[ Rhaella ]

IN PENTOS, she watched from the window of her chamber as the children laughed and played outside. She sighed. "Dany, are you happy here?" Daenerys thought to herself for a moment as she brushed her sister's curly hair. "Well, it is quite nice." She cupped her hand and scooped up water from a bowl and ran it through the hair. "But, all I wish is to go back to Ser Willem Darry's home. The place with the red door."

She remembered that place vaguely. That was where she had been brought to Viserys and Daenerys when she was only an infant. The two girls were inseparable ever since.

"Thinking of that place seems to only bring me comfort these days." Dany said sorrowfully. "And being with you of course." They stepped out of the room and made their way into the bathing chamber.

Dany dismissed the slaves, leaving the two of them in the room. "I wish we could live our lives like the princesses in the stories. Perhaps, a brave prince rescuing us? Or kissing a frog and it suddenly transforms into a handsome prince?" She used a clip to put up her hair and began to untie the strings of Rhae's silks.

Rhaella stuck out her tongue. "There is no way in this whole wide world I'd ever kiss a frog, yuck!" She wouldn't mind being in the arms of a prince. Someone brave, gentle, and wise.

The chamber was filled with giggles. They stopped abruptly once they heard the sound of someone storming to the room. "Oh no." Dany whispered. "He's coming."

Rhae swallowed her saliva nervously. What does he want now? He swung the door open. "What are the two of you doing?" Dany placed down the brush and stuttered. "We . . . well- I was only brushing her hair and now I'm helping her get in the tub." She avoided eye contact with her brother. Daenerys always told Rhaella to never look him in the eyes. Viserys scoffed, "That is the job of a slave, my sweet idiot sister."

He looked over at Rhaella. He grinded his teeth. "Cousin," he spat. He spoke as if she was a disease. Viserys never addressed her by her name, despising the idea of his mother's name given to the likes of a foreign girl. Even though she was still a Targaryen, he only considered her half and not pure.

When they first met, he tolerated her and was much nicer. Until, they were forced to flee Braavos. They struggled to find food and shelter. He did the best he could to take care of them. His anger only grew once he had no choice but to sell his mother's crown.

How could someone so handsome be so cruel, she thought. She looked him in the eye slowly. "Viserys . . ."

Viserys walked over to Daenerys, eyeing her body as if they weren't siblings. "Let me see." He commanded. Dany trembled as she lifted her hands to the strings of her gown. He grew impatient, doing it himself. That made both of the girls flinch. He backed away to observe her body. Dany was sixteen, considered to be a woman grown in their world's standards. To Rhaella, poor Dany was still just a girl.

"Hopefully you'll fill up more." He said as he circled her, as if she was his prey. "And soon." Daenerys said nothing, there was nothing she could say or do. The worst thing they could ever do is make him angry. "Waking the dragon" was what Viserys called it.

His eyes shot at Rhaella. "You're far too skinny. If only you were older cousin. You'd be more useful." She had no idea what that meant. He had a menacing grin on his face. Rhae hated that grin. Usually it meant he wanted something from her. "But the gods have their ways, it turns out that you will be quite useful for me after all. It's your lucky day." The girls looked at each other in confusion. "Lucky?" Dany asked.

"Indeed." Viserys said. "After your bath, meet me and Illyrio in the gardens. Don't keep us waiting too long." He exited the room, leaving them confused.

"What do you think will happen?" Rhaella looked up at her sister. Dany breathed heavily. "I do not know." She shook her head. "Let us not worry, I am sure everything will be fine." She helped Rhaella out of her clothes. "It's time for our bath."

⭑✧⭑

They held hands as they made their way through the garden. "There you are!" Illyrio smiled. "Come, there is much to discuss."

All of them walked as Viserys began to speak. "Cousin, you are very lucky indeed." She blurted, "how so?"

"Well," Illyrio scratched his beard, "We have . . . a mission for you."

"A mission?"

"Or . . . an adventure!" He tried his best to explain in the best way possible. "You see, your cousin has made a deal . . ."

"What sort of deal?" Daenerys tried not to show her worrying.

