Chapter 25

Maegara could scarcely remember the events of her wedding day, remembering only how Daemon was forced to leave her chamber early in the morning before her handmaids arrived and before Jason announced he would be dispensing with the bedding ceremony. Yet she could recall that throughout the grueling ceremony in Baelor's Sept to the festivities in the garden in the afternoon followed by the feast in the Great Hall, Princess Maegara Targaryen was the epitome of a princess who did her duty and accepted her fate with the expert grace only a true highborn lady could muster, acting demure and pleased to be married to a Lannister despite the rage and despair she was feeling on the inside.

But it was clear (as it always has been) that while Maegara could put on a mask of serenity, Daemon was not willing to falsify his emotions to satisfy the court, and, in Maegara's opinion, went out of his way to make the feast a very awkward affair.

Daemon was still fine in the morning, when the court of lords, ladies, and highborn knights were gathered at Baelor's Sept. Sansarya, who held—or rather, gripped—onto Maegara's hand during the litter ride to the sept, had the same training in the womanly arts as Maegara and wiped her tears and played the role of the blushing bride as she stepped out onto the stairs of the sept and waved at the common folk who had gathered down below to cheer for their future queen. The people still loved Maegara, yet she struggled to keep a serene smile on her face as some shouted for her to do to her Lannister husband the same things her own brother would have her do. She helped Sansarya with her long gown up the stairs and into the entrance to the sept, helping Lord Baelish with her maiden's cloak before going around the side of the sept to find her place in the front between the queen and Jason, who smiled wearily at her.

"I see the sept has yet to change the statue in the front." He leaned closer to her ear and whispered.

"Don't worry, I told them to erect a gold statue over Baelor's in your honor." She whispered quietly. "I gave the masons permission to melt all the gold in the Rock because there's not enough in King's Landing to cover your enormous ego."

Jason snorted and looked shocked, but both of them ended up quietly trying to contain their laughter. Maegara looked at Jason's face and noticed his smile die when he looked passed her, and when she turned to see what he was looking at, she saw Daemon staring at them, his lips tightly pressed together. He did not look angry, but neither did he play the role of the smiling groom as Sansarya was getting ready to walk down the aisle.

"Ignore him," Maegara whispered to Jason. "It's going to be quite a long day."

After Daemon placed the red and black cloak bearing their sigil on Sansarya's back and were declared by the High Septon to be husband and wife, Sansarya was crowned Princess Sansarya with a tiara that seemed too heavy and commanding for her delicate features, and Maegara made a mental note to lend her one of her crowns while they looked for a mason to replace the god-awful crown. The newlywed couple was to greet the commoners below while the rest of the court would return to the gardens at the Red Keep for the afternoon celebration.

Throughout the afternoon, the royal family sat on a long table on a dais in front of a circular space with circular tables scattered on the other end for the rest of the guests. Daemon and Sansarya sat in the middle, with the Targaryens on Daemon's left and the Baelish family, the King's Hand Lord Baelish and his children on the other end. Maegara noted that the fondness Daemon and Sansarya shared growing up was nowhere to be found, and while they spoke to each other, they did so in a way as if they did not know each other prior to the wedding. As the day wore on, Daemon became more and more liberal about the amount of wine he drank, which the king and queen seemed to notice as well and would caution him to be careful, and Maegara knew this well. It was one thing to be drunk and insulting in a private family dinner; it was another to be a drunk and insulting future king in front of the entire court.

After the performances were done and it was acceptable for everyone to stand and mingle, Maegara avoided Daemon and going near any secluded grove he could corner her in. Jason had a role to play, and, with his cousin Tyberius Lannister, fluttered between lords from the Westerlands, his allies in the Riverlands, and, briefly, with the Tyrells. He appeared to be calculating, ruthless, and controlling—the very image of every successful Lannister lord before his time. Those who underestimated him before were certainly paying attention to him. She knew not to stick to him in public, playing the role of a wife who disliked her husband yet quietly struggled not to show it in public perfectly by distancing herself from him whenever possible. But from time to time they would catch each other's eyes, and when he was certain no one was looking at him, would give her a secret smile that she replied with a smile of her own.

