( ACT I; a dreary existence. ) ⟵ ◊ ⟶ chapter 4: the bargain to be struck.
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FATE was looking up for Raina, for not even a day after speaking with the princess in the stables she was fetched by the queen's personal maiden hand for a private chat. She hadn't expected such swift results from her experiment with the princess, but it seemed that the Old wanted to bless her for the years of misfortune she'd endured.
Her heart pounded as she made her way down the dim hall, toward the chambers where the royals were staying at the time. With every quick step she took, it somehow seemed to align with the beat of her heart. Her mind raced with the anxiety of being personally summoned by the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but she tried her best to shove away her uneasiness. Did the princess say something to her mother that made Raina look like a good candidate, or did she say something of the opposite nature to have her called upon and punished?
Raina had always been the worst at overthinking things, but she knew it was just one of her many amazing qualities she couldn't change.
It was almost hard to keep up with the queen's handmaiden, who was swift on her feet but Raina managed to until they finally reached the wing of the Keep where the royals were staying. The door to the queen's chambers was almost daunting to the bastard, but she summoned all the courage she could as she followed the hand maiden into the room.
Raina's dark eyes found Cersei immediately, for she was a beautiful mess of golden waves, crimson silk and furs seated near the fire place. The princess was present herself, she too dressed as extravagantly as her mother. Eerily, they both were nearly identical.
"Your Grace," Raina immediately curtsied for the queen and princess. She wasn't best at it, for she almost lost her footing.
"I assume you don't curtsy much," the queen mused with a smirk. "No worries, we'll be sure to have you properly learned in all formalities of court."
"I've spoken to my mother," Princess Malkyn grinned. She excitedly patted on the seat to her side. "Take a seat with us."
Feeling as if she were in the presence of lions, figuratively and literally, she obeyed the invitation of the princess and took a seat with them.
"My dear daughter has told me a lot about you, Raina," Cersei begins. She gazes at the bastard with her catlike, green eyes. "And from what I hear, you are a pleasant girl. But I'd love to hear more about you. Tell me, what is your life like here in the dreary north?"
Raina pursed her lips. "I suppose it isn't awful, Your Grace," she claimed. "It is always cold, except sometimes we get good days when the sun shines. Those are the best days for riding."
