Elsewhere in Valmare, siblings were getting ready for an adventure. The outcast prince and the queen of chaos were getting ready to sneak out of the palace. They knew a way out from the sewers which were guarded by no one and guaranteed their success. Robert walked around the room, nervously. He had no intention of going to the city, but he couldn’t let Elena go alone. “Robert what are you doing?” Elena asked him. “Nothing. Should I be doing something, that I am not?” He asked. “Of course. Change your clothes, mess up your hair, remove any kind of jewelry or any valuables and leave it here. We won’t be needing it.” Elena said this and started to do the same. She untied her hair, and tossed it around a few times, then she messed it up as much as she could, until her hair looked like it had been run over by a carriage. Then she turned to Robert and told him “Turn around, I have to change” Robert nodded and turned around, he waited for her to call out to him. He waited for a while without hearing a thing from her and decided to turn around anyway. First thing he saw was Elena sitting on her bed, trying to hold back her laughter and the moment their eyes met, she could no longer hold it back. “Very funny Elena.” Robert rolled his eyes. “I thought you wouldn’t turn back for another day.” She told him and continued laughing. Robert took the peasant clothing and also prepared to change and told her “Your turn, I have to change as well.” “Wait a moment prince grumpy. This is my room; I have to decide what I do here. If you wish to be in command go to your chambers.” “But Elena, my chambers are on the other side of the castle” He replied. “I guess you have to play with my rules then.” She said in satisfaction. “No” Robert stood on his ground “I don’t want someone watching me as I change and I certainly don’t want that someone to be my sister.” “You know I was there when you were born, I’ve seen all there is of you and more” “Elena! Please stop talking. Can’t believe you just said that.” “I am kidding. Loosen up I am not going to bite you. Just trying to lighten the mood.” “Is that the only way you know how to?” He asked her. “Yes.” She answered “Elena please. Don’t make me beg.” “Fine, I’ll turn around, but say it how I like it, and I will” She told him. “Elena come on. We did that when we were kids.” “You’re still a kid to me.” Elena answered. “Ugh, sometimes I want to hate you.” Robert said. “You can’t. If you will I’ll knock your teeth so far down your going to have to shit them out one by one.” Robert chuckled “That wasn’t a bad one” He added. “I know. Now say it!” She commanded. “ugh, I, Robert of house Valmor, the prince and the useless sibling, ask for My sister- Elena of house Valmor, the warrior princess, the breaker of knights and queen of chaos to take my request to heart and allow me to change in peace” He finished but seemed like he had something else to add “and to stop being a cunt” He finished it. “Well, that last part was unnecessary but I’ll allow it” She said and turned around. She turned back after a little time; at the exact moment Robert was done changing. She turned back in full confidence, as if she was certain that he was done. “What? How? How could you know I was done?” He asked in confusion. “You are too loud and messy brother” She answered “You have to be quiet as a cat when moving around. You move and the ground shakes.” “Sometimes I wish you were more like Melisandra” “Is that so, in which ways? Wearing pretty gowns? Or a mountain of makeup perhaps? Or maybe being softer around you?” “Her tongue. I wish you spoke just like she does, you venomous serpent” Robert told her. Elena when hearing this looked down for a moment but immediately looked up and told him “Life isn’t always sweet as sugar and honey. Sometimes you have to feel the serpents venom as well not to forget the reality of it.” She answered. “Yes but the serpent doesn’t have to bite on every meeting does it?” Elena was burning from the inside, she didn’t want this, she wanted to rip her own tongue out for hurting her brother, but this was not intentional. It was just a way she was. “I am sorry Robert” She said “I am truly sorry. But can’t help saying few things about my little brother from time to time.” She said. Robert felt horrible upon hearing this. He never thought those words hurt Elena, but now he realized that she was upset, sad and hurt from them. He didn’t know how to respond, didn’t have anything to say for himself. “Should I apologize? Should I play it off?” He thought to himself but nothing seemed to work. Then he came to a solution “You know even a serpents venom becomes powerless after some time and has no effect. When it means no harm it stops hurting. Your words don’t sting me Eli, they strengthen me, make me see myself, of course it can be said in a more hidden and indirect manner but that won’t be as effective. I have the expert when I want someone to sugarcoat something and give it to me like that, Meli takes care of that. I am glad to have you for the painful truth, and the serpent is my serpent and I love her