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The Dragon Princess of Dragonstone. It isn’t just a name. Laena can see clearly why the inhabitants of this island worship Princess Rhaenyra as though she is a god. Looking at her perched on her throne, she seems above the worries of mortals.
Her human features are beyond simple beauty. Lusciously long silver gold hair, piercing lavender eyes, pale, clear skin.
Her voice even— it’s as smooth as silk, full of depth yet still feminine.
But those are her human features. Her ears are not rounded, no. They are long, triangular in shape. Those obsidian black horns curling on the sides of her head are not human either. The shimmery golden scales that decorate her neck and dot her cheeks and brow. Her nails long and pointed. Her pupils vertical.
Her incisors razor sharp. She is a dragon. Dragons kill. They are without mercy.
But Laena did not come here to die. She came here to speak with her cousin. She hopes that this god woman accepts that blood bind enough to help.
In the midst of these worries, Laena does her best greeting. A perfect curtsy, her head tilted at the proper angle, her eyes averted not just for posterity's sake, but because Rhaenyra is so beautiful it’s distracting her from her objective.
“Greetings, Princess Rhaenyra,” Laena says, allowing herself to straighten her shoulders. “I am—“
“Lady Velaryon.” Rhaenyra says simply. “We have met before.”
Right. At the funeral— Queen Aemma’s funeral, when Rhaenyra was eight and Laena a year her junior. But it has been over a decade since then. Thirteen long years.
Up until Queen Aemma’s funeral, Rhaenyra looked perfectly normal. No horns, no claws, blunt teeth. She had only been banished— sent to Dragonstone after her draconian features grew pronounced.
“I thought a reintroduction might be necessary since it’s been so long.”
“It isn’t,” Rhaenyra says shortly. “Speak quickly. I’m not fond of nobility lingering in my keep.”
“You are nobility.” As noble as they come. Laena sees the corner of Rhaenyra’s lip quirk upward slightly, before her expression blanks once again.
“What do you want from me?”
“I have come here seeking your assistance in—“
“I did not ask for your life story.” Rhaenyra cuts her off with a bored sigh. “I asked what you wanted.”
“…asylum.”
“Asylum?” Rhaenyra repeats, shifting slightly on her throne. She looks interested, though, even if only mildly. “From…?”
Laena rifles through her answer, determining that short and sweet is what Rhaenyra desires. “Engagement. I wish to hide behind you if you will allow it.”
If not… There are other, more drastic measures Laena can take.
She does not wish that, though. Simplicity would be best.
Rhaenyra’s brows knit, a focused expression overwhelming her face. “You have been engaged for a decade. Why is it that you seek my protection now?”
Politics. The death of Prince Daemon had made an already tenuous situation beyond brittle. A simple touch would have it falling apart. One could say that the House of Dragons is distinctly missing their namesake. There are no dragons bound to any Targaryens. There are three bound to house Velaryon.
“My father is displeased with my match. A word from the king would allow him to wiggle out of it and save face.”
Rhaenyra taps the arm of her throne in clear impatience. The mention of her father cracks her expression lightly. Laena steels herself to finish, though. It is the king’s fault. His desire needs brought her here to beg.
“Your father has been married thrice,” Laena says. His first was Aemma Arryn. His second, Beatrix Butterwell. His most recent, Alicent Hightower. “Only one wife has borne fruit, and it was a union with a descendant of House Targaryen.”
Meaning the king is willing to break Laena’s engagement to marry her. To make her his fourth wife. The third in his growing barren harem.
He had married Beatrix a year after Aemma’s death. Alicent, eight years after that, when no child had sprouted from the union. Now, four years later and still without a son, he’s seeking another wife to bed.
It’s him, Laena is certain. No one else will speak that aloud aside… well, a man who is now ash.
“I see,” Rhaenyra says with a slight nod and a snarky grin. “You wished to meet your future stepdaughter.”
Laena’s heart drops to her stomach.
“No,“ she says, shaking her head.
“You’re wondering if your children will look like me. Monstrous?”
Monstrous? Rhaenyra is absolutely striking. Different but gorgeous nonetheless. The fact that she and Viserys are even slightly related is a shock. Laena would thank the gods of every denomination if her children were half as beautiful as Rhaenyra. Weep tears of joy.
“No. I—”
“You want my blessing for your union? It’s not necessary. I won’t be at the wedding—“
“I don’t want to marry your father!” Laena shouts. It echoes the hall, bouncing back to her ears loudly. Rhaenyra pauses. Laena freezes. Then she falls to her knees hard enough that she knows the stone will bruise.
She doesn’t care.
Asylum might be too big an ask. Smaller then. Simpler.
“Can you curse me as you did him, then?” She pleads. “I will leave right after if that is what you wish.”
“… what?” Rhaenyra asks sharply, after a long pause.
Is she not begging hard enough? Laena feels her desperation rise. Tears prick the corners of her eyes. Rhaenyra seems so obstinate. So unbothered.
Why would the princess help her? After so many years of silence, why did Laena think she might?
“Could you please curse me?”
“Curse you?” Rhaenyra repeats slowly, as if she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
“I was there at your mother’s funeral. Laenor and I were playing around in the secret passages, and we ended up near the king's solar. I heard…”
“What did you hear?”
“I heard you curse him. You said that the king would have no more children. That he would either have to accept you as you are or die alone on the Iron throne.” Laena explains, and she sees the recognition in Rhaenyra’s eyes. An angered flush as well— no doubt for her listening in on something that wasn’t hers to hear. “All these years later, and you are still his only child. Can you curse me with infertility so that I am unfit for the marriage market?” Her fiancé will cut her loose, and the king will find someone else to wed.
Besides, from what Laena has heard since her arrival the day prior, Rhaenyra’s magic is as true as she believed all these years. Why else would the people of Dragonstone be certain if not for its truth? Why else would they hold that yearly celebration where they ask and receive boons? Healing, fortune, luck. Rhaenyra can do that.
The silence between them extends. Laena remains pleading. Rhaenyra seems thoughtful.
“If what you say is true…” Rhaenyra trails off, leaning forward. “Then you will have no children with my father anyway after you marry him.”
Nevertheless, Laena doesn’t want to marry him. That old man— he’s practically a walking corpse. Thinning hair and frequent spells of illness!
He’s losing fingers. Why does Laena have to be subjected to that horror just because she’s a little bit older than the average marriageable woman? Well… a few years older but still!
“If I am known to be infertile, then no one will marry me.” Which would be even better!
“And how will it become known?”
“I will tell the most gossipy person I know that I wish for it to be a secret.” The entirety of Westeros will be informed by the week’s end.
“And why exactly did I curse you in this hypothetical situation?”
“Because I insulted you.” That’s reasonable, isn’t it?
“How? Be specific.”
“Because I said that…” Laena glances at her hesitantly. She can say nothing of her looks nor her intellect. “That you… that your…”
Rhaenyra watches her eyes brimming with amusement. Like she just found something a bit more entertaining than expected.
Laena exhales harshly out of her nose as she frowns.
Nothing. She has nothing. No insult in her strong enough for a curse that life-changing. She snuck out of High Tide in the middle of the night, risking the wrath of her parents for this?
Failure? Will she really have to marry Viserys?
Laena shivers, rubbing the tears from her face roughly. She wishes she were not in such a desperate situation. She wonders how she even got here. Fearful. Worried.
A noose tightening around her neck— and it isn’t just Viserys. It’s her current fiancé. It’s what he knows about her.
If the truth ever comes out she’ll never know peace. But she had thought that if she hid behind Rhaenyra, she might be safe. If Rhaenyra is unwilling to—
“What are you thinking about right now?” A soft voice questions. Laena inhales sharply in shock. The princess is before her— a single step away, crouching just slightly as she studies her.
“I’m wondering if there is any way to convince you to help.”
Rhaenyra reaches for her, clawed hands stopping just an inch from her face before retreating. Laena feels strangely regretful that she could not experience her touch.
“I will keep you.” Rhaenyra declares, standing tall.
What? She looks up at her in confusion.
Rhaenyra clears her throat. “I will keep you safe.” She clarifies. “Asylum is what you asked for first, after all.”
“Really?” Laena asks, struggling hurriedly to her feet. “You will help me?”
Rhaenyra nods slightly. “A place to sleep and food is no big ask. Though… you could have just said that I was ugly. That is worthy of a curse.”
“You are far from ugly,” Laena responds honestly. “The best lie is one you can believe. Build upon. I cannot find ugliness in you.”
Rhaenyra watches her for a second, hesitancy in her eyes, before she looks away sharply.
“The head maid will arrange a room. Where is your luggage?”
Laena gestures to the bag at her foot.
“That is all?”
Laena nods. She had packed light. Food, gold, shoes, medicine, and a few changes of clothes— mostly leathers and cotton shirts suited for travel. The dress she wears now is the only one she brought.
Rhaenyra frowns. “That will be dealt with as well.”
Without another word, she leaves. Her hips swaying slightly as—
Laena looks at her feet, digging nails into her palms to focus on something else.
Thankfulness. She should focus on that instead of the impulses that might get her… despised.
~~~
Laena makes herself the least inconvenient guest ever. She doesn’t want to give Rhaenyra a reason to send her away. When the seamstress comes to the room she has been allotted, Laena allows her measurements to be taken without fussing about preferences or colors.
Over the next few days, her closet slowly fills. Clothes, shoes, jewelry. She is attended to by maids daily, one always near and prepared to assist her. She spends a lot of time in her quarters. Occasionally explores the draconic features of the castle. She tries to catch sight of the princess, but is too often disappointed.
Rhaenyra doesn’t even request her presence at dinner time. Laena supposes she must not want to share a meal.
It is an entire week later that she sees Rhaenyra again, and it is only happenstance. Her return from a ride with Vhagar.
She did not go far— in fact, she flew in the opposite direction of home for an hour, then circled the island a few times. Her family— they must know where she is by now. Father must think her sudden departure a flight of fancy. Something caused by burning curiosity.
Laena has a curious nature, after all. She had mentioned before wanting to visit Dragonstone.
“Lady Laena,” Rhaenyra says stiffly, and she stops in her tracks.
“Princess Rhaenyra.” She smiles, though she is a bit horrified. She isn’t quite presentable at the moment. Her hair swept by wind, her shirt stained with what she thinks may be remnants of a bug, and her shoes incredibly muddy though she had shaken her soles properly before entering.
Rhaenyra frowns at her, slitted pupils focusing and unfocusing rapidly. Is she okay?
“Princess Rhaenyra?”
“You just came back from riding.”
