𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 2 - 𝑇𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑟

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There were sharp sounds in the sky, as if the air was being whipped. A cloud was pierced by a dark shape. Another similar mass passed over the first. If the people of King's Landing looked up, with a little concentration they could see two dragons in the sky.

Aenemys Velaryon, her silver hair blowing in the wind, laughed as she passed her cousin on her dragon. "I'm ahead of you again," the elder taunted.

Rhaenyra looked up at her, and in the next instant, Syrax shot up, cutting off Aenemys and her dragon, who quickly swerved to avoid her.

"What did you say ?" came the princess's voice.

"Little pest," she joked.

The dragons moved gracefully, one over the other, the other overtaking the other. You'd think they were dancing. The truth was that they were playing. Their two dragon riders were having fun, creating a little competition that didn't exist between them. One of the dragons was yellow and the other was blue, pure blue and slightly larger than the first.

"First to the Dragonpit?" The two dragonriders hovered close together and had to shout to hear each other. Rhaenyra didn't answer, just gave her a mischievous smile before disappearing.

Aenemys looked down and saw Syrax swooping down. Aenemys followed immediately. She too plunged into the void, coming dangerously close to the sea. Just before they hit the water, Dermex straightened up, her paws caressing the surface.

Aenemys threw her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying the wind that swept over her face. She loved the feeling. She felt free and nowhere else but on her dragon. She took a deep breath, enjoying the air in her lungs, before opening her eyes again.

She leaned forward and placed her hand on her dragon's neck. "What do you say, we won the race?*" As if in answer, Dermex let out a roar. They gained altitude as they approached the city. They reached the side where the Red Keep stood.

She and Rhaenyra passed each side of the castle's tallest tower before quickly covering the distance to Dragonpit. Above the huge dome, Aenemys flew in a circle and spotted two figures waiting for them, their faces raised.

"I think our absence has been noticed," she shouted, leaning over her dragon to Rhaenyra below. The princess looked up, a smile on her face.

"You think ?" Rhaenyra didn't care, which made her cousin giggle.

They finally landed on the ground, one after the other. Still on the backs of their dragons, they looked at each other.

"Aren't you late, by the way ?" she asked the Targaryen, remembering that the princess had to fulfil her role as the King's Cupbearer in a few moments.

"I'll probably be." Rhaenyra had just shrugged, not bothering to be on time.

"Your father won't like it."

"No matter."

Aenemys just shook her head and smiled. The Targaryen really was incorrigible. She dismounted her dragon and took off her gloves before placing her hand on Dermex's neck.

As the Velaryon had landed closest to the entrance to the Dragonpit, Syrax blocked their view, but Aenemys could still hear Ser Harrold Westerling's voice. He was expressing his relief to see the two young girls on the ground at last, after seeing their dragons « perform acrobatics in the sky », if she echoed his most precise words.

Aenemys bypassed Syrax and stood before the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. "Rest assured, Ser Harrold, your head will remain on your shoulders for some time to come."

"Oh, I know you are the Princess's staunchest defender and that she is safe with you. Perhaps I should exchange one of my men for you."

"Believe me Ser, you don't really want that."

Ser Harrold smiled amusedly as the young woman giggled. Aenemys looked at her three friends. It was Alicent and Aliza who were waiting for her, as she had assumed a few minutes ago when she was still in the air. She moved forward to join her friends as the princess spoke to them.

"Aliza, this is the first time we've seen you here." Her gloves in hand, her smile not fading an inch, she stood facing the brunette, pleasantly surprised to see her at the foot of Dragonpit.

"Alicent insisted," her friend explained, and she had no trouble believing her. She could imagine the King's daughter tugging at the Strong's arm as she almost clung to a pillar of the castle.

"So do you like the show ?" Just as it might have been customary for Alicent to wait for them in royal diligence when she and Rhaenyra took a dragon ride, Aenemys could not recall ever seeing Aliza accompany them before. So she knew she had never seen Syrax, Dermex or any of their kind up close.

"I've never seen dragons up close," confirmed the Master of Laws' daughter.