with all my heart.” He told her and felt relieved for the moment. Elena’s heart warmed, she lowered her head and covered her face with her hair as she shed a tear of joy. Robert went close to her and moved away her heart to reveal her face and wiped the tear. “Don’t Eli, you have nothing to hide from me” “Elena hugged him, so tight that he could barely breathe.” They stood like that for a moment then Elena stepped back and told him, “come one, we have to make it out, sooner we get out sooner we can return to the castle before someone notices our absence.” Robert agreed and they went out quietly and started moving towards the sewers. They walked through the halls quietly and tried to avoid anyone in their way. They made it through and were standing in front of the sewer entrance when Ser Nikkos walked by. He moved through, murmuring something about the hand of the king. Not every word was clear but there was no need for every word to understand how he felt about him. When he finally walked away the two walked in the sewers and started moving towards the exit. Robert suddenly asked her “Did you hear a anything Ser Nikkos said.” “Some things, not everything he said was clear.” “Well, the only thing I heard was he was talking about Corven and I heard the word luck.” “First of all that word was fuck, and other words were suck, cunt, dumb and cock. I’ll let you make pairs from them” Robert connected the dots and swallowed his tongue. They walked for a while until a ray of sunlight hit them. They had made it to the city where the smell of roses and lavender was replaced by piss and sweat. The city reeked of awful smell of rotten fish and meat. They walked through the streets, covering their noses in disgust and looked at everything closely just to see how the people of Valmare were actually living. They saw the looks on their faces, the clothes they wore, the food they ate and the labor they had to endure. “This is madness Elena; how do they live like this?” Robert asked her sister. “I don’t know. We thought our maids and workers had it bad, this looks more like hell than a city. People are starving.” They walked around for a while; they were moving towards the city center but didn’t have any idea how to get there so they just roamed aimlessly. They walked into the famous “street of pleasure” which was a 2-mile-long street with brothels on both sides and no other building anywhere near them. Elena and Robert walked down the street and what they saw there was too much even for the queen of chaos to look at with a straight face. Girls much younger than her, selling their bodies, using it as currency to please some old, fat men who paid them for it. That street reeked of sweat, alcohol and worst of all semen. Those establishments were filthy, they had never been taken care off since their opening, have never been cleaned or repaired, so anyone could take a peek and see how a decrepit, and filth-matted wolf feasted doe, radiant and pulsing with life. Robert was disgusted by them, but what could he do? He just clung to Elena’s cloak and stayed close. They finally made it to the end of the street and felt some relief after what they just saw. That’s when Robert pulled Elena close and told her “Eli, I don’t want to advance any further, I want to go home.” Elena understood him, but she wanted to explore a bit more. “Just a bit more please Robert, let’s see the city center and then return, please. For you sister.” “Fine. But you’ll owe me one.” “Whatever you want.” She responded and moved on. They walked among the people and finally made it to the city center. The center smelled of various different foods: roasted fish, smoked pork, boiled crabs. At the smell Robert felt his stomach growling and told Elena “Eli, I am hungry.” “We haven’t brought anything Robert, how am I supposed to get you something?” “Well, remember that favor that you gave me for following you here? That’s what I’ll use it on” “You’ll waste your favor with me on some food?” She asked in confusion. “You’re not going anywhere and neither are your reckless actions such as this one. I’ll get plenty of favors but at the moment I am starving, so dear sister, what’s your plan of getting food?” He asked her. Elena looked around and her eye caught a stall with nobody there. The stall was one of few that had the strange banner of a hanged man, she had no clue what that meant but she needed to get food and that was the only way. “Wait here.” She told him and left without getting the answer. “Elena, where?” Robert couldn’t even answer and now he was deserted in the middle of the somewhere he had never been. Elena moved forward and closed in on the stall. She approached the unmanned stall and took one of the fishes and put it in her cloak pocket. “Thief!” just then a sound rang out. Elena turned around to see some man in fancy clothing shouting at her. “Fuck!” she thought to herself as she turned around and ran. The mans henchmen went after them. Elena ran towards Robert who saw her running and got ready to run himself. They started running together as Robert shouted