Chapter Text
PART I
She hated them. Oh, how she hated them.
The girl and Starlight had been around Dragonstone for nearly an hour now, but no sign of where her idiot brothers had hidden it. Lucerys was definitely the worst. An adult who hadn't stopped being a child, an older brother who looked more like a younger brother. She would still tear him apart for insisting on this silly tradition. She was now crouched, staring at a gap between the rocky surface, inspecting for anything that glistened among the muddy rocks. Starlight was roaring loudly, impatient to take flight and the young woman knew she was risking every second she left her beast away just at ‘mealtime’. The girl gets up and wipes her hands on the fabric of her pants, then huffs and makes her way to Starlight.
“Come on, your hungry. I deal with my brothers in another way”, the princess gave her dragon a brief caress before mounting and crossing the island across the sky, thirsty for the blood of those stupid boys.
❂
The corridors of the Red Keep were filled with white and red flower arrangements, chandeliers she didn't even know existed in the castle were being lit, and the princess could see a large rug being spread across the throne room as she passed quickly. She needed to find her parents before they got incommunicado for the grand ceremony. The royal wedding between her brother and her cousin, both Targaryens, is a reason for much attention and excitement for everyone. Even her father wouldn't have much choice but to go on a way and another to help. And, consequently, it was also the perfect opportunity for her brothers to get away with their pranks without getting caught.
While on her way to search her parents' chambers, the princess bumped into some servants who looked at her in horror, either at the state of her clothes or her hair, and she admitted to herself that she felt a little ashamed of being like that when there was so little left for the ceremony. She had planned the day very differently, but her peace was disturbed when her tiara of Valyrian steel, the key piece of attire for the event, was stolen and hidden by the devils she shared her own blood with.
“Vis?”, the voice paralyzed her body. It was exactly who she was looking for, but only then did she realize that her mother would see her in that state.
“Mother…”, the girl turned around and, as she expected, received an astonished look from the matriarch. “I was really looking for you, I can't find my…”
“Visenya! By the gods! Why are you like this?”, she noticed how her mother was already mounted in jewels and her blood red dress with golden marks. The queen approached her youngest and wiped with her thumb a dirt on the young woman's cheek. “Hurry up, we need to be ready for the arrival of the guests for the reception dinner. Some have already arrived and been sent straight to their rooms.”
“Who received them?”
“Your father and your brothers, I've been busy with some preparations and a little crisis with the bride, but her mother and I have already taken care of”. She paid attention when Visenya narrowed her eyes at the mention of her brothers, then took a deep breath. “What did they do?”
“My Valyrian steel tiara. Viserys took it and gave it to Joffrey to hide. And who sent it, well… you already know.”
“ Viserys took your tiara? I expected that from everyone, even Aegon, but not him”. She caught herself surprised and reflective, ignoring the important part and making Visenya even more displeased.
“He told me, probably regretting it. I managed to get out just in time to see Joffrey flying back and Luke was waiting for him downstairs.”
“And you didn't hit them? They were whole and intact until just now…”
“Mother! I don't care about that now! I need to find the tiara, and you're going to snatch it from them - the queen straightened up and looked at her daughter with raised eyebrows - Please…
“I will handle this”, she remains calm and suddenly shifts her expression. “Now, you go take a bath and get dressed in record time. Go, go!”
Before her mother finished speaking, Visenya was already quickening her steps to turn the hallway and head towards her chambers. She'd rather have bumped into her father, so she'd spit on the floor and have her tiara before the spit dried up. Not that her mother wasn't effective; in fact, she was even more so, she just didn't have time to deal with such petty things. After all, she was the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, the first woman to ascend the Iron Throne, and she still suffered from a certain reluctance for a few outnumbered idiots.
❂
It was like the hot water burned all the dirt that she carried, and maybe, also a little of the stress. Visenya soaked in the tub for a few seconds and emerged as if even her soul had been washed away; she loved the smell of bath salts and how relaxing it was. She loved it so much that she had almost forgotten that this was no ordinary bath, and her mother's voice echoed in her head reminding her to get dressed in record time. The red wine dress was waiting for her, held by Anya, one of the maids.
“Your Highness”, she said softly while getting closer to the princess, who was drying herself with the help of another maid, Karin. Not that she needed to, but they always insisted on doing it. She actually finds it a little weird, but a hand with the dresses was always welcome. The dress slowly and perfectly suits her and she has to hold tight to the table so Anya could tie the back of her dress.
