"I hope that our hospitality reaches your standards," said Lady Nymella Toland.
Her skin had a darker hue than most of those in the region. Her mother had been of House Qorgyle before she became Lady Toland, and Nymella Toland received her skin tone from the woman, passing it to her daughters in turn. Old enough to show a smattering of wrinkles, Nymella had salt and pepper hair, spots of gray appearing amongst the red, while her nose had a distinctive downward curve at the tip. Percy thought she looked like a cross between a substitute math teacher and a hawk.
He could barely hear her question. The dining room of Ghost Hill was full of music, a trio of musicians performing a ballad telling Nymeria's conquest. There were at least two dozen people present at the dinner, from distant Toland relatives to the maester, the master-at-arms, and all of the household's knights. Even Teora had been dragged from wherever she ran off to and forced to sit with her sister in between Percy and Lady Toland. In spite of the lukewarm greeting in the courtyard, it quickly became clear that house Toland had been expecting a visit, preferably by Arianne herself, and had set up a suitable occasion.
"How could I have complaints?" Percy said. "The lady of the keep is greeting me herself. What more could I want?"
His voice was heard more easily over the song than hers. It was louder, and deeper too. Lady Toland treated him to a smile that said nothing of what she was thinking.
"I'm glad to find the Princess's agent so agreeable," Lady Toland said. "Does she always operate in such unconventional ways? When we received word that she had arrived at Spottswood, I always believed she would not ignore us. I didn't expect her to act so decisively, and through a proxy, no less."
"You must be well thought of," Valena said. "Who is your knight and master?"
"The princess' uncle."
"Prince Oberyn?" Valena's eyebrows had climbed her forehead. She seemed to enjoy sitting next to Percy more than she had a moment before, which said plenty given the looks she had been treating him to since the courtyard. "They say he is the most skilled warrior in Dorne, even ignoring his position."
"Do you come from a noble house?" Lady Toland asked.
"Not from Dorne."
"From where, then?"
"Across the ocean," Percy said. "Far away."
The singer reached the crescendo of his song. As the lyrics told the room of King Yronwood's defeat, Percy cut a strip of beef. Of course, it was spicy. Almost everything was here in Dorne and this was pepper territory. Percy suspected the Toland's were as spicy as the crop they were known for, because Lady Toland was looking at him like a weed she wanted to rip from the earth, just so she could get a look at his roots.
"You're an enigma," Lady Toland said. "Certainly not boring, as far as agents go. From youth, Arianne has always been fond of exciting men. Now that you've arrived, how do you intend to spend your time?"
"There's not much for me to do." Percy brought a strip of beef to his mouth, chewed it, swallowed, and smiled. "That I haven't already done, I mean."
For a moment, all three of the Toland's were silent. Teora already had been, focusing on her food like a lifeline as she sat between her mother and her sister. Valena looked curious. Lady Toland was too old and had seen too much for Percy to read her face. Still, he could tell she was keeping it blank.
"You began your investigation?" Lady Toland asked.
"It's good news for you. No need to be worried," Percy said. "I just stopped in the village for a look around. I even ate with a family there, who told me the same story you told to the Martells. The river is low and Lord Santagar is the one responsible." He shrugged. "Lord Santagar was passionate about keeping Arianne inside his territory. He didn't come off as a man with nothing to hide, so I already had my suspicions."
"He can be a frustrating individual, most certainly," Lady Toland said. "A headstrong man with little inside of it."
Percy paused before taking another bite, looking at the lady. "Do you know him well?"
"Only as a neighbor," Lady Toland said.
Percy nodded. The singer wound down before diving into a new story. Something about an ancient knight facing a dragon with his reflective shield.
"Well, I'll send a raven tomorrow. The princess will read it and leave Spottswood, back to Sunspear. From there, she'll tell her father who's at fault."
"We would be most appreciative," Lady Toland said.
In addition to the steaming dishes of meat and vegetables seeped in rich oil, there were whole peppers on the table. Teora had been helping herself to these, gobbling them down at a speed even a hotblooded Dornishwoman would find barely tolerable. Percy was eighty-percent sure she was using the sting to distract herself from how close she was to him. He still wasn't sure what he'd done to earn such strong feelings.
