Freedom From – Part 3
previous chapters: FOUND HERE synopsis: Aemond x Peasant OC; Lyn gets her first taste of the Lannister lifestyle and its sickening. ~2k wc music inspiration: that scene in Spirted Away where her parents feast themselves into pigs warnings: none? interim chapter, nothing much happens. next steps: Now that the "plot" is happening in this story, I'm going to go back and edit the previous chapters to make them more coherent and flow together, rather than being in a race against my own motivation to get the story on paper. Would love to hear what people think, and want more of! I love this story so much, I'm excited to share it with everyone~
There was no time to think, and Lyn was glad of that. It had been promised to her that she would never be forced to think again, and perhaps they had fulfilled that promise. She hadn’t had time to think about it.
Lyn was hungry, or Lynora, she did not know who she was anymore. The tent was as much a puzzle as a field of wheat swaying in the breeze. The bitter wind from the swamps fluttered the walls and made Lyn dizzy, as hands grabbed her from every direction and pulled her into new room after room.
Her hands and face was scrubbed, by bristles as soft as lace, not that Lyn had ever had the pleasure, Aeditya would never allow her to touch a fabric so fine, her lowborn hands might stain the fabric.
Lyn regarded her hands, turning them over as the rose petals washed away the dirt and a sponge of a yellow cloud wiped away her impurities. Were her hands still those of a lowborn? If someone like Aeditya could not tell them apart. Lyn had always thought of Aeditya a lady so fine, with her soft fabrics and cups of polished silver.
But, compared to the ladies Lyn had before her, she wasn’t so sure any longer. The women washing her hands, more diligently than Lyn had done anything before in her life, “Are you a maid?” Lyn asked, the woman’s clothes had thread of gold weaved around her neckline.
The woman scoffed and did not answer, simply continued to scrub her hands.
“Ow!” Lyn jumped as another woman passed a small wooden rod beneath her fingernails to remove years of dirt, clearly the sponge scrubbing had not satisfied the noble looking ladies.
The two ladies before her, looking concerned at one another when regarding Lyn’s plain clothes, Lyn looked down and startled as one of the maids screamed at her to not wipe her nearly clean hands on such filthy skirts.
Another woman was called in and Lyn’s overdress was untied so quickly, Lyn was sure the woman had cut the laces with a knife. There was no time to protest, as there was no time to think. She was ushered into sleeves and an apron, of silken brocade crimson, followed by an overdress, faceted in the front with golden buckles.
Lyn watched herself in the polished stone, and could not believe what she saw.
“You look like a servant,” one said, massaging her temples that arched with annoyance.
“This is more fine than anything Ive ever owned,” Lyn replied, still not daring to touch any of the fabrics with her clean hands.
“It’ll have to do,” the ladies threw up their hands in surrender, finally ushering Lyn behind another curtain tapestry.
Her mouth was open, her eyes could not see all that there was before her, her nose could not understand. There were others at the table, the beautiful woman with the smile too large for her face, who claimed to be her aunt, a younger version of that woman, and the lying prince, whoever he was.
Lyn or Lynora had never seen so much food in a single place after the countless number of markets she had sold her baskets at. Out of all the markets, out of all the food, nothing even began to compare to this feast. She was surely Lynora now, as Lyn had surely died and went to the seventh most heaven.
She did not even wait for the servers to place the dishes before she started putting new and fascinating things into her mouth. Some were sweet, some were bitter, some she was sure was not meant to be eaten, but Lyn did not care.
First came greens of all shades and colors, so fresh Lyn was sure the lion nobles had dragged around pots of dirt to carry their royal leafy greens. She had never seen green in such colors and textures. Some had curly tops, greens curled together it resembled hair on a bird. Some were long and stringy, with little stalks and bursts like the tiniest of felled tree. Some was even purple, on a leaf, and she ate it. She ate it all.
