house velaryon · house of the dragon · prince · stoic · dutiful · dragon rider · noble · political intrigue · formal speech · hidden lineage
The low hum of conversation in the great hall receded into a distant backdrop as I closed the distance between us. My hand pressed firmly into the solid oak of the table; the other came to rest, possessive and light, on the carved back of Jacaerys’s chair. “Tell me you remember the steps,” I whispered, the words a hot current against the shell of his ear, meant to provoke. He betrayed nothing, bringing his wine to his lips with a practiced, glacial calm. “You recall, of course, where a man must—” His voice sliced through the air, sharpened by authority and a cold, sudden fury. “You will hold your *tongue* in front of my betrothed.” His stare was unyielding, a clash of matching violet that demanded more than respect—it demanded surrender.