The household had been buzzing with life as servants bustled about in their preparations. Daenerys sat in the bath solemnly; her brother's veiled threat sounding in her head as the heat coiled in steaming ringlets.

"Daenerys! Why didn't you tell me?" Thaeserys huffed as she found her sister alone.

Daenerys didn't take notice.

She jolted slightly as she felt a hand on her shoulder, before turning to see her sister. Thaeserys studied her carefully, her face scrunched up in concentration, before softening as she felt the pain in Daenerys' eyes.

"You don't want to marry him, do you?" she noted.

Daenerys wanted to scream, to send someone else in her place. She wasn't told much about her suitor, if he could be considered a suitor at all. You don't want to wake the dragon, do you? She hesitated, reluctant to admit her feelings. She couldn't bring herself to say 'I wish it were you' to her sister. Daenerys didn't deserve to be sold off like cattle, but neither did her sweet sister. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to tell her brother that his ambitions were his own and she didn't want to pay the price for it. Her mask cracked as a lone tear slipped through her violet eyes.

"I'll tell Viserys to stop this nonsense," Thaeserys said resolutely, swiftly moving from the ledge that she had previously occupied.

"Wait!" Daenerys called out. "Don't do it. I'll be fine." Her voice strained, dropping to a mere whisper, as if it were a silent mantra that would come true.

Thaeserys didn't know what to do. Daenerys wasn't supposed to be married off to some stranger. Viserys had merely said he was a strong warrior whose strength would be worthy of their sister. She didn't want to, but she doubted his words, at least in part. A small voice in her head told her she didn't want to know what her brother had been scheming up with the Magister, but a tiny voice of reason and strange intuition in her gut told her it had something to do with the wedding; And highly likely to do with her brother's claim to the throne back home.

Daenerys had been born before her, which made her, rightly so, the bride of Viserys. She shouldn't be married off to someone else. What if her husband didn't treat her well? What if she wouldn't be happy? What if she would never see her sister again? A million thoughts went through Thaeserys' mind. If Daenerys were truly marrying a man worthy of her, if she loved him in return, life would have been perfect. Thaeserys had always wished she could be her sister, strong and beautiful, and dare she admit it, the rightful place next to their brother. She had secretly let out her feelings to the moon a few times, in the cold air at night when the city slept. But now, if it meant her sister's happiness, she would be content to remain by her siblings' sides as a quiet presence. And if Daenerys was going to be married to someone else, what of Viserys? No, she stopped herself, pushing a selfish notion out of her mind before it took form. She didn't even want to go there.

"Promise me you'll be happy, Daeny," she cried, "If he's unkind to you, tell me and I'll help you get even so that he'll treat you better in the future.

Daenerys flooded with emotion, choking with a small laugh at her sister's naïve words. It was a tiny reprieve from the fear and desperation raging inside her. If there would be one thing that comforted her, it was that she would always have her sister.

"Join me?" Daenerys entreated, "I… I don't want to be alone."

Thaeserys struggled with a small smile, letting her dress fall onto the hard floor as she slipped into the water next to her sister, resting her head on Daenerys' shoulder.

"We're blood. You'll never be alone."

Viserys was waiting impatiently as Daenerys fidgeted slightly. Thaeserys sensed her sister's nervousness and moved to stand next to her, holding her hand in a tight grip as if the assurance that she would still be there for her would assuage her fears. Daenerys flashed her a weary, but grateful smile.

It was then when she heard that sound of hooves pounding on the pebbled ground that Thaeserys looked away from her sister to see the Dothraki ride in. They looked fierce, gallant in their own way on their dark steeds. Thaeserys cast a nervous glance at her sister, wondering if she was sure she could marry their leader, the Khal. She didn't know what to think of them in general, but she could only hope that he would be kind and gentle with her sister. Daenerys deserved the sun and more.

The Magister introduced them to the new arrivals while Viserys quietly talked to Daenerys about the Khal. "And you will be his Queen," he finished, with an arrogant smirk. Khal Drogo held an intense gaze as he looked over the Targaryens during the introduction. Visery's eyes narrowed as he noticed the Khal's eyes on both sisters and immediately draped his arm around Thaeserys pulling her close to him.

"Now, now, dear sister. You wouldn't want to attract the intention of our sister's husband, would you?" he tutted, with a sly smirk of victory as Thaeserys shifted closer towards him, visibly relaxing from the tense posture she previously held under the Khal's fierce gaze.

The Khal's emotions were unreadable as Daenerys was beckoned forward. It was slightly unnerving, but Daenerys had always been brave, and she stood unflinching before him, though she still looked unsure. No words were passed and he turned his horse around and his company rode off once again.

As soon as they were out of sight, Thaeserys flung herself towards her sister, holding her as she trembled silently after letting out the breath that she had held earlier. Her hand patted her back softly as she murmured, "Everything's going to be fine. You're alright now."

Thaeserys was at a loss. Daenerys had retreated into her room, refusing to see anyone, while Viserys was constantly on edge. She couldn't fathom the importance of keeping the engagement with her family seemingly falling apart because of it.

