(An- I started a TikTok account for edits of Dark Red - @darkred.got [careful though, there's many spoilers])
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REYNA PUFFED UP her cheeks, staring at Princess Daenerys' door. She slowly whistled as she pondered if she should just leave the pretty blue dress she held in her hands at the door or personally give it to the princess.
Just this morning, Reyna and the princess got into a heated and disastrous argument. Because of the princess, Reyna was still left with a terrible taste in her mouth. She had this theory that Daenerys was this timid, docile girl in public and a venomous snake in private.
Reyna had spent the majority of the morning and afternoon perusing the markets, where she purchased a gorgeous azure dress that faded into a burnt orange. It reminded her of a sunset. Reyna thought that since it was spring, looking like a sunset would be especially appealing. And for the princess, Reyna had spotted a captivating sapphire halter dress.
Staring at the door for a few more seconds, her attention was diverted when she heard a person walking down the passage. She turned a head to find a servant walking with their head bowed.
"Pardon me," Reyna said. The servant stopped and nodded her head towards Reyna.
"Lady Reyna."
"Would you please deliver this to Princess Daenerys?" The servant had a confused expression on her face, which was understandable because Reyna had already been standing in front of Daenerys' door.
She then gently handed the servant the dress. And before turning around to enter her chambers, Reyna said with a sweet smile to the confused servant, "Oh, and please wait till I enter my room first."
Reyna smiled one more time, then headed back to her room.
Once in the safety of her chambers, she looked towards the dress that was hanging in front of her wardrobe. It was truly a beautiful treasure, and it had not been that expensive at all-just twenty silvers. She was blessed enough for Illyrio to give her an allowance.
Reyna walked towards the window and peered out of it; it appeared like the sun had a little more time before sunset. They were still preparing for the festivities in the heart of Pentos.
She still had an hour to spare before meeting Illyrio at the entrance. So she grabbed her dress and slipped it on, behind the dressing screen. Due to the numerous holes in the fabric, her back and stomach were essentially exposed. Reyna was not thinking vainly, but she had to admit she looked gorgeous and exquisite, especially given the loose, transparent blue sleeves. For her hair, she was content to simply tie two front pieces of her hair behind her head.
After getting dressed, she browsed the book that Illyrio had given her to learn more details about the Free Cities in Essos during the rest of her spare time.
Soon after, Reyna left her room and met Illyrio at the front entrance of his palace. The Targaryens were already there; Prince Viserys was wearing an ensemble that happened to be in his house colours, while the princess wore the dress Reyna had picked out for her. Blue seemed to enhance the princess's beauty.
"Magister, if we attend this festival, won't we be jeopardising our identity?" Viserys questioned. Given that they have spent their entire lives evading Robert's assassins, the question was understandable.
"I assure you, Your Highness, the people of Pentos will not talk; they know the severe punishment if they do," Illyrio explained to the prince. Viserys nodded, seemingly content with Illyrio's answer.
Dany's guilt was crushing her as they waited for their horses. She looked towards Lady Reyna, who looked absolutely stunning. Dany noted how Viserys took quite an interest when Lady Reyna arrived, while Lady Reyna only gave them a nod of acknowledgement when they arrived. She was ashamed after learning that Lady Reyna had been completely sincere. And when a servant presented her with the most stunning garment she had ever seen, she felt even worse about herself.
She observed Viserys and the Magister speaking in whispers. With the warning Viserys gave her still lingering in the back of her mind, she took a step towards Reyna, about to say something.
Before Dany could even get a word out, Reyna's attention was diverted by the sound of horses neighing. Reyna headed off and went directly to a stunning chestnut horse. Reyna's movements were graceful, and to Dany, she seemed to be walking on air. Dany observed how Reyna cupped the horse's face in her hands and leaned in so that her forehead touched the animal's. It was a heartwarming sight.
A sneer grew on Viserys' face as he watched the stunning woman hug a disgusting stable animal. "It is not ladylike for a noble woman with her standing to engage in such contact with a horse," Viserys spat.
