WHEN ELAENYA SAW HERSELF IN THE MIRROR, HER FACE SCRUNCHED IN DISGUST.

She looked hideous, the dress she wore was too large for her and her hair was a mess. The celebration was announced at such a short time that she barely had a morning to prepare. Not only did she have to deal with the worries of looking presentable, but also about the conversation she would have to spur up with different people, in order to appear sociable. This added the cherry on the top.

"I look bed ridden" Elaenya commented.

"You look just fine. Stop worrying so much" Ashara assured, while she tucked the remaining silver stray locks in her braid.

To Elaenya, the Dornishwoman looked majestic. She had a violet dress on which complimented her beautiful eyes and unlike her Ashara carried elegance with her. Elaenya wanted envy the girl, but her heart was too pure for such negative emotions.

"How many people, do you think will come?" the princess asked turning to the hand maiden.

"I do not know. A handful, perhaps. Considering that it is an invitation from the prince and not the king himself " Elaenya sighed in relief. She didn't want to meet a horde of people in one night. It would be extremely stressful for her.

When Ashara had finished the braid, she hung it on Elaenya's shoulder. The Targaryen swore that it was one of the most beautifully made braids she'd ever seen. She thanked Ashara who let out a sweet laugh, warming the princess' heart, and with all her courage, Elaenya Targaryen walked towards the great hall as her dress of red velvet swayed behind her. Even in the dimmest light she stood out, and Ashara felt proud of her handiwork.

The princess on the other hand was terrified of what awaited her beyond those doors and things didnt get better when the guards pushed it open, she felt dizzy at the sight infront of her eyes.

Rhaegar seemed to have invited the whole of seven kingdoms.

Elaenya slowly turned around, hoping to be greeted by Ashara's charming face but to her dismay the girl had ran off somewhere.

The princess took a deep breath and started to scan the crowd for familiar faces.She duly noted that neither her father nor her mother were present at the gathering, she felt a sudden prang in her heart. Elaenya knew her father detested her but she'd expected her mother to arrive atleast.

Her eyes then landed on Rhaegar who stood with a few of his friends. She always wondered how he'd been so good with people while she ran from them.So Elaenya decided to walk towards him. Hoping to follow him around through the rest of the evening.

She was glad that she had failed to catch the attention of the guests. It was rare for a royalty like her to be completely unnoticed but it didn't bother her. The Princess smiled to herself, her plain apearance had come handy after all. She quietly ducked and made her way towards the crown prince.

When Rhaegar saw his sister practically dodging the on coming conversations and gazes, he chuckled and pulled the young Targaryen to his side.

"Dear sister, it is your name day. You must go and speak with everyone. They are here to see you" he said leaning down to her height.

"I don't know these people. They are so strange" she whispered

"Let's take small steps, shall we" Rhaegar smirked and Elaenya nodded. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to his group of acquaintances.

Elaenya swallowed hard at the strangely welcoming gazes of the men.

"Elaenya meet Ser Jon Connington, one of my oldest friends and a trusted advisor" With that a tall man with a mop of ginger curls smiled brightly at her. He had warmest smiles Elaenya had received since she arrived in Kingslanding. He bowed down and greeted her.

"An honour to meet the great princess of Dragonstone" Elaenya giggled at statement.

"You're kind, Lord Connington"

"Please call me Jon, I have known your brother since I was a boy. These formalities seem so very foreign to me" He said and Elaenya nodded in response. Jon Connington looked like a noble man with a charming personality and the princess was instantly enamored by him.

Rhaegar cleared his throat and turned Elaenya to face the other companions that waited to be acquainted with her.

"This is Lord Mace Tyrell, warden of the south -" Rhaegar said while pointing at a jubilant but pompous man.

"And Lord Adarian Thorne of the Crownlands"

Adarian Thorne was a sight to behold. With his beautiful blue eyes and chiseled jaw his mere appearance and made Elaenya swoon. He was the reincarnation of the gallant lords from her Septa's tales. He gave her a small smile while Elaenya stared at the man with wide eyes.

Rhaegar nudged his sister out of her trance.

