warning: mature audiences only. use of swearing, mention of nudity, light smut scenes, and acts of incest. viewer discretion advised.
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King Viserys gave his daughters the privilege of seeking out their own suitors, and during this time, the princesses were sent on tours around the realm to meet the men who offered their hand in marriage. Rhaella had fulfilled her duties and spent months away from her father and sister, and on her trip to Harrenhal, she almost cut the trip short due to the long and overwhelming journey but would quickly realize that would've been a grand mistake as she wouldn't have met Harys Strong.
While Rhaella waited on the men in Harrenhal, Lord Lyonel excused himself as his son made a safe return home from the war on the Stepstones. The knight was greeted by every man and woman who waited in the hall, and when Lord Lyonel hugged his son, Rhaella was able to catch a glimpse of the knight.
His skin was fairly light, she couldn't tell the color of his eyes from afar but still, they looked beautiful, Rhaella had thought. The man was tall, his armor shielding the mass of his muscles, but she knew all too well the tales of the Strong brothers and their strength and built figure. So, she smirked, watching the man from afar with desire overcoming her duties.
" What do you know of him, Sir Criston?" Her sworn protector stood beside her in the great hall, looking down at the princess and taking a deep breath before saying, " That's Lord Lyonel second born son, Harys Strong. I was informed he was fighting the incursion in the Stepstones with your uncle, Daemon. I guess he just returned."
Rhaella nodded, watching as Lord Lyonel returned to Rhaella's side with a warm smile on his lips. " Forgive me, Princess, I haven't seen my son in months. I worried if he'd ever return."
" No need to apologize, I understand. We shall begin shortly." Rhaella watched the young man from a distance, not even paying mind to the line of men that finished forming before her. Servants attended to the man's aide, offering him finger foods and wine. " Is he not presenting himself?"
" Oh," Lord Lyonel glanced at his son as he followed the servants towards the kitchen's, " He wasn't sure you had any interest in him, or Harrenhal."
" Did he?" The master of law nodded, " He just came from war, marriage is probably far from his mind," said Sir Criston. " How will he know if I'm interested or not if he doesn't present himself? Is your son not worthy of me, Lord Lyonel?"
The man glanced around in a panic, chuckling awkwardly. " He is worthy," Lyonel tried to say as best as he could without sounding self-interested, because he truly wasn't, and he knew neither was his son. " He earned his knighthood, he's seasoned in battle, and is now to take our ancestral seat in Harrenhal due to his safe return."
" And a Lord to a high, noble house with an ancestral seat such as your own should be front in line during this tour, should he not?" Lord Lyonel stuttered, then managed to say, " I'll have him ordered to attend the tour at once, Princess."
While Lord Lyonel sent someone to reach his son, Rhaella began the tour and listened to the various men that offered themselves. It was all the same things she's heard every other man say the past few months. Rhaella thought she would've enjoyed watching men plead their reasons to be with her, but after a while, it got dull and mundane rather quickly.
She still respectfully listened to each man though, knowing they've traveled long distances just to speak with the princess, as did she, it was the least she could do. Plus, they all served the realm and her father, it was her duty to be seen as a respectful princess and not a stubborn one. And after going through half the line of men, old, strong, frail and even young boy's, Lord Lyonel's son was front in line.
" The Strong's are an ancient house with a formidable army, blood of the First Men still flows in their veins," said one of the advisors appointed to Rhaella. " Go on," the advisor called out and Harys stepped forward. He was no longer in armor and instead wore a velvet black brocade with trousers and fine leather boots, jewels almost on each finger and a gold, bejeweled necklace that could've weighed as much as a medal chain.
" My Princess," he trailed off, glancing up at his father, Rhaella, and then at her sworn protector who kept his coal-like eyes narrowed onto the man. " I, Harys Strong, present myself to you and offer you everything your heart could possibly desire," he went on, the nervousness in his voice fading after each word.
" Coursed with the blood of the First Men, your history is rooted deeply into this land, and so will ours if you allow me to make my house your home." Rhaella's fingers fiddled with the Valyrian necklace she wore, a gift given to her years ago by her uncle Daemon, as she smiled down at the young man.
" If chosen as a match, Princess, your days shall be easy and content, and your nights shall be . . fulfilled and safe under my protection." Rhaella blushed while Lord Lyonel cleared his throat as the men in the court began to laugh at the hint of vulgarity, Harys biting his bottom lip to hide his smirk as he looked down at his shoes. I could get used that, she thought, a man that could make her laugh.
" You've fought in the battle on the Stepstones?" She leaned forward on her seat, her hands clasping together with an eager smile on her full lips. " Aye. I have, Princess."
" And? How was it?"
" A glorious battle, Princess. One that'll be written in books of history, for sure." Rhaella leaned back, overly pleased with the information she received and faced the advisors appointed by her father. " I'd like to end the tour now, I've found my match."
Rhaella rose from her seat and the knights of Harrenhal and Sir Criston quickly followed after her, " But Princess, we're due in The Eyrie five days time," Sir Criston said in a breath. " Lord Lyonel, please send word to the harbor and have the captain ready the ship," Rhaella ignored the knight and spoke to her advisors. " What of the rest of the tour?"
Rhaella stopped in her tracks and so did all the knights following her as she faced Lyonel, " Why would I resume a tour for suitors when I've already found someone of interest?" Instead of listening to whatever the man had to say, Rhaella walked out of the castle and made her way to leave Harrenhal. And during her boat ride home, Rhaella didn't stop thinking of her dreamy, potential suitor and couldn't wait to tell her father of her choice.
