FanFiction
Just In
Community
Forum

More
The Brightest Sun by Witless Maester
 Harry Potter & A song of Ice and Fire Xover Rated: T, English, [Harry P., Elia M.], Words: 216k+, Favs: 2k+, Follows: 2k+, Published: Feb 24 Updated: Jul 10 431Chapter 40: Fractured Times: Elia
She had felt somewhat odd, being discreetly escorted into the Water Gardens in the dead of the night – as if she were once more a young girl playing with her friends – yet all sense of amused nostalgia fled at the sight that greeted her.
Doran – for who else could it possibly be – sat in a wheeled chair, face lined with relief as tears pooled in his dark eyes. He was no longer the young man who had turned the other way when Elia had mustered the energy to find herself in some mischief; who had brought books and scrolls, sitting patiently in his spare time with the young girl as she learned her letters and then learned the ways of their court.
He was the Prince of Dorne, leader to his people, and Elia felt her heart break as she eyed him in his chair.
He looked older, so very much aged beneath the strain of his position, the lines of his face prominent. He covered his legs with a blanket, some past injury he refused to show – Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken, she thought with sad reminiscence – but the smile he wore remained the same.
Vaguely, she noticed the others leave the room, only herself and Doran remaining, and she moved closer to him, kneeling beside the chair as she gripped his outstretched hand.
"I had feared you lost to us," he said softly, leaning forward in wonder as he smiled. "Never have I been so glad to be mistaken."
"Would that you could tell your younger self that," Elia chuckled, tears spilling as she pressed her forehead to his shoulder.
"Perhaps I would have fainted from shock," he jested softly, arm wrapping around her shoulder as he pressed his cheek to her head.
"I've missed you, Doran."
"And I you, sister," he said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Oberyn?" she asked, half expecting her boisterous younger brother to come crashing through the doors, arms extended as he attempted to swing Elia about in a hug,
"On business in the Prince's Pass, though I will have him recalled immediately," Doran told her. "He shall be so very glad to see you."
Elia shook her head, aching to see Oberyn once more but knowing it would be best if he were not rushed. "Let him finish his business first. I would rather we not have too many curious eyes turned to Dorne."
Doran smiled, a hint of teasing in his tone as he said, "Still so very concerned over keeping Dorne's secrets safe from unwanted eyes."
She had chosen to remain in the Wizarding World, years ago when the thought of losing what she had had been too much to bear, and though she did not regret choosing her children, a part of Elia began to heal, heart lighter at the thought of being reunited with her brothers once more.
They would speak at length in the morning, she knew, once they were rested and had the presence of mind to discuss certain matters.
For now, Elia remained in her brother's arms, so very glad to see him alive.
They had found themselves in her bed, Maia's face buried in the crook of Aegon's neck as Elia woke to find herself surrounded by her children. It had been years since they had last done this – well before Maia's birth, she remembered – and her heart ached at the missing member of their family.
He'll be fine, she reminded herself, seeing Aegon's face relaxed in his sleep.
He'd thought himself clever and able to hide his worries, but she had seen through his mask immediately, knowing how her son brooded over his actions.
He would remain like that until he saw for himself that his father was safe, and Elia prayed it would not be long until they were reunited.
"Mum?" Rhae whispered, voice groggy with sleep.
"Rhaenys," she replied, feeling her daughter press her face against Elia's arm.
"Are you well?"
"I'm fine, sweetling," she told her, shifting in place to see purple eyes peering intently at her.
Their shuffling woke Aegon, his fidgeting forcing Maia awake as she rolled on top of Teddy, poking at his cheek for him to wake and entertain her.
Grumbling, Teddy lifted Maia and dumped her on the bed, returning to his rooms to ready himself for the day as Aegon and Rhaenys did the same. Elia herself took hold of Maia, helping the little girl as a pair of maids brought water for a bath. Maia's green eyes lit up in delight, and Elia smiled at seeing the joy her daughter took from a bath.
They were meant to break their fast with Doran, the small family making their way to the private dining room Elia had seen her mother use in her time at the Water Gardens.
"I miss the shower," Aegon muttered, shifting as he straightened the doublet he had borrowed.
