𝐖𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 | 𝐝𝐚𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐧

1 - a feast

The sun was still high in the sky when the commotion broke out in King's Landing. It was still long before the feast, but most of the guests had already arrived in the early hours of the morning. Lady Aruna was one of those guests, but she showed neither restlessness nor excitement.

It was not her engagement party either.

Princess Rhaenerya had finally decided to marry. Whether for love or political reasons was not important to most. Many aspirants fought each other over the news and yet others were only looking forward to the precious festive days.

Lady Aruna and the princess had known each other for many years. Together with Lady Alicent Hightower, now Queen Alicent, they formed an almost inseparable team. On Aruna's 11th name day she had to leave King's Landing with her family. From then on she lived with her family in Highgarden again.

Aruna's uncle Jaro had given up his position at court to return home. The young girl did not believe that at the time and still does not. Something had to have happened then. Her uncle was a man of honour, never would he have voluntarily given up his high position.

When Lord Malion Tyrell died on his daughter's 4th name day, his brother Lian became Lord of Highgarden. Even today there were various rumours about the death of the former lord. Malicious tongues claimed that his own brother was behind it in order to keep the titles. Against all tradition, it was indeed Lian who got the titles and not Malion's first-born Adrik.

Aruna and her brother Adrik knew that things had not gone right and have been trying to find out what really happened ever since.

Jaro Tyrell, Malion's youngest brother, took in the two orphans and raised them together with his wife Estella. Shortly after his brother's death, he was summoned to King's Landing and took the two orphans with him. His own children remained behind in Highgarden with his wife.

Adrik enjoyed an almost knightly upbringing, while Aruna was given a septa to raise her to be a good wife. What no one knew was that after his lessons, Adrik went to his sister to teach her what he had learned. The two knew early on that they could not trust anyone in the capital and also in their home country and had to be prepared.

None of their family had expected an invitation to the festivities. The invitation had come from the princess herself and had been addressed directly to Aruna. Her uncle Lord Lian had raged wildly and torn up the invitation. The burly man had still not calmed down and had stayed in Highgarden like a petulant child. Instead, he sent his brother and family and the two orphans on their way, hoping to offend the royal family in the same way.

None of the Targaryens took the arrival of Ser Jaro and his entourage as an insult, rather they were relieved that the youngest of the Tyrell brothers had come and not his older grumpy brother the lord.

Much had changed after Aruna's last stay in the capital. Rhaenerya had been named heiress to the iron throne and Alicent had married Rhaenerya's father and given him two more children.

Aruna and Adrik had not been aware of many things in Highgarden. Neither of their uncles told them anything that happened outside their house and certainly nothing political. Adrik, who served as a knight in Highgarden, got his information from other knights. Aruna, on the other hand, got her information from Adrik.

Each similar to the name days of the three girls they were all allowed to exchange letters and even there they had to hide the information between the lines, because their aunt read every letter from Aruna before she received it or was allowed to send it.

As the daughter of a former lord, the girl bore the title Lady, but the title brought her no advantages. She was not even allowed to have her own maid and her brother had to fight for her uncle from an early age.