268 ACStarfall – The Sun Hall
Evening clung heavy over Starfall, the air thick and stifling. Yet no one in the great hall dared show discomfort. Only the occasional clink of a cup or the groan of a heavy door broke the hush.
Lord Lewyn Martell entered, his face hard, his clothes dust-streaked. He offered a sharp nod to Princess Loreza, seated in her high-backed chair. At her side sat Doran — as calm and unreadable as ever, his hands folded neatly.
"Report," Loreza ordered quietly.
"One of the attackers was captured, Princess," Lewyn began. "A patrol found him, bleeding and delirious. The man spoke of a boy… commanding water with his bare hands."
Loreza's eyes narrowed.
"And the children?"
"Unharmed. One attacker dead. The other fled."
"Anyone else witness this?"
"A concealed guard by the riverbank. She claims to have seen the boy wield water… like a whip."
Doran said nothing, though his gaze sharpened.
"Bring Elia," Loreza commanded.
Moments later, Elia was led in. She looked uneasy but determined.
"Sit."
She obeyed.
"Tell me everything."
Elia drew a deep breath. "They tried to take Ashara… one of them grabbed at her. Oberyn attacked. Mars… he…"She hesitated. "He's always had a strange connection to water. I thought… it harmless. But today… it protected him."
Loreza's face remained still for a long moment.
"Ashara saw?"
Elia nodded.
"And?"
"She won't speak of it. I… trust her."
"Trust," Doran murmured, "can be fatal in this world. Better to bind her to him."
"How?" Elia asked.
Lewyn stepped forward. "Loyalty comes from closeness. Let them spend time together. Let them share a secret."
"And as for this magic?" Doran glanced at Loreza. "We know too little. No one in Westeros will teach him."
Loreza inclined her head slowly. "Send envoys. And spies. To the Free Cities, to Asshai, to the shadowbinders of Lys. I want every whisper of magic and those who claim to master it."
"It will take time," Lewyn warned.
"Then begin."
Silence settled over the hall like a heavy shroud.
Loreza held Elia's gaze. "You have my trust, daughter. Do not betray it."
"Never, Mother."
When Elia had left, only one thought hung in the still air, unspoken yet known to them all:
The boy is no ordinary Martell.
And every one of them understood it.