Otto worked while Diane enjoyed the bath in his bedchambers. Well, at least he pretended to work, alternating between staring at the papers and sneaking glances at Diane who left the door open just enough so she would be in his line of sight. She mostly didn't pay him any mind, enjoying her [are you sure it won't burn you alive?] hot bath, but she smiled every time she caught him looking in her direction. And Otto didn't know why he enjoyed it so much.

It was a weird sort of intimacy to have a woman naked in his bedchambers without trying to have sex with her. Don't get him wrong; he really wanted to, but it was not yet time. Diane was still Viserys' mistress and she made it very clear that she wouldn't share his bed as long as she shared the King's. Otto respected that. Moreover, he thought it might be for the best. Despite not being a jealous type [mostly], not over Viserys anyway, the last thing Otto wanted was to share Diane with him.

Otto flipped through his letters absent-mindedly. There was a letter from Lys that one of his men sent. It could be important but Otto would rather read it when he could actually focus on it and not have all his mind occupied by one particular woman. However... oh, who was he kidding? Diane was always on his mind these days and Otto would lie if he said that he did not enjoy it.

The relationship he shared with Diane was like no other he ever had in his life. His late wife and he were good companions. She was a dear friend and good for his image as a devoted "man of Faith". But there was never any real... intimacy, even when they had sex. Alyrie - as a good, God-fearing woman she was - treated sex as nothing but a chore. And even though at the start of their marriage Otto tried to show her that it could be more than that, that she could actually enjoy it... well, it fell on deaf ears. It was easier to give up on having sex with her altogether than try to prove her wrong.

Otto had been to brothels but could there really be any intimacy if you are paying them to fuck you? He didn't enjoy that much either.

There were also a few affairs he had through the years with noble married women but they were all short-lived because they were hard to maintain and not worth it in the end. It was easier to just jerk off once in a while than put so many thoughts and time into a secret relationship that wouldn't go anywhere.

And with Diane... well, that was different. Not like Otto knew where this relationship was going and whether or not it was going anywhere at all but he wished to risk it. To give it a shot. To enjoy the time he could spend with her, no matter how short- or long-lived it might turn out to be.

'You are thinking way too hard for a man who is just staring at unopened letters,' Diane teased, and Otto blinked, coming back from his thoughts.

He turned his head and saw her standing near his chair, her white hair looking wavy because of the dampness. She was wearing his robe that was loosely tied around her waist and was slipping off one of her shoulders. He didn't leave it for her to wear so she definitely helped herself to it but Otto had exactly zero objections.

'Staring at open letters might be a little bit more productive,' Diane added with a small smile.

'Surprisingly not always,' Otto said, moving his left hand away from the arm of his chair which Diane perceived as an invitation to prop herself on it. Otto put his hand on Diane's bare knee instead. 'Some of them are just... disappointing in their stupidity.'

'Like from Jason Lannister?'

Otto let out a laugh, 'Especially from Jason Lannister.'

'You know how I feel about Lannisters but, to be fair, I think Tyland would have been a better Lord than Jason is,' Diane said thoughtfully. 'I think he is way more...'

'Smart?'

'I wanted to say educated but I suppose?' Diane leaned down to put her arm on Otto's shoulder and make herself more comfortable.

'A curse of being a second son,' Otto said. 'You can be three times more suitable and yet no one will care because you weren't born first.'

'I think you would have made a better Lord Hightower than your brother.'

Otto looked at her in surprise.

'What?' Diane let out a laugh. 'I am not trying to flatter you, I actually think so. You have been the Hand of two Kings for so many years. You don't just get that as a birthright, it's a position you have to earn. And when you earn it, you have to know how to keep it. I rather admire your ability to do that, actually.'

Otto had no idea how much he wanted to hear that. Moreover, it also meant so much more when it was coming from her.

'Well,' he cleared his throat. 'Regardless of that, I am not Lord Hightower and will never be.'

'Who knows? Maybe one day.'

'I highly doubt that. My brother has a son who will undoubtedly marry soon and produce more heirs.'

Diane hummed thoughtfully and then said, 'More impossible things were known to happen. Life just might surprise you.'

'You sound like you wish to send me back to Old Town,' Otto said, turning his head to look her in the eyes. By how the corners of his mouth tugged upward, it was obvious that he was teasing her.

Diane let out a laugh. 'Oh no, I want you right where you are,' she said, and Otto had a clear understanding that it wasn't just words. She actually meant them and if she really didn't want him here, he would be gone. One way or another.

It wasn't probably very healthy that such a thought thrilled him.

