a princess and her secrets

not a very warm welcome

warnings: sexual references

helaena desperately hopes no one notices the way she can't take her eyes off the new general.

Helaena was well aware that those around her assumed she was weak. Her kindness was often mistaken as her being nothing more than a fragile girl. Her mother often stared at her in sympathy, pitying the naivety of her only daughter. Her dear husband Aegon has always made it clear that the only emotion he held for his dull wife was disgust, and Aemond often treated her as something that could easily shatter into a million pieces. 

It made her want to scream. 

She often fantasised about standing up and destroying everything that decorated the grand table at which her family sat for dinner. She would relish in the sound of the glass shattering, and hearing the gasps of shock would further fuel her rage. Aemond would reach out to calm her but she would shake him off and begin screaming. Perhaps she would put a knife up to her husband's throat and threaten him to enjoy his last breath before she let herself be coated in his crimson blood. Her mother would cower at the curses her daughter would send her way, unforgiving to the way she sold her to Aegon knowing full well the horror's he inflicts for entertainment. She would pick up her twins, her dearest children, and she would mount Dreamfyre and fly as far as she could. 

"Are you ready yet?" Aegon yawned from the edge of the bed as his wife stared at herself in the reflection of her mirror. She moved her gaze to take in her husband, and shivered in disgust. 

"Yes. I am ready." Her voice was sickly sweet and she smiled at her brother. All the years spent training to be the perfect wife, the perfect pet, just to obey this miserable creature. Aegon took pleasure in treating his wife awfully. She often spent her nights abandoned in her room as he sought pleasure elsewhere in the city. She loved the arrangement; she could not lie about that. 

Helaena had spent her whole life trying to master the art of hiding her true emotions but now she found it hard to feel anything at all. She was numb. She spent her days flinching away from everyone's touch, and instead sat in corners trying to understand this disarray inside her mind. She felt she was constantly falling in and out of reality, nothing felt real. 

"Well hurry up." Aegon moaned as he made his way to exit the room. His mother had forced him to collect his wife from her room as she did not wish for the court to find out the young couple sleep separately. It was, however, already well known by all. Helaena took one final look at herself before following her husband emotionlessly. The servants bowed as they passed, and the young princess pretending to not notice the way Aegon winked and smirked at all the young maids. She wished nothing more than to tear him apart then and there. 

"Brother. Sister." Aemond stood straight at the entrance to the dining room and he quickly stood beside Helaena and moved to hold her lightly, as if she could fall any second. Aemond was never one to dress up, so looking at his formal attire let the married couple know this was not to be a closed family dinner. 

"You are dressed up." Helaena hummed and laughed softly as Aemond rolled his eye. 

"Mother told me the news. We have guests from the war in the Stepstones. Generals and shit. Did she not mention?" He looking judgingly at Aegon who gave of the appearance of someone who had spent his last week drunk and sleepless every night, which he had. 

"Aw you're dressing up to impress the little war lords. You want to go and swing your little sword with them, don't you?" Aegon was condescending and went to pinch his young brother's face but Aemond moved fast, twisting his arm behind his back and making him howl in pain.