“Yes.” Laena touched her hair self-consciously. “I suppose it must be obvious.”
She wonders when the last time it was that Rhaenyra experienced a flight. She has not bonded with a dragon— she is a dragon. Does she have wings behind her back? They must be tiny to hide in her jacket.
Rhaenyra’s hand clenches and unclenches. “You should have a bath. A long soak.”
And then she turns on her heel, rushing away.
Laena blinks at her rapidly departing form.
Was she… was she implying that Laena stunk?
Laena sniffs the collar of her shirt.
Dragon and a hint of sweat. It is not unpleasant to her, but… Rhaenyra must not like the scent of—
She was feet away, though. How could she have smelled her from that distance? Is it a dragon thing?
~~~
She takes the princess's advice, bathing thoroughly after her ride, soaking for ages, allowing the hot water and sweet oils to sink into her skin. She feels embarrassed. She does not want Rhaenyra to think badly of her.
“My Lady,” a young maid says. Edra. She is the one who sees to Laena most often. “Do you have a preference for dinner attire?”
Dinner attire?
Laena shakes her head. “Prepare my nightgown. I think I would prefer to rest early tonight.”
“Princess Rhaenyra would like to sup with you.” Edra insists with a firm tone. “Perhaps this red gown? Or the purple one? It is quite elegant.”
Then it seems she does not have a choice in this matter. She reminds herself that she is a guest under Rhaenyra’s roof. Reminds herself that Rhaenyra has no obligation to house her. Reminds herself that—
Well… she’s wanted to have dinner with her since she arrived, and this is an opportunity. It’ll really allow her to take in her presence.
“I have no preference.” She says. It takes over an hour to get dressed. In that time, Laena realizes she should have said she had a preference for lightness. Uncomplicatedness. Ease.
Her hair is braided down with quick fingers, her cheeks reddened by blush, and her lashes darkened. She winds up wearing a flowing crimson dress with matching jewelry and heeled shoes.
“This might be a little much for dinner.” She says, examining herself in the mirror.
The maid smiles, but says nothing more.
Laena does not look bad at all— no, she looks beautiful. It just feels strange to have put in all this effort for a meal. Laena furrows her brows.
Rhaenyra is the lord of this castle, though. Putting in this much effort for a meeting with royalty makes sense. And it would be a waste not to use her gifts. But she also feels strange—
“My Lady?”
“Yes?”
“Dinner. You do not want to be late.”
Laena takes a deep breath. Of course she doesn’t. She makes it there on time, thankfully. It’s not the great hall where she and Rhaenyra will eat. It’s a different space. A room designated for more private dinners.
She greets Rhaenyra confidently before shooting her at the table.
“How are you liking Dragonstone?” Rhaenyra asks after a minute of awkward silence.
“I like it here very much,” Laena replies, honestly. Yes, she wishes she could see Rhaenyra more. Yes, she feels a little strange sleeping in a new room, in a new bed, and wearing all-new dresses and accessories. Yes, she—
She misses her family. But she had left a note. Told them not to worry because she would be safe, just… away. With Vhagars' lingering presence, they no doubt already know where she is. It’s likely that they’re just… waiting. Wondering. Planning.
“Is there anything that you want?” Rhaenyra asks, focusing those beautiful yet strange eyes on her.
Laena smiles. “If you do not think it would be a bother, do you think we could meet each other more often?” She asks shyly. Honestly, she expects to be rejected. She is not.
Rhaenyra looks away, but nods sharply just once.
Laena tries not to kick her heels in excitement. It’s just… Laena loves dragons. Adores them. And Rhaenyra falls under that category in a way. She hopes the princess feels at least somewhat comfortable with her curiosity.
“Do you think that I smell better now?” Laena asks. “Since I rode this morning, I mean.”
Rhaenyra pauses, a faint dusting reddening her cheeks. It’s a very human reaction. Cute.
“Vhagar is new,” Rhaenyra says. “I am not yet accustomed to her scent, especially on… you.”
Oh. Laena nods. It wasn’t that she smelled bad. It was that she smelled of another dragon. Dragons can be territorial. Laena is living in her home. She might have given off the aura of an invader. Had she done that the day she arrived as well? How… rude of her.
“I will give ample warning for my rides from now on,” Laena says. “That way, I do not risk irritating your senses.”
Rhaenyra opens her mouth and then closes it, nodding. “Thank you.”
Dinner goes on for a while more. There is less conversation, but it is still pleasant. Easy. She hopes to do this more often.
~~~
Laena is invited to the princess’s solar the very next morning. She is dressed extravagantly. Again.
She does not fight against it, but she does wonder about the purpose. When Rhaenyra sees her, though… when their eyes lock after she has been given entrance to her solar, it gives rise to a fledgling hope. That perhaps Rhaenyrs is like her. Interested.
“Princess Rhaenyra.” Laena greets her, perfect as ever.
“… Lady Laena.” Rhaenyra’s brow furrows as she straightens her hair around her horn.
Laena wants to do that too. She wants to touch her hair and her horn and… feel her skin against her own. She licks her bottom lip, letting the thought slip away.
She reminds herself that this is a safe haven; she cannot risk it. Her thoughts. Her feelings. They might not be acceptable to Rhaenyra. They might have her cast out.
She directs her eyes elsewhere and finds a small statue. A carving?
“Is that a dragon?” She asks, studying it curiously.
“Grey ghost,” Rhaenyra nods, picking it up between two fingers and placing it in her hand. “A shy dragon that resides on the island. It is rare to spot.”
“This is so… intricate. What artisan carved it?” Laena asks curiously. “They must be brave to have gotten close enough to make something so detailed.”
Each and every single scale is shaped precisely.
“It’s just a hobby. Father had his model of old Valyria that he loved. I grew bored.”
Rhaenyra made this…
“You are very skilled. I see why it has a position of honor on your desk.” Laena places it back carefully.
“Thank you,” Rhaenyra says with a smile.
“You wished to see me about something, yes?” Laena asks, remembering the reason she is here.
“Yes. Your…” Rhaenyra glances at her desk before picking up a piece of paper. “A letter. From your father.”
Laena accepts it, feeling reluctant. Her father. The last thing she had heard from him was a desire to break and make an engagement.
She reads over it quickly, and it only confirms her fears. He expresses his worries, requests for her to come home, and—
“Thank you.” She says, folding it back up after she finishes reading.
Rhaenyra watches her quietly. She does not seem surprised by Laena’s lack of reaction. Perhaps she, too, is used to being disappointed by her father.
Laena feels like she needs a distraction. “Are you busy?” Laena asks.
“Not at the moment.”
“Would you like to walk?” Walk? Was that the best she could do? Walk?
“Sure. Do you have any place in mind?” Rhaenyra asks.
Laena shakes her head. “I have seen some of the castle. Not everywhere. Do you have any favorite places?”
“A few.” Rhaenyra comes to her side, and before she can walk ahead, Laena latches onto her, locking their elbows together. Rhaenyra hesitates, the tips of her ears reddening, but she does not push her away. She continues walking as though it were expected. Natural.
It felt natural.
“You are very warm,” Laena notes as they walk together.
“As are you,” Rhaenyra says, a second later. “Dragon’s blood. It is only natural.”
It is, isn’t it?
“Does it bother you?”
“What?”
“My…” Laena furrows her brow in thought. “How I smell? Does the dragon’s blood in me bother your senses as Vhagar does?”
Rhaenyra snorts. “Not in that way.”
Not in that way, meaning not the same way? Does it bother her differently? If so—
“But I do not wish to speak of such things right now,” Rhaenyra says, cutting her thoughts in half.
“Is there something you do wish to speak of?”
Rhaenyra hums. “Are you just running from marriage, or do you truly not want children?”
What a query. Laena takes a second before she answers.
“It is the marriage I wish to avoid, but I am twenty years of age now. Options are fewer and less desirable as I get older. I do not mind children, but the thought of sharing my bed with…” them. The aged king. The young fool. “I am disgusted. I hope that you do not find that offensive.”
Laena finishes, suddenly remembering that one of her options is very much related to the woman whose arms she is holding.
“I am not. I understand that marriage can be difficult. It is just not something I worry about.”
“… are you ever getting married?”
“Doubtful. I assume I will be the Princess of Dragonstone until father has a son that is of age— a very human son.”
He is infertile, though. Rhaenyra cursed him infertile with her dragon magic, didn’t she?
“What if he doesn’t?”
“The throne would pass to…” Rhaenyra furrows her brows. “It would be me, I suppose, or they might pass over me straight to your brother with Uncle Daemon dead and his son baseborn.”
Her brother, not her mother. True, but interesting. Predictable.
Who would be the lord of high tide, then? Surely not Laena.
“Then what would you do if you were not the Princess of Dragonstone any longer?” Laena asks curiously.
Rhaenyra huffs a short laugh. “I haven’t a clue. It is not something I ever concern myself with, Laena.”
She doesn’t think of the future? Strange. It must be freeing in a sense to not be worried about what comes next.
“How are you picking your dresses?” Rhaenyra asks.
“I do not,” Laena replies simply. “I wear what is brought to me.”
“I see. Is this a style you prefer?”
“No,” Laena says. “But it suits me, I think. Do you?”
“Yes,” Rhaenyra nods. “It is quite flattering, but it also seems to be a bit… free.”
Not to the point of scandal, but enough for someone to take a second peek. Most of them were not like that, though. She supposes that when she is guaranteed to meet Rhaenyra, they want her to be more visually interesting.
“I am not at court,” Laena says, with a smile. “But I understand your worries. It is fine.”
Rhaenyra frowns slightly. “You said this dress was brought to you? Was the one last night as well?”
“It was.”
Rhaenyra falls silent. Laena thinks she is pensive. Trying to figure out why.
“Rhaenyra?”
“Yes?”
“When was the last time nobility visited you in this castle?”
The Princess shrugs. “Daemon, a few years ago. He wanted to steal an egg for his mistress and their child, I believe.”
And from what Laena recalls, that attempt had been incredibly unsuccessful. Laena wonders where that child is now. Rhaenyra implied that it lived, but Daemon had made no mention of them.
“No one since?”
Rhaenyra shakes her head. “I am not someone that people are particularly interested in. When I was sent here, I was forgotten.”
Laena stops. “I never forgot you.”
“Laena—“
“I never forgot you.” She says again, meeting her eyes. “But I should have reached out. I’m sorry I never did.”
Laena had tried. Damn, had she tried. But she did not know what to say. They had barely exchanged words at Aemma’s funeral, and there was very little history between them. It felt awkward to try to reach out to her absent cousin. Laena truly didn’t have the words, and time only made the distance between them wider.
