"What did your mother tell you then?" Aegon asked with curiosity while playing with the ring on his finger not even bothering to look at Jace.
"Nothing. Mother was furious. She entered her chambers crying and went to the balcony. I did not want to bother. Daemon walked in right behind her. I think they talked about the girl. They did not talk, they argued more likely. And they did not talk for some time. Now I think everything is settled between them." Jace spoke while resting his cheek in his hand leaning against the table and scratching some dirty spots while talking.
There was silence in Aegon's chambers for some time until Aegon didn't stand up and walked to the table to pour some wine into his goblet.
"I think the girl is telling the truth. If my ears did not fail me she said that she was the daughter of Daemon Targaryen." He said while curling his lips upside down.
"If your ears did not fail you, your liver will," Jace said while making a mocking grimace and pulling the jug of wine to the other end of the table so Aegon could not pour himself more wine. "Besides you said you were drunk. She could have said anything and you could have missed hearing it right." He added.
"And... If she was lying... Do you think we Targaryens are quick to forgive and have mercy?" Aegon scoffed at Jace still not sitting down in his chair.
"She is a girl, around your age I would say. Maybe younger. She is a child." Jace added while he looked at Aegon in a way that was saying that he was afraid to hear his opinion.
"Did you just call me a child little bastard?" Aegon squinted his eyes while looking back at Jace with a disgusted look on his face.
"That was not the point of my statement Aegon." Jace quickly replied with an irritated tone.
"You mean my father. You know how much he loves Rhaenyra and his brother Daemon. So much that he could forget me. Do you think that he would hesitate to execute an unknown girl? Do not be ridiculous." Aegon even chuckled a little while he mixed the wine around his cup.
"I will not believe you until I hear it," Jace said in denial. He did not want to accept the fact that his family was far from perfect. And now with Daemon as his stepfather, he did not even want to hear about his flaws.
Aegon just laughed. Jacaerys never believed Aegon and his cruel words, even tho at the end Aegon would sadly be right. Even when they were only little children not aware of anything one time when Jahaerys stepped on a frog and felt bad everyone would tell him that the frog was just sleeping but Aegon would be the only one who told him the truth. He told Jace that he killed the frog, that he did it and it can't be undone and he would even mess with him calling him a little murderer. Even tho Jace did not like Aegon he still needed someone who would tell him the truth. In his life that was Aegon.
Meanwhile, Jacaerys and Aegon were trying to figure out what exactly was happening, and Thereya was brought into her chambers.
"I would say this is enough. My son has a mattress on the floor. This looks like the heavens compared to what his chambers look like." Alicent said while looking around Thereya's chambers biting her lower lip while thinking.
The chambers were not big but they were certainly not small. The stone walls looked good mixed with the shimmers of lit candles all over the place. The big mirror decorated with gold was hung on the left wall. Her bed frame was made out of oak wood and carved pictures into the bed. The table in the corner of the room was full of fruits and her big window was looking at the sea.
"It is better than any place I have slept in so far your Grace. I could not be more grateful for what you did for me today." Thereya said with pure honesty while her gaze moved around her chambers taking in every single detail.
"I will have to speak to Princess Rhaenyra about your request," Alicent said softly almost like she did not want to do it.
"About a dragon? Your Grace. That would be my only wish." Thereya smiled.
"It is not as simple as that I'm afraid Princess. And I'm afraid that that is not my place to talk about. I am not of the right blood to speak of that matter." Alicent replied while her eyes wandered off to take another look at Thereya's chambers. Alicent could understand that she was just a child and that every child would rather fly around on a dragon's back than sit in an iron chair.
"Listen to me very carefully now. If you ever get offered any wine when I'm not by your side. Do not drink it." Alicent said while taking hold of Thereya's shoulders.
"Why?" Thereya could not understand yet. "It does not matter. Just do as I told you." Alicent replied worried about her well-being now that Viserys has spread the word about making a feist in Princess Thereya's name.
"I swear it." Thereya nodded to Alicent sweetly.
Alicent gave her a reassuring smile and then left the chambers. "Do not leave the Red Keep Princess," Alicent added before leaving.
Thereya moved to the table and took some grapes as she walked over to the window to take another look at the view of the sea. She ate the grapes while enjoying the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs that held the castles above the water. It reminded her of Dorne, the sea she lived by, the sea she buried her mother in. Lost in her thoughts she noticed a small mantis standing on the stone window frame across her. "Still not dead as you can see. Old grandma. I told you." Thereya said to the mantis as she chuckled to herself.
