Wylis finally realised Jon's true intention. Still, he didn't feel any deceit in it. Yet, as a nobleman and a knight, giving someone his word meant a lot.
But as much as he felt disgusted by his own greedy mind, reminding him of 'ten' years he may earn from Lysa, he nodded.
"Very well, if it is something I can do."
"Watch over my child... your so... Robin. Lysa, unaided, can't mold him into the Lord of the Eyrie. Given my age, I doubt I will see him even grasp a blade. You... half the realm may brand you nothing but a brute, yet I know otherwise. All who battled beside you know otherwise. Wisdom in you surpasses the sharpness of your steel. If it falls to you, I can find some peace. Simply steer Robin, and if anyone..."
Wylis didn't let him speak anymore and put a hand on his shoulder. One reason was that they had arrived at the castle. The other was that he was already planning to do that. After all, Robin was his son, as well. Even if a bastard, he had no desire to abandon him. Moreover, Robin was absolutely loyal to him and the heir to Eyrie.
Looking for a way to secure his legacy, huh?
House Arryn was dead, Jon knew it since his cock stopped working. But at the same time, Jon didn't want the legacy of House Arryn to be tarnished. Even if he had to place a bastard on the seat, Jon was ready. As long as his legacy was guaranteed.
"My lord, I don't father children for some sick entertainment. I cherish each one of them as my own. Let us never speak of this again. I'll guide and protect Robin as my own," Wylis said and opened the carriage's door. "Let's move now. My castle has a private hot spring. You and Robert may bathe there. And one more thing, my lord. I must speak with you later on a serious matter."
Just because he was personally willing to take care of Robin didn't mean he had to do it for free. He really wanted that patent registry made and backed by the Crown. But discussing that could wait.
Jon Arryn didn't move for a moment, as if emotional. Then the old man shook his head and followed Wylis.
Meanwhile, Wylis saw Lysa getting off the other carriage. Her first instinct was to look at him.
He sighed to himself. He remembered her being obsessed with Petyr, but her obsession with him seemed to have surpassed that.
Probably drenched in heat down there already.
####
Meanwhile, under Ramsgate Castle, the three women sat together by the hearth while the children played around them with toys. Only Viserys was missing, who usually spent his time alone with his practice sword.
Rhaella was busy knitting something with her hands. Elia and Lyanna each read a book.
"They must have arrived by now," Lyanna muttered, being the most restless one, not as used to sitting in one place for too long. On top of that, Magnus wasn't with her.
"Calm yourself, Lyanna. Have faith in Wylis," Rhaella warmly said. "Hiding us like this likely annoys him as much as it does you. But it is necessary. Robert Baratheon has never been known for wisdom or patience."
Lyanna sighed and relaxed back in the chair, looking at the two women. She eyed Elia, the dusky Dornish princess, the only woman in the room who wasn't intimate with Wylis. Weirdly, it made Lyanna feel unsettled. Yet, she knew Elia was drifting towards that direction fast. She'd caught her in the act of almost kissing Wylis, after all.
"Your Grace." Lyanna looked at Rhaella.
"I'm no grace anymore, Lyanna. Call me by my name. It is kinder that way."
Lyanna smiled, warm. She liked Rhaella a lot; the woman was older than all of them, mature, and loving towards all of them. Above all, she found Rhaella's closeness to Wylis the least disturbing.
"May I ask you something, Rhaella?"
At Rhaella's nod, Lyanna spoke, though her eyes kept Elia in check at the same time.
"Why did you fall for Wylis?"
A soft chuckle ended up leaving the ex-queen's lips. Her eyes, filled with adoration, as if reminiscing about something, looked towards the ceiling. "Fate, I suppose. I still remember the first time I saw him. The maids opened the doors to my bedchamber, and when I stepped out, he was there, assigned as my guard. I was frightened at first. He seemed enormous, like a mountain, broad enough to swallow me in his shadow. But then he smiled. There was warmth in it. Concern, too, when he looked at me. I couldn't help myself. I felt drawn to him."
