The Bloody Prince: HOTD SI

Chapter 34

RHAENYRA TARGARYEN

This was a cruel world, it was the truth that Rhaenyra had recognised early in life. She was not blind, not truly to the politics and games that went all around her. Neither was she deaf to the rumors, the stories, the plots hatched by everyone.

She did not wish to face the cruel reality of her own existence, so she sought escape. She sought refuge in the love of her mother, her father, her uncle, and her friend. And that love came free at first, unbound by conditions and promises.

And then it was slowly lost, as she saw the politics of the court devour her father's attention, his love for her dwindling in the face of his desire for an heir. Her mother's would follow on suit, dead in trying to fulfill her father's desire for an heir. Her uncle lost to his ambition and desire for battle.

The only love that she could grasp was of her friend, a companion with whom she had shared both her childhood and youth—someone who was much more than a friend to her, much more than a sister.

And now even that was lost to her—no. It was taken from her. Taken from her by the very thing that had taken it all from her, her father, her mother, her uncle. All of it traced back to that one wretched thing, the one reality that she had long pulled her gaze from.

Politics. Power.

The Throne.

And as she stood vigil for her friend's body day and night alone, she realized that was where the blame lay and realized that she could remain blind no more, could no longer ignore the music that rang around her.

As the doors to the Sept opened behind her, only the scarce light from the lamp fires illuminated the Hall. She did not even need to look back to know just who had come to the Sept at this time, the roar of the dragon that had shook the city could only have come from one dragon.

There had been speculation about his presence, even though, in her heart, she knew that he would come. That he would be here, no matter what.

As she heard those steps approaching her, she rose from her position. Her knees hurt from keeping the vigil for so long, but the pain did not bother her as she greeted the newcomer.

"I knew you would come here..." she spoke, her voice raspy from the disuse, as she felt him come to a stop right behind her.

"...Prince Aegon," she greeted coldly as she finally turned around and faced the person whose absence had led to the death of her friend, the person whom many blamed for the death of the Lady Alicent Hightower.

And yet one look at his face told her the lies of it. All of them.

Aegon's face was unshaven, the dazzling youth and brilliance of it now marred by melancholy that had once only occupied his eyes.

His eyes moved away from her and focused on the face of the girl lying on the altar. She saw his face tense as his fists balled up.

"You shouldn't have gone to the Vale," the words coming out of her were cruel, words that she knew he would have heard many times now, thought of even more than that.

"She needed you, more than ever and yet you left her," she balked, angrily.

"YOU LEFT HER!" she screamed, and saw his eyes tremble as they turned towards her own.

"I know that I failed her, but I am not the only one," and those words cut deep. The guilt that had kept her trapped in this sept was on full display as the words that none in the capital could mouth were uttered in her face.

"We both failed her," and with that he reached into her shirt and took out a rolled up piece of parchment.

"I found this in my rusksack," he said as his voice shook and she was surprised as she saw him offer it to her.

"It was buried inside one of mt books. Alas I found it too late," and with that she slowly reached for it, her heart hammering in her chest as she took it from him.

"It was written by her, a last message," and with that she saw him close his eyes as he brought together his hands and knelt down as he sat up vigil as she slowly opened the paper and began to read it. Her eyes watering with the very first sentence.

~If you are reading this, then I am already dead. Know this that both you and Rhaenyra bear no blame for this~

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And for hours Rhaenyra Targaryen sat there sobbing, her tears seeping into the piece of parchment grasped in her hands, until the night came to an end and the Sun rose and illuminated the sept anew.

"I am tired," she whispered to her cousin who had spent the night with her keeping vigil.

"I am so ti..."

BANG!

And before she could utter the words the doors to the sept opened once more, forcing her to look back as she saw the White Cloaks standing there at the gates.

"Princess, Prince," Ser Harrold Westerling, the captain of her father's kingsgsuard stood there with a worried expression on her face.

"The King has summoned you. It is an emergency!"

0000

DAEMON TARGARYEN

"Dracaryss!" Daemon's words slurred as Ceraxes roar cut through the screams of the enemies as he attacked the enemy stronghold on Bloodstone. Fires ranged all around him as Crab Feeder's men screamed and wailed, their bodies covered in raging flames.

"ROARRR!" Ceraxes opened its mouth and spewed a massive torrent of fire, and he smiled as the men lit up in fires and laughed.

Next to the word of death of that cunt's daughter, Daemon felt as if he was truly being blessed.

"AHAHAHAHA!" he laughed, his words slurry and his vision blurry from all the drinking he had done to celebrate the death of that bitch.

"Come out, Drahar! Come out!" he screamed as Ceraxes pushed forward, smashing hundreds of burning men under its feet as he pushed forward.

