Tale of Two Queens

[006] i am a child

"The fuck do you mean she needs a septa?"

"I don't want to argue Laenor." Rhaenyra threw her earings down as she scoffed and rubbed her eyes. Laenor walked over as Rhaenyra glared up at him. 

"Mera does not need a septa. She needs her loneliness, her silence, h-her...herself. Mera needs herself. She needs to be alone. She doesn't need a hag to tell her what is or is not proper!" 

Rhaenyra groaned as she walked away. Hugging herself as she sighed. Daemon would never argue like this with her. She turned as Laenor motioned for an explanation. 

"I...I just need her to be the daughter I thought she would be." Laenor closed his eyes as he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. 

"Get over it."

"Over what?" Rhaenyra spat as she glared at him. "Is it wrong for me to yearn for her other half? Her other—"

She turned and covered her mouth as she cried. Laenor sighed as he looked down at his feet and closed his eyes. It was years ago. Eight to be exact. It was the day when Mera was born. As was Visenya. 

Her other half. 

She was smaller but her cries were loud and booming. She was everything Rhaenyra wanted as a daughter. From her striking lavender eyes and silver moon wisps of hair to her prickly and sharp persona, even as a baby. 

 A part of Laenor always knew Mera was to be less doted on if Visenya had lived. No one ever knew since the babe died the second the two were placed together. It was odd. Visenya was more plump and in many ways, more healthy than Mera as she blushed pink and looked more strong while Mera was pale and looked sickly. 

It was all a bet between the nursemaid's and delivery maids as to who would survive the night or not. Even Rhaenyra was definite on the fact that the second babe wouldn't last the night. 

But like always. Mera drained whatever life or light there was in someone. 

Laenor sighed as he said, "No one kne—"

"No! No one knew! She was my daughter. My Visenya and she just died the second I placed it next to her." 

Laenor glared back at her again. 

"Do not speak of my daughter as if she killed her." Rhaenyra scoffed as she said, "We both know who's daughter she is." 

She turned to Laenor laughing. But there was no humor in it.

"Who's daughter?" Rhaenyra looked to see Laenor coming over as his eyes were filled with rage. 

"He does not deserve to be called her father. What has he done to earn that right? What letter or note did he ever send to her! To tell her she'd get a dragon! To tell her everything was going to be alright! To tell her that soon the night will end and the morning would come and soon it would calm her everlasting nightmare!"

She flinched at his tone as she sobbed in into her hands. 

"My daughter is perfect. She is quiet and stealthy, bold and fierce! She does not need to be loving and compassionate, she does not need to share your worries that you have brought onto yourself." 

Rhaenyra sniffled as she looked up from her hands and frowned. "What?"

Laenor cackled as he said, "You think I don't know. Oh, Mera's told me everything."

"Told you what?"

"She told me how you tried to sell her out. How you tried to pimp her to Aegon just so you can mend the broken romance of a bond between you and Alicent."