✓ | POOR JUDGMENT (A.FORRESTER)

Family. Chapter Twenty Three.

"He strikes  me as reckless."

"He can be,"

"Am I right to trust him with such a valuable mission?"

"If there is one thing I can tell you about my nephew, it is that when it comes to family, he will do anything to succeed. If that includes following your orders to the last detail, he shall do so as quickly as he possibly can."

"Cynthia, would you agree with Malcolm?" Daenerys hadn't paid Cynthia a great deal of attention since Asher's departure, but now it seemed all eyes were on the little Glover girl. "You and Asher seem remarkably close." Great, she'd picked up on that before Asher had managed to. Not only Daenerys, but now Malcolm was considering the pair's relationship, which wasn't exactly what Cynthia needed in that moment. She had other things to fret over. "Malcolm is right to say those things about him. He is very dedicated." She tried to speak eloquently, but she feared her voice was still shaky from the whole ordeal with her sister. Her sister, and her sister's dragons...It had well and truly been a long day. How she wished Asher was with her now, just so that she may rest in familiar company, and not have to think about anything but Asher's body lying beside her; half way across the world and far away from the rest of their family - none of that would matter if he were here, with her, right now.

"You speak so highly of him," Daenerys observed, a taunting glimmer in her eye that only Cynthia had caught sight of before it faded away to dull amusement. "He is a good friend of mine," Cynthia replied cooly, not looking up at her uncle, who gazed at her with suspicion. She knew what he was thinking, but she refused to dignify it with any acknowledgement right now. "Malcolm, would you mind leaving us for a moment?" Daenerys' soft voice arose, speaking to the man in the far corner, though sounding more polite than Cynthia had heard before. She hadn't thought Daenerys could be so...human. Malcolm nodded, "Of course, your grace," And scuttled from the tent with a reassuring smile cast to Cynthia in the rush, before leaving her alone with her sister. This would surely be interesting.

"You failed to give me your full name when I asked it of you." Daenerys observed, reaching for a pitcher of wine and pouring two glasses - of course, she did not ask if Cynthia wanted any, this was a subtle command to tell her she didn't have that choice. "So tell me, what is your name?" Daenerys' voice wasn't cold, but it was definitely hard as stone. There was no fidgeting her way out of any further questions, Cynthia was sure of that. If the Khaleesi wanted an answer, she'd get the one she wanted one way or another. "Cynthia Glover." The name tasted different, as though she was regarding to someone that was not herself, someone unfamiliar. Perhaps she had spent so long regarding herself as more or less a Forrester, and was now conflicted with the identity of a Targaryen that she wasn't entirely sure Cynthia Glover was even her name anymore. It didn't seem to fit. Daenerys' seemed to, not flinch, but tense at the name mentioned. "Ah, Glover..." Daenerys' sounded as though she was actually consulting herself on the matter, rather than talking to her company. "You say you're 18?" Cynthia nodded, unsure as to where her sister was going with all of this. "Hmm, the age suits, as does the name." Daenerys observed quietly, once again more to herself, and then her eyes set on Cynthia, cold but electric. "You did not announce your presence when your friend addressed me. Am I right to assume he does not know?" Cynthia's mouth fell open, eyes widening at her sister's words. The situation was just made a lot easier.

"I haven't exactly had the time to talk to him about it," Cynthia scoffed, looking at Daenerys who...laughed? Chuckled? Made some form of humorous response. "I suppose not." Daenerys sounded like Elyssa now, all knowing and wise. The sort of big sister role Cynthia had imagined Mira to have been right now, had she stayed home. "You love him, don't you?" It was a sudden question, but Cynthia had expected it sooner. "I-" Now was no time for lying to her only remaining family, "You could put it like that," Cynthia bowed her head, fiddling with her fingers and trying not to think of having to admit to her feelings. "I was a ward to House Forrester. My father- He gave me up, after my moth- step mother passed away. I've known Asher since I was a small child. But I have never considered him a sibling, he was always something different to me." Daenerys smiled, nodding slowly as though she approved of Cynthia's feelings.

"Do you know about our mother, Rhaella?" Daenerys asked a moment later, leaving the topic of Asher behind, and moving on to something mutually interesting. "Not entirely," That was the truth, Jon and Cynthia had only worked out so much, judging by the age difference between Daenerys and Cynthia. "She had an affair with your father, a few years after my birth." Daenerys explained slowly, taking a sip of her wine for the first time since she'd poured it. "Does that make me a bastard?" Daenerys rose an eyebrow to Cynthia's question, and nodded "Technically yes, though your father chose not to name you as Snow." Cynthia almost wanted to scoff at her sister's words, this being the only decent thing her father had managed to do for her in her entire life, and even then it came from his own wrong doings. "Yet you say your father gave you up?" Daenerys' inquired, her chalice tilting in her elegant grasp. "Indeed. I have been with House Forrester since I was but 4 years of age." Daenerys nodded slowly, her eyes stuck on Cynthia as she thought something over in silence.

"If your love for Asher is as strong as I believe it to be, why have you not asked for my assistance? You are my sister after all, why not use that to your advantage? For your family, and the man you love." "I don't tend to take advantage of those important to me. You being my sister have been added to the few that I consider important." Daenerys almost smiled, a small suggestion of a curved lip patterning her face before distinctly vanishing just as quickly. "You are noble - that we have in common. I respect you, for not asking such of me, especially as I am already doing all I can for your friends, in return for what they are doing for me." Cynthia nodded in response. "Thank you, for whatever you can do for them."