𝒈𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 ───── a house of the dragon fanfiction.
⚘ written by 𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒍𝒂 . . . 2024
𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏

A plethora of wooden dowels scattered around a small box as a hand searched for an unbroken one, pinching it between her thumb and index finger. The wood swiveled against her flesh, creating a rough friction. Kaleyna knelt before the sept's center, the fabric of her dress just barely preventing her knees from scraping against the stone floor. She still bore black, even weeks after the procession, as her pale face was framed by a dark veil cascading down the back of her hair, almost appearing as a shadow.

She had given into Alicent's unremitting advice as she lifted the dowel towards an already lit wick, setting the tip of the wood alight. The warmth of the small fire beat against her hand, and the flicker of light seemed to resemble the event all too clearly. With a flinch, she lit an unburned candle before her and swiftly blew the dowel out, causing a stream of smoke to fade across her eyes.

Kaleyna's fingers intertwined with each other in a tight knot, as she shifted against the floor to find a comfortable position before shutting her eyes.

She called upon the Mother Above, the most merciful and loving of the Seven Gods, with a mumbled whisper dedicated to Aemma and her uninterrupted protection carried into one of the heavens. She envisioned her silver hair flowing in the delicate winds as she feasted upon the land of light and honey, laughing with her own mother in joyous effect. She envisioned the late Queen being happy.

"Dear Mother, I ask solely for your nurture and guardianship as my beloved confidant and decorous Queen be voyaged to the most gracious of the seven heavens... and that her body be rest in peace for the years to come." Kaleyna began, her lips subconsciously dwindling to a soft frown as she spoke to the deity. "Confer to her that I long for her companionship immensely, and that the realm is changed without her kind soul occupying it. Allow her to be knowledgeable of my love for her."

For a mere second, Kaleyna felt the slightest bit of peace she had conceived in days, sitting at the altar, alone with her own thoughts. And she felt tactless, knowing that Rhaenyra and Viserys were feeling ten times the amount of pain she was, and she had not visited their chambers once in counsel.

And again, the thought of her greediness crept into the smallest crevices of her mind, plaguing her capability to sense whether she was truly a villain at her core or simply and utterly crestfallen to the point of no return.

There had to be a reason everyone left.

"Tears do not suit you." A low mumble sounded from behind her statued frame. She blinked her eyes open, becoming all too aware of the salty liquid leaving her tear ducts, like water running to bay.

Her fingers briskly brushed the substance away, removing any unwanted emotion to show upon her cheeks- especially not before him.

"I do not care for your commentary, Daemon." She cleared her throat, moving to blow out the wick that had seemingly already dwindled down to a stub. But just as her hand began to clear the smoke, his own electrified hers in a frozen shock. His fingers had just barely grazed along the soft skin of her wrist, revealed only as the sleeve of her dress lifted up in action. She had half-expected him to pinch the sensitive inch of her hand, where her veins began their travels up her arm, and perhaps cease all blood flow from persisting. Or at least, it had felt like it had.

His thumb lingered just above her flexor, and she swore that he could physically feel the pumping of her arteries as a slow smirk eased its way onto his thin lips. "I've only come to apologize..." And all too quickly, his touch escaped the warmth of her now tainted skin.

"...For what I said, just before the news." He fully stepped back, with not much time wasted before he decided to nestle his body next to hers. As if she thought his closeness was excruciating before, she felt almost entirely unable to breathe as she felt his shoulder rising with each heavy inhale beside her own.

She shook her head, swiveling it to look up towards the faces of the Seven Gods so as to not look him in the eyes again. "There's no need. You were valid in your frustration. And I... I can only blame myself for my lack of suitors, if you can even call them such."

He stared blankly at her side profile, observing as her eyes seemed to glaze over the carved creations of the gods as they were a form of outlet for her grief. "You've grown." Daemon uttered, his voice in a neutral tone as he studied the older aspects of her adult face.

She lowered her chin, her profile void of any emotion other than disappointment, although she speedily masked whatever illed her thoughts with a low, distracting grumble. "And you reek with the stench of a common brothel." Kaleyna gathered her dress in fists as she made her way to a standing position.