"You can even touch Dermex if you like," the Velaryon offered surprisingly. Knowing full well that her friend had never seen a dragon before, and suspecting that she wouldn't be returning to the Dragonpit any time soon, Aenemys had suggested the experiment with her dragon to please her friend, as she knew her dragon perfectly well and knew that it wouldn't be dangerous with her.

"Oh no, that's not necessary."

"You don't have to be afraid of them, if you don't do anything stupid they won't hurt you, but never go near them alone anyway," she warned her. "If you're with his dragon rider, a dragon might let you stroke it, well, I know Dermex does, but you must never forget that they're not pets. They're not little cats, so if you're tempted I can make you touch her, but it'll only be this once."

"I don't think your speech was very reassuring," Alicent teased gently, seeing that her friend had frozen.

Aenemys, who had been watching the Dragonkeepers bringing in Dermex and Syrax behind her, turned back to Aliza, who swallowed. There was a few seconds of silence, broken by Rhaenyra, Alicent and herself bursting into laughter, quickly joined by their friend.

"I'm sorry," Dermex dragonrider finally said, between two spasms caused by the laughter she was trying to suppress.

Aenemys could talk for hours about dragons. They were such a vast, complex and interesting subject. She liked to see them for what they were, living creatures, not just mounts, not beasts of burden, not weapons of war. In her eyes, they could be as lovable as they were dangerous, but not everyone knew that.

"Another time, perhaps. Let's go before Aliza passes out," Rhaenyra teased her, a mischievous look on her face.

"I'm not going to faint," the newest member of the quartet frowned, hardly serious.

"Come on, let's go back, Rhaenyra, you'll be late," Alicent reminded her, causing the princess to roll her eyes and let out a tired sigh.

The four ladies boarded the royal carriage, the one that had dropped off the last two arrivals following behind. Aenemys loved moments like this. She and her friends, talking about anything and everything, laughing and just enjoying each other's company. There was nothing negative that could disturb the bubble they managed to create when they were together and she cherished that with all her heart.

"Don't you ever miss Driftmark ?" asked Aliza to make conversation. The mood was very light, but the conversation became a bit more serious. Aenemys wondered for a moment about the reason for this question, but concluded that there was no explanation. It was Aliza. She was interested in other. It just occurred to the Sea Snake's niece that she hadn't been asked that question for a long time.

"Sometimes, but it's quite rare. I was very bored there." The answer was simple, short and almost cold. Aenemys made it clear that she didn't want to dwell on the subject. She looked down at Rhaenyra's hand resting on her forearm before looking up at her. The Targaryen smiled at her.

She noticed the unobtrusive, questioning look Aliza was desperately giving Alicent, who replied with a simple shake of her head to indicate that this was not the time to talk about it.

Aenemys didn't miss Driftmark, or rather, she didn't miss living with her father, Vaemond Velaryon, the Sea Snake's brother. What she did miss was seeing her youngest cousins, Laenor and Laena, running after each other, and hearing their uncle make a not too unkind remark about their behaviour, while their mother looked on, smiling and sometimes laughing a little, and the servants tried to catch up with the toddlers. She missed that kind of picture, but now it was just a mist.

Her mother, Aenemys, had no memory of her. Apparently she had been weakened by childbirth and had fallen ill in the days following the birth. She didn't know what it was, but she knew that her health had deteriorated and that she had died when Aenemys was still an infant. And her father... Her father, well, he'd always blamed her for that. That and everything else, as if she were the cause of all the world's ills. So he'd sent her away the first chance he got, and couldn't bear the sight of her.

According to her uncle, Aenemys bore a striking resemblance to her mother, and it was painful for Lord Vaemond to see her every day. Despite the fact that her father's feelings were an urban legend to her, she was willing to accept that her uncle was telling the truth. However, it had never been a look of pity that her father had given her, but one of disgust.

Sometimes she wondered if anything had changed in all these years. Did her father miss her ? Did he regret the way he had treated her when she was a child, innocent and motherless ? And then she pushed her thoughts away for fear of being too disappointed by the truth the day they met again. If that day ever came.