Illyrio clicked his tongue as he observed Reyna, who was now stroking the horse's mane and whispering gentle words into the horse's ear. "The mare and Lady Reyna have a special bond, your highness. The horse, after all, was one of the only things she brought from Westeros."
The prince remained silent in response.
Soon the four had mounted their horses and made their way to the festival. Reyna noted how the prince seemed to have trouble riding and controlling his steed.
As they were nearing the heart of the city, Reyna studied the decorations leading to their destination. There were many different colours, but the most prominent was red.
"Why are there so many reds?" the prince asked.
"The Red Priestess of Pentos takes it upon herself to set up the festival. Their devotion to the Lord of Light does not deter them from acknowledging and celebrating his counterpart, the Lady of Chaos," Illyrio explained to the two Targaryens.
Reyna observed the party as it was in full flow as she entered the festival. Beautiful lights had been placed around, there were merchants selling items, and music was playing.
She broke off from the group and dismounted her mare, Visenya, before guiding her to a quiet place where she could take a break for a bit.
Walking back into the party, Reyna spied a merchant selling jewellery. With her interest piqued, she darted towards the stall when someone blocked her way.
Her skin was olive, and she had dark, curly hair and brown eyes. She was shorter than Reyna and wore a red garment with a crimson cloak on top of her shoulders. Reyna presumed this was the Red Priestess of Pentos.
"Ao regon rvgrie kustikne isse ao, venefica," the woman stated, blankly looking at Reyna. (You wield great power in you, sorceress.)
The vacant stare of the red priestess made Reyna feel quite uncomfortable, so in response, she gave a nervous chuckle.
"Kirimvose?" Reyna said, which came out more like a question. (Thank you)
The priestess continued to stare at Reyna as if she were in a trace, so Reyna gave the priestess a tight smile and let out another uncomfortable chuckle as she made up an excuse.
"Pardon issa, yn nyke pendagon Magister iksos summoning syt issa," she told the priestess, then awkwardly walked away from her. (Pardon me, but I think the Magister is calling for me.)
Reyna had learned some High Valyrian from Maester Luwin while growing up, as most highborn children do. Well, Rob and Sansa had not been very interested in High Valyrian as much as Reyna and Arya had been. And after Reyna arrived in Pentos, Illyrio took it upon himself to teach her more High Valyrian, which had been the ancient language spoken in the past by the Valyrians in Essos. Valyrian appeared to come in a variety of forms, and each of the Nine Free Cities spoke a unique dialect or variation of High Valyrian called Low Valyrian.
Despite being an avid learner, Reyna had an extremely tough experience learning High Valyrian. She perfected the language in about nine months, considering that she had been taught some of the language when she was younger, and then Illyrio convinced her to study the low dialects as well. After that challenging process, Illyrio only gave her books written in Valyrian or Pentoshi.
After escaping the unsettling priestess, Reyna looked around for the jewellery vendor, then clicked her tongue when she couldn't spot them.
Viserys had practically dismissed Dany as soon as he arrived at the beautiful celebration so he could explore.
In the comfort of her own rooms, Dany had promised herself that she would attempt to make amends with Lady Reyna again.
She spotted Lady Reyna conversing with a red-clad woman. Dany moved closer and heard the woman speaking to Reyna in a language that sounded like Valyrian.
Growing up, Viserys had thought it imminent for her to know the mother tongue of her ancestors, and growing up across the Free Cities, she had learned the many variants of Valyrian.
Dany could not hear the exact words the woman was saying, but she did note how the woman called Lady Reyna 'venefica'.
Walking up to Lady Reyna, Dany noticed how she tensed when she saw Dany approaching her.
"Princess Daenerys," Reyna greeted, nodding her head in respect. Dany watched how Lady Reyna allowed a mask of indifference to cover her face to cloak her true feelings about Dany.
