VII / Stormy Sea

Driftmark

Rhaelys had barely known Lady Laena Velaryon, and yet the news of her death had hurt. She and Daemon had visited them last long ago, but Rhaelys could remember it very well. Her cousins were the very image of their lady mother. Princess Baela and Princess Rhaena Targaryen were eleven years old, and had not spoke a word at the funeral yet.

Rhaelys stood with her mother and father, as well as her three brothers. She held Daera in her arms. Rhaelys now wished she had demanded her mother named the Laena, or some variation of it. The babe slept peacefully in her sister's arms, and Rhaelys was glad of it. This funeral was hard enough, it would've been even harder with a crying baby.

"We join today at the Seat of the Sea to commit the Lady Laena of House Velaryon," It was oft said that the Targaryens were of the sky, then the Velaryons were of the sea. "To the eternal waters, the dominion of the Merling King, where He will guard her for all the days to come. As she sets to sea for her final voyage, the Lady Laena leaves two true-born daughters on the shore,"

"Though their mother will not return from her voyage, they will all remain bound together in blood. Salt courses through Velaryon blood. Ours runs thick, ours runs true. And ours will never thin," Vaemond Velaryon had had it out for Jace since the beginning. As he spoke his words, he looked directly at Jace, Luke and Joff.

Daemon, for whatever reason, laughed like a fucking girl. Rhaelys found it so disrespectful. This was his wife's funeral, and all he had done was look at Rhaenyra and not look after his daughters.

As the rope was tightened, Laena's body was dropped into the sea as so many Velaryons before her had been. "My gentle niece, may the winds be as strong as your back, your seas as calm as your spirit, and your nets be as full as your heart." Rhaelys sniffled and softly cradled Daera, who was making soft noises.

"From the sea we came, to the sea we shall return," Even if Rhaelys would die a Targaryen, she hoped her funeral would still be in the Velaryon honors.

On the left side to her family, she could see Viserys, Alicent and their brood. Aegon looked bored out of her mind, while Helaena seemed miserable. They had been betrothed not long ago, and Rhaelys could see a small ring around Helaena's ring finger.

While on the right side stood Prince Daemon and his two daughters. It had been years since had been in Westeros. Rhaena and Baela had been born on Driftmark, but they had left for Essos soon after the girl's third name-day.

⭑

A little bit later, Rhaelys sat with Helaena on the floor, as they let spiders walk over their hands. "I've missed you, Hel." Rhaelys said, smiling down at the ground.

"I've missed you too, Rhae." Helaena smiled back, though they didn't make eye contact.

Helaena had been having prophetic dreams and visions for as long as the two girls could remember. "Hand turns loom; spool of green, spool of black; dragons of flesh weaving dragons of thread. Hand turns loom; spool of green, spool of black," From a distance, Aegon and Aemond watched them. Aegon stared at Rhaelys as Aemond looked at his sister.

"We have nothing in common," He complained and Aemond looked at their sister with sympathy. "She's our sister." Aegon rolled his eyes as he placed them on Rhaelys again. "You marry her then!" Aegon would much rather see it that way, Aemond married to Helaena and himself married to Rhaelys.

"I would perform my duty, if mother had only betrothed us," Aemond's words were true, though he would not enjoy the marriage. Helaena was his sister, and he loved her as such. To wed her and to have to bed her was not something he would enjoy. Thankfully, he wasn't betrothed to her, and it would be no problem.

"If only," Aegon rolled his eyes as he sunk into the cups.

"It would strengthen the family. Keep our Valyrian blood pure," Aemond said, thinking more of Rhaelys than Helaena. "She's an idiot!" He proclaimed, knowing what he wanted. And it wasn't Helaena.

"Your future queen," Aegon shook his head at his little brother's words.