"Your grace looks absolutely ravishing" Mace Tyrell commented and Elaenya replied with a small 'thank you'

"Lord Tyrell here has come a long way to attend your name day celebration, Elaenya. He was truly excited to see you" Rhaegar said. Elaenya appreciated his will to meet her but he seemed too eager.

"And I am not at all disappointed" he continued "I must say my prince, your decision to provide me a place in your small council will not go in vain and I-" he said.

"What of you, Lord Thorne? Did you arrive for my name day as well?" Elaenya blurted out. Rhaegar raised his brow while Jon giggled under his breath. Mace Tyrell's jaw hung loose.

Elaenya couldn't believe that she was so foreward, she hoped Adarian didn't think she was rude.

"It's just Adarian, my older brother is Lord Thorne and I live here your grace, I serve as the master ships under your father's wing. As of your name day, it was a happy accident for me to attend it" he said with a small smile and Elaenya blushed.

"I am sure you will enjoy the evening" Elaenya piped up

"Oh I will try to" Adarian held his gaze for a few moments and the girl felt butterflies erupt in her stomach.

Rhaegar rolled eyes at his sister's behaviour. She needed to hold herself together if she was going to survive.

"Do excuse us now, we have other people we need to attend to" Rhaegar said politely and dragged his sister by her elbow.Elaenya knew her brother was annoyed.

"Don't be angry" she managed to squeak out when Rhaegar had taken her to a corner.

"I am not angry. I am annoyed that you showed such neglect to Lord Tyrell. I understand that Adarian is quite charming but you must listen to what people have to say, patiently. Elaenya, it is the first step for fitting in. It is how we potray ourselves to the nobility, it matters more than you can account for" Elaenya had nothing to say. She could only nod in affirmation at her brother's statement.

She was a princess for gods' sake. She was not to act like some young girl and it shouldn't have been Rhaegar's responsibility to remind her of that. She was old enough to know her place.

"I got carried away. It won't happen again. I promise" she said, looking down to her feet. Rhaegar lifted her chin.

"Know this, I am not telling you to live a restricted life. I am just looking out for you because you are my sister and I love you" he said, his eyes filled with sincerity as he placed a small kiss on her forehead.

"Go now, people are willing to meet you" he said with a small smile. Hence, without a word the Targaryen girl walked into the crowd, where a handful of people acknowledged her presence and began speaking with her.

Elaenya was greeted by a few people who's faces she'd eventually forget. Her face was plastered with a smile which soon made her jaws ache, but the girl wouldn't frown, even if the man or the woman's statements annoyed her. No, she wasn't allowed to show her discomfort. She was to be the embodiment of beauty and grace and Elaenya knew, at the back of her mind, that she was nothing close to it.

There were so many people, she could almost feel herself crushing under their attention. After hours of the same mundane routine of talking and greeting the lords and the ladies Elaenya wanted to leave. She wanted to leave the castle and ride somewhere she wouldn't be recognised. A place where she would be free from the clutches of her society.

Her breathing became erratic with the growing crowds. The girl hadn't met more than five people her entire life was now posing for the whole land. She needed fresh air but it was her misfortune that when she began walking outside a voice called for her.

"Princess Elaenya, if I may have this dance with you"

The Targaryen turned to see Mace Tyrell standing with his hand offered to her.

She'd almost forgotten about the dance.

She wanted to refuse and then run away but that would look bad. So she stepped closer to the young Tyrell who took her hand and lead her to the center of the room. Mace placed his hand in her waist and took her other hand as they swayed with the music. Elaenya's steps were laggy but she caught up with her enthusiastic partner. She continued to feel the air drain from her lungs as her breathing became heavy but Mace paid it no mind.

She tried to suppress the growing paranoia at the pit of her stomach. She kept on reminding herself that she was in fact, a Targaryen princess and such outbursts were forbidden for girls like her. It would make her look weak and she would not be weak. She would not disappoint Rhaegar. She would make him proud.

The dance seemed to last for an eternity. It was ages before Elaenya finally noticed Ashara and Elia through the corner of her eyes. They had the look of sympathy on their faces and could understand the girl's fragile condition. Only if they had been around her through the evening, she would've had the time of her life.

