Chapter Text
Rhaella is 10 years old at the start of the story and Aemond is a year younger than her at 9.
125 AC
They say the weather was beautiful the day her mother was buried. Her cousin, Gerold had told her stories of her mother. Rhea Royce had dark curly hair and deep brown eyes.
"Why do I not look like her?" She had asked
"You take after your father. The blood of the dragon." Gerold had said one night at supper.
Her father. A man she had never met. Supposedly he had been at her birth and once she had come into the world healthy and screaming, he mounted his dragon and flown off.
Not even a year later she had attended her mother's funeral. According to Gerold, the wet nurse had held her as she slept peacefully while her mother was buried.
Now, 10 years later here she sat dreaming of a life she could've had.
"Rhaella?"
Her eyes met the Maester Edric's. His wrinkled hand pointed to the map of Westeros.
"What is the sigil of House Greyjoy?" He asked
"A yellow cracken." She sighed.
They had been at it for hours. Maester Edric had been torturing her by pointing to the map and having her name the great houses and their sigils. Rhaella wanted to rip her silver hair from her head out of boredom.
"It is a golden cracken, my lady." He says
"Isn't that the same thing?" She said
He shot her a look of disapproval.
"You will need to know these things to rule Runestone one day. Your cousin cannot preside forever. You are your mother's heir." Edric reminds her
"I have been hearing those words for my entire life." She groaned
"It is an important responsibility." He said
Silence followed as he pointed to the next house on the map.
"House Lannister. A golden lion." She rattled off
"Good. What are the words of House Lannister?" He asked
"What is my father doing? The last you spoke of him you said he had remarried to Lady Laena." She asked, ignoring his question about the stupid Lannisters.
"Daemon is living in Pentos with Lady Laena and their daughters." Edric says "According to the latest reports your half-sister Baela's dragon, Moondancer, is growing quickly and their bond with each other is strong."
Rhaella nodded and kept her silence. She wished she had a dragon. Her father had never chosen an egg for her cradle and she had never even left Runestone to try to claim one. A dragon would make it so easy to escape these boring lessons she sat through daily.
"Might we take a break? I wish to have supper." She asked
"Of course. I hear tonight's duck stew will be wonderful. Gerold has caught it himself." Maester Edric smiled as he gathered up his things.
Rhaella helped him to the door of her chambers. She worried about the old man's health sometimes. It seemed that every day he grew slower and slower. Edric was the closest thing she had to a father figure. Sure, her cousin could've passed but he was busy ruling Runestone until she came of age.
"Lady Rhaella, Maester Edric." A maid was blocking the door frame when she pulled the door open. "A raven has arrived for you, My Lady."
❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁
King's Landing had a certain charm she had never experienced before. Sure, it stunk, terribly...but the bustle and the noise was something Rhaella was captivated by.
"Remember to curtsey," Edric whispered in her ear as they stood before the Iron Throne.
Behind them the large doors were opened and King Viserys approached them. A large smile was on his face as he gestured for them to stop their bowing.
"How was the journey. Not too rough?" He asked
"Not at all, my King. This is my first time away from Runestone so I enjoyed the road." She admitted, rattling off what Edric had told her to say to the King.
"That is good. I hope both of you will settle in well here." King Viserys said
"I am sure we will, your grace." Edric replied "If I might ask, I was wondering what you wanted to see Lady Rhaella about? Your letter was rather cryptic."
"I simply wished to meet my niece. I had heard that you were becoming a wonderful young lady and wanted to meet you at last. Every Targaryen needs to know their family." He said
"You honor me, your grace." She smiled, filled with glee at the thought of a family, a real one.
"Uncle." He smiled "Now, you will be shown to your rooms but tonight we are having a family dinner. I want you to be familiar with where you come from."
Rhaella could hardly believe what was happening. The moment the handmaiden had shut her door, she had collapsed on the bed. It felt like her dreams were coming true. She was finally out of Runestone and finally able to meet people she was truly related to.
An odd sound brought her out of her fantasy as she glanced at the door. It sounded like the sound of skin being slapped. Hushed whispers filled her ears as she pressed her ear to the door.
"I want to enter first!"
"I got here first, Jace! You can enter after me."
"No!"
"I'm older than both of you, so I get the honor of opening the door."
"Opening the door isn't an honor, Aegon."
