Realm's Delight (A Rhaenyra Targaryen Villainess Fanfiction)

She who is to be Queen

While king and daughter were in mourning for a full year, Rhaenyra continued her preparations for being queen. She continued walking the streets of King's Landing in the daylight accompanied by her sworn shield, Ser Harrold Westerling. She would perform charitable works for those who were the most pitiable in the society, making sure that orphans and beggars were cared for.

At night, she would prowl the streets as a peasant boy in disguise, not only to find amusements but also to observe things which she would not otherwise see if she were present as the princess. Thanks to her uncle and his gold cloaks, even the streets of silk remained safe at night. But danger would be the least of her problems. By this time, Rhaenyra has already mastered the use of the short sword and by extension, the dagger.

In one of her sparring sessions, Rhaenyra used her speed and nimbleness to climb and lock herself behind Criston Cole's back and press the hilt of her short sword upon his cheek. Once done he was quick to congratulate her despite thinking at the back of his mind that the Princess' movements were more suited for an assassin than an honorable knight. Rhaenyra made a quick note to herself that she should refrain from using the same maneuver to prevent arousing any suspicions from Cole.

Apart from physical exercises, mental sharpening, and political scheming, Rhaenyra found herself invested in the occult as well. Never a pious person, she had little interest in the Faith. However, in one of her visits in Dragonstone, she found something more interesting than praying to the gods.

Some scholars claimed that in the later days of Queen Visenya, she dabbled in dark sorceries and played with poisons. While there were no proof put forward, these claims had some truth in them. Rhaenyra happened upon an old book at the library in Dragonstone detailing the methods the late queen used in performing her arts and brewing her potions. For what better place to hide a tree than the forest? This was where Rhaenyra learned to brew a more potent but less dangerous and non-detectable incarnation of the Moon tea.

Not only was this the knowledge she gained from Visenya's book. There, she also learned the dark sorceries, same as the ones employed by the Faceless Men in Braavos. Rhaenyra learned these secrets day and night, but she was just short of becoming "No one" for she was still the heir to the iron throne.

In one of her night excursions, Rhaenyra's attention was called by an old, blind fortune teller by the roadside.

"Do you wish to have your fortunes read, child?"

Rhaenyra decided that the woman was nothing but a quack; nonetheless, she would humor herself with her false ramblings. After all, what could the woman say that she already does not know?

"I haven't any coin." She said, attempting to get the reading for free.

"That bread on your bag should suffice."

True enough, the loaf of bread she smuggled from the royal kitchens as a snack was sticking out of her satchel. She had known from her excursions that in the streets of King's Landing, everyone paid their dues. To eat, one must pay. But it would be strange, nay, suspicious for a peasant boy to hand a full piece of a dragon coin in exchange for a few delicacies. Stranger even had she asked Ser Harrold for a few pieces of copper.

Once, she took a piece of pigeon pie being displayed at a roadside bakery, the owner charged her 10 copper stars. But that was before the owner noticed the platinum blonde locks peeking from the hood of her cloak. Upon recognizing her, the owner gave the pie to her for free. When Ser Harrold thought that she wasn't looking, the old knight secretly handed a few coppers to the owner. It was one lesson Rhaenyra learned that day: nothing ever comes free.

While on their way, Ser Harrold, ever the cautious knight, took the pigeon pie from Rhaenyra's hand and took a bite from half of it. When he returned it to the princess, the old knight said, "Delicious without the poison."