The Realm's Strength
Prologue
Chapter One
A shiver goes down Rosella's back as speckles of water hit her face. The comforting smell of salt fills her nose. Her hands are gripping for life on the railing as her Father, Laenor, steers the ship. His voice is much more bold and confident among the Blackwater Bay. His hand holds the wheel of the ship like it’s his beast to ride. Her father’s ship stands among the ships which are arriving at the port belonging to her Grandfather and Grandmother of House Velaryon.
The young princess just couldn’t believe that she was getting to see such a grand festival such as the Merling King. She could not bring herself to care for the reason behind the sudden visit. All she cared about was the large statue that her father was often boasting about. Her body edges over the railing to observe the nearing island. Among the many building stand the statue tall as the Red Keep is among the buildings of Driftmark. The King's crown stands with sharp points that reach the clouds, and his beard is carved to flow down his chest. In his hand holds a trident that points towards where House Velayron resides. She couldn't believe that it was made of wood and a few talented men.
As they get closer to the ports, sailors are running around Rosella. Ser Darklyn is quick to find her, and gently leads her away from the railing. Ser Qarl is standing bravely on the dock as he observes the sailors handling the ropes. The knight’s hand is gentle on her shoulder, but still well gripped to ensure that the princess does not escape.
Prince Jacaerys is sitting beside mother, Rhaenyra, while Lucerys is on her lap. The space between her mother and Elaine is where the princess should reside. Rosella then jumps into the space and smiles at her mother.
“Have you seen it?”
Her mother's eyes glance down, and chuckles, “Seen what, my love?”
“The Merling King!”
“At this moment, no I have not. But I’ve seen it plenty of times in my youth.”
“Is it how you and father met?”
“No,” she chuckles. “Your father and I have known each other since we were toddlers. But the first time I saw the large state was when I just became betrothed to your father.”
Then Jace’s voice is heard, “Why do they care so much for such a large statue?”
“It’s not just a statue,“ Mother continues. “The Merling King is an ancient god of the Narrow Seas.”
Her hand would find Rosella’s hair and twirl her finger among it, "Remember the Driftmark throne?"
The three children nodded their heads and smiled, "Yes."
Then Lucerys speaks, "Grandfather and Father say that it will belong to me one day."
His hand is holding tightly on his wooden horse as Mother speaks softly, "Yes, but that won't be for a long time." Then her eyes look between Jace and Rose, "But it is believed the Merling King gifted the Velayrons the throne."
"Wow! Does it have magic?" Rosella leans in closer.
"That I do not know. You might want to ask your father."
Jace then speaks, "Why do they build a statue of him then?"
"To honor the pact that has been made between House Velaryon and the Merling King. It's quite a travel to Bravoos where the original statue stands and it's a tradition for sailors to visit it. It brings them good luck on their travels."
Everyone is listening to Mother even Joffery who just babbles in the background.
"Since Braavos is among the Free Cities and it's a long travel, Vaelyn Velayron decided to bring the luck to Driftmark. He would have one of his greatest carpenters build the first Merling King and ever since then each Velayron lord has had long and great journeys among the sea. Your Grandfather is latest among them and he is already quite a legend."
Rosella felt a bubble in her chest and giggled, "And we'll get to see it at the festival?"
Her mother gave a small nod and sighs, "We get to see how much wealth and fame your grandfather has garnered. "
Then Laenor speaks across the dock, "Get the anchor!"
Then the man's three eldest children would run off to the bow of the ship. They ignore their mother's voice and the knights as well. A laugh is heard from Father as he moves to join them. The sight that greets them is pure beauty. The dock holds multiple ships from other lords and she turns to her father, "Who's ships are those?
He moves to lean against the railing beside Lucerys and sighs, "Those are the ships of lords of Westeros', and a few of them of the Free Cities."
Her brows furrowed deeply in thought, "Why would some of them come here when they their own Merling King in Braavos?"
A sigh is heard, "They want to be in my father's favor." His lips are in a deep frown.
Before Rosella can ask more, Father is tugging on her and Jace shoulders. "Now, you are to get to your mother."
The Merling King has a long thick tail, and it's hanging from his hips. Each dip of the scales had melted gold in them and she wonders if people have tried taking some of it. At first she found herself hating it until the sunlight made it glow, and it almost looked like it was actual scales. Jacaerys was standing beside her with a indifferent expression.
