Desmera III

293AC

She would deny it if asked, but she had enjoyed seeing the boats fight each other, even if only for a few moments. She had grown up on tales of her father's battles, especially the crushing of the Ironborn at Fair-Isle, and this was perhaps the closest she would ever see to the combat he spoke of with such relish.

It was almost a shame how anticlimactic it ended up being, Prince Arthur's ships scattered the Ironborn like so much chaff, with one of the vessels surrendering and the other fleeing, something which prompted the prince to use some very uncouth language.

Not long afterward he brought them back to the Garden tower and left towards the port with his handsome Sworn-Sword Ser Jaerys beside him. Despite her Grandmother's cutting remarks about leaving ladies at breakfast.

She would never let anyone know, but she thought the Velaryon knight looked far more princely than the scarred boy whose hand she was supposed to win, doubtful as that was after her foolishness the night before.

'all I had to do was wait for him to say what he thought of her before I opened my big stupid mouth.' she chastised herself for what must have been the dozenth time. She had no real feelings about the Maid of Tarth, but it was horribly foolish of her to anticipate that the boy was mocking someone he actually respected.

She reclined in her chair and placed her hand below her chin as she saw the prince and his knight ride off down to the coast where the fleet was coming back into port. They were going to meet the prisoners and see just what was going on, and her father had met them at the gate going downhill.

"Pah, men, idiots the lot of them. Let the sailors deal with the scabby pirates. What's there that needs a Lord and a Prince's attention?" Olenna said beside her at the table, having finished her pudding. "They would all do better if they were less excited about swords. Or for the prince his cannons, I suppose."

"Is that what those were, Lord Stannis' cannons?" Margaery asked beside her, and their grandmother nodded.

"I don't see what else it could be from what Paxter told me. Sounds like thunder, big plumes of smoke. Those little boats were shooting cannons or I'll eat my foot." she grumbled, reclining back into her chair and sipping her thin arbor gold. "I imagine Mace will want to know that the Master of Ships can outfit his whole navy with them now. Maybe that will put some fear of the man into him."

"I don't think we need to fear Prince Arthur Grandmother," Margaery said, and she felt compelled to nod along. "He's been quite polite, I had feared that he would be like Father said Lord Stannis is."

"Politeness doesn't necessarily mean weakness, nor does it preclude foolishness. Lord Tywin Lannister is perfectly polite but he would still seek to have us dead if he thought us a threat."

"Somehow I can't see that happening with him," Margaery said, smiling, which prompted their grandmother to narrow her eyes.

"You'd best not take a liking to him, dear. I won't have that kind of mess in the family."

"Oh no, nothing of the sort, but he doesn't seem to dislike us at all."

"You maybe." Desmera felt herself say before she could stop. 'cursed, traitorous tongue.' "I fear I offended him harshly last night."

Her grandmother's eyes softened, and she felt an old but gentle hand come down on her shoulder. "Come now, girl, we've spoken of this, if you offended him, and he may be too pig-headed to notice, then it is no great fault on your part, you are still young, as is he, and not all betrothals are meant to be."

She nodded, sighing a little as she thought of her father and her duty to the house, a duty she might have ruined and failed.

"I know grandmother, it's just… I know."