Crash. Thaeserys took a deep breath and strode purposefully to her brother's room. She could faintly hear the sounds of things crashing and banging against the walls. She slipped in silently, finding the room exactly as she envisioned it. It was as if a hurricane had hit it, with cracked pottery on the floor, amongst far-flung books that had weathered many a storm and pillows thrown haphazardly. Viserys was still in a fit. It pained her to see her brother act this way. She knew it was hard, especially for him, to let Daenerys go. Because he loves her, because she was supposed to wed him. Her thoughts chided her internally, making her heart sink deeper. Because secretly, she wished she were the older sister. Because secretly, she loved him. Because…

When his tirade finally ended with a rather satisfying crash of a lamp, he huffed, glaring at the floor. His fists were clenched, his jaw set, and his eyes steely. He took a moment to calm down before turning toward the door, intending to find a servant to clean up the mess, when he noticed Thaeserys standing at the door. He was suddenly stricken with panic, like a deer in the headlights. She had seen him with his unbridled fury, a side of him that he never wanted to witness. He wanted to say something, do something, anything to salvage the situation, but his throat went dry.

"Are you done?" she asked simply, as if she anticipated his rage even before it happened and was just waiting for it to end.

"Yes," Viserys barely managed a whisper.

"You're going to miss her," she pointed out, "You love her."

Perhaps, he thought. He wasn't sure, to be honest. Daenerys was his sister, but he wasn't sure if he was upset because he loved her. Daenerys was his, just as Thaeserys was, just as their mother's crown was. He wasn't sure if that was love. One thing he knew about himself, though, was that he was possessive, whether he liked his toys or not.

"She's grown up now," he avoided her questioning gaze. A sharp pang stabbed her before a dull pain took over. She suddenly felt as if she couldn't breathe.

"I've grown up too," she retorted; a slip of the tongue, she didn't mean to vie for his attention, not when it was never hers to have.

"I've noticed," he replied smoothly, unsure of what to say. It was true, though, he did notice her. He always did, growing up. She had always been the sweet sister who would turn up at random times, blatantly ignoring what he was doing to pull him away to play with her in the gardens, or to talk at night on the roof.

But he was also four years older, and much too aware of the changes to his sisters over the years. They shared the same milky white skin and soft, full lips. He was painfully aware of how Thaeserys had grown into a beautiful woman like her sister, but she was petite and slight in build compared to her sister, triggering an instinctual possessiveness over her with the want to protect her from the world. Thaeserys was a red rose in full bloom amidst a field of snow.

"Liar," she spluttered, "You only ever notice Daeny." She gasped as soon as the words left her lips. She never should have said that, selfish as it was. Viserys and Daenerys are supposed to be together, she tried coaxing herself, but it still left a bitter taste in her mouth.

He frowned and his brows furrowed. Was she really that oblivious? Did she not know that she held his heart? As unwilling as he may be in admitting, Thaeserys had an effect on him. She was, without realising it herself, able to manipulate his emotions with even a lift of her finger. He quickly grew unhappy when she was, and delightfully blissful when she smiled. Perhaps he should tell her, of his feelings, his intentions, and what mother had said to him before she passed on.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked, "I… I… I didn't mean it." Her face flushed a deep crimson as she fled the room like lightning. The courage to tell her everything left him the moment she did and he groaned. His head hurt and he flung himself onto the bed, trying to smother himself under the sheets. She doesn't love me in that way. She only sees me as a brother.

Thaeserys had been avoiding her brother for days. Every time she caught a glimpse of him, she turned and ran the other way, her face flushing with embarrassment as she recalled her outburst each time. She couldn't do it. She didn't dare face her brother again after what she had said. But deep inside, she missed him. She missed listening to his stories about their parents and what their home was like. She missed the way he would pick a flower and gently push it into her braids. She missed him holding her, whispering assurances when she had been afraid.

After Daenerys marries the Khal, they would all still be together, but things would be different. She would be a wife, with a duty towards her husband and his people, and those would have to come before her and her brother. It was when her sister was going to marry that Thaeserys would need her brother more than ever, but how could she face him?

She knew she couldn't avoid him forever, not with the wedding coming up where she would find herself trapped next to her brother, who probably wouldn't want to be next to her either. That thought pricked her. She had always felt like a burden to her siblings, but to be unwanted was something that she feared greatly. She sighed, wondering what her brother was thinking, as she stared at the moon, hoping fervently for answers that it couldn't give.

While Thaeserys had chosen to distance herself from everyone but Daenerys, Viserys had chosen a different method of escaping his feelings. Since that night, he constantly found himself on the other side of town, with strong ales and beautiful women in a desperate attempt to ignore his emotions, anything to push his sweet little sister out of his mind. He was a man and he had needs, but each time he found himself in the arms of a different woman, he secretly wished he were with someone else.

This night, he had chosen to remain holed up in his room with a few doses of liquor to last him through the night. The whores didn't quite do it for him recently, but he knew it wasn't because of them. It was because of the one sweet rose that he was unwilling to taint. He lay flat on his back in bed, his mind hazy from the alcohol. It was numbingly welcoming. He didn't have to think clearly when he was drunk.

Thaeserys was in the next room, so close within his reach, yet so far away from him. He groaned, his hand slapped across his forehead. Why did he have to think of her again? He reached out for the bottle and tried to drink. Empty. He sighed and fell back into bed. He closed his eyes as he slipped under the covers, and all he could see was her.