𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 | Mothers

{ Malkym }

✧✦✧

𝕾moothing his clothes once more, Malkym fussed over his appearance as he waited with a baited breath by the gates. 

"Are you alright?" Rhaenyra stood by her betrothed's side, watching as Malkym looked back and forth, waiting for the gates to open. He was excited, and it brought a smile to her face as she watched him.

"I am excited. Greatly so." Malkym turned to her, grin wide and eyes bright. Rhaenyra nodded, hooking her arm through her betrothed's as he turned back. They had been given notice that Malkym's family were close, ready for the week of celebrations for the wedding between the pair, and Rhaenyra was excited to see them once more.

She wished to hear what stories his brothers had.

It took another few minutes of excited fidgeting from Malkym before the gates open and the Thorne sigil appeared. The first to ride in was Calym, closely followed by Michayl and Ser Rickard. Behind them, a carriage bounced along, causing Malkym to narrow his eyes but he was distracted swiftly.

"Brother!" Calym bounded over, embracing the man tightly before remembering that he was supposed to bow to the princess first. "My apologies, Your Grace."

Rhaenyra waved him off. She often wondered if she had siblings that she actually liked, would she have been as close with them as Malkym and his brothers were. She wished for that bond, and sometimes, she regretted how things had been with Aegon, but that was normally swept away quickly.

"It is completely fine. You should speak with your brother first." Calym nodded, bowing his head again before squeezing his brother tighter as Malkym patted him on the back.

"How are you? Are you alright?" Calym nodded as Michayl joined them. Malkym patted his youngest brother's cheek, an eyebrow cocked. "Both of you?"

"It has been a long few weeks." Michayl shrugged, bowing his head to the princess before embracing his brother. "We are happy to be here though. It is good that we can be."

"That is the truth." Malkym patted his brothers on the back again, before turning. "Both of you already know my betrothed, Princess Rhaenyra."

"Yes, we have met before." Calym looked unsure of what to do. Rhaenyra held her hand out to both boys, who kissed it quickly and bowed. Rhaenyra smiled gently at them. 

"It is good to meet you in an official nature." Rhaenyra smiled. "I am looking forward to joining your family when your brother and I marry."

"It'll be nice to have a sister." Calym smiled, his grin turning cheeky as Rhaenyra began to smile. "Malkym and I prayed for one and instead we got Michayl."

"That is a fair compromise, I believe." Michayl rolled his eyes. "I am a good brother."

"That is what we let you believe." Malkym patted him on the back. "We did not want to hurt your feelings."

"You two are just rude." Michayl rolled his eyes. "Now we have a sister, I am sure that she will take my side in these arguments."

"Bold words, brother. Bold words." The boys all laughed, as Rhaenyra found herself chuckling at the infectious nature of their laughter. "There is something else, Malkym..."

"More bad news?" Her betrothed's shoulders slumped for a moment, fearing the worst.

"You do not address your mother as bad news." Malkym paused, before turning with wide eyes at the sight of a frail woman, clutching onto a cane.

"Mother." He hurried down the stairs, holding his arm out for her as he and Ser Rickard helped her up the stone stairs. "You came? You should not have. You have been very unwell and it's so soon after father to make such a journey."

"What sort of mother would I be if I did not see at least one of my boys married?" Malkym's mother, Myra, was clearly of the North. She shared the pale skin and grey eyes that most Northmen carried, along with their dark hair. "Kieran would wish for me to be here. Do not sound so disappointed that you have to behave properly with me around."

"Are you alright?"

"I look much worse than I am, my boy." Myra pressed her hand to his cheek, before bringing him down so that she could kiss his forehead and smooth his hair. Malkym's eyes fluttered shut, leaning into her touch and the lily pin on Rhaenyra's dress burned. She missed her own mother. "Now, introduce me to this wonderful betrothed of yours that I have been hearing far too much about."

"Of course." Malkym turned, before motioning Rhaenyra over. His mother dropped into a curtsy, gripping onto the cane tightly. "Mother, this is Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, heir to the Iron Throne. My betrothed."

"You are beautiful. Far too good to be marrying my son, I fear." Rhaenyra curtsied quickly, merely out of respect for the older woman who had travelled all this way to be at the wedding, before hooking her arm through Malkym's as he smiled down at her. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Myra. I have heard only good things from your son."

"Yes, I would hope so. Though I do worry what comes from his mouth most the time." Myra grinned at her son, eyes twinkling as Calym and Michayl snorted. "I was ashamed not to be able to meet you the last time that you were at Alterwoode, but alas, my condition was too poor. I hope that the dresses fit you well though. I had the boys find them for you."

"They did, my Lady. Thank you and thank you for travelling all this way. I will strive to make this visit as comfortable as possible for you." Rhaenyra smiled. "If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask. I will make sure that it is available."

