129 AC
KING'S LANDING
MAID CAME TO HER rooms, with pale face and letter in her hand.
'What do you have there? Nothing good by the looks of it.'
'It's news from battelfield, about blacks and your family, my lady.'
Rhaenys takes the letter from maid hands. 'What ?' she ask. 'What does it say?'
Rhaenys starts to scan the paper unable to break off. She is nodding her head, as if she is lost for words, nodding and saying nothing.
She has a hand to her mouth to hide her trembling lips.
Then she gives a little gasp, almost a laugh.
The letter tells her about lords calling their banners and marching their armies. The forces of House Blackwood of which had declared for her mother , invaded the lands of the green aligned House Bracken putting villages to the torch and despoiling septs. The Bracken forces were surprised by the Blackwoods while on the march and were ultimately defeated in the battle. The survivors turned back to Stone Hedge only to find it had been seized by the blacks in their absence. The Brackens yielded and thus Aegon lost his last supporter in Riverlands.
Her mother started gathering even bigger support, so it was only matter of time before she set march for King's Landing.
There is talk about greens marching to meet blacks in open battlefield, before her mother's army's can reach capital.
They are to be lead by no other than Aemond.
'But what about me?' she says mostly to herself 'What about me and my baby?'
Harsh truth is that in her mothers kingdom there is no place for her baby, and possibly in this circumstances not even her.
She is ruined, now she is used and useless spoil of war, no longer fit to be her mothers heir and call herself Princess of Dragonstone.
~
In the weeks before Aemond goes to war he comes to Rhaenys room and sleeps in her bed every night.
He does not touch her, since to do so would be to damage the child that is growing in her belly, but mostly because they don't have such wishes.
Since she told him about being pregnent, they are most of the time on friendly terms.
But still not as close as one would expect housband and wife to be.
And how could they be when there is so much blood split between them and their sides of family.
Some nights he comes in late from sitting with his brother, grandfather and mother, some nights he comes in a little drunk from laughing with his friends.
He has very few friends.
He admires only three men: his brother Aegon, his grandfather Otto and Sir Cole.
'Husband, I would talk with you.' Rhaenys says while sitting at the fireside in her nightgown, a green robe over hershoulders, her hair brushed loose.
'It'll be about your mother,' he guesses at once taking in her preparations in one quick glance. 'Why else would you attempt to make me comfortable? Why else would you go to the trouble to look irresistible? You know you are more beautiful than any woman I have ever seen in my life before. Whenever you wear green and spread out your hair I know that you hope to entrap me.'
'It is about her,' she says ' I don't want her to be harmed by our hand or any of my family. '
He sits in the chair facing the fire and says nothing for a moment, looking at the logs that are burning down to red embers.
'I understand that you don't want them to be harmed ,' he says quietly. 'And I'm sorry for you. But they wish nothing more than to see my family cold in their graves, and that I am afraid now includes you and the baby you carry. Nothing has changed for them with this marriage and with your pregnancy. '
Rhaenys stirs about to make up some reassuring lie; but he holds out his hand and puts her cold hand in his then he pulls her towards him, to stand before him.
'Think of it, if your mothers sides wins best solution for them would be to put our child in a grave and make you silent sister. ' he says
Sulkily Rhaenys nods her head.
Then Aemond drops a kiss on the top of her belly.
Seining that there is no point in further talk she retires to bed.
Sleep took her fast.
At some point during her sleep, Rhaenys felt herself being stirred by his arms. She was so tired that she just whined at the disturbance. 'Allow me to put my hand on you belly for a moment.' Aemond's voice said.
She accepted it and felt herself picked up by him again.
Automatically she started to tremble.
'Sleep, I am not forcing myself on you. Rest.' Aemond promised her. Rhaenys closed her eyes again.
'Gods you're cold.' He realized, he wrapped an arm around her belly and pulled her against him. She let out another whine which he shushed. "Shhh shh sh. It's just sleep. You're safe." he whispered.
~
After weeks of preparations green forces are finally ready to leave and fight blacks.
Aemond is to ride out on Vhagar and lead arym.
He comes to her rooms in evening before leaving ,bringing warm tea straight from the kitchen for her to drink while it is warm, as if they did not have a hundred servants to do it
Rhaenys laughts at him, carrying the little cups.
'Well, you're used to having people do things for you,' he says. 'You were raised as future heir with dozens of servants waiting around the room for something to do. But I was not even the spare.'
Rhaenys goes to her chair by the fire, but that is not good enough for the mother of the next prince.
'Sit on the bed, sit on the bed, put your feet up,' Aemond urges, and helps her up, taking her shoes, and pressing the cup in her hands.
Like a pair of little merchants snug in their town house, they eat diner alone together.
Rhaenys lowers the cup and for a moment their eyes meet. In that one accidental exchange she can see that he is thinking that he is not even loved by his own wife. He is simply loveless. He spent his youth waiting for chance to prove himself, he risked his life fighting fighting to claim a dragon and now he risks his life for his brothers claim.
'Will you not wish me good luck, will you find place for me in your prayers ' he asks
He sees refusal on her face, even before she says anything.
Gently he leans over and takes the empty cup from her. 'I'll leave it at that, then,' he says.
A week later her maid comes to her with a letter in her hand. ' I have news from battelfield '
Aemond acted by sacking Dusksndale and having Lord Darklyn beheaded for supporting Rhaenyra. Criston then turned his attention to Rooks Redt to for House Staunton had pledged their support to her mother as well.