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" We should make landfall within the hour, Princess," Sir Criston approached Rhaella. She leaned on the edge of the boat, looking down into the deep abyss and raised her head to see the Red Keep from a distance.
" How do you think the King will take it?" She asked, turning and facing her sworn protector. " You ending the tour early with two months remaining and rejecting almost every person His Grace could put before you? Or that you found a potential suitor?"
" Both," Rhaella let out a dry chuckle then turned to face the castle. A high, stretched out screech sounding from above them made every passenger on the boat look into the clouds, waiting in anticipation for whatever beast roamed in the air. Rhaella searched the clouds, moving away from the edge of the boat and smiling once she recognized the high, elongated screech of the red wyrm dragon her uncle rode.
" Take cover!" Someone yelled, and every one onboard dropped to the ground as the dragon swooped out of the sky and flew above the boat. Its long red, thorned tail slapped against the strong wooden boat and sent the passengers onboard tossing aside. Rhaella lost her footing and fell to the ground, rolling into a barrel and knocking her face upside the sturdy wood.
Sir Criston quickly rushed to her side after he stood, helping the princess up from the ground. " Are you alright, Princess?" Rhaella held her cheekbone, but as it throbbed against her hand, her eyes were fixated on the red dragon that flew towards the Red Keep. Not even thinking of telling her father and Rhaenyra the news of her suitor anymore, Rhaella only looked forward to returning to her Uncle and becoming reacquainted with the prince.
Rhaella entered the throne room and saw other members of court joining her, Rhaenyra entering shortly after with her small band of Kingsguard and maiden's. The King took his crown from a servant that handed it to him and his sword from another, turning to face his daughters amongst the crowd that he wasn't supposed to see until two months from now. He let out a deep breath, deciding to settle that another time and focused his attention onto his brother who just entered the throne room.
" It's Daemon," whispered someone beside Rhaella as she made her way next to her twin. " I wasn't expecting to see you so soon," Rhaella said to her sister.
" I could say the same for you. Let me guess, you ended your tour?" Rhaenyra mumbled to her twin, stepping closer to her as the throne room began to grow full with more members of the royal court. " I most certainly did, and I'll tell you all about it."
The crowd stood silent and watched the young prince as he ascended down the steps and into the throne room, walking down the aisle with his head held high and a sword in hand. His hair was cut short and the straight, blonde silver hair was held back by the bone-like crown he wore on his head. When he reached the throne, the Kingsguard drew their swords at the young prince and one pressed his steel against Daemon's armor.
Daemon raised the sword in his hand, looking up at his brother, " Add it to the chair," he said while dropping the sword to the ground, referring to the Iron Throne that was made of all the swords of previous Targaryen enemies. The knight put his sword into his sheath and grabbed the sword off the ground, " You wear a crown," King Viserys said aloud. " Do you also call yourself 'King'?"
" Once we smashed the Triarchy, they named me 'King of The Narrow Sea'," said Daemon. " But I know that there is only one true King, Your Grace." Rhaella smiled as she watched her uncle get on one knee, never thinking she'd see the day Daemon would submit to her father, especially in public.
" My crown and the Stepstones. . . are yours," Daemon removed the crown on his head and met his brother's slight smile. " Where is Lord Corlys?"
" He sailed home to Driftmark."
" Who holds the Stepstones?"
" The tides," Daemon paused. " The crabs, and 2,000 dead Triarchy corsairs, staked to the sand to warn those who might follow." Rhaella felt a chill up her spine as she imagined the thought.
The King walked down the steps from the throne and approached his brother, stopping in front of him as Daemon remained knelt to the ground. Daemon handed his brother the man-made crown and Viserys inspected it before passing it to a member of the Kingsguard. " Rise," Daemon stood and met his brother's eye level.
They stared at one another briefly before King Viserys smiled like the loving brother he always was and placed his hand onto Daemon's shoulder, letting the young prince rest his head upon the King's shoulder in return and earning a round of applause from the audience in the throne room.
Rhaella joined in with everyone, happy to see her family rejoicing after the years of trying to defy one another, meanwhile Rhaenyra clapped voluntarily and glanced around the crowd, as if she had somewhere better to be. After the King exited the throne room with his brother at his side, all the members of court joined the royal family in the outer courtyard as there was a feast prepared in the honor of Prince Daemon's return.
The girls went to their chambers to prepare for the feast and shortly joined the rest of their party in fresh clothing. While Rhaenyra wore pretty pink fabrics made of velvet, Rhaella dressed in black silk dress with open, red lace sleeves and the Valyrian necklace her uncle gifted her. She had her red hair plaited up and away from her face with silver jewels embroidered into each braid to distract the eye from her darkening red hair.
" No, no, no. I will not revisit this debate," Rhaella joined her father's side after picking her favorite green grapes off a tray nearby. " You were always mother's favorite," The King told his brother. " No, it's no great mystery. You were." The King was in a rather good mood, thanks to the return of his brother from the war and the wine filled in his cup, laughing and jesting around with his brother like the kids they once were.
" Our mother, she had no regard for custom or tradition, rules," the King trailed off, glancing between his brother and his wife, Queen Alicent. " And I, sadly, was no great warrior." Rhaenyra had joined her sister's side and locked her arm around hers, colliding her hip against her sister to make her aware of her presence. Rhaella had drunk nearly three glasses of wine and already begun feeling overly confident even with her words slurring every now and then.
