(Third Person POV)
Lady Rhea Royce sat next to Rhaenyra in the Secret Gardens, "I understand that this could be difficult for you..." She said, "But I promise you that you will not regret this."
Rhaenyra looked down, "It feels...surreal...." She said softly, "That I would already marry someone....after so long..."
"Your life had changed completely when the decision was made." Rhea said before grabbing her hand, "But I want you to know how grateful I am for you. You made a vow, a promise that you kept honorably. Know that despite what anyone else thinks, I believe that you did not insult my son."
Rhaenyra nodded, "Thank you." She said softly, "Even now, Daemon sees me with a bit of animosity."
"I understand, Rhaenyra. That before the decision, you had eyes for men. It is natural, it is to be expected." Rhea said, "And the idea of marrying a boy, one much younger than yourself, is not ideal. To be expected to be pure, to not break a vow, to not insult the dignity of your betrothed...it is something I can relate to. I was promised to your Uncle....your Grandfather married us due to an argument he had with Daemon. At first, I believed it was as a punishment for him...."
"Daemon?" Rhaenyra said
"I do not know what goes on behind closed doors when it comes to you Targaryens." Rhea said softly, "I merely thought I was the unfortunate soul that was chosen to be his target of aggression....I was wrong, however. My later Lord-Father had come to an agreement with your Grandfather and Daemon and I were married."
"I vaguely remember that...." Rhaenyra said
Rhea nodded, "I was but a young Maiden..." She said, "I too had my eyes on this promising Knight.....one who I thought that my Father would marry me to....but when he told me that it was Daemon who I was betrothed to, I did not know how to react. I was surprised, not expecting that a mere Royce was worthy of a Targaryen....but apparently, when King Baelon had seen me the only time I have met him prior to Aerion's birth, he thought I was a perfect suitor for his unruly son....."
"Daemon is not someone one would satisfy so easily." Rhaenyra said
"He is not. But I did my duty. The man who I had eyes for died in a bandit attack, so I felt like I had no choice but to go with the marriage." Rhea continued, "We consummated the marriage only once, which took a long time to get to happen. I did not want to be the target of rumors so I practically begged Daemon to do so. It only took that one time for me to be with child, which he was indifferent to....rarely doing his duty. I did not see him since then until...."
"Until Aerion was born...." Rhaenyra said soflty
"When my Father and Daemon's Father saw him, they were overjoyed...." Rhea said with a smile, "You were there, were you not? Do you remember what Baelon Targaryen said?"
"He would be a mighty knight...." Rhaenyra said with a slight smile
"My only regret is being Lady of Runestone when that happened." Rhea said, "My Father is not here to see his only Grandson become such a fine warrior....my Aerion.....he is so young....he is everything to me.....I only wish the best for him...when I held him for the first time, all that animosity I had for Daemon disappeared. His pure white hair, his purple eyes, his small little face.....he was perfect...."
"H-How did Daemon react when he saw him?" Rhaenyra asked
"When Daemon held him....the gaze in his eyes softened...." Rhea said with a slight smile, "And he uttered two words to me.....words that stuck to me since then...."
"What were they?" The Princess asked
"Thank You." Rhea said, "My marriage is but a complicated one. I rarely see Daemon but I do my duty and keep my dignity. I have not ever betrayed him, I have never broken my vows to him.....despite what he has done to me...."
"You do not deserve that, Lady Rhea." Rhaenyra said with a frown, "I...."
"Aerion will not do that to you. He knows better." Rhea said, "But I want you to promise me, Rhaenyra.....to make him happy....to make him think he deserves this...because he does. He deserves to be happy....have you seen his eyes? There is so much....darkness in them...."
"I have not spoken to him...." Rhaenyra said, "I am nervous....I am afraid...he is a completely different person. He is so....tall....he is so....larger than life...."
"I know." Rhea smiled, "But he is still the boy that left you that flower, Princess."
"I wish that is the case." Rhaenyra said softly, "But I will try my best, My Lady."
"I promise."
***************
"Do any of you know how much blood you need to fully stain pure Valyrian white hair red?" Corlys Velaryon said as he sat at the Small Council table, "How much blood does it take to be called Red-Hair?"
Everyone looked at him, including Queen Alicent as they were sitting there, discussing the Royal Wedding that was about to take place in a few days.
For whatever reason, Corlys Velaryon felt the need to bring up the fact that Aerion Targaryen, a Targaryen Lord who normally has White hair, was called Red-Hair in the War. The Lord of Driftmark had arrived to King's Landing with his wife, Princess Rhaenys, in time for Aerion's Knighting Ceremony.
Otto cleared his throat, "What is your point, My Lord?"
"I am not talking about patchy stains on the hair...." Corlys said, "I am talking a pure crimson color....as if the blood had infused with the hair itself...."
"That is ridiculous." Alicent scoffed, "A mere exaggeration."
"Not an exaggeration, Your Grace." Corlys said, "I will answer my question. It takes the blood of around twenty men. I was there when it happened; when Aerion's hair turned red. It was not just his hair, it was his entire clothes, his skin was also crimson. He was not just called Red-Hair, he was called the Bloody Dragon. Mostly because when he got frustrated by the amount of men he cut down, he called his dragon to mount it and then finish the battle by summoning a sea of flames."
Viserys raised his eyebrow, "Is that so?"
"Oh yes." Corlys said, "There could be at least a dozen songs written and sung about just the first year of Aerion's campaign in the Stepstones. When he defeated the Black Crab, I was not even there to witness it. I was to meet this warrior in the battlefield in the middle of a rainy night but when I got there, Aerion had already killed him and stood in the middle of the mud, surrounded by corpses...."
"I do not think this talk is appropriate when discussing a wedding." Otto said, "Let us move on from the topic."
"Wait, Otto." Viserys said, "Lord Corlys, they say he had not suffered a single wound. Is that true? I do not see a scar on Aerion, well not where his body is exposed. I figured he could be hiding one beneath his clothes."
"Viserys, what does this have to do with anything?" Alicent said with a frown
"I am curious, that is all." Viserys said
"The stories are true." Corlys said, "Daemon and I wanted him to be the last resort of our battles, to have him atop the Bronze Fury and clean up battles. But he would sneak off and fight on foot, cutting men one by one. Ser Gerold would try his best to be by his side so he could testify that Aerion had not taken a single wound in battle. Did he exhaust himself? Sure, after the tenth hour of constantly fighting...."
"War-Stories..." Lord Beesbury said, "We look forward to more when the banquet of the wedding happens, don't you think so, Your Grace?"
"The Last Battle of Bloodstone was a bloody one, was it not, Lord Corlys?" Viserys asked
"Aye." Corlys said, "The sight was brutal, absolutely terrifying...."
"And was Aerion part of it?" Viserys asked
"Part of it?" Corlys chuckled, "The boy started it...."
"And finished it."