Elaena Velaryon was the future heir of the Iron Throne, Rhaenyra's firstborn. Her tongue was as sharp as her sword and her will resembled that of steel, she was bound to be the cause of many headaches. She was groomed to be the perfect Queen but whe...
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Elaena stood at the base of the Iron Throne watching the proceedings of the court go by mind-numbingly slowly. Lord after lord and knight after knight claiming someone wronged them, stole from them or slighted them washed through the doors of the Throne Room like a rogue wave at sea. She wondered how her grandfather managed to resist the urge to throw coins at them and scream for them to get out and deal with their petty problems on their own.
Lord Lyonel Strong stood next to her, whispering any missing information into her ear so that she may follow along with court proceedings. Some of his words were those of encouragement, promising that the duties demanded of a King or Queen are never usually this boring.
"I'm no longer surprised that Grandfather looks so old, he deals with this farce every day. When I am Queen I imagine I'll look even worse." Elaena wrinkled her nose.
"Many eyes are on you, Princess. It is not advised to make such faces when under scrutiny." Lyonel reminded her. He enjoyed being part of her upbringing despite the fact that she would never know of their true relationship. She was a smart girl with a sharp tongue, and she entertained him on boring days such as this.
"Let them look, perhaps then they will realize how pointless this all is." She sighed, wishing The Cannibal would come save her from this boring farce of a duty.
"A good Queen cares about her subjects and what they have to say." Lyonel wondered how many more years it would take Elaena to learn the more compassionate side of ruling.
The court took up nearly the entire day, with Elaena dreading every single moment of it. To make matters worse, Viserys had summoned everyone for a family dinner. Everything always went wrong when they all dined together, more specifically Alicent and Rhaenyra would always butt heads to the point where both would round up their children and leave.
Rhaenyra brushed Elaena's hair until it shone like a silvery waterfall flowing down her back, then she secured it into a loose braid. She smiled at her through the mirror and kissed the top of her head.
"Come on, let us fetch your brothers." Rhaenyra took her hand and led her through the halls to Jace and Luke's adjoining chambers.
Luke clutched Elaena's hand tightly, refusing to let go until they were seated at the table. Alicent offered them a simple greeting, sipping at her wine to avoid the awkward silence. The children all shared pleasantries with one another, none of them carrying the same bad blood their mothers did.
"Aegon, Aemond." Elaena greeted them with a smile.
"Elaena." They greeted her. "How did the courts go today?" Aemond asked. He seemed to be the only one who had a genuine interest in what happened in such proceedings.
"Today was boring, but I did learn quite a bit about the Crownlands and the problems within." Elaena sipped her water. "Lord Rosby claims that Lord Staunton stole one of his household knights and demands that he be returned. It was a silly request and the King made sure he knew it."