Elaenya was at her breaking point with people applauding her dance, even when she missed a ton of footings. The Tyrell Lord stared at her with an almost uncomfortable form adoration.

This made things even worse. She couldn't breathe and her hands trembled.

"Look how impressed they are! " Mace wondered out loud as the song ended.

Without a reply Elaenya ran from the hall at the right moment, as soon as the crowd had immersed into their own conversations again. She ran out of the hall, while picking her dress up to her knee.

Luckily for the princess, she'd already left the great hall and was in the corridors when she finally broke down. She felt nauseous, her head hurt like a thousand knives had been stabbed into it, she was unable to breath, she tried to quicken her pace but her legs soon gave up on her.

Elaenya then felt herself crashing into wall.

When she adjusted her vision under the dim lights, she realised that she had not crashed into a wall but an armour.

A Kingsguard armour.

In her sheer breathlessness, she'd completely ignored the pair of hands that held her in place. She'd ignored those glowing violet eyes.

Elaenya had run into Ser Arthur Dayne.

Arthur's eyes widened at the sight of the shaking princess in his arms. Her long silver hair was a mop of sweat covered tangles and her face was buried in his armour. She looked like she was about to fall unconscious, the knight felt helpless. The girl was petite and a lot smaller than him, he could feel her slip from his grasp.

"Princess! Are you alright?" The knight recieved only heaving breaths and sniffled cries as a reply.

Elaenya on the other hand was in a completely different state.

Elaenya wanted the salty winds, she wanted the sea. She wanted her Septa. She wanted to go back to Dragonstone, her home.

Just when her lungs felt like they were about to give up on her, Elaenya felt the moonlight shine brightly across her face and it was then the princess realised that she was outside. She took a deep breath and realised that she was being placed on a chair in one of the balconies nearby.

Arthur Dayne had rushed the princess to the open. He'd hoped to keep her someplace safe and then call the grand maester for the girl was not in her senses. She was trembling and sobbing when he'd found her but as soon as they were outside, the girl had started returning to her normal breathing pattern even though tears never stopped running down her face. Her eyes were wide open and they were staring at him. Elaenya noticed the concern that flooded his eyes, through her tears. It was a rare for someone to care about her well being let alone act on it.

She brushed off her surprise. He was a Kingsguard, he had sworn to protect her but little did the girl know that the knight almost felt his heart stop when he found her in the dimly lit corridors that lead to the great hall.

"I will call the maester" he said, straightening his back.

"Stay" she managed to croak out. Elaenya needed a familiar face. Even though she didn't know Arthur well, she trusted him for her brother did as well.

"I insist, your grace. You looked like you were having trouble breathing" he said.

"Please" Elaenya tugged onto his gloved hand.

Arthur couldn't argue. He sat down awkwardly beside the princess. If Ashara had seen him then, she would have laughed her heart out at his rigidity. Elaenya too sat up straight, wiping her face with the edge of her dress.

The pair did not speak for a good few minutes but it was Elaenya who started talking first, after the guilt of delaying his duties flooded her mind.

"I feel like I'm keeping you from your duties" she said

"Believe me, you are not. I was about to retire anyway" he said with a small smile. Elaenya noticed thst the made did have a beautiful smile, only if he smiled often.

"You weren't going to come for my name day celebration?" Elaenya asked, turning to the Dornish knight. Arthur looked at the wide violet orbs that stared at him, still reddened due to her previous weeping. He didn't wish to tell her that he was too tired to attend a celebration as it would break her heart.

The princess noticed his conflict, and let out a assuring chuckle.

"It's alright if you weren't going to come. It was rather dull anyway" she shrugged, wiping the lone tears that remained accumulated in her eye.

Then there was that pause again, when the pair sat awkwardly beside each other, unable to decide the direction their conversion would take.

"What happened to you?" The knight asked, breaking the silence with concern lacing his voice.

"I don't know. I felt like I was drowning, I couldn't breathe" she replied. "Th-there were so many people. I-I didn't know what I was supposed to do" her voice broke and the princess wiped the new tears with her dress.

