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CHAPTER TWO.
JEALOUSY
104 AC
PRESENTLY, Visenya slipped away from her lessons with Septa Marlow and Rhaenyra in anger. As they had their backs turned, Visenya slipped into the tunnel in their sitting room and walked toward the library where she knew Daemon would be.
Over the course of the last year, she had become more adapted to using Maegor's tunnels, running through the Red Keep and King's landing. She and Daemon would explore mostly during the night, before and after they visited Caraxes.
But they also explored them during the times Visenya had purposefully missed her lessons with the septa. They were incredible and each day they found a new passage. Daemon usually left bright red string to mark their way— string Visenya had stolen from her septa's knitting bag.
Opening the secret bookshelf door, she caught sight of him, pouring over a book. Recently, Viserys had named him Master of Laws and Visenya could see that he hated it with a passion. It was an attempt to contain his unbecoming ways since the people insisted on calling him the Rogue Prince. He'd often leave the Red Keep for months at a time on Caraxes and magically turn up one day. He always brought Visenya and Rhaenyra gifts from his travels.
Visenya shut the door and flopped into a chair beside him with a large sigh. It was rather unbecoming of a lady but she couldn't give a toss. Daemon's eyes narrowed as he pushed away the book, his eyes settling on her angered features, "What is the matter?"
Daemon smiled, "How lovely for her. What is your issue?"
"She should've been mine," Visenya grumbled, "But father left he here as punishment because I was rude to Septa Marlow. If I had gone it would've been me. Fuck the Septa."
Daemon huffed out a laugh at her profanity causing Visenya to glare heatedly at him, "Visenya that is not how dragon bonding works."
"Yes, it is," Visenya insisted, "If Syrax had seen me, she and I would've bonded. But it was Rhaenyra who she saw and now I have lost the dragon that I wanted. And Saelys won't bond with me for Gods knows what reason. I mean, why wouldn't she? She was my mother's mount, I am her blood, surely she would be attracted to me."
"Attracted to you? No, it is not so," Daemon responded firmly in between his laughs, "You may have wanted to bond with Syrax but you wouldn't have gotten very far if she did not want to bond with you. It is a two-way thing. The dragon has to want you as much as you want them. If Syrax wanted Rhaenyra, you could not have stopped that. And Saelys might not want to bond with you as you remind her too much of Laena. It's probably more painful for her to do so."
"So you're saying that I'll be dragonless forever?" Visenya asked, tears brimming in her lilac eyes.
Daemon once again laughed. Visenya had the tendency to be dramatic and this was just another one of her fits, "No, Senya, you'll find a dragon eventually."
Visenya sobered, sniffing, "What are you reading?" She was not going to acknowledge that she had been on the verge of tears.
Daemon made a face, "Laws. It is boring. I don't know why Viserys is making me read this."
"Are you not supposed to be in a council meeting now? It is midday," Visenya asked.
Daemon merely shrugged, "I do not care for those men. They sit around that table and talk about business each day. Not much can change in the time the sun sets and rises so why is there a meeting each day? They do not need me."
"But what if Father makes you take leave?"
"Then I shall welcome it gladly," Daemon smiled, "Come, let's get something to eat and then we could go to the dragon pit."
Visenya jumped up excitedly and pulled Daemon out of the room.
Later that evening, after Visenya had washed to remove the dragon smell, she sat idly opposite her sister at dinner. She poked gently at her food in annoyance. Though she now understood fully that Syrax had chosen Rhaenyra to be her rider, hearing her sister boast to Alicent about it wasn't helping her bitter feelings.
Alicent Hightower was Rhaenyra's best friend. The little girl was dark of hair, with hazel eyes and a face plump, not yet thinned with maturity like Visenya's. Her father, Otto, was Viserys' Hand. Visenya did not like the man very much. He was steely-eyed with a thin face and a rather unpleasant smile always curled at his lips when they spoke. However, quite a bit of her feelings came from what Daemon told her. Apparently, Otto hated Daemon as much as Daemon hated Otto and he often called the Targaryen prince a second Maegor which was an insult in itself.
Visenya looked up at the man who sat to the right of her father and spoke with him quietly. To her father's left was Aemma, and Visenya sat next to her. Opposite her and unfortunately next to Otto was Daemon. The man had scooted his chair as far away from him as he could and was sitting quite near Rhaenyra.
No one sat at the other end of the large table and that side was rather bare.
Visenya glanced at Daemon who seemingly copied her actions as he pushed vegetables around his plate. He looked up and they met eyes. The girl picked up her wine as her eyes darted to Otto. He got the gist because the next thing Visenya knew, he was pulling a face that made her snort out her wine.
The room stilled as Visenya coughed, her face flushing with embarrassment and the force of her fit. As she stopped, she sent the other occupants a sheepish smile, "Pardon me. I choked."
Daemon chuckled into his own wine in amusement and she glared at him as Aemma questioned if she was alright. Visenya nodded, returning the question. Aemma's stomach had swelled with child and though Visenya knew little about the act, she knew for sure she did not want to be in that position when she was older.
It was not the first time Aemma had been with child after Rhaenyra and even before; however, she had lost them all. Visenya could not imagine losing a child so she was adamant not to be a mother. When she got her dragon, she'd ride to battle and burn her enemies. Motherhood seemed tedious anyway. Aemma was always tired and always scolding the two girls when they'd fight over some nonsense. She mostly spent her days in her room, resting and sewing.
Aemma smiled at her and assured her she was doing fine.
