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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T W E N T Y - O N E
Oh my heart ─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Daella halted at the sight of her family's quarters, gripping the heavy doors in surprise and frowning. Most of the servants were busy folding clothes that had been unpacked only yesterday and her mother, brothers and Daemon were talking amongst themselves quietly. "You are leaving?" she asked, finally earning the attention of her family.
Rhaenyra waved her daughter over, an apologetic smile on her face. Swallowing the lump in her throat and pushing away the growing feeling of dread, Daella did as her mother said and walked in their direction. The looks Jacaerys and Lucerys were giving her were not escaping her notice and her eyes flickered to them hesitantly, wondering what exactly she had done to earn herself these expressions of spite. Perhaps her brothers had expected her to join in on their childish brawl, but Daella did not think that very likely.
"The tensions are too great, my sweet child," Rhaenyra said gently, brushing a white lock over Daella's shoulder. "I will see Jace and Luke to Dragonstone and after that, I might return to Kingslanding on dragon back. Your grandmother Rhaenys is staying here as well, so you might find some company in her."
"I do not want a woman I have not seen for all the years of my existence," Daella replied curtly, feeling like a dagger had been stuck in her heart. She knew she wasn't being fair, especially not to her grandmother, who had played no conscious role in her absence during Daella's upbringing, but she could not bring herself to care. "You have only been here for a day and already you are returning to Dragonstone, mother. I have not seen you in a year and a half and now I must say goodbye again."
Rhaenyra smiled, cradling Daella's cheeks and pressing a long and hard kiss against her daughter's forehead. "I will be back, sweetling."
Letting out a sigh of defeat, Daella closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. All her life she had been confined to the castle of the Eyrie, where she had lived a youth she was terribly grateful for, but now she was restricted to the castle walls of Kingslanding, and she had none of the privileges she had under Lady Jeyne's care. She was looking forward to going to Dragonstone, to see the Dragonmont and the dragons of her mother and Daemon, Syrax and Caraxes, to circle the island on Vermithor and Silverwing and enjoy the company of her family, and to know that it had all been so close and was slipping yet again through her fingers made Daella bitter.
"Why would you even bother trying to pretend to want us here, sister?" Jacaerys suddenly asked, the tone in his voice surprisingly resentful. "It is obvious that all you will hear here this moment you will tell the Queen Alicent in the next."
Daella's eyes shot open and feeling the hands of her mother disappear from her face, she looked over her shoulder to her younger brother. He was standing next to Lucerys, his arms crossed in front of his chest and glared daggers at his sister. For a moment, Daella was too taken aback by her brother's sudden outburst that she could not find the words to form a reply and she merely rose a single eyebrow.
