The very next morning, Visenya had been awoken by her dreams long before her maid had knocked on her door. To her misfortune, the dream she had the night prior was not one of the Dragon Dreams.
Instead, she dreamt of Tywin and how close they had been... how much closer they could be. It drove her mad and frustrated her that her mind started to go against her when it came to the prideful Lion.
As her maid pulled her curtains to the side and allowed the bright morning sun to enter her room, only then was she informed of the changes in her daily plans. Apparently, the Hand of the King had requested her presence to break fast with him and his family.
Visenya had barely seen the kids, not truly making any effort to interact with them for she had no reason to do so. Her business was with their father and until the night prior, she truly believed it to be strictly professional but now; she could not help but wonder.
Since she did not wish to make them wait, she had chosen one of her more refined dresses but not from the group purely existing for the big banquets her brother would throw.
The dress was in the colours of very dark red that reminded Visenya of the colour of dried blood. The design was similar to most of her dresses with the upper part of the dress to be tight and hang around her curves, her cleavage just modestly enough exposed while the lower part fell around her legs.
The Dragoness had many dresses, most she did not wear but she did keep. Some had a far more daring neckline or design, made to attract attention and not in the best way when it came to court.
She had first thought to wear one of those but chose to be an adult in the subject and choose something fitting enough. Once she was done, she dismissed her maid and instead let her hair remain loose; falling around her face and on her shoulder like she usually let it be.
Pleased with herself, she made her way towards the chambers of the Hand where breakfast would be served in their private room.
Tywin had just sat down as the head of the table, Kevan and his children following his example; well almost all of them. Tyrion being only 2 name-days old, was too weak and too short to properly sit on the chair on his own and thus a servant had to help him.
Across from him sat the twins, both 9 name-days old and quite inseparable. Despite being twins, there was only a basic resemblance between them when it came to the nose and eye shape.
Apart from that, the two of them had already started to look different from one another. The only common thing Tywin and his children had were their blond hair and green eyes, although Tyrion only had one green eye for the other was a dark brown.
Cursed boy, Tywin often thought due to his mismatched eyes he was not the only one.
Once everyone had been seated, he cleared his throat and immediately all eyes were on him.
"I have requested Princess Visenya to break fast with us today. Therefore, I expect all of you to be at your utmost behaviour," he informed them, earning different reactions from each one of them.
Kevan looked at him silently, lifting an eyebrow at the new information. He truly did not expect Tywin to invite a woman to break fast with them, let alone the Princess herself.
Cersei practically glared daggers at her father, her lips pressed to form a thin line as she held back her remark. Their mother had died only two years ago and their father already brought a new woman into his life.
She hadn't truly met the Princess, for Tywin did not allow them in any social events until they had grown older and "learned to behave accordingly" as he had told them. At the same time, the famous Dragon Princess was too busy doing her own things.
Jaime was sceptical and confused at the sudden invite. The Princess was a powerful woman, a relative to the King himself, so to be invited alone seemed odd. He did not have a clear view of her and was not really against meeting her, since he would eventually work for her as well when he would become a knight.
Tyrion was simply too young to understand or that was what everyone thought. Despite his deformities, the dwarf was far more intelligent than people had him capable of. He might have been young but he understood someone of importance would join them, a woman nonetheless.
As if the thoughts of everyone had summoned her, the mighty Dragoness appeared at the door. She held her back straight and while her dress was plain, she carried herself with such pride that it made her outfit look formal; perhaps even too formal.
She graced Tywin with a small smile as he stood up when she arrived, glaring at his kids to do the same.
"Lord Tywin, I thank you for the invite," she said, keeping all formalities.
"Princess, an honour of you to join us," he said, giving a small courtesy bow, his brother as well.
A servant quickly pulled a chair on the table, placing her between Tyrion and Kevan at the left side of Tywin; while the twins were sitting across from them at his right.
Everyone was seated down, except for Tyrion since he never stood up in the first place; something he could not do without falling off his chair.
Once everyone was down, Visenya offered the same smile to the man by her right.
"A pleasure to see you as well Ser Kevan," she greeted as the servants started to bring their food.
Kevan offered a charming sincere smile. "The pleasure is all mine, Princess."
