Chapter 49

Alright, thanks for sticking with this story as long as you have!

Fair warning, there is sexual content in this chapter. It has been ensured that characters meet the legal age and that nothing squicky is happening. In addition, we do not condone underage sexual activity; wait until you're ready. And remember, no means no.

EDIT: All chapter titles have been updated and the announcements have been removed.

Mira watched as the night became alive with music and laughter. Ripe meat was being charred over large fires, and the men were helping themselves to the mead. It reminded her of the days they'd celebrate name days back in Ironrath. It had suddenly dawned on her that she hadn't been home in over a year. She had missed it. She missed the cool days and chilly nights, she missed spending time in the library reading up on her family's history, but most of all, she missed her siblings. I wonder what they'd think of all of this… What would they think of him…? She found herself watching Edric seated around a fire with several other lords and soldiers, laughing and raising a toast to their king.

Her younger siblings, Ryon, Talia and Ethan would like Edric enough; they seemed to like just about anyone. But her brothers, Rodrik and Asher were a different story. They had always been protective of their younger siblings, Mira especially. They knew what would be gained through marriage, and went out of their way to ensure she wasn't taken advantage of. Perhaps a bit too well. It got to the point no local boys would even look in her direction. It was one of the few things back home she didn't miss. But to promise herself to a bastard, even one with royal blood, would severely end up harming her family's reputation. That was unless he was legitimised, which King Steffon had promised to do upon the war's conclusion.

It wasn't like she was blind to the admirers she had around the camp. Some young knights had tried to claim her hand, but she was quick to rebuke their affections. Any sensible girl of her position would see that most of them had their eyes on her family's ironwood for one reason or another, which was another reason that Edric stood out; he wasn't after her for her name or her family's resources. He wanted her for her.

Music was starting up and she made a beeline for Edric. "Will you dance with me, Edric Storm?" She asked, curtseying briefly. Some of the other young men were clearly either eyeing the boy off, seemingly out of jealousy for the fact she had asked him.

"Of course, My Lady." he said, standing up and taking her hand. "Sorry, lads. Best find another girl." Mira chuckled as the rest of the group exploded in a mixture of jealous ranting, hearty laughter, and spirited cheers. For a bastard, Edric was truly at home amongst his fellow Stormlanders.

A small section of the camp had been set up for dancing after the tourney had finished, and it was already slowly filling. She'd spotted several couples already forming. It certainly didn't surprise her that some older lords had brought their daughters (and in some cases sisters) with them to try and match them with the various young knights and lords that would doubtless make up King Steffon's court if he won the war. It made her feel more confident about her choice to promise herself to Edric.

"What are you thinking about, Mira?" Edric said.

"Not much, Edric." She said as they began dancing, with her hand on his shoulder, and his on her waist. To her surprise, Edric moved with a surprising grace she didn't expect from someone as rough-and-tumble as him. "I didn't know you could dance, Edric."

"Uncle Renly taught me at Storm's End. He said if I was to have any chance of finding a wife, I must know how to dance." He supplied. Mira blushed slightly at that.

"He taught you well, Edric." She replied, smiling. He attempted to lean in to kiss her, but she raised a hand between them, stopping them. "Not here. Not in front of everyone."

"Then where?" He asked. She could see a slight hunger in his eyes and it thrilled her a little, knowing she could get that reaction out of him. She smirked slightly.

"Behind the tents when it gets darker." She said, whispering into his ear. Edric gave a terse nod as the dance continued.

At least people seemed to be enjoying the festivities, even if they had been rushed together at the last minute. Shireen was laughing with Steffon, Edric and Mira were dancing together, and the knights and soldiers around the camp seemed to be enjoying themselves. A couple of them were trying to kiss the serving girls and the camp followers, with varying degrees of success. In fact, there seemed to be only two people not joining in with the festivities. Stannis was as stony-faced as ever, looking like he was determined not to enjoy anything, while Waldron, from what Arya saw, was alternating between seemingly trying to get drunk and shooting dark looks at everyone.

Arya did her best to ignore him, and started working on her second cup of wine that night. She was trying to gather up some courage for what she was planning to do later, and she needed as much of it as she could possibly get. Setting down the cup, she looked up at Steffon. He was still laughing with Shireen. Arya supposed she might've been resentful of that, but she could hardly hold anything against them; they were akin to siblings after all.

Seeming as if he'd felt her watching him, Steffon glanced in Arya's direction and their gazes met. After a brief moment of contact, Arya quickly looked away, shyly. She felt her face grow red, whether from the wine or embarrassment, she didn't know. It could have very well been both. She did her best to cover her blush, only to feel an arm wrap around her shoulders.

"Enjoying the festivities, love?" It was Steffon.

"Yes. Thank you, Steffon." She replied, as she finished her wine. Steffon chuckled. "What's so funny?" Arya asked.

"This just reminds me of the night we were betrothed. Remember? You had dared me to down my entire chalice of wine in one gulp."