Lord Staunton defied his attackers and dispatched a raven to Dragonstone.
Princess Rhaenys, her grandmother arrived on her dragon, Meleys but Criston's men attacked the dragon with scorpions, longbows, and crossbows.
When Sunfyre and Vhagar also appeared, the dragons fought a thousand feet above the ground.
Meleys's jaws closed around Sunfyre's neck, and Vhagar fell upon them, causing all three dragons to crash. From the ashes, only Vhagar rose again.
Sunfyre had one wing half torn from his body, whilst his rider, King suffered several broken bones and severe burns.
Rhaenys was found completely burned next to Meleys. After the battle, Aemond and Criston took Rook's Rest and put the garrison to death.
The head of Meleys is to be brought back to Kings Landing for inspiring fear amongst the smallfolk.
With Aegon unable to rule, Aemond is to assumed the style of Protector of the Realm.
~
Rhaenys was sitting with Alicent and her ladies praying for Aegon's health and Aemond safe returne.
The time has not improved Alicents view of Rhaenys.
She did not want Rhaenys to marry her son.
Rhaenys was not impresed with her devotion in praying, if she was such a good woman, then she should have taught her children better.
Finally after hours and hours of praying she was free to return to her rooms.
Rhaenys heard people whisper as she slowly passed corridors that lead to her chamber's name Strong and she tried to focus on walking.
In her rooms she found two men awaiting for her.
' Surprised to see us again so soon, princess? '
She recognized them as Blood and Cheese, butcher and rat hunter in service of Daemon.
They were sitting on her bed, blood stained and in the corner of her chamber laid bodies of her guards and maid's.
'The guards were surprised as well, before we killed them'
'We were originally sent only to deal with Aegon's sons, but then in the last minute they added you to in request 'butcher said, ' We'll be happy to kill you as well '
Rhaenys felt a sharp, sudden pain in her right side. She had been stabbed by Cheese.
She couldn't get a sense of how deep the cut was or whether or not it was threat to her life, but she could feel herself fading.
The last thing Rhaenys she saw before her eyes closed was Aemond rushing towards her.
~
' You are a grave disappointment, daughter,' her mother said, looking at Rhaenys and shaking herhead. Her eyes were cold, as they so often were, but somehow they seemed even worse now as they looked upon her with disdain and disapproval. 'You have failed me. You were meant to preserve our right after that boy stole my throne. You were meant to keep our hold on the throne through your heirs, but you failed. The son of Alicent uses you, my daughter, the daughter of an queen,heir to the Throne as if she were a common whore! You have failed your family! '
No! Rhaenys sat up and tried to plead with her mother, to reason with her and make her see that she'd done all that she could, but when she opened her eyes it was her husband's face looking down at her rather than that of her mother.
She tried to say something to him, but her eyes drifted closed again before she could do so and she returned to an uneasy sleep.
Rhaenys shook her head. She'd done all that she could! Why couldn't anyone see that! She could have had a better life with Aemond if her mother and Daemon hadn't killed his baby nephews, now there is no stopping this war.
'It wasn't my fault! she tried to say, but her throat was dry and all that came out as a weak croak.Maid was on immediately to hand her water and help her drink it, and after gulping it down and soothing her dry throat, she felt a bit of her strength return.
'What's going on?' she asked. Her voice was weak, but she'd at least been able to form words.
'Prince Aemond will explain,' was all the servant would say.Rhaenys tried to get her to speak a few more times, but could get nothing more out of her than that. Food was put in front of her and the rumbling in Rhaenys stomach as she smelled the food made her realize how hungry she actually was. She wasn't thrilled about it, but she decided to deal with her hunger while she waited for Aemond to arrive.
She devoured the bread she'd been given and was in the middle of her rice when the door opened and Aemond entered.
He looked relieved to see her sitting up and eating.
'I was told you were up,'he said, nodding at her.
' What happened?' she asked after swallowing her mouthful of rice. ' The last thing I remember is getting stabbed in the side, and then you were rushing towards me.' And then, blackness. She had a vague memory of seeing her mother though that was surely a dream, expressing her disapproval in her just before she woke back up.
'Is baby alive?'she asked
He nodded his head to confirm.
' Yes.' Aemond said 'It seems that after ordering my nephews execution, Daemon and your mother decided that it would make for a good opportunity to get ride of you also. They waited for me to arrive too, and since you came first they attempted to kill you and baby as a message to me. '
' Before, coming for you ' he continued ' Cheese led Blood into the Red Keep through a forgotten passageway, and creeping through walls, they entered the chambers of my mother. After Cheese bound and gagged her and Blood strangled her bedmaid, the assassins waited for my sister and her children to arrive. Blood killed Helaena's guardsman once she arrived, and Cheese grabbed her youngest son, then he asked Helaena which of her sons she wanted them to kill. Helaena offered herself but Blood refused, then they killed both princess cutting off their heads with a single swing of a sword.'
' I am so very sorry Aemond ' she said while hugging him
'Why did you save me?'
'Just because you think I'm your enemy doesn't mean I'm the enemy.'
Aemond pressed his lips together, and Rhaenys saw him reaching for the eye patch, but his hand dropped before he could do it, so she decided to touch the leather, watching as Aemond closed his eye in response.
' I'm sorry my family did this to you,' she said genuinely ' but know this, from this day forward baby and you are only family for me '
'Do you really think so?' He asked, doubt in his voice
In response Rhaenys shifted and moved closer towards him.
...