A/N: The day before Axel departs from King's Landing~
-x-X-x-
The worst part was the waiting. Oh, Axel knew that everyone involved was moving as fast as they possibly could. Fleets could not be ready to set sail within a day. Armies could not be made to march within a week. And so he had to wait. Wait for messages to be traded back and forth, wait for everyone to get moving.
He could have gone and tried to take care of it all himself, of course. And it was very tempting to do exactly that. Just run over to the West Coast of Westeros and swim out to take down Euron Greyjoy all by himself. He was confident that he could kill the other man just as easily as he had Petyr Baelish, no matter what sort of forces Euron had on his side.
However, there were a few things that held him back from doing so. First and foremost, he'd already promised the Mountain Clans their chance at battle back in the Vale. With the majority of their warriors having come all the way to King's Landing, it would have been something of a dick move to leave them in the lurch.
Secondly, for some reason the Ironborn had only really burnt up the Westerlands at this point. There was talk of some raiding and reaving up and down the rest of the coast as well, from the Reach to the Riverlands to the North, but it was always just one ship and usually they were repelled swiftly enough.
The Westerlands had suffered the brunt of the damage so far, from losing the Lannister Fleet to Lannisport being burned down and Casterly Rock being put under siege. And maybe it was petty of Axel, but he really didn't like Tywin Lannister. There was something to be said about not moving quite as fast as Axel personally could have after how the Lannister Lord had dragged his feet during Renly's rebellion. There just wasn't a sense of urgency, truth be told.
And third and finally was the Kraken that Euron was said to command. Not that the beast's presence was keeping Axel away. Actually, he really, really wanted to fight the massive sea monster. It was said to be bigger than multiple boats put together, and strong enough to break down city walls with just its appendages after all.
The thing was… what would be the point of fighting such a thing without an audience? So yeah, Axel had his reasons for not just rushing off on his own again like he did for the Vale. But that didn't make it any easier, all this waiting.
Luckily, they were almost done. Tomorrow was the day he and his armies would depart from King's Landing. But that just made these last twenty-four hours all the more torturous.
And so Axel found himself looking for Sandor Clegane, hoping to bully the scarred knight into a bit of a spar to take his mind off all of the waiting. Only, he was having a hard time locating the reluctant Kingsguard in any of his usual haunts. In the end, Axel was forced to go all the way to the Hound's quarters just to find the man.
Marching right up to the man's door with a grin on his face, Axel doesn't bother knocking or anything like that. He just slams the door open, already shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Sandor! Get your ass up! Your King is in need of a good-!"
The word 'fight' never leaves Axel's lips however, because he finally registers just what he's walked in on. If he'd been paying better attention and not been lost in his own thoughts, he might have heard it while he was still in the hallway. But alas, he did not. And so instead, he finds himself staring for a second in incomprehension… before his eyes widen in horror as he finally, regretfully processes what's going on in the room.
As the… activities inside begin to slow down at the pace of a snail to Axel's senses, he rapidly shakes his head back and forth.
"NEVER MIND, PRETEND I WAS NEVER HERE!"
And slams the door closed again, before power-walking the fuck away before either Sandor or Brienne can get up from the bed and chase after him. Some things were never meant to be seen! Unfortunately, he'd always had a pretty good memory. His eyes were burning from the images he couldn't get out of his head!
-x-X-x-
"Princess! Your tits! Show me your tits immediately, it's an emergency!"
Arianne is lounging by herself in her quarters in one of the rare instances where she finds herself without Tyene by her side when the King comes barging in. The Dornish Princess blinks owlishly at his command, taking in his stricken face. Then, with an amused giggle, she pulls down the top of her dress, letting her voluminous dusky breasts bounce free of their confines.
Axel doesn't hesitate. The young king all but lunges forward and buries his face in her chest, causing Arianne to gasp in delight and then moan softly as he nuzzles her soft, sensitive breasts quite enthusiastically. Then, his mouth finds one of her nipples and Arianne's moans are no longer quite so soft as Axel starts to really get into things.
