"WHY WOULD YOU do that?" Jacaerys' voice carried across the garden, surprising Valaena as she glanced up from the book in her lap. Her eyes snapped around their surroundings finding no one other than Ser Donnel standing guard at the edge of the garden to overhear their conversation.

"Do what?" Valaena played coy as she returned to her book, flipping the page despite no longer reading any of the words.

"You know what I speak of," Jacaerys stopped at her feet, his shadow overcasting onto Valaena as she released a silent sigh before closing the book shut. "You put yourself in danger last night."

"No more danger than the rest of you had," Valaena commented as she pushed herself onto her feet to face Jacaerys. "You could have been seriously injured, or worse."

"But why?" Jacaerys asked, his face filled with confusion as he stared at her.

"We are cousins, are we not?" Valaena asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So is Aemond," Jacaerys retorted. "What makes us any different?"

Valaena released a tired sigh as she glanced around the garden once more before pulling Jacaerys closer under the tree.

"Because the others are not like us," Valaena whispered, her eyes darting around the garden as if anyone might overhear them at any moment. "They do not care for family like we do, only of power and status."

Jacaerys frowned at her words.

"But we're all family," Jacaerys told her. "Isn't that supposed to mean something?"

"Why do you think Aemond called you bastards last night?" Valaena questioned, watching as Jacaerys tensed up under her gaze.

"I don't know what you mea-"

"Save it," Valaena cut him off. "I've known for as long as I've been a Targaryen. And I made a promise to your mother that I would protect you and your brother from harm. That's exactly what I did last night."

There was a moment of pause as Jacaerys stared into Valaena's eyes, the flecks of purple sparkling under the sun to show that she truly was one of them.

"I should have acted last night," Jacaerys admitted as his shoulders sagged. "It should have been me protecting Luke-"

"Better I take the blame than you," Valaena interrupted, stopping Jacaerys from going down the path he was on. "I am of no consequence. You are next in line to the throne after your mother, Jace."

"But Luke is my responsibility," Jacaerys argued. "I should have-"

"Done nothing," Valaena was firm, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You did exactly what you needed to do — absolutely nothing."

"But I wanted to do something, how can I not?" Jacaerys argued, his voice raising as Valaena stared at him with understanding eyes.

"Sometimes nothing is the hardest thing to do," Valaena told Jacaerys. "But it's what needs to be done."

"Have you experienced it then?" Jacaerys asked her. "Doing nothing."

Valaena did not answer right away, thinking back on her life since Daemon found her in Flea Bottom with nothing to her name and no family.

"I am not like you or your brother," Valaena finally said. "I am someone who must do everything so you may do nothing."

"That's not fair," Jacaerys argued.

"No, it's not," Valaena said with a humorless smile. "But doing something always comes with a price, and I understand that price. When the time comes for you to finally act, you too must make sure it's worth the price."

Jacaerys was silent as he weighed his words. He had always looked up to his cousin as a child, chasing her around the garden no matter how annoyed she became with him. But she was never cruel. That's why Jacaerys looked up to her. He had always known Valaena was different, stronger in ways he couldn't fully understand as a child. She seemed older and wiser beyond her years, and yet she too was still just a child.

"You cannot speak to anyone of what happened last night," Valaena told him. "Do you understand?"

Jacaerys hesitated, torn between the urge to protect his cousin and the weight of her command. He knew the truth would only put his brother in more danger than they already were as bastards.

"Okay," he finally nodded, watching as Valaena seemed to relax under his words.

"Good," Valaena nodded, reaching up and giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Without another word, Valaena turned and began walking back towards the castle. Ser Donnel did not say a word as she walked by and she knew even if he had heard their conversation, he would not speak of it. The corridors were busier than normal, with handmaidens and servants rushing to pack the rest of the royal's belongings as they prepared to journey back to Kings Landing that afternoon.

Valaena began to wander back to her own chambers, her knight hot on her heels. He had been on edge since last night, when he had been missing when everything had gone down. She could tell her sworn protector felt partially responsible for what had happened, that he had not been there to fulfill his oath.

She tried to ignore his presence behind her as she turned the corner, resisting the urge to turn and flee.

"Stand down, Ser Donnel," Valaena didn't even need to turn around to know her knight already had his hand on the hilt of his knife.

Her voice alerted Aemond to her presence as he turned away from the window to reveal the stitches covering half his face.

"Prince Aemond," Valaena bowed her head, ignoring the scoff that escaped his lips as he rolled his one good eye at her.

"What are you doing here?" Aemond questioned, his voice harsh.

"I was simply on my way back to my chambers," Valaena defended as she tried to keep her voice steady. Aemond was hurt and angry, lashing out at someone entangled in the loss of his eye. Still, that didn't mean she had to stand there and simply take it.

"Be on your way then," Aemond muttered angrily as he glared at her.

"I'll be on my way when I decide," Valaena fired back, watching his face twist at her words.

"Sticking around so you can take my other eye?" Aemond's voice raised. "Or do you need a Strong to come help you with that as well?"

Valaena tilted her head at his words as she said, "So you do remember who took your eye."

Aemond seemed to still at her words, his body tensing as his lips turned downward into a deeper frown.

"What does it matter?" Aemond stated. "You bastards are all the same anyway."

