The Princess and the Queen 3: Rhaenyra II

Why did I do such a thing?

Rhaenyra twisted around in her bed, unable to sleep due to the weight she carried on her chest.

Why did I do such a fooling fucking thing?

She moved from her left to her right, but that didn't help either.

To my own husband, no less...

She wearily grabbed the skin that was on her bedside table and took a long drink of it. It tasted bitter. The liquid dribbled down her skin and onto her pregnant belly.

I still cannot drink any bloody wine.

Regardless of the drink tasted, she continued to drink it until the skin was empty. She threw it onto the floor and put her head back on the pillow, but that still did not help her sleep.

I should have just done my duty with him...

Groaning, she put her arms over her eyes as if it would solve all of her problems.

Why did I let my damned pride stop me from doing it?

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on her door.

At this hour?

"Come," Rhaenyra replied, and the young page hurried into the room.

The boy looked nervous, and tears seemed to be welling in his eyes.

"What is it?" Rhaenyra asked.

"P-Princess.., Your husband, Lord Jason... he was attacked in the city... he is gravely injured... they sent me to retrieve you... they do not think... the maesters... they do not think he will..." he replied, all the words flooding out of his mouth.

My husband?

"What... Lord Jason was attacked?" Rhaenyra said, confused by all of it. She quickly left her bed and walked to the boy.

He was attacked? By who? Gravely injured? Is he going to die?

"Y-Yes, Princess... they brought him here... to Maegor's Holdfast... he is on the floor below... he may not l-live..."

Rhaenyra froze.

How? He was in the city the last time I saw him... he only returned to the city yesterday...

Her head started to pound, and a sharp pain came to her stomach. It suddenly became harder to breathe. Rhaenyra keeled over and began to pant heavily.

"Princess? Princess?" the page called, but Rhaenyra could not hear him.

She felt pain running through her belly, so she heaved, trying to let out all the puke that was stuck in her throat. Nothing came, so she retched again, but nothing came again. Her head started to hurt some more, and it started to become dark whilst the world seemed to spin around her.

"Princess!" a voice shouted, and Rhaenyra was back in her quarters. She was on her knees now, and everything still hurt.

The page put a hand on Rhaenyra's arm, but she ignored him and helped herself up instead. She swept her silver-gold hair away from her eyes and stumbled to the table. On there was a cup of icy lemon water, which she quickly drank. It was cold, and she felt a shiver go through her body. The night-time wind swept through the open balcony and tickled her bare arms.

I need a damned cloak.

She took a large black lambswool cloak on her chair and draped it over her. It felt warm, as if someone was embracing her. It felt comforting.

Slowly, she walked out of her room and to whatever room her husband was dying in.

The walk towards the room felt like it was age, but luckily the pain started to leave her body, and her head stopped hurting as she took the time to finally process everything.

Who would do such a thing? Why would they do such a thing?

When she reached the chambers, her father and Grand Maester Orwyle stood outside the door quietly discussing some matter, a look of concern painted upon both of their faces. When Rhaenyra's father saw her, he quickly hobbled over and gave her a long embrace.

"Here, Rhaenyra, calm now..." her father said soothingly as Rhaenyra released a stream of tears onto her father's shoulders. She felt as if she was a little girl once again, crying in her father's arms.

The last time I saw my husband, he rightfully shouted at me because I betrayed his trust... I don't want it to end like this...

When she finally pulled away from her father's embrace, her vision was blurry, and snot dribbled down her nose. She quickly wiped it away and dried the tears on her cheeks with her sleeve.

"Princess..." Grand Maester Orwyle gently said. "I am so sorry..."

"W-What... h-happened..." Rhaenyra spluttered, her body shaking when she spoke.

"We are not certain of the exact events that took place..." the Grand Maester sighed. "But we found him in his manse... he had been stabbed earlier in the day... mayhaps we found him earlier, he would still have a chance..."

"Wh-Who d-did it..."