" Congratulations on your victory," The silver haired twin had said to their Uncle, gaining his attention. The King didn't even bother fully facing his daughters, instead, he glanced at them and rolled his eyes. Daemon noticed the tension between the father and his daughters, smirking slightly and returning his gaze onto the twins in front of him, " Thank you, Princess."
Queen Alicent looked around her family, taking a deep breath before asking, " Perhaps Prince Daemon would care for a tour of the gallery? He hasn't yet seen the new tapestries gifted to you by Norvos and Qohor." The King turned to his wife and listened to her, a drunken smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he chuckled and then faced his brother.
" Ohh, would you like to see the tapestries?" The King mocked, snorting like an immature child while Daemon kept his head low yet still joined his brother in for a laugh. " He has no interest in such things!" The Queen tried to keep a warm smile on her face while Rhaella looked aside like the embarrassed child she was.
" I'd like to see them," Rhaenyra dropped her arm apart from Rhaella's after she spoke. The King's joyous smile faded when he faced his daughters, " Then you should not deprive yourself." Rhaenyra took a step back, " I shall enjoy them alone."
She walked away and Rhaella watched her uncle's eyes follow Rhaenyra's every move. Rhaella joined her sister as she sat on a low backed chair near the weirwood tree, taking her hand in hers while she looked around at the guests in the courtyard. " How was your tour?" Rhaenyra finally had the chance to ask her sister.
" It was quite decent, actually. I even believe I've found my match, which is why I ended it so early. I wanted to tell father the news." Rhaenyra nodded as she listened to her sister, " I had no such luck, but I'm glad things turned out differently for you. So, who's the lucky man?" Rhaenyra bumped her sister's shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows playfully. Rhaella smiled coyly to herself, thinking of the man she met a few days ago. " Lord Lyonel's son, Harys Strong."
" They call Ser Harwin Breakbones, and I once heard a few women call him, The Devourer," Rhaella jolted her head back then faced her twin, " Why? Did he earn the title during battle?"
" I've heard he treats his opponents and his whores just the same, by devouring them," Rhaenyra grew quiet as Queen Alicent approached the twins, clearing her throat as she sat on the empty seat between the sister's.
" I surmise the tour did not go well," she said while Rhaella moved her lace sleeves onto her lap. " I endured it for as long as I could," said Rhaenyra. " And I enjoyed my tour even though I ended it so shortly," Rhaella said after.
" To have every young knight and lord in the Seven Kingdoms fawning over you. . . What misery," the Queen went off, glancing at her estranged friends.
" It's not as fun as it may sound," Rhaella quickly said while watching her uncle and father laugh together from a distance. " It is rare for girls in this realm to get a choice between two suitors, no less two scores of them."
" Those men and boys don't fawn over us. They only want our names and our Valyrian blood for their offspring," Rhaenyra said with a quick tongue. " I think it's rather romantic," The Queen grew closer to Rhaenyra's side. " How romantic it must be to get imprisoned in a castle and made to squeeze out heirs."
Queen Alicent faced the ground and Rhaella glanced at her sister with wide eyes, couldn't help but feeling sympathy for their estranged friend as she so happened to be going through the exact same thing Rhaenyra seemed to so openly despise. Rhaenyra noticed her sister's frowned lips and turned towards the Queen, then offered Alicent an apologetic smile. It had been years since Alicent saw a genuine smile from Rhaenyra, and the sight nearly warmed her heart.
" Sorry," Rhaenyra stood silent afterwards. " How angry is he at us?" Rhaella asked the Queen, looking down at their closeness and paying no mind to it. If she were being honest, she missed Alicent so much, and it had been so hard ignoring her and her new children's presence since it was a constant reminder of her father's betrayal. But, now that they were so close to one another, Rhaella didn't want to speak of it and ruin the moment. She'd rather enjoy it as much as she could.
" The King went through great effort to arrange your tours. He is. . . frustrated." Rhaella met the Queen's gaze and asked," Would he be less frustrated if he found out at least one of our trips were successful?"
A grin tugged at her lips as Alicent nodded eagerly. " Oh, but of course! That's such splendid news. . . But. . I am glad you two are home." She looked between the twins then back down to the ground as she saw Rhaella's face soften.
" I find I have few friends lately. I like to believe I'm still the Lady Alicent, but. . . all anyone sees when they look at me now is ' The Queen'," the brunette trailed off, meeting her estranged friend's ice blue eyes and smiling when they returned the gesture.
" I think I can speak for us both when I say we've missed you too." Rhaenyra nodded reassuringly after Rhaella spoke, grabbing Alicent's left hand while Rhaella held her right. It was a quick moment, but an understanding one, as the girls looked between one another. Smiles tugging at each of their lips as they remained hand held throughout the rest of their rejoice.
After reacquainting with Alicent for nearly an hour, the girls parted ways for their own reasons. Alicent resumed her duties as Queen and stuck by her husband's side during the feast meanwhile Rhaenyra stepped aside to speak to her Uncle, and Rhaella fetched herself a slice of freshly made lemon cake. When Rhaella finished, she made her way through the Godswood and followed the path to the weirwood tree.
And she wasn't alone. Her uncle, Prince Daemon, stood below the tree with his eyes closed and head held high as he let the sun bathe onto his pale skin. " Istan issa sombāzmion daor hen aōha vaoresagon? Skorȳso gaomagon ao māzigon arlī?" Was my castle not of your liking, Rhaella had asked, why did you come back?
