✦ New Faith ✦ Aegon Targaryen

○ two ○

☆ Tanda POV ☆

I lay there for what felt like hours, my mind racing, heart pounding. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. I knew so little about the Targaryens, just that they rode dragons, had peculiar silver hair, and spoke an ancient tongue. Beyond that, they were a mystery to me-one I was now about to be thrown into.

Could I even speak to my betrothed? Did he know my language? Did he have a dragon of his own? And what did "led astray" mean? Those words echoed in my head, confusing and unsettling me. He was Prince Aegon, the son of the king, the protector of the entire realm. How could someone like that possibly be "led astray"?

"What am I compared to that?" I whispered into the quiet room, my nerves trembling beneath my skin, even though I still had three days before I was to leave for King's Landing.

These worries gnawed at me relentlessly as the hours passed. Just as the sun began to climb higher in the sky, a gentle knock echoed from my chamber door. "Princess, your father insists I begin packing your things. May I come in?"

"Of course," I called out, rising slowly from my bed, wiping at my eyes though no tears had yet fallen. "Pack whatever you see fit. I'll be in the library."

The maid gave me a soft, understanding smile before she turned to her task. I could see the pity in her eyes-she felt for me, but no one could truly understand the weight of what I was feeling.

Our library was vast, its shelves lined with books on countless subjects, but much to my dismay, there was little to be found about the Targaryens. Just one dusty old tome remained, its pages worn thin with age. It chronicled the reigns of Targaryen kings from Aegon I to Jaehaerys I, but it wasn't exactly up to date. "So much for useful information," I muttered to myself, an old habit I couldn't quite break. Everyone knew the current king was Viserys, and his daughter, Rhaenyra, was named heir.

I only knew as much because my father had raged about it for weeks. "A woman? He names his daughter, and not a son?" My father, a staunch traditionalist, had scoffed at the idea, firmly believing the throne should always pass to the firstborn son. But King Viserys had no sons when Rhaenyra was declared his heir, a decision that stirred up controversy throughout the realm. My father never hid his opinion, even claiming that our house had traces of Valyrian blood, though I was never certain whether I believed him. Our hair was lighter, yes, but more honey-golden than silver, and we certainly weren't dragonriders. Yet, whenever my father would spin his tales, I would nod along, not daring to challenge him.

Frustrated, I snapped the book shut, knowing it would offer me no answers. I needed air, a distraction, anything to quiet my mind. So, I made my way to the courtyard.

Standing there under the sun, the warmth against my face was a small comfort. I tilted my head back, letting the light wash over me. I wondered if King's Landing had courtyards like this-places of peace amidst the chaos. Of course it did. How could it not? And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling of homesickness that clung to me, even though I hadn't yet left. It was as if I were already a stranger in my own home, disconnected from everything I once knew.

Would King's Landing ever feel like home? Or would I forever be an outsider, bound by duty to a family I barely understood?