13
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294 AC
Braavos - House with the red door
Eragon Targaryen
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"I want to go with you." Rhaenyra grabs my arm from behind, stopping me from walking forward. "I am beyond bored and would kill to go swimming." After someone in a dual got cut open and fell into the moon pool I decided to leave since it ruined the fun, nothing like the reminder sword fights aren't all fun and games to kick you in the shorts. On the way back I spotted a fountain that was broken and filling the lower half of a street. The water was running off into the Long Canal and kids were swimming in it. So I jumped in and joined them, after working up an appetite I came home and was caught dripping wet.
Rhaenyra being the one to catch me is now insistent on going to swim as well. She knows how to swim so it's not like I am worried for her or anything so I easily agree.
"Alright, remember there are other people there so you don't want to bring anything that can't stay on you and get wet. In fact, don't bring anything except the clothes on your person." She looks down at her clothes, she lets go of my hand, and turns around.
"Wait here, I will change into something different real quick." I lean on the wall and watch her run off to change.
She comes back and is in shorts and a shirt, her hair is tied up and out of the way. She is wearing some beaten-up old shoes, I nod seeing her look more like a homeless kid and will be less likely to attract attention. Quite a few kids were playing in the water there that were wearing similar clothes so she won't pull extra attention. Unlike the higher quality dress, she was wearing that would draw eyes.
Mom stresses out when she knows we go out so it's best to be the safest we can be when we do leave. That way she won't nag so much and won't keep as sharp of an eye on us, right now she is talking with Shaena, and is a good chance to jump the wall and head out.
"Come on, let's go before anyone else tries to tag along." She nods and helps me pull the crate to the back wall and I jump up and grab the ledge. After sitting on the wall with a leg draped over both sides I lean down and offer her my hand.
She grabs it and I help pull her up after she grabs the ledge with her other hand. After she is hoisted up and also drapes a leg on both sides I swing my right over to join my left.
"Watch how I do it, Danny twisted her ankle last time and we had to walk right back around to the front door and be let back in." Before I can go she already scoots off the edge, lands on her feet, and bends her knees while falling back onto her butt. I grimace seeing her close her eyes and bite her lip, she should have listened. "You alright?" She slowly nods while using the wall to stand back up.
"Yea I am fine, let's just start walking my legs feel numb." I shake my head and hop off the wall.
"Alright, let's go." I dust myself off and lead the way with her hot on my heels.
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"Wow, yea you didn't say it was this flooded." It honestly happened in the perfect spot as well, people don't throw out their shit on this street so it is good to swim in. That's why I won't jump into the actual Canals because I have seen what people toss into them and it isn't pretty.
"Well, it is so let's enjoy it while we can." I grab her hand and pull her into the water, it gets up to my waist at the low part and down toward where it floods into the canal it's at my neck.
"It feels really good, why hasn't anyone fixed this yet?" She slowly lowers herself into it as her eyes go wide.
"I don't know, probably no one wants to pay for it to get fixed and are waiting for someone else to be generous." The water is going down a street and hitting a wall where it is building up and filling the lower half of the street. It then flows over the wall and spills into the Canal, no one's property is getting flooded so no one is likely complaining.
A splash hits me on the back as I look around at the other kids jumping off the wall into the deep spot. I swing my arm through the water and throw a wall of water back and miss as she has already dived out of the way. I jump in after her and we continue to splash fight until I have to catch my breath after getting some up my nose.
"Let me breathe!" I push her off and move to a spot I can stand. I lean my head back trying to make the burning feeling go away and get hit once again with water. A little angered I whip my head in the direction she splashed me from and am about to yell at her but notice it wasn't her.
Standing ten feet to the left of Rhaenyra is a girl with dark skin and dripping platinum-white hair.
I feel a nudge in the side and turn to see Rhaenyras questioning look and realize I was staring. Turning back to the girl I smile and give a little wave.
"Hey, you are from the stall the other day right?" Why did she approach us?
"Hello, and yes I am, I saw you from over there and thought we could play together." Oh, I guess that makes sense.
