Born on the nightfall of a tragedy, raised with the weight of power and expectations over her shoulders, Elaenora Arryn knew her fate could not be written by the Seven, but only by herself.
Carrying the blood of both the murderer and the murdered i...
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« With good faith»
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As years passed inside the Red Keep with the peaceful reign of King Viserys, Elaenora Arryn grew up next to the Targaryen family as one of them, eating at the same table and sleeping in the same beds under the title of Princess Helaena's companion.
By 114 AC, Nora was already a four-year-old girl who was often quiet and observant, always by Helaena's side and growing up together more as sisters than as distant cousins or friends. Raised mostly by Rhaenyra and the nannies at the Keep, she had also been attended by Alicent and, at rare times, even by Viserys. However, unlike what Alicent had predicted, Elaenora's parents had been present in her life to a certain extent. Aemar Arryn took every opportunity he could to travel all the way back to King's Landing from the Vale to share moments with his daughter and teach her the value of fatherly love. At the same time, Selis Celtigar visited her at least twice a month to bond with her as mother and daughter and to remind Nora her true home would always be in Edrya by Selis' side.
Despite Selis still being submerged in a profound state of grief that barely brought her any happy moments after her eldest daughter's passing, the Celtigar woman made sure to never leave behind her youngest child and provide her with all the love left in her torn heart, doing her best to give Nora a mother figure she could be proud of. Perhaps it was these same regular visits from her mother that made Nora feel so comfortable by Alicent Hightower's side, since the young Queen was so eerily similar to Selis Celtigar physique-wise. Despite never admitting it aloud, Nora had often mistaken Alicent's face with her mother's in her mind, which led her to find refuge more often than not in the Hightower Queen's arms.
Rhaenyra had also formed a strong connection with her cousin Nora, often seeing in the little girl the image of her late mother and trying to be for Nora a figure she could look up to and rely on if it was needed. It had got to a point where whenever Nora thought of a mother figure, the first image that appeared in her mind was Rhaenyra, then Alicent, and finally her own mother. But the heir to the Iron Throne was also occupied with her child of her own, the toddler Prince Jacaerys Velaryon who required most of her time, so Nora struggled to spend as much time with Rhaenyra as she would have liked. Especially since she did not want to cause her cousin any more stress than the one she was already bearing for the Crown.
Now, a few moons away from Nora's fifth name day and while the bright sun shone in the distance entering into her chambers, the young girl was sat in front of the wooden desk with her feet dangling from her chair and a big book in front of her as she tried to read its contents.
"A...e...g..on....Tar...ga...ry...en...s-son....of...A...e...ri...on...Targ...ar..yen," she recited aloud with her index finger under each letter. She had started her education earlier this year due to the incessant questions she made to every Maester or Septa that crossed her path at any chance and, since she progressed quite rapidly for a child her age, the Septas had opted to now start teaching her how to read. Because of this, Nora spent countless hours in her room or outside in the yards with Helaena, holding a book in her tiny hands. She had not finished any yet, but that did not discourage her in the slightest. On the contrary, it seemed to only fuel her desire for knowledge.
