Fire and Sea

Two (editing)

Rushing from the Queen's chambers, Laenyll follows closely behind Rhaenyra as they make their way to the small council chamber where the Lords, including her father, Lord Corlys are having a meeting. The guards creak open the door as they slip in.

Laenyll's fingers wrap around the fabric of her dress, lifting as they ascend the small set of stairs. She falls back from Rhaenyra to approach her father who stood at the side of the table. She takes note of his tense posture and equal features. 

"King's cupbearers must not be late." The King announces as Rhaenyra goes to greet him.

"I am sorry for my tardiness, father." Laenyll whispers, leaning up to give her father a small kiss to the cheek.

He returns the gesture with a swift kiss to her temple. The light in her eyes seems to return. Laenyll takes in his familiar scent, making her miss the sight of home. He smells of salty sea air. It brought back the memories of herself and her twin as they ran along the sand, daring the other to jump in right before supper time. Their mother would be so upset when they returned soaked from head to toe, the water dripping onto her floor. When she was much younger, she thought her mother's dragon would breathe fire onto them.

As the memory burned bright in her mind, the ache in her chest burned with it.

Her father scrunches his nose slightly as he sniffs the air around her. Her gaze falls down, hoping to avoid her fathers scolding. He preferred her to smell of the sea, rather than dragons. She couldn't blame him, he was born out of the salty sea air.

"You smell of dragon." he states, his voice stern.

She brushes a few pieces of his snowy white locs with her fingers before she grins. Flashes of her mother come to mind as she speaks.

"I am a rider's daughter."

She meets his eyes once more before she departs and makes her way over to the table where Rhaenyra stands, waiting. She never thought she would be a cupbearer with Rhaenyra. It was one way to be closer to her father and see what type of work he did outside of Driftmark. But catering to these...Lords never felt right with her. She only kept with it to spend more time with Rhaenyra. Not that it would matter entirely. Rhaenyras eyes seem to drift more to Alicent in the recent months.

Laenyll goes to pour her fathers cup first as Rhaenrya did the same with her father. The words of the Lords jumble together and fall to the ground before it could even meet her ears. She never truly paid attention during these meetings. If it was something worth the gossip, Rhaenyra would tell her before they fell asleep the same night. But each time one of the Lords spewed a certain name off their tongue, she had to dig deep to keep her emotions under the vast sea she calls her inner feelings. And to keep her chest rising at a steady rhythm.

Why does such a name make her react in such a way? The question will continue to ponder in her mind until she can figure out the answer herself. She feels the familiarity of Mercy close in her mind as she glances over at Rhaenyra. She was caught giving her the same look she does whenever that name is mentioned.

Their 'no secrets' rule was starting to become a regret she now had to live with.

Her fathers voice drifts out into the open.

"I would urge that you now allow this Triarchy much latitude in the Stepstones, Your Grace. If those shipping lanes should fall, it will beggar our ports." her father voices.

"The crown has heard your reports, Lord Corlys, and takes it under advisement."

Laenyll turns her head the same time her father does towards Lord Otto Hightower.