"It was likely his paramour, the Dornish woman. The manse was ransacked when the Gold Cloaks found it... all of the decorations and jewellery and clothing were gone... as was she. The City Watch has been looking for her... but it is likely she escaped on galley hours ago, but-"

"I want to see my husband," Rhaenyra said, pushing through her father and the Grand Maester.

She pushed through the door and entered the chamber. Inside it was still dark, and only a few candles lit the air. Moonlight came in through the windows, and the curtain made of fine silk gently blew in the wind. The air stunk of rotting flesh and blood. It was quiet and sombre in here, and felt somewhat peaceful.

Maester Vyman and Maester Tyrek, the two maesters that Jason had brought from Casterly Rock, stood at the side of the room, by a table full of medicines and poultices. They stood there, simply staring at the bed on the other side, despondent looks on their faces. Maester Tyrek even had a tear flowing down his left cheek.

Slowly, Rhaenyra did what she was dreading. She turned her head to the other end of the room, where her husband lay. His body was covered in shadows, but his injuries became clearer when Rhaenyra walked towards him.

His tanned stomach was bare, save for a few cloths and bandages stuck onto him. They initially would have been white, but they were drenched red with blood. Dried blood was stained on his chest, and his hands that rested on his chest were red too. His golden stubble had patches of crimson and maroon too, and his hair was tangled and had streaks of blood in there.

He is red and gold, just like the colours of his house.

Rhaenyra felt a lump in her throat, and that sick feeling returned to her stomach. A tear started to form in her eye again, but she quickly inhaled and wiped it away.

This was all my fault...

"Rhaenyra..." Jason moaned. "Is that... you?"

"It-It's me..." she whispered as she kneeled by the bed.

He started to chuckle, before he broke into a fit of coughs.

"My Lord..." Maester Tyrek said, quickly rushing to the bed.

"No... it is no..." Jason groaned, shooing away the maester, who quickly retreated to where Maester Vyman was. "Rhaenyra... listen... to me..."

"W-What..." Rhaenyra replied.

"Bae... Baelon... our son... take..." he wheezed, before breaking out into another round of coughs, even louder than the first one. His face turned bright pink, and his veins tried to escape from his skin. His hands clenched in pain, and sweat ran down his forehead.

He's in so much pain.

"Maesters... he needs treating... give him milk of the poppy..." Rhaenyra commanded, her voice trembling.

"No!" Jason coughed. "No milk... I do not need... treating... I am going to die..."

"No, you're not," Rhaenyra pleaded. "No, we shall save you..."

Jason snorted and laughed, and waved his hand away at Maester Tyrek again. "You fucking fool... I am beyond saving... I do... I do not... want... need... the poppy juice... I want my... senses... I want my bloody senses... at least..."

"Yes, no milk, no milk, yes."

"Rhaenyra... look at me..." he whispered. "Baelon... take care of him... raise him... to... to be a... king... take care of our son... no... no..."

"No?"

"Not just... Baelon... both... of our children... take care of... both... the next Lord... or Lady... of the Rock... my little lion... take care of... whatever it shall be... my second child..." he said, letting out a heavy breath of relief when he finally said what he wanted to.

Both? He wanted to throw the child into the river.

"Both of our children," Rhaenyra repeated, tears filling her eyes again. "I shall, Jason."

"Tyrek, cousin... Vyman, too... both of you... leave..." he croaked. "I wish to speak... to my... wife... alone..."

The two maester bowed their heads and quickly walked out of the room. The slam of the door echoed around the room, and Rhaenyra's ears started to ring.

Jason started to laugh again.

"Wh-" Rhaenyra said, but he continued to laugh until he was out of breath.

"You won..." Jason sighed, a smile growing on his bloody face.

"I won?" she asked in confusion.

"This," he said, gesturing to his wounds.

"Me?" gasped Rhaenyra, tears flowing down her cheeks and onto Jason's scarred chest.

"I thought... it was you... but even if... even if... it was not... does it fucking matter?" he scoffed. "I would not... be able... to disown the child... now... that I die... you won!"

"I didn't... that was not..." cried Rhaenyra. "I would never, no... then why not disown him now..."