"Why are you complaining?" Rhaenys scowled. "You don't have any hair to wash."
"Now, now children," Teddy tutted, smirking in amusement at Aegon's mock offended look, "no need to fight. Rhae, you'll burn your hair like that."
"No, I won't," she retorted. "I'm still feeling sluggish with my…you know," she told him, lowering her voice as they neared the doors.
"Which is exactly why you'll burn it off," Teddy shot back, falling silent as the guards let them inside, bowing as they passed.
Doran had changed little about the room, keeping it as their mother had with the tapestries lining the walls, the only difference being the small trinkets that littered the room, small bits from his travels making their presence known.
She took the seat to his right opposite Ashara, pressing a short kiss to his cheek in greeting as the others sat, Rhaenys and Teddy settling next to Ashara opposite her, Maia and Aegon.
He had seen them briefly last night, but Elia could see her brother soaking up this image of his nephew and niece, whole and healthy.
Servants brought platters of food in, breads and light pastes and oils, a small plate of cheese, fruits arrayed around them as a pitcher of water and wine was placed before them.
They spoke lightly as they ate; Doran's brows raised the slightest bit as the children immediately dug in, Maia's delighted chatter filling the room as she realized the "kind man" she had met was her Uncle Doran. Ashara was quieter than she had ever been – they had all changed after the war – even as she remained alert, no doubt listening intently to whatever the children said. A fond smile curved her lips, remembering the few times Ashara had used other's perceptions of her beauty to her advantage, learning things she might not have otherwise.
Arriving in Westeros had taken much of their energy, and beyond Teddy's morphing abilities, they had used the last bit of their magical reserves ensuring the glamour on Maia would remain secure lest she accidentally shift to resemble the others.
There was a slight shift in the atmosphere as she placed her fork on the plate, seeing the contemplative look Doran wore as he glanced at the children.
"I did not expect there to be more than the three of you," he said lightly, smiling at Maia. "Certainly not another babe."
"Nor did I," she admitted, smoothing her youngest child's unruly curls. "I am glad to have been proven wrong."
"The father," Doran said, eyes flitting between Maia and Teddy as he noted the similar eyes.
Her lips twisted, unsure of how to describe her life in the Wizarding World for the past near decade and a half.
"My husband," she finally said, seeing the surprise on their faces.
She was fiddling with her wedding ring, eyes drifting to the ring on her right hand. She had assumed it would disappear during her journey, but Elia still wore the band that marked her as Lady Potter-Black, no matter the world she lived in.
"I woke someplace else," she told them, forestalling the questions she knew would begin. Her eyes drifted across the room, even as Doran told her he had ensured they had absolute secrecy for this. "In the home of someone I had never met and a land I had never known existed. Harry took us in, providing safety while finding a way to return us to Westeros."
She didn't tell them she almost did not return, bar the planned journey to reassure them and make known her decision to remain in England.
Doran's brows furrowed a touch, his surprise breaking through the placid mask she knew he had perfected. "Another land?" he questioned, eyes drifting to where Aegon suddenly stiffened, hand clenched around his fork.
Elia shook her head, eyes pleading with Doran to leave it. He frowned, lips tugging down before he agreed. For now; she knew they could not put it off for long.
"There was a raven," Ashara told her. "Unmarked and unremarkable but for the message it held."
Unmarked and unremarkable, she thought darkly, knowing only one such person able to have done so from King's Landing.
"You were missing when Tywin Lannister sacked King's Landing," Doran added, hand gripping his glass of wine. "The Mad King had been killed by his guard, but the Usurper had no idea as to where you had disappeared."
A vicious sense of joy filled her at the thought. Aerys had been a disastrous madman, haunting the halls of the keep and tormenting all who came across him. That it had been Ser Jaime to kill him did not surprise her as much as it should have. He had been so very young, and King's Landing had stripped away what innocence remained in him. Elia grieved for the young, idealistic knight who had thought all his dreams were made once the cloak had been placed across his shoulders, only to realize he served a monster.
"Teddy," she murmured, feeling Maia fidgeting next to her. "Perhaps you can take Maia to the pools."
