The Dragon Of Harrenhal - H.S.

My love

Three years later

Daella knew this path like the back of her hand. She had been making it at least once a week for the past two years. She knew which pathways to take from her chambers, down to the sewers and out into King's Landing. She knew to keep her hair tucked away into her hood, to keep her eyes down and ignore any and every person who tried to knock shoulders with her or start a conversation. She kept herself in the shadows, making her way straight from the keep and toward the house. She knew where the key was kept and she knew the time she'd have to wait.

At least, usually, she had at least an half an hour by herself before he arrived but that night, Daella had barely managed to hang her cloak on the hanger by the door, she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her middle from behind. She yelped, letting out a squeal as she spun around to face the person, only to relax when she realized it was Harwin.

"You've scared me." She said, a small pout on her lips as she looked up at the man still squeezing her tight to his body by the waist.

"Forgive me, my princess." Harwin teased her as he met her gaze in the middle. "That was not my intent."

"Drop the act." She rolled her eyes, hitting Harwin against the chest as she pushed herself off his arms and walked toward his bed instead. "I thought you'd be arriving later."

"I have finished my rounds around the town earlier." He shrugged, moving toward table on his small kitchen to grab a piece of bread and some butter he still had laying around. "Why? Did you wish me on duty, my love?"

"And have less time with you? Never." She smiled, but her head when Harwin offered her some of his bread once he moved to take a seat beside her by the foot of his bed. She frowned as she leaned over in front of him to look out of the room and toward the kitchen instead. "I'll send you some more butter. And some cheese as well. One of the Tyrells' vassals came earlier for Aegon's celebration and brought with him a big chunk of their cheese. Have you ever had cheese from the Reach? It's some of the best cheese in the Seven Kingdoms, in my opinion."

"You might have offered me a piece or two while I was still your sworn shield." Harwin smiled fondly at the young woman beside him and, gently, pushed her up on an upright position before running a finger up her arm and neck until it fell under her chin. Harwin smiled at the way Daella shivered at his touch - even after years of whatever they had and about a whole year of clandestine weekly late-night meetings at his house, she still blushed brightly whenever Harwin made her look at him. "You don't need to worry about me, my love. I am fine here."

"They don't give you enough provisions." Daella shook her head, brushing her chin against his finger as she did so. "I know you're supposed to share what you have with your fellow gold cloaks but I also happen to know that your Lord Commander takes a big chunk of it for himself."

"Daella..."

"I will send you the cheese." She decided, to which Harwin sighed softly. He smiled as a wave of fondness took over him. "And some milk. And fresh fruits. Is there anything else you need?"

Harwin hummed low in his throat, his lips curling up in a beaming smile as he held Daella's face in place and leaned down to kiss her. As it always happened when they did it, Daella whined quietly, melting into his touch and trusting him to keep her up. Harwin never faltered, holding her tight to him whenever they joined this way, more for his sake than Daella's, in truth. As it always did whenever they kissed, soft, sweet exchanges suddenly turned heated and desperate and whenever Harwin felt like his hands were itching to undo the many laces that kept Daella's intricate corsets up, he pulled back.

"You shouldn't spend your time concerning yourself about me." He said, his forehead still pressed against Daella's and his eyes still closed as he tried to regain his composure.

No matter what they were, Daella was not his. She was a princess of the realm. And he would not have her sullied and dishonored, even if it meant giving up on the one thing he needed at the moment - the thing he knew both of them wanted, as far as Harwin could tell.

"I enjoy concerning myself about you." She whispered back at him, opening her eyes only to smile as she saw the burly man before her completely disarmed with only a single kiss. "Besides, I needed something to do anyway."

"What do you mean?" Harwin asked, smiling to himself when Daella stole another kiss from him before answering.

"Aegon's nameday is in a few days, so the whole castle is focused on it." She said. "Not much for me to do, I suppose. Not with the queen controlling every part of the celebration as she can."

"Couldn't you help?" Harwin asked.

"The queen won't let me." She shrugged. "I don't think she likes me very much anymore. And I think she likes it less when I try to spend time with Aegon."

"He's your brother." Harwin said, to which Daella shrugged.

"And I guess I look too much like my mother for his mother's taste." She said. "Which is a shame. Aegon's such a sweet babe."

"Is he?" Harwin asked, genuinely interested in a way that very few people these days were when they started a conversation with her.

"He is. He can't really say my name. He says something closer to dala, I guess. It's very sweet. But he smiles when he sees me." Daella smiled gently at the image of her little brother smiling up at her when she entered his chambers the other day, his hands grabbing toward her as he giggled when she sat down on the floor beside his wet nurse to play with him. "I had a toy dragon made for him. Golden, like the one that hatched from his egg. He loves it. Plays with it all the time."

"He does sound like a sweet child." Harwin said.

"He is." Daella smiled. "You'll see him. In a few days. At the hunt. Right?"

"I will, my love." Harwin smiled back. "I have received an invitation to prince Aegon's celebration signed by the king personally. Would you know anything about it, my princess?"

"Me?" She giggled at the suspicious eyebrow Harwin raised her direction. "I didn't even have to say anything, but he knew I'd want you there. And since he so cruelly took you away from me, I suppose he could extend me this kindness, at least."

"Kindness." Harwin hummed, his finger moving across Daella's face as he traced every little piece of skin displayed before him as he had done several times before. "Or torture? You do know we'll have to hide our feelings in front of everyone else, huh? Pretend we haven't seen each other in three years."

"I do know that, yes. And I will do my best to sell that to anyone who bothers enough to watch us." She said, moving to place one of her knees by Harwin's leg while throwing the other to his other side so she was straddling his lap. "But let's enjoy right here, right now, where we don't have to hide anything."

Harwin didn't answer with words. Instead, all he did was place his hands on her hips to pull her flush against him as he leaned his face up press his lips to hers in a very urgent kiss.

"As you command, my princess." He whispered against her lips, being rewarded by a giggle from her as she pressed her lips against his as forcefully as she could to shut him up.

"Ñuha azantys." She whispered to him against his lips in between their smacking of lips. "My heart. My love. My knight."