Arya laughed at the memory. "And then you dared me to launch a piece of steak at Sansa." Arya's tone of voice slowly began to shift to melancholy as she recalled her sister. It had been nearly two years since they'd last seen each other. For most of her life, she thought she hated her, but now realizing what sort of danger she was in at the hands of Joffrey and House Lannister, she had concluded that was not the case. How could she hate someone if she feared for their life?

Steffon seemed to sense Arya's distress, and simply gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "She's going to be alright. The Lannisters wouldn't let Sansa come to harm. It would only make the war worse for them."

"Then, can we still save her?"

"Of course we can, and we will."

"Is that a promise?" Arya asked, looking up to look Steffon in the eye. His blue eyes almost seemed to glow in the light of the torches strewn about camp.

Steffon nodded. "We will save her. I promise."

"And what of Joffrey?"

This time, Steffon sighed and looked away. "I know you want him dead. Believe me when I say, I do too." He turned back to her. "And he will die. Whether by my blade or another's, he will die."

Arya was a little stunned to hear that from Steffon. Worst of all, he had that quiet, grim voice he always used when he was determined to do something. "Just . . . promise me you won't become a kinslayer. The gods will damn you forever."

"I won't be the one who swings the sword first, but if he attacks me I have to defend myself." He replied. Arya nodded, but was still worried. As if sensing it, Steffon kissed her deeply and smiled. "Enough of that dark talk, love. Would you like to dance?"

"I'm not a good dancer, Steffon." Arya said as his arms slid around her waist.

"You can't be that bad, Arya."

"I am!" She laughed. The last thing Steffon or anyone else needed was to see Arya try to dance. She supposed her Water Dance footwork might've helped, but she'd resolutely decided she would not be taking part in any dancing that night.

As he opened his mouth to speak, she cut him off by kissing him. And then again and again. Steffon eventually got the hint and they moved away from the centre of the camp. It was darker here, and the only people around were either passed out drunk or the sentries with their torches, and even then, they were a fair way off.

Arya pushed up Steffon against a cart near their tent, kissing him hard. She felt his hands slide up her back, pulling her closer as they continued to kiss. Steffon pulled back briefly to kiss Arya's neck, but Arya was able to take advantage of the moment to turn the tables on him, and reached her left hand down to grasp his cock through his pants. She kissed him again to prevent him from groaning too loudly.

"Dancing's a no, but there are other things we can do." She smirked.

"Such as . . ." Steffon trailed off. Arya resisted the urge to roll her eyes, unable to tell if he was playing along or not.

"It's your nameday, love."

"Yeah, so?"

This time, she did roll her eyes, leaning in to nip at his neck. "I have a special gift for you."

"A-Arya, I don't need a gift from-"

She was just frustrated now. She let out a heavy sigh before asking, "Steffon, do you want me to suck your cock or not?"

Steffon's jaw nearly dropped to the floor when he heard Arya say that. Was she serious? Yeah, the two of them had been steadily becoming more active on that front for sure, but he hadn't imagined they'd be at this stage for a while. At least not until their wedding night, he supposed. "Arya, we're not even married yet."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not taking my maidenhead tonight, if that's what you mean." She said before kissing him again and taking his hand. "But I do want to suck your cock. In your tent, I mean." She added, blushing slightly as she led him to the tent in question. He could see her looking around as they went inside, making sure that no one was looking their way, and led him inside.

As soon as they entered, she kissed him hard. He had to lean down a long way to kiss her, but he didn't mind. The two of them eventually made their way to the cot, with Steffon falling back on it with Arya on top of him. Aware that she wanted control, he stayed where he was, letting her take charge. She pulled back to lift off his tunic and undershirt, kissing steadily down his chest as she undid the lacing of his breeches. He was breathing heavily now in anticipation of what was to come.

Finally, after a few seconds of fumbling, she managed to undo his breeches and pull them down, smirking at the look on his face. Experimentally, she wrapped her hand around him and pumped. Steffon let out a strangled groan as Arya continued working her magic with her hand. His head had rolled back at the pleasure, but compared to what happened next, it was nothing.

He felt Arya take him in her mouth.

"F-fuck Arya . . ." He managed to groan out as she sucked him gently. There was no force or anything behind it, just love. Steffon for his part, was barely able to focus on anything but the feeling of Arya's mouth on him. He'd never felt anything like it before, and even though he knew it was her first time doing it, he knew he didn't want to feel this from anyone else.

He managed to gather himself enough to look down and see her mouth bobbing up and down on his cock. She seemed to know exactly what to do to drive him insane. Within minutes, his entire body was shaking as he approached his climax.

"Arya, I..." He clenched his teeth to avoid releasing right at that moment as she pulled her mouth off him for a moment.

"You're close?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Good." She smirked and closed her mouth around his length again, causing him to let out another choked moan. Steffon could feel himself getting closer and closer to his release again, and when he looked down and saw her eyes looking back up at him, he was done. Arya seemed to be able to sense what was coming and pulled off of him, using her hand to bring him to release.

