Two weeks have passed. The preparations for the wedding have begun.
Reina tries on a wedding dress. It is beautiful. But she hates it.
Larys looks at her from across the room, smiling. Only by seeing him, she wants to break his face, tear that smile from him.
She knows that this is her destiny, she has "accepted her fate". Her mother is not present, she feels sick, for several days.
Reina doesn't know what she has, maybe she just has a cold, she hopes it is nothing serious.
Aegon catches a glimpse of Reina trying on wedding dresses. It makes him curious. He approaches her.
"Lady Reina, I have not had a chance to congratulate you on your betrothal. May I?"
Reina freezes, the sound of his voice scared her, but at the same time she does not dislike it. She looks at him and nods.
Aegon smiles at her and takes her hand, leading her apart from the dressmaker.
"Reina - do you even like Lord Larys? Forgive me if I am too blunt..."
"My feelings on the matter are none of your concern, My Prince. Lord Larys and I have an...agreeable arrangement."
"We all know you lie, Reina." he says, without adressing her as a Lady.
"You know nothing." she says back.
"Reina, I know you did not want this...I know you are hurt and...But you must-" Aegon starts to say but he is interrupted by her.
"I must accept my fate. I have been told this multiple times. I know what I have do to, My Prince." she snaps, venom in her voice.
Aegon cannot help but sense some disappointment in her. Maybe some sadness. He wants to probe more but it wouldn't be appropriate, so he says nothing and pulls away from her hand.
Aegon lets go of her hand and looks her up and down - for the first time noticing what an attractive woman she is. It seems everyone in the room is suddenly very interested in the dressmaker - they are pretending to admire her dresses but really they are focused on something else: Aegon and Reina.
"Will the wedding be soon?" he asks, his voice gentle.
"In a week."
"Do you think you will be happy?"
Aegon stares at Reina, looking for a reaction from the sensitive young woman.
"Why are you asking these questions? We do not even know each other." she says.
The truth is, he does not know why he is asking. He does not know why this particular woman is intriguing him. He looks down at her and sees beauty, he looks into her eyes and sees sorrow. It piques his interest and curiosity.
Aegon is silent for a moment, thinking about what else to say. Finally, he decides to try and engage her.
"You seem unhappy, Lady Reina."
"Do I?" she asks sharply.
"Your face betrays you. You try hard to mask it, Reina, but it is written all over you."
Reina says nothing, and for a moment there is silence. Then, Aegon reaches forward again, feeling compelled to touch her.
"Do you really mean to marry him?" he whispers.
"What?"
"Do you wish to marry Larys?" he asks, whispering.
Silence. She does not say anything, because she does not really have an answer. She can say that she wants to and lie or she can say that she does not and he will tell her to accept her fate, most likely.
Aegon leans in even closer. His eyes are fixed on Reina's face - specifically, on her eyes and her lips. They speak volumes. It is like a window into her soul. He wants to hear her speak, he wants to hear her say that Larys is a fool compared to him, but he knows she will not say it.
"Say something," the young man whispers, "anything."
"No. I do not..." she whispers back and then a hand wraps around her arm. Larys.
The prince recoils when Larys appears and grabs Reina's arm. His face betrays his feelings, but he is wise enough not to make a scene.
Aegon is about to say his goodbyes but he stops when he sees both Reina's face and Larys's face - they are not exactly the face of love.
Aegon gives Reina one last glance and quickly walks out the room.
"What did he want?" Larys asks her gripping her hand, tightly.
"He complimented my dress and wished us a happy marriage." she lies.
"Well, he seemed pretty close to you, dear wife. I must remind you, once I make you mine, you will belong to me and only me. I will not let you talk with any other man. Especially our Prince." Larys says and smiles after.
Reina looks at him with rage in her eyes, but does not say anything.
"Now, let us continue-" he wants to pull her towards the mirrors, but a maid enters the room alerted.
"My lady. Your mother, she is dead" she says and her words hits Reina like an arrow in her heart.
The world stops. The world stops for her, she does not move and tries to understand the situation, her mother is dead? Surely, it must be a misunderstanding, she was better yesterday, how could she have died?
How could she leave her daughter alone in the world? With no one, with nothing.
Reina runs out of the hall, still wearing the wedding dress, straight to her mother's rooms.
