Author's Note: Hi everyone! Wow! There was such an overwhelming response to the small moments between Rhaena and Aemond, so to appease what you're all asking for, he is a chapter completely from Rhaena's point of view. This chapter will be taking place surrounding the events of the ninth episode (which was absolutely bananas!). This will be chapter 1 of 2 for this episode, then we'll be prepared for the season finale!

I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter, I know I enjoyed writing it...so prepare yourselves...an enemies to lovers trope is coming your way...


THE DRAGON & THE ROSE - EPISODE NINE/PART ONE


Two Days Later

Rhaena sat alone on the sandy beach, watching as the dark waves crept closer and closer to her bare feet on the shoreline. She softly sighed to herself as she wiggled her toes into the sand, then looked up. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, bringing in the beginning of a new day.

Spending the early morning hours on the beach wasn't an unsual activity for her, she had come to this exact spot many times in the past as a place to sort through her thoughts. The events of the last two days had been exhausting for her for more reasons than one. But most of all she wished that her time in King's Landing could have been longer. Because of the volatile relationship her family held with the Hightowers, she felt cheated of time with Viserys.

While they had gone to the King's Landing with intentions of securing Luke's inheritance of Driftmark, she had hoped that they would have spent a few weeks or maybe a month there. But the tensions of the greens and blacks was one that stretched long before those terms had been thought of, long before she was even born. She should have expected that those tensions would cut their time short.

Perhaps there would come a time where Viserys could come visit them at Dragonstone, because she knew that it was unlikely for her family to go to King's Landing again in the forseeable future. The fight that occured at the dinner table between them all proved this to Rhaena, they all knew that they were better behaved when they were apart.

Rhaena closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her knees, allowing the sound of the waves and cool feeling of the water on her feet calm the conlicting feelings inside her. Because though she wished to have spent more time in King's Landing for Viserys, she was also glad to have left to get away from the Hightowers, specifically Aegon. Not only had he made his intentions around her clear with the way he stared at her, but he had also been bold enough to say he would visit her in her chambers in front of their whole family.

He had said it only loud of enough for her to hear, but it didn't matter. There was no doubt in her mind that if she stayed in King's Landing he would have found the means to have his way with her. She didn't want that in the slightest, and knew her in bones that his proposal of marriage between her and his brother was just a way to keep her within his reach.

While she had succeeded in not having to marry Aemond, it was hard for Rhaena to come to terms with the fact that she would have to marry anyone at all, for she had always thought she never would. She was her parents' only daughter, their golden child in many way, and they hardly ever denied any of her wishes. She had always believed them when they told her that they wouldn't force her to marry.

She couldn't help but feel anger and betrayal in her heart towards them for this, despite the fact that she rationally knew the denial of a marriage-free life came from the Queen, not them. She knew if they could have prevented it, they would have. And while she could have been forced to be engaged to Aegon and not Jace, it didn't matter. She couldn't focus on anything other than the feeling of loss in heart.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice said behind her, pulling her from her thoughts. She immediately recognized the voice to be Jace's, and felt her chest tighten because of it. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now, especially the person she had chosen to marry.

Rhaena didn't turn to face him, only nodding to answer his question. Jace sat next to her in the sand, looking at her with a bit of apprehension and nervousness.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, swallowing roughly as he waited for her answer.

"Overwhelmed," she said flatly, keeping her eyes on the rising sun over the ocean and away from him.

"Me too," Jace responded, trying to get a read of the emotions hiding behind her eyes. When it was clear that she was a stone wall unwilling to reveal them he continued. "I don't want you to be unhappy...I don't want to be the reason you're unhappy."

"You're not the reason I'm unhappy, Jace," Rhaena shook her head, finally turning to look at him now. "It's just-"

"It's just what?"

"Nothing," she muttered.

"Please tell me Rhaena," he said softly, seeming crushed that she was shutting him out like this. "If not as your husband to be, then as your friend."

There was a moment of silence as she paused, making him even more nervous now. And when she finally spoke, it certainly wasn't what he was expecting to hear.

"Did you know that I'm not my parents' first daughter? That they had one before Aemon was ever born?" she asked, her lips pressing together as she stared at him. Her gaze was intense, demanding every ounce of his attention. So while he couldn't tell what she was feeling, he could tell that what ever it was was fierce.

"Yes," he said quietly, seeming even more uncomfortable now.

"And you know the story of what happened to her?"

"I heard the grim tale once or twice over the years."

"So then you know that because of Emylie's death my parents have always been overly protective of me," she explained, her cheeks flushing pink with emotion. "They've spent their whole lives making sure that I'm safe, that nothing can threaten me. I've never been trusted to handle myself, I've never been given any slack to just be."

