Daenys' fingers picked at her nail beds, adding to the scabs that littered her skin there. The door in front of the girl opened and there stood Alicent Hightower whose face flashed with surprise before slipping back into her usual pleasant expression.
"Daenys. What a lovely surprise. Whatever could I help you with dearest?" The women spoke first.
Daenys gave her mother a polite smile. "I was only hoping that we spend some time together today, just us two. If that pleases you." She spoke in such an innocent tone that the Queen was almost taken aback. Alicent gave her daughter a genuine smile in return, happy that her usually evasive child had sought her out on her own.
"Fetch some tea for us Talya." She directed her lady in waiting. The woman led her daughter to sit by the small round table. Daenys stared into the lit fireplace that was nearby, savoring the warmth it brought to the otherwise cold room. The girl's mother sat herself across the table and the two lapsed into silence.
"How is father fairing these days?" The girl finally asked, desperate to fill the quiet. Her mother almost deflated from the question.
"As well as he can be." She answered with a hefty sigh.
Daenys laid her hand atop the woman's that rested on the table. "There is nothing more you can do mother. You've looked after him loyally, that is all anyone can ask for these days." After a short pause she spoke again, "Are the maesters still using milk of the poppy for the pain?"
Her mother nodded almost guiltily in response. Noting the obvious discomfort that weighed on the woman, Daenys decided to shift the conversation.
"I still cannot believe little Lucerys and Rhaena are betrothed. He will always be that little boy who thought he could swing a morningstar in my head." The princess said lightheartedly. Her mother nodded her head in agreement, seemingly glad for the change in topics.
"You children always seem to grow too quickly." She contributed, bringing her clasped hands up for her chin to rest on. Daenys hummed at that.
"Do you love anyone, mother?" She questioned innocently. The Queen nodded, "I love you and you brothers and sister."
"And my father too?"
"I care for your father very much."
"Did you ever love anyone before him?" Her mother didn't respond right away. The door to the room opened and Talya, the lady in waiting came in, balancing a tray with tea. Her mother was still deep in thought, her face held an expression of reminiscing. Daenys guessed there was a person.
Coming out of her memories, Alicent poured the tea for her daughter and then for herself, shooing her lady in waiting out of the room. "Do you have someone you love, my darling?" She asked her daughter, choosing to evade the question altogether.
Daenys sat up at her mothers straightforwardness. Her face grew warm though she knew she had led the conversation here. She took the opportunity to sip at her tea. Her mother smiled warmly at the action.
"Jacaerys. You love him a lot?" The way she said it was less of a question and more like she was asking for confirmation.
Daenys placed her tea back on the table, throwing out her whole plan of subtlety. This was her mother after all. Though they rarely saw eye to eye, Daenys knew her mother loved her and wanted for her to live with happiness in her heart. "I do. I want to marry him one day." She spoke honestly. "He knows me better than anyone in this world or the next."
Alicent's eyes shone with contentment. She knew she would never take this happiness away from her daughter. If one of them gets to have a happy ending, it should be Daenys. Alicent loves her daughter more than anything. She'd smash all their walls of differences to stand by her side and see her smiling like she was now.
Daenys looked to her mother who gave her a real smile. The woman reached over and took her daughter's hands into her own. "If he is the one your heart points you to, then who am I to deny you that."
The girl squeezed her mothers hands. "If it's agreeable with you, I would like to have days like this more often. Just the two of us."
Her mother made a noise of agreement before she lost whatever restraint she clung to. Standing up and walking to Daenys, the Queen gathered her daughter into her arms and kissed the top of her head.
"You have grown into a beautiful young woman, my dear."
Daenys spent the next handful of hours listening to stories of her mother when she was younger. If the young girl had to guess, she would think her mother never had many people she could talk to in those days. It was as if Alicent Hightower locked away everything once she was married off and only now could she talk freely. Daenys felt that she could understand her mother more. She was a woman stuck in a man's world. The young princess vowed that she would break her mother out.
As the sun began to dip lower, the two parted ways. Daenys set off to her room after receiving a kiss to her hair from her mother. She decided that she would stay in her soft blue dress for their family dinner that was soon to take place. At her request, her hair was plaited into one large, simple braid to keep from her face.
The princess was both eager and anxious for the dinner to come. The last time all her family were gathered into the same room, a man was killed. Daenys doubted such a thing would occur but her family was filled with many odd characters so one could never be too sure. As long as Jacaerys was by her side, Daenys knew she would be able to deal with anything that was thrown at her tonight.
And so with a breath, the girl left her room and set off to dinner.
a/n: hi guys i'm going to be taking a break from this fic. i've lost my motivation and would like to move onto other projects. thank you for the love and support <3
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the sun and the moon
FanfictionJacaerys Velaryon was a boy who was raised to be a king. He was known as a caring boy, a just and righteous boy. He was the sun. Daenys Targaryen was quite the opposite. With a distant claim to the throne, she was often looked over. She became a qui...
