"A test?" Rhaenys narrowed her orbs as they trained on the woman's. Her whole face was covered with that mask so Rhaenys couldn't see her expression, but those eyes of hers weren't giving anything away either. She had never met someone who was so unfeeling. "You took my children to give me a bloody test? Stop it with your ridiculous nonsense and tell me where they are."
"You may believe what you wish, Mother of Dragons. You may even take my life. But if you do, you will never find them." Quaithe spoke coldly, not even flinching with the blade cutting into her skin.
The intense anger within the dragoness was more than visible, yet she held it in and lowered her weapon. Once again asking, "Where are they?"
"I will take you to them. Your weapon, however, must be left behind." Quaithe didn't wait for her answer and walked out the door calmly. Not once glancing back to see if Rhaenys was following her.
Rhaenys hesitated for a moment, but this woman was obviously more than capable of killing her if she wanted at any moment. There was no need for Quaithe to play this whole game just to get her out of the palace and murder her in secret. If anything, is more than possible that Quaithe could have taken her in the middle of the night if she wanted to and no one would have found out until it was too late.
With that in mind, Rhaenys sheathed her sword and left in on the table by the side before going after the older woman. Neither of them speaking another word.
Even if she knew Quaithe could take her life whenever she wanted, Rhaenys wasn't about to make it any easier for her, her guard never lowering for a second. And as she carefully watched her surroundings constantly, she noted how Quaithe was able to effortlessly move around the palace.
The paths they took were all empty at the moment so the two remained undetected. Another thing was that Quaithe looked as if she was right at home. She didn't even stare around to find the way, she just kept walking at the same pace throughout the trip.
In no time, they had exited Sunspear.
Quaithe led her in the opposite direction of the city and towards the desert. For hours, the two of them walked, the sand getting inside their shoes and the freezing breeze of the night hitting their skins.
The coldness was something Rhaenys had never felt, thus that did not bother her, but she was still human. Walking for so long, after a while, she began lagging behind and it became harder to keep up with Quaithe.
The Targaryen watched her back as she panted, disbelief written all over her face when she saw that Quaithe wasn't tired in the slightest. Her pace remaining the same speed as when they left. The younger woman couldn't help but feel some annoyance.
"How much longer?" questioned the Targaryen after much consideration. There was nothing except sand and rocks around them, nor was there any noise. It was hard to imagine that there would be anything around here.
"Soon." was all the masked woman uttered, not turning back as she continued forward.
Once the full moon had reached the center of the sky, then did they reach a forest. But Quaithe didn't stop, her feet taking them deeper into the forest until they reached a clearing.
Large mountains stood before them. Rivers falling from the tops as they formed a number of waterfalls that connected in the same lake that flowed in between the mountains.
Quaithe moved to the side, finally facing Rhaenys, "Walk into the water. Keep walking and do not stop. You will know when you have arrived at your destination."
"Or, more accurately, I will drown." Her children would always cry when she wasn't close to them and it took a lot to coax them to remain quiet every time she left them with her friends. She couldn't hear them now though. "Are they... under the lake?"
"There's no need to worry. They are all fine. The dragons and the direwolves are all perfectly unharmed. You may not trust me, but I will always do my utmost best to aid you."
"Why?" Rhaenys looked at her skeptically. Until today, they had never met before. There was absolutely no reason for this woman to be on her side. More so when she took such actions and was now "testing" her for whatever reason.
Hands clasped before her, Quaithe looked her right in the eyes, "Because there is something you must do. You cannot die just yet. And you cannot stop until you have reached your destination."
Rhaenys tightened her fists by her sides, then looked back to the lake, "Whatever your reasons might be, you had every chance to kill me until now. You never needed me to agree to come with you."
"Although it is perfectly safe, I shall warn you. There's a chance you will never return."
Rhaenys only sent her a glance before taking in a deep breath. Slowly, she stepped closer to the water. Her hands relaxed and she exhaled before taking the first step into the water. The heels of her sandals dug into the rocky earth with every step she took, the skirt of her dress floating behind her.
With each step, the water got higher and higher. From her knees, it went up to her waits then her chest and throat. For a moment, Rhaenys stopped before taking the last steps that would leave her completely submerged.
It was strange, but she felt safe. A part of her knowing that nothing would happen at all. Until now, her instincts had never been wrong, and she truly hoped they weren't about to fail her now out of all times.