“I did not reach out to anyone either after…” Rhaenyra inhales sharply, tugging Laena along. “It was understandable after what happened.”
“What was understandable?”
“The reason Father sent me away,” Rhaenyra says.
“Because you started to turn into a dragon?” And cursed him. He might have been cross about that.
Rhaenyra shakes her head. “I was always like this. I just do not care to hide it any longer. No, Father sent me away after I bit that girl. There were other things, but I believe that was his final straw.”
Laena blinks, slow and hard. “…What?”
“I had a craving for blood. I did not understand back then. I do now,” Rhaenyra says. “I bit her. I was unsatisfied. She was unhappy. She is… probably still unhappy, I’d wager.”
There was quite a bit said in the last few minutes, wasn’t there?
“What do you understand now?”
“That not just any blood would satisfy said cravings, and that cravings can easily be ignored,” Rhaenyra says, with an indifferent shrug.
Oh. Dragons are fiercely carnivorous creatures. Craving blood makes sense. But does she also enjoy hunting her prey? Does she like toying with them? Making them think they can escape, then eating them once they feel the joy of freedom?
Laena shakes her head. No. That is too much dragon.
“I wish to learn more about you,” she admits. “I hope you do not find that strange.”
“I do find it strange.” Rhaenyra smiles. “But not in a bad way. You are good company.”
Good company. Laena’s heart flutters.
~~~
Rhaenyra showed her a great many things in and around the castle, but what caught Laena’s attention the most dwelt in the deepest depths of those halls. A pool of water heated by the dormant volcano. It can be drained manually, but it is always refilled within a few hours.
Laena had touched its surface with her hand and almost melted in joy. True heat. A bath that would not slowly cool her to disappointment. Its boiling waters were a promise that she ached to receive.
There were slight delays. One of the maidservants wanted to fix up her hair. Another wanted her to wear a different dress. The last desired to escort her the long way, so that she might better familiarize herself with the castle.
It is not empty when she arrives, not that she notices that at first. She’s already unlacing the gown that she wears with eager hands. Laena stops short once she sees Rhaenyra, already soaking in the pool.
“I didn’t realize that…”
“I usually bathe here at this time of night,” Rhaenyra says. “If I am not bathing in my rooms, that is.”
“…I can come later,” Laena says, holding up her dress.
Rhaenyra shakes her head, gesturing to the spot at her side. “Join me.”
Join her? Rhaenyra… the goddess of temptation. She will keep her eyes and hands to herself out of respect.
Laena nods, hesitating only a moment longer before she allows her gown to fall. She does not look at Rhaenyra again. She takes careful steps into the heated water and sighs once she’s sitting on the stone bench. The water comes up to her shoulders. She sinks in even further.
A minute passes. Two. Three.
Laena takes the time to study her surroundings. Dragonstone is a marvel of Valyrian architecture. Expertly carved and incredibly detailed. She wonders how the builders designed it. How their vision came to be. She wonders about magic.
She wonders how Rhaenyra’s magic works. Wonders how she made her father infertile. Wonders if she can do the same to Laena.
“Laena?”
Laena looks up to see Rhaenyra watching her curiously. “Yes?”
“Is it fate that brought you here at this hour?”
Laena laughs, shaking her head. “No. I think your servants wished for us to spend more time together.”
Rhaenyra’s brow furrows cutely. “I don’t understand.”
“Have you ever had someone join you in your chambers?”
“To sleep?”
Laena quirks her brow, and Rhaenyra looks away sharply, shaking her head.
“They think that I am here to entertain you in that way,” Laena informs her.
“…oh.” Rhaenyra looks down. “I’m… sorry.”
Sorry?
Laena sits up hurriedly. “I do not mind. I just think… they want you to be happy. You give them care… perhaps this is their way of trying to return it.”
Rhaenyra is beloved. Laena has seen that much. Is certain of that much. Her first day on Dragonstone, she had asked everyone she could about the Princess, from dock to castle door. They all shared kind words.
“But for them to think that you would be with a…” The princess trails off, frowning.
“Woman?” Laena asks, nails digging into her thigh.
“Dragon,” Rhaenyra blinks. “Half-dragon. Though I suppose you wouldn’t want to be known as someone who likes women either.”
Laena nods, smiling softly. “Of course.”
Rhaenyra stares at her for a second. “You’re not happy. Did I say something—“
“No,” Laena shakes her head. “Of course, not. I just… I think we should enjoy these waters together more often.”
~~~
They do indeed enjoy those waters together more often. But Laena also sees Rhaenyra in the daytime. Accident or not, they keep meeting. They keep talking. They keep spending time together.
Eventually, Laena realizes with abject horror that she’s falling in love. Too hard. Too fast. Too easily. Especially to a woman who has no interest in other women. It is a misfortune of the highest level.
There is a knock on her door early one morning. Two weeks have passed now. Nearly three.
“You received another letter,” Rhaenyra says, handing it to her politely. Laena smiles and glances it over. It’s not from Father. It’s from—
She crumbles it in hand, balling it into a wrinkled heap. Her Fiancé. She wanted to hear nothing from him.
“Thank you,” she says, standing. “I think I will go for a flight.”
She needs to clear her head. Push these worries she has far away.
“Might I accompany you?” Rhaenyra asks. “To fly?”
“Of course!” Laena lunges forward, grabbing her hands. “It will be great fun.”
Laena dresses quickly. Incredibly so. It’s just… she’s so excited to fly with Rhaenyra.
“When was the last time you flew?” Laena asks as they make their way outside hand-in-hand. Rhaenyra’s claws graze the back of her hand gently.
“I couldn’t tell you. When I was a child, I’d say. Before mother’s funeral.”
Before.
The Princess of Dragonstone lives on an island of dragons, and she cannot ride one.
“Have you considered claiming one— you could, couldn’t you?” Laena asks curiously.
“I cannot. A rider can only bond with one dragon in their life. One. I have bonded.”
Laena stops, clutching Rhaenyra’s hand.
“Which one?” And why had she never flown upon it?
“Me,” Rhaenyra says, meeting her eyes. “I am… both. The dragon. The rider. Can’t you see it?”
The dragon. The rider. The princess. The…
“You have bonded with yourself.”
“I have,” Rhaenyra confirms. “I do not recall it, of course. It happened when I was but a babe.”
Clarity eludes Laena. Fiercely.
“What does—“
“Laena,” Rhaenyra says her name firm but not unkind.
“I see.” No more questions.
Vhagar lands to meet them, elegant and graceful. Laena smiles wide.
“Let me introduce you.” She says, looking at Rhaenyra. “This is Vhagar. She is the best dragon in the entire world.”
“… is she?” Rhaenyra hums. “The best, I mean?”
“Of course!” Laena affirms. “The absolute best. The biggest. The strongest. The prettiest.”
Vhagar growls slightly. It reverberates through the ground. “She’s agreeing with me,” Laena tells Rhaenyra as she runs her hand across the dragon’s scales. “Come greet her so we can mount.”
Rhaenyra approaches fearlessly, placing her hand right beside Laena’s.
“Hello Vhagar,” Rhaenyra says softly. “Are you as impressive in flight as your master claims?”
Vhagar rumbles again, just a little louder.
“We’ll see,” Rhaenyra mutters.
“She likes you,” Laena says, grinning cheerfully. It is only natural that Vhagar likes Rhaenyra as much as Laena does, isn’t it?
“Really? I’m surprised.”
Why would she be surprised? Rhaenyra is so incredibly likable.
~~~
“I enjoy flying with you, Laena,” Rhaenyra says with a sigh as she sinks into the heated bath.
“I enjoy flying with you, too.” She replies easily. “We… we should do even more things together.”
“We should.”
It had been two weeks since Rhaenyra first accompanied her on a flight. Their meetings had become even more frequent. Meals, walks, talks…
It’s no longer a coincidence that Laena shows up to bathe around the same time as Rhaenyra. But despite the lack of spontaneity, it’s still enjoyable.
Laena peeks over at her studiously. She looks so relaxed. Calm. She…
When Laena first arrived, she thought she was cold. She’s glad that she was incredibly wrong on that front.
“What?” Rhaenyra asks, squinting at her.
“Nothing….” Laena says, looking down. Away. “I just think you’re pretty.”
“Pretty?”
Laena nods. “Very much so.”
Rhaenyra huffs. “You keep saying stuff like that…”
“It’s true.” Laena frowns. “What blind fool called you ugly, Rhaenyra? Should I have words with them?”
“If I weren’t a princess, they’d call me a freak aloud, you know. I’d be someone’s entertainment had I been born to another family.”
Laena frowns. She hates that it might be true. “Well… I know beauty, Rhaenyra. It is you. You are it.”
Rhaenyra sighs, relaxing a bit more. “You do not mind the horns? The claws? The scales? The teeth?”
“Not at all. I find you…” Laena trails off, coming to her senses. She cannot compliment Rhaenyra like that. Not… it would be too obvious, wouldn’t it? “Striking. An unnatural sort of beauty. An unforgettable one.”
Rhaenyra smiles, her face reddened. Whether that is by the heated water or the compliments is anyone’s guess.
“Please. You’re softening me up for more questions.”
Laena purses her lips. “Sometimes you answer them.” But it’s all still so tangled. Vague. Unhelpful.
“Sometimes,” Rhaenyra replies, her head tilting to the side. “What did you want to ask?”
“May I touch your horns?” Laena asks— well, blurts.
“My horns? Why?”
“I just really… they look like something o want to touch before I die.”
Rhaenyra stares at her as though she’s grown a second head. “Sure. If you want.”
She does want. She really does want.
Laena wades over, careful not to slip, and stands in front of Rhaenyra excitedly.
Rhaenyra looks up at her, blinking rapidly. Laena presses her hand along her horn, slow and gentle as she follows the curve.
“Smooth… but there are ridges,” Laena mutters. Every few centimeters. “Can you feel that?”
“Only at the base. The rest I don’t feel at all.”
Wow.
Laena keeps her touch gentle, but she can’t help her curiosity.
“Is it uncomfortable to sleep?” She asks, touching her finger to the tip of the horn.
“No,“ Rhaenyra replies. “That is like asking if it is uncomfortable to sleep with your ears attached. They are a part of me. They do not bring me discomfort.”
“I…” Laena looks down to meet her unwavering eyes. Her hand drifts down to the flecks of scales that dot the edges of Rhaenyra’s face. Laena glances down at her lips. They are close. Too close.
