MOONSHINE ○ JAIME LANNISTER

السادس عشر

"And here we have the magnanimous Princess Flora of House Dayne," Varys proclaimed to the crowd in the great hall, gesturing to her as they all pushed to take a look at her. She merely squirmed under all the attention, uncomfortable at the stares that were lingering too long on places she would rather not have them be in.

She had lost count of how many days she had spent, either in front of the royal courts or just spent away in her room, with absolutely nothing to do. Rather than enjoying the sights of King's Landing, she had been paraded around like an exotic trophy these barbaric hosts had brought from some distant island. And to top off how bad she felt, Flora had not seen any sight of her blonde lover, even if she strayed near Robert, and even if she had looked for him profusely. It was almost if he was ignoring her, but she couldn't muster the courage to believe that, or at least, not yet.

"May I ask how your skin got so tan?" The foolish question from the audience snapped Flora out of her reverie as she took to glare at the man who had questioned her, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"How did you think I got it? I live-" She breathed in a sigh, pinching her nose ever so slightly before facing Cersei's knowing glare, "lived quite near to the beach."

"A savage, I must say!" A voice from the back called to her, and she began walking down the stone steps before her mind could concede, Fury blinded her as she pushed away Varys' hand and the crowd divided for her, not wanting to cross her wrath. Whoever had just said that must be a brainsick fellow, she thought to herself as Flora sauntered over.

She smirked; it was a middle-aged man, his brown hair peppered with grey streaks as he looked her up and down, his height not even up to her nose. He glared at her with an insurmountable contempt, sticking his chin up as to even match her height.

"May I ask, good sir, that you repeat what you had just-"

"I said, that you island lot are all savages who know nothing except to eat off their hands-"

The slap across his cheek echoed throughout the hall as she flared her nostrils, stepping closer to the now cowering man, about the rip him apart with her two bare hands. She was furious that people had still thought that way of her people, of her kingdom as she looked around, nobody in the crowd daring to meet her eye.

"Might anyone else add a word to what this sir had just proclaimed truth?" She asked viciously, turning around before tutting. Flora met the eyes of the Queen Mother, who was placing on an ostentatious expression, and thereafter whispered to her husband, who was utterly shocked, as if she had just gone naked.

Flora then proceeded to walk towards the steps again, her head held high and her hands clasped behind her satin gold dress.

"Varys, will that be enough of my parading around for this day?" She questioned him, more of a rhetoric than anything as he mindlessly nodded, feigning apathy to the circumstances that had just transpired. "Thank you, all, and may the gods bless thy."

She curtsied lowly, her eyes never leaving the wall across her. She couldn't bear to see another person's face; she was exhausted, emotionally, and Flora wished only to return home at that point, whatever home was, whether it be the sea or her lover that had disappeared for the time being.

Walking the marble hallways, she had not bothered to gaze over the servants, feeling a twinge of guilt over her recent actions.

He had deserved it, though. Absolutely, she thought to herself as she briskly paced her surroundings.

"Oh yes, he quite did." She looked up at the man in front of her, slightly tilting her head in curiosity. In a split second, she took notice of his features; his tan skin only a tad darker than hers, his thick eyebrows and yearning eyes, and the fact that his overcoat revealed a fair amount of his bronze skin surprised, no, impressed her.