Inferno | House of the Dragon

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Rhaenyra is less than thrilled about her engagement, and rightfully so. She does not wish to marry Ser Leanor, but she must. It is her duty to wed whomever she is told. A sad and unfortunate truth for being a woman of the realm, but a truth nonetheless.

The Targaryen family sets sails on their royal fleet, heading straight to Driftmark to meet with the other half of their family. Those who also share Valyrian blood.

Viserys clutches the edge of the ship as the sickness nearly drowns him. He ignores the help of his aides and opts to spew his guts off into the sea.

And Vaemyra sits bored, twiddling with a leaf she picked from a tree before they left, but a strong gust of wind goes by and blows the leaf out from her hand. She frowns and sighs, resting her head against her hand as she silently prays for the ship to hit the docks soon.

She hears the king's moans and groans and desperately tries to bring her mind elsewhere. Anywhere else.

Finally, they make it to the docks. The royal family is escorted off of the ship and onto dry land. They step into the royal carriage and are taken to the front steps of the castle, but the Sea Snake is nowhere to be found.

And the king is not very happy.

" Where is Lord Corlys? He should be here to greet the king."

And neither is Lord Lyonel Strong, newly appointed Hand of the King.

The doors of the castle open, and out come two figures with dark skin and snow-white hair.

" Welcome to High Tide, your grace," Laena smiles as she greets them.

" What is the meaning of this, Lady Laena?" Lord Strong asks, " Is this how House Velaryon greets its King?"

" My father has but returned from his long journey and he has hastened to the Hall of Nine to await your grace's arrival," Laena announces.

And the king steps forward, wishing to just get on with the formalities so he can sit down.

The Targaryens are welcomed inside, and while Rhaenyra stays closer to her father, Vaemyra does not, for her mind is elsewhere.

The moment she saw Lady Laena walk down the steps, she couldn't look away. Laena has grown so beautifully since the last time the two girls saw each other.

Laena sees the Targaryen girl staring, and smiles as she decides to approach her. Laena locks hands with Vaemyra, and walks together with her up the steps and into the castle, where the Targaryen princess finds herself blushing madly.

The Valaryon Lady takes Vaemyra to the grand and large table, made up of a decadent array of food, just waiting to be eaten.

At first, the girls take small bits of food from the table, but soon grab a plate and fill it up to the brim. They take their plate of food and head to a bench overlooking the sea, sitting down side by side as they enjoy the food and each other's company.

Little by little they finish their plates, which get taken away by a nearby servant as the girls continue to overlook the breathtaking view of the sea.

" I quite like it here," Vaemyra admits as she takes a deep breath.

" As do I," Laena nods, " But it gets quite lonely."

" As does King's Landing," Vaemyra adds, " But that's the life of a princess, I suppose."

" It's better with you here," Laena notes as she looks over with a gentle smile, " I don't feel very alone."

What is thought to be just a crush ends up taking over Vaemyra's mind completely. She tosses and turns in her sleep, unable to escape the images of Laena, as Laena lies awake with a smile on her face as her mind imagines Vaemyra.