Wylis stared at his wife. He didn't know she was aware of his deeper fears. That was exactly why he had delayed impregnating her again. He was working on more medical tools and procedures to ensure her safety.
And naturally, due to the nature of his relationship with the women, Wylis knew he needed to affirm his desire and feelings towards them from time to time, so they wouldn't feel neglected or like a burden. And clearly, Lyanna understood that as well.
"Ugh… I don't know if I should envy this fucker or curse him." Brandon grumbled from his seat. "You were lucky you found my sister."
Wylis nodded. "Aye, I feel the same, my friend. Now, back to work, all of you. Lady Elia, bring me the population record. Ashara, help me write a few ravens. Benjen, Lyanna, see the men drilled in blade and bow. Brandon, have a look at the ships as well."
Urgently, all those who had eaten got up and went to work.
Rhaella remained in place; her duty was watching over the children, something she loved doing. Besides, she carried one herself. Wenda was also there to protect, but she would at times teach the men how to swing the blade.
Wylis kept himself busy the entire day. He wrote ravens, taught a few things to Qyburn, inspected the printing press, the penicillin farm, and the chemical lab. Afterwards, he inspected all the ongoing constructions in the administrative district, then the tree felling in the industrial district. Finally, he checked the ships, picking those he planned to send to Essos with Archmaester Ebrose.
Finally, as the sun began to set, he found Lyanna in the stables, brushing Caliburn's mane, even braiding it.
"Seems the big boy is getting babied." Wylis walked inside, eyeing the big horse. He could feel how happy Caliburn was, loving the brushes.
"He deserves it," Lyanna said. "He's been with you through so many battles and adventures. He's family, and I feel he can understand what I'm saying most of the time."
"He can."
"What?!"
Lyanna turned towards him.
"He understands what we feel and what we mean, not the exact words. If I tell him to go, fetch help, or carry something, he knows. In turn, I can sense when he needs something through his emotions. We share a… strong bond."
"That's incredible," Lyanna muttered and patted Caliburn on the snout. "He's always been an odd one."
"Aye, that he is. Now come along, you two. Caliburn, you're with us. I'll need someone to guard the place. Besides, it's as much a surprise for you, finally a place you can roam around and laze freely."
[Fascinated.]
Instead of walking, Wylis climbed onto Caliburn's back. Although there was no saddle, the big horse knew how to move without shaking too much. Then, he pulled Lyanna up as well, in front of him, holding her sideways.
"Walk into the main keep, Cali."
"Neighehe!"
"Where are we going?"
"To a place you'll probably be spending most of your time from today," Wylis said, steering Caliburn to take a turn once inside the guarded main keep.
Soon, they crossed a new, high, double door which led them to a lowering slope.
The slope led them into a rather wide tunnel. The torches illuminated it well enough. And moments later, they arrived at the tunnel's edge. Since the castle sat on a high mesa, they ended up reaching the tunnel's end, which was an opening inside that mesa's edge, overlooking the moat.
"So that's what you were working on?"
Wylis said nothing and kept moving. A drawbridge was there, taking them over the deep, watery moat. The metal gate beyond it was open, revealing hints of greenery.
"I hated that you and others couldn't go out to take a walk. Forced to stay within the castle, with only the little garden and the spring for comfort. It wasn't enough. I wanted to give you a small forest of our own, with flowers, a quiet pavilion to sit and eat, and a grassy training field where our children could play, ride, and learn the sword and bow."
Wylis let the scenery do the magic. He slowed Caliburn, who himself seemed interested in this new region unlocked for him to wander.
Already, Wylis had lit up all the oil lamps on the metal posts along the way. And as the sun set, the view was mesmerizing in the dim light. He squeezed his arms harder around her slim waist and hugged her.
The area was nearly half the size of the entire new administrative district. The best part about this walled forest was that it was completely private, only accessible from within the main keep where Wylis and the women lived. Not even guards were allowed in there. Even if the guards were to patrol the boundary walls of that forest, they wouldn't see anything happening inside due to the trees.
It was private and beautiful. The oil lamps illuminated the wide path. Each side had countless trees, and the road's edges were lined with flowers. Lyanna hadn't spoken since the beginning, even as they arrived at the resting pavilion.
It was a raised structure made of stones with a four-sided, slanted, tiled roof. It had no walls or doors, just an airy place to sit and relax. Four of its sides had oil lamps, making sure one could be there even at night, as they were.
But instead of stopping, he led the horse further, and then took a left to arrive in front of another hot spring, walled from one side by large boulders. Still, Lyanna said nothing, so Wylis turned back and took her further into the forest eastward, finally arriving at the large clearing.
It was the trailing field, large enough to ride your horse in circles. Oval in shape, it was surrounded by green hedges, and the ground was grassy. Six oil lamps kept the entire field decently illuminated; the rest was the moon's job.
Other than those three locations, the entire area was covered in multiple varieties of trees. He chose not to build too many things there as the trees were preferred for the fresh air.
"Wylis…"
Finally, he heard Lyanna speak. Her voice came out gentler than usual.
"Must have been hard to make all this."
Wylis hummed with a nod, looking around as Caliburn stood still in the middle of the training field. "I wouldn't say hard. But it sure took time. Had to uproot and drag a few hundred trees myself. I just called it regular training and did it. Had to build the pavilion with my hands, though. My powers lack finer details. Spring was easy—"
Before he could continue, he felt Lyanna stir a lot and suddenly leaned forward, escaping his hold. She turned her entire body around whilst they were still on Caliburn's back. How she did that was something even poor Caliburn was shocked by, staring back with a side eye. The woman was really athletic.
"Wylis." Lyanna was face to face with Wylis now, her hands reached up to his face, her thumb rubbing over his lips while her eyes were… moist?
"What happened?" Wylis asked with a frown. "Did I miss something?"
"No, you missed nothing, and that's the problem. How do you do this?"
"Uh? Do what?" He asked back, a little confused. "Earthb—"
"Read my mind," Lyanna whispered, leaning in closer, using his hands on her bottom to lift herself higher so her lips could brush his. "Every time I start doubting whether I still live in your heart, you do something that shows me how foolish I'm being. Gods, let this woman feel angry for once."
Huh?
Wylis just squeezed her bottom harder and pulled her in against his chest. "I'm not sure how to say it plain, but I love you… a lot. More than I can reckon. If anyone tried to take you from me, I'd raise a hundred rebellions without a second thought. Or… I'd happily give up all this, my gifts and everything, if you're content in living like this, just nobles of Ramsgate—"
"Shh… What kind of woman would I be if I held my husband back from growing? You told me the truth before you ever asked me to marry you. You gave me every chance to walk away, and I still chose this life with you. So never say something so foolish again.
"I'm simply… I'm a woman, Wylis, and you're all I have. You're closer to me than any of my blood. I fear that one day… You'll meet some woman out there and just… forget me."
Wylis hummed and tried to think. Was there any such woman out there? Definitely not. Lyanna was the peak of his luck beside the Tyrant's Squire, and his god-gifted, strong body.
"And then you do something like this, and I feel awful for thinking those things. I feel so guilty for doubting you, and I hate myself a little for it."
Wylis finally pulled her in and kissed her lips. He didn't want to hear more of her self-deprecating thoughts.
The chirping of the insects around. The night was finally upon them.
______________________
Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 12 long chapters of this story on P@treon. That's equal to 45-50 Webnovel chapters.
Check out Solo Dacey Mormont & Wylis X Elia NSFW art, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens
Old Free Art on Discord: https://discord.gg/W5FdB6WXaP