"You're thinking of the wrong girl, brother. Rhaelys will be queen," Aemond shook his head. "Anyway, Helaena and I have one thing in common. We both fancy creatures with very long legs," He smirked as his eyes landed on a serving girl. Aegon enjoyed many things, but nothing he enjoyed more than taunting his brother. He walked away as Aemond sighed. "Oh Aegon,"

"I've heard you and Aegon are betrothed now," Rhaelys said, adding, "what do you think of that?" Helaena shrugged as the spider walked over her arm.

"He is a good boy but he will grow into a bad man. They've shown it to me. He will love another and I will be alone in misery." Rhaelys shook her head as she took Helaena into her arms. "I will love you now and always, Hel. Never doubt that I am on your side above all."

Helaena smiled at her friend and looked over to Baela, Rhaena and Jace. "Go to them, Rhaelys. They need you more than I do," Rhae looked to her brother and cousins and she knew that Helaena was right. "Alright. We'll speak again later," Rhaelys gave Helaena a quick hug and stood up, then made her way to Jace and her cousins.

"Cousin Rhaelys," Rhaena said, still sniffing up the tears coming from her face. "Baela, Rhaena. I offer you my deepest condolences. I barely knew your mother, but I know that she was a good woman from what my own mother has told me. If there is anything you need," She looked at Jace who merely stared down at the floor. He was saddened greatly by Ser Harwin's death but she had not realized it affected him this greatly. He could barely speak a word.

"My brother is saddened by your mother's death. Please forgive him," Though that was not it, Jace nodded softly. "We do," Baela said, looking for a moment at Rhaelys' eyes. Gods, Baela greatly resembled Rhaelys' father. Rhaelys looked around during that thought. She had not seen her father in a little bit. Perhaps he was with Daera.

Rhaelys grabbed both Baela and Jace's hand as she smiled kindly to Rhaena. "We are not alone, in this world. Above all we will have each other. Because that is what the blood of the dragon does." Corlys walked over to them and wisked away Jace to talk to him about his position.

"Both my seat and High Tide will be yours one day, Jacaerys. As your sister is destined to be the queen, you will be her masters of Ships. She'll sit on endless councils and ceremonies, but Lord of the Tide rules the sea." Jace nodded but wasn't too energetic for it.

"I'm sorry. I don't want it," He said, looking teary eyed at the ground. Corlys got to the floor to comfort his grandson. "It's your birthright, lad." From a distance Rhaelys looked at her brother, who was on the verge of crying. "It's just that when I become Lord of the Tide, that means everyone else will be dead," He rushed back over to Baela and Rhaena.

Rhaelys smiled at her brother as she walked over to her grandfather. "I wanted to say that I was sorry for Laena's death, grandfather. She was taken too soon and too quickly." Corlys nodded. "You remind me of her. With your love of dragons and riding and how much you don't want to be tied down. Just like my Laena was." She hugged her grandfather in a shown of comfort and he did the same. Afterwards she went to Baela, Rhaena and Jace again, to comfort them.

Rhaelys could see her grandmother Rhaenys approaching them, and she smiled. Jace saw it too and quickly he ran for it to his grandmother. Rhaenys got to her knees and without speaking a word she pulled Rhaena, Baela and Rhaelys in for a hug. "Grandma..." Baela said, teary eyed and tired. "I don't want mother to be gone," Rhaena said and Rhaelys hugged her tightly, swearing to never let go.

"And she isn't. Only from this mortal world, Rhaena. She is in our hearts and in our blood, in mine as I know she is in yours. We are Velaryons, and our blood does run thick," Rhaelys was hugged by Baela and Rhaena and her grandmother looked at her thankful, but in truth she felt nothing but bad. Her mother was alive, her father was alive. All Rhaena and Baela had now was Rhaenys.

"Salt courses through your veins, my sweet girls, like it did with my dear Laena, never forget it, I bid you." Rhaenys told her granddaughters and each they nodded, promising never to forget it. "Grandmother, I've missed you much. It feels like it was ages since I last saw you," It was true. Rhaenys had last seen her eldest granddaughter Rhaelys turned ten. It was three years later now and of course she had largely changed.

They sat in silence, a comfortable silence.

