mind.

[dtyfp2]

Secret Kiss

The Great War

You toss and turn all night.

You cannot sleep, not a wink.

It is the hour of the wolf, and your wedding was tomorrow. Tomorrow, you would married.

You dream.

Ever since you had met with Maester Aemon, your dreams had become more powerful, occurring in the day like they had never done before. Part of you was frightened, most of you was frightened-the other part, curious.

With a sigh, you get up and open your window, hoping the fresh air would clear your mind. The chill in the air forced you to pull your cover around yourself tighter as you look down at the castle that would become yours. You rub your neck as you look past the walls…onto nothing…nothing but snow.

Below, you spot someone walking across the courtyard.

It was Robb. Greywind was by his side, like he always was, walking ahead as if to scope for any danger.

If anyone could know how you felt, surely it would be Robb.

You grab your fur cloak and open your door.

Tonight, it was Ser Barristan who stood watch outside your door. It was at his insistence, he who claimed to have watched over you as a babe, should be the last to watch over you before your impending marriage-when you no longer became his duty to guard.

“Princess?”

“I should like to take a walk, Ser Barristan, I cannot find sleep,” you tell him as he looks down at you.

He offers you his arm and you take it, mind a million leagues away as he guides you outside.

“Where would you like to walk, Princess?” Ser Barristan asks once you’re outside.

“The Godswood, Ser, maybe if I should better see the place I am going to marry before the nerves will calm,” you tell him.

He nods understandingly as he leads you towards the Godswood.

“Ser Barristan, will you wait here? I shall like to see alone, perhaps pray to their gods for good fortune,” you tell him at the gate. He nods, letting you know that you should only need to breathe his name if you need him. He hands you the lantern he was holding, you thank him and head inside, careful to watch your step as you are unfamiliar in the dark.

Balerion flies ahead, landing beside you as he hops along side you.

“Sweet boy Balerion, I knew you’d be close” you smile, letting your old friend guide you towards the tree.

Robb is standing before the great Weirwood, he too had a candle lit.

Greywind notices you before Robb, his yip catches Robb’s attention as he turns to see.

“I see you cannot sleep either,” you say first, lifting the bottom of your gown slightly to step over a tree root.

“Princess, I didn’t hear you,” Robb says as he takes a step down to offer you his hand. You are grateful he seems happy to see you. You place your hand in his to stand beside him, looking up at the great tree in front of you.

“Are you happy to marry me, Robb?” You ask him suddenly, forcing him to look at you. You can’t bare to look at him, afraid of what his answer would be.

“I am honoured, to marry a princess of the realm will be the highest honour any Stark has been graced with in centuries,” Robb answers, almost mechanically.

“I know, you’ve said that before. But are you happy to marry me? You hardly know me, you did not ask for this marriage, will you not begrudge me later?” You ask, almost upset at the nature of the conversation.

“My lady-“

“Please, just be honest, I do not want to enter my marriage under…false pretenses,” you tell him, forcing yourself to look at him as well. There was no more time to dance about the subject, you were to be wed, no longer could you pretend you were merely getting to know him.

“I could never begrudge you, my lady. It is not my way,” he says simply. He looks confused, at least you think he does.

You sigh as you take a seat amongst the roots. The cold no longer bothers you, you’re too distracted to even notice.

“I once brought you in front of this tree, in front of my gods, and swore to you that I would be a comely husband, to honour you, and to never disgrace you. Starks are men of their words. I did not say what I did lightly, Princess, I meant every word,” he promises as he kneels in front of you.

“Are you having second thoughts, my lady?” He asks.

“I told you to call me Helen,” you say softly.

“Even if I did have second thoughts, I no longer have any choice in the matter. This is what I am meant to do, this is all I can do for my people,” you mumble as you pick at your fingers.

“Helen-“

“Do you think you could grow to love me one day?” You ask him plainly, biting your lip to prevent any tears from falling.

“I always dreamt of a love match, it might be stupid and naive, but I have always wished it for myself. I love my mother and father, but I could not bare it to have a marriage like them,” you tell him, as if you need to explain yourself.

“My mother told me that she did not love my father when they married, but they grew to. I am sorry if I have not been so very forthcoming with you, Helen, but I do very well believe we may grow to as well. I am already there, to be honest, but I should wait for you until you are ready,” Robb tells you, as he places his hand over your own.