"It's only because they love you, Rhaena-"

"I know that they love me, and I love them too. But..." Rhaena paused, shaking her head as she collected her thoughts. "All I want is to have a life of my own, where someone isn't hovering over me and watching my every step. That's what marriage looks like to me as a woman, constant supervision...no trust that I can make my own decisions or defend myself against the dangers of the world."

Jace nodded, then looked away from her and out to the ocean, obviously a bit hurt by her explanation. He understood where she was coming from, but it was hard not to take what she said personally. It was hard to know that no matter what he did she would likely feel trapped by their impending marriage.

"I'm not saying any of this to hurt you, Jace, I chose you for a reason," Rhaena continued, trying to reign her frustration back in. "You're my friend, my family...for what it's worth, I know that if I have to marry I'm glad it's to you."

"I know," he responded, inhaling slowly. "I just don't want you to grow to resent me because you resent marriage as a whole. I don't want to lose our friendship."

"We won't," she muttered, her eyebrows furrowing together. "Even though this isn't what I want, I know it's not your fault that this is happening. I promise I'll try to be a good wife, I promise I won't resent you."

"And I will try to be a good husband to you," Jace said, smiling a little as he looked at her. "I'll try my best to be the man you deserve."

She nodded a little, then cleared her throat to end this topic of conversation. While she knew he was coming from a good place by coming to talk about this she had come here to be alone, not discuss it. "I'm glad we talked about this, that we're on the same page...but I'm going to head back inside now, get cleaned up for breakfast."

"I'll walk you to your room then-"

"Oh that's alright," she said quickly, "No need to go out of your way for me."

"It's no trouble," he shrugged, "Besides, you really shouldn't walk alone around the castle or the grounds without a guard."

"Thank you, but I'll be fine, Jace," she said, her smile becoming less natural and more forced. "I'd like a moment alone to collect my thoughts."

She then moved to stand, only to have Jace jump up and offer her his hand. Though he was just being chivalrous and kind, it was small acts like this that made her think he truly didn't understand what she had just told him. She was perfectly capable of standing on her own, of walking back to the castle on her own. She didn't want or need another protector in her life, she could manage on her own.

After wiping the sand off the back of her dress she turned away from him, leaving him alone on the beach behind her. As Rhaena walked she couldn't help but feel like life was snowballing out of her control. She wanted to escape it, to get Onyx and ride to Volantis or some other exotic city in the east so she could hide from the conflict around her. Her inner desire was to give in to this fantasy, for it was her own life, her own choice...why shouldn't she run away if that was what she pleased? But she knew that despite wanting this, she would never abandon her family. She vowed to herself and them that she would always stand by them, that she would never betray them. Part of that vow meant dealing with things she didn't want to for the better of the family.

As she walked through the halls of Dragonstone back to her chambers she tried to force herself to take calm breaths to clear these thoughts from her mind. But as she approached her room she could hear the soft sound of sobbing coming from down the hall. She slowly moved away from the door to her chambers and towards the sound, trying to make out who it might be. The closer she got to it she realized the sound was coming from her parents' room, and more specifically from her father.

Rhaena took a quiet step forward, leaning her ear against the door of the chambers to see why he was crying. The sound of her father's tears made her feel sick, and even if though she didn't know why he was crying she didn't need to know to feel her own eyes start to water. She had never seen or heard him cry before, not ever. He was the emotional rock of their family, always there to be the shoulder for his wife and children to lean on. Rhaena felt deeply disturbed to know that it was him who needed a shoulder today.

"My love, I am so sorry," Elaena's voice sounded, wavering with tears. "I'm so sorry."

Rhaena put her hand on the door gently as if to try and absorb his sorrow as she listened. After a few moments of waiting for either of her parents to speak, Rhaena noticed that the crying became softer and softer until it was only silence. Her heart raced in her chest with worry that she would be found out eavesdropping, but she couldn't pull herself away, not until she knew why her father was this upset.

"I know his life was misery at the end...that that misery's ended now," he finally said, his voice muffled through the door. "But I wish he was still here, even if it meant that his pain endured...Does that make me a terrible person?"

"Of course not, my love...he was your brother," her mother responded, sniffling through her own tears as she spoke, "Wishing he were still here is the most natural feeling you could have...I wish he were still here too. If he were we wouldn't be in this mess."

Rhaena took a step away from the door, placing her hand over her chest. Her heart rose to her throat and stomach dropped to her feet as she processed this information, as she realized that Viserys was dead.

