Rhaenyra is less than thrilled about her engagement, and rightfully so. She does not wish to marry Ser Leanor, but she must. It is her duty to wed whomever she is told. A sad and unfortunate truth for being a woman of the realm, but a truth nonetheless.

The Targaryen family sets sails on their royal fleet, heading straight to Driftmark to meet with the other half of their family. Those who also share Valyrian blood.

Viserys clutches the edge of the ship as the sickness nearly drowns him. He ignores the help of his aides and opts to spew his guts off into the sea.

And Vaemyra sits bored, twiddling with a leaf she picked from a tree before they left, but a strong gust of wind goes by and blows the leaf out from her hand. She frowns and sighs, resting her head against her hand as she silently prays for the ship to hit the docks soon.

She hears the king's moans and groans and desperately tries to bring her mind elsewhere. Anywhere else.

Finally, they make it to the docks. The royal family is escorted off of the ship and onto dry land. They step into the royal carriage and are taken to the front steps of the castle, but the Sea Snake is nowhere to be found.

And the king is not very happy.

" Where is Lord Corlys? He should be here to greet the king."

And neither is Lord Lyonel Strong, newly appointed Hand of the King.

The doors of the castle open, and out come two figures with dark skin and snow-white hair.

" Welcome to High Tide, your grace," Laena smiles as she greets them.

" What is the meaning of this, Lady Laena?" Lord Strong asks, " Is this how House Velaryon greets its King?"

" My father has but returned from his long journey and he has hastened to the Hall of Nine to await your grace's arrival," Laena announces.

And the king steps forward, wishing to just get on with the formalities so he can sit down.

The Targaryens are welcomed inside, and while Rhaenyra stays closer to her father, Vaemyra does not, for her mind is elsewhere.

The moment she saw Lady Laena walk down the steps, she couldn't look away. Laena has grown so beautifully since the last time the two girls saw each other.

Laena sees the Targaryen girl staring, and smiles as she decides to approach her. Laena locks hands with Vaemyra, and walks together with her up the steps and into the castle, where the Targaryen princess finds herself blushing madly.

The Valaryon Lady takes Vaemyra to the grand and large table, made up of a decadent array of food, just waiting to be eaten.

At first, the girls take small bits of food from the table, but soon grab a plate and fill it up to the brim. They take their plate of food and head to a bench overlooking the sea, sitting down side by side as they enjoy the food and each other's company.

Little by little they finish their plates, which get taken away by a nearby servant as the girls continue to overlook the breathtaking view of the sea.

" I quite like it here," Vaemyra admits as she takes a deep breath.

" As do I," Laena nods, " But it gets quite lonely."

" As does King's Landing," Vaemyra adds, " But that's the life of a princess, I suppose."

" It's better with you here," Laena notes as she looks over with a gentle smile, " I don't feel very alone."

What is thought to be just a crush ends up taking over Vaemyra's mind completely. She tosses and turns in her sleep, unable to escape the images of Laena, as Laena lies awake with a smile on her face as her mind imagines Vaemyra.

The young girls dwell just down the hall from one another, but it's too far. They must be closer. Vaemyra escapes the confines of her quarters and walks down the hall to open the door at precisely the same moment Laena does.

" I cannot sleep," Vaemyra mutters as their eyes meet.

" Neither can I," Laena adds.

" May I come in?" The princess nervously ponders.

Laena nods with a gentle smile, and allows Vaemyra to enter before she closes the door. The girls stand in an awkward silence that lingers in the air, before Laena takes a step forward and gently grabs Vaemyra's hand to lead her to the bed. Vaemyra's mind is an absolute mess as she lays underneath the covers, eyes boring into the soul of Laena Velaryon.

" You are so beautiful," Vaemyra whispers.

Laena blushes wildly, head tilting down to avoid making eye contact as Vaemyra scoots closer. Their bodies nearly touch. They can feel the heat radiating off one another, especially as Vaemyra's hand comes forward to gently cup Laena's face, where their wants become blatantly obvious as their eyes meet once more.

" We cannot," Laena mutters.

" From my understanding, it is a cock that makes you impure," Vaemyra counters, " And neither of us possesses one."

Fortunately, it is enough to convince Laena, who does not hesitate to leap forward and kiss Vaemyra, causing sparks to fly between them as they share a kiss, at first soft and sweet, but grows more passionate as they continue. Clothes are removed and moans are echoed across the room as both Laena and Vaemyra experience each others bodies for the first time. Their little heads are fuzzy, but their bodies are aching for more. They coax many orgasms, as many as their bodies can handle, but soon must wander off to slumber with their limbs tangled in bed.

Soon enough, the Targaryen's leave Driftmark. They leave High Tide and head back to King's Landing in order to prepare the festivities to come. Rhaenyra is engaged, and as soon as she is wedded off, Vaemyra fears her turn will come. She knows that she cannot prevent it from happening, but perhaps she could delay it, just for a tad bit more.