“You love me already?” You question.

“I do, how couldn’t I?” He retorts, daring to raise a hand to tuck some of your hair behind your ear.

“Even though you know about my…my dreams?” You ask, raising your own hand to meet his, to keep his there on your cheek where it is warm.

“There is much I do not know, Helen, but I will learn in time. I want to know everything about you, and I want you to know me,” he says earnestly.

“Have no fear about our marriage, my lady, I will love and honour you for the rest of my days. I am happy to marry you, I am happy to have you by my side,” he promises.

“Me too,” you whisper back.

“Robb, I don’t want my first kiss to be in front of a crowd filled with people I do not know. Will you…will you kiss me once in front of your gods?” You ask him, a deep blush surely rising to your cheeks.

He nods, just so very slightly, and nods in a way you don’t think you would’ve noticed if your hand hadn’t crept over, instinctually, to cup his cheek.

He leans in and you close your eyes when he gets close. He hesitates for a moment before pressing his lips into yours. Your stomach has so many butterflies in them you wonder if you’ll become sick, your leg shakes in anticipation and nerves.

But he is calm where you are not, and gentle as he cups the back of your head to guide you. His warmth envelops you like a hug.

The kiss is chaste, but it is what you had expected your first kiss to be like.

“I would kiss you better, my lady, but I’d hate to dishonour you so soon before our wedding,” he chuckles, a bit awkwardly, after he parts from you. He remains close though, close enough that his nose touches yours.

You nod in agreement, unsure of what to say next.

“I hope you’ve found what you were looking for tonight, Princess, to ease your mind,” he says softly as he pulls back even more, allowing you to clear your throat as you look up at the stars.

“I have, thank you, Robb. You have always been so kind,” you tell him, offering him a smile. He stands and offers you a hand to follow him up. He leans down and presses a kiss to your hand.

“Sleep well, my lad-Helen, without fear. All will be well.”

[dtyfp2]

Welcome

the Great War

“Aren’t you nervous, Robb?” You ask him as you stand by his side, right outside Winterfell’s gate, welcoming the guests for the wedding. A great many could not come, Renly and Stannis included, but some had made the long journey. Many, if not all, the Northern Lords planned on coming.

“No, are you?” He asks, peeking down at you. Greywind stood guard by his feet, seeking a good pet from Robb every now and then. Balerion remained near too, flying overheard or sitting along the tops of the walls.

“Maybe a little, there are so many people coming and it has all become very…real. What if I forget my prayers or the oaths we will swear?” You frown.

“Then I will remind you,” Robb says simply, earning a half smile from you as you stand a bit taller. He always seemed so strong and well, you wondered if he’d ever be comfortable enough to share his vulnerabilities. You wondered if you would ever feel comfortable doing the same either.

Surely his uncle had told him you had spoken with Maester Aemon, yet he did not ask you about it. Nor did you tell him.

He sighs deeply when he sees the dejection on your face. One day you would learn to tell him your desires, as he would to you.

“I am nervous about the after…after my father leaves for Kingslanding. I will be the Lord of Winterfell in his absence,” he admits, trying his best to open up to his future wife.

“I will be your Lady by your side, we will do it together,” you promise him, leaning into his side to slightly just nudge his arm.

His entire family would be travelling with his father. His mother, Bran, Rickon, Sansa, and Arya…they’d all be travelling to Kingslanding. Jon would stay, you had a feeling Catelyn didn’t like him very much, and you had heard he was thinking about joining the Wall like his uncle. You couldn’t tell how Robb felt about it. Your uncle Tyrion had already campaigned to follow Benjen Stark to visit the Wall before returning to the Red Keep.

“One more carriage princess, then we will get you inside,” Ser Barristan calls from a bit behind you. He had stayed close as you welcomed all the guests, but took a step back to give you some space when you asked for it.

“Father says it will be a great feast tonight,” you comment as the last horse and carriage approach.

“I suspect we will be having a great many feasts for weeks after our wedding,” Robb chuckles, humouring you just as the last carriage stops in front of you.

To your happy surprise, the carriage had come from Dorne. It is Nymeros Martell, the first son of a second born, and a dear friend.

“Nymeros, how good it is to see a familiar face,” you smile as he steps out. He bows before you, taking your hand and kissing your knuckles.