So yes, even though Aenemys was a very sunny young woman, full of energy and passion, this question had made her withdraw into herself. Of course, she didn't blame her friend for asking the question. After all, she had never told her about her family situation, so how could she have guessed ? Nevertheless, she remained silent for the rest of the ride.

Finally, the carriage stopped in the courtyard of the castle. The four friends got out noisily. Rhaenyra had to change quickly before presenting herself to the Small Council.

Arm in arm, it was Alicent and the princess who led the way. Aenemys turned her head towards Aliza and gave her a big smile before taking her arm in turn, letting her know that there was no coldness between them. She pulled her along behind the first two friends.

Rhaenyra slowed her pace and grabbed Aenemys. It was a proud picture they painted. Four ladies of the court, all lined up, holding each other, taking up a lot of space in the corridors, walking like this. People turned their backs on them as they passed, but it managed to make even Aliza and Alicent, who cared most about their image, laugh, so nothing could break her good humour.

As they crossed the courtyard, Aliza came to a halt, slowing the pace of the other three. Aenemys turned her head towards the brunette at the end of the line, who had just let go of her arm.

She noticed that her friend had started to fiddle with her hair, as she sometimes did when she was nervous. "I didn't tell my mother I was leaving the Red Keep and I don't think she noticed. She's probably upset, so I'm going to see her."

"Usually you have to run away from your parents when they're angry," the Velaryon remarked. She didn't know how to behave in such a situation, as she had never been in one, considering the distance that separated them.

"All you have to say is that you were with the Princess and that it was I who requested your presence," said Rhaenyra, who couldn't understand how anyone could willingly attend a moral lesson. The Princess sometimes forgot that not all of her friends were as insolent with their parents as she was.

"Girls..." Alicent, the only other person responsible besides the Strong, gave them a wide-eyed look. "I understand, you're right to go to her, but I'm sure your mother won't say anything," she tried to reassure Aliza.

Then her friend left. Aenemys watched her go before leaning over to her two remaining friends. "Her mother really is a witch."

"Aenemys !" Alicent scolded in horror at the Velaryon's words.

"What ? She exudes apathy."

"I agree with her. She exudes vice. I don't like her." Rhaenyra took her side, causing the King's Hand's daughter to sigh.

"You don't like many people at court at the same time." The Hightower's answer, a slightly proud smile on her lips, was fair, but had surprised Aenemys, who chuckled while the princess grimaced.

"You, I love you." Alicent humoured her, Rhaenyra declared her affection for her friends, and Aenemys looked up to see if it was snowing in King's Landing.

"That's very touching." Aenemys replied, putting her hand to her heart, while Alicent smiled, surely deeply moved by the princess's words. But the Sea Snake's niece brought them back to reality. "But you've chosen a bad time to get sentimental. You'll be very late. Go and get changed !"

"And first I want to see my mother," Rhaenyra explained.

"Besides ?" exclaimed Alicent, noticing that time was catching up with them.

"Come on, hurry up, Princess." The Velaryon let go of her cousin's arm and stood behind her with both hands on her shoulders, urging her to speed up.

Most people might be outraged by her attitude to the King's daughter, but she didn't care. Between her and Rhaenyra it was like that. That she was too tactile or too direct had made Ser Harrold Westerling or Alicent cringe more than once when they first encountered that kind of attitude. As far as Aenemys was concerned, the fact that Rhaenyra was a princess had never made her more fragile, or the sort of thing that made people approach her with caution. And knowing the fiery temperament of the king and queen's only child, it was easy to see that she didn't need that kind of overprotection.

She and Alicent waited outside Rhaenyra's bedroom door for her to change. She did so quickly enough, coming out in a beautiful yellow dress. As they made their way back to the queen's apartments, the Hightower stopped and confronted Aenemys, who almost bumped into her.

"Don't you think something's wrong ?" To tell the truth, the Velaryon didn't see what the problem could be until she was looked up and down. "Aenemys, your clothes. You can't just show up in the Queen's chambers like that !"

