[Blackwater Bay]

Today was the day Princess Myrcella left for Dorne. She had been betrothed to Prince Trystane Martell by her Uncle Tyrion, who insisted it would safer for her than to remain in Kings Landing, with the ongoing war.

So here they stood on the Blackwater seeing her off.

The young Princess was crying, desperate for them to change their mind. She didn't want to live among strangers. She wished to remain with her family.

A Septon was blessing the Princess for a safe journey.

"May the Seven guide the Princess on her journey. May the mother give her health. May the crone give her wisdom. May the Warrior give her courage..."

Aelinor had been listening to the blessing, but it was drowned out by the conversation between her mother and Uncle Tyrion.

"One day I pray you love someone," her mother told him. "I pray you love her so much, when you close your eyes, you see her face. I want that for you. I want you to know what it's like to love someone, to truly love someone, before I take her from you."

Before Aelinor could approach her mother, she was stopped by the sound of her brother's voice.

Yes, her brother. The new King. 

Aelinor knew that people of King's Landing, the entire Seven Kingdoms really, had certain expectations of her brother to be a handsome, perfect prince. Well, King, now.

But his siblings knew his true nature.

He was a spoiled cunt who lived for making other people's lives miserable, especially his own siblings.

And he didn't have to face consequences because his mother would protect him.

Whether it was because she was afraid of him or craved the fact that her child would grow to become King after her husband passed, Aelinor couldn't be certain.

But what she did know is it further encouraged Joffrey to act out. His status as heir to the throne, left him feeling untouchable.

Why wouldn't it? Why would stop what they was doing if they weren't being reprimanded for it.

The only time Aelinor could remember her brother being chastised was when he caught a pregnant cat and cut it open, presenting the animal corpses to his father.

The King struck him so hard, it knocked out two of his teeth and his mother was sure it had killed him.

Clearly it had not. However, Joffrey's cruelty turned to his siblings, to avoid his father's rage, as the king was hardly an involved parent to any of his children.

He had done his duty and bore heirs that would carry his blood for generations.

Though some would argue it was because they were not the children he had hoped to have with his Lady Lyanna.

As well as his eldest child baring a striking resemblance to the man who stole her from him.

"You sound like a little mewling cat, crying for its mother," Joffrey chastised Tommen. "Princes don't cry."

Aelinor moved to defend her youngest brother, but someone else beat her to it.

"I saw you cry," Lady Sansa mutter, loud enough for Aelinor to hear, but no other.

She was referring to their journey on the Kingsroad.

Aelinor couldn't help laugh at the memory of Joffrey crying after being bitten by Arya Stark's direwolf, Nymeria.

"Did you say something, My Lady?"

"My little brother cried when I left Winterfell."

"So?"

"It seems like a normal thing?"

"Is your little brother a Prince?"

"No."

"Not really relevant then, is it?" Joffrey said before turning to the Hound. "Come on dog. Let's go."

He walked off, followed by The Hound.

"Our King, My Lords and Ladies," Aelinor muttered to herself sarcastically, before turning and grabbing Eleanor's hand. "Let us go."

They all walked passed Cersei who remained, staring at the boat, watching as her daughter got further and further away.

[The Streets Of King's Landing]

Joffrey walked through the crowd, among his Kingsguard. Tyrion and Tommen were with him. The crowd began to hassle Joffrey.

"Hail Joffrey! Hail to the King. Seven blessings on you, Your Grace."

"Murderer! Bastard!"

"All hail the King."

"He's no king."

"He's a bastard!"

"Please, Your Grace, we're hungry."

"Freak."

"Princess Aelinor! The true heir to the Iron Throne!"

Tyrion turns to one of the guards, sensing the growing hostility. "Get the Prince back to the Keep now."

"Yes, my lord. Come, quickly."

Some of the guards escorted Tommen away, hopefully to safety.

"Please, Your Grace, give us some food!" A woman pleaded.

"Bread, Your Grace, please!" A man reiterated her pleas.

Joffrey ignored them, until he was hit in the face with a mudball. He groaned and doubled over. The Hound and the other Kingsguards drew their swords to defend the king.

"Who threw that? I want the man who threw that. Find who did that and bring him to me!"

The Hound held Joffrey back, trying to control him.

Aelinor knew something like this was bound to happen since her brother had forbidden her from continuing her work with the smallfolk.

"Hold on!" A guard yelled.

"Hold them back!" A second screamed.

The Kingsguard pushed into the crowd and a full riot began, leaving Sansa and her handmaidens are terrified.

"Just kill them! Kill them all!" Joffrey shouted.

Cersei looked back at Tyrion.

"Move. Move!" He shouted

The Hound grabbed Joffrey around the chest and guided him forward.

"Pull back!" A guard shouted.

"Tear him to pieces!"

The Hound began spiriting him away.

"What are you doing? I want these people executed!"

"And they want the same for you." The Hound told him.

The riot escalated and Sansa fled awkwardly. Tyrion watched in horror as the crowd tears one of their party limb from limb. The crowd cheered.

