CHAPTER SEVEN ─── unfairness

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"𝖄our grandfather has asked for your presence." Alaelanna glanced up from the chest that she was packing, turning to her father. "He wishes to speak with you."

"It is a good thing I have finished packing." She was more than ready to return to Alterwoode, to her home and it's familiar people. She could not wait to tell her cousins of Aemond's words and actions, finding it amusing. The girl had not told her brothers, knowing that Jace would most likely murder their uncle. "Do you know what he wishes to speak on?"

"I do not." Malkym held his arm out, allowing his daughter to hook hers through it. "Maybe he still believes that you are Aemma."

"So I have to pretend to be a dead woman to comfort him."

"Alaelanna." Malkym shook his head, before squeezing her hand. "That is your grandmother. Act accordingly. I know that you dislike being here, but please. Not with a dying man."

Alaelanna sighed and rolled her eyes.

"We will soon be gone. This is most likely the last time that you will see the man alive, so be polite and cordial." The doors to the King's chambers were guarded, but they opened at the sight of the girl and her father. "Do you wish for me to wait?"

"No, I can handle it." Alaelanna smiled, before entering the dark room quickly. The doors closed behind her, but the sound did not manage to fill the quiet room. A rattling breath of air filled the room as Alaelanna drew closer to her grandfather's bedside. "Grandfather, it is me."

"Alaelanna..." His breath grew shaky as he reached for his granddaughter's hand, squeezing gently as he smiled up at her. "My granddaughter..."

"Hello grandfather." Alaelanna sat beside him, smoothing her dress out.

"You...You look more like your mother every time I see you." Viserys smiled once more, "and your grandmother."

"My brothers are very envious."

"They are replicas of your father, but all of you are true Targaryens." Viserys' hand tightened, though that seemed to take much effort. "I wished to live longer, to see you married as I saw your mother married. She was beautiful."

"In the dress of diamonds," Alaelanna finished for her grandfather. "She told me stories, of marrying father in front of the Weirwood tree, of how beautiful it all was."

"I wished to see you married." Viserys mumbled again. "I knew you will look beautiful."

They fell silent, before Viserys spoke again.

"I must admit...that I am aware of the hatred that seems to run deep in our family." Alaelanna looked down, though Viserys patted her hand. "You were always the bringer of peace between your brothers and your uncles, always. They listened to you."

"I do not think they wished to listen to me."

"They knew you were more intelligent." Viserys joked, hacking laughter wracking his body as Alaelanna reached for a glass of water. She helped the man to drink, before setting it down. He took another heaving breath before speaking again. "I know that you do not love your uncle but in time...in time I hope you come to love him."

The girl froze, her eyebrows furrowing.

"I know that he is scarred, and that his manner is not welcoming to others, but he will protect you. He will keep you safe, keep your claim safe should someone challenge it."

"I can do that myself, grandfather." Alaelanna shuddered, suddenly feeling the chill in the room. "I am a Targaryen, and a Thorne. I am capable of fighting with a dragon, and with a sword."

"Aemond wil...Aemond will protect you. He will not try to take your claim as others seek to do." Viserys squeezed her hand, looking up at her with a small smile. "I wished to be there, to see you wed my son. I do not think that I will make it, but I know that Otto and my wife shall make sure that the wedding is fit for my favourite granddaughter."

Everything in Alaelanna's body stopped, her eyes going wide as she took a deep breath. 

"Grandfather..." She stumbled over her words. "I-I cannot..."

"Otto has already got the documents, do not fear, and I shall speak with your mother." Viserys promised, unaware of his granddaughter's form. 

Alaelanna forgot that whilst she and her parents could scheme and plot to get her out of the idea of marriage, her grandfather held the power whilst he lived. She held none of that power, for she was merely a woman, a princess and a pawn. She would not be given the same liberties as her brothers were.

Her grandfather was so desperate to make sure that Alaelanna would be safe, that their families would be healed, that he did not realise that he would destroy her in the process.

"Please, granddaughter..." Viserys clung to her hands as Alaelanna's body trembled. Tears began to well in her eyes, as she realised that she did not have any choice, not anymore at least. "...tell me of flying, of your dragon..."

So, with a trembling voice and tear filled eyes, Alaelanna spoke of Littlewing and the feel of the wind through her hair to her grandfather, who was too near to death to know that his granddaughter was suffering. He closed his eyes, his head falling back as he fell asleep, leaving Alaelanna to stumble away from his bed and fall beside the model of Old Valyria. Her knees touched the stone floor, tears spilling from her face as she cried into her hand.

The Princess had been at Alterwoode for far too long, for she had forgotten that outside of the walls of her home, a woman was a tool for bargaining and peace. They had no voices, or opinions of their own.

The doors to her grandfather's chambers opened once more, and Alaelanna saw the bottom of her mother's dress, her tears growing.

"Alaelanna? Father?"

"Mama..." Alaelanna stood, her legs shaking as her mother rushed over to her side. She collapsed into her mother's arms, as soon as the woman got close enough, clinging to her shoulders as Rhaenyra struggled to calm the small girl. "Mama, I..."

"What is the matter, my darling?" Rhaenyra cooed, having not heard her daughter call her 'Mama' since she was small. "Tell me what I can do."

"Nothing, there is nothing that you can do." Alaelanna clung to her mother tightly, still trying not to press too harshly against the woman's stomach. "I-they..."

