Alicent Hightower raised a bastard - The Stranger's Child.
Except she didn't.
Naenyra looked nothing like the Targaryen beauty that her father expected. She was, as her mother always wished, a Hightower at heart, and how she looked only proved it...
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It felt odd to stand opposite her Great Uncle Hobert, and his son Ormund. Ormund, wasn't far from her own age, with mousy brown curls and a look of nervousness in his dark eyes but his father... He looked nothing of what she expected her Grandsire's brother to appear as. While she had seen him occasionally at court, Nyra also felt there should have been some form of resemblance.
As the oldest brother, his hair was beginning to thin, the brown of the strands more yellowy like straw than they were mousy, and his eyes held a permanent gaze of a calculated displeased nature. She felt small standing there in the pale green marbled hallway, hands stuffed into her skirts as she simply gazed up at him. She didn't know what to say or what to do. "Well, girl?" He asked, like he was anticipating something from her.
She wasn't sure what to do as she fumbled, mouth opening then closing before her eyes darted around. "It's nice to see you, Great Uncle."
He hummed. "You won't make it far as a Lady with those manners, try again." Nyra was floored as her eyes darted back to him, taking a deep swallow. Was this a test? Did she need to somehow please him after moons at sea?
"Uh, Lord Hightower, how humbled I feel to be in your home...?" She tried, the same hum meeting her again.
"Oh knock off scaring the girl, Hobby!" A voice called out from one of the hallways, a plump figure soon entering the doorway. She knew this woman was his wife, Lady Lynesse Hightower. She had a grand smile on her face, the first thing someone would notice about her, before her hand pushed away a red curl. Her eyes were like sapphires beneath thick brows, and a splattering of freckles decorated her skin. "She's only just arrived, for the Crone's sake."
Hobert's face broke with laughter, clamping a hand on Nyra's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Welcome to High Tower, Nyra. Forgive me for my greeting, it seems my wife won't let me have a joke."
She could see Lynesse come to her husband's side, rolling her eyes. "A joke is different to traumatising the young girl! Men and what they find funny, huh!" She jested. "It's nice to meet you, Naenyra. We're very excited to have you here. It'll be good to have another girl."
Nyra's chest felt warm as the heat rushed to her cheeks, not used to seeing the excitement on other people's faces when meeting her. It made her feel strange, not sure what to do with herself. "It's very nice to meet you too, Lady Hightower."
