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Within the span of six months, Naenya had only visited the North and the Vale. Each visit went with relative ease, the North being the same as it always had been, true and loyal, and the Vale had been easily charmed due to her linkage to the House by her late mother. While in the Vale, she had even visited Runestone, where Lady Rhea had welcomed her. Despite her uncle and Lady Rhea's less-than-amicable relationship, Rhea Royce had welcomed Naenya into her home with open arms.
She was unsure whether her journey was to get more difficult once she arrived at House Tully or afterwards.
She had only been with the Tullys for a week when she got her answer. Although it wasn't what she had expected.
An unopened letter was clutched in the hands of her sworn kingsguard, Ser Loren. The emblem of the mighty house of the dragon was crested into the letter, making her heart flutter with thoughts of home. Rhaenyra and Viserys had sent many letters to her since she had first arrived in the North, with letters waiting for her in the Vale before she had even arrived, so she thought she knew what would be contained in this letter.
She had been wrong.
Tearing it open, her excited smile escaped her as her eyes quickly scanned over the words. The handwriting wasn't her father's, nor was it Rhaenyra's. No, the handwriting of this specific letter belonged to that of the Hand. Ser Otto Hightower had written this letter.
"My father has a new wife," Naenya told Ser Loren, staring at the letter in dismay.
Viserys Targaryen was still the King. He would be expected to find a new wife again. Naenya knew he had done his best to put it off, the girl assuming the court had been bombarding him with pressure as soon as her mother's body was burnt, and she had appreciated his actions in that way. It wasn't his decision to marry again that had caught her so off guard. It was who he had decided to marry.
"Isn't Alicent Hightower my sister's best friend," Naenya asked Ser Loren, beginning to pace around the room as she reread the letter.
Naenya was no fool. She had seen the ways Rhaenyra had stared at Lady Alicent. The way her sister's eyes would light up when the girl entered the room and the way she would stop listening as soon as she left. She also saw the way Lady Alicent stared back at Rhaenyra. While those kinds of feelings were frowned upon for women, Naenya wasn't one to judge her own sister. Rhaenyra was a good soul and deserved whatever happiness pleased her.
Naenya didn't view women the same way as her sister, though.
"Yes, I believe she is. Why?" Ser Loren peered down at the letter that Naenya had thrust in his face, his eyebrows raising, "well that is certainly interesting,"
Naenya's head dropped into her hand as Ser Loren took the letter from her to inspect. The Red Keep had gone wild without her there.
"This is a jester's golden pot," Naenya shook her head. Ser Loren had become one of the only people she could gossip with during the journey, "Can you imagine the havoc?"
