mad woman (a. targaryen)

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏

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126 AC
KING'S LANDING

                    AS AELY'S NAMEDAY approached, the queen had became more busy with the preparations. They were to host different noble families across the realm for a whole week. Some had already started arriving, much to Aelys' displeasure knowing she had to greet them.

The king had gotten better and he was now able to greet the guests in the throne room. His hair, however, was thinning and he was losing more of it and his sickness and aging had become more evident. Without his eldest daughter around, he had become more involved in his other children. He was often found at the balcony that overlooked the training grounds, watching his sons train with the kingsguards, and if he wasn't there, he would be at the throne room or with the small council.

This time, the king had joined them for the luncheon. He was sat at the head of the table with the lord hand and the queen on his left and ride side. The royal children were present, even Aemond.

Somehow, the queen was able to force the young prince out of his chambers. The maester had removed the stitches but left a patch to cover the healing wound. Aemond still felt ashamed of it but Aelys and Helaena made sure to comfort him.

"How are the preparations for my daughter's nameday?" The king inquired as he ate.

"Preparations are almost done, your grace, we only need to prepare the great hall." The queen answered. "House Bolton has arrived this morning. Their second son, Domeric, had arrived before them — you might've seen the boy during trainings with the princes."

"Ah," the king nodded in recognition, "what a nice boy he is. I heard that he enjoyed the afternoon tea with one of my daughters," he turned to look at Helaena who was sat next to Otto, "Helaena, how was it?"

"He was nice, my king, but he has no desire for marriage." Helaena answered politely.

"I see," Viserys grunted, "there'll be plenty of suitors ‪to come. House Lannister is set to arrive tomorrow. I heard Lord Jason has two sons."

Aelys pressed her lips together in a thin line.

Alicent nodded her head but didn't say anything. She knew that her husband was urging their daughters to marry and Viserys' first choice was probably House Lannister. They were not only rich but a great alliance to the house. She recalled that Lord Jason wanted Rhaenyra's hand for marriage before and he was slighted when he wasn't chosen. Viserys must've wanted to appease them.

Finally, they moved on to a different topic. Aelys was glad that the talks of her upcoming nameday and upcoming marriage had stopped. She didn't want to be reminded of that everyday.

Embroidering was the skill Aelys had yet to master. While Helaena had exceptional skills with her hand, the older sister wasn't. She was only able to make easy shapes while Helaena could make dragons. Fortunately for Aelys, she had long grown out of the Setpa's lessons but that didn't mean she wasn't exempted in embroidering with Helaena. It seemed that the younger sister's goal was to prick all of her fingers off.

The two princesses were in the gardens. They were sat on a bench that faced the fountains this time.

The Red Keep had been buzzing with visitors from different lands and not just because of Aelys' nameday but because they needed an audience with the king. There had been disputes in the Crownlands that affected many townspeople and thus, they came to King's Landing to ask for the king's audience.