The Water Gardens (A Song of Ice and Fire/Exo Crossover)
Title: The Water Gardens
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,486
Genre: Friendship
Summary: Baekhyun really doesn't like that orange-haired boy. He's a meanie who won't let him play with the fishies.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Later in life, neither Chanyeol nor Baekhyun remembered the first time they met.
Because of several unfortunate circumstances (including the stubbornness of one Lady Tyrell, the recent retirement of his castellan, and one particular incident involving several pigeons and their former cook), Lord Tyrell had had to bring his son to the Great Trading Council of Dorne. The very same Council, in fact, at which a certain Sothoryosi crone publicly defied Prince Olyvar Martell.
The Dornish prince had welcomed Baekhyun graciously, even though at only two years old, he was obviously more likely to be a hindrance to the negotiations than anything else. Lord Tyrell had drawn the Dornish prince aside to apologise for the inconvenience, but Olyvar just waved him off.
“Don’t worry about it!” he had said with a smile. “In fact, I have a son about his age too, so I can empathise! It’s a shame he’s not in Sunspear at present, or they could have entertained each other.”
The fact that the Dornishman would voluntarily refrain from keeping his son close surprised Lord Tyrell. It must have shown on his face, because Prince Martell immediately continued, “The Water Gardens to the west have been used as a retreat for our family for centuries, especially our young ones. He’s perfectly safe there, it’s one of the most secure places in Dorne.”
Olyvar looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued, “In fact, if you’re worried that your son will get underfoot, you could always send him there until the end of the Council. It’s less than a day’s ride, and I can spare a few of my own household guard to accompany him.”
Which was how, two days later, Baekhyun woke up in what seemed, to him, like a foreign paradise.
He raced out of his chambers, only a little unsteady on his feet, and skidded to a halt in the shade of an archway, gaping around him at the softly tinkling fountains, the groves of blood orange trees swaying gently in the wind, the marble pillars bathed in the soft glow of dawn.
It was the best play area he’d ever seen, and he couldn’t wait to explore it all.
Suddenly, there was a noise from across the courtyard, and Baekhyun ducked behind a pillar on instinct. But on peering out, all he saw was another little boy toddling out towards the pools. He a little smaller than Baekhyun, with a shock of orange hair and the distinct tanned skin of the Dornish.
Baekhyun watched, feeling suddenly shy, as the other flopped down at the side of the pool and peered into the water. He splashed the water a few times with one arm, laughing quietly to himself.
Baekhyun was just working up the nerve to go and play with the other boy, when he saw the other stick his whole face in the water.
Baekhyun gasped - his mother had always told him off any time he so much as thought of putting his head in water, so he knew it was very dangerous. This boy must not know that - he had to go and help him in case he got sick from the water!
Running over quickly, Baekhyun grabbed the back of the other boy’s shirt and pulled him out of the water, panting a little bit from the effort. Sitting down beside him with a plop, he looked at the other and asked, “You okay? Water bad!”
The red-haired boy blinked. “Why you scare fishies?” he asked, pouting a little bit in anger.
Baekhyun was confused for a moment, but looking into the pond he saw that there were indeed tiny fish flitting about in it, seemingly a bit panicked from all the splashing. Suddenly, the other boy’s hand smacked the water, splashing Baekhyun in the face.
Spluttering, Baekhyun looked back at the other boy, who exclaimed loudly, “I wanted watch fishies! Now they scared ‘n swim away.” He waved his chubby little arms about a lot as he spoke, then shook his head like a dog, shaking the water droplets onto Baekhyun, who flinched back a little - the water was cold.
Shyly, Baekhyun asked, “Can I watch fishies too? Fishies nice.”
The other boy glared at him. “No! You scare fishies.” He paused, then leaned right into Baekhyun’s face. “Fishies hate you.”
Baekhyun jerked back, not used to having his personal space invaded like that, and felt tears prick at the back of his eyes - he liked the fish, he didn’t want them to hate him! “You a meanie,” he said quietly, scuffing one of his toes along the smooth marble.
The other boy’s eyes grew impossibly wide. “No, YOU the meanie! You scare fishies!” he said, flailing his arms as he spoke.
Flinching away, Baekhyun blinked back the wetness in his eyes, jumped to his feet, and ran back inside. He really didn’t like that orange-haired meanie.
Unfortunately, at breakfast a few hours later, he discovered that the orange-haired meanie seemed to be the leader of all the other children; certainly, he was the most rambunctious, despite being one of the youngest, and the others all followed where he led. Baekhyun, on the other hand, was very subdued - he sat at the end of one of the benches, eating quietly and avoiding eye contact with the other children, especially the meanie.
The first few hours of playtime were awful - the other kids were splashing about in the fountains, but Baekhyun didn’t want to go anywhere near the meanie, and he was always in the middle of them all! So he ended up avoiding everyone, playing by himself in the trees lining the courtyard, knowing that all the others must think him strange.
However, all his plans of lying low were shot down just before lunchtime, when the meanie decided that it was time to play hide and seek. And then ran to hide in the exact spot that Baekhyun had been lurking in.
