Chapter 17: Chapter 12

Notes:

Sorry it took so long, real life got in my way

Chapter Text

Darkness. It surrounded me, consumed me, as though I floated in a void. For how long, I didn't know. After some time floating, a deep primordial sound echoed from the void. From the dark, tendrils spread around me, rapidly solidifying into almost tree-like figures, slowly wrapping around me. Are any deities of this world not Eldritch Abominations?! The wrapping got tighter and tighter, the branches digging into my skin, piercing it. I tried to scream in pain, but had no mouth to scream with. I could merely observe my existence coming to an end.

Before me was a pale weirwood, the largest I'd ever seen, the bottom expanding further than I could see. More branches reached out toward me, growing closer. So, this is my fate? I thought, as they began to touch my arms. To be part of an Eldritch Monstrosity as part of a giant tree? Did I get isekai'd to the wrong fandom? Knowing my luck, I would get jumped in fandoms; at least throw me in as a powerful Daimyō's kid if you have to jump me again, universe!

As the tree branches touched my arms, they froze. I stared for a moment, before a warm light burst out from me, flowing down from my head, like a warm shower. A voice, female, cried out in Valyrian, echoing around me, as the tree vanished, the world shattering like glass, as I fell, staring up. Some kind of angel flew overhead, flaming and with dragon wings, burning the darkness above, revealing the blank sky. It flew back around, as the sun shined down from above, making the darkness fade. Huh… since when was the Sun a heptagram? The world went white, and all my senses faded.

An unknown amount of time passed, as my senses slowly returned— first my hearing, drowned out by the sound of a heartbeat. Slowly, my other senses came in, and the white faded, back to darkness. And then my eyes opened. I immediately shut my eyes again as the sunlight assaulted my eyes, flinching back. When my eyes finally adjusted, I finally looked around. I was in a bed, blankets stacked on top of me, with a cold wet rag on my forehead. Carefully, I pulled off the wet rag and dropped it next to the bed quietly.

The room was empty. A sick prince, and the entire room is empty? This doesn't seem right. Frowning I looked around… still plenty of Targaryen iconography, and pulling on my hair, I could see it was still brown. Taking a breath, I sat up, pain shooting up my body that I held my breath on. Slowly, I slipped my legs out and slid them down to the ground. I hummed to myself for a moment; my throat was dry but nothing too terrible.

"Harwin?" I called out standing up… and promptly falling flat on my face with a crash over the water bucket as my legs instantly gave out. The door opened immediately and I was swept up into the strong arms of my Sworn Shield.

"My Prince…" he said, almost in awe. I blinked. How long had I been out? Or, maybe that… wait, I could hear him again. My ears must have healed from what had happened in the hallway. Hallway.

"What's happened? Where is everyone? Why is it so quiet?" I asked in rapid succession, squirming about and looking out the door. Harwin looked at me disappointedly, and reaffirmed his grip on me, to my infinite consternation.

"The Keep has been very quiet and solemn," he said, his face dropping to one of sadness. "The Prince of Dragonstone breathed his last yesterday. None would tell me how he died. But the Princess had been—" My mind tuned him out completely. He… he's dead? I went completely limp as my mind wandered. But… but I did everything right! It was built right, there's no way he should be— a treacherous part of my mind interjected suddenly. Yet, I'm still alive, so it must be true. After everything, I'd accepted the possibility of never waking again. Yet, even when I'd done all I could, it hadn't worked. And now Rhaenyra's brother was dead, and the Kingdom was left without an heir or a Queen to bear one. It's like the history I remember… no, no, no it can't go like that! It can't! The death of the dragons was not a world I could bear, alive or dead.

There was only one truth to accept, that there would be war, of some kind, no matter what. So there was no choice but to stack the deck. Make any war as one-sided and quick as possible; few casualties, little animosity. I have to try, my mind continued to press, make friends, or at least pretend to be friends, forge alliances, bind everyone to us. I realized that I'd thought 'us,' and a blush crossed my face. Moments later, Harwin rested me back on the bed and I kept staring at the ceiling. Six Kingdoms, Two Provinces, I thought. And if I screw up this bad again, it all goes up in flames. I sighed, and looked at the door.

"Harwin, can you get word to Rhae? I wanna see her," I called. No response came for several moments, before he opened the door and nodded to me. Rhaenyra almost won, I recalled. She did win, but lost her life and all the dragons in the process. And even then, she lost the history battle, and would only be remembered as a usurping Princess. It wouldn't take that much more to tip the balance for just a simple victory, but that wasn't enough. Compromise wouldn't get anywhere but set up another Civil War the moment the current generation was dead, just like with Jaehaerys and Maegor. Westeros was so unstable they had a new Civil War every time the generation that remembered the last one died out. There had to be a better solution.

As I contemplated, the door slowly opened, and the small face of Rhaenyra poked in, her hair barely done and dress hastily thrown on. I gave her a small smile, before she threw open the door and rushed at me. I had a moment to brace myself before she tackled me to the bed in a huge hug. Okay, be grateful, I might not have survived to be glomped by her again. I reminded myself.