Tears quickly fell from her eyes as she stood, the faint and muffled sounds on the other side of the door going in one ear and out the other. She felt like someone had frozen her in time, blocking her ability to hear, move, or speak. All she could do was stand still and think about the fact that Viserys was no longer walking this earth with her.

How could this be possible?

Rhaena knew that Viserys had been ill, deathly ill. But they had only left him in King's Landing two days ago. How was it possible for something like this to happen in that short amount of time? Guilt panged throughout her body as she thought about the way their last supper together had went. Maybe the infighting of their family was too much stress for him, maybe it killed him. Perhaps his cause of death had been one of a broken heart to see everyone he loved so plainly hating each other.

Maybe if she had just immediately accepted the Hightower's proposal to marry Aemond he would still be alive. Rhaena felt like she was going to be sick, the possibility of being responsible even in the slightest way for his death too much to bear. She was about to run away, but stayed once she heard her parents' voices continue.

"What else did the raven say?" Daemon asked, his voice ragged with emotion.

"Our little birds in the capital say that Alicent and the rest of the small council are planning to usurp the throne from Rhaenyra, they've even locked Rhaenys in her chambers to keep her from coming to give the news..." Elaena said so softly that Rhaena barely heard. "...the news that our nephew will be crowned tomorrow afternoon."

"I'd rather wind up with my head on a spike than see Jahaerys's crown, my brother's crown on that cunt's head," Daemon said angrily. A moment later the sound of something being thrown shattered against the door, making Rhaena jump back in shock.

"We won't let Alicent get away with this, my love, I promise," Elaena said, her voice pleading him to calm down. "We will do everything in our power to see that Aegon doesn't keep the throne. It was your brother's dying wish that Rhaenyra ascend and wear his crown, we'll make sure that happens...together."

Rhaena backed away from the door even further now, then turned over her shoulder to run away. Though as she cried her feet weren't carrying her back to her room, rather somewhere else. She knew that what she was about to do wasn't rational, but her heavy emotions took over any sense of rational thinking possible. Not only was her grandsire dead, but Aegon was trying to usurp the throne. Just like her father, the thought of him wearing Viserys' crown made her feel sick to her stomach, and as well as that her closest friend Baella's grandmother was imprisoned in the Red Keep. She couldn't live with herself knowing this information and not acting on it.

She couldn't imagine a person so vile as Aegon sitting the throne instead of her aunt who had the rightful claim. And she couldn't imagine a person so wonderul as Baella losing yet another family member. She had already lost her mother, father, uncle, and grandfather. Rhaenys was all Baella had left.

Rhaena knew that if Rhaenys remained in the capital she would be killed if she didn't bend the knee to Aegon. She couldn't let it happen, not after she had seen who he truly was, who all the Hightowers were. So Rhaena made her way to the dragonpit without looking back, a hateful and grief-filled heart guiding her next actions.

She didn't care if she upset anyone in her family would be angry at her for leaving, she didn't care if she would be punished until the end of time for it. And most of all, she didn't care if what she was about to do was the final straw that unleashed war between the greens and blacks. She knew what she had to do. She had to free her aunt Rhaenys, and she had to take Viserys' crown.

Just as she was about to mount Onyx, a hand grabbed the back of her arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Princess," Ser Cley said, turning her around so that she would face him.

"You'd do well to let me go, Ser," Rhaena snapped, pulling her arm out of his grasp angrily.

"Where do you think you're going this early in the morning?"

"For a ride," she lied, though it wasn't all too convincing.

"Why don't we skip the part where you make something up and get to the truth of it all. Where were you really going?"

Rhaena stood silently, angry that he was delaying her. She had been so close to getting away unspotted.

"Tell me now-"

"You can't order me to tell you anything," she said frustratedly, "I'm a Princess of Dragonstone-"

"I answer to your mother and father, not to you," Cley interrupted, raising his brows at her. "And they told me not to let you out of my sight. So what is it that you heard at their door this morning?"

"You were following me?" she asked with shock, unable to believe she hadn't seen him. "For how long?"

"Since it was apparant that Prince Aegon had his eyes on you your parents have asked me to keep an eye on you, a discrete one that is," Cley admitted, but he didn't look the least bit sorry. "You weren't to know, but I had no choice in stopping you today, not when I saw that look in your eye."

"What look?"

"The one that says you're up to something," he responded, the smallest of smiles on his face. "You've had it since you were five plotting to steal sweets from the kitchens."

"Everyone's always said that I conceal my emotions well," Rhaena said shortly, not amused in the slightest.

"Emotions yes, Princess, but not plots," he sighed. "So will you tell me where you're going. Perhaps I can help you."

