Valera Targaryen: The Storm Bringer

021

105 AC
Sunspear

Princess Valera Targaryen insisted to her handmaiden that they must be wrong. That there must be another reason for her blood being late.

"The climate," Valera told the brunette who looked at her with compassion in her eyes, "and I've been stressed," she insisted, the Princess recalling how her mother told her that lots of stress can either bring on or delay a moon cycle.

The handmaiden, Talia, didn't dare to disagree with her friend, fearing for the upset it may cause. Instead, she went along with the girls resistance, telling her that it is a true possibility and listing other reasons her blood could be late.

Talia helped Valera clean up, dabbing her blotchy cheeks with a cold cloth and re applying the light makeup she wore before.

The Princess continued to repeat to herself that she was not with child, coming up with every smallest possible solution for why she may have missed her blood.

For the next few days, the Princess was constantly checking for her moon days and would drink ginger tea with each meal.

Slowly, the Princess Arianna caught on to Princess Valera's new, slightly odd habits. The Dornish girl, who was only 4 moons older than the Targaryen girl, had been taught about ginger tea during her first late blood. In concentrated doses, ginger root could induce a late moon cycle, while also easing nausea. Plus, she had thought, no one would chose to drink ginger tea. She also picked up on the Valera wearing darker colors despite the hot weather, as well as excusing herself to the restroom quite often.

To this, Princess Arianna called for a private audience with Valera in her own chambers. When the silver haired girl arrived outside of her friends bed chambers, her fingers played nervously at the silky cloth that covered her body.

"Good day, Princess," the two guards who stood outside the girls doors, bowed with spears still in hand. Valera bid the men a good day as they let her into Arianna's chambers to reveal the brunette lounging on her day bed with a book.

"Valera!" Arianna happily cried at the sight of her friend. She slapped the two sides of the leather backed papers together and stood to go hug the Targaryen.

The two girls embraced tightly, Arianna placed a small peck on her friends pale cheek as the hug broke before linking their arms together.

"How have you been feeling?" Arianna asked Valera, her tone soft as she led Valera over to the day bed, "the maester tells me you've been feeling sickly?"

Valera gave her friend a small smile at this, her lips pressing together into more of a line than a true smile, "I am feeling better," the silver haired girl spoke a small lie.

The two girls sat together and Arianna took Valeras hands into hers, squeezing them tightly, "you know you can trust me, right?" Arianna told her friend, more than asking. Her eyes were soft when speaking, matching the way her words fell from her mouth.

"I know," Valera smiled at her friend, her singular dimple indenting into her right cheek. Valera was pleased to have finally made a good female friend that was her own age, but had a hard time fully trusting the Martell.

"With anything," Arianna added, her voice trailing off slightly as if trying to insinuate something or like she had more to say.

Valeras breath caught in her throat at the tone in her friends voice, knowing that she was trying to get her to share why she had been acting oddly lately.

"I know..." Valeras voice was soft and trailed off this time, a overwhelming feeling of nausea began to wash over her. Valera broke the eye contact the girls held as she moved her eyes down to her dress.

The Martell girl sighed and went to grab the book she had just put down a few minutes before. Arianna carefully set the leather backed book on to the dark blue silk dress Valera wore.

"I know you're with child," Arianna whispered as she set the book down on to the Targaryen Princesses lap. Valera's breath caught in her throat at her friends confession, worried yet wondering how long she had known.

Valera looked from the book in her lap up to her friend. The two met eyes, the lilac pair had widened with worry where as the hazel eyes were soft and comforting.

"It is okay," Arianna assured her friend, "I will not tell anyone," she smiled before pulling Valera in for a huge and squealing, "I'm so excited."

Valera sighed at Ariannas reaction, the majority of her worry melting away at the positive way her friend spoke.

When the two girls pulled away from the hug, Valera cleared her throat and pulled at the silk of her dress nervously, "you do know..."

Princess Arianna cut the girl off, knowing what she was going to say to her, "yes I know it is not my brothers," she laughed lightly, "you have never even taken a private audience with him."

Valera blushed at Ariannas words, knowing them to be true. Valera enjoyed her time with the Prince and got along well with him but she did not wish to be intimate with the man.

The Princess's heart, body and soul already belonging to another.

"It is okay," Arianna told Valera, pulling her into a hug, "your baby will be safe here," she told her friend, hoping to bring her some comfort as she could feel the nervousness ricocheting off her small frame.

Authors Note

Thank you all for waiting for me to publish again, I've just been super busy lately so I haven't had much time to write

I hope this filler chapter is okay!