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KINGS LANDING || 111 AC
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𝕲wayne Hightower of Oldtown, eldest son of Otto Hightower known as the Hand of The King, had been sent for by his father in the early morning to get him ready to meet his newly betrothed. Six months ago, Otto had informed his son of his proposal to King Viserys, Gwayne indeed was not fond of the idea. But Gwayne had no choice but to comply as his father forced him into this marriage. The young knight was already 19 when he had been properly betrothed to the young Princess Daena who was 14. Gwayne could still recall the moment he was told of his betrothal to Daena, a girl of just 14, with a mix of confusion and resignation. He had been barely older himself, and the weight of the decision, made without his input, settled heavily on his young shoulders. He remembered the first time he saw her—Daena, with her solemn eyes and delicate features, looking every bit as uncertain and trapped as he felt. She was a child, really, still untouched by the harsh realities that would soon define both their lives. At that moment, Gwayne felt a pang of guilt, knowing that neither of them had asked for this, and yet, here they were, bound by the expectations of their families.
He could see the fear and determination in her eyes, a reflection of his own feelings, and he silently vowed to protect her, even if he couldn't bring himself to embrace the idea of love. Theirs was to be a union of duty, and as he stood there, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of life they were being thrust into, bound together by circumstances beyond their control. He stood in the Throne Room facing the Iron Throne where the King Viserys was sat, Gwayne glanced down at the young Princess again who had clearly been crying the night before, her red puffy eyes and the continuous sniffling gave it away. Gwayne didn't want to be here just as much as anyone, but he had no choice and by the order of his father he had no choice but to accept the future his father had given him. King Viserys had announced that there was to be a feast to celebrate their betrothal, Gwayne noticed his father's smug grin of success that he just wanted to wipe off.
Otto recommended that the newly betrothed should get to know each other better by walking around the palace gardens, which the King heartily agreed to. Gwayne gave his father a tight-lipped smile of frustration as he waited for Princess Daena to finish saying her goodbye to her sister before they headed out to the gardens.
The two walked around in silence for a good hour before Daena spoke for the first time, "At the tourney..." she reminded, Gwayne shocked at her sudden interest in speaking, faced to looked at Daena, "When you asked for my favor," she paused for a second, then halted in her path. Gwayne towered over Daena as she was just petite and young.
Gwayne knew Daena didn't know how to finish off the sentence so he intervened and answered for her, "It was all an act I'm afraid. My father instructed me to ask for your favor, and he informed me of his plan to betroth us the night before the tourney. Trust me when I say I had no intention to take your hand in marriage, Princess," Gwayne thought he was helping the situation by continuing to say that Daena was just a child, "My father is a man of power I could not disobey him," and just as much as Daena wanted to agree with him, something deep down in her was hurt by his words. His words sounded like he didn't want to marry her at all, and that made Daena think she would never be loved. And that broke her.