Otto sighed and picked up one of the letters, 'Then I should probably deal with the post if I want to stay where I am.'

'Ugh, boring,' Diane fake-pouted. Answering letters was never her preferred pastime. She had to do a fair share of it as Lady of Dragonstone but she delegated as much as she could to Gerardys or other members of the Dragon Council if it had something to do with their area of expertise. If it was something really important, she would just sign it when the letter was drafted. If not, her people could handle it on their own. She didn't form the Dragon Council to just end up doing everything herself, after all. 'Or not so boring,' she added when Otto turned the letter around and she could see that it was written by High Septon.

'Huh,' Otto made a surprised sound.

'Does High Septon write to you often?' Diane asked.

'Not really,' Otto answered and then added when he saw Diane's raised eyebrow, 'Truthfully, I am not keeping contact with him. Why would I want to anyway?'

'Well, you are the man of Faith...'

Otto groaned, 'Please, don't say that when you are sitting half-naked on my lap.'

Diane let out a laugh and slid off the arm of the chair she was perched on to fully sit on Otto's lap. 'Alright, open it. I am curious,' she then prompted, passing Otto a paper-knife. He hesitated for a few seconds, trying to decide whether or not it was sensible to let Diane read his post, but then decided that everything considering, he might as well let her do that. Not like she wouldn't find out eventually whatever High Septon wanted from him so he just might save her the trouble and some time.

Otto unfolded the letter and they read through it in silence for a few minutes before simultaneously looking at each other.

'The-' Otto started but Diane interrupted him, 'A drink?'

'Yes,' he immediately answered because he was too sober to deal with this. Diane nodded and [unfortunately] climbed out of his lap. 'It's in the- why do I even bother? You probably know where everything is already.'

Diane gave him a charming smile and went to the cabinet near the bookshelf while Otto picked up a blank paper and started writing a response, hoping that his thoughts-to-paper filter would take care of all the curse words he felt rather inclined to call High Septon right about now. To try and form Faith Militant again for the sole purpose of sending it to Dragonstone was the dumbest idea Otto had ever heard of. Ever. And on top of that High Septon was trying to get him to bring that idea up to Viserys so the King would approve it or at least not disapprove. What an idiotic, disgraceful, completely moronic-

'I hope you are not writing that down,' Diane said with amusement in her voice, and Otto realized he was probably talking out loud.

He checked what he wrote, 'No. I haven't gotten past greetings yet.'

'Forgive me for not understanding the specifics of the Faith of Seven,' Diane said, coming back to the table with two cups in her hands. 'But wasn't that... religious army I think is the best descriptor? Anyway, wasn't it outlawed? I swear I read about it somewhere.'

'It was- thank you,' Otto took a drink out of Diane's hand. 'It was disbanded. After the Faith Militant uprising, King Jaehaerys basically made a deal with High Septon that the royals would protect the Faith, and as such Faith Militant would not be needed.'

'So there are no religious warriors or whatever in the Faith right now?'

'No. At least, not to my knowledge,' Otto took a sip of his cup, not surprised that Diane poured them both the whiskey that Gwayne had said was her favorite and Otto bought for her just in case. It actually did taste rather good.

'And now High Septon wants to bring them back because I hurt his big boy feelings?' Diane asked, perching herself on the edge of Otto's desk.

'I wouldn't say it like that... but yes.'

'Pathetic,' Diane said and, before taking a sip of her drink, added, 'I bet he has a small dick.'

Otto coughed. 'Well, that's not a knowledge that I am privy to and I am not sure how this is relevant,' he said, then looked at High Septon's letter again and frowned, 'but you might be onto something.'

'What are you going to answer?'

'I will - politely, however hard it might be - point out the ridiculousness and impossibility of such a proposal. Not only is it a tremendously stupid idea to specifically target your little queer island but also to expect that Viserys would allow them to have their own military again. The reason why King Jaehaerys insisted on Swords and Stars being disbanded is because the Faith was forgetting its place and getting way too comfortable with fighting the royal family,' Otto looked at her and added, 'I do not think you or your people have anything to worry about. I believe it's a rather stupidly done power trip.'

Diane smiled and reached out to stroke Otto's cheek. 'Even if it is not, we are no strangers to fighting. If they come for us- which I rather they don't because, as I am constantly reminded, killing people of Faith is a bad tone. But if they do, I will make sure Seven Hells will sound like a nice little vacation after I am done with them,' she said, her voice firm and a fire behind her eyes so real it might actually burn.

Otto swallowed. Fucking hell. Every time he thought there was no possible way for him to be more attracted to her than he already was, she proved him wrong.

