The Realm's Delight

Chapter 13

Love is something nobody plans on falling into. It was an emotion, something that pops up when you least expect it to and clings on to you until the last breath leaves your body. It elicits various emotions such as happiness, joy, empathy, compassion, and sometimes sadness or pain depending on the person who you've fallen for. Love can also be divided into different types, also depending on who you've fallen deeply in love with and what kind of love it is you feel for them.

On one hand, you have familial love, the kind you feel for a family. An example of this would be the love I hold for my brother Aegon.

Alicent had gotten pregnant mere months after her marriage to my father. At first, I was sceptical about the child, even a little wary of it. I knew the nature of all of Alicent's children, the kind of people they would be growing up, and the kind of deeds each of them would do. Aegon especially was a notorious one, a degenerate who drank himself to a stupor and remained in it for most of his life.

But the moment he was born and placed in my hands, I simply fell for the little thing. It was also at that moment did I realize just how innocent this little thing was. This Aegon was not like the one from my memory, this one was a blank slate that had yet to be painted by the people of this world. This Aegon could be better, this Aegon would be better, it was a vow I made to him in secret when I first held him.

The other kind of love that is more widely known was romantic love, an intense emotional and physical attraction to someone, characterized by a deep feeling of affection, longing, and desire to be close to the person. It is often associated with feelings of happiness, joy, and excitement, as well as a sense of vulnerability and emotional intimacy. An example of this would be Tyland Lannister.

Ser Tyland Lannister was the younger twin of the Lord of Casterly Rock by only a minute, a shame really since the two were practically the same age. He had joined the Small Council as a replacement for Lord Corlys when he went to war in the Stepstones. He was an able man of cunning intelligence, a second son looking to make a name for himself in a world where the first sons get all the glory. It was an odd theme that had been going on in this world I realized, second sons, wanting to make a name for themselves.

I wasn't sure whether I was a way towards it for Ser Tyland or not, but he was surely gunning for my affection. He started his 'wooing' the moment we met on his first day on the Small Council. He was always kind to me, offered me compliments every chance he could and loved to watch me train with Ser Criston. Sometimes he would join us, and spar with Ser Criston. He was showing off obviously, but he was a good Knight and I was learning by watching him. We would spar from time to time as well, and he would be telling me how best to approach an enemy. He would shower me with gifts of jewellery and elegant dresses, girly things that I had little taste for but would always accept with a smile since that was the proper lady-like thing to do. But he did gift me with an ornate dagger once. It was my favourite of his gifts and one that I always carried with me.

From what I knew of the Lannister twins from my previous world, they both fought for Rhaenyra's hand in marriage, one of the only times that the two fought over something or someone. Rhaenyra of course spurned them both so they both became enemies of hers. I was not so keen on spurning them.

By keeping a civil relationship with Tyland Lannister and his brother Jason Lannister, I was keeping the doors open for their support. The Westerlands were vast and mighty. Gaining their support would no doubt strengthen my cause. I was a woman named heir in a world where women were designated for birthing children, managing the households and raising the children. If I were to ever sit on the throne without anyone trying to rip me apart, I would need allies. The Westerlands made for a lucrative ally for this cause.

So I entertained Ser Tyland's advances laughed at his jokes, and accepted his gifts with wide smiles and looks of awe. A cunning man he may be, but still a man he was.