And she is gorgeous from any distance. It makes her heart race.
“Laena?”
“Sorry!” Laena says, letting go of her face and taking a step back. “I didn’t mean to—“
Laena cuts herself off as her foot slips. Fortunately, she catches herself. Unfortunately, she catches herself on Rhaenyra’s horn. Rhaenyra groans, her expression contorting in what can only be pain.
Seven. Hells.
“I’m so sorry,” Laena says, letting go quickly. Who does that?! Who—
She falls into the water. Sinks beneath the surface. Its boiling temperature is a perfect stew for her humiliation. Can she hold her breath long enough for Rhaenyra to forget that she is here and leave?
What was Laena’s best time? Seven minutes. Seven and a half?
Laena makes it all of ten seconds before she’s pulled to the surface by the princess. She gasps, clinging to the edge of the bath.
“Laena,” Rhaenyra says worriedly. “Are you alright?”
“…swell.” Laena avoids her gaze. She’ll never be able to look her in the eyes again, huh? A shame, that is. Her eyes are so nice to gaze at. “I think I’m going to go to bed. I’m so sorry about… that.”
“I’m fine,” Rhaenyra says, at her side. “It didn’t hurt.”
“It sounded like it did,” Laena says worriedly.
Rhaenyra grabs her cheek, turning Laena’s face to meet her own. Laena’s eyes go right over her shoulder.
“That wasn’t pain.” The princess says firmly. “That was something else.”
Something… else?
Rhaenyra licks her bottom lip, and Laena stares. Like… something else like?
“It didn’t hurt?” Laena asks.
Rhaenyra shakes her head. “It was… I cannot explain. Perhaps I can demonstrate?”
“That might help. But I don’t have horns.“ Laena replies hesitantly. “Obviously… I just mean… I would feel a bit better if you made us even.”
It might assuage her embarrassment.
“Can you look at me?” Rhaenyra asks carefully.
Laena meets her eyes for all of a second before it passes in her head again. Touching Rhaenyra’s face. Staring into her eyes. Falling off balance. Grabbing—
She groans, rubbing her face and shaking it off. “Okay.” Laena breathes. She meets Rhaenyra’s eyes.
Rhaenyra smiles.
Laena stops breathing.
Rhaenyra trails her hand down Laena’s neck. Her touch… tingles. She loves it. It is pleasant. Her hand cups her breast, squishing it, and then, almost tentatively, Rhaenyra pinches her nipple between her knuckles. Laena gasps, sharp and short.
It hurts. It’s nice.
Oh.
Oh.
Oh.
“Pain that is pleasant,” Laena mutters. “Is that what you meant?”
“It is,” Rhaenyra says, releasing her breast and cupping her waist. “Did I go too far?”
Her simple touches are a dream come true. Does she even realize how much—
“Not at all,” Laena to his glances her bottom lip as she grins. “Would you like me to give you pleasure that is pleasure? Less pain.”
“What would that entail?”
Rhaenyra had said she never took anyone into her chambers but…
“Have you ever touched yourself?” Laena asks, slipping her fingers through Rhaenyra’s wet hair.
Rhaenyra places a hand to her own breast— “You mean like—?”
“No.” Laena cuts her off, shaking her head. She takes her own hand and slides it gently between Rhaenyra’s thighs. Not high enough to touch, but high enough to send a message.
“Oh… a few times, but it isn’t really satisfying. Women cannot release like men can.” Rhaenyra explains, shrugging. “It feels pleasurable, but it does...”
Dragon shit! Laena has brought herself satisfaction time and time again. She has brought other women—
“Let me try. Please.” To give Rhaenyra her first orgasm? It would be an honor. She’d make it unforgettable.
“Here? Now?”
Laena nods. “Out of the bath first. Sit on the edge. Spread your thighs.”
“Are you sure you want to…” she trails off shyly.
Laena nods. “It will be worth it.”
Rhaenyra lets her go and follows her instructions perfectly. Her legs dangle into the water, her knees on either side of Laena’s head, her opening entirely visible to her eyes.
“Is it alright?” Rhaenyra asks, sounding worried.
“It’s perfect,” Laena replies, grazing her finger along her slit. Surrounded by golden curls are her puffy, parted lips. She’s already a little wet from excitement.
Rhaenyra tenses at her touch and inhales sharply. “Lie back. Close your eyes. Think happy thoughts.” Laena mutters encouragingly, kissing her inner thigh.
Leana kneels on the stone bench, bringing her head level to her slit. “It is your pleasure that I am chasing, so you must instruct me. To go faster. To go slower. Higher, lower. Harder, softer.” Laena grins. “I’ll figure it out. When it happens, you will feel it coming. Don’t fight it. Relax.”
“Okay,” Rhaenyra says, barely audible. Her hands grip the edge of the stone bath tight.
Laena starts gentle, just her tongue. Holding Rhaenyra’s waist in hand, she presses her lips to her folds, sliding her tongue gently into her cunt.
Rhaenyra gasps and jerks. She holds tight, rocking with the movement. Laena can hold her breath. She’ll do this for as long as is needed.
“Nice. That feels—“
Her tongue curls, Rhaenyra curses, draping her leg over Laena’s shoulder. She keeps stroking that same spot over and over, letting Rhaenyra’s womanly wetness coat her tongue. A minute passes.
“Laena—“
She keeps the same pace. The same pressure. The same—
“Faster.” Rhaenyra says breathlessly. “Faster— fuck.”
Laena goes faster. She feels the princess start to shake. Feels a hand land on top of her own. Takes it. Locks their fingers together in support.
“Laena!” The way the princess shouts her name sends pleasured chills down her spine.
Rhaenyra jerks so hard Laena hears the water splash.
And then she clamps down on Laena’s tongue, screaming. Contracts over and over again as the shaking subsides.
“Seven hells.” Rhaenyra mutters, going limp. She sounds breathless from the relief of pleasure. “You are a goddess.”
Laena gives her a sultry look, withdrawing her tongue and replacing it with her fingers. Then curls them against the same spot carefully.
“What are you doing?” Rhaenyra asks, breaths still heavy. “Was that not… it felt like…”
“You did. That was the release.” Laena smiles, licking her wet lips. “The thing is, you can do it again. And again. And again.”
“I felt like I just fell off a cliff,” Rhaenyra mutters, sitting up and slicking her hair back. “You can make me do it more than once?”
“I can,” Laena nods. “Do you want me to?”
“… yes. I would love that very much.”
Laena kisses her belly and strokes her velvety-soft slick walls firmly. Rhaenyra whimpers and Laena sighs happily.
Rhaenyra’s hand clutches her shoulder for support. She rocks on Laena’s fingers— rides her fingers. Her back arches as she looks to the ceiling and quivers. Silver hair trailing down her shoulder, lashes blinking rapidly, the pink flush of her skin. Gorgeous. And Laena is the first to see her come apart like this.
Laena kisses her clit and sucks it between her lips quickly. She finds a tempo between fingers and mouth and keeps it perfectly.
“Sweet—!” Rhaenyra cries out shuddering. Laena feels her come again, fluttering around her fingers as if to give them gentle kisses. Laena grins, pleasuring her through the orgasm.
“Laena, Wait— I think—“ water. It jets out of Rhaenyra splashing Laena in the chest. Curious. It’s clear like water, but it doesn’t taste like water. It drips down her breasts into the bath and Rhaenyra stares.
“What was that?” Rhaenyra asks breathlessly.
“I’m unsure,” Laena admits. “I’ve never… perhaps that is a dragon thing. How did it feel?”
“Everything about that was… I enjoyed all of it immensely.” Rhaenyra says. “But that is not something I would want to do in a bed. The last bit, I mean.”
Laena nods. The sheets would be drenched if… “Would you like to do the rest of it in a bed?”
She withdraws her fingers from Rhaenyra’s cunt, putting them into her mouth. Licking them clean.
Rhaenyra watches her with a heated gaze, then touches a hand to her face.
“Of course. In fact, I think we went out of order,” Rhaenyra mutters, leaning down to close the distance between them. “Shouldn’t we have kissed before intercourse?”
Kissed? Like lovers? Like…
“I did not realize that was something that you would…” Laena trails off, swallowing. “I mean, I am a woman.”
“I noticed. A beautiful one. A smart one. An enticing one.” Rhaenyra kisses her tentatively. Laena kisses her back. There’s a gentle meeting of tongues before they break apart. She feels hot. Exceptionally so.
“You taste good,” Rhaenyra mumbles.
“I taste like you,” Laena mutters against her lips, before pecking her thrice more.
“I would also like to give you that feeling. That release,” Rhaenyra says sweetly. “With my own hand.”
Her hand…?
“Absolutely not,” Laena replies firmly, smile freezing on her face.
Rhaenyra frowns. “Why not?”
Laena grabs her hand, pressing their palms together. “I fear my insides would not enjoy the sharpness and length of your claws. I am also unsure if a maester could sew me back up afterwards.”
“Oh.” Rhaenyra nods, glancing at her clawed hands. “I see… yes that…”
“There are other ways, of course. I could straddle your thigh, your face, your cunt.” Laena licks her lips, feeling excited at the thought. “Rock against you until I come.”
Rhaenyra smiles, leaning closer. “I see. There are many paths to the same destination.”
Laena nods.
“… the thought of touching inside of you is one I will not be able to let go of.”
Laena ponders it for a second. “Your tongue inside of me. The palm of your hand pressed against my…”
Laena trails off as Rhaenyra’s hands transform. Her claws disappear and turn into short blunt nails attached to ten slim pale fingers.
“What?” It stuns her.
“I told you that I didn’t care to hide any longer. That doesn’t mean I can’t.” Rhaenyra smiles, kissing her cheek. “I’ll hide them to pleasure you. Teach me.”
Laena kisses her hands reverently.
“Tonight I want to pleasure you. We can talk about me tomorrow, but I think it a travesty that you have only experienced two orgasms.” Laena grins. “I want that number much higher before I rest.”
~~~
The next week is bliss. They can’t keep their hands off of each other. Gentle companionship during the day. Sensual sex at night.
And Rhaenyra is diligent. Eager. Wonderful. So much… she really likes her. She more than likes her. She might even…
Laena snuggles herself tighter in Rhaenyra’s arms. She is naked. They both are. It feels nice to sleep attached to her in such a manner.
Her finger dances along Rhaenyra’s spine, and the woman stirs.
“Laena?” Rhaenyra mutters.
“Rhaenyra,” Laena kisses her under her ear.
“… How long?”
Since she fell asleep in Laena’s bed? Laena taps her chin… “Half an hour. A little more, maybe.”