They eventually move from the couch to the bed and things happen as one might expect. Axel takes to her in a frenzy, and Arianne loves every last second of it, tossing her head back in ecstasy.
Eventually though, things come to their natural conclusion. The Princess finds herself laying back against her pillows, her body pleasantly sore, while Axel rests his head on her chest, the young King just relaxing as she runs a hand along his scalp and across his still-short hair.
His hair is certainly growing back swiftly, and his stubble is beginning to form a proper beard on his face, but the wildfire was still so recent and the marks from its passage remain… and not just physically. Arianne never thought she would be saying this, but… she's a little worried about Axel.
Physically, besides the hair still growing back, he was completely fine. But what about emotionally? Killing Petyr Baelish and Lysa Arryn might have given him some closure, but the wound they'd dealt with their actions had to be so fresh still.
"… How are you feeling, my King?"
The words slip from her lips before she can really consider if it's a good idea or not. But then… why shouldn't she ask? She's to be his Queen soon enough after all, once this war with the Iron Islands is done with. She and Sansa Stark both.
Looking up at her, Axel smiles somewhat cheekily.
"Heh, better now. I saw something that no man is meant to see. Something truly horrible…"
But Arianne rolls her eyes, able to tell that he's only acting horrified as a lark at this point. Or perhaps as a diversion tactic. Before he can continue with his little jest, she shakes her head.
"That's not what I'm talking about. I mean… with everything that's happened. How are you holding up? Jon Arryn was like a father to you. His loss… it's okay to not be doing alright you know."
Axel's smile drops and his expression closes off.
"I'm fine."
He doesn't pull away from her though. Arianne stays quiet, continuing to run her fingers along his scalp. If all he wants from her is to lay here silently, then that's what she'll do. Funny, it's not the kind of thing she would have ever done for any other man throughout her life. But Axel is different… special. She can't even imagine living without him at this point.
"… I'm not fine."
Arianne lets out a soft exhale as Axel breaks the silence to admit the truth. Sighing, he shifts against her bosom for a moment before continuing on.
"His death still doesn't feel entirely real. And killing the people who killed him didn't make it miraculously better. I don't think even killing Euron will make it entirely right."
Humming, Arianne nods along, just listening. That seems to be what he needs right now. Someone to listen.
"It's just… he was old right? So I shouldn't be hurting this badly. He was always closer to death than anything…"
Callous words, but she can tell that they come from a place of hurt, not heartlessness. Axel's face scrunches up and tears well up in the corner of his eyes. She's never seen him like this before. So vulnerable. Still, she remains quiet.
"… I wanted him to be able to give up the position of Hand peacefully, of his own accord. Just a couple more years and I would have sent him back to the Vale so he could live out the rest of his life in his own lands, raising his son. I just needed his help for a little while longer. But I can't help feeling like, in my selfishness, I killed him."
That brings a frown to Arianne's face. No longer can she remain silent. Sure, she may not have known Jon Arryn very well personally, but she knew quite a lot of the man all the same. In the end, the words that spill forth from her lips feel right. She just hopes Axel is ready to hear them.
"Even if you'd sent him back to the Vale… his traitorous wife would have gone with him and who knows what she would have done on Baelish's orders. Besides, would he have even gone? He loved you Axel, he cared for you like his own son. He wanted to help you, to be there for you."
Silence falls again. Axel is quiet and Arianne… Arianne just rests and lets him think. Her fingers continue to glide across his scalp, the back of his head pressed up against her bared breasts. Setting aside the sex they'd already had, this has to be one of the least debauched things she's ever done in bed with a man, really. Another point in Axel's favor.
But then, the differences between Axel Baratheon and any other man in Arianne's 'history' were too numerous to count. He was just so much… more than all of them. She could never go back to how she'd been before. Not after tasting what he had to offer and knowing that nobody else could ever live up to her experiences at his hands.
"… He wouldn't have approved of me marrying both you and Sansa, you know. Am I spitting on his memory by doing this when I know he would try to vehemently talk me out of it?"
