Disclaimer: I disclaim.

One to Love

Chapter 1

Many a time, Dunk had stared at the formidable walls of the Red Keep and wondered what it would be like to live in such a palace; many a time, he had visited various castles, from strongly fortified to basically defenceless, from sumptuous dwellings to mere shacks. But he had never seen something as beautiful as Summerhall, nestled in his green valley, with its vast gardens and buildings in red and white. The halls and courtyards were meticulously kept, many windows in the main building gave the façade light, aerial air. Everything was saturated with the fragrance of flowers. Summerhall was a place of abundance and prosperity and Dunk liked it here, although he wouldn't like to live in the castle. He had yet to find out whether the soft linen sheets – better than anything he had ever laid his head upon – were thanks to his position as Prince Aegon's companion, or simply the norm for the knights of Maekar's guard, he thought sleepily before drifting off.

He woke up at sunrise to a pair of eyes staring at him very intently. They were not Egg's eyes. Without thinking, he grabbed the intruder by the wrists so he could not raise his sword.

"What in seven hells…"

"Hush," a young voice said. "Keep silent, ser. otherwise they'll hear us and I'll be returned to my rooms for my septa to lecture me again. Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. I just wanted to see you. Would you mind letting me go now?"

A girl. It was only a girl about Egg's age but already dressed up like a lady. Her mauve gown was finer than anything Dunk had seen, her hair pale silver without the faintest hint of gold. She won't hurt me? he thought amazed, trying to fight off sleep. She was just a child… although he did not know what to expect of her, given what he knew of her second brother. Dunk immediately looked at himself, to make sure that in tacking her, he had stayed decently covered. To his relief, the sheet was in place.

"Ser?" the girl said hesitantly. "My hands?"

"Oh, of course," Dunk said and immediately let her go. He obviously had handled her more roughly than necessary, or maybe the red bruises were just more visible on the soft, tender and fair skin of her wrists. "Look, I am sorry about that," he said. "I didn't mean to grab you with such strength. I don't know why I bolted like this. You weren't touching your nose to mine or something."

She giggled at that.

"Last night, I saw you in the great hall at the feast," he said and she nodded.

"Egg pointed you out to me," she said. "But you were sitting then. Are you really as tall as he says?"

Now Dunk was truly awake. "You are Egg's sister," he said. "He said he had two of these…"

"I am Rhae," she confirmed. Looking at her, Dunk could see the family resemblance. She and Egg had yet to reach the age where his facial lines would harden into a more masculine look while hers would refine into female exquisition. But unlike Egg, she had eyes that were truly black, so dark that he couldn't see the irises.

"Oh." Should he now bow, or what? No, he couldn't, even if he wanted to: he was just in his unmentionables but he couldn't say it, could he now? "Where is Egg? I mean, Prince Aegon… Your Grace?"

"Still sleeping, I think." She shrugged. He was so tired that last night, he practically fell asleep while he was telling us about your adventures in Oldtown. Didn't stir when Father carried him to bed. And I am not Your Grace, the Queen is at King's Landing. I am just 'Princess', or 'my lady', if you prefer so."

The upper layers of her hair were braided and coiled around her head like a crown, with rubies shining in them. She looked every inch a queen, albeit a miniature one. "You are more beautiful than the Queen, I'm sure," he muttered without thinking, and she laughed.

"My lord father says I am the very image of the Queen when she was my age. Did you really foil the Blackfyre pretender?" she asked. "And you and Egg – you really rode double? For real?"

Her eyes were wide with disbelief. Dunk shook his head as best as he could against the pillow. Princesses were really creatures of another world. To her, riding double was no doubt the ultimate downfall. And about the Blackfyre pretender… Dunk could only count his blessings that he had not been there throughout Egg's retelling of the story. For all he knew, the boy could have said that he had single-handedly decimated the entire Blackfyre army – paltry as it had been – riding a dragon of all things. His ears would have turned red, he was sure.

"What are you doing here?"

Egg stood at the door in a close-fitting doublet in black and red, glaring at his sister. She smiled at him sweetly. "I just wanted to see Ser Duncan, Egg. I was curious."

"I told you I'd bring you to meet him but of course you couldn't wait." His lip curled in derision. "What did I expect of a girl, anyway?"

"Getting up in time," she shot back. "I wonder how Ser Duncan managed to travel at all, with you sleeping all the time…"

"Ha!" he snorted. "What would you know about traveling? Where have you been, except for here and King's Landing? You don't even know what a fascinating place Oldtown is."

"Oh!" she cried, enraged. "It isn't fair to rub it in my face. Just because you are a boy…"

"Just a moment, if you please," Dunk intervened, trying to wrap his head around this sibling clash that had started raging with the speed of lightning. "I am sure you've got a better place to discuss this at…"

None of them paid him any mind. Egg did glance at him but that was it. A knight who would not rise from bed was hardly authority, Dunk had to admit. Egg and Rhae kept staring daggers at each other.

"But I am a boy," Egg said, complacent to no end. "That's why one day I'll be a Kingsguard and you… you can marry Aerion," he finished, inspired all of a sudden.

The effect, however, surpassed by far everything he had hoped to achieve. "No!" Rhae shrieked, her lovely face suddenly white. "No, I won't! You're saying this just to spite me."

"No," Egg insisted. "I heard him saying that he'd take you to wife as soon as you become a woman."

"Not true!" Rhae cried and suddenly started shaking. "Not true!"

Now, Egg looked really sorry. When tears started trickling down her cheeks, he actually looked guilty: he took a small piece of cloth out of his pocket and offered it to her. She buried her face in it.

"Here, here," Egg said, looking definitely uncomfortable. "Listen, I am sorry. I was just making it up. You'll never marry Aerion, I'm telling you."

She kept snuffling against the cloth but when Egg patted her head awkwardly, she shook him off.

"I'm sorry," the boy said again. "You were right, I was just trying to spite you."

"For which you'll have a good clout in the ear," Dunk felt obliged to say. Unfortunately, Egg was clearly unimpressed.

Rhae muttered something under the cloth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," Egg said.

"I said," Rhae's voice came, this time more clearly, "that I'll never marry anyone. I don't want a husband."

Egg looked amazed. "Every woman wants a husband."

"Not I," she insisted and took the cloth off to reveal her determined face. "I'll never take a husband... and I'd rather die before accepting Aerion."

"But... but..." Egg stuttered. "But the only women who do not marry are the ugliest ones and septas."

"That's right," she agreed, thrilled that she had been understood so quickly. "I shall become a septa!"

Egg's eyes went wide. Rhae's tears were drying quickly and she looked very pleased with herself at the sight of his shock. Dunk wanted to groan. Somehow, he'd end up being blamed for this. He simply knew it. If he had any luck, they'd leave here before the Princess could do something to make his life harder. But then, luck was not on his side ever since he had first encountered her brothers in that inn a lifetime ago.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

A. N. I'm laying my bets on the theory that Egg who was obviously betrothed to his sister Dhaella married, in fact, his sister Rhae. I think he did because of the name of his daughter and granddaughter – Rhaelle and Rhaella, respectively. Of course, I could simply be wrong.