the blind knight - rhaenyra targaryen

xx

As the days continued, Rhaenyra noticed two things.

The close proximity of her young lady and her third half sibling, and the watching eyes of a certain Kingsguard.

She noticed the first when the pig incident had occurred. Reyanna was quick to point a finger at Aegon, and though the strategy of keeping her there to control the Westyrans, it wasn't fairing well for the Queen to hear the girl's gripe with her stay.

She noticed the second when it became apparent that Jessica was watching her. This was the most Jessica had directed her eye contact to Rhaenyra in over half a decade. The last being a time where Lucerys found himself hurt and she found it in her to speak with the princess directly.

"Thank you for informing me." Jessica nods curtly, ready to go off to the prince's lessons, but the princess stops her. Rhaenyra had several seconds to be blunt or vague with curiosity, but her thoughts were interrupted by her wet nurse and Joffrey entering the room.

"You are dismissed, Jessica."

"Your Grace." Jessica turns around and leaves the room, wondering to herself how she let the simple unprofessionalism of Rhaenyra not using her title had affected her. Alicent had given her permission to show affection towards her.

For the last ten years, Alicent had sunken her claws into Jessica and Brianne, making the latter instill a hatred toward her through words. Jessica was easy to manipulate in that way.

Unfortunately, Jessica was not willing to insult the princess. To her, she respected her relationship with Ser Harwin, that is of course if the rumors were true. Jessica never insulted her in front of the children, she couldn't find it in her, not blatantly at least.

But of course Alicent never shied from it, and when she had her other half in her midst, Brianne was keen to do it too. And even though Jessica never enjoyed children (the years from her crying and whining younger siblings was needed), she tried her best to treat them all equally.

It's a shame that Rhaenyra, like her enemy, had so easily gotten into Jessica's head. Though Alicent had gotten her at a vulnerable time, the blonde had her heart. Now the redhead saw herself in Jacaerys, and Lucerys reminded her of Mikaela when they were young.

But that thought could take a while to clear her mind. Today, she watched the boys closely in their training. "Soften your knees, Aemond. Feet light." All of the boys hack at their dummies, but she notices when Aegon stops to watch maidens passing by.

"Prince Aegon." The boy stops to look at her. "It seems you have finished with your sword work." She says with a small smirk. Aegon smiles and nods. "It seems my opponent has fallen." Jessica hums with a nod and backs away.

"Well, since you are so confident, I am sure you will best me. You and you brother will fight me." Aegon and Aemond step up as the younger brothers step back. Jessica notices Harwin loitering, and speaking to them. "Swords up." She says to the elder brothers.

Aegon lunges with an excited swing that Jessica that ducks, and she ducks another from Aemond. The boys strike and swing at her too eagerly, and attempt to come at her together, but she slams their wooden swords into the ground. "You're going to have to do better than that."

As they approach again, she easily makes Aegon stumble to the side, and parry Aemond, before patting him on the butt. "Nice try, boys." She can hear the King laugh to himself as Ser Harwin approaches the younger boys. He mutters something to them that Jessica doesn't focus on, but she does share a glance with him.

"The younger boys would do much better if you have them some attention." Jessica scoffs and watches the man. "You question my method of training, Lord Commander?" Harwin looks back at her.

"I do." She hums and nods. "Well, then, Prince Jacaerys, Lucerys. You will face me as well." She noticed how the boys perked up, happy that she finally acknowledged them as worthy opponents. Now, she had a choice.

Provoke Harwin as she was instructed to tear Rhaenyra's family apart, or do her job. The cogs in her brain turned as she tried to figure out her options. Both boys stood before her, and Harwin stood aside to watch.

"Let me teach you all a good lesson: eagerness will be your downfall. As demonstrated, the princes's eagerness led to their easy dispatch." All four boys watch closely. "Rather than being eager to please, you must beat your opponent with your observations." She stares at the younger boys.

"Straighten up, you're slouching, boys."

The rest of the lesson concluding with no fuss, and Harwin was less hostile by the end. He approaches her after the boys have scattered, and she ignores him, striking the dummy. "It seems I've never asked you how you came to fight as well as you have. There's never been a woman with as much skill."

"I did not believe you would be interested." The man hums as she steps away, and allows a servant to pull the dummy from the ground. "Is there something worth discussing, Ser Harwin?" She begins to pull off her gloves, and leave the courtyard.

"Only simple conversation, that of which I have not yet done with the likes of you."

"Well, I appreciate the conversation, but I must be on my way." She leaves him without an explanation, and continues to walk in the Keep. As she does, a scrawny hand grabs her wrist and pulls her into a room. With an annoyed sigh, she watches Larys Strong stare right through her.

"It has come to my attention that you thwarted an opportunity to push my brother out of court. Why?" Jessica sighs and bows her head. "My Lord-"

"We have one mission: to bring Otto Hightower back into the fold. Breaking down her family makes her vulnerable."

"'We'? Last I checked I was a manly, brutish imbecile. I get nothing done. I'm soft, aren't I?"

"Forget my insults, we are doing this for our Queen. She needs him here to fester in the King's ear. I'm sure you of all people can understand." Jessica scoffs and shakes her head. "The sooner you provoke my brother, the sooner you'll have Rhaenyra to yourself."

"If she'll want me."

"Oh, she will. There's a sort of predictability to the princess that makes her the perfect match for you." Jessica moved forward dangerously, and Larys easily hid his nerves. "Do not treat the bastards with kindness. Do as I say, and you will get what you want out of this."

"I will."

"Good." The next time she sees Rhaenyra is when the princess is roaming the halls, but she is quick to walk away. "It seems my boys have taken a recent liking to you." Her voice freezes Jessica in her steps. "You've been nicer to them it seems."

Jessica turns. "They need not relish in it."

"Do not tell me our recent conversations have changed your thoughts on my sons." The redhead scoffs. "You were of no influence." Rhaenyra scoffs in return.

"So you've suddenly treated them as humans out of the kindness of your black heart?" If Rhaenyra could get any emotion from Jessica these days, it was sure to be anger. She missed the days when the emotions were positive, but if this was how she'd been able to speak to Jessica, then so be it.

Jessica doesn't respond, clenching her jaw. "You're constantly angry at me for something that happened so long ago. I told you what I could not do, but you were so fragile, you couldn't handle it." The princess says, approaching Jessica, who stood still.

"Why are you loyal to her, Jessie?" Jessica scoffs, turning around to walk away. "Goodbye, Princess." She calls out.

———

hello, i'm sort of back and updating most of my books. btw ik most of y'all were sure i was carbon copying crispy BUT i want to be different so i hope this is appealing in some way.

jess is just a bit juvenile and emotional! she'll get over it soon enough💁🏽‍♀️