"Because... Baelon... he is still... still my son... disowning the babe... shall disinherit you... and Baelon... and I could not... he would not... have a future... I did it for my son... my son... not you... not ever... see... you won... besides... I... do not want... want... to be remembered... as a cuckold... heh..."

"I'm sorry, Jason," Rhaenyra said, unable to help herself. "It was my fault, all of it; I should have done my bloody duty... I should have fucking done it... I'm sorry..."

"Yes... you should have..." he laughed. "Too late... too late for that... regardless... I don't forgive you... I did this for Baelon... not you..."

Rhaenyra just sobbed and sobbed, with more and more tears and snot and spit flooding onto Jason's body.

"This would have... you fucking Strong... would not have stopped... that Dornish wench... from... what does it matter..." he sighed. "Listen... now... look after our son..."

"I will..." Rhaenyra said. "I will look after him... I promise..."

"Yes... now... bring me Baelon... I want to see my son... my son... and you leave... leave me... I don't want to... see you... your face when I die..." he said, laughing in madness and delirium.

Rhaenyra stood up, her knees weak and shaking, and walked to the exit of the chamber. As she was about to leave, Jason called out to her again.

"Rh-Rhaenyra..."

She quickly turned around. His body was shrouded in shadows again, and he looked like a featureless, black wraith from here.

He is ready for the Stranger to take him.

"The next time... next time I see you... will be... will be in the seventh hell..." he snorted, erupting into laughter which was followed by another coughing fit.

Rhaenyra smiled slightly before wiping away her salty tears. Then, she turned and left the room, after seeing her husband for the last time.

Outside, her father was still there with Grand Maester Orwyle and the other two maesters. Her father was saying some gentle words to Baelon, who was sobbing slightly. The little boy then turned to Rhaenyra, and she felt her heart drop.

My poor son.

Baelon looked at Rhaenyra for a moment, then went and embraced her. His tiny body was warm, and she could hear his soft sniffles so close next to his. He then pulled away from the embrace and wiped his eyes with a small white cloth. Rhaenyra crouched down and put both of her hands on Baelon's shoulders, and gently stroked him.

"I-Is f-father going to d-die?" sobbed Baelon. "T-That's w-what they s-said."

The mere sound of his voice almost brought Rhaenyra to tears, but she quickly held it all back and took a deep breath.

I must remain strong in front of him; I am all he has left now.

Rhaenyra gulped and looked him in the eyes. They were a beautiful green, just like his father's, but the whites were red from crying.

"Father's hurt... yes... he will... but you're going to have to be brave," Rhaenyra reassured. "You can't let him see you in this state... Father wants to speak to you one more time... understand, dear?"

Baelon nodded slightly. Rhaenyra wiped away his tears with her hands and gave him a small peck on his forehead. Then, he went into the chamber, accompanied by Maester Tyrek.

However long they were in there, Rhaenyra could not discern. It could have been minutes, or even some hours, but it all went by like a blur. She saw figures walk past her, and some whispered words of comfort in her ears, but she could not remember any of the faces. She sat on the ground, leaning on the wall opposite the door where her husband and son were.

Let people see me in this state; I do not care - there are more important matters now.

She put her head in her hands and closed her eyes to try and ignore everything, and hoped all the problems would go away, and that her husband was still alive, and that she had not done what she had done. When she opened her eyes again, nothing had gone away, and she felt even worse than she did before.

It's all my bloody fault. All of it. If I had not fucked Harwin, none of this would have happened... my last moment with him would not have been him shouting at me.

Over the years, she had grown to like Jason. They, of course, did not spend time in the bedchamber, but she enjoyed his company and japes and his love for Baelon. He agreed to her wish for that agreement, and Rhaenyra still broke his trust.

And still, he did not denounce the babe and me. Why?

It would have been so easy for him to state that the babe was not his; that Rhaenyra cuckolded him. Besides, it was clearly true. But he didn't.

He did it out of love for Baelon. Baelon may never be king otherwise.

Another tear slowly fell down her cheek, but no more came.

I am out of tears to weep.

Rhaenyra gently wiped away the tear and rubbed her dry eyes until they started to burn.