Valaena scoffed at his words, unaffected by being called such a name.

"Clearly, I have nothing to fear then," Valaena stated as she moved to leave. "I'll be on my way then, and hopefully you shall never have to cross paths with a bastard such as myself again."

She turned back towards the corridor, taking several steps as it seemed their conversation was quite over.

"Why did you give me it?" Aemond's words stopped her in her tracks as she glanced back over her shoulder, the confusion clear on her face. Aemond seemed to realize as he went to clarify. "The dragon egg? "Was it meant to mock me? You knew it wouldn't hatch."

Valaena resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she turned back to face her cousin.

"Contrary to what you may believe, I truly did give you the egg with the intention of giving you a dragon," Valaena defended with her arms crossed across her chest as she thought back to all those years ago when she had decided having a dragon was not for her. "Though I suppose it was for the best it didn't hatch, now that you have laid claim to the largest dragon in the Seven Kingdoms."

Aemond looked momentarily taken aback, the bitterness in his expression softening just a fraction.

"I do apologize for the loss of your eye, cousin," she said, her gaze lingering on the rough stitching that marred his face. The sight was a harsh reminder of the conflict that had transpired. "I do hope it was worth the price of a dragon. I certainly wouldn't find it so, but what do I know? I am, after all, simply a bastard."

With that, Valaena walked away, her steps echoing softly in the corridor. Ser Donnel remained a silent, vigilant presence behind her as she hurried to get as far away from Aemond as possible.

"My lady, are you quite-"

"I'm fine," Valaena cut off the words of her knight as pushed open the doors of her chambers, leaving Ser Donnel in the corridor as she shut them firmly behind her. She released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

She felt suffocated, between her knight being more protective than usual and being confronted at every turn. Valaena simply wanted to be alone. She strode over to her chair, grabbing the cloak that hung over it as she slipped it on.

It took her only a few moments to reach the side of the room, hands sliding over the wall until she found the secret passageway hidden behind. Every castle had one, and Valaena had become better at finding them. She slipped into the dark tunnel, glancing both ways as she decided to follow the path to her left.

Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness as the scurrying of rats at her feet filled her ears. The air was cool and musty, carrying the faint scent of damp earth and aged stone. She moved with practiced ease, her senses attuned to the subtle shifts in the darkness that signaled twists and turns in the tunnel.

Valaena eventually reached the end of the tunnel as she leaned her ear against the hidden door. When she heard nothing, she pushed against the door until it cracked open. Light filtered through the door as she squinted at the sudden brightness, pushing it open as she slinked back out into the castle. She ensured the secret door shut tightly behind her as she turned to the unfamiliar corridor she found herself in.

Curious to explore, she took one step when the door to her left sprung open as two men came stumbling out in a rush. They seemed shocked to find Valaena standing before them, their eyes widening as she took in their frazzled appearance. She recognized one of the men immediately, a spitting image of her own stepmother.

"Laenor?" Valaena questioned as she stared between the two men who seemed as if they were running away.

"She's not supposed to be here," the strange man stated.

"I know," Laenor replied as he glanced over his shoulder, as if they were being chased.

"She can't be here," the other man breathed out.

"I know," Laenor emphasized as he stared down at Valaena, a glint of recognition flashing behind his eyes.

"What's going on?" Valaena glanced between the two men warily.

"There's no time," Laenor stated as he grabbed Valaena's arm, dragging her along as the men hurried down the corridor.

"Hey!" Valaena exclaimed as she fought against his grip, the Valyrian slipping from her lips before she could stop them. "Let me go this instant!"

"Your Valyrian is good," Laenor laughed as they began descending down the steps of the castle. "Did Laena teach you?"

"Daemon," Valaena muttered, remembering how her father had refused to speak to her for two years unless it was in perfect Valyrian. One learned to pick up a language quite quickly when it was all they could use to communicate with their father.

"Figures," Laenor commented as they reached the exit of the castle, the sunlight blinding Valaena temporarily as they stepped outside. "Speak of the devil."

Laenor laughed as a hooded figure approached them, a figure that Valaena recognized all too well as the tight grip around her arm dropped.

"What is this?" Daemon questioned, his voice rising as he saw his daughter next to the two men.

"That's what I'd like to know," Valaena muttered as she stepped away from the two men with her arms crossed.

"We ran into her as we were running away," the man informed Daemon. "You can see how that would be a problem."

"It's not a problem," Daemon corrected, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Good," the man nodded his head.

The man shared a look with Laenor as they both pulled up the hood of their cloak and they began to depart from the pair without another word.

"I'm confused," Valaena stated as she turned to her father, who had a look of annoyance on his face.

"Laenor is dead," Daemon deadpanned as Valaena's face morphed into confusion as she simply pointed in the direction that Laenor had just departed.

"That doesn't look dead to me," Valaena muttered, watching the amusement on her father's face remain the same. She released a sigh as her hand dropped down to her side. "Is there a reason Laenor is dead?"

"I'm marrying Rhaenrya," Daemon told her, watching as Valaena released a small "huh" in response. "Do you understand?"

Valaena stared up into her father's purple eyes, unrelenting as he waited for her response.

"Yeah," Valaena finally muttered. "I understand."

Another burden she would carry. Another secret she would have to keep.

The simple price of being a Targaryen, a price Valaena would easily pay.