Driftmark

Lady Daenerys and Ser Edmyn Arryn were dining in the Great Hall at that moment, having arrived no earlier than the same morning themselves. Mithrax was in one of the castle's courtyards that had always served as a nest for him during their stay there.

"Uncle," Dany called, her eyes widening in surprise. "And I did not expect to see you here at all. Are you not supposed to sit the Iron Throne until Prince Aegon returns to Westeros now that the king has.. deceased?" she inquired, fishing a strawberry from her plate. Her light tone indicated that she had not been particularly saddened by the news of King Maegor's death, or perhaps she was just happy to see her uncle.

"This is my husband, Ser Edmyn Arryn," she said proudly, motioning to the handsome knight next to her. "Please, help yourself to some dinner. Mother should join us later."

Dany stopped mid-bite, having not heard of this before. "Did he? And why, may I ask?" she inquired. She washed down the strawberries with some watered down sweetwine and continued, "does the Queen rule in Aegon's stead, then?"

"Perhaps you should have taken matters to your own hands after the king's death," she replied, pushing back her empty plate. She gave half a shrug. "Surely Aegon would have at least given thought to reinstating you."

"You did not want to stay for the trial of that peasant girl, Mira?" she asked after watching him fill the cup in silence. "What do you make of it, uncle Janos? It just seems unbelievable to me that a lowborn could even pull something like this off."

Dany looked to him and set down her glass. "And what do you plan to do now, uncle?"

"Is there anything particular you are trying to decide between?" she asked, offering him a kind smile. "Or are you just.. lost, so to speak?"

Daenerys thought for a while in silence. "Then I might just have the solution for you. How would you feel about a diplomatic trip on behalf of our house?"

"I think it is about time Jacaerys were to be betrothed. As of now, he is my heir, so that ought to raise his importance slightly. I was thinking of an alliance to someone in the Riverlands, or perhaps the Stormlands."

"Yes, he is in good health now. He even agreed to fly Edmyn here from the Vale," she said, and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you are alright? At that rate, we might have to carry you from this table later."

"I understand." She looked to the door as they sat in silence for a while. "It seems as if mother is not joining us tonight after all. I hope you will give her a proper greeting, but perhaps on the morrow."

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Daenerys made her way to the tallest tower of High Tide, which for her had always been a place of quiet reflection. The sun was barely over the horizon and the early morning breeze loosened a few strands of golden hair from her long braid. On a clear day much like this one, one could easily survey the whole island from up there - the bustling Spicetown with its numerous trading vessels and the Velaryon fleet; the flocks of sheep near the villages that were scattered all over the Velaryon lands; the small caves that Mith sometimes fled to whenever the castle became too hectic for him; and even Hull, even though it was partly concealed by aforementioned caves. The tower itself was circled by seagulls more often than not, however they had swiftly retreated to lower levels of the castle for this morning after Mithrax had taken to the air. He had a habit of devouring two or three of them every time he lifted off.

Dany leaned her elbows on the edge of the wall and looked down. Mith's usual small yard was empty as he was currently circling the island from above, but Janos's black beast, more than two times the size of her own, was curled up in the castle's main courtyard. Probably because of his size and colour, he reminded her of Cyrax. The handful of letters she had just received from King's Landing meant and end to the time she and Edmyn had shared here and at the Eyrie. One way or another, they would surely both be drawn into the conflict, which was most likely to turn into yet another war. At this point, she was more bothered by the fact that Maekar had her brothers.

Half an hour later, she retreated back to the castle and found her captain of guards. "Tell Gerion to ready the fleet," she told him evenly, for the first time not feeling like explaining anything further, "and raise the men." She would tell Edmyn when he woke up.

After that, she went to the Great Hall to hear this morning's petitioners, taking her seat on the dais on the heavy wooden chair, its back carved in the shape of a seashell.