𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 ✔︎ ━ 𝖠𝖤𝖬𝖮𝖭𝖣 𝖳𝖠𝖱𝖦𝖠𝖱𝖸𝖤𝖭

𝐭𝐰𝐨 , 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

My mother and Daemon exchange a hasty glance before they both turn their heads to look back at me. I scoot the chair back and get up, although I have not been dismissed. I know if I ask to leave, they will both decline in a heartbeat.

"Where do you think you're off to?" Daemon asks, narrowing his eyes at me. I take another swig of the wine that my mother offered to me, as a good riddance before my journey tomorrow. I down the entirety of what's in the glass and just a few moments then slam it on the table.

"To pack for the journey that will save your life." I say as I storm though the doors. I've had just about enough of Daemon's halfway parenting. He only seems to care about me and everyone else whenever my mother is around to observe. I'm sure if she wasn't here we'd all starve or perhaps lack any sort of rules or guidance.

Maybe this marriage won't be so bad, I tell myself. At least I'll be able to be rid of Daemon.

I push open the doors to my chambers and begin throwing my belongings into the sack that I'll be taking to King's Landing. I pack much more than is needed for the five days in which I'll be staying. I don't know whether I hope to truly marry Aemond or if I wish to come back, although in that case, the threat of battle will come clawing at the walls of my home. As I pack, tears begin to cloud my vision. I'm shoving the box of my earrings into the sack whenever my door opens. I stop mid-action and stare at the doorway.

     My mother stands there, hands crossed in front of her like a proper princess. She shuts the door behind her then strides to the white sofa which faces the balcony that overlooks the sea. She takes a heavy seat and keeps her eyes on the water outside. I take a seat next to her, leaving the task of packing for another time.

      "I understand your intolerance for your father, but you must know that he does want the best for you." I feel my heart ache when she says your father. As much as I hate to admit it, that's what he is to me. I am his flesh and his blood.

      "If he wants the best for me, then he'd treat me like a daughter, not like a pawn." I say as I face the wall of glass before us. She places her hand over mine, which rests on my leg. She slowly strokes her thumb along the skin of my hand. Her warmth ignites me like a fire.

     "I too wish he could see you as you wish to be seen, but Daemon is Daemon. He is a man that can never change." She says quietly. I bow my head slightly. She's said the words which I've known my entire life, though that I've been too fearful to accept. I'm aware she's more than correct in her statement, although somehow I still hope that somehow there may be a fault in her words.

      I return a few minutes later to packing and she helps, folding my things and putting them away in places that will allow the sack to close. We work in silence, aside from the candles flickering around my chambers. Once we've finished, and kisses me on the cheek and allows me to rest. I crawl into my bed and wrap myself underneath the blankets. When I close my eyes, I can imagine only the boyish face of Aemond. It's been many years since I've seen him.

     I wonder if he still allows himself to be taunted and laughed at. He never would stick up for himself. He always allowed things to be just as they were. I toss and turn in the bed and eventually drift off.

༻❁༺

      THE MORNING SUNLIGHT BLINDS ME AS I SLOWLY BLINK MY EYES IN ADJUSTMENT. I groan as the piercing yellow shines directly into my icy eyes. I furrow my brows together as the pain of the sight pains me for a few seconds. I peel the blankets away from my body and step onto the cool stone of the floor which jolts me right awake. My sack of things has already been taken from where I left it, therefore I can assume that I'm being waited on to get ready.