VALEANA SAT UNDER the familiar tree that had become her sanctuary over the past year, a new book, much more advanced than the silly children's book she had begun with, lay in her lap as she sat in the shade to shield her from the harsh suns. Her eyes scanned over the pages gracefully, her lessons with her uncle paying off as she almost effortlessly read the words before her. The late nights crying and throwing books in frustration were long behind her, although one could hear a loud groan every once in a while as she came across a word still beyond her vocabulary.
Nearby, Jace played with a wooden sword, battling imaginary foes with enthusiastic swings and grunts. His laughter echoed through the garden as he fought, mingling with the rustling leaves and chirping birds.
"Take that, you villain!" Jace shouted, rolling in the grass before popping to his feet and swinging his sword.
"You'll want to lower your grip on the sword if you ever want to defeat a real enemy," Valeana commented, not even glancing up from her book as she turned the page.
Jace paused, glancing over at Valaena before turning his attention to his grip. He lowered his grip slightly, listening to his cousin's advice as he swung the sword.
"Like this?" he asked, trying to replicate the stance he'd seen in training.
Valaena glanced up from her book, pursing her lips as she watched him struggle with any basic swordsmanship. She couldn't blame him, he was only four years old, but it was a sad sight to see. The insult was on the tip of her tongue, stopped only by the reminder of her promise to Rhaenrya.
"Perfect," she replied instead, turning her attention back to her book as she deemed the conversation complete.
Jace swung the sword a few more times but released a loud sigh as he dropped his arms back down to his side. He turned to Valaena, unsurprised to find herself already immersed back into her book.
"Valaena, why can't you come play with me?" Jace called out, waving his wooden sword in her direction. "You can teach me how to fight properly, like a real knight."
"Like a warrior," Valaena corrected quickly. "You want to fight like a warrior, not a knight."
She paused, glancing up from her book and releasing a sigh when she saw the slight pout on his face.
"You know I have to study," Valeana protested, although her tone lacked conviction. "I'm meeting with Viserys later to show him my progress."
"Please? Just for a little while?" Jace pleaded, his wide brown eyes breaking any protests Valaena had left as she reluctantly closed her book.
Before she could move, Rhaenrya entered the gardens, immediately drawing Valaena's attention away from Jace. Her cousin smiled as she approached the tree, holding Lucerys tightly in her arms as she radiated a warm smile towards the young girl.
"I'm glad to see some things never change," Rhaenrya commented as she placed Lucerys gently on the grass where he began to crawl towards Jace with unsteady, excited movements. Jace released a groan, knowing that playtime was over and it was time to watch over his new baby brother. "I knew I would find you here."
"It's quiet here," Valaena commented as Rhaenrya sat down next to her before their gazes both flicked to the boys. "Or at least, it used to be."
"Yes, boys will do that to a place," Rhaenrya laughed with a shake of her head. "Let us be grateful they are still young enough we can catch them if they get too close to trouble."
Valaena tilted her head, nodding in agreement as she watched Jace try to wiggle away from Lucerys' grasp.
"What are you reading today?" Rhaenrya pulled her attention away from the boys, a bright smile lighting up Valaena's face at the question.
"Viserys gifted me this book," Valeana grabbed her book laying on the grass, turning the cover for Rhaenrya to see. "It's about Old Valeria and the dragons."
"I used to love that book as a child," Rhaenrya commented, her eyes traveling from the book to where Valaena's sleeve had pulled back and the smile slowly faded from her face.
"What happened to your arm?" Rhaenrya reached out, pulling her sleeve back further to reveal the array of bruises that graced her arms. "Who did this to you?"
"Oh," Valeana shrugged her arm from Rhaenrya's grip, tugging the sleeve back down to hide the bruises. "It's nothing. It's just training with Daemon."
"Training?" Rhaenrya shook her head, confused.
"Yeah, he's teaching me how to fight," Valaena shrugged as she quickly added on, "Obviously I'm not very good at it."
Rhaenrya seemed taken aback by the concept, as if surprised that Valaena was allowed to even pick up a sword.
"And he hits you during these trainings?" Rhaenrya questioned with a concerned frown.
"Only with a wooden sword," Valaena defended, softening when she realized Rhaenrya was only concerned about her wellbeing. "How else am I going to learn to dodge a sword?"
"I guess I've never thought about it," Rhaenrya admitted, resisting the urge to pull her sleeve back up and tend to her bruises.
"It's perfectly normal, Rhaenrya," Valaena reassured, nodding her head in Jace's direction as she added, "Wait until Jace starts training. I'm sure he'll have plenty more bruises than me with the way I've seen him fight."
"Gods, I don't even want to think about that," Rhaenrya shook her head at the thought, the idea of her son coming home with bruises or worse.
Valaena opened her mouth to respond, closing it when she heard a faint yell from inside the keep. She furrowed her eyebrows, her curiosity to who was yelling answered as the garden doors slammed open to reveal a furious Daemon Targaryen.
"Valaena," Daemon barked as his eyes landed on his daughter. "Come, we're leaving. Now."
"What?" Valeana questioned, pushing herself onto her feet as she wondered what was wrong.
Daemon didn't pause to explain, striding over to where Valaena stood and grabbing her arm harshly.
"Daemon, what's going on?" Rhaenrya stood up, concerned that something terrible had happened.
"This doesn't concern you," Daemon spat at Rhaenrya, ignoring the way she recoiled at his harsh words as he began dragging Valeana away from the garden. She stumbled to keep up with his brisk pace, her heart racing as she tried and failed to pull her arm away from Daemon's strong grip.
"Where are we going?" Valaena asked as they hurried through the corridors of the Red Keep.
"We're leaving," Daemon replied, releasing his grip as they reached their rooms, pushing them open with a violent push. "It was a mistake to stay."
"Leaving?" Valaena stopped at the door entrance, watching as Daemon began grabbing his things from around the room and throwing them into a chest. "What do you mean leaving?"
"I mean leaving the Red Keep, King's Landing, all of it" Daemon spat as he threw his stuff down. "Pack your things, quickly."
"But I don't want to leave," Valaena's words stopped Daemon in his tracks as he turned to face her. There was a brief moment of silence, as if time stood still while the pair stared at each other.
"This isn't up for discussion," Daemon told her. "Pack your things, or we'll leave without them."
Valaena hesitantly stepped into the room, glancing around the place she had grown comfortable in that now had items messily tossed around from Daemon's mad hassle to pack.
"Will we be back?" she turned her head towards Daemon, hopeful for the answer she longed for.
There was a brief moment as Daemon stared down at his daughter, as if knowing what words she was looking for.
"Maybe, one day," Daemon responded after a pause.
A lie.
Valaena had gotten good at spotting lies that her father told, and this was no different. He had no intention of ever returning to Kings Landing, at least not in his angry state at the moment. Perhaps, when he had cooled down, he would change his decision.
Valeana did not hold out much hope for a change of heart in her father.
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wicked games | aemond targaryen
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