As Jaehaerys watched his great-granddaughter speak with such confidence, he regretted all the more that Danyla was only a princess. Although many of her ideas were not yet fully developed or mature, her breadth of vision was already clear.
And so, almost without realizing it, he shared with the little princess the experience he had gained over fifty years of rule.
Despite her young age, Danyla absorbed everything he taught her, offered feedback, and put forward views of her own.
The two talked late into the night, only returning to their respective rooms to sleep after a maid reminded them of the hour.
The next day, Danyla indulged in a rare lie-in. By the time she climbed out of bed, it was nearly noon.
She quickly washed up, ate a few pastries, and headed for King Jaehaerys's study. According to the maid, he would be there dealing with official documents at this hour.
On the way, Danyla stopped in the garden to pick some fresh flowers and arranged them in a vase.
"Good morning, Great-grandfather!"
After greeting him, Danyla set the vase on King Jaehaerys's desk.
"Good morning, Dany!"
"Mm, lovely! The scent of fresh flowers really does perk one up."
"Sit down for a while. I'm nearly finished with these documents."
"All right!"
Danyla picked a book at random from the shelves and sat quietly by the window to read.
Perhaps because King Jaehaerys had not dealt with any documents over the past two days, Danyla had barely settled into her seat before the newly appointed Hand of the King, Otto Hightower, entered carrying another stack.
"Good morning, His Majesty the King!"
"Good morning, Princess Danyla!"
Danyla rose and bowed slightly.
"Good morning, Ser Otto."
Ser Otto respectfully placed the documents on King Jaehaerys's desk.
"His Majesty the King,