Dany attempted to give Lady Reyna her most sincere smile, "I was hoping to have a word with you, if you would allow it."
Reyna narrowed her eyes at Daenerys, then gave a subtle nod of the head, "Of course, Princess."
After a few more seconds in silence, Dany cleared her throat as she said, "I just wanted to thank you for the dress; it's ethereal."
Dany gave Reyna a genuine smile, hoping to express her gratitude.
Reyna just shrugged her shoulders and looked at Dany with hard eyes, "I assure you, it would be better to thank Magister Illyrio; after all, he was the one who provided me with the silver I used to buy the dress."
"Perhaps, but you were the one to choose the dress," Dany emphasised, wanting Reyna to accept her compliment, because if Reyna wouldn't accept her compliment, why would she accept her apology?
"I've never worn a dress as expensive or beautiful as this one," Dany beamed as she gently stroked the soft blue material she was wearing.
Reyna mustered up a tight smile for Dany and gave her a stiff nod, then looked away, hoping to find an excuse for her to walk away.
Her eyes found Viserys enthusiastically speaking with some Pentoshi men. He had an arrogant smile on his face as he was yapping away, most likely explaining how he was the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms and the rest of that overused speech.
His eyes caught hers, and then he . . . winked?
Reyna's lip curled in distaste, and her eyebrow raised, silently hoping that she had only imagined the wink.
"That woman that you were just conversing with, is she Pentos' Red Priestess?"
The Princess's question snapped her out of her daze.
"Yes, your highness," Reyna answered, wondering where this question was leading.
Daenerys continued, "My brother had thought it important for me to learn the language of my ancestors, but I did not understand the word she was calling you. "Venefica,", I think the word was."
Reyna turned to Daenerys with a frown on her face and her eyebrows furrowed, "It is deemed unkind to eavesdrop on other people's conversation, Princess."
Dany was not ignorant of the irritated expression on Reyna's face. Her ears started to burn, and she lowered her head in embarrassment, "I-I. My apologies, Lady Reyna."
Reyna rolled her eyes.
"It means sorceress."
With surprise etched on her face. Dany turned up to look at Reyna, "Sorceress? The people of Pentos know of your. . . gift?"
Reyna let out a dry chuckle, as she shook her head, "I'm sure everyone in Pentos knows of the girl who got exiled for witchcraft. But, yes, the people do know. I have even demonstrated some of my abilities in public. It is one of the many reasons I enjoy being in Pentos. The people are not as . . . judgmental as they are in Westeros."
Daenerys looked at Reyna with sympathy and immense guilt in her eyes, "Lady Reyna, I-"
"Reyna Stark!"
Reyna and Dany both turned their heads towards the person who had yelled Reyna's name from across the celebration.
A man was walking towards them with a big smile on his face. He was tall with olive skin and shoulder-length black hair. He was wearing a very formal cream garb and holding his arms out, approaching Reyna.
"Reyna Stark," he repeated once he was closer to her. Dany watched how Reyna had given the man the same tight smile she had given her, while the man was giving her a wide, affectionate smile.
"Prince Diavel," Reyna greeted the man. She inwardly rolled her eyes now, knowing that she could not escape his presence-the one person whom she had been trying to avoid.
Prince Diavel kept staring at her, and Reyna found herself getting a bit uncomfortable, so she attempted to shift the focus to Daenerys.
"Prince Diavel, may I present to you Princess Daenerys of House Targaryen," she nodded her head towards Daenerys.
The man had not even noticed the smaller woman standing next to Reyna; he was too infatuated with Reyna's beauty to observe anything around her.
He gave Daenerys a smile, albeit less wide than the one he gave Reyna, then bowed, "Princess, what an honour to have you in Pentos. I do hope you enjoy your stay with us."
Daenerys nodded timidly at Diavel, "I do hope so as well, Prince Diavel."
After that non-existent conversation, Reyna sighed when Diavel's attention went back towards her. He gave her a wide grin as he placed his hand out in front of him.
"Will you join me for a dance?"
