The Serpent's Fangs (Aemond x oc)

Chapter 3

'Princess.' One of her maid spoke as she came forward to the dresser where Visenya sat, gently putting down the cup of Lavender tea on her desk.

'You may leave.' Visenya replied, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The women had done a beautiful job at braiding a crown surrounding her head, letting most of her long, dark locks fall down her back.

It was a beautiful contrast to the red gown she had worn that morning.

Her hair was longer now, features sharper and becoming more evidently different than her mother's. Though that no longer bothered Visenya. She found the good in being underestimated, in being underlined. It had granted her an escape from most of the acts she had committed.

Sharp, dark gaze flickered up towards the maid behind her, voice coming out softer than the threatening look hidden in her eyes.

'You may leave, all of you.'

This time, the maids were sure to heed to her warning as they retreated from her chambers.

Once they were gone Visenya bent from where she sat, using her foot to locate the singular stone on the floor that had been uplifted. Once found, she wretched the stone apart, quickly taking the small bottle of yellow liquid before dabbing a few droplets into her tea. Closing the lid tightly and returning it to its place in a matter of seconds.

She was ten years old when she had learnt the art of poison. Witnessing a mongoose battling the cobra she was fascinated in the immunity the mammal had against such a formidable opponent.

When the mongoose had delivered the killing blow towards the cobra, Visenya had stolen the serpent from under its nose, abstracting its venom into a bottle in secrecy.

The first time she had drank the venomous tea, she had fallen ill for three days while her family swore she was going to pass. After wards, she had started to ingest in smaller, safer doses.

Now, the bitter taste no longer bothered her tongue as she sipped the tea leisurely, staring out onto the sky beyond her chamber's windows.

It was also how she had killed her first betrothed.

Sealed to a tragic fate with some Lord below her status she felt no need to remember, Visenya knew she had to escape from the shackles her family had desperately tried to put on her in an attempt to strengthen their hold on the throne.

If a house was strong enough to threaten her mother into selling her daughter, then she would simply get rid of it. It was quite romantic, Visenya had thought, to kill her fated one with a venomous kiss.

Nonetheless as she also had traces of poison on her, no one had suspected a thing.

Then came along another Lord her father, Daemon had put forth. This time, Visenya had used her tongue to send the man into his demise in a different manner.

'I will not marry a man who is scared of a dragon.' She had spoken at the age of thirteen, fuelling the young boy's narcissistic pride.

A few days later he was found burnt to the bones on Dragonstone.

Once Visenya turned fourteen, no more proposals were offered for her hand. To her mother's disappointment, but her own delight.

The Cursed Princess, they started to call her.

Arrax's call snapped her back to the present as she stood from her seat, the tea already gone from the now empty cup. Taking it with her towards the window Visenya peered up at the sky, making out the blurry outlines of Vermax emerging from the clouds.