Rhaneyra groans, rolling on top of her, kneeling between her thighs. “You are very… skilled. How long have you been pleasuring yourself to be so adept at pleasuring me?”
Laena laughs, skimming her finger down to the tip of the Princess’s pointed ear.
“Years. But it is not… it came with practice, you know.” Laena tells her.
Rhaenyra looks at her, her expression… what was that—
“When you mean practice, how exactly could you have done that?” Rhaenyra asks, sitting back on her heels, and Laena sits up.
“I… with other women,” Laena admits. “You learn by doing.”
“Women? Plural?” Rhaenyra questions. “How many have you been with?”
Laena hesitates. “Just three.”
“Just three?” Rhaenyra repeats with a scowl. “Three, including me.”
Laena slowly shakes her head. “… four, including you.”
“I see.” Rhaenyra presses her lips together. “I just thought that this was special. That I was… is this a conquest to you? Bedding a dragon? The scorned Targaryen Princess?”
“No!” Laena says firmly, grabbing her hand. “That is not at all what this is to me, Rhaenyra. I did not even consider that you would take to women as I do. This was an accident. A happy one, not a… not a notch in my belt. You mean more to me than that.”
Rhaenyra looks at their joined hands, still frowning. “I mean more to you than them?”
“Yes. You do.” Laena confirms with a slight smile.
“Can you tell me about them then?”
Laena hesitates. She doesn’t want to. “I umm.”
Rhaenyra starts to pull back, and Laena panics. “The first was a girl back home when I was younger. Before I first got engaged, I mean. She was the baker’s daughter. We…” Laena trails off, sighing. “We kissed a lot. Nothing more than that, but it was… is important enough to mention.”
“What happened?”
“I grew quite sour when I found out I wasn’t the only one she was kissing.” Laena had never paid her another glance after catching her locking lips with a young squire.
Rhaenyra squints at her but remains quiet. She clearly wants Laena to keep speaking. For her to admit the rest of her transgressions.
“Braavos was the first time I was intimate with a woman. I went there to meet my fiancé and…” He exhausted her beyond reason. “… he was showing me around the city, but he got upset. Left me to wander. I found myself lost and in a…”
“A?”
“Brothel,” Laena whispers, hanging her head in embarrassment. “A woman there took an interest in me and my woes. We started chatting, and she invited me to a private room and… things escalated from there.”
“You had sex with a prostitute,” Rhaenyra says, gaze flat.
It was an educational experience, to say the least. Laena learned how to better pleasure herself and others— women more precisely. Information was passed to her by an expert.
“She offered me a job,” Laena says with a half-smile. “Said that I was an unpolished gem but… she wanted to use this tool on me.“ Laena had declined both offers firmly, but the woman had not taken it to heart. Wished her well. Promised Laena more fun if she ever returned.
“Tool?”
“Ahhh.” Laena feels her face warm. “It was a… something a woman straps to themselves to mimic what a man has. I think it was carved of bone or…” Laena gestures with her hand the length and width, and Rhaenyra gasps.
“She wanted to take you as a man does a woman? You allowed her—“
“No! No—“ Laena shakes her head. “I said I couldn’t. That I had to return home.”
Thankfully, Rhaenyra seems to believe her, though she sighs heavily.
“Three,” Rhaenyra says tensely.
Laena clears her throat. “Driftmark again. A Young Lady from a house trying to gain Father’s favor. The niece of a Lord. She stayed in Driftmark with her father for a few years.”
“You bedded her.”
“Yes,” Lana admits, playing with her fingers. “Eventually, I realized that she didn’t really like me. She just…” Liked how Laena treated her. Enjoyed the gifts and the attention and the sex. “She said she was not interested in women in truth— that I was the exception.”
The look Rhaenyra gives her is almost apologetic. “That doesn’t sound… right.”
“It is what she said,” Laena shrugs. “She insisted that what we had was just good fun, but grew quite jealous when I talked to others. Accused me of cheating on her when—“
“You weren’t together.”
Again, Laena shrugs. She had been exhausting, actually. Growing angry out of nowhere, then offering tearful apologies. And then… threatening to expose her whenever Laena said that they should part.
“She married two years ago. Left Driftmark for her Lord husband’s manse without a word. There has been no one else until you.”
Rhaenyra watches her as she thinks. Silent. Focused.
“I did not mean to lead you to believe that I never had someone before you, Rhaenyra. I thought it was…” Obvious. “I thought you could tell by the way I instructed you.”
Rhaenyra purses her lips. “Is there anything that you have done with them that you haven’t done with me?”
Kissing. Oral. Fingering. Grinding. All of theses things she has done with Rhaenyra, but…
“A few positions,” Laena admits after a lengthy pause. “But I saw no reason to rush anything, Rhaneyra. You have been enjoying it, haven’t you?”
Rhaenyra turns, setting her feet on the floor. “I see. I need to think.”
To think about what?
Rhaenyra stands, dressing quickly and methodically. Laena can only stare slack-jawed.
“Rhaenyra? Are you leaving?”
“I am,” Rhaenyra says, buttoning her pants
“Are you going to come back?” Laena asks.
“… I might,” Rhaenyra replies, glancing at her. “You should rest.”
Then she just… leaves without another word. Shuts the door behind her. Laena stares for a second before flopping back. She sinks under the sheets, turns her face into the pillow Rhaenyra that had abandoned and sighs.
~~~
Melancholy hits hard.
Rhaenyra’s absence somehow hits even harder. She goes about her days a lot more lonely than before.
Her moonsblood starting only makes her feel worse.
“Lady Velaryon.”
“Edra,” Laena mutters with a sigh. “There is no reason to dress me up today. Rhaenyra will not see me.”
Edra nods. “All relationships have their ups and downs. It is best to find a way forward rather than…”
“Give up?” Laena asks, crossing her arms.
“Yes,” Edra says. “The Princess has been quite happy with your company these past few weeks.”
Laena nods. That is right. She started this relationship too quickly. Rushed into things. Maybe that’s why Rhaneyra didn’t see how important it was to her. When courting, one would exchange gifts and favors.
Laena should get her flowers. Yes. “I’m going,” Laena says, standing quickly.
“Going?” Edra repeats, slowly. “Where? To see her?”
Not without a bouquet of flowers in her hand. And an explanation. And an apology and…
“My leathers. Retrieve them.”
Edra nods.
Laena finds her bag— the one she brought when she arrived. It has a few things in it. Coins, ribbons, cloth, ointment, a knife, and an empty waterskin.
“Fill this with water and get me some bread from the kitchens. I’ll need something for the trip.” Laena says, handing her the waterskin. There’s no way she’ll be able to find a good bundle of flowers on Dragonstone. Not unless she climbs the volcano.
By the time Laena has finished changing, Edra returns with her bread. She tucks that in her bag and nods.
“What if the Princess asks for you?”
Laena hesitates at the door. “Tell her I went for a ride.” She nods.
Laena leaves with a bounce to her step. An apology with flowers. That is the obvious solution. To pick flowers from Rhaenyra’s garden would be tantamount to cheating. Laena is better than that.
It’ll take an hour or two to get back from Duskendale, but she knows that where there is green grass, there are flowers.
Unless…
“Should I go to the Reach?” They have the best flowers in Westeros. But that would take perhaps two days if she barely rested.
“What do you think, Vhagar?” Laena asks, with a soft sigh.
The dragon grumbles. It’s a little helpful.
“Mother might come for me if I go that far. I do not wish to be scolded for leaving. Nor brought back to suffer the consequences of it,” Laena mutters. “As long as I am on Dragonstone, I just seem a bit rebellious, instead of outright uncontrollable.”
Mother had sent her a letter out of concern. Laena had promised she just wanted to stay away for a while, nothing more.
“I’ll go to Duskendale,” Laena says, mounting Vhagar. “I will pick some flowers while you hunt down a sheep. Then we can rest for a while before returning.”
~~~
Laena returns long after dusk with two bundles of flowers tied carefully by ribbons. They are hidden in her bag and wrapped in cloth. She hopes they’ll still be suitable for viewing by the time she gets them to Rhaenyra. It took longer than expected, because Vhagar wanted to feast on a few wild sheep before she left.
Laena had contented herself with cold, yet very soft bread as she witnessed the carnage from a safe distance. Safe, as in, she didn’t want to get blood splattered all over her.
The town is dark this late. Laena makes her way through swiftly.
“Laena!” That voice. She didn’t expect to hear that—
“What are you doing here?” She asks as he grabs her wrist tight, yanking her into the alley between two buildings.
“What do you think?!” He demands furiously. He’s enraged. Drunk too. “My fiancé disappears after she agreed to finally hold up her family’s end of the bargain. What the hell is wrong with you, making me hunt you down like this?”
Laena pulls away— tries to pull away, but he’s got her in an impossible grip.
“Let go!” She shouts.
He holds her even tighter, grabbing her upper arm and tugging her towards the docks. “We’re leaving. Now.”
“Let go!” She says again. “I’m not going anywhere with you, you bastard.”
His nails dig into her skin as she fights back. She wished—
The knife is in her bag! She should have kept it in her hand.
“You think I want to marry someone as abnormal as you? I deserve better, but unfortunately, I have to settle for a—“
“If the choice was between you and the stranger, I’d go to him in a hurry,” Laena says furiously.
“…You bitch!” He says, shaking her roughly. “For how long have I been kept at arm's length like some unwanted curr? You were promised to me years ago, and now your father wants to break that promise as if he didn’t already reap his gains?! Calm yourself, we’re going to a sept. I don’t need his permission. I just need you. We need to consummate it. Try and be rid of me then.”
“Do you really think that I’ll just—“
Laena doesn’t see it coming, but she feels it when it happens. Her cheek stings, and pain radiates across her face. Laena stumbles backwards into the wall and gasps in shock, clutching her cheek.
That’s… that had never happened. She had never been struck by anyone in her life. Not once.
“We’re going to a sept. I have a room at the inn. This will be done by the morning.” He glowers at her, and she shakes.
“No.” She says, as firmly as she can. “You dare? I’ll have Vhager feast upon you if you touch me.”
The second time, she does see it coming. With the way he’s holding her, she can’t dodge. His hand raises high, and he brings it down to strike her again. She flinches. A second passes, then another, but it doesn’t happen. What’s—
She hears him scream in pain and opens her eyes. “Rhaenyra?”
All she can see is her back, but she knows—
“Hold him down. Someone get me an axe.”
Laena looks around to see the soldiers sweeping into the alley.
