2 - The Man in the Black Cloak
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A Marriage of Fire and Gold
“I won't go through with this, father. I refuse to marry the Rogue Prince.”
Busting through my fathers study door I raised my voice at him as he stood in front of his desk looking over some documents. I didn’t care how I'd stormed out from breakfast and was interrupting the matters that he needed to attend to. Father tilted his head upright, groaning loudly under his breath. “Lacey, I already told you in the breakfast hall that this isn't up for discussion. King Viserys has agreed to the arrangement as has your mother. You will wed Daemon Targaryen without reservations.”
“That cannot be possible. He’s already been wed for years now.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore. His lady wife Laena passed away a few moons ago. Meaning he is in need of a new wife to provide him heirs and it is past time you were wed.”
Rolling my eyes I scoffed, dropping my hands harshly down to my sides. “I suppose a lady just does what she’s told ,especially if she’s your own daughter!”
“Watch your tongue, girl!”
“Why should I listen to you when you don’t listen to my dreams and desires. Every single one of your children you have never let them figure out what they want for themselves, especially me.”
Jason glared down at me stomping across the room until we were standing directly in front of each other. He grasped my chin in his thumb and index finger of his left hand, forcing me to look him in the eye. “I’ve had just about enough of you. I have entertained your ridiculous behavior over the years. The refusal to act like a proper lady, the lack of respect to honor the family properly and now this ridiculous thought of trying to understand High Valyrian.”
“If you intend for me to marry Daemon, surely that is honoring the family by embracing my betroth’s house.”
He raised his stern tone back at me. “You have no right to entertain that desire for knowledge while you still live under my roof!”
“Seven hells, father. You're never going to see the truth are you. Cerelle was married off before she could breathe. Tyshara before she could think. Loreon is groomed like a prized hound. And Ceryse - she’s already being shaped into your perfect little lioness.”
Jason’s nostrils flared. “Do not speak of your siblings that way.”
“I’m speaking of you,” I fired back. “You never let any of us choose anything.”
“Jason.”
My mother’s voice cut through the thick tension built up in the small study. Johanna stood in the doorway, hands folded, looking at me first showing her eyes full of worry.
“Johanna, make your ungrateful daughter understand the decision that we have made together.”
“Mother, you know I have no interest in -“
Father cut me off abruptly. “Interest has nothing to do with upholding the family traditions.”
“Lacey,” she murmured, stepping forward as she finally spoke up. “your father only wants -”
“No,” I said, stepping back so fast Jason’s hand slipped from my chin. “Do not defend him.”
“Sweet girl-”
“You are only going to say what he wants you to say. I refuse to be commanded around like some servant who you give no respect for. I refuse to act like you if I am forced to marry anyone!”
“You will show your mother respect-”
“I’ll show her respect when the gods make you treat your children better!” Forcefully shoving my body past his and around my mother my boots made heavy footsteps sounds on the stone floor. Storming out of the room I left them both standing there, ignoring how my mother called out my name.
“Lacey!”
That next morning the life that I had lived for eighteen years would never be the same again. I’d never set foot in Casterly Rock again nor see my siblings. I didn’t recall much of the long months it took to get from our home to the uncomfortably busy city that is Kings Landing. Our travels had taken all day just for us to get inside the large castle itself and everyone settled into their bedchambers. The hours had grown late as I sat at my vanity pinning my hair in a braid falling over my right shoulder.
Crossing the room in my nightgown I opened up one of the crates my things from home had been brought up in. Inside was a simple red cloak with no sigil representing my house anywhere on it. This was the one I would wear when I didn’t want anyone to recognize me, I’d made it for this occasion. Lifting it up and outside of the crate I dug out my boots as well, slipping those on securely before connecting the clasp of the cloak around my neck not bothering to change out of the white nightgown some servants had switched me into. Bending down I reach inside one of my combat boots wrapping my fingers around the handle of a tiny dagger making a mental note to always keep it on me.
