ugh i finally finished Bloody Bravado except for the epilogue so I will be spending more time on this beauty. but try not to expect daily updates.

Visenya had tried so hard to learn Valyrian. She spent a plethora of hours each week dedicated to those studies but when she would look at the words, the letters would get all jumbled and nothing made sense.

"Princess," Ser Harwin said from the door of her makeshift classroom.

"Yes?" Visenya asked.

"Your mother has requested you, Princess. She is in her personal lounge, I can escort you."

Visenya stood from her desk and closed her book on Maegor's construction of the Dragon Pit. "I know the way, Ser Harwin."

Visenya passed him and he chuckled. "What?" She asked.

"Nothing, you not only look like your mother but sound and act as she did. You are a mirror image of her," Harwin smiled fondly.

"Everyone always says that and I hate it. I want to be my own person, Ser Harwin."

"Indeed you will, Princess. I just can't help to notice you seem to dislike me. I have been able to bond with your brothers but you seem a bit tougher."

Visenya bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted the metallic of her blood. "I ... my anger is not directed towards you, Ser Harwin. I do not wish to continue this conversation."

She knew she was lucky enough to speak to her father freely on the matter of her brother's parentage, but she couldn't say she completely trusted Harwin. Laenor was partial to her whereas Harwin was hopelessly devoted to Rhaenyra.

She walked into her mother's quarters and saw her cradling the small bump that had formed. "My sweet girl," Rhaenyra smiled and walked to her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Good morning, Mother. How are you and the babe?" She asked, sitting on Rhaenyra's chaise. Rhaenyra sat next to her and reached for her hand.

"We are swell. I can feel another strong boy."

Naturally, her mother meant physically strong but all Visenya could think of was that her brothers were Strong bastards.

"I can't wait," She spoke with a forced smile.

"Your septa tells me you are doing great thus far with your studies. But now that you are ten, it is time I started to teach you about womanly duties as my mother did when I was your age. The role of a woman after she bleeds," Rhaenyra spoke softly.

Visenya tilted her head. "Bleeds?"

"Yes, my dear. As a woman, you will eventually start bleeding from between your legs. It usually starts during your pre-teen years and once it starts, you will bleed about once a month for a few days. It marks your advancement into womanhood and the ability to have children. It is completely natural, do not fear."

Visenya's face twisted in disgust. "I will bleed from my cunt?"

"Visenya!" Rhaenyra chastised. "I don't where you learned vile words like that but it is not proper."

"Proper? Everyone I know says you used to be the most rebellious princess when you were a teenager! And yet you expect me to be proper!"

Rhaenyra sighed. "I understand that you do not grasp my intentions but yes, I was not a well-behaved princess and I received torment and punishments for my actions and I do not want that for you! I am just trying to make sure you turn out a proper princess unlike me!"

Visenya shook her head and sniffled. "I don't want my whole life to be decided for me! You got to choose father and even then you get to fuck Ser Harwin!"

The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them but she was just so angry. Her mother was nothing but a hypocrite.

Rhaenyra looked at Ser Harwin, the only guard in the room. "Leave us, Ser Harwin."

Visenya stood and bit at her lip again nervously. She was bound to get in trouble for what she said.

"Firstly, I best hope you watch your mouth from now on. I don't know how much time you have spent with your father on the docks but the language stops," Rhaenyra spoke sternly.

Visenya nodded and sat on the chaise across from Rhaenyra.

"Secondly, if you think you are so mature to speak of this, then let us. Yes, you have clearly caught on to my excursions with Ser Harwin. And look at the price I pay, the price you and your brothers pay."

"Ser Harwin is not my father," She whispered.

Rhaenyra's eyes flashed with pain and longing that dated even further back than Ser Harwin. For the uncle she loved. "You are right. You are the product of me having one of my rebellious nights. Is this the life you want, Visenya? To constantly be ridiculed and whispered about?"

"I already am!" She said. "Every day I get called a bastard, Mother! Every day people stare and all I have done is be proper, thinking that if I behaved then they wouldn't stare but they still do."

"Which is why you have to find a good lord to marry and be an obedient wife. I have not yet taught you the technicalities but there are duties for a woman that comes with marriage and you will follow them, Visenya. I have brought enough whispers to this family, you shall not add to it."

"I don't want to marry some lord that only wants me for my Valyrian blood, Mother! I thought surely you would be my ally in this of all people!" Visenya begged.

"You are going to be better than me which is why I have to be hard on you."

"Then maybe you should have named me heir!" She shouted.

The room got quiet and Visenya realized this was the first time they were speaking of this. Visenya walked over to the water pitcher and poured a cup, drinking it before she could say anything else.

"I admit I should have spoken to you first. But I just want you to have a more normal life than I did. Being heir and the duties that come with are extremely difficult and you are a delicate-mannered girl. I wanted to watch you before making my decision and those vultures at court would rip you apart. So no, I am not naming you my heir."

Visenya's lips trembled as she heard her mother's words. Delicate. That's all anyone saw her as.

"You chose Jace over me," she whispered. "You chose your son instead of teaching me how to be stronger!"

She grabbed the handle of the door and sprinted out as her mother called her name. She ignored her pleas as she ran through the halls and down the stairs. There had to be another dragon to claim in the Pit. There had to be eggs in need of hatching, there had to be something. She had to prove her worth.

Just as she reached the midpoint of the stairs, she ran head-on into someone and they both tumbled down until they reached the landing.

"Fuck!" Visenya groaned and looked to see who she ran into.

"Do you ever pay attention?!" Aemond yelled and stood up. "Great! Now you're crying."