And finally in the evening, during the feast in the Great Hall, Daemon and Sansarya sat on a table located on a dais below the steps to the Iron Throne. Maegara, Jason, the king and queen, and House Baelish, sat at the table closest to the dais, and Maegara watched as Daemon scowled throughout his wedding, only beginning to smile after his fifth cup of Arbor gold.

Daemon was drunk before the second of ten courses, and because there was no discreet way their parents could do anything to stop him without humiliating the crown prince, and they were forced to watch him drink each pitcher of wine empty and Sansarya's weak attempts to stop him.

He was extremely moody, his mood brightening or souring at the slightest thing. Eventually, mirth turned to sullenness and then joy and excessively loud excitement for the bedding ceremony. He was serene for a moment, but when he became angry, it didn't seem like he would change anymore.

Anyone who caught his eye was subjected to a plethora of jokes on their behalf, and it worried the king and queen to the point that her father started coughing fits more often than she would like. She prayed to the Mother to bless the royal jester, who knew how to soften the blows of her brother's insulting tirade and turn his words into jokes that the court could laugh nervously over.

Daemon made a particularly insulting joke about the Starks, making her turn sharply to face him. She looked in his direction, and felt a pit in her stomach sink in when she saw his violet eyes stare back into hers.

"Maegara, sister," he said loudly, "This is possibly the first time I've seen you not wearing our colors. Pray that you're not becoming a traitor to your own family, I daresay."

She refused to be embarrassed. She felt Jason's hand slip into hers from under the table, and though she found the gesture endearing, was glad Jason knew how to be discreet; if Daemon saw him do this, it would only get worse. "Gods know I'm loyal to my family, brother." Maegara said loudly in reply. "But like any wife, I am also loyal to my husband's family. Good to see Sansa is just as becoming in our colors."

Sansa smiled nervously at her, and the court raised their cups to her. But Daemon smirked at her, and Maegara knew this was far from over.

"Yes, a wife must always be loyal to her husband." He said with a hint of irony. "Tell me, how are Thaddeus and Visenya? My…niece and nephew, is that what I am to call them? Very well. My niece and nephew. The little…cubs of the Rock."

You're making a big mistake, Daemon. Maegara thought. Please, for gods' sake, shut up. Pass out. Anything to keep you quiet. "They are well. I left them in the care of their wet nurses."

"How old are they?"

"About two months, almost three."

"And I heard they have their mother's Valyrian beauty in them?"

"The violet eyes, yes." Maegara answered politely. "Visenya reminds me so much of mother, you should see her."

"And the little Lannister heir?"

"The violet eyes, of course. But they're just two months, brother, it's much too soon to be nitpicking on my children."

The room laughed nervously, and Maegara hoped that would be the end of it. Daemon drank more wine, but he continued to look at her.

"That's odd…" Daemon thought out loud. "Did you say two months?"

She didn't like the sound of his voice. "Yes…"

"Don't babes stay in their mother's womb for nine months? And you've only been married to Jason for…what…eight months? And didn't you have the twins two months ago?"

Fuck. You. Maegara fumed inside. Daemon was smiling knowingly at her. Public sabotage? Really? How many Houses do you want destroyed?

Still, she refused to back down. "I carried the twins for six months, yes. There was a complication with carrying them, but the wet nurse says they'll be just fine." She gave him a smile in return. "It's nothing you or anyone else need concern yourself with."

The look on his face was clear: sober or drunk, he could never outwit his sister. "Ahh, I see." He said dismissively, reaching for his newly-filled cup. "Must be the Lannister's weak blood mixing with ours."