And it happened again, and they both knew it shouldn't have. The whole of his palm now laid tenderly around her arm, almost willing her to stay, to hear him out. He had spent fourteen years away, fourteen years without contact or confirmation that he was even breathing air. It would take more than a simple apology to assert his forgiveness.

Without another word, Kaleyna pulled her headdress over her face and stalked towards the exit of the sept, her fists ever so slightly still clenched from the wrench of an interaction. His presence never failed to stop her in her tracks.

She would make sure that the habit came to an end.

A screech cried out from a sole chair being pulled out from the long dining table and all attention was placed on the rogue prince, whose tunic's first three buttons were still detached from whatever concerned him before dinner. A tall, red-haired maid scurried over to his side, carefully pouring at least a pint of cherry wine into the goblet laid beside his outstretched arm, which frustratingly splayed across the center of the table in an act of performed confidence. He sat beside what would have been Rhaenyra's seat, if she had not refused to join the rest for supper.

"Daemon, how kind of you to finally join us." Viserys spoke through ground teeth, setting his dinner knife down upon his cloth napkin. The younger Targaryen had already dove into his plate of lamb, as if he were a savage from the North. When the King spoke his name before the rest of the dining, Daemon looked up in feigned innocence, a lump of meat caught between his cheek and molars as he paused mid-chew.

Kaleyna observed the scene from beside Alicent and Otto, lifting her own goblet to her lips. Daemon's eyes shifted to the drink, his brows furrowing subconsciously. "The habit's kicked in, I see." She nearly choked on her wine as he referred to a conversation that seemed nearly a century ago. "Personally, I would've expected your favorite to be one of Crownland heritage. They always made much sweeter wines along the shores." His lips upturned into a small sneer. He was drunk and hormonal. But most of all, he was acting like a complete child.

"I started drinking ages ago, you were just too absent to notice." She spoke passive-aggressively, raising the cup to signal she needed a refill. "You know, You Grace, on the topic of the Crownlands, my dear brother, Ormund, is hosting a wedding for his daughter, Relaenys, on Claw Isle. He's written me to properly invite you to join them on the island for the evening."

Alicent's face beamed at the idea of time away from King's Landing. "Oh, please, Kaleyna, tell me I can come too." Her hands reached over to clasp the older Hightower's in a pleading manner. "It would be a pleasant getaway, don't you think, father?" Her smaller head swiveled to Otto, who sat on the other end of the table silently, with a thin line plastered on his lips.

"Otto doesn't know the first thing about enjoying himself. My lady, I think that is a wonderful proposition." Viserys smiled widely, bending over in his seat to rattle his goblet against Kaleyna's in a cheer. He, too, was already drunk out of his mind. But his demeanor was more excusable these days. He had lost both his wife and his heir, all within a few hours.

Kaleyna knew that as she joyously clicked the silver of her cup against his, a bright smile enchanting her features. The rest of the table seemed to join in, a few small splashes of wine cascading off the rims of their conjoined cheers. All tension left the table as they all took a generous sip of their wine, spare Alicent, who drank upon a blend of punches.

"I shall make certain that Ormund hears of this excellent news!" Kaleyna laughed, beginning to dig into her own dish, unbeknownst to the pair of violet eyes settled upon her.

"I've never met Relaenys, you know. But, I've seen the small portraits your brother has sent you." Alicent practically skipped down the dimly lit hall, towards her chambers -which she had noted were considerably smaller than the one Kaleyna was given. "It is hard to believe that you have a Valyrian niece, and a pretty one at that."

Kaleyna chuckled, watching from a pace away as the fifteen-year-old girl nearly galloped down the stone path, too lost in her own thoughts to remember to act properly. "You've been snooping in my chambers?" She cocked a brow up, catching onto her small remark.

Alicent's face instantly reddened at her interrogation. "Guilty." She cracked a smile, stopping momentarily to walk beside her elder cousin. "It fascinates me. All the trinkets you have, stored away. My favorite is the little wooden box, the one filled with the hyacinths and lilies."