He came with a sharp, loud grunt of her name; his seed spilling over her hand and onto the ground. He let out another gasp as he came down from his high, looking down to see a smirking, self- satisfied Arya.

"Bloody hell, where did you learn that?" He managed to say, still breathing heavily as he watched Arya take a suspiciously convenient rag and clean them up.

She shrugged. "It was just instinct, love."

"Well... I hope there's going to be more of that in the future."

"Oh there definitely will be."

It was past midnight now, and most of the men were starting to succumb to sleep or their alcohol. Some even managed to fall asleep standing up, usually finding balance by leaning against their weapons, nearby trees, or even each other. Edric followed Mira's instructions and headed straight to behind the tents. And there she was, sitting patiently on a nearby wagon. The second she saw him, she instantly rose from her seat to greet him with an embrace and a kiss. Even if she was relatively new to it, Edric got the impression that she was listening to her instincts relatively well.

"I half-expected to find you asleep here." He said jokingly as they pulled back.

"Not likely, Edric. Just waiting for you." She said before kissing him again. It was growing more and more intense as their lips slanted against each other. Edric had been with other girls before, yes, but none of them were like Mira. He connected with her on a level he never had with any of his past encounters.

"Wait, wait." He said suddenly. "W-what if we're seen?" He managed to say. Yes, he was having trouble speaking, namely because he was already hard just from the intense kissing.

"There's a tree grove just over there." She said, nodding her head to the right. Edric looked over and, sure enough, there it was. He took her hand and after a short look around to make sure no one was looking in their direction, made their way quickly over to the grove.

Almost immediately, he pressed her up against a tree and kissed her deeply. Again, the kiss got heavier and more intense before he pulled back. The two of them stared into each other's eyes for a moment. "Mira, I . . ."

"Yes Edric?"

"I want you . . ."

"I know Edric." She said, reaching down to rub him gently. "I can feel how much you do."

"I-it's not right." He managed to say. "We're not m-married and I'm a bastard."

"Edric, I want you, you want me." She said. As if it were that simple.

"Mira, we mustn't." He said reluctantly. The girl sighed.

"Edric, i could be sent back to Highgarden any day. I don't want my first time to be with some man who's arranged for me. I want to be with you. I love you Edric." She said, a hand cupping his face.

"I . . . I love you too Mira." He said, pressing their foreheads together. "But what happens if I finish inside you? I can't put a bastard in you." He said quietly.

"I . . . I can finish you with my mouth?" She blushed as she said it. "I heard men like that."

"We certainly do." He smirked before kissing her again. This time they wasted little time in undressing each other, though the urgency of the whole thing meant that Mira was left only partially undressed. Her dress was still on, but the bodice was undone and the cold air made her shiver. Edric, who had discarded his tunic, revealed himself shirtless. He then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close for warmth. Mira sighed, enjoying the feeling of his skin against hers, before her hands began to wander.

She traced to muscles along his back, her fingers running along his broad shoulders. She looked into his eyes. "Take me, Edric."

With those words, Edric nodded and pushed inside her. He eventually came up against her maidenhead and looked at her for consent. After a nod, he pushed past it. That was it; he had taken her maidenhead.

He noticed tears running down her face and stopped. "Mira, a-are you okay?"

Mira nodded. "Just move, Edric." She said, burying her face in his neck. He was reluctant to do so at first, and gently thrust in and out of her, doing her best not to cause anymore pain. He'd heard the first time was painful for a girl, and he was doing everything in his power to hold himself back. "H-harder."

That was it.

He began thrusting harder and faster into her, forgetting his earlier vow not to do either of those things. He jammed a hand across Mira's mouth to stop her gentle moans from reaching the camp, but he was struggling to stay quiet as well. He'd been with other girls before, but none of those times had felt like this. Everything felt . . . right.

"E-Edric, I'm . . ." She was struggling to form words, which he took as a good sign.

"W-whatever feels good, love." He stuttered. He'd managed to build up some self-control given his previous experiences, but seeing Mira in the throes of pleasure nearly did him in there and then.

She felt him biting on his shoulder, and took that as another good sign. She gave a few quiet squeals, then her body went slack. She'd finished. "T-that was . . ." She struggled to say as Edric halted his movements.

'I'm glad you liked it, love." He smiled.

"Now, I believe I should fulfill my promise." She said. Edric nodded and pulled out of her before Mira dropped to her knees and wrapped her mouth around his length. Edric groaned deeply; while he had other girls do this before, there was something different about it now. After what couldn't be more than a minute, he pulled Mira's mouth off him and the coil in his belly exploded, his seed shooting against the tree.

His legs, trembling, he managed to pull Mira up into a kiss. "That was amazing, Mira."

"It certainly was." She said shyly, fixing the bodice of her dress as he laced up his trousers and pulled his tunic back on.

After one final kiss, the two returned to the camp; the only hint that anything had happened was a few blushing glances.

We're back baby!