Ashara Dayne
They all returned to their tents to rest for the day. The King and Prince Maegor disappeared into the castle, and with the two of them gone, the rest of the day's events proceeded much as planned. The tournament continued, though whispers of what had happened spread throughout the camp, with many still trying to make sense of the mysterious prince who had appeared after so many years.
Ashara thought little of it that evening. She returned to her own tent and tried to put the day's strange events behind her.
It was early the next morning when she was summoned by Prince Maegor.
"Thank you for taking care of my grandson, young lady." Maegor inclined his head towards Aerion, who was sleeping peacefully. "I owe you a favor."
Ashara bowed her head slightly. "It was nothing, my prince."
"You're a polite girl." Maegor raised a hand, gesturing for her not to bow again. "And you need not bow to me. I do not like it."
"I shall keep that in mind, my prince." Ashara lifted her gaze and found his judging eyes upon her. There was something in his expression she could not quite place, something that made her hesitate before she finally asked, "Is something the matter, my prince?"
"How old are you, Lady Ashara?" the prince asked, his gaze remaining fixed upon her.
"I am fourteen, Prince Maegor."
Maegor nodded, his expression thoughtful as he regarded her for a moment. "I have a request to make of you, Lady Ashara, if you are willing to do it."
Ashara nodded without thinking, scarcely giving herself a moment to consider what he might ask of her. "I shall do anything you ask of me, Your Grace."
"You see, my grandson is a naughty and restless child. I need someone to take care of him properly, someone who can teach him etiquette and all the things a young prince ought to know. I raised him myself, but I never taught him proper manners, nor did I teach him how to read. If you are willing to take on the task, I would be most pleased. And for some reason, he seems to have taken quite a liking to you."
Ashara felt a small swell of pride at his words. The thought of being entrusted with the upbringing and education of a prince was an honor she could hardly have imagined.
"It would be an honor, Your Grace."
"Good, I'll send out a servant to inform you once Aerion is awake. Knowing him, he won't wake up for a few hours, so I suggest you enjoy yourself until then; handling my grandson later will not be such an easy task."
"I'll look forward to it, my prince."
With that, Ashara took her leave and stepped outside the tent. She had walked some distance when she glanced back, only to catch sight of the banners of House Tyrell approaching the tent she had just left.
She watched them for a moment, curiosity stirring in her mind. "Perhaps they are here to pay their respects?" And then walked away.
***
Maegor Targaryen
As soon as the young girl had left, Maegor returned to cleaning his armor. He worked the cloth into the joints, doing his best to wipe away the mud that had found its way into the narrow gaps.
"Should I have a squire to do all this for me?" he muttered, glancing down at the armor in his hands. "Perhaps I have grown too accustomed to doing things myself."
A faint, amused voice came from nearby. "Oh, the great Maegor Targaryen, reduced to wiping his own armor."
He could recognize that voice anywhere. Maegor turned towards its source and found Lady Olenna approaching. A faint smile touched his lips as he walked towards her, took her hand, and placed a small kiss upon it.
"Lady Olenna."
"Oh, drop the 'Lady.'" Olenna gave him a knowing look. "Did you forget what we did, or do you simply refuse to admit it?"
Olenna had certainly grown older since the last time Maegor had seen her. The years had left their mark upon her face, and the beauty of her youth had long since faded, though there was still a sharpness in her eyes that age had failed to take from her.
Maegor, however, looked exactly as he had the last time she had seen him, as though the years had simply passed him by. "You look the same as the last time I saw you," Olenna remarked, studying him with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "Not a day older."
"Thank you for the compliment. And you look exactly as I imagined you would in your old age." Maegor poured himself a cup of fresh fruit juice, then filled another and offered it to her. Olenna accepted it with an amused look, never taking her eyes from him. "And I have no idea what you are implying," Maegor added, his expression perfectly innocent.
"Oh, how could I forget the kind of man you were?" Olenna rolled her eyes. "You came to my room after the failed engagement between me and your cousin, and for one straight year fucked me senseless every night and day, whenever you wished to, and pumped enough seed in me to give me a hundred babies. Even my husband could not do a fraction of that."
Maegor laughed. "Hahahaha! Good old days!"
Olenna could not help but smile at the memory.
"How are you, Olenna?" Maegor asked, his voice losing its earlier amusement. He studied her for a moment, his expression sincere. "Are you happy with yourself? With the life you have lived?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Everything is going well." Olenna's expression softened, the amusement fading from her face. "I'm here because I'm more worried about you. Is it true that Daeron died?"
"Yeah. He's dead." Maegor reached for the unopened flagon of wine resting on the table and poured himself a glass. His expression grew distant as he stared into the wine. "He died before his father, that damn idiot."
"How is Vaella taking it? The poor girl has always been weak of heart. She lost her father and mother at such a young age, and to lose a son as well... it must have devastated her." Olenna paused, her expression growing solemn. She remembered how heartbroken she had been when word of Maegor's marriage had reached her. She had known, however, that he would have to marry someday, and Vaella had always been a good girl.
"Vaella died, Olenna." Olenna's heart seemed to stop. "The moment I revealed the corpses of my son and his wife, she suffered a heart attack." Maegor took another drink, his voice strangely calm despite the weight of his words. "That is why I am here."
He gestured towards Aerion, who was still sleeping. "He needs to be around people. He needs friends, people his own age. I cannot be the only family he has."
"I'm sorry." Maegor nodded as he finished the wine in his cup. He set it down and wiped the moisture from the corners of his eyes before rising from his seat. For a moment, the grief that had weighed upon him seemed to show plainly on his face, but he quickly composed himself.
"Enough about me." He turned his attention back to Olenna. "Tell me, is your family well?"
They talked for what seemed like hours, reminiscing about the old days and catching up on all that had happened in the years since they had last seen one another. Eventually, their conversation turned towards the matter neither of them could ignore for long.
Maegor regarded her thoughtfully. "What do you think of Aerys?"
"Mad."
Maegor sighed and massaged his temple, closing his eyes for a moment.
"You should take his seat, then. Rule us in his place. Your grandson should be next in line." She said.
"Hmm. Perhaps you are right." Maegor considered the thought for a moment before shaking his head. "If I were still in my thirties, I would have done it. But I am long past my prime."
"So, what do you plan to do?" Olenna asked.
"The tourney will end today. I intend to travel to King's Landing and act as regent for a time, at least until my nephew gets his bearings back." Maegor paused, his expression turning thoughtful as he looked towards her. "The current council is lacking, and I have heard that Tywin resigned because his heir joined the Kingsguard."
"Hmm. Considering the bad blood between him and your son, I doubt he will listen to you for some time." Olenna rose from her seat and studied Maegor with a knowing expression. "How will you handle him?"
"Bad blood? Between Daeron and Tywin?" Maegor frowned, clearly caught off guard by the revelation. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you didn't know?"
Maegor shook his head.
"Well, it only makes sense. It came to light after you left, but it seems your son did the same thing you once did." Olenna paused, watching his reaction. "Do you remember Joanna Lannister?"
"One of my niece's handmaidens? What about her?"
"Before she became Tywin's wife. Your son took her maidenhead and carried on a long affair with her before you decided to leave Westeros."
"Huh! He never told me that, that sneaky rascal." Maegor shook his head, though a proud smile spread across his face. "He never disappoints me."
"Tch!" Olenna clicked her tongue. "There's that annoying grin."
"You love it anyway."
Olenna merely huffed, shaking her head as she made her way towards the exit. "I'll see you later."
With that, she left the tent, leaving Maegor alone with his thoughts.