The ties were black, the lies were white
and shades of grey in candle light.
I wanted to leave him,
I needed a reason
-Taylor Swift, "Getaway Car"
"It was announced this morning that Her Highness, Princess Daenerys, will embark on a month-long tour of the North. The Official Statement from the Red Palace states that the trip is meant to encourage friendly relations with our Northern neighbors despite our current estranged nature. Princess Daenerys will be accompanied by-"
Dany turned the TV off before the reporter could deliver the worst part of the news. She would get to leave King's Landing but every place she went would be a publicity event, filled with flashing cameras and nosy reporters. And worst of all, she would spend it with people she hardly knew.
The pounding in her head hadn't subsided all morning, even after she'd specially ordered eggs fried in bacon grease and a whole carafe of black coffee. She'd let her temperamental nature get the best of her last night. And then he'd gone and mentioned Daario.
No matter what she did, she still let Jon under her skin. Like the way he paused when she claimed he hated her. The memory was hazy but she knew she held her breath as she waited for his response.
Surprisingly, Rhaegar hadn't ordered a press conference about Dany's trip, leaving her free to do whatever she wanted until she and Elia had their movie night. They planned it last minute when they realized it would be their last one for a while.
There was one pressing matter she needed to take care of but she kept delaying it. She'd already wandered aimlessly through the palace and the gardens and found herself in the gallery, standing in front of the first official portrait of a Targaryen monarch.
King Aemon the Peaceful stared back at her with his oddly painted face. Before him, pictures of the monarchs were recorded in manuscripts by maesters and those were preserved at the Citadel. Commissioning an artist wasn't popular until his reign because he was the first to rule without a war.
Across from him was an artist's reimaging of Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya. The two sisters stood strong in their plate armor, staring off into the distance as Aegon held the ancient Valyrian steel broadsword "Dark Sister" in the air.
Dany felt for her phone in her back pocket. She wished she could be as strong as her ancestors, then again, she faced a very different kind of battle. Affairs of conquering could hardly be compared to affairs of the heart.
She wandered past more scenes of male rulers before stopping at her favorite. A gorgeous painting from the 1860s of Queen Erina, her pale pink gown stretching to the spectacular golden frame. She was never meant to be queen but her family died after a nasty illness spread through the palace while she attended finishing school in the Reach.
When Dany was a first-year in high school she auditioned for the school's play The Dragon Queen: A Tribute to Her Majesty Queen Erina. Though the title was unimaginative, Dany was cast as her ancestor. Students whispered that it was only for her looks but Dany knew she was a good actress. Wearing the replica dress while delivering a monologue about choosing her country over the life she knew was one of Dany's favorite memories.
Her theatre career was short-lived, however. After the performances, the Drama Club advisor suggested Dany switch to the Volunteerism Group. She knew it was her father getting involved again. He always said actors were untrustworthy and the last thing their dynasty needed was to look like a bunch of liars.
Although it was years ago, Dany felt the words from her script in a whole new way. She couldn't draw strength from Rhaenys and Visenya but she could find it with Erina.
"Oh, Dany, I'm glad I found you."
Elia approached, dressed for a day of private audiences. Her jade green pantsuit pressed and tailored to perfection.
"If you're here to talk to me about the marriage contract, I'm going to walk away," she warned.
"No, dear, I wanted to check on you. Am I not allowed to do that?"
She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave a little squeeze.
"When you found out you were going to have an arranged marriage what did you do?
"What do you mean?"
"How did you choose between him and the crown?" Dany sighed, leaning her head on Elia's shoulder.
She knew all about Elia's relationship with a Dornish actor, even though Elia liked to pretend it never happened.
"The Crown doesn't care that you have a personal life. When it picks you, it picks you, and you can't say no. And before you ask, I don't regret it and, no, it never really gets easier. But you've got me and Missy and Rheagar."
Dany rolled her eyes.
"I know it doesn't seem like it but, Dany, he wants what's best for you. We all do."
She didn't want to fight back like usual. She was too tired and hungover.
"I know why you asked me about him."
Elia put her hands on Dany's shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "I know it's tempting to hold onto the hope that maybe things will work out but you need to … tie up your loose ends. It will make the transition much easier once you've had time to move on."
An assistant popped their head through the doorway and said, "Your Majesty? You have five minutes."
She pressed a kiss to Dany's forehead and retreated, leaving Dany with the weight of her decision. She took one last look at Queen Erina and her mind was made up.
She found an empty common room in the family guest suites on the east end of the castle. Surrounded by the subdued grey hues meant to invoke the Stormlands, Dany found herself in the same position as four days ago. Her phone sat on the marble-topped coffee table, black screen mocking her.
When Dany realized she couldn't force the universe to do the work for her, she picked it up and dialed the number herself.
He didn't pick up until the third ring.
"Dany?" he breathed as if he didn't believe it could be her.
"Yeah, it's me."
"It's a relief to hear your voice. I- I'm so glad you called."
"I know."
"I tried knocking on your door but you didn't answer so I figured you needed space. It sounded like you were dealing with a lot."
So that was why he hadn't called. Her chest tightened and she leaned back against the grey velvet of the settee.
"I am."
"I take it things didn't go well with Rhaegar."
"He summoned me home. I'm not sure I'll ever see my apartment again."
"What do you mean?"
"Something came up but that's not the reason why I called. It's- well- Daario, it's about us."
"Dany, I told you. Let me come to King's Landing and meet your brother. He'll see that we make a perfect couple and-"
"Please, don't say that."
"Say what?"
"That we're a perfect couple."
"We are. We're young, attractive, rich..."
Dany took a deep breath and prepared herself to begin the small speech she'd stitched together on her walk to the common room.
"I really wanted to do this in person but my current circumstances won't allow for it."
"What are you-"
"I'm breaking up with you," she blurted.
The sound of his breathing on the other line unsettled her. She wanted to hang up right then and block his number but it was too immature and cowardly. I am the blood of the dragon and dragons fear nothing.
"Why?"
"For legal reasons, I can't tell you."
"You're lying."
Her grip on her phone tightened as she tried to stay polite but things were taking a messy turn, she could feel it.
"Everything will make sense soon, I promise."
"Why are you doing this?"
She opened her mouth to respond but he cut her off.
"Is Rhaegar making you do this?"
"Daario-"
"You can make decisions for yourself Dany."
"Not this time."
"Stop being so goddamn cryptic and tell me what's going on."
"You're not listening to me," she argued.
"You're not telling me anything worth listening to."
She took a deep breath, "We have to end this."
"Because this is honestly not working or because it's what the crown wants?"
Unable to ignore the tension in her body, she stood up to pace the room. She clenched and unclenched her fist, trying to redirect the need to punch something.
"I don't need this from you," she said.
"You know, I heard the rumors they said about you but I ignored them. I thought you were different-"
"I am!" she defended.
"-but you're just like they say. A cold-hearted bitch who throws away men when she gets tired of them."
Every instinct Dany knew failed her. Her mouth fell open and the tension in her limbs dissipated. It felt like every ounce of strength in her was focused on her throat, which grew tighter by the second.
He knew she hated that word, especially when it was directed at her.
"You don't mean that."
"Yes, Dany, I do."
"But- but you wanted to make this official. You wanted to meet my family."
"Well, I realized something. I realized that I have constantly made sacrifices for you. Leaving clubs separate and taking different cars and sneaking around and always waiting for you to call first. I made peace with the fact that I would always have to share you but I'm a fucking millionaire and that isn't good enough for you?"
"Do you think it didn't kill me either? You know why it had to be that way."
"It doesn't matter now because I'm just another destination on your long road of conquests."
"You were never just a fling. You meant more to me than anyone else."
Her eyes stung and she felt the familiar pinching in the bridge of her nose.
"I'm sure I did," he scoffed, "Why don't you tell that lie to your next victim when he inevitably falls in love with you."
Dany opened her mouth to respond but the beep of the call ending stopped her. She wanted to hurl her phone across the room and break every precious item around her. Instead, she sank to her knees, the upper half of her body resting against the seat of the sofa.
She was upset about Daario and his harsh words but something else in her broke and the tears didn't stop. They blazed down her cheeks as her chest heaved and her vision blurred.
She hadn't even cried that way when her father died. She'd calloused her heart by then and grew angry instead of letting people see her weep. Tears are only for children and the weak, she told herself, and I am neither.
Repeating those words did little to stop the sobs, they just hurt her more. Dany wasn't sure when she stopped crying over Daario but the tears still came, quieter now, as her mind moved through all of the events of the past week and beyond.
Her inevitable engagement, being ripped away from the life she desired and thrown back into the one she detested, the loss of what little freedom she had from the crown. Even her graduation, which was only a few weeks ago. It had just been Ser Jorah and Daario in the audience to cheer when her name was called. Rhaegar and Elia were too busy with preparations for the Charity Gala and planning to marry her off.
"Oh, I'm sorry," a startled voice said from the doorway.
Dany looked up to see Princess Sansa standing there.
"I was looking for Elia, she offered to give me a tour of the palace."
Dany hiccuped, "She's in private audiences."
Her throat was raw, the sensation alien, like her body wasn't her own.
"Oh. Again, I'm really sorry for interrupting you."
"Interrupting what?" Dany chuckled as she stood up.
"That seemed like a really private moment."
She wasn't sure how long Sansa had been at the door but she might have heard Dany's outbursts.
"It's fine," Dany dismissed as she wiped under her eyes, her handshaking.
She knew she looked a mess. Puffy eyes and red nose and there was no way her mascara wasn't smudged.
"Did you still want a tour?"
"Are you sure? I could always wait for-"
"I could really use the distraction."
Sansa pressed her lips together before offering a terse nod. Dany attempted a smile before leading her guest down the hallway.
Over the course of the tour, Sansa let her icy facade melt away. She became a physically warmer person. Dany got her talking about school and her choices of universities. She was set to graduate in the coming year and had her eyes on the University of Braavos, but she knew her dad would insist on Barrowton or White Harbor. Then music and pop culture, which led to a brief conversation about Dany's coarse relationship with the tabloids.
"Was the photo really a fake?"
There wasn't an ounce of timidness in her voice. Dany appreciated that.
"Yes. The whole thing was doctored. Just another display of how the press profits on the downfall of powerful women."
"I know the North and the South aren't close but I grew up with stories of the Targaryens. That they're ambitious and powerful and scary and rode on the backs of dragons. I won't lie, I thought you were like them. But you're nothing like that."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Dany warned.
They turned a corner and headed down the main staircase.
"Your governess forgot to tell you that we're cunning and calculated as well. There are rumors that my ancestors poisoned their brothers and sisters, bribed high lords and priests and common folk alike to sit their arses on the throne. The monarchy survives by adapting to the world around it, that's what my father would say. But Targaryens survive by changing the game."
A pair of ladies passed them, gracefully bowing their heads in respect, whispered "Your Highnesses" echoing in the hall.
"Ladies Sara and Meire Merryweather of Longtable. They've been at court for as long as I can remember. Lady Sara is Elia's biggest critic after the general public but she's just jealous she's not one of Elia's ladies. Lady Meire is her daughter she treats like an object. She brought her here in hopes that she would befriend me and I would keep her in my circle. It's a shame I don't keep friends in court. Meire's almost been married three times but her mother keeps breaking it up so she can't leave."
"I see why you went to a different continent for university."
"Court seems beautiful and perfect from the outside because Elia works hard to make it that way. Without her, this place would look as ugly as it really is."
A door in the hall opened and Elia strode through it, her public appearance smile still stretched across her face.
"Speak of the Stranger," Dany called, waving to her sister-in-law.
"What are you two doing here?" she asked when she reached them.
"I bumped into Her Highness while looking for you. And since you were busy, she gave me a tour of the palace," Sansa answered.
"I'm glad to see you two getting along so well," Elia stated as she waved to another member of the court as they passed.
When the lord was gone and the hall was empty Elia's face fell and she tore off her blazer. After tossing it to her assistant, she began massaging her cheeks.
"I can't tell you how much that smile hurts," she grumbled through her moving face, "Now, we have a movie night to get to."
"Movie night?"
"Elia and I have a tradition of movie nights and we planned one last minute since I'm leaving. We just sit around, have popcorn and wine, and watch sappy romance movies until we cry."
"That sounds fun," Sansa commented.
Dany considered the red-headed girl beside her, "You're more than welcome to join us."
Sansa blinked, "Are you sure? You just said it was a tradition, I'd hate to impose."
"I would be honored if you came along. We are going to be sisters soon." Dany stated as she looped her arm through Sansa's.
The comment slipped past her without a second thought and caught Dany off guard. She stopped dead in her tracks. The Northern Princess let out a snort and the three of them dissolved into giggles. Their laughter echoed through the halls as they journeyed to the in-palace movie theatre.
Movie nights were always a huge to-do and while informal, there was still a sense of showiness to them. Gourmet popcorn and the perfect wine pairings, cashmere blankets and themed decorations. The staff did an amazing job of turning their last-minute plans into a gorgeous going away party, complete with swag bags.
"This is a little extra for me, don't you think?" Dany asked from her seat between Elia and Missandei.
Elia, dressed in a designer pajama set and wrapped in her cashmere blanket, frowned with mock offense. "I'll have you know that this isn't just for you. It's for Missy and Sansa, who I'm very grateful to have met and will miss very much."
They were halfway through their second movie when Rhaenys propped her chin on the back of Dany's seat and asked, "Auntie Dee, are you sure you have to leave?"
"I'm afraid I don't have much of a choice," she sighed, smiling sweetly at her niece.
The frown on her face was adorable but it hurt Dany's heart.
"Where are you going?" Aegon demanded as he crawled onto his mother's lap.
"On a great adventure to Princess Sansa's homeland."
"And if all goes well, you'll get to go there too," Elia encouraged, giving her son's shoulders a squeeze.
"Dany, I forgot to tell you the news!" Missy blurted from her spot next to her, eyes shining.
"What?"
"I got the internship with Galazza Galare! I'm leaving tomorrow for Naath so I can spend some time at home before I transfer to Meereen."
Dany's stomach fell. She was going North alone.
"Missy, that's fantastic!"
She wasn't going to let her selfishness get in the way of her happiness for her best friend. No matter how much it hurt having to let her go.
"I'll come back in time for your wedding, of course. Both of them."
"I wouldn't be upset if you missed them. Galazza is great and you're going to have the best career a girl could wish for."
Along with her sunken stomach, Dany felt her chest growing tight. She always knew that her best friend would move on and have a career while Dany was held back. But everything felt like it was moving so fast.
The end of the movie was upon them and when the lovers were saying goodbye, Dany couldn't hold back her tears. Her heart was still raw and bleeding and the movie did nothing but stomp on it. Missy's hand found her's under their blankets and Elia secured her other one. Dany wasn't ready for tomorrow, that much was clear.
