"It's a trap," Brandon said as soon as they were alone. His brother nodded, looking at Jaehaerys with a frown. Seldom had the prince acted on impulse.
"Do you remember when I went to the Isle of Faces?"
"We do. Blessed be the gods who wanted you there. This is different, my prince," Torrhen said. "We are far from our gods." His voice was dry.
"You think he'll kill me?"
"In a fair fight, there's no man who could," Brandon said, rolling his eyes. "But we don't know if it will be a fair fight, Jae. There are no witnesses, no audience. The only people in this castle are Wode's men." He sighed. "They could put a dagger in your back while you sleep. Or riddle you with arrows. Then they'd kill us and say we tried to avenge you after you died fairly," he continued, though he had no fear of dying.
"I doubt he has enough arrows," the prince joked.
"This is no time for that, my prince," Torrhen chided him. "You are the cleverest person I know. Why do this?" he asked, genuinely curious. Brandon muttered something that sounded like 'stupid pride.'
Jaehaerys thought for a few seconds. There was something strange about the castle, something magical. He did not know what it was, but it seemed to be what gave Wode some measure of confidence. He could leave that very day and never return. He would look a coward, yes, but he would be alive.
But did that something truly exist? Or was it only his paranoia? Could it kill him? The prince could not answer those questions, and that uncertainty made him want to stay, fight, and find out.
"Curiosity. My dragon will be nearby. Wode knows it, the priest knows it. What makes them so certain they can demand a trial by combat?" the prince wondered.
"You have a daughter, Jae," Brandon whispered.
Those words nearly made the prince abandon the fight.
"I don't plan to die," the prince said.
"Oh, wonderful, you don't plan to die," Torrhen said loudly. His voice was not restrained in the slightest. "How many idiots plan their own deaths? Only a few whose lives have driven them to the brink. How many young men die in war, or are murdered for a few copper coins… death gives no warning, Jae," Torrhen whispered.
Torrhen had never spoken to him like that. The prince stared at him, wide-eyed. It was not that the man never contradicted him, only that he had never used that tone. Even Brandon looked at him in surprise. Jaehaerys looked from one brother to the other. Brandon seemed worried, but not afraid. Torrhen, on the other hand, looked frightened.
"You're afraid to die," Jae whispered, surprised. "Lyanna is pregnant?" the prince asked.
Torrhen looked away. His jaw tightened, but he did not say a word. The prince looked up at the stone ceiling. He did not know how to react. Lyanna was the queen dowager. Rhaegar had died seven moons ago. It was too soon. There would be questions. How could they hide it?
"Go home, Torrhen. You too, Brandon." The other man still had his mouth hanging open. "The dragon is protection enough."
"The princess will hang us by the balls and have the dragons swallow us alive," Brandon said. He made no mention of his brother's impending fatherhood.
"Just go. I'll handle the rest." The prince sat in a wooden chair, uncomfortable as shit, but there was nothing better in the room Wode had given them. "Think of a way to explain why the queen dowager is pregnant, Torrhen," he told him bluntly.
"We have a duty, my prince," Torrhen said. He suddenly calmed.
"I won't die here. I already told you," the prince said.
Jaehaerys ran a hand over his clothes. Runes had been inscribed into the cloth. It was as tough as steel. A sword would not bite into it. That gave him confidence. Only his head would remain unprotected, if he did not wear a hood to cover it.
"Then neither will we," Brandon said.
Three knocks sounded at the door. Jaehaerys ordered whoever it was to enter. The person who came in was the boy, Wode's son. The one who meant to wed Rhaelle. He was about twelve namedays old. Jaehaerys did not think highly of him.
"Leave us," he told the two brothers. They gave the boy warning looks and left. Brandon began questioning his brother as soon as they were a little farther away.
"My prince." The boy dropped to his knees at once. He trembled like a leaf. He was short, but sturdily built.
"If you came to tell me you intend to take care of my daughter, I suggest you leave," the prince said.
The boy shook his head hard. For a few moments he said nothing. Sweat ran down his brow. His eyes darted around the room. He opened his mouth to speak.
He coughed, choking on his own saliva.
The prince took pity on him and offered him a cup of water. The boy drank from it and ended up spitting some out after drinking too quickly.
"What did you come here for?" Jaehaerys asked flatly.
"Uff." The boy seemed to calm himself. He looked at the floor as he began to speak. "My father died two moons ago, my prince," the boy said.
"What?" The revelation caught the prince by surprise. "He died?"
'That magic was R'hllor's,' the prince realized at once.
"Yes, my prince. The septon, he brought him back… but he wasn't my father. I don't know who he is. He's like a shell with his memories," the boy said.
"I see." The septon was a man of R'hllor. That made more sense.
The Red God could not enter ArgentStone, so he had needed to make the prince leave his castle. A good plan, certainly. A good plan.
"What is your name?"
"Eldric, my prince," he answered at once. It was the same name Ser Wode bore. He spoke with more confidence now that the prince seemed to believe him.
"Eldric, eh… tell me, what else do you know?" the prince asked in a whisper.
"I… I only know that my father will choose a champion. A strong, tall man. I've seen him fight, I've seen him fight… gods, it was as if the Warrior had taken human form," the boy said. He could not hide the admiration in his eyes.
Jaehaerys did not know how seriously to take that worship. The boy was young, after all. He would not have attended many tourneys, nor fought in wars. His experience was limited.
"Is he the reason your father is so confident?" the prince asked. The boy only nodded.
"My father knows who he is. He was very happy when he saw him. When the man arrived at the castle, he kept his face hidden. My father took him beneath our roof. He was only another guest, a hedge knight. But one day one of my father's men saw him without his hood and recognized him. My father executed the man and spoke with the knight," the boy recounted fearfully. "Two days later, he left for ArgentStone," he finished.
"You know nothing else?" the prince asked, his eyes fixed on the boy's.
"No, my prince. I know nothing else," the boy said.
"Why are you telling me all of this?" the prince asked.
"Because I want to free my father. I don't know if the septon controls him, or if his body is only being used for sorcery… I want to learn the truth, and I want him to be free." Jaehaerys laid a hand atop the boy's head.
"I'll free him, boy. I promise you," the prince said. "Go, or they'll start asking questions. If you hear anything else, come directly to me," he added. "If you're in danger, you can come to me as well. I'll protect you," he promised.
The prince was left alone in the room. He brushed his fingers over one of the runes on the table. The rune kept any sound within a radius of three metres from escaping. An anti-eavesdropping rune, basically. Otherwise he would never have dared speak so freely in an unfamiliar place.
Who could the mysterious warrior be?