To Take What Is Rightfully Ours

Chapter 19. Making Use of Your Title

The King wasn't happy to find out the morning after the wedding that Daemon and Rhaenyra departed somewhere early at dawn without notifying anyone. Or almost anyone.

Viserys asked one of his servants to bring Diane to his rooms because the King figured Daemon wouldn't leave anywhere without letting his daughter know. After all, they were surprisingly close.

Diane came rather fast, even though she couldn't suppress a yawn when she stepped into his rooms. It made Viserys realize that she had probably been still sleeping when the guard called her and it made him feel somewhat bad, but then he decided he had a good reason. His daughter - who was also the heir to the throne - just disappeared overnight! And Diane might have useful information.

She did. Apparently, Daemon whisked Rhaenyra away to Essos. Essos! How reckless is that?! Daemon claimed to be a changed man and yet he didn't act like it! Didn't he understand how dangerous it was?!

Diane clearly didn't share his anger, and as soon as Viserys calmed down, he could even kind of see her point. First of all, no one expected them to be in Essos so unless they were anywhere near their dragons, no one would recognize them. And such anonymity gave them protection from anyone who could hold a grudge against Targaryens. And Daemon's Dark Sister could easily protect them from usual criminals. They would be gone for a month or two and then would come back and settle into their royal life.

'I do believe I managed to get to know Rhaenyra quite well, and she takes her role of the heir to the throne very seriously, but it doesn't mean she has to be deprived of her youthful adventures,' Diane smiled, and Viserys deflated. He couldn't be angry for long in her presence, even more so when Diane was being so nice and calm.

So instead the King invited her to join him for breakfast, realizing that she probably didn't have any, and Diane gladly accepted. The fact that Viserys wanted to spend more time with her was a good sign, and not like she had much to do at that precise moment. Daemon and Rhaenyra were away, enjoying being newlyweds, and Diane decided she deserved a few slow days before she moved forward with all her plans.

So they spent the morning talking about Viserys' model of Old Valyria. The King enjoyed it not only because it was his hobby but also because Diane seemed honestly interested in what he had to say. She didn't know a lot about Valyrian history but she knew the basics so her questions were much more interesting and in-depth than Alicent ever managed to ask. Or anyone else for that matter.

Viserys also enjoyed it when Diane and he came up with silly stories for small figurines that resided inside the model. At first, it didn't have any because the King was much more interested in buildings than anything else, but one day they just started popping out of thin air. It took him almost two weeks to figure out that it was Diane who was bringing them on the nights she treated his wounds. And when he asked her about it she just smiled and said, 'I just thought the city as gorgeous as this one should be more lively. Hope you don't mind, Your Majesty.'

And then she proceeded to tell him about the backstories she came up with for the figurines and explained why she put them in those particular places. Viserys was enamored. So Diane proceeded to move figurines around the model and sometimes bring new ones. That gave them something to talk about when they saw each other which Viserys greatly enjoyed.

It would be later that day after Diane left, that the King would realize she sneaked a new figurine into his model while he wasn't looking. And he would spend the next three days wondering what the story could possibly require a figurine of a goat standing on top of the Valyrian castle.

***

The next few days indeed turned out to be rather calm for Diane. The court was buzzing with the new gossip (which, of course, Diane knew everything about and found joy in the fact that Otto definitely knew about it as well) but no one really bothered her. Other ladies-in-waiting used an opportunity to spend time with their families who arrived for the wedding, Athelstan asked for a few days off to tend to his sick father, no emergencies seemed to be happening, Otto avoided her to the best of his ability (which was hilarious), and Diane could finally just sit around, read books and spend time with Aegon and Helaena. Aegon was in his creative stage and was very delighted when Diane introduced fingerpainting to him. His nursemaid might not be all that happy with all the mess that was left for her to clean up but at the end of the day she couldn't really disapprove as long as the young prince was happy and entertained.