Unnamed

a guest cabin aboard the royal flagship, Princess Myrcella Baratheon sat in a lovely room decorated in royal attire. The walls were decorated with wooden stag antlers and golden lions as ornaments. Between her fingers Myrcella held a small pendant, opening the inside to gaze upon an old painting depicting her as a young girl being held in the arms of her eldest brother Daveth. She appeared to be 5 years old in the portrait.

'We looked so happy back then, brother. Only because you made it so at your own expense,' Myrcella reminisced.

She hears a knock on her door and smiles, walking to the door?

"Trystane?" she calls out.

Two voices on the other side answer.

"Uncle Jaime."

"And your brother."

Ah. Not quite what she was expecting before opening the door. Both Jaime Lannister and Daveth entered her room.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Jaime apologized. "May I sit down?"

Myrcella slowly nods. Daveth closes the door behind them and leans against the wall as Jaime sits himself down in front of Myrcella.

"Do you two want something to drink?" she offered. "I don't have any wine, I don't think, but pomegranate juice or—"

Daveth raised his hands up. "No, no, no. It's quite all right. We're fine, 'Cella."

"You look nervous," Jaime observed.

She sits down on her bed; indeed, she does look nervous. Jaime notices the necklace and points it out.

"Still holding onto that trinket?" he tried to joke. "It's got to be about 14 years old by now."

"Now, now, no one said about holding onto something worth value," Daveth suggested as he pulled up the blue scarf around his neck, "particularly if it's of sentimental value to the one wearing it."

'Ah, of course.' Jaime shook his head. "Just… try not to lose it. If it means something to you, always hold it close."

An awkward silence before another knock was heard.

"Excuse me, Your Grace," one of the crewmen called out, "but the captain needs to see you on deck."

"Very well. Tell him I'm on my way up," Daveth called out. "I'll… leave the two of you alone. I'll be back as soon as I am able. I promise."

"Take care, brother," Myrcella nodded.

Once Daveth exited the room, Myrcella was now alone with Jaime. He slowly clutched his arm and shifted uncomfortably, trying to think of what to say next.

"I know you didn't want to leave Dorne," he began. "But I'm glad you're coming home. Things… haven't been quite the same since you left."

Myrcella nods. She still looks nervous.

"And I'm glad Trystane's coming with us. He seems like a nice boy. You're lucky."

"I know," she answers.

Jaime felt his mind going blank. "Arranged marriages are rarely so, so… well-arranged."

Myrcella looked at him curiously. "Do you think Daveth likes him?"

"Ahh… ehhh, it's hard to say," he answered almost uncertain. "I guess it's difficult for an older brother to accept that his baby sister's all grown up, but… If he sees that you're happy, then I'm sure he will. I mean, have you ever known Daveth to like anyone, aside from you, Tommen, his wife and children?"

Myrcella laughs. "He has us," she counters.

"Not so sure about that. The definition of family's been changing a lot lately," he said awkwardly. Jaime scratched his head. "Listen… there's something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago."

Myrcella watches him, waiting. Normally Jaime is more confident in himself, not unusually tongue-tied. Whatever was on his mind definitely was hard for him to get out.

"Now that you've seen more of the world, you've learned how complicated things can be. People can be."

"I know. Sansa told me everything that's happened."

Jaime shook his head. "No, no, that's not it," he struggled to make sense. "The Lannisters and the Martells have hated each other for years, but you've fallen in love with Trystane."

Myrcella has no idea what Jaime's talking about but she just watches and listens patiently.

"It was an accident, really. I mean, what were the chances? You happened to fall in love with the man you were assigned to marry? My point is, we don't choose whom we love. It just… it's, well, it's beyond our control." Jaime stands and paces across the floor, acutely uncomfortable. "Seven hells, I sound like an idiot right now."

"No you don't," she tells him.

Jaime gulped. "What I'm trying and failing to say—"

"I know what you're trying to tell me."

"No, I'm afraid you don't."

Myrcella stands up, her posture straight and in control of herself. Slowly, she approached Jaime and took his hands in hers.

"I do. I know about you and mother," she told him. "I know that Robert Baratheon is not my real father."

Jaime stares at her, unsure what to make of this. He obviously doesn't know how to play this.

"You… You did?" he asked.

Myrcella nods. "I think a part of me always knew. Daveth will always be my brother, but…" she stares up and smiles, "but I'm glad. I'm glad that you're my real father."

Ser Jaime Lannister felt as if the wind was knocked out of him. The fact that Myrcella told him without fear or hesitation that she was happy to know that Jaime was indeed in fact her biological father. Despite the two sharing the same mother but not the same father, Daveth Baratheon will always be in her eyes her 'big brother'.

Myrcella wraps her arms around him and buries her face in his chest. Jaime holds her tight, kissing the top of her head, fighting to hold back tears in his eyes. He pulls back to look at her beautiful young face, to see the way she smiles at him the way she does with Daveth.

For the first time in his life, Jaime finally understands the joy of fatherhood. And it's a pretty damn good feeling.

"What about the others? If… if they find out the truth—" he asks.

Myrcella thinks long and hard. "If you and Daveth both fear for my safety, then we can carry on the façade, at least in public; but it'll be our little secret. I promise, father."

Still feeling a twinge of what-ifs, Jaime simply held his daughter in his arms again. He didn't want this moment to end. All the long suppressed feelings the Kingslayer was forced to bury deep down, he didn't have to feel ashamed or distant anymore. He was finally happy.

Unbeknownst to them, Daveth Baratheon remained on the other side of the door. He had heard everything. Lowering his head and shaking it quick, he quickly walked away from the cabin and proceeded to the upper deck of the ship.

"And so the curtain rises. The opening number," he uttered to himself. "Take this moment to enjoy yourselves. Just don't make this any more difficult for me than it already is