She found herself whispering to him, "Do you not find it beautiful?"
His head snapped to her before responding, "No, I have far more worrying things to think about."
There he goes again, trying to sound older than he actually is. Mother often spoke those words to Father when he was passionate about an idea that came to mind. But it now Jace using those words against her and she found the pits of her stomach burning, "Such as?"
His eyes locked with hers and he leaned in close and whispered, "Our father's death."
Her nails were digging into her palm, "You idiot." She snarled.
"Our father is very much alive and I will not engaged such a useless discussion." Now she was using Mother's own words against Jace.
"It's not useless! It's someone's death." His breath hit her cheek and she wanted to slap him.
"Stop it." She darted her eyes around the festival, "We cannot be having such a discussion in public, Jace. Do you really want to talk about this now?"
Her eyes would find Jace's, and the burning sensation would turn into molten lave. His eyes had water hanging at the edge, and his hand moved to wipe his nose.
An tired sigh would be heard between them, before Rosella would grab her brother's arm. She would lead them away from the large statue towards the small alleys surrounding them. Jace was quick to adapt to the situation and ensured that his footsteps were quiet as they disappeared from the court's eyes.
"Okay," They ended up in an empty alley, but it still gave them a view of the festival.
She cleared her throat before gently grabbing Jace's hand, "Let it out, brother. We do not have much time before the knights notice our absence."
He kept his head ducked and a response was not heard for a few moments. Until his hand tightened on Rose's and barely let the words come out, "I miss him."
She couldn't keep it hidden from him forever, and she whispered back, "So do I."
He slowly lifted his head and sniffed, "Truly?"
"Yes," Her lower lip trembled, "He was a kind man. You think I didn't notice the longing glance's mother gave him? She always looked for him among the court or garden. If he ever had a moment alone with us, he talked to us with a…"
It hurt to swallow, but she pushed through. "His voice was always gentle and understanding. He never spoke to us like we were dumb. I never told anyone this, but…"
A pathetic sob flew past her lips, and she was the one crying. Why was she suddenly crying over him? She barely reacted when she heard of his passing. She just went back to reading her book, and let Mother take care of crying Jace. But she imagined that tender smile he gave her when she held her unhatched dragon egg. He was the only one didn't dismiss her feeling by saying that she would get a dragon one day.
A warmth welcomed Rose, and she was quick to tighten her arms around Jace. They both cried into each other's shoulder, and she whispered, "He was the only one who told me that I didn't need a dragon to be brave. That all I need was…"
She slowly pulled away, and gently touched the center of Jace's chest, "My heart."
The sound of men speaking stern orders were heard at a distance from them. They must of noticed their absence and she is quick to wipe her tears away. She cleared her throat once again, "We need to return. I believe the tourney is about to start and Mother will want us with her."
Eventually, they would step out but Rose would lead them to a market that held sweet lemon cakes. They would look like children that were distracted by candy, not a grieving a dead father. The knights would arrive at the moment coins and sweets were being exchanged.
Three knights had died during the tourney, and she couldn't get the image out of her head. A mace had landed into the man's head, and she nearly vomited on her Mother's feet. While her mad brother was leaning forward and cheering for every time two knights slammed into each other. But it was nice to see Jace smile. Luckily, Lucerys had fallen asleep in his seat before the tourney even started, and no dared to awaken him.
The image appears in her head again when Father scooped a spoon into the meat pie. She did not have much of an appetite anymore, and turned her gaze to her brother, Jace. He was animated while talking about the tourney to Luke who staring in awe. It seems the conversation is giving him a chance to not think about their grief.
But it was her who had to deal with it now. The energy she had this morning was not no longer in her. She just wanted to go to bed and lay down.
A gentle touch landed on her head, "Rose. You barely left a dent in your meal."
"I'm not that hungry." Her stomach grumbles against her skin.
She didn't dare look at her Mother. She was always able to read the young princess' emotions and she didn't want to stress her mother any more than needed. But it seems her avoiding gaze was exposing just enough for mother, "What is the matter, my love?"
After a few moments of silence, her head bent down to Rosella and whispered, "Do you want to talk after dinner?"
