Bronze Beauty | Daemon Targaryen

Family Ties

10 Months Later - 97 AC

Diana struggled to breathe normally as Yelena and her mother worked together to lace her into the elaborate and beautifully crafted wedding gown her mother had made. The dress was gorgeous and expensive, a shimmering white with bronze, red and black accents; it perfectly meshed the house colours of House Royce and House Targaryen together, symbolizing her and Daemon's union.

The wedding, of course, was set to take place in the Sept of Baelor in several hours, the family having arrived in King's Landing a week ago for a series of feasts and tourneys that had lasted 3 whole days, with Daemon and Diana in the centre of it all. Two perfect strangers playing at being madly in love for the masses.

In that time, surprisingly, Daemon had been the perfect intended, attentive and always on time, but instead of reassuring the brunette maiden, it only made her more anxious, waiting for the other shoe to drop. She has sent and received enough letters with Daemon to know he couldn't resist a little mischief, especially at his family's expense. It was in his nature.

Diana couldn't say she hadn't grown a little fond of the young man in the time they'd spent writing to each other and in the far and few times he flew Caraxes out to Runestone to visit for a day or so. She was only human, and Daemon was handsome and charming. He'd taken time to help her translate old Valyrian texts and seemed to take a genuine interest in her hobbies of hunting and breeding animals.

He could have been faking the attention, but the 16-year-old chose to forget that, whether she liked it or not, they would be man and wife for the rest of their lives, and she'd chosen to make the best of the circumstances instead of being bitter like Rhea, who her parents had to drag to King's Landing by threatening her inheritance. Many male Royce cousins would kill for a chance at the Runestone seat, and Rhea knew that.

With one final, rib-defying tug, her corset was laced, and Diana's veil was placed on her intricate updo. The veil had been a gift from Queen Alysanne to borrow for the ceremony; it was made from Myrish lace and was attached to a silver, dragon-shaped tiara filled with red rubies. It was beautiful, just like everything else in the Red Keep.

Afterward, a cloak depicting her family's sigil was placed around her shoulder. It was thick and heavy, perfectly crafted and made to last. Her mother and grandmother had worn it at their weddings into House Royce. It had been handcrafted by her female ancestors, and it showed in the love and care that went into it.

The trip to King's landing had been the first time either of the Royce daughters had left The Vale, and Diana had loved every second of travelling, choosing to spend that time riding her horse with her father and Rhea, despite the aches her muscles obtained in the process and the callouses in strange places she'd received as a byproduct.

She'd marvelled at the new sights and smells that had assaulted her along the way, the new people she had met. Even the stink of shit and piss in Flee Bottom had filled her with excitement because soon, she might be able to make a difference for the people there. She would be Princess Consort to Daemon Targaryen; she would have the power to make changes and right wrongs if she played her cards right.

Princess Diana Royce of House Targaryen would be her name soon, one that she would hold until her death. She'd had 10 months to come to terms with that, even with Rhea's sulking and her father's brooding to contend with. Diana knew she'd put a wrench in her family's plans, but what was done was done, and she could only look forward.

A sniffle had Diana turning on silk-slippered feet to see her mother dabbing her wet eyes with a handkerchief, her eyes glued to her daughter in all her finery. Diana felt tears sting her eyes in response, and she stepped forward, pulling her mother into a hug, ignoring the squeak the seamstress let out in dismay. Fuck the dress; this was her mother, the only person who had been wholly on her side through all of this.