A shift of silence lingered around the two as Alicent finished rambling. Kaleyna turned her head almost immediately, pausing in her trek. "What box?"

"The one above your wardrobe, 'Leyna. With the carvings of florals on it." Alicent narrowed her eyes as if it were common sense.

The last time Kaleyna had even seen a hyacinth or lily was at the tourney, woven intricately into her favour. It was nearly impossible that any had found their way into her room. Nearly.

Kaleyna shook her head, replacing her confused stare with a smile. "Never mind that, off to bed. You and Rhaenyra both have studies to attend to in the morrow." She gently guided Alicent back towards her own chamber, observing how the girl glided across the stone in purposeful, yet exhausted cadence.

Kaleyna couldn't count the amount of times she had crept beside her bed and clasped her hands together, praying for a sister or for her brother to come back and visit her when she was Alicent's age. In a sense, she was her sister, and she'd never let harm come her way.

She turned on her heel, her eyes peering down the desolated hall. There were no maidens in sight. She would have to collect a pitcher of water herself before bed, although even with years of roaming through the castle, she had the slightest clue where the kitchen was.

At night, the castle was a completely different visual. The beams of moonlight dipped across the walls illuminating each opening and creating a breathtaking path of heavenly light. It guided her steps through the corridors, revealing each crevice of the walls it shone upon. Hours seemed to endlessly pass before she recognized the dimly lit doors to the throne room, their wooden indentions peaking up to the ceiling.

A crack of light gleamed across the floor and a bass-filled voice echoed through the nearly-closed room. "Did you say it?" Kaleyna immediately recognized the voice belonging to Viserys. He was furious by the tone he captured.

The sound of metal moving erupted, possibly the armor of the kingsguard swaying to halt whoever Viserys was interrogating.

"I don't know what you mean." Daemon's voice warmed the room nearly as much of the flames of the sconces that lined the walls. He played innocent, even as his elder brother peered down on him with pure impatience.

"You will address me as 'Your Grace' or I will have my kingsguard cut out your tongue." Viserys spat through ground teeth. Kaleyna shifted closer to the door, making out the back of Daemon's body through the sliver opening. Her breath just barely quaked at the threat from the King.

The younger Targaryen stood eerily frozen, his arms still locked onto his belt. "'The Heir for a Day'. Did you say it?" The boom in Viserys' voice grew even larger, it was possible that it alone could destroy the entirety of the throne room.

Kaleyna watched as Daemon's head dipped guiltily, his hands slightly drooping down to his sides. "We must all mourn in our own way... Your Grace." He muttered a soft excuse, intentionally adding his brother's title to the end of his slewed words.

Viserys' throat tightened as he conjured his next sentence. "My family has just been destroyed. But instead of being by my side or Rhaenyra's, YOU CHOSE TO CELEBRATE YOUR OWN RISE! LAUGHING WITH YOUR WHORES AND YOUR LICKSPITTLES!" Kaleyna flinched at the sudden animosity in the King's tenor, his yells echoing off of the ceiling in a haunting manner.

"YOU HAVE NO ALLIES AT COURT BUT ME. I HAVE ONLY EVER DEFENDED YOU." His voice cracked at his last words, his eyes appearing to water from Kaleyna's distance. Daemon's sunken head lifted almost immediately to retort back to his brother.

"That is not true and you know it well. All you've ever done is try to send me away, to take me from her! First, to the Vale, to the City Watch! Anywhere but by her or your side." Daemon clamored back, his body lurching in defense. From the doorway, the girl he was referring to lost all sense of reality. He had not left with his own free will all those years ago. He had not willingly abandoned her to grow up in such a cruel castle.

He still cared.

"You are to return to Runestone and your lady wife at once." Viserys' tone dropped as he glared at his younger brother, all sense of pity leaving his system. "And you are to do so without quarrel."

"By order of your King."

𝒈𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 ───── a house of the dragon fanfiction.
⚘ written by 𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒍𝒂 . . . 2024
𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏

words . . . 250

written . . . 11.3.24
published . . . 11.25.24