"Praying mantis is one of my favorites." A gentle and soft voice came from behind Thereya. She turned her head around quickly and moved away from the window.
"I apologize. I did not want to scare you. My name is Helaena." The girl smiled softly at Thereya.
"You did not frighten me. It is all right. My name is Thereya. I am-" But Helaena interrupted her. "I know. My mother told me. You are my cousin. My brother thought you were a bastard. Although it turns out you are not which means you stay. So she told me to be friends with you." Helaena said while picking up the mantis on her finger and then letting her fly away through the window.
"Your brother? And you speak to me because your mother demanded it?" Thereya said while looking around kind of curious about Helaena's answer.
"Mhm. For now." Helaena said. She looked so sweet and her tone was so soothing that if she told me right now that she will slit my throat and feed me to the dragon I would not even notice it. Thereya thought to herself.
There was some strange feeling Thereya got while speaking with Helaena. But not the bad one, but the good one. She liked how soft Helaena was even though her movements were gracious. Then Thereya decided to break the silence and bond with her new strange friend.
"Helaena? Do you want to do something fun?" Thereya said while looking out of the window as the sun slowly began to hide behind the mountains in the distance.
"It depends on what you find fun in," Helaena replied while looking at Thereya and acknowledging her looks. She found Thereya truly beautiful. But not the kind of beauty that those red-faced girls with layers and layers of dresses and hair had on them. But the kind of beauty that came from the depths of the ocean and was washed up to shore as the biggest treasure Gods could gift them.
"Something I think you will truly like."
Thereya said smiling at Helaena from ear to ear while raising her head. Helaena slowly started to smile back and in the next moment, they were exiting the walls of Red Keep.
Thereya truly started to like Helaena, even tho she was mostly quiet as a mouse she still enjoyed her company.
"We are not supposed to leave the walls. I do not like this already. I protest." Helaena said worriedly while curling up her eyebrows expressing her worry visibly.
"Shh!" Thereya quickly covered her mouth but when she started talking to Helaena she removed her hand. "We will be back in a few moments I promise. This is pretty. You have to trust me." Thereya said smiling with excitement as she pulled Helaena alongside her.
Helaena did not protest anymore and she decided to not let her new friend down. At least for her mother's sake as she followed right behind Thereya.
Soon they got down to the beach. The wind was a little bit stronger and it carried the smell of salt, the waves were gently washing up to shore as Thereya approached the water.
"Here look." Thereya crouched down and pointed her finger at some sea shells and sea glass that looked like crystals. "I would pick them up and carry them home. Out of sea shells, I would make myself pretty jewelry."
"That sounds beautiful," Helaena said smiling as she crouched down beside Thereya and started picking up the sea shells. "And what are those crystals? What would you do with them?" Helaena asked with excitement and curiosity.
"That is not crystals" Thereya chuckled at Helaena. "It is sea glass. When someone throws a bottle or glass into the sea, the waves turn it to look pretty. Like a crystal." She smiled as she showed Helaena all the different colors of sea glass she found. "And sometimes I put the sea glass into my jewelry but mostly I hang them off my ceiling, so the sea glass is hanging off the ceiling all around my room and especially near the window," Thereya said while not being able to remove the smile off her face.
"Why the window?" Helaena asked now with a puzzled look on her face.
"Look," Thereya said as she pulled Helaena behind her so she could look over her shoulder, she reached out her hand that was holding a sea glass in the direction of the setting sun. The sun's rays hit the glass perfectly and the rays that were coming from the colored piece of glass turned colorful.
Helaena stated with bliss in her eyes. It was so simple but so pretty at the same time. Helaena was glad she found a friend like Thereya.
Suddenly their enjoyment was interrupted by multiple footsteps they heard coming from near them. Worry washed over them and they hid behind the rock at the beach beneath the castle. Helaena was scared as much as Thereya was. They both waited patiently but the footsteps only grew louder and louder. Helaena worried while clasping the little bag full of sea shells and glass in her hand. Thereya's mind was racing and her heart was pounding in her chest not expecting someone to come after them. All they could do was wait for footsteps to either be gone or to see the intruders face to face.