It is harder, you are certainly correct about that.
[What can she actually say to make her feel better about this? If we win this war, it may start to change? Two non guarantees in a row, she can't see that providing any optimism.
Oh, Daemon. Has it ever occurred to you that the women in your life might be having these types of conversations about you? Probably not.]
Nor can I disagree with that. He has always seemed to find making things more difficult for both himself and others an addictive hobby.
[ Despite her ill feelings, she can't help but wrinkle her nose and smile. Her father is a pain in the ass, but he isn't a malicious one. Everything he has done has been to better his family. ]
Was he always like that? Even when he was younger?
Well, maybe there was a point in his own childhood where he was less restless, but at least for my whole life that has been the case. He's a double edged sword, in human form. It is hard to fully fault him for always wanting to be doing something. Or proving something.
[ Baela's heard the stories about the Rogue Prince, of course. She expects half of them to be exaggerated and contain some untruths. To hear a sliver of how Rhaenyra views him… ]
Is that why you like him?
[ She can't quite pinpoint the actual why, but she suspects it might have something to do with his restlessness and desire to prove himself until the end of time. ]
[Has she ever been directly asked why she likes him, before? Certainly not by someone else who also likes him.]
It is certainly a large contributing factor. There is something special about having those traits in myself understood by someone else without having to explain anything. And although he may occasionally burn too hot... the warmth the rest of the time has always seemed worth it to me.
[ If only Baela understood what it was like to want to be someone else. Does she wish to be Jace? No. She likes herself too much to want to be someone else.
… She would like his patience, though. ]
That's why he's so frustrating, isn't it? He's a true dragon, but sometimes he acts like, well… I don't want to say.
[ A fool. Rhaenys would happily supply various descriptors. ]
[ Which her father has in spades. Baela doesn't wish to think more about it.
She gestures with her hands, fingers spread like she's holding something that's invisible. ]
Jace has this quiet confidence… [ Speaking of, Baela begins to lose her confidence as he remembers who she's speaking to. But she trucks on - ] He's hardly an ass. That's what I like about him.
[Be grateful she did not keep talking about how she likes them a little mean, that would have been a much more scarring path to wander down.]
You are wiser about this than I was at your age, then. Or then I am now, even. I think we must give Laenor most of the credit for that, he was much more kind than he was an ass. Although he was also a horrible gossip.
[ What Baela knows of him, he had been kind and gentle and had a laugh akin to a dragon's roar. He had to be the calmer side to the coin; her mother was ferocious. ]
Oh, very frequently. It was one of our favorite pastimes, as a pair.
I suppose that isn't the most mature example. Perhaps I should have lied about this. [But she didn't, and clearly she doesn't regret being a questionable influence in this, because she's laughing a little.]
[ The quickness in which she dismisses such an expectation—perhaps Baela should be aghast by her openness. But has she ever needed to overly watch herself with Rhaenyra? ]
All that matters is that you had fun. And you did, didn't you? [ She doesn't stop smiling. ] Were you ever caught? I always thought my uncle was loud. I remember he had a loud laugh.
[It's a very pleasant bout of nostalgia, she gets lost in for a moment.]
We were certainly overheard a few times, by the people we may have been discussing. What caused more of a problem, though, was the fact that neither of us could ever manage to keep a straight face when we were caught. Eventually we learned to mostly keep our gossiping to our chambers. Unless we were drinking.
We were bad influences on each other, truly. But it was fun.
[ Sometimes Baela wishes she were older so she could have such memories to tide her over when she feels like a stranded dragon on Driftmark. There are too many people she hardly recalls.
She smiles. ]
You must've really cared for him, even though you were clearly the corruptor.
[Please behold her best attempt at an expression of affront, while she can't stop smiling. Doubtless, it looks very silly.]
I was clearly the corruptor? I have no idea why you would reach that conclusion at all!
I did really care for him. Our marriage may not have made sense to most people, or been traditional in most ways, but there was still a great deal of love in it.
[ It's a joke, meant to somehow smoothen out the sharper parts of Rhaenyra's confession. Baela knows the stories, of course—so many doubted her love for her uncle. But how could they when Rhaenyra's face brightens when speaking of him? ]
Rhaenys always spoke about how kind and quiet he was. For him to be a gossip, you must've had a hand in that. [ She smiles. ] I wish I remembered him. He sounds like he would have been fun to talk to. He would've had many secrets to share about you.
Alright, alright, yes, plenty of that too. I am a very good bad influence.
[It does make her chuckle, as well as being true.]
She's right, he was those things as well. Especially with the children. Few men would have been so... engaged. And yes, he had plenty of stories where I seem absolutely ridiculous, and he would have very happily told you all of them. Probably more than once.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
no subject
[ She doesn't mean to be such a downer! ]
no subject
no subject
Not always.
