The unwanted princess - H.o.D.

Spoils of war

The sway of the carriage made Valora sick. Or maybe it was the pains all over her body. Or maybe, even worse, the fact that she was heading away from the castle and toward the dragonpit where Aegon would be crowned - where their whole lives were about to change. It all made her feel sick.

"You don't look pleased."

Valora jumped at the sound, having forgotten, up until that moment, that she wasn't, in fact, alone in the wheelhouse. She had been riding with Helaena, but, since her half-sister had been completely distracted by the little red bug she had been playing with - most likely, a gift from Aemma herself, considering the little girl shared her aunt's fascination for insects -, Valora has almost forgotten she had been there.

"I'm not." Valora sighed, dropping her head back against the wall of the wheelhouse as she groaned.

"In an hour, Aegon will be king." Helaena said, the implication in her words clear as day - you should be pleased. "In an hour, you will be queen."

"And our father never wanted this." Valora retorted.

"My mother says that is not true."

"Your mother might believe whatever she wants." Valora scoffed. "The truth is our father had years to name Aegon heir and never did. Steadfastly, he upheld Rhaenyra's claim."

"My mother says he changed his mind." Helaena said, her eyes never leaving the bug crawling around her fingers. Not even when Valora snorted a laugh that would definitely be seen as unbecoming of a princess.

"He could have, but he never did." She shook her head. "Because he didn't like us. He didn't like Aegon and he hated me even more."

"That is of little consequence now." Helaena shrugged. "The choice has been made. Aegon will sit the throne."

Valora could not help but wonder as her sister spoke. The choice has been made - did she mean to say Valora made the decision? Aegon mayhaps? Or someone else entirely? And he will be king. Helaena sounded sure, final, decisive. It made a chill run down her spine.

"Whatever I did, I have done it for my children." Valora said. Aemma, Jaeherys, Jaehera, Daena, Balor, Malor. She kept repeating their names like a mantra. For them, she kept saying. "I've done it all for them."

"Spoils of war." Helaena said, her eyes still focused on her bug even as Valora widened hers and snapped her head in her sister's direction. "Spool of green, spool of black. Dragons of flesh, weaving dragons of thread."

"What does that mean?" Valora asked, growing slightly frustrated when Helaena paid her no mind. "Helaena!"

At her sudden sharp tone of voice, her sister finally lifted her violet eyes to meet Valora's matching ones. Helaena blinked at her, almost as if surprised - almost as if she had forgotten she had said anything at all. Valora sighed, leaning back against the side of the wheelhouse as she tried to recompose herself. After all, after years of growing up beside Heleana, Valora knew sometimes she barely recalled the things she said.

"Sister..." She practically begged, hating the way the word sounded so weak, even for her. "I... I don't know what to do."

"You seem to be quite sure of the path you are taking." Helaena frowned, sounding genuinely confused.

"I'm just trying to keep us safe." Valora admitted. "My children, Aegon, myself, you... All of us. I want to keep us safe."

"War is upon us." Helaena said, and, for the first time, she didn't sound distant and distracted as she did whenever she spilled out a small prophecy or another. "And war takes from the innocent more than it does the powerful."

Valora's frown deepened as she thought over Helaena's word. What did she mean? Who were the innocent in a situation such as theirs? And what would war take from them? What more could it possibly demand? So engrossed in her own thoughts, Valora didn't even notice the fact that they had stopped moving. That was, of course, until one of her guards opened the doors to the wheelhouse and poked his head inside to tell the two of them they had arrived. Helaena barely blinked, already extending a hand toward the man, only to be stopped by Valora, who reached out to her to grab her arm in a desperate attempt to keep her close.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Helaena." She admitted, as her sister sent her a gentle smile and placed a hand over hers in her arm.

"What is meant to happen, will happen in time." She said, to which Valora sighed. "Not even a crown can stop fate."