"Don't be a coward!" he screamed and taunted, but no response came even as the fighting raged on. Daemon himself led the charge as he pushed Ceraxes forward.

"Where are you, Drahar! Where are you!" he taunted again, and yet no answer came as he laughed mockingly.

He should have expected this cowardice from a damned pirate.

And then in an instant he heard it, the loud beat of a drum as a volley of arrows was fired towards him.

"Ceraxe..." but his words were too late as he raised his hand to protect his face, as the arrows descended onto him.

"AGHHH!" he screamed in agony as one of two of them passed through the slits of his armor, hitting him in the neck and the side.

"Soves!" he screamed as pain ripped through him, and as the blood wyrm opened its wings tot take him to the skies, Daemon tried to pull the arrow that had hit his neck, an arrow hit the blood wyrm in the eye.

"GAARGHHHH!" The blood wyrm wailed in pain writhing its neck rocking Daemon's in the saddle.

"AGHHH!" Daemon screamed in agony as the

"AGHHH!" Daemon screamed in agony as he tried to hold onto his dragon's reigns.

"CERAXES!" he screamed, as the dragon took to the skies, and yet in its angered and agony filled state its ascent was rocky and as Daemon tried to grasp the reigns his sole hand slipped as his body fell down from the saddle.

"NOOOO!" he screamed as he tried to hold on, and yet the Blood Wyrm was no gentle flier, and as it tore through the skies, another volley of arrows was fired at him as several of them hit both the him and the dragon enraging it even further.

"AGHHHH!" Daemon screamed in agony, as his pain seared all over his body as his hand slipped further and further as Ceraxes wrung its neck in the sky.

Until it finally slipped.

"NOOOO!"

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A broken and bleeding Daemon Targaryen, lay on the ground, the fall had broken his back as he bled profusely from the arrow lodged in his neck, forming a pool of blood around him as he suddenly felt the pirates gather around him.

And suddenly they parted as a sole figure with a disfigured face walked forward and looked down at him with steely eyes, as a man besides him handed him that sword. His sword—Darksister.

He saw those blue eyes move towards it, as the man gripped and smiled before speaking up.

"You called for me, my Prince...."

0000

AEGON TARGARYEN

The atmosphere in the castle was tense; the servants were all nervous as the Kingsguard led him and Rhaenyra to the King's chambers. As he was recovering in the Vale, his servants found a sealed missive in his rucksack and gave it to him days later. Upon opening it, he recognized the handwriting with a single glance.

It was Alicent's writing, she had decided on killing herself far earlier than he had recognised. Yet that letter, that message, did little to alleviate his pain. No, it had only added to it, and yet Aegon had a duty to carry out and a rebellion to put down.

And so he had gotten to work, putting down the remnants of Arnold's army as he gathered them all to face Jeyne's judgment. She had spoke against his return to capital her own scars from Jessamyn's death made her cling to him and the power he carried.

And yet she knew that he needed to come back. And so she did not stop him, and now he was in the capital.

And yet his senses told him that something had gone wrong.

"What happened Ser Harrold?" Rhaenyra questioned as the men came to a halt outside the King's chambers and Aegon did not miss the continuous movement of the Acolytes and the maesters around the room. At the same time, a whole contingent of guards was stationed outside.

The captain of the Kingsgaurd did not answer immediately. His lips thinned as he lowered his gaze and opened the doors to the King's solar.

And as soon he entered the solar, he saw that they were not the only ones in the room, that the whole Council had gathered in the King's chambers.

"Father..." Rhaenyra gasped as she saw her father lying on the bed and brushed past him and rushed towards him as the maesters backed off, as the King placed his sole healthy hand atop his daughter's head.

"Rhaenyra," the King's voice shook as he called out her name as she clung to him like a child, as he stood there noticing how everyone seemed to be looking at him with curious and hesitant gaze.

"What happened?" Rhaenyra questioned, her own voice quivering as she turned towards the Grand Maester, whose lips thinned.

"It was nothing, my Princess. Your grace was just taken by grief after hearing the damning news," he added, and Aegon's instincts were correct.

Something had indeed gone wrong.

Aegon avoided looking at Otto Hightower, not knowing whether he could stop himself from punching the bastard in the face or not as he turned towards the Master of Laws.

"What happened, Lord Lyonel?" he asked, and the man slowly pushed forward a missive, making him frown as Rhaenyra's gaze followed it as well.

"What news?" she asked.

"News from the Stepstones, princess..." the Master of Laws began, making his heart halt as he began reading the letter and saw the King close his eyes.

"During an offensive against the pirates last night...."

"...Prince Daemon was killed by the Crab Feeder."

0000

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