Daemon stepped forward, reaching for the Valyrian necklace she wore daily upon his return. Rhaella turned her eyes elsewhere, anywhere but his eyes as he grazed his thumb over the blood red jewel. " So," she said in common language, " Why are you here? What is it that you want?"
" Only the comforts of home," he stepped down from the roots of the weirwood tree and walked towards the table being filled by servants.
" I did not think you were content in this home as you seemed quite comfortable at my castle." Rhaella teased, following her uncle as he paused at the table and poured himself a glass of wine, " Though you seem . . different after your adventures."
Rhaella went around the table, watching Daemon sniff the wine in the cup before he brought it to his lips. As he took a sip, his eyes traveled across the princess figure while she poured her own glass of red, berry wine. " Perhaps you've grown, maybe even matured," Rhaella raised her eyebrows with a taunting smirk on her lips.
" Perhaps you've grown yourself these last four years, Princess, maybe even matured," he mocked her, yet his eyes still traveled to places it shouldn't. " I know the attention is suffocating, but you'll get used to it."
" Used to my father trying to sell me off to whichever lord has the biggest castle or largest fleet?" Rhaella chuckled dryly, shaking her head and taking a seat at the empty table.
" I'm sure there are worse things to be sold for." Daemon walked around the table and stood in front of Rhaella, leaning against the table while he spoke, " I thought you were aware that marriage is just another political agreement."
" I was- I am. But, I'm only human, and can't help but feel like I'm only being used for my titles and status." Daemon shrugged his shoulders, looking down at the princess and observing her every move, she finished the wine in her cup and set it back onto the table.
" Istin ao sagon idīntan, ao'll sagon kostagon naejot gaomagon hae ao raqagon." Once you're wed, you'll be able to do as you like, he said in High Valyrian. " Bona gaomagon sagon drēje lo nyke istan nykeā vala, yet nyke daor. Syt ābrar, ziry iksos raqagon nykeā ozgūrogon." That would be true if I were a man, yet I'm not. For women, it is like a prison.
" Lo bona istan drēje, nyke gaomagon emagon ozgūroty issa brāedāzma aspo bē jēdar jagon ." If that were true, I would have imprisoned my Bronze Bitch up years ago.
Rhaella looked beneath her curled lashes and faced Daemon, rolling her eyes in disbelief, " Well, that's cruel." She said in their common language, shaking her head as she reached for the goblet of wine in Daemon's hand.
" Fortunately enough for her, you haven't put a child in her," the two shared a chuckle after Rhaella took a sip of wine. " I doubt a child could grow in such terrible condition," he jested.
Daemon's half smiled disappeared as Rhaella looked at the glass in her hands, her face softening while offering it back to Daemon. " My mother died producing a child for a man. I will not be made to do the same."
" Your mother's death is a tragedy I'm sure that'll forever plague your heart, and so will this world if you continue to deny its pleasures." She nodded understandably, playing with the golden rings on her fingers. " I've chosen not to live in fear anymore, yet I hope the person I've sought out can still offer me solitude."
" Only solitude? Such a dull and boring prospect for a princess such as yourself." He chuckled, the sun glinting in eyes as he watched Rhaella look around at the food on the table. She didn't think her ideology of life sounded mundane, in fact, she thought it was something most girls longed for. But Daemon made her assume otherwise- what else had she been missing out on in this life she was so blessed to have?
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" The Stepstones were meant to be won for the realm, but over the past few days, it seems we have traded a crabfeeder for a seasnake," said Lord Tyland. Rhaenyra began her duties in joining in on the council meetings as she was heir to the throne. And while she did this, Rhaella stood beside her father and near Ser Harrold, waiting to fill any cups that became empty as she was still her father's cupbearer.
" This is clearly a rebuke for passing over Lady Laena for Queen Alicent. Years have passed since the business with his daughter," The King shook his head as he glanced around his council members. " Certainly, he can't still be wroth?"
" The Sea Snake is an over-proud man, to be sure, Your Grace," the grand maester told the King, " That pride has been injured. Perhaps we can salve the wound?"
" I fear Lord Corlys's pride is the least of our worries," Lord Beesbury chimed in the conversation.
" I don't wish to cause you further distress, Your Grace, but my brother has sent disturbing word from Oldtown," the Hand of the King, Otto, said aloud. " Lord Corlys is said to have engaged in negotiations with the Sealord of Braavos. He plans to wed his daughter, Laena, to the Sealord's son."
" If House Velaryon entered into an alliance with the Free Cities, then. . ." Otto trailed off, glancing at Rhaenyra, then at Rhaella across the table as she poured more wine into the pitcher in her hand, " We would have to seek out our own marriage pact."
After the council meeting ended, Rhaella couldn't help but overthink the mere glance she received from Otto as she went to her chambers. Would her father still wed her to another man even if she told him recently she had eyes for another? Even if he said he would allow the twins to choose their own suitors- would he stand true to his word?
Ever since Rhaella flowered and felt as if her own body grew too mature for her age, she decided it'd be best if the twins didn't share a room anymore. Instead, Rhaenyra was a long corridor away from Rhaella's chambers, and the distance still wasn't enough to silence out the cries that sounded two doors away from Alicent's infant daughter, Haelena.
