Howling at the Sun

The handmaiden opened the door for Tabitha and bowed her head, waiting for her to enter the royal eating chamber. With her hands clasped nervously before her dark green dress, she slowly walked in and her eyes immediately settled on the massive table full of an incredible range of expensive foods. At the head sat Rhaegar, and on his left was a girl with braided white hair and then Viserys. To the King’s right was his wife Elia who was holding Rhaegar’s hand, the one that did not contain his wine glass, and a man who looked related to the Queen who was slouching in his chair and looking bored.

“Good evening, Lady Tabitha. Please join us,” Rhaegar called out the second he spotted the redhead. She shuffled over, opening her mouth to address the royal family. “This here is Princess Daenerys, my little sister, and Prince Viserys, my brother and your future husband.” Daenerys beamed widely, lilac eyes alive with delight at meeting a future member of her family.

“It’s a pleasure, my Lady,” Viserys said as he stood, holding out his hand. His tone sounded genuine enough to Tabitha, but she couldn’t help but feel a twang of hatred as Viserys brought her hand to his lips. He gestured for her to take the seat next to him, and she naturally did as she was told.

“As you know, this is Queen Elia, and our two young children are already in bed. And this is Prince Oberyn, her younger brother,” Rhaegar continued. Elia gave a kind smile and Oberyn politely nodded, his dark eyes staring right through her as though he was trying to read her mind. Tabitha shifted slightly in her seat, uncomfortable about the fact that the royals were all watching her. She was used to people in Winterfell staring, but they were commoners, not the royal family. There was an immense amount of pressure on her to please every single person she was dining with tonight so she could save her family and the North. “Please, eat and drink! Be merry, my Lady, you are to be married soon!” Rhaegar raised his glass and everyone followed suit, Tabitha only taking a tiny sip of the wine. Though it was more fruity than the ones she drank in the North, she still was not particularly fond of its taste, or its inevitable effects when consumed in copious amounts.

Throughout the meal, Viserys made polite small talk with Tabitha and continuously glanced across at his older brother, as if aiming to impress or please him. She responded as civilly as she could manage and tried to ignore the constant unease at the bottom of her stomach about the fact that she was socialising with the children of Brandon’s murderer. Strangely, her attention more than often rested on the two Martells sitting opposite her. Never before had Tabitha seen such brown skin and dark features. Their olive skin was beautiful in comparison to her pale white skin, and their brown hair and eyes complemented their red and yellow clothing. Oberyn noticed her stares and seductively placed a grape in his mouth, maintaining eye contact and making Tabitha’s cheeks flush red. He grinned as her head fell, her gaze focusing on the rest of the food on her plate instead. Determined to not make a fool of herself again, Tabitha barely looked up from her plate for the rest of the evening.