Guess who's back? Back again? Cryptid's back, tell a friend! 😎
((Part 3 of The Flea Bottom Tour))
Baelor wasn’t exactly idle while Dunk and Maekar have been gone. Last he knew, Maekar had been gone a while (no one had thought he was missing at first, just sulking somewhere), and then Dunk had gone to find him. And that was odd, Dunk didn’t usually go out of his way to interact with his brother. He had seen a servant trade whispers with his sworn sword right before Dunk left though, so Baelor knew something was up.
And then neither turned up again. Missed supper. Gone all night. When Dunk didn’t show up for his shift in the morning, Baelor knew something was very, very wrong.
Baelor sends out a search party, and by retracing Dunks steps and asking his friends amongst the servants, the pile of broken corpses Dunk left behind is found. And Baelor loses his godsdamned mind.
His little brother has been having the worst fucking time recently, his guilt over Baelor’s injury, Aerion showing his true colors beyond a shadow of a doubt to even his father, their father the king reprimanding him for how he's raised his kids, and then the discovery of what Aerion did to Egg; it's all been piling up and Baelor’s terrified for Maekar's mental health. And his hedgeknight, sweet, protective Ser Duncan, unendingly devoted to the safety of his family, was naive and vulnerable to the machinations of the viper pit known as the royal court. His two most favorite people in the entire world are not just missing, they are being hunted.
And Baelor’s stuck in the Keep by the king's and his son's insistence. He's pacing the corridors of the Red Keep, biting off heads and snarling in a way the court has genuinely never seen before from Daeron II's level-headed first born son. To say that the pressure is on to find Dunk and Maekar would be an understatement. No one (including the rest of the royal family) wants to see if Baelor will actually figure out how to breath fire, because he is certainly trying.
The search party finds them just in time. They're close enough to hear Maekar call Dunk's name desperately, and find them collapsed in a heap, surrounded by more bodies. Dunk is bleeding, badly. Maekar is half pinned underneath him, wild-eyed and snarling and clinging desperately.
They're rushed to the Keep, and when the maester goes to look at the prince first, Maekar almost screams at him to treat Ser Duncan first.
Baelor rushes in and Maekar collapses into him as he holds him close. He barely manages to wait for privacy before he's sobbing in Baelor’s arms. Maybe he bleats out broken sentences about the past three or so days, about the horror of Flea Bottom and Ser Duncan's torment there. Maybe he tries to explain the poison plot, but is too unsteady to make complete sentences happen.
It takes a while for him to calm. Daeron II comes in to also comfort and hold his youngest son. He's also been worried about Maekar's mental health, and regrets his sharp words regarding his parenting. They were needed, but the king had been too harsh about it, reacting to the scare of Baelor’s almost-demise. His apologies only set Maekar to shaking, but at least he's clinging to his father a little now, too.
Eggs entrance, and subsequent inquiry about Ser Duncan sets off a fresh wave of tears. "He's strong. He'll pull through," Maekar fights the block in his throat to tell him. He doesn't sound like he believes it. He sounds like he's begging the gods for it to be true.
Egg wriggles into his father's arms, let's Maekar squeeze him tight, for the first time since Aerion's abuse came out.
Daeron and Baelor fuss over Maekar's injuries and let him hold on to them for hours while the maesters work to keep Dunk alive. Eventually the message comes- they've done all they can. It's up to Dunk to survive the night. If he wakes, he'll have a decent shot at recovery.
He may not wake.
Baelor, Maekar and Egg (who refuses to be sent away) sit vigil with Dunk, holding his hands and silently begging both him and the gods for him to stay.
Maekar does tell the king, and then Bloodraven, about the "Spring Sickness" plot, explaining how he and Dunk couldn’t come back or send word until they had dismantled all the traps. Brynden swoops off to make so many arrests. Daeron tries to tell Maekar that he's proud of him, but he's not in a place to hear it. In his mind, Ser Duncan did most of the heroics, Maekar was just the one that needed saving.
Morning comes. Dunk still breathes. Neither brother will let go of his hands.