I would not blame him for denouncing me; most people would have done that. Seven hells, I would have done the same. But he didn't, despite all I did to him.

That made it all the worse for her. She was somewhat prepared that Jason would do that and leave her to fend for herself. It is what she expected, having been married to him for years.

He had the grace not to, though. I thought I knew my husband, but it seems I didn't. Just as he did not truly know me.

She stopped rubbing her eyes and looked around the hallway. Her father was still there, silently staring at the ground. So were Grand Maester Orwyle and Maester Vyman, who were deep in conversation with each other. Some other faces Rhaenyra did not know were also there. Some prayed, some cried, some whispered, and some were silent. Off towards the end of the hallway, on the wall, was a seven-pointed star made of oak. Rhaenyra scoffed when she saw that.

After she and Jason had that argument, she wished that the problems would just leave, and that Jason would just go back to Essos and disappear.

In the heat of it, I probably wished that he would die.

Rhaenyra was not a godly woman; she instead was of the notion that Targaryens were the gods themselves. But this time, it seems that the gods had heard her wish and granted it, just like some sick jape.

The gods are cruel, I have known that for some time.

After what felt like an age, the door to the chamber opened again. Out of it, Baelon and Maester Tyrek slowly walked out. Baelon's eyes were wet with tears, and Maester Tyrek quietly shook his head.

"May the Seven rest his soul," Maester Vyman whispered.

Rhaenyra stood up and went to Baelon. They embraced and continued to embrace for some time. Her tears returned in an instant, and they both released tears into each other's arms. Her father put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but that just made the both of them weep even more. By the time their tears had dried out again, the hallway was empty, save for Rhaenyra, Baelon, and some household guards. Dawn had come, and the halls of Maegor's Holdfast were slightly brighter than they were before.

She gave her son one final embrace before he was led away by a guard back to his own chambers, whilst Rhaenyra went back to hers.

When she arrived there, some of the candles were blown out due to the morning wind, but the sky was light. It was the pale red and orange of the sunrise, and small grey clouds covered the sky. Rhaenyra walked over to her bed and lay down in it, closing her eyes the moment she hit the soft mattress.

She opened her eyes again, and her husband was there.

Everything else around him was black, darker than the night, but he stood some feet away. Cautiously, Rhaenyra walked towards him. As she got closer, blood started to come out of his body. It came from his chest, neck, belly, eyes, and legs, flooding down onto the black ground below.

His eyes were empty sockets, and his belly was slashed open. His entrails fell out, his liver, stomach, and guts spilling onto the floor with a splash. Replacing it all were blood-red wyrms and pale grey snakes that slithered and writhed in his lifeless body.

Eventually, the creatures ate away at him until all that was left was a few drops of blood on the black ground, and Rhaenyra was alone in the darkness again.

Then, a large hand grasped her shoulder. The hand felt familiar, somehow. It was muscular but gentle, firm but caring. Rhaenyra turned around, and Harwin Strong was there, gently holding her.

But before she could say anything, Harwin burst into flames. Fire engulfed his body, his eyeballs popped, and his clothes melted away. The fire continued until he was a lifeless husk on the ground. Then, his body turned to ash and fluttered away in the wind.

After that, a figure came walking out of the darkness. It was an older man, with silver hair and a short beard. He wore black and red and gold, and had purple eyes that shone against his pale skin.

Daemon walked to Rhaenyra and held out his hand, offering something.

Is it a gift? Daemon used to always bring me gifts when I was a small girl.

His hand contained four gifts, four little flames that grew from nothing. But one of the flames was snuffed out just as it was lit. The other three flames grew slightly, dancing in the darkness until they disappeared too.

Once all of the gifts were gone, Daemon frowned and walked right past Rhaenyra. His back was turned towards her, his cloak flapping in the air. He walked away, towards a range of mountains in the distance, as the moonlight shone down on his long hair. Before he was out of sight, his body was engulfed in plants. Nettles, ivy, leaves, vines, and thorns covered Daemon until he was unrecognisable. Rhaenyra blinked for a moment, and suddenly she was in the darkness again, surrounded by nothing.

