“That sounds... very kind of her.” Although it seemed a bit strange that the sister of the presumably late queen would take it upon herself to provide entertainment for the court. It couldn’t be easy for the girl to be here, celebrating another family taking the Iron Throne, no matter how long ago Aeria and Jaehaerys Targaryen had vanished. But people dealt with their grief in a spectacular variety of ways, he supposed, and it was possible that Elia Martell preferred to keep distracted and busy. Or perhaps the two just hadn’t been close; Aeria was quite a bit older than her sister, he seemed to recall, and the distance between King’s Landing and Sunspear couldn’t have been conductive to a close relationship.
“I’ll be sure to speak to Lady Elia if the opportunity presents itself,” he said, not quite sure if he meant it. No matter her state of mind, Tristran imagined he would find more entertainment in the training yard with the other knights than in spending time with a noblewoman. Maybe he would suggest that his sisters pay the princess a visit. If nothing else, it would be interesting to see his father’s reaction. He couldn’t decide whether Lord Derron would be delighted that his daughters were spending time with a member of such a prominent family, or horrified that they were under the influence of a Dornish woman.
He could hear footsteps, somebody passing by in the corridor outside of the room, and he wondered how long ago he had left. Long enough for his absence to be noted, probably. And it would be best to find his way back before the rest of the Red Keep woke and saw him wandering about. It certainly was not polite to abandon their conversation so soon, but, as welcoming as the other man was, Tristran found their encounter disconcerting. Gods be good, why did the first person he meet have to be a council member...
“I should return to my rooms, my lord,” he said, standing. “I’ll be missed before long, and I’m sure you’ve more important things to do with your time.” He hesitated for a moment, not really sure of what to say. He wished he knew the man's name.
“It was an honor to speak to you. You’ve done much to ease my mind.” It wasn’t entirely true, but still, regardless of how intimidating his rank was, it had been nice to speak to someone friendly. He had a feeling he wouldn’t meet many of that sort in King’s Landing.