Two days after the diner, Alyssa is enjoying a bath with a few candles lit around her. Talia is by her side rubbing oils on her back.
"Is the temperature good for you, my Queen."
"Yes, thank you Talia. Luckily you made it hot."
"The Maesters recommended cooler baths, but I know you, you would have hated it."
"Indeed you know me too well." she smiles at her.
"And a dragon needs heat, after all."
"Absolutely."
After a few minutes, she sits up. "Help me out?"
"Yes!" Talia picks up a towel and places it over her shoulder, before coming to help her.
Once Alyssa is up, she wraps her in the towel and helps her out.
"Thank you Talia. It's getting harder and harder." she tells her out of breath.
"I'll get you your nightgown and then you can sit down." She says, smiling at her.
Alyssa quickly wipes off and sees Talia returning with a white nightgown which she puts on with her help.
Alyssa walks into the bedroom and walks past the mirror. "Looks like a big snowball."
"Would you like another nightgown, your Grace?"
She smiled gently at her. "No, the problem will be the same."
She sits on her bed and blows. "Anyway, not before long, I won't have the strength to get out of this bed anymore. So I won't have to see my reflection anymore."
"You are beautiful your Grace, believe me."
"You talk like my husband." They laugh.
"Anyway if every pregnancy is like this...I'm going to ask my husband to stay away."
Talia looks at her smiling, her look clearly means she doesn't believe her.
"Talia!" laughs Alyssa
"Sorry my Queen." she laughs too
After a few seconds Alyssa speaks again, "I'm exhausted, I hope Aegon won't be here too late. Yesterday already he..." She stops speaking when a scream echoes outside her room.
It sounded distant but loud enough to be heard in her room.
"What was that?"
"I don't know my Queen." Talia replies, just as shocked.
"That's strange... Go see what it is Talia."
"Yes my Queen."
"And ask my husband to come."
"Yes, I'm going right now." Talia put the things in her hands on a chair and heads for the door. She is only a meter away from the door when it opens with a crash.
Two men burst into the room. The first grabs Talia by the hair and holds her in his arms. Talia screams in fear.
"Who are you? You are in the Queen's chambers! Get out at once!"
The first man smiles before pulling out a knife and slitting Talia's throat without a word.
He lets her body fall on the floor like it's nothing.
Alyssa screams in shock.
"A son for a son" he raise his arm to show her a head... Alyssa scream like crazy when she recognize the head.
"JAEHAERYS!" She screams in shock
"An unborn child for an unborn child...that's what our prince asked. So we will also take this one." Say the second, pointing to her belly.
"You can go, Blood, this one will be easy."
"She's too big. She definitely won't run. Go on, I'll wait for you next to the horses."
The second man leaves, with Jaehaerys' head still in his hand...
Alyssa is stuck and doesn't see the first one advancing towards her at breakneck speed.
Once in front of her he pushes her to lay her down on the bed. This movement does like an electric shock which brings her out of her lethargy.
She finally realizes what's going on. He raises his dagger and begins his move to plant her right in her belly but Alyssa holds the blade back with on hand. The pain is sharp but she doesn't care.
She straightens her knees to try to put a distance between her and her attacker.
The man laughs. "Do you really think you can change your destiny, you little whore?"
She doesn't answer and serves the dagger more, adding her second hand. The dagger descends slowly, despite all the strength she could put in her hands.
"Aaaahhh!" She screams when the dagger begins to stick in her stomach. Gently, slowly.
Alyssa is crying, under the laughter of the man when all of a sudden, his laughter stops abruptly and his smile fades.
He suddenly starts coughing and Alyssa gets drops of blood on her face.
The pressure on the dagger goes away and the man's body falls next to Alyssa, taking the dagger away.
He doesn't move anymore.
Alyssa discovers Ser Harrold, in front of her. "My queen!" he says, horrified at the sight in front of him.
Alyssa can't speak. Shocked, out of breath, in pain.
Footsteps sound "Lord Commander, are you all right?"
"No! The Queen as been attacked! Summon the Maester and the King."
A silence fills the room. "NOW!!" The footsteps sound again, faster.
Ser Harrold pushes the man down to the ground. Alyssa notices at this moment the sword that is planted in his back. He grabs the towel lying nearby and pauses gently on her.
She hadn't realized she was shaking until then. "I'm here my Queen. It's over, everything will be fine. Your husband will be by your side soon." At his words, Alyssa begins to cry her heart out. She presses her bloody hands against her injured stomach.
This time, she doesn't hear the rapid footsteps echoing down the hall. However, she hears the screams that follows, that of her husband
"ALYSSA!" Aegon runs to her side and is horrified by the sight. Blood everywhere, on the floor, on the bed...on his wife.
Rage rises in him, his eyes harden "WHO DID THIS!? TELL ME YOU GOT HIM!"
"Here he is my King, I have personally eliminated him." says Ser Harrold, showing him the body. Aegon glares at him before taking the sword from his back and stabbing him numerous times, angrily. "GO TO HELL!"
The maester comes at this moment and is just as shocked by what he discovers in the room.
"Take care of the Queen, quick! Her belly and her hands have been touched." says Ser Harrold.
The Maestre nods slowly and walks over to the Queen.
Ser Harrold approaches Aegon "My king." Aegon continues his relentlessness.
Ser Harrold puts his hand on Aegon's shoulder. "My king!" Aegon jumps and stops before glaring at Ser Harrold. "My King, I understand your rage, but your wife needs you."
Aegon's gaze softened, reality hitting him. He drops the sword and nudges Ser Harrold to sit next to Alyssa. He sees her stomach being sewn up.