to her “Was this your master plan?” “It could’ve gone smoother” Elena answered as they ran. They stopped at a turn looking for ways to go when a blacksmith signaled for them. They ran towards the forge and hid behind. Elena peeked to see if anyone was there and saw the henchmen there asking for them She turned around and saw a someone standing behind her and as she was about to make a noise the man covered her mouth. Then she took a closer look and found out it was a boy no older than her. He looked stunning, deep blue eyes with black hair and defined jaw. He slowly removed his hand from her mouth. Elena stood frozen; she didn’t move. Not even when the man went to pull back her hood. Robert pinched her hand but she didn’t feel a thing, and the younger brother could do nothing else without making noise. He pulled back her hood and looked at her, observed her face. “You’re a pretty one.” He said. “Why are you stealing, most men would pay a fortune for you.” He told her. Then a familiar noise rang out. It was that man that called Elena out. The boy got out to see the man and called out. “What do you want now Clovis?” “Kee [ your mouth shut you insolent bastard. This is none of your business.” “Fine by me” He said, “I saw a woman and a boy run down that street, but that’s none of my business.” “Wait, wait! Where did they go?” Clovis asked. “Down that street.” He said and pointed his finger at the street of pleasure.” “Well, maybe your not as useless as you look to be” He told him and went that way. The boy got back to Elena and Robert and told them “You should run now; they’ll be back anytime. I’ll show you a way out” Elena and Robert followed him and got out of the hiding and just as they stepped on the street, a voice rang out “Stop right there you son of a whore.” He turned to see Clovis standing just around the corner. They tried to flee but they got surrounded by Clovis’s henchmen. “You think you could lie to me, you fool. Take them and drag them down to the center” He ordered. Elena tried to fight back but she was subdued and tied up, so was Robert and the boy. The boy and Robert walked along. Elena, on the other hand, had no intention of going easily. She resisted, stood back and gripped anything she could. At last the henchman who’s nose she had broken took her by the hair and dragged her across the street and threw her on the ground. The boy and Robert soon joined her. Clovis was circling them as he spoke loudly “Those three idiots, tried to rob me. Then lie to me and fool me. But I am not so easily fooled. So people of Valmare take a good look at what happens to ones that try to steal from me. You two” He said and pointed at the boys” I will have your hands removed, and you” He turned to Elena” I will fuck you bloody, then I’ll let all my henchmen have a go as well and only then I will slit your throat.” He said, while laughing. He said this and a spear flew towards him and went right through his leg. As his henchmen turned to draw their weapons their throats were cut by royal cloaks. Robert and Elena looked towards the castle gate nearby from which Melisandra walked and shouted “Close your old cunt of a mouth you peasant. You talk of royalty; how dare you insult them. You should be flayed alive for even daring to speak those words of the royal family. Clovis looked up to see the princess and lowered his head. “Princess Melisandra, I never disrespected your name, or I did of your brothers or sisters.” “Oh but, you did. When you said all those things about raping and cutting hands.” Clovis was dumbfounded and lost, he had no clue what was going on Until Ser Nikkos and Janor walked forward to help Elena and Robert up. “Are you hurt Princess?” Nikkos asked Elena and took a look at the wounds caused from getting dragged on the ground, torn clothes, scrapped knees, a broken pinky from the struggle and strands of her beautiful hair all over the ground. “You dare lay hands-on royalty?!” Nikkos asked, fuming with anger. “I didn’t touch her.” Clovis said. Nikkos went up to him, punched him square in the face, breaking his nose. Then he grabbed him by the collar and shouted in his face “Who did then? Me?!” Bloodied Clovis slowly pointed his finger at one of his henchmen who had survived the blade. Nikkos released Clovis and dropped him to the ground as he went to the henchman. Henchman tried to run but he was caught by Nikkos. Nikkos threw him to the ground. Took mount and punched him until he broke his jaw and knocked out every tooth he had. Then he got up and kicked him until ribs cracked and only after that did he unsheathe his sword and split the man in half with his Aelvaryan steel great sword. Robert was not hurt; he was mostly fine. He ran to Melisandra who hugged him. “It’s okay, I am here, you’re safe.” She comforted him. Elena also went closer as Melisandra stepped forward and slapped her across the face. “Have you lost your mind?!” She asked furiously. “You don’t care about your life, fine I can’t make you change your mind, but how could you put his life in danger Elena?! Have you gone mad. I’ll love to