She glanced at Jason, who kept to his role and remained stony-faced. "Yes, the twins' father's seed must have been very weak." She muttered. Jason did not say anything, but he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

~0~

"You know I love you." Daemon said. The courses had ended and everyone was dancing, and Daemon had done his part leading Sansarya in the first dance. Sansarya began to lighten up as she was allowed to mingle with the guests. Maegara and her distant friends, Caterina Stark and Holly Hardyng, retreated to the upper balcony of the Great Hall to talk about their children and life as married women, with the two giving princess tips on raising children of her own, when Daemon came up and asked for a private word with his sister. Not wanting to refuse the future king, the two ladies bowed and left Maegara alone with him. When they were going down the stairs, Maegara merely turned to look at the edge of the balcony, watching the dancing below, ignoring Daemon as he spoke. When it was clear she would not look at him, he stood next to her and watched alongside her. "Sansarya will make a fine queen, I suppose."

Maegara breathed slowly. "You'd be wise to treat her properly, then. Gods know Lord Kenton's tense enough about the marriage as is, no need to make it worse for him."

"I'd never hurt Sansa." Daemon said.

"Funny, you said the same thing about me before and yet ever since my return it's like I always have to defend myself around you." Maegara snapped quietly, turning to him. "Do me a favor, Daemon, and don't talk to me when you're not sober."

Maegara turned away from him and headed back to the staircase. When she passed one of the large pillars in the balcony, she felt Daemon grab her hand and force her against the side of the pillar where no one below could see them.

"I love you, Marga. You don't understand how hard this is for me."

"You think I don't? It's just as hard for me accepting that there's nothing we can do about it anymore." She leaned forward to kiss him, and he immediately responded by kissing her back. They pulled each other closer, and Maegara chose to ignore the taste of wine on his lips, but she knew they couldn't risk it anymore and pushed him away. "I love you, Daemon, and you'll always have a place in my heart that Jason can never have. But ever since I've got here, you've never given me one reason to keep loving you even if it hurts me so much."

"Because I need you as much as you need me." Daemon said firmly. "Don't you see? I can't do this without you."

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to. You and I are married to other people, and I have a duty to stay in Casterly Rock."

Daemon remained silent for a moment. "Actually, you don't have to." He said quietly. "Not while I'm king…or rather, not while Sansa is queen."

"What do you mean?" Maegara asked suspiciously.

"I don't think father has much time left, and he, mother, and the Small Council knows it. Why do you think they're forcing me to understand the reigns of the crown so quickly? I doubt he'll last long enough to see the year end." Daemon explained. "And when I become King and Sansa my queen, I want you to stay in King's Landing and be Sansa's lady-in-waiting."

For a moment, Maegara thought it was a good idea. She'd have an excuse to be away from Casterly Rock, where Jason would stay, and she'd never have to leave her home. Sansarya would be queen, but Maegara would remain princess, and being a lady-in-waiting was one of the best positions in court after the queen herself. Jason couldn't complain about the honor the queen would bestow his wife with.

But then her quick-thinking made her see everything wrong with that plan.

"So you want me to be your whore?" Maegara hissed. "By day I tend to your wife, and by night I tend to you? Is that it?"

"Of course not. You're making it sound bad that way. You will be my closest confidant. I'd make you Hand of the King or a member of the Small Council if women were allowed those positions, but I can't. But I still need you to help me make the decisions."

"And what of Sansa? Your wife? Or have you forgotten about her?"

"Sansa knows about us, and I know she doesn't want me. She wouldn't mind having you in my bed. Besides…" Daemon paused. "Our marriage isn't binding if it's not consummated."

"I hope you're not planning on doing what I think you're planning." Maegara warned. "For the last fucking time, Daemon: I am legally, in the eyes of gods and men, wedded and bedded to Jason Lannister, and doing anything drastic to get rid of him has repercussions. Even if you set aside your marriage, upsetting the Great Houses and setting up more threats to our House, I can't do the same."