Otto always craved power. Of course, it was usually a power for himself and sometimes for his House in general, but he had never met a person who so fully embodied the sense of this word. There were plenty of powerful people in the world but Diane was power. Otto could almost see it shining through her skin, radiating in her touch when her fingers touched his jaw, burning in her eyes like something out of this world, something purely divine. Otto was never much of a religious person but right at that moment he felt a very clear urge to kneel.

'Otto?'

'Yes?'

'You still have a letter to write.'

Otto blinked, coming back to reality, and immediately looked down at the letter, trying to push all the unwanted [not really] thoughts away. 'Right,' he cleared his throat. 'Perhaps I should do that now.'

Diane smiled, 'Then I shall not distract you,' before picking up one of his books and going back to his bedroom. Otto heard the shuffling and looked through the half-open door to see her getting comfortable on his bed with a book and a drink. She looked like she belonged there - in his rooms, in his clothes, in his bed, in his life - and he didn't wish even for a second to ask her to leave.

Instead, Otto picked up a pen again and tried to focus on writing that goddamn letter. Diane would probably want to read it after he was done... And Otto knew he would let her.

***

'What is it?' Rhaenyra asked curiously when she walked into their bedchamber and saw Daemon closely inspecting a small vial. The liquid inside of it looked like water, but maybe a little bit too greenish.

'This is our way to make sure my brother won't sire any more children that will become our headache,' Daemon declared, putting a vial on the table.

'It's not poison, is it?' the princess checked just in case after she sat on the chair next to her husband.

'Not technically? It's poisonous enough to make that cunt barren but nothing else. Because the last thing we want is for my brother to get ideas about getting a third wife,' Daemon sighed. 'I will be so relieved when Diane is done with him.'

Rhaenyra smiled a little at that. Daemon did a good job at keeping up appearances in public but his resentment to his brother grew by the day. And the fact that Otto bloody Hightower treated Diane so fucking well while Viserys didn't even bother to lift a finger definitely didn't help with the situation.

'Have you already talked to my father about you wanting Diane to focus on her duties as Lady of Dragonstone?'

'I've mentioned it in passing a few times. I do not know how much he heard me but I did the best I could without being too obvious about it,' Daemon shrugged. 'To be honest, I expected him to try and talk me out of it.'

Diane's whole exit plan was built on the lie that she wasn't breaking up with Viserys of her own volition but because she had to leave court on her father's orders. It was a way to make sure that Diane stayed in the King's good grades despite their affair being over. And not like Viserys could blame Daemon, considering that he thought that his brother didn't know about the affair. And even if he did blame him... well, Daemon didn't mind being a scapegoat in this particular situation if it meant giving his daughter a chance to be finally free. Diane never complained but Daemon saw how tired she was of playing the "helplessly in love with the King" part. And besides, sleeping with Viserys wasn't probably a walk in the park either.

Don't get Daemon wrong, if Diane loved Viserys and Viserys treated her right, it would have been a whole other story. Daemon wouldn't have been precisely happy but he would have made peace with that and been as supportive as he could. But that wasn't the case, was it? It was just another sacrifice Diane had to make to better Rhaenyra's political position and it was what made Daemon uncomfortable. He understood the necessity and was grateful for his daughter's efforts but he wished her to have a life that was better than that. Gods know she deserved it.

'Isn't it a good thing? That he is not trying to interfere, I mean,' Rhaenyra asked.

'Well, yes, but...' Daemon sighed again. 'Just goes to show how much he doesn't really care about her. Because if he loved her, he would have tried to do something to make her stay.'

'Not necessarily. It is my father that we are talking about, Daemon. He is not like you. He is not even like Otto,' Daemon made a face at that. 'He is rather selfish, even though he will never admit that... and reluctant to do... well, anything really. He might truly love Diane. But he also loved my mother and then butchered her anyway.'

'I do not wish my daughter to be on the receiving end of such "love".'

Rhaenyra chuckled, 'You and me both. But hopefully, she will be able to put it all behind soon enough.'

'When have you gotten so wise?' Daemon asked with a small smile, making Rhaenyra blush a little.

'I have always been wise. Not everyone appreciates it though.'

'A bunch of fools,' Daemon said, reaching out to take Rhaenyra's hand in his.

'Do you have to deal with this vial now or...'

'No. I'm just holding onto it for Diane. She will pass it along to one of Alicent's less loyal maids later today. Why?'

Rhaenyra's smile turned mischievous, 'I wondered if you would like to join me in bed.'

'Bed? But it's not even dark yet,' Daemon frowned. 'Are you not feeling well?'

