Debt To Be Paid

Beast Within the Clouds

I fly through icy rain; it feels as though I am being pierced with a thousand blades, but I keep flying. I tell myself that if I stop, I will perish. panic and fear run through my veins. Arrax's wings flap as hard as they could, though I fell his exhaustion.

"Keep going Arrax! We are almost there!" But even I, did not believe my words.

I hear the monstrous roars of a beast through the dark, inky clouds. From the fog, hands reach with bruising grips, pulling at my clothes, hair and scratching into my skin. Arrax screams with horror, and again the beast roars through the darkness. It is only then that I see the wing of Vhagar cut through the clouds.

"Please! No, I do-I don't want to die! not yet, not like this!" My voice feels raw, "Keep going Arrax!"

With an answering roar, Arrax wings flap harder than before. We passed the cloud line and managed to get above the rain. The sun shining so bright, the fear once had, vanished. I feel myself take huffs of reliving breath. I feel Arrax quivering under my thighs, as if he was doing the same.

As I look to see how far we had passed the dark clouds, it is only then that Vhagar emerges from the darkness...And swallows me whole.

I fall into the belly of the beast, I feel my slam onto rumbled stone, and my body immediately aches as I roll onto my back and blink my eyes. As I look to the carved stone ceiling, I recognize the walls, but they had seemed to have caved in on itself. I hear the sound of a croaking ravens and as I sit up from the rumbled ground, I see the wall behind the Iron Throne was no longer there, revealing a city of ash and fire.

People emerged from behind the throne and my hands shake in horror. My Mother looked as though she had been burnt alive, Aemond and Deamon walk with gaping holes and slashes across their bodies, and Aegon looked almost inhuman with colorless eyes and foaming mouth.

They all mumbled words in union, whispering: "Hand turns loom; spool of green, spool of black. Dragons of flesh, weaving dragons of thread.".

Aemond is the only one who seemed to notice that I stood amongst them and began to walk towards me in limped steps, still mumbling. I hard as I tried to move my feet, to run, to flee...he continued to walk closer eventually, standing before me.

"Hand turns loom, spool of green, spool of black. Dragons of flesh, weaving dragons of thread.", With bloody hands he reaches for my face. running his fingers from my temple to my lips.

And a sudden pricing scream from my mother echos the baren halls and Aemond pulled away from me by shadows. Her screams echo into my head causing my ears to bleed. I fall to the ground, screaming through my own pain and closing my eyes.

"Stop! Please Stop."

Suddenly I launch myself out of bed and into a delicate chest, red hair falls into the view of my eyes.

"Hush child, Twas only a dream." graceful fingers comb through my damp locks.

With quivering breath, I try to calm myself, inhaling Alicent's scent of orchards and poppy. I wished that my own mother was here, I wished that the comforting embrace was of my own blood. I wished to hear the voice of Jace or intertwine my fingers with my beloved Baela.

"Forgive me, I do not know what has come over me." I feel tears welling in my eyes and even those she brushes away.

"I know what it's like to be afraid." she whispers into my hair. "You cried out for Aemond...The chambermaid sent word, Aemond will be here once you are dressed."

I stiffen, "No, no... That isn't necessary.". I sniffle and move from her embrace; I hug my leg to my chest.

Alicent bites her lip and began to pick at her fingernails, which already looked bruised and bloody. She blinks at me with wide eyes, I could see the thoughts floating around as fast as rain fall.

Before I could speak, the servants rush into the room before quickly closing the door I see a glimpse of long silver hair facing away from the door. Alicent moves away from the bed and the servants quickly began to strip the bed and take my night gown off me. I cover myself Infront of Alicent.

"I have seen it all before." She speaks as she has one of the servants open my traveling trunk and look through my clothes. The assortments of blues and grays that Rhaenys had insisted I packed. "This won't do, Find something of my own.". The servants were quick to follow order. "We must have you married by tonight." Alicent had not looked at me while she spoke. Still grimacing at my gowns. My robe was placed over my shoulders in the meantime, and i was seated in front of the vanity.

"My Mo-"

"We are your family, now more than ever." Alicent left no room for question, as she shooed the girls away so, she herself, could brush my hair.

She frowned at the waves of my brown hair, how they never seem to stay down as she brushed, and how they never truly curled but hung in heavy unflattering locks. "I would say we should cut it and start anew...But I shall leave that to Aemond."

The servant enters the room, with an elegant green dress, gold links run down the middle with a gold pattern down the forearm.

"I wore this dress to your mothers first marriage." Alicent looked into my eyes through the mirror as the servants gently pulled me up to begin to dress me. "I suppose it shall have, one more use."

I knew what she was expecting, "Thank you-", before I could finish, she held her hand up.

"Don't." She sighs. " It is not a gift; it is merely a gesture of acceptance."

I stiffen as it dawns on me, this gift wasn't a gesture of acceptance, but a branding. I was no longer to be a Black, but to be one of the Greens. To obey a man that will have me do the greens bidding. to labor the children, that they will poison against my mother, and her birth right. An inescapable trap, that my Grandsire has set without knowing the lions were ready to feast.