"Marga…"

"And second, what about Thaddeus and Visenya? Or have you forgotten about our children?" Maegara said angrily. "They're too young to travel and if I move here I will not leave them with a bunch of Lannisters."

"When the time comes and we can find a way to get rid of your husband as you see fit, we can have them sent here. We can also have more children of my own." He said carelessly. "Thanks to you, those twins of yours are apparently no longer my children and are of no concern to me."

Maegara had never felt so much hatred for her brother that she felt a strong twitch on her right hand and slapped him across the face. Daemon was visibly shocked by this, placing a hand over the side of his face. "I could have you imprisoned for laying a hand on me."

"I think I've laid more than a hand on you before, if I can recall." Maegara said icily. "And don't threaten me while you're not king yet, dear brother. Empty threats are most pathetic on someone who thinks they have a lot of power when they still don't. How dare you. You know why I had to pass them off as Jason's. Your lust for me and thirst for wine has clouded your judgement. Pray to the gods that that isn't true when they put that crown on your head. Gods know father won't give you the crown in your state, even if he doesn't have that much time. Tell Sansa to find a different lady."

She elbowed him away from her and tried to move, but he pushed her forcefully back onto the pillar. Her head hit the solid pillar with a loud crack, and she groaned in pain as he pressed against her body, one of his hands tightly gripping her jaw so she was looking at him.

"Is that a threat?" He growled, ignoring her whimpers as he pressed on. "Are you threatening to take the crown? You may be a lot of things, Marga, but you better not be a traitor to your own family, to your own brother—"

"Unhand her, ser."

Her father's voice quickly made Daemon release her. Her head was spinning, and she had to place a hand on the pillar's wall for support. The king looked at Daemon, and despite the fact he was dying, he appeared with a regally commanding air that made Daemon comply.

"What king dares harm a woman? Let alone his own sister." King Rhaelon reprimanded. "I'll not see you make the same mistake. Do you understand?"

"Yes father." Daemon said tightly. He turned to Maegara. "I apologize, Marga. It's the wine."

"Yes, I'm sure it was." Maegara said disbelievingly. She walked away from him. "Father, I think I shall be retiring to my chamber now."

"Are you certain?" King Rhaelon asked. "The feast is far from over—"

For once, she didn't care about her courtesies. "Yes, I'm certain. Goodnight, father. Please tell Jason I've gone to our chambers." She noticed her father was going to say something, but she was so angry and her head was throbbing so much that she went down the stairs and out of the Great Hall.

Maegara kept a straight face as she walked back. She wasn't going to cry. Part of her could never stop loving Daemon, no matter how low he could sink, because she could remember who he really was before all of this happened to them. But there was another part of her that believed that memory of him was only but a memory, and she did not like to think that way.

Maegara made it to her chambers in silence, nodding at the servants who bowed as she passed, though she did not stop. It was a tiring day and she just wanted it to be over. She suddenly remembered that her handmaids had seats of their own at the back of the Great Hall, and it was unlikely that they would be waiting for her in her chambers, and she'd need to get out of this dress on her own. Maegara knew it was not their fault, but was so irritated by her brother's drunken personality that she cursed under her breath that she'd have to struggle trying to get out of her dress.

She entered the room and gasped as she saw someone in her chamber, but Jason quickly turned around and smiled lightly at her.

"What brings you here so early?" Maegara asked. Jason was pouring himself a cup of wine when she entered and poured her a second one, handing it to her after she closed the door.

"I wasn't enjoying it anymore and went looking for you. I couldn't find you anywhere so I figured you were here. When I saw you weren't, I figured no one would be looking for me at the Great Hall so I thought I'd just turn in early." Jason answered, drinking from his cup. "What about you? I doubt the feast is over this early…wait, is that blood?"

Before Maegara could answer, Jason went to her and pulled her to sit down on a chair near a large mirror on the wall. While Jason was fiddling with her hair, Maegara glanced at the mirror and was horrified to see a blotch of blood visible along her golden-white hair. It was no bigger than a coin, but her pale hair in contrast to the dark red made it very visible.

