Adelia Hightower was the perfect lady. Everyone thought so, expect her father, sister, and the Princess Rhaenyra. She was good and kind, a breath of fresh air in the dreary Red Keep. Her flaming hair and emerald dresses was a welcome sight amongst t...
It was a day of celebration for the court... all but four members. It was the day of the tourney being held to celebrate the birth of what was hoped to be a new prince.
Queen Aemma would not be attending the tourney as she was long into her confinement. She was indifferent to the day, as she knew this was the way of men who did not understand that nothing, not even senseless violence, would change the sex of the child. Gods help her if she was a girl. She only felt worry for her son, as he would be competing. She was sure he would win against the other competitors, but surely Prince Daemon would compete, and he had trained Aelyx. Aemma prayed to herself that Aelyx would reign victorious, and in turn crown Adelia the Queen of Love and Beauty, a title which seemed to be fit for her. That thought alone left a small smile of the Queen's face.
Princess Rhaenyra was not at all looking forward to the day. She didn't see reason into celebrating a child not even born yet, especially not one that would take more attention away from her. If the babe was a boy, he would be revered through the realm and the smallfolk would forget all about her. Not that she ever did much for her to be remembered anyway. If the babe was a girl, then she would be fawned over as the youngest child. Not to mention Aelyx would certainly fawn over Adelia today as she would be dressed up in another offensively green dress. Rhaenyra scoffed and rolled her eyes at the notion.
Prince Aelyx would not say that he was in the mood for merriment today. Aelyx was worried about his mother and her delivery. He knew that her pregnancies were often tedious and he was worried that her body was no longer strong enough to survive the stress. He was also nervous for the tourney, as this was the first one he would be competing in. He was firm in his belief that he was ready, as he was known to be one of the best swordsmen in the kingdom, second only to his uncle Daemon. He wanted to win for his father, his mother, and most importantly for his Adelia.
Adelia slowly strolled through the gardens in a light green gown that flowed in the small breeze. Her normally cheerful nature seemed withdrawn today, but she still managed a small smile and curtsy for anyone she saw. She was scared. After her discussion with Queen Aemma, she was not certain that the woman she viewed as a second mother would survive. This would be the second woman she would lose to childbirth, and no doubt not the last. Her own lady mother had perished bringing her brother Martyn into the world, and Martyn had only lived to be nine moons old. She resolved herself not to show her sadness at the tourney, as she wanted to support Aelyx. She knew he was nervous; she knew him. If she was upset he would no doubt be as well.
Adelia reached her chambers and excused her three hand maids waiting to ready her for the celbrations. She could get ready on her own, and hated making others do such small tasks for her. Instead she gave the ladies the day off to visit their families, and a small pouch of gold each. As they left they smiled gently to themselves and thought of the goodness that radiated off the young Hightower. Adelia lowered herself into a warm tub and closed her eyes, hoping to distract her thoughts. She also needed to build her confidence for what she had planned today. Her talk with Queen Aemma not only frightened her, but motivated her to fulfill her promise. She would marry Aelyx, she loved him and hoped he loved her. That would not happen for quite some time, but she wanted to plant seeds of courting her into his mind. Her plan began today.
Adelia stepped out of the bath and padded over to her closet. She pulled out the gown she had secretly chosen for the day. Her father would be furious, and no doubt her sister and the princess would be as well. She laid the beautiful garment out on her bed and admired the brillance of her seamstress. Her hand brushed over the regal red fabric. Red. Targaryan red to be exact. She knew Aelyx thought she was beautiful when she wore green, but when she once wore a red dress (before being scolded by her father and sister) he could not take his eyes off of her.
She dressed herself and fixed her hair until she was satisfied. She was not a vain girl, but she had to admit that in this moment, she looked beautiful. She grabbed her favor that she had made, a small black wreath, and made her way back over to the mirror to appraise herself. From the outside, Adelia Hightower looked every bit the Targaryan princess... if it weren't for her fiery locks. She almost convinced herself that she looked the part of the queen that Aemma wished for her to be.
She heard a knock at the door, and assumed a maid was coming to tell her it was time for the tourney. Everyone else would be on their way or prepared to compete right now. She didn't pay much attention when she opened the door to her chambers, until she heard a familar voice whisper under their breath...
"Gevie"
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A/N:
Gevie - Beautiful
Sorry for the slow update. I had some killer papers this week. Also for the Valyrian in this book I'm using a translator; apologies in advance for any inaccuracies. Our girl is starting to gain some confidence! Please pretend her hair is more red in the picture, they're not accurate always accurate to the vision of Adelia in my head as they are from pinterest, but I like to give you all a visual. Enjoy this little chapter to set up the scence for the tourney and Aemma :(
Question: the king will not remarry in this book. Who should we pair Alicent up with? I'm thinking a Lanister, as she doesn't have a large role in this book past seeing how she has contributed to Adella's character, but if there's something else you would like to see, let me know!
