I know I accidentally said that Aemond had blue eyes in a previous chapter but I take that back. Aemond will always have purple eyes to me.
Kristyne was a nervous mess. Pacing, biting her lip, mumbling to herself, and rubbing her collarbone for some relief. She could not breathe, she could not fathom the idea of returning there for the first time since her father's death. So many memories, and they would surely put her back in her old quarters.
"Kristyne, you shall make me dizzy. Please sit down," Rhaena spoke softly. Rhaenyra was standing at the door, watching quietly.
Kris started to hyperventilate. "I can't, no no, I-I can n-not go back!"
"Kris," Rhaenyra stepped forward and grabbed her hands. "You are under my protection, they can not hurt you."
"H-He was there, that was where I last saw him, and he is gone! I can NOT go back!"
"Lucerys wants and needs your support, Kristyne. You are brave and you can do this. Just stay close to me or Lucerys. Even Daemon would be a safe option."
Lucerys needed her. Her little brother needed her. The implications of what Vaemond was doing were large enough to be considered treason. When Aemond's eye had been taken, King Viserys made it very clear that the next person to question Rhaenyra's sons would have their tongue removed.
Not to mention the vision she had at Starfall.
"You are right, Lucerys needs me." It was time for Kris to protect him the way he protected her. There was a debt to be paid, she owed him her life.
She began repacking her bags, silently folding her clothes. Rhaenyra left for her own chambers, but Rhaena watched Kris. "That was a quick change of heart."
"Lucerys saved my life when he took Aemond's eye, I owe him the world. He's my ... best friend."
"You may speak plainly with me, Kristyne, everyone knows the truth, everyone has eyes. Some of us care naught. Lucerys is your brother, that much is true. It is quite evident in your faces."
Kristyne finished putting her clothes in her bags and faced Rhaena. "My father protected Jacaerys and Lucerys from the rumors when he would train them. Ever since he was killed, I feel as if I need to take that responsibility. Jacaerys would never admit it, but Luke knows. And the Greens will never stop, Rhaena. I am his elder sister, I have to protect him. Luke has a kind heart with no violence. What he did that night was a desperate act."
"Jace is the one with a penchant for violence but that could be from his idolization of Daemon."
Kristyne smiled and nodded. "That is true. But he still has a good heart, he's just delusional," Kris smiled.
"No one has ever accused you of being soft with words," Rhaena spoke with a smile.
"I've lived a life of lies, honesty is what reminds me I'm only human. I had such an excellent relationship with my father because we were honest with one another, or so I thought. Maybe he was not as honest as I believed. We talked about the boys being my brothers, but I was never old enough to understand everything to the fullest extent."
"What would you ask him?" Rhaena asked.
"Why would he continue to lay with her? We have control over our bodies, so he willingly chose to keep putting us in a scandalous position."
"Maybe love and passion are not something we understand. You and I have never been in love, maybe it is more complicated than it seems."
"Complicated or not, we have control. Heat of the moment or not, we can say no."
"When you fall in love and get married, let me know how that works for you."
"It is different if you are married. But I would never soil my virtue before marriage or have an affair out of marriage. Because I have lived the consequences of that, Rhaena, and you would not understand!" Kris snapped.
Rhaena looked at the floor and nodded. "You are right, I was blessed with two married parents. But you are not a bastard, Kristyne. Your parents were also married."
"I did not mean to snap, I apologize. But Rhaena, you will see what I speak of when we go there. The Queen treated me like a bastard, I had no friends or allies except a brood of bastards. Aemond was a friend, or so he made me believe. But a friend does not try to kill you."
Rhaena reached for her hands and smiled. "You are right, and I am thankful that we are friends. I am glad that I have been for you what you were denied. In the months living here, after I lost my mother, you helped me. You helped me realize I am not defective for not having a dragon. I saw my worth, and I hope you see yours. Aemond Targaryen is old news. Now finish packing so that we may get this out of the way as soon as possible."
-
When Kristyne first traveled by ship, she was bedridden for two days from seasickness. Dragonstone was an island, and she needed to sail to and from the mainland to travel to Starfall. So it took a few times to get used to it.
Lucerys, on the other hand, never got used to it. "How are you going to be Lord of the Tides when you vomit the whole way?" She teased, patting his back.
"You are quite funny, Sister," He spoke with a groan.
"I told you not to call me that in public," She whispered.
"No one else is around."
"We are no longer at home, Luke, there is always someone around. The walls have eyes in King's Landing, never believe you are alone."
Luke looked at her with worried eyes. "How are you so paranoid?"
"Because I do not trust my uncle. He services Alicent and he is the Master of Whispers. He knows information no one else should know."
"You should be Master of Whispers when Mother takes the throne, you have Greensight."
"And it only works with my blood relatives, I can not see everything."
Luke frowned as she spoke. "What happened to holding our heads up high and not listening to anyone?"
She held her hands together and looked at him. "I saw something while I was at Starfall, Lucerys."
"What did you see?" He asked.
"Someone died, Daemon killed someone. I did not know who it was but it felt damning. Like it was the beginning of something awful."
"Do you think you are going to die here?"
"No, but something bad is going to happen, I can feel it. And my job is to protect you, Luke. You, Jacaerys, and Joff are all being put on trial here."
"We are used to the stares and whispers, Kristyne. I have never belonged there, that feeling is not new. So maybe let us just try and enjoy seeing Grandsire. And Helaena has children now, didn't you like her?"