see what father will have to say about this.” “Meli please,” Elena started but Melisandra was too fed up with her “Don’t Meli me. I always side with you and you know it. Always support you even in your reckless actions but I can’t side with you now Elena. You have overstepped every line, broken every rule of ours, you put your life in danger, your brother’s life in danger.” “Meli, sister, I know what I did has no explanation” “Explanation?!” She cut her off again “What you did was madness, and stupidity. But that’s what you are aren’t you. We don’t call you queen of madness for no reason, and now that tittle has been promoted to stupid queen of madness. What’s next? A queen whore of madness?” Melisandra shouted angrily. “Melisandra!” Robert shouted. “That’s enough.” He shouted. Melisandra thought about what she had said. Her heart dropped as she looked up “Eli” And saw Elena whose eyes were flooded with tears and they were falling one by one. Robert looked at Melisandra in disbelief. Nikkos and the other knights stood frozen. Then Nikkos moved, he went up to Elena and picked her up in his arms. “No Ser, I’ll walk” She managed to blabber in a shaken voice, followed by tears of pain and heartache. “No princess, you won’t he said as he carried her up the stairs.” The others followed. The king waited for them in the halls, furious, as he had been lit on fire. When Nikkos walked in and he saw Elena he shouted “You savage, monster, you’re no better than your brother. You belong in the woods. It’s over, you freedom, luxury, training forget about everything. You won’t be leaving the room without a guard and without a gown. You won’t be missing any lessons and until you learn to act like a princess, you will not step around the castle and disgrace it.” Elena didn’t say a word; she was crying her heart out. Nikkos took her to her chambers and placed her on her bed. He walked out of the room and when he closed the door, only then did he murmur to himself “My mad princess, what have you gotten yourself into” Outside in the gardens over the view of the sea Melisandra looked over. She regretted every single word of hers, especially the last ones. What she did was wrong, but what Elena did was wrong too. She heard footsteps behind and turned to see Robert approaching. “Robert” She started when Robert got up close and grabbed her throat roughly “How could you say that to her?!” “Robert” She said quietly, struggling to breathe “To our sister?! To one of us?!” “Robert I can’t breathe.” “Is that so? Neither can Eli. You should’ve seen how she was crying, she didn’t stop for a second” “Robert” her voice started fading as Robert let go of her and she gasped for air as Robert turned around. “Robert” She started still breathing heavily” She put your life in danger” “Fuck my life, my sister is locked in a cage now like a dog because of me. I’ve become a reason for her suffering” “Well, maybe if that sister wasn’t foolish enough to go to the city she wouldn’t be in that place. That venomous serpent as you call her.” Robert turned to her with anger filling his face “If she’s a venomous serpent, then you’re the great serpent of chaos fire.” “Robert, what are your saying?” Melisandra’s voice also took sadness. “Eli might’ve been annoying and has called me names, joked about me but she never insulted me. You on the other hand, called your own sister, stupid, mad and the best of all-a whore. You called her a queen whore Melisandra, tell me what that makes you?!” “Melisandra remembered the moment and started crying too” “Yes, you feel bad now and are crying, imagine how she felt when you called her a whore in front of all those people. When you insulted your family in front of hundreds of strangers.” “Melisandra cried, her tears wetted the ground.” Robert now realized that she was also just as much as hurt from her actions as Elena was hurt from words. He went close to her and embraced her “It’s all Right Meli, it’s all right. Everything will go back normal. She will forgive you, just as I forgive her and now I forgive you.” “She will never forgive me” Melisandra also blubbered in a shaken voice. “She will, she’s your sister, and she loves you.” He answered. “How can she love me after what I just said to her?” She asked. “I don’t know, but give her some time, and she will, now wipe the tears off your face, I don’t want to see both of my sisters crying.” Meli still couldn’t stop crying. Robert took her in his arms as she wrapped her hands around him and carried her to her room, where he comforted her, calmed her for all night until Melisandra finally calmed down and fell asleep. Only then Robert walked out and thought to himself “Poor Eli for what happened. That’s why being a fathers favorite never works in anyone’s favor. Good thing he doesn’t give a fuck about me or I would be in a much worse state than her. He walked down the hall, going to his chambers as he passed Elena’s room, from which he could still hear crying. “A new day will rise, and I’ll be there for my family- my sisters”

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