August 25th, 2021
Dany fell into a routine. On most days she would attend class. Luckily, campus was only a 10 minute walk from her apartment. She wanted Missandei to move in with her, but she had protested. She was happy to be paying her own way. Dany did feel lonely at times, but it was nice to have some peace and quiet. She had never lived by herself and there was a certain tranquility that came with waking up, putting on a pot of coffee and sipping a cup as she sat by her window, her legs curled up underneath her.
On the weekdays that she wasn't going to class, she was interning for a member of parliament. It was nice to have a change in pace from the Mayor's Office. It was generally similar work, but it was nice to hear people speaking with British accents all day. It was rather entertaining. "I'm so knackered." "Bloody hell." "That's rubbish." Dany had to hide her smile.
She did miss the bagels. The bagels and the pizza. And sweets from Magnolias and hot chocolate from Max Brenner's. Oh and late night, chinese take out. And Insomnia Cookies. Okay. Dany missed a lot of things, but New York would still be there when she returns.
Her classes were good. She was learning about British politics and the British government. It was a welcomed change of pace. She saw Missandei from time to time at a pub near campus. Missandei was loving London. She couldn't imagine leaving after the semester wrapped up. "Calm," Dany would say, "We only just started."
Dany found her life calmer than back in New York. It was nice, but she also missed the commotion that came with the Big Apple. There was nothing quite like it. Here, she had time to explore the neighborhood and catch plays at the West End. She found her favorite coffee shop and made a couple of local friends who taught her about the real London.
Sometimes she found herself falling into old habits. She would spend too much at Harrods or sip champagne at rooftop bars. "Posh," her newfound friends would say and Dany would try to control herself. Force of habit.
She called Rhaegar more times than he asked. She missed him like crazy. If Dany hadn't known that Rhaegar was definitely born earlier, she would've assumed that they were twins, with some special twin magic that made them want to be close to one another. Rhaegar was playing at some clubs in the village and he was actually doing well for himself there. He still had the Wall Street job that paid the bills. Paid all the bills. Paid much more than the bills, but he was exploring and he was happy. He also met this woman named Lyanna at one of his shows. Dany had screamed so loud that she thought his next door neighbors would come to see what was the matter. It was beyond exciting.
She made him send her pictures of him and Lyanna. She got care packages pretty regularly, filled with photographs, flash drives full of his songs, her favorite snacks from the states and a countdown clock with the number or days until she would fly home. He was impossible. She missed him.
Her mother had gotten back into fashion. She was renting an apartment in New York City, partly because she missed Rhaegar and mostly because she was starting on her own collection.
"Dany, darling," Rhaella would start, "You're going to be the face of my brand. A modern woman. Working with style."
Dany would roll her eyes, but she knew that her mother would be very persistent when she wanted to be.
. . . . .
September 2nd, 2021
"Yes, dad. I'm perfectly fine. No, you don't have to worry. I'll buy some more groceries tomorrow. I miss you, talk to you soon." Jon hung up his phone and went to boil himself a cup of noodles. Honestly, he knew that they were for broke college kids, but he actually enjoyed them. Sue him.
His flat was nice, small, but nice. It was also affordable. He wanted a single because he was often up late at night, editing photos and trying to stay awake with pots and pots of coffee. The few extra bucks were totally worth it.
Classes were challenging, but they were outrageously interesting. It was nice to get out of California and learn to photograph an entirely new environment. His computer was filled with thousands of RAW images that he had yet to edit.
He was happy.
. . . . .
September 8th, 2021
Jon threw his ring of keys into his pocket and wrapped his camera strap around his neck. Stuffing some extra batteries into his jacket pocket, he closed the door behind him and took the quick walk to the tube.
It was a perfect day. It wasn't gloomy and cloudy like the many days he had experienced in London. No, today was beautiful. The sun was shining, but there was a nice, brisk breeze. It was almost golden hour, when the shadows were soft and the lighting was even.
Jon made his way to Hyde Park, stopping to take some pictures as he went. Hyde Park was one of his favorite places to explore. It was massive and there was always things to be seen. The path he was on now was lined with towering street lights, lighting the path for bicyclists and pedestrians. Large trees stood side by side along the path, covering the walkway with their foliage. The leaves rustled together as if they were communicating. On benches facing the pathway, people chatted to pass the time. A young boy rode his scooter around his mother and an elderly couple swayed to the rhythm of the jazz music being performed by a street musician.
Jon clicked pictures here and clicked pictures there. He caught a boy as he just lifted off the ground to kick a soccer ball (football?). He had pictures of a group of performers who danced on the asphalt, encouraged by the laughter of the crowd. He even had a few photos of a dog that came up to him while he was lounging on a bench.
As the hours passed by and his battery started to drain, Jon took one last loop around the park. He followed the classical music coming from the amphitheater. Outside the venue, couples danced to the orchestral music and children laid out on towels.
Jon, with his remaining battery, followed the music until he was right outside the amphitheater. He came upon a sign that said BBC Proms in the Park. Now he knew why there was music this late at night. There were signs about the event posted all around campus, but Jon never got the chance to thoroughly read all of them. The grand finale of a two month classical music festival. What a night to stumble upon this.
He tried to take a few pictures of the orchestra, but his telephoto lens didn't expand that far. He decided to take pictures of the people he saw there: a girl with ice cream dripping down her chin, a father holding his son up above his head, a group of teenagers using each other as pillows, curled up under blankets and sweatshirts.
He turned to look towards the orchestra once more. Leaning against a tree, watching the performance, was a petite girl wearing high waisted, denim shorts, a white crop top and a flannel blowing in the wind. Her blonde hair was pulled off to the side, half up, half down. Jon couldn't see her face, but he needed to get a photograph. She seemed so natural, so at peace. Behind her were flashes of blue, pink and purple light from the stage. The beginnings of fireworks could be heard over the music. Bursts of sparks covered the sky as people looked up at them.
Jon brought the camera up to his face, looking through the viewfinder. As he did so, she followed others and looked to the the sky, turning her face just enough so he was able to see her face. He clicked.
It was her.
"Dany?" He questioned, tossing his camera around his shoulder and walking up to her. The girl turned around at her name, strands of her hair blowing in front of her face. She was the picture of beauty.