"Where's Sansa? Where's Aelinor?" Tyrion asked, but received no response.

"Through the door." A guard told them.

"Come on." A second.

"Push hard." A third.

The crowd closed in around them. Merym struck down one of the crowd.

"Protect the king!" Meryn Trant ordered.

"Get back!" Another guard shouted at the crowd.

"Fall back! Keep him safe!"

The Hound passes Joffrey off to Meryn and set on the crowd. Meanwhile, the Kingsguard shepherded Joffrey through a gate.

"Come in! Come in!" A guard bellowed.

"Keep him safe!" A second shouted.

"Motherfucker! Brotherfucker!" A man screamed.

"Watch out. Hold them back." One of the guards said.

"Come on."

Sansa was trapped by the crowd. She ran down a dark passage, and some men from the crowd followed.

"Hey!" One of them shouted.

It appeared no one else had noticed Sansa's separation from the group, so Aelinor took it upon herself to go after her. She could handle herself. She had her trust twin daggers.

She made sure Eleanor was safe, before separating from the group.

As she moved to follow the men who had chased after Sansa, she felt herself being grabbed and a hand cover her mouth, pulling her away from the crowd.

Instinctively, she began thrashing.

"Stop! Stop!" The voice whispered, their hold loosening, allowing Aelinor to turn to face them.

The figure was wearing a dark cloak, so Aelinor could not tell who it was.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

The figure lifted their head, causing Aelinor to gasp.

She was looking to eyes nearly identical to her own.

But how? The only people who still had purple eyes were the Daynes and the–

"You're Daemon Targaryen, aren't you?"

"Not so loud," he said, looking around, to make sure they were alone.

"What are you doing here? Why did you stop me? I have to help Sansa."

"Relax. The girl will be fine. Your brother's lackey went after her."

The Hound? When? Aelinor hadn't seen him. Which was exactly why she had chased after the girl. Everyone else was apparently too caught up in getting the royal family to safety, all but her, they had abandoned Sansa. 

"Why are you helping me?"

"Would you prefer I left you to be raped and murdered?" Aelinor shook her head. "I didn't think so. As for your question, I have heard a lot of talk about Robert Baratheon's eldest daughter. His only trueborn child who favours the Targaryens, my family."

"And? Are you impressed?"

He smirked. "I haven't decided yet." Suddenly he switched languages. "ȳdrassis issa muñnykeā ēngos?" (Do you speak my mother tongue?)

She returned his smirk, looking directly in his eyes. "Raqagon nyke istan āzma naejot." (Like I was born to.)

"Se vestriarzira hen aōha gevives emagon daor issare exaggerated. Nor lī hen aōha perzys." (The tales of your beauty have not been exaggerated. Nor those of your fire.)

"Ao flatter issa, issa prince." (You flatter me, my Prince.)

"Issa prince? Nyke haven't issare called bona isse mirri jēda." (My prince? I haven't been called that in some time.)

"Would ao rather nyke call ao dragonspawn, raqagon issa kepa?" (Would you rather I call you dragonspawn, like my father?)

He chuckled. "Ao istan āzma isse se pirta lentor. Ao sagon daor velkrys. Ao sagon ry perzys." (You were born in the wrong family. You're no stag. You're all fire.)

"Se? Gaomagon ao raqagon issa perzys?" (And? Do you like my fire?)

What was she doing? She had just met the man, and here she was flirting with him, not that he seemed to mind. What about Eleanor?

"Se ānogar hen zaldrīzes dakogon qumblie. Nyke ūndegon pōnta spared daor expense skori giving ziry naejot ao." (The blood of the dragon runs thick. I see they spared no expense when giving it to you.)

She stood scanning his features, their bodies so close she could feel his breath.

"Ao sagon confused, aren't ao? Ziry iksos simple. īlon share se ānogar hen zaldrīzes. īlva ānogar calls naejot mēre another." (You're confused, aren't you? It's simple. We share the blood of the dragon. Our blood calls to one another.)

She moved to respond when they heard movement nearby.

"Nyke should jiōragon arlī gō issa muñnykeā jikagon se entirety hen Lannister vali hen naejot jurnegon syt issa." (I should get back before my mother sends the entirety of Lannister men out to look for me.]

"Until next time Princess," he said, suddenly switching back to the common tongue, bowing as he left.

Aelinor peered around the corner, making sure the coast was clear before darting out of the alley and towards the safety of the Red Keep.

[Red Keep Hallway]

Joffrey and his guards were now safely away from the crowd, which could still be heard on the other side of the wall.

"Traitors! I'll have all their heads."

"Oh, you blind, bloody fool!" Tyrion shouted at him.

"You can't insult me."

"We've had vicious kings and we've had idiot kings, but I don't know if we've ever been cursed with a vicious idiot for a king."

"You can't-"

"I can, I am."

"They attacked me!"

"They threw a cow pie at you, so you decided to kill them all? They're starving, you fool! All because of a war you started."