Rhaella smiled at Ser Harrold as she passed Rhaenyra's chambers, wishing her sister and the knight a goodnight before she turned the corner. Sir Criston stood in front of her chambers, guarding her apartments and watching the princess walk past him. " Goodnight, Ser Criston," she said while slowly closing her door. " Have a well rest princess, see you in the morrow."
After she closed the door to her room, Rhaella walked towards the table near her bookshelf and took her necklace and silver earrings off, placing them onto the table along with her rings. She was about to turn towards her looking glass then noticed an unfamiliar rolled paper near the candles that lit her room.
She unrolled the paper, looking at something she couldn't quite understand. There was an unrecognizable bag resting on a chair beside the table, making Rhaella empty the contexts onto the table and it only confused her even more. A bunch of smallfolk clothing dumped out of the bag and onto the table, Rhaella brought the clothes to her face and sniffed it before grabbing the paper. She realized she held it upside down and flipped it around, reading the Valyrian inscription and following its instructions.
According to this paper, there was a secret passage behind Rhaella's bed with stairs that led you through the walls inside the castle. If you followed the instructions, it'd led you towards a door that would leave you in the crypts. Rhaella changed into the clothes that were left in the bag and took the instructions with her, following along every step until she landed at a tower, and she wasn't alone.
Rhaenyra had just appeared at her side as she had the same instructions waiting for her in her chambers, and Daemon stood before the girls, dressed in a black cloak with a hood to hide his silvery blonde hair.
Daemon pointed at a loose strand that fell from the hood that covered Rhaella's red hair. " Make sure to cover that," he said, then turned towards the stairs below them. Rhaella tucked her hair and lowered her hood, and the girls quickly followed after their Uncle as he led them out of the safety of the Red Keep and into the city below them.
They breezed through the streets, Rhaella's mouth open ajar as they went through King's Landing labyrinthine roads and bustling bazaars that were as busy as it was always described. Daemon let the girls wander ahead of him, smiling to himself as they approached the fabrics and silks a woman merchant sold.
The twins grazed their hands over the fabric, looking at each other giddily then quickly turned to watch a man with gloves that were ablaze dance in front of them. They kept walking in the crowded, full streets, keeping close to one another yet the girls' eyes wandered to the actions occurring around them.
In one alley, a man had a woman pinned against a wall while he stroked himself inside of her, the woman held her legs up and met Rhaella's lingering eyes, smiling at the girl while she moaned loudly into the man's ear.
Two men came in front of the girls and bumped into them," Fuck off, little boy," one man said to Rhaenyra. The silver haired twin snickered as she turned to her sister, throwing her arm around her shoulder while she said, " He just called me boy!" Rhaella laughed and kept up with their uncle's pace, looking above her and seeing a man walking barefoot along a rope that connected across from one tavern to the other while the people below cheered him on.
Daemon had a pitcher of wine and offered the girls a drink, Rhaella reached for it first and took a long swig, ignoring the burning sensation in her throat as she passed the leathered pitcher to Rhaenyra. They squeezed closer to each other's side as Daemon led them down a street full of merchants, Rhaella smelled various herbs and spices as they walked past and she began to imagine what each person could've been trying to sell but this thought wouldn't last for long.
" Do you wish to know your death child?" Rhaella nearly jumped out of her skin when a woman with wet, oiled hair in a white mask approached her sister. Her wicked laugh taunted the girls and made them quickly walk away while laughing at the odd woman.
Rhaella quickly forgot the nerve-wracking interaction as her sister handed her the pitcher, making her take a few large gulps before handing it back to Daemon. There was a show being held between two taverns and the three disguised Targaryen's joined the crowd and watched the imitation.
" And now we come to the matter of the great Iron Chair, and whose bum might bear it," said the man on stage. " Our good King names his daughter, a girl, his heir."
Two men turned around, one whose face was powered as white as dough and wore a crown and a dress with stuffing to imitate breasts. The crowd disapproved of the sight on stage and began to boo the members on stage. " But then to him, a babe is born," Rhaella glanced at her sister, reading her face.
" A son!" Rhaenyra rolled her eyes, annoyed of course, " To which heir might the chair bear? Who will it be? The brother? The daughter? Maybe even The Realm's Woe," another man was pushed onto the stage and wore a red wig, his face powdered white and his cheeks tinted as red as a rose.
The man put his hands onto his face, his mouth hung ajar as if he were surprised by the crowd in front of him, the disapproval of the crowd only grew and they continued to boo at the imitation of Rhaella. " Or the little princeling of three?" The man dressed as Rhaenyra sat on a chair representing the Iron Throne, " The Realm's Delight," said another, pinching the man's cheek as he went on.
" A girl so young and so slight, loved by all of her people, but would she make a powerful queen," the man said as he dragged "Rhaenyra" off of the throne and onto the center of the stage. " Or would she be feeble?"
" Feeble!" The members in the audience didn't hesitate to yell back. Rhaella looked around in shock, unaware of the common folk's disdain towards her sister. She always thought they favored her more, and this quickly proved her otherwise.
" Though Aegon, the babe Prince, might long for a claim, he has two things Rhaenyra cannot: a conqueror's name and a cock." The man dressed as baby Aegon pulled out a cock made out of rope from his pants and waved it at the audience.
" Lies, slander! Boo!" Rhaenyra yelled out while others clapped and laughed. " Jest if you will," Daemon said, inching closer to the twins. " But many of the small folk are like to believe that, as male, Aegon should be heir."