“Did Prince Doran send you? Is he here?” You ask, trying to peek into the carriage.

“Unfortunately, the Prince has fallen ill with the case of gout once more, Ariane was meant to come but decided to stay with her father. Both send their sincerest apologies, and wish you the happiest marriage. Prince Doran thought it unconscionable to let the Princess marry without sending gifts for her good grace,” Nymeros tells you.

“I will write him a letter in thanks then. But it is good to see you too, Nymeros, you have been a good friend to me over the years and I will be happy to see a friendly face in the crowd,” you tell him as you take his hands.

“Come, meet my future husband. Nymeros, this is Robb Stark. Robb, this is Nymeros Martell, cousin to Prince Doran and our very good friend,” you introduce as you pull Nymeros over.

“Thank you for making the travel, my Lord, Winterfell is happy to host you,” Robb greets, rather diplomatically.

“You too, my boy. Let us go, Princess Helen, I will show you what grandeur Prince Doran sends,” Nymeros smiles. You send Robb a shy wave goodbye before leading Nymeros inside, intending to show him to his rooms.

“Have you already become Lady Stark? You know your way around the castle well,” Nymeros chuckles as you lead him through the corridor and push open a door.

“I will be so tomorrow,” you laugh as you sit on the edge of the bed. He closes the door behind him, suddenly becoming more serious than you’d ever seen him to be.

“I must tell you, Princess, Prince Doran still bemoans the fact you will not be the next Queen of Westeros. He thinks you are very well suited for it, you’d be the next Daenerys and bring Dorne even closer to the realm,” Nymeros tells you as some of his men bring in his things.

“But I have 2 brothers, Nymeros,” you remind him.

“Yes…and I tell you this secretly,” he whispers as he gets on his knees before you.

“If you too, begrudge this…Dorne would fight on your side. Should you wish to be the next Queen, as per your birthright, Dorne would send all its men to place you on the Iron Throne after your father. All we need is one word, you would have the entirety of the North after your marriage to the Stark boy, and Prince Doran pledges his men to you,” he says quietly.

“Nymeros…we speak of war…and treason. I know Prince Doran means well, he has always been so kind, as have you. But honestly…I don’t want to be queen. I want to live a quiet life with Robb here in Winterfell, I want to raise our children in his home where thousands before us had done the same, we will be happy here I believe,” you admit to him as you take his hands.

“Then we will speak no more of it, my dear, if you are happy then so is Dorne,” Nymeros smiles softly as he pats your cheek.

“Does Dorne plan to rebel, Nymeros? Are they unhappy?” You ask him, concern etched on every crevice of your face.

“No, princess. I didn’t mean to lead your mind astray. Dorne is well, loyal to your father, have no fear. We just do not understand your strange customs, boys coming before girls for inheritance. All is well in Dorne, trust me,” Nymeros smiles softly, patting your cheek to ease your obvious discomfort. He notes the concerned look on your face and decides to change the topic.

“Let me show you what Prince Doran has sent,” Nymeros says as he stands, popping open a box and pulling out a white veil.

“It is beautiful, surely far too beautiful for me to wear,” you gasp as you get up, almost scared to touch the delicate fabric.

“Prince Doran says it is the veil Princess Danaerys wore when she came to Dorne to marry our ancestor. He wants you to wear it next,” he tells you.

“Are you sure?” You ask again, fingers tracing over the lace. You can almost feel the weight of all that history on your shoulders. It is soft, like silk, so delicate like a spiders web that you fear it’ll melt into your palms.

“He insisted. He will also be glad to hear that you still wear Elia’s necklace,” he comments.

“I never take it off,” you tell him as your hand comes up to touch the pendant.

”I shall wear it when I marry Robb in front of the Faith, it is perfect, Nymeros, thank you,” you smile.

“You shall be the most beautiful bride Westeros has ever seen, my dear, with or without the veil. They will tell stories of your wit and beauty for generations to come,” Nymeros compliments as he leaves the veil in your hands.

“You honour me, Nymeros, Dorne honours me…far too much if you ask me,” you smile sheepishly.

“Not enough, little princess…surely not enough.”

[dtyfp2]

Aemon

The Great War

Dear Maester Aemon Targaryen,

Is the Wall as beautiful as I have dreamt it to be?

