Whispers Beneath the Bodice
Summary: A young noblewoman, bound for the Red Keep, navigates her fatherâs ambitions and the suffocating rituals of courtly life, Though outwardly obedient, she quietly schemes to use marriage and circumstance as a means to claim her own power. Will Baelor Targaryen be that man?
A/N - Hope yall like it!!
Part 1
The man now standing before my eyes, whose features were those of Baelor Targaryen, eldest son of King Daeron II Targaryen, was looking at me in the way a butcher might look at his disgusting pig, aware that his own life would come to an end at his hands. From when I was a child, I had been told my role as a woman and as a princess was to get married and to give birth to his children, raising them as if they had no father should I ever have a little girl; and with regard to his sons, they were to be brought up as though the entire region had given him birth.
Even though neither of my parents had ever spoken about my betrothal, I knew the time was approaching, because I could feel the passage of time as my body began to change and I realised that I was no longer the little girl I had once been but had become a lady. Yet I was entirely content with this arrangement, since I had never loved and never would, unless I was informed that there was to be a ball in the Great Hall of the Red Keep, at which point I knew that something life-changing was going to happen.
âMind that, Ashara, when you give them the signâdo you understand?â
My Septa whispered in my ear as my maid wrapped me in my long inner tunic. Her breath felt warm against my cold ears, which had carried secrets since I was born.
â Septa Roelle, I shall employ my fan, and there I will appear a perfect and innocent princess.â
I speak without turning my head to face her, keeping my gaze forward as my maid wraps me tightly in a corset that leaves me breathless, shaping my body into the vision those men desire, their ideal lady. Septa Roelle withdraws, disappointment plain in her posture when I refuse to play along with her whispering games. Still, I suspect my maid has heard far worse than my subtle rebellion against a future husband who would control every aspect of my life.
âThen vouchsafe me thy knowledge, and enlighten my understanding therewith.â
Her words grate on me, especially as my maid struggles with the impossible task of reshaping my body with the corset, a cruel instrument of suffering for women like me.
âTo set the handle to the lips means 'Kiss me,' and to place it on the left ear signifies 'I wish to be rid of thee,' if the man is, well, less than worthy of my time or beauty.â
I murmur the last part quietly, perhaps softer than I intend, while my maid lets out a small laugh and finishes dressing me in my bodice and walking gown. Her name is a secret I keep, for her husband is a wretch who poisoned her happiness until she found refuge here; I promised her my silence. She finds amusement where Septa Roelle does not, but that makes her laughter all the more precious.
"It will take seven to ten days to reach the Red Keep, as fortune allows, according to your brother and your father. Prince Maron Martell of Dorne will accompany us," my Septa announces, her tone resolute.
Whenever my father is mentioned, the air shifts; it always does. He is determined to see me kneel or rise as he wishes, and neither my maid nor my Septa can stop him.
"I have packed your garments in your traveling bag, my princess," my maid whispers, her eyes briefly meeting my Septa's. "Please, heed your Septa's counsel to fulfill your purpose."
They know, as they have known since the day of my birth, that I am determined to marry a wealthy man, no matter what kind of rat he may be, and become what my father wants: a queen. And if Baelor Targaryen can be that man, I will do anything to become what he wishes of a woman, even if I have to face those eyes head on.