" Is that why you brought us here? To see this poorly done imitation of our life?" Rhaenyra shrugged her shoulders and turned around, " It doesn't matter. Their wants are of no consequence." Rhaella followed after her sister and Daemon trailed closely after them, " They're of great consequence if you expect to rule them one day."
Rhaella walked forward as the two conversed, smiling and watching a couple as they tugged at one another's silks and clothes. " For one night, you lead us towards adventure yet we only seem to speak of the burdens of Rhaenyra's inheritance, it's getting rather exhausting," Rhaella said, looking behind her shoulder to stare back at Daemon and Rhaenyra.
Rhaella stopped in front of a man dressed in the similar rags she wore who stood behind a wall of decorative tapestries with finger foods on a wooden tray, " Eight coppers, street rat," the man said to Rhaella while she took two pieces of cooked, sliced beef, eating one as she handed the other half to her sister.
" In King's Landing, we pay for our pleasures," Daemon taught his nieces. Rhaella shrugged nonchalantly after finishing the food in her mouth, meeting her sister's eye and nodding briefly before the twins ran off in unison. " Hey! Stop, fucking filthy little boys!" The man yelled after them, but the two girls kept their pace and remained running down the busy road.
The girls ran hand in hand, with the largest smile on their faces as they sprinted past a family shopping for spices. They turned into a tight corner, and even with Daemon following after them, the girls didn't stop. Adrenaline rushed through Rhaella's veins like never before, and as they made it towards the end of the street, looking behind them to see if the merchant was after the girls, Rhaenyra bumped into one of the members of the City Watch.
Rhaella quickly stopped in her tracks and recognized the man, " And who might you two be running from, now?" Sir Harwin Strong gripped Rhaenyra by the loose shirt she wore and lifted the princess off of the ground with ease.
" Ser Harwin," Rhaella breathed out as she came towards her sister's side. " You may release her," the knight glanced between the twins, gently placing Rhaenyra down and releasing the grip on her shirt.
" Princess?" Rhaella adjusted her hood as it began to fall, looking around the alleyway to see if anyone noticed her, but no one was paying attention. In their eyes, another pair of reckless street rats have been caught by the City Watch, which was just another average evening in the city of King's Landing.
Daemon caught up with the twins, lowering his head as he saw the member of the City Watch standing before his nieces. " Don't," Rhaenyra said to the man as he still managed to catch a glimpse of Prince Daemon underneath his black hood.
" You take care, boy. Next time, you two might not be so lucky," Rhaenyra watched Sir Harwin walk away while Rhaella grabbed Daemon's hand as he joined her side. " You two enjoyed that, didn't you?"
Rhaella smiled, turning towards Daemon and swinging their entwined hands back and forth, " I most certainly did." Rhaenyra took her uncle's left hand in hers, looking up at him with an euphoric look on her face. " Who knows when we'll next taste freedom," the silver haired twin glanced at her sister, " we may as well enjoy it now," Rhaella finished.
Daemon led the girls out of the dirty, crowded alley's, and after taking them inside a few taverns to taste the wine they offered, the prince took the twins back into the dark of night and into a pleasure house.
Rhaella stared around in awe, she had never seen so many people undressed and bare to show their glory to those who looked. It was like a show Rhaella didn't want to see, but yet couldn't help but look, wanting to know what'll happen next.
There were four naked girls with inscriptions of black ink all over their bodies, dancing vulgarly on a large platform for those who watched. Rhaenyra held her sister's hand, guiding her throughout the busy crowd of voyeurs who were transfixed on the woman who wrapped their bodies around one another. Laughter and sounds of pleasure filled the air and coerced the princesses to want to feel the same.
" Thank you," Rhaella muttered as someone offered her a glass of wine and gave one to her sister. They both sniffed the cup before bringing it to their lips, their eyes darting in different directions as they continued to walk further into the pillow house. Daemon watched the girls from a distance, finishing his glass of wine before deciding to join the twins.
While they watched the performance of the naked women and the man that joined them on the platform, Daemon stepped between the sister's and took their hands into his. " Come," he said, and they listened. Rhaella took a few sips of the wine in her cup before leaving it with a servant, keeping up with Daemon and Rhaenyra's pace.
As he led them deeper into the brothel, Daemon snatched Rhaenyra's hat off her head and gave it to a young woman who waited by the entryway. He pulled Rhaella's hood down and began walking ahead of the twins, leaving them trailing behind the prince to glance around at the actions occurring around them.
There were silks that separated the space people preoccupied, and in each section they passed, Rhaella saw more than enough body parts to be able to go back to the Red Keep and vividly remember each figure she saw and add it into her drawing book. Women, of all shapes and sizes, caressed the skin of the men around them. Men, of all colors and age, kissed the other men near them. But, Rhaella didn't judge. In fact, she stood with her mouth hung ajar at the sight of such pleasure.
Each person she past looked pleased with what they were doing, and how they were feeling, and who they were fucking. It was as if Rhaella had a revelation while passing through the layers of silk, this is what it was like to lay with a person. Rhaella had imagined the worst over the years, something she grew well at doing, and thought the act of laying with a man was only done to provide him with a child, and not for pleasurable purposes. The moans and smiles she saw on the women's faces around her quickly proved her theories incorrect.
" They're looking at us," Rhaella whispered to her sister as she noticed people pausing from tending to their needs to stare and whisper about the royal twins and their Uncle. " Of course they would," Rhaella mumbled, pushing Rhaenyra ahead to avoid her from meeting anyone's gaze for far too long.