There were breads with creams and sprinklings of greens that tasted like the finest dessert and heartiest meal she had ever tried. The bread snapped in her mouth, toasted and crunchy and the cheese mushed and spread.
There was soup as bright red as the fine silks that wrapped around every surface in her view, it was a good thing, as the red stains did not show up as she dribbled droplets from her spoon on the way to her mouth. Lyn solved the problem by drinking the soup straight from the bowl.
Lyn heard a giggle, and was snapped out of the trance the meal had found her in. She had never had so many flavors in her mouth at once, and it was strangely overwhelming.
“What?” she asked to the small girl seated beside her. She had a round face, and a round body to match. Her decorated clothes and painted face gave her the appearance of someone much older than Lyn suspected she really was.
The girl offered Lyn handkerchief, a beautiful white amongst the reds.
Lyn smiled and tried to remember all the things she had learned about being polite and how to speak to ladies as she accepted the handkerchief, but her mind was sucked back into her dream as the largest crisped first was placed before her. She forked the eyeball and moaned into the taste
She had spent the past dozen winters feeling hollow and hungry, she knew the ache of giving away her bread to those more unfortunate and the anger when someone does not pay back in kind. She knew what it felt to be cheated, to be wronged, to have the last dregs of food stolen from her.
Lyn still not had time to decide if she believed the golden haired woman with a smile too large, but she was not going to waste a good time worrying about it. The lion nobles could not steal her food if it were already in her belly, and she had no coin to give as payment. Lyn was not going to waste the opportunity before her, she was here to eat, just in case they kicked her out the way she came after realizing her mistake. She would be out with a fully belly.
There was a goose next, or a duck, Lyn could not be sure, as it was massive either way. Fresh fruits stuffed down its throat and into its belly, turning the meat so succulent and moist, she had forgone the utensils and tore into the meat with her hands.
A savory sauce in a short pitcher, Lyn had only ever seen these during the feasts at Erenford Keep, otherwise they were locked away in their most prized cupboard. Lyn tried to remember what she had seen the nobles doing with the brothy liquid, but she settled for dunking the meats into it. It was a delicious idea.
The youngest lioness girl was excited as she watched the strange woman Cinda had found, Cordelia imagined this was what it was like eating with a wildling she had heard so many stories about.
She removed her rings, joined in tarring into the bird, though much more delicately than the wildling, daintily dipping the tendons in the brown sauce. “Did the Motherhouse not have utensils?” she asked, eager to hear the answer. She had never heard the Septas preach about such things.
“We more did not have the food,” Lyn spoke with a mouth filled with meats trickling out. There was something white mash coming from behind the curtains, Lyn craned her neck to see. “When young, we could gather all the bowls and plates from the Motherhouse and we we would pretend to have feasts just like this with all the empty–“
“This isn't a feast, this is luncheon!” Cordelia laughed.
Both girls dipped their fingers into the newest dish offered at the table.
It was time for the woman at the head of the table to laugh, with her mouth too wide and her gums more bright than her painted lips. Her laugh was short and controlled, like bells from the steeples of the temple. Lyn had not noticed for sticking she was as a figure. Her deep red gown, the color of dried blood, hung nearly off her shoulders, revealing a lower neckline than even Lady Aditya ever dared wear. Blue jewels on golden chains hung around her neck, just above the cleft of her breasts. Lyn could almost blush at the thought of wearing something so revealing of her womanly features, those were to be hidden under layers of thick fabrics, not to give anyone the wrong idea.
Lyn supposed the woman at the head of the table could give anyone any idea she wished. Her nose stopped at a sharp point, amongst thin cheeks. The lashes her of eyes were so dark and luscious, Lyn could see them framing her eyes from across the table. Her upper lip disappeared into her smile, exposing layers of pink healthy gums, holding onto her overly large teeth. Lyn had never seen teeth so perfect. She, herself, had lost a tooth on the side of her face as a child, and another one deep inside her mouth from searing pain and rot. The first tooth was knocked out in a hard tumble, and the other was pried out by a Maester with thick irons. Lyn supposed this woman had never lost anything in her life, let alone teeth.