“Laena.” Rhaenyra looks at her, tilting her chin up. “Are you alright?”
Laena nods with surety. Seeing Rhaenyra now, she is certain that she is just fine.
“Your wrists are going to bruise,” she mumbles worriedly. “He scratched you.”
“You’re here. I’m alright.” Laena says, fighting back tears. She had been so afraid when he mentioned the sept. The bedding.
“Laena! Do something! Now.” Her fiancé calls out to her furiously. She doesn’t look at him. She focuses on Rhaenyra, heart pounding in her chest.
Rhaenyra’s brow furrows. “You know this man?”
“That is my fiancé,” Laena admits with embarrassment.
“I see. The one that abandoned you in the streets of Braavos.” Rhaenyra scowls, focused on her cheek. “Has he struck you before?”
Laena shakes her head. “That was new.”
“Princess.” The knight holds out a gleaming axe. Rhaenyra takes it, swinging it lazily.
“Which hand did you strike her with?” She asks the man being held to the ground by three knights.
“What? What the hell are you—“
“Your punishment for this vulgar display. Which hand shall I take?”
The tension hits an apex. Like nothing Laena could describe. “Take my hand? What right do you have to interfere with me disciplining my wife? If anything, she should be charged! She should be—”
“I’ll take both,” Rhaenyra says, pressing the sharp edge of the axe under his chin. “Or perhaps I should just take your head.”
He sweats, looking at Leana. Laena stands as still as a stone.
“This is your fault, Laena. Tell her that we are to wed! Or is it—“ He laughs hysterically. “Of course! Of course! You would do something so despicable. Indecent. Whore. Selling yourself to a beast for what?”
“She is the Crown Princess, you utter fool!” Laena shouts at him. “How dare you say such a thing?!”
“Hold his arms out,” Rhaenyra says. “It seems I will be taking both.”
“No! Don’t you— Laena! You vile bitch. You wh—“ He loses his first hand with the swing of Rhaenyra’s axe. Blood flows, soaking into the ground. He screams, his intense cries echoing loudly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” He gasps. “Help me! You know I didn’t mean it. Laena—“
“You dare beg for her help after showing such disrespect?!” Rhaenyra breathes heavily before turning to Laena, ignoring the man’s sobs. “Laena. I am the Princess of Dragonstone. The Crown Princess of this kingdom. But I will listen if you have an objection. A reason for me to show mercy.”
“I—“ Laena cuts herself off, shaking her head. “I do not have one. He… he would do it again. He would be even angrier. I am afraid…”
Rhaenyra nods, turns, and swings. His second hand goes just as quickly. Blood drips from the axe, and Rhaenyra hands it off. “Clean that and send him to the dungeon. Have him tended by the maester.”
Rhaenyra grabs her hand and pulls her to the castle without another word. Laena doesn’t look back. Not once.
“He will not harm you again,” Rhaenyra promises. “Whether he lives or not.”
~~~
Her flowers are ruined. Laena groans as she sets them on her bed. Half of them are crushed. They certainly don’t look as pretty as they did when Laena picked and bound them.
Laena sulks as she soaks. Her shoes had gotten soaked with blood, her gift ruined, and her mood plummeted. Worst of all, Rhaenyra left her as soon as she brought her to her room. Now Laena is just… mopey and disappointed.
He ruined her day and her surprise.
“I’m glad you returned, Lady Velaryon,” Edra says, with a smile.
“Why?”
“The Princess was very unhappy when she heard of your departure.”
Oh. “Did you tell her that I was going for a flight?”
“I did. She sought more… clarity. Your flights usually don’t last that long.”
Laena sighs.
“I brought her some…” Laena gestures to the wilted flowers on her bed. “It was a waste of time, I think. They are not…”
“Bellflowers and roses,” Edra says, looking at them. “They are lovely. I am sure she would appreciate them.”
Would she?
Laena gets out of the bath, and Edra dries her off before helping her into a nightgown.
From this angle… no. They are not worthy.
“I’ll figure something else out,” Laena says, sighing. “Can you dispose of them for me?”
The door opens before she can reply, and Laena shuffles the sheets, hiding the flowers underneath. They’re so disappointing. They cannot be seen.
“Edra, can you depart?“ Rhaenyra asks. The maid nods and leaves, offering Laena an encouraging smile as the door shuts behind her.
It’s quiet. They stand and watch each other hesitantly.
“Thank you,” Laena says softly. “For helping me with my Fiancé.”
“He is a scoundrel,” Rhaenyra says. “But I am… I am glad my helping did not frighten you.”
It was… intense, sure. But not…
“I was not afraid of you. I just… so long as he lives, I think I might be safe from a different engagement. A worse…”
Laena trails off, walking up to Rhaenyra.
“I know it is a bit shameless to ask you for another boon, especially with how things are between us right now.” Laena swallows, and Rhaenyra tilts her head curiously.
“A boon? What do you need?”
“I’m still hoping that you would curse me to barren, I mean. I would… really appreciate it.”
Rhaenyra’s eyes flicker elsewhere.
“Please?” Laena asks, clutching her hand before letting her go just as quickly. “Sorry. You are still upset with me for…”
Rhaenyra sighs, meeting her eyes. She looks guilty. “I will do it. Wish infertility upon you if that’s what you really want.”
“I do!” Laena says firmly. “I— yes.”
Rhaenyra presses a hand to her stomach and hums.
“You will bear no man’s child,” Rhaenyra promises, voice clear and steady.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Laena blinks softly in confusion. “I don’t… feel any different.”
There was no tingling or rush of magic or pain in her belly. Nothing to signify the loss of her fertility.
“But it is true. You won’t.” Rhaenyra replies with a cheshire grin.
“Okay,” She smiles gratefully. “Thank you. Can I hug you?”
“Yes. Always.” Rhaenyra says.
Laena dives into her arms happily.
“I’m sorry,” Laena mutters against her. “I really am. I did not mean to hurt you. I was just... I got swept into it. I did not consider things at all.”
“Sorry for leaving?”
“I— no.”
“No?” Rhaenyra pulls back, frowning. “You are not sorry about that?”
“I… I’m sorry that I did not tell you of my past escapades. My history. I should have mentioned it before we got involved in such an intimate manner.” Laena says, sitting down on her bed. “I did not mean to hide it. It just did not feel relevant.”
But she knew Rhaenyra was inexperienced in this facet of life. Laena should have been clearer.
Rhaenyra sits beside her, taking hold of her hand. “I overreacted, Laena. You are over a year my junior and far more experienced in romance than I. I was angry about your past lovers, but I also felt inadequate in comparison. Jealous. Then I did not know how to speak to you after I… and then you were gone.”
“You thought I wasn’t coming back?” Laena realizes softly.
Rhaenyra nods. “It has not been long since you came to live here. I grew attached. Then I felt as though I was being abandoned, and it was all my fault. Because I could not find the best way to speak to you. To apologize.”
“I don’t want you to compare yourself to them, Rhaenyra. I think that you are… amazing. I feel more in tune with you than I ever felt for any of them.” Laena admits. “And I would not leave without saying goodbye. I just wanted…”
“What?” Rhaenyra asks. “Space? Fresh air? Time?”
“I went to Duskendale and picked you some flowers. Made two bouquets because I was so indecisive.” Laena picks at her nightgown in embarrassment. “When my fiancé roughed me up, they… anyway, I was going to offer you an apology. Ask if you want to be—“
“Where are they?” Rhaenyra asks suddenly. Interestedly. “The flowers?”
Laena does an amazing job of not looking in their direction. “They weren’t suitable. I’ll get some better ones another time.”
Rhaenyra looks around quickly. “Is it the suspicious lump under your blanket?”
Laena crosses her arms silently.
“You can’t offer me a peek at the bouquet of flowers you brought me as a gift? You left without a word to me, Laena. I should at least see the fruits of your labor.”
“I think you deserve better flowers. I’ll get you better flowers.” Laena promises.
“I think I’ll like them because they’re from you,” Rhaenyra says, scooting closer. “Can I have them?”
The look in her eyes is pure adoration. How can Laena say no when Rhaneyra looks at her like she set the sun and stars in the sky?
Laena uncovers the flowers, placing both bouquets in Rhaenyra’s arms gently. They are bruised, a little wilted, and a lot less prettily arranged than when she first made them.
“I love them. Thank you.”
Laena smiles, leaning closer. “Would you want to be official. Like… my… in a relationship with me, I mean?”
“Yes.” Rhaenyra kisses her cheek. “A commitment between you and I. A promise.”
A promise.
“Rest. I’ll be back soon.” Rhaenyra says, pecking her lips. “Very soon.”
~~~
Laena feels it when Rhaenyra returns. The bed sinks a little, and her warm body scoots close.
Laena turns to face her. “You will sleep with me tonight.”
Rhaenyra nuzzles into her collar, nodding. “Yes.”
“Good,” Laena replies. “I am glad that… I am glad.”
She dozes a little, but suddenly Rhaenyra speaks.
“I am inexperienced, but I am not naive,” she mutters. “I am just… it is new. This is new to me.”
“I understand,” Laena replies, stroking her hair. “We learn as we do. That applies to everything. Even relationships.”
“How many mistakes are allowed in a relationship?” Rhaenyra asks.
Laena… doesn’t know. “I think it depends on the kind of mistake. Some things are unforgivable. Others are just a minor and easily talked through.”
“… I see.”
“Cheating. That is unforgivable. Striking— like my fiancé did to me, unforgivable. Attempted murder, unforgivable. Public humiliation, unforgivable. Being insulting and cruel as well,” Laena says, offering a few examples. “Is there something I could do to you that you would never forgive?”
“Those things, I guess,” Rhaenyra mutters. “But I cannot see you doing those things anyway.”
“Well, if I ever did, you have great reason for us to part ways.”
“I do not wish to part ways,” Rhaenyra says, assuredly. “I want… we should just stay together.”
“We should,” Laena agrees. “But sometimes, people change for the worse. If I ever make you feel bad, just… make the best choice for yourself.”
That is the best advice Laena could give to anyone.
“I am certain that I want you. No one but you.” Rhaenyra replies. “And I am also certain that you would not forsake me.”
“… I wouldn’t,” Laena smiles, tracing Rhaenyra’s ear with her finger. Point to lobe, then back again.
“I was born sick,” Rhaenyra says suddenly. “The maester thought I might not survive long.”
“I had no… Rhaenyra, I never knew this,” Laena says in shock. “But it’s clear you have recovered well. Right?
“Do you know what happened to my egg?” Rhaenyra asks.
“It turned to stone. It was disposed of.”
