Lady Rhialta Vance and Lady Emphyria arrived exactly five days after the letter was sent. Lord Vance sent them with the idea of forming a bond with Dany, his goal being that the friendship would strengthen his house. Perhaps a marriage between their children years later.
The Manderlys also agreed, although Lady Wylla would take a moon to arrive, Lyanna Mormont would travel with her. The Redwynes also accepted. Desmera arrived three days after Lord Vance's daughters. The mansion was completed before the letters were sent, so they had no trouble finding rooms for them.
Dany still didn't know what orders Desmera had, but she hoped she wouldn't think anything about her husband. The Redwynes had a powerful fleet, and she wouldn't mind seeing her children married into that house. She decided to put her reservations aside; in the end, she was the one who called her. She wanted friends.
The Vance girls were agreeable, perhaps overly servile.
She hoped that would change with time; they seemed more like maids than companions. Both were quite similar, with red hair and green eyes. They were pretty, but not the kind to start wars. Desmera had more presence. She was a beautiful girl with brown eyes like a deer's. She resembled Margaery, which was no surprise considering they were cousins.
Another lady who arrived at the castle was Bethany Blackwood, with gray eyes, dark hair, and pale skin. She was destined to become a beauty. The girl hit it off with Princess Visenya. She wasn't as rebellious, but she enjoyed following the girl in her mischief.
Dany hoped Lyanna Mormont would be calmer than the other two.
"I hope you like the rooms," she heard her husband say. Dany had organized a small dinner party. To her delight, none of the girls looked at him flirtatiously, although she could see that they seemed attracted to him. That didn't matter to her; hundreds of women were attracted to him, just as hundreds desired her. As long as they didn't try anything, she didn't care.
"They are. Although I must admit my curiosity about the buildings," said Desmera, interested. Jaehaerys raised an eyebrow and asked her to continue. "The size of the towers is immense. I think only the Hightower lighthouse is bigger," said the girl, eating demurely.
"It is. The Hightower lighthouse is 700 feet tall. The tallest tower in ArgentKeep will be 600 feet," replied the prince.
They continued chatting amiably. Visenya and Bethany soon slipped away, with Lyanna and a group of guards, including Ser Barristan.
Soon Jaehaerys retired, leaving Dany alone with her ladies.
"I must admit, princess, I envy you a little," Desmera admitted once the four of them were alone. The other two ladies looked at her in surprise. They had invited Serena, but she declined the invitation. Daenerys was upset about it, but Jaehaerys told her to let it go.
"For my husband," Daenerys could imagine. He was handsome, strong, intelligent, and visionary.
"I don't think there are many men like him," continued the Redwyne girl. "I hear you study? Like a maester?"
"I do. Qyburn has taught me. I won't force you to attend, but if you wish, you are welcome." The Vance girls seemed eager to jump at the chance.
"I'll pass. My interest in those areas is limited," she apologized with a smile. She didn't want to seem like a bootlicker.
"And what are your interests, Desmera, may I call you that?" she asked. She wasn't offended by the rejection.
"Gardening and boats," the girl said quickly.
"I would appreciate your support when I design the garden," Dany smiled at her. She liked how she seemed unwilling to please her, but also not disrespectful. She was what she imagined a friend could be. "And you, Rhialta, Emphyria. Do you have anything you like?" she tried to include the girls. She didn't want them to be relegated to the background. She was their hostess.
"I like embroidery and praying in the sept," Rhialta said.
"I like archery," Emphyria said, her head bowed as she spoke. Her sister pinched her leg, scolding her.
"There's a sept at ArgentStone," Dany began, though she was not devoted to the Seven. She had not been the most devout since childhood. Once at Harrenhal, she found peace in the old gods. They were the ones who were with her when she was afraid. "It's abandoned, but I heard you traveled with a septon. You can pray there," she told them.
"Thank you, princess," Rhialta said before her sister could speak.
"And there's an archery range," she said, looking at Emphyria.
"That's not very appropriate. Ignored my sister," Rhialta said.
"Queen Lyanna will teach Princess Visenya and Bethany," she ignored Rhialta. "You can join them, Emphyria," she began to dislike Rhialta.
"Thank you, uh, Daenerys," said the Vance girl. Her sister looked angry.
"She's a princess, Emphyria," she corrected her younger sister.
"Daenerys is fine, Rhialta. You only need to call me princess in public, to maintain decorum," the princess stood up. "I'm usually busy in the mornings. I eat with my husband and then study with Qyburn." She warned them. "I'll try to break fast with you from time to time. If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know," she told them.
The girls accompanied her to her mansion. They were only a few meters away. It was a short walk. Torrhen and a group of Unsullied and guards followed them.
"That necklace is beautiful, and the runes inscribed on it... they remind me of those on the Royce armor," said the youngest of the Vances.
"It's a gift from my husband," said the princess. She didn't mention the magical part of the necklace. It was supposed to heat up when someone had harmful intentions against her. So far, it remained cold against her skin. It could also purify the poison in her body.
The girls stayed at Daenerys' mansion for a few more minutes before going to bed. Their personal guards and Unsullied accompanied them.
She arrived at her bedroom and saw Torrhen pause at the door. According to Brandon, his brother was wilder and more lustful. Dany hadn't noticed those characteristics, but she trusted Brandon.
When she entered her chambers, she looked at her empty bed. It was not unexpected. She walked toward the wall, where a door led to her husband's quarters. She found him reading a book by candlelight, his eyes glazed over.
"What do you think of them?" she asked as soon as she saw him. She watched as he placed a bookmark and closed the book. "My ladies-in-waiting. Do you think they are pretty?"
"Desmera is a beauty," Jaehaerys admitted.
"You are a fool," said the princess. "I heard that Sam knew her," she asked her husband.
"He does. Lord Tarly intended to marry them, to let Sam grow up with the Redwynnes first. Ended badly when Desmera's twin brothers intimidated him, and Randyll took him back to Horn Hill," he told her.
"Perhaps love will blossom between them here," said the princess, hoping a little that it would. Sam was a good boy. She took a seat across from her husband's desk. Then she leaned over to pick up one of the books on it. She watched her husband's eyes get lost in her cleavage.
"Are you tired?" she heard him ask.
"Maybe?" she smiled at him.
She wasn't tired at all.