wicked games | aemond targaryen

𝚜𝚒𝚡

VALEANA FOUND HERSELF comforted by the familiarity of the busy streets of Flea Bottom, slipping through the crowd dressed in dirty trousers and a shirt much too big for her. It was a relief to finally escape the itchy dresses that made it impossible to move in. The bustling merchants and shoppers of the market surrounded her, a sense of adrenaline rushing through the young girl as she came alive with the sounds, sights, and smells of the place she considered home. It certainly didn't smell the best, nor did it look it, but it was what she had grown up with.

Valaena resisted the urge to stop at the stalls that lined the narrow streets, all overflowing with goods ranging from lamb meat to trinkets from distant lands. It was a mercy the vendors tended to ignore her, not expecting to conduct business with a young girl of only a mere six years old. She used it to her advantage, keeping her head down and avoiding eye contact lest anyone notice the unusual purple that graced her eyes. No one gave her a second glance, her hair was much too common and her clothes much too poor for anyone to care about what she was up to.

She ducked into a familiar alleyway, a shortcut to her destination as she escaped the busy crowds of the market that morning. Valaena allowed her shoulders to relax, tense from the prospect of anyone catching her where she wasn't supposed to be. She hadn't asked permission from Daemon to leave the Red Keep, too afraid that asking him would only serve as another reminder of what a disappointment she was to him. That she would rather be anywhere than in the Red Keep where she didn't belong.

Releasing a deep breath, she turned the corner as she caught sight of her final destination. Her lips turned into a smile as she scurried the back door she had grown accustomed to sneaking through to escape Meera's motherly scolding. Valaena pushed against the door, unsurprised to find it unlocked as she peeked into the dark room.

She was immediately hit with a strong whiff of perfume followed by the loud giggles and chatter upstairs. Despite the earliness of the morning, Valaena was unsurprised the girls were already up and running their business.

"Didn't expect to find you back here so soon," Valaena's eyes snapped to the end of the room, where one of the younger girls sat in front of a mirror preparing herself for the day's activities.

Lyla Rivers was the youngest of the girls at the brothel, still only a mere sixteen years old, but she worked just as hard as the rest. She had a lovely voice, often singing lullabies to Valaena before she fell asleep. Valaena hadn't expected to find her downstairs still.

"Is Meera expecting you?" Lyla turned from the mirror, giving Valaena a wide smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Expecting who?" Meera appeared down the stairs, pausing as she caught sight of Valaena standing at the doorway. She released an annoyed sigh, but the smile threatening the corner of her lips showed she was happy to see the girl. Valaena gave her a sheepish shrug in return.

"Lyla, you have a customer requesting you. Far corner of the East Room," Meera dismissed the girl, who gave an annoyed eye roll before disappearing back upstairs. Meera turned her attention back to Valaena with her hands on her hips, as if contemplating what to do with her.

"Valaena, you know you shouldn't be here," Meera started, her hard resolve crumbling quickly and her face softening as Valaena hugged herself tightly while she stared at the ground. She approached the young girl, crouching down to be at eye level as she reached up and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Does Daemon know you're here?"

Valaena hesitated before shaking her head, unable to meet Meera's gaze.

"No, he doesn't," Valaena replied meekly. "I didn't ask him. I just... I needed to get away."

Meera reached up, gently lifting Valaena's chin to reveal the tears threatening the corner of her eyes. The young girl tried to blink them back furiously, but it was too late.