Tywin nodded faintly at the manners of his brother, expecting nothing less from him.
"Princess, allow me to introduce you to my children," he said, earning her attention. "Cersei Lannister my firstborn and her twin and my heir, Jaime Lannister," he started, pride in his words upon showing his two children. "By your side is Tyrion, my last born," he said with a little more disgust, not even adding the Lannister name.
Visenya looked at the twins first, seeing how mistrustful Cersei looked and how naive Jaime was. The young girl was glaring daggers at her, her back straight while she tried to keep herself as mighty and powerful as she could be.
The Targaryen admired that, seeing the same Lannister pride in her green eyes. On top of that, she could see that the girl had beauty and lots of it, already sure that she would be a gorgeous woman growing up.
Jaime seemed to still be a child in mind, his gaze innocent and his face having less maturity than his sister's. Yet, she could see kindness within him and not the usual coldness that Tywin possessed; making her wonder if he had taken more from his mother instead.
Then, her eyes landed on young Tyrion and her gaze softened. Despite his deformities, she could still see the child he was supposed to be. No matter what people said about his mismatched eyes or causing the death of his mother in labour, he was just a child in the end and he could not be judged for crimes he had no hand in.
"A lovely family, my Lord," she said as they all started to eat.
"It is a strong one, meant to carry the Lannister name when they grow," he said, continuing with pride as he ate with the utmost of manners.
"Forgive me for asking, Princess, but you were also 3 siblings; were you not?" Kevan asked since his brother was not good at small talk.
The discussion of her siblings brought a small sad smile to her face.
"You are correct Ser Kevan. Although, unlike the Lannisters, we were two daughters and a son with me being the youngest," she explained.
Something about her being the youngest seemed to draw Tyrion's attention. A successful and powerful woman but being the last born? Somehow the idea offered him comfort, his young intelligent mind already thinking ahead in his future so that he could succeed in such tasks as well.
Ser Kevan seemed interested in talking and getting to know her some more since his brother was apparently not going to. Unless he already knows more than he lets, he thought in his mind.
"We were four brothers and one sister when we were growing up," he informed her.
Tywin, not liking truly to be left out and seeing the perfect opportunity, joined their discussion.
"Yes, we are. Big numbers of offspring always help a house prosper."
Visenya drank some water from her goblet as her eyes locked on him.
"Indeed, although I do believe the relationship between the siblings is of vital importance. Better a few heirs that are close to one another and will provide unity for their house, than many heirs whose actions and bad relationships will only make their house crumble."
There was something behind her words, something more personal and despite how well she hid it; Tywin and even Kevan picked it up. She talked of her family's past where bad relations between siblings and bastards had caused two different Dances of the Dragons, while almost wiping their whole lineage.
If one paid more attention to her words, one would even think she talked about her estranged relationship with her brother; who for most years of her life pretended she did not truly exist even when they all dined at the same table.
There was a small silence between them, her words having put both men in thought but earned the faintest nods of approval from Tywin.
Yet, the silence did not last long as Cersei decided to test the waters and mostly, her father's patience.
"You are a princess but you do not dress like one. Where are your jewellery? Every woman must wear a few no matter the occasion," she said, her voice slightly pitched due to her young age but her tone remained all the same while she pointed out the fact that Visenya did not wear any jewellery.
Truth be told, Tywin himself did not remember ever seeing her wearing one. He was certain that she possessed them, necklaces especially but apparently, she did not prefer them.
If she were his wife, he would have chosen the best rubies and demanded her to wear them; to show her beauty and power as she always did. However, no matter what the situation was and could be; there was one important thing to handle.
"Cersei," he said, warning her to stand down or face the consequences.
To the kid's surprise, Visenya stood up for her.
"It is quite alright my lord. Cersei has a question and I am more than happy to answer," she said, her voice stable and powerful despite not having changed a single octave.
"A title is nothing but a fancy word next to your name. Neither expensive dresses nor rare jewellery play a role in it either. A strong woman is confident in herself and can wear the simplest of dresses and still make them look formal enough. Natural looks are the basis of many but..."
She stopped for a moment, momentarily glancing at Tywin before focusing back at the child.