Carefully pushing my chamber door open and shut as quietly as possible I yanked the hood over my head shielding my face from being recognized. Walking down the long hallway I glanced around the hallway stretched long and dim, lit only by a few torches flickering against the stone. I’d only been in the Red Keep for a day, and already I hated it. I tried to retrace the path the servants had shown me earlier, but everything blurred together. I passed a set of stairs I didn’t recognize. Then a hallway lined with old armor. Then a door that led into a storage room instead of the courtyard.
The Keep felt like a maze designed to trap me as I tried another staircase, hoping it led down toward the main gates, but it only twisted into another unfamiliar passage. “Seven hells, I’m lost.” Eventually, I found a door cracked open and slipped through to find myself in a small alleyway with stacks of supplies sitting around meaning I had to be out of the suffocating castle.
The smell of smoke, salt and spilled ale rushed in. Lanterns swung from crooked posts. People crowded every inch of the street, shouting, laughing, arguing, singing. Moving forward slowly my chest tightened in anticipation and excitement where I bolted into a quick run not thinking. I walked deeper into the city, letting the crowd swallow me whole where I was just a girl standing in a crowd unnoticed by anyone else. Sailors stumbled out of taverns. Merchants shouted over each other. Children darted between legs. A woman sang on a corner, her voice rough but beautiful.
My feet kept moving through the crowd, letting the chaos drown out the echo of my father’s voice in my head. The moonlight glinted off rooftops, turning the streets into a maze of shadows, flickering lanterns but most of all I was able to just be Lacey, not Jason Lannister's daughter. Passing another tavern door someone bumped harshly into my back stumbling out the doorway causing me to lose my footing when the person kicked the back of my leg. My body fell forward and a scream escaped past my lips with me nearly slamming into the harsh stone street until a hand grasped the back of my cloak and nightgown.
The person that had grabbed me by my back gently yanked me backwards to keep me from falling face forward harshly. Looking over my shoulder my back was pressing into their front as I was able to see long silver hair falling over their shoulders, dark eyes I couldn’t tell the color of by the faint lighting and hidden underneath a dark black cloak. “Watch where you're going, otherwise you’ll get trampled.”
“I was watching. It was that drunk that wasn’t looking.”
“Blame others for your mere misfortune I see.”
Rolling my eyes, this man was getting on my nerves rather quickly and we’d hadn’t spoken for long. “You are in no position to judge me, Ser. With that being said I would like to continue my stroll, so you may release me now.”
“A woman out here alone in a city like this is dangerous.”
“I can take care of myself, thank you.”
Spinning around on my feet I faced him directly walking backwards for a minute until one of my boots mistepped where I tripped over a rock falling backwards till he snagged my wrist, tugging me forward back into his chest quickly with my hands landing flat there. One of my ankles twisted sharply where I bit my lip pushing through the pain, doing my best to ignore it.
“You might want to retract that comment, my lady. Now are you injured anywhere?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Are you lying to me?”
“No, now let me go.”
The mysterious man stared down at me with a serious expression. “Let me tend to you just to be sure.”
“Not going to happen.” Pushing my hands off his firm chest forcing myself away from him. My left foot twisted around creating a sharp pain to through my ankle where I grabbed it nearly tumbling over.
“I knew something was wrong. You should listen to me, foolish girl.”
The man with white looking hair came forward grasping my forearm in order to keep me steady so he could look at the swelling. While he had his head lowered I slid my freehand downward to my other boot, drawing out the hidden dagger. Pressing the cold blade against his throat the man leaned back in surprise as I bared my teeth spitting in his face.
“Ao istan ñuha kepa ( You act like my father.”
The white haired man opened his lips and confusion spread across his face instantly as he attempted to process what he had heard. “How ... .how do you know High Valyrian?” His gaze fixed onto mine briefly acknowledging the blade in my hand with my gaze meeting his and I swore that his eyes seemed to have the deep violet color.
“We are done having this conversation. You will let me go alone and do not follow me. Do you understand?”
A smirk spread across his lips, removing his hands from my forearm. “You are a fiery one.”
“Do you understand me, yes or no?”
“Understood, my lady.”
Removing the dagger away from being harshly pressed against his throat I stuck the dagger back inside my boot watching him for a few minutes. The stranger watched me turn on my feet rushing as fast as I could away from him with my burning ankle and back to the Red Keep.
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