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Ever since Queen Alicent formalized the betrothal between her eldest son and her only daughter, the atmosphere between the siblings had been tense. In the corridors of the Red Keep, Aegon ignored her as if she were a mere ghost, unworthy of his attention. With each passing day, the prince seemed to grow increasingly frustrated with the fate that awaited them. He drank to distract himself, hiding from their grandsire and their mother, trying his hardest not to think about how he was doomed to a marriage he never desired.
On the other hand, Helaena showed no sign of the same resentment. She did not look at him with anger, nor did she grumble to anyone about how he was a drunken fool. Alicent had prepared her well and Helaena was accepting her fate as obediently as their mother had in the past.
During that morning, Helaena was enjoying her free time in the gardens reading a book about insects. Aegon was walking around simply trying to distract himself from the urge to drink some wine, and found his younger sister near a rose bush, her wide eyes fixed on a blue butterfly that was thrashing frantically in a spiderweb. She was not the type to be afraid of spiderwebs themselves, but the thought of hurting the butterfly by accident even more if she tried to help it seemed to paralyze her.
The prince watched for a few seconds, considering turning his back and walking away. What made him change his mind was seeing how his sister's eyes began to fill with tears. Letting out a loud sigh, Aegon took quick steps toward her. Without saying anything, he used his long fingers to undo the threads of the web. Although his movements were slightly unsteady, they were also nimble, and it did not take too long for the butterfly to be freed, landing on Helaena's hand.
"Thank you, brother," she whispered, a subtle smile lighting up her face before she tried to hide it, fearing she might end up annoying him.
At first, Aegon did not answer her. His foul mood was still there, hammering in his mind and keeping his shoulders tense. But the sight of Helaena's innocent smile had already unsettled him. That was his little sister, his future wife and the mother of his future heirs. She would be his queen, as Aemond had reminded him a few moons before.
Driven by an impulse he could not quite understand, Aegon lifted Helaena's chin with his finger and then pressed his lips against hers. Just a gentle touch between them, a quick peck to feel the softness of her mouth and the taste of the lemon cakes she had eaten at breakfast.
He pulled away after a while, his shoulders stiffer than ever, yet with his cheeks flushed and warm. "You are such a silly thing, Hel," he muttered to her, trying to hide his own embarrassed smile as he turned around to leave the gardens as fast as possible, pretending not to hear his sister's surprised little chuckle.