"Rhae, I—" I was pushed down again as she looked at me, eyes tearing up. I looked to the door, where Harwin slowly closed it with an apologetic look on his face. Oh, that little—

"Luke." My attention immediately went back to the girl in front of me. "You… you're okay. You're okay!" I reached my arms up and pulled her close, as the sobs came fully in. I didn't interrupt her, simply rubbed her back and reassured her that it was okay, that I was here. I wasn't sure if it was a good or bad sign that she seemed to have finally understood what "okay" meant… and whether she'd used it intentionally or unintentionally.

"He's dead," she finally said. "He's gone, mother said to be strong for him, but he's gone." I nodded, trying not to squeeze her any tighter. "The Essosi, he did—"

"Rhae," I interrupted, "Essosi, the Healer?" Rhaenyra nodded.

"He made Baelon gone, and had the White Cloaks with him," she muttered, before looking up at me. "I want them all gone, the ones that made him gone," she finished. "Please, I can't, I can't…"

"It's not your fault," I said, trying to wipe away her tears with the blankets. "It's theirs." Rhaenyra nodded.

"I know," she said. "It wasn't me who did wrong, who was wrong. It was them. Father, Healer, White Cloaks, Cole," she took a breath. "The world. The world is all wrong, only we're right."

Fuck. She was supposed to be the sane one of the two of us, and here she is basically quoting Lulu. Not exactly the high mark of sanity, that one.

I… what was I supposed to do?! I didn't have an answer to that. I mean, we were both Targaryens, so I guess it made sense for neither of us to be exactly sane, but that's not what I'd hoped for. Well, at least she's quoting Lulu and not Char. I took a breath. If this was what she wanted… I could at least direct it at the right targets. I couldn't lose Rhaenyra to the madness of revenge. There was still time, after all.

"Harwin!" I called. "Send someone to find Father! I need to talk to him about something." There was a pause, before a "yes, your grace!" came from the door. I held Rhaenyra to me, smiling down at her. She closed her eyes and cuddled into me.

It was a long while before the heavy footsteps I recognized as my father in armor came up the hall rapidly. The door slammed open as a haggard Daemon Targaryen stepped into the room. After a moment, he crossed the room and we shared a momentary hug, Rhaenyra whining as I moved her off me to accept the hug. Father pulled up a stool and sat on it next to me as Rhaenyra reclaimed me as her hugging pillow/teddy bear. I strangely didn't mind.

"The Freedman Healer," I said, looking at Father. Rhaenyra's head drifted up as I started talking. No going back once I do this… can I really… yes, yes I can. "He killed Baelon, and almost killed me. He put something on me right before I fell ill, it couldn't be a coincidence. I want him to see that he failed, I want him to beg for mercy." Wait, where is this coming from?! "Then I want you to end him." Okay… yeah, you know what, Targ insanity all the way, let's do this!

"He departs today. My brother isn't stupid enough to keep extra guards on him, at least," Father said. "I believe I can… delay his departure with a visit to the tower." I nodded, then Father… picked me up and carried me over to Harwin. Rhaenyra, rubbing her eyes, stood to follow. I didn't have the heart to tell her not to.

Our party of four made our way out of the holdfast, getting some stares to me being awake, and plenty of murmurs. There was no Kingsguard or followers, and Harwin kept watch as Rhaenyra walked between him and Father. Slowly, we made our way out of Maegor's holdfast and down to the Maester's Tower. Father led us to the rooms of the Healer, then stopped outside of it.

"Ser Harwin, stand guard, and give me Lucerys. Keep my niece out here," he whispered. When she looked up, Father crouched down in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Rhaenyra, Baelon will be avenged. You can let someone else dirty their hands on your behalf— it makes you no weaker as a Princess." Rhaenyra looked away, as Harwin passed me to Father. Once I was in Father's arms, he walked up to the door and kicked it down with a crash. The Healer jumped a cry as Father slammed the door shut behind him and lowered the bar.

"Prince Daemon. Have you come to tell me how I failed?" he said, defeated. "Your King has already given me plenty of it, how I failed, how it was my fault, how the babe's health was improving. As if he didn't sign the order himself because it wasn't. Unlike your Maesters, I didn't just trust the word of a small child, I used what I knew to help him, balance his humors. I didn't even use bloodletting, just like it was requested of me. I've heard all the recriminations. If you have something else to tell me, then say it, I don't have all day, my ship departs at sundown."

Father laughed, a dark laugh that spoke of ill intent. "You killed the heir to the throne, and attempted to kill another Prince," he said, placing me down. "Your ship will depart on time, yet you won't be on it." The Healer backed up, face going pale.

"What? Whatever do you—" he was cut off as Father drew Dark Sister and approached. "No, no, mercy, mercy!" I held my breath and watched the scene play out. At least Father made it quick, even if it was rather messy. He threw the door bar open and handed me back to Harwin, closing the door loudly, loud enough to get attention.

The walk back to the Holdfast was… quiet, as Father returned me to my small room. Rhaenyra clutched onto me and held me tight as we were tucked into my bed. I suppose it was a good sign that after everything that had happened, we fell asleep soundly in each others' arms.