Chapter Text
“Argella focus,” the hard wack of the sword brought her back to reality the cold steel of the blade stinging against her skin. “Reset we are going again”, she rolled her eyes before readjusting her stance into a defensive position. Her fathers master of arms, Lord Toyne was hard on the Princess never letting her off lightly. But today something was wrong she couldn’t focus.
“That enough for today”, Toyne sighed noticing her mind was elsewhere.
“Straighten up girl, if one of my soldiers looked like that, I would hit them with my sword until they stood up straight”, she turned hearing a booming voice from above. Her father King Argilac was looking down onto the training yard a half smile on his face. He was around 50 taller than all the men around him by a long way with salt and pepper-streaked hair and beard, creases lined his eyes. Even covered in fur and velvet he was a sight to behold. A true Storm King. The battered winds of the Stormlands had marked his face, but he remained a true warrior wielding a sword no other man could pick up let alone swing over his head. She smiled up at him straightening her stance, he nodded back to her.
Argilac the Arrogant as they called him may have been the only man in the Seven Kingdoms to delight in having a daughter. She was not born until her father was well into his thirtieth name day and her mother was two and seven. Despite being wed at one and six she was her mothers first pregnancy. When she was born her father’s council renewed their calls for him to set her aside and take a new wife, but he would not. Over the years her parents’ union had turned into a marriage of love, and he would not leave her daughter or not. Instead, her father proclaimed Argella as his heir stating any child of his had the blood of the Storm Kings man or not and was worth more than any son not of his blood. The Lords of the Stormlands had accepted this and on her fifth name day had sworn to the old gods and the new they would one day bend the knee to her. No other children had been born so Argella was raised as a male heir would, being taught the histories how to fight ride and hunt as well as lead soldiers into battle. She would one day be the first Storm Queen, and her father ensured she was the paragon of a monarch.
“Your mother wishes to speak with you but get changed first or she will have both our heads”, Argella handed her sword to a soldier before running inside. Her mother would have wished her to be more of a lady sitting inside watching through the windows of Storms End. Argella liked to remind her she was not a lady and never had been. She knew her mother wished to speak with her of marriage at the age of one and eight she was well beyond marriageable age and yet was not betrothed or engaged. Her father had told her she could marry the Lord or Lords son of her choice but the pressure was never there, so she simply hadn’t.
Argella walked into her chambers to get changed but found her mother sat on her bed. “Your Majesty”, she bowed but her mother waved her off, she never had been one for titles or formalities.
“Argella I am sure you know why I am here,” she did – most likely Lady so and so’s son had expressed interest and would like a meeting with her. Another foolish little lordling who was intent on becoming King and his house ruling. She never cared to correct them that the marriage would be matrilineal, and the husband of a Queen was a Prince consort.
“I will give them one hour that is it”, she crossed her arms in defiance.
“It’s not that”, her mother sighed as if dreading to tell her “Your father has sent a marriage proposal, to Lord Aegon of Dragonstone”, Argellas heart stopped.
“The Dragon riding Valyrian”, she spat out her voice rising just above what was seemly. The Targaryen’s resided on an island just past the Stormlands having escaped the doom of their old Empire. Argella knew little about them: they rode dragons, had violet eyes and married brother to sister.
“We need his help”.
“His dragons”, Argella muttered.
“King Harren is almost finished with his castle and one he is he will look to the Stormlands, to us”, her mother did not look at her.
“But with dragons’ father could stop him, I know. Fine if he accepts fathers’ proposal I will wed him, for the sake of the Stormlands”, her mother smiled at her. Argella would do it for her future people and for her father who could have shunned her for some cousin but instead chose to name her heir. She would do her duty as he did his.
“Your father will be happy, now get changed you look like a knave in those”, she laughed as her mother left the room a playful look of displeasure on her face.
She got changed into a dress of deep purple with silver accents. She has accepted her father’s proposal but she would remind him of her annoyance by wearing one of her few dresses not in her house colours. She looked out her window onto the beach below. A storm was coming the wind smelt of it. The storms off Shipbreakers bay were some of the fiercest in the Seven Kingdoms and many hid away from them. Argella loved them she had requested chambers that faced out the sea the outer walls of her chamber were eight feet thick to protect her from the gales but the smell got through the stone. They said magic was woven into the walls of storms end they they felt alive when touched protecting those inside from magic. Argella wasn’t sure but you could stand on the balcony of Storms End during a tempest rolling off the sea and not be uplifted the wind would simply blow through your hair knocking you back if you did not hold on tight. She loved it, but this storm smelt different. It smelt of ash and smoke.