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's eyes traveled across the pages of the Seven-Pointed Star so many times she could recite it with her eyes closed, but still, she reread it weekly. It was only after her oddly enchanting introduction to the Dornish princess that she paid closer attention to certain scriptures.
And any man who lays with men or woman who lays with women is destined to all seven hells, for there is no forgiveness for such a sin.
Such blasphemy cannot be tolerated in our holy religion, for the Seven could never forgive.
Those words on the page made Elaena's heart ache for some reason. She thought of Aliandra and the way just being near her made her feel. She had never felt that way for anyone, not even the stranger she was supposed to be betrothed to.
"Septa?" Elaena asked. Septa Cerissa raised her head, her hands still sewing her patch of embroidery as if it were muscle memory.
"Yes?" She asked, making no move to hide her disinterest in whatever question she was about to be asked.
"Why is it a sin to lay with a woman?" Elaena asked timidly.
The septa immediately ceased her sewing, letting her materials clatter to the ground as she processed the question.
"Because it is an abomination, and those who do it are degenerates. The world has no place for abominations and degenerates, they deserve nothing but the hottest of hells." She paused and looked down at the princess. "Why?"
"I was just reading the scripture and I got curious, that's all." Elaena felt shame rush over her, threatening to consume her. Am I a degenerate? She asked herself. No, no she couldn't be. She would never lay with a woman, she was just excited to make a new friend.
Septa Cerissa seemed satisfied with her answer and retrieved her fallen materials, continuing to sew as if nothing had ever happened.
Elaena prayed fiercely that night, begging the gods to keep her pure, to not make her a degenerate or an abomination. She prayed until her knees ached from the cold stone floors of the Sept and her candle nearly burned itself out. Then as she lay in bed, she said a few more silent prayers until she fell asleep.
She spent most of her time avoiding Aliandra's presence, fearing that her unholy thoughts would return. But even seeing her at mealtime made her heart nearly burst out of her chest. Instead, she often did her lessons with Aemond under the weirwood tree or walk with Qyle through the Keep. If Aemond and Qyle were busy then she would play with Luke and Jace. If they were occupied with their own lessons, then she would spend her time with her ladies-in-waiting, forcing herself to gawk at the knights as they trained.
This behavior didn't go unnoticed by Aliandra, for it seemed she just became even more persistent in her attempts to spend time with the princess. She even took to joining Elaena during her harp lessons to find any reason to speak to her, though it was futile. Any attempts at a conversation usually resulted in stony silence between the two.
Elaena rode The Cannibal as often as she could, finding that the openness of the sky provided some relief to her stress and anxiety that seemed to hang over her like the plague. He sensed her sadness, and he was always reluctant to return her to the root of her problems, instead circling the city until some of her fears melted away.
On the fifth week of House Martell's visit, Aliandra snuck into Elaena's room, shaking her awake.
"Shh! Are you trying to wake up the entire castle?" She asked, clamping a hand over her mouth when she screamed.
"What are you doing?" Elaena asked, prying her hand off of her mouth. Her heart was racing at their proximity, and her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. Aliandra was in a pale orange nightgown, her long dark hair pulled into a tight, oiled bun that radiated the scent of lavender.
"Come out with me." There wasn't a hint of a request in her voice, but she wasn't demanding her either. She gently took Elaena's hand in hers and led her out of her chambers into the dark halls of the Keep.
It seemed that the entire castle was asleep, for no guards or servants roamed the halls. Most of the braziers were left unlit, forcing the girls to feel their way around. Eventually, they found their way to the gardens, which were lit up by the full moon, giving the flowers an unearthly glow.
"Why don't you like me?" Aliandra asked suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence between the two. "Did I say something?" Her Dornish accent was like music to Elaena's ears.
"No!" She said all too quickly. "No, I do like you." She liked Aliandra so much that it scared her.
"How come you avoid me then? I thought that we could have been..." she paused, searching for the right word. "Friends."
"Friends?" It was hard to miss the disappointment in Elaena's voice. "If that is what you want, I suppose we can be friends."
Aliandra smiled at that, and it was such a beautiful sight that it nearly took Elaena's breath away.
"Do you want to play a game?" She asked.
"What kind of game?" Elaena wondered what game they could play in the middle of the night.
"How about you hide, and then I have to find you!" Aliandra could barely contain her excitement. "I play this with my brothers all the time. And I win."
They spent hours in the gardens, running around barefoot in the night and playing games until they were so dirty and tired all they could do was sit. And they sat together until the sun just began to peak over the horizon, talking about everything that came to mind.
When Aliandra walked Elaena back to her room, they shared a chaste kiss, nothing more than a peck. But it was enough to leave Elaena sobbing in her room for hours with her curtains drawn, cursing the gods for making her the way she was.