"It's only a small cut, nothing serious." Jason observed. "What on earth were you…was it Daemon?"

Maegara was about to deny it, but then she realized, What's the point? She sighed. "Yes," she said, but added quickly, "but only because he was drunk. I'm sure he didn't mean to cause it."

"Whether he meant to or no is not my concern." Jason said tightly. "The fact that it is done means it was done. I'm sure he was also the cause of that cut on your face before that private dinner, so please don't deny it. Is the king and queen aware of what he does to you?"

There was a pitcher of water on the small dining table, and he took it and wet a small piece of cloth and wet it. "The king does now." Maegara said. "Daemon's going through a difficult time, with all the pressure that's bestowed on him. You wouldn't—ouch."

Jason placed the cloth over her cut, moving her hair aside so he was covering the scalp. "This will sting a bit. It's nothing serious but it's something your handmaids should see to in the morning. I grew up with a rather forceful brother, believe me, wounds like these are normal to me." Maegara watched from the mirror as Jason removed the blood from her hair. When he was done, he placed the cloth on the side and sat on the chair across hers. "Back to the topic. I don't agree. I may not understand, but are you sure enabling him at your expense is the right way to go?"

"This is my brother we're talking about. He's family, among other things, so yes, he's worth the effort." Maegara said, her tone leaving little room for argument.

Jason shrugged in defeat. "Wish I could say the same for mine—except for you, Thad, and Enya of course."

Maegara smiled. "Thank you, by the way, for helping me."

"Of course." He stood. "I suppose you'll need help getting out of that gown too."

"Yes, actually. Thank the gods you're here."

She stood up and turned away from Jason so he could undo the laces at the back of her gown. He did it slower than a regular handmaid, muttering under his breath that it would take less time to undo it with a knife. Finally, he got the laces undone and helped her out of her dress.

Maegara was tired, but when she turned and wordlessly kissed him in thanks and he kissed her back and placed a hand on her waist and pulled her closer, she didn't feel tired when they started kissing. His hand moved to her back, pulling her against him, and she felt her heart beat against his and it was so surprising and this feeling felt so new to her that she felt the room spin and forced herself to pull away from his kiss and took a step back.

"I'm sorry," Maegara said quickly when she saw Jason's reaction. "It's not about you, it's just that I'm just…really tired and…"

"You don't have to explain." Jason smiled. "We don't have to do anything tonight. We can go to bed if you'd like."

"You wouldn't mind?" Maegara asked.

"I won't force you to do something you don't want to." He said gently.

"Thank you." Maegara said.

Jason gently kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Anything for you. I'll get ready for bed. You go ahead."

Maegara went to the smaller room that had all her clothes. She rarely dressed herself in King's Landing, so she had trouble sorting through the fabrics and laces just to find one night gown. She got the first one she could find, a rather sheer one she rarely used, and was too dizzy to try to find another and put it on. As she dressed, she thought about Daemon.

Gods, please don't turn him mad, she thought. It was said that a Targaryen was either dangerously mad or wise beyond measure, and that the gods flipped a coin for every Targaryen born. She knew in her heart who Daemon was, someone she loved deeply, possibly even more than her own husband and parents, and hoped that the gods were not slowly turning the coin on him. For the kingdom and for me.

~0~

Maegara was sleeping when she heard the sound of creaking and felt a pair of soft hands at her feet. She stirred, but when she heard Jason's voice and the unsheathing of a steel sword, she quickly opened her eyes and sat up.

"Lord Serys?" Jason said hesitantly. Maegara saw the Master of Whispers standing in front of them with a torch. She covered up her thin nightgown with the sheets on her bed.

"I do apologize for barging in like this at this hour, my lord, Princess." Serys said softly. "But His Grace and the queen request their daughter's presence alone in His Grace's study—immediately."