When Rhea Royce died, the noble house of Royce blamed the Rogue Prince. Daemon Targaryen was the culprit for the downfall of the House, no matter what was said. Leaving Runestone with no Lord or Lady at its helm, a decision was made to promote a min...
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WITH five nights until her wedding day, Donella was doing her best not to think of the white-haired man who had stolen her heart. She allowed herself to dream of the what-ifs when she broke her fast, but not a minute more. She couldn't afford to lose any more of her heart on the dream of a man.
Today, she was going riding with her husband-to-be. Joffrey had taken her down into the stables the day prior to introduce Donella to the seasoned mare she was destined to ride today. A gentle soul, unlike most chestnut mares.
"Are you ready?" Joffrey walked into the room, red hair pushed back by the warm air. A gentle breeze ran through the gardens where Donella was taking her tea, looking out onto the fields. She had not become any less obsessed with the view from the window in her chambers. It would beat any view from King's Landing, she was sure of that,
"Is it time already?" Donella did not rise to her feet but merely glanced up at the man who waited on her. They were casually becoming friends, and the Lady was thankful that she was able to lower her guard around her Lord,
"It is, have you had the time to break your fast?" He asked as he pulled off his riding gloves to be able to reach an itch on his hand,
"I have," She confirmed as she finally climbed to her feet. The dreams of her Prince were destined to end here, it seemed, "Isabella has already cleared the plates,"
"Isabella?" Joffrey asked as he took Donella's arm in his own,
"The maid from the kitchens," the beauty on his arm clarified, "The one with the freckles,"
"Ah, Isabella," Joffrey felt a small flush climb his neck. Donella had been in the Antlers two days and seemed to know many of his staff better than he did.
Of course, Joffrey had spent much of his time at court in King's Landing. Some of the staff here were old - and loyal - enough to have known and served his late father, but some of them had been hired during his absence to care for the home in his stead. He hoped that Donella was simply the start of his luck and that gold was on the way from the farmers within his land. He had to afford to treat his Lady somehow.
Arm in arm, the pair walked at a steady pace towards the stables in the courtyard. The carriage which they'd arrived in had been returned to King's Landing, along with the horses which had driven it. Joffrey did not have many horses here in the Antlers, but the ones he did have were creatures of habit. They likely knew their way around his land better than he ever would.
Greeting the stableboy - whose name he'd learnt as Mal, Joffrey pulled himself into the saddle of his personal gelding. The bay was the horse which had accompanied him to King's Landing after he had risen into his title, and they knew one another well. Donella waited patiently in the courtyard, whispering to her own horse as he approached, the newly shoed horse beneath him letting out a short whinny as he fell into step beside his stable neighbour.
Donella gave her mare a pat on the neck as she shortened her reins, "Where are beginning the tour, my Lord?"
He knew that she'd only addressed him as a Lord to poke fun at him, and he felt obligated to return the favour, "What is a better place to start than our home, my Lady?"
Donella felt the tips of her ears grow red. She should have expected Joffrey to return her taunts in the same playful tone as the one which she had delivered, yet conversing with a man who was every part her equal still seemed like a novelty to her. She looked up towards the building as they rode around its walls,
"Where exactly are we? I know that we're still in the Crownlands, but I've never ventured out this way. All of the scenery on our travels was new to me."
Joffrey brought his hand up to point in various directions as he explained their geographical location, "Southwest of Maidenpool, and northwest of Duskendale and Rosby," He looked to Donella, expecting her to nod her understanding, but noticed that her face held onto a furrowed brow as she stared straight ahead, "Due north of King's Landing."
Her eyes widened as she drew the mental map, finally understanding, "How is my brother likely to travel here?"
Joffrey hummed in thought as he led their horses away from the keep and towards the East. There was a small hill before them, which was a rarity within their flatlands, but he thought that Donella would appreciate the view beyond it,
"They are likely to sail to Maidenpool and travel south from there,"
"Is the journey perilous?"
"Less so than it was when you travelled to King's Landing," Joffrey smiled at his bride's concern for her brother. He found it endearing.
They spoke a little while longer about the geography of her new home, but it wasn't until they'd reached the top of the small slope that Donella could see everything she wanted. In fact, she could see exactly what she wanted,
"Is that Dragonstone?" She asked, her voice barely more than a whisper lost to the wind,
"It is," Joffrey confirmed with a smile, "Have you never seen it before?"
"Not so clearly," she spoke. The sky was exceptionally clear today with the view reaching out as far as Dragonstone. She'd never seen the island as clear as this before - usually, it was obscured by Driftmark, but now Driftmark was its own entity besides the isle of Dragonstone. Rook's Rest was the only settlement between her and there, and it sat lower in the lands than the rest of the surroundings.
Her heart weighed heavy within her chest, and for a moment it was as though all of Donella's feelings of revenge came back to haunt her. It was the reason she'd been spending so much time with Aemond after all - the reason that they had grown so close. The reason that she had fallen in love with him. He'd been training her to do what so many had only dreamed of. She wanted revenge on Daemon Targaryen.
Court politics and matters of the heart never seemed so insignificant as she stared out to that lonely island, wondering if Daemon was staring back out towards the mainland,
"Are you okay?" Joffrey asked,
"I am well," she spoke simply,
"Is it time to return home?" Joffrey grew more concerned as his gelding shifted his weight slightly,
"I'm sorry, my Lord, it's just that I've always wanted to visit Dragonstone," She finally looked back to Joffrey beside her. He broke into a small smile once he'd realised that she hadn't suddenly become hypnotised by the isle,
"Ah, many men have. Unfortunately for people like us, it is unlikely. Unless you have any allies or friends over there?"
"No allies, nor friends I'm afraid. Luckily for me though, I am not a man. I'm sure I will get to visit within my lifetime,"
"Send my best wishes to Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon then, would you my Lady?" Joffrey joked, but Donella did not laugh as she turned her mare,
"Of course, my Lord. I'm sure that Prince Daemon will appreciate all of your well wishes. I shall personally deliver them."
Her words unsettled him a little as he turned his horse to follow Donella. It was like seeing Dragonstone had turned the girl into a brand new woman. It was as though showing her the isle in the distance had created a monster of his own design.
Donella felt renewed. She did not need to ponder if revenge was still worth it, but instead needed to hatch her plan on how she should escape her betrothed's grasp and head East How could she have let herself get so distracted by such as thing as love?