Rhaenyra couldn't help but giggle at that. Every time she thought she couldn't love Daemon more, he proved her wrong.

'I meant naked.'

'Oh. Oh, ' the realization dawned on Daemon. 'But it has barely been three months-'

'Love, your concern is appreciated but I have waited enough. I am healed, I am ready, and if you do not fuck me right now, you will sleep in the corridor tonight,' Rhaenyra said firmly, even though she was still smiling.

'As my Queen commands,' Daemon declared, hastily got up, and then pulled Rhaenyra right after him towards the bed. The princess giggled and went more than willingly.

***

'I have no words... except a lot of curse words,' Gerardys declared after skimming through the letter Lady Diane showed him.

Robert Quince and he were currently in Diane's study where she invited them to speak privately. Which meant it was important because Diane didn't have any problems seeking anyone out if she wanted to have a quick chat about an urgent but not extremely important matter. Or she could always wait until the next Dragon Council meeting. It was very rare that she asked them to come to her.

'I bet I have more,' Robert said, looking at the letter with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

Gerardys looked at him, 'That is not a competition.'

'No, it is not,' Robert agreed, then kept quiet for a second and added, 'I will still win though.'

'You do not know me well enough,' Gerardys disagreed and then turned to Diane before Robert could say anything else. 'As for the letter... Did I understand it right? Should we perceive it as a valid threat?'

Diane sighed, putting her elbows on the table. She was sitting at her desk, reviewing the last report about their defenses before Gerardys and Robert came.

'I believe we should take it as a warning. My source assured me that it is no more than High Septon throwing a hissy fit and he will be dissuaded from taking any further action.'

'Your source...' Gerardys started. The letter he was holding was visibly cut at the top with some passages covered with black ink. There was no way to tell who this letter was originally addressed to so it was very clear Lady Diane didn't want them to know. Which was fine, she was allowed to have her secrets. 'Can we trust them?'

Diane remembered the way Otto looked at her that day. Like she was the most important thing in the world to him. And then not only he allowed her to read his response but also agreed to give her High Septon's letter, only asking for her to make sure that it couldn't be traced back to him. He didn't have to do any of it, she would have spent time with him anyway, but he did. Of his own volition.

So Diane answered, 'On this particular occasion, yes.'

Gerardys nodded. He always trusted Diane's judgment on such matters so it was good enough for him.

'So I would like you, Ser Robert, to inspect our defenses just to be on the safe side. To make sure there is nothing our enemies can use against us.'

Robert nodded, 'Of course, my lady.'

'And if any improvements need to be done, I believe there is room in the budget,' Diane looked at Gerardys.

'A rather wide room, I might add. Quite frankly, for the first time since I arrived here, Dragonstone has such a... wide range of motion when it comes to spending.'

'Let's make sure it stays that way,' Diane smiled a little. 'If any of you need assistance, Aliyah is always happy to help but do not overburden her. She is quite busy with setting the healer houses up and running.'

Dragontemple was notoriously famous for taking care of the ill and the dead but as the Dragonstone population kept growing and villages became bigger, it was just not sustainable to expect Dragontemple to handle everyone. Aliyah offered to open "healer houses" in all five villages so the healers could provide immediate attention to those who needed it with only rare and complicated cases referred to Dragontemple itself. Diane quite liked the idea. They had a lot of new healers, fresh out of training, who could use a chance to learn how to stand on their own two feet and with all the construction going all around Dragonstone she had a feeling that the workers would greatly appreciate having a healer close-by.

'Any other concerns before we go on our merry ways?' Diane inquired.

'Not a concern,' Robert started. 'But I believe you should know that a few Dothraki men are now amongst our guards. One in particular, Haji, has been a great help to me personally. His ideas are... unconventional but, in the light of our previous conversation, I believe it can be rather useful.'

Diane raised an eyebrow, 'Dothraki, huh? I will be frank, it's not something I expected. Aren't they afraid of water?'

'Generally, yes. But I believe the promise of safety and a better life was greater than fear. After all, we have seen people cross the ocean for less.'

'That's true. How many Dothraki do we have exactly?'

Robert paused for a few seconds, 'Two dozen, I believe.'

'And all of them came together?'

'Yes, my lady. As far as I understand, it all started with Haji, his younger brother, and his brother's partner abandoning their khalasar and crossing the Dothraki Sea to get to Pentos. From where, as you know, our or Velaryon ships pick up people once in a while. And as they went, they picked up a few other people along the way.'