When it’s done, the dragonrider turns into a true Targaryen princess. The dress was long with a trumpet skirt and a second layer of fabric open in the middle, giving her dress a sort of fluttering tail while she walks. A few details were black, like the border of her bodice and the wrists of her sleeves. Her hair was quickly done with not much elaborated work - as she was imagining weeks ago - due the short time, but the half up hair with a braid was still a cute option.
Someone knocks on the door right when the girl looks at the mirror and sees the top of her head, missing a last element.
“Are you ready?”, her dad shows up with a slightly stunned look, and a soft smile grows on one cheek when he sees his younger daughter standing there. “Well, I assume you are more than ready”.
“I have to give all the credits to the girls”, she says pointing to Anya and Karin. “I was a terrible mess just an hour ago”.
The maids gently bow and leave. Her father, king consort of the realm, extends his arm, and for a moment she imagines it's for her to hold on and accompany him, but the princess has a relieving surprise. “I thought you had more affection for your old man's gifts”, he holds the tiara with his fingers and a fake pout in his mouth. “No one told you how rare valyrian steel is? Especially as a tiara.”
“Perhaps your sons had skipped this part of their studies. I, for sure, am very aware of its value. And very grateful for who gifted me with it.”
“They were going to give it back to you, or else I would cut out a finger of each of them”, he smiles while holding his daughter close in a hug. “Don’t be mad at them. Not right now. It will only ruin your night”. And lays a kiss on the top of her head.
King and princess walk together out of the room while gossiping and making jokes to each other, in the acid-humor language only they knew. Whoever heard stories about Daemon Targaryen would never imagine this sort of scene, but the man was very invested in keeping their children happy and safe, but even more when it comes to his three daughters: Baela, Rhaena and Visenya. The first two were already wed and with kids, so his services were no longer needed; but he never left the post. As for Visenya, the younger and last of all, his attention was quite focused on anyone who dares to disturb his princess' peace.
❂
The guests were allocated at their proper tables, which, Visenya noted, were strategically organized politically. The Baratheons had a son betrothed to the youngest daughter of a Velaryon. The Tyrells and Lannisters had recently come to an agreement on the shared use of some of the Westerlands’ ports, as Dorne's coast was ‘closed’ to The Reach trade. Why? That, she couldn't guess. And, of course, the Hightowers were close to the main table where the royals sit.
That was the family of her grandfather’s widow, Alicent Hightower, also known as mother of her uncles and her mother’s best friend. Things between these two families have not always been peaceful or quiet, she heard, but for the last few years it seems that the dust has settled, so Visenya didn’t actually see the venom being spread among those people and everybody assumed that they could finally call themselves a whole family. Although, the relationship between her eldest brothers and her two uncles was not quite predictable - she never knew when they were joking or meaning it about killing each other. Her father had to teach her brother, Jace, and her uncle, Aemond, a tiny lesson so they would never ruin a Name Day celebration again.
At the main table, the entire family was there, since the groom was Queen Rhaenyra’s son, prince Aegon, and the bride was Alicent’s granddaughter, princess Jaehaera. Her mother was at the middle with her son and future daughter-in-law at her left; princess Helaena, Jaehaera’s mother, was at her daughter’s side and next to her mother and brothers, Aegon, who was also her husband, and Aemond. At Rhaenyra’s right was her husband, King Daemon, followed by their children and their offsprings. It was a huge table, for sure. Jace and Baela were with their eldest daughter, Aemma, as the younger ones were in their rooms sleeping. Luke and Rhaena's 14 years old son was there too, but he wanted so badly to be sleeping as his cousins and young siblings. Joffrey had just been widowed after only 2 years of marriage, but he was at the phase of pretending everything was okay. Viserys was sitting by his side, and next to him was Visenya.
“Beautiful tiara, sister”, Luke leaned over so he could look at Visenya.
“Lucerys…”, Rhaena took a deep breath and placed a hand on her temples. “Sister, don’t give ears to him.”, she says and everybody could notice that she also gave him a tiny pinch, causing him to moan a little in pain. They didn’t notice, though, the smirk on the king’s face, who was listening to all while pretending to pay attention to some Tully lord who was talking to him and his queen.
“I’m sorry, by the way. I didn’t think he would hide it so well and far”, Viserys rushed himself to apologize and was immediately mocked by Joffrey.
