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VARYN VELARYON
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THE YEAR 96 AC WAS IMPORTANT TO THE HOUSE OF VELARYON—FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS.

It was in that year that the bastard child known as Aelina Waters was born. Her mother, though inconsequential in the eyes of nobility, gave birth to the daughter of Ser Varyn Velaryon, a distant cousin to Lord Corlys Velaryon, the Lord of the Tides. The news of her birth rippled through the realm, for while Varyn was not a direct heir, he had always felt more like a brother to Corlys than a cousin. Many whispered of how Varyn had saved Corlys's life during their youth, forging a bond that few understood, and one that Corlys himself never forgot.

Varyn was always one to push boundaries—just enough to make waves but never enough to drown. Yet this time, in fathering a bastard, he may have gone too far. Still, no matter how much Corlys wished to deny it, Aelina was family. Blood. And he owed Varyn for his life, a debt that ran deeper than duty. When Aelina's mother died in childbirth, leaving the girl without protection, Varyn grieved. He swore to guard his daughter fiercely, for she was his only living daughter, and Corlys—for all his reservations—swore to protect her as well.

For twelve years, life for Aelina was not perfect, but it was pleasant—at least, as pleasant as it could be for a bastard child in the halls of Driftmark.

From the moment she could walk, Aelina became accustomed to the crash of the waves against the towering cliffs, the salt spray on her skin, and the ever-present scent of the sea. The narrow corridors of High Tide and the sweeping stone staircases became her playground, and she roamed them with a sense of curiosity that often bordered on rebellion.

She was small for her age, but sharp—both in mind and tongue. It was something her father had often laughed about, ruffling her darkened silver hair as he called her "his little dragon," though she bore no wings of her own. Ser Varyn Velaryon was the one constant in her young life. He had raised her to be bold, teaching her how to climb the cliffs and navigate the rough terrain as if she were born for it. He encouraged her spirit and never let her feel the sting of her status as a bastard, shielding her from the whispers that followed her like shadows.

Corlys Velaryon, the Lord of the Tides, was a more distant figure in her childhood. He was not cold to her, but neither was he warm. He would nod in acknowledgment when they crossed paths in the hall, offer a kind word on occasion, but it was clear to Aelina, even from a young age, that his attention was reserved for matters far more important than her. He had his own children—legitimate heirs to Driftmark and its legacy—and she was simply an obligation, a favour to her father.

As the years passed, Aelina slowly began to understand the truth of her circumstances. She noticed the way the noble-born children of Driftmark treated her—not cruelly, but always with a certain distance. They played together, but there was a line she could never cross, a silent understanding that while she could share their toys and laughter, she would never share their status. She was always the outsider.

Her darker shade of silver hair and washed-out violet eyes were enough proof of that, without even mentioning the freckles and paler-than-usual skin for a Velaryon.

At first, she didn't understand the problem and then one night she had asked her father after hearing mutters of the word 'bastard'.

"Why don't they like me?" she had asked.

Varyn had sighed, his usual cheer that he had around his daughter fading. She remembered him kneling before her, taking her small hands in his. "It's not that they don't like you, Aelina." She remembered him saying. "You're different. But being different doesn't make you any less."

She replied with: "Different how?"

Aelina knew he hesitated at that. "You carry my blood, but your mother... she was not one of us. That's what makes you different. But don't let it weigh on your heart. You are still Velaryon, and as long as I live, no one will tell you otherwise."

Then in 112 AC, tragedy struck the Velaryon's and one of the greatest houses of its time in Westeros: the Targaryens.

Queen Aemma, wife of King Viserys I of House Targaryen, died during childbirth. Her newborn son, Baelon, succumbed to the same fate a day later. The halls of the Red Keep were cloaked in mourning. But far from the capital, on the windswept cliffs of Driftmark the loss of Ser Varyn Velaryon, beloved cousin of Lord Corlys Velaryon, met a tragic end beneath the towering cliffs of his ancestral home.

The details of his death remained unclear. Some claimed he had been seen walking the edge of the cliffs that afternoon, deep in thought, weighed down by the troubled times. Others whispered he had been drinking, drowning his sorrows. Whatever the case, his body was found shattered on the rocks below, claimed by the unforgiving sea.

'An unfortunate accident', they called it.

For Aelina, the loss was incomprehensible. At five and ten years, shortly before her name day, she was old enough to grasp the implications of her father's death. She understood that without him, she would be more vulnerable to the whispers about her birth and status. Her father had been her protector, shielding her from the world's cruelty. Now, he was gone, taken by the sea that had defined their lives—a sea that never truly accepted her.

Lord Corlys was devastated by the loss of his cousin, the man who had saved his life so many years ago. He knew he had to honour his promise to protect Aelina. Despite her bastard status, despite the whispers of those who questioned her place among the Velaryons, she was still blood. And for Corlys, blood meant everything.

So, he took the girl with her darkened silver hair, her muted violet eyes, and her paler, freckled skin under his wing. He protected her as if she were his own daughter, shielding her from the judgement of others. But Vaemond Velaryon, ever the ambitious brother, began to sow doubts in Corlys' mind.

Then less than a year after the tragedy, Vaemond Velaryon convinced Lord Corlys that Aelina would be better suited at the Red Keep. He argued that Princess Rhaenyra, who had recently lost her own mother, would benefit from the companionship of another girl close in age, someone who had also suffered loss.

So, when Corlys went to King's Landing to discuss his ships, men, and his daughter, he also brought up the matter of the bastard child.

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I had this part written BEFORE I even had a title or a cover for the book which is why it's getting an update so quickly... ALSO if I haven't already mentioned it enough the cover is BEAUTIFUL. @-Bellerose- made it and came up with the title, no I won't stop getting excited over that.