" Love is the bane of honor, the death of duty. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy. "
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House of the Dragon : season one
[ ocs × hotd ]
2024
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Like an interminable spectral vision, the bay of black water paraded through the imposing glass windows with calm looming. Naeryssa thought of reaching the first tower of the fortress and plunging into the sea just to see if Ser Harwin had followed her or not.
She could clearly feel him hot on her heels, now fully immersed in his task as personal guard. She almost laughed at the mere thought of his previous reticence. He seemed so close-knit, she was sure he would do anything to fulfil the king's wishes and it was beginning to irritate her.
Why such faith is devotion to a man who barely knew her name? Did he not have a better regard for his wishes and opinions? She was certain he could not bear her presence, and yet here he was, keeping pace with great strides. The princess felt she was unable to understand him, and this generated a new feeling of genuine irritation within her.
"Your chambers are on the other side, unless you are planning to sleep in the quarters of the mint master, princess." His voice steeped in sarcasm made her flinch for a moment, appearing even deeper in those lonely corridors but she tried not to let it show. She rolled her eyes, continuing to walk.
"Even without your menacing presence behind me, I can get my bearings just fine." She felt the sword quiver rubbing against his armour as he approached all too easily. "Unfortunately for us, I have little choice but to prowl menacingly behind you, Your Grace."
After the latest events, which had filled the last hours of that hellish day to the brim, Naeryssa felt that her patience and self-control were treading rigidly on the razor's edge; in the end, every word too many was an excuse for her to indulge in unpleasant confessions.
A harsh, shrewd and not at all amused laugh resounded through the ghostly halls of the fortress. Ser Harwin frowned, more than he normally did, sure that there was no trace of amusement in her tone.
"Of course, as if all that didn't work in your favour." He'd heard the princess spit out sarcasm like venom before, he'd never paid attention to anything though. Not like at that moment at least. He felt mocked, judged and almost guilty. More than anything else, it was extremely difficult to acknowledge that the princess was right.
The situation did work to his advantage.
Not that he had wanted it, not that it was part of his plans. But everything laid in his favour and there was no denying it, yet the day he would let a princess have her way would be the day of his demise.
