The atmosphere following the meeting hung heavy as Rhaella, flanked by her two sisters walked away from the grand hall. The worst was seemingly behind them.

"I do hope this settles the Driftmark succession once and for all," Baela says. Rhaella and Rhaena share a look of doubt.

"I fear this is just the beginning sister," Rhaella said. It was all too apparent to her that the Hightowers had already put their pieces in place.

Baela comes to a halt, turning to face her sisters. She held a strong look of conviction.

"Our stepmother will ascend the throne, of this I am certain." She said.

Rhaella paused at Baela's tone. She could have sworn that there was something accusatory in her tone.

Rhaena must've sensed the looming tension as well, grabbing Rhaella's hand, the three continued to walk the long corridors.

"Are you content with ignoring the topic of the marriage proposal?" Rhaena asked.

Yes. Rhaella was more than content to not bring up the matter. What bothered her more was the slight Otto had thrown at her in front of everyone.

Rhaella kept her gaze straight ahead. "The proposal is of no consequence, didn't you hear?" Her voice was flat, and annoyance was growing in her tone. "He was prepared to ship me off to the sept."

Rhaena smirked at the response. " Yet despite the rejection, you and Aemond are quite shameless with each other." She said slyly.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Rhaena." Rhaella's response was immediate.

"Oh please spare us your lies, Rhaella," Baela spoke again. " Everyone in that court saw how he looked at you, it was plain to see."

Rhaella felt very cornered. Of course, she was well aware of Aemond's seemingly prologued stares. Stubborn as ever, Rhaella crosses her arms childishly.

"Let us be done with this, maybe I'll find someone less accusatory to converse with." Turning around, Rhaella walks off in the opposite direction.

"Conversing with Aemond I assume?" She heard Rhaena call out which she promptly ignored.

Rhaella wandered around the long halls of the Red Keep, lost in thought. Everyone around her was being so unreasonable. She and Aemond had been friends, close cousins even. Nothing more on her part. Except maybe a growing attraction.

The concept of love had always been a puzzling thing to her. The earliest memory she could recall was the brief fling she had with one of the dragonkeepers. It was nothing serious, she wanted to know all the ins and outs of dragons and he wanted a kiss. Or two. He was cute enough so it was more than fine by her.

Then there was her previous handmaid, Astris. It was a little more than curiosity on her part. The two would often share many private moments. Astris was known to dabble in dark magic which fascinated Rhaella.

Had Rhaella loved either of them? Not in the slightest. The only love she had in her heart was solely for her sisters.

Up ahead, Rhaella saw her cousin, Helaena walking alongside Aegon.

Rhaella grimaced at the sight of him. She attempted to avoid them but Helaena had already spotted her.

"Cousin!" Helaena called out to her. Rhaella smiled politely as Helaena rushed to her side, grabbing her hand. After Aemond, Helaena was quite close with Rhaella.

"Helaena, I see you are well," Rhaella said. She can see Aegon roll his eyes.

" Aegon." Rhaella greeted.

"Your prince, I think you mean." He spits back. Aegon's eyes rake over Rhaella's body brazenly. Rhaella found him nothing short of repulsive. She truly felt sorry for her cousin. Had Aegon been her husband, she would've since slipped poison into his wine.

It would be so easy too.

" Come Helaena." Rhaella ignored Aegon's comment. " I wish to see your bug collection."

The girls walk to Helaena's chambers, settling into the chairs. Helaena's twins were on the floor playing. Rhaella reached out to Helaena's daughter. She had insisted on being present at the birth to keep watch over her cousin, the children were very familiar with her.

"Jaehaera, come to me sweetling." Rhaella called. The small girl situated herself in Rhaella's lap, clutching her doll. She watched as Helaena held up a jar proudly.

"This one is new, I found it crawling outside of my room," Helaena said, excitement in her voice.

Rhaella stared at the creature. It had a black body with a yellow membrane stretching across its transparent wings. Standing out were its deep red eyes, staring right at her through the glass.

"Might I hold him?" Rhaella asks. Heleana passes her the jar. Jaehaera slides off Rhaella's lap, going back to her dolls.

Heleana watches, seemingly in a trance as Rhaella opens the jar. She gently scoops the bug out. Upon closer inspection, she recognized it as a Cicada.

"Dragons and death are one and the same," Heleana mumbled. " A dragon walks closely with death, death shall be its crown."

Rhaella looked up from the bug in a look of pure befuddlement. She knew Heleana to often go on tangents, speaking in rhymes and riddles.

Rhaella supposed it was one of the main reasons she kept Heleana so close to her.

"What was that you said, cousin?" Rhaella asked, handing her back the jar. Before Helaena could respond, the doors to the room were opened by a maid.

There stood Aemond. He looked from Heleana to Rhaella. Quickly, the handmaid escorted the children out of the room. Nervously clutching the jar, Heleana hastily left the room.

Alone. Rhaella refused to shrink away from Aemond's gaze. She relaxes into her chair, legs crossing one another.

"Aemond." She said.

"Rhaella." Aemond sat down in one of the chairs opposite to her. Rhaella wanted to fight the bubbling anticipation in her stomach. This mental bout they engaged in was all too inviting.

Aemond's eye briefly scans all over Rhaella. Somehow, when he did it she didn't feel repulsed. No. Quite the opposite.

"You've changed," Aemond said. And she had. Long gone were the days of the innocent little girl dresses and free-flowing hair. These days, her long, curly white hair was kept up in braids, the typical Targaryen style. She grew fond of deeper-toned colors for her gowns. Her brown skin had tanned slightly darker from her time in Pentos.

"Have I?" Rhaella said, shooting him a lofty grin. Aemond hummed in response. The tension between them was almost too much to bear.

"Have you maintained your grip on my mother's dragon?"Rhaella asked. Aemond's lips slightly twitched up into a smirk.

"Vhagar, the dragon I claimed, I was within my rights." Aemond points out. Rhaella knew he wasn't wrong. Still, though, she had the newfound desire to push his buttons.

"She's far older than any of us, her will is surely iron-born," Rhaella said, her violet eyes unabashedly eating up his form.

"I think you'll find she bends for me all the same." Rhaella was unsure if they were still talking about Vhagar.

"Zaldrīzes buzdari iksos daor." The high valyrian flowed from her. " A dragon is not a slave".

Aemond scoffed. " Vali tepagon nyke se rigle nyke gūrogon skori nyke kipagon zirȳla." 'Men give me the honor I deserve when I ride her.'

Rhaella found Aemond's high valyrian to be a little stiff. To book like to be natural.

Aemond's legs spread out wider slightly, tilting his head at her. " What would you know about dragons, I've yet to see you with one.

"Oh. He's grown to be a cunt." Rhaella thought. Aemond seemed to remember how to push her buttons as well. Rhaella was all the more enticed.

She longed for nothing more than to throw something at his smirking face.

A heavy chair. Perhaps herself.

"I do wonder how your grandsire conjured up a marriage proposal," Rhaella said, switching the subject.

" It's not natural for a lady to be unmarried," Aemond said, eyes glinting cruelly.

"Even that savage you call a sister has managed a betrothed, somehow."

At the insult, Rhaella rises from her seat. She had satisfied her curiosity for the time being. Aemond had grown a big head,his arrogance irked her immensely.

All was well though. Rhaella enjoyed nothing more than a challenging game.

Rhaella walked towards the bedroom door. Aemond can't help but follow her with his head.

" I'll see you at dinner." With that, Rhaella exited the room.