The chamber they were given lay deep within the inner keep of Highgarden, far from the noise of courtyards and the watchful eyes of passing courtiers.
Highgarden had provided them was luxurious even by Reach standards, a large, open pool fed by natural hot springs, surrounded by marble columns and flowering vines that hung from the ceiling.
Steam rose gently from the water, carrying the faint scent of rose oil and lavender. Soft torchlight flickered across the walls, giving the space an intimate, almost dreamlike glow.
Rhaego entered first, his shoulders still tense from the long conversation with Lady Olenna. The moment he stepped inside and saw the warm, inviting pool, something in his chest tightened.
The warm, humid air hit him like a wave of nostalgia.
It reminded him so strongly of the private baths in Meereen, the ones he used to share with his mother when he was smaller, when she would laugh and splash him while they talked about dragons and dreams.
Those were simpler times... Safer times.
He let out a tired sigh, tail flicking once behind him as he started unwrapping the long cloth tied around his waist. The scales along his hips and lower back caught the lantern light.
For once, he could just relax…
The door behind him opened.
Rhaego froze mid-motion as Arianne stepped inside, wearing nothing but a thin silk cloth draped loosely around her body. The fabric clung to her curves, translucent in the steamy air, leaving very little to the imagination.
Her dark curls were pinned up, a few strands already sticking to her neck from the steam.
His eyes widened.
"What the—?!" he yelped, quickly turning his back to her and yanking the cloth back up around his waist.
"Princess! What are you doing here?!"
Arianne paused, one eyebrow raised in mild amusement, as if he had asked the dumbest question in the world.
"I'm taking a bath," she said simply, voice calm and unbothered. "The same reason you're here, I assume."
She let the silk cloth slip from her shoulders and pool at her feet without hesitation, then stepped gracefully into the warm water with a soft sigh of relief.
Rhaego kept his back firmly turned, one hand covering his eyes for good measure, his face burning.
Why am I acting like this? he thought, inwardly frustrated with himself.
In my last life I was a woman. I've seen plenty of naked bodies before. This should be nothing…
But of course, it wasn't nothing.
…This body is different. I'm a man now. Staring at a naked woman, especially a princess, feels wrong.
Disrespectful. At least I still have some sense of decency left.
He swallowed hard, keeping his eyes tightly shut.
"You could have used another bath house!" he hissed, voice low but clearly flustered. "This was supposed to be private!"
Arianne sank deeper into the pool, the warm water lapping at her shoulders. She leaned back against the marble edge, completely relaxed.
"This is the private bath they gave us," she replied, a teasing lilt in her voice.
"We're supposed to be here in secret, remember? A dragon prince and a Dornish princess sharing the same roof is already enough to draw attention. Sharing separate baths would only make the servants talk more. This way, no one knows we're here… and no one will suspect anything."
She tilted her head, watching his rigid back with a mischievous smile.
"Besides, it's just a bath, Rhaego. Westerosi nobles do this all the time. The pool is big enough for both of us. Stop being so shy and join me. Or are you afraid I'll see something I haven't seen before?"
Rhaego muttered something unintelligible under his breath, still refusing to turn around. His tail twitched faintly beneath the cloth behind him.
Arianne laughed softly, the sound echoing gently off the marble walls.
"Come on, you big lizard. The water's perfect. Get in before you boil yourself from embarrassment."
Rhaego hesitated for a long moment, then let out a long, suffering sigh.
"…Fine. But don't look."
He carefully adjusted the cloth around his waist, making sure it was secure, then slowly stepped into the far side of the pool, keeping his back to her as much as possible.
The warm water felt heavenly against his scales, but the tension in his shoulders remained.
Arianne watched him with a mischievous glint in her eyes, resting her chin on her folded arms at the edge of the pool.
"You know," she said lightly, "for someone who claims to be a dragon prince, you're surprisingly easy to fluster."
Rhaego sank lower into the water, muttering, "And for someone who claims to be a princess, you have zero shame."
Arianne's laughter rang out again, bright, throaty, and utterly unbothered.
"Welcome to the Reach, my prince. Try not to drown in your own embarrassment."
She leaned back against the marble edge, completely relaxed, and let out a soft, amused laugh.
"Why are you acting like you've never seen a naked woman before?" she teased, her voice light and playful.
"I'm sure this is nothing for you... Meereen is full of brothels and pleasure houses. I assumed a mighty dragon prince in the east would have explored plenty by now."
Rhaego stiffened even more, his shoulders tense. He adjusted the cloth around his waist for the third time, making sure it was securely tied.
"I've never visited such places," he muttered, voice low and slightly defensive. "I'm… still very young even if I look like this… I age differently than normal humans. And the only naked woman I've ever seen is my mother."
Arianne blinked, genuinely surprised this time.
She tilted her head, studying his rigid back with new curiosity.
"How old are you, really?" she asked, her tone shifting from teasing to something softer, more intrigued.
"You look like a man in his prime… but you speak like someone who lived very long."
Rhaego was quiet for a moment, then answered honestly.
"Physically, I'm around four or five years old by now I think… But my mind develops just as fast, so it doesn't always feel that way. It would be strange otherwise."
"Four or five?" she repeated, a hint of disbelief in her voice.
Arianne was silent for a few heartbeats, processing his words. Then a small, almost fond smile touched her lips.