Suddenly, she woke in a cold sweat.

A dream.

She looked around. It was noon now, which meant she had rested well enough. The dream left her head spinning, bringing pain below her stomach. She thought again of Jason, her husband, and the pain worsened. It felt as though someone was stabbing her in her belly too. She put her hands down to where the pain was, and the bedsheets felt warm and wet.

Blood.

She looked down, but the sheets were still white. Then she looked at the bump in her belly, and then at the clear liquid coming out of her. Then, her eyes widened. Then the pain came again.

Rhaenyra screamed.

The guard posted outside of the door came rushing in, a panicked expression on his face.

"The babe!" shouted Rhaenyra. "The fucking babe! It's coming!"

The guard rushed back out of the door, and the sound of him running echoed back down the hallway. Within minutes, Grand Maester Orwyle, as well as a group of maesters and midwives, were in the room. One midwife held Rhaenyra from behind, and another sat in front of her.

Rhaenyra felt a squeeze down by her cunt, and she pushed, trying to let the baby out.

She took heavy breaths and pushed and pushed and pushed. Before long, her face and clothes were drenched in sweat, and she felt she could not push anymore. She felt faint, and her head started to spin.

"Keep breathing, Princess!" one of the midwives encouraged, gently holding her.

"And push..." the other said.

"Yes, I know, I'm pushing... gods... I'm pushing!" roared Rhaenyra in return, before she tried to push again.

It was like trying to squeeze a dragon through a needle - hardly possible.

How did I bloody manage the last time?

Rhaenyra tried pushing again, and she felt the babe coming out. It burned down there, and felt like her body would tear into two. Nonetheless, she continued to push.

"Again... push... almost..." the midwife in front of her said, as she pushed some more.

The pain became worse than before, and Rhaenyra clenched her fists so tightly she thought she drew blood.

"Aaaaaaaaarrrgggghhhhhhh!" screamed Rhaenyra as the babe came out. It still hurt, but a lot of the tension was gone. She felt a pounding sensation down there and also up in her head. Wearily, she wiped away her sweat and began to catch her breath once again.

The baby cried after it came out, and the midwife held her for a moment before handing it to Rhaenyra.

"It's a boy, Princess. Praise the Mother!" the midwife beamed.

Rhaenyra looked at the baby. He had thin brown hair, brown eyes, and a squashed, pug nose.

The sight of him made Rhaenyra smile once again. Everything that had happened seemed to go away for that moment, and she cradled the young lad in her arms. Rhaenyra cradled him for a while, smiling and crying until a sick realisation came to her.

It's a boy, and he is the next Lord of Casterly Rock... but he doesn't look like me.

After a while, her father and Laena Velaryon came into the room, concerned looks on their faces. But when her father saw the baby, a smile beamed on his face. Rhaenyra handed it to him, and he rocked the lad in his arms, just like he did all those years ago with Baelon.

"He is a fine baby," he smiled. "You shall make a strong lord one day."

Her father then handed the babe to Laena Velaryon, who cradled him, too, smiling as she did. But when she took a closer look at him, she glanced at the door where Harwin Strong stood outside, then back to the babe, and back at the door again.

Rhaenyra gulped.

She knows.

"Yes..." Laena said. "He is beautiful. He looks just like you... and his father too."

"He certainly does look like his father." agreed Rhaenyra's father. "It is only a shame that Lord Jason could not meet his son."

Tears welled in Rhaenyra's eyes again as she thought about Jason and what he said to her.

The next Lord...

"Have you chosen a name for him yet?" Laena slowly asked.

Rhaenyra's mind went back to her husband again.

He always wanted a Lannister name for his child. A great Andal King; that is what he used to say.

She thought long and hard, but a name finally came to mind.

I must... to honour him... he could have denounced the babe if he wanted to, but he didn't...

"Yes," replied Rhaenyra.

I'm sorry, Jason... it shall not change anything... but I'm sorry...

"Joffrey," Rhaenyra said. "His name is Joffrey."

It may not truly be your son, Jason, but he should have been...

"It's what his father would have wanted."