Burn me • Aemond Targaryen

Hard truth

Chapter Sixty-Three~ Hard Truth

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"You are a traitor!" Alicent shouted when she entered her daughters chambers.

Rhaella had not cared much for Rhaynera on her leave of the nursery. She had walked through the dull, empty corridors with a dull and empty heart.

"A traitor." Repeated Rhaella, not even turning to face her mother.

"Yes a traitor." Alicent affirmed. "Your new queen had requested your presence, I told her I would come for you so that she did not send her brute of a guard." She said stepping into the room. "And also so that I might understand what you have done."

Rhaella scoffed. "Do you even acknowledge your fucking surroundings?!" She snapped. "Are you so blinded by your own greed that you do not realize the consequences of your own childish desires?"

Alicent stared blankly at Rhaella. "How dare you." She muttered. "I am your mother and I,

"You we're never there!" Rhaella cried. "You we're never fucking there, you or father." She shouted. "You pushed us out and left us to our own devices, we were mere pawns in your twisted game." She stepped toward her mother. "You know nothing of who I am." She was angry now. "I swore I would never treat my children the same way, and now because of you they are gone."

Alicent blinked at the princess, confusion and dread setting it's place in her gut. "What?" She breathed.

"They are gone." She mumbled, before turning away from her mother and approaching the window. She looked out at Kingslanding, how horrible it was. The only thing that was half decent about the place was the red keep. And she thought now, who in their right mind would wish to rule over such an awful place. "So I beg of you, leave me in peace."

"Rhaella I do not understand." Alicent said. If Aemond's heirs were gone, it meant Aegon had only three supporting heirs left. "Tell me Maelor is alive." She demanded.

Rhaella felt that familiar hot burning anger in her chest. She hated her mother, all she could think about was her own survival even after hearing that her grandchildren were gone. "I know nothing of Maelor." She lied.

"Your brother, your king, tell me you know where he is." Alicent said, approaching Rhaella. "Please." She mumbled. If Aegon was dead, and Aemond unable of returning, then it meant she had lost everything she had worked for. All the years of suffering in silence would have been for nought.

"I do not." Rhaella replied. "And I hope wherever he is he will stay there." She let out a bitter laugh. "This was your dream, never his." She turned to her mother. "I feel sorry for you, truly I do. You were two years younger than me, having to bed my father, who was double your age. While Rhaynera was doing as she wished, with whom she wished. You gave him three sons, and she disgraced him three times. Yet still, your hardship was overlooked and ignored just so Rhaynera could have his crown." She laughed. "And you didn't like that did you, you were jealous that she could get away with anything time and time again, while you had to behave in a way expected of your status."

"Rhaella." Alicent warned.

It was a hard truth, but the truth none the less.

"No." Rhaella said back. "It is because of your insistent intent of beating my sister at something that the realm is now at war, I mean what could you of possibly thought was going to happen, that Rhaynera would just give up the crown because it was your will,"

"It was your Father's will he,"

"No!" Rhaella snapped. "No it was not. He had twenty three years to name Aegon his heir and he did not, You know as well as I, that you used the ramblings of a dying man to ignore the fact that you were a pawn in a game that you had not idea how to play." Her voice was harsh and she ignored the way her mother stared at her, eyes begging for remorse. But there was no room for that now.
"Your father wanted to be as close to the crown as he could, so he sold his only daughter like a horse so that you could push out heirs with his blood, and after three boys were given, it mattered little. Because my Father died not care for us, he did not care for you. It is no surprise either, he was married to Aemma Arryn for years, he loved her."
She said stepping closer.
"He married you because he was stupid enough to believe that his hand only wanted what was best." She whispered.
"Another thing Rhaynera had that you never did, She married a young desirable man, they may not have cared for one another that way, but the image was there. Then there was her sworn sword, another desirable man who clearly cared for her and her children. And now finally we have Daemon, That is self explanatory."

"You know not of what you speak." Alicent mutters, turning away from her. "It is Aegon's right to be king, I matter little in the facts."

"Perhaps, but it is her right too." Rhaella replied. "I wish no longer to speak of it, I want my children back and that is impossible now."

"Are they dead, did they disappear with Aegon, What has happened Rhaella?" Alicent questioned.

"They are gone, nothing more to it." Was all she said in answer. "I want you to leave me alone."

Then there was a clearing of a throat from the door.

And Rhaynera was stood there waiting.

"I came to see what was taking so long." She said, stepping into the room.

She had heard the conversation, maybe not all but some. Rhaella was sure of it.

"My children are gone." Rhaella said. It wasn't a lie, but she was by no means prepared to admit thew truth.

"I beg your pardon?" Rhaynera said, feature twisted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You tell me sister, they were under the guard of your men." Rhaella scoffed, anger setting in. "And now they have gone, I do not know where." Lying came easy to her.

If Rhaynera suspected anything she didn't show it, instead she looked to Alicent eyes flashing hot burning anger. "Leave us, go to your old rooms, when I want your presence I'll send for you."

Alicent went to protest, but with a warning look from Rhaynera she closed her mouth and hung her head low, leaving the two Targaryens alone.

"Your children." Rhaynear said, clearing her throat. "How do you know they are gone Ulf,

"Ulf, is dead." Rhaella scoffed. "Someone came, shot him." She covered her face in confusion. "I don't know what happened to them." She lied, letting tears slip from her eyes. "Your man, bound me and gagged, threatened them and then another force stole them from me."

"Rhaella I,

"No!" She snapped. "You had my eldest boy murdered in his own home, in front of his brothers and his sister." Rhaella cried. "And now they've all gone." She laughed. "All gone."

Rhaynera let her sisters words hang in the air, silence crawled in the space between them.

"My boy was taken from me too." The queen muttered after a minuet. "By your husband."

"My husband is a loose flame, he does as he wishes, it is no fault of mine." Rhaella muttered. "But to outlive a child feels like an abomination, and I am sorry that you share the same sickening feeling as I."

"I will get to the bottom of what happened to your children sister." Rhaynera said, offering a branch of alliance to Rhaella.

She wouldn't take it.

"I do not doubt you, your grace." She replied.

"I believe we have a lot in common, more than we realise." Rhaynera sighed. "Perhaps you would allow us to talk, over a super, just the two of us?" She offered a smile.

This would be much easier than Rhaella thought.

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