Well, she supposed, except for…her? Lynora.
She licked the fluffy sugared white froth from her fingers, Lyn had always had a knack for making the younger kids laugh, and Cordelia was no exception. The young lion noble dragged her fingers from the whipped creams and nearly lost herself to laugher when Lyn dotted the cream onto her own nose.
“Don’t you start in,” Cinda chuckled at the movement of the white haired boy.
“I’m not a child!” he snapped back, shooting straight into his chair back.
Lyn stopped, mid sip from her ruby wine. She looked at Cordelia who looked away. The silver haired boy looked unhappy, his arms crossed around her chest, Cinda looked jovial.
“And…” Lyn started, wiping the cream from her nose and turning towards the white haired boy with only one eye, who had been quiet at the table until now, “who are you?”
Both Cinda and Cordelia enjoyed that.
“Oh, you have never met?” Cinda asked, raising her glass. “I’m so surprised!”
Aemond and Lyn locked eyes, Lyn’s mouth stopped chewing her food, she was going to be sick.
“Your paths have never crossed before? You mean to tell me you’ve never been to the Red Keep or King’s Landing? Or even Dragonstone?”
“Have you?” Cordelia asked, Lyn shook her head, Cinda was only jesting, and Lyn let out a breath.
“Never?” Cordelia wondered. “It’s not very far, I think only a few weeks ride.”
“I’ve been to The Twins a few times,” Lyn admitted.
“Do you really not know who he is?” Cordelia asked, looking between Lyn and the white haired man.
Lyn mimicked Aemond, as he shook his own head. She eyes had not left hers.
“No – are we related as well?” she asked, reluctantly. Everything she had learned today had been so strange already, she would not be surprised if another pale haired person was in her newly sprouted family tree.
“My dear, this is the Aemond Targaryen,” Cinda put her glass down, as if that meant something to Lyn, “a prince of the seven kingdoms, second son to King Viseryrs and Queen Alicent.”
Lyn was going to be sick.
Cinda sighed and motioned towards something.
A person appeared at Lyn’s side with a large golden bowl, startling Lyn, her stomach lurched, she had not realized how many other people had been in the room with them while feasting. The walls were lined with people. Servants she supposed.
Lyn had to admit, she did look more similar to the servants than the beautiful nobles at the other end of the table.
“A prince?” Lyn asked, she burped air into her throat. Perhaps the liar prince had not been a liar after all. She watched him with new eyes, his dark leather clothes were fine, and free from debris or distress. It looked as soft as silk, and under all the black, dark stitchings of dragons weaved around his chest. He really was a prince. A dragon prince. Perhaps she should not have joked about him having her killed so many times.
“You two are not related, though you do share relations with Prince Aemond’s elder half-sister,” Cinda continued, as she waited for a servant to finish filling her cup.
Lyn could taste all the flavors coming back up into her throat.
“Our shared foremother – yours, mine and Cordelia’s that is, hails from The Vale, and is half-sisters to Princess Rhaenyra’s own mother, the late Queen Aemma…”
Lyn hugged the large golden bowl against her chest. Perhaps there was one way the lion nobles could have all their food back.
“Elys Arryn joined House Lannister through marriage not long after the birth of the future Queen Aemma Arryn, and had a son all her own, mine own father, your grandsire the Lord–“
Lyn was sick into the golden bowl.
authors notes: thanks for reading! There’s going to be a few interim scenes, I’m excited for them, but I know they can be boring to write, so I’m trying to chug along! I’m going to go back and start editing the earlier chapters so they are easier to read going forward~ I’ll repost the bits as I edit them~
Sneak Peak for themed from next few chapters:
Cinda: “I’m offering you family!”
Lyn: “You offer me family with conditions.”
Cinda: “Every family comes with conditions. Only a child would think otherwise.”
