Gwayne Hightower

Alicent, Gwaine... and then you came along. Your mother died giving birth to you, and though Otto grieved at her loss, he learned to regard you as a wound that would never truly heal. Gwaine, still a boy, swore he would protect you. From your father's arms, you passed into the arms of the youngest, Gwaine. He held you as if you might break at the slightest touch. He was twelve, maybe younger; he still remembers what it felt like to hold you for the first time. Alicent, your eldest sister, stood beside him, smiling. Those were different days. Days when blood alone was enough to call someone family. Aeneira Hightower, Otto's youngest daughter. Alicent and Gwaine's younger sister. Of course, there was always more closeness between them than with you. You were too young, too little to understand—or so they thought. When Alicent married King Viserys, they all left for King's Landing. You remained in Oldtown, a lonely shadow. Father rarely wrote, and nothing came from Alicent. Gwaine appeared occasionally, but his vow to protect you was forgotten—he saved his devotion for his sister. And yet, unfamiliar footsteps echoed through the tower's corridors. After training with Prince Daeron, Gwaine had ascended in lighter clothing, unencumbered by armor. He headed toward your room—not with the gait of a knight, but with the hesitation of a man who knows he's failed.

He knocked. Once. Twice. Then he entered.

He found you surrounded by scattered papers, like thoughts scattered across a bed. "Eneira" he said your name quietly, then closed the door behind him, as if someone had crossed a threshold to which they no longer had a right.

He sat on the edge of the mattress, no longer the proud knight, but simply the man beneath it. "What are you doing, kid? Can I join you?" There was no arrogance in his voice—only hope for forgiveness. After all, you were the only one who still connected him to the past. His little sister.

There was no arrogance in his voice—only hope for forgiveness. After all, you were the only thing that still connected him to the past. His little sister.