That causes Arianne to wince. Axel's voice is quiet and… thoughtful. Haaah, in trying to help him feel better and come to terms with all that had happened, had she just sunk her chances of being Queen? Because really, the Dornish Princess was under no misconceptions about that.
She might have made a pact with Sansa Stark and agreed to work with her going forward no matter who Axel chose… but deep down inside, Arianne knew that if he actually had to make a decision, Sansa would be his Queen. She was just… better than Arianne in pretty much every meaningful way aside from the size of her tits.
"I… don't think you're spitting on his memory, no. Nobody is perfect, Axel. We can both love and disagree with people, even if they're gone."
Axel frowns and Arianne worries for a moment that she's failed to convince him. But then…
"Sometimes I think about his decisions. About his mistakes. It feels wrong. He's gone and he's never coming back so I should honor his memory, right? But… he let Petyr Baelish play him like a fool for so long. He let Robert run roughshod over him for more than twenty years. And he was so certain that I had to hide my abilities and restrain myself as well during Renly's rebellion. But there were ways I could have handled Renly earlier without revealing too much. Things I could have done to end things so much sooner."
Huffing, Axel wipes his eyes. Technically, he still hasn't shed a tear… but they had grown quite watery all the same.
"I just don't know what to think. I miss him so much. I want him back so badly. But there's a selfish part of me that is a little glad he's gone. I can do things my way now. I can do things he wouldn't have approved of. But what if my way is wrong? What if he had good reason for not approving of those things? Am I just a fool walking straight down the path of ruin now that I no longer have anyone to tell me otherwise?"
Arianne bites her lower lip, feeling a little out of her depth at this point. Still…
"You have me. And Sansa."
As he looks up at her, Arianne smiles sheepishly.
"Mostly Sansa, really. She seems to have a better head on her shoulders than I ever have. Still… we'll do our best to advise you. And so will others, like Lord Stannis."
Taking a deep breath, Arianne finds herself walking what she perceives to be a very thin line.
"Jon Arryn was a good man… who helped lesser men seem greater than they truly were. This was not always a good thing, as we now know. His good nature let him be taken advantage of by many. There is much you can take away from what he taught you, I'm sure… but there's much to be taken away from his mistakes as well."
Staring into Axel's eyes, Arianne bites her lower lip for a moment before continuing.
"More than anything though, if he were here with us right now, I think he would say he was proud of you no matter what decisions you make going forward… and that ultimately, he would want you to be your own man and your own King above all else."
Again, Axel falls quiet for a time. Again, Arianne simply stews in the silence, only able to hope that her words are having the intended impact. Until finally, the King mutters something under his breath.
"…"
Even as close as she is to him, Arianne doesn't quite catch it though.
"I'm sorry… what did you say?"
Blinking, he looks up at her and huffs, smiling somewhat ruefully.
"I said… I decide what is proper. Don't I?"
Well, he's not wrong about that. Arianne grins as she glides her fingers across his scalp for the thousandth time.
"Indeed, my King. And apparently what you consider proper is barging into my chambers, demanding I show you my tits, and then having your way with me before nuzzling them for as long as you like. Not that I'm complaining~"
Axel's smile turns into a grin of his own as he finally lifts his head off of her chest and turns over, climbing on top of her.
"Mm. You're not wrong, but you're missing the final step. After all of that… and an unexpected heartfelt conversation to boot, what is truly proper is me fucking you again. This time doing so until you can't see straight or walk in the morning."
Arianne blushes… but nevertheless spreads her legs for her King.
"Well… if the King says that's what's proper, who am I to disagree?"
He makes good on his promise too. Tyene has to help her to the balcony in the morning, where she waves goodbye to Axel as he leaves the Red Keep and heads for the city gates. She's too sore for anything else after the night of pleasure he winds up giving her…
-x-X-x-
A/N: Truly, Axel has seen horrors that no man should have to witness. Fortunately, Arianne's big, beautiful tits were enough to wash away the memory of Sandor and Brienne… mostly, anyways.
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