Kristyne did not answer. She never got the chance to have a relationship with Helaena. She wished she had, Aemond always talked about how kind and innocent she was.
"Make yourself presentable, Luke, we are almost there."
"How is he?" Jace asked as he approached them.
"You know him," Kris said softly.
"How are you? You seem tense."
"She is!" Luke groaned.
"Hush, sick boy. I am fine, Jace. I just hate this place. I never wanted to return here or Driftmark, both hold unpleasant memories."
"You do not have to be alone. Joffrey does not know what it was like back then, the little shit is actually excited. But we all stick together, okay? They can not isolate us if we stick together. We bring our things to our rooms, and then we explore together."
"I agree with Jacaerys, there is protection in numbers."
"Wait, did you just say you agree with me?" Jace grinned.
She rolled her eyes with a smile. "If you tell anyone, I will deny it."
"No, I am quite sure I heard it!" Luke laughed.
"I hate both of you immensely."
"No you do not, we are your adopted brothers, you love us to pieces," Jace smiled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Adopted or not, she liked hearing him call himself her brother.
"Maybe, but as your sister, I must tell you that your hair needs a cut," She teased. His curls had grown longer since before she left for Starfall, and she could see the split ends.
"We can worry about that at a different time. I am excited to see the training yard, one with a plethora of proper weapons. We can show our uncles how much better we are, Aemond was always terrible with a sword."
Kristyne's hands got clammy. Thinking about the training yard was hurting her heart knowing she would be there without him.
Thankfully, the ship jolted as it docked at the pier. Kris lined up with the rest of her family, waiting behind Rhaenyra to get onto more steady ground. They all loaded into the many wheelhouses that took them to the castle gates.
She was silent the whole ride, but Luke secretly held her hand to help calm her. She sent him an appreciative smile in return.
They all unloaded and took a deep breath as they stared at the castle walls. A new hanging of the seven-pointed star was on display above the doors, but that was not the most surprising aspect.
It was the fact that no one was there.
"Some welcoming party," Kristyne mumbled.
Daemon snickered at her remark and shook his head. "This is highly insulting."
"Princess!" Lord Caswell exited the doors with a nervous smile. "Welcome home!"
Servants came out to grab their bags. One of them, a middle-aged woman, looked at the children. "My name is Talya I am to show you all to your rooms."
Jace and Luke got the same rooms next to each other they had as children, and Kristyne was led to the next hall.
"Here is your room, My Lady."
Kristyne stopped dead in her tracks as she looked at the open door and room inside.
It was her father's room, she knew it immediately.
"No," She shook her head.
"Unfortunately the queen only had this room readied for you, My Lady. No other room is clean for you."
"I do not give a shit if I must stay in a room with inches of dust!" She hissed.
"Now, now. We would not want to make a scene, would we?"
Kristyne turned around to see her uncle standing in the hall, leaning against his cane with a glint of suspicion in his eyes.
"You can not expect me to stay here!"
"Little Kristyne, always a troublemaker. If I were you, I would take the room without complaint. We would hate for the Queen to take interest in you for being disobedient. Or ... different."
He walked away as her eyes widened at his implication. Her legs shook as she walked into the room, and it had most certainly not been cleaned because it still smelled like him. Talya left and Kris fell to her knees, sobbing for the rush of grief hitting her.
It was only another ten minutes before Luke and Jace appeared, both with a frown. Jacaerys knew this room, but Luke did not seem to remember.
"This is outrageous!" Jacaerys said. Luke helped her up and Jace was fuming.
"Stop, Jacaerys."
"They can not do this to you!"
Kristyne grabbed his arms. "Jacaerys Velaryon, I do not want any attention on me! I want to go about my business and be the invisible flea that I need to be. So please, let us go to the training yard. Anywhere but here."
Jacaerys looked at her skeptically, and then at Luke. "Fine, but we stick together, remember?"
"Together forever," Luke said, grinning at them. "I could not ask for two better people."
"Do not get too sappy, Lucerys." Kris laughed.
They made their way out to the training field, looking at the weapons on the table. Jacaerys and Lucerys both pointed at weapons, laughing at the memories.
"And you thought you could swing Criston's morning star," She heard Jacaerys say with a laugh. "What is your problem?"
"Everyone is staring at us," Luke started. "No one would question me being heir to Driftmark... if... if I looked more like Ser Laenor Velaryon than Ser Harwin Strong."
Kris looked at him with a sad expression then at Jacaerys, interested in what he had to say. "It does not matter what they think."
Kris heard a commotion behind her and turned. The air was knocked from her lungs as she saw Aemond Targaryen engaged in a sword fight with Ser Criston Cole.
He looked ... so different. He had matured, and his height practically doubled. His hair was much longer and there was a patch over his missing eye.
She could not deny how handsome he had become.
Luke and Jace joined her, watching the fight. In an unexpected turn, Aemond won the duel. We can show our uncles how much better we are, Aemond was always terrible with a sword, Jacaerys had said. Hilarious now.
"Nephews, have you come to train?" Aemond suddenly spoke to the boys. Kristyne caught her breath, her anxiety spiking. "Because if you have -"
Suddenly his violet eye met hers and all the air in her lungs was gone as she suffocated on fear.
"Lady Strong."
so I already have the next few chapters written, trying to stay ahead and have some in reserves, and trust me its about to get crazy