For almost her entire life, Daella Targaryen has lived as Mellara Rivers, the bastard daughter of Arnold Arryn and cupbearer of Lady Jeyne Arryn. First and trueborn daughter of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Daella had but slight contact with her fami...
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F I F T Y - F O U R
But when you're not there, I just crumble ─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The allegiance between House Targaryen and House Tully had been restored with the simple promise that Kinglanding would protect Riverrun from attacks of the Ironborn. Three war galleys that would survey the coast beyond the mountains would do the trick, and though Daella had no clue how expensive one galley was, she was sure that the cost of losing the Riverlands was greater. Besides, for all the misplaced jokes Lord Lannister had made during several Small Council meetings, Daella was of the strong opinion that he ought to do his job and find the money if it wasn't there.
Old Lord Grover had insisted that Helaena and Daella should stay another day, an offer the two women were in no position to deny. Riverrun reminded Daella vaguely of the Eyrie, because despite the castle not being located on a mountain, it was surrounded by thousand leagues of green land and there was no lack of fresh air. She noticed that the child she was carrying appreciated the nature too, for he was quieter both mornings and evenings.
Daella was walking the corridors silently when she noticed that the door to Lord Gover's solar was open. The old man was sitting at his desk, his fingers gliding over a book that had no letters and Daella halted with a frown on her face. She watched the Lord of Riverrun in utter silence as his hands felt the papers, before he turned the page and continued, until his head shot up in her direction.
"Come in, Your Grace," Lord Tully said, his voice thick with saliva. The old man coughed and pointed to the chair opposite of his wooden desk. "Please take a seat."
Daella felt oddly caught, as though she'd been spotted doing something she was not supposed to, and feeling a blush rise to her cheeks, she took a seat in the gamble chair. "How did you know it was me, Lord Grover?" she asked.
"It was merely a guess," the old man replied with a cheeky grin. "I would have almost mistaken you for the Princess."
Daella chuckled, feeling more at ease at once. She looked at the pages Lord Grover had been feeling and now that she was closer, she could see the small dots pricked into the paper. Curiously, she reached out and let her fingers glide over the parchment, looking up at Lord Tully. "How can you read this?"
"It is not uncommon for lords to grow as old as me, especially since there has been little unrest since the reign of the Old King Jaehaerys, and with our age comes both charm and blindness," Lord Tully replied, his milky eyes staring straight into Daella's despite not seeing anything. "Maester Tommen translates the most important scrolls into this writing, which I read with my fingers. However, despite having learned at the Citadel for Seven Hells know how long, he too forgets sometimes that I cannot read the letters that have been written to me. Please be a dear, my Queen, and read this letter to the old man sitting across from you."
