arttemia
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- Parts 24
Prince Valarr Targaryen knows his time is running out. As the heir to the crown, he must choose a wife-not for love, but for duty. The realm needs a strong alliance, and the woman he marries must be sensible, gentle, and above all... suitable for the good of the crown.
Meanwhile, Adrestia Stark has spent years avoiding any talk of marriage. She slips away from the gazes of young lords, cuts short conversations with her parents, and pretends the subject simply does not concern her. She refuses to become a pawn in the political games of noble houses.
Fate, however, has other plans.
For the nineteenth birthday of Lovetta Baratheon, nobles from all the great kingdoms gather at Storm's End. Several days of feasts, tournaments, and celebrations are meant not only as a grand festivity, but also as the perfect opportunity for powerful marriage alliances to be made.
On the night before the celebrations begin, Adrestia sneaks into the castle library in search of quiet. There she meets a young squire. They talk for hours-openly, honestly, and without the masks of courtly politeness. For the first time, Adrestia can say everything she truly thinks about lords, marriage, and the world she lives in.
The problem is that the truth comes out the very next day.
The boy was not a squire.
He was Valarr Targaryen, son of Prince Baelor and heir to the Iron Throne.
And the girl who had avoided conversations about marriage more than anyone in Westeros may have just become the one person the prince truly wants to speak to again.