She is Daemon's daughter but she wants nothing from him, rides a dragon and doesn't shy away from a fight. She also hides a dangerous secret and has her own reasons for coming to King's Landing.
Aemond wonders if he can tame her.
✧...
author's note: this chapter turned out really long so I divided it into two. ain't no way I'm gonna make you read 12K words in one sitting lmao I will post the second part next week.
on a brighter side, you are finally getting the biggest flashback that explains what happened to Lia's loved ones. and by "brighter" I mean... everything is on fire and a lot of people die.
here's part 1 of it!
warnings: angst, violence (mentions of blood and injuries)
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The autumn forest is dotted with colors — amber, coppery, scarlet, the ground is thick with dry leaves. The air gets crispier and the nights grow colder, but Lia always welcomed the change of seasons, grasping any opportunity to sneak away, unbothered by the clouds, winds, and rains.
But right now, as she wades through the clusters of trees in the early hour right after dawn, she can't fight the odd feeling she gets with each step. It's something unusual, never before known to her, eerie and unsettling and tenacious.
It's a hunch that something bad is about to happen.
And she might know the exact reason for it.
They appeared when the summer was nearing its end — four men in long cloaks that did a poor job of hiding their tarnished knight armor. They came on foot, tired and a tad gloomy, but courtly nonetheless. They were looking for a shelter and asked for some food — although it was only one of them who did the talking. He was older, he stood taller, his hair and beard dark, his eyes sandy green, like the ones of a viper. He called himself Knuckles.
One of the villagers took pity on the knights and kindly offered them to stay in his old shack, which they agreed to, a bit too hastily, perhaps. They spent the night there, then the second one, and then their visit quickly extended into a full week. The men were in no hurry to leave but the naively locals got too caught up in their charm, too enthralled by the sight of the real knights, their metal breastplates gleaming dully in the waning rays of the sun.
Matthias was the first one to grow wary of the visitors. He found it strange that the knights wouldn't share their full names nor their motives, only saying dismissively that they were taking some rest from their duties. A remote forest in the mountains didn't seem like the best choice for doing so, Matthias mentioned pensively to Lia one day. She did agree with him, although her reasons for disliking the men were harder to explain. Her main concern was linked to only their leader.
Lia didn't know if it was his cold gaze, or his smooth words, or the small grin that seemingly never left his face. Knuckles didn't cross any lines, never spoke too much, or voiced any demands. But there was something menacing in his politeness, something untrustworthy in the way he acted, like a predator who leniently toys with prey before killing it. Surely, she's met unpleasant characters before — greedy and angry, sly and hypocritical, motivated blindly by their selfishness, caring only about their needs. More times than not, those were the poor smallfolk who didn't know better. Knuckles showed no such traits, and yet, Lia couldn't help but keep an eye on him. She soon realized that he started watching her too.