Letting out a sigh, Rhaenys closed her indigo eyes and walked a little further. With four more steps, she was completely engulfed underwater.
Feeling something odd with her surroundings, Rhaenys snapped her orbs opened. Both of them widening considerably when she found herself inside a dark hall. All the water was gone. Even she herself was as dry as before she walked into the lake.
"How in the world...?" she spun her body as she looked at everything around her, "Wasn't I just...?"
There was no way she would believe that everything that had happened was a dream and that she was still asleep. She might have had weird dreams all her life, and they might have gotten worse ever since she arrived at King's Landing, but those dreams weren't to the point that she would forget about going to sleep.
In the first place, she was always wearing her nightgown when it happened, however, right now, she was wearing the Dornish purple gown she had since early in the day.
Just what kind of lake had she walked into?
As Rhaenys was observing everything, she suddenly heard the cries of the baby dragons that she had grown familiar with. Those little cries that now sounded distressed.
She had no idea of where she was or how she had gotten there but standing still without doing a thing wasn't going to change her situation. She came all this way for the four dragons and two direwolves. If she died here, then there was nothing she could do about that, but at very least, she wanted to set them free if the chance presented itself.
Anyhow, if that woman had let her live until now and brought her to such a place, then there must be something else she wanted, and it had to do with that "test" she had previously mentioned.
While making sure to keep an eye just in case of any coming danger, Rhaenys slowly stepped through the path. There were no windows or torches aligned on the walls, thus it was utterly dark to the point that not even shadows were visible. There were only the sounds of the dragons, her heels, and breathing to accompany her.
The hallway seemed never-ending as if it stretched for miles.
Finally, the loud sound of music interrupted the eerie atmosphere. With it, followed the voices of people and their laughter. All the noises swallowing the sound of her children that Rhaenys had been trailing until now.
Though it made no sense that this whole time she could hear them, while not the party. It was as if these people had come out of nowhere and had just appeared there like magic.
"Another one of her tricks, ah?" that's the only possibility Rhaenys could find. She had walked into a lake and appeared inside this place, so it didn't come as a complete surprise that there would be some other magic tricks hidden along these halls. After all, this was supposed to be a test.
And tests weren't meant to be easy.
As she prepared herself for whatever would be awaiting her on the other side, she continued striding closer toward the music with no fear to be found in her eyes.
Just after walking for a short while longer, she finally saw a light. From her place, she could barely distinguish a couple of figures inside the room. She could see both men and women dressed elegant and being merry together. The closer she got, the more she could see. Some of the people were dancing in the center of the room, others were eating, and others just talking with wide smiles on their faces.
Soon enough, she was standing by the doorway and could now clearly see them.
They were all people she recognized. Some were from Winterfell, others from the keeps she visited, there were even people she had gotten acquainted with while in King's Landing.
The more she looked at their faces, the more stunned she became. The room wasn't only filled with people she had briefly gotten along with, but also with friends she held dear. Those that were alive and by her side like Qoren and Aeron. Those that were currently far away from her like Ron and Michael. And there were even friends who had passed like Jory and the Kingsguards who were loyal to her father. Then, she also found family. Her aunt and uncles from Dorne, even Dany was here.
As she went to resume searching, a young girl ran past her followed by a boy.
"Arya... Bran...?"
The girl who had vanished into nothing to the point that Varys's little birds couldn't find her and the boy who had fallen from a tower and was now unable to walk ever again. They had both ran past her like in the old days. They were both carefree and unbothered by the matters of the world.
The two of them had run to their elder sister who was talking to their mother, Catelyn holding little Rickon in her arms. Seeing her mischievous children, the Tully scolded them. Though it was hard to take her seriously when her lips kept twitching up.
"They are here..."
"Who is here?" the question brought Rhaenys out of her daze and she trailed her gaze to where the voice had come from. A smile breaking out, "Robb... Of course you're here, too."
"Where else would I be? Your Nameday comes only once a year after all. Even if you don't dress for it." he sounded teasing when he spoke, staring at her strangely due to her revealing warrior-like clothes. Before wondering after he considered the words she had previously said that didn't make any much sense, "Are you sick? Maester Luwin is close. I can call him for you."
She had been carefully watching his expression as he spoke, his expression that was so much like the Robb she knew and so filled with sincerity and concern. He wasn't supposed to be real, and yet, he felt so much like the real Robb she loved as a brother.