" Where are we?" Rhaella asked Daemon while he parted the silk to the side and allowed the twins to enter the large room. In each corner of the room, someone had someone else to hold, to kiss, and to touch. " It's where people come to take what they want."
Men kissed one another, and two women touched one another's bodies while others watched, and the screams of strangers' delight pierced Rhaella's ears. But, she began to grow comfortable with the sound, and maybe even grew to like it over the short amount of time spent in the house of pleasure. Rhaella looked around at the group of women who laid on the ground and feasted on one another's bodies, licking and kissing each other's lady parts.
Soon enough, Rhaella eventually grew overwhelmed at the images around her, meanwhile Rhaenyra seemed as if she found the place she was meant to be. Everything was just starting to confuse the redhead even more, she grew to think the act of bedding a man would be no great experience for a woman, and now that she was being proved otherwise, Rhaella didn't know how to feel.
Was the act truly as horrid as Septa's make it out to be, were these women actually enjoying themselves or were they just pretending and waiting for their coin at the end of the exchange? So many questions began to swirl around in Rhaella's mind, questions that were soon to be answered by Daemon.
At this point, Rhaella had her hands fiddling with the long braid she put her hair in, glancing around nervously while Daemon approached the girls, his left hand reaching for the strings holding together Rhaenyra's shirt as his right cupped Rhaella's face into his palm.
" Fucking is a pleasure, you see," Rhaella listened to his every word, looking up in her uncle's eyes. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't move, for which she was already bewitched under his spell, " For the woman as it is the man," he let go of her face and turned Rhaella towards her twin, diving into the crook of her neck and planting small kisses there.
Rhaenyra watched, hungrily, only wanting the same attention Daemon showed to Rhaella. Rhaella's eyes fluttered shut and she let his hand reach the hem of her hooded cloak, pilling it over her head and tossing it onto the ground.
When he pivoted the redhead around, he stared down at her ample breasts and swollen, pink-tinted nipples, his long gaze making her quickly cover her chest as others around her also managed to steal quick glances at the princess's naked flesh.
" A marriage is a duty. . . Yes," Daemon went on, leaving a kiss on Rhaella's lips before he turned his attention onto Rhaenyra. " But that doesn't stop us from doing what we want," he explained, smashing his lips feverishly against the silver haired twin.
Rhaella had no choice but to stand there and watch, her breath caught in her chest while she clung to her breasts, " From fucking who we want." He said after he pulled away, his hand on Rhaenyra's shoulder as he guided her towards her sister.
The twins stared at one another for a moment and contemplated whether they should really kiss, " B-but, she's my sister," Rhaella looked up at Daemon, earning a shrug from the prince. " As I'm your uncle. And before us, our ancestors were brother's and sister's. . . So?"
Before Rhaella could object, Rhaenyra quickly placed a kiss on her sister's lips then pulled back. Rhaella put a finger over her lip, grazing it as she looked back and forth at Daemon and Rhaenyra before giving into the temptation, she wrapped her arm around her sister's neck and reconnected their lips while Daemon watched from the side.
The moans sounding around them only fueled Rhaenyra's energy even more so, and Rhaella decided to no longer hold back. Everyone here was having a good time, why shouldn't I, she thought to herself. Daemon pulled the girls apart after they seemed to get lost in their embrace, lowering himself towards Rhaella's breasts and planting one in his mouth while his other hand reached for Rhaenyra's breeches.
Daemon pulled them down quickly without even needing to look, as his eyes were preoccupied. He stared up at Rhaella and watched her face grow soft as his warm and wet tongue slobbered against her swollen nipple. Envy coercing her, Rhaenyra gripped the man by his shirt and pulled him up from his knees, smashing their lips together.
Whatever his plans were, Daemon clearly didn't think it through, as the twins were too much for him to juggle all at once. Having to obtain both of their needs while tending to his own was a struggle Daemon didn't know he'd have trouble with. So, while he pushed the girls against a wall, one hand dove deep into Rhaenyra's pants while the other softly gripped Rhaella's throat as they kissed, Daemon pulled away.
Staring down at Rhaenyra's open shirt and at Rhaella's swollen breasts, he let out a low growl. For whatever reasons Rhaella didn't understand, Daemon refused to continue. As Rhaella stepped closer to gain access to his lips, Daemon tilted his head aside. And while Rhaenyra took his hand in hers, he snatched it away.
Daemon lingered over Rhaella, looking down at her pale, pink skin and full lips, allowing her to lean forward and steal a kiss. It only lasted for a moment, and in that moment, Rhaella had never felt so happy- so free. Rhaenyra tried to reach for her uncle's lips after, yet he stepped back, slamming his hands against the stone wall behind the twins.
The girls jumped, caught off guard by his sudden reaction and watching as their Uncle walked away, leaving them in the brothel to fend for themselves. " Daemon?" Rhaenyra called out to the prince, but he was already long gone by now.
Rhaella grabbed her cloak off the ground and threw it over her head whilst Rhaenyra pulled at the strings to close her shirt, reaching for her trousers and pulling them back up. " We need to go, now." Rhaenyra nodded, and after the girls made sure they were appropriate, they rushed out of the pleasure house and ran through King's Landing and towards the safety of the Red Keep.
