To Take What Is Rightfully Ours

Chapter 8. Taking Back The Narrative

Having Diane as her lady-in-waiting turned out to be even better than Rhaenyra could have imagined. She was not only funny and kept her company well, but she was also the one Rhaenyra could talk about her relationship with Daemon or take for a flight. The princess was surprised that Syrax and Silverwing seemed to know each other quite well, even though she couldn't think of the time when the two dragons managed to make such a strong connection. Diane, on the other hand, treated the whole situation like it was perfectly normal and something to be expected. She also went to visit Caraxes, almost giving one of the young dragonkeepers a heart attack because Caraxes wasn't precisely a friendly dragon and the boy was afraid he would "burn the lady to ashes on his watch". There was no need to worry though, because Caraxes welcomed Diane and even let himself be petted.

Rhaenera couldn't help but laugh when she realized that Diane treated dragons like one might treat home dogs. But not in a disrespectful way, more in a cute and surprisingly gentle way.

'You are being a good boy, right? And you look after Silverwing, don't you? She seems very happy,' Diane said, stroking Caraxes' scales. She wasn't talking in High Valyrian, but the dragons seemed to understand the general sentiment of Diane's words nonetheless. She even encouraged Rhaenyra to pet Caraxes too. The princess wasn't sure at first because, even though there wasn't any bad blood between them, she didn't know Daemon's dragon quite well.

Caraxes knew her apparently because, sensing her indecisiveness, he shuffled closer and even lowered his head slightly so Rhaenyra would be able to easily reach him. All in all, it was a new but very exciting experience.

After that, the days went at a usual pace. The letters were sent and there was nothing she could do except wait for an answer. She spent days in the company of Diane who got along well with most of the people around her, except for Cole. Rhaenyra didn't know what her deal with him was, but the number of times Diane deliberately closed the door in Ser Criston's face was getting ridiculous. But when she asked her about it, Diane just shrugged and said, 'He looks like the person who will betray you the first chance he gets.' The princess wasn't sure where this came from, but if she was honest with herself, it was getting into her head a little bit. She knew she could trust Daemon and she knew she could trust Diane, but what did she really know about Cole? He wasn't bad to her, but his loyalty to her wasn't tested in any way either. Who knows what he would do if he was given the opportunity?

Ser Criston wasn't Diane's biggest fan either. He tried to insinuate a few times that Diane was a "bad influence" and she "shouldn't trust Daemon's daughter", but Rhaenyra shut him down pretty fast. She finally had a friend who not only understood her and saw her for who she was, but also never judged her. She wouldn't let anyone ruin that.

While her days were occupied with Diane, the nights were reserved for her and Daemon. Sometimes they met in the inner yard, but mostly either he came to her room or she came to his. The hidden passages were a gift from the Gods, truly, and the princess was happy she didn't have to worry about being caught.

Daemon never let their meetings go too far, but Rhaenyra figured early on that she could persuade him to do basically anything that wouldn't potentially result in a baby and used this knowledge to its fullest. They made a rule of not staying the night in each other's bedrooms, but when Daemon visited her, he made a point of staying long enough for her to fall asleep and sneaking out through the secret tunnel afterward. Which worked right until it didn't.

Rhaenyra wasn't sure what Daemon was doing that day, but he certainly did a lot because he looked exhausted. Despite that, he still came to visit her because he missed her. They didn't do anything intimate that day, they just laid in bed and talked, but Rhaenyra loved it just the same. They cuddled and apparently fell asleep in each other's arms because the next day they were woken up by a loud cough.