𝑆𝛦𝛦𝛫 𝛢𝑁𝐷 𝐷𝛦𝑆𝑇𝑅𝛰𝑌 | 𝛨𝛰𝑇𝐷

𝑂𝛮𝛦

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝛰𝛮𝐸 | 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑄𝑈𝐸𝐸𝛮

𝐿𝛢𝐸𝐼𝛢𝛮𝛮𝛢 𝐷𝐼𝐷 𝛮𝛰𝑇 𝐿𝐼𝐾𝐸 𝐵𝑈𝐺𝑆. Even the mere sight of them was enough to make her squirm. No matter how small and harmless the insect was, Laeianna still held a inconceivable fear of them. She couldn't even look at the creatures lest she wished to suffer from the night terrors later on in the night. For this reason, Laeianna kept her eyes down, glued to the worn pages of the book she was reading as Helaena held a centipede in her hands. The tiny creature walked from one hand to the other as Helaena was busy counting its many legs.

"This one has sixty rings and two pairs of legs on each," Helaena mumbled, an awe in her voice. "That's two hundred and forty."

"Yes, it is," The Queen agreed, sitting silently as the children went about their activities quietly. She only watched them and from what she could gather, it was clear that both of them were perfectly content, sitting in the small council room with all the silence in the world.

"It has eyes, though, I don't believe it can see," Helaena concluded.

"And why is that so, do you think?" Alicent questioned.

"It is beyond our understanding," Helaena replied with a small shrug of her shoulders. She glanced up at her mother, momentarily, before looking back down.

"I suppose you're right. Some things just are," Alicent agreed, gently grabbing at her daughter's elbow. She ran her thumb back and forth over Helaena's clothed arm. It was a soothing motion that Alicent often did that Helaena liked.

Alicent turned her gaze to the quiet child on the other side of her. Laeianna, too, sat in concentration, a thick book weighing down her lap. It looked incredibly heavy, much too heavy for a girl as small as Laeianna to be able to handle, yet she was able to with a bit of ease.

Alicent's eyes examined the child for a moment. Gods, she looked just like her mother. A spitting image. The little girl was not unlike her father, though her mother's essence was slowly creeping in. It was undeniable.

"And what of you, sweetling. Are you enjoying your tale? What is it about again?"

"An account of Old Valyria and the first dragons," Laeianna answered.

"Is that so?" Alicent admired the little girl's interest in the histories. She reminded the Queen of her second youngest, Aemond. They were both so much alike. Quiet and studious, unlike Aemond's brother, Aegon. "And where has this been lurking?" Alicent questioned, gently taking the book into her own hands. She kept her finger between the pages as she turned it to see the name on the old, leather spine.

"I found it in the library. There are different accounts of Valyria by few who claim to have traveled there before the doom." There was both excitement and enthrallment in her tone. "As fascinating as they are, tis but speculation," Laeianna said.

Alicent gave the little girl a smile, setting the book back into her waiting hands. To say that Laeianna Velaryon was smart would be an understatement. As she was a Princess of the seven Kingdoms and member of the royal family, she was allotted the education that noble families have always given their children. However, Laeianna was not only incredibly educated, she was wise beyond her years, displaying the wisdom of a student more than twice her age.