"Our King is dead," she finally admitted, "And my cousin is going to usurp the throne from Rhaenyra. That's what I heard on the other side of my parent's door this morning."

Ser Cley's face fell at these words, the smile he had completely gone. "And what exactly was it you were planning to do with this information?"

"I was going to go to King's Landing," she said slowly, gauging his reaction. "To take the King's crown to give to Rhaenyra and free my aunt Rhaenys. It's the right thing to do."

"I agree that Princess Rhaenyra should ascend, that she should wear her father's crown and not Prince Aegon," Cley admitted, "And Princess Rhaenys should be rescued as well, but this is certainly not a task fit for a young girl like yourself. Going to King's Landing on your own is complete madness, it's reckless-"

"Maybe so, but I don't care," Rhaena said angrily, shaking her head. "I won't let that vile man wear my beloved grandsire's crown, and I won't let Baella lose any more family...not for anything."

Rhaena turned around quickly, moving to mount Onyx again.

"Rhaena!" Cley shouted, moving to grab her again. But before he could Onyx turned over her shoulder and shrieked in his face, warning him not to touch her rider again. Cley took a step back, filled with memory of the last time this happened with her mother. Only this time he didn't plan to let this Targaryen Princess get away. "Rhaena don't do this!"

"I don't feel like I have a choice, Ser Cley," Rhaena responded once she was in the saddle. "I'm doing this whether you like it or not."

"I made a promise to your mother, a holy vow that I wouldn't let anything happen to you-"

"I know," Rhaena nodded, "And I'm sorry."

She turned to Onyx to go, but as she did Cley jumped forward. As Onyx walked forward he began to climb the rope ladder that lead to the saddle, his face pale white with fear.

"Cley what are you doing?" Rhaena shouted, her eyes wide as she watched him climb.

"I'm coming with you," he panted, scrambling to get up to the saddle as Onyx was about to take flight. "I've held true to my oath for eight years, I don't plan to break it today."

Though she was hellbent on going alone, she certainly wasn't going to let Ser Cley fall to his death in order to do so. With an exhale of frustration she extended her arm down for him, helping him up to sit in the saddle. As if she knew that Cley was finally secured, Onyx leapt off of the ground, her wings propelling them high into the sky above Dragonstone.

"Hold onto me!" Rhaena shouted to him, steering the reigns upwards.

"It wouldn't be appropriate, Princess-"

"Fine!" Rhaena said frustratedly, "Just don't blame me if you fall off."

Cley timidly put his arms around her torso, then held on tighter as Onyx nose-dived towards the sea. Cley screamed behind her, his arms tensing with fear. Normally Rhaena would have smiled at this, proud to be the bravest one here, but she couldn't conjure any feeling other than negative ones. As the two flew over the Blackwater surrounding Dragonstone towards King's Landing she was filled with hatred and sadness.

These emotions were what was fueling her actions in this moment, they were the only things keeping her from realizing how dangerous this mission was. They were the only things keeping her from turning around.

After a while she forgot that Cley was with her, her mind slow and clouded by grief. She was only reminded of his presence when the shores of King's Landing came to view, to which he leaned forward to shout, "If we're really going to do this Princess, we best do it unseen! If anyone sees Onyx flying in we'll be discovered before we step foot into the city."

"I'm already on it," she responded. She quickly turned the reigns, steering Onyx to the side so that they could land far outside the outskirts of the city. Once Onyx's large body touched the ground, Cley let out a sigh of relief and quickly scrambled down the rope ladder. Halfway down it he jumped, ready to be off of this large beast. Rhaena followed down after him, then gave her dragon a small pat on the side.

"Come on," she said with determination, looking to Cley now. "We need to do this as quickly as possible. I want to be back home before dark, before my parents worry too much about my absence."

"What about Onyx?" he asked, looking to the dragon as he panted.

"Don't worry, she'll wait for me," Rhaena replied, walking quickly past him. "Dragons are the most loyal of beasts."

Cley ran forward to catch up with her, his hand on the hilt of his sword as they walked. The gates of the city were far away from them, an hour's walk at the least, giving them plenty of time to prepare their plan once they were inside.

Cley had torn off his dark cloak, giving it to Rhaena so that she could hide her silver hair from any on-lookers who might report seeing her to the Hightowers. There were spies all over King's Landing, so they needed to remain undetected the whole time. Once inside the gates they would walk to the Red Keep where Cley knew of a secret entrance into the castle that was used for emergency escapes. Much to his disliking, from there they would split up. Cley would retrieve Princess Rhaenys while Rhaena would go to the King's old chambers where his body would be waiting for funeral, where the crown was likely to remain until Aegon's coronation the next day.

