Chapter Text
Rhaenyra walked briskly through the manicured paths of Queen Aemma's garden. She could only walk that fast, however, when she wasn't interrupted by greetings from courtiers. She wished she could get to her destination without attention, but as the Crown Princess, hoping for a moment without notice was nothing but a fool's hope.
She loved the courtiers, and she was comforted by the fact that they loved Queen Aemma’s garden even after her demise, but today—in this moment—she just wanted to be alone. Her jaw ached from clenching it, angry at her father. She wanted to hide away in a place she knew nobody would be able to come in and summon her to talk to him. That place was none other than the cottage—her little haven tucked away in the middle of the Princess's Clove, which was at the far end of Queen Aemma's garden.
The garden, named after Princess Rhaenyra's mother, was a landmark born from Queen Aemma's mind and spirit. From landscaping to picking out flowers of the rarest species, Aemma put so much thought and love into its creation. And it paid off, because even though it is not the largest garden on the Red Keep grounds, it is arguably the most beautiful.
She barely remembered why she asked at the time, but looking back, she was grateful for the instinct that made her ask her father for what would end up being the Princess's Clove in the garden. Princess Rhaenyra asked for a small part of Queen Aemma’s garden to be sectioned off and made off limits to everyone except for her.
Her private section of the garden had no official name upon its creation. All it had was a fence and a stone slab with the King's decree for no one to pass through without the permission of the princess, so people coined the term the “Princess's Clove.” The cottage was a part of the Princess's Clove because she made sure to instruct the Castellan that her section must include it.
The cottage was a natural cluster of tall shrubs that stood at eight feet. They were planted in the shape of a rectangle—the width and length of a small room—with their tips bent and resting upon each other, forming a sturdy, roof-like shape. Hence, it was called "The Cottage."
The number of people she encountered lessened as she approached the Princess's Clove. She took Ser Delph to walk with her for the day because he was a new guard and wasn't as acquainted with her person yet. Any other guard would have asked why she was in a mood, and honestly, she didn't need anyone hovering over her, even if it was for a good reason.
“Ser Delph, would you please stand guard outside? I want to sit in the cottage alone.”
“As you wish, Princess,” he replied.
Rhaenyra walked through the little wooden door and closed it behind her. She walked over to the large pond in the center of the cottage. The ornate pond, designed by craftsmen from Lys, housed over a dozen multi-colored, expensive koi fish from Yi-Ti.
She opened her small purse and brought out bread crumbs to feed the fish. Rhaenyra didn't even know what about the fish clustering together to eat the crumbs made her emotional, but despite not knowing, the first set of tears dropped regardless.
She could not afford to wail to her heart's desire, but she at least let the tears run free. Rhaenyra knew that anyone could think she was spoiled for crying over being told no, but in truth, she was crying because of what it felt like at that moment: Being trapped in a place that felt cold, lonely, and like it would make her run mad.
The Red Keep was her home, yet most days it felt like a prison. Though she offered nothing but fake pleasantries to Alicent, the green snake could not help but make Rhaenyra's activities a topic, as if she had any business with her life. Rhaenyra knew her father's wife asked her staff to snoop and report to her what she was up to, so having a place where no one could come was indeed a reprieve.
The Princess was so lost in her thoughts that she was startled when the shrub opposite her rustled “It must be the wind”
Then the shrub shook again, but with more force. “Perhaps a squirrel,”she thought, though the noise was now a distinct, heavy scrape.
But then she saw a hand poke through the space between the shrubs. She heard the sound and she shot up from the ledge of the pond. Nobody was supposed to be here, who was this intruder? Within a second, a boot appeared to climb over where a vine draped across, and the body attached to the boot dropped from the roof of the cottage and landed with a loud smack.
Rhaenyra let out a gasp as her brain failed to process the situation. She wanted to call for her guard, but then she realized she didn't have any reason to believe this was an attacker; all this person did was cross an off-limits fence, and now he lay on the ground moaning with his cheek planted on the bare earth.
“Urghhh.”
The mystery person clutched at their shoulder and shuddered in pain with an unrestrained moan escaping their lips.
“Who are you and what are you doing here!”
The mystery person froze as if they hadn't registered her presence since they fell from the sky.
They finally willed themselves to turn despite the obvious pain it caused.
“Forgive me, Princess, I guess I took a wrong turn.”
Rhaenyra couldn't believe it
“Ser Harwin Strong?”