He was but a baby when she first arrived at Winterfell. Through the years, she saw him grow from a babbling child who could barely walk to a young teen. Unfortunately, she had missed how he turned into a man who led troops to battle and who was now known as a king.
"No, it's nothing." Rhaenys shook her head, not taking her eyes off him. Finding her stranger by the minute, his hand fell on her shoulder, "Rhae, did you have a nightmare? You were fine when you went to rest earlier for the party."
"You know I don't dream." she grabbed his hand and squeezed it to find some comfort even if she knew he wasn't real, "I am fine, truly. Just thinking of something."
He didn't seem convinced but didn't push anymore. Rhaenys was even more stubborn than his aunt. When she didn't wish to speak of something, she absolutely wouldn't and no one could make her change her mind.
Suddenly, a tanned hand grabbed her own and pulled her back into his chest. His contempt obvious for the young wolf, though once he spoke, it sounded more like a childish banter, "Stop hogging all of her attention to yourself, Stark. I have enough with your brother."
Robb just rose his hands in mock surrender, not taking him seriously at all, "My apologies. I will leave you both to it, then. I can always hog all of her attention later."
"Don't you dare, Stark." the man she had never seen before grumped at the retreating back before sending all his focus back to Rhaenys, "You're always playing with him. It's not fair, sister."
The word sister struck her core and she was left motionless, not sure of what to feel as she stared at him. He should have been around 19, yet he was two heads taller than her. Bronze skin, dark hair and eyes with a beard growing on his young face. He was the image of a Dornishman. If it wasn't for the black attire he wore that was prominent of the noble houses of the southern kingdoms and the pin with a three-headed dragon on the left of his chest, no one would be able to tell. And more so because of the one single strand of silver hair.
Her hand shook as she drew it closer to him before it laid on his curls, softly running down that silver strand just like her own, "Aegon..." Her eyes reddened as her hands ran by the lines of his face, engraving every single detail to her memory.
This was her brother. Her younger brother whom she had lost when he was but two years old. Such a small child, but he had died in such a horrible manner before their mother.
Every time she would remember the story, she would wish to have the Mountain's head hung on her wall along with Tywin Lannister's. Both of them side by side.
She didn't even get to hear him call her name for the first time before they took him away from her forever. Most people couldn't understand the kind of pain she felt, as if she had lost a part of herself and could never get it back no matter how hard she tried.
The Starks had been like a new family she had gotten, and those five little wolves had greatly filled the void, however, they were not a replacement. And they could never replace a blood sibling who would sleep by her side and cry when he was taken away from her. Her brother who would laugh as he pulled her hair.
"You're acting weird, sister." Aegon said that but he didn't stop her hands, leaning closer to her touch.
Rhaenys held in a laugh as she watched him. Wondering that if her brother had gotten to grow up to the handsome man who was standing in front of her, would he truly be like this. Still acting as clingy as he was when they were children even after becoming an adult.
How unfortunate she never got to find out.
Rhaenys chose to play along with the illusion, enjoying it as much as she could, "I was just thinking of how much my little brother has grown. You're now a man. Even if you don't act like one."
"What's that supposed to mean?" a pout formed on his face, too bad he's not a cute child anymore that others would definitely pamper if he made such an expression.
"Are...?" she stopped herself from finishing her question as mist covered her eyes.
People who had died were here, her little brother was here. It stood to reason that maybe, just maybe, her parents were also here. Elia, Rhaegar, Eddard... It wouldn't be impossible to think that they would be here also.
"What is it, sister?" seeing her distracted state, Aegon pulled her by her hands to the middle of the room where the people were dancing. Noting his intentions, Rhaenys tried to stop him, "Aegon, I barely know how to dance. I don't think these people are here to watch me embarrass myself."
"What are you saying? Who would dare laugh at you, sister?" he smiled down at her, holding both of her hands as they stood still in the center of the room, "As long as you're enjoying yourself, it doesn't matter how you dance."
His words did little to reassure her, but she stopped trying to free herself, letting him lead her into the steps as the lively music surrounded them. Getting in position, the brother made the first step while the sister followed. Both siblings slowly dancing along with everyone else.
Rhaenys had celebrated 19 Namedays to current date. Two were in Dragonstone, one in King's Landing, and sixteen in Winterfell. As fun as they were, this was the first time she was ever able to so freely relish it.
This was a place that was really hard to leave.
As they were dancing, Aegon suddenly stopped and smiled as he stared in the direction in front of him, "I can see Father and Mother from here. Let's go, you haven't seen them all night."
