#merelaes

Would you stay by my side at the end?

But promises were broken as sides were chosen dragons danced above the eyes of the Gods for them to see the end of us, for Duty became the death of Love.

I will, I promise.

Aegon was blessed by fire. It was a sign from the lord. It had come to her in a dream many moons before. A silver-haired monarch - who would be a key figure in the greatest war to come - would step into fire and would emerge gloriously, enveloped by a the very beast with embers in its lungs. Word of a foreign battle had reached Braavos and Asteria was quick to follow the Lord to Westeros.

She had found herself by the King's bedside. Whispering words of enlightenment and bringing relief to his smouldering burns. Red priests were not common in Westeros, let alone the Red Keep. The dark haired foreigner anticipated some sort of trouble upon her arrival.

plotted starter.

married. married for a day and a half. as a child, she'd wanted these days. as a young woman, she had feared them. oh, what a difference the right person makes. what a difference aemond targaryen makes. maryse is still getting used to it all.

and not just the marriage. the handmaidens she's suddenly gained ( double the amount of what she had in dorne ), the wardrobe updates, the way that they insist on doing her hair. it was all a tad overwhelming.

finally, the handmaidens finish their work, and maryse is free to exit her chambers. she had not seen her husband this morning -- the prince had many meetings and more to attend to ( war was on the horizon, to be sure ). maryse slips on the shoes offered to her, and goes to the door, hoping to catch aemond before --.

aemond. she opens the door, and there he is. she almost falls backwards out of sheer surprise. " my prince. " maryse says with a small curtsy. her handmaidens were present, for now. she probably could not be seen to be too overly familiar, even if they were technically newlyweds.

maryse pauses, steps in a touch closer. " my dear, i was hoping to find you. " the dornish is easy and gentle as it slips from her lips, her smile bright and soft. maryse hopes she's done enough training on the language with him to catch more than just my dear, and find.

even if those were the only two words aemond understood, maryse was sure that he'd get the context.

"you may ask me if there is something you wish for me to do." there was something tempting in the smirk she was met with, and she straightened, meeting it like a challenge. that was it, she saw aemond targaryen as a challenge to be met.

maris pretended to think for a moment, before she gave him an answer she was sure would phase him. "if you would like me to come up with a list, i'm sure it is something i can do."

She shakes her head it isn't that either it's none of that. "Living in Driftmark I spend much of my time compared to my mother- sleeping in her old rooms listening to her family say how much I remind them of her. It can be a blessing of course but some days it's a curse." She had a point to this and she decides she needs to stop rambling and get to it.

"On those days- the ones where I miss her most you come to my mind. You because it is her dragon you ride. I think of you and wonder how you two fair. If you each treat the other well- if Vhagar still feels as warm to the touch as I remember. I think of clinging tight to my mother flying on her and wonder how you managed to ride such a beautiful beast all on your own. I am sure you have figured it out now but at first it had to be a challenge. Those... those are the times you never seem to leave my mind. I should thank you for it wondering about you and Vhagar is a good distraction from the other things I could think of."

@merelaes continued from here!

she could have gawked at his tone, the clear annoyance and perhaps displeasure her mere presence and words ( not that they had been kind in themselves ) seemed to cause him. "surely you do not have so many duties that keep you busy from dusk to dawn," she answered, her tone biting despite the sweet smile plastered across her lips. their marriage was nothing more than for alliance's sake, something for appearance to appease her father and the lord hand, and she had never expected otherwise. however, she had not expected him to outright ignore her either. she wanted nothing more than to return home, to be with her sisters and father, surrounded by everything she knew and loved rather than alone and ignored at the prince's side.

@merelaes continued from here!

"then you are in luck, my prince," she answered, smiling warmly, "for they grow in the glass gardens." there were days when lyanna spent hour upon hour in the glass gardens, surrounded by the blue roses and whatever book she brought with her to skirt her duties as the lady of winterfell for a few hours. though anyone could visit the glass gardens, it was her spot when she wished to be alone and simply be lyanna, and now she wanted nothing more than to bring him with her. a testament to their newfound friendship and budding relationship.

@merelaes continues from here;

🔥DURING THE HOUR OF THE WOLF THE PRINCE of the City trespassed the doors of the Red Keep, in order to reach to his chambers. He looked disheveled, and exhausted, clear indications that he has been whoring for most of the night, and drinking in the taverns or brothels of the Street of Silk. Such was his behavior that none of the guards were surprised when he approached the doors of the Keep and he was allowed entrance.

Making his way inside, he quietly walked through the secret passages that Maegor had built during the creation of the Keep. Passages that he had accidentally discovered when he was a child, and that explored time and time again as he grew up. They had proved themselves useful more than once during his teenage years, and even now. But drunk as he was he had taken a different route that brought him to the library. A smirk curved his lips as he saw his nephew by the fire, seemingly lost in thoughts.

After his question has been answered, Daemon approached the fire, like a dragon seeks warmth. The night was cold after all. "I just made it back to the Keep." He offered then. "I have been most of the night in the Street of Silk. I'm sure I saw your brother in one of the brothels." The Prince offered, not an uncommon occurrence as of late. Thought more oft than not Daemon did not interacted with the young Prince, he saw him passing by. The older Prince sat by his nephew's side, rubbing at his face, yet he was drunk but not completely wasted anymore. He has not been drinking that much that night.