"You will stay with us tomorrow, I hope?" Valena asked. She was wearing a smile, her straight red hair draped over one of her shoulders. "It would be a terrible shame if you began a long trip so soon after arriving."
"Two nights," Percy agreed, "but that's all the hospitality I'll need. After that, I'll ride to meet the princess."
"Such duty! This may be rude to say, but too many knights no longer live up to the values they swore," Valena said. "Squire you may be, but you possess a bearing many of them lack."
"Kind words," Percy said. "I appreciate it."
She leaned forward, holding her weight on her elbow, propped against the corner of the table. She was turned fully toward Percy now, fixing him with her pretty smile. "Might you be free tomorrow morning?"
"What for?" Percy asked.
"If it's no obstacle to your investigation, which sounds finished and done, I'd like to invite you on a walk," Valena said. "I take one most mornings, accompanied by a maid or two. It's not often that I have company. You strike me as the sort to appreciate the sun rising above the waves, spilling its light on the port. Sharing such a view is the least I could do for one who's helping us so much."
"If you'd have me, I'd be honored," Percy said. A smirk crept across his lips. "You're right. I have always been a fan of the sea. Some people used to say it was like I'd been born from it."
Bang! Heads jerked around the room at the noise, while the singer missed a note. Teora Toland had jumped to her feet. The sound was her palms striking the table.
"I'm leaving," Teora said.
"You are not, and most certainly not in this manner," Lady Toland said. "Sit down."
"No," Teora whined. "I won't! I can't do it!"
She looked at Percy, averting her eyes just as fast. Valena sighed deeply, turning to her sister with the look of an older sibling.
"Calm down, Teora. Nothing at all has happened. You're too old to be acting like this over dreams—"
"He's mocking you," Teora snapped. "He's of the sea. He isn't like you or I, it's in his blood, and he knows it! He's dangerous and I'll— I'll not stay here!"
She whirled and scampered out of the room, ducking past the door. The songs had stopped and everyone was looking. Valena put her face against her hands. Lady Toland gave a sharp look behind her.
"Go, Toman," she said, "and see to it that girl takes her medicine."
A man with thinning red hair grayer than Lady Toland's rose from the table. His soft hands and brown robes gave him away as the castle maester.
When he'd only taken a step, Teora's voice reached the room, coming from the hallway. "I hate the medicine! It just makes me sleep, and then I see it all over again! I hate Toman and I hate dreams and I all of you!"
The festive atmosphere didn't make a quick return as the maester, Toman, awkwardly shuffled after Teora.
"I'm sorry." Valena told Percy, her pretty smile tinged with awkwardness. "My sister has always been a bit odd. When she saw you today, she swore that she'd seen your face before… in her dreams. She's always talking about them, insisting they're somehow more real than everyone else's. If she didn't cause such a scene about them, it would almost be cute. She's near to sixteen now and hasn't outgrown it yet."
"I'm not offended," Percy assured the Tolands. "But did you say dreams?"
O-O-O
For the third day in a row, Percy was up early. He dressed himself and made sure his appearance befitted the role he was playing. In service to that, he dressed himself in the clothes he arrived in, but made sure to leave the collar and a few places ruffled. He wanted to look like a servant of the Martells. A careless one, specifically. Maybe he was being too cautious but that was the one risk he was willing to take.
He'd been given an entire room to himself. If they knew to expect a single squire, he thought the accommodations might have been different. Still, with Arianne's authority behind him, the hosts weren't going to take risks in his treatment.
He lit a candle next to the window before first light. Using the sill as a table, he carried over a chair and picked up what servants left for him the night before— a quill and parchment.
The quill was messier than the modern pens Percy grew up with. The parchment was thicker and heavier than A4 paper. He was used to both, thanks to Dianna.
When Percy finished writing, he studied his work. Maybe saying that he was used to them was an exaggeration. The writing was sloppy and there were a few spills of ink. It was still legible. He folded it and took it with him when he left the room.
Valena was waiting for him in the main hall. It was the first room anyone reached when taking the main entrance from the courtyard. With a higher ceiling and wider walls than any Percy had seen except in the dining room, it felt cavernous when occupied by just himself, Valena, and one or two servants scurrying by on their morning tasks.
"I thought your maids walked with you," Percy said.
Valena looked up. Her head had been turned down toward the dress she was wearing. As a smile formed, her eyes crinkled.
