w i l d f l o w e r

❝ if that's  true  then  it's  best  we find out sooner rather than later why they agreed to the betrothal with the prince of summerhall. ❞   other games were certainly at play; the more they knew of them the better. their own pawns could be preserved if another party made useful moves for them.  ❝ we mustn't have that. ❞   klahan sighed.  ❝ i believe amaera is more capable than father thought. and while i hesitate to involve her with our plans with the great houses at the moment, there are plenty of notable minor houses. ❞

daria isn't sure if amaera is more capable. she had yet to prove it. " i hope you're right. " was all she could say. " i have an important meeting scheduled. i will let you know if it goes well. and if it doesn't — then it never happened! "

❝ lady daria!  ❞  her  smile  nearly  rivaled  the sun.  ❝ you were busy preparing to travel, i'm sure. a breath of fresh air is precisely what i need. ❞

" i take your own travels from dorne have been smooth? " she guides them toward a less congested area. although no secrets would be spilled today, this conversation still called for a certain extent of privacy. " i'm glad to have spontaneously run into you like this! i'm currently in the works of developing something and it may be of interest to you. if you're open to it, of course. "

❝ my spouse  will  be  the  future  ruling liege of highgarden. ❞   his father needn't say out loud that it'd never be a targaryen for trystane to understand.  ❝ if it were up to me, alysane would be free to marry who she wished, but my father has his reasons. he has decided this is the best path forward. ❞   all they hoped was those reasons wouldn't endanger his sister. teeth gently bit the inside of his cheek, preventing a reminder that betrothals could shatter if the winds changed in the wrong direction from being spoken.

" and what are those reasons? " she's calmed down from her small outburst and her temper has been controlled, but her tone indicates she still remains heavily annoyed. " i can't think of a scenario why your father would allow reptile breeders to have access to highgarden. " if this betrothal goes through, people would assume their loyalties lie elsewhere. " i understand you don't owe me an explanation. i'm being petty, i'm aware. unless if this is a long game of deception, nothing makes sense to me. "

"  payment  ,  you  say  ?  "  that  certainly  piqued  his  interest  .  "  i  accept  payments  in  the  form  of  gold  ,  lands,  or  favors  ,  "  he  grinned  ever  so  smugly  .  "  you  make  this  sound  so  transactional  daria  .  you  make  it  sound  like  we  don't  have  a  past,  "  the  greyjoy  joked  ,  arms  crossed  on  his  chest  .  "  just  do  i  got  it  correct  ,  you  want  me  to  speak  —  no  ,  flirt  —  with  the  lady  lucretia  ?  i  can  do  that  in  my  sleep  .  "  torwyn  and  the  lady  lannister  were  friends  after  all  .  "  you  don't  even  need  to  pay  me  for  this  but  may  i  at  least  know  why  i  am  doing  this  ?  "

she's unamused by his quips. " i ask you to do this because we have a past. " it's not so difficult to understand! " yes, whichever twin. " clearly he already has a favourite in mind to declare lucrieta as the one he'd toy with. " befriend, flirt, sleep with, whatever you have to do gain her trust. she looks easy to fall for your... — " she couldn't think of a word — " whatever you have going on. " whatever that may be. " i'm curious about the lannisters, and this will help with my curiosity. no one knows we're acquainted, they wouldn't suspect you. this is between you and i only. " she hopes she made it obvious enough. " and although you've declined payment, i don't like owing anyone anything. i'll give you time to think about what you would like in exchange — something reasonable. "

❝ i'm very  glad  to  hear  that.  ❞   logic had never been able to figure out why he'd been the target of her ire when the decision that had displeased her hadn't been made by him.  ❝ but you don't appear happy. is something else troubling you? ❞

" i need to know why. why is your father allowing and going through with this? why does alysane have to suffer? why wasn't it you? " she hadn't meant it to be insulting. she was genuinely curious. " now i have to suffer and listen to her vent about a targaryen for the rest of my life — which is not fair to me! " she was making it about herself as if they should have included her in their decision making. her act of entitlement was purely an act, she couldn't help herself and release the residual blame she had left for him. it was all boiling over at once. " it's your fault if our friendship ends for good! "

❝ not at all , lady daria . my days have been uneventful , i'm afraid the capital has very few things to keep me entertained besides the forges of the street of steel . ❞ it's unprecedented to be called by someone from across the narrow sea . but the young cub of bear island has been painfully idle he indulged it out of sheer curiosity . ❝ but it would be foolish of me to turn down wine . so ... to what do i owe the pleasure , my lady ? ❞ he had his suspicions , but he remembered never to show his hands first in a duel .

