Elena:
'And should you find a suitable match for your sister...write to me at once!'
Those were the last words Gyles Grafton had shouted to his sons as The Silver Falcon distanced itself from the shore. The brothers smirked, the issue of finding a suitably worthy match for his daughter had never been far from Gyles Grafton's mind since the news that his daughter had dishonoured herself had become known and their lord father had talked of it no end. He had reached out to the lords of the Vale, offering a generous dowry for whomever would wed to Elena but the Lords of the Vale would only offer their excuses or their bastard sons. Rickard and Erik were already looking forward to the pleasures.
Elena, leaning over the other side of the ship looking outwards to sea found this habit of her father far less amusing. She father multiple times explaining to him that she had no desire to be married off yet but her father was resolute.
'Elena I promised your mother I would see you well cared for and I don't know how many more years I've got in me'
Her fathers' reasoning hadn't changed since she had turned 15, he had made a promise and The Father judged all men by the promises they kept. Her father was not an unkind man but he was a dutiful one and loyal to his family and the Seven above and having made his promise to his late wife as she burned with fever she knew he would keep his word. It was true that her fathers' back pains had been getting worse and that maesters Willum's treatments were providing less and less relief but she had felt her fathers' disapproval of her affect her more and more as each day passed. The hardest had been looking her father in the eyes after the servants had told him of her adventures with Yohn. It had been a spur of the moment decision, the blacksmith's apprentice had seemed so mysterious with the shadows of the harvest bonfire dancing around him. His fair hair and his large frame had instantly caught her attention as she arrived from the castle with some of her fathers' musicians to liven up the village festival. Such fairs were the opportunity for young peasant girls to meet young peasant boys from the villages in her father’s lands and she had wanted to be sure to get to him first. And she had, it was clear from the way he had behaved with her that night in his fathers workshop that she had been his first encounter, which surprised her given the attention the other girls had clearly given him at the fireside. Unfortunately she would also probably be his last as the next morning her father's men had found her sleeping contentedly in the hay by Yohn' side. She was brough back to her dissapointed father and Yohn was promptly sent to the Night's Watch to serve the rest of his life away in celibacy. That night through her actions; Yohn lost his future, the village of Stonehill lost a blacksmith, The girls of the neighbouring villages lost a future husband, The blacksmith lost his son and Elena lost the sparkle of pride she had seen in her fathers' eyes. Only the Night's Watch gained from this. Yohn would undoubtedly make a fine addition to the order of builders with his strong arms and innocent curiosity.
She knew that one of the reasons her father had sent her the Capital with her brothers was so she could be paraded before all the nobility of Westeros like a prize and that surely some of those men would be kind and understanding of her own needs but she was afraid nonetheless. She knew that her father would never force her into a sept to marry a stranger against her will and that he would never force her to accept some elderly lord as a husband just for his wealth being one of the richest men in Westeros himself, but she knew that should she return from King's Landing without at least any hope for him that she could break his heart. Still Elena found it difficult to accept that she should be restrained when Ser Artys who was older than her remained unmarried and Rickard too remained free to indulge in his own pleasures. Since he had returned from his journey across the Jade Sea it was clear he was no longer the boy he had been when he set sail. He had grown freer, stronger and wiser and had come back with colourful friends from across the world some she suspected to be his lovers, he brought back beautiful and exotic gifts for everyone yet their father imposed no demands of marriage on him and he was the heir! Perhaps she was wrong to resent her fathers' insistence for her to do her duty to her family, perhaps her mother would have told her the same, could it be that she had simply grown accustomed to living in a male dominated household and had refused to see the differences between herself and her brothers? Perhaps. Yet even so, even as she would follow her father's wishes and look for her future in the Capital, she yearned to travel like Rickard did and see as much as a quarter as he did before having to settle down to the life of a lady-wife. Why must her Goldenheart bow, that she so admired and was grateful for, have to be a gift from her brother, rather than something she had earned for herself upon her own voyage across the seas?
Rickard:
It felt good to be on the seas again. After spending the better part of three years on a boat learning to haggle with the Qartheen, having to fight off Basilisk Islander Corsairs and having to endure the storms of the narrow Sea, life in Gulltown had felt terribly boring to Rickard. He had been in Gulltown less than three weeks before his father informed him that he would be taking his younger siblings to the Capital for the royal wedding. Gyles would stay behind and look after the city, he did not like leaving is beloved Gulltown that he had watched burn as a child. His father would stay behind and carry out his duties to his people and build up a force to meet the ever encroaching Mountain clansmen who were becoming bolder and bolder. As eldest son, Rickard would have the duty of representing House Grafton in King's Landing. Whilst this duty seemed daunting for him, who had only so recently become reacquainted with his houses' needs and interests he looked forward to seeing Artys again, a brother he had not seen in three years. It was hard to imagine his little brother Artys now a twenty year old knight of the order of Winged Knights. Rickard knew better than most that letters could not carry the same emotion than meeting someone in person and was eagerly awaiting to see his beloved brother again.
He had left most of his crew with the Dawnchaser in Gulltown and instead they sailed To King's Landing in one of his fathers' vessels' The Silver Falcon' The Falcon's crew were stout experienced seamen but lacked the humour and the history Rickard shared with his crew. The ship was one of Gulltowns most relaiable vessels, nothing less would be suitable to carry three of Gyles children as well as dozens of gifts and goods to be traded in the Capital. Not for nothing were the Graftons mocked as Merchant Lords, little better than Essosi Cheeselords and Spicekings in the eyes of most Westerosi. This had changed when Lord Petyr Baelish had come to Gulltown two lifetimes ago. Gulltowns revenues had soared, merchants began flocking to the harbour in greater numbers than ever before and the the wealth of the Graftons had increased accordingly. Following the Lord Protector’s example house Grafton had bought much of the debts of other Vale Houses but unlike the sums owed to Lord Baelish which were conveniently forgotten after his mysterious death, Lord Gyles had kept a close watch over his account ledgers and houses Corbray, Sunderland, Waynwood and Hunter were still heavily in debt to house Grafton.
As the sun disappeared behind the horizon on the second day of sailing, the Silver Falcon approached the port of the Capital, the sounds of music and laughter could be heard from the Red Keep. There was no time to be lost. Rickard, Elena and Erik would leave most of their belongings in the ship for now and head up to the Keep to partake in the festivities of the evening.