snow and stars| jon snow

ii: the siren of ilta

    Her father was combing her hair as he sat in the higher up chair behind her, her kinky hair bouncing as he sectioned it off and ran a comb through it. "My daughter, won't you sing to me?" Ramona was cleaning her room and readying the princess's bath while the two monarchs were in the room, silently and as quickly as she could.

Andromeda looked at her father through the mirror, who was already staring back at her with a warm smile on his face, a calm and sweet look on his face as he thought of his sweet youngest singing for him. Nothing made the man happier. "What song, Father?"

King Otineo looked at her with a knowing look. "My favorite piece." He said, pinning her curls to the side of her hair so he could get the other parts combed through. Andromeda's eyes went to the open windows of her room, and she looked back to him skeptically. "Go ahead, my daughter."

She sang the song, her lungs expanding and contrasting as she breathed in and out during her beautiful song. Her hands moved softly as she did so, her body swaying slightly as she sang her little heart out. For a girl of thirteen, it was extremely evident that she had a beautiful, full voice. It was soft yet strong, powerful and sweet. A voice that was divine, and the kingdom of Ilta hadn't heard such a beautiful voice in years. He was proud of his daughter, and he was proud of how she had grown.

"I love that song." He said after he finished. "You have a remarkable voice, do you know that? It reminds me of the legends of Queen Pandora."

"The one who was said to entrance Aegon the first time he tried to conquer, right?" She asked her father. "She was Queen Callisto's mother." She had gotten a little better with history over the years.

"Legend has it, she had a voice beautiful enough to get him to release his siege on the kingdom, and after he left, a soldier realized that his king was tricked, and he killed the queen, leaving her daughter Callisto as the heiress."

"You think my voice is that beautiful?" He finished her hair and fluffed it up once. "Beautiful enough to entrance a conqueror?" She saw Ramona's smile from the corner of her eye. She knew that Ramona felt that her voice was that beautiful, but she really wanted to hear it from her father.

He stood up at the knock on the door. "My Songbird, I hope to the gods that we never have to find out." He glanced towards his daughter before allowing the people in.

"Princess Andromeda, King Otineo." In Ilta, the royal woman in the room was always addressed first, and no man, not even the father of the princess, was higher than her. The women in Ilta were seen as the strength of the kingdom. "There has been a note from Stannis Baratheon, the third this year." The servant man looked towards his princess, who nodded that it was okay to hand the note to her father.

"The stag again?" He asked, but before ripping it open, his eyes narrowed. "Did you run this by the Queen first?"

"No, Your Grace." He said, shaking his head thoroughly. "She told me to take it to you, wherever you may be." Otineo nodded, and began to read. She watched as her father's face became almost mocking as he read the letter, and she looked away, deeming it unimportant.

"Stannis Baratheon," he chuckled. "A joke." He handed the smooth paper back to the servant.

"Father, what is it?"

"Westerosi politics are a joke, my daughter." He said to her, a sweeter smile on his face now that he was addressing his child.

"Dorne is part of Westeros."

"Officially, but not truly." He said, winking at her. "The Martells are the smartest of the Westerosi, and your father is a Martell. You are half a Martell."