Reyna looked into the Prince's dark, inviting eyes as he held out a hand for her. She turned around to look into the Princess's violet eyes, looking as if she were pleading for Reyna to stay.
Reyna sighed as she placed her hand in Diavel's. His face broke out into an infectious smile, and Reyna couldn't help but let a small smile escape her.
She squeaked when he pulled her into the middle of the celebration and started twirling her. The dances in Essos were very different compared to the dances in Westeros. Unlike Westeros, Essos dances were very intimate; there was no distance between partners or precise steps that needed to be followed; it felt very freeing.
Reyna let out a small laugh as the Prince picked her up and spun her as if she weighed nothing. As he placed her down, Diavel pulled Reyna closed as they kept dancing, his hands on her waist and her arms around his shoulders.
He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Now, have you considered mine and the Magisters' offer?"
She scoffed, giving him an annoyed smile, "Indeed, and I am sure you are aware of my answer to that offer."
He groaned, pulling Reyna closer by the waist, "And I beg of you to reconsider, my beloved Reyna."
Now, the excuse Reyna had given to the Magisters about the Prince being unattractive to her was a complete lie. Diavel was one of the most handsome men Reyna had ever encountered. He was tall, with silky long hair and a really charming smile. He had a sense of humour and a warm personality. He was essentially the perfect man on paper.
But Reyna knew he only wanted her because she did not want him.
Reyna and Diavel had had many entertaining conversations, and Reyna valued his friendship. But Reyna knew that if she conceded defeat and married him, he would eventually lose interest because he had, to say the least, won her.
"I am not your 'beloved' anything, Diavel," Reyna said with a dry smile, then pinched the back of his neck, "and I urge you to cease your hands from exploring further south."
He had a playful look in his eyes as he spoke to her, "You cannot fault me for trying, my precious."
He closed his eyes and groaned, "Oh, how radiant you would look in a white dress with a bouquet of white lilies walking towards me."
"I'm sure I would," she said as she pursed her lips, glaring up at him.
The music was speeding up, which signalled the switching of partners.
He gave her one last smirk as he leaned closer towards a face and whispered, "I shall not cease my efforts until you reside in my home and your womb contains my child."
Reyna's eyes widened as she opened her mouth to insult the prince, he twirled her and she ended up in someone else's arms.
They pulled her into their chest, and two large hands enveloped her. As she landed in their chest, she let out a little "oof." She turned to look up and met lilac eyes staring down at her with amusement.
"Prince Viserys," Reyna murmured as she took a step away from him.
Her eyes couldn't help but follow how his hands went to hold her hips, she scolded inwardly how her hands automatically went to wrap her arms around his neck.
"Lady Reyna," he replied, with a smug look on his face.
Feeling very uncomfortable, Reyna looked away from Viserys' as they swayed towards the music. She could feel his eyes still staring at her as she looked at everywhere but him.
Reyna cleared her throat after a few moments of silence before gathering the confidence to look into his eyes. He was still sporting that smug, pleased smile.
"Forgive me, Your Highness, but I was under the notion that you wanted nothing to do with me," Reyna explained, breaking the awkward silence.
"Have we not reached a truce?"
Reyna tilted her head as she hummed quietly, "We have, but I distinctly recall you being quite hesitant to accept this truce."
His pleased smile faded as he pursed his lips. But then he gave a curt nod and his face broke out into one of his famous wolfish grins, "Perhaps but I've realised now that humility is one of the attributes that makes an excellent king."
Reyna refrained from snorting, as she listened to Viserys subtly refer to himself as humble.
Viserys removed Reyna's hand from his neck as he took one of her hands and twirled her. He then took her left hand in his right as his left hand rested on her hip.
She shook her head and scrunched her nose, "Or perhaps you took the Magisters words to heart."
Viserys tilted his head in a confused manner as he feigned innocence, "And what words do you speak of, Lady Stark?"
She huffed as he twirled her again, "The fabulous idea of marrying me and gaining The North's support."
