XXXVI : The Fever
Morning comes, and he felt an utter laziness to get out of bed.
Surprisingly, so does Lylian.
Viserys tighten his arms around her, snuggling into her dark brown hair. She slept soundly in his embrace all night, curling up against him.
He ran the knuckle of his fingers along her jawline, tucking strands of her hair back behind her ears.
She just looks so...peaceful.
His wife frowned and let out a small protesting groan after his little interruption in her sleep, burying her self deeper into his chest.
He chuckled softly in his throat.
Regularly, Lylian was the first to get up in the morning so early that the sun isn't even up yet, and be the one who wake him up after she finished dressing.
His violet orbs shifted to the window panes, taking a brief view of the outside sky.
It is still grey of winter, but lighter than in the night. So he guessed it is late early morning now.
Viserys sighed, turning his eyes back to the slim figure in his arms.
Lylian had a beautiful nose bridge that compliments her slightly arched dark brow very well. Her eyelashes were long and thin like the wings of a butterfly, concealing the blue irises that reminds him of the hydrangea petals.
His lips curled into a smile when she yawned and open her eyes finally. Lylian stretched herself, groaning and look at him sleepily.
"Mm...good morning."
"Good morning." He kissed the top of her forehead.
She licked her lips and look around briefly.
"My, I woke up late, didn't I?"
"Yes."
Lylian flares her nostrils, pulling herself back to get out of the warm blankets.
"I'm getting lazy."
"No, you're not." He chuckled, reaching her arm and holding her back.
"Viserys!" She exclaimed as she stumbled into his embrace.
"Come on, it's morning."
"There's nothing for us to do, dear." He made a tsk sound.
"Daenerys is doing her thing, the Blackfyres are doing their thing, we are doing our thing. It's no big deal."
"You are spoiling me." She complained in a low tone.
"Indeed I am." He laughed.
"For what are husbands for, if not spoiling their dear wives?"
She rolled her eyes.
"And you want to stay in here for a little longer?"
"...I would be lying if I said I don't." He raised his brows.
She frowned, considering for a few moments, then let out a long sigh.
"Fine."
"Lovely." He grinned.
After a moment of cuddling, she seemed to realize something and quickly sprang herself up from the bed.
Viserys tilted his head,
"What?"
Lylian gaped her mouth, giving him a brief blaming look.
"Viserys, you liar."
He gasped.
"Oh, my. That's a serious remark."
She continued,
"You promise you'd tell me about your new name after the feast!"
Viserys made a surprise expression.
"Oh...right."
"You completely forgot, didn't you?"
"Well," He thinned his lips.
"I guess we're too tired from what we did last night that it just slipped our mind."
She coughed, and he noticed her ears had gone red.
"I guess it is." Lylian murmured.
He chuckled softly.
She looks quite cute when she's caught off guard.
Viserys leaned in and kissed her cheek.
"Right, where do I start?"
♝
After telling her about Viserion, her blue orbs widened with surprise.
"I had no idea you were that brave."
"What?" He winced.
"Ñuha prūbres, you're hurting my feelings."
She giggled, rubbing his chest and shoulder in consolation.
"Sorry. It's just...you are so different from...yourself."
"Well," Viserys chuckled.
"I guess time could change a person."
She hummed in response.
"Now, I can say this at the dinner table." Lylian positioned herself and held her empty hand up, fashioning it to look as if she's making a toast at the head of the table.
"To Viserys, my husband who is a dragon slayer!"
"Come on." He laughed.
"Really!" She threw her head back and giggled along.
Her voice is melodic, Viserys noticed. As if she's singing a beautiful, enchanting hymn.
Their hands find each other. Soon enough, she slipped her fingers in and laced them with his.
It was cold, so he rubbed them softly as the laugh died down.
She rested the side of her head onto the pillow. He followed and laid his face down to the opposite of hers.
Blue orbs staring into him. And her delicate lips curled into a sweet smile.
"I'm glad you finally proved yourself." She murmured to him.
He smiled back as she licked her lips and paused for a moment before continuing.