It wasn't a perfect plan, but it was all they had.

So the two of them walked as calmly as they could once they entered the gates of the city, two shadows blending into the day-to-day chaos around them.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Cley muttered to himself, keeping his hand rested on the hilt of his sword as they walked past a fish-monger.

"You don't have to come with me," Rhaena said softly, "I never asked for you to."

"How would you find the secret entrance if I let you go alone now?" he asked her now, the two of them moving quickly and quietly through another crowd of people. "And not only that, how would I live with myself if something happened to you, if you were caught?"

"We aren't going to be caught, not if we're careful," Rhaena responded.

"Even if we are careful we could still be caught," Cley said in a hushed tone, "If what you said is true, that the King is dead-"

Before he could finish his sentance he quickly put his arm across her chest and push her away so that they both backed into an alley. He kept his arm across her as they leaned on the wall, hiding from whatever he saw.

"What was it?" she asked, feeling her heart pound with fear. This was the first moment in their venture that she felt scared, that she realized how dangerous it was to be here doing what they were about to do. In this moment she was glad that he had forced his way to come with her. As much as she wanted to be independant and able to protect herself, she wasn't so stubborn as to not recognize that this mission would be much better executed with his help.

"It was Erryk and Arryk Cargyll, of the King's guard," Cley said seriously, peering his head around the corner to see if they were still there.

"King's guard?" Rhaena asked, shaking her head to herself. "What are they doing outside the Red Keep?"

"Perhaps they saw Onyx."

"No, that's not possible, we landed her too far away-"

"Well whatever their reason is, they see us now and are coming this way. Go!" Cley said, turning to run behind her down the alley.

Rhaena thudded down the sharp stone path before her, her heart racing out of her chest. She looked back as she ran to see that behind Cley the two brothers were chasing them. Fear coursed through her veins as she continued forward, hoping with every ounce of her being that they might be able to lose them in the busy streets.

Rhaena turned left down another alley, skipping over fallen crates and pushing through people to get away. She looked behind her again to gauge how close they were, only to see that they had nearly caught up to Cley.

"Go Princess!" Cley shouted, withdrawing his sword. He knew that they wouldn't be able to outrun them much longer, the only thing to do was make sure they didn't get to Rhaena.

So she kept running, but as she turned her head back forward to look at where she was going she ran straight into someone so hard that it nearly knocked her to the ground. The man's arms caught her just in time though, holding her up with a firm grip. When she looked up she saw that it was none other than her cousin Aemond, who looked just as surprised to see her as she did him. Standing behind him was Ser Criston Cole, both of them disguised with hoods just as the Cargyll twins had been.

"Well this is quite the surprise," Aemond said with a small smile, keeping his hands on her arms so she couldn't escape. "Tell me, what is the Realm's Delight doing running around alone in the streets of King's Landing?"

"Let go of me, Aemond." Rhaena breathed heavily as she looked at him, trying to think of how she could get out of this mess. But before she could even open her mouth to say anything more, the loud noise of swords clanging against each other sounded from around the corner, peaking Aemond and Criston's attention.

Aemond looked back down to her silently, his eye narrowing and smile falling as he walked her towards the sound. She struggled in his grasp for him to release her, but even with only one hand on her now he was strong enough to keep her from running. Once they rounded the corner they saw Cley fighting off the two brothers, their swords meeting each other loudly.

"So you're not alone?" he asked, looking back to her. "You've brought your mother's sworn sword."

Once the three fighting men saw Aemond, Rhaena, and Criston, they all stopped. Cley looked shattered that she hadn't made it away, that she had been caught, and yet the Cargyll twins seemed more concerned to see Aemond and Criston.

"I wouldn't have thought you two would have abandoned your search to catch these two rats," Criston said flatly, looking at Rhaena with disgust in his eyes.

"Watch how you speak about the Princess in my presence, Cole," Cley said angrily, breathing heavily as he took a step forward.

But the knight's comment about her was not what bothered Rhaena, it was what he said beforehand. She looked up to Aemond, her eyebrows narrowing as she spoke. "If they weren't out here looking for me, what were they looking for? Is that why you're all in disguise?"

Aemond's lips pressed together a little, a small glimmer shining in his eye as if he was impressed. But he didn't say anything, only turning to look at Criston. "I'll take her back to the Red Keep. You can take her protector to the dungeons, Ser Criston."

"We have someone more important to find than deal with these two," Cole shook his head, "Ser Erryck and Ser Arryck will handle them."

"We take our orders from the Hand of the King, Gwayne Hightower, not you," Arryck shook his head. "We only tried stopping Cley because we thought he might know something of the Prince's whereabouts...We'll leave the handling of these two to you."