"I- I want Rhaegar to be proud of me, I want my father to encourage my presence. I want everyone to like me, treat me as their equal but all I see is pity in their eyes. I am not a poor little girl who had the misfortune of being cast out of the family" she said, unable to comprehend the reason she was opening up to a man she barely knew.

Arthur's eyes softened, never in a thousand years would he pity Elaenya. Even though he barely knew her, he'd understood that the girl was brave but her lack of self confidence pushed her further down in a burrow.

He had the sudden urge to help her. In any way he could.

"I am sure Rhaegar is proud of you. He brought you back home after all" The knight smiled, trying his level best to console her.

"I wish I could take your word for it Ser Arthur, but I am far too insecure for my own good and I believe I ruined your evening with this obnoxious prate of mine" she let out a half hearted chuckled, wiping her face, one last time.

Arthur gave her a warm smile, that seemed almost unnatural coming from a man like him for he was said to be the most ruthless killer in her father's Kingsguard.

"Not at all. We all need a good cry sometimes"

Elaenya laughed.

Maybe he is right after all.

Arthur Dayne did know how to lift up tension and the princess was beginning to enjoy his company, even though he was a man of few words, he was a good listener and that is what mattered most.

"I think I should go back, bit strange for a princess disappear all of a sudden " she said after a while, mustering all the courage in her body, ready to face the worst.

"Allow me" Arthur said, offering his hand that Elaenya had clasped on with all her might, not long ago. The princess's brows furrowed in confusion, the man had just showed his lack of interest to attend her name day celebration but there he was offering to take her to the gala.

Why was he being so kind to her?

Arthur chuckled seeing the confused princess "Your grace, I'm sure that you don't wish to spend the night under moonlit skies when there are people waiting to see you" he said. Elaenya blinked and shook her head while the knight took her hand and the pair walked to the arena of celebration.

"I have been in your place before, I know about the constant urge to please people but know this princess, there will always be people who will not like you, they will try to break you. A man's glory is not defined by his ability to impress his peers but it is by his ability to shield himself from his opposers" Arthur said, while they walked. Elaenya looked up to see the knight look straight ahead, his lips curled into a small smile when he saw the young girl looking up at him with great wonder in her eyes.

It was a useful piece of advice but it would take Elaenya some time to abide by it and the princess was willing to spare her time for it.

"You sound just like Elia" She commented, remembering her good sister's words from the previous night.

"Well, every child in Dorne are raised with these morals perhaps this is why the northerners cannot stand us" He tittered, as lines of merriment formed beside his eyes.

The two had reached the large gates that had once intimidated the young girl at the beginning of the evening, but Elaenya had decided that she would not let it scare her anymore. She placed her hands on tbe gilded doors and was about to push it open, when Arthur, who stood behind her, whispered in the lowest voice.

"Let no man make you wilt, Princess. You have the blood of a dragon, be a dragon if you have to" Elaenya's eyes widened at the sudden words of encouragement.

She didn't know what he meant, it was so out of the blue but the knight had chosen his words carefully. She would understand in her own time. With this the girl pushed open the doors to reveal herself to the crowd that was still bustling, but this time they noticed her as she held her head high and walked into the room. She was completely different state than what she was half hour ago.

She smiled to herself looking at the shocked expression on everyone's face and it was then, the princess felt important. She felt that she meant something.

Arthur Dayne watched as the girl blended in the crowd while people engulfed her, wishing to be of the Targaryen princess's acquaintance. He was happy for her and he didn't wish to distract her, so the knight decided to leave, quietly with a proud smile forming on his face.

Elaenya was speaking to a few lords and ladies when she noticed her brother looking at her with pride. He looked impressed at her sudden improvement in socialising skills. She smiled at him, but Elaenya's heart was elsewhere. She hadn't seen Arthur after her rather glamorous entry.

Her eyes searched frantically throughout the arena, just to get a glimpse of the man who'd contributed to the betterment of her evening, but he was nowhere to be found.

Elaenya's face fell. She mentally cursed herself to even think that he would care whether she got over her petty fears or not. He served her father and had no time for hopeless young girls like her, but the princess couldn't deny the odd friendship she'd struck with the violet eyed knight had created a warm feeling in her belly and she loved that feeling.

A/N

Elaenya basically had a panic attack.