Disclaimer: I disclaim.

Dragons Die

In the long days of summer, Summerhall was a lovely place to be in. Its shades and marbles offered a much needed respite from the heat and rank air of King's Landing. Targaryens loved spending their time here with the bare minimum of entourage and servants. In the last years, especially, the King had been experiencing both joy and grief, something like painful delight that kept dragging him here, where the shadows of his childhood loomed – his horses, his training, the mornings when he had joyfully opened his eyes, eager to see what the new day brought him. In the night, loved ones made appearances – Daeron, constantly tormented by his gift, Aemon with his quiet strength, the tragic Queen Aelinor who had stepped up to take the role of the mother he barely remembered as best as she could, his childhood friends, some of them now scattered around the Seven Kingdoms, others dead for him in the battlefields, his restless father, who had spent his life in the shadow of guilt and regret, Dhaella with her unfailing, overwhelming kindness, so different from the rest of them. And Rhae. Rhae, with her Dornish eyes and Targaryen hair, with her cheeky smile and sharp wit. She had not been his favourite sister – as a child, he had loved Dhaella just as much. Rhae had just been the love of his life. The queen on the throne next to him. The queen of his heart. Here, he felt closer to her than he did even at the chambers they had shared at King's Landing. He could see her anywhere – in the great hall, at the towers, near the fountain, on the swings he had swung her in when they had been children. At the same time, it was here that he felt her absence most severely. It hurt that she was no longer here, that none of them was, but at the same time, it brought peace to his mind. Here, he could feel that they had existed. That he would join them one day, soon. The family and court followed, of course, his lead. Not that they minded. Summerhall was an enchanted place.

A cursed place, now.

They should have awoken the dragons. They should have been rejoicing in their success. Instead, everyone was scrambling around in panic, trying to extinguish the fire, to save themselves. To save the magnificent castle.

Rhaella screamed again and staggered back from the window when the wing opposite to her room collapsed in a cloud of rubble that almost rivaled the cloud of smoke enveloping the gardens. Desperately, she tried to open the door of the adjoining chamber but slammed it back when she saw the firewall crawling toward her slowly, relentlessly.

Her wide eyes looked around wildly. Earlier, she had sent all her attendants away – the child had been restless and she had been reluctant to tolerate anyone's presence. Nothing had been to her taste – the rosewater was too sweet, the bed too feathery-soft, the girls too chatty… She had wanted to be alone, with her discomfort and the soothing thought of Bonnifer… And now she was truly alone. Amidst the flames. With a heavy pregnant body that impeded her movements.

She was going to die.

She ran to the main door of her bedroom, hoping against hope that fire had not come this way yet. Deep inside, she knew that it had been the first direction it had taken but still she hoped. She was fifteen year old and she wanted to live, live…

The flames started crawling up the door the moment she came near. Rhaella jumped back and felt a sharp pain slicing through her belly. Not now, she thought desperately. Please, baby, not now. Don't you see I'm trying to save both of us? Don't you see?

The firewall was coming towards her. Behind her back, there was a loud bang and the windows broke in hundred of splinters, some of which tore at her face and palms. Rhaella barely felt any pain, she was too consumed by her terror.

"Rhaella!"

The roaring of the fire was so thunderous that she did not register her own name. She would die in flames. She would burn. She only hoped the smoke would suffocate her before fire reached her flesh.

"Rhaella, are you in there? Rhaella, open up. Open the bloody door!"

She ran for the adjacent door she had slammed only minutes ago. The heat was so high that the doorknob left blisters to her hands while she struggled with the lock. She whimpered in pain but did not stop.

"Aerys!" she cried in relief as soon as her brother threw the door open.

His eyes were wide with fear, his face as pale as his hair. On his head, there was a covering dripping water. Soon, it would be completely dried. He clasped her in his arms. "Rhaella! Thank gods you are alive. You didn't answer and I… Rhaella, I thought…"

She wanted to weep with fear and relief. At least she wasn't alone now.

Aerys took their surroundings in one desperate glance. "Summerhall is burning. We need to get out of here!"

"How?" she asked. "The fire is everywhere."

"The way I came. Is there any water here?"

She pointed at the ewer at her bedside table. Aerys grabbed it and poured it over the covering, then threw it over both their heads and hurriedly led her through the chamber. At the sight of the flames coming nearer, Rhaella recoiled but went bravely forward. The frantic movements in her belly threatened to knock her down, she was shaking and so was Aerys. They were both going to die here, she knew it. When they reached the staircase, the heat hit them right in the face.

"Aerys!" Rhaella screamed, having lost her brother's hand. "Where are you? I can't see anything!"

"I am here, don't be afraid" he choked out and gripped her hand again. The smoke was so dense that they could barely breathe. "Rhaella, we must go on."

"So we shall," she managed and together, they went.

In the hall, they saw a white figure. A Kingsguard. It was near impossible to make out his face. Rhaella tripped and fell over. Aerys barely managed to get her up, her belly was weighing her down too much. He wrapped an arm around her to help her walk faster. But they did not know where to go.

The Kingsguard was now near them. Ser Ilan. He was dragging along Steffon who seemed dazed. Blood was trickling down his left temple.

"Steffon!" Rhaella cried out and tried to rush to him, only to groan and clutch her stomach. "Where are the others?"

He shook his head. His eyes looked strangely lifeless, as if he was not fully aware of what was going on. "I don't know. I was in the Blue Hall when…" He gulped. "I don't remember."

"Ser Ilan!" Aerys shouted. "How are they?"

The knight's jaw tightened. "I don't know, Your Grace. We must go now."

Aerys and Rhaella both looked at him incredulously. "Go?" Aerys asked. "You want to leave?"

"I don't want to!" But then Ser Ilan realized that it was neither time nor place for explaining himself. He made a quick step aside to avoid a falling rafter. "I must get you out. The King's command. There is a secret passage somewhere here…"

"There is," Rhaella said. "It is too far away."

Yet, they had no choice but try to reach it.

Rhaelle was screaming, her face flushed a deep shade of red, her purple eyes almost black with horror as she was desperately clinging to Jaehaerys' hand. The sudden collapse of an inner wall had left her hanging over the edge of the third-floor hall and her brother was on his knees, trying to pull her back. The fire was roaring, drowning her screams and his. She could only see his lips moving. Behind him, a small silhouette fluttered and disappeared. Rhaelle could no longer fight the exhaustion and the pain in her fingers. She was slipping away, downwards.

"Rhaelle!" Jaehaerys cried. "Don't let go!"

Her fingers tightened around his with a last bout of desperate strength. He finally fought the swimming in his head enough to scramble on his feet.

For a moment, it looked as if they would succeed. He started pulling her out and Rhaelle screamed with the effort to help him. But then, an ornament from the ceiling fell, sending Jaehaerys flat on his back and Rhaelle, with a horrifying shriek, down to the marble surface of the forecourt.