It was true, Aenemys was still wearing the outfit she wore when she rode on the backs of dragons and was therefore not the most presentable. She had completely forgotten that detail.

"Go on then. I'll see you later."

♕

Aenemys had swapped her dragon rider clothes for a midnight blue dress. She made her way to the small council chamber to wait for the meeting to end. As she descended the stairs, she saw Ser Harrold Westerling and was surprised to see him, for the Commander of the Kingsguard was usually present at the Small Council meetings.

"Ser Harrold !" She greeted him. "Is the meeting over already ?" she wondered, though she would be very surprised if it was.

The man with the grey beard stopped and turned towards her. Aenemys hurried over to him. He seemed slightly preoccupied, which caught her eye.

"No, it's still going on."

"What's the matter ? Is something wrong ? Something serious ? A problem with the Queen ?" she began to worry.

"No, it's not that."" He paused, looking around as if about to reveal a secret. Aenemys glanced around, not understanding what was going on, before returning her gaze to the man. "Prince Daemon arrived at dawn."

"Did the Dragonpit explode ? Did the Red Keep go up in flames ?"

"No, of course not." He looked at her in disbelief, puzzled by the young woman's reaction, which showed a certain indifference to the announcement.

"Then why are you talking about it as if the worst disaster the world has seen since the fall of Old Valyria has just happened ?" Aenemys saw the man across from her frown, as if he were a little ashamed. She couldn't understand why the Prince's arrival had to be an affair of state.

"Well... You know Prince Daemon."

"No more than that," she replied vaguely.

Correction. When she thought about it a bit more, she could completely understand why this arrival had upset the soldier.

Prince Daemon was ambitious, impetuous, temperamental, impulsive and violent. Everyone knew his reputation, and that was the image people had of the king's younger brother. And it was true that he always ended up drawing attention to himself, be it positive or negative. Mostly the latter. And yet...

But Aenemys had never really had that image of the prince. The Dragon Rider of Caraxes was not often at court, even though he had a seat in the small council and waited for him, but from the brief exchanges she had had with him over the course of his life, Aenemys had found him rather charming - too charming - and arrogant, and it was clear that he was indeed an impulsive and brutal man, but he had always been more enigmatic. Getting to know the Prince's personality, and simply getting to know him, did not seem to be easy. The Velaryon had never succeeded.

Despite her image of the man, she wanted to believe what people said about him, but sometimes, the way Rhaenyra idolised her uncle, that enigmatic aspect he had always shown her and others, she thought it was more than that. He was more than that.

"You know he's a troublemaker," the soldier continued. He wasn't entirely wrong. Daemon was unpredictable and the fact that he was wandering around the castle was quite dangerous. Who knew how many things he'd had time to do and still had time to do since he'd arrived in the capital.

It was impossible to predict the prince's actions, and there was no point in worrying about him. So she tried to change the subject.

"Rhaenyra will be pleased."

"Speaking of which, neither the king nor the princess are aware of her brother's presence at court."

She couldn't understand why the normally stoic Kingsguard commander was so upset, but his sentence gave her all the answers.

"Is that what you're concerned about ? That something catastrophic will happen between now and the moment the King learns of his presence". It was legitimate, but the prince was far from stupid, in fact he was too cautious. And the king was used to minimising his brother's actions, so whatever he could do would certainly not cause any real problems.

"That doesn't concern me."

"Of course not." Aenemys pursed her lips, holding back a smile, her lips slightly parted, but her mischievous expression spoke for itself. She was gently taunting the knight. The situation was clearly troubling him, but he would never admit it. A man like him, a soldier in his position and with such an important role, would not be disturbed by such trivial matters. She could clearly hear the voice of the man in front of her saying these words.

"Unless the King learns of his presence through some catastrophe, though I'm sure he'll be glad to see his brother again." It was wrong of her to play on the soldier's worries, but it had amused her terribly since she was a little girl to drive that man mad. Perhaps there was a part of her that would always be childish.

She had seen the man's face almost fall, as if he hadn't considered the alternative to what she had just said. That was it, she blamed herself. Then she thought of a choice that would satisfy everyone and prevent the soldier from giving her a heart attack.

