Visenya Targaryen knew many things to be true. She was Harwin Strong's daughter. She was a Targaryen Princess regardless. And she was not going to marry for love.
With a war looming, Rhaenyra Targaryen must do everything in her power to strengthen h...
Turning this up from a slow-burn to a medium! Also a v long one <3
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Visenya woke slowly and for a second, she was convinced she had fallen asleep on Ghost. She was against something so warm it was almost hot and so hard it wasn't that comfortable. But she didn't want to move away. Not until she realised her cheek was pressed against Lord Stark's back and her entire body was curled in on itself, strayed far from the side of the bed she had fallen asleep on. Thank the Gods, her hands were kept to herself, curled up under her chin and her feet were tucked up into herself. But any closer to him and she would be inside his soft shirt and trousers with him.
His breathing was low and steady but she didn't want to do anything suddenly to wake him. Sleeping beside him was bad enough but she didn't want him to think she was happy about it. Even if it was the best nights sleep she had had since she got to Winterfell. Visenya told herself it was because of the warmth. And when she slowly pulled away, back to her side of the bed she felt the cold seeping back in. And she hated it.
She tried to sleep again as she knew it was still frightfully early. But sleep evaded her and she found watching him to be more rewarding.
Lord Stark slept on his side, facing away from her just as he had been the night before. And she prayed he had slept through, not noticing how his wife had migrated over towards him until she was pressed up against him.
His chest rose and fell in even, deep breaths but she could notice nothing else. Their room's fire burned low and despite the chill in the air, the bed was warm and comfortable.
"If you're going to try kill me, make it quick and clean."
His voice was brusque and rough after a night's sleep and startled her. He had been awake for longer than she realised.
"If I was going to kill you, I wouldn't do it here." she replied quickly, finding it too easy to talk to him now.
Warnings from Septas and Queen Alicent about women holding their tongues and being good, being chaste and quiet had always fallen on deaf ears with Visenya but Lord Stark always seemed to enjoy their sparring.
"Good, you'd never get away with it here" he sighed casually, as though they weren't discusing his murder upon waking.
Stretching and flexing, he turned to his other side, facing her now.
Although she had been pressed against him and bathed in front of him in the last few hours, she felt more emotionally vulnerable lying in bed beside him. Visenya was no virgin but she had never slept beside a man to wake up to him, warm and slow to rouse. It was nothing like she thought it would be like.
"What happened to the deserter?" she asked, curious about what had needed his attention so urgently.
Lord Stark rubbed his hand across his face, scrubbing the beard on his jaw that had grown longer in his days away. She knew that it wasn't soft against her face when she kissed him but she didn't mind. And she wanted it again as she watched him open to her.
