Her heart pounds in her chest as she heaves. The morning dawns beautiful but all Lysei can think about is that the day has come.
No maids attend her today. She is in a small a long sleeved shirt and leggings cover her legs. Over it comes a light dress which gives the impression of being normal, but when she moves, splits appear, up to her middle, allowing her movement to fight.
Rhaenys stands next to her and brushes her hair, turning it into a long braid clasped with silver rings. Vysenya is harsher, pulling the chainmail beneath dress, and then pulling her armour over her chest, binding it tight and puing armoured boots and armour up her legs. The clanking of metal resounds, as Vysenya continues, hand sure and severe, as she puts everything into place. Once ready with her hair, Rhaenys takes hold of a brooch and pins a golden brooch with the Targaryensymbol on the top of her braid.
She darkens Lysei's eyes with light powder on Lysei's yes and darkens her lashes with black. Her mouth she paints with glossy pink paints.
Lysei looks eerily like a queen going to battle.
The brownhaired queen sighs again, and then Vysenya is in front of her, clasping the last of her armour in place. Then she bringsforward a sword, a white blade and light silver handle and presents it to her. " A gift from Aegon." Lysei clears her throat and nods.
She walks out, armour clinking, followed by her two queens. She can hear the cheer of the crowd as they approach and soon enough they are outside.
" Strength, Lysei, strength." Rhaenys whispers and squeezes her arm. Vysenya nods and squeezes her hand.
The gates open and beneath the roar of the crowd she steps insid the arena.
" Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to to witness a tournament of queen Lysei Aegys and Lady Esena." The crowd roars at the man's voice . " As agreed, the contestants will start with dance."
" Lady Esena, you first." Of course she had to choose the same dance as Lysei. And the worse thing is that Esena is good at it. When the music starts and Lysei's turn is up, she can hear the whispers already. She can see Rhaenys's eyes in a worried frown, as she tries to remember the steps but she has not been trained to dance for years and so the judges judge it a win for Esena.
The young woman smirks at Lysei but she bows, panick rising in her heart.
-" Then for now, with a first trial won by Esena, we will pass onto horseriding. This is of course a race that you have to win. Ladies, to your horses."
" She is going to win." Lysei hisses as Rhaenys helps her up the horse.
" Focus!" Vysenya snaps. " Two trials, if you loose this one, will not make her a winner yet, you have other trials to win. We calculated horseracing as beign a loss. You are not properly trained yet."
" What a little bitch." Rhaenys hisses.
- " She is going to win this!" Lysei says. Vysenya's face is hard. " shecplayed the ruels to her favour, but so can you. You have a dicipline to choose, which one? "
Lysei sighs. " I'll think about it."
As expected the horseracing does not play in favour of Lysei and so she and hs finds herself on the ground, guards helping her up from the sand.
The referee clears his troat. The stand is actually...two wins for lady Esena and not yet for Queen Lysei. Your highness, as agreed you are allowed to choose a discipline as well."
- "Poetry!" Lysei yells. Esena smirks at this.
" As custom, the one issuing the challenge is allowed to go first."
Esena nods her head. " I shall recite the poem of the story of Westeros." It is a long story, and difficult to learn by heart. Only few have been able to and as the words sprout from Esena's lips,without fault, without any thing forgotten, tshe sees a gleem of victory in Esena's eyes.
Vysenya's eyes are narrowed, Aegon is stiff in his seat and Rhaenys's face is worried, so worried she looks constipated.
Then it's Lysei's turn. The brownhaired Targaryen looks up and clears her throat.
" I will recite the story of old Westeros as well...in Old Valyrian."
Murmurs go through the crowd but Lysei doesn't care. She turns to the judges and then searches the words before speaking.
The sounds are foreign on her tongue, and she can see Aegon's brow up and a smile in his eyes, Rhaenys mouth open and Vysenya looks mildly confused. In the corner of her eyes she can see the Maester who taught her positively preening with pride as she recites the poem in perfect speed and ton without any fault.
Of course she has a slight accent for it is not her naitve language, but she speaks clearly and articulates and when she finishes, the crowd claps and cheer.
Esena is looking in disbelief and slightly upset.
" We have a winner!" The announcer speaks. " Queen Lysei wins the poetry-challenge."
A thundeirng cheer resounds from the crowd as Lysei's shoulders sag and she walks forward, bows and then leaves the arena.
She is in a makeshift tent, nearly halfnaked, when Vysenya and Rhaenys arrive. A blush spreads across her cheeks but Vysenya's nor Rhaenys's vision stray.
Lysei stands near them and quickly pulls on a loose blouse and leggings and then steps into kneelength boots.
The next contest is swordfighting and though Rhaenys is preening for her victory, Vysenya is silent and stern.
" Turn." She commands and then starts to comb the long brown hair on Lysei's head, combs it so tight until it is in a ponytail on the middle of her head. Then Vysenya twists the strands till her head feels tight and the strands are clipped to the back of her head.
Vysenya's face is still stern and severe and then she takes hold of the armour that has been made for Lysei, and her movements are sudden as she helps the brown haired queen into her amrour, pulling and twisting the metal left and right.
" Focus on the battle. Concentrate on only your enemy. Remember what i taught you. Don't underestimate your enemy and remember, believe in yourself."
Then she hands the sword andhhsield and watches Lysei walk out of the tent to the arena.