"And where is Prince Daemon now ?"

"He should be in the Great Hall." So he wasn't sure where the Prince was. It would be a small matter of discretion if he had to search the whole castle for him.

"Perfect, it's on my way," she declared as surprise flashed across Ser Harrold's face.

"Weren't you on your way to the Small Council Chamber ?"

"Not anymore."

"What are you going to do ?"

Suddenly it was as if Daemon's presence had faded into the background for the knight. The fact that young Velaryon wanted to meet him was even less reassuring. We were talking about the meeting of two free electrons. And Ser Harrold feared the influence the prince might have over the young woman he, it had to be said, was fond of - more than he would admit.

"Clear your conscience and assure me that your troublemaker will cause no trouble."

"Lady Aenemys." The curly-haired girl heard the royal guard call her as she was already on her way to the throne room. She saw him wave without turning, as if to tell her to look elsewhere.

"Be off, Ser Harrold, before your absence looks suspicious."

Aenemys walked towards the throne room and didn't realised she was smiling until she saw a guard smiling back at her. The court was going to be more eventful than usual and knowing that something, and in this case someone, was going to be the cause of it delighted her. It wouldn't do anyone any harm if the monotony of the days in King's Landing disappeared for a while. That, and the tournament for the Heir. Finally, there would be some excitement, something that had been almost non-existent since the announcement of the Queen's pregnancy.

The Velaryon opened the massive door to the throne room with some difficulty before entering. The creaking of the door drew the dragon's attention. Only a few rays of sunlight shone down on the place, making it difficult to see much. But despite the surrounding darkness, she could make out the silhouette of a man sitting on the throne. And not just any man.

This was Daemon Targaryen through and through. His piercing stare focused on her, Aenemys thought of the man in charge of the White Cloaks, who would surely have fainted to see the prince sitting in his brother's chair.

"Are you warming the seat for your brother, the king, my prince ?" She began the conversation in High Valyrian, moving towards the iron seat.

"Or perhaps for me." The prince's penetrating voice echoed through the empty hall, finding its way to Aenemys. She'd forgotten just how much his voice was just like him : flirtatious.

The half-light and the absence of any outside presence gave the atmosphere an intimate, forbidding quality. Yes, at that moment Aenemys had the impression that she shouldn't be there. Why shouldn't she be there ? She hadn't done anything wrong. Besides, the forbidden had never stopped her before. She ignored this strange feeling.

"This place isn't meant for you."

As she moved closer, Aenemys began to make out the face of her best friend's uncle. She noticed the corners of his lips turning up. He didn't care what she said. It wasn't the first time someone had said those words to him. He was even amused by them. But Aenemys had no intention of being a distraction for anyone. Especially since she'd come here in the first place so that it would be the other way round.

"But I am certain of the opposite."

"They say certainty is absurd." After this sentence, which was full of impertinence when it was uttered, the Velaryon paused. She had reached the foot of the steps leading to the throne where Daemon Targaryen sat. Her hands clasped in front of her, she looked at the prince. "Your brother would not want you to sit on this throne."

The prince, adapting to her, also reverted to the common language of the Seven Kingdoms. "And your uncle wouldn't want you talking to me. How fortunate for us that neither is here."

He said this in a phlegmatic tone before finally standing up and walking down the stairs towards the woman who had come to meet him. Aenemys did not take her eyes off the man as he moved very slowly and nonchalantly.

"You seem pleased by the thought."

"That your uncle doesn't like me, or that we're alone ?" Dermex's dragonrider raised her eyebrows. She held back a smile, more amused than she would have liked by the prince's outrageous personality. She had forgotten how unfiltered he was, not caring for the consequences of his words.

To ignore the prince's remark, Aenemys had taken her eyes off the prince, having found a sudden interest in contemplating the now empty sword seat. She turned to Daemon, who was now standing next to her, to face him.

If she had managed to hold it for a moment, the indifferent look on her face a few seconds before was slowly fading. And even if she had been able to keep it, the beating of her heart at the indecent look the prince gave her proved one thing : she was not indifferent.