“Come on, you two are really the babies of the family. It's a tradition that the next sibling to supposedly wed has to be pranked on today”. It was true. Jace started this on his wedding day pranking Luke, but it was just an excuse to bother his brother as always; unfortunately, Luke made sure to continue the tradition on his wedding day, pranking Joffrey, who pranked Aegon. By logic, Viserys should be next. This was supposed to be his time, not hers, but the younger son of Rhaenyra stated his plans to not marry and, although no one truly believes that things will remain like that, his decision has been respected so far. But Visenya promised to herself that when she marries, each one of her brothers - including Viserys - will be pranked as they deserve.
“Don’t worry, my dear sister. I pity those who have nothing more relevant to do with their lives other than try to force their younger sister to play their childish games with them. It’s saddening”, she said to Rhaena. “As for you, Viserys. Do not enter my chambers ever again, or else I assure you every object in your room will be placed and shown at the main square of King’s Landing”, she knew her brother was very private with his things and hobbies; and now he knew she had seen his stuff.
“Would you guys stop with this, only for today?”, Aegon, her brother, was now begging his siblings to remain shut. People close were starting to notice their rude behavior. “It’s my fucking wedding!”
“I agree”, Jace finally says something after watching the whole scene while silently tasting his wine. Visenya saw him leaning to Luke, who was apart from him for only one chair, Baela’s. Her sister looked at her with a funny face, and she understood that Jace was scolding Luke for acting like that at his younger brother’s wedding.
Jacaerys was the only one who really grew of all her half brothers, sons of her mother’s previous wedding. Funny thing was that her sisters, Baela and Rhaena, were also half sisters, from her fathers previous wedding, and now she had four of her siblings married to each other, and none of them were siblings. It was a mess to explain that to people who were not that into the Targaryen’s customs. Aegon and Viserys were her brothers by both sides, mother and father, and Aegon has grown mature way faster than Luke and Joffrey, for sure. Jace and him were the best men she could ever imagine leading Westeros - but she also held a lot of faith in Viserys, who would rather be a Hand of The King.
“Oh, Gods. How much of this I have to endure, mother?”, now the voice came from Rhaen, her nephew.
“Until you have at least three dances tonight”, Rhaena said to her bored and sulky son. She wanted desperately for the boy to find a match, or perhaps, at least a few friends.
“Perhaps you could dance with…”, Luke was about to enjoy the opportunity to bother his sister again, but the entire room was surprised when the gates opened all of sudden.
“Who is that?”, Rhaenyra asked her husband, but slowly they all recognized the silver hair and it was clear.
“Daeron?”, it was Alicent's voice that jumped, along with her body, which also stood up to see better. “Daeron!”.
“The “ bold ” one?”, Daemon mocked low enough that no one could hear, with a judging face.
Daeron Targaryen was the youngest son of Alicent Hightower and Visenya’s late grandfather, but hardly set foot on King’s Landing, and honestly, after what she heard, she thought he wouldn’t appear again so soon. The prince walked through the room directly to his mother’s chair and said something in her ears, then kissed the top of her head while some servant brought him a chair next to his brother, Aemond.
“What are you doing here”, he said to the young brother.
“I’m merely bored of Oldtown, brother. And the battles I fought in Essos are not that interesting anymore”.
“We said that from the beginning, but that didn’t stop you from humiliating your entire family in front of the lords, did it? You’re lucky you got out of here alive.”
Visenya watched as the two brothers argued in low tone, and her face went directly to her parents and their very unhappy faces. Her uncle was not very welcome in the family right now, although she knew Alicent missed him very much, but a few years ago he snapped and became unbearable to live with. So the queen sent him to live his adventures in the Essos and wherever else he wanted to be, as long as it wasn’t near them. There was no deadline for how long this estrangement would last, but he seemed to find it more fitting that it could be at his niece and nephew's wedding.
His face turned to her eyes on him. She quickly dodged.
After a few minutes of awkwardness, the wedding couple went to the ballroom. Aemma was asked to dance by a Stark. Rhaen was pushed to dance with a Baratheon. And Visenya was begging that anyone else would ask her out or no one at all.
“Guess it’s our time to talk”, he stands right behind her, almost giving her a heart attack. She thinks of declining, but at this point she felt embarrassed by no one leading her to dance. Sometimes she would like to go by herself. But she takes her uncle’s hand and they head to the hall.