I write to you in hopes you have the answers to my troubles. I have dreams, like many of your ancestors did, of the future. I need to know more, some don’t believe me but I know what I see.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Yours truly,

Helen Baratheon, Princess of the Seven Kingdoms.

____

It is early in the morning, too early for Ser Barristan’s tastes, when Helen wakes and dressed for the day. Instead of going for breakfast, she stands outside in the courtyard, in front of the gate, insisting that a guest would soon arrive.

He tries to tell her that guests for the wedding wouldn’t start arriving until tomorrow, but she is persistent, so he stays as well.

It’s so early that the townspeople have not even woken for the day, the courtyard was silent, quite peaceful actually. When Helen shivers slightly at a breeze, Ser Barristan takes pity and removes his white cloak, wrapping it around her shoulders. His white cloak, perhaps his most prized material possession, a symbol of his purity and pride and bravery, wrapped tightly around the only Royal he ever felt pride in defending.

The first few risers awake, they greet the princess cheerfully, perhaps a bit surprised to see her up so early. Ser Barristan can’t help but smile as one older looking woman offers her some freshly baked bread and warmed milk. Of course, the Northeners loved her already. Gratefully, Helen places a golden dragon into the palm of the woman in thanks, not taking no for an answer.

The sun was just barely rising above the horizon when the gate opens. Helen rises from her seat as it does, standing on her tippy toes to get a glimpse of who comes.

It is Benjen Stark, returning for his nephews wedding, but he does not come alone. He brings along a carriage, surely with someone inside. See Barristan stands as well, his hand hovering over the pommel of his sword.

But before she can say anything, the carriage door opens and an old, frail man, steps out.

“Maester Aemon, Princess,” Benjen Stark introduces as he helps the old man out.

“Maester Aemon, I am honoured to make your aquaintance. I am Princess Helen Baratheon, daughter of King Robert Baratheon,” Helen bows politely, for Maester Aemon was once a Targaryen Prince. One of the last, save for 2 children across the narrow sea.

“Come my dear, take me to your Godswood, we have much to discuss,” the old man says as he starts hobbling off in the direction of the Godswood.

“Do you believe Lord Stark would mind terribly if we sat in there for a moment, my Lord?” Helen, ever so courteous, asks Benjen before following. Benjen Stark offers her a quick nod and Helen is quick to follow, leaving 2 curious Stark’s in her wake.

It takes a while, but once at the Godswood, Maester Aemon takes a seat by the Weirwood tree, and Helen sits before him. Ser Barristan remains a respectful distance away, as Helen asked, but he keeps his eyes trained on her.

“I apologize, Maester, I had not meant to trouble you so much to bring you to Winterfell. I would have gone to the Wall myself if you wished to meet,” Helen frowns as she leans forward.

“Nonsense my dear, I wanted to come set eyes on the face that launched a thousand ships myself. The Wall is no place for a Princess like yourself,” the old man shakes his head, seeing much more kinder than he was when they first met.

“Hmm, I must say I was surprised to receive your letter, Princess. It is true, many among my line have been dreamers, but they were rare, the reasons why are unknown even to us,” Aemon tells her.

“My brother was a dreamer…he got lost in them during the day, and eventually he became lost to us. You must not let your dreams overpower your present, you have too gentle of a heart to be lost so soon.

Daenys the dreamer saved our family from the Doom of Valyria. Some say even Aegon the Conqueror was a dreamer himself. Queen Helaena dreamt, she too was lost amongst them. My brother dreamt. They say the first Baratheon was a bastard brother of Aegon the conqueror, they fought together to unite the Kingdoms. My brothers daughter married your great grandfather, the same blood that runs through my veins, runs through yours,” Aemon tells Helen, who listens carefully.

“Are your dreams pleasant, child?” Aemon asks as his near blindness leads him to stare off into nothing.

“They are, Maester, I have good dreams. Sometimes I don’t know what they mean, but they all come to pass,” you tell him.

“I was hoping you’d be able to explain what they meant, nobody knows anything about it,” you explain.

“Alas, that knowledge is lost, even to me. But I am glad, glad to know your dreams bring you peace. Perhaps you might even grow into them, I know my brothers got stronger as he got older, but I’m afraid I don’t know much else,” Maester Aemon tells you, much to your disappoint though you do well to hide it.