The little girl couldn't trust her voice, so she merely nodded her head.
"Alright. But you must at least eat half of your plate." She gently pinched Rose's cheek before turning her attention back to Joffery.
Once dinner was over Rosella was quick to her chambers, and she didn't indulge in the conversation among the maids. The center of her attention was the mirror, and the strong traits among her body. Her lips were like her mothers, but her nose, it was Harwin's. The urge to grab the knife and peel it off was taunting her. She needed it gone, it would keep her mother safe from the rumors. It would not remind her Mother of the man she once loved. It would all be gone!
A hand landing on Rose's shoulder would thrust her to reality, and she jerked back. She could not remember when the maids have left or when the nightgown was put on her. Now, it was her mother standing beside her.
A soft chuckle passes Rhaenyra's lips and spoke softly, "Forgive me for scaring you."
Rosella felt a rush of warm in her face, and bowed her head.
"Sweetie." Her hands found a place on Rosella's shoulders, "You can't keep hiding from me. Believe me, it does not benefit anyone when you burrow your emotions."
She would move a hand to lift the young one's chin up, "Not even yourself."
A tear would drip down her cheek, and whisper, "I hate my nose."
No other words were needed. An obvious gulp goes down Mother's throat and steps back, "Why don't we sit down?"
She didn't wait for a response, and lead Rosella to bed. The moment they sat down, Rose's hand was taken into Mother's, and a soft sigh escaped her lungs.
"Your nose is beautiful." Her voice was soft.
It did not comfort her at all, it only made it worse. "No, it's not. It belongs to him."
"Rose." Her hand tightened, but Rosella snapped away.
"No! Don't try to avoid it like you do with Jace. I'm the one that bares his face the most and I hate it." It felt like air was tightening around her throat, and she stood up.
"It's not fair!" She yelled, "Why can't I look like Father?"
Mother's eyes widened at being yelled at, and Rose was ready to embrace a scolding. But it was Mother's lower lip trembling that made her freeze.
"I'm sorry." The words sound like it was painful for her. Mother reached to Rose's arms, and pulled her close.
"I am truly sorry! It's just…" Her hand was desperate against Rose's cheek, "I loved him and I was selfish with him."
Mother moves Rosella between her legs and spoke softly, "You will understand what I mean one day, but Harwin was the only one that seemed to love me for who I am. His kindness was a rarity among the Red Keep and I found myself falling deeper into his embrace. When you're in love, you forget about the world around you and now I've allowed it to affect you and your brothers."
Her hands move to pull Rose even closer and spoke, "But you have my blood and Laenor had claimed you as his own. He is much your father as Harwin is. But we can not ever let this leave the room, is that understood?"
All Rose can do is just nod, but she asks "Does Father know?"
"Yes, he does. It does not affect his love for you and your brothers. He will always protect you."
A small smile appears on her lips, and sighs, "In fact, your father was adamant on that you would be a girl. Everyone was saying that it was going to be another boy, even I thought the same. But he was proven right, and he begged to be the one to name you."
A giggle came from Rose and she moved to sit on Mother's lap, "Really?"
"Yes," She chuckled, "In fact, I was going to name you Visenya. But your father was really good at bring his puppy tears out. Now I'll have to wait until another girl is born to use the name."
She poked her cheek before speaking, "You're not the only one who misses him and we will honor him. When we return home, I will plan a way for us to say goodbye to him. Do you think that would work for you and Jace?"
"Yes," She yawned, "It's not fair that we can't go to his funeral."
"I know, but it was only for House Strong to attend."
Her head moved to rest against her shoulder, and sniffed. "Can I sleep with you tonight, Mother?"
"Of course. But we must be quiet, we don't want the boys to find out."
A small giggle passed her lips again, and she stood up.
Her hand was in Mother has they walked out the room. But they stopped in their tracks when Father was standing in the hall. His eyes were swollen and his cheeks were soaked.
The older woman was the first to speak, "Laenor! What are you doing here?"
He struggled for a moment before pointing over his shoulder, "I was told you were here."
Mother pulled away from Rose and stepped close, "What's the matter?"
A gut wrenching sob escaped Father's lips that it even made Rosella start to tear up.
"She's dead. Laena…she's gone."