"To make him angry." For a moment she had forgotten the use of words. Her reply made the Prince smile.

"You as well. Unless you just like breaking the rules."

She frowned slightly. "What makes you say that ?"

Daemon towered over her. He was much taller than she was, and when he leaned towards her, Aenemys felt ridiculously small. She forced herself to breathe evenly, which didn't match the uneven beating of her heart, and kept her eyes on him, lest he take control of the situation.

If she had learnt anything from the prince, it was that he played and mocked everything. Everything and everyone. He enjoyed the intimidation in people's eyes, but what Aenemys loved most was standing up to people.

"You smell of dragon."

Her cheek twitched. Aenemys cringed at the seemingly ordinary phrase. What he wasn't supposed to know was that her morning escapade with Rhaenyra had taken place without the permission of the king and queen. Simply because one would have known that his daughter would be late, and because the other would have hated to know that his daughter and her ward were riding dragons. And they'd done it behind the backs of the maids, who must have been rather uncomfortable to find their rooms empty.

But then again, he wasn't supposed to know, so Aenemys preferred to play the innocence card, even adding a touch of insolence. "So far, nothing out of the ordinary for a dragonrider."

"But Rhaenyra's ladies-in-waiting, who have been looking for her everywhere, including you in the castle, tell me that your escapade this morning was unauthorised."

Aenemys looked at the man before her in surprise. Her lips parted slightly, ready to answer. How on earth did he always have an answer for everything ? He was very observant and aware of his surroundings. The Prince's violence wasn't the only thing that could make him dangerous, Daemon Targaryen was far from stupid. The Velaryon wondered how the people of the castle could have noticed his presence so late, when he had had time to make a complete analysis of half the castle's inhabitants.

The young woman chose to remain silent on that point. Daemon finally sat down on the first of the steps leading to the throne, obviously very comfortable, before resting his purple eyes on her.

"What are you doing here ?" she finally asked him, the question that had been burning in her mind from the beginning. Daemon was sitting across from her, and it was she who was towering over him, and yet she felt completely dominated and she hated it.

"There will be tournaments in my honour." The prince's audacity would never cease to amaze the Velaryon.

"Two tournaments in a row, that's good news you bring us, my prince." Daemon looked at her with slightly raised eyebrows, surprised by the mocking tone the young woman had just taken. She was making fun of him. And no one dared to laugh at him.

"There is only one and the same tournament."

"Baelon Targaryen, is that you ? You've been born, and what's more, you've grown. It's a miracle." Aenemys had curtseyed before putting a confused expression on her face. She knew the prince still claimed to be the heir to the crown, but there was no point in contradicting him directly. He always managed to annoy you more than the other way round.

"Baelon is what they want to call their child if it's a son," he murmured thoughtfully. Aenemys froze, realising the mistake she had made. The queen had also taken her into her confidence about the name she would give her child, if it was a son, and she had just revealed it.

She had quickly closed her mouth, silencing herself. The prince let out a breath, amused by the situation. Aenemys calmed herself. The name of an unborn child and spreading it all over the city was not the sort of thing Daemon Targaryen was interested in. At least she hoped not.

Aenemys climbed a few steps, passed the prince and sat down. Her arms folded in her lap, she watched him. Head tilted back, the Targaryen wondered what his niece's closest friend could be up to. From the almost insolent expression on her face, Daemon knew she was going to attack again, and he didn't care.

"You'll be bored after the birth of the king's son, won't you ? You won't be able to proclaim yourself the heir at every turn."

She didn't know when he had done this, but Aenemys noticed that the prince, following her gaze, had taken a coin from his pocket and played with it between his fingers for several minutes. Her attention remained on the coin for a moment. Strangely, she was fascinated to see Daemon manipulate the object and watch it slide through his fingers.

The silver-haired man let the coin bounce before catching it in mid-air. He tore his eyes from his own hand before turning to face the young woman, leaning on the step where Aenemys' feet had been.

"There are many ways to keep busy." He replied with a face devoid of expression, but with a lustful look that contrasted with the rest.