He looked startled for a moment, then crouched down beside Baekhyun, smiling widely. “Shhhh!” he whispered. “I hide here too.”
So Baekhyun pushed him out from behind the pillar just as the seeker finished counting. He was immediately pounced on by the girl who had been doing the counting, and proclaimed the seeker of the next round.
After a moment’s satisfaction, Baekhyun suddenly realised that he had made a grievous mistake - the meanie was glaring at him again, and said “This time, I gon find you first. Then I gon throw you in pool!”
Luckily, Baekhyun was very good at hide and seek - when the dinner gong boomed almost half an hour later, the meanie still hadn’t managed to find him. Feeling proud of himself, he waited for a moment before crawling out from under the ledge he’d found, and slinking into the hall behind the others.
The next moment, he was pounced on and dragged up to the front. Baekhyun tried to bat the meanie away, but it was no use, and before he knew it, they were sitting beside each other at the high table, the meanie’s face staring into his own.
For a moment, the meanie just stared at him with those creepily big eyes, while Baekhyun fought the urge to just run away and never come back. Then, the meanie frowned. “What your name?” he asked. “I Chanyeol.”
When Baekhyun didn’t respond for a moment, Chanyeol gave an exaggerated sigh. “You hide good,” he said, “you need show me!”
Baekhyun hesitated - he didn’t want to tell the meanie his secrets. But after thinking about it, he had an idea. “Can I see fishies?” he asked shyly.
The answering nod was so vigorous that Chanyeol’s hair almost poked him in the eyes.
Somehow, after that, the two of them became inseparable. The other children were forgotten - Chanyeol showed Baekhyun the secret passage that led to the kitchens, while Baekhyun taught him how to stay so still during hide and seek that the seeker would just walk right past. They snuck out first thing in the morning to watch the fish, and once, Chanyeol did actually throw Baekhyun into one of the shallow pools.
Baekhyun just pulled Chanyeol in after him.
At the end of the three weeks that Baekhyun spent in the water gardens, he cried at the thought of leaving the enchanted playground he’d discovered... but mostly at the thought of leaving Chanyeol. Chanyeol had hugged him goodbye and waved from a roof that he shouldn’t have been able to climb up on at that age as Baekhyun left, but he hadn’t cried.
He knew that he would see Baekhyun again.
And even if the memories faded and blended into the confused jumble of the passage of time; even if they didn’t consciously remember those autumn days, there would always be nights when both of them dreamt of a marble courtyard and a friendly face, smiling peacefully as they slept.
END
Masterlist
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,486
Genre: Friendship
Summary: Baekhyun really doesn't like that orange-haired boy. He's a meanie who won't let him play with the fishies.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Later in life, neither Chanyeol nor Baekhyun remembered the first time they met.
Because of several unfortunate circumstances (including the stubbornness of one Lady Tyrell, the recent retirement of his castellan, and one particular incident involving several pigeons and their former cook), Lord Tyrell had had to bring his son to the Great Trading Council of Dorne. The very same Council, in fact, at which a certain Sothoryosi crone publicly defied Prince Olyvar Martell.
The Dornish prince had welcomed Baekhyun graciously, even though at only two years old, he was obviously more likely to be a hindrance to the negotiations than anything else. Lord Tyrell had drawn the Dornish prince aside to apologise for the inconvenience, but Olyvar just waved him off.
“Don’t worry about it!” he had said with a smile. “In fact, I have a son about his age too, so I can empathise! It’s a shame he’s not in Sunspear at present, or they could have entertained each other.”
The fact that the Dornishman would voluntarily refrain from keeping his son close surprised Lord Tyrell. It must have shown on his face, because Prince Martell immediately continued, “The Water Gardens to the west have been used as a retreat for our family for centuries, especially our young ones. He’s perfectly safe there, it’s one of the most secure places in Dorne.”
Olyvar looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued, “In fact, if you’re worried that your son will get underfoot, you could always send him there until the end of the Council. It’s less than a day’s ride, and I can spare a few of my own household guard to accompany him.”
Which was how, two days later, Baekhyun woke up in what seemed, to him, like a foreign paradise.
He raced out of his chambers, only a little unsteady on his feet, and skidded to a halt in the shade of an archway, gaping around him at the softly tinkling fountains, the groves of blood orange trees swaying gently in the wind, the marble pillars bathed in the soft glow of dawn.
It was the best play area he’d ever seen, and he couldn’t wait to explore it all.
Suddenly, there was a noise from across the courtyard, and Baekhyun ducked behind a pillar on instinct. But on peering out, all he saw was another little boy toddling out towards the pools. He a little smaller than Baekhyun, with a shock of orange hair and the distinct tanned skin of the Dornish.
Baekhyun watched, feeling suddenly shy, as the other flopped down at the side of the pool and peered into the water. He splashed the water a few times with one arm, laughing quietly to himself.
Baekhyun was just working up the nerve to go and play with the other boy, when he saw the other stick his whole face in the water.
