The King of Winters

Chapter-107

The King stayed there in his solar for a long time, thinking. Finally when the sun had gone down he made to the rooms which now served as wife's cell. He found Lyanna crying softly on her window seat, trying as best she could to muffle the sound of her sobs.

Lyanna Stark never had the sort of beauty the singers cherished, but he had had loved her soft fierce face and her wild beauty fresh and untamed like a forest flower. He found his wife in a window seat huddled amongst a pile of silks and sheets, staring out across the sea. She hardly looked the young woman who impressed him and made him fall in love with. Instead she looked ghost of her past self.

Her brown hair was unkempt and tangled, thinning along the edges. Some strength remained in her beautiful grey eyes, as dark as rainy clouds. "It is Aegon, isn't it?" She never turned to look at him. She broke when there was no answer from him. "Why? You should have done something sooner," she murmured, when he took her in his arms. "Why did you come here now? You should have kept him safe? My boy . . . Our boys. . . We have lost both of them now."

Rhaegar held her in his arms. "Aegon was a good son. The best."

Lyanna wrapped her arms around him. "You told me he would be King, a great one. Now he is dead." She looked up at him. "Was it Ned's son?"

Rhaegar nodded. He saw Lyanna's eyes fill up with tears then. Her lips trembled. "I told you this would happen," Lyanna said. "I warned you. And now my son is dead because of your mistakes."

"I will avenge our son."

"You will do nothing!" Lyanna shrieked pushing him away. "You can't even protect our children. You will do nothing. Aegon is dead with the crows feasting on him. Jaehaerys. . . I don't even know if he is alive or not. All because you were too proud to right your mistakes."

Rhaegar stepped back. "My mistakes?" he asked. "I didn't hear you saying this when I did what I had to do in Starfall. I would sooner say that you played your own part in it, my lady."

Lyanna's lips trembled. "I did it for my sons," she murmured. "And now they are dead."

"Aegon died defending this realm as he was destined to do so," Rhaegar said. "He died honourably."

Lyanna drew back. "How can you say that? He is your son and he died for your sake. For our sake. Do you regard your own son so very little? How could you?"

"Because I am the King," Rhaegar announced harshly. "I had to make the hard decisions so you could have a peaceful life."

Lyanna scoffed. "I once took you for one," she said. "Now I see you for what you are. You are no better King than your father was."

The words turned up his rage. If he had been his father he would have had his tongue out for that or worse. But he wasn't. "You need some sleep."

"I shall sleep when my tears have failed me your grace." She backed off a step and returned back to her seat. "Now leave me alone."

He did as she asked and stepped out into the hallway to the cool evening air. Dusk had settled over the world and painted everything outside in shades of ivory and silver by the moon.

He meant to return to his rooms in Maegor's holdfast but his legs took him to the chambers of the Red Priest. The room was always hot despite it being situated in the damp basement of the Red Keep. A fire was roaring in the fireplace and Bezzaro was tending to another one in the brazier.

"I saw that you'd come to me tonight in the fires, your grace," he said never looking away from the flames.

"Did you also see my son's death as well?" Rhaegar asked.