Visenya rolled her eyes. "Can you for once leave me alone you fucking cunt?!"

Aemond looked taken aback but her sudden fit of rage but slowly smirked. "There's the hidden dragon."

"What?" She snapped.

"You're boring, Visenya. You're a scared little girl that doesn't even act like a Targaryen which is funny because out of all of us children, you have the most Valyrian blood. It'd be nice to see an ounce of fire. We are surrounded by boring people and no one here is interesting."

She rolled her eyes again and sat up against the wall. "Being mean isn't interesting if that's what you're going for."

"It's not but I have my own reasons. But what's your reason for being so plain?" He asked and handed her the necklace that broke off her neck.

"No!" She gasped and reached for it. It was a necklace Laenor had made for her with a beautiful piece of sea rock they found the first time he took her sailing. A fisherman brought up a net of trout and caught the rock and she was enamored with how opal it looked. She was five and after Laenor had the necklace made, she treasured it.

"I, um, can have it fixed. I'm sure a chain is easy to fix," he rubbed his neck.

"It's a special chain. Common chains make my neck rash so it's specially made." She let out a groan.

"It's my fault," he mumbled and sat next to her.

"It's fine, I shouldn't have been running down the stairs," she sighed.

"You know, it's not fair." He suddenly said.

"What?" She asked

"Laenor isn't even your real father and he loves you tremendously, and my real father doesn't even talk to me. So it's just not fair."

"Is that why you hate me?" She asked

"No, I don't hate you. I can't stand you, there's a difference. Maybe if you stopped cowering and tucking your tail, I could tolerate you. It just makes you like every other lady. No one stands out anymore. All ladies are the same."

She bit her lip again and looked at the necklace. So maybe Aemond was decent enough to discuss the truth with. "If you tell anyone I spoke of this with you, I'll stab your eye out, but I'm glad I don't know my real father."

Aemond scoffed. "I'd like to see you try."

"I could if I wanted to." She rose a brow.

"So, niece, why wouldn't you want to meet your father? I hear he is a formidable warrior. A legend, actually."

"Yes, on the battlefield. But he knew of me and still chose to run away. He has never sent me a single letter or come to visit. I've never even met my Aunt Laena because Laenor visits her alone. The man that raised me isn't even my father and the man my mother fucks isn't my father."

Aemond glanced at her. "You might be smarter than I realized."

"See, that's another thing! My mother passed me as her heir because she said I was too delicate. Shouldn't that mean she teaches me how to be the heir, not just skip over me entirely?"

"I have no comment on that because almost everyone I know thinks my imbecile of an older brother should be king."

Visenya looked at him and frowned. "I know your mother wants to usurp my mother's throne but I would prefer not to hear about it."

"Visenya, anyone would be better on that throne than Aegon," Aemond said with a faint chuckle. 

"On that much, we can agree."

They sat in silence for quite some time as Visenya held the necklace in her hand. Aemond had spaced off and was thinking of whatever while Visenya just wondered where her allegiance aligned. She could never betray her mother. No matter what her mother believed, surely she would always be there to defend and save Visenya. And if she didn't, Laenor would. So her allegiance had to be to her mother despite their differences. 

A set of footsteps came down the stairs and when Visenya looked up, it was Laenor who descended. 

"There you are. Seven hells you scared me. I have been looking for you," He sighed and looked at Aemond. "Uh, are you both alright?"

"She ran into me and we fell down the stairs. She broke her necklace," Aemond responded and stood. He made his exit and Laenor sat next to her. 

"Want me to go beat him up?" Laenor nudged her shoulder.

Visenya smiled and shook her head. "No, he offered to fix it but I didn't know what special chain it was."

"It's white gold from a visit to Pentos I made years ago to visit your Aunt Laena. None of that cheap metal people sell on the streets. Only the best for my best girl," He smiled. 

She leaned against his shoulders and sniffled. "She called me delicate."

Laenor sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "She told me you were moody but I figured she might have said something insensitive. She is still shocked you mentioned Ser Harwin."

"She is shocked when anyone says it, she thinks they have been experts at hiding," She responded.

"Well look at us with the smart girl. You have the capacity to be incredibly intelligent in more than just books."

"How are you smart in more than books?" She asked. 

"Well, a smart leader learns how to read their enemies. A smart leader learns those mindsets and learns how to trick them. If you can be good at reading people, you can be good at beating them. But you have to be careful because some people act fake to trick their enemies. You have an advantage," He said. 

"I do?" She asked. 

"Yes, you are a girl. Everyone underestimates a girl. So use that. You will learn over time but this is what your mother should have been teaching instead of just passing you over."

"And Luke will be heir to Driftmark. I stand to inherit nothing, Father. I really am destined to be just some fat lord's wife."

"Trust me, I have met a lot of people and you are meant for more than that. So many people have been imprisoned in marriage and meant to be nothing. But you are not those people, Vis. None of those people had the fire you do."

"My hidden fire?" She asked. "Aemond said as a Targaryen we have an inner dragon and I seem to hide mine."

"Can't believe I am about to agree with him but yes. Except I don't think you have fully discovered yours. If you can fully unlock your inner dragon, you will be unstoppable. So find it."

And for once, she actually believed him.

do not expect there to be a friendship between visenya and aemond. they may have reached this lil understanding but it will fall apart. I am doing my best to create and enemies to lovers (I have never written the trope before) and make it a kind of slow burn but I am also an impatient person lmao. So I wont even stay within their childhood past the next couple of chapters because the beginning of their forced marriage will be a large part of their rivalry