“ [SHE] WAS RADIANT AS A SUMMER DAWN. HER SMILE COULD CHARM AWAY THE DARKEST NIGHT. ” - Anton Chekhov
FULL NAME: Helaena Velaryon
OCCUPATION / VOCATION: Lady of the Tides
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Driftmark, Blackwater Bay
ALLEGIANCE: House Velaryon, House Targaryen
+ Well-spoken, Poised, Dutiful
- Haughty, Sarcastic, Stoic
The last of her name, a house in ruin as it’s final push of life was given to a daughter, doomed to outlive the family name that she had been born to. History was not kind to the lineage of the Velaryon family, their numbers dropping whilst other houses thrived around them. Her mother spoke often of dragons and rebellion, spitting fire onto the worship of the Targaryens, the dragon blood of the Blackfyre running hot in her lady mother’s veins. It was unsurprising that Helaena should possess all Valyrian features, since both parents could claim a piece as part of their rich ancestry. Everyone remarked on how beautiful the young girl was, for the family had waited many years to bear a living child. Aegor Velaryon had cried in despair, eyes flitting over his aging wife had passed the child into the arms of a wet nurse. It was to be the backdrop of her life, an unloving father and a vacant mother.
Whilst she was just as beautiful as Daena Blackfyre, Helaena had none of her nature. Volatile and vacant, there was something unsettling about the lady who swathed herself in dark fabrics and whispered to the shadows, yet her daughter clung to the light with clenched fists. Slender feet would dangle into the rushing water, body sat upon hard stone, a river of silver locks blowing in wind as she young girl sang. Upon her lap, a book would sit as she drew with charcoal, ever conscious of not smudging the substance across the delicate fabric of her gown. After her fifth nameday, her father grew kinder and more loving. It became known that before her, there had been another daughter who had not reached her age of five, along with two boys prior. Until Helaena’s fortitude grew strong and Aegor was certain that she would not fade away like all the rest, he had not allowed himself to cherish her in the way that he had his other children. The prospect of losing another pearl to the ocean was one he could not bear. Daena remained unchanged throughout the years, never once offering comfort to her daughter. At night, Helaena would rest her head only to be haunted by the sight of menacing dragons and a fire so hot that she thought her body would boil in her sleep. Awoken in a sweat, watercolour images would be painted of her dreams so that she might show them to her father, not understanding the old blood in her veins.
Once they knew that she would be a great beauty, lessons were given on utilizing her gift of appearance. Helaena had blanched at her mother, turning from the dimly lit chambers with indignance. Whilst she was dutiful, she was not always obedient. It was known that one day she would marry, and her duty was to bear children, be the lady of a great house and do as her betters had done before her. She saw no reason to be conniving or to plot against others, in the way that her mother had hoped. She did not crave power, merely happiness. Those who held the world within their hands rarely enjoyed it, the crushing weight of the perils of others pushing them into the dirt. As a lady of a great house, she had a duty to the people who resided within the Driftmark, since her lady mother offered so little kindness or concern.
When her mother was laid to rest, Helaena had wept for reasons she could not explain. There was no bond forged between mother and daughter, nothing but absence and envy. In her last few months, Daena had grown jealous of her daughter’s young features, as her own wrinkled with age. It put into perspective the situation which the young woman found herself in, the last of her house. As her father grew ill, he made her promise that she would not allow the Velaryon name to die out, not like so many other great houses. She was still here, and the house needed to be remembered.
It was on her sixteenth name day that she was offered something truly splendid, a long-kept secret of the house of Velaryon. To some it was an ornament, a mere trinket of the past that could be admired. But as she pressed her hands to the dark oval, she was certain heat came from the scales. It had been in their possession for many years, passed from generation to generation with heavy hearts. It was the Targaryens who rode dragons, whilst the Velaryons stood in the shadows. Helaena felt connected to the egg, a feeling of belonging settling within her. It sat in a case lined with soft silks, always staring at her and waiting. When the dreams came of dragons, Helaena no longer screamed.
To the disappointment of many lords who all wished to stake a claim on the land, and the maiden who it would belong to, a betrothal had already been arranged by her father. They were rarely well suited, and all for political purposes, Helaena expected her own to be no different. Through her parents, she had seen what limited love could be found in a marriage, and whilst she could hope for love and happiness, it was not expected. An unorthodox request had been made by her father, when the match had been suggested, it brought into question the house name. Aegor refused to let the name Velaryon die, so he insisted that his daughter should keep her name, and it should be her husband who took the Velaryon name and titles. The man’s father was too enchanted by the offers made of wealth and lands to his second born son, that the matter had not been disputed.
Her marriage was a lavish affair, silver hair adorned with many jewels and body slipped into an extravagant gown of the finest silk her father’s fortune could afford. It was a blessing that she did not detest the groom, but she did not know him all that well. To Helaena’s sadness, it was not long after that Aegor succumbed to a long illness and died. It was then that her husband took the titles he’d married into, and she became Lady of the Tides. Love came quickly and quite unexpectedly, a welcome relief to Helaena who had feared that her life would be a cage. It did not take them long to be blessed with a child, and she was doted upon as her belly grew round. The lines before her had fallen, but she wanted them to flourish once more.
As a creature of duty, Helaena knew that when Hugo, she may not spend as much time concerned for her people. Yet her love for them grew no smaller, in fact she lived in fear of their safety. The Crownlands was not a place of serenity, but instead despair. With a gurgling babe of six months, and a dragon egg of her own, Helaena knew that she would do whatever it took to make sure people of the Driftmark were kept safe. It was her duty to protect her people.
romaincrisis
germansingergirl
pixelskylines
ellievsbear
izzy806
kianamaiart
baratheonpilled
