DANCING WITH DRAGONS ;; a collection of imagines.

lucerys velaryon ; our little secret

⁀➷ summary ; requested by anon.

"hii i have an idea for a lucerys x fem reader !! where shes his betrothed and shes like a couples of years older than him??, also luke acting very shy bc of that."

⁀➷ pairing ; lucerys velaryon x betrothed!reader

⁀➷ notes / warnings ; slight age gap mentioned. this was a little shorter than what i wanted but i didn't want it to drag on,, viserys is also still alive and healthy,, hope u enjoy!

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returning to court in king's landing was something lucerys was never excited for.

his uncles, aemond and aegon targaryen, both had a shared hand in bullying the younger velaryon boy. despite having his brother jace with him at all times, it seemed that lucerys himself was always caught in a finicky situation. although his grandfather often berated aemond and aegon, it did little to help quell their hatred for their nephews, especially aemond.

however, this time, lucerys was betrothed to you and set to make public appearances before your marriage. you were originally supposed to be married off to aegon, but queen alicent ignored the wishes of her husband and instead, married aegon to his sister, helaena. whispers of calling your family 'drunken cunts' were rumored to have fallen from the lips of the queens mouth. though, it was only speculated.

in attempt to desperately repair an amend that was unraveling with each week that passed by, king viserys decreed that prince lucerys velaryon would take your place as your husband (as prince jacaerys was already betrothed to his cousin). this was the right step in making repairs to the relationship between house targaryen and yours, as your family even agreed that it was far more suitable to marry the heir of driftmark than marrying a prince who held one of the farthest claims from the line of succession.

the only problem lucerys faced was the slight age gap between him and yourself. he always imagined himself to be with someone his age. you were older and more politically savvy; refined and pampered for royal court in ways that lucerys found intimidating. tales of your beauty and wit were never strangers to his ear which only added to the nerves that never seemed to go away.

perhaps a girl of seven-and-ten was a better match for a twenty year old man, rather than a boy shy of fifteen. however, lucerys did understand westerosi customs and gave no argument.

he's well in thought whilst staring up at the ceiling of his private quarters. his ears are tuned to the hooting owl and the singing crickets outside the balcony adjacent to his bed. the breeze flits inside, ruffling the linen that allowed some privacy in the room. he sighs, hands clasped behind his head.

what could he do to quell this feeling of anxiety? this ceaseless dilemma of shyness that forever haunted his being like a phantom to a barren castle? he was so sure, since his life was full of constant worry, that he would be growing gray hairs like his uncle corlys. except, uncle corlys was shy of sixty and lucerys was barely a man. perhaps he'd grow fine lines like his beautiful aunt, rhaenys, or he'd grow the stern, brooding face of his father-in-law, daemon.

he wanted so desperately to be rid of the thoughts that ran marathons in his head.

a creak in the floorboards is quick to cease his torment; his mind going silent as the sound interrupts. he's frozen in place what seems like, but he slowly removes his hands from behind his head. one hand searches blindly underneath his pillows, desperate to find the handle of the dagger.

"who goes there?" his voice sounds the least bit intimidating as the end of his sentence ends in a wavering voice crack. he curses himself, who would ever find him menacing?

there's a warm, orange glow that appears at the bottom of the closed door; shadows dance in minuscule detail. the door opens with a soft croak and he noticed that it's a woman covered in a shawl carrying the candlelit flame.

only when the figure comes closer and his eyes adjust to the light does he see who it is; it's you.

"i didn't mean to frighten you, my prince," you say, voice bordering a whisper as you approach. lucerys' hand abandons going for the dagger and instead, he props himself up on his elbows.
his face scrunches in mock offense, "frighten me? i wasn't frightened. just curious, is all."

with obviously ruffled feathers of his black hair and parted mouth with doe-like eyes, lucerys velaryon was the farthest thing from a good liar. instead of calling him out, you smile and move to light a few candles that decorated his bedside. soon, the entire room is filled with a mellow ambience. he sees your face more clearly and he's almost left breathless.

"i don't mean to sneak in here like a common cutthroat, but i was eager to meet my betrothed. i hope it's not trouble?" lucerys can't lie, your voice is like music to his ears. he feels himself sinking deeper and deeper with each word that flows beautifully from your tongue.

he almost doesn't respond, "not at all, my lady." he swallows the hardness in his throat and clutches his sheets in attempt to ease the wetness of his palms, "we're to be wed."

you sit at the edge of his bed, one foot propped up, dangling in the air while the other foot rests against the floor. you quietly set the candle your holding on his bedside table.

"indeed we are, i hope i don't disappoint my prince?"

lucerys is almost offended for you by the notion. he's quick to shake his head, "not at all, my lady. you are.. you're everything i could hope for and more."

you smile and duck your head at the compliment, hiding behind the shroud of your hair.

"can i confess something?" lucerys asks, releasing the grip he had on his sheets. he rubs his palms against his clothing and looks down while he fiddles with them. a soft 'yes' is heard in response and he takes a breath, releasing it slowly. "i must admit that i'm.. rather uncertain about this marriage."

your brows furrow and you tilt your head, "how come, my prince?"

"lucerys, or– or luke," he corrects. he blinks for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip tentatively. "you are.. my elder. i fear i won't be as good to you as.. as aegon would be."

you smile and reach for his hand, not minding the sweatiness that meets your skin, "have no fear, lucerys. i was once in your shoes," you pause to take a thoughtful breath, "we all learn while we grow older. i can teach you some things too, if you'd like. there's no shame in it."

lucerys is thankful that you don't share his same sentiment and also enjoys that you've offered to aid him. maybe he shouldn't be so anxious about things. he gives you a sheepish smile.

"i'm glad you think that, my lady."

"(y/n)." you're quick to correct him, just as he had done to you just moments before. "if i know your name, it's only fair you know mine."
lucerys titters happily.

you're first to beat lucerys at breaking the silence, "i fear it's time for me to go, luke." he likes the way you say his name. "before they start to miss me, perhaps i'll see you again?"
lucerys catches himself blushing, "i would like that, (y/n)."

you lean forward and place a kiss on his cheek, wishing him a good night before grabbing the candle you originally came into his room with. you sneak away, casting a glance over your shoulder to the princeling who was watching you get away.

you give him one more smile before exiting his room to scurry back to yours.