the sun and the moon

eight

Death has had many names. Daenys knows death as The Stranger do to her mothers devoted to the religion of The Seven. The young princess counts herself lucky for having been able to avoid seeing The Stranger for this long. Though death came for Vaemond Velaryon in a very spine-chilling manner, Daenys felt little remorse. The way she saw it, he had spoken carelessly of Princess Rhaenyra, the heir to the throne. He caused his own demise. The words he yelled without remorse in front of the court were the sole reason he now lay beheaded. The girl's only conflict with his death is that she had been there to witness it. Daenys remembered the sound of Prince Daemon's sword, Dark Sister, slicing through Ser Vaemond's head. She can hear his head hitting the ground, his body following. She couldn't seem to get the metallic smell out of her nose.

But he showed up in time to pull her away. Her Jacaerys came to shield her from such a sight. She remembered feeling his warm hand on her back, gently guiding her away, his other hand held her forearm as he inspected her bloody hands. He smelled like sweat and leather. When Daenys would shut her eyes, she was not plagued by the sight of that dead man but instead saw Jace's kind eyes. Those eyes filled her with warmness and comfort and made her feel calmer.

When Daenys woke the morning after the petitions, she thought of Vaemond Velaryon for only a moment. She did not mourn him. The young girl only thought of her brief meeting with The Stranger that came of the situation. Daenys steeled herself, she would do anything in her power to keep The Stranger away from those she loves. As the princess got ready for the day, she felt her confidence renew itself with the vow she made to herself. She would do whatever was necessary to interrupt whatever plans her mother was crafting to put Aegon on the throne.

Daenys ran her fingers through her unbound hair. The platinum waves fell onto the pale blue dress she donned. Without much thought, the princess quickly wrote on a loose piece of paper she found. I've taken to reading in my solar if you and your brother find it agreeable, you are welcome to join.

She handed the note to her lady in waiting. "You will not be needed here today Norla, but see to it that Jacaerys receives this if you would be so kind." Daenys knew once the girl got a safe distance away she would read the note and report it to the Queen no matter how insignificant it seemed.

The girl sat herself down and drew her legs up under her before cracking open her book. She had only gotten a handful of chapters in when a knock sounded. With her permission granted, Daenys' company entered into the solar. Almost immediately Jace met her eyes, wordlessly asking if she was okay. The princess gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod that only those who paid close attention would recognise. Daenys stood from her seat and beckoned the boys to come sit. She thought back to all those years ago when they would all sit together, everyone doing their own tasks while enjoying the other's company. Jacaerys took the seat beside her own, which Daenys had curled up onto again. Luke sat on the floor in front of the princess as he did when he was younger.

Daenys settled into her book. Occasionally she would become distracted and listen as Jace and Luke went back and forth practicing their High Valyrian. The girl managed to get a third way through the book before she closed it, laying it down on her lap. She began brushing Luke's hair with her fingers as she would when he was little. It was as if the action reminded the young boy of something as he sat up straighter and shifted to look accusingly at his brother.

"Will you tell me why I am the only one betrothed now?"

Jace's brown eyes flitted up to meet Daenys' violet ones. She shrugged her shoulders and nodded to him, smoothing away her little Luke's hair back. The eldest leaned closer to his brother as if there were others in the room he did not want to hear his words. The young boy mirrored his brother leaning forward, causing Daenys' hands to slip from his hair.

"Mother is planning to talk to the Queen about allowing Dee and I to be betrothed." Jace spoke in a conspiratorial tone, his eyes playfully looking around almost to ensure no one else had heard. Daenys watched with amusement twinkling in her eyes and a small on her face as Lucerys snapped back into place before he began scrambling to turn around and face her. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open only slightly.

"Truly? Is he telling the truth?" He questioned excitedly.

The girl looked to the eldest brother. "Your brother must think lowly of you to believe you'd lie to him about this." She teased. Daenys turned her attention back to her little nephew before she gave him an earnest nod. Luke seemed more excited for this news than the news of his own betrothal. At some point during the many moments of assuring the boy they were not joking and answering the questions he asked, both Jace and Daenys moved to sit beside each other on the floor across from Luke. They sat with their shoulders pressing into one another, their hands lay intertwined in Jacaerys' lap. After a few moments, the trio settled into a calmer atmosphere.

"I actually need to talk to you both about something else." Daenys finally announced in a serious tone. With both boys eye's focused on her, she continued, "My mother more likely than not has plans in place to put Aegon on the throne. With the King in the state he is in, I worry this plan might come into fruition sooner than I would like. I wanted to tell you that because though my mother would be against it, my grandfather surely has sinister plans for your family. Just swear to me that you will be extra careful."

The boys looked to each other before turning back to the princess. "I swear." They both spoke firmly. Jace squeezed Daenys' hand, a promise reserved just between the two.

"If the Queen accepts the marriage proposal between the two of you, would that not be the best option? After mother, Jace is to be king and you would be Queen anyway so she would have one of her children on the throne no matter what." Lucerys piped up after a quiet moment.

Daenys pressed her lips together as she thought. She nodded contemplatively, "I hope that is how everything unfolds but my mother and grandfather most likely plan to rule through Aegon. There is no possibility they allow him to have such power without them whispering in his ear, swaying him to do their bidding. Unfortunately for them, I am not as easy to manipulate as my eldest brother, which they both are well aware of."

The three collectively let out a sigh. The room remains quiet for a few beats, everyone turning ideas over in their heads. Jacaerys lets out a hum.

"At this point we can only pray that the Queen accepts the proposal. We'll have to wait and see what comes next."

At his words, Daenys sits up straighter, her eyes widened slightly as if she were struck by something.

"Our dinner is tonight. That does not give much time but given I've been infatuated for years she'd have to know by now or she would be blind. I can be very persuasive when I need to be." The girl rushed out, half to herself and half to the boys beside her.

"What exactly are you scheming?" The eldest Velaryon boy questioned.

"Hm this is less of a scheme and more of a needed push in the right direction. If I spend as much time as possible beside my mother before the dinner when Rhaenyra is to inquire about our marriage, I can hopefully use my words to sway her to be more inclined to accept. I'll need to be very subtle about it though." Daenys answered.

Jace nodded in encouragement. "Well then I suppose me and Luke best be off. Have fun hanging out with your mother, my dearest." His tone held playfulness. As the three stood, Jacaerys raised Daenys' hand that was still clasped in his to his lips to give it a brief kiss.

"Yes I am sure we shall have lots of fun."