Betrothed to the Prince of Valyria

No way out of it

Princess Alyssa's POV
Aenar stood up and excused himself to go after his sister. This proposal hit us like a lightning. Totally unexpected...Any mother would be beyond happy with such proposal. My daughter could become a Queen someday after all. But I could see the rage in Saera's eyes as she stormed out. I knew that she wanted to marry someone of her choice. I did not know what to feel. I saw the mixed emotions in my husband's eyes as he lifted up his face and said.

"Your Grace, excuse Saera's reaction, she is just surprised. However, i would like to say that we are honored by your proposal, but..."
I could see where this will go as Boriv continues. Seeing Saera's reaction, he won't tolerate his daughter to marry against her will.

So I interrupted quickly. " Yes, cousin, of course we are honored. I will talk to my daughter about this matter. As parents we give our blessings. But final decision belongs to Saera" Boriv nodded a yes as i finished speaking.

I could see that Baelor was not totally satisfied with our answer. But he didn't say anything other than "Of course"

"Dear, i am very tired, we have come a long way today, how about we go rest and this gracious family talk about this matter among themselves?" The Queen asked trying to lighten the mood. Baelor nodded and i showed them to their chambers.

Saera's POV
I kept playing the Kings words on my head. I should have rejected the proposal right there. But how could I, what would it cause if i did so? Considering my mother is the King's cousin it would burn all the ties between us. But how can they demand me to marry a man that i haven't seen in years and I don't know at all. I wanted to fly away and cool down a bit. I was rushing to get on Lyaxes as i heard Aenar running to me.

"Sister, wait, where are you going?" he asked horrified thinking I might consider an escape after such proposal.

"I will come back don't worry, just leave me alone for a few hours, Aenar" i said reassuringly.

"Calm down Saera, what are the royals going to think if they see you fleeing away on your dragon?" He gave me a pleading look. I rolled my eyes at him, emphasizing that I don't care what they think right now.
"Don't act impulsively. Let's go to the shore and talk calmly, please" I forcefully agreed.

I sat down on a cold stone, wrapping my cloak tightly around me against the biting wind. The sky was gray, and the waves seemed to echo the storm inside me. The king's proposal had hit me like a ton of bricks. Marrying a man I've never met, all for the sake of political gain. It felt like my future was being stolen from me.

I thought about running-taking Lyaxes and leaving everything behind. But where would I go? Leaving would mean abandoning my family and everything I know. And even if I did run, it wouldn't solve anything. I'd still be trapped in this situation.

Agreeing to the betrothal felt like betraying my dreams. I had always imagined choosing my own path, not being forced into a marriage with a stranger. The weight of it all was overwhelming.

I stayed there by the sea, feeling the cold and watching the waves crash, trying to come to terms with everything. Eventually, I knew I had to go back to the castle and face the king and my family. I had to find a way to deal with this, even if I felt like I was losing myself in the process.

I was staring down thinking how can i slip away from this situation. Or what will happen if I accept and marry him, how is he, how will be my life there? Too many questions roamed inside my head.

Aenar broke the silence looking directly at me. "Sister, i see what are you going through, but please try to understand the whole situation fully. I know that you don't want to marry someone you don't know, and honestly I would not like you to. But it was the King himself who came all the way from capital to make a proposal. Do you really think a rejection will not affect our family? He is our mother's cousin for fucks sake."

"What do you want to say Aenar? How can i marry him? I am always ready to make sacrifices for the sake of our family and kingdom, we all have been training since we are 5 years old , you know it well, just to serve the King when the day comes. But now i am expected to give up my future for family" i protested tears running down my cheeks.

"Sister, no one wants you to do such thing, believe me, but the King's wish is equal to demand. Al least agree to be betrothed to him. Go to Capital city and you will have a few days until the wedding to get to know him a bit. If you still don't want to marry him, i promise, i will find a way to call the wedding off or somehow get you out of there." I could see the sincerity in his eyes.

I walked back to the castle with a heavy heart, each step feeling like a weight pressing down on me.. I was trying to wrap my head around our plan. Screw the plan actually, i came to understand that I don't have any way out of this. I had to agree for the sake of my family. As me and Aenar walked into my chambers, my parents and Saella were already there and waiting for us. I looked down trying to hide my puffy eyes, not wanting to seem weak in front of them. No one dared to spit a word . Taking a deep breath, I faced them. "I've had time to think about what happened today," I began, my voice trembling. "I've walked by the sea and tried to imagine another way, but I've come to understand that there's no way out of this. I assume you all know that in my heart I don't want this marriage but a rejection would cause a severe damage to our family and house."
"My daughter,..." my father tried to protest. I can see the sadness in his eyes and my mother was already sobbing. I could see the burden of the decision weighing on them as well.

"Please, sire, let me finish, i know that none of you wish sadness upon me. All my life i have been loved and respected in our home, and i am grateful for that. But as i said we don't have any other choice. Rejecting the betrothal would mean going against the king's will, and that would bring consequences none of us can afford. "

"But sister, i think we agreed on..." Aenar tried to remind me of our conversation at the shore, not understanding why I yield.

"No, Aenar, even if i stay betrothed to the Prince for a week or a month, it won't change anything."

That was it for that evening. I accepted my fate.