"You are most kind, Your Grace. But if you please, do not call me My Lady. You will be family soon enough. Myra is fine, my name suits me well." Rhaenyra had heard a similar comment from Malkym many years earlier when they first met, and it made her smile.

"Of course."

"May I ask how you met my fool of a son? He was renowned for not wishing to be married, so a letter from the king telling us of your betrothal was a little shocking." Myra chuckled. "Quite how you managed it, I do not know. But it is nothing short of a miracle."

"My father will tell you that I also was much against marriage." Rhaenyra revealed as Malkym winked at her. "Unfortunately, I walked into the back of him once and he then won my favour in a tourney."

"I see." Myra watched her son grin warmly at her. "How much convincing did your father need to betroth the pair of you?"

"The king likes me." Malkym protested, leading his mother inside as Calym appeared to offer Rhaenyra his arm. She thanked him as she watched Malkym and his mother bicker.

"They are very alike, are they not?" Michayl told her, appearing on her other side as Rhaenyra nodded. "Father always despaired. Malkym got the Thorne temper and the Bare mind for arguments. A dangerous combination. I fear you might spend a lot of time trying to talk people out of trying to kill him."

"Your mother is from the Bare household?" Rhaenyra turned to look at both boys, not having known that. The Bare house, from the North, was one of the strongest and largest cavalry houses in Westeros. Much like the Targaryens were known from their dragons, the Bares were known for their horses.

"Yes, it is an ongoing joke. They betrothed the strongest soldier and largest cavalry force. A remarkable pair our parents were." Calym trailed off. "Mother is looking forward to your wedding, more than anything. The maesters, and we, advised her not to come because she was so frail, but mother insisted. She wishes to see Malkym married, knowing that our father cannot."

"Your mother must miss him." Rhaenyra sighed. "I bet you two do as well."

"Probably just as much as you miss your mother." Michayl replied. "We noticed the lily last time that you were at Alterwoode. We assumed Malkym had given it to you, for your mother."

"He did." Rhaenyra nodded. "My mother was wonderful, as I'm sure your father was."

"Aye, he was. He was harsh but fair, and he was a good father. We will miss him for the rest of our lives." Calym nodded. "But he has given us something to look up to, to strive to be in a sense. We will do him proud."

"I am sure that is true."

"Your mother would be proud of you as well." Calym replied with a smile. "We might not have met her, but I am sure that she would be."

"Yes, the heir to the Iron Throne is something every mother would be proud of." Michayl agreed, as Rhaenyra thanked them, looking up. She caught Malkym's eyes, nodding as he raised an eyebrow. 

"You know..." Calym trailed off, as Rhaenyra turned to him. "We have yet to tell you all of our stories of our brother. It might make you think twice before unfortunately having to be stuck with him for the rest of your life."

Rhaenyra laughed at that.

"Maybe I want to be stuck with him."

"Your Grace, no one willingly would want to be stuck to that. In fact, let me tell you a most funny story of when Malkym was eight." Calym turned to her as him and Michayl struck up a conversation, trying to embarrass Malkym as best they could.

✧✦✧

{ Rhaenyra }

"Your mother is wonderful." Rhaenyra found the three Thorne boys already in the training ground, battling against each other. She leant over the parapet to speak with Malkym, who had abandoned his brothers to smile up at her.

"Isn't she?" Malkym beamed. "My brothers tell me that she brought some of her own jewellery from her wedding for you to wear, should you wish."

Rhaenyra forced down a large grin.

"She thought it would make you feel closer to our family. I think she wishes for you to know that you are always welcome." Malkym put his sword into the dirt, before grinning up at his betrothed. "She likes you. Could not stop telling me how beautiful you were, how I was incredibly lucky and how our children would be incredibly beautiful. I think that is a mother's thing though."

Rhaenyra went quiet, before Malkym caught her hand.

"But I told her we would not be having any children until you were ready, regardless of what the realm thought." Rhaenyra's face went red, before she ducked down so that Malkym couldn't see her expression. 

"I thought that might change. That you might want children quickly now that we are soon to be married."

"That is entirely up to you, not me. It is not me who will have to give birth." Malkym shrugged his shoulder. "I do feel as though Syrax would burn me should I even suggest such a thing as having a child. Or my brothers would strike me down. They are truly excited to have a sister, more so than an older brother. I fear they might like you more than they do me."

"It is because I have a dragon."

"That is true." Malkym nodded. "They are very excited that you have a dragon, as most boys are. Please do not listen to all the stories they tell you, some are embellished."

"It is a bit too late for that."

"Oh no, please do not tell me that they've already began to tell you stories!"

"Malkym! You see your betrothed all the time, you do not see your brothers that often. Come and train!" Michayl called over the din of the courtyard. "Unless you are scared."

"For that comment, in front of my betrothed, I will beat you twice as fast!" Malkym turned, drawing his sword to point it at his younger brother, who merely laughed. "I apologise, my darling dragon. I have to go and show my brothers that I am clearly the far superior sibling and also beat them for telling you stories that they should not."

"I know you are. Win for me."

"I'll prove myself worthy of your favour and hand in marriage once more." Malkym promised, kissing her hand before turning to walk off. The teenager chuckled, before retreating to a seat at the top of the balcony overlooking the courtyard so that she could watch Malkym fight.

"Your Grace."

"Ser Criston." Rhaenyra recognised the voice, taking a moment to watch Malkym fight before she turned to look at him. Her eyes went wide at the sight of a large scar down the side of the King's Guard's face, marring his features. "Who did that to you? That looks horrific."

Ser Criston's eyes turned, drawing a pathway to where Malkym fought back and forth with his brothers. They were amazing fighters, deadly quick with enough power to start sparks across the metal of their blades, though they laughed all the while, merely joking once more. It would be a wonder to see all three fight without jest.

"Malkym did this to you?"

"Yes, Your Grace." Ser Criston nodded. "It is that which I wish to speak with you about."

"Of course. Do you wish for me to ask for him to apologise?" Rhaenyra knew that Malkym would never apologise, but in the effort of keeping the peace, Rhaenyra would put the offer out there.

"No, I wish to offer you protection, Your Grace." Rhaenyra's eyes narrowed.

"From what?"

"From Lord Malkym, Your Grace. He is a dangerous man, one prone to violence as he has showcased many times before..." Ser Criston was overstepping his boundaries here. "...I understand that you must marry him, for duty, but I would like you to know that I am here, to protect you, to keep you safe."

"It is not duty, Ser Criston." Rhaenyra shook her head. "Malkym will not harm me, not in the slightest. It is not the Thorne way."

"That is always the way of things, Princess. But men are known to change their minds on a whim, and I merely wish for you to know that should Lord Malkym do anything, I can protect you." Ser Criston bowed his head. Rhaenyra doubted that last statement, knowing that Malkym was an excellent fighter. "He has scarred me, killed others and who knows what else, he is dangerous. I am sorry that you have to marry him."

"I am not marrying him because I was told to." Rhaenyra scoffed at the notion. "I am marrying Malkym because that is my choice, because I care for him deeply as he cares for me. I understand your worry, Ser Criston, but it is misplaced. Malkym will not harm me."

Ser Criston did not seem convinced.

"Everything alright?" The pair turned, seeing that all three Thorne brothers had stopped fighting, watching them with the same unnerving glare. Their dark eyes flashed dangerously, shoulders tense and swords at the ready.

"Keep my offer in mind, Princess."

"Your Grace?" Malkym asked again.

"It's fine." Ser Criston bowed his head, before walking away as the three Thorne's all huffed, shook their heads and went back to sparring. Rhaenyra turned, finding Malkym still watching her, his eyebrows furrowed, before he turned once more to go back to training.

She chewed on her lip as she watched them, before shaking her head. It would not do her well to dwell on Ser Criston's words. They only served to sew seeds of doubt in her head about her betrothed. He would not harm her, that she was sure of.

✧✦✧

"What did Ser Criston want?" Malkym was sharpening his sword, sitting beneath the Weirwood tree with Rhaenyra as she read. "Do not say nothing, I could see the look on your face."

"It-" Rhaenyra stopped herself from shrugging it off, sighing. "He was meddling where he was not wanted to."

"That is normally the case." Malkym rolled his eyes as Rhaenyra chewed her lips, before asking a question that had been playing on her mind.

"Did you scar him? When he came to speak with you after we returned from Alterwoode?"

"Yes." Malkym nodded, turning to look at her. "He put his hands on me, I marred his face. He should learn not to put his hands on me."

Malkym said it so casually that it almost lulled Rhaenyra into a false sense of security that the words were not as harsh as they seemed to be.

"What did you do to the other two?"

"Broke one of their arms and put a knife through the others hand. What is the issue? I do not understand." Malkym put his sword down, turning towards her. "This was weeks ago and you have never asked me before what happens with the fights I get into."

"There were more fights that I do not know about?"

"No." Malkym shook his head. "None of importance. Rhaenyra, what is going on?"

"Nothing." Rhaenyra turned back to her book, feeling Malkym's eyes on her. Neither said anything for another few minutes, before Rhaenyra slammed the book shut and turned to him. "If I raised my hand to you, would you scar me as you did Ser Criston?"

"Rhaenyra! Gods above, no." Malkym watched her with horror. "Why would you ever think that I would raise a hand to you? Have I ever given you that impression? If so, please tell me. I have to remedy that immediately. I am so sorry that I have given you that impression."

Rhaenyra sighed, watching the genuine panic on Malkym's face as he stumbled over his words. 

