Paint it Black

Chapter 12

" The more you wait, the more it will spread, the more limbs you are going to lose. Ahrorlan informed me that the blackness had spread evenly on your knuckle, and the tendrils had started spreading to the back of your hand! "

Viserys opened his mouth to protest, but Daemon had no intentions to give him a chance. "I worry about you, Brother; please do consider that losing a hand is better than losing an entire arm."

"You thought I wasn't aware of that?!" Viserys glared at Daemon.

Daemon returned the glare, "If you are aware of the fact, why wait?!"

"I'm going to lose a hand, Daemon, a fucking hand!" Viserys said while waving his gloved arm in front of Daemon's face.

"A left hand, you eat, write, and relieve yourself with your right hand..." Daemon stares suspiciously at Viserys, "...right?"

" How I relieve myself was not your business! " Viserys spat.

Daemon snickered.

Viserys huffed.

" I just worried about you, brother; you heard the healer; the wound sooner or later would start to poison your blood."

"I know!"

"Then why? Explain to me what you so feared of."

"I.... What would people say?" Viserys looks tired and defeated.

Daemon frowned, "We are Targaryen; we don't concern ourselves with the opinions of the sheep."

"Still, no matter how much you try to dismiss the feeling, it's still hurt when the sneer falls into your ears."

"So you rather die in agony? Remember as the King who died because of a treatable Illness?"

Viserys glared at Daemon, "I hate your logic."

Daemon returned the glare with a smile, "Because you know I'm right, and your fear is stupid. No one in their right mind would dare to slander the King of the seven kingdoms, well, at least not publicly."

Viserys rolled his eyes.

"How about this? I swear I'll cut every tongue that dares to talk ill about you."

" No! I wouldn't ever let you go on a rampage again! One night of massacre is enough, and gods forbid I rule over tongueless people."

" What did I do? I mean before."

"You and your damned Gold cloaks bathed King's landing with blood! You executed criminals of any kind in sight without trial! By the end of the night, you and your scoundrels need two horse carts to haul away all the dismemberment!"

"Damn!" Daemon whistled, looking all smug and proud.

"God be good, Daemon! That is not something to be proud of!"

Daemon shrugged smugly at Viserys, flashing his teeth to his brother.

On the other part of the Redkeep, Rhaenyra felt her heart start hammering painfully on her ribs and slowly blinding pain creeping to crush her head, "this can't be happening." She muttered in disbelief.

" Princess?" The dragon keeper's concerning voice woke Rhaenyra from her shock.

Rhaenyra immediately straightened her posture, ignoring the throbbing pain all over her head, "Who else knows about this?" She asked as calmly as she managed.

The dragon keeper looked a bit taken aback by Rhaenyra's response. "...Just us, Princess, I came to you first as Prince Daemon instructed."

"Good..." Rhaenyra exhaled deeply; she felt her heart gradually become much lighter, "...Good." she repeated breathlessly.

"Princess?" The dragon keeper looks unsure.

Rhaenyra stood up; she approached the Dragon keeper until she closed enough to place her hand over the man's shoulder, "Listen carefully. No one shall know about this." She said as she squeezed the man's shoulder.

"Pardon?"

Rhaenyra stares straight into the man's eyes, "If you value the hatchling and your own life...No one, I repeat, No one other than Prince Daemon and us shall know about this matter, no one, not even the King."

"...but..."

Rhaenyra shakes her head disapprovingly, "You shall inform the king that the new hatchling comes from another egg in the vault, and if he happens to ask about Prince Aegon's egg, tell him that, unfortunately, the egg turns into stone."

"Princess... lying to the king is a serious crime... how could I possibly—" the Dragon keeper pleaded but shut his mouth immediately when he saw the coldness in Rhaenyra's eyes.

" You do what I told you and live for another day, or tell the king the truth and die in agony on Prince Daemon's sword; choose wisely."

The Dragon keeper immediately turned pale and cowered in fear.

Rhaenyra slowly released her grip on the man's shoulder. " Do you understand me?"

"...Yes, princess."

"Good, off you go."

The Dragon keeper quickly scrambled to the door, but Rhaenyra stopped him before the man could grab the door handle, "Wait, what color does the hatchling have?"

The Dragon keeper turned to face Rhaenyra; he swallowed hard before answering, "...It... it had gleaming gold scales with pale pink membranes, princess."

A pang of guilt washed over Rhaenyra like a wave; it hurt her to think that a beautiful dragon would grow up without its rider, " Tell the king the hatchling would be named Sunfyre."

The dragon keeper nodded; he kept his head low and shut his mouth.

" Leave." She dismissed the Dragon keeper.

The man wastes no time and leaves the room immediately.

Once the Dragon keeper left her study, Rhaenyra slumped back to her chair; she covered her face with both of her hands and let out a scream of frustration.

Rhaenyra could barely tolerate Aegon, yet the gods seemed to keep creating more and more reasons for her to hate the toddler!

Aegon has always been Rhaenyra's Thorn in the flesh since he was born to the world. She hates how some people keep saying that Aegon was their rightful ruler since he was the King's firstborn son. Even when the King had already made a decree that Aegon would never be a King, many people still dreamed of seeing the toddler on the iron throne.

Why couldn't those people accept her? What did she lack besides a male organ? Was being born as a woman a sin? Rhaenyra is truly fed up with everything.