[ It's the truth, isn't it? She's luckier than Rhaena, given she has a dragon and is seen as a candidate for… what? Inheritance? ]
But it's certainly harder, given we're women. Sometimes, I think it's made harder because of him.
[ Daemon. ]
no subject
[What can she actually say to make her feel better about this? If we win this war, it may start to change? Two non guarantees in a row, she can't see that providing any optimism.
Oh, Daemon. Has it ever occurred to you that the women in your life might be having these types of conversations about you? Probably not.]
Nor can I disagree with that. He has always seemed to find making things more difficult for both himself and others an addictive hobby.
no subject
Was he always like that? Even when he was younger?
no subject
Well, maybe there was a point in his own childhood where he was less restless, but at least for my whole life that has been the case. He's a double edged sword, in human form. It is hard to fully fault him for always wanting to be doing something. Or proving something.
no subject
Is that why you like him?
[ She can't quite pinpoint the actual why, but she suspects it might have something to do with his restlessness and desire to prove himself until the end of time. ]
no subject
It is certainly a large contributing factor. There is something special about having those traits in myself understood by someone else without having to explain anything. And although he may occasionally burn too hot... the warmth the rest of the time has always seemed worth it to me.
no subject
… She would like his patience, though. ]
That's why he's so frustrating, isn't it? He's a true dragon, but sometimes he acts like, well… I don't want to say.
[ A fool. Rhaenys would happily supply various descriptors. ]
no subject
[Rhaenys wouldn't have taken long to get that descriptor, either, but she probably wouldn't have said it with as much amusement as Rhaenyra.]
I have always liked that a little too much in people, if I am honest.
no subject
[ Baela's incredulity is accompanied by a wide smile. (Did Baela really think any better of Rhaenyra? She and Daemon are kind of mirrors.) ]
no subject
[She won't be insulted, regardless of the answer.]
no subject
A little. I always thought, well… You liked the confidence in someone. It never occurred to me that you'd like the fact that they were an ass.
[ Now, if Rhaenyra had said she liked him for his ass, Baela would finally have an excuse to seek therapy. ]
no subject
Oh, confidence is very attractive as well, you are correct about that.
no subject
She gestures with her hands, fingers spread like she's holding something that's invisible. ]
Jace has this quiet confidence… [ Speaking of, Baela begins to lose her confidence as he remembers who she's speaking to. But she trucks on - ] He's hardly an ass. That's what I like about him.
no subject
You are wiser about this than I was at your age, then. Or then I am now, even. I think we must give Laenor most of the credit for that, he was much more kind than he was an ass. Although he was also a horrible gossip.
no subject
Really?
[ What Baela knows of him, he had been kind and gentle and had a laugh akin to a dragon's roar. He had to be the calmer side to the coin; her mother was ferocious. ]
Did you gossip a lot with him?
no subject
I suppose that isn't the most mature example. Perhaps I should have lied about this. [But she didn't, and clearly she doesn't regret being a questionable influence in this, because she's laughing a little.]
no subject
[ The quickness in which she dismisses such an expectation—perhaps Baela should be aghast by her openness. But has she ever needed to overly watch herself with Rhaenyra? ]
All that matters is that you had fun. And you did, didn't you? [ She doesn't stop smiling. ] Were you ever caught? I always thought my uncle was loud. I remember he had a loud laugh.
no subject
[It's a very pleasant bout of nostalgia, she gets lost in for a moment.]
We were certainly overheard a few times, by the people we may have been discussing. What caused more of a problem, though, was the fact that neither of us could ever manage to keep a straight face when we were caught. Eventually we learned to mostly keep our gossiping to our chambers. Unless we were drinking.
We were bad influences on each other, truly. But it was fun.
no subject
She smiles. ]
You must've really cared for him, even though you were clearly the corruptor.
no subject
I was clearly the corruptor? I have no idea why you would reach that conclusion at all!
I did really care for him. Our marriage may not have made sense to most people, or been traditional in most ways, but there was still a great deal of love in it.
no subject
[ It's a joke, meant to somehow smoothen out the sharper parts of Rhaenyra's confession. Baela knows the stories, of course—so many doubted her love for her uncle. But how could they when Rhaenyra's face brightens when speaking of him? ]
Rhaenys always spoke about how kind and quiet he was. For him to be a gossip, you must've had a hand in that. [ She smiles. ] I wish I remembered him. He sounds like he would have been fun to talk to. He would've had many secrets to share about you.
no subject
[It does make her chuckle, as well as being true.]
She's right, he was those things as well. Especially with the children. Few men would have been so... engaged.
And yes, he had plenty of stories where I seem absolutely ridiculous, and he would have very happily told you all of them. Probably more than once.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
book canon, I wish they'd stuck to you here
it's fine, we're going to in 890534 other threads!
you're right!
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)