"There is a more private area they can use," Doran said, signalling for Areo. The Norvoshi priest gestured for a guard to escort them, the man dropping into a bow at the sight of Aegon and Rhaenys, and Elia nodded encouragingly for them to follow after him.
The door had barely closed before she turned to Doran, intent on learning as much as she could while the children were away.
"Robert Baratheon is king," she stated, seeing the slight grimace that crossed Ashara's face.
"Not much of a king," she muttered, "but he's managed to keep hold of his crown."
She pursed her lips, thinking of what it meant for them that he sat the throne. "Rhaella? Viserys and the babe?"
"They live, though the queen did not survive past Daenerys's first year," Doran told her.
Her heart ached for her goodmother; Rhaella had been good and kind, far more dutiful a wife than Aerys had deserved, and the thought of her unable to enjoy a life free from his harm pierced through her. That little Viserys, always so quick to apologize when his mother showed her displeasure over his parroting the king's words, would lose everyone but his sister was another pain she could not imagine.
"Dorne has remained isolated," Doran continued. "The Usurper is convinced we are harbouring the remains of House Targaryen, and we've spent the past two and ten years…dissuading them from waging war. Princess Daenerys and Prince Viserys have fled to Essos under the care of their kingsguard."
She sucked in a sharp breath, mind focused on the final part. Two and ten years, she thought. 295 AC; not 296 as they had planned.
"Dorne will hold, as it has against the dragons. No marriage will ever bind us to the Usurper and his ilk," Doran assured her, incorrectly guessing what it was that bothered her.
She would have to warn the children – especially Aegon and Rhaenys – of the slight difference in their expected ages. And Harry; they had performed the ritual in haste, and she was now unsure of how much time he would have to do so on his own in his situation, nor whether he would realize when he had sent them. She swallowed her despair at the thought, unbidden and unwelcome, of never seeing him again, a victim to their hasty departure.
"The Reach surrendered, though they've managed to cause enough problems for them," Ashara added darkly. "Lord Lannister, to prove his loyalty to the Usurper's cause broke the siege at Storm's End. We've witnessed what counts for Lannister justice, and he won a battle and a crown for his daughter."
"A crown," she echoed, faintly nauseated at the thought of Tywin Lannister's proximity to the throne.
"They married, more than a year after the Sack of King's Landing," Ashara replied. "The Reach refused to bend the knee quietly, and Lord Tarly managed to sack Nightsong and set up defences along the Marches."
"We sit in a dangerous position, sister," Doran said softly, eyes focused on hers. "The Usurper has three heirs and the backing of the North, the Vale, the Westerlands and the Stormlands. The Riverlands is bitterly divided, though most have managed to quietly remain in their homes in fear of the surrounding kingdoms. Similarly, the Crownlords are far more embittered against the new king, and small pockets of resistance have appeared in the Vale and the Stormlands."
A dark look passed between her brother and friend, and Elia feared the realm had suffered greatly in the years of her absence.
There was more he was not telling her; Doran might believe himself immune from Varys's little birds, but Elia was aware of when certain things were being withheld. She hoped it was caution over the Spider's whispers, praying for her exhaustion to abate so that they may discuss it at length in secrecy. She'd not let her children be dragged into something she had no understanding of - not even if her brother asked it of her.
« First « Prev Ch 40 of 64 Next »
 Review
Jump:Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27Chapter 28Chapter 29Chapter 30Chapter 31Chapter 32Chapter 33Chapter 34Chapter 35Chapter 36Chapter 37Chapter 38Chapter 39Chapter 40Chapter 41Chapter 42Chapter 43Chapter 44Chapter 45Chapter 46Chapter 47Chapter 48Chapter 49Chapter 50Chapter 51Chapter 52Chapter 53Chapter 54Chapter 55Chapter 56Chapter 57Chapter 58Chapter 59Chapter 60Chapter 61Chapter 62Chapter 63Chapter 64
Share: Email . Facebook . Twitter
Story: Follow FavoriteAuthor: Follow FavoriteContrast: Dark . Light
Font: Small . Medium . Large . XL
Desktop Mode . Twitter . Help . Sign Up . Cookies . Privacy . Terms of Service