Tharren rode wearily through the gates of Frosthold Keep, glad to be back. He had been missing the sights and smell of his home, his armor tarnished, and his heart heavy with the memories of the recent war. Beside him, the loyal knights of the Round Table followed, their faces marked with the scars of battles fought and lost. The air was thick with pine and snow, a welcome change from the acrid smell of blood and death that had followed them for so long.
Awaiting Tharren in the courtyard stood his wife Lilliana, a vision of strength and grace, holding their baby daughter Loreth in her arms. Next to her stood their son Aerian, who had grown in his absence, taking on the responsibilities of a young lord with a maturity that belied his years.
As Tharren dismounted, Aerian stepped forward, his gaze unwavering as he embraced his father. "Welcome home, Father," he said, his voice steady and sure. "We have missed you."
Darren felt a swell of pride at his son's words, knowing that Aerian had shouldered the burdens of leadership in his absence. He then moved to his wife with a smile. She greeted him with a soft kiss, "Welcome back, my love." She greeted me with a soft smile. Little Loreth was in her arms, burying her face in her mother's shoulder as she was shy of her father, whom she had not seen in months. Seeing this, Tharren could not help but smile wryly as he rubbed Loreth's back and spent more time with her this evening. Together, the family walked towards the great hall, with the knights following. Before entering, Tharren turned to his other soldiers and said, "Tonight we feast!" This earned cheers all around.
Within the dining hall, where the family can be seen seated at the head table with the knights of the round table sitting at a table just below theirs, Aerian's eyes swept over the faces of his knights, lingering on each one in turn. "My knights," he began, his voice commanding attention. "You have fought bravely in the war, defending our lands and honor. But we have lost one of our own in the process. Sir Galahad fell in battle, and his sacrifice was a testament to his loyalty and courage."
The knights bowed their heads in solemn acknowledgment, their expressions grim with the weight of their comrade's loss. Adrian continued, his voice firm. "But let us not dwell on our grief. Sir Galahad would want us to remember his sacrifice as we move forward. You have all fought with honor, protecting my father and our house. For that, I commend you." Over the past few days, Aerian had time to reflect and realize that you can't save everyone and not everything will go to plan, but he will make sure to train his knights to surpass their limits to make sure that the chances of another one of them dying would be kept to a minimum.
The knights straightened at Aerian's words, a sense of pride swelling within them at the young lord's praise. They had served House Aurelius faithfully and would continue to do so with renewed determination. After the pleasantries were over, the feast began as everyone sat to eat and drink. It quickly turned into soldiers getting drunk and exchanging war stories or laughable events they saw on the battlefield.
Aerian looked calmly at all this happening, glad that their participation in the rebellion had yielded fruitful results. Although they lost some people, they gained a reputation as a house not to be missed, given its strong warriors.
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As the evening wore on, Aerian found himself in the company of Princess Elia, the Dornish princess who had been rescued with her two children and brought back to the North under his orders. Princess Elia's dark eyes filled with gratitude, thanked Aerian for his kindness and protection.
Aerian inclined his head respectfully, his mind already turning towards the future. In Princess Elia's presence, he saw an opportunity to forge alliances and secure the future of his house through trade and diplomacy, especially with a strong house like the Martells.
"Princess Elia," Aerian began, his tone measured and calm. "Your presence here is a valuable asset to our house. I believe that with you here and your two children, we can achieve a favorable deal with Dorne, considering our plans for a future trade business," he said, sitting across from her.
Princess Elia's eyes sparkled with intrigue; she could not have guessed that a child so young would have been smart enough to not only plan for her and her children's rescue but also have the foresight to know that with the three of them in his hands that he could ask anything of her brothers the rulers of Dorne. "And what would this trade entail, and how can Dorne help?" she asked curiously
"As we speak, our house has people working to create two different items for trade. One shall be a new alcohol unknown to the world but with the promise to be better than any other on the market currently. The second would be an item called soap, which you would be able to either bathe with or wash your hands, and it will not only help one be cleaner but also help them smell better as each soap will have a fragrance embued in it." Aerian explained slowly as a servant poured water for him and wine for Elia while another servant brought a small rectangular wooden box with a snowflake carved on the top cover.
Taking the box, Aerian opened the lid and took out a pink rectangular bar for Elia to see before handing it to her. Seeing Aerian handing her an unknown strange object, Elia was skeptical at first before taking it, feeling the smoothness of the item as she held it in her hand and then the faint fragrance coming from it. Holding the item up to her nose to take a whiff of the scent, she was surprised at how good it smelt, "Is this the soap you were talking about? How is this possible?" she asked, baffled as to how they had created something like this.
"Now, now, obviously, I can't tell you how it was created, but I can tell you that once this has begun selling, every noble from here to Essos is going to want it, with some probably even needing it when they try it for the first time," Aerian said, smiling at the woman actions.
"You still haven't told me how Dorne can help?" Elia asked, remembering the main topic of the conversation.
"Well, I'd like some ships built, but our keep is separated from the ocean by the mountain you can see towards the back of the castle, so I plan to have people stay in the white harbor and Sunspear to have ships built to create then a trading relationship between the South, North and eventually Essos." Aerian paused to sip his water before continuing, " In the future, we will create a passage through the mountain to the sea to allow ships to pass through and reach here, but until then, Dorne will also be paid a set amount of gold for housing our ships in their docks."
Listening to Aerians plan, Elia didn't think it would be a bad idea since it wouldn't affect their house, and they already owe Aurelius and house Aurelius a favor for saving her. "If you can let me write to my brothers, then I am sure Oberyn will make a trip up here to verify that we are alive. We can sit down to discuss this matter further, and I will make sure to inform them about your intentions and let Doran give power to Oberyn to handle this matter."
Aerian nodded to Elias's request, " That won't be a problem. I will have someone bring you parchment and ink in the morning, and then you can have them take it to the master to send to Dorne." Getting up from the chair, Aerian finished the contents of his glass before setting it down: "I shall take my leave, Princess. Please have a good night and a restful sleep."
Elia smiled softly, "You too, young Aerian."
Aerian nodded and turned to walk out of the room, leaving a thoughtful Elia behind to digest everything that had been said tonight.