"They weren't feeling well," Valena said. "Since I have the company of a noble knight, I don't see the danger in giving them a morning off."
As Percy walked to her, she fell into step beside him, and the two exited to the courtyard.
"I'm not a knight, remember. Just a squire."
"But you will be a knight," Valena said. "All the decent squires become one and even some of the indecent ones, too. If Princess Martell trusts you to act in her name, I imagine you won't be a squire much longer. And when the time comes, you'll be knighted by Prince Oberyn himself."
"Is that important? A knight is a knight, no matter who makes them one, from what I heard."
"Then I confess, you heard it wrong," Valena said. "All knights are knights, but a hedge knight is hardly a Kingsguard, and you'll be pressed hard to find someone who doesn't make the distinction."
They didn't go to the gate. Instead, Valena took him to the courtyard's westerly wall. Sheer stone steps curled circularly up to the ramparts, faintly wet from morning dew. Percy slowed and walked half a stair behind Valena, offering an arm to keep her steady. She smiled and took it.
"I won't slip," she said. "I've lived here all nineteen years of my life making this climb more days than I didn't. Upon these steps, you'll find me as surefooted as any goat."
And yet, she had taken his hand.
When they emerged on the ramparts, Percy took his hand back. Valena let it go with only the slightest resistance.
"What kind of prospects am I looking at, with Oberyn as my benefactor?" Percy asked.
"Most would know the answer to that before they chased the position you hold." Valena resumed her walk, taking him along the ramparts, while the valley's lush fields lay spread behind her in all their greenery. "I imagine you'll find valor easier to come by. If Prince Oberyn rides into battle, or forms a guard of honor, it will be expected that he'll save a position for you. Tourneys will welcome you more readily. Of course, you'll also find your marriage prospects much improved. Who knows? You may even find yourself as the husband within a noble lady's keep."
"Well, anything can happen," Percy said.
"Indeed," Valena said, looking at him for a few steps. "Let us hurry a tad. It's best to be on the north wall at first light."
They reached the corner at the perfect time. Orange had just infiltrated the horizon. The Sea of Dorne was to the north of Ghost Hill, while the Stepstones and Broken Arm were out to the east, though these were too far to be seen from the keep's considerable ramparts. Squinting east, all Percy could see were rolling hills with golden-orangish light resting atop their crowns.
The light did splash across the sea. Not as strongly as it would on the true ocean, but the tinge was there. When Percy looked north he knew he was looking directly toward Weeping Town, the Stormlands port from which he sailed to Sunspear. Like the Stepstones, it was too distant to see.
"How old are you?" Valena asked. A breeze blew off of the sea and coaxed her hair away from her body.
"Nineteen."
"The same as me," Valena said. "That's nice. I don't often deal with those my age. Sometimes, I still think fondly of my blurry memories at the Water Gardens, playing in those crowded pools. If there is an opposite to loneliness, the days of my youth were that."
The Water Gardens was a palace near Sunspear. It was where Arianne met many of her closest friends. Children from common birth all the way up to Arianne herself went to foster there while they were young. The Sand Snakes spent time there, Sylvia Santagar played in those pools, and apparently Valena Toland had too.
Percy's hand brushed the back of Valena's arm, something that she noticed.
"Are there not many peers around?" Percy asked.
Valena was still looking at the place they'd touched. "At Godsgrace, Lord Allyrion has a handsome bastard named Daemon. He was charming when we were younger, I suppose, though he always lacked something."
A last name? Percy thought. She obviously had marriage in mind. The noble kind, too, involving who you knew and what people said about you. He kept this to himself so that she would go on in the careless tone she was using.
"House Jordayne has an heir twice my age. To the south is Lemonwood, with the brothers Deziel and Andrey. The trip is distant enough that I see little of them. Then, of course, there's Spotted Sylvia, Lord Santagar's daughter."
"Spotted?" Percy asked, leaning forward. "Why do they call her that?"
Valena paused before she answered, lost in his eyes. Percy felt a little bad. He hadn't done much but her reactions were making this feel cruel.
"Because of her freckles," Valena said. "Although when she asks, the answer is always because she'll inherit Spottswood."
Percy laughed. He retreated the same amount that he leaned in. "What does she think of that?"
"She caught on a long time ago. Still, it can often tickle her temper."
"Are you friends?"