"You're talking to a king!"

Tyrion slapped him. "And now I've struck a king. Did my hand fall from my wrist? Where is the Stark girl? And Aelinor?"

"Let them have her! My sister doesn't respect me."

"If she dies, you'll nevr get your Uncle Jaime back! You owe him quite a bit, you know. Even if your sister doesn't respect you, she is still your sister." Tyrion told him.

[King's Landing, Interior]

Sansa continued running in desperation from the men who pursued her. One caught up and grabbed her arm. She slapped him and he hit her in return. She spun to the ground. Two other men caught up. They tore at her clothes.

"Where are you going?" The first man said.

"You ever been fucked, little girl? Come here." A second.

[Red Keep Hallway]

"Take some men and go and find the Stark girl." Tyrion ordered.

"I take my orders from the king." Meryn told him, walking away.

Fortunately another guard heard him and came over.

"Where? This way."

He set off.

[King's Landing - Interior]

The three men dragged Sansa across the floor. She fought back but there were too many of them.

"Please! No! No!"

The men continued their assault. One held down her hands while the others tore at her clothes. The Hound appeared and gutted one of them, holding him by the neck before dropping him to the floor. He swiftly took care of the rest. Sansa laid on the ground, terrified and whimpering.

"Please!" The final man pleaded, before running away when The Hound turned his attention to Sansa.

He reached down to help Sansa up.

"You're all right now, little bird. You're all right."

She accepted his help and he carried her away, slung over his shoulder.

The melee continued. Only, it had spiraled further out of control.

[Red Keep Courtyard]

The Hound carried Sansa past Tyrion and into safety with the rest of the royal party. He set her down gently, with her back to the wall.

A group of men began helping others into the castle.

"We'll get you."

"We'll get you."

"This way."

"Are you hurt, my lady?" Tyrion asked the traumatized Sansa.

"The little bird's bleeding. Someone take her back to her cage. See to that cut."

"Well done, Clegane." Tyrion told him.

"I didn't do it for you."

No one noticed when Aelinor snuck inside. However, they were relieved to find she was safe.

[King's Landing -Red Keep, Aelinor's Chambers]

After the chaos of the riots in the streets, Aelinor returned to her chambers with Eleanor, who fortunately had been brought into the Red Keep before any harm could befall her.

They laid on her bed, engaged in an embrace, Aelinor playing with Eleanor's hair, while she played with the Princess' pendant.

"Where did you go?" Eleanor asked suddenly.

She stopped playing with her, looking down at the face that was peering up at her. "I have to tell you something and I hope you don't get upset."

"It depends on what it is."

"I saw him."

"Saw who?"

"Daemon Targaryen. He's alive. I saw these men chasing after Sansa and nobody else seemed to noticed. I knew they were going to hurt her, so I tried to go after her."

"Are you insane? What if they attacked you?"

"I had my daggers. Besides, it didn't get that far. I was pulled into an alley by a hooded figure. I nearly attacked him, before I saw his face. I know what you're thinking. What if he wanted to hurt me because I was the daughter of the Usurper who murdered his brother and stole his family's throne. But, I can't explain it. There was just a feeling that was drawing me to him." She paused, looking down at Eleanor's face. "He said it was because we share the blood of the dragon. Our blood calls to one another."

"I suppose it makes sense," Eleanor agreed. "The Targaryen's married brother to sister, uncle to niece, cousin to cousin for hundreds of years. Maybe that is why." She looked down for a moment before meeting Aelinor's gaze. "What does this mean for us?"

"What? You think I'm going to leave you because someone new has come along. There is no way. If anything were to somehow happen between us, I wouuld make sure he knew there was absolutely no way I would give you up. You have been there for me more than any of my family. You've seen both the good and bad in me, and decided to stay, to accept me for me. If he couldn't accept that, then I don't think anything could happen."

Eleanor smiled. "I'm so glad to hear you say that."

Aelinor returned the smile before leaning down and placing her lips on Eleanor's, an action that was reciprocated.

[King's Land - Red Keep, Sansa's Chambers]

Sansa was seated on a stool as Shae attended to her wounds.

"Ow!"

"Shh. It's not deep."

"I thought they were going to kill me."

"They thought so, too."

"He hated me, the man who hit me. I saw it in his eyes. Hated me. He nevr met me before, but he wanted to hurt me."

"Of course he did."

"Why? Why would a stranger-"

"You are everything he will nevr have. Your horse eats better than his children. It doesn't matter now. He's dead."

"I would have given them bread if I had it. I hate the king more than any of them."

"Don't say these things. If the wrong people hear you-"

"But you're not the wrong people." Sansa told her.

"Don't trust anybody. Life is safer that way."

And she was right. Life would be safer that way. Especially in a place like King's Landing, full or liars and ambitious souls.

A/N: Sorry for disappearing. There's no way any of you could know, but I struggle with a condition called fibromyalgia. Essentially my nerves are overreactive to painful stimuli. In my case, my skin feels like it's burning while also deeply bruised.