"Whatever made you think that I would do something like that?"

"I know that you are a violent man. I know the names they whisper of you, what they call you. Lord Malkym Thorne, the Stranger's Enforcer." Malkym pulled a face at that. "I am under no illusions that you are kind to everyone, I know you have killed, but..."

"What did Ser Criston say?" Malkym's eyebrows furrowed. "He said something. I know it."

"He-" Rhaenyra huffed. "He merely said that he would keep me safe should you ever raise a hand to me, because you are a violent man and despite what you have said, you could change your mind on a whim and something could happen to me."

"Rhaenyra..."

"I know that you would not, but what if you did?"

"I would never." Malkym shook his head.

"You could."

"I would not." Malkym shook his head. "I know that a man's word, especially for you, is hard to trust. I understand that. But Rhaenyra, we are betrothed, you have known me for years, know that I am telling you the truth, I would not harm you ever."

"I know that, Malkym, I know that he is just trying to make me doubt you but, you are right, I do not trust men and I do trust you, but I am scared and we are to be married and I know that I need to have children for me and for you to have heirs, but what happens if I do not want them and they are forced on me anyway. Or you have to make a decision between me and the unborn baby and you do what my father did to my mother, who he loved, and you kill me and the child. What then?" Malkym's face softened at that. "I do not want to die like my mother. He loved her, and yet, he killed her."

"I am not your father."

"You do not have children yet." Rhaenyra pointed out. "What happens if we only have girls?"

"Then we only have girls. I will not love them any less!" Malkym stopped her. "If we only have one child, they are heir to the Iron Throne. If we only have girls, they are still my blood and I will not love them any less! They will be our heirs! If we have no children, I have two brothers! I do not care what will happen in the future, I only care that you are happy and healthy and loved. I do not want you to feel like you have been pressured into anything, least of all children or marriage. If you are worried that I will harm you, then we postpone the wedding until we are sure."

"What?"

"I will not marry you if you are scared, Rhaenyra." Malkym stared at her. "I love you, more than life itself and I will wait for however long you need to feel secure in me, in our relationship."

"I do feel secure with you, I am scared." Rhaenyra felt tears in her eyes. "I am scared of ending up like my mother and father. I am scared of a child that ends up dead, I am scared that I will end up dead. I do not want to die on a birthing bed, Malkym."

Malkym nodded, kneeling in front of her gently as he took her hands and pressed his head to them, before staring up at her with those brown eyes that she adored so much.

"I love you, I love you and I do not want to postpone our wedding but what happens if you do what my father did to my mother? I-" Rhaenyra took a shaking breath, before leaning forward until her head touched Malkym's, tears dripping down her face. She had thought that she was alright, that the fear of childbirth was past her, but one conversation with Ser Criston had changed all of that. 

One of Malkym's hand reached up to cradle her face, smoothing the tears away and pulling her a little closer before he reached down and grabbed his dagger.

"What are you doing?" Rhaenyra looked at him, as Malkym pulled his other hand free and sliced his palm deeply. "Malkym!"

Malkym did not even flinch, setting the dagger down beside him before looking up at her.

"Beneath the stars and gods, of old and new, I swear an oath on my blood that should I ever cause harm on you in any regards be that physically or emotionally, that the gods shall kill me and my soul will never know peace. With my own dagger, I draw my blood as a sign that my word is true and my loyalty is placed. Let it be known that I, Malkym Thorne, have placed my blood oath with Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen." With that, Malkym pressed his palm to the Weirwood tree, bowing his head, before stepping away and picking his dagger back up.

"Malkym?" Rhaenyra looked at him, eyes wide.

"If I ever do anything to harm you, ever, the gods will kill me for it. Do you understand?" Malkym cocked an eyebrow before he pressed his forehead to hers. "I will never harm you."

Rhaenyra softened into him, gripping onto his doublet, her other hand in his hair as relief rolled through her, tears still leaving her eyes.

"I love you, understand? Nothing will happen to you." Malkym whispered, holding her tightly. "I will kill anyone who dares go against you, but my hand shall never be raised to you. Never and I will never do what your father did to your mother, understand?"

"Yes." Rhaenyra placed her hand to his cheek, before taking his bloody hand and ripping the bottom part of her shift, wrapping Malkym's hand until the blood stopped seeping through. "I am sorry."

"Do not be." Malkym kissed her forehead. "This has obviously been on your mind for a while, and I would rather we talked about it before we were married than afterwards. Do not be sorry and thank you for telling me."

Hiya,

So, the wedding is finally next chapter, which should be good fun. Myra and the Thorne brothers are adorable and Ser Criston is just out to meddle. But we also see that Rhaenyra is scared of dying like her mother did, Malkym swore his blood oath to her and also Malkym's nickname is the Stranger's Enforcer because he causes death. Love that for him.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx