Warnings: Language, sexism, mention of sex, and talk of underage marriage. The author's notes can be found at the end of the chapter.
"It's too hot," Wyllem complained as he scratched his neck from underneath the color of his tunic.
"Dyanne!" Mychal whined. "Wyllem is standing too close to me. Make him move." Dyanne sighed and without having to say anything, she and I acted in tandem. Dyanne stepped away from left to stand between the two young boys. I began to fan Wyllem using a fan that I had found in one of the drawers of my nightstand earlier that morning. Wyllem looked up to me and smiled.
"Thank you, sister!" I returned his smile and turned to face the courtyard, where I would soon be meeting my "parents" - the Lord and Lady of House Tyrell.
"I cannot wait to see Mother," Mychal said, now feeling relieved to not be standing so close to his younger brother. "I have missed her so much."
Dyanne nodded her head in agreement. "We all share your feelings, dear brother. It has been far too long since we have seen her."
I looked down to see Wyllem bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation as Dyanne spoke more of their mother. The two boys were filled with unbridled anticipation, whereas I nervously anticipated their arrival. I wondered if they looked anything like my real parents, but most of all I was concerned with how they would be. From what I remember of having watched Game of Thrones, not many parents, especially fathers, were up for the "father of the year award." I could only hope that Lord Tyrell wasn't a tyrant.
After the servant had delivered the letter announcing the arrival of Lord and Lady Tyrell, Dyanne asked me what I did and didn't remember. I kept my story simple, telling her that I didn't know who I was. I had wanted to tell her that I was from another universe, but a sense of unease had settled into my stomach, causing me to keep my mouth shut about that particular detail. Looking back, I know it was smart to keep quiet about how much I really knew, because it would just complicate things more and for now, all that mattered was acting like Aryanne so as to not raise any more suspicion. Maybe I was being tested and the only way that I would wake from this nightmare is if I could convince everyone around me that I was Aryanne, with a side of amnesia.
"They're here!" Mychal proclaimed. Wyllem jumped up to get a better view of the brown carriage that was pulling in through the flower-covered gates.
My free hand clenched around the light blue skirts of my dress as I felt my heart beat aggressively against my chest. I was either going to meet people that would make my situation here easier, or much worse than it already was.
The carriage came to a full stop a few feet away from where we stood and I stopped fanning Wyllem. Holding my breath in anticipation, I watched as the carriage driver got off the carriage to open its door. The first one to step out was my "father," Lord Rygel Tyrell. It was clear to see from Lord Tyrell's appearance that Dyanne and Mychal took after him. They both had curly dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Thankfully, he did not share much resemblance with my father, except for his eyes.
Lord Tyrell held out his hand, and my "mother," Lady Serena Tyrell, stepped out of the carriage. I nearly took a step back in surprise as I took in her appearance. She bore a strong resemblance to my maternal grandmother when she was young. Her hair was dark, much darker than mine, and fell into waves down her back. Her eyes were darker than mine, but like me her face was soft. Her eyes shined as she smiled at us. The boys ran to her, enveloping her in their arms. She laughed in delight and wrapped her arms around her boys. I swallowed my discomfort and gave my "parents" a tight smile.
"It's good to see you, boys. Will you not come, girls?" Lady Tyrell asked, addressing us.
Dyanne was the first to move, and I dutifully followed after her, making sure to copy her mannerisms. I wasn't sure if there was a special way for me to greet my Westerosi parents so I let her take the lead. Dyanne laughed and hugged our "mother" tightly. After their hug, Lady Tyrell turned to face me with a soft smile on her lips. "My sweet Aryanne. I have missed you."
I could feel my body wanting to tense, but I buried that urge deep within me. Hugging strangers wasn't my thing, but the consequences of not hugging her would be worse, so I took a subtle deep breath and wrapped my arms around my "mother."
"My dear, it has been too long since we have been together," Lady Tyrell softly spoke within our embrace.
"I'm glad that you safely arrived," I replied. We pulled away from each other, Lady Tyrell's kind smile still on her face.
I turned to see Mychal and Wyllem talking to Lord Tyrell, telling him about the new things that they had learned since he had been gone. I was surprised to see that his gaze was clearly focused on the story that they were sharing with him.
"We should allow our parents to settle in and we can speak more with them during supper," Dyanne said in an attempt to pull the boys away from their exhausted looking father. Lord Tyrell grimaced and ushered the boys to follow their sister.
"We can speak more later. For now, let us rest from our travels," Lord Tyrell said, taking his wife's hand in his.
The two young boys grumbled about the decision, but were soon distracted by the luggage that the servants were bringing into the castle.
"Shall we continue with our work, Aryanne?" Dyanne asked. By "work" she meant helping me study the social customs of Westeros, but to outside ears sounded like we would be working on some sewing project or needlepoint.
I eagerly nodded my head and followed her inside. "Yes, let's do that."
Once we were alone in the hallway, Dyanne reviewed what would happen tonight during our first family meal with our parents since they had left Highgarden. I held my hands in a tight grip as Dyanne explained how dinners typically were with the whole family and how she expected this one to differ from the rest. So far meals with my siblings have been very casual and tonight's meal would be the first opportunity that the Lord and Lady Tyrell would have to truly inspect each of their children.
In the time between having received the raven announcing our parents' arrival to today, Dyanne had been working with me to "find myself." Upon finding out the extent of my "forgetfulness," she had said that there was too much to learn to be like Aryanne had been, so the best that could be done was for me to at least learn the basics.
Today's lesson with Dyanne consisted of going over the responsibilities that people of varying social status had to keep up with. We began with squires, then knights, and by the time we started discussing the roles of the nobility, we were interrupted by a servant.
"My ladies, your parents, the Lord and Lady Tyrell, request your presence for supper," the boy had stiffly said. For a moment I felt proud of myself for recognizing that the servant was an errand boy, just based off of the clothes that he was wearing, but that pride was soon squashed with dread. I couldn't even properly address the boy as I felt guilt over watching someone so young being subject to the cruelties of Westeros. It didn't feel right to view this boy as less than me just because of the work he did. From these lessons, I quickly caught on that a person's occupation was a result of the family that they were born into and that there was no changing what you were meant to do. You were either born rich, or born poor. Then you would die as you were born. But the biggest takeaway from my lessons was that if you weren't nobility, you were seen and treated as garbage.
"Thank you, Henrie. We will take our leave," Dyanne demurely responded. I took note of her posture, the placement of her hands folded on her lap, and her gaze that held kind authority. It was clear to see that although she spoke to the boy as was expected of her, she wasn't prideful or cruel.
The boy bowed, wishing us a good evening and left.
"Let us make haste," Dyanne said. I nodded my head, and followed her lead.
Just like the many times that I walked with Dyanne, I took the time to study how she walked and made sure to copy her posture and movements. This was the one thing that I had excelled in and Dyanne would often praise me for holding myself as a lady should. There were certainly times where I forgot to reign in the physical manifestations of my anxious quirks, but I was getting better. Even if I didn't know much, at the very least I could present myself as I should.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the dining room, the guards stationed at the door opened the doors. With the synchronous nod of our heads in thanks, we entered the dining area. The dining room was lit with many candles that were placed along the walls and dining table. The chandelier hung above the dining table that was usually minimally lit was lit more so than usual. The set up would have felt impressive, if upon our entrance a deafening silence had not befallen the Lord and Lady Tyrell. From my peripheral vision I saw a barely perceptible tenseness in Dyanne's shoulders and I knew that I wasn't the only one sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere. Even Mychal and Wyllem suddenly fell silent, which was not like them. Well, shit. I'm not sure that any amount of posturing is gonna get me through this .
To her credit, Lady Tyrell genuinely smiled and gestured to the empty seats next to her and Mychal. "Come, girls. Sit and let us enjoy this meal together." Dyanne immediately went to sit by Lady Tyrell and I took the seat by Mychal. Upon sitting down I shared a smile with him, which he returned with a toothy grin.
Lordy Tyrell only allowed for a few minutes of silence as we filled our plates with food, before he spoke his mind.
"A new era is to begin as the prince comes of age for marriage. Although no official announcement has been made, there is little speculation as to who the prince will wed. As such, the King and Queen have requested that all houses of Westeros present a suitable candidate within their families to be a potential companion to the princess," Lord Tyrell said.
I didn't have to be a genius to know that that meant that Lord Tyrell would have to choose someone within house Tyrell to be Marcella's companion-friend. This then made me wonder who in House Tyrell would be chosen. Lord Tyrell could choose Dyanne or me, or he could choose one of his nieces. From what I had read of the Tyrell family tree in the library, Lord Tyrell had two nieces, but one of them was younger than Wyllem and the other was older than Dyanne by a few years.
"Perhaps we should not discuss this now, Dear," Lady Tyrell said, placing her hand on her husband's arm. "Let the children eat first and then we shall discuss."
I wanted to chime in in favor of Lady Tyrell's suggestion, but was beaten to the punch by Dyanne's curiosity.
"Have you chosen who will go?" Dyanne asked. Lady Tyrell sighed, and removed her hand from her husband's arm. From the hardset look on my "parents" faces, it was clear that they had made their decision and would not be talked out of it.
"Aryanne will go," Lord Tyrell stated, leaving no room for anyone to complain or to speak up in defiance. But of course, I did not care what Lord Tyrell wanted. I wasn't stupid, I knew that I had no power here, but I still wasn't going to do things lying face down. I hadn't been in Westeros long and the thought of leaving the safety of Highgarden made me want to vomit. I didn't belong here and the thought of trying to pretend to belong elsewhere so soon after arriving here was terrifying.
"You're shipping me off to Dorne?" I asked, panic laced in my voice.
Lady Tyrell tilted her head to the side and gave me a confused look. "What do you mean, Dear? Princess Helaena is in King's Landing, not Dorne."
If I hadn't been taken so off guard by Lord Tyrell's announcement about sacrificing me to the royal family of Westeros, I would have kept my mouth shut to think of a way out of my mistake, but the ideal hardly ever lines up with reality. Instead, I uttered the smartest phrase that my brain could conjure.
"Princess Helaena?"
"Yes, Dear. Princess Helaena Targaryen," Lady Tyrell slowly answered. "Have you not been keeping with your studies, Aryanne?"
"Aryanne is just confused, Mother," Dyanne interjected, putting a hand on my shoulder. Thank the gods for her intervention. "A few weeks ago she was taking a stroll through the gardens and fell into one of the fountains, hitting her head."
Lord Tyrell gave me the nastiest glare that I had ever received. Dyanne might as well have said that I had committed some crime fitting to this nightmare of a place, like having pre-marital sex or the audacity to have an opinion. "She fell?" He asked, as if Dyanne's explanation did nothing to explain my confusion.
"Her mind has some truths mixed up, Father," she continued to say with no hint at appearing meek or submissive in front of Lord Tyrell. "The maesters have made sure that she is relearning what is necessary and Aryanne has been doing a good job of filling in the gaps of her knowledge." Which had mostly been true. After my mostly honest confession, she had taken to helping me "relearn" how to be a lady of my station. I still sucked at acting like Aryanne of House Tyrell, but at least I had someone to correct me if I was doing or saying something wrong.
Lord Tyrell looked like he wanted to argue further, but Lady Tyrell cut him off before he could say what was on his mind. "We heard that she had been hurt, but we were not told that her condition was this serious. Are you alright?" She asked, turning to me.
I took a moment to respond. The shock of knowing that I was actually living within the Targaryen dynasty had not yet worn off and I doubt that it would wear off any time soon. All this time I had thought that I was fantasizing about being in Westeros during Joffrey Baratheon's reign, but I was instead in a time where that was not the case. My knowledge of the history of Westeros was pretty sparse, but there was one thing that I knew by the mere mention of Helaena's last name. I was in a time in which Westeros was controlled by the Targaryens and their dragons. I internally shook myself out of working through this revelation and quickly thought up the most appropriate response.
"I'm doing better, Mother. As Dyanne said, the maesters have me read more so that I may fill the gaps in my knowledge. I was not hurt in a significant or lasting manner," I finally said. I had to admit, my reply was pretty good for someone who had no idea what they were doing.
Lord Tyrell's glare slightly softened at my assurance, but the lines on his forehead were still creased. I couldn't tell if he was upset because I had been hurt or because of my obvious lack of awareness.
"In the meantime," Lady Tyrell began to say. "While Aryanne is in King's Landing, we will work to create a good match for Dyanne. I know you might feel it is too soon, Dear, but we cannot wait any longer; you are eight and ten and time is of the utmost importance. What happened to that boy was terrible, but you need to be taken care of. We must continue to create strong alliances so that Highgarden can maintain its seat among the great houses of Westeros."
Dyanne nodded her head, her eyes downcast, as if she was reliving difficult memories. It felt weird to hear talk about marriage for an eighteen year old, and an arranged marriage at that, but it wasn't surprising. After all, this was Westeros and it seemed to be fairly common for girls to marry young in this backwards place.
I took note of the boy that Lady Tyrell had subtly mentioned and made a note to ask Dyanne about it later. Was she grieving the loss of a lover?
Dinner had continued without any talk of King's Landing, but things still felt tense as Lady Tyrell entertained Mychal and Wyllem's stories. Although I wanted to join in on the laughter and levity that the boys brought, my mind kept me occupied with thoughts of being sent away to fend on my own in a place that would feel more foreign than Highgarden. I had watched enough tv shows and movies to know that the court in which a king and queen resided was never a safe place for a person who had no idea what they were doing.
Soon enough, dinner had come to an end and everyone went their separate ways. My heart beat wildly against my chest as I numbly walked back to my room. With each passing minute, the reality of my situation was becoming clearer.
My hands shook as I sat at my vanity and removed the pins in my hair. There was no way I was going to survive in a place like King's Landing. I had watched enough of Game of Thrones to know that nothing good came from that place. Plus, if my high school history classes taught me anything, it was that royals were often cruel and strange.
My thoughts ran at a hundred miles an hour, making it so that I did not hear the knocking at my door, nor my name being called out. I didn't even hear when my door had been opened, nor the footsteps of Dyanne as she approached me.
"Aryanne," she softly called out as not to startle me. I saw her reflection in my mirror, and quickly turned around.
"Don't let them send me there, Dyanne. I can barely keep it together here. I'm not gonna make it there," I pleaded with her. She walked to me and kneeled, taking her hands into mine.
Dyanne looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes reflecting the sadness she felt for me. "You must accept the King and Queen's invitation, Aryanne," she began to say. "You are going to go to King's Landing and you are going to keep Princess Helaena company. You are going to build a life for yourself." Tears fell freely from my eyes and Dyanne took me in her arms, stroking my hair. I was not sure how long we sat there as I cried into her shoulder. To Dyanne it may have seemed that I was crying because of the situation that "my parents" had put me in, but I could sense that the tears were also a result of despair I felt from being away from my true home. I missed technology, I missed wearing shorts and pants, I missed my cousin, and I missed my life.
"I can't do this," I admitted, pulling away from Dyanne's embrace. My eyes hurt from all the tears that I had cried, but thankfully, there were no more tears left to shed.
"You can do this. I will make sure that you are ready for this," she said, resolutely. "Think of this as an opportunity to learn how to find a husband. Our parents will be expecting you to expand your prospects. Ladies wed as young as three and ten. Our parents have afforded you time to grow, but now you are six and ten, the prime age for taking a husband." Just as I was about to interrupt with indignation, she shot me a look to let her finish. "That is how things are done here. We wed young to bear children and so serve as ladies to our husbands and their houses; that is how we thrive and survive. You must do the same, Aryanne, no matter your thoughts on the matter. To survive this game, it must be done this way."
My shoulders sagged, but I made no further attempt to agree with her. There was no way that I was going to marry just to become a baby-making vessel. I had no intention of staying here long enough to let that happen and if marriage was forced on me, I'd escape.
"May I ask you a question?" She carefully asked, as if she was worried about my reaction or response to her question. She stood up and I followed suit.
"You may," I responded. Dyanne grimaced, acknowledging that my response was the correct one to give as a lady of my station.
"Why did you think that our parents were going to send you to Dorne?"
My heart seemed to freeze as I frantically thought of how I should respond. On the one hand, I desperately wanted to tell Dyanne the truth, but on the other hand, there was a risk that I could cause more trouble for myself if I spoke of a time that hadn't happened. It was already bad enough that I was a very foreign entity in a brutal land, but if I wasn't careful, I would make things worse for myself. I had to survive Westeros until I woke up from this nightmare.
"I just thought that there was a princess in Dorne," I said lamely, in a poor attempt to cover my previous blunder. I knew Dyanne knew that what I was saying wasn't the truth, by the way she pursed her lips and nodded her head. She deserved better than a lie from me, she had been kind to me despite acting like a crazy person, but at the same time, I couldn't risk causing further damage. Sure, none of this was real, but that didn't take away from the fact that I would have to deal with the consequences of my actions until I could leave this hellscape.
"There is much that you do not say, Aryanne. I have spent many a night pondering over what you do not share, but knowing what it is you hide does not change your situation."
Dyanne stood up and I could see the formation of a plan brewing behind her blue eyes.
"We must prepare you for your stay in King's Landing. It is clear to see that you have no recollection of the royal families or of the great Houses. I will go to our father's study to collect the necessary materials and you will study them until your departure from Highgarden in two weeks' time," she said with sudden determination.
"Shouldn't we continue with social customs?" I asked, standing up from my seat.
Dyanne dismissively waved her hand. "Your knowledge of social customs will not matter if you do not know who you are addressing, Aryanne."
I hated to admit it, but she was right. I needed to prepare for King's Landing and the only way was to study my ass off.
In the following two weeks, I exhausted my mind studying the great Houses of Westeros and its ruling family, the Targaryens. To make sure that I wouldn't get myself thrown in prison for forgetting who was who, Dyanne would test me every night to make sure that I was retaining my newfound knowledge. I was doing good with greeting people properly, but my reactions were always delayed and Dyanne often made comments on my strange manner of speech. As we had our lessons, Dyanne would have us embroider because as she said "You need work on your hobbies, Aryanne. Contrary to popular belief, ladies do not sit around doing nothing."
My brain was overwhelmed with all of the information that I had to take in and although the constant barrage of information was killing me, it was a much needed distraction from the one thing the two questions that constantly plagued me. How did I get here? And how was I going to get out?
A/N: Thank you for reading chapter 4! Things are finally kicking into gear with this story and in the next chapter we will finally meet the royal family. I'm sorry that it's taken me a while to update. I'm currently working through my 2nd semester of grad school and I have a class that is sucking away at my soul. Things haven't really let up for that class, but I am trying to push against the exhaustion and exasperation. Today was the first time in a long time where my hobbies don't feel like a burden or like one more thing to mark off my checklist. On the bright side, this is the longest chapter so far in this fic so I hope that helps make up for my absence.
Thank you all for being patient with me! If you want to get updates on how the chapters are coming along or wanna talk about the fic, the best way to reach me is on Tumblr under the username mytenthsideblog. As always, if you liked this chapter, please leave a review. If you are new here, feel free to fave and/ or the story. Thank you for your support!