008 The Second Name Day (5)
'Motherfucker!! YOU fucking piece of shit! I swear I will kill you and feed you to the hounds! You son of a bitch!'
Aegon was fuming inwardly; all the work he had done until now, all the distractions he had made to ensure that his sister didn't hear the marriage proposal from a toothless lion, was now all down the drain.
Jason Lannister, the twin of Tyland Lannister, was in front of the king as he asked, "My king, Casterly Rock would be a fine place for Princess Rhaenyra."
His green eyes shone with arrogance and greed as he looked at the king. "Casterly Rock can offer the royal house strength and money," he continued.
Viserys's eye twitched at the Lannister's remarks, his house needing strength. When did the dragons ever need strength from another house?
But outwardly, he kept smiling; he didn't want to ruin the feast for his son and replied, "My Lord, this is my son's feast. We shall discuss these things at a later date."
"But of course, Your Grace," Jason said as he retreated; he may be arrogant, but not enough to insist when the king clearly doesn't want to speak about it.
Rhaenyra watched all of this silence, which worried Aegon a little; he knew she was fuming inwardly as her breathing had become ragged, and her arms tightened around him.
She glared at her father for a moment before striding toward him. "Is this why you made me heir? To elevate my standing so some high lord could marry me?"
Rhaenyra's voice wasn't small; in fact, everyone in the tent clearly heard her, including Jason Lannister.
He watched Rhaenyra with a neutral gaze. Viserys replied, "No, Rhaenyra, you are of age, and you must marry and continue the royal line!" Viserys tried to reason with his teenage daughter, but to no avail.
"NO!" she yelled as she stormed off from the tent while carrying Aegon, which Alicent noticed and was a little afraid.
She tried to get up and follow the princess, but her bloated belly made it hard for her to stand.
She bit her lip in frustration as she prayed to the gods.
Rhaenyra stormed off from the tent, striding toward the horses with anger. Aegon could see her eyes moistening and her cheeks flushing with anger.
'I will stay silent for a while…' he mumbled inwardly; as of right now, Rhaenyra is volatile; if she impulsively did anything to him, it would bite her back.
The enraged Rhaenyra didn't register that her brother was still in her arms as she got on the horse.
She beckoned the horse to run off into the Kingswood while a knight yelled to stop from behind.
Ser Criston Cole looked at the princess storming off in worry. He wouldn't be so if the princess was alone, but she was with the prince.
He immediately ran toward the other horse and got on it before storming off in the direction of Rhaenyra.
While doing so, he yelled, "Tell His Grace that I will bring them back!"
Rhaenyra strode through the woods, her frustration evident as she kicked the horse to go faster. She was holding the reins with one hand while holding Aegon in the other.
She could hear another horse coming from behind, but she didn't care. She wanted to leave, be far away from the politics and men who wanted to take everything from her, from her brother right to her freedom.
Cristin Cole was able to catch up to Rhaenyra and managed to stop the horse by taking over the reins.
"Why are you here, Ser Criston?" she asked as she glared at the knight she had appointed.
"Princess, why did you storm off like that while you were holding Prince Aegon?" Criston asked, his voice holding a hint of worry.
"Eh?" Rhaenyra blurted in confusion as a frown crept onto her face; she slowly looked down, and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Aegon hugging her tightly.
"Aegon! When!?" she asked, her mind confused as to how Aegon was with her.
"You rode off while carrying the prince, princess," Cruston said as he too frowned.
Rhaenyra's eyes widened when she heard the man; she instinctively hugged her brother and asked, "Aegon, are you okay?"
But then, the scene from before flashed before her eyes: Jason Lannister's prideful face as he asked for her hand in marriage.
The reason that lion had even met her, the reason she was humiliated in front of the guests, the reason for her troubles, was right in front of her, staring back at her with his big purple eyes.
There is no one around, only she and her usurper. She can do anything to him, and none can do anything about it.
"Sister!"
Rhaenyra woke from her reverie and looked at him, his big puppy eyes looking at her.
She bit her lip hard as she felt her heart being clawed with disgust.
'Did I really think of killing my own brother? A two-year-old boy?' Her face scrunched with anger and disgust, disgust to herself.
She clenched her fists tightly while she gritted her teeth.
"Sister!" Aegon called out again as he tightened his hug around her. He kept his silence, and it was time for him to intervene, 'Not verbally, of course. I should show it physically.'
Rhaenyra, too, returned his hug as she mumbled, "I am sorry Aegon."
She lifted him into her arms, which gave Aegon a chance as he immediately buried his face in her shoulders.
"I am sorry…" She apologized again; she chewed her lips until they bled when she thought of the dark thoughts she had a moment ago.
"We should return, princess." Criston said as he looked back to the direction of the camp. "I believe that the guards are already on the lookout."
He then turned toward Rhaenyra and added, "Everyone saw you riding off with the prince. If anything were to happen to him…."
His voice trailed off, not finishing his sentence, but Rhaenyra understood what he meant. She looked back toward the camp, but then, something caught her attention from the corner of her eyes.
But before she could look at what it was, Aegon too pointed toward the same direction and called out, "Sister!"
The trio looked in the direction that Aegon pointed.
"By the gods…," Cruston whispered in shock as he looked at the animal standing a few feet away from them.
A small smile crept onto Rhaenyra's face as she whispered, "The white stag."