☄
When Rhaella reached the Keep, she parted ways with her sister and quickly rushed back to her room. With thoughts of pleasure still flooding her mind, Rhaella felt unsatisfied and unaccomplished. Why did Daemon bring the twins to a pleasure house to just tempt them, get them half undressed and only wanting for more? She couldn't understand- why didn't he finish?
Rhaella stormed past her sworn protector, Sir Criston, as he guarded her chambers, quickly opening the door and entering her room without saying a word to the knight. " Princess Rhaella, are you, are you hurt?"
" No, I'm fine," Rhaella pressed her ear against the wooden door, biting her lip and quickly coming up with a solution to her unfilled night. " I'll go alert the Lord Commander."
" No," Rhaella said as she opened her door. She glanced down at the helmet tucked into his arm and the sword resting in his sheathe, and without thinking, she reached for his sword and pulled it out of its leather holder.
" My sword," Rhaella stepped further into her room, a taunting smile on her lips as she drew the sword. " You've let a girl yield your sword?"
" Give it here, Princess, before you hurt yourself," Sir Criston said while he followed her, reaching out his hand impatiently. " Come and get it."
" It is too late in the hour for your games, Princess," he grew closer to her, yet Rhaella ran around him and paused at the door, closing it shut. He approached her, stopping her from trying to run away by extending his arms out, " You finished?" She nodded, pleased by their closeness, and extended the sword.
As he took a step closer, and another, so did Rhaella, and she licked her lips and kissed Sir Criston as he attempted to take the sword from her hand.
She pulled away after a long, quiet moment, leaning her back against the wooden door and looking up at Sir Criston. His eyes remained to the ground as he took a step back, fixated on the sword in Rhaella's hand and watching as she dropped it onto the ground.
Rhaella undid her braid, letting her red hair flow messily around her face while she moved closer, only causing the knight to take another step back further into the room, almost as if he were afraid of her touch. " I don't bite," she said, then smiled, reaching for her cloak and began to remove it. Sir Criston pulled her hands away from the dark fabric, " Stop."
" I don't want to," she said as she caught his hand. Rhaella brought the knight towards her bed, her hypnotizing eyes never leaving his warm, brown ones. At this moment, she was no longer thinking of Daemon, or about the activities that brought her here, or of the man she claimed to be her potential suitor, she only thought of the man before her. If it were allowed, Rhaella had once thought, I'd marry Sir Criston Cole, only if.
Rhaella slowly unfastened his armor, taking her time to remove each metal layer and placing it slowly on a table beside her. Sir Criston kept his gaze low, staring at the glowing hearth beside them that warmed the room while Rhaella did as she pleased. She noticed his unfocused gaze, cupping his chin and making the man meet her glinting eyes, " If you don't want to continue, tell me now," she said, planting a kiss on his cheek. " I won't proceed without your consent."
Instead of retreating, the knight allowed the princess to bring her lips onto his once more, and this time, he kissed back, his hands burrowing into her hair as she undid the rest of his armor as quietly as she could. When she pulled apart, Rhaella turned towards his white cloak, removing it and handing it to the knight, watching as he carefully placed it on top of a chair near them.
Once he was free of his heavy armor, Criston turned towards Rhaella and returned to her lips, with more passion this time, and it was exactly like Rhaella had envisioned it to be like in her mind.
Her stomach fluttered, and her skin felt as if Criston set it a blaze everywhere he touched. Rhaella's mind was far from where it needed to be, and she no longer thought of her troubles and burdens, she just thought of Criston and the ways he'd be able to offer her pleasure. She had just a glimpse of it today- but she wanted more.
Criston pulled apart from Rhaella as they made paused at her bed, glancing back at the door then at the princess while she began removing the laces on her boots. " Having second thoughts?" She asked him, placing her boots aside and reaching towards her black cloak.
Criston shook his head watching as she pulled the hood over her head and wiggled her arms free. A naked princess- never in his lifetime would've Sir Criston thought he would have done something like this, as it was dishonorable, or so he once thought.
He sat next to Rhaella on the bed, removing his shoes as fast as he could, glancing every now and then at Rhaella, who's smile filled with anticipation. Once free from any article of fabric, the couple rejoiced into each other's arms and laid back into Rhaella's large bed. Sir Criston hovered over Rhaella, one hand cupping her small, diamond shaped face as he kissed her while the other spread her thighs apart
Everything had happened so quickly, and if Rhaella were to retell the story of her desired filled night, she wouldn't even know where to begin. I believe it all started with a finger, she would say if recalling the night. And after one finger led another into her maidenhood. The sounds she heard in the brothel sounded from her lips, a sound so foreign, she nearly startled herself when she heard her own pleased cry.
Rhaella remembered the sights she saw in the pleasure house, the way the women moved their bodies so easily while the men had their ways with them, the large, or small, thing that was hidden beneath men's breeches. The faces the men made when they reached their climax, and the satisfied grins from the person causing it- Criston would look better making those faces, she thought, and that is what she sought to achieve.
The night was long and silent, and the castle was almost at a chilling stillness during those late hours. But, Rhaella remained wide awake while others rested for the morrow, not even thinking of the consequences she'd face from being spied on in a brothel with her uncle and sister.
She didn't think of the effects she'd have on Criston after partaking in acts unbecoming of a maiden with him, nor did she think of the heartbreak she'd faced after the outcome. And as their bodies rocked against one another, Rhaella was burden-free and only thought of the pleasure her future was sure to be filled with after this night of groundbreaking sexual revelations.
└── ☄ ──┘
EPISODE FOUR-
TO BE CONTINUED