With that, Erryck and Arryck left to continue their search, leaving Aemond and Criston alone to figure out what to do with Rhaena and Cley.

"That's who you're looking for?" Rhaena asked, chuckling dryly as she looked up to her cousin. "Aegon?"

"He doesn't even want the throne, why bother looking for him?" Aemond said to Criston, completely ignoring Rhaena as he kept hold of her. "Let's just take her back, my mother will know what to do with her."

"The Queen wants her son brought back, not her," Criston shook his head. "Come. We need to find him before those other two can get to him first."

"And what of these two?" Aemond asked angrily. "Do you truly suggest that we just let them go?"

"Certainly not...It's a weak girl and a worn-out knight," Criston shrugged callously, "We can easily bring your mother their heads."

Rhaena felt her heart squeeze to a tight stop in her chest at these words, her skin growing pale. While she didn't think her cousin wanted to murder her in cold-blood, she knew that Criston did, and if it came down to it they were both more than capable of such an act.

"Careful, Ser Criston," Aemond said icily, his grip on Rhaena's arm tightening a little. "Just because her family and mine have been warring with each other for years doesn't give you right to speak so plainly against her. After all she's still a Targaryen...what you suggest would be treasonous."

"You have my apologies, Your Grace," Criston said through gritted teeth, as if having to apologize for suggesting her murder was the most difficult thing for him to do. "But we are running out of time."

Aemond nodded, then looked down to Rhaena, his pin-straight hair falling forward. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she met his gaze, waiting with anxiety filled anticipation as to what he was going to say. But he said nothing more, only releasing her from his grip. She took a quick step backwards, putting her hand on her arm where his had been.

"I don't know what you're doing here, Rhaena," he said slowly. His jaw then clenched a little, as if he might regret his next words. "But you better be gone from thisi city before I'm back."

Rhaena tried to stand tall as she faced him, nodding a little to give him the response he wanted. But she had no intention of leaving the city, not if he was letting her go. She was going to finish what she started.

He looked her up and down one last time before turning to Ser Criston, the two of them leaving quickly to go and find Aegon. Cley rushed towards her as soon as they were gone, relief washing over his whole being. "Come on, let's get you home."

"No," Rhaena replied, shaking her head. "No, we're going to the Red Keep as planned, we're almost there-"

"Are you absolutely mad?" Cley asked, the relief he felt immediately gone and replaced by bewilderment. "At best we almost just got dragged to the Queen as prisoners, at worst we were almost killed. I can't let you stay here, we need to go back."

"Neither of those things happened, Ser Cley," Rhaena said exasperatedly, "Don't you see? If Aegon is missing half of the guard will be out looking for him. The castle will be undermanned, this is the perfect time to go in."

"I'm sorry, Your Grace," Cley shook his head. "But no."

"I have to do this," Rhaena pleaded, feeling tears well in her eyes. "In honor of my grandsire's memory, in honor of Rhaenys being Baella's last family, I can't turn back now, not when we're this close. Can't you understand that?"

"I do understand, but-"

"You made a vow to my mother to protect me," Rhaena interrupted, her tears falling freely from her red eyes. "And I made a vow to my family to never betray them. It would be a betrayal to let Aegon wear my aunt's crown, to let Rhaenys remain in danger here. Please, help me uphold my vow. I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure yours is upheld as well."

Cley stood with his mouth slightly agape as he thought, then closed it. "Then let's do it quickly."


Just as she had predicted, the secret path Cley led her on into the Red Keep was a quiet one, all of the guards and servants busy with more important matters such as preparing the King's funeral or Aegon's ascension. And yet even though the halls seemed to be clear for them to walk, Rhaena and Cley waited silently behind the panel that opened to the King's chambers until they were sure that no one was on the other side.

Every time they thought that it was good to go in, they would hear the faintest sound, scaring them back to frozen positions behind the door. They would then wait a while more to make sure that the noise was a figment of their imagination, then try again only to hear something else. After a good hour of not hearing a single thing, Rhaena finally looked to Cley for his okay to go in.

He gave her a short nod and then slowly pushed the panel forward. The second that he did this she felt her stomach turn, for the smell in the room was foul with death. She quickly put her hand over her mouth to mask the odor, then stepped forward through the secret door. After scouring the room to truly make sure no one was there, she turned to Cley.

"I'll look for the crown, it has to be in here," Rhaena whispered, "You go for Rhaenys now."

"No," he shook his head, "The plans have changed, we're doing everything together now."

