❝I am not a dragon, Aemond Targaryen. You may have claimed me as yours, but to think I'd bend that easily? That is beyond foolish.❞
⟼ Ayla Bolton & Aemond Targaryen: bound by marriage, strengthened by love, ignited by madness.
𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗻𝘆 |...
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››the sapphire bitch
Her name is Alenis.
Chosen by Queen Alicent herself to be my handmaiden, a friend of her very own handmaiden Talia, she said.
I do not like her, despite how kindly the Queen speaks of her. And I cannot say exactly where this distaste comes from, if it is the subtle uneasiness I feel every time she moves silently around me, or it is because right now she is trying to squeeze me into a dress that does not fit me as it should.
"I think the problem is the cleavage, Princess." She says, pulling the strings one last time. "The tailor could fix it in no time, though, it fits you perfectly everywhere else." I sigh in relief as soon as the pressure around my chest dissolves. Life at court had become incredibly flat, with nothing more to do than sinking in some books and strolling through the castle. Apart from Aemond, and Helaena, my company involves Alenis most of the time.
Which, I do not like.
"The tailor already fixed it once, not even a moon ago," I recall, pitying myself. My biggest concerns now gravitate around gowns, jewels, and the next book to read, and even though many would call it a more than comfortable life, I crave action. I miss the woods, I miss the thrill, I miss everything that would ruin the pretty dresses I am constantly wrapped in.
"Your Grace, can I ask you a question?" It takes some time to realize I am the 'Grace' Alenis is referring to. Blending in is something I certainly underestimated, I thought it would have been easier to live life as if I was never a young lady from a forth in the middle of nowhere, dealing with not more than three people per day.
"Sure, do tell."
"How was the North?" I shrug lightly, the timing of her question freaks me out a bit, but the trail of memories is too sweet to restrain myself.
"Quite peaceful, sometimes dull, but I found it marvelous anyway." I am a bit shocked to realize I used a past tense. As if the gold-polished court life had engulfed me whole. I am still very fond of the North. No matter how harsh and hostile it may seem, how people from the North are perceived here in the South.
I come from the North.
"Perhaps you had friends, Your Grace." Alenis' tone is sharp all of a sudden, and I do not like this switch. I take my time to look at her, picking one of my gowns from the dresser as she is ordered to do. I am pretty sure she hides secrets behind that honey-coated smile.
"I had one," I admit, my eyes still on her, trying to scan the littlest flinch on her face. "I have one." I correct myself. Alenis looks at me with her viper eyes, throwing glimpses of what she really is while busing herself behind her usual tasks.
"So... you do know, Your Grace." She reckons humming slightly.
"Know what, exactly?" Alenis finally drops whatever she was doing involving one of my jewelry boxes, to come closer to me. So close, only a few inches are separating us. My guts are telling me to make up the first excuse it crosses my mind to have her head, but my brain craves to know what kind of game she is playing.