Valena's toe caught on an uneven spot of rock. She didn't fall, merely stumbling. The hands Percy raised to catch her went unneeded as she cleared her throat.
"Not close," Valena said. "We're rivals, if anything. It's important to know who will be Lady Santagar when I take my mother's position."
"I'll bet."
They turned the corner, leaving the north rampart as they began to walk the east one. Percy happened to look down at the right time to spot a familiar head of ginger hair tucked in a quiet patch of garden behind the main keep.
"Your sister's down there."
"Where?" Valena followed where Percy was pointing and didn't look surprised. "Yes, she likes places like that."
"Gardens?"
"Places without people. She's especially fond of them in the morning. I could count on a hand how many times she has taken this walk with me. Too many people, she says." Valena extended her hand, gesturing vaguely to the sparse guards posted atop the walls. "I will take the view, thank you very much. And on the topic of views, our eastern tower is where the ravens are kept. Looking out of it in the morning is the only sight that bests this one. I believe you had a letter to send?"
O-O-O
It wasn't unexpected that Maester Toman was waiting for them at the top of the tower. It wasn't unexpected that Lady Tomund was there, either, but it did make Valena's suggestion seem a lot less like a coincidence.
The raven room smelled like an upscale chicken coop. There was still an aroma of bird poop and feathers, it was just mixed with fancy smells like parchment, ink, and herbs. Toman was using one patch of the circular room to store different kinds of plants and bottled remedies. The ravens themselves were kept in hanging cages around the center of the room, tethered to the ceiling by chains. There were four great windows for arriving and departing birds. Only two of them had a view of the water. Valena went to one of these and leaned against the wall, gazing out.
"Lady Toland," Percy said.
"Perseus," Lady Toland greeted him. "I trust the servants brought all that you needed?"
"I had everything I could've wanted for writing my letter. Now I just have to send it."
"Exellent. Toman will help with the preparations." Lady Toland gave a soft smile. "Would you mind sharing the contents? I have no doubt toward your word nor your intent. However, my family's future rides on a fair settlement of this matter. In mind of the short time that you've been here, I fear that you may miss something."
Percy looked at her for roughly three seconds without moving. Valena's eyes drifted back toward the room, although her face was still pointed toward the view. Toman started to shift, fidgeting with his sleeves.
"Of course," Percy said, bringing out the letter. "Here. I hope you can read it. My writing is a little sloppy even though I had a great teacher."
He passed the letter into Lady Toland's hands, who read it promptly. Percy already knew exactly what it said. He'd mulled over how to do this in bed before he fell asleep, picking the words carefully. He had the whole thing memorized.
Lord Santagar lied to us. The river has been adjusted recently, not in the time of his dad or his dad's dad. It's become harder for the pepper fields to be watered. The pulleys they have set up don't reach the waterline anymore. Smallfolk are having to go further to fill their buckets. Notices have been posted in town. Dissatisfaction is rising.
Nymella Toland had a smile as she read this. Percy was watching her, estimating how far she'd gotten by where her eyes were looking. Her smile tapered as she reached the second paragraph.
The food here has been wonderful. In particular, they serve their peppers even fresher than you can get in Sunspear. I can't describe the flavors. As I eat them, I keep thinking of how well they would go with the bread we last ate together. The chemistry would be so good, it's like they were made to go together.
"I didn't take you for a connoisseur of food," Lady Toland said. "If our peppers are so much to your liking, we'll send some with you for your journey."
"I can't say no to an offer like that," Percy said.
There was still one more paragraph.
I don't see much else for us to look into. The trouble seems transparent. I propose we meet at Sunspear. Surely, your father Prince Doran will be proud of how you got to the bottom of such a tricky mess. I'll be glad to be back. Lord Santagar's behavior reminded me too much of the Boneway Brotherhood. Your father will play the role of House Wyl in giving him what he deserves.
"What is this Boneway Brotherhood you mention?"
"Bandits, Lady Toland," Percy said. "We were attacked by them in northern Dorne. Their leader had a silver tongue up until the moment he died. It reminded me of Lord Santagar, who had the guts to tell his own princess what she should or shouldn't do."
