[ She could tell him of Sansa's wedding night, of how the Imp had been roused to take her, but out of pity he had forsaken his husbandly duties. He had not wished to be married to her any more than she had wanted to be married to him; the lack of consummation attested to that. But no, that is not a tale she is eager to relay. Besides, he asks about Alayne now, about Sansa's flight and the birth of a bastard. For a moment, Alayne wonders if she should tell the whole of it, if Stannis will suss the unfilled gaps and empty spaces and will assume her a liar for them (quite right of him, for a liar is what she is).
Her thoughts move passingly over Dontos — Sansa's sad Florian, her supposed knight. Thickly she swallows and speaks carefully, not out of fear but precision, as if unwilling to let even the slightest detail escape Lord Stannis' perusal.
Petyr— The word is there upon her tongue but she catches herself from speaking it. ] Lord Baelish helped me in my flight from the capital, certain that the queen would call for my head in the wake of Joffrey's death. There was so much confusion, the whole keep was a tumult. I stole away to the water's edge and he took me away. [ Demonstrably she touches the mockingbird upon her breast, followed by a lock of her dark brown hair. ] Tully red, he said, would catch the eye too readily and so he hid me in plain sight. We chose the name Alayne— [ A lie. Sansa had wanted to be called Catelyn after her mother, but Petyr had chosen his mother instead. ] —and made me a Stone.
He took me with him to the Fingers. [ Then afterwards the Vale, but Alayne does not make mention of her aunt nor her own perilous peer down the Moon Door's gullet. ] He said no one would think look for me there and no one did.
[ Curiouser and curiouser. What sort of game was Littlefinger playing at? What could he have possibly hoped to gain from such? There was much and more that Stannis Baratheon did not know, and he misliked it.
But he knew Lord Baelish well enough to know that the man could not be trusted. ]
And what of your lord husband? They say he too vanished in the wake of Joffrey's death, though not before murdering Lord Tywin.
[ And there you remain. Alayne bites her tongue and makes no protest, only lowering her gaze in reply. Such a look was often taken as concession, as was decided silence, and so Alayne offers both, allowing such misunderstanding to color the truth that Lord Stannis gathers to him. (Better to let her dumbness lie for her, rather than to speak it herself. There was less blame in it — wasn't there?)
Her expression pinches at the word husband. Oh, she did wish Lord Stannis would stop repeating it, though it was not in her place to remand a king, let alone one that held her under such close examination. Although the game of thrones eluded them here, it did not mean Alayne was not better served by caution. Of all of her secrets, Lord Stannis knew many and the only way to keep such truths safe was to win his favor, or at least his word. (The later seemed much more likely than the former.)
Whatever displeasure shows in Alayne's expression, she banishes it quickly. ] Forgive me, Your Grace, but I know not of Lord Tyrion's fate. If he gave flight from the Red Keep, it was not in our wake. We travelled alone, quick and with purpose. I can only assume Lord Tyrion did the same.
[ he moves his teeth from side to side... slowly, before finally replying. ]
I believe you.
[ he had once spoken the same words to Jon Snow on the Wall, when he had told him an equally curious tale. yet, though he had never been fond of the man, he knew Ned Stark to be a man of hid word, and his daughter would gain nothing by spinning such a manner of elaborate tale. and it did explain many things that had given him pause.
but none could quite explain what Petyr Baelish meant to do with the Stark girl, and what that would mean for Westeros. ]
[ Alayne watches as Lord Stannis grinds his teeth, her eyes landing on the exact spot where his left jaw hinges from side to side. Did Sansa ever know a man of the same manner? She cannot recall and so is left uncertain as to what such a grinding of teeth means. (Perhaps he lies and thinks her unfaithful. Perhaps his mind says one thing and his gut another and that grinding helps forge the diference. But no — that did not sit well with Lord Stannis' character. He was a man of justice, not gut, not lies.)
He claims to believe her and Alayne has no choice to believe him in kind.
She bows low now, lower than she ever has to him in the past. ] Thank you, Your Grace. [ It is not a matter of thanks, of course. Perhaps Lord Stannis would go as far as to remind her as much. Still, courtesies are courtesies. ]
May I ask, Your Grace, what is to become of me?
[ What is to become of the truth is a more accurate question. ]
[ What is to become of her? Aboard this vessel, there was little to be done, was there not? There was no Iron Throne (no war, perhaps, for there were none to fight it). Still... ]
I would find you a more suitable husband than Tyrion Lannister, my lady. [ a slight pause, and perhaps as an afterthought... ]
And a more trustworthy guardian than Lord Petyr Baelish.
[ Eager comes her reply, too eager perhaps to a wary eye. ] Lord Baelish saved me from great treachery, [ Alayne says, dipping her head as if some physical show of obeisance would counter the defiance in her words. ] Would it be not for his grace and sacrifice, my head would decorate the walls of the Red Keep. It would be ungrateful of me to return such favor with suspicion, Your Grace.
[ Perhaps the truth was evident to Lord Stannis, but it seemed less so to Alayne. For despite the quick clip of her words, there was earnestness there in her voice as well. Genuine gratitude and something else, perhaps. Something more profound, like loyalty or love. ] Time and again, he has protected me.
[ His words are blunt, and he lacks tact. Yet, he can never bring himself to soften them, not even for a young maid. ]
Your trust is misplaced.
[ He does not pretend to comprehend her odd maner of affection, and nor does he care. It seems far too simple to him. Petyr Baelish always had some motive behind each action, something that would benefit that game he had been so fond of.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
( video | same encryption )
Her thoughts move passingly over Dontos — Sansa's sad Florian, her supposed knight. Thickly she swallows and speaks carefully, not out of fear but precision, as if unwilling to let even the slightest detail escape Lord Stannis' perusal.
Petyr— The word is there upon her tongue but she catches herself from speaking it. ] Lord Baelish helped me in my flight from the capital, certain that the queen would call for my head in the wake of Joffrey's death. There was so much confusion, the whole keep was a tumult. I stole away to the water's edge and he took me away. [ Demonstrably she touches the mockingbird upon her breast, followed by a lock of her dark brown hair. ] Tully red, he said, would catch the eye too readily and so he hid me in plain sight. We chose the name Alayne— [ A lie. Sansa had wanted to be called Catelyn after her mother, but Petyr had chosen his mother instead. ] —and made me a Stone.
He took me with him to the Fingers. [ Then afterwards the Vale, but Alayne does not make mention of her aunt nor her own perilous peer down the Moon Door's gullet. ] He said no one would think look for me there and no one did.
( video | same encryption )
[ Curiouser and curiouser. What sort of game was Littlefinger playing at? What could he have possibly hoped to gain from such? There was much and more that Stannis Baratheon did not know, and he misliked it.
But he knew Lord Baelish well enough to know that the man could not be trusted. ]
And what of your lord husband? They say he too vanished in the wake of Joffrey's death, though not before murdering Lord Tywin.
( video | same encryption )
Her expression pinches at the word husband. Oh, she did wish Lord Stannis would stop repeating it, though it was not in her place to remand a king, let alone one that held her under such close examination. Although the game of thrones eluded them here, it did not mean Alayne was not better served by caution. Of all of her secrets, Lord Stannis knew many and the only way to keep such truths safe was to win his favor, or at least his word. (The later seemed much more likely than the former.)
Whatever displeasure shows in Alayne's expression, she banishes it quickly. ] Forgive me, Your Grace, but I know not of Lord Tyrion's fate. If he gave flight from the Red Keep, it was not in our wake. We travelled alone, quick and with purpose. I can only assume Lord Tyrion did the same.
( video | same encryption )
I believe you.
[ he had once spoken the same words to Jon Snow on the Wall, when he had told him an equally curious tale. yet, though he had never been fond of the man, he knew Ned Stark to be a man of hid word, and his daughter would gain nothing by spinning such a manner of elaborate tale. and it did explain many things that had given him pause.
but none could quite explain what Petyr Baelish meant to do with the Stark girl, and what that would mean for Westeros. ]
( video | same encryption )
He claims to believe her and Alayne has no choice to believe him in kind.
She bows low now, lower than she ever has to him in the past. ] Thank you, Your Grace. [ It is not a matter of thanks, of course. Perhaps Lord Stannis would go as far as to remind her as much. Still, courtesies are courtesies. ]
May I ask, Your Grace, what is to become of me?
[ What is to become of the truth is a more accurate question. ]
( video | same encryption )
I would find you a more suitable husband than Tyrion Lannister, my lady. [ a slight pause, and perhaps as an afterthought... ]
And a more trustworthy guardian than Lord Petyr Baelish.
[ Yet that should have been evident. ]
( video | same encryption )
[ Perhaps the truth was evident to Lord Stannis, but it seemed less so to Alayne. For despite the quick clip of her words, there was earnestness there in her voice as well. Genuine gratitude and something else, perhaps. Something more profound, like loyalty or love. ] Time and again, he has protected me.
There are few I trust more.
( video | same encryption )
Your trust is misplaced.
[ He does not pretend to comprehend her odd maner of affection, and nor does he care. It seems far too simple to him. Petyr Baelish always had some motive behind each action, something that would benefit that game he had been so fond of.
And Stannis would not trust him. ]