"I know in the past you had...bad deeds. But no matter what anyone say, I'm proud of you."
He chuckled in his throat.
"Thank you, Lylian."
He placed his fingers onto her face gently, traveling from her eyes down to her lips, then her throat.
He arched his brow up as soon as he noticed a faint purple mark on her porcelain skin.
His hand reached the neck of her nightgown and pushed the fabric aside.
"Oh, my." He gasped as the sight of the bruised mark appeared before him.
She exclaimed in surprise and pain when he touched the heart of it.
He muttered an apology as he searched across her skin to find more of them.
And more he found.
"Oh, Lylian." He sighed, looking at the bruise at her back.
"Why don't you tell me earlier?"
"I didn't feel much pain at that time." She shrugged, making a soft gasp everytime he touched them.
"Now I looked like some vicious, lusty lord who forced his lady into his bed even though she's not well." He twitched his brows, rubbing her skin carefully.
"Now, now." Lylian silenced him with her fingers on his lips.
"I'm the one who made the first move, wasn't I?"
"Still." He ran his fingers through her hair, taking a quick check on her forehead with the back of his palm and comparing the heat with his own.
"And you've got a fever."
"Don't you feel bad." She laughed.
"It's low fever. You have some, too."
"Well," He chuckled.
"I guess we'll be a sick couple in bed all day, then."
"No." She frowned.
"We have to get out at one point."
"Right, right." He nodded, dragging her into the depths of the blanket.
"Until then, you must rest."
"And you?" She raised her brows as he slid off and took his coat by the bed.
"I'll find you a physician." He winked and opened the door, leaving her alone in bed.
Soon, Lylian was being examined briefly. The doctor gave her a medicine for lowering the fever and left him a herb rub to apply on her bruises.
"Take some, too." The physician said, motioning him to the bottle of dark brownish liquid on the side of the bed.
"It will help you to at least feel better by dinner."
He nodded and hummed in response as he courted her outside the room.
His violet eyes turned back to the dark-haired lady between the sheets.
"How was it?"
"The fever?" She arched her brow up.
"Or the medicine?"
He tilted his head, thinning his lips.
"The latter."
She chuckled.
"Try."
"It's not good, isn't it?" He became suspicious.
She smirked, and he shook his head.
"No."
"No 'no's, Viserys." Lylian gave him a just come here, drink it down and be a good boy, will you? look.
"I'd rather cuddle you back to sleep again."
"As much as I found it sweet, I don't want a sick prince by the side of Daenerys today." She twitched her dark brows, blue eyes glittering with laughter.
He groaned, reluctantly pick the bottle up and flares his nostril as the wisp of it's smell came into his sensing.
Viserys could hear her holding her giggle back as he hold his breath and gulp it down.
As soon as she clearly saw his expression, Lylian bursts into laughter.
He stick out his tongue, trying to chase away any taste left on it.
"Good boy." She patted his head when he went to put down the bottle.
He licked his lips and brushed the dark brown hair over her eyes to the side with his finger.
"I'll wake you up when it's breakfast."
She nodded with a smile, closing her eyelids and fall back to sleep shortly after.
♝
Viserys sat on the chair, his side on the table as he turned the pages in his hand and read the book quietly. His mind traveled back to the events in the battle of Winterfell.
Two nights ago,
He put his gloved hand on his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart that's so strong he was afraid it would pop out of his skin.
Ah, shit. He repeatedly swore in his head, looking at the shatters of the big icy spear around him.
Zaephyr raised it's scaly head and growled at the Night's King, visibly irritated.
A pang of sharp, cold pain occured at the end of his ribcage. But he didn't have time to check it.
Viserys brushed the snow off his coat and scrambled to his feet, reaching to the back of his dragon.
Once he had taken off the snow and into the sky, he started to look for his sister.
Drogon was still in the air, thank the gods. Daenerys' commands for her dragon to breath fire was so loud he could caught it briefly in the wind.
Jon was struck out the way by the wight, and had enough time to rolled away from the fire stream that rains down.
He tried to look for Rhaegal, but failed. It had flew away somewhere else, perhaps.
