Aegon looked at the little finger Rhaenyra held out before him and "reluctantly" obliged. The moment their little fingers hooked together, Rhaenyra smiled.
It was not the courteous yet distant smile she had shown the courtiers at Small Council meetings, nor the shy, lovestruck smile she had worn while applauding Cole at the tourney grounds.
It was a soft smile that rose from the depths of her heart, warm as melting snow in spring. Her eyes curved into crescents, the corners of her mouth lifted, and candlelight danced across her face like scattered flecks of gold.
Aegon looked at her, then at their linked fingers. The string that had been drawn taut inside him all night finally slackened.
Their little fingers hooked together in a promise, an invisible chain stretching from their fingertips to bind him firmly to her. It was no iron chain, and it did not chafe, yet it carried more weight than any oath.
Rhaenyra happily swung their linked fingers, just as she had last year when she found an unbroken seashell on Dragonstone's beach and held it up before him to show it off.
She shook his entire arm along with their fingers. Aegon wanted to quip, "Aren't you a little old for this?" But when he saw the thin sheen of tears in her eyes, he swallowed the words.
Oh, well. It wasn't often she was this happy.
But what came after that happiness? Rhaenyra's delight faded as quickly as it had arrived.
A moment later, she released his finger and pulled Aegon into her arms.
It was not the sort of embrace used to comfort a child. She poured every ounce of her strength into it, almost desperately, as though she meant to press his whole body into her flesh and bones.
Her chin