Rhaella presumed the king's eldest son was the Aegon on the other side of the door. She wasn't sure who this Jace was but he seemed upset that he couldn't open her door.
"You're a twat." a voice said from the other side
With that declaration from whoever it was, she pulled on the handle herself to reveal the mysterious voices.
"I'm going to tell Mother that you didn't let me enter first!" A brown-haired boy says to another boy who looks like him.
"She won't care!" He argued back
"And I thought you'd be ugly. Looks like you take after our uncle." The tallest, Aegon, she presumed spoke.
"Are you Lady Rhaella? Our mother told us you were here. You're our Uncle Daemon's daughter!" A dark-haired boy greeted
A sharp pang of anxiety ran through her as she looked at the four boys in front of her. Two dark-haired ones and two with hair like hers. She had never interacted with another person her age and now it seemed like there were four of them in front of her. Well, maybe three. The tallest seemed a bit older.
"I thought women from the Vale would look like sheep." Aegon's taunting voice fell on her ears yet she couldn't bring herself to tell him he looked like sheep himself with that curly hair of his.
"You shouldn't say things like that." One of the dark-haired boys scolded
"Are you going to stop me?" Aegon asked, mocking the younger boy.
"You are frightening her." One voice cut Aegon and the dark-haired boy off,
Rhaella's eyes met the other silver-haired boy who was at her door. He was much smaller than Aegon, of course, she presumed he was just younger than him.
"Thank you." She smiled "You are all quite...loud. I am afraid I am not used to conversing with people our age."
"I am Lucerys." The shortest one who looked like he might have been no more than seven said. "This is Jacaerys. He's my brother and it was his idea to meet you before dinner tonight."
"Hello." She greeted. Upon hearing their names she remembered who these dark-haired boys were. Jacaerys and Lucerys were sons of her future queen, Princess Rhaenerya.
"I'm Aegon." The tallest said, confirming her hunch. He gestured lazily to the last boy "Aemond."
"You should ignore him. He's very odd." Jacaerys said glancing at Aegon.
She smiled at Aemond who seemed to be the quietest out of all of them.
"I'll see you at dinner, sheep girl." Aegon said before sauntering off
"It is from all the wine he drinks, Jace." Lucerys says
"Yes, well, too much wine will do that to a person." She smiles, trying to say something these boys will find interesting
Lucerys giggled and whispered something into Jacaery's ear. The older boy nodded and whispered something back.
"Do you want to come to the Dragon Pit with us? I am training with my dragon Vermax today.
"I do not have a dragon to train with, I should just remain here." She said sadly
"Aemond doesn't have one either! The two of you can just watch us." Lucerys says
Rhaella glanced at Aemond who avoided her eyes. It was surprising to her that a Prince did not have a dragon of his own.
"Will I get to see the dragon eat something?" She asked hopefully
The Dragon Pit was more monstrous than she had ever imagined. Her neck ached as she stared at the huge building.
"We're falling behind." Aemond's voice filled her ears
He had fell into step with her after Jacaerys and Lucerys had decided they had to race each other to the pit. The winner was to claim the other's dessert tonight at dinner.
"Right, sorry." She said as he led her toward where the others were
Aemond had been mostly silent during their travel here. The carriage ride had been filled with Jacaerys and Lucerys chattering about all sorts of different things. Mainly talk of how their mother was six moons pregnant and how they both desired a baby brother.
Rhaella had tried to follow the conversation but their talking was a bit overwhelming and hard to follow. She had taken to watching Aemond who seemed fixed on staring at his shoes.
"Dracarys Vermax!" Jacaerys shouts to the green dragon in front of them.
Rhaella feels her face heat up as the dragon spits fire at the sheep in front of him. Her heart speeds up as her mind races with the ideas of claiming a dragon for herself. She was envious of the young dark-haired princes who had eggs that hatched for them.
"It is boring after you see it a thousand times." Aemond says from her right
"I do not think I could ever become bored of that." She smiles
"Without a dragon of your own, watching others train their own becomes depressing." He sighs
❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁
Princess Rhaenerya's screams were echoing through the castle. Edric had told Rhaella that laboring to bring a child into this world could take days sometimes. Rhaella found herself wishing that the screaming would cease. Could they not give the princess something for the pain she was experiencing? Surely as heir to the throne she was entitled to that.