His eyes wandered across the field, and found Jorah amongst a league of wights, his sword flashes as he swing and bring it down to them one by one.
Viserys thinned his lips.
His role in the defeating of the Night King is over, now, he had to fight for his dear life and get back inside the castle as soon as possible.
He doesn't even know what is happening to Lylian.
And soon enough, he found himself praying.
To the old gods, to the new gods, to the fourteen flames, to the elyssians, to anyone who listens.
To keep his family safe.
Taking one last glance at his sister, he murmured,
"This is all I can do for you tonight, Dany. The rest is on you."
He grabbed Zaephyr's horns, shoving it to another way.
"Come, child."
Viserys swooped down from the sky, landing in front of the broken wall. He pulled his sword out and fought his way into Winterfell.
Soon enough, he found Jaime Lannister along with some crowds on his back across the yard.
"How is outside?!" The kingslayer shouted, asking him while protecting the people behind him.
"Not very good!" He shouted back.
"Jon is dealing with the Night King!"
"Well let's pray the deal is sealed, then!"
He chuckled.
"You're funny, Kingslayer!"
Of course, that tease was on purpose.
How could Viserys forgot the man who stabbed his father in the back?
His lips jerked up mere moments as Jaime's face sombered.
And, suddenly, he saw a small figure appearing from another side of the yard.
Pulling the heads of his brows down, he was surprised that it was Tyrion.
"Lord hand?"
The Imp hurried to his brother with Sansa shadowing him.
They were in the crypts.
"The dead had broke into the crypts!" Tyrion panted, he looked scared and tensed but slightly relieved by the sight of his brother.
Where is his wife?
"And Lylian?!" He asked, rushing to them.
The Hand of the Queen went still for a moment. His words shook Viserys to the core.
"She used herself to stall them."
His blood ran cold.
"Is she alive?" His voice came out unstable.
After seeing the pause in the youngest Lannister, he bellowed again.
"Is she alive?!"
"She still is when we flee the crypts." Sansa quickly stepped in and fill the inquires for the shock-stated Imp.
Viserys felt his breath hitched. His heartbeat was so heavy and fast he afraid the damn organ would pop out of his chest.
"Show the way!"
"That way." The red-haired lady pointed.
"Through that wall and turn to your right."
Without wasting time to find someone to go with, his boots traveled rapidly in the directions given. His cloak flew behind as he went through the chaos in Winterfell.
Something isn't right with him.
How could he care for someone whom he just met for a mere month?
He swung his sword around, cutting down wights in his way.
Suddenly, the wights around him fell down, their blue eyes stopped radiating like a candle blew out.
Dany did it.
Thank the gods.
He let out a big sigh of relief, continuing his path.
And when he turned and found the opened gates of the crypt, he heard a scream.
There's no way he'd forget that voice.
Lylian.
He make haste down the stairs, praying yet again to any gods listening.
Please.
And finally, he found her.
A very pale creature is on top of her, gnawing inches above her as she gave up the strength pushing it back.
His body worked quick enough.
Viserys slashed his sword over it, and it turned it's interest to him.
He lunges again, this time cutting it's head.
Lylian exhaled, her blue orbs looked up and meet his.
His heart sank to the ground when he saw the under of her eyes red.
She's crying.
He examined her, making sure nothing serious had happened to her.
He muttered a thanks to all the gods he'd been praying to when he found her bone's not broken.
He carried her out, she was shaking in his arms like a wet bird alone in the storm.
Had he not been able to found her in time, things would've gotten a lot different from this.
For the first time, Viserys feared for someone who's not a Targaryen.
Present,
A soft gasp from the bed shook him awake from the events in the past.
He snapped his violet eyes to the side.
"Lylian?"
His tall figure stood up and rushed to her side.
Lylian's eyes were still shut, but her forehead was decorated with beads of sweat. Her dried lips parted and murmured something he couldn't hear clearly. She turned back and forth in the blanket, looking very uncomfortable.
Viserys widen his eyes when he touched her forehead.
The fever had gone up.