"So I really am the first woman you've seen like this," she murmured, half to herself.
"How strangely charming."
She let out a soft laugh, the sound warm and gentle this time.
"Well then, my prince… I suppose I should be flattered."
Rhaego didn't reply, only sank a little lower into the far side of the pool, still keeping his back to her, clearly mortified.
His knees were tucked up tightly against his chest.
Without turning around, he lifted one hand and pointed a finger in Arianne's general direction.
"…Don't do anything suspicious," he muttered, voice muffled by the steam and his own mortification. "I just… I really want a warm bath. That's all. No tricks. No teasing. No… whatever you're thinking right now. Just… peace."
Arianne couldn't help it, she let out another soft laugh, the sound echoing gently off the marble walls.
"Peace?" she echoed, clearly amused.
"You're sharing a bath with a naked princess and you expect peace? You really are still young in that head of yours."
Rhaego sank even lower until his chin touched the water, still refusing to look at her.
"I'm serious," he grumbled.
"Just… stay on your side of the pool."
Arianne smiled, resting her arms on the edge of the pool as she watched his tense back.
"Fine, fine," she said, her tone playful but softer than before.
"I'll behave.. For now."
She leaned her head back, letting the warm water soothe her tired muscles, though her eyes still sparkled with mischief.
"Though I have to admit… this is the most entertaining bath I've had in a long time."
Rhaego let out a long, suffering sigh, sinking a little deeper into the water.
"I knew I was going to regret this," he whispered to himself.
"Oh, come now, my prince," she purred, her tone low and teasing. "You're acting like I'm going to devour you. I'm simply taking a bath. Is the sight of a naked woman really so terrifying to the mighty son of Daenerys Stormborn?"
She let out a soft, throaty laugh, tilting her head as she studied his rigid posture.
"Or is it just me that makes you so shy?"
Rhaego didn't turn around, but she could see his tail swaying frustratingly in the water.
Arianne smiled wider, clearly enjoying herself.
"I promise I won't bite… unless you ask nicely."
She leaned back against the marble edge again, letting the warm water lap over her chest, deliberately relaxed and unashamed.
"Though I must admit," she added lightly, "it's rather charming. A dragon prince who blushes like a maiden. I didn't expect that."
For a while..
Rhaego finally gave in and leaned back against the marble edge of the pool. He rested his head on the cool stone, eyes closed, face tilted upward toward the ceiling.
The warm water lapped gently at his chest. Even with the towel still stubbornly tied tight around his waist, the steam and exhaustion were starting to win. For the first time all day, his shoulders relaxed just a fraction.
Arianne sat a few feet away on the opposite side of the pool, submerged up to her collarbones. She watched him quietly.
She couldn't help it.
The lantern light danced across his body in soft, golden flickers. She could see the faint shimmer of his scales along his shoulders and collarbones, catching the light like polished pearls.
Below that, the subtle ridges, almost like delicate armor plating lines, ran across the center of his chest and disappeared beneath the waterline and the edge of his tightly wrapped towel.
Her gaze lingered, not with crude hunger, but with open, unashamed curiosity.
She had seen many men naked. Lords, knights, lovers.
But none of them looked like this.
The way the ridges continued downward, faint but visible even through the water… it made her wonder, just for a moment, whether those same elegant lines traced further.
Whether his manhood carried the same draconic markings like the subtle ridges, faint scales, something uniquely him.
The thought was inappropriate.
She knew that. But it was also purely intellectual curiosity. Rhaego wasn't just another man. He was something new in the world. A living bridge between legend and flesh.
How could she not wonder?
Arianne tilted her head slightly, a small, private smile tugging at her lips.
"You're staring," Rhaego said suddenly, eyes still closed, voice tired but resigned.
Arianne didn't deny it.
"I am," she admitted easily. "You're quite beautiful, you know... In a strange, impossible way."
Rhaego frowned beneath his silver hair. He kept his head tilted back, refusing to look at her.
"I'm trying to have a peaceful bath," he muttered. "Not be examined like a new species of lizard."
Arianne chuckled softly, the sound warm and unbothered.
"Forgive me. It's just… you're the first dragonborn anyone has seen in hundreds of years. The scales, the ridges… they continue downward, don't they?" She paused, then added with light honesty, "I was simply wondering if they go all the way."
Rhaego made a strangled noise and sank a little lower into the water, gripping his towel even tighter.
"Princess…."
"Yes?"
"Please stop wondering out loud."
She smiled wider, resting her chin on her folded arms at the edge of the pool.
"I can't help it. You're fascinating." Her tone softened just a touch. "And yes… I know it's inappropriate. But I'm not looking at you like a conquest right now. I'm looking at you like something wondrous."
Rhaego stayed silent for a long moment, face still tilted toward the ceiling, clearly fighting between embarrassment and reluctant flattery.
"…You're still staring," he finally grumbled.
"I am," Arianne agreed cheerfully. "And I'm not sorry."
She leaned back again, letting the warm water soothe her, but her eyes kept drifting back to him, not with lustful intent.. though small part of it was, but with that bright, unfiltered curiosity true to herself.
Rhaego sighed deeply, tail twitching once beneath the water.
"I'm never going to get a peaceful bath again, am I?"
"Probably not," she said, smiling.
"But at least the view is nice."