VISENYA
280 AD
It is a big event of course. Her brother Rhaegar is getting married to the daughter of the ruling Princess of Dorne. Her brother's bride Elia Nymeros Martell is best described as exotic. Elia Martell is olive-skinned while ladies of the court are porcelain skinned. She smells of something definitely not Westerosi. But Elia is kind, kinder than most girls and ladies in the court. Like Visenya said, exotic.
Elia stands in the Great Sept of Baelor as the lone Targaryen attending Rhaegar's wedding. Her father had been the one to fix this marriage and yet he had stated (in quite choosy words) that he would not attend the wedding under any circumstance. Her father had even put a stop of Viserys attending this wedding and her mother had to stay behind to take care of Viserys. At eleven, Visenya is finally starting to see glimpses of her father's paranoia. But she is a mute spectator like her mother, like her elder brother.
She turns as Elia enters the Sept, her Martell maiden cloak trailing behind her and again, Visenya notices how different Elia is from Visenya and even Rhaegar. Visenya and Rhaegar are both fair-skinned, silver haired with purple eyes, while Elia is all olive skinned with dark hair and dark eyes, like she has been kissed by the sun. Which is not surprising, after all Elia is from Dorne and many Dornish men and women consider her to be the sun of Dorne. Elia's brother Oberyn Martell stands beside Visenya and Visenya knows that Oberyn does not like Rhaegar. She also knows that Rhaegar is not overly fond of Oberyn as well. Visenya on the hand is strongly attracted to the man. Olive-skinned like his sister, Oberyn has black 'Viper' eyes and a body and reputation that draws Visenya. It is almost like he is a man out of the songs of the bards. There is also the fact that he has a quick wit and a smile that has Visenya turning red.
She does not remember much of the wedding really because she was too busy thinking of how it would be if she were to marry Prince Oberyn. After all it has happened in the past when Daeron Targaryen had wed the Princess of Dorne and his sister Daenerys had married the Prince of Dorne. But alas, Prince Oberyn looks at her like she is a child and she also knows that she is too young compared to the Prince who is roughly the same age as her brother.
It is after the wedding, during the feast that Visenya talks to Elia properly. Visenya gives Elia a smile as she approaches the older girl and Elia speaks up, "Thank you for attending the wedding, my Princess."
Visenya shakes her head and answers, "There is no need for that. After all, it was my brother's wedding. And please call me Visenya. We are kin now."
"Only if you call me Elia.", her good-sister replies and Visenya realises that she actually does like Elia Martell and is rather happy having her as a member of the family.
"Are you enjoying this feast then?" Visenya asks, because she and her mother had spent a lot of time preparing for all this and she would like to be appreciated.
"Yes. It is wonderful. I must thank your family for it all.", Elia replies sweetly with a slight Dornish accent that Prince Oberyn also has.
"Our family, you mean. You are a Targaryen now after all. The Princess of Dragonstone and a Queen-in-waiting." The way Elia reacts to those words, Visenya knows that she has scared the poor girl.
"Do not worry. You can come to me, though I probably won't be much help, or my mother anytime you want.", Visenya speaks, hoping to comfort Elia. Elia sends a grateful smile her way and Visenya takes her leave after that hoping to find Prince Oberyn to dance with.
A few days later, everybody starts leaving. The Dornish retinue leaves for Dorne and the Tyrells and the guests who had come for the wedding all start to disperse. However, Cersei Lannister does stay in court and Visenya truly dislikes her (which is why she was even more happy when Elia was chosen to marry her brother and not Lady Cersei). Visenya is an obedient host, mindful of her duty as she curtsies and smiles at the men and women who leave King's Landing and wishes them farewell in the absence of her mother.
What saddens her is the moment when Rhaegar informs her that Elia and he are taking up residence on Dragonstone. Before his marriage, Rhaegar had visited Dragonstone in numerous times, taking Visenya with him on the last few occasions. But this time it is a permanent move, this time Visenya is not leaving with Rhaegar. For the first time, she feels something akin to jealousy towards Elia because the moment Elia came, Visenya had become less important to Rhaegar. She is so angry that she does not even go to bid him farewell. But Rhaegar does come to her chambers moments before leaving.
"Are you not going to bid me farewell?", he asks her softly.
"Would it matter if I do? You are leaving with your wife and leaving me behind.", Visenya tells her brother.
"Elia is the Princess of Dragonstone now. I just thought it would be nice if got to visit the place and see it." Rhaegar answers as he still stands near the door of her chambers.
She tells her brother something she wanted to speak since the arrival of the news, "There was a time when you would take me with you. You used to say that you would prefer that I go with you rather than stay behind."
Rhaegar finally abandons his place by the door and moves towards the bed Visenya sits in. "You are my favourite Princess you know. I would love to take you with me to Dragonstone, I honestly wish to take you with me and Elia also readily agreed to that but… it's father. He will not send you with me, not this time."
Elia turns her head away from Rhaegar and whispers, "So you and Elia do not dislike me?"
Rhaegar laughs at that and laughing is so uncommon with Rhaegar that Visenya realises just how stupid she is being, "Of course not, dear. I love you and Elia herself adores you even she hasn't known you for long. Tell you what, I know you can't come right now but maybe you can come visit us. You will always be welcome there."
Visenya finally walks out of the Red Keep to bid farewell to Elia and Rhaegar. Rhaegar and Visenya cling to each other for a long time before she moves on to bid farewell to Elia. As she hugs Elia she hears the older lady whisper, "I know how hard it is to leave a brother. I left two."
Elia's kind words make Visenya smile and she replies, "Take good care of my brother. I know he is hard to understand, melancholic and unattached to this world but he is a good man, I promise."
Ever since her birth, Visenya has had an elder brother around. She has travelled without her mother, her father has been absent for a number of occasions but her brother has been a constant. A fixture of her childhood, of her life as the Princess of the Seven Kingdoms and as she waves to her brother and his bride, for the first time in life Visenya feels truly alone. She feels that the life she knew will never come back, that the tides have changed forever. She cries herself to sleep that night simply because Rhaegar has left.
