Heirs And Defenders

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𝕬𝖘𝖕𝖍𝖔𝖉𝖊𝖑

CHAPTER 3, HEIRS AND DEFENDERS

𝕿he sky was a light blue, and the clouds lingered in the distance as waves crashed on the rocks. Small hills encompassed the area. In the middle of the crowd lay Queen Aemma and Prince Baelon. At least, that's who they were to everyone else. The Targaryen girls had lost a mother, not a queen, to which they swore fealty to, their mother.

Alaenna stood next to her sister, head bowed. Their hands grasped tightly in one another. Alaenna had been crying the whole time. It wasn't loud or manic; it was silent similar to how the halls would be in their mother's passing.

Rhaenyra had tried her best to save face for her sister. From this moment out, she was no longer just her sister; Rhaenyra deemed herself to be her sworn protector. She had promised such to whatever gods would take it.

"They're waiting for you," Daemon quietly walked behind the girls. Alaenna briefly looked up from her tears to see the golden she-dragon atop the hill in front. Every time Syrax noticed Rhaenyra or Alaenna's gaze, she mewled like a cat to comfort them.

"I wonder if during those few hours my brother lived, my father finally found happiness" Rhaenyra was full of anger. She was angry at the gods, the world, and her father, but at the base of it all herself. Perhaps she could've done something more, could've fixed something.

"Your father needs you more now than he ever has" Despite all of his cockiness and bravado, if Daemon knew one thing, it was sincerity in his reactions. He cared about them all in his own way, Alaenna thought. It had to be so; otherwise, why was he there at all, predominantly with them.

"I will never be a son." Rhaenrya kissed her sister on the temple before releasing her hand and stepping forward. Those words felt like a profound truth for both of them. Their entire lives, they were treated as second to everything. They were girls, not strong male heirs. If they had been boys, maybe their mother wouldn't be dead.

The waves continued crashing upon the jagged shores, silence palpable. "Dr..." The word was caught in her throat, Rhaenyra would be the one burning their mother. Without the support of her sister beside her and the finality of it all, Alaenna crumbled. Her legs gave way, causing Daemon to catch her in his arms. Her arms wrapped around him as he laid a soothing hand on her head.

Rhaenyra had looked at her father, then her sister, and back. They hadn't failed their mother or him. He had. He was single-handedly the reason for all of this. For their mother's death and Alaenna's tears, he was the reason they would never have true unyielding love and support in a world that tossed women around as they saw fit. Those thoughts had steeled her resolve. She may have been some small part of the equation, but it was never her fault.

"Dracarys."

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Alaenna had skulked around the keep every day since. For days she was seen wearing the same black dress as she did for her mother's pyre. Her lady's maids had grown ever more concerned as she refused to eat and even bathe. The newer maids began gossiping, calling her "the keep's ghost." She never stopped walking, it seemed, her head bowed down, simply moving in a strange limbo. Only when it had become a problem for her family's reputation did Otto Hightower intervene and forcibly send in septas to care for her.

Yet not once did her father ever talk to her. She knew he was grieving, but so was she. She had doubted he'd been in the birthing quarters a day since. The maids had cleaned it, but she could still feel the pain and smell the blood iron in the room.

Since she had been confined to her room, she hadn't done much. She'd sleep and be prepared for the day like a doll. She sat at her window watching birds fly by when that was finished. Despite the many changes in food offerings, she never ate it. The most the sweet ladies assigned to her would get was a nod and a quick smile before she went back to staring out the window. Rhaenyra had come one day after meeting with their father. She hadn't meant to avoid or ignore her sister, but she needed some time away from everybody. "She's been like that for a few days, princess," a maid whispered as they entered the room. Alaenna hadn't even looked up; she was still enraptured in the happenings outside, willing herself far away.

"Alaenna, I've come to visit," Rhaenyra walked in slowly, her blue dress slightly trailing. She had stopped wearing red since that day. As she crept closer, Alaenna turned her head, tears forming in her eyes.

"I've missed you, Nyra," her voice was scratchy from lack of use. She rubbed the tears away from her eyes as they continued pouring. She knew it was selfish to expect Rhaenyra to tend to her when she had also lost her mother, but it had hurt to be alone. Rhaenyra had crouched down, holding Alaenna's face in her hands, smoothing away tears.

"I know. I've missed you too; I just need some time." They stayed like that for a while til Alaenna became tired of crying. Rhaenyra held her, comforting the young girl. After her talk with her father, she could finally change things. Make a difference for the two of them; protect them.

"Things are going to change now; I can finally do something for us," Rhaenyra spoke, soothing down the frazzled hairs on Alaenna's head. "I just need you to stay beside me. Even when we're old and wrinkled, I will protect us as long as you're with me." Perhaps out of exhaustion or finally having a semblance of peace, Alaenna sunk into her sister's hold. Her face was caressed by the window's sun, allowing her to finally rest.