For almost her entire life, Daella Targaryen has lived as Mellara Rivers, the bastard daughter of Arnold Arryn and cupbearer of Lady Jeyne Arryn. First and trueborn daughter of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Daella had but slight contact with her fami...
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F I F T E E N
I tell myself I don't care that much ─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Late in the evening the next day, when she had slept off all the effects of the milk of the poppy, Daella finally felt well enough to come out of bed. She had her maids called to her room, for once grateful as they pulled the dress from her body and gently guided her into the bathtub. Her ears rang as she lowered herself into the water and the soft chatter of her handmaids, a sound that usually didn't bother her, caused a dull ache in her head. Still, feeling not only the dirt but also the shame from the events of yesterday being carefully scrubbed from her body made Daella feel a whole lot better.
When she was done bathing, her maids dressed her again, a task that proved more tedious than she could ever have imagined. One of the girls had to hold onto her painful arm, keeping it as still as possible, while another ever so gingerly pulled the fabric over arm. When that was done, the third girl entered the bathroom with a sling made of the same material and colour as her dress, tying it around Daella's neck and guiding her arm in it.
"You are in time for dinner, my Princess," one of the girls said, inclining her head in respect. "Though the Queen understands if you wish to dine in your room."
"I have not dressed up so that nobody might see it," Daella replied sharply, already storming through her room at a pace that made her dizzy. She had spent the entire night and day abed, sleeping most of the time, but she would not appear weak any longer for she had shown enough of her belly yesterday in the training yard.
"Slow down, Princess," the same maid called after her. "You will hurt yourself even worse."
"I sincerely doubt that's possible," Daella countered humourlessly. She grabbed the door handle with her good hand and swung open the door, stepping onto the hallway and escorting herself in the direction of the royal apartments. With each and every step, Daella could feel the ache between her temples grow, but she kept her head held high and her spine straight.
She entered the dining room to the sight of her family already sharing dinner and cursed the maid for her false information. Smiling at the shocked expressions on her family's faces, Daella did a little curtsy and walked to her empty seat in between Aemond and Helaena. "It seems I am late once again," she said. "I do not intent to make a habit of it, Your Grace."
"It is fine, darling," the Queen said, making a dismissive gesture with her hand. She looked particularly tired this evening, with dark circles underneath her eyes and the corners of her mouth dropping, and Daella couldn't help but wonder if she had been fighting with the King. "We would have waited if I had known you would join. The Maesters said you should rest abed for at least three more days to come."
