[80 AC]

I awkwardly pulled at the black and red doublet I had been forced into by a gaggle of giggling maids and tried not to let my mood become too obvious to the rest of the room.

It was difficult as today was proving to be quite the bittersweet experience. I wanted to be happy for Daella, gods know she was practically bursting with joy for the ceremony and feast later today, but I just couldn't find it in myself to match her enthusiasm. In many ways it felt not as if I were celebrating the start of a new chapter in her life, but rather the beginning of the end of it.

I let out a weary sigh as I sipped on some heavily watered wine. I wonder - could I actually get drunk if I went through enough of this? I quickly dismissed the idea. Even with my body size and age, there was nowhere near enough to do the deed before the ridiculous amounts of water I'd be taking in drowned the alcohol out. Not to mention a drunk seven year old was not a good look on his sister's wedding day, or any day really, no matter how much I felt the situation called for it.

I continued to idly sip on my watered wine as mother emerged into the waiting room where the family had been slowly gathering over the last few hours. She immediately made way towards Baelon and Alyssa, speaking with the two about something or the other. Wedding issues I would assume, although I was too far away to hear and I didn't have the energy nor inclination to solve that particular issue.

After a short conversation with the married couple, Alyssa passed off a now walking Viserys to Baelon and followed our mother back the way she came. I turned away from the scene and made my way to a more isolated corner of the room before Baelon could come up with the idea to head over with my nephew. I loved the two of them, but I was very much not in the mood for socializing.

Despite my best efforts - which weren't all that great to be honest - my mind came right back to my failed endeavor at Raventree Hall.

I knew that in another life, so to speak, Daella was destined to die on the birthing bed not a year or two from now. I - of course - had foolishly believed I could steer her away from such a fate. If she didn't marry Rodrick Arryn then she wouldn't die birthing their child. Simple as that. Admittedly, she could fall victim to the birthing bed with the Blackwood heir, but at least the possibility existed otherwise.

My thoughts were interrupted when I spied Saera emerging into the room from the corner of my eye, her dress for the evening showing more skin than I knew my parents would approve of. She knew exactly what she was doing if the smirk on her face was any indication - seven save me from teenage sisters. On the other hand, I was glad to have someone ready to draw attention away from myself tonight - one of the few things Saera could always be counted on for.

I ran a finger around the rim of my cup as my thoughts ran in circles.

Perhaps I had come closer than I believed in my efforts in the Riverlands and I was being unfairly hard on myself. It was certainly possible, I suppose. However I wasn't feeling very charitable at the moment and shoved that thought right off to the side.

In my mind it all came down to Daella's anxiety, which reared its head at the drop of a dime - or halfpenny as it were. My sweet older sister did not do well with things she was unused to or did not understand. She was someone who lived best firmly inside her comfort zone and struggled mightily outside of it. The lack of understanding on why she acted this way surely didn't help matters.

Now, Royce Blackwood was a good man from what I saw of him, with a quick wit that had Daella laughing along instead of feeling laughed at and a kind air that my sister latched onto immediately. He was also tall and handsome enough which I'm sure helped. The two were practically smitten mere days into their courtship.

And yet I had known that Daella would not react well to the revelation that the Blackwoods followed the Old Gods - she was raised in the light of the seven after all, it was what she knew and was comfortable with. So I made it a point to spend some time playing around the godswood and its weirwood tree. Afterwards I brought back a few fallen sticks to show off to my mother and sister - injecting some boyish enthusiasm over what was essentially a twig to the point it left my mother rolling her eyes in mirth and Daella giggling in delight. I even complained a fair bit that their fabled weirwood was just a big dead tree, an odd color and fairly large, but nothing like I had built it up in my head to my childish chagrin.

All in pursuit of normalizing something new and different to Daella. For surely if her six year old brother could not only play around it, but be disappointed by it, then surely it was nothing to fret over, let alone fear?

If it wasn't obvious by now, I was quite wrong and now my sister would pay for it. If not now, then soon enough.

What a fool I was.

At least there was a lesson to be had - as dismal a silver lining as that happened to be. Going forward I had to recognize what I could and could not control. Thinking I could fundamentally change who Daella was with a few childish antics was a mistake on my part. It wasn't one I would endeavor to make again.