"The baby..." Aegon asks in a low voice. Afraid of the answer.
"Fear not my King, the blade does not appear to have punctured the uterus. Only the skin was touched."
Aegon sighs in relief and looks at his wife whose gaze is blank. He places his hand on her cheek. "My love, did you hear? Our baby is fine."
She turns her head towards him. "She is fine?"
"Yes my love."
She starts crying again. "I did what I could...I..."
"I know, I know my love. You protected her as best you could. And she's fine."
"But I couldn't ...Jaehearys..." she is cut off with a hiccup. "And Talia."
"Talia...?" He turns his head and sees the body of the servant he hadn't noticed in the rush. He bites his lip in rage. Even though he had never cared about her, he knows that she has always been faithful to his wife.
Aegon then looks at his wife sadly, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"It was I who failed to protect you...but don't worry my love, they will pay dearly for it."
The maester quickly sews up her belly and hands and bandages her wounds.
Aegon helps her to sit up so the maester can give her poppy milk for the pain.
"I will visit you twice a day for the wounds, your highness. I am not worried for the child but I strongly urge you to rest as much as possible, for his well being."
Alyssa nods and the maester takes his leave. Aegon caresses her back and speaks softly to her "You've been so brave, my love." He kisses her temple. "I am going to change you and then we'll leave this room, ok?"
She looks down at her nightgown and her eyes widen when she discovers that it's no longer white like a few minutes ago, but quite red.
She begins to panic and hyperventilate.
Aegon takes his head in his hands. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay. We're going to pull it out, okay? Ser Harrold, can you go to her closet?"
"Uh...Her..." he seems to hesitate.
"I can't leave her! So do it!"
"Yes, my King." The Lord Commander returns a few seconds later. "I hope it will be okay."
Aegon reaches out and nods. "That's perfect. Thank you."
"I'll be waiting for you outside. Call me if you need to" He bows and leaves without a sound.
Aegon looks at his wife and smiles at her. "I'm going to take it off you, ok?" She nods.
Aegon lays the clean nightgown down next to her and begins to pull off the bloodstained one, with infinite delicacy.
Alyssa gently raises her arms to help him. Once removed, he wiped with the towel, the few traces of blood having crossed the fabric and those on her face.
He puts the new nightgown on her. She moves slightly to help him adjust it all the way.
"Did I hurt you?"She shakes her head no.
"Okay" He gently runs a hand behind her back and another under her legs. "Let's go."
He picks her up and holds her face against his chest so her gaze isn't turned toward the room. He walks over and leaves their room.
He walks for a moment before Alyssa hears the sound of a door.
"They also attacked her" says Aegon
"What!?" She recognizes Aemond's voice.
Aegon gently places her on a sofa and she can see her brother...in a deplorable state. His hair are messy, his face is marked by sadness,... She finds it hard to recognize him at first.
He comes to kneel in front of her.
"Sister..." He sees the bandages on her hands, horrified. "But why...why attack us"
"I don't know. But I will have their heads." answer Aegon
"A son for a son, an unborn child for an unborn child" says Alyssa softly.
The two brothers look at her shocked. "That's what they said."
"The black?" Says Aegon between his teeth
"Daemon...he's the one who sent them."
"I'm going to kill him." Aemond said straightening up and turns his back, ready to leave.
"Not tonight, brother. Tonight we have to take care of our family." For the first time, Aegon speaks with authority to his brother.
Aemond turns to face his siblings. "Is this my punishment? For Lucaerys?" says Aemond softly
"Do not think like that."
"How can I not think like that? They killed my son and attacked my sister." his voice breaks in her last words.
Aegon stands "Lucaerys had a debt towards you. And whatever the reason, nothing excuses this barbarity!" He takes his brother's head in his hands "They took my nephew's life and attacked my wife and unborn-child. I swear to you on everything I have, brother...they will pay the price. I am not our father, I will give are family justice, I will give YOU justice." Aemond nods, two tears running down his cheeks.
Alyssa watches them before something hits her thoughts "Heleana? Mother? Jaehaera?" she says in panic
"Mother is prostrate in her room, Grandsire watches over her. Jaehaera is with a nanny in the next room." He turns his gaze behind him. "As for Heleana..."
Alyssa moves her head and sees a shape on the bed. She gets up quickly, her head spinning slightly and her body threatens to fall.
"Ooohh gently." Aegon says holding her back. "You shouldn't get up."
"Heleana." she answers
Aegon sighs. "Okay, let's go."
He supports her by the arm to the bed. There she sees her little sister, her sweet Heleana, prostrate in the middle of the bed. Her dress is stained with blood, her face eaten away by tears. One of Aemond's capes covers her upper body.Alyssa gets on the bed and crawls over to her sister. She lies down, on her side, in front of her.
Alyssa slowly runs her hand over her cheek. Helena's gaze is blank.
"My sweet sister."
"It took me a while to calm her down...but since then she hasn't reacted." Aemond says, sadness in his voice. "She was coming to wish mother goodnight when..."
"My little sun...I'm here."
Helena still does not react. Alyssa lets her hand slide into her sister's, which is facing her face.
After a few seconds, Heleana squeezes her hand tightly. Alyssa winces in pain but doesn't take her hand away.She glues her forehead to her little sister's.
"I am here."
The two sisters remain motionless. After a few minutes, their husbands join them, hugging them gently.
They spent the night like that, all four. They hadn't shared a bed since their childhood, when one of them had a nightmare or when one took the wrath of their father or their mother. They comforted each other. Each of them found strength in their brothers and sisters.
And tonight, they hoped that would be enough.