Her thoughts were cut off, her body paralyzed. Dragging in a deep breath, Rhaenys slowly turned around to face where her brother had motioned to. Two lean backs greeting her eyes.
One was a woman with a yellow and orange dress, curly auburn hair falling down her back. The other a man with shoulder-length silver hair, two strands tied behind his head, his clothes a dark grey.
Rhaenys couldn't see either of their faces from her place, but she knew it was them. All those strange dreams that she had, not one showed their faces. Somehow, they were always blurry no matter how hard she tried to look. Now even this illusion was mocking her with it.
After looking for a while, she also found Lord Eddard was with them. All three of them together, just waiting for her to go to their side and stay there forever.
Just as Aegon was to go to them, Rhaenys held his arm, "Wait."
He looked at her strangely, but Rhaenys didn't explain and just wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning on his shoulder where he couldn't see her expression, "Can you... say my name? Just once?"
He frowned for a moment but didn't decline, hugging her back just as tightly, "Rhaenys."
She bit her lip, closing her eyes, "Thank you." Without saying anything else, she let go of him and spun around, passing by all the people within the crowd, not glancing at a single one no matter how badly she wished to look at them one last time.
The entrance she had come in previously had been completely open and it had remained that way the whole time. On the other side of the room, however, there was another door which was closed.
Rhaenys went directly towards the closed gate. The moment her hand fell on the hard wood, she hesitated for a minute before pushing it open just enough for her to walk out.
The door wasn't locked, nor was it particularly heavy, thus it wasn't a problem to move it. You could say that only her chest felt heavy as her hands quivered.
Once she stepped out, the door behind her closed on its own piercingly, lifting a cloud of dust. The long hallway before her eyes was better illuminated than the last one, at least here there were torches, though no windows. "Rhaegal! Edgon! Eliria! Aegal!"
Following her call, she heard their cries that had been swallowed by the party formerly and were now loud and clear. Rhaenys quickened her steps, wanting to depart from this place as soon as possible.
After running for a bit, she came before a simple smaller door when compared to the larger ones from earlier. From inside, she could hear the dragons' screeches.
Panting a little, Rhaenys went into the room. The four screeches instantly being replaced into a single crying sound. The chamber was much like the ones in Dorne, curtains falling from the ceilings all over that she couldn't see where the noise came from.
Moving past the many white curtains, Rhaenys stopped by a large window. The moonlight falling on a crib that was swinging softly from side to side, lulling the crying child in it.
"Why is it a child this time?"
The former test, she had been able to understand quite clearly. That woman, Quaithe, expected something from Rhaenys. Whatever it was, Quaithe believed that as long as Rhaenys continued on her current path, she would be able to reach it. Whether it was true or not, or whether it was the Iron Throne or something else, Rhaenys held no care, but Quaithe wanted at the very least to make sure that Rhaenys wouldn't deviate from that path at any moment to reach a much simpler happiness.
Putting so many dear ones in front of her was a way of making her choose. If Rhaenys didn't choose such a perfect chance, there was practically nothing else in the outside world that could be offered to her that would stop Rhaenys from reaching her goal.
However, she wasn't sure what this child had to do with any of that.
The baby had been recently born, so it was bald. A white cloth wrapped around it to avoid the baby hurting itself, though it made it impossible for Rhaenys to even be able to tell the gender.
As much as she knew that it was all fake, she still reached down for the child to shush it to sleep. It couldn't have been considered complicated, though, seeing as the baby didn't sob any longer once it was being held. Embracing it, Rhaenys moved the cloth around its head to reveal its sparkly obsidian orbs.
"Hey, it's alright. It's alright."
The little thing did not cry any longer, its small hands stretching to reach her snowy locks that fell down her shoulders. Once the baby grabbed the hair, it began pulling it as it gurgled, still too young to form any words. The strength of the pulls was so little that she couldn't feel a thing, only smiling down at the child.
While she was distracted, someone entered the room and came behind her. His strong arms wrapping around her and burying his head on her hair, "So this is where you were."
A chill ran down her spine as she stood frozen in place. Her right hand dropping on top of his own. For a moment, she didn't speak. Closing her eyes as she calmed her heart once again.
That Quaithe person was really cruel.
Licking her lips, Rhaenys turned around within the man's arms to face him, "Jon..."
