Familiarity ||| Jacaerys Velaryon

thirty-seven

It was strange. Not being at war. No more fighting, no more terror. Fear that someone would die, that someone would be hurt. It was all over.

And finally, they could get back to the life they were trying to live before the war. The life that should've been theirs.

Rhaenyra was dealing with much stress once they took the city. Filling her council, calling for a ceasefire and reaffirming her place as the Queen. They also had to host all of the soldiers that were sent, get them sent back safely from where they'd come when it was time, and begin to regain the trust of the smallfolk.

It was... a lot. Rhaenyra held court almost every day, held endless small council meetings to discuss pressing issues, and saw her prisoners off as they were carted to Oldtown and the wall.

But what it meant for Alyssa and Jace was a little different. It was all over. Their promise could finally be fulfilled.

"Mother," Jace had said hardly two weeks after they took the city. "Since the war is over, Alyssa and I would like to wed. We've waited long enough, I think. It is time we do our duty to the Realm."

Silly Jace. He believed that they'd throw a wedding together and be married by the next week. Perhaps two.

And when he'd listened to them discuss it in the small council, realized the scale of celebration they proposed, he complained. He'd waited almost two years to marry her. They were expecting him to wait another three months?

"My heir will not marry and have it be a small celebration. This will also count as your official naming ceremony," Rhaenyra reminded. They'd won a war; their wedding would be celebrating more than one thing.

"You both deserve a well-planned wedding. I'm sure Alyssa would agree."

Daemon knew his daughter deserved the best. He had no reservations about giving it to her.

Even though Alyssa didn't want to wait, she couldn't lie and say she didn't want a nice wedding. It kind of came with the territory of marrying the heir to the Throne. They couldn't just elope in secret.

It had to be a good, traditional wedding to gain the union the support of the Faith and the smallfolk. Legitimate, of course.

Like her father, however, Alyssa wanted to be married in the ways of Old Valyria. They were dragons; they should be married as their blood demanded.

That had always been clear as Alyssa was brought into the planning of her wedding. She wished to be wed first in the ways of Old Valyria. A private ceremony attended only by their closest family. Daemon volunteered to officiate it.

The rest required much more thought than Alyssa ever realized. As they discussed musicians and a tourney and feasts. How much all of it would cost, where they would source the food and flowers and linens.

And suddenly Alyssa was being thrust in front of seamstresses as they measured her body and began to see her a dress from scratch. White and red, scales like a dragon's and wings like one too at the top.

Daemon was amused by it all. Watching his daughters work together to help the council decide on things for Alyssa's wedding.

Since Alyssa had no mother, not one who'd been as close as Laena, it was left to Baela and Rhaena to help her decide on those arbitrary things. The ways in which Alyssa got a choice.