The Dove and The Lady | House of The Dragon

Chapter Twenty One | Lemon Cakes

"Lemon cake", a handmaiden offered holding out a tray of the baked goods to Naella.

The shell of a girl sat there on the same balcony she had been on all the day before, only difference is this time she sat facing away from the water instead of toward it.

Her face was flushed pink, her cheeks rubbed raw from her hands, her hands were in bits her nails picked to the bone, having to be wrapped up so she could no longer get at them, and her eyes were teary as she spaced out.

"No thank you", her voice was scratchy from all the screaming and crying the night before.

"Lemon cakes", another handmaiden asked the same question to her a few minutes later.

"No thank you", even in her grief she remained polite and kind, exactly like her father.

"You love lemon cakes", Viserra spoke from where she had been sitting next to Naella for morning brunch.

Hearing footsteps Viserra looked up to see her brother Aemond who didn't take his concerned eye away from Naella.

"She loves lemon cakes. Tell her she needs to eat", Viserra walked toward her brother hoping he could get her to eat something.

It's been two full days since Naella had eaten something substantial, they didn't even know if she's drank anything either.

"My lady wife, you do need to eat", Aemond walked and kneeled down in front of her, seeming as Naella was looking toward the ground.

"I don't want to eat", she mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

As Viserra listened she gave a look to the handmaidens who quickly bowed and rushed off, getting the message that the family would like to be left alone.

Aemond huffed standing up, pulling out a seat beside Naella as Viserra sat across from him on the other side of Naella.

"You need to eat", Viserra tried again as she placed her hand on one of Naellas hands, taking of the wrap and looking to see them bloody from all the picking.

"I can't let you starve", Aemond told her as he grabbed her other hand, dipping a napkin in water with his other hand, beginning to clean the blood that was caked on her hands. "I swore to protect you."

All the duo was met with was silence from the once bubbly girl, worrying them more than was possible, both the siblings sharing a glance.

"My darling, I am your husband let me help you", Aemond begged, leaning over to start cleaning her other hand, being ever so gentle.

"How can you help me", Naella spoke up, her voice raw and full of distrust.

"I don't know but I can try", Aemond rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand as he started to rewrap them up with a fresh cloth.

"I lie awake all night, staring at the canopy, thinking about how he died and now I sit here all morning, staring at the sea thinking of all the possible scenarios that could've happened", Naella burned holes through the table.

"Every night the same dream and every morning the same nightmare", the end of her sentence you could hear the pain in her voice.

"I could get you essence of nightshade to help get you to sleep", Yea, he rode the second largest dragon of all time, but he couldn't even comfort his own wife.

The whole night he had laid awake, listening to her cries as she clung to him and all he could do was hold her back.

There was nothing he could say to make her feel better, what could you say to someone that's just lost there father to a war nobody knew had even started, a war against people that they shared the same blood with.

People they had trusted, trusted enough that they had shared a dinner with them not only days ago, who had smiled throughout their wedding.

"Do you know what they did to my father?", Naella inquired to the two, not particularly asking for an answer. "How they took him in as a prisoner, made him beg for mercy and then sliced his head off clean and tried telling me that it was merciful that he got such a quick death because of their relations. How that sending his body back to me was an act of 'good will'."

"What happened to your father was a terrible crime", Viserra frowned.

"I admired your father, he wanted to have me executed before because I wanted to be with you, I'm going to say he said it as a joke, but I admired him. He was a strong man and he was fierce when it came to protecting you", Aemond spoke.

"Naella, your father would want you to carry on", Viserra said, Naella looking at her as she said her name. "You know it's true."

Both siblings sent each other a look of shock and panic as Naella stood up abruptly, beginning to walk away as they too stood up to walk after her.

"Will you pardon me, my husband, good sister, but I'd like to visit the godswood", she wasn't particularly looking for an answer as she continued walking.

"Of course, of course", Aemond covered up his sadness at the fact that Naella wanted to be away from him to get comfort from the Gods then rather seek it from him.

"Prayer can be helpful....I hear", Viserra wasn't sure in what she was saying, as she was not one for believing in the Gods for everything.

"I don't pray anymore", Naella husked, the scratchiness of her voice sounding painful.

Viserra and Aemond gave her a look of confusion as Naella was one to frequent in small prayers, their answer was given to them not a second longer.

"It's the only place I can go where people don't talk to me", she then turned and made the trek to the godswood, leaving the siblings at the balcony, watching her dress flow behind her as she disappeared around the corner.

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other author:
Yes, Yes, you are in fact right and I did use the scene from game of thrones where Tyrion tries to comfort Sansa after the red wedding. Aren't i so cheeky. ;)