" then our days have been very similar. i have exhausted all what the capital has to offer, which to my surprise has not been much! " she motions for one of her ladies to fill his cup. " i am looking to develop an armoury. i have yet to find someone who is competent enough to help progress this venture. i will admit, i am not overly well versed in weaponry — however, i heard about the work you do up north and how highly regarded it is. and i do trust the people who have informed me of the quality of your craftsmanship. "

" i think this one might suit you more than me — " careful fingers plucked a sapphire necklace from it's stand, and the shopkeeper sat a little straighter at the prospect of a sale. " they look like volantene sapphires, do they not? i remember seeing many of these embedded on armours and shields in volon therys. " amusement touched her features as her gaze fell upon more treasures displayed across velvet pillows and wooden shelves. " half of these might have come from us. "

" beautiful... " the pads of her fingers graze against the jewels. she's completely mesmerized. she probably has ten other iterations of said necklace, but she could convince herself enough that it's a slight different cut of sapphire. she looks to the shopkeeper. " i will take this and this. " she points to the necklace in her friends grasp and one on display. " rubies look much better with your complexion. " she looks around as the items are being packed. " i take everything is going well? "

"  we  spoke  .  .  .  "  alysane  mumbled  ,  avoiding  eye  contact  with  daria  .  the  tyrell  nearly  jumped  at  her  dear  friend's  outburst  ,  brows  crossing  in  confusion  and  concern  .  "  —  sure  .  .  .  "  she  pushed  her  chalice  towards  daria's  direction  ,  still  giving  her  a  concerned  look  .  "  it  was  a  brief  encounter  .  maybe  a  little  too  brief  .  .  .  is  it  wrong  that  i  wanted  it  to  last  longer  ?  —  no  ,  don't  say  anything  ,  i  know  it  is  .  "  alysane  huffed  ,  leaning  back  on  her  chair  ,  defeated  .  "  how  did  we  get  here  ?  this  is  horrible  .  how  am  i  expected  to  be  alright  when  he  parades  his  wife  around  the  keep  ?  "

she pours a generous amount of wine, more than what was intended but necessary for the topic of conversation. " yes. " she responds before her friend vocalizes her change of heart in hearing daria's very obvious answer. " it's okay to not be alright behind this door. however, once you leave, you act unbothered, indifferent, unconcerned and every other word in relation. he parades his wife only because of his insecurity of losing you. you are the one that got away, and he is nothing more than a rat you used to sleep with from time to time. if it's love you felt, then that's good! great in fact. — means your standards and expectations are beneath the floor, the ground, the soil. we can only go up from here. and once you get to experience real love, you will realize what you felt previously is a type of embarrassment every women goes through in order to find someone more palatable. "

he only  nodded  in  reply.  important  as solidfying a strategic placement here was, the most advantageous moves couldn't be forged if one did not first assess the game board.  ❝ history doesn't shine a constant light on targaryen unity either. i agree, the heir would be an interesting acquaintance to acquire. ❞   if cultivated correctly, the relationship could be quite rewarding given the targaryen's position on the small council.  ❝ and if his loyalty is not so firm . . . having a targaryen in our debt could prove advantageous. ❞

distance from their uncle is exactly what was needed. they're working so seamlessly, just as they did when their father was around. " and i will try to figure something out with the tyrell's. i suspect they don't fully align themselves with the targaryen's. i am confident the fondness they have for me will be enough for now. " she will have to get over the petty grudge she holds against the eldest for the greater good. " one last thing. amaera — she needs to be more productive. i am skeptical to include her in our discussions, but i believe it is necessary once in a while. i do not want her to grow resentful of us. it will appear as though we disregard her. "

"  it  is  for  sure  none  of  my  doing  nor  was  it  my  choice  ,  "  alysane  let  out  a  sigh  .  "  —  as  is  many  things  ,  unfortunately  .  we  both  know  if  i  had  a  choice  to  begin  with  ,  it  would  not  be  this  .  .  .  "  she  trailed  off  .  "  i  saw  him  ,  you  know  .  "  she  could  not  utter  his  name  but  she  was  sure  daria  would  understand  who  she  was  speaking  about  .  "  i  wanted  the  ground  to  swallow  me  whole  .  ugh  ,  pathetic  .  "

she scowls. " did he try to talk to you? " she tenses. the grip against her chalice tightens. " no! you are not wallowing! you will stand your ground! he's the pathetic one! who willingly chose to wed himself as if it's some sort of contest! does he not know you well enough to know this was not your choice? when is anything ever our choice? his ego is fragile and it's a good thing you were able to find out sooner than later. " she takes a breath. " more wine? "

his  brow  raised  curiously  ,  not  sure  when  he  had  volunteered  into  the  rogare's  secret  scheme  .  "  and  what  might  i  get  out  of  this  ,  daria  ?  you  of  all  people  know  that  my  services  don't  come  free  .  now  ,  if  it  might  have  been  on  you  ,  that  would  have  been  a  different  conversation  .  "

despite him making a valid point, she's unable to take him seriously. he should be honoured she's including him something so he doesn't have to kick rocks all day! " if you have a favour — and i mean a serious favour, i will take it under consideration. or i can provide payment. your choice. "

"  well  ,  hello  to  you  too  ,  lady  daria  ,  "  a  smirk  planted  on  his  features  .  his  arms  crossed  on  his  chest  before  smugly  replying  "  what  type  of  involvement  are  we  speaking  of  .  the  kind  we  had  or  something  else  ?  if  you  missed  me  ,  daria  ,  you  could  always  just  said  so  .  "

she raises a hand in hopes the signal is enough for him to stop speaking. " enough with the nonsensical chatter. the lannisters, the younger twins. i need you to entertain one of them. it does not matter which. see if you can build enough trust for them to share something worth my time and attention. "