That was when Wylis looked down at the short-sword in his hand. Sure enough, it was covered in blood. He sighed, realising the folly, he was in such a rush after killing the sailors.
"This… Uh, there was a bit of a mutiny aboard my ship, so I had to kill all my sailors." He explained. "To save you, I had to man the ship with murderers and rapists, knowing I would cut them down afterwards. That way, no one but us would know I rescued you or where I carried you."
"Don't believe him, Your Grace! He's the reason why you're hiding here like this."
Wylis sighed and relaxed a bit, keeping Rhaella behind him. "Ser Willem, I killed because I had no choice. Had I stayed my hand, I'd be the one lying cold, and Rhaella would still be the Mad King's prisoner. I couldn't let her rot in that cage forever."
Ser Willem sneered. "You ex—"
"Don't!" Wylis snapped. "Don't play the fool. You knew what that bastard was doing to the Queen. Half the realm did. You saw the madness for what it was. Don't dress your loyalty up as blindness."
Ser Willem instantly looked away, as if ashamed of his own loyalty.
Wylis looked back at Rhaella, his hand gentle on her face. "I should've carried you off when I had the chance. I won't make that mistake again. The storm will hide us. I'll row us to the ship myself."
"I won't fool myself into finding comfort in my torment. I'll go with you, Lord Wylis." Rhaella leaned into his touch, voice trembling. "Lead the way."
"No!" Ser Willem shouted suddenly, but instead of chagrin at Wylis, he charged towards a small table. And for no reason, the old knight slammed himself into it, destroying the table. Then the man moved to the bed, swinging his blade a few times. Then he did the same with any clay pot there, or the curtains.
This man…
Wylis saw right through the act. He sighed in silence and watched.
In mere moments, the entire chamber was turned into a ruined mess.
Then at last, the panting, tired, old knight walked over to Wylis, sword raised. "She's not going anywhere, not while I still draw breath."
"Ser Willem," Rhaella called for the old knight, finally realizing what he was doing. "You must come with us."
"Your Grace, it's my duty to keep you safe, and I'll damned well do it till I draw my last breath. Lord Wylis is no friend to the Crown," Ser Willem declared.
Wylis sighed and raised his shortsword, already aware that nothing could change Ser Willem's mind. This was the old knight's last stand. Ser Willem clearly saw how close Rhaella was to him. And most likely believed that she'd be safe with him. Yet, the old knight couldn't bring himself to let her go like that. Moreover, he couldn't follow, the fewer people knew of her fate, the better. And even if he were to follow, his presence alone would raise suspicion.
By dying at his hands and all the destruction he caused in that chamber, Robert's men will be confused.
"Fight me!" Ser Willem shouted, panting hard, his eyes firm, a man who had accepted his fate.
Wylis said nothing and charged forward, a quick swing at the knight's head.
Clank!
Ser Willem blocked, but Wylis was already following it with a straight stab, far quicker than the old knight. The battle was never supposed to last long.
Wylis found the opening and stabbed square in the center of Ser Willem's chest, piercing the blade through. The heart gave way quickly.
"Gaah!"
Ser Willem fell to his knees, his grip lost on the sword. He just stared at Wylis and grabbed the very blade that had pierced his heart. He groaned and yet spoke.
"K… Ke—Keep them… safe… my… Lord…"
Wylis merely nodded and pulled back his sword, allowing the knight to land flat on his back, still, dead.
Loyal fools. First, the Kingsguards, and now you.
With a sigh, he sheathed the blade and turned to the Queen. He shook her a little, waking her from her tearful state. "Where is Viserys? We must leave quickly!"
"F-Follow me."
He ran after Rhaella to the adjacent bedchamber. Viserys was sleeping in his bed calmly with no care in the world. There were many toys littered around the room.
It was conflicting. He really didn't want to save the boy. Yet, he didn't want to kill him with his own hands. He hoped the boy would get himself killed soon. He was a liability waiting to explode. At the same time, he at least wanted to try and straighten him out. Wait for one slip-up, just one excuse to slay him once he's grown.
"Don't wake him." Wylis caught her by the arm and stepped to the bed. He pulled a small metal vial from his cloak, uncorked it, and held it beneath Viserys' nose. "You know as well as I do he won't go quiet. This will keep him asleep till we're done."