He clicked his tongue as a small smirk grew on his face, "Would it be so terrible, to have me as your Lord husband, Lady Stark? The rightful heir to the Iron Throne-"
"-Rightful King of the Andals and The First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms and so on and so on," Reyna interrupted Viserys, finishing the speech she's heard and read many times.
She felt Viserys' hand tighten on her hip and watched as he clenched his jaw, his patience with her had clearly run out.
"Lady Stark, it is unkind to reject a Prince's offer," Viserys said now looking down at her with a scowl on his ethereal face.
She clicked her tongue as she looked over his shoulder. Her eyes brightened up when she spotted the mysterious jewellery vendor that had disappeared.
She looked back at him meeting his eyes. Emerald meeting lilac, then gave him a sickly sweet smile, "It may be unkind, but it is completely within my right."
She smiled, while her nose scrunched unintentionally, "Now, thank you very much for this dance, it was very lovely."
With that, she pulled herself away from him and turned away without another word, heading for the jeweller.
Viserys was watching her leave, and had she turned around, she would have noticed the fire raging in his eyes.
Viserys prided himself on getting whatever he wanted. He knew he would eventually get his crown and sit on the Iron Throne.
But for now, his eyes were set on getting Reyna Stark all for himself.
After a few hours and a few glasses of the glorious Dornish wine, Reyna trailed away from the celebration, finding a small hill that had a beautiful view of the ocean.
She huffed, feeling very sticky and warm due to the unbearable heat in Essos.
Looking up at the sky, it was pitch black; there was a good chance it was the next morning. Reyna sighed, walking closer to the edge of the cliff, and unceremoniously fell to the ground, touching her newly bought crescent moon necklace, that had three diamond stars etched into the middle.
She frowned as she watched the dark waves crash in the distance, tears shining in her eyes. Her and Robb's sixteenth nameday was over. The first birthday she's ever spent away from her family.
Definitely not the last.
She leaned back to lie on her back as she looked up at the black sky with a pout on her lips.
Alcohol and Reyna truly did not mix at all. She'd never had much of it before coming to Pentos, only sips now and then. Two months after arriving in Pentos, she now had a glass of Dornish wine every night with her supper.
And on the rare occasion where she got herself drunk, she was not the fun, loose type of girl; she became the depressed, melancholic girl that had to refrain from weeping.
She raised a hand in front of her face, and soon red wisps manifested from her fingers, and they shaped themselves into two wolves running in a circle, chasing each other.
She used this trick to comfort Bran and Rickon many nights when they had nightmares.
After her failed apology, Dany basically loitered in the shadows of the celebration for the rest of the night. For a couple of hours, she observed everything around her as the people danced and sang.
Her eyes caught Lady Reyna drifting away from the party. Dany frowned, noticing the sombre look on Reyna's face as she wandered away.
Interested, Dany followed Reyna, hoping maybe this could be the opportunity to apologise.
Daenerys found Lady Reyna lying on her back as she held her hand in front of her face, waving her hand as red wisps of magic floated. Narrowing her eyes, Dany noticed that the wisps were red, glowing wolves; they were chasing each other.
And suddenly, Dany had this sudden urge to leave. She felt as if she were walking on something personal that she had no right to be witnessing. It was intimate and personal.
And yet, Dany lowered herself to the ground, a few feet away from where Reyna was lying. She felt a sense of comfort watching the two wolves chase each other.
It was heartwarming and welcoming, a feeling she was very unfamiliar with.
It felt nice.
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An - I am so sorry. Sooo sorry, I haven't updated. That's all. Anyway I'm on holiday so maybe I'll even update later this week. Anyway hope you're still with me. Anddd NEW TIKTOK ACCOUNT, make sure to check it out.
@darkred.got , or just search "Dark Red".
The dress on top is what Reyna wore.
Word count: 3855 words
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(Here's Dany's dress ⇓)
(And Reyna's necklace⇊)