“No. That’s not… As my mother said, she stayed awake watching me for days. The egg pressed to my skin because she thought it might give me strength.” Rhaenyra says. “I grew so pale one night, she thought I wouldn’t wake. She refused to close her eyes because she thought that I’d be dead by the time she opened them again.”
Laena rubs her back softly. “… I cannot… that must have been frightening.”
“I can only imagine. I was there but… She did close her eyes, and when she opened them again, the egg had hatched, but there was no dragon to be found,” Rhaenyra admits. “And I was… healthy. Pink and fat and happy. Like I had never been sick at all.”
“So… what does that mean?” Laena asks. “You hatched the dragon. You are bound to a dragon. You are—“
“I am Rhaenyra, strengthened by the dragon that hatched from that egg. I do not know what it means. I just know that I am. I know that my father dislikes that part of me, and the court scorned it, and I feel that I am wrong for being content with who I am.”
The dragon and the rider.
“You are not wrong. Everyone else is. They are blind to your greatness. Truly. The house of the Dragons is afraid of a dragon. It is foolish. It is why they suffer.” Laena says confidently. “You should have been seen as a beacon instead of something to be cast away.”
It is a shame. They should be—
“Every year on the anniversary of the day of my arrival, the people of Dragonstone come to me,” Rhaenyra says, interrupting her thoughts. “The ones who feel like they really need to. They ask for things. They think… I am able to fix any and every issue that plagues them, but Laena, I am limited.”
“… I see,” Laena mutters. She cannot grant every wish. But they love her anyway for trying. There is a religion here— a superstition that centers on Rhaenyra, the Half-Dragon Princess. She understands why they are enamored. She is, too.
“You do?” Rhaenyra asks softly.
“Did it strain you? Granting my wish, I mean. If so, I could have waited like everyone else.” Laena says. “In fact, I’ll never ask anything else magic of you. I’m sorry.”
Rhaenyra is silent for a second before she kisses her brow. “I will grant whatever wishes of yours I can. But thank you. That would be…”
Laena nods. No magical requests. She can do that with ease.
“Did the dragon have a name?” Laena asks.
“… Syrax.”
“Syrax,” Laena repeats. “A goddess of old Valyria. You think you might be her?”
“Her?”
“The goddess. I thought you were one when I first saw you,” Laena admits.
Rhaenyra chuckles against her full bodily.
“… It isn’t that funny,” Laena says, shoving her away with a smile. “You looked very… celestial up there on that throne. Unconcerned by my mere mortal qualms.”
“That’s so… I was just trying to look serious,” Rhaenyra laughs. “You are so cute—“
“Do not do that,” Laena groans, hiding her face in the pillow. “Please. Cute is so infantile.”
“Should I say sexy?”
“You should! Definitely say that instead,” Laena says sternly. “And you have magic. It is not so strange for someone to think you a goddess. The people of your own island think you a goddess.” She had just said so herself!
Rhaenyra cups her cheek, hovering over her face. “Let me tell you something else.”
“What?”
“I almost sent you away before even meeting you, you know. I heard that Vhagar had come to the island. That a lady had stopped by the inn for the night. I knew it was you.”
Almost sent her away? Really?
“What changed your mind?”
“Something told me to just listen to what you had to say. So I did. I did not regret it for a moment.”
Laena smiles. “I’m glad you haven’t.”
Rhaenyra kisses her deeply, drawing fierce moans from her lips.
“Let me taste you,” Rhaenyra says, words brushing whisper soft against her skin.
Laena’s heart pounds as Rhaenyra kisses down her chest, pushing up her nightgown with ease. Lips meet her belly, and hands grip her waist. Laena wishes this could happen, but—
“You can’t tonight, Rhaenyra,” Laena says ruefully. “I wish you could, but my moonsblood—“
“I know.”
Knowing doesn’t stop Rhaenyra from dragging her small clothes down her legs and tossing them aside. She pulls Laena’s legs apart firmly.
“But— the blood.”
“I know,” Rhaaenyra says again. “But dragons like blood. You know that. And I would prefer partaking here than giving into the urge to bite your wrist the next time you say something enticing.”
Laena’s mouth opens. Closes. She doesn’t know what to say.
“Is this something new to you as well?” Rhaenyra asks, pressing a kiss to her inner thigh.
“… yes,” Laena admits, shifting slightly to get more comfortable. “I have never been… this is new.”
Rhaenyra hums, leaning forward. Her nose brushes Laena’s clit, and they both inhale deeply.
“Dragon’s blood. It runs thick in you. I like that,” Rhaenyra mutters. Laena can feel her soft breath against the wetness of her opening, and it makes her shiver. It makes her wetter. She doesn’t know if it’s blood or excitement coating her folds.
As Rhaenyra’s tongue slithers inside of her eagerly and Laena can only wonder what that means. Rhaenyra’s hold is firm. Laena cannot move an inch when she holds her like this. All she can do is hold on and breathe— try to breathe.
“Rhaenyra—“ Her hand flies to the princess’s horn, and she grabs it tight. Rhaenyra’s nails dig into her hip, and she gasps at the pain. The pleasure.
Her head is spinning.
Rhaenyra withdraws her tongue slowly, and Laena catches her breath. “Is that…?”
“Mmhmm,” Rhaenyra says. “As I expected. I like the taste.”
“That—“
“But I have not finished satisfying you,” Rhaenyra says, voice husky. Laena feels herself clench around air, already excited for her.
Rhaenyra slides two digits into her entrance, curls them, strokes— just as Laena had taught her. She rocks with her, arching and falling on the bed as she trembles. She feels it coming. Soon. Very soon.
“Harder. Rhaenyra. Just—“ Her touch becomes softer. It’s a betrayal. “Rhaenyra!”
“I just want it to last,” Rhaenyra says, kissing behind her knee. “Do you think you could still come on my fingers if I do it like this?”
“I don’t—“ Laena blinks, ears buzzing. “I don’t know.”
“Can you try?” Rhaenyra asks. “I think you can do it.”
“Teasing me—“ Laena grasps her by the horn and pulls. “Do it like you mean it.”
Rhaenyra follows the movement with a muffled groan.
“I mean it. I really mean it. You would have come by now if I had listened to you. I want to hear you…”
Laena gasps, hips cantering upward. Her thigh twitches in pleasure.
“Hear me?” Laena repeats. Hear her?
Laena gasps, breaths becoming heavier.
“…Please,” Laena asks. Rhaenyra’s fingers are so gentle. Soft. Firm. Gentle. How the hell is she going to—
“You can do it. I know you can do it.” Rhaenyra says. “It’ll make me so happy, Laena. Let go, pretty wife of mine.”
Pretty. Wife.
“I—“ Laena arches.
“Come on my fingers. Do it.”
Do it.
“I—“ her plea is broken by a gasp.
“Now,” Rhaenyra says in a tone that brokers no argument.
Laena crashes. There’s no other way to describe it. Her vision blurs to nothing. A blindingly white warmth consumes her.
“Laena!” Rhaenyra says, holding her face. “Are you alright?”
“… I’m fine,” Laena says, blinking at her. “What… why are you looking at me like that?”
“You stopped talking. I thought something was wrong.”
“It’s been five seconds.”
“More like thirty.”
Thirty?
Had she…? No. Surely not.
“I’m tired,” Laena mutters, rubbing her eyes. “I need… small clothes. I do not wish to bleed into these sheets.
Rhaenyra nods. “I’ll handle it. Go to sleep.”
She’ll… well, if she insists. Laena rolls onto her side, sighing. “Goodnight,” she mutters.
“Good night.”
~~~
In the following weeks, Rhaenyra becomes both more skilled and more eager when it comes to sex. To be quite frank, Laena might have facilitated the creation of a fiend. She is not complaining, of course. She benefits. Rhaenyra benefits.
They discover things that they both like.
Laena likes to be called a pretty wife, for example. She loves it.
Rhaenyra likes to call her pretty wife, for example. She loves it.
Everyone is happy.
Until their blissful romantic bubble is… popped. Laena gets a letter. She reads it. Its—
“Ah…” Laena says, frozen in worry.
“Ah?” Rhaenyra says, looking up at her, also worried. “What does ah mean?”
Laena paces Rhaenyra’s solar in a sudden frenzy.
“Where is my fiancé?” She asks, grabbing Rhaenyra’s shoulders.
“Dead,” Rhaenyra says firmly.
“He’s dead?” Laena asks in horror. “Since… how long?”
“A day or two ago,” Rhaenyra replies uncaringly. “Why? Are you upset that the man who struck you has gone to the dirt?”
Laena shakes, dropping her Father’s letter to the ground. “Oh no.”
“What is it—“
“My Father said that…” Laena inhales sharply. “My Fiancé has gone missing as of two months ago. Father presumes him dead. He… He has started talks with the king to arrange a marriage—“
“Laena—“
She’s going to be sick! Nausea had hit her too often these days, but this might—
“He wants me to come home so that I might prepare.” Laena looks at her, holding back tears. “Should I run?”
“Run where?”
“Essos? Braavos? Pentos?” Laena says quickly. “I do not… I don’t know. I can’t stay here waiting for him to take me back. If I am summoned by the king—“
“Can you—“
“Wait. I don’t have to run,” Laena says, suddenly feeling calm. “I just need to tell him that you made me infertile.”
Rhaenyra stares at her abject in horror.
“What?” Laena asks.
“He might not believe that!” Rhaenyra says, suddenly sounding more panicked than Laena was a second ago. “Why would he?”
“Because it’s true…?” Laena had even missed her moonsblood this month. That’s a good sign of infertility.
“But—“ Rhaenyra shakes her head, biting her bottom lip. “I have a better idea. One that doesn’t involve magic, which makes it more realistic.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Rhaenyra nods rapidly. “If you were already married, you couldn’t marry my father.”
Laena’s brows furrow in disbelief. “My fiancé is dead, as you—“
“I’ll marry you,” Rhaenyra says firmly. “Let’s marry.”
She says it like it’s so simple. So easy. So—
“What Sept is going to do a wedding ceremony between two women?!” Laena demands.
“There is a Valyrain priestess on this island, Laena. She will do the ceremony.” Rhaenyra promises, taking her hand. “I need no one’s blessing but yours to take you as my wife.”
Laena clings to her, breathing deeply to calm herself. “If we send out notices after, then…”
“He would not have the face to try and force the matter. My father cannot in good conscience marry his own Good Daughter.”
Laena smiles. “But do you want to marry me, or is it just—“
“I’ve been calling you my wife for ages. I want to marry you. Let’s marry.”
