Veins of Silver | HOTD

Chapter 1

Some people across the realm, and even along the streets of Kings Landing, whispered rumours about The Red Keep - the castle that had held the royal family for many a decade. They spun ghost stories and old wives tales, muttering about the past Kings and Queens that were born and died in those very halls - who lived their lives raised above others only to fall into death just as easily as any other person. It's said that their spirits lingered inside the walls long after their bodies had been burnt to ash or decomposed into the soil that cradled them, wandering after the crown that hadn't followed them into death.

They hissed in each others ears, slurping down ale and wine, talking about the wails and the screeches that woke up many a servant over the years, driving some to madness while others fled the haunted gates while they still could.

It was spoken about in the pubs, in the barns, the many houses, the brothels - even the Red Keep itself. 

“It's no place for children,” Some would proclaim, shaking their heads in pity for the many children they knew resided inside those hallowed halls, “They must wish to be free of those walls, to be free of the ruckus their ancestors try to create,”

But, had they spoken to the many children that lived in the castle, running through the halls at day and sleeping soundly in their bed at night, they would have be told a different story.

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The sound of feet slapping against the stone floor echoed around the hallways as a small girl of 7 ran through, her long silver hair flowing behind her as she ducked in and out of the servants and knights, ignoring the warnings that floated her way.

They all smiled after her anyway, their eyes fond as they stared after the Princess who had captured their hearts from the moment she had entered this world. Their warnings held no real meaning.

Her breaths came faster as she swooped around corners and ducked under tapestries, weaving her way into the servant hallways, once again ignoring their exclamations of shock. She was careful not to run into any of them, her feet quick as she spun around any obstacles that entered her path. This was a task she had done many a time since she had gained her own freedom in the castle - and even beforehand, slipping away from her maids when they were busy tending Lucerys, her younger brother.

A grin tucked itself into the apple of her cheeks, dimples appearing, as she spotted her finish line. 

She was going to win.

She was actually going to-

“Aha!” A voice suddenly cried as a pair of arms wrapped around her, pulling her to the side a mere few feet away from her win, “I got you, Aely! You lose, we win!” 

Aelysanne let out a groan, frustration filling her lungs, pushing out the exhilaration that had just been there only seconds ago. Pursing her lips, she wriggled her way from the arms that gripped her, turning to face Daeron - her Uncle, though she rarely called him so, seeing as they were the same age.

They had been raised together, practically in the same cribs. Inseparable during the day and wanting for each other during the night - a fact that had driven both of their mothers and maids to sleep deprived madness.

Another laugh joined the mix, Aegon, her eldest Uncle of 12, stepping around a corner, his bushy curls windswept and cheeks a flushed pink, “Ah, I see our strategy has won yet again,” He grinned at her, breathing in deeply to regain his breath as he leant against the wall, “You really must be less predictable, Aelysanne. You run through the servants passages everytime,”

Huffing out her own breath, cheeks a matching pink to the laughing boy in front of her, “Says the one who always finds himself distracted before even getting to the finish line,” She shot back, grinning as his amused grin dropped, “The ladies are not interested in a boy as smelly as you, Aegon,”