Rhaella trusted Wylis with her life already. Her loyalty towards him was at a hundred percent since the night he left her in the castle. She said nothing and let him do his thing, even lifting the boy on his shoulder like a sack.
"We need a boat. The one I came in was tied at the cliffside. Storm's likely taken it by now."
"I know the docks, the private ones. They're watched, I'm certain, but the storm will cover us. Still… we'll need a lantern to—"
"Don't worry about that. Just lead the way."
Rhaella obeyed and frantically rushed ahead of him. She checked every corner before gesturing for him to follow. They couldn't risk being seen by the maids. The castle was mostly empty otherwise.
Wylis kept a sword unsheathed in one hand and held Viserys on his shoulder with the other. He followed her down the staircase, and it was a lot of steps. They seemingly went down deeper into the stairs carved into the stone base of the castle itself. Then, through a few long passages, they arrived at a very large cavern.
Must have been used by the dragons.
He was awed at the sheer scale of how large the cavern was. But at the same time, he had to take the lead and hold Rhaella's hand since she had to put away the torch. He used his night vision to lead to the mouth of the large cave. The sound of the storm became so loud that it was terrifying.
Eventually, they found small boats parked on the dry grounds, a distance from the water, but the real challenge was getting out of that trap, the waves thrashed into the cave's grand opening like a barrier.
"Get into the boat." He ordered her, and then laid down Viserys as well. He then looked around and eventually found a small bucket. The rain was going to slowly fill the boat, so he wanted to be prepared.
Fuck, this one's going to be tough.
He gulped when he got a glimpse of the stormy waters with thunder striking. The sea was raging, the rain was rough. He was certain he'd survive swimming in that water, but if Rhaella were to fall.
Too fucking risky.
"Out of the boat," he growled. "I'll go myself and bring the ship near the cavern, as close as I dare without losing it to the waves. Then I'll tie a rope and haul it back here. We'll use it to steer the boat." He explained his plan, which was impossible to accomplish unless you had the strength of a dozen bulls. Rhaella was lucky that Wylis was there.
"Lord Wylis, what if…"
"I can swim in those waters, Rhaella. You can't, not as you are. I'll make sure it's safe before we go."
"Let's wait," she suggested. "Let's wait for the storm to calm down. It will eventually."
That was also an option. But if the storm lasted for too long, then he'd lose the darkness. There were too many ships blockading the castle.
Once again, thunder crackled. Wylis saw the waves in the distance, so high that they covered the mouth of the cave. He was powerful, reaching the limit of human strength. But he couldn't fight nature. He couldn't afford to underestimate nature. The waves would definitely sink the little boat.
"Let us… wait then."
He climbed into the boat as well and sat close to Rhaella. She was quick to scoot closer and hug his arm, leaning into him. He was the sole source of hope now.
Wylis kept his eyes locked to the outside, watching the sea with every flash of thunder. During the first hour, he barely blinked. But then two hours passed, and he started to feel sleepy. When the third hour passed, his eyes were closed.
"Lord Wylis!"
When he woke up, five hours had passed, and the sky had started to turn bright. It was still dark, but his night vision let him see much better. He stood up with a frantic jump and eyed the waves.
"It's not over, this storm, but the waters are quieter and the rain's fading. We'll make it."
He wasted no time and jumped out of the boat. Then he pushed it with all his strength, leaving a trail on the sand. A few dozen meters later, the water finally started to lighten the boat. Once he felt water reach his own knees, he jumped in and grabbed the oars.
Splash! Splash!
It was still not easy to steer. As the waves made landfall, they kept him trapped in the same spot. But he made progress by riding the waves. He felt his arms go sore already, but he still pushed.
Splash after splash, wave after wave. The sky was brightening too fast, and time was of the essence.
Rhaella sat opposite him, holding Viserys tightly, rain soaking them all. Viserys had actually woken up once, and as expected, screeched about Wylis being the traitor. He was knocked out by that mystery vial again.
"Fuck!" He cursed when he looked behind at Dragonstone. He was on the wrong side of the island. His ship was on the other side. But who was he to complain?
Ugh… I can't feel my arms.
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