Baekhyun gasped - his mother had always told him off any time he so much as thought of putting his head in water, so he knew it was very dangerous. This boy must not know that - he had to go and help him in case he got sick from the water!
Running over quickly, Baekhyun grabbed the back of the other boy’s shirt and pulled him out of the water, panting a little bit from the effort. Sitting down beside him with a plop, he looked at the other and asked, “You okay? Water bad!”
The red-haired boy blinked. “Why you scare fishies?” he asked, pouting a little bit in anger.
Baekhyun was confused for a moment, but looking into the pond he saw that there were indeed tiny fish flitting about in it, seemingly a bit panicked from all the splashing. Suddenly, the other boy’s hand smacked the water, splashing Baekhyun in the face.
Spluttering, Baekhyun looked back at the other boy, who exclaimed loudly, “I wanted watch fishies! Now they scared ‘n swim away.” He waved his chubby little arms about a lot as he spoke, then shook his head like a dog, shaking the water droplets onto Baekhyun, who flinched back a little - the water was cold.
Shyly, Baekhyun asked, “Can I watch fishies too? Fishies nice.”
The other boy glared at him. “No! You scare fishies.” He paused, then leaned right into Baekhyun’s face. “Fishies hate you.”
Baekhyun jerked back, not used to having his personal space invaded like that, and felt tears prick at the back of his eyes - he liked the fish, he didn’t want them to hate him! “You a meanie,” he said quietly, scuffing one of his toes along the smooth marble.
The other boy’s eyes grew impossibly wide. “No, YOU the meanie! You scare fishies!” he said, flailing his arms as he spoke.
Flinching away, Baekhyun blinked back the wetness in his eyes, jumped to his feet, and ran back inside. He really didn’t like that orange-haired meanie.
Unfortunately, at breakfast a few hours later, he discovered that the orange-haired meanie seemed to be the leader of all the other children; certainly, he was the most rambunctious, despite being one of the youngest, and the others all followed where he led. Baekhyun, on the other hand, was very subdued - he sat at the end of one of the benches, eating quietly and avoiding eye contact with the other children, especially the meanie.
The first few hours of playtime were awful - the other kids were splashing about in the fountains, but Baekhyun didn’t want to go anywhere near the meanie, and he was always in the middle of them all! So he ended up avoiding everyone, playing by himself in the trees lining the courtyard, knowing that all the others must think him strange.
However, all his plans of lying low were shot down just before lunchtime, when the meanie decided that it was time to play hide and seek. And then ran to hide in the exact spot that Baekhyun had been lurking in.
He looked startled for a moment, then crouched down beside Baekhyun, smiling widely. “Shhhh!” he whispered. “I hide here too.”
So Baekhyun pushed him out from behind the pillar just as the seeker finished counting. He was immediately pounced on by the girl who had been doing the counting, and proclaimed the seeker of the next round.
After a moment’s satisfaction, Baekhyun suddenly realised that he had made a grievous mistake - the meanie was glaring at him again, and said “This time, I gon find you first. Then I gon throw you in pool!”
Luckily, Baekhyun was very good at hide and seek - when the dinner gong boomed almost half an hour later, the meanie still hadn’t managed to find him. Feeling proud of himself, he waited for a moment before crawling out from under the ledge he’d found, and slinking into the hall behind the others.
The next moment, he was pounced on and dragged up to the front. Baekhyun tried to bat the meanie away, but it was no use, and before he knew it, they were sitting beside each other at the high table, the meanie’s face staring into his own.
For a moment, the meanie just stared at him with those creepily big eyes, while Baekhyun fought the urge to just run away and never come back. Then, the meanie frowned. “What your name?” he asked. “I Chanyeol.”
When Baekhyun didn’t respond for a moment, Chanyeol gave an exaggerated sigh. “You hide good,” he said, “you need show me!”
Baekhyun hesitated - he didn’t want to tell the meanie his secrets. But after thinking about it, he had an idea. “Can I see fishies?” he asked shyly.
The answering nod was so vigorous that Chanyeol’s hair almost poked him in the eyes.
Somehow, after that, the two of them became inseparable. The other children were forgotten - Chanyeol showed Baekhyun the secret passage that led to the kitchens, while Baekhyun taught him how to stay so still during hide and seek that the seeker would just walk right past. They snuck out first thing in the morning to watch the fish, and once, Chanyeol did actually throw Baekhyun into one of the shallow pools.
Baekhyun just pulled Chanyeol in after him.
At the end of the three weeks that Baekhyun spent in the water gardens, he cried at the thought of leaving the enchanted playground he’d discovered... but mostly at the thought of leaving Chanyeol. Chanyeol had hugged him goodbye and waved from a roof that he shouldn’t have been able to climb up on at that age as Baekhyun left, but he hadn’t cried.
He knew that he would see Baekhyun again.
And even if the memories faded and blended into the confused jumble of the passage of time; even if they didn’t consciously remember those autumn days, there would always be nights when both of them dreamt of a marble courtyard and a friendly face, smiling peacefully as they slept.
END
Masterlist