"...it is posture and character that truly tie it all together."
If Cersei expected some other answer, she did not let anyone know. She had tried to attack Visenya with her words, make her feel bad and leave the table but the Dragoness did not even blink while looking at her.
Her words were said with such certainty, as if they had been written in some ancient tome and she was reciting them word by word. Her posture was perfect, making Cersei wonder how her back was not hurting.
The confidence behind her words angered the young child, whose original plan had failed. Yet, a part of her could not help but admire the woman across from her. She was an exotic beauty, few truly being able to match her to that. Even without jewellery, she looked beautiful and she seemed to exert the same power her father did.
It was, perhaps, the only thing that made Cersei feel a little bit uneasy.
She was so used to ladies of the court, being all fake and weak or the frightened wet nurses and maids that looked after them during the day. She, on the other hand, was the one controlling the room at that moment and she made it look too easy. If Cersei had liked her invitation or if her mother had been alive, perhaps she would have looked up at the Princess more.
"Wise words, Princess," Tywin commented, seeing how quickly Visenya silenced Cersei and put her in her place without even trying. "I see you are capable of handling rude children as well as most ladies of the court," he continued, sending a small glare at his firstborn.
As he expected, she was natural when it came to kids. She was intelligent but also experienced, her motherly nature coming naturally to her but just enough to raise strong children; without spoiling and ruining their characters.
That was quite rare in women.
"Thank you, my Lord. I cannot take all the credit for I had the experience with my nephew; the Crown Prince," she commented, taking his praise but keeping herself just a tad humble.
That was a usual power move many women used in court and in formal meetings, taking a compliment but not allowing others to think of them as too prideful or too shallow. Of course, it was not something all women could achieve and many failed before even trying.
"For the remnants of our time, if your kids have any questions I do not mind answering," Visenya added next. "We all have only a small time in our lives when we can speak our minds without facing daring consequences, for once a certain age is reached; things change rather drastically."
Her words seemed to amuse Tyrion, all those fancy words and her velvet voice keeping him almost entranced by her presence.
Jaime was equally amused, mostly with a small excitement to hear someone pushing him to speak his mind or ask questions without fear of being punished or judged. His father was always very strict and so were his maesters, not many accepting questions rather than being of the highest importance.
"Princess, is it true that you know your way around a sword? And that you have fought alongside men in battles?" he asked next, with little more excitement than one expected from him.
Jaime's words brought a small but natural smile upon her face, something that she did not try to hide. There was something about his eagerness and his innocence that she enjoyed seeing, having missed that stage with Rhaegar while she was away on Dragonstone.
"It is true, young Lord Lannister," she said, using his title and making his chest puff just a tad more with pride. "I am capable of handling a sword and I have found myself amongst soldiers due to certain circumstances. Remember my words, young Lord, a woman can wield a sword, should the need arise; rare but never impossible or unheard of."
Her answer seemed to satisfy his curiosity, for he smiled at her and returned to his food with the same eagerness but always mindful of his manners.
Cersei kept giving her side glares, mostly because of how quickly she had earned the approval of her brother without even trying.
She admired that but she would never truly say it out loud. In her eyes, no woman was as noble and good as she was portrayed to be. She was certain that the famous Targaryen Princess was not the saint her father and brothers thought of her to be.
The remaining time spent with the Lannisters was calm but had a similar pace of discussions. There were questions, some from the kids and mostly Jaime and some from the two adult Lions.
Many times, Tywin simply studied how effortlessly Visenya talked to his children or to his brother; acting as if she had always been part of their family. He could see that her presence could affect the mindset of his children, especially since he did not have the time to fully be above their heads.
Perhaps he should invite her more often to break fast or even have supper with them. Although, he felt that her position should change for she was far more fitted to sit by his right than between his relatives.
She was a Princess after all and a powerful woman nonetheless. Yet, the more he observed her and fell into another discussion with her; the more his mind went to the prior night and their small moment in the chambers with the Wildfire.
That scene, for some reason, was hard to leave his mind and even when he pushed it to the back of his head; it resurfaced sooner or later. It had started to annoy him but he let none of it show, as Visenya seemed to enjoy being in the company of his family.