I closed my eyes for a moment and took a steadying breath. It wouldn't do to look quite so brooding with so many possible eyes on me. Perhaps I could play it off as a young prince sad to be losing his older sister, but best not to invite questions at all.

With nothing else to do, I went for a sip only to discover my cup was empty and signaled to get it refilled. Maybe they'll make a mistake and fill it with wine this time? A boy could dream.

As threadbare as it was, my only remaining hope was that my existence had somehow knocked things far enough off course that Daella wouldn't fall victim to her canon fate. Somehow. At this point, wishing into the wind and hoping someone listened was all I could do.

I quirked a wan smile. Looking back on it, the entire trip was a bit of a mess. I'm thankful that I only had Ser Robin watching on as did my best to incite some kind of reaction from the iconic white tree. I could only imagine what my older siblings would have said if they were there. Most likely a great deal of laughing. The slight breeze and creaking of limbscouldhave been the Old Gods talking to me, but I somehow doubt it.

It may have been due to the tree being long dead and no longer connected to whatever it was that greenseers tapped into. Maybe it was a product of my extremely thin First Man blood - a single great grandmother from House Massey of all things. Or more likely, I had let a half remembered story influence my thoughts on the matter and some kind of magical response was incredibly rare for a Stark or Blackwood, let alone some Valyrian princeling.

Either way, it was nothing more than a lingering curiosity that I felt compelled to scratch when the opportunity arose. More to the point, it was probably for the best nothing happened. Perhaps if I were born to any other family the missed opportunity would have been a disappointment of sorts. Dragons - however - did a wonderful job of taking out the sting.

I scrunched my brow in thought as my goblet was refilled by a pretty serving maid making her rounds. I forced a grateful smile despite my mood, no need to take my issues out on the staff.

With both Aemon and Baelon waiting until they were ten and seven before bonding with their dragon - Alyssa doing the same with at ten and five - I had resigned myself to waiting a few more years myself. There was a reason all my older siblings, the ones that claimed a dragon at least, were solidly into what Westeros considered adulthood before making the attempt. Trying to claim an adult dragon before you were an adult, or at least not a child, was dangerous and our parents made damned sure we all understood that.

I lightly snorted into my cup - Vaegon had finally decided to grace us with his most august presence, his sloped shoulders and academic slouch unmistakable as he trudged into the room like it was the very last thing he wanted.Nowit was a party.

Truth be told, there were shades to the situation, such as the temperament of the dragon, its relative age, if it had been ridden before and by whom. All that in mind, it was generally agreed in our family that while children could bond with a hatchling easily enough, anything else was off the table.

However, it was possible that I only had a year or two left to spend with Daella and Icategoricallyrefused to waste it. The Eyrie might as well be Sunspear for how easily I could visit the home of the Arryns as it stood. It would take half a moon at minimum and that was if I went by sea to Gulltown and made the rest of the trip by land. Going through the Riverlands would extend things to a full moon of cumbersome travel. Which wasn't even getting into how I would justify the trip to my parents. Once might be doable in light of their youngest child missing his sister. Any more than that would require some mental gymnastics that I had zero confidence in pulling off.

Prodding mother to visit her daughter on Silverwing would cut out the travel logistics, but the rest remained an issue. As far as I can remember she only visited Daella when the latter was pregnant and wanted her mother for comfort.

I grimaced and tried to ignore the obvious conclusion that seared it's way through my mind. Watching Saera attempt - and largely succeed - at charming Baelon worked for about a minute, the two laughing at some joke of hers. Following Vaegon as he awkwardly made conversation with Aemon and Jocelyn, the two having arrived at some point with Rhaenys, provided another minute of reprieve.

Sooner than I'd like I gave up the poor attempt and ran a hand through my hair.

I needed a dragon and soon. Seven save me, father was going to be pissed. I can already imagine his voice thundering down the halls as my mother looked down at me in sheer disappointment.

"Fuck it," I muttered into my cup.

I pushed myself off the wall and began looking for my increasingly rebellious sister. Saera had been sneaking drinks from the kitchen for over a year by now and If anyone could get me some wine, it would be her. I'd bet anything she'll think it hilarious and be more than happy to help. If her rosy cheeks and slight sway were indicative, she was well on the way herself.

Gods, what a day.