Rhaella told the whole story of how she and Wylis started speaking with each other using that pipe connected from her bechamber and the guard's chamber below. She told them the words Wylis spoke to her. All the support he gave her made her dull life colorful. Her frozen lips smile again.
She hadn't known she was in love at that point. But the night he had decided to escape, everything changed. The moment they shared and his declaration. That he'd kill the Mad King if she wanted. Or his invitation to run away.
"I was a fool… I should have run away with him."
Silence fell between them.
"What about you, Lyanna?" Rhaella asked. "You've known him the longest. How did you fall for him? If I remember, he must have been a stableboy back then."
Lyanna instinctively giggled at that. "Oh, he was worse than that. Back then, he was no broad knight, all muscle and pride. He was fat as a pig, truly, and not very clever either. For most of my childhood, I barely spoke to him. I only knew his name. Wylis, the stableboy. Then one day he fell ill, and when he woke, there was something different about him… A light in his eyes I had never seen before.
"I grew curious and began to follow him. Before, he worked as if he didn't care at all. He was always being scolded, always lazing about. That stopped. He woke before dawn and slept long after dark. He cleaned the stables, tended the horses, then ran the grounds until he dropped. I saw him cry out at the sky when he fell from exhaustion. I saw him lift heavy logs and train with them. I saw him take a large stick and swing it like a sword, again and again and again until his arms couldn't move…"
The smile on Lyanna's face was unmistakable. Her eyes were dreamy, unfocused, as if she saw all those memories in her eyes. Her fondness for Wylis was far more than just love or physical attraction. No, her fondness included respect, admiration, and more.
"I once fled Winterfell on horseback because I was angry with my Father. I had just learned I was to be betrothed to Robert. I was furious. Wylis saw me take the horse. All of Winterfell went mad searching for me, and I did creep back after dark. No one scolded me because I said I had been hiding in the Godswood. But the next day, Wylis was not in the stables. The day after, he still was not there…"
Lyanna's eyes grew watery suddenly.
"I asked around and learned what had happened. He knew I was the one who took the horse, yet he said nothing. The stablemaster thought it stolen and had Wylis flogged until he was barely awake. Then the guards threw him in the dungeon. I told my Father everything so Wylis could be freed. He hadn't eaten, he was beaten bloody, and still, he was exercising in his cell.
"I asked him the next day why he didn't tell the truth. You know what he said? He said, 'I knew you'd return. And you looked like you needed a moment alone.' And then he smiled. I slapped him for it, and he only laughed harder and said, 'Thanks to you, my lady, I've finally lost some weight'."
Lyanna gulped for a moment and resumed. Telling them what happened afterwards. How she started to follow Wylis around everywhere. Slowly joined him in his everyday training. Before she knew it, the big-bellied Wylis turned into broad-chested Wylis.
"Before long, we were sparring together, always trying to outdo one another. We loosed arrows, raced our horses, laughed like children. I never even noticed the moment I fell in love with him. I thought maybe he felt it too, but Gods, I could never be certain. Then one day we crossed that line, and after that… Well, you know the rest. All I know is that even if Robert hadn't started the rebellion, Wylis would have killed everything in his way to get to me."
And she knew she was absolutely right about that.
Rhaella nodded to that. Having seen his resolve when he suggested killing the King for her. She doubted him back then, but now she knew he'd have truly killed the King for her.
Instinctively, Rhaella's hand landed on her belly as she caressed it.
"Rhaella?" That motion didn't go unnoticed by Lyanna. She got up, excited, and walked over. "Are you?"
Rhaella nodded, a blush on her pale cheeks. "I'm with… his babe."
"Oh! That's wonderful!" Lyanna squealed and hugged Rhaella. But while doing that, she also noticed a darkened expression on Elia's face.
Huh? Jealousy?
####
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Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 11 long chapters of this story on P@treon. That's equal to 40-46 Webnovel chapters.
Check out Wylis X Lyanna Stark NSFW Art & Wylis with Kids SFW ART, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens
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