Despite the few moments that had separated his answer from the young woman's previous words, his response had been spontaneous, not thought out. The Targaryen's gaze burned the black skin of his interlocutor.

Surprised she was. Her mouth slightly open, her gaze fixed on the prince, the Velaryon didn't know what to say. He had taken her completely by surprise. Her breathing had become stronger and deeper. Why on earth did she react like that ? She couldn't understand it. It was beyond her control. As if her body was reacting differently than her mind had decided.

"If they have a son." Proud of his effect, Daemon had merely grinned, a mischievous grin, before dropping her gaze, going back to playing with the stupid coin and resuming the discussion innocently.

It took Aenemys a moment to realise what the Targaryen was talking about. Enticed, she had lost the thread of the conversation, unlike the prince, who didn't seem the least bit disturbed. This intervention on his part had allowed Aenemys to take her eyes off the prince. She immediately turned her brown eyes to the windows where the outside light came from. She moistened her lips and cursed herself for allowing herself to be hypnotised by the prince.

She hadn't expected this kind of behaviour from him. At least not with her. He had never behaved like this with her. Sometimes, if not to the point of almost ignoring her presence. By entering this room, she had unconsciously thrown herself into the jaws of the dragon.

"A future full of uncertainty, then." She had spoken without taking her eyes from the windows. Perhaps it was the fear of losing herself in the prince's gaze again. She would rather tell herself that she was enjoying the sunlight that was actually burning her retinas.

"Didn't you say that certainty was absurd ?"

Despite herself, she smiled. Well done. Caught in her own trap. Finally, she dared to look at the prince again. He had remembered what she had said and used it again. How vile.

"Why are you here alone ?"

As he asked this question, with a hint of interest in the man's voice, Aenemys realised that Dameon had created a certain closeness between them by speaking more and more familiarly to her, while Velaryon was trying to create a protective barrier by doing the opposite.

"Small council meeting. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with me as your host for the time being."

"That does not displease me, but it may displease your uncle."

She raised her eyes to the sky in annoyance, which only served to amuse the man she was with. She couldn't help but reply sarcastically, something the Septa would surely have reprimanded her for. Like many of her actions, in fact.

"And I'm sure it will keep you awake tonight."

"Why are you here, Aenemys ?" Daemon had repeated his question, the same one the young woman had asked him earlier in their conversation, but this time with the addition of her name, spoken for the first time since their strange reunion.

The sound of her name on the prince's lips echoed in her stomach and her heart skipped a beat. She pushed these strange sensations aside.

"I live here. I don't know if you remember, but the other girl at the head of the table next to your niece, the princess, when the king arranges a family dinner when you rarely return to the capital, that's me."

Daemon gave a short, open laugh that surprised the Velaryon. It was a sound she had rarely heard, but it was very pleasant. It was different from the mocking laughter he usually had.

"I know exactly who you are, don't worry."

"You qualify as a disruptive element, and I promised Ser Harrold that there would be no disruption until the princess or the king arrived," she finally admitted to him.

"And he sent you ? You."

The haughty look in the prince's eyes vexed Aenemys. She put her elbows on her knees and leaned towards the prince.

"Who knows, maybe I'm hiding my game well."

Daemon tensed, stretching his neck to bring their faces closer together. She could feel the end of his breath on her face. He stretched a beguiling smile before whispering words that made her shudder.

"Oh, I don't doubt it."

Aenemys looked at the prince in confusion. She was unsure what was happening when a thud from the throne room door made her sit up immediately. What on earth had just happened ?

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*Dialogues in italics are in High Valyrian.

This chapter was one of my favourite chapters when i  wrote it because it's the one that introduces Aenemys, who is my favourite oc, and because it contains the first Daenemys scene in the fanfic.

A few other small details. I've kept Rhaenyra's and Daemon's eye colour from the books in this fanfic. My second point concerns the physical descriptions. Aenemys Velaryon is portrayed by Alisha Boe as a teenager with brown hair, but in the fanfic she has silver hair like the rest of her family. That's it for the annoying little details.

Please, let me know your thoughts !