The Realm's Fright | HOTD S1 | Fem!OC x Aemond Targaryen Fanfiction

Chapter Sixteen

The sand clung to Alysanne's satin slippers like stubborn whispers of the past, scratching at her delicate feet with each step. With a huff of frustration, she kicked them off, letting the coarse grains slip through her toes. The sensation was unpleasant at first, but soon she found herself enjoying the rawness of it. She walked barefoot towards the shore, the briny air heavy with the scent of the sea, and the sound of the waves crashing like a distant drumbeat.

Her ladies, however, were not as eager to embrace the shore. Lady Ellyn, her golden mane framed by the wind, shot Alysanne an uncertain look, her eyes wide with alarm.

“Lady Ellyn?” Alysanne called, her voice warm but insistent.

Ellyn snapped to attention, her green eyes softening in response to the princess's smile. "The salt of the sea will alleviate your fever in no less than an hour," Alysanne said, her tone light but firm. "So, shall we?" She extended her hand, a gesture meant to reassure.

The Reyne girl looked at her, clearly dismayed. “B-but, Princess Alysanne, it is cold. You’ll have me freeze to death!”

Alysanne chuckled, the sound mingling with the rush of waves. "And with the cold, it shall bring the warmth out of your body, my Lady," she said, pressing the point. Her voice held an edge of playful authority, as if there were no question of what would come next. Ellyn hesitated, and Alysanne felt a twinge of unease—had she misjudged her? But then, after a long pause, Ellyn stepped forward, placing her hand in the princess’s.

"Do you trust me?" Alysanne asked softly, meeting Ellyn's gaze with quiet intensity.

"I do, Princess," Ellyn replied, though her frown lingered, unease still clouding her features.

Alysanne smiled, her fingers tightening slightly around the girl’s. "Then let us begin." With a purposeful step, she led the way, her bare feet sinking into the wet sand as the waves reached to meet her, pulling Ellyn gently along.

As they neared the edge of the water, Ellyn whined in protest, her silk dress clinging to her legs as the first bite of the cold sea kissed her skin. “It’s freezing!” she cried, her pale face scrunched in discomfort as she pulled her arms around herself. Alysanne glanced over at Lady Cassandra, who was standing further away, a heavy coat pulled tight around her body, her teeth chattering from the chill of the wind.

“On the count of three, Ellyn," Alysanne called, her voice a calm beacon against the storm of discomfort. "I want you to hold your breath. One…”

Ellyn pinched her nose reflexively, her eyes wide with anxiety, but Alysanne’s voice was steady, coaxing her back into the moment.

“No, Ellyn, not yet,” Alysanne chided, a hint of mischief in her tone. “Two… Three!”

In that breathless moment, the two girls submerged themselves into the bracing saltwater, the cold shock spreading across their skin like fire and ice combined. They broke the surface together, gasping for air, their laughter echoing in the stillness of the night. The world around them, for a fleeting instant, felt vast and wild, and Alysanne reveled in it.

“I feel so alive!” Ellyn cried, her voice a laugh tinged with exhilaration as she dipped her head back into the water, forgetting herself for the moment. But then she sputtered and coughed, her body shaking as she struggled to catch her breath.

“It seems you’ve never been in the sea before, Lady Ellyn,” Alysanne observed, her voice laced with amusement. “But you are from the Westerlands, where the Sunset Sea laps at Lannisport’s shores, are you not?”

“My father would never let me bathe in the open sea, Princess," Ellyn admitted, her voice growing a touch heavier. "It is not right for a highborn lady to do such wild things.”