VALAERIE

Chapter 4

Valaerie stared at herself in the mirror of her room, ensuring she was covered in case her marks unexpectedly glowed. She sighed softly and braided some of her hair.

Rhaena entered the room and looked at her daughter with fondness. Valaerie had always been a beauty. Valaerie turned to her mother.

"Mother?" she called softly as Rhaena paced.

"I was just thinking... What if I hadn't sent you away? I'm sure you and Aerea would be here with me... Happy, and you wouldn't have experienced that incident," Rhaena said, her voice tinged with regret.

"I'm here now, Mother. We're together now. Wherever Aerea is, I'm sure she's happy that we're together," Valaerie replied gently, taking her mother's hands in hers. Rhaena took a deep breath and nodded, finding solace in being with her daughter now.

Together, they made their way to the dining area where everyone was already gathered. Alysanne stood up the moment she saw Valaerie and Rhaena in the doorway. She rushed over and embraced Valaerie tightly, relieved and happy to see her again.

"I'm so glad to see you again, Valaerie," Alysanne said warmly, and Valaerie smiled, her eyes briefly scanning the faces around the table. Alysanne took Valaerie's hands and led her over to where everyone else was seated.

Rhaena followed closely behind.

Valaerie sat beside Alysanne and Rhaena, with the other three guests seated across from them.

Aemon - Jocelyn - Baelon
|
|                       Table               Rhaena
|       
        Alysanne  -   Valaerie

The six of them began to eat, the atmosphere awkward with unspoken questions lingering in the air. Valaerie hid a smile at the tension.

Alysanne sighed, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Valaerie, where have you been? Your mother mentioned you had something important to do," she asked.

Valaerie glanced at her mother, who smiled encouragingly. "I visited Rhaella," Valaerie replied simply.

Alysanne's face brightened at the news, drawing the attention of the others. "That's good to hear. How is she?" she inquired.

"She's... fine, I suppose. A bit different than I expected, but she seemed glad to see me," Valaerie explained.

"What do you mean, different?" Alysanne frowned slightly, curious.

"Well... The first thing she said to me was, 'Let's pray,'" Valaerie responded, which caused Rhaena to chuckle softly, and Alyssanne to smile knowingly. "Yeah... She's a devoted sister and seems dedicated to her faith," Valaerie added, unsure how else to describe it.

Indeed, upon their reunion, Rhaella had immediately led Valaerie in prayer, thanking the Mother for bringing her back safely. Valaerie, not one for religion herself, had gone along with it to keep her sister happy.

Valaerie had made Rhaella promise not to reveal her whereabouts to anyone, and thankfully, her sister had respected her wishes. As a token of remembrance, Valaerie had gifted Rhaella a golden bracelet from Valyria, mindful of the risks associated with anything made of Valyrian Steel.

Valaerie listened to Alysanne's account with a solemn expression, understanding the weight of the question that was inevitably coming. Alysanne's eyes focused intently on Valaerie, noticing the unchanged beauty in her eyes that had captivated her from the start.

"Tell me, dear... What really happened to you?" Alysanne finally asked, her voice soft yet filled with concern. Valaerie had been anticipating this question, and she exchanged a quick glance with Rhaena before turning back to Alysanne.