"Sure, I am Jae and this is Maya." I introduce our fake names, not many people in the free city are named Rhaenyra. Eragon is a unique name but when everyone else got a fake name I wanted one too.
"I am Nata." Rhaenyra looks at me a little funny but I just ignore it, for now, she is likely wondering why I agreed to play with a stranger. But I can answer her later if she is curious and asks.
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294 AC
Braavos - House with the red door
Daenerys Targaryen
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I walk into moms room since the door is already opened and see Shaena is also in here. I move over to her bed and kick off my shoes before slipping into her bed. Cradling my head I close my eyes, my head has been pounding all day.
"Daenerys?" Mother calls my name and I open my eyes and see she is looking at me from where she is sitting with my sister.
"My head won't stop hurting." She stands up and walks over to the other side of the bed and sits next to me while pulling me into her side. She kisses the top of my head and rubs my back.
"I am sorry baby, did you try to sleep it off?" I nod. "I see, I hope you feel better soon."
"Look at that spoiled little girl." I glare at Shaena and she just gives me a smile in return.
"Don't mess with my baby, she is hurting." Mother defends me and I nod in agreement causing mother to laugh.
"Where you busy?" She tucks the hair that was falling on my face behind my ear while shacking her head.
"No, we just received a message from across the sea. Apparently we will be having someone visit soon, though visit might be the wrong word." Shaena scoffs and taps the table where a slip of paper is.
"He is sending someone to pressure you into making a decision, he wants Viserys to marry his daughter." I raise a eyebrow confused about who they are talking about but patiently wait till they are done.
"I honestly expected them to come back sooner, much sooner than this. Something must of happened that we don't know about and they want to use it to make us make a decision." I pull moms pillow out from behind her and tuck it in behind me to get more comfortable while they talk.
"Well, whatever it is I just hope that it wont affect us directly. I know Viserys is itching to get back to Westeros and reclaim his ' rightful throne ' but he seems to be ignoring the fact that a war is going to have to be won for that to happen." She ties her hair up and we her here grumble. "I don't know why he made him heir when he wasn't taught how to be a king in the slightest." I peek at mom and see her have a sad look as she watches Shaena.
"It will be fine baby, we will just see what they are coming to tell and ask us and we will go from there." Shaena grabs the message on the table and holds it over a candle, it lights on fire and slowly burns closer to her hand. When it is only an inch from her fingers she finally sets the remainder down into her empty cup and it burns out.
"You will have Viserys sit in with us while we meet with them?" Getting a nod from mom she leans back into her seat and sighs. "You know if he hears he can get an army for marrying a girl he will jump on it, if you try to talk him down he will cause a scene." Mom's lips press into a line.
"You are right about that, I will talk with him beforehand to let him know the pros and the cons of marrying for Dorne's support. Dorne should support us regardless because of my grandkids, but I also see why they want to marry Viserys on top of being family. Got to look out for their interests as well, I put it off last time because I hoped we could avoid marrying them and still get their support so Viserys could secure a new ally with his marriage." If Viserys is marrying for allies does that mean we will also be getting married for alliances? I feel a bit worried about the possibility, I always knew there was a chance but to be confronted with it is different. A pit fills my stomach and I pull on moms sleeve.
"Danny?" She looks down at me.
"Do I have to get married for an alliance?" Her jaw slightly drops and then closes.
"It's unlikely that there will be any partners for you that would give enough troops to make it worth it. It's much easier to marry Viserys because he will be king, you are a princess and that's still a worthy hand for any lucky lord. But not every lord is worth a princess's hand, I also don't want you to have to marry someone unless you want to." She pinches my cheek and I lean away from her. "You seem to have been healed, your smile was so large that you seemed to have forgotten about your headache." I slide away from her and off the bed.
"I am, I am going to go look for Eragon!" I almost make it to the door when a thought comes to mind. If not all lords are worth a princess's hand then what about ladies with a prince's hand? "Mom, what about Eragon? Will he marry for an alliance?" I see Shaena grimace who was knocking the ash out of her cup to fill it up with some wine.
"Well, he is already in an engagement so that is the case." The pit in my stomach returns and my head feels like it hurts worse now the ever before.