a maid's folly - aemond targaryen.

chapter 1.

It was an eve of spring, a gentle breeze whistling through the corridors of the Red Keep. A particularly strong gust rippled the bandanna atop the maid's head- she slapped a hand to the crown of her skull, pulling it taut once more.

She shouldn't be getting knocked over by a mere gust of wind- in the South, no less. The newly appointed maid was a young girl of nineteen name-days passed. She was known by Rosemary; Rosemary Stone. Originally from the Vale, more specifically, she was raised in the Eyrie. Her mother was a handmaiden to Lady Jeyne Arryn- the two women were particularly close and Jeyne took Rosemary under her wing as if she were her own after her mother passed. Rosemary knew there had been a deep love between her lowborn mother and the Lady of the Vale.

Rosemary's mother spoke little of her father, if at all- she had heard rumors swirling around the Eyrie that it was a bannerman of Lady Jeyne's, but she paid no mind to it, it didn't matter to her either way. She was raised as well as a bastard could be and received much love from Lady Jeyne and her mother.

"Rosemary, you must listen to me, my dear," Lady Jeyne had said just a few moons prior, "The world is changing. You've grown in the safety of the Vale, but I fear that... you are unprepared for your future. You're a young girl, beautiful and you could become something one day, something beyond your name," she paused, taking Rosemary's hand in her own, "You must leave the Vale."

Rosemary blinked, recoiling slightly as if she'd been hit with a physical blow, "W-what? What do you mean, 'leave the Vale'?" she asked, her bottom lip quivering ever so slightly, "All I know is the Eyrie- all I know is you, all I know is... is..." she sniffled, clenching on Jeyne's hand tightly before letting go.

Jeyne let out a small sigh, getting a bit closer to her, their knees touching, "My sweet girl- that is exactly my point. I... cannot in good conscience let you live out the rest of your life here. You're young, you have no titles, no land," she paused, "No blood relatives keeping you here- you may see your bastardry as a hindrance and in some ways, it may be- but you have more freedom than anyone else in this Keep. More than I have, more than your mother had."

The girl wiped the tears now pooling at her lashes, "I don't wish to go- I don't know anyone, and if... if I do, where would I go?"

Lady Arryn took Rosemary's hands in her own once more, rubbing small circles on them in a soothing manner, "I've been corresponding with King's Landing- I believe you may be a good fit in the Red Keep, mayhaps as a handmaiden or a servant. I will make the necessary arrangements," she let out a small sigh, "Between you and I- I've heard that King isn't well, and that it is the Hightowers who sit the Iron Throne now. The Vale is impregnable- but it is also where information goes to die. I shan't be uninformed, up here in the Eyrie with none the wiser if a war is brewing right under our noses- I wish for you to send me letters of anything you deem noteworthy. We are safe from legions of soldiers but we are nothing against dragons- Maegor saw to that."

Rosemary's brow furrowed, "You wish for me to... spy?"

"In a way- think of it as your secondary goal," Jeyne hummed, "Your priority is socializing, getting acquainted with other people and mayhaps finding a nice lover or two along the way, hm? You shan't find any of those in the Eyrie, dear."

The girl cracked a smile, albeit a small one. Slowly, she nodded. She didn't wish to disappoint Jeyne. In a way, she was another mother to her, and she felt a strong desire to please her.

But she still felt a deep pit in her stomach- she didn't know what to expect in King's Landing.

Rosemary was pulled from her reverie by a tap on her shoulder. It was Magelle, one of the older serving ladies.