"Please, Ser," Rhaena said softly, trying not to cry. "I'd like a moment to say goodbye to my King...and we don't have time to waste going both places. I'll get the crown, you rescue Rhaenys, we'll meet at the end of the tunnel as planned. Besides, if we do get caught it's best not to both be trapped. We need someone on the outside should anything happen."

Cley hesitated for a moment before nodding, knowing that she was right no matter how much he disliked it. He then closed the door behind her, allowing her to continue into the room on her own. Once she turned around her eyes fell on the dusty model of Old Valyria, a sight that made the tears in her eyes fall. She ran her finger over one of the pale and thin stone spires, remembering the last time she saw it.

She had been only five years old, small enough to sit on Visery's lap as he showed her the model of what their homeland once looked like before the doom of Valyria. The memory felt engraved in her mind as if it were yesterday, not eight years ago.

"Do you see this, Rhaena?" Viserys had asked her, pointing to a tall building at the center of the city.

"What is it?" she had asked, leaning forward off his lap to get a better look at it. He laughed a little as he held onto her, making sure that she didn't fall off of him and onto the stone sculptures.

"This was our castle, it's where you would have grown up should you have been born in Valyria," he said with a smile, watching as her eyes lit up.

"I would have lived there?" the young Rhaena had asked, looking at him as if he had just presented her the greatest gift she could have ever asked for.

"Yes, sweet girl," Viserys laughed lightly. "And your dragon Onyx wouldn't have been kept in the pit, she would have roamed the skies above."

He picked up a small dragon figurine, handing it to her with a smile. She had taken it into her tiny hands with wonder in her eyes, then set it on the very top of one of the buildings of the city. She then turned around to Viserys, her tiny face contemplative.

"Grandsire?" she had asked, using this term of familial address for the first time. After all, he had acted as Elaena's mother all her life, grandsire certainly felt more appropriate for Rhaena than uncle.

"What is it, Rhaena?" he asked her, his heart warming.

"Onyx will be bigger than this one day, right?" she asked, looking back to the small figurine with concern.

Viserys laughed loudly, unable to help himself, "Oh yes, she will be much bigger."

"How big?"

"Well I don't know," he said honestly, "Maybe one day she'll be even bigger than Vhagar. Would you like that? To ride the largest dragon in the world?"

Rhaena giggled to herself and nodded, liking the idea of this very much.

"Then so she shall be," Viserys smiled. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek, his eyes bright with love.

Rhaena forced herself to stop remembering this moment, to try and dry her eyes. Not only did she not have time to reminisce further about the past that was long gone, but she also couldn't bear the pain the memory brought her. She felt so cheated of her time with him, all because of the hatred between his wife, daughter, and brother's families.

So she walked past the model of the ancient city, moving quietly in the pitch black room towards his bed. As her eyes fell upon the shrouded body, she held her breath, then pulled the golden cover off of him. When she saw his face she couldn't help but gasp and jump back, squeezing her eyes shut so she wouldn't see him anymore. Though his body looked just as damaged and decayed as it had a few days ago when he was alive, he was entirely unrecognizable to her. This wasn't the man she knew and loved, only a shell of him.

Small sobs racked through Rhaena's chest as she covered him back up... but even once his body was concealed the image of him felt burned in her mind. She then turned to the side, seeing his golden crown sitting on the pillow beside him. Tears fell faster down her face as she leaned over him, taking the crown into hand.

"I'm sorry we didn't have more time together, Grandsire," she whispered, her lip trembling as she closed her eyes. "I hope you've found peace in death. And wherever that is, I hope to see you again there one day...And I'm sorry to be doing this now, but you know that it should be your daughter who wears this, not your son. I hope you can understand that."

She leaned down over him one last time, placing a kiss where his head laid under the shroud. "I love you, grandsire."

She then opened her eyes and took a step backwards, needing to get out of this room. She couldn't face these feelings of grief anymore, she needed to refocus her mind on the task at hand, getting back to Cley. Doing this would be easier than accepting her sadness, because if she chose to do that instead she feared it would cripple her.

But when she turned around and looked up she saw none other than her cousin Aemond standing and watching her. She froze in place, feeling his gaze pierce into her through the dark room. She couldn't believe that he had caught her not once, but twice now.

"How long have you been there, Aemond?" she asked quietly. She then quickly wiped her eyes and sniffled to erase the signs that she had been crying. She didn't want him to see her anymore vulnerable than she already was standing here.

"Long enough," he responded, looking to the crown in her hands then back to her.

"And how did you know I would be here?" she asked, watching as he took slow steps towards her. Rhaena tried to stand up a little taller as he approached, watching as the moonlight shone through the cracks of the curtains onto his face. Her heart started beating faster, and every inch of her skin covering itself in goosebumps as he stopped just before her.