Lady Toland's eyes flicked up. They held a hint of reproach, but her lips were carrying a smile. "You should be careful about the language with which you speak of him. He's still a lord, despite his behavior. All the same… a few words between friends can stay between friends, I think." She rolled the letter and held it out for Toman to take. "Send it. Make clear that it is for the princess's eyes only. Even Symon Santagar will not pry into a royal's mail."
"As you'd have it," Toman said, bowing deep while he took the parchment from her hands.
He opened one of the cages, the raven inside hopping out onto a perch. With deceptively deft fingers, Toman set to tying the letter about its leg. Before doing so, he applied a stamp. Instead of carrying the green dragon of House Toland, it bore a sun with an attacking spear. A Martell crest, indicating who was allowed to lay eyes on the letter. It was a sign of just how trusted House Toland was by their liege lords that such a thing was in their possession.
"My presence isn't necessary anymore, is it?" Percy said.
"No. You're free to go," Lady Toland said. "Not that I mean to command where you can and cannot go. I am not Symon Santagar." She smiled sharply at her own jab. "Was there somewhere you wished to go?"
"Someone I wished to see," Percy said.
O-O-O
When he got to the garden he'd looked down on from the walls, it was empty. Teora Toland had moved. He roamed the castle a bit without finding her. It wasn't until after lunch that Percy had an idea. He found Valena sewing with the servants who'd been too unwell to walk that morning.
When Percy appeared in the doorway, the giggles that he heard from the hall stopped. After a few seconds, they came back even louder than before.
The maids laughed at a high pitch while Valena gave Percy her most polite smile. "Can I help you, Ser Jackson?"
"I'm not a knight," he reminded her again.
"You will be."
He accepted a lost cause.
"You must know Toman pretty well."
"Well, yes, I would say I do," Valena said. "He delivered me as a babe. Although it's not the Citadel's usual way, he's originally from our family. A distant cousin of mine."
"What's his least favorite place around here?"
Valena was clearly confused. She gave the question a fair amount of thought, despite the odd look in her eyes.
"I would not know, but… he has never been fond of heights."
Percy grinned. "That'll do. Thanks, Valena. You rock."
As he left the room, he heard snippets of the conversation in his wake.
"I rock? He is comparing me to a stone?" Valena said.
"Perhaps he means you're like a statue," said one of her maids. "A beautiful one, as they're said to make in Essos!"
"No matter what it meant, it was a compliment," said the other. "Did you hear the way he said it? My heart fluttered for you!"
He didn't hear anything else. Walking quickly, Percy ran a hand through his hair. He was getting Valena's hopes up a bit too much now, although there was no helping it. In the first place, she was overestimating his standing a bit too much. A self-proclaimed noble with no presentable family wasn't the kind of man the shrewd Lady Toland would take. Which was a moot point, because Percy wasn't in the market for a wife.
Still, he'd gotten something valuable from Valena. He left the walls of the keep and continued along a faded path, following grass that was very slightly more trampled than the rest around it.
The coastal hill that the keep was set on had some points which were sheerer than others. The sheerest point could be called a cliff as it dropped sharply to a pebble-ridden beach. Percy had seen it from the walls that morning.
There was nothing of note here except for a decent view, so it made sense that the only one enjoying it was someone who treasured solitude.
He was a few steps away when Teora realized he was there.
She was sitting with her knees up and her arms resting on them. When she looked back and saw him, she lurched, all four of her limbs attempting to do different things at once. The gangly motion only served to unbalance her. She started to slide toward the cliff, and although she wasn't precariously close, Percy made sure to grab her quickly, stopping her by holding the back of her dress.
She made a panicked sound in her throat. Percy let go of her and held his hands up, pleading for peace.
"Please don't run," he said. "I don't mean any harm. I just really want to know. Why are you so scared of me?"
Teora looked terrified. As Percy waited patiently, making no move toward her, that faded in favor of regular fear. Finally, a sullen look came out. She crossed her arms underneath her large bust. Unlike Arianne, Teora was short and plump. Valena had Arianne's basic figure but Teora had the princess's teats.
"Why should I tell you? You won't believe me anyway. No one ever believes me. Not my sister, not my mother, and especially not that fake maester Toman, who just feeds me gross things and tells me to stop being crazy. I'm not crazy!"
"I don't think you're crazy," Percy said. He knelt down next to her while Teora was too surprised to flinch. "Your sister said you've been having dreams. I would really, really love to hear more about that."