On the ship, Vaemyra finds herself to be quite bored yet again... but can't wipe the smile from her lips. She's bored, that is true, but her face does not show it.

In order to cure her boredom, Vaemyra decides to circle the ship, walking round and round till she comes across a conversation she was definitely not meant to hear.

" ... but do you think I would choose infamy in exchange for a bushel of oranges or a ship to Asshai? It is my duty to marry a nobleman from a great house and Ser Laenor will make a fine husband. But my... my marriage, does not have to be the end. Ser Criston, Laenor and I have an understanding. I've granted him leave to pursue his own interests, and in return, he's granted me the same."

" So you want me to be your whore?"

Interesting.

Vaemyra's ears and brows perk up from the sound of it.

Rhaenyra and Criston had to have fucked, they must have.

And now that Rhaenyra is to be married off to another... Criston wants her to run away with him... but Rhaenyra wishes to stay and keep their business a secret... only Criston is not interested in being a mistress.

But if Ser Criston truly loves Rhaenyra, surely he would understand?

Perhaps it's not meant to be.

After a long journey through the sea, the royal family makes it back into the walls of the castle. They step out of the carriage one by one, and of course, the King goes first.

But nobody expects the King to collapse.

He falls to the ground with a thump as his darling wife watches from up above. The guards panic and shout for the maester, while his daughters watch in confusion.

Of course, they're concerned for the well-being of their father, but they have no idea what could have made him fall. To their knowledge, he's perfectly healthy.

And Vaemyra cringes at the mention of using leeches.

The King is aided by the maesters, and the day continues on. Dragons and ships and carriages all arrive at the Red Keep.

The princesses are kept in their chambers. They are bathed and adorned in rich jewels and dresses as they are prepared for the feast that is to begin at sundown.

Vaemyra's dress is dark and crimson red, while the jewels in Rhaenyra's hair match perfectly. Their hair is expertly styled, and soon enough comes time for them to enter the throne room that has been decorated and styled for the feast.

Their hair is expertly styled, and soon enough comes time for them to enter the throne room that has been decorated and styled for the feast. Vaemyra and Rhaenyra sit with their father at the banquet table as each guest pays their respects to the crown, which unfortunately includes Jason Lannister.

" Congratulations, Your Grace. You have made a fine match for the Princess," He bows, then turns his eyes to the younger princess, " And I hope you find an equally fine match for Vaemyra."

" Thank you, Lord Jason," Viserys nods.

"Well, if this is only the welcome feast, I admit, I cannot imagine what you might have planned for the wedding."

" My daughter is the future queen. I wanted this to be a wedding for the histories."

"Where is the Queen? I had hoped to pay my respects. "

" I understand the Queen is still readying herself for the celebrations. This is why men wage war because women would never be ready for the battle in time."

His horrible attempt at a joke is not well received by the crown, who face him with a stiff lip. The Velaryons soon make their grand entrance, drawing applause from the crowd as Rhaenyra and Laenor share an embrace, which leads to the King standing to deliver his speech once all the guests have arrived.

" Be welcome, as we join together in celebration. Tonight is only its beginning. We honor the crown's oldest and fiercest ally, House Velaryon. Reaching back to the days of Old Valyria and the Age of Dragons. With House Targaryen and..."

The King is interrupted by the Queen herself entering the Great Hall, dressed head to toe in green to symbolize her own house for a change. A blood move that Vaemyra cannot decide if she admires or detests.

" With House Targaryen and House Velaryon united, I hope to herald in a second Age of Dragons in Westeros. And after tonight's small affair...seven days of tournament and feasting. At the end of it all, a royal wedding... between my daughter, my heir... your future Queen... and Ser Laenor Velaryon, the heir to Driftmark."

All stand and applaud the King for his speech, and the music starts playing to signal the bride and groom to go out on the dance floor, paving the way for everyone else to join in, including Vaemyra, who jumps at the opportunity to dance with her darling Laena.

But eyes are everywhere, and they see everything. Ser Joffrey has figured out whom Rhaenyra has eyes for, as he has deduced who Vaemyra's crush is, but his meddling sparks a fire, one that is not easily put out. Ser Criston goes mad. He sees red and attacks Ser Joffrey, beating him to a pulp as he casts aside Ser Laenor.

Harwin 'Breakbones' Strong dives into the crowd to retrieve the princesses, where he slings them over his shoulders to bring them to safety.

And on the same day Laenor says goodbye to his lover, he must say hello to his wife. Laenor and Rhaenyra are wed in the very room Joffrey was slain, so soon that the blood has not yet dried as they say their vows to one another whilst Vaemyra and Rhaenyra hold onto each others pinkies to silently signal their bond.

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