"We haven't known each other long, Rhaena, but I know enough to see that you don't so easily back down from what you want... I knew you wouldn't listen to me when I told you to leave the city," he said darkly. His body was towering over her as he spoke, a clear force of intimidation. "When we met earlier my first thought was that you had heard of my father's death, that you came to King's Landing to say goodbye. I expected you to find your way here to do that, but I didn't expect to find you stealing my brother's crown."

"I'm not stealing anything, and it's not his crown," she responded bitterly, her chest rising and falling as she tried to remain brave. "I'm here to make sure that it is passed onto the rightful heir, Queen Rhaenyra."

"Careful," he said quickly. "Statements like that are about to become treasonous."

"I don't care," Rhaena said strongly, "I know who I fight for, who I'm loyal to. I'd rather have my head on a spike defending that loyalty than ever admit that your brother is the rightful King."

His eye narrowed on her a little as she said this, a hint of smile in it. Rhaena caught it for only a second, but it was gone so quickly and replaced with a look of anger that she didn't know what to make of it.

"You should have listened to me when I told you to leave," he muttered. If Rhaena didn't know any better, it felt like he was angry at her for being caught, not for actually coming. "You shouldn't have come back."

"I didn't have a choice," Rhaena said slowly as she shook her head.

He paused for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say something but changed his mind at the last second, "Now neither do I."

Rhaena inhaled slowly and then let her breath go, preparing herself before she made a mad dash to get past him. She ran to the side trying to dodge his reach so she could escape, but he was much stronger and much faster than she was. He grabbed her out of the air as if he was picking up a feather, and no matter how hard she fought against him to be released from his grip he was strong enough to keep her in place.

"Let go of me!" she cried angrily, struggling to push him off of her. She hated that she was as weak as she was, that she couldn't defend herself against him. She didn't want to admit that it was a mistake to have come back after being caught the first time, that it was a mistake to come at all. And she didn't want to admit that she needed a protector, but in this moment she did. All she wanted was for her Cley to walk in with his sword drawn to protect her from whatever fate she knew awaited her now. Tears continued to stream from her eyes as she fought him off, "Just- just let me go!"

"I'll let go as soon as I know you're not going to try to run again," he said gruffly, his hands remaining tight around her wrists.

"Please Aemond-" she said breathlessly, feeling the muscles in her body weakening. "Let me go-"

"You know I can't do that," he responded more gently now, watching the tears on her cheeks glistened in the moonlight. She slowly stopped fighting against him, all strength she completely spent. Once she was completely still she expected him to release her, but his hands remained holding her wrists as he stood tall over her. She kept her eyes on him, refusing to look away.

"You said you'd let go of me," Rhaena said quietly, breathing shakily through her nose.

He breathed heavily as he looked down at her, then slowly dropped his hands to his side. He took a step back away from her, watching to make sure she wouldn't run again. She slowly started to rub the skin around her wrists, holding them close to her chest as she examined his face. He exhaled once more as he watched her do this, then turned to the side to clear her path to the door.

"Put the crown down and come with me," he said, his voice filled with disdain. But whether that feeling was directed at her or himself she did not know.

"I don't want to go anywhere with you," she said softly, not moving an inch from her place far away from him.

"I'm afraid what you want is of little importance right now," he responded, clenching his jaw as he looked at her.

"Are you going to take me to him? To Aegon?" she asked, her voice wavering with fear despite her best attempts to be brave. "I assume you didn't come back to the Red Keep empty-handed."

"I'm not taking you to my brother, Rhaena," he shook his head a little. It almost seemed like he was hurt she would accuse him of delivering her to him, for they both knew what Aegon was like, what he wanted from Rhaena.

"Then where are you taking me?" she asked with a trembling lip, preparing herself for whatever fate awaited her outside of this room.

"To see the Queen."


Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter from Rhaena's POV, and would love to know what y'all thought about it. Are more chapters/scenes from her POV something you'd like to see in the coming chapters?

The next chapter will also be entirely from her point of view so that I can test those waters, but also because the ninth episode was entirely from the greens POV. It wouldn't make sense to have scenes from Elaena's POV like usual when we really don't know what's happening there. So instead we will focus on Rhaena's story while she is held captive in King's Landing during the time of Aegon's coronation...

As always, I write this story for each and every one of my readers, so your opinions on it always matter so much to me. I tried to include ideas that you all have proposed to me through the comments/pm's, and will continue to do so if there's something you'd really like to see. all you gotta do is let me know :)))

Until next time, my friends! -J❤️