DANCING WITH DRAGONS ;; a collection of imagines.

rhaenys targaryen ; residuum

⁀➷ summary ; drabble requested by a mutual as part of my 1k follower celebration on tumblr.

"hiraeth (welsh) - homesickness mixed with grief and sadness over the lost or departed, or a type of longing for the homeland or the romanticized past."

⁀➷ pairing ; rhaenys targaryen x reader

⁀➷ notes ; i made this more angsty than i intended omg 😭 i used her book description bc i think black/ash hair rhaenys would be an awakening for everyone,,

━┉⠀❩⠀◗⠀●⃟⠀◖⠀❨⠀┉━

"the princess rhaenys of house targaryen."

the announcement of her name is enough to stir your blood cold and still your movements.

it's been nearly twenty years since you've last seen the queen who never was. before, you two were inseparable and glued to the hip. you did anything and everything together. memories of dragon rides perched on the back of meleys flood your mind. you smile absentmindedly at the thought and unknowingly her. she's still effortlessly beautiful; her once obsidian black hair now adorned with fragments of grey wisps, a reminder of her timely age.

your suck in a breath as you further observe her, eyes trailing down to the dark, velaryon dressage she wore. another telltale sign, but this one screamed that she was no free and unmarried. your smile falters at this notion, and it's the same time that rhaenys returns your gaze.

black, beady eyes watches yours, careful and unwavering. they're filled with an old nostalgia, you reckon, for her face falls from the usual, prideful smirk she bore around her family. her face twitches and it's almost like your mind, your body, and your soul reconnects with hers in these fleeting moments.

this.. sensation you're feeling – the feeling that seeps into your bones and wraps you up in a blanket. it's warm, comforting, and it reminds you of what home should feel like. it reminds you of the past, the past you had with rhaenys by your side. all the lingering touches, the unsure stares that was shared, and the close breaths that mingled into one. truth was never uttered between you two, but you both understood what you were to each other. you want nothing more than to run into her arms and sob out what you've been concealing in agony for so long – to make it real and to breathe life back in to it.

it makes you realize how much you truly miss her and her presence. how much, despite the years, has stayed the same? does she still enjoy quail eggs for break fast? does she still ride meleys? there's a number of questions that floats through your mind, and you suddenly become sick. so much time has passed – so much you have missed out on.

your heart strings thrum on cue when rhaenys' gaze is torn from yours. pulled away from your hypnotic stance, your eyelids flutter and wets the dryness that built up. you release a breath you don't know you're holding and feel your heart break as you watch rhaenys remember that her husband, corlys velaryon, is right next to her. he takes her arm, following her gaze with his to where you stood, dumbfounded like a deer caught under the arrow of a hunter. it's almost a stare that taunts you, gloating and waving her in your face as if she's a prize you cannot have. while there's truth to the notion, you don't enjoy the feeling of realization that follows.

you clear your throat and straighten your back, rolling your shoulders in attempt to quell the insecurity that was surely showing. you swallow the thickness in your throat and go back to the task you were doing.

rhaenys targaryen was no longer yours.