As Aegon approached them, Rhaelys tensed up. It was clear that he was drunk out of his mind. "I request a word with Princess Rhaelys, cousins, Lady Velaryon," He spoke as he pulled Rhaelys by her hand and away from her cousins and grandmother.

"Fine, what do you wish to speak off, Uncle?" Aegon looked at her in a way he had never had. "I wished to tell you I was sorry for your loss, Rhaelys. I cared little for our aunt, but I know you care," Rhae looked up at Aegon awkwardly. He was quite a bit taller than her, unfortunately.

You seem to care about everything but me, the thought rings in his mind. Rhaelys did not smile, not that he faulted her for that. It had been naught but misery for the princess these past few weeks.

"I hope she was fond of me. Now I can never be sure, for I have never asked her. She lived so far away and my mother seems not to like Daemon so very much," Aegon put his hand on her shoulder as a way of showing her comfort. "I'm sure she was fond of you, Rhaelys. How could anyone not?" Rhaelys blushed as she looked Aegon in the eye, who quickly looked away in return.

"You have never been this nice to me, Uncle. What do you want from me that is making you so kind?" He shook his head as he took her head into his arms. He stroked her hair softly as they stood in a silent corner with no eyes on them at all. "I have told you before not to call me Uncle, Rhaelys. You are certainly not a niece to me," She nodded. "You are my Uncle, Aegon. Though sometimes I do doubt if we are related," Rhaelys was sad that it was the way of their family to betroth uncles and nieces, for else Aegon may very well have been as close to her as Jace and Luke; he could be her brother.

Instead he is this. Neither fully her uncle nor her friend. They are nothing and everything at the same time. Sometimes she wonders if he just finds her a stupid child. He is two years older than her, surely he thinks her immature. When in truth, he is the immature one.

"You're drunk, Uncle," She smiles at him. He won't remember this in the morning, so there is no use in being unkind to him. Rhaelys generally dislikes being unkind, even to Aegon. "Come, I'll help you to your mother, Aegon," Rhaelys has surely called him Aegon before, but by the look on his face, it seems as if Aegon does not remember.

"No, no. Not my mother. She'll be mad," Rhaelys would be too if she was Aegon's mother. "You can you really blame her? Your drunk out of your mind at your aunt's funeral. It is quite bad form, Uncle." He sighs. "You must stop calling me that. Each time you remind me of our dreadful blood relation, I am one step closer to dying like Lady Laena did."

"You are silly sometimes, Aegon. Laena Velaryon died in childbirth, didn't she?" Rhaelys questioned, and he shook his head. "No, she had Vhagar burn her during the childbirth. It's very different," Had Laena wished for her own death? Why would she want that? Had Vhagar willingly burned her own rider? Rhaelys could not believe that. And why had no one told her this? Why would they lie to her?

"Wait, you didn't know?" Aegon asked, a confused look on his face. "No, I didn't. How do you know? My mother told me that she had died in childbirth," Aegon shrugged. "My mother told me this. She had overheard Daemon and Viserys talking, I suppose. Perhaps they did not want to hurt you with the truth." She could not fault them for thinking that way, but she did fault them for lying.

She was three and ten, a woman grown by all accounts. She had a right to know, didn't she? "Well, thank you for telling me, even if it wasn't on purpose. You're the only person who is always honest with me, you know that?" She shrugged. "Perhaps it is the one good thing about you,"

"And the fact I'm terribly handsome, very smart, and quite loyal. Don't you think, Rhaelys?" She shook her head. "You won't remember any of this in the morning, so I've got no reason to feed your ego." He smiled and moved closer to her, bringing his hand to her face. His violet eyes met her indigo ones. Those eyes were the clearest indicator of their Valyrian blood. It was the reason why Rhaelys was never called a bastard while her brothers were. It was what drew her to Vermithor, what kept the dragons close to them.

It was the sign that they were closer to gods than to man.

He stroked her cheek slightly. "Stop that, Aegon. You're drunk."