"I have made a deal with Lord Stark." Viserys said.

"The man you told us that helped overthrow father? Our House?" Daenerys asked, confused.

"Yes," he grinned. "We have made an agreement. Cousin, you will be sent away to be in the North with Lord Stark and his family. You'll even get to marry a son of his."

"What?" Rhaella and Daenerys gasped. She held her sister's hand. "You are sending her away?" Dany tried to fight back her tears.

"Yes. It is quite obvious the little monster does not like me, or this place." He kneeled down, staring into Rhaella's eyes. "You should be grateful, you little bastard. This is more than what you deserve."

Rhaella took a deep breath. "No." That word made Viserys twitch his eye. Illyrio muttered to himself, "oh dear . . ."

"No?" He tilted his head.

She repeated herself again. "No. I will not go and you can't make me." Before Viserys could speak, she ran away, leaving them astonished. She skipped dinner, lying in her bed, lost in her thoughts. I shouldn't have done that . . . he will punish me.

She never spoke up against him like that before, she surprised herself. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep. Rhaella's sleep came to an end once she suddenly felt someone grip at her neck tightly. All she could do was let out a little gasp.

It was him. "You do not tell me no." Viserys whispered aggressively. A knife lifted to her face. "Do you hear me?" She tried her best to nod. "I do not take orders from savage bastards like you. You are nothing! You were born by a foreign nobody! You were dropped at our doorstep, and my stupid sister insisted that we keep you."

Rhaella struggled to breathe in and out after he released her from his grasp. She had a red hand mark on her brown skin. He pressed the pointy end of the knife to her chest. "You will go to the North." The knife trailed down to her stomach. "You will behave and act civilized once you are there." She winced as the knife trailed down even lower. "And, bastard, you will marry one of his sons. If you try to refuse me again, I will cut your insides out and cut your throat myself."

"Viserys!" She shouted in pain. "You're hurting me!"

He ignored her cries. "This is only the beginning, cousin. I already have a plan for Daenerys. She will also be wedded off. Maybe she can buy me an army. And you, will buy me a powerful ally. I only consider you a Targaryen because it benefits me!"

Tears started running down her face. "Okay, okay! I will do it, please stop hurting me." He removed the knife and slapped her across the face. "Thank the gods I won't have to deal with you anymore."

She couldn't stop crying after he left. The door creaked open, making her quickly cover her face with her comforter. "Sweetling?" Dany softly spoke. "Are you awake?"

She removed the comforter from her face, revealing the tears. Daenerys tried to hold hers back. "Oh, my sweet sister." She hopped right into bed, cradling Rhaella in her arms like a mother with her child. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't want to leave you." Rhae confessed. "Why can't you come with me?"

"The gods are cruel." She sighed. "I only belong on this earth with you."

⭑✧⭑

Rhaella's final days in Pentos passed quickly. She and Dany tried their best to pack as slowly as possible. "I want to go with you." Dany frowned. "I don't want to be stuck here with . . . him."

"If only you could come with me." Rhaella sniffled.

One of the slaves informed them that Viserys was starting to grow impatient, so they finished packing and made their way outside. "Finally, it's about time the both of you showed up," Viserys said, rolling his eyes. "Well let's get going." Illyrio said. "We have a ship waiting."

In the palanquin, Dany and Rhae held their hands tightly the entire time. The whole ride was filled with nothing but silence. Nothing needed to be said.

Once they made it, all of them looked upon the ship. Viserys looked at Dany. "Say your goodbyes, and make it quick." The girls ran into each other's arms, bursting into tears. "I'll miss you so much," Daenerys whispered. Tears poured down from her delicate lilac eyes. "Just please, never forget about me."

"I won't. I swear it." Rhaella whispered back. "I love you, sister."

"I love you too—"

"Alright, that's enough." Viserys shouted. "Get on that ship, right now!"

"Lord Stark will be waiting for you once the ship makes it to shore." Illyrio yelled as she boarded the ship.

Rhaella looked back one more time, viewing her sister for the last time. Her lips were quivering, and eyes red. A sight she would never forget.