𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑 ; a.targaryen

[ 03 ] empty promises

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

*ੈ⸝⸝⚔️˗ˏˋ CHAPTER THREE ࿐ྂ

- ͙۪۪̥˚┊❝ now leave me alone ! ❞┊˚͙۪۪̥◌

━━━━━━━━━━━ DAENA STOOD IN FRONT OF SER HARWIN STRONG with tears in her eyes. The fourteen-year-old was not nearly ready lose her father. Epsecially since it was all for something as idiotic as a fight. She stood next to her mother, watching as the man said his goodbyes to Jace and Luke, both boys unaware of his true identity and what he was to them.

When he made it to Daena, his frown deepened. His only daughter, the light of his life, and he only got to spend the first fourteen years of her life with her, only five of which she recognized him as her father. He didn't know when he was going to see her next, so he had decided to give her something to remember him by.

Harwin handed Daena a pendant. The chain was silver, but what was hanging from it made Daena's eyes water again. It was a beautiful ruby shaped like a heart, which was popping out of a silver framing. It was truly breathtaking.

"It belonged to my mother," Harwin whispered, so that neither Jace or Luke would hear him.

Daena turned around, holding back her tears in front of her brothers and took a hold of her hair, letting her father  put the necklace on her. When he was done, she turned and hugged him tightly, never wanting to let go.

Eventually he gently pulled away from her and turned to face all of his children. "I will be a stranger when we meet again."

Daena felt miserable. She had only just found out Harwin Strong was her father, and now he had to leave. How was this fair? She longed for him to stay, she needed him to stay. Her cover father was never there for her. He was always out with strange men or talking to her mother about something. Perhaps he would even be with her brothers, but never with her. She needed a father. And when she got one, the gods made him get out of her life.

"Please don't go." She begged with tears in her eyes. Harwin kneeled in front of her so that he could look her in the eye, and gave her a weak smile.

"I'm afraid I have to leave, peach. 'Til we meet again, I will be with you, in there." He pointed at Daena's chest, right at her broken heart. "Don't you dare forget me." Harwin let out a weak laugh.

Daena let out a mix between a laugh and a sob. "I won't. I'll never forget you, kepa. I promise." She knew her brothers didn't understand a word of High Valyrian yet, so she could freely call Harwin her father when they were around.

"I'll hold you to that promise." Harwin stood up and faced Rhaenyra, who had tears welling up in her violet eyes. Daena hated this. She could see the love her parents shared, and she would never forgive ser Criston Cole for this. For separating her parents. For forcing her father to leave her. For all of it.

She hated that man.

She watched as Harwin walked out of the room and impulsively, she ran after him, Jace quick on her heels. Although as the younger of the siblings stayed put in the hallway, Daena continued running after her father. She ignored her mother, who was calling her name, the tears now freely falling from her eyes.

She threw herself on Harwin, attaching herself to his leg tightly, refusing to let go. Harwin stopped walking and bent down, gently freeing himself of her, but keeping a hold on her arms and keeping her close to him. One last act of weakness, he might call it.

"I cannot stay here, peach," he said with glossy eyes, and Daena could see that he was close to crying.

"Let me come with you father, please." She begged, her voice cracking.

Harwin looked down at her in sadness, the frown on his lips tearing Daena's soul apart. "You know you cannot call me that in the open."

"I don't care! You are my father." She argued back. "Please let me come with you."

Harwin looked like he was in pain. "You can't."

"Please." Daena sobbed, her hands clutching Harwin's arm, hoping he'd agree. That he'd take her with him.

"I will write to you as soon as I am at Harrenhal, and I won't stop writing for as long as I am to stay there. And as soon as I can come back, I will let you know." Harwin said, his hand petting Daena's blonde hair gently.

Her teary eyes looked at him. "Do you promise?"

"I promise," he said and kissed her forehead before walking away again, and this time she didn't run after him. He left Daena standing in the hallway, crying her eyes out. She sniffled and sniffled, tears coating her cheeks, and when they finally dried, she felt something shift inside of her. With a void face, she slowly walked outside towards the Weirwood tree.

She sat down, leaning against the tree and stared at the sun. She sat there doing nothing for hours. She only stared at the sky, at the sun, the trees and the rising moon. Daena didn't even notice that the sun had gone down until she felt a presense next to her. She turned her head and saw Aemond looking at her, a nervous look on his face.

Before she would have been excstatic, smiling at him and asking if he had changed his mind about their friendship, but she had waited too long for him, and the absence of her father only made her heart hurt more. She no longer saw Aemond as she used to. Now he was only the boy who used her father against her, and was a part of the reason he was sent off. Though, whether she'd admit it or not, there was a large part of her that still cared for Aemond. That part of her wanted nothing more than to spend time with her best friend again, but that was just it. He wasn't her best friend anymore. He was just... there.

"Are you okay?" Aemond asked eventually, hesitancy in his voice, which only aggravated the girl even more.

Daena sighed and looked away from him. "Leave me alone, uncle. You are not needed here."

Aemond looked surprised. She had been trying to talk to him for years nonstop, and now she wanted him to leave? He didn't understand what was wrong now. He just couldn't do anything right.

"Don't act like you don't want me to be here. You have been begging for me to come back to you for years!" He scoffed.

Daena turned to him sharply, anger rising inside her like a tidewave at his words. "And I am done doing so! I finally realized that if you do not know how to appreciate my friendship, then you do not deserve it at all. Now leave me alone!" she snapped and stood up to face him, her face red.

Aemond blinked in shock, and then silently walked off, leaving her alone once again. Daena slumped down in exhaustion, the only thing in mind being the letter her father had promised to send her. They would see each other again, maybe not in a while, but they would. They had to, right? He promised.