I had been given my mothers old chambers, as Alicent still occupied the queens quarters.

I couldn't complain, it meant I was on the opposite side of the castle to the greens.

Aegon left me alone that first night, not too eager to engage in any activity with me.

The second night was the first time I ventured out of my chambers. My plan was to go see Silverwing. I thought maybe she would bring me some solace so that I could finally sleep.

Part of me wouldn't let myself relax, fearful that someone would attack me in my sleep.

I took the exit that was hidden in the wall panel, careful to keep quite so the guards outside my door wouldn't hear.

But as I started to descend the stairs, I could hear wailing coming from the tunnels that led under the building instead of away from it.

It was a woman.

Call it natural curiosity, or outright foolishness, but I followed the sound. I had my sword and a dagger, I could fight if I needed to.

I followed the noise through the dark tunnels, feeling my way through until I came to a staircase, the top of it lit with candles.

The woman was still wailing, her voice louder now.

I crept up the staircase and rounded the corner into the crypt. The place where my grandfather often came to find solace, and where my mother came to speak to her own mother.

Helaena was crouched in front of Balerion's skull, sobbing.

There was no one else to be seen in the room.

'Helaena?' I whispered, trying to avoid scarring her.

We had never been close, despite being the only two young women in the family. As a child, I was never interested in spending time with her. Her brothers called her weird and she never wanted to practice her skills. Instead, she would sit alone in her chambers learning how to be a woman. And when she ventured out, she would say unfounded statements that would only confuse or cause upset.

My childishness was annoying to me now that we both seemed to hold similar roles in the war between our families.

Helaena was delicate, that much was true, but I wouldn't wish her pain upon anyone. My mother felt a similar pain.

My thoughts flickered to Aemond then, to how he had caused all of this. I wanted to poison him instead of Aegon.

I went closer to her and said her name again, this time she heard me.

'Aerys,' she gasped and turned to me. Her face was swollen from crying, her lips were chapped and bleeding. 'What are you doing here?'

'I heard you, I thought-' I began but stopped as Helaena started furiously wiping her face.

She stood up to face me and then smiled weakly, enveloping me in a hug. I tried to relax, but was completely still as she wrapped herself around me.

We were so different, even in disposition.

'Im so sorry,' she began to cry again on my shoulder.

'It's not your fault, and it's not mine either,' I told her, trying to appeal to her better nature.

'Everything will be okay now, the wind has come from the east,' she said, and I pulled away from her.

She was talking again in riddles, her brain confused.

'I told them, that a beast lay beneath the boards, I told them to be careful,' she said quickly.

'What do you mean?' I asked her, confused.

'The dragon, Meleys. But they didn't believe me,' she turned away from me now and looked up at Balerion.

'Marrying him isn't so bad you know, he will leave you alone,' she said, still not looking at me.

'I never wanted this Helaena,' I told her and she only nodded, tears continuously cascading down her cheeks.

'Do you want me to walk you back to your chambers?' I asked her, and she nodded, her eyes transfixed on Balerion.

I led her out of the crypt and back into the halls of the Red Keep, up to her quarters.

She turned to thank me before she disappeared back inside. I could hear a child crying from inside her room and I knew it was her daughter.

My thoughts of going to see Silverwing were abandoned, and I decided to go back to my own quarters on the other side.

As I began to walk down my corridor, I noticed that the guards had gone.

I should run, I knew that. But I didn't want to, I wanted to fight, to prove myself as something formidable and not a weak woman.

I crept into my room, my dagger in hand.

The candles had been blown out, and the only light came in from the windows.

A hand gripped my throat and slammed me against the wall.

My head cracked against the stone.

In the moonlight, I could see his long silver hair.

He moved his hand down to my chest, to keep me pinned against the wall as he rose a blade to my throat.

'You want to be careful,' I hissed, the tip of my blade already cutting into his abdomen.

He didn't flinch as I felt the blood trickle down the dagger, could feel the hot, wet liquid on my hand.

'What were you doing with Helaena?' He hissed, the dagger digging in but not yet piercing my skin.

'Why?' I hissed back, my blood boiling.

'You stay away from her,' he said.

'I found her, crying, and so I took her back to her chambers,' I spat in his face after I spoke, causing him to flinch backward and so I pushed him off.

Holding my dagger out in front of me in the darkness. My eyes had now adjusted and I could see him standing before me in his trousers and shirt.

'Why would you show her kindness?' he whispered, the anger in his voice dimming now.

'She's done nothing to me, and we've both lost people we love…kindness is an easy thing to show.'

He scoffed and seemed then to realise he was bleeding. Looking at his wound, he shook his head and laughed slightly.

'You continue to surprise me Rys,' he said, keeping his voice low.

'Don't call me that,' I hissed at him, my words alarming him. He seemed to remember then that he had killed my brother and changed the dynamic between us.

'Get out my room,' I told him, motioning my head towards the door.

He only nodded before leaving.

The silence felt awful in his absence.