The Dragon Of Harrenhal - H.S.

A song of ice and fire

"Princess." Ser Harwin called, as he stepped inside her chambers, stopping by the door as he always did. "The princess Rhaenyra wishes to see you."

Closing the book in her lap, Daella nodded at her guard, crawling to the edge of her bed to receive her sister.

"Send her in." She said, to which ser Harwin nodded once before stepping outside again, only to be replaced by a rather anxious looking Rhaenyra.

The smile that had been formed in Daella's face at the idea of receiving a visit from her sister that night quickly fell as soon as Rhaenyra moved to stand in front of Daella, stiffly.

"Are you well, sister?" Daella asked, to which Rhaenyra shook her head.

"I-I am fine, actually." She said, as Daella frowned.

"You are?"

Rhaenyra sighed, moving to sit beside her sister on her bed.

"Father says he will name me his heir in front of all the lords." She said, as Daella turned to her, surprised.

No, she was not surprised Viserys had decided to name Rhaenyra heir. After all, she was his first living child and now that their mother was dead, his dream of having a boy was over - or at least, it was for some time, she supposed. It was the obvious next step, to bring the lords of all of the Seven Kingdoms to bend the knee and swear their fealty to Rhaenyra as the king's heir. So no, Daella was not surprised in the least about that. What had shocked her in her sister's words and behavior had been, instead, the fact that she had sounded almost... Upset?

"This is good." Daella said, threading carefully as she always did around Rhaenyra when her sister was feeling anything less than happy. "Is it not?"

"It is a big responsibility." Rhaenyra said.

"You have been preparing for it for years, Nyra." Daella said. "And you will have a few more at least to prepare more. Father is not so sick that he will die too soon."

"I don't mean - I don't mean being queen." Rhaenyra shook her head, to which Daella frowned. "I mean... Father called me earlier to tell me about this. About me being his heir. But he also- he also said something else. Something more. Something bigger."

"Bigger than being queen of the Seven Kingdoms?" Daella almost scoffed.

"I should not tell you." Rhaenyra said. "Father said it is a well-kept secret, passed from ruler to heir after a promise of being kept a secret."

"I see."

"But I trust you, Daella. More than I trust anyone in the Seven Kingdoms. More than I trust myself." Rhaenyra continued, to which Daella gasped.

"You cannot mean to tell me the secret father has made you promise to keep." She said.

"I cannot bear this weight alone." Rhaenyra shook her head. "And who better to share it with me than the one person I know will always be by my side."

"I will, Rhaenyra, you know that." Daella confirmed, without a second of hesitation. Rhaenyra smiled, reaching for her sister's hands as the younger girl stared at her worriedly. "And I will share with you any weight you decide to share with me, but this..."

"Father said that Aegon did not conquer the Seven Kingdoms purely for ambition." Rhaenyra said, already coming out with it before Daella could argue anymore or she could change her mind. "He said it was a dream."

"A dream?" Daella asked. "Like the ones Daenys had?"

"In a way, I suppose." Rhaenyra Shrugged. "Father said Aegon foresaw the end of Valyria. He foresaw the end of the world of men. 'Tis to begin with a terrible winter gusting out of the distant north. Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds. And whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living. Father said it is my duty to keep the realms united, if the world of the men is meant to survive."

"Some people in our bloodline are known for having prophetic dreams." Daella said, as Rhaenyra frowned and stopped talking to listen intently to her sister instead. "Some other people in our bloodline just have a dream and deem it prophetic. I mean, you saw father with his dream of a male heir. You saw what came from it."

"What are you saying?" Rhaenyra asked. "Do you not believe it?"

"I am saying it would be your duty to keep the realms united regardless of dangers from the north that ride in their winter winds." Daella said. "I am saying you should not concern yourself now with prophecies we don't even know will come true or not."

"Father sounded so sure." Rhaenyra frowned, clearly still worried.

"Mayhaps he is." Daella shrugged, squeezing Rhaenyra's hands in hers for reassurance, smiling at her sister when Rhaenyra's eyes lifted to hers. "But mayhaps he is not. We cannot know until it happens and, until it does, you must concern yourself with what you do know will happen. And that is, you will be named heir. And the lords from the Seven Kingdoms will be called in to swear their fealty to you. So, if you are the queen of the prophecy and you are destined to save all of the men as we know them today, you should have their support."

"And if I'm not?" Rhaenyra asked.

"You still should have their support." Daella giggled as Rhaenyra smiled. "And, come what may, you shall have mine. Eternal and unwavering, my loyalty is yours, sister. My loyalty is yours, your grace."

And leaning into her sister's embrace, Rhaenyra allowed herself a moment to forget she was older to let Daella wrap her up in her arms as they hugged each other tight at the edge of Daella's bed.

"I love you, Daella." Rhaenyra whispered, as Daella smiled, squeezing her sister a little bit tighter in her arms.

"And I love you, Rhaenyra." Daella responded quickly, meaning every word that had left her lips ever since her sister had stepped inside a few minutes before.