Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things

The land was a buzz with people for King Jaeharys II's wake. Men and women of great and lesser houses, all dressed in different colors and draped in the finest silks and furs had arrived in the capital over the coming days, all to pay respects for the fallen king. At least, that's the word on the street.

With the influx of visitors, businesses were booming- from whorehouses alive with sultry cries- to inns rattling right down to the cornerstone with drinking and yelling. It almost felt like a festival rather than a somber wake. At least... that was until the actual day of the wake.

There were less men today, and the few who came weren't as rowdy as before. Most seemed like sellswords, here to offer protection to a lady or a lord in the hopes of earning some coin. Others looked vaguely similar to the dreaded pirates of the sea- Fewer more still were men in armor, possibly off duty, or skipping duty- which would be rare considering the amount of important names currently residing in one location.

"Well hello little lady. That's a nice crown of red yer wearin'."

The first for today. A less than amused Aria turned to face the voice, only to have another grab a handful of her ass cheek as she did. "What say you to having a good time?" The second man continued to grope her behind whilst the first leaned into her face. Both towered over her, though having dealt with such before, she could at least keep her composure. "It's slow today. I'm sure a little extra coin wouldn't do you any harm. Plus, you get to have a taste of the land's finest cocks." The man broke into laughter as did his companion. Aria wanted to slap both of them but knew she couldn't. If it hadn't been for the lure of extra pay, she would have chosen to stay home today and mourn the loss of a good king with her family, but earning extra through whoring? That was not something she was willing to do.

"This is not a whorehouse. It's a tavern where you can drink your bloody brains off. If you want to stick your cocks into something, there's a brothel right across the street with the finest women this land has to offer." The girl recounted as she remembered the words of the establishment's owner. The same words he'd said to her when he tried to woo her into working for him. "But if you'd like something a little more to your tastes. There's another establishment housing the finest, most exotic beauties I'm sure...." She paused for a moment eying both of them. "A pair of fine steeds like you would enjoy."

With that she left. She didn't even bother to see their responses as she quickly fled from there before they could regroup their thoughts. Of course, she wasn't lying about the whorehouse, but of the latter she spoke of... there was only a stable, one which served as a temporary home for the visiting knights' trusty steeds.

The back of the inn-slash-tavern she worked at was quiet. Accessible only to it's workers and peddlers looking to sell vegetables, fruits and meat. Every now and then it would be host to devious schemes and toxic whispers, but to day it was... surprisingly empty. Her boss had allowed her to use this back door to escape the drunken sods who wanted to get up her skirt, even urging her to go home and rest after having worked more than her share over the past few days. It felt like a good time to take it.

CLACK

"DAFUQ YER GOIN' CUNT?"

She'd only passed by a few more buildings and was a short walk out into the open streets when the bloody imbeciles caught up and blocked her path down the street. Based off their lack of breath, they must've high tailed it down the stony path just to catch up to her like this.

There was only one way out now.

Aria turned, red hair flying with the wind. Up the path she came from she ran. Ran with fear until a door burst open, splintered wood littering the ground. One more fellow, larger than the other two had broken down the door and blocked her path. She was trapped.

She'd only just managed to let out an ear splitting scream before one of the men seized her and shoved a cloth around her mouth before the three took her to a more... "private" location.

Her cries for help were muffled beneath the cloth. Her clothes bearing less weight with every hand that touched her. Torn shreds of grey and amber, scattered upon the floor as buttons flew and threads broke. Was this really how she'd lose her virginity? There would be no stories of love for the common girl. No flights beneath the light of the moon. No forbidden love to bear a fruit of beauty. Hers was meant to be a sad tale. One only broken by the rise of the dragon's wings.

Fate turned it's hand as emerald eyes gazed on the white knight. His flight seemed more like a dance as beasts fell one after the other, a sight that almost looked too beautiful to be nothing more but a street fight. In her daze the cold bite of steel found her neck, and once more the common girl found herself painfully aware of her current situation.

She'd froze, it happened all too quickly as she felt the breeze from his blade and the absence of her captor's weight from behind. She was free.

Mesmerized, she gazed upon her savior, a literal white knight, who knelt before her as though she was some highborn lady. The act brought color to her cheeks, threatening to rival the scarlet of her hair. She readied an answer, almost begun to speak, but the cowl gave way to reveal his silver crown and piercing amethyst gaze. A sight she'd not expect to look upon so closely in her lifetime.

"M-My lord!!! I-I uh. I thank you." Her hands erratic as she spoke and in her panic she found herself on her knees, head bowed before the dragon, and failing to even ask him to rise as there was no need for a man like him to kneel before a lowly girl such as herself.

Her head bent low, her eyes upon the ground, she'd only seen a shadow cast for a brief moment across the ground before the lingering warmth of his body upon his cloak rested around her shoulders. She was surprised, eyes begging to glance in response to the prince's actions but his hand had guided her to face him before her body ever could.

She felt comfort in his touch, callous from wielding a sword they might be, though her was no different. Weathered by years of work and hard labor. He was so close... He looked so kind with the sincerity of his concern reflected upon his eyes. She hadn't thought a dragon lord could ever make her heart skip a beat.

"I'm... I'm fine my liege... You've... you've saved me from the worst of it." Was it lord? Or was it liege? Was it your highness maybe? She'd scarce seen the noble house before, only ever glancing them from afar when possible, so she couldn't tell which of the ruling Targaryens the boy was. She couldn't even say he was a Blackfyre at all. Not like she could at the moment as she looked at him, mesmerized by the dragon's eyes.

She rose to her feet, slowly so as not to stumble, but as she did, her foot caught upon her skirt, causing the red head to stumble forward in a pathetic display of clumsiness.

Hopelessly embarrassed by her clumsy display, Aria couldn't help but wish she could beg his forgiveness. There was however no room for it as her bungling attempts to recover her footing took most of her attention to her feet.

As she found herself steady once more she lingered in his embrace, her cheek pressed against his chest, upon the soft fabric of his tunic and the hard surface of the armor beneath. The smell was unlike she'd experienced in her home, though reminiscent of the gaudy rooms in some of the best brothels King's Landing had to offer. The difference, being his scent wasn't overwhelming.

"Yes, yes of course." Her eyes moved back to his, as she moved away from his arms, standing but a hair's breadth away from him. He was far taller than she was by a head. She wasn't too sure at this point if it was rude or not for her to stare at his beautiful face as much as she did, and so every so often, she'd glance away seeking a rock, a trough, a window for comfort.

Blackfyre. It was a name she'd only heard in minutes. A named scarred by history and the times. She knew little of them, save for bitter whispers. "Aria" She returned, named upon a romanticized memory her mother kept deep inside her heart. She was the melody that accompanied her parent's love song born after a crescendo lost to the unfairness of fate. She knew little of it. Almost nothing even.

How else was she meant to act before this man, far above her own class? Would it be rude to excuse herself? Would it be rude to stay until he departs. A strained groan surprised the red hair out of her thoughts, her head snapping over her shoulder to look at it's source. One of the men shifted, possibly in the process of rising from his sleep. This was no good.

"I'm sorry but we shouldn't stay here." Aria's hand shot out and sought to take the dragon's own, urgency in her actions as with her voice. She'd lead him down a still street, still void of people yet open to the public, and en route of any passing guards on patrol. She'd be safe here. Safe to give the prince her most heartfelt thank you, and bid him adieu before racing home and relish in the eager beating of her heart.