'We have a vastly different understanding of a few,' Diane let out a laugh and got up. 'But they are welcome here as long as they follow our rules. I am familiar with their culture and, despite my deep respect for it, we are not Essos and we will not tolerate unnecessary fighting and raids.'

Robert nodded, 'I understand. And so do they. As Haji told me, he abandoned his world because he cares deeply for his brother and now he is ready to learn the ways of another world that is accepting of him.'

Diane smiled, 'I love the sentiment. You are free to go, Ser Robert. Gerardys, a word if I may.'

'Of course, my lady.'

Robert bid them goodbye and left the room.

'A drink?' Diane offered as soon as they were alone. 'A cup of wine, perhaps?'

'Sounds good,' Gerardys nodded with a small smile. Sometimes he wondered whether Lady Diane didn't know some everyday rules of nobility or just ignored them on purpose. Any other Lord (or Lady) would have a servant on standby at all times to take care of such things as pouring drinks. And they would definitely not pour a drink themselves for someone like him. Now that he wasn't a maester, he was way below her standing. The fact that she named him her Master of Coin didn't really change anything.

And yet here she was, giving him a cup like it was no big deal and taking a seat next to him. It was part of her charm, Gerardys supposed. She treated most people - even servants - as her equals in terms of respect but was always quick to put a person in their place if they crossed the line. Diane might not act like she was above them but she was above them. And if anyone here thought they were on her level... well, they were just fooling themselves.

'Is there something in particular you wanted to speak to me about, my lady?' Gerardys asked.

'I wanted to inquire about how free life has been treating you,' Diane said with a small, kind smile. 'It might not have been that drastic of a change-'

'It was,' he interrupted her and then immediately added, 'I apologize. But it definitely was a drastic change. I know not all the maesters follow the rules to the dot but I did. And I just... I didn't understand how many rules there were that I followed without giving it much thought. And now that I don't have to- in truth, at first I was at a complete loss.'

'I suppose I can understand that,' Diane nodded. She might have not been raised in the Faith of Seven but she was raised religious. Even before Daemon brought her to Dragontemple, she could vaguely remember her mother telling her stories about the Valyrian Gods and how they walked the Known World, helping people who deserved that. Her religion was a big part of who she was. She felt comfortable within it so she couldn't imagine ever abandoning her beliefs but she had an idea how hard it might be. Gwayne switched religions rather fast but he was moving away from the Faith for a while and he was ready when the opportunity presented itself. With Gerardys... well, his hand was forced. He might have had his doubts for decades but he didn't make the decision of his own volition. And even though Diane wasn't sure whether renouncing his vows meant giving up on the Faith altogether or not, it was still an enormous adjustment to make. 'But I see you are making progress. At least you got rid of those awful robes.'

Gerardys let out a laugh. 'I did, yes. It feels nice to wear something that is not gray,' he said, looking down at his outfit. He was wearing dark brown trousers, a white shirt, and a rather bright red jacket with white embroidery. 'Though some colors I might want to tone down a bit.'

'Did Jamaya help you pick the clothes?'

'Yes, she did,' Geradys said with a surprised smile. 'Did she tell you that?'

'No. But I can see the familiar touch,' Diane took a sip of her wine. 'Gods know, the woman loves her colors.'

'She gifted me a cover for my bed so, and I quote, my room wouldn't look like a crypt. Which she has her point, I agree. But it is so colorful! Stands out like a sore thumb.'

'You don't have to use it if you don't like it. That's what the backs of closets are for,' Diane said with a smirk.

'That's the thing... I have to admit it is rather soft and I suppose I can look past its brightness,' Gerardys admitted a little bit reluctantly. 'When I was a young boy, my room was rather colorful as well. It is just...'

'You are not used to it.'

'Yes. Not like the castle has many colors either.'

'Well, we prefer mystery over color,' Diane let out a laugh. 'Helps uphold the serious image. But have you seen Dragontemple on any of our holidays? They go way over the top with colorful decorations. And I say this as a person who has been to Essos.'

'Truth be told, I stayed away from Dragontemple and villages during the holidays of the Faith of Fourteen Flames. Maesters are not advised to... well, to engage with that. But I will put it on my list of things to do,' Gerardys said with a smile.

'I think the next major Valyrian holiday is Ēbrilēkōs. The anniversary of the joining of Aegarax and Syrax that brought our world the first ever dragon. Dragontemple can and will go all in on the celebration. And the villages will definitely host local festivals as well. I bet you'll like it,' Diane took a sip of her wine. 'Just make sure you stick with someone other than Jamaya unless you want to end up in places where people have a particular aversion to clothes.'

Gerardys let out a laugh, 'I'll keep that in mind.'