"I thought you said you were going to listen if I read."
"I am listening. Keep going." Rhaella glares
Aemond shot her a look but kept reading about Visenya and her conquest of Drone.
"What do you think childbirth is like?" She asked her companion
A loud yell from Rhaenerya's chamber echoed down the halls and into her room.
"Painful," Aemond said not looking up from the book
Rhaella elbowed him in the side.
"Ow!" He yelped "Why did you do that?"
"Because I can tell it's painful! She's been screaming for hours."
"Well, you asked me what I thought!" Aemond said
"I hope I never have children. I don't want to experience the pain the Princess is enduring." She declared
"Aren't you the heir to Runestone?" Aemond asked
Rhaella looked at him like he was an idiot. He knew she was so why was he asking.
"Being an heir means you have to have children." He pointed out
Stupid Aemond and his observations.
"Nobody asked you." She scoffs
Viserys was tired. He had spent the better part of the day at a long small council meeting. His back was hurting and the sores that had taken over his body were driving him mad. Yet, instead of resting like he had planned his wife was pacing in front of him, she was beginning to make him dizzy.
"Might you sit down?" He sighed
"Did you not hear a word I just said?" Alicent asked
"I heard you. You worry yourself for nothing." He said
"They will not remain children forever. Separating them now will be easier than later." She said
"Why? Aemond finally has someone to be friends with. I have heard that they spend hours together reading." Viserys says
"I am trying to prevent improper events from occurring. You allow them to sit in her room with the doors closed for hours, alone. Aemond is..." Alicent trails off
"Aemond is not like Aegon. He will not hurt Rhaella." Viserys assures
"And if you're wrong?" Alicent asks
"I am not wrong," Viserys says
"If something were to happen and Daemon received word-"
"Daemon does not care for her. I have written to him many times about her and how wonderful she is and his only response was that she is the product of a drunken mistake." He stops his wife rambling
"What if he changes his mind one day. I do not think he even wants her to be interacting with our sons let alone reading with one for hours." Alicent says
"You worry over nothing. Even if Daemon changes his mind, they are nothing but children who are friends."
The pig was a cruel joke.
Aemond could feel hot tears on his waterline as he stumbled back towards his room. He wished ill on his little nephews and big brother. He is already aware he is dragonless, why must they remind him of it in such a crude manner?
"Aemond? Is that you? My needlework lessons ended early and I brought a book about..."
He feels his face heat up when Rhaella turns around from her place at his desk to lay eyes on him. She wasn't even supposed to be in his room for another two hours.
"What happened?" She asked
"Nothing." He shrugged her off
"You are dirty and crying, that is not nothing." She pointed out
He cursed her out mentally for being able to see his tears. When did her eyes get that good?
"Was it Aegon? Or Jace and Luke? Or all of them?" She questioned
"All of them." He sighed lying down on his bed
"I will go-"
"Go and do what? Yell at them? They don't care about our opinions. We're boring to them. Dragonless Targaryens are nothing to them." He proclaims
"We are not nothing." She said jumping onto the bed and lying down next to him
Aemond let out a soft grunt at her declaration her words were falling on deaf ears.
"One day we're both going to get dragons and then we will race across the skies," Rhaella says
"I will win." He declares
"No, you won't! My dragon will be far quicker than yours." She gasps
"Yeah, it'll probably be ugly like you too then." Aemond laughs
Rhaella lets out an offended gasp and a pillow lands roughly on his face.
"Ugly? You must be talking about yourself!" She laughs as he pushes his hair from his face.
"You have not looked in the mirror lately, Rhaella." Aemond jested as his hands tightened around the pillow as he sat up to be eye level with her.
Perhaps she was going to say something witty back to him but was met with the soft fabric of the pillow as Aemond laughed.
Heleana watched quietly as her brother and cousin hit each other with the many pillows that adorn the bed. She had been sent to collect her cousin after she had snuck away from their needlework lessons yet she couldn't bring herself to intrude. Aemonds laughter and smile was something she rarely saw and it had her frozen in place.
"One day my dragon will race yours under the sun." Rhaella declares.
"And I will be the victor." Aemond cuts her off
And then Heleana's mouth is opening and her words are whispers in the shadows of her brother and cousin's joy and plans for the future.
"They will race under colors of green and black. The sky will be thick with blood."
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON TUMBLR.