Rhaenys was nowhere to be found, her side of the bed was empty and neatly made. On her bedside table lay folded garments with a note on top.
I had Arra retrieve these for you. The Maester prepared a tea for that pretty little head as promised and a balm for your hands. I regret not being there for when you wake but my responsibilities called me away.
xx Aōhon va moriot
I smiled to myself as I read my lover's elegant script. Setting the note aside I removed the top to the tea that thankfully still had some semblance of warmth. It was bitter but immediately the dull ache in my head receded. Moving along I opened the small clay pot and smeared generous amounts of ointment onto the open wounds of my knuckles. Bandages had been set beside it so I bound them tightly around my hands knowing full and well the scolding I would receive should Rhaenys have seen me without them.
I let out a breathy laugh when I realized the outfit she had no doubt chosen herself had a high collar. Just enough to cover the now pronounced mark she had left from the night before.
It was a beautiful day with a clear sky and nice sea breeze. Deciding to allow the Princess to tend to whatever duties had called her away I chose to walk through the gardens of High Tide.
It boasted the largest collection of exotic plants in Westeros all procured from Lord Corlys' adventures abroad. I walked amongst the rows of various flowers with one goal in mind. Despite all the bright colors and wondrous plants Laenor had always favored one which was native to our shores. White roses.
As a gift to her son Rhaenys commissioned them to be planted along the farthest wall of the garden overlooking the sea. Laenor and I spent many hours among them daydreaming of our futures and the places we would go. Now they held such bittersweet memories. Running my fingers along the leaves and silky petals I swallowed the lump which had formed in my throat.
Pulling the dagger from my belt I knelt to cut one that caught my eye. It was in full bloom and stood taller than all the rest reaching for the sun's warmth. As the steel sliced through the vine I could have sworn I heard the laughter of two young dreamers.
Laenor.
Sniffling, I refused to cry knowing it must have been my ears deceiving me. I twirled the stem in my hand. Laenor was the rose and I the thorn. What beauty was left when the flower wilted away to leave nothing but that which causes such pain?
Standing back to full height I pushed forward. I left the garden to find my way below the castle. I ventured to the same stone which they had cast my cousins off of into the sea below. Letting out a shaky sigh I sat at the edge allowing my feet to dangle above the water.
I sat there for only the Gods know how long in contemplative silence searching for the words to say. The sunlight glinted off one of my rings catching my eye. The ring which my mother had given me all those years ago. I twisted it around my finger remembering her words.
We answer to neither Gods nor men.
Mayhaps that was the reason they continued to remind me of the mortality of everyone I held dear.
"This is not how things were meant to be. We were supposed to grow old together. We were supposed to fly to the edge of the world, remember?" I spoke to the wind.
The water lapped gently at the stone. This was now where I would have to go to see my cousin. His watery grave. In truth I didn't even know if he was truly there. The Velaryons believed that their dead continued on their voyage after being laid to rest. But it gave some comfort imagining his spirit sat alongside me.
An anguished cry resonated through the skies as Seasmoke flew restlessly through the clouds in search of his lost rider. A bond beyond comprehension is broken when a dragon loses their rider or even rarer when a rider loses their dragon. A dragon's life span far exceeds that of any human so it isn't uncommon for them to have multiple riders within that time but Seasmoke had only ever known my cousin. He hatched in his cradle as a babe and the dragon was Laenor's great pride and joy. I watched for a long time until Seasmoke moved on to another part of the coast.