"Hush now, come, I am here. You are safe, it is alright." Rhaenyra smiled, as Alaelanna shook her head. "I know that being here is hard, but we are almost ready to leave."

"But I cannot."

"I do not understand."

"I cannot leave. Grandfather has spoken to Otto and Alicent, and formally betrothed me to Aemond." Alaelanna's sobs choked her words, as she let out a strangled cry into the woman's chest. "He has asked them to wed me to Aemond. I ca-I can not do this. I cannot be trapped here!"

Rhaenyra had gone silent, her grip on her daughter tightening as Alaelanna sobbed. She did not want to lose her mother, lose her family or her home. They would ban her from riding her dragon, from training. They would strip her of her soul, of her home and her happiness, she just knew it.

"Do not fear, my darling." Her mother's soft coos in her ear just made her cry more. "Do not worry, your mother is here. I will help, and I will deal with it."

"Do not allow me to stay here." Alaelanna pleaded. "Mama, please. I cannot, I can-I cannot."

"Come, back to our chambers." Rhaenyra helped her daughter to her feet, brushing the tears from her face tenderly. Alaelanna's bottom lip trembled, feeling helpless, as her mother placed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Come."

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"I have heard." Alaelanna turned from beneath the covers of her bed, reaching for her father as he hurried to her side. "Oh, my little dragon."

Alaelanna gripped onto her father tightly, no tears leaving her eyes anymore. He held her tightly, running his hand through her hair as he rocked her from side to side. Whilst she adored her mother, and her mother's company and loved, it was clear to most who knew the family that Alaelanna was her father's daughter through and through. Despite looking like a Targaryen, Alaelanna was a true Thorne at heart much as Jace was a Thorne in terms of looks, and a Targaryen in all other ways.

"I will not let them have you, not without a fight at least." Malkym promised, pulling away so that he could brush her hair from her face. "Come now, no more tears. We are Thorne's, we show now weakness especially towards inbred dragons."

That drew a small amount of laughter from the young girl as she nodded. 

"That's my girl." He pressed a kiss to her head, and then to her cheek. 

"Do you still have to leave? To Alterwoode? Can we not stay?" Alaelanna's voice cracked as she watched the man.

"I wish I did not have to, but what I am going to do is scare your uncle." Malkym promised. "I am going to go home, to your grandmother, uncles, aunts and cousins and we are going to muster all the forces that we can. Then, we're all going to come back and object to your wedding in full force, and then perhaps steal you back to Alterwoode."

Alaelanna chuckled at the nonsense of it all. She knew that her mother would never let him raise the banners to come and get her.

"Mama wouldn't let you."

"Syrax and I might come then, especially if both of our daughters are stuck here." Her father kissed her head again, before allowing her to fling her arms around him. "I do not wish to leave you here, and I am sure that I will physically have to drag your brothers, but it is only for a short amount of time and then we shall return."

"I don't understand why."

"The truth? Your brothers will kill someone should they stay." Malkym seemed to be completely serious. "The only was we can prevent a full out war is by not having your brothers here. I taught them to defend you a little too much. When they are back, your mother and I shall return on dragon back to come and fight this for you. Your mother is already asking Alicent to give them time, and I hope that she will allow that."

"You will come back?"

"I am not going to abandon you in King's Landing." He scoffed at the notion, before helping her up. "What sort of father would I be if I left my precious little girl in the home of the people that I dislike the most? But, I tell you what I can ask you to do."

"What?"

"Should you ever train with Ser Criston Cole, you beat him. Hold nothing back." Her father teased, before sighing. His strong façade dropped, showcasing the fear and anxiety that came with leaving her. "You'll be alright."

She didn't know if he was trying to convince her or himself.

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Alaelanna did not stand with her uncles or aunt, nor her grandmother of the lord hand. Instead, she stood further away, dressed in black and blue.

Her eyes were rimmed red, but she did not cry as she watched her family ride away from her. Camryn had cried, as had Viserys. Luke had been close, but he had settled for hugging her tightly and promising her that he would be back, and that he would come and save her.

Her parents had hugged her next, kissing her forehead and swearing that they would be back.

Jace had been last.

She had never been truly separated from her twin. They had done everything together, trained and flown together, and now, they would not be doing that.

"Do not let them know a moment's peace." Jace had muttered, pulling his sister into a tight hug. She had almost cried when he had said that. "If mother and father can not get you out of this, then I will burn this entire city to the ground to get you back."

"You would kill millions."

"Maybe not burn the city, but I will steal into the castle in the dead of the night, kill him and help you escape." Jace pulled away, before kissing her head once more. "You are not alone, sister. I will be back, I swear that to you."

She nodded, watching as he vaulted onto his horse's back. Jace wheeled around, sending his sister one last smile, before allowing his horse to follow after the remainder of the Thorne family entourage.

Alaelanna watched them leave, staring above her as three dragons soared overhead. But there was no little gold one, no Littlewing. Her own dragon was probably chained in the Dragon Pits, crying for her family.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Alicent was motioning for Aemond to walk towards her, but Alaelanna turned. She swept away, back to the empty chambers that her family had occupied mere hours earlier, hoping to find some way to see that this was all a terrible dream.

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Hiya,

So, Viserys just made the decision for Alaelanna and now the girl has to marry Aemond, unless her parents are able to get her out of that. Lanna's relationship with both of her parents, but especially her dad is something very dear to me, as is her relationship with Jace. Got to love the Thorne family.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx