The Song of Ice and Fire

Driftmark

I stood in my room tensely, it was a few hours after the situation with Aemond. It was already morning once things began to die down so there was no point in sleeping. The maids around me were placing on a corset onto my body, while I had my hands placed upon my vanity. The maids looked the same as me since they were Valyrian as well, most people here on Driftmark look like one another, apart from the foreigners, of course.

The maids pulled at the silk ribbon on my corset, tightening it. I could feel my ribs being encased. Suddenly I hear someone enter my chambers. "Ser Laenor Velaryon." A knight announced. I turned my head around to see my brother walking in, seeming as worried as ever. "Laenys! Sister, are you alright?" He asked me as he walked in.

"Leave us," I told the maids, they halted what they were doing before gathering their things and leaving the chambers. "I'm fine, your wife on the other hand..." I trailed off before taking a seat in the wooden chair in front of my vanity. Laenor side before taking a seat in a chair that was right next to mine, facing me.

"I should have been there." He said, I chuckled a bit before glancing down. "Those should be our house words," I said. A shadow cast upon my brother's face.

"I have faced dreadful enemies on the battlefield, yet I found myself powerless to defend our dear sister, far from home and in agony. I failed to protect Rhaenrya... and you," he admitted, his voice heavy with regret. As he spoke, I couldn't help but sigh. Laena was gone, and my brother seemed entangled in the web of his own insecurities rather than grasping the broader perspective.

"Brother," I began, my voice calm yet tinged with concern, trying to capture his attention amidst the weight of our conversation. The room seemed to hold its breath as a profound silence settled between us, each moment pregnant with unspoken words and shared history.

As I shifted in my seat, preparing to address the delicate matter at hand, my brother's troubled expression mirrored my own unease. "Aemond has dared to brand your sons as bastards, a grave act of treason," I spoke, choosing my words carefully to convey the gravity of the situation. "The rumors are spreading like wildfire, and if left unchecked, your boys may lose their hold on the Iron Throne. And then what?"

A heavy sigh escaped my brother's lips, his shoulders sagging with the weight of his perceived failures. "I have failed our house, sister," his voice carried a hint of self-reproach, the burden of responsibility weighing heavily upon him. "I have not shown one true act that reflects our Valyrian blood. I... hate the gods for making me as they did," he confessed, his turmoil laid bare.

I tilted my head, studying his troubled countenance with understanding in my eyes. "I do not..." I interjected softly, offering a gentle rebuttal to his self-deprecation. A slight smile played on my lips as I continued, "You are an honorable man, with a good heart. That is a rare thing."

The tension in the room seemed to ease slightly as my words found their mark, a fleeting moment of reassurance amidst the storm of uncertainties. A small curve formed on my brother's lips, a glimmer of hope and gratitude shining through his troubled facade.

My brother's grin widened, the weight of his worries momentarily lifted by my words of reassurance. "You always know how to find the light in the darkness, sister," he remarked, his tone carrying a hint of gratitude.

I returned his smile, a sense of relief washing over me at seeing him regain a semblance of his usual self. However, amidst the gravity of our conversation, a flicker of sympathy for Aemond Targaryen stirred within me. "It is not an easy burden you carry, brother," I spoke softly, my eyes momentarily clouded with empathy. "I might only be two and ten but I am well versed in the conversation of duty. The weight of our heritage, the expectations of our house... they can be heavy chains to bear."