Chương 613: Chapter 613: Dragon Dreams and Menarche
The next day, early morning.
On a large feather bed, as if enveloped by silken smooth cream-colored curtains, a brown-haired girl lay sideways in the center of the bed, covered by a soft blanket, her fair arm and collarbone exposed.
She had her eyes closed, her long eyelashes trembling slightly as though she were dreaming, but the dreamscape seemed far from tranquil. Her brows furrowed...
Then, the next second, she jolted awake, sitting up on the bed, breathing heavily.
"Huff~"
"Huff~"
Rhaenys had a nightmare, or rather, several nightmares.
First, she dreamt of her father Rhaegar perishing on the banks of the Trident, shattered rubies scattered across the ground. Yet, immediately after, the scene morphed into a dark knight riding a tall, black horse, breathing out smoke, and charging at her with a lance.
Rhaenys, living up to her titles 'Warrior Princess' and 'Khaleesi of Dragons' in the dream, drew her dark sister to counter the assailant but only struck a shadow.
The next moment, her mother, Princess Elia Martell, appeared before her. The pale-faced Dornish princess seemed to whisper something to her daughter, but Rhaenys heard nothing.
Her father Rhaegar also appeared, and though she should not remember the faces of her parents, within this fluctuating dream, she could distinctly identify them, even see their cheeks clearly.
Rhaenys realized her father and Viserys looked remarkably similar, with about 70% resemblance. Then Rhaegar and Elia stood motionless, their faces emotionless, uttering in unison without any intonation.
"The dragon has three heads, and you are one of them."
Then the scene shifted once more.
This time, it was her familiar companion, her battle comrade Rhaego, who seemed to not recognize her and was spewing dragonfire at her with a ferocious face.
Rhaenys woke from this scene, unconsciously drenched in cold sweat.
Tap tap...
She sat on the soft, large feather bed, the room quiet, with only faint sounds of the servants moving about in the Meagor's Holdfast. They were all cautiously going about their duties.
This was the royal bedroom; naturally, no one dared disturb the rest of the king, queen, and princesses.
"Huff~"
Rhaenys looked at the familiar scene around her, then exhaled softly, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"It was just a nightmare."
The complex and fluctuating dreamscape of the night had exhausted her mentally and physically. Waking up brought no comfort but only fatigue and a throbbing headache.
"Why would Rhaego attack me?"
Then, as the brown-haired girl collected herself, she began to recall the events in her dream.
Most of the earlier scenes were forgotten in the moment of waking, yet what concerned her the most was the last scene where she woke up.
The green dragon Rhaego seemed not to recognize her and was attacking her.
Besides this last scene, Rhaenys was most concerned about the eerie scene with her parents, who seemed to have risen from the dead, delivering a joint statement.
"The dragon has three heads, and I am one of them?"
Rhaenys didn't understand the meaning, but felt a chill rising from the bottom of her heart.
Some things in this world are serendipitous, while others seem destined, but unknown things are always the greatest fears in people's hearts.
She decided to ask Viserys about this matter after today's routine council meeting.
Viserys had been intelligent since his youth, something Rhaenys always knew. He had the ability to remember things at a glance, memorizing many lessons taught by the maesters after just one reading, while Rhaenys had to repeat many times, even getting smacked with a ruler by Maester Daniel.
Rhaenys, with her straightforward personality, decided to act immediately. She lifted the blanket to get out of the warm bed, but suddenly froze, her actions halted.
The brown-haired girl saw the conspicuous bloodstains on the sheets and the mess between her legs, and couldn't help but let out a low scream.
"Your mother, Princess Elia, passed away too early, and Queen Rhaella left this world when His Grace and you were still young. This is my negligence,"
"I should have enlightened you earlier, Your Highness."
An elderly maid with grey hair and wrinkles all over her face, wrapped in a grey headscarf, shook her head as she spoke.
"You have begun your menarche, that's all."
"There's no need to worry."
The old maid was Sophia, who had served several generations of the Targaryen family.
She was initially the personal maid of Queen Rhaella, and had witnessed Queen Rhaella's youthful days, fleeing the Red Keep along with Queen Rhaella and the young lord.
After so many years, she had finally returned to the Red Keep, serving as the chief maid in the court.
Rhaenys still woke up as usual, except for the strange dream, now there were some other "guests", a relative had come to visit her.
The brown-haired girl also resided in Maegor's Holdfast, though theoretically, as a member of the royal family, she should stay in other rooms within the Red Keep, yet she and Daenerys chose to stay in Maegor's Holdfast.
She had begun her menarche.
The girl looked a bit frightened, uneasy, and even a bit expectant. This seemed to be the reaction of every girl when menarche comes, unsure of what the future holds.
For noble girls, the onset of menarche carries other implications. According to the traditions and customs of the Seven Kingdoms, marriage and consummation are not permitted before menarche, as pre-menarche consummation would be cursed by the gods.
Thus, the onset of menarche also signifies that this noble girl can be engaged and married off, her family would start looking for a suitable husband, and families wishing to marry her would also start making moves.
"Your Highness."
The old maid with a headscarf and wrinkled face looked at Rhaenys who was still stunned and couldn't help but speak.
"Your Highness."
"Ah?"
It was only after she called for the third time that Rhaenys reacted, like a startled rabbit.
The old maid could not help but smile helplessly. Princess Rhaenys had always been lively and active from childhood, only becoming a bit restrained as she grew up, acting more like a lady.
"You have become a woman now, Your Highness, do you know what this means?"
Rhaenys was slightly stunned, clearly not understanding.
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