"Your brother said that you were acting strange. Seems he wasn't exaggerating." Jon rubbed her arms before trailing to the child she was holding and gently stroking its rosy cheek. After staring down at the child, he raised his head to meet her probing gaze. "Are you that afraid? Of this world?"
"Not going to act like everything here is normal?" she rose a brow, puzzlement washing over her as she watched him. The worst part was that even speaking as if he understood that this was all fake, he still felt just like the real one. Everything about him was frighteningly the same.
"There's no need to." Jon tugged her along with him toward the bed, sitting first before she followed with the child still in her arms. "It also doesn't change the fact that this can become real if that is what you wish."
Shaking her head, she looked up at him with a frown, "This is an illusion. An illusion made to trap me here. To test me for whatever reason. Once I fail there's no reason for the illusion to remain."
"You got it wrong. Don't you remember? What she said?"
She lowered her sight as she thought back to every single word that Quaithe had uttered. After running through her memories, she recalled the last thing Quaithe had said before Rhaenys went into the lake and her indigo orbs widened.
"Although it is perfectly safe, I shall warn you. There's a chance you will never return."
Since it was safe, then that should mean that she won't die during the test. However, Quaithe was still quite clear when she said that there was a possibility that Rhaenys would not be able to return.
Seeing she had figured it out, Jon leaned closer to her, his warm hands holding her cheeks gently, "Do you understand now? You won't die, this place won't disappear, you can stay here. With us. Here there's no war for the Iron Throne, there's no hunger, and there's no death. There is just us. And you can be part of it, too. We can stay here together, forever, Rhae."
She stared at the child who was playing around with those chubby hands, giggling innocently.
In this lifetime, it was very likely that other than the dragons, she would have no children of her own. The man she loved was gone, living on the other side of the world. While she was in the sandy and hot Dorne, he was in the snowy and cold true north. Miles apart.
She chose the path to the Iron Throne and he chose the Night's Watch. While she had to think of her every step and how it would affect others, he was forbidden from countless things.
Now, she was offered a chance to be with this man again.
Her test was whether she would be able to leave such a chance to be with them, to go into the real world where she would have to fight to the death, where she would see death, and where she would have to make sacrifices. Even turn her heart into stone from time to time to be able to make such choices.
It was obvious which one was the best choice. There was no question about it. However, it was also obvious that nothing would change. This place was an illusion and illusions weren't real.
As difficult as it was, she couldn't choose a beautiful illusion in exchange for all the lives of the Seven Kingdoms. Brandon and Rickon weren't happily playing, they were trapped in Winterfell because of Theon. Arya was lost. Sansa was a prisoner under Joffrey. Robb and Lady Catelyn were in the middle of a war.
It wasn't just them. What about the children she had promised to save since she couldn't do a thing for Robert Baratheon's bastards? Children like the little lord Monterys.
She wasn't narcissistic enough to believe that no other great ruler would appear during this war, but she was also tired of doing nothing while others suffered. She was tired of hoping that the right man would take the throne.
She wanted revenge, she wanted justice, and she wanted what rightfully belonged to her.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked at this Jon, their foreheads touching and her right hand caressing his black curls, "I love you. With all my heart."
Her body wouldn't stop trembling as she placed the baby in his arms, her gaze lingering on the child for a minute longer. As she looked at the child whose gender or name she didn't even know, more tears fell. She fixed the cloth around it then turned back to Jon, "But I can't stay."
"Yes, you can." he held her hand to stop her from leaving, squeezing it tightly.
All the sobs she had been holding since she entered the first room, came out with no way for her to hold them back. The pain killing her inside. "We both know that's not possible. You're not real. None of you are."
"We can be as real as you wish, Rhae. You can forget about all the suffering and death outside of here. You don't need to go back to that, Rhae. You don't."
"Oh, I do. No matter how much I wish for it, I do. I need to go back to them. I cannot stay here living happily in a dream while everyone I care about battles with their all to survive. I am not that weak." with everything she had, she released herself from his hand stopping her and stood up.
Feeling her leave, the child began to loudly cry. Squirming as it reached for her to no avail.
Her rosy lips quivered, her cheeks wet from all the tears. In the end, she still turned her back to them and walked toward the exit. Not once looking back. Not even as she got to the door that led to that obscure hallway that would always take her to a place that brought her as much joy as it did ache.
She stopped right before exiting. With as much force as she could muster, she wiped her face clean. Her orbs glowing with determination as she went forward into the darkness.