•••
Aegon stands in a corner of the room, watching Reina break down, by her mother's bed. He does not want to intrude, but he cannot leave either. He watches as more and more people fill the room.
Larys bends down, to touch her shoulder. When Reina looks up and sees him she takes his hand off of her and shouts,"Do not touch me!"
It surprises Aegon to see that Reina is so outspoken and strong. For a moment, it is like Larys is not her betrothed husband. Aegon sees a side of Reina he had not seen before.
"Reina...my dear. Let me comfort you." Larys says gently, clearly pretending that he cares about her.
"You can go to hell!" she snaps at him.
Alicent gasps at the language and looks at Larys and Reina, completely surprised. Aegon cannot believe what he has just heard. But he also feels like her outburst is completely justified.
He looks around and sees how others in the room are reacting to Reina's words, and he catches Larys glaring at her, which only makes him want to defend Reina more.
Reina's father is surprised by her outburst, but also furious. He grabs her arm and pulls her away from her mother's body. The girl tries to resist but her father is strong and forceful.
He leads Reina away from her mother's body and tries to calm her down.
"Reina, calm yourself. This is no way to behave."
Reina looks at him with eyes full of tears.
"Let go of me!"
Her father gets even more angrier and slaps her across her face.
At first, Aegon is in shock. But as his initial shock wears off, he feels angry. There is no reason for Reina's father to hit her. He sees that Reina is crying now because of it. She is not making a scene. She is just a hurt young woman mourning her mother.
Reina is still being held by her father.
"Reina, you will not-"
Before her father can finish, Aegon interrupts and takes Reina's arm out of his grasp.
Aegon glares at Reina's father, a look of anger on his face. His voice is sharp.
"Lord Tyrell, there is no reason to slap your daughter."
He sees that others in the room are looking back and forth between Aegon and Reina's father. Everyone is confused and unsure of what to do. But he does not care what anyone thinks about him defending Reina.
He looks at Reina, wanting to know how she feels, not only about her father hitting her, but about him intervening.
Reina feels as if she has been freed from chains, she never realized how much she despises her father until this moment. She feels both relieved and happy to be defended. She looks at Aegon and, despite not knowing him very well, feels strangely safe with him.
In that moment, she wishes to run to him but realizes that it might seem strange after her outburst. She has always been told to behave. To be calm. To listen to her father and her betrothed.
Larys takes Reina's arm out of Aegon's grasp and takes her to one of the chairs, helping her sit down.
Reina does not like where Larys is leading her, but decides not to fight him, she is too emotionally exhausted.
She sits down on the chair and continues looking at her mother's dead body.
Alicent sits down next to her and takes her hand in hers. "I am really sorry for your loss. I hope you know you are not alone on this world."
"Of course she does. She will be my wife in less than a week and soon a mother." Larys answers for her and smiles.
A chill runs down Reina's spine when she hears his words. She wishes he was dead instead of her mother.
The weight of seeing her mother pass away and now thinking about her unhappy future is too much for her to bear in one day.
Tears stream down Reina's face as she continues to grieve and, at this point, starts to feel a bit numb. She cannot take much more.
Her father watches her closely. He is still angry about Aegon and the whole situation. Why did that boy defended her? The last time he checked, his daughter did not even know the prince.
He looks at her suspiciously, but decides to not think further.
"My daughter, I will go and make the funeral arrangements." her father informs her and she just nods.
After he left she looks at Larys. The sinister smiles she notices on his face makes her blood boil. How could he smile in a situation like this?
She looks around the room and that's when she sees it. The shattered glass from under her mother's bed.
Reina puts all the pieces together and then looks at her future husband.
Her mother was not ill, her mother was murdered. She was poisoned. By Larys, she assumes.
She gets up and grabs a piece of glass. "What is this?" she asks.
Larys looks at it and says: "The maesters must have dropped it when they cleaned her."
As Larys approaches her she eyes him up and down.
"Do not lie." she demands.
"Reina, wife. I am not lying." he tries to defend himself.
And then everything happens too quickly. Reina stabs him right in his neck with the crock. Larys freezes and the room is followed by screams and gasps.
Blood pools around her feet as she watches him collapse. A guard grabs her arms and the last thing she sees is a maester rushing to Larys.
A/N: protective aegon everybody!!