“Yes,” Laena nods rapidly, hugging her tight. “Let’s marry.”
~~~
The entire day from there is a blur. They write notices so that they have enough to send out once it's official. Then they part. They have to be dressed for a wedding. They cannot see each other until the ceremony. There is a time crunch, leaving not much time to prepare, but Laena wears her favorite dress and a white veil.
Time only slows when she sees Rhaenyra waiting for her so that they can walk the aisle together.
“It’s… there are more people than I expected,” Laena whispers.
“I wanted witnesses. News of this will spread in a way that can’t be suppressed,” Rhaenyra replies just as softly.
They face each other, and Rhaenyra removes the veil covering her face. They both smile, listening to the priestess speak as they exchange shy glances. A flame dances. Two locs of hair are cut and braided together, then burned into ash. It symbolizes their afterlife together. Their ashes are bound to reunite now that they know what to search for. They bleed into the goblet, swear their heart and souls for a lifetime and beyond. Then they drink. The blood is thick. Rich.
Laena swallows it and tries not to taste. She forgets it entirely when they kiss.
“I love you,” Laena mutters against her lips when they part.
“I love you, too,” Rhaenyra replies. “My pretty wife.”
“My pretty wife,” Laena agrees, tucking Rhaenyra’s hair behind her ear and kissing the base of her horn.
There are cheers and claps as they finally make their way outside. Raucous applause as they walk the streets. A procession, in a way. They love Rhaneyra. Laena is glad that they love her enough to accept what has happened.
“What now?”
“I paid for five barrels of wine at every inn and tavern on this island, Laena. The people will celebrate. We will return to our chambers.” Rhaenyra says excitedly. “I have something you’ll love.”
“Really? A wedding gift?” Laena stops in horror. “I didn’t get you anything.”
Rhaenyra laughs, wrapping an arm around her waist. “You’ll give me the gift of enjoying it. Immensely.”
~~~
Laena sits on their marriagebed, worried. The letters have gone, birds flying back and forth from the rookery to beyond. They are married. But… what now?
What will her family say when they find out? How will the king react to their insolence? Would it even be recognized— their union?
“Are you ready?” Rhaneyra calls from behind the partition in the corner of the room.
“Of course,” Laena says, shaking those concerns away. “Though I am eager to know what kind of wedding present requires such secrecy.”
When Rhaenyra steps out, Laena knows… clearly.
“… what?”
“What?” Rhaenyra repeats. “Is that all you can say?”
“I—“ Laena sits. Stares. It’s… “Where did you find one of those?”
“It was specially made, I carved the cock myself,” Rhaenyra says, holding it in her hand. “The leather belt that holds it to me, and the metal that keeps the pieces together were obviously made by someone else, but…”
Laena swallows.
Laether straps around her legs and belted around her waist… settled right on Rhaenyra’s crotch is an erect cock. A fake one. It looks real enough to…
Laena presses her thighs together in a panic.
“You gave it veins?” Laena asks, horrified. “You used your artisan skills for something so indecent.” Laena clutches her pearls as though they haven’t been doing indecent things for months now.
“You married into my house, Laena. Do you not recall our vows?”
“I…” Laena does not recall their vows. She had been a little excited by the union itself to pay attention to that stuff.
“Anyway, we have to consummate the marriage properly. I have to take your maidenhead.” Rhaenyra explains, leaning forward and holding her knees apart. “It’s for the greater good.”
“Greater— You won’t feel it.” Laena is the only one who’s going to feel that. She remembers lessons with the septa. It would hurt. She would bleed.
“Laena?” Rhaenyra leans forward, cupping her cheek. “Do you really not want to try it?”
Blood rushes to her face at Rhaenyra’s sparkling stare. She’s so earnest. So pretty. Her eyes— how can Laena say no to her when she looks so…
Laena bows her head in defeat.
“I think if I find that spot inside of you, you’ll enjoy it.” Rhaenyra kisses her gently before standing.
She… probably would. Laena feels herself getting curious. A little pain. A little pleasure.
“Okay,” Laena nods. “But… I do not think I am quite wet enough for such a venture.”
Should they have some oils brought for preparation?
“I think…” Rhaenyra trails off. “I think you should pleasure yourself and pleasure me at the same time. Then, when you’re wet enough, I’ll enter you.”
Pleasure…
The confusion must show on her face because Rhaenyra holds the fake cock in her hand. “As long as I wear this, it is a part of me. This is my cock. I want you to take it into your mouth, dear wife.”
Laena nods in dawning amusement. “My wife wants me to suck her cock.”
“Your wife wants you to suck her cock,” Rhaenyra repeats. “But do not come on your fingers. I want to be inside you when you do that.”
Filthy. Rhaenyra was innocent before Laena got her hands on her. How had this happened? How had she—
“Laena?” Rhaenyra calls to her. “Do you not want to—“
Laena slips off her gown, falling to her knees. She locks eyes with Rhaenyra, kissing the tip of the phallus. “It’s very pretty,” Laena says.
Rhaenyra flushes, red to the tips of her ears. Filthy, but so easily embarrassed. Laena flattens her tongue, licking it from length to bulbous tip slowly as she spreads her thighs. She’s already wet. Of course, she’s wet. She’s been thinking about sex since before they set foot in their chambers.
But… She breathes through her nose, circling. Her finger around her entrance. Her tongue around the smooth, firm tip. She keeps her eyes focused on Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra seems… stuck. Like she can’t look away. Good. Laena is doing something right, then.
She sucks the tip into her mouth, her cheeks filling with spit as she lets the length slide down to the back of her throat. She tries not to gag. She does cough. It doesn’t break her focus.
Rhaenyra cups her chin, Laena slides a finger inside her folds, moaning around the cock. Multitasking. It’s difficult. She breathes around the cock, focusing on rocking gently on her fingers. Rhaenyra is staring at her. She—
“Can I fuck your throat?” Rhaenyra asks. Laena nods as best as she can, taking a deep breath. Rhaenyra shoves inside of her gently, trying to find a rhythm. Laena stops bobbing, allowing herself to relax. Her own pleasure is—
“Gorgeous,” Rhaenyra grins. “You look so good like this, Laena. So… perfect. Has anyone ever fucked your throat, my wife?”
Laena only barely manages to shake her head before Rhaenyra redirects her face forward.
“They’re missing out,” Rhaenyra says. “I’m glad to share this first with you.”
Laena gags, her hand going still. Tears welling in her eyes. Drool spilling out of the corner of her lips and down her chin.
“I love you,” Rhaenyra says.
Laena’s throat vibrates as she rubs the spot inside of her that always makes her come. Forget not doing that. She can’t not—
Rhaenyra pulls out of her mouth suddenly, and Laena gasps for air.
“You think you’re wet enough now?” Rhaenyra asks, pulling her to her feet and guiding her to the bed.
“I think…” She swallows, clearing her throat. “Maybe?”
“Lie down. Let me check.”
Laena climbs into the bed, spreading her thighs. The cool air washes over her wetness, making her shiver.
“… did you come?”
“No,” Laena says, though she certainly wishes she had. “Why?”
“Very wet. You did perfectly.” Rhaenyra says, trailing kisses from belly to breast, to neck to lips. “It will be best if you guide it inside of you.”
Laena nods, running her hand down Rhaenyra’s abdomen until she has the cock in hand. She slides it between her folds, running it up and down gently, then she presses it inside and winces.
“Oh.” It does hurt. No amount of spit will make it not hurt.
“What? Is it…”
“I have to go slowly,” Laena tells her.
“Tell me if it is too uncomfortable.”
Laena nods, closing her eyes tightly. It hurts. A lot, it—
“Can you just shove it in?” Laena asks after a minute of slow progress. “One quick thrust will get us where we need to go.”
“Are you sure?”
Laena nods. Lying. “I’m sure.”
Rhaenyra kisses her deeply before pulling away and sitting up. She holds Laena’s waist in both hands and meets her eyes.
Laena sees stars when their hips meet. She screams, arching her back from the bed.
“Laena? Should I pull it out—“
“Don’t move. Don’t—“ Oh. She closes her eyes tightly, her hand clasped to Rhaenyra’s shoulder. She’s digging into skin. It doesn’t hurt nearly as much as her womanhood; she can say that for certain. “Just stay still.”
She’s throbbing. Pain. Pain. Pain. Ple…
Wait. She focuses on that. The pleasure.
Laena jerks her hips, trying to find it and… yes. There it is. That—
“Okay,” Laena says. “This is… it’s better, I think. You can move.”
It hurts less. Then the pain turns dull, and she truly feels enjoyment. She starts to moan freely as the seconds pass. Wantonly. “Rhaenyra. You feel good, I—“
The bed rocks as Rhaenyra rides her, the tool grazing the spot inside Laena that makes her drenched. It’s damn sensitive. But the stretch of it… divine. The length hits her deeply and confidently. She’s—
“I know that face. You’re about to come, aren’t you?” Rhaenyra asks, breathlessly as she rolls her hips. “You’re going to clench around me so hard, come all over my cock.”
“Rhaenyra—“ She is. She will. “Yes.”
“How do you like my gift?” Rhaenyra asks, with a winning smirk.
“I’d like it better if you went harder. I want to feel it tomorrow. The memory of my wife’s cock.” Laena says goadingly. “I want to think about this every time I sit, stand, and walk.”
Rhaenyra’s eyes blaze. “As you wish.”
She gets rougher with each thrust. Deeper. Laena digs her nails into her back for purchase. She cannot find purchase. Her nails graze down Rhaenyra’s back as her wife ruts into her again and again and…
A broken cry escapes her lips, and she shakes, holding the cock inside of her like a prisoner as she arches her back far off the bed and throws her head back. It takes a moment for her to fully relax. Bliss. She tingles with it.
She guides Rhaenyra down into a searing kiss, her heart racing quickly. Her wife takes that opportunity to pull out, and Laena moans into the kiss, feeling dazed. Feeling empty.
Her walls are still fluttering as she blinks slowly, pressing her brow to Rhaenyra’s skin. She smells good— clean, with a hint of fresh sweat.
“Our marriage is consummated,” Laena says, breathlessly. “We can…do that again,” she admits. Perhaps before the morning sun rises.
Rhaenyra kisses her brow. “I am certainly for doing it again. Soon.”
Soon.
They’re married. They have their whole lives to just…
Laena rolls carefully into Rhaenyra’s arms. Nothing in the world could make this not amazing. Nothing could ruin this. She won’t allow it.
They fall asleep the night of their wedding, bone tired and euphoric.