“I must return to the Wall, it is best perhaps that I am gone before your father learns of my presence,” the old man chuckles as he slowly stands up.

“My father will be kind, if I ask him to,” you tell him as you stand as well.

“No need, princess, I have said all that I needed to say and there is work to be done at the Wall…there always is and always will be,” the Maester shakes his head as he hobbled back out to the courtyard. You are silent as you follow, you felt as though you left so much unsaid but you can’t come up with the words.

You frown as stands before the carriage once more.

“May I still write to you, Maester, if it alright with you?” Helen asks.

“Of course, child, letters from you would do much to warm my room at the Wall,” the old man smiles, as well as he can.

Maester Aemon steps forward to takes Helen’s hand in his own, bowing as well as he can before gently reaching up to take her face in his hands.

“The trip down to Winterfell was well worth the travel, Helen Baratheon. However short, I wanted to set eyes on you while I still could. My mother had purple eyes, as you do. I haven’t seen a pair like them in…it has been far too long,” the old Maester says fondly, almost sadly, as he holds Helen’s face. Ser Barristan almost tells him to take his hands off her royal Highness, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“My mother was quite the beauty herself. I can hardly remember her face, but I can remember her beautiful purple eyes looking down on me as I slept, her dark hair dancing in the wind whenever she wore it down,” Maester Aemon hums, dreaming of his childhood, back to when he was once a boy.

“You must miss her greatly,” Helen sympathizes as she takes in the face before her. This was a man that had lived many lives, his wrinkles showed his age, and she wondered how well he could truly see through the cloudy haze in his eyes.

A Baratheon and a Targaryen, what a sight to see.

The last time a Baratheon and Targaryen met, was on the battlefield field when Rhaegar Targaryen was killed by Robert Baratheon.

There was so much left unsaid, the weight of their familial history weighing heavy on both their shoulders, but both seemed content.

“You are a good Princess, Helen Baratheon, the realm is lucky to you. After all the horrid wars…what a beacon of hope you are, a light against all the dark that came before you. I wish you luck in your marriage to the Stark boy,” Maester Aemon says his farewells as he takes your hand in his, giving it a kiss and tight squeeze.

“Safe travels, Maester Aemon. Thank you for coming all this way to see me,” you tell him gratefully as he steps into his carriage.

“No, thank you, Princess, because of you… I have seen my mother again,” Maester Aemon smiles, as does Helen, albeit sadly. She waves goodbye as his carriage leaves, returning him back to the Wall which he pledged his many oaths.

As he disappears from sight, Helen’s eyes go white. She has visions of dragons, great dragons and small dragons, and of a girl with white hair.

Magic returns to the Seven Kingdoms.

Helen is not frightened, despite the fact this was the first time it had ever happened. Her dreams always occurred while she slept, never while awake. But she did not feel fear, in fact she felt more melancholy than anything.

“I feel quite sorry for him,” you tell Ser Barristan who comes to stand beside you.

“He has lost his entire family in the span of his life. He grew up amongst brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, and now they are all gone. How devastating, I don’t think I would survive such loss,” you frown, a hand raising to rest over your chest as you bite back tears.

“No loss shall come to you, Princess, not while I live and breathe,” Ser Barristan promises you. With a shaky sigh, you lean into him a bit.

“He misses his mother,” you frown, lip quivering.

“It is a condition of growing up, we all miss the family we grew up with. It is up to us to find another, or some other happiness, as we get older. Maester Aemon is a brother of the Nightswatch, he is surrounded by brothers. I find my happiness in serving my duty as I have sworn to. You shall find yours as well, I pray it be with your intended,” Ser Barristan tells you.

“Do you miss your mother, Ser Barristan?” You ask him quietly.

“Yes, it is only natural I think. But you remind me of her sometimes, when I see you stitching or reading,” he tells you, and in a rare moment when he forgets his duty, he squeezes your shoulder in a fatherly way.

“Come, princess, it is still early. You still have much to do for your wedding still,” Ser Barristan tells you as he gently guides you toward the castle.

“I think I’ll find it with Robb…happiness, I mean. I’ve dreamt it, I am not afraid,” you tell him. Ser Barristan sighs a silent breath of relief.

“Good, my little Princess, I am glad of it.”